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  "description": "Monthly design jams, critique, theory, and inspiration for tabletop rpg designers by rpg designers. Vetted. Looted. Curated. ",
  "path": "/explorateur-20/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-01T04:05:44.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.explorersdesign.com",
  "tags": [
    "How to Design Lists in RPGs.",
    "Unconventional GMs plays Invaders from Atlantis.",
    "Bluesky",
    "Old-School Essentials Month.",
    "Randomness Blogwagon.",
    "You Cannot Play This TTRPG Jam",
    "Vaarn Summer Jam '26.",
    "Chainlinked Game Jam.",
    "Chain×Link",
    "Make Moves Jam.",
    "Rare Bird",
    "Fatherfog (Zero Edition)",
    "Daggerheart and \"Moves\"",
    "Reading Club: Draw Steel",
    "Part 1",
    "Part 2",
    "The Secret of the Night Market",
    "Stonetop",
    "Patrick Stuart Interview",
    "Johan Nohr's Before/After.",
    "Treasure Encumbrance",
    "A Wee Mechanic: Stabilising the Dying",
    "The Bonkers Loop",
    "State of the OSR 2026",
    "Interview with M. Allen Hall",
    "The Three Secrets of Making Games",
    "No-Nonsense Crowdfunding",
    "The 2 Axes of Abstraction",
    "Things I Wish I'd Thought of Before Putting \"Fuck\" in the Name of my Game",
    "What Actually is a Module Anyway?",
    "I'm Tired of Touchstones",
    "The Door Tax",
    "Chess is a Boxed RPG",
    "How to Write and Run OSR Adventures",
    "The Ox That's Breaking Your Fantasy Map",
    "How I Learned to Just Fucking Write",
    "Games that Shine in Play-and-Win",
    "Become a Better Graphic Designer by Thinking Like a Sign-Painter",
    "Meet Tiffany Chin",
    "TWKCHIN",
    "Graphic Design Should Die",
    "Everything You Need to Know About Medieval Travel",
    "Dissociated Mechanics",
    "Deep Dive: Stonetop",
    "The Explorateur: Issue #19Monthly design jams, critique, theory, and inspiration for tabletop rpg designers by rpg designers. Vetted. Looted. Curated.Explorers DesignClayton Notestine",
    "Explorers Design"
  ],
  "textContent": "# Does design solve problems? No.\n\nThere'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.\n\nI'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.\n\nA 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.\n\nDon't mistake the weave for a tangle.\n\n✋\n\n****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.\n\n### Explorers' Loot\n\n  * 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.\n  * 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.\n\n\n\nA word from the author...\n\nIf you like Explorers Design, become a member! It's free, easy, and sends articles right to your inbox.\n\nSign Up Now\n\n### Quests & Rumors\n\nGame jams, contests, and opportunities. Drop me a line on Bluesky.\n\n  * Old-School Essentials Month.**** Prepare your spirit for a collab project led by Exalted Funeral and Necrotic Gnome on Backerkit. May 5th – June 6th.\n  * Randomness Blogwagon.**** Bloggers, it's time to write about randomness. Make a claim, propose a theory, or make something. Blogging ends June 20th.\n  * 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.\n  * Vaarn Summer Jam '26.**** Make something for _Vaults of Vaarn_ , a science-fantasy rpg, inspired by Dune, Hyperion, and Mobieus. Jam ends Sept. 30th.\n  * 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.\n  * Make Moves Jam.**** Create or share singular Moves using Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) design philosophies. Jam lasts all year. Ends Dec 31st.\n\n\n\n### Reviews & Critique\n\nCritique and examinations of tabletop rpgs, adventures, and more.\n\n  * 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.\n  * 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?\n  * 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.\n  * 🎙️**** 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.\n  * 🎙️**** 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!\n  * 📺**** 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.\n\n\n\n### Design Examples & Best-iary\n\nThe spotlight section of the newsletter full of showcases and projects.\n\n  * Patrick Stuart Interview****_by Swan and Raven Studio._ Patrick Stuart talks about his new _Tunnels & Trolls _adventure. The answers: funny _and_ insightful.\n  * 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.\n  * ⚙️ Treasure Encumbrance****_by Failure Tolerated._ Sean drops a delightfully simple chart about treasure that asks, \"How easy is this to sell and move?\"\n  * ⚙️ A Wee Mechanic: Stabilising the Dying****_by Idle Cartulary._ This elegant mechanic will have your characters pondering the best treatment like a doctor.\n  * ⚙️**** 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.\n  * 📺**** 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?\"\n  * 📺**** 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.\n\n\n\n### Theory & Craft\n\nDesign tools, resources, theory, and advice for rpg designers from rpg designers.\n\n  * 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.\n  * No-Nonsense Crowdfunding****_by Outrider Creative._ Ryan Lynch of _Perils & Princesses _fame enters the blogosphere with 40 tips all about crowdfunding.\n  * 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?\"\n  * 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.\n  * 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.\n  * 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.\n  * The Door Tax****_by 3x5 Arcana._ A breakdown of how doors influence exploration. What makes a door good or bad in dungeon delving adventures?\n  * 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.\n  * 📺 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.\n  * 📺**** 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.\n\n\n\n### Inspiring & Non-roleplaying\n\nDesign tools, theory, and inspiration from the world beyond tabletop rpgs.\n\n  * 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.\n  * 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.\n  * 🔒**** Become a Better Graphic Designer by Thinking Like a Sign-Painter****_by Beth Matthews._ One of the goats of ephemera design. Paywalled.\n  * 💡 Meet Tiffany Chin****_by True Grit Texture Supply._ Behold this ocular feast of inspiring posters. You can find her whole portfolio at TWKCHIN.\n  * 📺 Graphic Design Should Die****_by Oversettext._ The term \"graphic design\" is functionally meaningless in a world where everything is graphic and designed.\n  * 📺**** Everything You Need to Know About Medieval Travel****_by Modern History._ This'll be good worldbuilding fodder for your next fantasy game.\n\n\n\n### Design Archive\n\nOld articles, missed articles, famous or overlooked, resurfaced for the newsletter.\n\n  * Dissociated Mechanics****_by The Alexandrian._ I love any essay that puts a name to something that desperately needs calling out.\n  * Deep Dive: Stonetop****_by Indie Game Reading Club._ With the imminent arrival of Stonetop, it's worth checking out this awesome review from '24.\n\n\n\n* * *\n\n### Missed the last issue? Read it here.\n\nThe Explorateur: Issue #19Monthly design jams, critique, theory, and inspiration for tabletop rpg designers by rpg designers. Vetted. Looted. Curated.Explorers DesignClayton Notestine\n\n* * *\n\n_This newsletter uses the occasional affiliate link to support Explorers Design. If you notice any broken links, mistakes, or bad actors, please let me know._\n\n* * *\n\nExplorers Design_is a production of Clayton Notestine. If you liked this issue, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing._",
  "title": "The Explorateur: Issue #20",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-01T18:15:29.106Z"
}