📝 One-Page RPG Jam helpful resources
The One-Page RPG jam has begun, so here's a pile of helpful links and resources to get you started with your first (or next) one-page roleplaying game. Also, I was at Harrisburg Board Game Day!
TL;DR Summary
📝 One-Page RPG Jam helpful resources
🎲 Harrisburg Board Game Day
🐎 Decision spaces & Hobson’s choices
📝 One-Page RPG Jam resources
Unknown Dungeon’s annual One-Page RPG Jam 2025 has begun! This annual event seems to be more popular every year, attracting both new and experienced game designers alike. As of when I’m writing this, there are about 580 designers who have already joined.1
One-page RPGs exemplify the concept of “restrictions breed creativity” and that self-imposed limits often spark innovative ideas. It’s an easy entry point to try your hand at game design. Based on the poll attached to Get creative with one-page RPGs, 90% of Skeleton Code Machine readers would love to try making a one-page RPG or have already made one!
I plan to submit something for this year’s event, as I have the last few years. Last year’s Caveat Emptor (print) is still one of my favorite game designs.
If this is your first time making one, there are helpful resources available:
Make Your Own One-Page RPG: Last year I wrote up everything I know about making one-page RPGs at Skeleton Code Machine. It's been quite popular, and I've even taught a class using it at a public library. Covers game design theory (e.g. the kinds of fun), different types of one-page games (e.g. journaling), layout, publishing, and has some tools to help you get started like the Theme-O-Matic. Each chapter has exercises so you can follow along and end with a finished game. The Make Your Own One-Page RPG print copy at the Exeunt Press shop includes a download key for the PDF.2 The PDF is also available at itch.io.
Public library one-page RPG class summaries: Using Make Your Own One-Page RPG, I taught a four-session, free class at one of my local public libraries. You can read summaries of each class: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4. We even ended the class with our own mini version of a game jam!
Print It Yourself guides: The new Shouting Crow “Print It Yourself” guides are packed with information and worth reading before you get started. There are three: Make Your Own Foldie, Make Your Own Zine, and Human Fingerprints.
Public domain art sources: I compiled two lists of resources to help people find public domain art (Part 1 and Part 2). You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get some amazing art in your game. In fact, it can be free!
TTRPG Resource Jam: The TTRPG Resource Jam submissions page has over fifty resource for designers including templates, guides, and information on how to set up a game page on itch.io.
TTRPG Art Asset Jam: The TTRPG Art Asset Jam hosted by Penflower Ink and Goblincrow has become one of the best single-page resources for art assets. It includes the popular Dicier font from Speak the Sky, tabletop art packs, graphic assets, and hex tiles.
Rabbits & Demons Art Assets: Called “delightfully creepy,” Rabbits & Demons contains hand-drawn tracings of public domain woodcuts from the 16th through 18th centuries. Hand-traced to create 300 dpi images, the original works were provided by sources such as Rijksmuseum, Public Domain Review, and Old Book Illustrations. They have been altered to varying degrees, such as the devil using a man's mouth as a privy from Taylor’s Physicke Has Purged the Divel (1641).3
CMYK Color Palette: Based on Mixam's Color Charts and Values Guide, and very similar to PrintNinja's CMYK Suggested Values and Color Guide. The EP CMYK Color Palette is considered safe for CMYK printing.4 These are color palette files for Affinity Publisher (.afpalette).
Universal Formulary Art Assets: The Universal Formulary Assets are from A Universal Formulary: Containing the Methods of Preparing and Administering Officinal and Other Medicines, published in 1859. The images in this collection were extracted from the PDF hosted by the NIH National Library of Medicine. The Universal Formulary includes a wealth of knowledge, including recipes for boiled flour, beef tea, and chicken water. I recommend checking it out.
Free game icons: The game-icons.net repository has over 4,000 game icons that are available to use for free in your games (CC BY 3.0).
Free fonts: The source I recommend the most is Google Fonts. They are well crafted and free for commercial use. You can also find some good ones at Fontesk. Please be careful to check the license for each font you use. Many are free for personal but not commercial uses.
Of course, the best way to get some inspiration is to look at the submissions from previous years (2024, 2023, 2022).
Make weird games!
SHOP: Make Your Own One-Page RPG at the Exeunt Press Shop
🎲 Harrisburg Board Game Day
Exeunt Press had a vendor booth at Harrisburg Board Game Day over the weekend, hosted by the Harrisburg Board Game Alliance. This year’s event was at Strawberry Square downtown.5
I went with a minimal setup this time for the booth, skipping the big EP backdrop and only bringing a subset of total products. I didn’t bring any MÖRK BORG or CY_BORG titles and instead focused on solo games and game design guides. The other change was that I did 100% credit card sales and didn’t accept cash.6
Otherwise I didn’t change much about the Exeunt Press booth versus my other “lessons learned” summaries:
Exclusion Zone Botanist and Eleventh Beast were, as usual, the top sellers. I was really happy to see that Caveat Emptor came in third for the day. I think it’s a fun game and is due for another print run.
It was a really good day, particularly getting to talk to other local game designers! Thank you very much to all of the organizers!
PLAY: Harrisburg Board Game Alliance
🐎 Decision spaces & Hobson’s choices
A game’s decision space has a significant impact on how players interact with a game and what kinds of fun they can have with it. At Skeleton Code Machine, I wrote a two-part series on this:
What is a game’s decision space? Exploring increasing and decreasing decision spaces in tabletop games, and how they can be manipulated to create the best player experience.
I'll give you a choice: take it or leave it. Exploring the concept of Hobson's Choice in tabletop games, how to identify them, and when they are a good (or bad) part of a game's design.
The series covers how to identify a game’s decision space, how to manipulate it, and the difference between actual and apparent decision spaces.
READ: What is a game’s decision space? at Skeleton Code Machine
Thanks for subscribing to Exeunt Omnes!
Check out games.exeunt.press for all the latest games and resources!
- E.P. 💀
Note that Exeunt Press is in no way affiliated with Unknown Dungeon and/or the One-Page RPG Jam. I just think it’s a really fun event.
PDF download keys are printed and included with your shipment. They are not immediately emailed when you place your order.
Although I do encourage you to check out the original.
Important: How colors appear on your monitor or other displays depends on many factors. There is no guarantee that the colors in these palettes will look the same when printed. They may not even look the same on your monitor. The only way to really know for certain is to do a test print.
Strawberry Square has quite a history, showing up on a few retro mall YouTube channels. Strawberry Square - Harrisburg, PA Delicious Nostalgia by UniComm Productions and Dead Mall Series: The Fabulous Vintage Strawberry Square by Dan Bell are two examples.
Technically I did accept cash if they had exact change. I just didn’t want to deal with a cash box and ensuring I had enough change for transactions.