We’re halfway through 2025 already, and now closer to 2050 than we are 2000! If you find that depressing, here are some cool things to cheer you up!
The One-Page RPG Jam is back!
Just over a week to go until this year’s One-Page RPG Jam, and you can already sign up. If you’re not already familiar, each summer we run a game jam on Itch.io where participants create new TTRPGs that can fit on a single page. Over the past 5 years the community has created over 2000 games! It’s always good fun and the jam is open to everybody, even if you’ve never designed a game before. Head over to the jam page and check it out.
The ENNIE Awards
The ENNIES has just announced their nominees for 2025 and the list is fire. Depending on opinion on award shows, your mileage may vary, but the list is always interesting to check out and look for cool games and products you might have missed.
Also the One-Page RPG Jam is nominated! Clearly the judges have good taste. Voting goes live July 11th, so if you’re a fan of the jam please do go and vote when it opens.
Games
Mausworn
Cezar Capacle is one of the most interesting indie designers out there, and every project he makes is something new and cool. I also love games where you play as a mouse. So you can imagine how happy I was when Cezar talked about his new hack of Mausritter and Ironsworn.
His Majesty the Worm
Tarot-based dungeon-crawler His Majesty the Worm by Josh McCrowell is a singular tome, and the new printing is on pre-order at Exalted Funeral.
Bundles
Roll Big or Go Home!
Humble Bundle has a huge collection with some amazing games (Slugblaster, Apocalypse World, Spire), and some not so good ones (Power Rangers). The bundle has a great range of genres and systems, with the top tier containing 57 PDFs for £30/$40.
Melsonia Bundle
Bundle of Holding has a Troika! bundle with the core rulebook, settings, adventures, and also the stunning Fungi of the Far Realms.
Media
Reading D&D Aloud
Dungeons and Dragons historian Ben Riggs (Slaying the Dragon) interviews one of the most influential people in TTRPG history, Ryan Dancey. Dancey was key in the sale of TSR to WotC, and in the creation of the OG OGL. You might have opinions on those two things, but both were significant milestones in the success of D&D.
Quinns Quest
Quinns is back for a second season of reviews, kicking this one off with Chris McDowall’s Mythic Bastionland. Quinns has a singular talent for making me spend money on books, and the review is informative and entertaining - something missing in a lot of review videos.
Blogs on Tape
Nick LS Whelan’s Blog on Tape series is the audiobooks of weblogs. Chris McDowall appears again on this list, as this particular podcast is a reading of his influential ICI Doctrine blogpost. If you haven’t read it yet, this episode of Blogs on Tape makes it even more accessible.
Crowdfunding
CBR+PNK Overload
Brazilian indie creator Emanoel Melo’s CBR+PNK was one of my few regrets for not backing the original campaign. I finally managed to pick it up at UKGE last month, and it’s gorgeous and well made. This expansion looks just as good, and I backed it this time. No regrets.
Gamefound’s RPG Party
Gamefound’s mentorship program has picked its projects. No campaigns are currently live, but all have previews available to check out.
Land of Eem
Exalted Funeral’s Land of Eem has always been in my periphery, but I never properly looked at it. This new crowdfunding project for two products - a setting book and a kid-centric box set - drew my attention to the core game, a d12-based system with degrees of success, for sandbox and hex-crawl play, and a bunch of cutesy characters.
Book of Wyrms
A beautifully illustrated little bestiary of wyrms, with information and tables for each. Produced by RPG collective, Cloud Curio.
Thanks for the kind mention!