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directsun.bsky.social
directsun
@directsun.bsky.social
Mr. Puzzle Dungeon. Author of Aberrant Reflections and The Seers Sanctum. Currently working on: A Familiar Tower. Mid-life time achievement Carnie Award winner. 🎉
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Just in case it isn't clear- this is a license free set of 16 pages of full color artwork that I'm offering for $21 dollars. I decided to keep the price on the lower end to increase viability for smaller creators taking part in something I hope is interesting.

better-legends.itch.io/dungeon-of-s...
January 21, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Hey, I'm going to be on Wandering DMs this Sunday to talk puzzle dungeons 😀

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m00q...
Puzzle Dungeons | Chris "Directsun" on Designing Meaningful Puzzles | Wandering DMs S08 E03
YouTube video by Wandering DMs
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 7:31 PM
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we're live gamers
January 21, 2026 at 1:06 AM
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In tabletop rpg design, sometimes gameplay doesn't come from the mechanics we add, but the ones we omit.

www.explorersdesign.com/dominant-mec...
Against Dominant Mechanics
Some rules guide play. And some rules monopolize it. Designing by omission.
www.explorersdesign.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:59 PM
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At last, a version of the abundance agenda I can get behind
January 20, 2026 at 3:05 PM
It's been 5 years since Puzzle Dungeon: The Seers Sanctum was released. It now has tighter text, fresh layout by @slimemindstudio.bsky.social, cover by @jacobfleming.bsky.social, and art and handouts by @munkao.bsky.social.
If you already own Seers, you own the remaster. Cheers!
#osr
January 20, 2026 at 6:31 AM
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How much should I playtest?
Where do I get art?
What do I charge for shipping?
WHAT IS A ZINE!?

Tuesday the 20th at 8p et join Tony from @plusoneexp.bsky.social @samsorensen.bsky.social & Yeet from @9thlevelgames.bsky.social as we answer any & all #ZiMoQuestions!
#TTRPG

Twitch.tv/TonyPlusOne
January 19, 2026 at 8:01 PM
January 15, 2026 at 4:22 PM
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The ooze comes for Zine Month. Get ready! www.kickstarter.com/projects/a-h...
Coming soon: Outcast Unseelie and the Ooze Between
A slime-slathered puzzle dungeon for Shadowdark RPG
www.kickstarter.com
January 14, 2026 at 6:23 PM
POV: Your socks are too big, but there's a glowing sword that fits great.

Art by @betterlegends.bsky.social for A Familiar Tower
January 14, 2026 at 6:17 PM
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A tale of playtesting and how you don’t really know what mechanics work until you bring ones that don’t work to your table, maybe more than once
Playtest Early, Playtest Often — Prismatic Wasteland
To design a game, you have to break a few eggs and discard some rules or completely rewrite them. But you won’t know what to discard and what to rewrite until you feed those eggs to your players.
www.prismaticwasteland.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:08 PM
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I'm excited to announce the Fang Dungeon Bestiary, with 36 fun illustrated monsters and new random tables to freshen up your no-prep dungeon crawls for Fängelsehåla!

Please follow along and share with your communities! 🙏

www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...
Get Ready for the Fang Dungeon Bestiary
From Dieku Games - Get Ready for the Fang Dungeon Bestiary
www.backerkit.com
January 13, 2026 at 4:40 PM
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Hello #portfolioday I'm Skullboy. I'm a fantasy illustrator and I do a lot of work in #ttrpgs
January 13, 2026 at 5:14 PM
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Zine Month is upon us! While several crowdfunding companies have their own Zine Month initiatives (Zine Quest, ZineTopia, Tabletop Nonstop, etc)

Zine Month belongs to the community
It's a celebration of RPG zine culture & indie creators
It's by us & for us

So how do you participate in ZiMo?

1/5
January 12, 2026 at 4:03 PM
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Join us Tuesday night at 8p for our State of Zine Month from organizers @feralcharlie.bsky.social & Tony from @plusoneexp.bsky.social!

twitch.tv/tonyplusone

#ZiMo #Zimo26 #ZineQuest #ZineTopia #TTRPGs
January 12, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Solid newsletter list full of great ideas here.
January 13, 2026 at 4:55 PM
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My daily Bloggies picks (13):

@goblinpunch.bsky.social encourages you to write your own dungeon. we should be empowering people to create. ideally a game system already gives you that confidence, but if not, maybe this post will

goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-du...
A Dungeon of Your Own
Have you written your own dungeon? Everyone should write a dungeon at least once.  You'll be able to write stuff that you like, and stuff th...
goblinpunch.blogspot.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:45 PM
We got inside out dragons and a heap of fleshy fun! Feedback for RESERVOIR by Cameron Maas. The amazing Ben Laurence joins me in the workshop.
@cameronmaas.bsky.social @benlaurence.bsky.social

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkuJ...
RESERVOIR by Cameron Maas w/ guest Ben Laurence
YouTube video by Direct Sun
www.youtube.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:11 PM
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This week in the Bathtub, we’re entering a multidimensional labyrinth on the back of a dragonfly, in search for nukes: It’s Mana Meltdown! idlecartulary.com/2026/01/12/b...
Bathtub Review: Mana Meltdown
Bathtub Reviews are an excuse for me to read modules a little more closely. I’m doing them to critique a wide range of modules from the perspective of my own table and to learn for my own module de…
idlecartulary.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:37 AM
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#ZiMo26 community assets are now available!

drive.google.com/drive/folder...
January 12, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Find the familiar! Cross section by the amazing @betterlegends.bsky.social for "A Familiar Tower".
January 7, 2026 at 6:18 PM
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I wrote about the four main types of play environment in D&D: settlements, strongholds, dungeons, & monster lairs, the play experience provided by each, & how each exists on a gradient of complexity & agency which allows the scope of the campaign to grow alongside the player characters' abilities.
Play Environments, Power, Complexity, and Agency in D&D
Location types exist in close proximity to one another but serve very different gameplay functions. There are basically four main location t...
forlornencystment.blogspot.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Great way to catch up with some awesome ideas.
January 6, 2026 at 5:28 PM