Does design solve problems? No.

There's a popular definition in design schools and creative agencies. It goes something like this, "Good design solves problems." It's a great way to sell work to clients, a great way to get likes on LinkedIn, and a great way to make garbage for people who don't deserve "good" anyway.

I've grown increasingly dismissive of the problem-solving mindset. Sometimes there isn't a problem to solve. Sometimes the wrong problems are being solved. Sometimes the solution is ugly, dull, and worse than the problem.

A solution no one wants to use doesn't solve anything. A solution that feels like nothing should be condemned as nothing. This applies to architecture, branding, and zines. Don't forget this when you're making your next adventure or game. Remember: You can do worse than make something people hate.

Don't mistake the weave for a tangle.

✋

Did you know this post gets updated? Sometimes I miss something and add it later. Don't forget to check out the web version for the latest treasure trove of links.

Explorers' Loot

• How to Design Lists in RPGs.**** I was late to the lists vs prose debate, but I arrived just in time to share some design insights from outside of tabletop rpgs.
• Unconventional GMs plays Invaders from Atlantis.**** An actual play of an adventure I'm working on the full release for! It's like a broadcasted playtest.

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Quests & Rumors

Game jams, contests, and opportunities. Drop me a line on Bluesky.

• Old-School Essentials Month.**** Prepare your spirit for a collab project led by Exalted Funeral and Necrotic Gnome on Backerkit. May 5th – June 6th.
• Randomness Blogwagon.**** Bloggers, it's time to write about randomness. Make a claim, propose a theory, or make something. Blogging ends June 20th.
• You Cannot Play This TTRPG Jam**.** This is a game jam for games that do not exist. They won't ever exist. They will never be playable.**** Ends June 21st.
• Vaarn Summer Jam '26.**** Make something for Vaults of Vaarn , a science-fantasy rpg, inspired by Dune, Hyperion, and Mobieus. Jam ends Sept. 30th.
• Chainlinked Game Jam.**** Create your own content for the semi-cooperative dungeon-defying rpg, Chain×Link_._ Or make a hack of it. Jam ends Oct. 4th.
• Make Moves Jam.**** Create or share singular Moves using Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) design philosophies. Jam lasts all year. Ends Dec 31st.

Reviews & Critique

Critique and examinations of tabletop rpgs, adventures, and more.

• Rare Bird****by Idle Cartulary. This pay-what-you-want adventure is the first to pique my interest in Swyvers , a very British, very scoundrel-y game of heists.
• Fatherfog (Zero Edition) by OSR Rocks! The 2nd-ever rpg from Tuesday Knight Games (of Mothership fame) already looks great but what's in the fog?
• Daggerheart and "Moves"****by Deeper in the Game. The popular fantasy rpg is massive, but does it need to be? Looking at its inspirations—maybe not.
• 🎙️**** Reading Club: Draw Steel****by Rascal. Thomas Manuel's latest podcast is a new favorite. Part 1 is the deep dive. Part 2 is the audience response.
• 🎙️**** The Secret of the Night Market****by Between 2 Cairns. Yochai, Brad, and Sam talk about the systems of _Perils & Princesses, _illustration, and paper stock!
• 📺**** Stonetop****by Quinns Quest. Stonetop takes the top spot for Quinns Quest season 2. I think it's well deserved, and I think Quinns captures exactly why.

Design Examples & Best-iary

The spotlight section of the newsletter full of showcases and projects.

• Patrick Stuart Interview****by Swan and Raven Studio. Patrick Stuart talks about his new _Tunnels & Trolls _adventure. The answers: funny and insightful.
• Johan Nohr's Before/After.**** 12 years ago, Johan designed Symbaroum's first book. Now he's designing the newest edition. The glow up is insightful.
• ⚙️ Treasure Encumbrance****by Failure Tolerated. Sean drops a delightfully simple chart about treasure that asks, "How easy is this to sell and move?"
• ⚙️ A Wee Mechanic: Stabilising the Dying****by Idle Cartulary. This elegant mechanic will have your characters pondering the best treatment like a doctor.
• ⚙️**** The Bonkers Loop****by 3x5 Arcana. Playing with kids reveals just how fast an rpg can (and maybe should) escalate when given the tools to do so.
• 📺**** State of the OSR 2026****by Ship of the Dead. Limithron and others reconvene at Gary Con to answer the question, "What the deal with the OSR?"
• 📺**** Interview with M. Allen Hall****by The Weekly Scroll. Ryan comes out of the wargaming mines to talk adventure writing and more with M. Allen Hall.

Theory & Craft

Design tools, resources, theory, and advice for rpg designers from rpg designers.

• The Three Secrets of Making Games****by Jay Dragon. The three secrets are secret because they're maybe more important and impactful than anything else.
• No-Nonsense Crowdfunding****by Outrider Creative. Ryan Lynch of _Perils & Princesses _fame enters the blogosphere with 40 tips all about crowdfunding.
• The 2 Axes of Abstraction****by Murkdice. Another taxonomy-like post, but this time the model is used to answer, "What is this particular game about?"
• Things I Wish I'd Thought of Before Putting "Fuck" in the Name of my Game****by Dinoberry Press. Spoiler: The four-letter word is a pain to sell.
• What Actually is a Module Anyway?****by Murkdice. I like the weaving of differing viewpoints to define modules and the skills needed to make them.
• I'm Tired of Touchstones****by Murkdice. I don't usually include two, let alone three posts from the same person, but I can't second this post enough.
• The Door Tax****by 3x5 Arcana. A breakdown of how doors influence exploration. What makes a door good or bad in dungeon delving adventures?
• Chess is a Boxed RPG****by Backwards Tabletop. This is just one part in a series all about repurposing board games, like Chess, for tabletop rpgs.
• 📺 How to Write and Run OSR Adventures****by Ship of the Dead. Limithron, Joseph R Lewis, and Joel Hines lend their proven process for OSR.
• 📺**** The Ox That's Breaking Your Fantasy Map****by The Grainbound. I'm not sure how true it is, but I love building a world extrapolated from logistics.

Inspiring & Non-roleplaying

Design tools, theory, and inspiration from the world beyond tabletop rpgs.

• How I Learned to Just Fucking Write****by Kieran Cutting. It involves a lot of eavesdropping and very little waiting. I love this idea and hope to adopt it.
• Games that Shine in Play-and-Win****by Stonemaier Games. A few insights about promoting your game at conventions, including a "Play-and-Win" raffle.
• 🔒**** Become a Better Graphic Designer by Thinking Like a Sign-Painter****by Beth Matthews. One of the goats of ephemera design. Paywalled.
• 💡 Meet Tiffany Chin****by True Grit Texture Supply. Behold this ocular feast of inspiring posters. You can find her whole portfolio at TWKCHIN.
• 📺 Graphic Design Should Die****by Oversettext. The term "graphic design" is functionally meaningless in a world where everything is graphic and designed.
• 📺**** Everything You Need to Know About Medieval Travel****by Modern History. This'll be good worldbuilding fodder for your next fantasy game.

Design Archive

Old articles, missed articles, famous or overlooked, resurfaced for the newsletter.

• Dissociated Mechanics****by The Alexandrian. I love any essay that puts a name to something that desperately needs calling out.
• Deep Dive: Stonetop****by Indie Game Reading Club. With the imminent arrival of Stonetop, it's worth checking out this awesome review from '24.

Missed the last issue? Read it here.

The Explorateur: Issue #19Monthly design jams, critique, theory, and inspiration for tabletop rpg designers by rpg designers. Vetted. Looted. Curated.Explorers DesignClayton Notestine

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