Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 16d

Absurdonauts
Talk Like Ape
Tanegashima
Soliloquy
Exobiologia

No one knows what these spells mean but me. They'll be something eventually 😅

A Couple of Drakes @acoupleofdrakes.bsky.social · 16d

Them: So what have y'all been up to?
Me: Haha, you know. The usual.

The Usual:

A wizard ponders five blue crystal orbs labeled WIP

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 20d

Find the character sheet and GM tools for free on my itch page fortofnovelty.itch.io/twilight-cou...

Twilight Country by Michael Drew Massotto

Welcome to The Frontier

fortofnovelty.itch.io

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 20d

Wager your humanity in a western frontier that WANTS YOU DEAD. Get Twilight Country NOW at plusoneexp.com/products/twi...

Brought to you by @plusoneexp.bsky.social
#ttrpg #wildwest #horror #zineclub

Twilight Country

The American West. Late 1800s. Everyone is entrapped in life’s turmoil. But beneath the fabric of this reality was a different frontier. One even more bleak. This reality pounced upon you like a puma...

plusoneexp.com

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 22d

Fascinating, cuz with my own executive dysfunction I am less motivated when I'm alone on a project! But I absolutely see how external pressures could be interpreted as stressful.

Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 22d

I get others involved/invested, which keeps myself accountable. External pressures for deadlines are a wonderful thing!

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 22d

This reached my feed while I was on break from my Costco demo booth

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 23d

This! When I was making Twilight Country I was worried that telegraphing consequences would ruin the terror and suspense of a given threat. Turns out, laying the stakes out on the table helps wrench up the tension way more than keeping it a mystery. It's more fair to the players too.
#ttrpg

Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 23d

"Just tell them" is such an underrated piece of advice for telegraphing dangers in RPGs.

"How can I hint that the hallway is trapped? How can I hint that if they defeat the dungeon lord, they become the next dungeon lord?"

Just tell them. Tell them out loud. With your words.

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 25d

Niche source engine shooters with little to no playerbase are my current games of interest I fear

Both Double Action: Boogaloo and Fistful of Frags mess with the FPS formula in intersting ways despite their otherwise unpaletable jank

Anyone got suggestions?

Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 28d

And my favorite meal? Hm, one time I had duck ramen at a really fancy restaurant. that was peak

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 28d

Hey thanks for doing this! I'm Mike, and my debut TTRPG releases with @plusoneexp.bsky.social for this month's Zine Club! It's a wild west/horror fusion game built on blackjack. More details here ⬇️

bsky.app/profile/plus...

Plus One Exp | Staying Home For PAXU (cause we live in Philly) @plusoneexp.bsky.social · 29d

Our brand new drops for #RPGZineClun this month are Twilight Country by @fortofnovelty.bsky.social (our Adventure title) and Midnight in a Perfect World by @zohebmashiur.bsky.social (our Story title).

These are available first through Zine Club!

rpgzine.club

Learn about them both in the thread 👇

Cover of Twilight Country by Michael Drew Massotto. It features a grey desert landscape with four silhouettes of various people of various backgrounds of the old West. They are looking away from a blood red moon hanging overhead.

Image of two people looking up to city buildings lit up in red and orange. The title, Midnight in a Perfect World, can be found in the top left.

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 29d

If you're looking into my game, you should also check out Twilight Country's #RPGZineClub counterpart.

Midnight in a Perfect World by @zohebmashiur.bsky.social is historic, topical, and a fascinating concept. Can't wait to read it myself when both of our games drop! ✌️

#ttrpg #indierpg #zineclub

Zoheb AKA Klow @zohebmashiur.bsky.social · 29d

Friends! My debut game is coming out. Midnight in a Perfect World is a roleplaying game about a dinner party on the anniversary of a revolution. Count down to midnight and dine with ghosts.

You can get it alongside Twilight Country by @fortofnovelty.bsky.social on plusoneexp.com/pages/rpg-zi...

Plus One Exp | Staying Home For PAXU (cause we live in Philly) @plusoneexp.bsky.social · 29d

Our brand new drops for #RPGZineClun this month are Twilight Country by @fortofnovelty.bsky.social (our Adventure title) and Midnight in a Perfect World by @zohebmashiur.bsky.social (our Story title).

These are available first through Zine Club!

rpgzine.club

Learn about them both in the thread 👇

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 29d

Thank you for your service! Luckily up here in NJ local yellowjackets have taken to hunting lanternflies. Nature is beautiful

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 29d

September Zine Club is close at hand, and you'll find my debut game there! Join rpgzine.club to be one of the first to experience the dreadful horrors of Twilight Country!

#ttrpg #indierpg #horror #wildwest #rpgzineclub #zineclub #zines

Cover art of Twilight Country: 4 cowboys traverse and ashen plain watched by a blood moon

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 29d

Stay tuned for Twilight Country's pulp horror pages at @plusoneexp.bsky.social later this month! September's #rpg #zineclub is about to jump the gun on spooky season...

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · 29d

In Twilight Country, characters have Traits. Traits are the ugly humanity of your character.

Roleplay your Traits to advance their Presence, then wager those Traits against the game itself. Plan it right and you'll pull through by the skin of your teeth. If you don't? You become less human.
#ttrpg

Diamond Traits:
2) Greedy
Indulge in wealth, luxury, or grandeur
3) Arrogant
Assert yourself where you’re not wanted
4) Temperamental
Display an abrupt change in your mood
5) Faithless
Cling to plausible deniability of the supernatural
6) Underdog
Get in over your head to prove yourself
7) Gambler
Raise the stakes OR attempt a bluff
8) Academic
Study or document the unfamiliar
9) Demeaning
Pick on someone for their failures
10) Gung Ho
Take a rash action without ample information
J) Helionic
The sun’s blazing rage manifests within you. It’s waiting for you to unleash an inferno.
Torch something with Helionic wrath; there is always a consequence
Q) Prophetica
You have borne witness to prophecy. You don’t know what it means, but the events foretold are destiny.
Try to influence the prophecy; fate will always remain on-course
K) Zealot
You are dedicated to your faith. But does your faith answer you on the frontier?
Reaffirm your beliefs against doubt
A) Prey
You are being hunted.
Spend precious time and resources hiding where you’ve been; Your hunter will still find your trail

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 10

Here's mine (last year)

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 10

Small book

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 10

Count me in, I've got plenty of suggestions

Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 10

the bloing

nala ! @nala.dubstep.lol · Sep 9

the bloing

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 9

If you haven't already, y'all should look into the Build a Better World #ttrpg #gamejam!

It's got 2 weeks left and it's a grest concept. Life schedule permitting, I'll be submitting a project of my own!

itch.io/jam/build-a-...

Build a Better World TTRPG jam

A game jam from 2025-04-29 to 2025-09-22 hosted by IKO, JimmyShelter, David Blandy, Gather Around projects & ChrisAir. “We live in capitalism,” said Le Guin, “Its power seems inescapable. So did the d...

itch.io

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 5

Wes' enthusiasm to show me the ropes of the TTRPG scene has been vital to making my games a reality. They are the reason creators like me can be a part of @plusoneexp.bsky.social and the greater indie TTRPG community.

Let's see some #ttrpg #mutualaid!

𝙒𝙚𝙨 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 is Dead. @carrion-comfort.com · Sep 5

Howdy.

Things are fucked for a lot of folks, but it would mean a lot to me if you’d be able to share or donate to this #GoFundMe.

This is going to help @cha0ticstupid.bsky.social, our pets, and I get a fresh start away from the epicenter of fascism. #mutualaid #donateorshare

gofund.me/9e6be72cf

Donate to Wes & Bran's Urgent Move: A Fresh Start Needed, organized by Wesley Franks

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read this. It feels like more … Wesley Franks needs your support for Wes & Bran's Urgent Move: A Fresh Start Needed

gofund.me

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 4

I'd like to imagine they'd have wings. Velvety wings. Like a bat.

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 4

Hell yeah, indie TTRPG solidarity!

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Sep 3

Twilight Country, my wild west/horror fusion RPG, is almost here! I'm floored with @satelitesnaturales.bsky.social's art and stoked to see it release with @plusoneexp.bsky.social soon!

Here's a sneak peak inside this accursed zine

#ttrpg #indierpg #wildwest #horror #zineclub

Twilight Country cover: Four cowboys on an ashen grey landscape are silhouetted by a blood moon

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Michael DM 🔜 Metatopia @fortofnovelty.bsky.social · Aug 26

Snagged one of these bad boys at a local game store during a vacation to NH #mothership

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