Posts

Manifest RPG Design Blog

About

After reading so many RPGs, playing so many RPGs, and thinking about everything that is the medium of RPG, I decided I needed to put my money where my mouth is, and actually create an RPG. The following are the posts of me detailing my thought processes.

NOTE: All references to games and RPG systems are to be considered “as of writing.” New versions of games might render some of my comments inaccurate.

Here is a collection of all my short stories:

Last Dispatch

This story was made using the solo RPG Bright and Terrible, by Rose on Mars.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 5
• The Game Moves

Bright and Terrible

This story was made using the solo RPG Bright and Terrible, by Rose on Mars.

Welcome one and all, to my collection of all my books, short stories, posts, musings, and other little oddscrawls that crawled across my brain.

If you’re new here, you’re probably wondering where to start. If you want my recommendations:

The Macabre Tale of Edmund Moulde (Novel)

This is the book I think of when I wonder what is my best work. Is it? I have no idea, but it certainly underwent the longest period of revision and polish out of everything I’ve done. If anyone were to ask what story I was most proud of, this is certainly in the top three.

The Chains of Gods (Novel)

A more experimental work inspired by John Gardner’s Grendel. It explores the philosophies of morality and questions the ethical abilities of those who have more power than others. Can anyone ever be good if there is a power imbalance? And if so, what does that look like?

The RPG Medium (RPGs)

I love tabletop RPGs, and I’ve always believed there was something “more” to them than just a fun kids game. In this treatise, I explore the core concept of what an RPG “is,” and how — as an artistic medium in its own right — it can be used to fulfill and enrich our lives.

The Watch in the Sand (Short Story)

This is my origin story. I half-cringe at it, but it’s the first work I finished and published while I was still wrapped in the complex struggles of depression and crippling social anxiety, so it’s kinda symbolic of my being able to overcome those obstacles in my life.

Of course, you are free to browse wherever you like, but these are some of my favorites. The rest is a mix of good, middling, and experimental work that I’ve been plugging away at for over fifteen years. I upload regularly — or try to, internet availability permitting — on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of every week.