Education
An RPG's Guide to Surviving Shipping
Which rpgs survive the journey to my house? It depends on the packaging.
Theory
Why Combat Is a Fail State
Revisiting the old-school maxim "Combat is a fail state" and redefining what it means at my table and as a design theory for the OSR.
Explorateur
The Explorateur: Issue #5
Monthly design discoveries for tabletop rpg designers including jams, critique, theory, and tools. Vetted. Looted. Curated.
Theory
How Do We Design a Gaming Community?
Do we have good communities, how can we build better ones, and what role do award shows have in community-building?
Explorateur
The Explorateur: Issue #4
Monthly design discoveries for tabletop rpg designers including jams, critique, theory, and tools. Vetted. Looted. Curated.
Explorateur
Vote in the Bloggies
The Bloggies 2025 are almost over. Read my synopsis on the nominees. Mark your calendars. And celebrate rpg blogging!
Theory
The Meta-First Way
An alternative (and experimental) approach to roleplaying games that does what fiction-first systems cannot.
Education
Stop Hiding the Apes in Your RPG
How to show the cool and important parts of your game without muddling the work, burying the lede, and creating more noise.
Explorateur
Explorers Design in Review
A 2024 retrospective, the best Explorers Design articles of the year, and plans for the future.
Explorateur
The Explorateur: Issue #3
Monthly design discoveries for tabletop rpg designers including jams, critique, theory, and tools. Vetted. Looted. Curated.
Critique
Exploring Nighthawks
In this week's design delve, we inspect how tabletop games engage with fine art.
Education
Accessibility in Tabletop Design
What is accessible design? Why is it important? And how can we get more of it in tabletop game design?