Alex in Alaska / Forge of Ice
@forgeofice.bsky.social
Writer & Miniature Maker in Fairbanks, Alaska. He/Him. Trans rights are human rights!
I also dig old pulp characters, horror, comics and RPG’s.
No AI, ever. All posts, opinions, and superfluous commas, are human-generated.
www.ForgeofIce.com/shop
I also dig old pulp characters, horror, comics and RPG’s.
No AI, ever. All posts, opinions, and superfluous commas, are human-generated.
www.ForgeofIce.com/shop
Step 7!
This is when it alll comes together - the floor tiles. I’m about 1/4 of the way done with then, so I’m taking a little break to rest my hand.
Some features are the Veils of Bells near the entrance and the piles of crumbled bricks by the back walls.
This is when it alll comes together - the floor tiles. I’m about 1/4 of the way done with then, so I’m taking a little break to rest my hand.
Some features are the Veils of Bells near the entrance and the piles of crumbled bricks by the back walls.
January 15, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Step 7!
This is when it alll comes together - the floor tiles. I’m about 1/4 of the way done with then, so I’m taking a little break to rest my hand.
Some features are the Veils of Bells near the entrance and the piles of crumbled bricks by the back walls.
This is when it alll comes together - the floor tiles. I’m about 1/4 of the way done with then, so I’m taking a little break to rest my hand.
Some features are the Veils of Bells near the entrance and the piles of crumbled bricks by the back walls.
Step 6!
Crosshatching is DONE!!
Next up: all the stuff in the dungeon. I don’t draw every little detail, but there are a few traps
& bits of decor that will get a teeny tiny drawing.
After that, I’ll draw in the tiles and it’ll be about done!
Crosshatching is DONE!!
Next up: all the stuff in the dungeon. I don’t draw every little detail, but there are a few traps
& bits of decor that will get a teeny tiny drawing.
After that, I’ll draw in the tiles and it’ll be about done!
January 14, 2026 at 6:55 AM
Step 6!
Crosshatching is DONE!!
Next up: all the stuff in the dungeon. I don’t draw every little detail, but there are a few traps
& bits of decor that will get a teeny tiny drawing.
After that, I’ll draw in the tiles and it’ll be about done!
Crosshatching is DONE!!
Next up: all the stuff in the dungeon. I don’t draw every little detail, but there are a few traps
& bits of decor that will get a teeny tiny drawing.
After that, I’ll draw in the tiles and it’ll be about done!
Step 5!
Crosshatching, crosshatching, crosshatching.
There’s already a smudge, but @roebeast.bsky.social will clean that up digitally when he magicks this all together.
Crosshatching, crosshatching, crosshatching.
There’s already a smudge, but @roebeast.bsky.social will clean that up digitally when he magicks this all together.
January 13, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Step 5!
Crosshatching, crosshatching, crosshatching.
There’s already a smudge, but @roebeast.bsky.social will clean that up digitally when he magicks this all together.
Crosshatching, crosshatching, crosshatching.
There’s already a smudge, but @roebeast.bsky.social will clean that up digitally when he magicks this all together.
THIS holy crap THIS.
My formative RPG memories are of reading modules as though they were novels, of vividly imagining myself traveling through the locations, fighting the monsters, doing daring deeds.
Bullet points are great to use at a table, but they’re no fun at all to read (for me!).
My formative RPG memories are of reading modules as though they were novels, of vividly imagining myself traveling through the locations, fighting the monsters, doing daring deeds.
Bullet points are great to use at a table, but they’re no fun at all to read (for me!).
New Blog Post: Eating the Book--a response to 'We Need to Talk About Goodman Games.'
Wherein I critique that Questing Beast Video, articulate different approaches to game preparation, and advocate for more intellectually curious criticism in the RPG space.
orthopraxy.bearblog.dev/eating-the-b...
Wherein I critique that Questing Beast Video, articulate different approaches to game preparation, and advocate for more intellectually curious criticism in the RPG space.
orthopraxy.bearblog.dev/eating-the-b...
Eating the Book--a response to 'We Need to Talk About Goodman Games'
Look--I get that people have their opinions about how things ought to work, yeah? here in the OSR/NSR/POSR space, people like their fancy interior covers wi...
orthopraxy.bearblog.dev
January 11, 2026 at 5:29 PM
THIS holy crap THIS.
My formative RPG memories are of reading modules as though they were novels, of vividly imagining myself traveling through the locations, fighting the monsters, doing daring deeds.
Bullet points are great to use at a table, but they’re no fun at all to read (for me!).
My formative RPG memories are of reading modules as though they were novels, of vividly imagining myself traveling through the locations, fighting the monsters, doing daring deeds.
Bullet points are great to use at a table, but they’re no fun at all to read (for me!).
Game night!
We started with lasagna soup (basically tomato soup with sausage, onions, noodles, & ricotta cheese added), a loaf of freshly-baked olive tapenade bread that had been stuffed with butter, garlic, & mozzarella cheese, and finished it off with a childhood favorite, “Pistachio dessert”.
We started with lasagna soup (basically tomato soup with sausage, onions, noodles, & ricotta cheese added), a loaf of freshly-baked olive tapenade bread that had been stuffed with butter, garlic, & mozzarella cheese, and finished it off with a childhood favorite, “Pistachio dessert”.
January 11, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Game night!
We started with lasagna soup (basically tomato soup with sausage, onions, noodles, & ricotta cheese added), a loaf of freshly-baked olive tapenade bread that had been stuffed with butter, garlic, & mozzarella cheese, and finished it off with a childhood favorite, “Pistachio dessert”.
We started with lasagna soup (basically tomato soup with sausage, onions, noodles, & ricotta cheese added), a loaf of freshly-baked olive tapenade bread that had been stuffed with butter, garlic, & mozzarella cheese, and finished it off with a childhood favorite, “Pistachio dessert”.
Prepping for the first game night of 2026, with lasagna soup!!
I ran nearly no games at my house in 2025, so it feels good to be starting the new year with a new campaign.
Tentatively calling this session “Open Mic Night at the Golden Duck.”
I ran nearly no games at my house in 2025, so it feels good to be starting the new year with a new campaign.
Tentatively calling this session “Open Mic Night at the Golden Duck.”
January 10, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Prepping for the first game night of 2026, with lasagna soup!!
I ran nearly no games at my house in 2025, so it feels good to be starting the new year with a new campaign.
Tentatively calling this session “Open Mic Night at the Golden Duck.”
I ran nearly no games at my house in 2025, so it feels good to be starting the new year with a new campaign.
Tentatively calling this session “Open Mic Night at the Golden Duck.”
Reposted by Alex in Alaska / Forge of Ice
And a little #selfpromosaturday action: THE TWIN HEADS OF AVARICE is a system-neutral tabletop #RPG scenario, cowritten by myself and @forgeofice.bsky.social , set in his Lost World of Azor. An Ocean's 11-style heist in a sword-and-sorcery milieu.
reverse-ettin-games.itch.io/the-twin-hea...
reverse-ettin-games.itch.io/the-twin-hea...
The Twin Heads of Avarice by Reverse Ettin Games
A heist scenario set in the lost world of Azor.
reverse-ettin-games.itch.io
January 10, 2026 at 3:09 PM
And a little #selfpromosaturday action: THE TWIN HEADS OF AVARICE is a system-neutral tabletop #RPG scenario, cowritten by myself and @forgeofice.bsky.social , set in his Lost World of Azor. An Ocean's 11-style heist in a sword-and-sorcery milieu.
reverse-ettin-games.itch.io/the-twin-hea...
reverse-ettin-games.itch.io/the-twin-hea...
Step 4!
My head space & energy levels are somewhat improved, so I finally started inking the map.
This is the first time in the process where I’m using something that’s not super easily obtained by almost anyone - a light pad. Mine is a Cricut that I got for about $100 about 7-8 years ago.
My head space & energy levels are somewhat improved, so I finally started inking the map.
This is the first time in the process where I’m using something that’s not super easily obtained by almost anyone - a light pad. Mine is a Cricut that I got for about $100 about 7-8 years ago.
January 9, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Step 4!
My head space & energy levels are somewhat improved, so I finally started inking the map.
This is the first time in the process where I’m using something that’s not super easily obtained by almost anyone - a light pad. Mine is a Cricut that I got for about $100 about 7-8 years ago.
My head space & energy levels are somewhat improved, so I finally started inking the map.
This is the first time in the process where I’m using something that’s not super easily obtained by almost anyone - a light pad. Mine is a Cricut that I got for about $100 about 7-8 years ago.
Pearl-clutching is such a pathetic, cowardly, gleefully dishonest and drearily predictable reaction from the empty suits & talking heads of the right.
Frey: "This notion of inflammatory comments -- c'mon guys. I dropped an F bomb, they killed someone. Which one of those is more inflammatory? I'm going with the killing somebody."
January 9, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Pearl-clutching is such a pathetic, cowardly, gleefully dishonest and drearily predictable reaction from the empty suits & talking heads of the right.
Alright!
I’m only running one game at Gary Con - I’ll be spending most of my time at my booth - but I think it’s a good one.
A Bronze Age Lost World art heist with ape-men and dinosaurs! Written by @paintingmoreorcs.bsky.social and me!
I’m only running one game at Gary Con - I’ll be spending most of my time at my booth - but I think it’s a good one.
A Bronze Age Lost World art heist with ape-men and dinosaurs! Written by @paintingmoreorcs.bsky.social and me!
January 6, 2026 at 8:23 AM
Alright!
I’m only running one game at Gary Con - I’ll be spending most of my time at my booth - but I think it’s a good one.
A Bronze Age Lost World art heist with ape-men and dinosaurs! Written by @paintingmoreorcs.bsky.social and me!
I’m only running one game at Gary Con - I’ll be spending most of my time at my booth - but I think it’s a good one.
A Bronze Age Lost World art heist with ape-men and dinosaurs! Written by @paintingmoreorcs.bsky.social and me!
If I had infinite money, a Doc Savage / The Shadow / The Avenger set of series done in the Batman Animated Series style is on my short list of utterly self-indulgent purchases.
Maybe Sandman Mystery Theater, too.
But I’d get Ralph Bakshi to do the Spider, & Filmation to update their Tarzan show.
Maybe Sandman Mystery Theater, too.
But I’d get Ralph Bakshi to do the Spider, & Filmation to update their Tarzan show.
Were 90s kids clamoring for a Batman cartoon with 1930s Art Deco aesthetics? Is that what the market demanded? Or did some really smart creative people have a vision and make a genre-defining hit that sustained 20 years of TV shows? If you want success look for vision, not just metrics.
January 2, 2026 at 3:18 PM
If I had infinite money, a Doc Savage / The Shadow / The Avenger set of series done in the Batman Animated Series style is on my short list of utterly self-indulgent purchases.
Maybe Sandman Mystery Theater, too.
But I’d get Ralph Bakshi to do the Spider, & Filmation to update their Tarzan show.
Maybe Sandman Mystery Theater, too.
But I’d get Ralph Bakshi to do the Spider, & Filmation to update their Tarzan show.
I’ve had some luck referring to them as “armed, masked, government agents.”
I think it trips the “government bad” switch in their brains.
Adding “…with no warrant or probable cause.” is occasionally helpful if you’re trapped in conversation with certain flavors of libertarian.
I think it trips the “government bad” switch in their brains.
Adding “…with no warrant or probable cause.” is occasionally helpful if you’re trapped in conversation with certain flavors of libertarian.
January 2, 2026 at 3:11 PM
I’ve had some luck referring to them as “armed, masked, government agents.”
I think it trips the “government bad” switch in their brains.
Adding “…with no warrant or probable cause.” is occasionally helpful if you’re trapped in conversation with certain flavors of libertarian.
I think it trips the “government bad” switch in their brains.
Adding “…with no warrant or probable cause.” is occasionally helpful if you’re trapped in conversation with certain flavors of libertarian.
Step 3!
More or less the final shape of the map - I’ll be using this as the template for inking the drawing that then gets scanned, cleaned up, and printed.
This is for a one-page dungeon I’m calling “The Whispering Idol”
More or less the final shape of the map - I’ll be using this as the template for inking the drawing that then gets scanned, cleaned up, and printed.
This is for a one-page dungeon I’m calling “The Whispering Idol”
January 2, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Step 3!
More or less the final shape of the map - I’ll be using this as the template for inking the drawing that then gets scanned, cleaned up, and printed.
This is for a one-page dungeon I’m calling “The Whispering Idol”
More or less the final shape of the map - I’ll be using this as the template for inking the drawing that then gets scanned, cleaned up, and printed.
This is for a one-page dungeon I’m calling “The Whispering Idol”
The Forge of Ice Deep One and Sunken Treasure are in excellent company here!
Support your small indie companies !
I paint some of my best stuff this year with miniatures from @fenrisgames.com !
I paint some of my best stuff this year with miniatures from @fenrisgames.com !
January 1, 2026 at 3:54 PM
The Forge of Ice Deep One and Sunken Treasure are in excellent company here!
Step 2 of planning out & sketching the new dungeon map.
I didn’t bother to count the squares ahead of time, so too late I discovered that I need to draw this one in landscape rather than vertical.
All part of the process!
I didn’t bother to count the squares ahead of time, so too late I discovered that I need to draw this one in landscape rather than vertical.
All part of the process!
January 1, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Step 2 of planning out & sketching the new dungeon map.
I didn’t bother to count the squares ahead of time, so too late I discovered that I need to draw this one in landscape rather than vertical.
All part of the process!
I didn’t bother to count the squares ahead of time, so too late I discovered that I need to draw this one in landscape rather than vertical.
All part of the process!
Reposted by Alex in Alaska / Forge of Ice
ATTN: CONAN THE BARBARIAN FANS!!
The Robert E Howard house/museum is in serious need of repair, or it may fall apart. Please donate at rehfoundation.org/save-the-reh...
Or share the link and help get the word out.
The Robert E Howard house/museum is in serious need of repair, or it may fall apart. Please donate at rehfoundation.org/save-the-reh...
Or share the link and help get the word out.
Save the REH Museum
Donations collected here go directly to the Robert E. Howard Foundation, which will forward 100% of the proceeds to Project Pride in Cross Plains, Texas, to support restoration and maintenance of the ...
rehfoundation.org
December 29, 2025 at 4:57 PM
ATTN: CONAN THE BARBARIAN FANS!!
The Robert E Howard house/museum is in serious need of repair, or it may fall apart. Please donate at rehfoundation.org/save-the-reh...
Or share the link and help get the word out.
The Robert E Howard house/museum is in serious need of repair, or it may fall apart. Please donate at rehfoundation.org/save-the-reh...
Or share the link and help get the word out.
Here’s the initial sketch for my next dungeon map.
I’m a middling artist at best, but I think it’s fun to see the vast difference between the initial sketch & the finished drawing.
No AI needed, just pencil, pen, & paper!
The satisfaction of a finished piece makes any frustration well worth it!
I’m a middling artist at best, but I think it’s fun to see the vast difference between the initial sketch & the finished drawing.
No AI needed, just pencil, pen, & paper!
The satisfaction of a finished piece makes any frustration well worth it!
December 31, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Here’s the initial sketch for my next dungeon map.
I’m a middling artist at best, but I think it’s fun to see the vast difference between the initial sketch & the finished drawing.
No AI needed, just pencil, pen, & paper!
The satisfaction of a finished piece makes any frustration well worth it!
I’m a middling artist at best, but I think it’s fun to see the vast difference between the initial sketch & the finished drawing.
No AI needed, just pencil, pen, & paper!
The satisfaction of a finished piece makes any frustration well worth it!
Reposted by Alex in Alaska / Forge of Ice
this, also in minis producers and indie RPG writers. the big companies dont *need* your orders (their shareholders do!) but small indies pay their bills via your purchase
Don't think I've spoken to a single artist who didn't struggle this Christmas, and I spoke to a lot, so even if it's not my work I'd really encourage people to try to support a local artist that you like instead of big corporations - every single sale makes a real, tangible difference to their life.
If, like me, you did NOT get the ONE thing you wanted from Santy (a 95-year-old bachelor farmer with plenty land and a bad cough), treat yourself to a print from an Irish doodler instead - big discounts across the shop, including on bundles, so go on. Go on go on go ON.
www.ciaraioch.com/artprints
www.ciaraioch.com/artprints
December 28, 2025 at 10:10 AM
this, also in minis producers and indie RPG writers. the big companies dont *need* your orders (their shareholders do!) but small indies pay their bills via your purchase
We keep a rolled-up towel in front of the door, but I removed it for the photo.
The door seals tight in the summer, but in severe cold like today’s -40ish, the house shifts & there’s just enough air leakage for ice to form inside.
Probably gonna have a guy come & adjust it in the spring.
The door seals tight in the summer, but in severe cold like today’s -40ish, the house shifts & there’s just enough air leakage for ice to form inside.
Probably gonna have a guy come & adjust it in the spring.
December 30, 2025 at 2:57 AM
We keep a rolled-up towel in front of the door, but I removed it for the photo.
The door seals tight in the summer, but in severe cold like today’s -40ish, the house shifts & there’s just enough air leakage for ice to form inside.
Probably gonna have a guy come & adjust it in the spring.
The door seals tight in the summer, but in severe cold like today’s -40ish, the house shifts & there’s just enough air leakage for ice to form inside.
Probably gonna have a guy come & adjust it in the spring.
Don’t even need to look at a thermometer - this is how I know it’s colder than -40 outside.
December 30, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Don’t even need to look at a thermometer - this is how I know it’s colder than -40 outside.
A wonderful offer!
Massive giveaway- I’m giving away a set of my whole current catalogue. Signed and personalized.
Share, comment and follow to enter (on any of the platforms where I posted this). I’ll pick a winner in a week. Love you! 🖤🦑
Share, comment and follow to enter (on any of the platforms where I posted this). I’ll pick a winner in a week. Love you! 🖤🦑
December 28, 2025 at 1:16 AM
A wonderful offer!
-40ish here in my neighborhood.
Icefog so dense that I can see across the street, but not too much farther than that.
Icefog so dense that I can see across the street, but not too much farther than that.
December 27, 2025 at 9:10 PM
-40ish here in my neighborhood.
Icefog so dense that I can see across the street, but not too much farther than that.
Icefog so dense that I can see across the street, but not too much farther than that.
Getting miniatures in the mail is one of the best things ever - look at this gorgeously painted Shrouded Master for my Corpse Eaters adventure!
Thank you and Merry Midwinter Holiday of your choice to you all (especially @fenrisgames.com !)
Thank you and Merry Midwinter Holiday of your choice to you all (especially @fenrisgames.com !)
December 27, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Getting miniatures in the mail is one of the best things ever - look at this gorgeously painted Shrouded Master for my Corpse Eaters adventure!
Thank you and Merry Midwinter Holiday of your choice to you all (especially @fenrisgames.com !)
Thank you and Merry Midwinter Holiday of your choice to you all (especially @fenrisgames.com !)
Just submitted the one game I plan to run at Gary Con!
Twin Heads of Avarice, by @paintingmoreorcs.bsky.social and me!
… I might run some Shadowdark, too.
Twin Heads of Avarice, by @paintingmoreorcs.bsky.social and me!
… I might run some Shadowdark, too.
December 22, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Just submitted the one game I plan to run at Gary Con!
Twin Heads of Avarice, by @paintingmoreorcs.bsky.social and me!
… I might run some Shadowdark, too.
Twin Heads of Avarice, by @paintingmoreorcs.bsky.social and me!
… I might run some Shadowdark, too.