The Dolent City
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thedolentcity.bsky.social
The Dolent City
@thedolentcity.bsky.social
53 followers 120 following 100 posts
RPG designer | play worlds | punch nazis | he/him

Site: https://thedolentcity.com
Blog: https://thedolentchronicle.com
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Reposted by The Dolent City
nohr.se
Four reasons why I think MÖRK BORG's index is good.

1. It's divided into three sections so that you can quickly filter to the third you're looking for and not have to sift through as many irrelevant entries. If you're looking for a thing in the Rules, you just ignore The World and Creatures.
October 7, 2026 at 1:57 PM
thedolentcity.bsky.social
This Game Demands a 200 HP Dragon

After last night's 4e game, I felt the need to rant. The session didn't go how I wanted. Who is to blame? Me? The players? The system? A little bit of each I think.

www.thedolentchronicle.com/posts/this-g...
This Game Demands a 200 HP Dragon
A rant about tactical mechanics in roleplaying games and how they are incompatible with a Play Worlds mindset.
www.thedolentchronicle.com
October 5, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
explorersdesign.bsky.social
I’ve been thinking a lot more about freelance design and how mystifying it is to most people, especially if you came through the proverbial back door with rpgs.

Today, I’m thinking about the three most popular pricing models and my thoughts on them.

www.explorersdesign.com/working-desi...
Design Hireling: Pricing Models
3 pricing models for freelance graphic designers and artists in rpgs.
www.explorersdesign.com
September 30, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
explorersdesign.bsky.social
Here are 5 covers I liked this month. One of them doesn't even look like an rpg cover. It looks like junk mail.

www.explorersdesign.com/covers-sept-...
Great Covers: September '26
Great covers from across the tabletop rpg industry.
www.explorersdesign.com
September 24, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
murkdice.bsky.social
Something inspired by @betterlegends.bsky.social, an adventure preferences sheet.
March 30, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
murkdice.bsky.social
I’m errrr. I’m on YouTube?

Well, I kinda had to for showing off Inkvein. Check out a look-through and tour of perhaps the biggest @morkborg.com adventure ever made #osr

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrtp...
The biggest MÖRK BORG adventure ever made
YouTube video by Murkdice
www.youtube.com
September 17, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by The Dolent City
samsorensen.bsky.social
[rings bell] theoryslop! theoryslop! come get yer theoryslop while it's still hot!
one page. header reads "RPG DESIGNER THEORYSLOP ALIGNMENT CHARTS & SHEET." gray text under the header reads "You have 20 points to assign to each stat array, Pendragon-style. For tri- or otherwise multi-polar arrays, express the stats as ranges, e.g. “Gamist 1–7 / Dramatist 8–9 / Simulationist 10–20.” subheaders followed by lines for writing read: "Designer: / Project: / Link:" subheader reads "Binary Traits," followed by a list of silly game studies paired descriptors and space to write stats: "Ludologist / Narratologist // Game-as-Activity / Game-as-Object // Proceduralist / Anti-Proceduralist // Diegetic / Endogenous // Suitsian / Non-Suitsian // Closed Lusory Goal / Open Lusory Goal // Toy-Game / Meta-Game // Character-Locked / Authorial // Problem-Solving / Story-Telling // Rulebooks / Adventures." subheader reads "Special Twinned Binary Traits (the Bartle Zone)," followed by gray text reading "Assign 20 points to each axis, but make a single roll when testing the combined traits." following is a two-axis chart, north-south reading "Social / Non-Social" and west-east reading "Aggressive / Passive." in the second column, a subheader reads "Multi-Polar Traits" followed by shapes with stats at their corners: triangle, "Dramatist / Gamist / Simulationist"; square, "Agon / Alea / Mimicry / Ilinx"; hexagon, "Classic / OSR / Trad / Nordic larp / Neotrad / Storygames"; square, "Gamer / Actor / Socialite / Immersive." a subheader reads "Skills," followed by a big list of 32 skills, with space for stats next to each: Academia, Acting, Art Direction, Blog, Cartography, Copyediting, Credit Rating, Day Jon, Game Studies, Graphic Design, Illustration, Layout, Line Editing, Livestream, Marketing, Networking, Operations, Organizing, Podcast, Printing, Production, Proofreading, Shitpost, Shortform Video, Social Media, Thirst Trap, Video Essay, Web Dev, Writ. (Adventure), Writing (Lore), Writing (Rules), Other: " gray text reads "Sam Sorensen, September 2026" same theoryslop designer sheet as before, this time filled out in handwritten green, for me, Sam. I skew towards problem-solving, goal-driven play, as well as towards adventures, imaginary worlds, and simulationism. the notable inclusions in my skills lists are a +6 in game studies, a +4 in academic, blog, layout, line editing, and adventure-writing, and a +2 in "museum," my "other" skill
September 14, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
newalias.info
Soulbreaker Codex - a catalogue of anachronistic phenomena across three epochs: 1000, 2000, and 3000 AD

Text by @lukegearing.bsky.social
Songwriting & Editing by A. G. Cook
Art & Direction by @jacobhulmston.bsky.social
Design by Martin Uhrecký

Preorder available now via britpop.online
September 9, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
sean.tuesdayknightgames.com
Mothership Month is back this year, with one big caveat: no crowdfunding, no new releases. Instead we're investing back in the community: For starters: the Jump-9 Writers Grant will invest $9k in 3 new writers to help them each create a Mothership zine.

www.failuretolerated.com/mothership-m...
Mothership Month 2026
<p><strong>Mothership Month is coming November 1 - November 30,</strong> back to our regularly scheduled timeslot. With one big caveat: <strong>No crowdfunding this year.</strong></p> <p>I don’t know ...
www.failuretolerated.com
August 26, 2026 at 12:50 AM
Reposted by The Dolent City
meinberg.bsky.social
New post! Talking about how TTRPG texts give permission to be creative in ways that players simply wouldn't be without them.

goatsongrpg.wordpress.com/2026/08/11/p...
Permissive Games
Rules by their inherent nature are restrictive. If you’re playing a game, everyone agrees to play by those rules, and break them only via consensus. We accept these restrictions because that’s what…
goatsongrpg.wordpress.com
August 11, 2026 at 8:45 PM
thedolentcity.bsky.social
The Designer’s Drug

An essay on the allure of cleverness for game designers.

www.thedolentchronicle.com/posts/the-de...
The Designer's Drug
An essay on the allure of cleverness for game designers.
www.thedolentchronicle.com
August 10, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
chaoclypse.bsky.social
Since people seem interested, I've coded a version of this that yields better results, is more optimized, and allows you to customize the texture of the noise.

It's free, and forever will be free.

Enjoy!

chaoclypse.itch.io/xerox-hell
August 5, 2026 at 10:52 AM
Reposted by The Dolent City
prismaticwasteland.com
You can now convert any Pokemon into an enemy for Cairn, Mythic Bastionland or, most importantly, Into the Oddish
#osr #ttrpg #pokemon
Convert Any Pokémon to Into the Oddish Stats — Prismatic Wasteland
Convert any Pokémon into stats for Into the Oddish and any other Oddlike like Carin or Into the Odd. Also 22 enemy Pokémon for your games or Into the Oddish adventures.
www.prismaticwasteland.com
July 28, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
explorersdesign.bsky.social
A short piece on the power of hyperlinks this week.

If you're designing for digital and not using them, you're leaving one of your format's greatest strengths on the table.

www.explorersdesign.com/how-to-hyper...
How to Design with Hyperlinks
User-friendly definitions, rules, and hacks for your next rpg pdf.
www.explorersdesign.com
July 22, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
jdragsky.bsky.social
SEVEN-PART PACT, my fantastical ornate TTRPG about powerful wizards, asymmetrical board games, and the pressures of masculinity is now launching on kickstarter!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/sjg...
Seven-Part Pact
A fantastical, ornate TTRPG from Possum Creek about the might and folly of powerful wizards bound by a venerable Pact.
www.kickstarter.com
July 14, 2026 at 3:34 PM
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riseupcomus.bsky.social
THE MIDDLE-EARTH HEXCRAWL IS BACK, BABY. I have not been idle with this daily writing exercise.

Come visit these troll-haunted lands. Gaze on the ruins of the ancient kingdom of Rhudaur, fight bandits allied with the Necromancer's forces, and explore the still-standing watchtowers for treasure.
The Angle - Middle-earth Hexcrawl
An installment of my hexmap for Middle-earth project.  Follow the "Middle-earth Hexmap" tag for all entries in this series. Art by Goran Gli...
riseupcomus.blogspot.com
July 14, 2026 at 11:59 AM
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jdragsky.bsky.social
the seven-part pact kickstarter launches TOMORROW! here's the Arcane Edition (mockup, images not final) ! it features a faux leather bound grimoire, hardcover codices, a plastic pull tab on the box, and beautiful art by @teanwitch.bsky.social
a beautiful green and gold version of seven-part pact
July 13, 2026 at 4:03 PM
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seraphina.diceexploder.com
Voting for the 2026 ENNIE Awards is live! I’m one of the candidates to be a judge next year, and I’m asking for your vote! In this thread I’ll explain what that means, why you should vote for me, and where you can read more of my thoughts on tabletop games. vote.ennie-awards.com/vote/2026/ 1/
vote.ennie-awards.com
July 10, 2026 at 4:10 PM
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riseupcomus.bsky.social
Making your own dungeon can feel intimidating, but it's just a series of discrete steps. To help make the joy of writing your own dungeon available for everyone, I wrote the Designing Dungeons Course.

Please vote it #1 for BEST ONLINE CONTENT in this year's ENNIES!

vote.ennie-awards.com/vote/2026/
Designing Dungeons Course: Or how to Kill a party in 30 Rooms of Less. Nominated for Best Online Content for the ENNIES: Tabletop RPG Awards. dungeons.hismajestytheworm.games.
July 10, 2026 at 4:21 PM
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isaacisafraid.bsky.social
Coming soon: Ea-nāṣir Must Die! A Mark of the Odd adventure for 3–5 players. Inspired by the historical figure & meme, Ea-nāṣir.

Ea-nāṣir is a copper merchant from Ur.
Ea-nāṣir sold bad copper.
Ea-nāṣir received many complaint tablets.
Ea-nāṣir made many enemies.
Ea-nāṣir Must Die!

#ttrpg #osr
Cover of Ea-nāṣir Must Die! It shows Ea-nāṣir, just like the meme. Art by citaaticat. Illustration of Ea-nāṣir for Ea-nāṣir Must Die! by citaaticat
July 9, 2026 at 12:30 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
explorersdesign.bsky.social
What makes an rpg cover great? Lots of things! We are spoiled for choice in rpgs. So, this week, I thought I'd show off 15 recent and lesser-known favorites w/ commentary.

Let me know your favorites! I want to do a part 2.

www.explorersdesign.com/great-book-c...
Great Book Covers '26 #1
Cover inspiration from across the tabletop rpg industry.
www.explorersdesign.com
July 8, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by The Dolent City
forlornencystment.bsky.social
In the final (?) post in my series on Developing the Sandbox, I lay siege to strongholds! They are settlement, dungeon, & monster lair, all in one. They support social intrigue, mass combat, & dungeon delving. How do the characters get inside, & what do they find within? #TTRPG #D&D #AD&D #OSR
Developing the Sandbox: Strongholds
This post is part of my series on developing the sandbox. You can read other posts in the series here . The series will, when necessary, go ...
forlornencystment.blogspot.com
June 30, 2026 at 2:28 PM
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forlornencystment.bsky.social
I wrote another post for the randomness blog bandwagon! This one focuses on AD&D halflings & their dogs. Halflings love their dogs, & you should too! This post gives each a personality quirk & pairs them with a fully fleshed out halfling adult or child. #TTRPG #D&D #AD&D #OSR
1d10 Halflings and their 1d4 Dogs
My goblin post was fun, and it gave me a hankering to do something similar with halflings. Why halflings? Well, mostly because I like that ...
forlornencystment.blogspot.com
June 23, 2026 at 2:37 PM
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hodagrpg.bsky.social
Zomg!!!
hodagrpg.itch.io/darkfantasy
Scrooge Says what day is it? And a child says "today? Why its dark fantasy d8 day, of course"!
June 20, 2026 at 1:24 PM
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hodagrpg.bsky.social
GOT A SMALL ZINE COMING UP? NEED BESPOKE ART? DO I HAVE A DEAL FOR YOU!
-15 Spot illos based around your zines theme/genre
-2 Hero Illos highlighting a central theme or design element of your game OR central hero/villain
If you have questions or would like to discuss larger projects, ping me here!
<A big monster makes landfall in a Mediterranean fantasy city at night> THE ZINE DREAM IS HERE! 55USD gets you 15 themed spot illustrations and 2 "hero" illustrations suitable for covers or interior. Ennie Awards winning art at pre 2020 prices. Hypertrench at Gmail dot com
June 10, 2026 at 1:56 PM