In this newsletter

Ham & Egg Publishing

Of A Harmonious Nature is coming to BackerKit!

Ahoy! It’s your ole buddy Hambone here! It is spring, so once again, a middle-aged man’s fancy turns to crowdfunding. 

I am stoked to announce that Of A Harmonious Nature, a folk-horror adventure designed for use with Shadowdark, is coming to BackerKit on April 21st. 

This is an adventure that Levi Combs and I had been working on a while back, and we are finally ready to unleash it on the world. Here is a teaser synopsis: 

The fog-shrouded mountain town of Skogstrand has been quietly beset by a terrible entity from beyond the veil. This creature, known in tales of old as Prastr-Vem, is a skulking, malicious thing that slithers its way into the hearts and minds of those around it, holding them in a grip of frenzied, ritualistic terror. It has set its sights on Skogstrand and its people, with no intention of releasing them until its foul will is made manifest.

As characters enter the town, they quickly realize that something unusual is afoot. Bizarre rituals and unsettling practices reign, as an annual festival known as Scythperchten looms in just a few days. 

Dare you discover what is behind the trouble in Skogstrand, or will you too fall prey to Prastr-Vem?

For me, using Shadowdark for this adventure was a no-brainer because I fell in love with the system the minute I cracked the cover. It is the perfect complement to the dark themes of this story. 

Of A Harmonious Nature was written to be the best parts of an A24 film, in the Hammer Horror style, with art by Sally Cantirino and a story by Sally, Levi, and me. 

Arcane Sword Press

Magazine Madness Continues – Ares Magazine by SPI

Ares magazine is a bit of an outlier with the other gaming magazines I’ve covered, because the gaming component is mostly secondary in the magazine. Now, i’m saying “in the magazine” because Ares was published with a boardgame in each issue! So the actual game is a tear-out from the magazine. This means the rest of the issue is essentially unrelated to the board game itself (for the most part). Which is fine! But the actual meat of the magazine isn’t gaming-focused, but gaming-adjacent. I’m talking about a focus on narrative short stories, science articles, and media reviews specifically. That’s the bulk of the magazine! The only usable gaming content is the pack-in game, and the rest of the issue is primarily inspirational content for hobbyists. While that may sound dull, I’m kinda here for it. Yes – there aren’t houserules for your favorite RPG in it, but there are articles on the practicality of rocket propulsion in interstellar travel! The short stories are also provided by notable authors for those into genre fiction of the era, including the occasional Appendix N author. Why is this magazine worth mentioning? Well, in the world of simulation games, SPI was the Pepsi to Avalon Hill’s Coca-cola. SPI produced some very notable games that I’d argue are far more visually compelling and interesting than vast swaths of Avalon Hills releases, but I also admit my own lack of experience with this era of simulation games. SPI also produced some well-regarded games from them period and even tried its hand with fantasy  and sci-fi, including Dragonquest- their answer to D&D, Universe – their answer to Traveller (which I may talk about in the future), the Lord of the Rings board game trilogy (Sauron, Gondor, and The War of the Ring), Dragonslayer – the Game, and some failed licensed tie-ins (Dallas the board game!) that may or may not have led to its financial woes.

So what happened? Ares was published bi-monthly for 11 issues starting in 1980 before SPI ran out of cash and was taken over by TSR, who then published issue 12 in 1982. Almost immediately, the magazine became an afterthought- moving to quarterly then becoming an article in Dragon magazine, until it evaporated entirely. Most of the SPI talent went to Avalon Hill as TSR was gutting the remains of SPI in 1983. 

Something I ask myself when I’m flipping through these issues is – what value does this magazine have for current hobbyists? Usually, the main appeal is the contemporary look into the hobby from the period, from terminology, to seeing trends as they form. Ares did surveys and would publish the results in each issue, sort of making a billboard top 100 but for games, which I think is cool (space game did something similar as well). But the dedication to constantly polling readers about their game rankings is interesting, Beyond ethnoecological interest – some magazines do provide something usable or insightful that still applies. I’d say almost every magazine offers this like adventures or some alternate rules. But what Ares brings is tangential inspiration from the science articles about astrophysics or the inspired short stories. Speaking of- some of the short stories are tied into the pack-in game. For example, issue 10 features a game based on The Stainless Steel Rat, a popular sci-fi rogue created by Harry Harrison who also has a short story in this issue. This issue may be my favorite of the initial 12 because it also features media reviews of Outland and Escape from New York (both reviews praised them, as they should). This issue also shows its attempt to be more like its peers by including a Dragonquest adventure included within it- using this as a resource to promote SPI’s own emerging RPG game. There are also expanded rules or updated rules for prior issue’s pack-in games. Sometimes these are rule corrections based on player feedback or reviews, showing a lack of playtesting which I would expect for someone trying to pump out and print games every two months outside of their typical simulation board game development. However, the frequency of this is troubling- indicating a lack of quality and then publishing a fix. It feels analogous to some current video game development trends (you can patch it out later, etc.) 

Did gamers want stuff like this in a gaming magazine? I genuinely don’t know

Two more things I would like to point out: First- the cover art is easily some of my favorite so far, and is honestly some of the stronger covers I’ve seen from the era. SPI has a unified design to all of their products around this time, so the fonts, layouts, and artwork all look good across the board, including the games from this period as well. You can tell they cared about what their products looked like. The second thing I would like to point out is in issue 1, there is a section called “A Galaxy of Games: Reviews of the Most Significant Science Fiction and Fantasy Games” where a team of writers attempt to review all notable games published by the “major” publishers (including SPI). So this functions as a short form collection of ranked reviews of a significant number of games available to purchase in 1980. But that’s not the notable part- What’s notable is that a good amount is done by David Ritchie and Eric Goldberg. The David Richie reviews are incredibly robotic and joyless, which is always funny seeing a rating of 8 out of 10 at the end of a review that seems like he was unimpressed with. Granted if i had to do most of the reviews for a single issue within a word count, i would also be joyless myself after a period. Another reviewer is Greg Costikyan, a celebrated game designer later into the 1980s so it’s cool to see his opinions on current games. 

So what are my thoughts on Ares magazine? It’s not very interesting especially since I’m reviewing these without the main selling point (the pack-in game), except for issue 10 due to their rarity to come across a complete game for cheap so I feel like I’m missing half of the magazine’s charm. The few reviews I found for the pack-in games often said some games weren’t fun. Uh-oh! If I received these bi-monthly in 1980 and 1981, I could see myself being very excited about it but after looking at other contemporary magazines, it’s not as impressive with a limited scope which only focused on tangential content. It feels like the pack-in game was the main selling point and the magazine was tacked on. Having said all of that, I’m glad I have a complete run of issues 1-12 for my library as a piece of history.

Next week – Adventurer: The Superior Fantasy & Science Fiction Game Magazine by Mersey Leisure Publishing

• Bryan

Stillfleet Studio

Worlds Beyond Number × Stillfleet

The flagship sci-fi TTRPG by our scrappy little indie game studio, Stillfleet, has been picked up by the actual-play legends over at Worlds Beyond Number. We could not be happier to see what folks who have mostly been showing off traditional d20 games do with the Grit System’s dice ranges and narrative powers.

Whether or not you usually listen to AP podcasts, if you like far-future political sci-fi, check out the new season of WBN, Solari! It’s a great introduction to the Grit System and Stillfleet (which we’re reworking right now for a 2.0). Content warning: sex, politics.

Horse Shark Games

Taking It to the Streets

Over the past few months I made two trips to the east coast visiting Boston & Eastern Massachusetts and New York City & Long Island. I attended cons and spoke to university students who are pursuing education in game design and speculative fiction. I have had the singular pleasure of meeting a bunch of new people.

First off I spent the 3rd week of February in Massachusetts where I was invited to speak to game design students at Fitchburg State University about RPGs and Netcrawl. I was given an hour and half slot and I knew that I wanted to end with an actual play. I had nothing else prepared before the trip and hastily planned a talk for about 30 minutes giving a brief history of RGPs and various core concepts. 

As talks go, it was fine; the payoff was asking if anyone wanted to play. The 20 or so students immediately started pushing the tables together. The president or the RPG Club pulled out multiple sets of dice for anyone without a set. It was magic! All eight pregens were grabbed and another 3-4 watched. I ran the scenario out of the back of Netcrawl RPG and it was a blast. Everyone was D&D 5e players, but as true students of game design they were all about trying something new. They asked about how it was paid for and we paused a few times to talk about specific mechanics.

Then I attended Total Con 40. I was able to meet some new people like Jeffrey Talanian, Erik Tenkar (Tenkar’s Tavern), and Ian McGarty (Silver Bulette) put names and faces together like meeting Wolf Manzella, Jayson Elliot (Solarian Games), Bryan Larkin (Arcane Sword Press) in person, and see good friends like Joey Royale and Tim Duchene.

My latest trip started with an appearance at SUNY Stony Brook where, just like Fitchburg State, I briefly outlined RPGs and then talked a little about Netcrawl. Again we ended the talk with a demo. In contrast to the players at Fitchburg State, almost everyone in attendance had never played a TTRPG and had never rolled RPG dice before. It only took a little bit of cajoling to get them to push the desks together and play, but they immediately took to it like fish in water.

I also briefly attended the Long Island Tabletop Gaming Expo in Garden City, NY. The convention is held inside the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Game tables were scattered throughout the aerospace exhibits which was amazing. I didn’t stay too long, but I did say “Hi.” to some people running DCC RPG at the convention and gave them all some swag.

The end of the trip was spent in Brooklyn and visiting Twenty Sided Store in the Williamsburg neighborhood (two metro stops or so from Manhattan). The proprietor, Lauren Bilanko, has a very nice FLGS with lots of OSR books, card game tables on the 1st floor, and a workshop/TTRPG tables in the basement. She is writing her own sci-fantasy setting and game system named Mystic Aether and does a ton of creative stuff. She and I did a workshop on adventure writing using the Sys Raid hexcrawl/pointcrawl adventure generator in Netcrawl:Arcologies. All the participants walked away with the bones of an adventure, which means I have something new to work on for the next few months!

These events have been very illuminating. We, inside our bubbles of the overall RPG gaming industry, sometimes fail to see the potential of going out into the streets to engage people that have never played. Instead we seem to focus more on people that already play games and TTRPGs. There is nothing like playing an RPG for the first time. My advice: get out there and find some new-to-the-hobby fans! Be their conduit to a new experience. Enjoy presenting your game to people who will always remember the time you introduced them to RPGs. Take your game to the streets!

ModCon 2026 Northampton, MA – May 30th

Game submissions are open now, and badges are on sale for the first-ever ModCon. 

It’s happening May 30th at the beautiful Smith College Conference Center in Northampton, MA. ModCon is a one-day convention dedicated to the modern-era genre of TTRPGs. 

That includes games like…321 RPG • Call of Cthulhu • World of Darkness • Cyberpunk • Shadowrun • Marvel Super Heroes

• Mutants & Masterminds • Delta Green • Savage Worlds • Burn 2d6 • Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland • WHPA and more!

It’s going to be a great day of gaming, dedicated to all kinds of settings in the 20th and 21st centuries, in worlds both like our own and very, very different. Sign up below, and we’ll see you there!

ArcaneCon Northampton, MA – October 16th & 17th

ArcaneCon is returning October 16th & 17th, 2026. Join us in a celebration of indie, old school, and old school-inspired RPGs, miniature games, board games, and more! ArcaneCon is Western Massachusetts’s premiere tabletop hobby convention! Game submissions will go live on March 1st! See more information at Tabletop Events.

Your editor this week has been James A. Pozenel, Jr. of 

Horse Shark Games

Keep on emailing us at hello@analogunion.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, or just ideas you’ve got.

If you like the Analog Union newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up at AnalogUnion.com.

Until Next Time!

– James

In this newsletter

Joey Royale’s Pizza Party returns this Wednesday, March 18, at 8 pm EST,  live on YouTube: Sewer Rats Inc

Our old friend J. Yamil returns to the Pizza Party to share his new project, “Tales from the Tape Deck.” From the Kickstarter:

Tales from the Tape Deck (TTD) is a rules-lite roleplaying game system that fits in a cassette tape box! Tales from the Tape Deck is a mashup of ruthless, fast-paced, old-school gameplay and a narrative-forward approach. For fans of Mork Borg, Dungeon Crawl Classics, and Shadowdark.

Meldar16 is a dynamic duo making some innovative games with great graphic design. I just picked up the murder mystery masterpiece “I Got a Knife,” and it is the real deal. They developed a great resolution system named Die vs Die, which makes TTRPGs very accessible to all players. 

From their site: https://meldar16.com/

Meldar16 Games is the brainchild of Melanie C. Green. Originally using Meldar16 as a personal art handle and then as a co-publisher for indie comics, she started making D&D adventures and zines in her Atera Redux series. While making her first non-D&D ttrpg, she also upgraded her partner Sean, from mere editor to co-writer and dishwasher. 

Bring your napkins- it’s gonna be a mess!

Join the GHI Discord: https://discord.gg/5CjzBnsAt

Arcane Sword Press

Magazine Madness continues with Adventure Gaming Magazine by Manzakk Publishing

On December 30th 2025, the gaming world lost a legend- Tim Kask.  A lifelong gamer who started with simulation board games in the 1960s,  went on to become the Editor of TSR in 1975 after playing Chainmail. From there, he oversaw The Strategic Review (pre-Dragon Magazine), the OD&D supplements, and then established Dragon magazine. He fired the talent at TSR. He ended up leaving in 1980, a pivotal year for the company. Why did he leave? Well, other sources can get into deeper detail than myself within a  limited word count, but my understanding is the change of focus for the company. Well, where is a person who edited significant works of the hobby to go next? Well, start their own gaming magazine of course!

Enter Adventure Gaming Magazine: A back-to-basics product that feels more along the lines of early issues of The Dragon. Actually, I would say that during the short 13 issue run of Adventure Gaming, there are three notable eras:

• Early period (#1-5; the Hex background cover)
• High (#6-10; The full art covers with gloss finish)
• Late (#11-13; Full art cover without gloss finish)

So why categorize the magazine like this? Well, those early issues are cool but somewhat visually sparse. You can tell that Mr. Kask was still developing it, but each issue does feel like a notable increase in layout quality and content. Once we hit issue 6, the gloves came off and we were swinging high! For a monthly magazine, the material is very well written and of good variety. Maybe too spread out? But it falls in line with Mr. Kask’s interest: fantasy role-playing games and tabletop simulation games. So in an issue you would find both alternate rules for a medieval variation of RISK or diplomacy along with an original Traveller adventure published by none-other than Marc Miller, the game’s creator (the infamous Stranded on Arden adventure!) In fact, there was a lot of support for military simulation board games in this magazine which made this very close to The General (future installment of magazine Madness!) One thing I also appreciate is that while the variety was there, it was still more or less 40-560 RPG and MilSim games overall. Some fantasy scenarios would be system neutral, but with conversion advice at the end for AD&D, Runequest, and Adventure in Fantasy (!!!) The magazine felt like a good look into what games were exciting to Tim Kask at the time, which is fun to experience his enthusiasm for them.

As a Traveller-pilled guy myself, there was usually something for me to find, and usually of good quality- although the Hardware Wars feature on real-world science to speculate on the function of beam weapons in Traveller might be a bridge too far (for me) but I’m glad it’s there! I can’t imagine how easily accessible information on how lasers work were easily accessible to teens in 1981, let alone sandwiched between movie reviews and game scenarios. Tangent aside- even with the variety going out for my realm of interests, I did find myself becoming more pulled into topics in the publication simply because they were well-written. Truly, the quality of writing here surpasses most of the other magazines I’ve looked at so far. You can tell care went into the quality of this magazine, which really shows in contrast to the issues of Dragon being published around the same time! 

What else is in there? 

• There would be a showcase of miniatures that were coming out under the familiar “Phigure Photos” used in early Dragon magazine, 
• Comics including Finieous Fingers also from Dragon Magazine, 
• media reviews, 
• game and game adventure reviews,  
• original short stories,  
• etc. etc. the usual. 

But the letter section, if felt, was well done, with the editor responses not being snarky or condescending as compared to other magazines. You get the sense the Tim Kask was always trying to improve on the magazine with each issue. One thing I noticed in issue 9 (probably the issue that really stood out to me) is that there was a readership survey asking “Do Adventure Games Discriminate Against Women?” asking for feedback about the prevalence of harmful stereotypes and the experiences of women gamers, offering to keep people anonymous. 

I think this is pretty forward-thinking, and considering that Adventure Gaming was mostly staffed by women- this really highlights that this magazine was ahead of its time in this regard. Unfortunately, this feature never came, as the magazine officially stopped publishing around the time of its planned article. I’d be curious to see if this article was ever written or published elsewhere. Tim Kask received a brief push back in 1977 for publishing some poorly aged gender-specific rules for D&D, so seeing him being forward thinking and inclusive in this way in 1982 is awesome. If you are curious about the history of women representation in tabletop gaming, Jon Peterson wrote a fantastic article for Medium called The First Female Gamers about it (include link). However, by the “late” period, the print quality dropped and the lack of a tear out adventure scenario, but the articles were still cool, with some issues having certain themes or focuses, like Cowboys, or the game Illuminati. Then it ended! No warning!

So what is the final Verdict? Adventure Gaming is easily one of the best written and most diverse of the magazines I’ve covered so far. While it has similar topics and articles compared to others, The articles it does have are well written and researched (with sources cited!) Adventure Gaming  also focuses on a wider range of tabletop games by providing variations for those games which I haven’t seen anywhere else. This is an easy cover-to-cover for me and definitely wasn’t the slog some other magazines were. Its also a great look into the era of tabletop gaming with the letters, response articles, and the decent GM advice. Recommended!

Next week: Ares Magazine by Simulation Publication Inc (SPI), then TSR!

• Note: It was supposed to be Adventurer Magazine “The Superior Fantasy & Science Fiction Game Magazine” by Mersey Leisure Publishing in the UK, but  I am currently trying to De-stink my issues. 

Just a reminder: Game Submissions for ArcaneCon are open! Submit your games before May 30th so you can get a discount on your badge! I have also updated the ArcaneCon webpage with all of the current info about the new location, states, and more!

Until next time!

-Bryan

Ham & Egg Publishing

Crowdfund Your F#@king Life: Second Edition out now!

Ahoy! This week, I am stoked to announce that Crowdfund Your F#@king Life: Second Edition is finally here! Since dropping the first one as a free community resource in January 2025, I intended to follow up with a second issue right away, but life had other plans. Lots of them apparently. 

So now, ahead of issue 2–which you can get the articles for early on my patreon–I thought it would be a good time to revisit the first issue. 

Crowdfund Your F#@king Life: Second Edition has been revised and expanded. It includes more helpful links, killer sidebars that round out the zine, and a bunch of cool public-domain and other art pieces to give it a real classic ‘90s zine feel. 

As always, the PDF of Crowdfund Your F#@king Life will forever remain “$FREE.99”–or pay what you want–on DriveThru RPG. You can snag a physical copy on my Etsy. 

Here is a description of the zine: 

Crowdfunding is a lot of work. It is also how many creators who dream about bringing their projects to life get to do so. It is pretty cool when you think about it. However, for many folks, getting started can be daunting. The good news? It doesn’t have to be. 

Crowdfund Your F#@king Life was written by a former traveling blender salesman with six years of crowdfunding experience. This zine reads like a one-sided conversation between old friends, meant to help you navigate launching your first campaign. It is filled with helpful information, heartfelt encouragement, and a sprinkling of profanity. 

So, if you are only in it for the money, keep walking.

If you are ready to do the work, have some fun, and bring your creative dream to life: 

Let’s F#@king Go!

ModCon 2026 Northampton, MA – May 30th

Game submissions are open now, and badges are on sale for the first-ever ModCon. 

It’s happening May 30th at the beautiful Smith College Conference Center in Northampton, MA. ModCon is a one-day convention dedicated to the modern-era genre of TTRPGs. 

That includes games like…321 RPG • Call of Cthulhu • World of Darkness • Cyberpunk • Shadowrun • Marvel Super Heroes

• Mutants & Masterminds • Delta Green • Savage Worlds • Burn 2d6 • Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland • WHPA and more!

It’s going to be a great day of gaming, dedicated to all kinds of settings in the 20th and 21st centuries, in worlds both like our own and very, very different. Sign up below, and we’ll see you there!

ArcaneCon Northampton, MA – October 16th & 17th

ArcaneCon is returning October 16th & 17th, 2026. Join us in a celebration of indie, old school, and old school-inspired RPGs, miniature games, board games, and more! ArcaneCon is Western Massachusetts’s premiere tabletop hobby convention! Game submissions will go live on March 1st! See more information at Tabletop Events.

Your editor this week has been Bryan Larkin of Arcane Sword Press

Keep on emailing us at hello@analogunion.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, or just ideas you’ve got.

If you like the Analog Union newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up at AnalogUnion.com.

– Arcane Bryan

In this newsletter

Justin Sirois, Severed Books

VAMPIRE FARTS launches in May from Severed Books!

In this fast and tense press your luck game, you are a vampire who must eat a well-rounded meal to fart the most succulent fart imaginable. You will be feasting on different people of varying “taste” (number values). At the end of each round, the vampire with the highest value meal wins. That is, if you don’t ruin your night by feeding on the same type of human twice.  

Beware, rival vampires are also out to sabotage you. During your night hunt, you may steal other vampire’s meals, block them from hunting, and even end their night completely. Play smart and you’ll be the one to rip the juiciest fart and win. Welcome to Vampire Farts.

Sign up here for cool free loot:

https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/f41b6894-9f56-4d51-8cd3-fb318051cff6/landing

Box art is a placeholder as we’re waiting on Drew’s art for the game.

Arcane Sword Press

Magazine Madness continues! This week – Imagine Magazine by TSR UK

I honestly struggle to think of anything notable beyond that it is aggressively Mid. Nothing outstanding, but nothing bad either! Which is a disappointment because I was honestly looking forward to this one. I looked at a couple of issues from the beginning, middle, and end of its 30 issue run to help give me an insight into its lifetime (April 1983 – October 1985.)

I honestly struggle to think of anything notable beyond that it is aggressively Mid. Nothing outstanding, but nothing bad either! Which is a disappointment because I was honestly looking forward to this one. I looked at a couple of issues from the beginning, middle, and end of its 30 issue run to help give me an insight into its lifetime (April 1983 – October 1985.)

I think most notably, there were featured articles with new AD&D classes and rules written by Gary Gygax that were later compiled into Unearthed Arcana two years after they were in Imagine (three years after they were in Dragon Magazine). And just like Dragon, the majority – if not all of the issue’s table space was devoted to D&D content such as adventure modules, rule clarification editorial called Dispel Confusion (great name!), a bi-monthly article about play-by-mail called Chainmail (another great name!), plus the occasional review about films, books, plus other gaming magazines. In fact- there is a lot of focus on reviewing other magazines and fanzines, oftentimes being a bit too critical or even punching down on a teen doing their best. 

What about game content beyond D&D? Well, it’s pretty slim but when I saw something written for runescape or traveller, it would be paired with AD&D and Star Frontiers respectively. So there seemed to be some editorial control on supporting systems outside of TSR USA’s interests. In fact, it seemed like TSR UK was doing its best to compete with the established juggernaut of White Dwarf by the time Imagine came around that Gygax probably treated it as an afterthought and merely as an advertisement platform for the UK scene. Which White Dwarf was doing just fine releasing their own AD&D classes and adventures.

Finally, I’d like to point out one thing that feels very contemporary – An article called A Beginners Guide to Role Playing that goes over aspects of playing an RPG and an associated comic strip called The Adventures of Nic Novice that is set up as an introduction to learning how to play D&D. Look at it!

What about game content beyond D&D? Well, it’s pretty slim but when I saw something written for runescape or traveller, it would be paired with AD&D and Star Frontiers respectively. So there seemed to be some editorial control on supporting systems outside of TSR USA’s interests. In fact, it seemed like TSR UK was doing its best to compete with the established juggernaut of White Dwarf by the time Imagine came around that Gygax probably treated it as an afterthought and merely as an advertisement platform for the UK scene. Which White Dwarf was doing just fine releasing their own AD&D classes and adventures.

Finally, I’d like to point out one thing that feels very contemporary – An article called A Beginners Guide to Role Playing that goes over aspects of playing an RPG and an associated comic strip called The Adventures of Nic Novice that is set up as an introduction to learning how to play D&D. Look at it!

That looks like it’s from a  zine I would have picked up recently at a convention or find on Itch.io! This strip continues for many issues and was a joy to come across every time.

In summary, Imagine is like a literal mid-point between Dragon and White Dwarf, serviceable and technically good, but not memorable as the prior two.

Next week – Adventure Gaming Magazine by Manzakk Publishing!

Oh, before I forget- Game Submissions for ArcaneCon are open! Submit your games before May 30th so you can get a discount on your badge! I have also updated the ArcaneCon webpage with all of the current info about the new location, states, and more!

Until next time!

-Bryan

Ham & Egg Publishing

Fugazi: The Albini Sessions

Ahoy! Hambone here, and whilst I have nothing to promote, this was the coolest thing I heard about this week, and I could not wait to share it with you all. Fugazi, the legendary D.C. post-hardcore band, has chosen to release their shelved “In on the Killtaker” sessions, originally recorded with the late great Steve Albini, to support Letters Charity. I have included an excerpt from the article, and you can read the full story on Bandcamp in its entirety. It is worth checking out. 

From Bandcamp: “In the fall of 1992, the members of Fugazi were deep in the process of finishing up the songs that would eventually come out as the “In On The Killtaker” album the following year. The band had been working on the songs for a couple of years and had gotten as far as recording a few of them at Inner Ear as well as making numerous practice recordings, but by late October, they seemed to have hit a bit of a wall. In an attempt to shake things up, it was decided that they would take up Steve Albini’s standing invitation to do a free recording at his Electrical Audio Studio, which at the time was located in the basement of his house on North Francisco in Chicago.”

“In those three or four days, 12 songs ended up getting recorded and mixed –the entirety of the eventual “In On The Killtaker” album. During playbacks in Steve’s upstairs mixing room, everyone was very excited by the results. However, once the band was driving back home to DC with cassettes of the rough mixes to check out, it was clear that this was a session that wasn’t going to be released. The two vehicles met at a rest stop in Ohio, and there both sets of band members realized they had come to the same conclusion independent of each other. It’s difficult to explain the issue, but, for as incredible as things felt while at Electrical, the songs sounded flat in subsequent listens. A few days after returning home, Albini wrote to the band with a similar opinion, and it was decided to nix the recording.”

“To honor Steve, who died in 2024, and to support the work that he and his wife, Heather Whinna, have done with the non-profit Letters Charity organization, Fugazi has decided to make Steve’s entire original mix officially available for the first time in transfers pulled directly from the master tapes.”

Stillfleet Studio

If You Dig Indie RPGs, Tune Into Why We Roll

Do you play, GM, or even create indie TTRPGs? Eyyy, so do we! In fact, Stillfleet Studio hosts a biweekly stream/podcast all about indie TTRPG game design.

Each episode of Why We Roll with Christopher Pickett and Wythe Marschall is an in-depth hour-long peek into the mind of a leading contemporary designer.

We’ve been lucky to interview some truly amazing designers, including Daniel Kwan, Luke Gearing, Mark Diaz Truman, Laurie O’Connel, Spencer Campbell, Kayla Dice, Michael Sands, Jenn de la Vega, Will Jobst, Tanya Floaker, Adam Vass, and Analog Union’s own John McGuire! (Expect more AU crossovers…).

By focusing on RPGs × history and politics as well as the biz side of indie gaming, Why We Roll is a perfect entry point for new creators. Plus, we take questions in the chat during our streams! Roll with us~

Get Haunted Industries

Keep Going — Responsible Momentum as an Indie TTRPG Maker

Look, pals—I’m no business expert. I’m just running Get Haunted Industries from a workbench in my basement. Making games is how I express myself and feed the muse. It’s great therapy, and I’ve met incredible people through it. But if I want the zines to keep flowing, I have to think about three things: money, my abilities, and forecasting.

Money

Zines cost money to print. Simple as that. I’m not great at asking for it. I love giving books to friends, and I’m a pushover at the con table. I want my games in people’s hands so that I can get  loose with pricing.

But when it’s time to hit the “Pay Now” button on Mixam, reality kicks in. So let’s say it out loud: it’s okay to charge people for your work. Getting paid is what allows you to make more things and get them into more hands.

Take the money, leave the cannoli.

My Abilities

I have zero graphic design training. I work with a computer and a phone. Instead of fighting that, I use it to my advantage Use YouTube. Pick a simple, free program and learn the basics. I started with GIMP and Microsoft Publisher. Since Publisher is going away this year, I switched to Affinity and spent a week watching beginner tutorials. That was enough to keep moving.

You don’t need mastery. You just need momentum. Refinement happens as you grow and experience.

Forecasting

I have a million game ideas. Late-night Tubi binges keep adding more. That’s great—but you can’t make everything at once. So for now, I’m focusing on building around WHPA. Think of it like the old razor/razorblade model.

The Razor: a core product that’s cheap and easy to get into. Get it out there however you can.

The Razor Blades: supplements. In my case, every supplemental zine is $10 so customers know exactly what to expect.

The goal is one release every three months—steady momentum without overwhelming people.

This also means restraint. If you’re like me, you want to release everything immediately. Instead, I’m planning releases on a calendar like a big boy and trying to keep two finished projects in the can so the schedule stays consistent.

Last thing: Print Runs.

I never know how many copies to order, so I keep the numbers low. I can always print more. That’s better than stacks of dead stock collecting spiders in the basement. Platforms like Etsy help too—people can save an item and get notified when it’s back in stock. Everybody gets what they want.

Keep it small. Keep it steady. Keep going.

ModCon 2026 Northampton, MA – May 30th

Game submissions are open now, and badges are on sale for the first-ever ModCon. 

It’s happening May 30th at the beautiful Smith College Conference Center in Northampton, MA. ModCon is a one-day convention dedicated to the modern-era genre of TTRPGs. 

That includes games like…321 RPG • Call of Cthulhu • World of Darkness • Cyberpunk • Shadowrun • Marvel Super Heroes

• Mutants & Masterminds • Delta Green • Savage Worlds • Burn 2d6 • Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland • WHPA and more!

It’s going to be a great day of gaming, dedicated to all kinds of settings in the 20th and 21st centuries, in worlds both like our own and very, very different. Sign up below, and we’ll see you there!

ArcaneCon Northampton, MA – October 16th & 17th

ArcaneCon is returning October 16th & 17th, 2026. Join us in a celebration of indie, old school, and old school-inspired RPGs, miniature games, board games, and more! ArcaneCon is Western Massachusetts’s premiere tabletop hobby convention! Game submissions will go live on March 1st! See more information at Tabletop Events.

Your editor this week has been Joey Royale of Get Haunted Industries

Keep on emailing us at hello@analogunion.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, or just ideas you’ve got.

If you like the Analog Union newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up at AnalogUnion.com.

See you next week!

-Joey Royale

Tavers: The Meow Wolf RPG

In this newsletter

Tiger Wizard

TAVERS LAUNCH!

Hey there Analogers!

I’m super excited to launch my new game on Kickstarter this week: TAVERS: The Meow Wolf Roleplaying Game, launches Wednesday March 4th at 10am ET!

TAVERS gives fans of storytelling TTRPG’s the opportunity to create new worlds primed for exploration. Players use a collaborative “exquisite corpse” style storytelling system, which focuses on uncovering mysteries and exploring the strange and unknown across a universe of infinite worlds. Roll 2d8 dice to make Discoveries. Spend Source points to open portals and bend reality. Your group’s shared memories become gameplay resources that help you uncover mysteries across multiple interconnected story adventures.

Last chance to Sign Up to be a TAVERS prelaunch follower and receive a

massive Nimsesku Kaiju miniature (Nimiature!) with your physical pledge!

Also, back the campaign anytime from launch at 10am ET Wednesday March 4th until 11:59pm Friday March 6th and receive a 3.5″ d8 embroidered patch early backer reward!

Can we count on your pledge?

Saltheart RPG

Like Stephen King’s “The Gunslinger”? Then check out Bite The Bullet

Check out the Analytic Dice podcast review of Bite The Bullet roleplaying game, a “Gunslinger” adjacent game taking cues from We Deal In Lead, Crown and Skull, along Jason Hobbs’s own spin on things!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2KEUxPdendu6mhKnWYF1Xf?si=b7bd56d53a1f47a6

This weekend I’m at Luppoleto Brewing in Windsor, Connecticut for Luppoleto Brewing’s HBG Con. There I’m playtesting the latest iteration of the Zany West. The Zany West is part of an advanced BURN 2d6 project, one leg of a project called the Book of Z.

Art by Drew Shields

Stay up-to-date by checking out the pre-launch page on Kickstarter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/burn2d6/the-book-of-z

Arcane Sword Press

Magazine Madness continues: Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Flying Buffalo!

Magazine Madness continues: Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Flying Buffalo!

Sorcerer’s Apprentice has a lot of parallels to The Dragon, but it also has its own thing going on. I suppose it’s like comparing Burger King to McDonalds? M&Ms to *Canadian* Smarties? One is classic, but the other is better executed but that opinion varies person to person. And I’d say SA is a better execution of what the Dragon does. Instead of supporting AD&D, SA supports Tunnels & Trolls by Ken St. Andre- a very early RPG that emerged in the wake of the original Dungeons & Dragons. T&T has a more whimsical take on what TTRPGs would be, or rather- how RPGs actually play out at the table and the unintended comedy that occurs while goofing around with your friends playing a game. Tunnels & Trolls has a different attitude to its design, with Ken St. Andre stated that it’s not “his” game, but YOUR game to modify and improve for best experiences at your table –  a strong contrast to the attitude to AD&D Gygax took for “his” game and how people play it “wrong” as he stated in many issues of The Dragon.

So now that attitude of the systems and their creators out of the way, lets get into the magazine itself. First of all- this magazine does something different: Sorcerer’s Apprentice was a Quarterly magazine that ran from 1978 – 1983 for 17 issues officially and then later as a fanzine throughout the 1980s. One thing that each issue has- A Tunnel & Trolls Solo adventure! The adventure is integrated throughout the pages which lends a different way to interact with a game publication. The couple issues I read also have a number of short stories found within it- a good way to pad out your fantasy gaming magazine! I also recognize that it isn’t for everyone, but it is more interesting to me and more of a source of inspiration than overwritten, half-baked and untested alternative AD&D mechanics or rules found in The Dragon. 

But what about the similarities? Well SA features 

• a letter to the editor section, rule questions (Querries & Quandries), 

• An editorial column, 

• Upcoming Events, 

• and Reviews (Broken Spines, What a name!) 

So Sorcerer’s Apprentice does a lot of what other magazines do, but definitely feels a bit more focused and polished. But there is one thing that this magazine has that others don’t – Grimtooth, the cartoon mascot of Flying Buffalo. For those  who don’t know, Grimtooth is known for a series of books by Flying Buffalo (and later Blade) filled with comedic tricks and traps for fantasy roleplaying games. My personal perspective is that Grimtooth surpassed the popularity of Tunnels & Trolls. One thing I realized while flipping through a few of these issues is that it makes me want to finally check out Tunnels & Trolls!

Next week – Imagine Magazine by TSR UK!

• Bryan

ModCon 2026 Northampton, MA – May 30th

Game submissions are open now, and badges are on sale for the first-ever ModCon. 

It’s happening May 30th at the beautiful Smith College Conference Center in Northampton, MA. ModCon is a one-day convention dedicated to the modern-era genre of TTRPGs. 

That includes games like…321 RPG • Call of Cthulhu • World of Darkness • Cyberpunk • Shadowrun • Marvel Super Heroes

• Mutants & Masterminds • Delta Green • Savage Worlds • Burn 2d6 • Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland • WHPA and more!

It’s going to be a great day of gaming, dedicated to all kinds of settings in the 20th and 21st centuries, in worlds both like our own and very, very different. Sign up below, and we’ll see you there!

ArcaneCon Northampton, MA – October 16th & 17th

ArcaneCon is returning October 16th & 17th, 2026. Join us in a celebration of indie, old school, and old school-inspired RPGs, miniature games, board games, and more! ArcaneCon is Western Massachusetts’s premiere tabletop hobby convention! Game submissions will go live on March 1st! See more information at Tabletop Events.

Your editor this week has been Jayson Elliot of Solarian Games

Keep on emailing us at hello@analogunion.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, or just ideas you’ve got.

If you like the Analog Union newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up at AnalogUnion.com.

See you next week!

-JE

Tavers: The Meow Wolf RPG

Hambone’s Fast Five

Last Chance To Danse

ModCon is coming!

In this newsletter

Arcane Sword Press | Get Haunted Industries | Ham & Egg Publishing | Horse Shark Games | Stillfleet Studio | Super Savage Systems | Tiger Wizard

Tiger Wizard

HAMSTER SMASHES CITY TO RUBBLE! ALONG WITH EXPECTATIONS!

Howdy all, just wanted to let everyone know about this new TTRPG I’ve been working on. It’s called TAVERS: The Meow Wolf Roleplaying Game, and it’s all about collaborative storytelling for you and a few friends. In the many worlds of Meow Wolf, there is a beloved hamster named Nimsesku. Something strange has turned him into a city-smashing, massive snack-snappping Kaiju monster! The NimsesKaiju!! TAVERS Launches on Kickstarter March 4th. However, if you sign up to be notified in advance, you will receive this 80mm Kaiju Hamster mini FREE with a pledge to any physical tier.

Super Savage Systems

Neon Bastardz RPG Coming Soon

“Now this is hyperracing!”-Annikron Moonwalker 

What happens when you turbo engineer Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland using the ultra-light/ultra-lethal Mork Borg? You get Neon Bastardz, a rules-lite system that fits perfectly in your Battle Binderz! 

With 3 zines and a starting lineup of 6 Skumdog classes, Neon Bastardz comes with everything you need to give the future a wedgie. 

Neon Bastardz features a brand new Skumdogs Manual, Neon Lord’s Manual of Doom, and Fast Times on Sludge Mountain, a full-length adventure ready to run right out the gate. 

So get ready to get radical in the End Times with Neon Bastardz: Same Mork Borg rules, with a new Neon Lords taste! 

“When Neon Lords and Mork Borg combine, you know it’s gonna be one hell of a time!” -Lord Randy

Ham & Egg Publishing

Hambone’s Fast Five

Ahoy! Hambone here reporting for duty. We’re currently in week four of Zine Month (it’s ZIMO if you’re nasty), and I am back with another creator spotlight. This week, I am stoked to introduce you to one of my favorite dudes in the hobby, J. Yamil. He is here to talk about Tales From The Tape Deck, a music-focused TTRPG. So without further ado, here’s Yamil. 

1) Yamil, introduce yourself to our readers and let them know what you do in the TTRPG hobby.

I am J. Yamil. I am an editor/writer and professional DM. I have worked on the Phantasy Star RPG, 3rd-party content for Weird Frontiers/Dungeon Crawl Classics, and others.

2) You are currently crowdfunding Tales From The Tape Deck on Kickstarter. What’s the elevator pitch? 

TTD is an RPG system that fits in a cassette tape deck. It is meant to be played in one or two-hour sessions. Music is a big component; each volume (adventure) comes with a curated playlist that is exactly one hour long. Your table of players can interact with the playlist by either pausing, rewinding, hitting fast-forward, or turning the volume up to eleven with in-game effects.

3) Tales is a music-focused RPG built around a series of post-apocalyptic adventures. What are some of your inspirations from that genre, and what is your theme song in the apocalypse?

John Carpenter’s soundtracks have been a huge inspiration for this project. The Thing, Escape from New York, and Halloween are direct influences. Motorhead is another big one. “We Are The Road Crew” is the unofficial anthem for the whole project. Ahmed and I have been hitting the road running, playtest sessions at conventions, bars, and basements all over the country.

4) Tales From The Tape Deck runs using a variation of the Mork Borg, Shadowdark, DCC, and OSR systems. How does that lend itself to gameplay in this world? 

I think we blend the stripped-down, reckless nature of Mork Borg, the deadly urgency of Shadowdark, the over-the-top frog-god-worshipping attitude of DCC, and the “rulings, not rules” collaboration of the OSR. It all comes together like a battle vest, letting you become a motorcycle-riding George Carlin and give your players the Jack Nicholson head nod from Anger Management. With TTD in your pocket, you can have wild game sessions while blasting music at a moment’s notice.

5) Thanks for the chat, Yamil. Where can people find your stuff?

You can find me at joseyamil.com where I have a monthly newsletter. 

As well as IG: @jyamilwrites and BlueSky: yamilyamilyamil.bsky.social.

Thanks for checking out my column. If you’ve enjoyed this, I have a weekly column on the Ham & Egg Publishing Patreon called Hambone Calling, which runs every Monday. 

Each week, I’ll be chatting about what it’s like to be an indie publisher and a writer, as well as whatever else tickles my fancy in the moment. 

You can check it out here.  

Stillfleet Studio

It’s not too late to fight mutant-zombies during the Hundred Years’ War

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum.

Hey Analog Union, we are excited to share some big news: Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying—the epic new dark historical fantasy TTRPG using the Grit System—is going off to print! The game is still available at Kickstarter-only prices thanks to Late Pledges, but not for long. You can pick up the Danse Macabre Rulebook, Guide to the Abandoned World setting book, and Unsunken: Paris Below mega-dungeon. If y’all like Shadowdark or Between Two Fires, you’ll love Danse Macabre.

Get Haunted Industries & Horse Shark Games

Netcrawl and Weird Heroes of Public Access win the Golden Fez! 

Holy cow! I’m truly honored to be a recipient of the Golden Fez for Weird Heroes of Public Access.

James Carpio was an extraordinary talent and a creative powerhouse. I had the privilege of joining him for a game of WHPA at a past ShireCon, and it was his and his partner Mary’s characters who saved Fairhaven that day by initiating the now-canon Butterscotch Ritual.

I’ll do all I can to carry forward a piece of the magical light James shared so generously with all of us who were lucky enough to know him as a friend.

Stay weird!

-Joey Royale

This past week in New England has been a huge blessing!

First, I was given the gift of seeing friends and meeting a ton of new ones, and then gaming with them during Total Con! I had a blast at every table.

Earlier in the week, I was a guest at Fitchburg State University’s Communications Media Department. After a brief presentation about Netcrawl and its influences, I was honored to game with the future of video game and RPG game design.

Last but certainly not least, Netcrawl: Arcologies was honored with a Golden Fez!

There is nothing like the acclaim of your peers. I never had the opportunity to meet James, but I am proud to carry on his legacy. I’m sure we would have been fast friends. Thank you to Solarian Games for giving back to the community by creating and sponsoring the awards in the name of their highly esteemed colleague.

–James Pozenel

Arcane Sword Press

Unwinding from TotalCon 40

Heyo! So I’m still unwinding from TotalCon 40, which was fantastic! I was able to hang out with some fellow Analog Union folks, including Jayson, James, Joey, and a passing hello to Kevin! A big highlight for me was dissecting and playing En garde! , an RPG from 1975 With Jayson and Ben! We have since made a dedicated effort to learn and teach this forgotten gem! Another highlight was hanging out with Jordan from Goosepoop Games! I was lucky enough to play some future games he is working on with fellow Arcane Collective members Ben and Eon! Speaking of Goosepoop games- Did you know he has a current game on BackerKit? Check this out!:

“Food and Evil is a food truck TTRPG where you play as a rag-tag group of demons running a food truck. Picture a bunch of Guy Fieris running around causing mischief. Inspired by Overcooked and Big Top Burger, this is the food frenzy story TTRPG you don’t wanna miss!

Features:

15+ Adventures 

10-minute setup

Use in any game

Adventures are wild and crazy, with your standard “Diners, Demons, Endives,” cook-off, to “Danger Rings,” our Fast and Furious food truck racing adventure. Through our stretch goals, we have 5 guest writers implementing their own unique stories!

The Deluxe To-Go Box features a wheel stand, so your box looks like an actual food truck! Comes with a Take Out Menu full of additional food spells, locations, and creatures you can use in your other games. The included Deviled Deck also features an additional party TTRPG with pre-adventures for your journey through culinary school!

Food and Evil uses our Flip System, a 52-card deck with light deck-building. The system is low-complexity, and you only need to teach people the rules when the moment arises, meaning you simply hand out cards and player sheets and start playing immediately!

Food and Evil is setting agnostic, meaning you don’t have to stop playing your campaign. Implement sidequests in your adventures to give your players a break from the main storyline. Picture this: your adventuring party just finished slaying a dragon, and a food truck bursts through the dungeon asking you to help create a delicious meal.

The project is live on Backerkit until February 27th. Check it out and join in on the fun!”

Anyways, I’m catching up with my studying for the next installment of Magazine madness by looking at The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Flying Buffalo! Check it out next week!

-Bryan

ModCon 2026 Northampton, MA – May 30th

Game submissions are open now, and badges are on sale for the first-ever ModCon. 

It’s happening May 30th at the beautiful Smith College Conference Center in Northampton, MA. ModCon is a one-day convention dedicated to the modern-era genre of TTRPGs. 

That includes games like…321 RPG • Call of Cthulhu • World of Darkness • Cyberpunk • Shadowrun • Marvel Super Heroes

• Mutants & Masterminds • Delta Green • Savage Worlds • Burn 2d6 • Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland • WHPA and more!

It’s going to be a great day of gaming, dedicated to all kinds of settings in the 20th and 21st centuries, in worlds both like our own and very, very different. Sign up below, and we’ll see you there!

ArcaneCon Northampton, MA – October 16th & 17th

ArcaneCon is returning October 16th & 17th, 2026. Join us in a celebration of indie, old school, and old school-inspired RPGs, miniature games, board games, and more! ArcaneCon is Western Massachusetts’s premiere tabletop hobby convention! Game submissions will go live on March 1st! See more information at Tabletop Events.

Your editor this week has been John Hambone McGuire of Ham & Egg Publishing.

Keep on emailing us at hello@analogunion.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, or just ideas you’ve got.

If you like the Analog Union newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up at AnalogUnion.com.

See you next week!

-JHM

The Return of the Pizza Party

Camps and Conventions

The Battle Standard

Magazine Madness Continues

In this newsletter

Arcane Sword Press | Get Haunted Industries | Ham & Egg Publishing | Horse Shark Games | Solarian Games

Get Haunted Industries

The Pizza Party Returns This Week!

Ciao Paisans! Boy, do I have something cooking up for you! Wednesday, February 18th, 8 pm EST, Joey Royale’s Pizza Party returns with a vengeance! We’re packing the pie with three exquisite toppings:

The elusive Zog brings us information on his new Kickstart RETURN to Crater Valley. His original BLACKOUT in Crater Valley adventure for DCC really inspired me when I was working on Weird Heroes of Public Access.

Then I got another OG banger coming up from the soupy seller: Wolfman Zila’s debut, Dick Wizards, is an amazing game. Sure, the name is hilarious and gets your attention, but I guarantee the inside is pure genius. No holds barred wizardry in one of my favorite cities- Providence!

And last, and definitely not least, our good friend Josh Yoder, the glow in the dark madman behind H2O-pocalypse, drops a new Shadowdark jam: DUNGEON DEATH

Neon Lord on my right, Dr. Metal on my left, with Alana on the ones and twos. Bring some napkins, it’s going to be a mess!

Ham & Egg Publishing

Hambone’s Fast Five

 Ahoy! Hambone here with the first of many creator spotlights in a column I like to call “Hambone’s Fast Five” (I don’t love it either, I’m gonna workshop it). The idea is to give folks a spot to promote their art by answering five quick questions.

While I do have my own books to promote (you can buy them here), it is also important to me to support the hobby by giving other amazing creators a chance to shine. So, without further ado, meet ZOG. 

I am thrilled to have you as my first guest for this column, dude. Introduce yourself to our readers and let them know what you do in the hobby.

My name is ZOG, and I am an RPG writer from Canada, among other things. I grew up playing RPGs, starting in the early 90’s. I’d sort of moved on to other things for most of my late teens/early 20’s, but got back into playing them again in my late 20s after I discovered the OSR and, like many others, relied on them heavily to get through the hard times of COVID lockdowns. During that time, I decided to try and create something of my own and published BLACKOUT in Crater Valley via Kickstarter. From there, I spent a few years freelancing for Goodman Games on projects such as Caught in the Mouth of Chaos, Hellpits of Nightfang, The Dark Tower, The Caverns of Thracia, City State of the Invincible Overlord, and Castle Whiterock. I’m currently promoting the sequel to BLACKOUT, Return to Crater Valley: Secrets of the Mask, which is live on Kickstarter now!

You are currently crowdfunding Return to Crater Valley: Secrets of the Mask on Kickstarter. What’s the elevator pitch? 

Return to Crater Valley: Secrets of the Mask is a 0-level funnel that will once again pit a group of hapless teenage misfits against cosmic horrors. This time around, the gang will face off with rollerblading thugs, brainwashed roleplaying gamers, homicidal aerobics freaks, rogue assembly line robots, a shuggoth, a shadowy millionaire AND a virtual reality science-fantasy nightmare maze full of digital horrors. 

Return is influenced by 80s/90s nostalgia and VHS slashers. What are some of your inspirations from that era/those movies, and how do they tie into the game?

A big influence this time around is my own childhood interest in virtual reality, which, during the 90’s, was depicted as a technology that would inevitably be integrated into our lives in the very near future. Movies like The Lawnmower Man, Johnny Mnemonic, Demolition Man, and others, along with the explosion in digital animation, captured my imagination as a kid, and I wanted to lean into the concept of VR as it was imagined in the 1990’s. Video games were obviously a big part of my childhood, and spending time in arcades was a huge pastime, even though I often had no idea how to play and would usually die pretty quickly. I liked the idea of weaving in the power of video games over young people in the 90’s throughout the game as well. The presence of things like rollerblading and aerobics can likely be traced back to my love of very shitty movies like Last Prayer of the Rollerboys and Gymkata, and the importance of X-treme sports in the 90s. 

As a system, Dungeon Crawl Classics is mostly known for Sword and Sorcery fantasy, which makes it an interesting choice for this adventure. Why DCC?

One of the principal draws to DCC for many people is the 0-level funnel, which I felt really lent itself to the slasher-horror genre. The second half of this adventure, which is the Virtual Reality maze, has a more traditional dungeon crawl feel to it, and players will take on the role of characters assuming the role of 1st-level fantasy archetypes such as Warrior, Wizard, Elf, Dwarf, Thief, Halfling, and Cleric, so it’s a bit of a game within a game. 

5) Thanks for the chat, ZOG. Where can people find your stuff?

They can follow me on Instagram @hard_elf, but most importantly, they should check out Return to Crater Valley: Secrets of the Mask right now on Kickstarter! 

Thanks for checking out my column. If you’ve enjoyed this, I have a weekly column on the Ham & Egg Publishing Patreon called Hambone Calling, which runs every Monday. 

Each week, I’ll be chatting about what it’s like to be an indie publisher and a writer, as well as whatever else tickles my fancy in the moment. 

You can check it out here.  

Solarian Games

What if every day could be a gaming convention?

Gaming conventions are just about my favorite thing in the ding dang world, y’all. Maybe it’s because I like structure, and I like being around good people, and I like fun. When I was a kid, my favorite thing was going to camp. I never went to a summer camp like you see in the teen coming-of-age movies or slasher films, but I went to a lot of other camps. 

There was computer camp (that’s me in the front row, second from the left, with the ‘80s perm), and French camp (chanton tous la chanson << auberges de jeunesse >>! There was debate camp, Latin camp, and a regular old summer school that was basically a creative camp. As long as there were scheduled activities and nerds, I was happy. So yes, I love conventions.

This week is what we call our “home convention,” aka Total Con in Marlborough, MA. If you’re coming to Total Con, look for the Solarian room (Southborough), our dedicated space where we’ll be running games of Top Secret, Moar Blood, Witchlight, Troy City Mysteries, and others. 

Also, be sure to show up in the central bar/restaurant area for the 2nd annual Golden Fez awards on Saturday night. We’re doing these tabletop gaming awards every year in memoriam of James Carpio, and the awards are our way of highlighting and rewarding the kind of tabletop RPGs he loved the most.

On the topic of celebrating the lives of gamers we have lost, as most people know, the gaming world lost Tim Kask this year. He’ll be celebrated at Total Con and many other cons all year long. In a smaller way, some friends and I decided to start a new 1st edition AD&D game in his honor. We don’t live in the same towns, so we picked a location that would be roughly equidistant for all of us and decided to go with The Battle Standard in East Windsor, CT.

I’ve been to The Battle Standard once before, to play Kevin Borrup’s Smurfs RPG, and it was pretty good. But I wasn’t prepared for just how good it had gotten since then.

One thing I often think at the end of a particularly good gaming convention, and I’ve heard other people say as well, is “wouldn’t it be cool if there were a gaming convention you could just go to any time you wanted to?” Well, that exact thing might not be possible. I mean, you’re not going to get hundreds or thousands of gamers to just stay in the same place all year round (unless someone finally builds that commune in the desert I’ve been imagining). But this place is pretty much the next best thing. I just wanted to share a few photos from our visit this weekend to show how they do it.

First off, there are events going on all the time. They’ve got the “structured activity” thing down pat. 

But what really makes it feel like a gaming con that you can visit on demand is the space itself. When you walk in, the first thing you see is… a tavern. Yes, you meet in a tavern. All it needs is a mysterious hooded figure in the corner, beckoning you come hither. Actually, scratch that. I think I just described a sentient fedora who says m’lady to strangers. But the tavern. It’s great. Booths to sit in, open gaming tables, beer, and food. The menu includes options like potions of invisibility and healing, “Beholder Bites,” “Khorne Nachos,” and “Salami, Lady of Scrolls.”

Then, you get the store itself. All the gaming staples you need, so if you show up for your session missing a battlemat, some dice, minis, or anything else, they have you covered. For the game I was DM’ing, I accidentally forgot to print a few of the character sheets. No problem. They had a printer and printed my sheets out for me.

As you go further into the space, you get to the terrain tables, and they are epic (Yes, that’s Han Solo in carbonite in the corner, complete with blinkenlights).

Everything is set up for a variety of miniature games, including fantasy, sci-fi, and even historical miniatures. There were some Star Wars games going on while we were there, and from the shouting and laughter, the games were going very well.

And finally, to the dedicated gaming rooms in the back. We reserved one for the afternoon and had a great time playing through White Plume Mountain. The room was adorned with swords and armor, and we all played on a massive wooden table, with high-backed, cushioned thrones for everyone.

Do you have a game store in your area that feels like it could be a miniature gaming convention any day of the week? What’s your favorite FLGS (friendly local gaming store)? Shout them out by emailing hello@analogunion.com so we can showcase some of the best in upcoming newsletters.

-Jayson

Horse Shark Games

Horse Shark Out East

Catch Horse Shark Games at Total Con & Fitchburg State University. 

Arcane Sword Press

Magazine Madness continues with Dungeon Magazine!

Folks, I have a confession to make – I did not like Dungeon Magazine. Go on, Booooo me because all I’m hearing is Boooo-urns. Let me elaborate on my issues with this magazine:

1. Layout: The formatting is awful. This started to be produced in the three-column format TSR moved on to that I really don’t like. On top of that, it’s impossible to find specific information in any of the adventures because it’s just dense walls of text, making the magazine pretty difficult to manage at the table mid-session

2. Over-written: each page is just walls of text with too much information. This magazine came out during prime Boxed text, so you better believe some of those overwritten narrative boxed texts take up almost a full column (or one third of a page). Most adventures I attempted to read or comprehend read more like someone attempting to write a fantasy novel with too much world building.

3. Lack of quality: Most adventures I flipped through were generic and dull. None of them has anything cool or novel that stands out from the one before or after it. Of the first year’s worth of issues, only one adventure seemed fun (more on that).

So those are the main issues that made it hard for me to drag through the PDFs. But, there is some stuff I would like to mention!

1. Reader-Submitted: So the cool thing with this magazine is that many of the adventures are sent in by DMs and aspiring game writers. This is really cool –  just imagine having an adventure published by TSR when you’re a teenager! Because that happened (issue 1, The Dark Tower of Calibar), but that also explains some of the quality on display. But still, a fantastic opportunity to be published alongside other game writers!

2. The Artwork: Here’s some insider info I learned at a convention: allegedly, a few of the TSR staff artists did work for Dungeon magazine as freelancers at night. Which means your submitted adventure will have the polish of an official D&D artist, with maps and spot art. 

3. Concept: The idea of a bi-monthly publication that is just a few D&D modules delivered to your door is a really cool idea. I absolutely love it, but it is also difficult to maintain a high quality. As a publisher, anything more notable would likely be published as a standalone module for more money. So I like the idea, but I also get the feeling that these adventures just weren’t quality enough for their own release.

Luckily, other people with more patience and time than myself have read every adventure and ranked them. In the first year, only one adventure in issue 12 stands out, being At The Spottled Parlor. This adventure focuses on the players gambling in a random tavern, with the adventure being the stakes and exchanges that happen between rounds. It’s clever and interesting, plus it gives notes on how to run the game as a standalone tavern game in other campaigns.m This is cool and a breath of fresh air from the more dull and generic adventures I found.

Having said all that, Dungeon Magazine lasted for decades and did produce its fair share of good adventures. One later one I also looked at from the 3.5 era was issue 112: Maure Castle, written by Gary Gygax and Rob Kuntz, a follow-up to the historic and legendary WG5 Modernkaine’s Fantastic Adventure. So there are some diamonds in the rough! If you’re interested in checking out the hits without needing to dig, this list on Nerdovore is a good resource to start.

In summary: Dungeon Magazine was hard to read and couldn’t hold my attention due to the quality of content. I would say Dungeon magazine is probably more directly useful for DMs than any of the other ones I’ve looked at so far, but only if the adventures in an issue spark imagination for the DM. Which it didn’t for me.

Next Week: I’m taking a break to catch up on reading. I will also be at TotalCon 40 from Thursday to Sunday, so I will be too busy to read and review. Hopefully, I’ll find some used issues of future magazines from one of the vendors. I’m hopeful because I was able to get ten issues of early Dragon magazine for the cover cost of $3 each! So fingers crossed! 

• Bryan

ModCon 2026 Northampton, MA – May 30th

Game submissions are open now, and badges are on sale for the first-ever ModCon. 

It’s happening May 30th at the beautiful Smith College Conference Center in Northampton, MA. ModCon is a one-day convention dedicated to the modern-era genre of TTRPGs. 

That includes games like…321 RPG • Call of Cthulhu • World of Darkness • Cyberpunk • Shadowrun • Marvel Super Heroes

• Mutants & Masterminds • Delta Green • Savage Worlds • Burn 2d6 • Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland • WHPA and more!

It’s going to be a great day of gaming, dedicated to all kinds of settings in the 20th and 21st centuries, in worlds both like our own and very, very different. Sign up below, and we’ll see you there!

ArcaneCon Northampton, MA – October 16th & 17th

ArcaneCon is returning October 16th & 17th, 2026. Join us in a celebration of indie, old school, and old school-inspired RPGs, miniature games, board games, and more! ArcaneCon is Western Massachusetts’s premiere tabletop hobby convention! Game submissions will go live on March 1st! See more information at Tabletop Events.

Your editor this week has been John Hambone McGuire of Ham & Egg Publishing.

Keep on emailing us at hello@analogunion.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, or just ideas you’ve got.

If you like the Analog Union newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up at AnalogUnion.com.

See you next week!

-JHM

Party Backstory Generator

The Smurfs & Mech Combat

Magazine Madness Results!

ModCon 2026

In this newsletter

Arcane Sword Press | Saltheart  RPG | Severed Books | Solarian Games | Tiger Wizard

Severed Books 

Party Backstory Generator 2nd Edition and Shadow Delvers Minis Launching Tuesday Feb 10th

The Party Backstory Generator is a collaborative storytelling supplement that’s a helluva a lot of fun for you and your players. – LUKE GYGAX

For the first time, the Party Backstory Generator will be printed in a deluxe edition. If you back in the first 48 hours for a physical item, you get a free Small Party wood mini. Sign up here for the Feb 10th launch alert

Tiger Wizard

I want to send you a Valentine.

Oh boy! Hi there, AU! I’m Tiger Wizard. I’m over on Patreon making cool maps, and I want to send you one! It’s like chocolates and flowers, but for gamer nerds.

Here’s an example of what these maps look like.

Use this button to get a FREE month of my top tier on Patreon! That top tier of “Slugs” gets something physically mailed to them every month!

You’ll need to make sure that your mailing address is added to your Patreon account and visible to me; otherwise, all that clicking will be for nothing!

Also, I’ll be streaming live on Thursday, the 12th, at 1 pm EST from the Exalted Funeral YouTube Channel, chatting about the new game I’ve designed for Meow Wolf.

Cheers

-Tiger Wizard

Saltheart RPG

The Smurfs and Mech Combat

Talk about a misleading headline! For those of you who have been patiently waiting, The Smurfs Roleplaying Game is somewhere between China and the US… The $138,565 Kickstarter will begin fulfillment in April. Maestro Media won’t stop smurfing until everyone gets their pledge. If you are lost and smurfing to yourself, how did I miss this Kickstarter?

The official The Smurfs Roleplaying Game (yep, I wrote it) will be hitting retail later this year! You can still pre-order here: 

Now about those Mechs… My podcast partner Gabe and I had the opportunity to play the Lancer RPG by Massif Press, and I have to say that if you like mech combat that is tactical and you like roleplaying games, Lancer might be your speed… not that you couldn’t have Smurfs in Mechs, nobody is judging you. 

Check out this latest episode of Analytic Dice podcast and join in on the conversation.

Smurf you later!

Kevin

Arcane Sword Press

Magazine Madness – The results Are In!

The pool has closed, and the results are in! I must say, I am surprised by what people are interested in seeing! Having a ranked voting structure allows for some major and minor shifts of the results to create a nice curve to see what people are interested in. 

Each vote was weighted based on preferences, with most interested being worth 3 points, next being 2, third place being 1, and least interested being worth -1. 

With that said, the results are *drum roll*

1st Place – Dungeon Magazine: I’m not entirely surprised by this! I think this is a magazine that people would be interested in since it’s a companion to The Dragon but was more focused to have modules in it. My bias going into this magazine is that the adventures are meh (with a few outliers), and some industry inside information about TSR’s management of the publication. So I am curious to see how it holds up! Dragon lasted for a long time so I will primarily zoom in on the first year of the publication.

Second place was a three-way tie! So I adjusted the results to factor in the total before applying the “least interested” category to figure out the order from there, which leads us to…

2nd Place – Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Now this one was a surprise! Following the polls, this did not have any first choice votes initially, but it made up for it with some last minute votes! All I know about this publication is that Steve Jackson said it was the best gaming publication in Space Gamer, so I guess we will see! This is also one of the harder magazines to come by, so I will only be able to work with a limited pool of issues.

For third place I will have the two remaining tied votes…

3rd Place – Imagine and Adventure Gaming! Two magazines that both seem to function as alternatives to The Dragon during their prime, with Adventure Gaming lasting from 1981-1983 and Imagine being from 1983-1985. I’m mostly curious to see the difference in presentation and content due to the shift in publication quality from the early 80s to mid-80s as well as the graphical difference between US and UK publications (so far the UK has blown US magazines away with this.)

So what about the remaining publications? Well, I still want to look at those and plan to do so, but I’m really shocked by some of the following rankings!

4th Place – Adventurer Magazine: The other UK magazine on the list that ran for a short amount of time, but looks to give White Dwarf a run for its money!

5th Place – Ares Magazine: The SPI publication that lasted twelve issues before being turned into an editorial in Dragon, then dissolving into nothing. Ares is notable for including a game (including chits) in each issue!

6th Place – Challenge Magazine: I feel like GDW’s work outside of Traveller is overlooked, even by me, so I understand why this one is ranked so low. But i;m excited to give it a shot because the other GDW games are classics in their own right, and it’s high time I dive into them out of my love for Traveller and fascination with Twilight: 2000 (I’m a big fan of the Free League edition)

In the last two rankings, I have some strong opinions about how poorly they did, and I feel like they are misunderstood underdogs of the poll!

7th Place – The General: This one was extremely polarizing. The General was a couple of people’s first choice but was unfortunately many people’s least interested one. Which is a shame because The General covers a totally different side of the hobby that folks overlook or assume to be a small population: Boxed war games, primarily the chit-and-hex variety. I do want to point out that this magazine is the longest running of all of them, lasting from 1964 to 1998! 

The General has shown me the impact of Squad Leader and Advanced Squad Leader as being its own gaming community, much like how there are Warhammer folks. On top of that, Avalon Hill continued to publish supporting content for games that were out of print in this magazine! For example, the Dune board game from the 1970s had an expansion published in an issue from 1997 that featured a cover that consisted of a screenshot from Verhoeven’s incredible Starship Troopers film, which Avalon Hill also made a board game of decades prior. So this one I will be very interested in checking out for the two other people who are also interested!

8th Place – The Duelist: Woooooow, this one did so poorly, its score ended up in the negatives (-3 points!) Now I understand that most people reading this might be more RPG-focused, but TCGs are in the venn diagram of tabletop hobby interests. The Duellist has some incredible 90s vibes going on, and is a window into the early days of Magic the Gathering before it became the behemoth that it is now. It focuses on TCG news, deck lists (a big part of modern magic players), and some great graphics; it’s something to behold. I feel like this is a publication that would appear more to pre-modern and Old School format MTG players than the general modern player, but it’s still a piece of gaming history that I think is worth highlighting.

Wow, what a spread! So now that you all know the reading order, please feel free to join me in exploring the publications! I will provide a link to the internet archive for the following week’s magazine issues so you can check them out before I post my opinion. That said, next week I will start with Dungeon Magazine. For those who want to read along, here is a link to an archive of issues! Happy Reading, and until next time!

• Bryan

Ham & Egg Publishing

Fun with Fanzines

Ahoy!

Not much to report these days in Hamlandia. Geo and I are both heads down finishing Children of UMA: Death By Dino for 321RPG.

With that said, after almost six years of creating books and zines, I had an epiphany the other day. Why not make one just for fun?

So Levi Combs and I are putting together a series of zines dedicated to some of our all-time favorite character actors. The best part is that we are doing it with a bunch of our friends. It always makes things so much more fun when you are rockin’ with pals.

Keep your peepers peeled because we will be announcing the first one soon.

-Hambone

Solarian Games

ModCon is coming May 30th

Game submissions are open now, and badges are on sale for the first ever ModCon. It’s happening May 30th at the beautiful Smith College Conference Center in Northampton, MA. ModCon is a one-day convention dedicated to the modern-era genre of TTRPGs. 

That includes games like…

321 RPG • Call of Cthulhu • World of Darkness • Cyberpunk • Shadowrun • Marvel Super Heroes Mutants & Masterminds • Delta Green • Savage Worlds • Burn 2d6 • Apocalypse World • Masks Dresden Files • Night’s Black Agents • Twilight 2000 • Kids on Bikes • Troy City Mysteries • Tales from the Loop • Outgunned • Top Secret • Fiasco • Triangle Agency Weird Wars • Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland • Weird Heroes of Public Access

It’s going to be a great day of gaming, dedicated to all kinds of settings in the 20th and 21st centuries, in worlds both like our own and very, very different. Sign up below and we’ll see you there!

Your editor this week has been John Hambone McGuire of Ham & Egg Publishing.

Keep on emailing us at hello@analogunion.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, or just ideas you’ve got.

If you like the Analog Union newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up at AnalogUnion.com.

See you next week!

-JHM

In this newsletter

Arcane Sword Press | Ham & Egg Publishing | Horse Shark Games | Solarian Games

Horse Shark Games

What is Netcrawl RPG?

Netcrawl is a TTRPG about adventuring inside a computer system. Everyone goes in, seconds pass in the meatspace as players spend hours conquering a cyber-dungeon –together.

Netcrawl RPG is inspired by Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG by Goodman Games. It can be used as a standalone game or as a cyber-sidecar to your current game. Simpler d20 gameplay and cool game mechanics like Luck and spell result tables are just some of the beats Netcrawl has borrowed from DCC RPG.

Reducing computer system hacking/raiding into a series of specialist character class skill rolls is a missed opportunity. Netcrawl RPG puts players inside the computer to face whatever digital defenses lie inside, protecting the party’s objective. 

Netcrawl is centered around cyberspace and players adventuring in cyberspace. Players guide their avatars to sabotage digital systems, steal money, gain access to systems, acquire knowledge and/or information, etc. 

The matrix, cyberspace, the WorldNet is mankind’s shared, consensual hallucination. A pinnacle achievement of machine-generated virtual reality (VR) environments is available to all. Avatars give their users superlative access and control to the myriad of simulations available within.

The WorldNet might have been created now, or a hundred years ago, or even 10,000 years ago. The computational forces and AIs that run the WorldNet’s simulations may (or may not) be cognizant of when they were set to the task of providing billions of realities to its users.

Most users seem perfectly content to experience their every desire or wallow in their woes. Are not the infinities of imagination enough for you? No, not for you. You and others like you keep asking, “Why?” Are you really ready to find out?

Something is hidden in the virtual realms, and you shall hack it.

Two Worlds

Implicit in a VR RPG like Netcrawl is the notion of reality. Netcrawl does not have an explicit “real world” setting. Netcrawl could be set within a myriad of sci-fi/modern RPGs, from space horror to post-apocalyptic to cyberpunk to spy adventures. Any game that includes computers is a perfect real-world setting for Netcrawl RPG. Alternatively, there may be little or no notion of reality in a Netcrawl campaign.

Ham & Egg Publishing

ZIMO L.A.M.F.

Ahoy! 

Hambone here, and this week I wanted to bend your ear about some of the projects I’m most looking forward to during Zine Month (A.K.A. ZIMO). 

For those unfamiliar, in February of 2019, Kickstarter launched Zine Quest, a month-long event meant to encourage independent creators to create and fund RPG zines on its service. In February of 2022, ZIMO was founded as a fully independent offshoot of Kickstarter’s Zine Quest with a community-based focus on crowdfunding indie TTRPGs. 

This decentralization was seen as a move toward greater equity and accessibility for all. So now, if there is a service that accepts payments (BackerKit, Gamefound, itch.io, just to name a few), you can find folks trying to fund their zines. 

So this week, I wanted to take a moment to shout out some creators I am a huge fan of and the projects they are currently crowdfunding. 

Leading off this week’s column is Zog. Zog first hit my radar with their instant classic, BLACKOUT in Crater Valley, a VHS-era Slasher RPG for DCC RPG. I had an absolute blast playing the adventure, and, in my opinion, it is still a high-water mark for DCC products.

So when Zog hit me up about the follow-up, Return to Crater Valley: Secrets of the Mask, I was all in. Here is the synopsis. 

Return to Crater Valley is the long-awaited sequel to BLACKOUT in Crater Valley, a VHS era slasher RPG powered by the Dungeon Crawl Classics role-playing game system. Inspired by VHS era slasher films, 80’s and 90’s nostalgia, DIY music subculture, and Cthulhu Mythos horror utilizing the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG system, but easily adaptable to the Old School RPG system of your choice.

This adventure takes place a decade after the original, on Halloween night in 199X. A young boy has gone missing from a mysterious video arcade tournament, and the players must navigate marauding rollerblade gangs, lycra-clad aerobics cultists, possessed urban vermin, and a virtual reality nightmare world to find Troy before it’s too late! 

Return to Crater Valley: Secrets of the Mask is a 0-level funnel where players control a group of teenage misfits that will be whittled down as the events of the adventure become more deadly. The final survivors will have to pass the final test: plugging themselves into a virtual reality fantasy world where anything can happen, but it’s no simple game: the violence is real! 

This adventure has been designed to feel consistent with horror and sci-fi films from the 1980’s and 90’s, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street, Return of the Living Dead, Sleep Away Camp, Pumpkinhead, Lawnmower Man, Flatliners, and classic VHS era adventures like The Goonies and Back to the Future. Character creation also plays heavily on tropes common in these and other teen drama films of the era, such as “Jock”, “Cheerleader”, “Goth”, “Young Republican”, and “Juvenile Delinquent”.  Players will roll archetypes like these from a unique d50 table of possible occupations and throw their teenage misfits against the dangers that await them. 

Return to Crater Valley launches February 13th, 2026. Back the prelaunch today and don’t miss out! 

Next up, I’ve got Dungeon Death:16-Bit rules for Shadowdark by Josh Yoder. The concept is incredibe. You play a group of ragtag ’90s teens trapped inside a deadly fantasy video game, fighting to survive, and searching for a way home! 

This Shadowdark 3rd-party zine is inspired by Jumanji, Tron, isekai anime/manga, and LitRPGs, with art by the legendary Tiger Wizard. 

Here is the synopsis:

Art by Tiger Wizard

Dungeon Death features new classes, ancestries, and backgrounds, as well as a new mode called GAME OVER. Can you use your 3 lives wisely?

Best of all, the book is DONE. They just need to raise money to print it. 

You can learn more and back Dungeon Death here.

Arcane Sword Press

Magazine Madness: Reader Choice Poll!!

So I’ve been having fun reading some old gaming magazines during the rise of the tabletop hobby into the mainstream. The only publications I have focused on so far are ones I was already familiar with. I’m sort of stuck trying to determine where to go next, so that is where you, dear reader, enter the fray! I have compiled a list of some notable gaming magazines that i’m considering diving into but I need help deciding! What makes this list different from the prior ones is that I have extremely limited familiarity with and are essentially blind-spots to me within the history of the hobby. Thai also means I have NO IDEA what i’m getting myself into with any of these! The list of potential magazines are:

• Ares Magazine: RPG and Wargaming magazine published by SPI

• Adventurer: A mid-late 80s full color UK publication from Mersey Leisure Publishing that seems to put White Dwarf to shame!

• The General: A Chit-and-hex wargaming magazine published by Avalon Hill

• Imagine: TSR UK’s answer to The Dragon!

• Sorcerer’s Apprentice: A general RPG magazine by Flying Buffalo, featuring Grimtooth!

• Duellist: Magic The Gathering and other TCG magazine published by Wizards of the Coast

• Dungeon: A dungeon master-focused magazine by TSR

• Challenge: Game Design’s Workshop continuation from The Journal of the Travellers Aid Society but expanded to GDW’s other games such as Dark Conspiracy and Twilight: 2000

• Adventure Gaming: An early gaming magazine by Manzakk Publishing that was edited by the legendary Tim Kask (RIP!)

So to see the direction that readers would like me to focus on, I made a poll to determine my NEXT overview. In the survey you can choose 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most interested magazines along with a least interested choice. From there I will determine the order of the next round of Magazine Madness! Please fill out the survey here!

• Bryan

Solarian Games

ModCon is coming May 30th

Game submissions are open now, and badges are on sale for the first ever ModCon. It’s happening May 30th at the beautiful Smith College Conference Center in Northampton, MA. ModCon is a one-day convention dedicated to the modern-era genre of TTRPGs. 

That includes games like…

321 RPG • Call of Cthulhu • World of Darkness • Cyberpunk • Shadowrun • Marvel Super Heroes Mutants & Masterminds • Delta Green • Savage Worlds • Burn 2d6 • Apocalypse World • Masks Dresden Files • Night’s Black Agents • Twilight 2000 • Kids on Bikes • Troy City Mysteries • Tales from the Loop • Outgunned • Top Secret • Fiasco • Triangle Agency Weird Wars • Neon Lords of the Toxic Wasteland • Weird Heroes of Public Access

It’s going to be a great day of gaming, dedicated to all kinds of settings in the 20th and 21st centuries, in worlds both like our own and very, very different. Sign up below and we’ll see you there!

Judging begins this week for the 2nd annual Golden Fez awards

The 2nd annual Golden Fez awards for excellence in tabletop gaming will be presented at TotalCon this year on February 21st. 

Judging begins this weekend, so there’s still time to get any last-minute nominations in, whether it’s your own game or someone else’s that you happen to love.

The categories are:

• The Holy Hand Grenade Award

  • Given for best new game mechanic.

• The Pick Up and Play Award

  • Easiest game to learn.

• Honey, I Shrunk the Dice Award

  • For micro-RPGs that will fit on one page or less.

• The Velvet Smooth Award

  • For best design and production.
• The Everlasting Fun Factory Award
  • This award is given to a game that was published prior to the current judging year. It is for the enduring classics as well as the hidden gems from the past.

• The Hack the Planet Award

  • Presented to the most unexpected idea. Originality in any form, whether it’s rules, setting, design, or anything else.

• The Bucket of Blood Award

  • Best combat rules
• The Golden Fez Game of the Year
  • Game of the Year is given to the one game published this year that we feel best embodies all of the things about gaming that James loved

Submit your nomination at the link below.

Your editor this week has been John Hambone McGuire of Ham & Egg Publishing.

Keep on emailing us at hello@analogunion.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of, less of, or just ideas you’ve got.

If you like the Analog Union newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up at AnalogUnion.com.

See you next week!

-JHM

In this newsletter

Arcane Sword Press | Get Haunted Industries | Ham & Egg Publishing | Saltheart RPG 

Arcane Sword Press

Magazine Madness ! 

This week: The Journal of the Travellers’ Aid Society!

I’ve been collecting these for awhile, but they are hard to come by at a reasonable price!

So if you know me, I’m very into Traveller. There are plenty of things that Game Designers’ Workshop did that I think is fantastic from a game design and publishing perspective with their classic edition of Traveller. One of my favorite releases GDW did was the Journal of the Travellers Aid Society, or JTAS.

JTAS was a quarterly publication that supported the original Traveller RPG from 1977 by adding new rules, setting lore, spaceships, and adventures. The classic Traveller Boxset was pretty bare bones so JTAS was primarily adding more content for that. However, each issue just offers something completely different and clever. But mostly, JTAS was an in-game setting publication. As in, much of the articles was written to be immersive within the Third Imperium setting and you-the reader are a member of the Travellers Aid Society, an organization that’s somewhere between a Union and AAA in the far future for travellers. Each issue offers consistent articles such as

• From the Management: an Editor’s column about GDW  and Traveller news

• The Cover Article: This is the big pull for each issue and is always different. Sometimes it’s an adventure module, a rules expansion (like the one posted above about Asteroid Mining), aliens, unique atmospheres, new careers for characters, etc.

• Featured Article: Additional rule supplements for traveller

• Traveller News Service: a series of in-game news headlines that advances the Third Imperium’s calendar with significant events that could affect some locations. This essentially implies an immersive way to have a living setting.

• Casual Encounters: This is a feature that provides a specific Patron for players to interact with and work for along with their agenda and background.

• Amber Zone: These are adventures to specific locations that are considered “risky” but will always provide high adventure and the promise of payouts.

• The Bestiary: A new alien creature for players to encounter

• The Ship’s Locker: New items, vehicles, and weapons that could be found on a ship’s storage bay.

Look at those pants!

Many of the articles featured in JTAS would be expanded upon to create the classic Traveller supplement books later on. One thing I just really need to get across is how cool this was. You publish a solid game, and then you have a subscription magazine to support that game. Nothing else is in there! It is all content created by Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman, and the other folks at GDW. No D&D articles, or Runescape, or anything else for other games. Just Traveller. Yes, there were some ads in it but not as much as you would expect and often they were to support traveller licensed products from other publishers. This is a tightly focused support magazine with fantastic writing and artwork that was eventually used for standalone official products within the line.

Just missing issues 1-9!

JTAS was published from 1979-1985 for a run of 24 issues. I have a sizable collection of them, and they are all fantastic. No duds here! It is impossible to not find game inspiration flipping through the pages. While JTAS is a Traveller magazine, it’s worth noting that most of it is usable for any sci-fi RPG. While yes some weapons have stats as do NPCs, the adventures provided are mechanically neutral and would be a great way to supplement an on-going campaign. If you’d like to check some out for yourself, you can get each issue for the cover price of $2 on DrivethruRPG. You may also order a cd-rom of all of the issues in pdf form (along with everything else published by GDW) from Far Future Enterprise (essentially current day GDW run by Marc Miller) or you can buy a lot on ebay for cheapish.

Next Week- Surprise!

• Bryan

If you’d like to talk about games and meet new friends who love indie RPGs, OSR content, and more- join the Arcane Sword discord!

Ham & Egg Publishing

New Delirium Division single dropping on Valentine’s Day!

Ahoy! 

While many of you might know us as TTRPG writers, my creative partner Geo Collazo and I are also lifelong musicians. 

When we started Ham & Egg Publishing in 2020 and began writing our first release, Rocket To Russia, in earnest, we also banded together with some of our friends to record a pandemic-era album that has never fully seen the light of day. We called this project, Delirium Division. 

Delirium Division is not so much a band but a revolving door of friends and musicians who want to make music for the love of it. 

There was a lot of work and heart poured into this project, with Geo Collazo providing most of the instrumentation and all the production. Writing duties fell to Geo and the rest of the group, which included Ryan Levasseur (Vocals, Guitar), Frank Iero (Guitar), Evan Nestor (Vocals), Michael Ragosta (Vocals), Shaun Simon (Guitar, Keyboard), and John McGuire (Bass). 

In the almost 6 years since we started the project, like Marvel’s Defenders, we’ve never all been in the same room. Because, like many albums recorded during the pandemic, we recorded it from our homes. 

Our fourth single, BLEAK is dropping on Valentine’s Day. You can pre-save it here. 

Get Haunted Industries

Cheap Freaks!!! Kitbash your way to happiness!!!