𝔗ℜ𝔄ℑ𝔓𝔖𝔈
@traipsehex.bsky.social
OSR enthusiast | Weird fiction enjoyer
traipse.hexarcana.com
traipse.hexarcana.com
One mind flayer as a villain is cooler than many mind flayers, but TWO mind flayers? Fire.
January 15, 2026 at 10:04 PM
One mind flayer as a villain is cooler than many mind flayers, but TWO mind flayers? Fire.
Crackpot theory I'm working on: all games are expressions of a single ur-game; our impulse to endlessly hack rules is actually the game-spirit pulling us to toward itself. The peeling away of contingent elements in finite rulesets is an attempt to approach the inexhaustible Form of the ur-game.
Sometimes I have hacked a game without playing it because it's how I learn the original rules of the game. It's like…I'm a child putting the game in my mouth to better explore its texture.
These hacks aren't worth the bits of the blog they're published on, but they're not valueless exercises.
These hacks aren't worth the bits of the blog they're published on, but they're not valueless exercises.
January 15, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Crackpot theory I'm working on: all games are expressions of a single ur-game; our impulse to endlessly hack rules is actually the game-spirit pulling us to toward itself. The peeling away of contingent elements in finite rulesets is an attempt to approach the inexhaustible Form of the ur-game.
Reposted by 𝔗ℜ𝔄ℑ𝔓𝔖𝔈
watched Nausicaä for the first time last night
January 14, 2026 at 5:46 PM
watched Nausicaä for the first time last night
I get wanting to make spells feel weirder by introducing elements of uncertainty, but in a world where fate is determined by a literal roll of the dice what's weirder than an effect that just works exactly as intended, every time?
January 14, 2026 at 6:54 PM
I get wanting to make spells feel weirder by introducing elements of uncertainty, but in a world where fate is determined by a literal roll of the dice what's weirder than an effect that just works exactly as intended, every time?
A school-themed sentai team that goes around teaching important life skills and lessons to monsters. Each color is based on a different class subject
January 14, 2026 at 12:53 AM
A school-themed sentai team that goes around teaching important life skills and lessons to monsters. Each color is based on a different class subject
Banger thread on the first old school module I ever played in. Pure, uncut high-TSR weirdness
Finished my readthrough of Dungeon Module b3: Palace of the Silver Princess. Peep the whole thread from the beginning here 👇
Here I will begin reading Dungeon Module B3: Palace of the Silver Princess! I am of course reading the orange version.
January 13, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Banger thread on the first old school module I ever played in. Pure, uncut high-TSR weirdness
Reposted by 𝔗ℜ𝔄ℑ𝔓𝔖𝔈
This is good, and ALSO to add a bit:
In human complexes where work is one, a *huge* amount of the time, what wandering humans are doing in the halls is moving things around. Food, waste, furniture (it me!), bodies, materials, messages.
Any hive of activity is constantly shuffling stuff around.
In human complexes where work is one, a *huge* amount of the time, what wandering humans are doing in the halls is moving things around. Food, waste, furniture (it me!), bodies, materials, messages.
Any hive of activity is constantly shuffling stuff around.
A lot of people conceptualize random encounters as the party encountering the monsters, but they make more sense the other way: the monsters encounter the party.
Below is a thread on what most people get wrong about encounter activities and what there is to be done about it. (1/14)
Below is a thread on what most people get wrong about encounter activities and what there is to be done about it. (1/14)
January 13, 2026 at 12:28 PM
This is good, and ALSO to add a bit:
In human complexes where work is one, a *huge* amount of the time, what wandering humans are doing in the halls is moving things around. Food, waste, furniture (it me!), bodies, materials, messages.
Any hive of activity is constantly shuffling stuff around.
In human complexes where work is one, a *huge* amount of the time, what wandering humans are doing in the halls is moving things around. Food, waste, furniture (it me!), bodies, materials, messages.
Any hive of activity is constantly shuffling stuff around.
Reposted by 𝔗ℜ𝔄ℑ𝔓𝔖𝔈
Using exotic words in spells is as old as civilization.
Also Ablanathanalba is better than Abracadabra because it's a palindrome (there should be a theta instead of a th diglyph)
Also Ablanathanalba is better than Abracadabra because it's a palindrome (there should be a theta instead of a th diglyph)
January 13, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Using exotic words in spells is as old as civilization.
Also Ablanathanalba is better than Abracadabra because it's a palindrome (there should be a theta instead of a th diglyph)
Also Ablanathanalba is better than Abracadabra because it's a palindrome (there should be a theta instead of a th diglyph)
A lot of people conceptualize random encounters as the party encountering the monsters, but they make more sense the other way: the monsters encounter the party.
Below is a thread on what most people get wrong about encounter activities and what there is to be done about it. (1/14)
Below is a thread on what most people get wrong about encounter activities and what there is to be done about it. (1/14)
January 12, 2026 at 7:52 PM
A lot of people conceptualize random encounters as the party encountering the monsters, but they make more sense the other way: the monsters encounter the party.
Below is a thread on what most people get wrong about encounter activities and what there is to be done about it. (1/14)
Below is a thread on what most people get wrong about encounter activities and what there is to be done about it. (1/14)
For the first (and maybe only) time ever I got to use the "Shadows are following you pretending to be your actual shadows before they attack" trick last night and learned 1. cliches are cliche for a reason and 2. DMing for non-fantasy people feels like cheating sometimes.
January 9, 2026 at 6:23 PM
For the first (and maybe only) time ever I got to use the "Shadows are following you pretending to be your actual shadows before they attack" trick last night and learned 1. cliches are cliche for a reason and 2. DMing for non-fantasy people feels like cheating sometimes.
I started adding rumors to my monthly scheduling email and highly, highly recommend it compared to sharing rumors at the table. Saves tons of time and gets players thinking about the game between sessions.
The module suggests using a "monthly campaign newsletter" to share rumors with the players. I don't think I've ever heard that one before!
January 8, 2026 at 5:07 PM
I started adding rumors to my monthly scheduling email and highly, highly recommend it compared to sharing rumors at the table. Saves tons of time and gets players thinking about the game between sessions.
Getting this out of the way now: The Dungeons & Dragons Basic/Expert set (1981) should be abbreviated to BX in all cases. The slash in the common abbreviation "B/X" is unnecessary and leads to the utterly tragic "B/X/OSE." This is a hill I will die on.
January 7, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Getting this out of the way now: The Dungeons & Dragons Basic/Expert set (1981) should be abbreviated to BX in all cases. The slash in the common abbreviation "B/X" is unnecessary and leads to the utterly tragic "B/X/OSE." This is a hill I will die on.
