Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Whizbang Dustyboots" data-source="post: 9657660" data-attributes="member: 11760">I just read this blog post yesterday and it makes me want to grab everything this duo has done: <a href="https://www.explorersdesign.com/exploring-rumored-lands/" target="_blank">Why Riso Makes This Magical</a> Three stat-less location zines that sketch out interesting adventure sites and are beautiful to go with it.Which, of course, made me think of something else:Two years ago, I would have told you to pick up <a href="https://itch.io/t/570165/a-thousand-thousand-islands-fantasy-tabletop-rpg-zines-inspired-by-southeast-asia" target="_blank">A Thousand Thousand Islands</a>, but that pair had a very nasty split -- if two people in a partnership both feel undervalued, there's big trouble -- but if you see any of their island zines or Reach of the Roach God (their one and only hardcover adventure), grab them immediately, as they're all out of print and will never be published again. They're fantasy settlements inspired by Southeast Asia and they can be surreal, bittersweet, spooky. (I own the zines in PDF only, because the store was coming down immediately. I did snag Reach of the Roach God as well, but it looks like the run is sold through and it's now being sold on the aftermarket for hundreds of dollars. That's too rich for my blood, but keep an eye on second hand stores.)Just as an art object alone, they're worth picking up. Here's the intro to Andjang, The Queen on Dog Mountain:"THREE DAYS, UP ASWITCH-BACKING TRACK"Silk strips on a teak gateway. Drifting gauzily with the wind. Inwards, at first. Thenout. In again. And out. The breeze keeps shifting. Breathing."Then there's rumor tables, descriptions of other people on the road to the market atop the mountain, information about trade goods, all of it incredibly evocative and a little strange:"RATTAN PUPPET"Made by weaving together spirit-stuff and palm wood. With the final spell said, a fruit buds from the top of its head."Whoever eats this fruit the puppet obeys. Only takes simple commands. Not quick or deft, but tires as a tree does -- which is never."If you only pick up one of these, I bet it'll still give you a "random" settlement a player group will think about forever.This probably not exactly what you were looking for, but I suspect they would delight everyone who loves systemless books.</blockquote>

Verification