Howdy!
what's new
It's been a couple of weeks now since Tabletop Scotland 2026 (which was, as always, an amazing experience), and in the time since, I've been restocking my entire catalogue of ttrpg items as I was pretty much wiped out at the convention! So apologies if processing orders has taken a little longer whilst I've been getting that sorted.
Now that TTS is out of the way, first up my plan is to finish off the new scraps of the chaos I've been writing, which are two-page adventures you can run using The Chaos TTRPG. I'll have those with you soon.
I've managed to find some time though to create a couple more battlemaps for The Chaos, and remember that you can grab them here for free. Beyond that, my plan in the coming weeks is also to release more fantasy battlemaps using the more detailed styles I've worked on before, as it's been a while since I've dedicated much time to mapping beyond the commercial commission work I've had. I love spending time on these, as it lets me channel the more artistic side of my noggin and gives me a break from writing.
That said, as Geek Native managed to bleed out of me during TTS (check their article here), I've started work on a cyberpunky version of The Chaos. Essentially, it'll have the same simple d6 mechanics, the same deck and free rule form, but will be dripping in the grease and futuristic sweat of a dystopian cyberpunk setting. That project's more of a long-term one, the hope being that it'll be ready by next year, and as always, I couldn't do this or any of my other ttrpg work without your amazing ongoing support and inspiration, so thanks for that and watch this space for developments!
And finally, since the last newsletter I've also slung in a new example of play for The Chaos. Have you checked out these examples yet? You can find them here, and pick up how the mechanics of the game might play out at the table, and I also added a few examples of arcane weavin' here. Here's a little more about getting the most from them...
examples of play
I've got five scenarios up now on the page, and I wanted to actually dig into what to do with them, rather than just point at the page and say "go read it." So here's four techniques pulled straight out of the scenarios, plus what other OSR games do with this same idea.
1. Narrate the fiction before you touch the number
Here's the same roll done two ways. Flat version: "you rolled a 3, you missed, the frother hits you for 2 damage." That's technically everything you need. But look at how Scenario 1 actually plays it out. Jin rolls a 3, and instead of "you missed," the GM gives you: it swerves out the way, grabs you close and bites you with ferocity, right in the chest. Same failed roll, same damage roll after it, but now it's a specific ugly thing happening to a specific character, not a stat going down a few numbers.
Try this at your own table: next time someone fails a roll, describe what actually happens in the fiction before you say a word about numbers, and also ask the player to put across how that impacts on their character. Costs you nothing, and it's the single easiest thing to steal off that page.
2. Let a bad roll still move the scene forward
Related, but worth calling out on its own. Nowhere in the examples does a bad roll just stop the scene dead. In Scenario 2, Dox's damage roll against the debt collector comes with a -1 for range, and it still lands, still matters, still pushes things forward. A miss or a low roll should change what happens next, not just pause everything while everyone waits to roll again.
3. Ask before you tell
Scenario 4 is the clearest example of this that I've written. Rather than describing the shore at The Deep themself, the GM turns it back on the players: what does each of you see? Mira gives him the stillness of the water, Dox clocks that there are no boats, Krisga adds the smell. The GM then folds every answer back into one scene.
This one's genuinely a technique you can use cold, in any system. Next time you're about to describe a new location, and maybe if you're lost for words in that moment, try asking one player a leading question about it first, and build your description around their answer. It's a small thing, but it turns the table into co-authors of the scene rather than an audience for it, which really is what this game tries to achieve at the table.
4. Keep the roll itself quiet
Look at how little space the actual dice mechanics take up in any of the five scenarios. The rolls happen, get called out fast, and then the conversation moves straight back to fiction. Nobody stops to explain the maths mid-scene. If you find your own sessions grinding to a halt while you work out modifiers out loud, that's a sign to move the arithmetic into your head and keep talking.
How other games do this
A few other corners of the OSR space lean on this same "show, don't tell" idea, each with a slightly different trick worth stealing:
- Old-school Basic D&D, the Moldvay era, has one of the most quietly influential examples of play in the hobby's history, a plain, almost dry back-and-forth of a GM and a couple of players poking around a corridor. The trick worth lifting from it: describe, then ask, then resolve, in that order, every single time.
- Mothership leans hard on its panic mechanic in its play examples, which is a good reminder that failure itself can be the dramatic beat, not just combat. You don't need a fight scene to have a good example, you just need a roll that actually costs something.
- The Into the Odd type games (Cairn, Electric Bastionland, and the like) keep their examples short and conversational, less staged scene, more a GM thinking out loud. Worth a look if you want proof that a good example doesn't need to be long to teach something.
What I'd love from you lot
I'd like to develop this out more though. I've got five scenarios up there right now, but I'd rather build this page out with what's actually useful to you, than just guess.
So, hit reply or drop it in Discord: what's a moment or mechanic you wish had an example of? Might be a solo play scenario, might be a moment during a rest, might be watching wild magicks go properly sideways. If there's a specific bit of the rules you keep having to re-read because it doesn't quite click until you see it in motion, that's exactly the kind of thing I want to hear about, and I'll add it to the growing list of helpful examples.
thanks so much!
for your support & inspiration
Please share the game with all & sundry, spreading The Chaos into every dark corner its flickering torches haven't quite reached. My aim is for the game to grow like an invigorating fungus on the minds of the OSR community and beyond, and I can't thank you enough for being a part of this.
Meantime, if you've not yet joined The Realm discord, here's the link for that, and I look forward to seeing you there! Be sure to let me know any suggestions you have about what to include in the next issue, or about the game itself, and enjoy the rest of your day. :)
Best,
Scott
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