Beneath Foreign Planets
@foreignplanets.bsky.social
OSR blogger. A ponderous and stolid fellow.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
Prismatic Wasteland will not spare us from the lamentable truth of things - one must #playtest ⚰️
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 3:51 PM
Prismatic Wasteland will not spare us from the lamentable truth of things - one must #playtest ⚰️
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Dungeon Town Fence: A "dangerous" dungeon item can be sold with a maximum placed on either speed, value, or descression. Pick 1. ⚡Speed = money next session, 💰Value = 2x money, 🤫Discretion = no one hears about it. A fence might give a thief a discount on their cut out of professional courtesy
January 14, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Dungeon Town Fence: A "dangerous" dungeon item can be sold with a maximum placed on either speed, value, or descression. Pick 1. ⚡Speed = money next session, 💰Value = 2x money, 🤫Discretion = no one hears about it. A fence might give a thief a discount on their cut out of professional courtesy
Updated: Illness, Sickness, Disease! Not just for PCs but the #players themselves! A weird rules framework for #osr games.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2023/06/meta...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2023/06/meta...
Meta-Illness and Extra-Diegetic Disease in RPGs
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:55 AM
Updated: Illness, Sickness, Disease! Not just for PCs but the #players themselves! A weird rules framework for #osr games.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2023/06/meta...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2023/06/meta...
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
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)
Slightly diminish an RPG!
In the Ordinary
Rambler
Rogue Swap-Meet Attendee
Old School Optionals
Hand-Cranked Bastionland
Uncleship
Labyrinth Lad
In the Ordinary
Rambler
Rogue Swap-Meet Attendee
Old School Optionals
Hand-Cranked Bastionland
Uncleship
Labyrinth Lad
Slightly diminish a RPG
Controversial Bastionland
Silver Archive
Labyrinth Reeve
Controversial Bastionland
Silver Archive
Labyrinth Reeve
Slightly diminish an RPG
Dungeon & Dragon
Dungeon & Dragon
January 12, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Slightly diminish an RPG!
In the Ordinary
Rambler
Rogue Swap-Meet Attendee
Old School Optionals
Hand-Cranked Bastionland
Uncleship
Labyrinth Lad
In the Ordinary
Rambler
Rogue Swap-Meet Attendee
Old School Optionals
Hand-Cranked Bastionland
Uncleship
Labyrinth Lad
A sloppy blogpost. An alternate #magic system plus some spitballs on ritualised/metatextual/extradiegetic magic play for #osr games.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2026/01/meta...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2026/01/meta...
Meta Magic - Experimental Extra-Diegetic Spellcasting (an Alternate Magic System plus Oracular Bingo, Sigil Minigames, IRL Material Components and More)
Thinking about Magical Minigames and Ritualised Play. Impress your friends with your psychic powers.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
January 11, 2026 at 5:11 PM
A sloppy blogpost. An alternate #magic system plus some spitballs on ritualised/metatextual/extradiegetic magic play for #osr games.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2026/01/meta...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2026/01/meta...
I would not be half as reviled as I am now if I, like the great wizard Merlin, had a shack wherein, after taking the form of a bird, I could resume human form.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esplumo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esplumo...
Esplumoir Merlin - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 9, 2026 at 8:06 PM
I would not be half as reviled as I am now if I, like the great wizard Merlin, had a shack wherein, after taking the form of a bird, I could resume human form.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esplumo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esplumo...
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
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.
Fools, please follow @traipsehex.bsky.social!
January 8, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Fools, please follow @traipsehex.bsky.social!
A new character class - slay your enemies, turn them into fashion pieces, take their powers
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
The Talismanic Caveman, Fetishist or Mountain Man* - an OSR class
You are what you wear.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
January 1, 2026 at 8:22 AM
A new character class - slay your enemies, turn them into fashion pieces, take their powers
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
Three bad guys, wicked #miniature villains. Although not quite finished, unwashed and unbased.
December 27, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Three bad guys, wicked #miniature villains. Although not quite finished, unwashed and unbased.
All-round good guy, James Holloway (aka the Monster Man) puts up with my comments on Appendix N fiction vs the Medieval inspiration behind DND (and its landscapes) in the murky and foetid reply section beneath this bleet.
Related to conversations about fantasy adventure and colonialism: one thing that is very interesting about D&D's medievalism is that its default geography -- frontiers, large areas of wilderness, etc. -- is not particularly what medieval W. Europe was like.
December 23, 2025 at 8:54 PM
All-round good guy, James Holloway (aka the Monster Man) puts up with my comments on Appendix N fiction vs the Medieval inspiration behind DND (and its landscapes) in the murky and foetid reply section beneath this bleet.
A tear-inducing review from Diogenes of Dio's Dungeon (diosdungeons.substack.com). To be considered skillful, wowie. No, I'm not crying 🥲.
Maybe it's worth it being an #osr #blogger.
Maybe it's worth it being an #osr #blogger.
December 23, 2025 at 4:43 PM
A tear-inducing review from Diogenes of Dio's Dungeon (diosdungeons.substack.com). To be considered skillful, wowie. No, I'm not crying 🥲.
Maybe it's worth it being an #osr #blogger.
Maybe it's worth it being an #osr #blogger.
Over the course of the last two weeks, I (a barely literate fool) made a #conlang that is grammatically, etymologically, linguistically evil. (Real conlangers please look away) foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/o-dr...
O Drc - Toki Pona's Evil Twin
The word for food is slugs. A cruel conlang.
foreignplanets.blogspot.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Over the course of the last two weeks, I (a barely literate fool) made a #conlang that is grammatically, etymologically, linguistically evil. (Real conlangers please look away) foreignplanets.blogspot.com/2025/12/o-dr...
For Christmas, @thiccmomswag.bsky.social (what a handle!) wrote this class for ME - a consolation class for characters with such poor stats that they can't keep the devil from coming inside of them (😏)
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev/the-guided-h...
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev/the-guided-h...
The Guided Hand: A B/X Class
. I drew inspiration from and for a slightly different take on a witchy hybrid class. I'd probably allow for some kind of natural kinship with wild animals...
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev
December 22, 2025 at 1:48 PM
For Christmas, @thiccmomswag.bsky.social (what a handle!) wrote this class for ME - a consolation class for characters with such poor stats that they can't keep the devil from coming inside of them (😏)
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev/the-guided-h...
kattkirsch.bearblog.dev/the-guided-h...
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
𓂸
Heheheh Unicode penis
Heheheh Unicode penis
December 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
𓂸
Heheheh Unicode penis
Heheheh Unicode penis
Yeah, I have your contact details saved under 🝕, the alchemical symbol for urine, what of it?
Is the alchemical symbol 🝎, the 'Caput Mortuum' (the dead head), the world's first emoji? 🝎
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
December 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Yeah, I have your contact details saved under 🝕, the alchemical symbol for urine, what of it?
Is the alchemical symbol 🝎, the 'Caput Mortuum' (the dead head), the world's first emoji? 🝎
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
December 17, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Is the alchemical symbol 🝎, the 'Caput Mortuum' (the dead head), the world's first emoji? 🝎
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
I'm calling on the bsky #alchemist community for comment.
And do follow this fine fellow and pillar of the #osr community at @xaosseed.bsky.social.
Lastly, the inimitable Xaosseed ruminates on how the presence of extraordinarily long-lived beings might effect the evolution of language,
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
Your great-grand-elf's elvish: long lives slowing language change (RPG Blog Carnival)
/The RPG Blog Carnival prompt from Beneath Foreign Planets of WORDS! Etymology, Onomatology and Linguistics sparked some other thoughts fo...
seedofworlds.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:51 PM
And do follow this fine fellow and pillar of the #osr community at @xaosseed.bsky.social.
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Lastly, the inimitable Xaosseed ruminates on how the presence of extraordinarily long-lived beings might effect the evolution of language,
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
Your great-grand-elf's elvish: long lives slowing language change (RPG Blog Carnival)
/The RPG Blog Carnival prompt from Beneath Foreign Planets of WORDS! Etymology, Onomatology and Linguistics sparked some other thoughts fo...
seedofworlds.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Lastly, the inimitable Xaosseed ruminates on how the presence of extraordinarily long-lived beings might effect the evolution of language,
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2024/07/your...
🧵14/14 (for now, if anything pops up over the next few days I'll share it)
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
Real value for money with this 2-in-1 post with an overview of excellent scripts for use as ciphers as well as a brilliant and detailed array of 'The Languages of Generic Vernacular Fantasyland'. A real cracker of a post from Dan.
throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/03/some...
🧵 13/14
throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/03/some...
🧵 13/14
Some Thoughts About Language in RPGs
In my conlang dabbling, I have thought to myself "self, what about just a very simple naming language for use in RPGs for a bit of inspirati...
throneofsalt.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Real value for money with this 2-in-1 post with an overview of excellent scripts for use as ciphers as well as a brilliant and detailed array of 'The Languages of Generic Vernacular Fantasyland'. A real cracker of a post from Dan.
throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/03/some...
🧵 13/14
throneofsalt.blogspot.com/2023/03/some...
🧵 13/14
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
The Benevolent Bronze Brute can't be stopped, in this post they share their thoughts on gearing in-game languages entirely to broadstroke narrative fields
beast.blot.im/recovered-rp...
🧵12/14
beast.blot.im/recovered-rp...
🧵12/14
Recovered: RPG Linguistics - Benign Brown Beast
In many editions of D&D, everyone learns a handful of languages at character creation, and then either never thinks about them again or never has
beast.blot.im
December 12, 2025 at 4:53 PM
The Benevolent Bronze Brute can't be stopped, in this post they share their thoughts on gearing in-game languages entirely to broadstroke narrative fields
beast.blot.im/recovered-rp...
🧵12/14
beast.blot.im/recovered-rp...
🧵12/14
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
The Benign Brown Beast follows a similar path linking languages to spells. How intriguing, how WHIMSICAL.
beast.blot.im/saying-magic...
🧵 11/14
beast.blot.im/saying-magic...
🧵 11/14
Saying Magic Words - Benign Brown Beast
As an area for role-playing, “language” is both rich in potential and generally underutilized in D&D-like games. I’m not the first to observe this,
beast.blot.im
December 12, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The Benign Brown Beast follows a similar path linking languages to spells. How intriguing, how WHIMSICAL.
beast.blot.im/saying-magic...
🧵 11/14
beast.blot.im/saying-magic...
🧵 11/14
Reposted by Beneath Foreign Planets
@riseupcomus.bsky.social continues the trend of saying a big 'fuck you 🫵' to preselected languages and serves up some sizzlingly gameable subversions on classic dnd languages
riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/ling...
🧵10/14
riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/ling...
🧵10/14
Lingua Franca
Choosing bonus languages in standard D&D games is the worst. Either your choice matters a lot ("Oh, we're playing Keep on the Borderlands? G...
riseupcomus.blogspot.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:40 PM
@riseupcomus.bsky.social continues the trend of saying a big 'fuck you 🫵' to preselected languages and serves up some sizzlingly gameable subversions on classic dnd languages
riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/ling...
🧵10/14
riseupcomus.blogspot.com/2023/02/ling...
🧵10/14