d6 Things Dredged Out of the Bay

Caveat Emptor, Storing Information, Things Dredged Out of the Bay, Save Against Fear, and Abyss with the Kraken Expansion

Jul 31, 2024

Welcome to Exeunt Omnes, the official newsletter for loyal fans and sworn enemies of Exeunt Press, creator of games such as Exclusion Zone Botanist and Eleventh Beast. You can find digital games at games.exeunt.press and physical products at shop.exeunt.press.

TL;DR Summary

💀 Caveat Emptor, Black Rain & Fire, and more
💾 Storing information with components
⚓ d6 Things Dredged Out of Narragansett Bay
🎪 Exeunt Press at Save Against Fear 2024
🎲 Recently played: Abyss w/ Kraken

💀 Caveat Emptor, Black Rain & Fire, and more

The most recent release from Exeunt Press the Make Your Own One-Page Roleplaying Game book. This seven chapter, 46-page guide takes you through every step of the process from initial concept to publication. Print copies will be available via the Exeunt Press Shop after I get the test print back. Watch for those in August.

With about 153 days left in 2024, here are some updates on other projects:

Caveat Emptor: The formerly untitled one-page RPG project now has a title and is basically complete! I had to leave some of the best bits on the cutting room floor to get it to fit on one page, so there will be an expanded “director’s cut” available at release. Might do pre-orders for print copies as was done with Blackflower. Release date sometime before August 25, 2024.
Black Rain & Fire: A comprehensive MÖRK BORG supplement that takes characters through all seven miseries. It will include revised versions of Hammer of a Killing Crown, A Pale Ground Covering All, and Waves to be as Mountains. Release planned for October 2024.
MÖRKTOBER: It’s only about 60 days until October 1 and the start of MÖRKTOBER, a month of daily creations for MÖRK BORG. This year’s prompts will be released on Sunday, September 1, 2024. Watch for puzzle clues to win prizes.

Ratsail and Medusa remain in the pipeline, but most work effort has been going toward Caveat Emptor. Expect more updates about both of those after August.

Also, I did receive the large re-print order! The shop inventory hasn’t been updated yet, but will be this week. There will be a limited number of deluxe bundles.

PLAY: Grab some digital copies at games.exeunt.press.

💾 Storing information with components

With the 2024 One-Page RPG Jam in full swing, I’ve been working on the Exeunt Press game that will be submitted. It’s a solo journaling game, but with some interesting mechanical restrictions in how the prompts are chosen.

Designing the game really had me thinking about how to compress game mechanisms into a limited space and use just a few components.

This week’s article at Skeleton Code Machine explores cards, dice, and dice drop mechanisms through the lens of information storage.

READ: Storing information with components at Skeleton Code Machine

Skeleton Code Machine is a weekly publication that explores tabletop game mechanisms in board games and roleplaying games. It’s been called a “Seemingly endless source of gaming ponderings” and a “Goldmine.” Check it out at www.skeletoncodemachine.com.

⚓ d6 Things Dredged Out of Narragansett Bay

It’s 1846 in Providence, Rhode Island.

The crew of the Selene dredged something out of the bay last night:

Blackened fishhook: An unusually large fishhook made of black metal, bent at the shaft. To you, it looks like an old hook. The locals, however, avert their eyes and mutter something about bad luck and “the spot.”
Sailor’s valentine mask: Crafted of tiny shells similar to the antique souvenir, but rather than a flat piece of art, it is formed into a grotesque mask. The white and pink shells form a mouth twisted in agony, and eyes open wide.
Locked iron box: Bands of rusted iron hold this box together, including the padlock on the front. You’d think it would be easy to break open in this condition, but physical force does nothing. There’s water inside… and something moving.
Harpoon covered in barnacles: An old two-flue iron style that hasn’t been used in many years. So encrusted that it’s hard to tell if there is any metal left underneath. Scraping the coating away reveals shining metal in perfect condition, inscribed with the following: ABYSSUS ABYSSUM INVOCAT.
Fisherman’s logbook: Waterlogged and mostly ruined, but still readable in places. The final pages detail a doomed voyage, trapped on a still sea with no wind. The journal seems to contain different information each time it is opened.
Chained wooden box: A wooden box, locked, and wrapped with heavy iron chains. The chains are connected to a massive weight to drag it to the bottom of the sea. Inside is a child’s doll, made of sailcloth and driftwood. A note pinned to the doll reads, “PROTECT US.”

I shared d8 Best Practices for Random Tables last time, and wanted to give myself a little writing exercise. If you found any of this items useful or can work them into your TTRPG sessions, let me know!

READ: d8 Best Practices for Random Tables at Exeunt Omnes

🎪 Exeunt Press at Save Against Fear 2024

Exeunt Press booth at Save Against Fear 2023

I’m happy to announce that Exeunt Press is returning to the Save Against Fear gaming convention! The event will be November 8-10, 2024, including both professional conference sessions and gaming. It is once again at the York Expo Center in York, PA.

I had a really nice time at the convention last year and learned a lot about running a vendor booth. Check out my lessons learned for more.

REGISTER: Save Against Fear in York, PA

🎲 Recently played: Abyss

Abyss (Cathala & Chevallier, 2014) might not be in my Top 10 games of all time, but it is one that I will always play when given the chance. It’s one of my favorite lightweight games, and a good choice for those new to the hobby. The theme is fairly abstract (a fish council?) but the art by Xavier Collette is stunning and gorgeous.

We tried the Kraken expansion that adds some new mechanisms. Not sure that it significantly improved the game, but it was still fun to try something new.

PLAY: Abyss (2014)

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Check out games.exeunt.press for all the latest games and resources!

- E.P. 💀

Exeunt Omnes