Alexander "SquidLord" Williams
lextenebris.bsky.social
Alexander "SquidLord" Williams
@lextenebris.bsky.social
Journalist, game designer. writer, general ne'er-do-well. Judgment is not just something to pursue, it's something necessary for intellectual survival.
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #AlienRPG

Closing out *Character Creation Challenge 2026* with one of the best game releases of the year. It's *Alien: The RPG - Evolved Edition*. Corporate scientists have all the fun.

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31 - Alien the RPG Evolved Edition - Grim Tokens
In space, everyone can hear you do accounting and illegal research. Sometimes you have to go on the run. Let's make a character.
grimtokens.garden
January 31, 2026 at 6:30 AM
Reposted by Alexander "SquidLord" Williams
Fellow writers: I am deeply saddened to share that if we want the rewards of having written, we must submit to the mortifying ordeal of writing
January 29, 2026 at 11:26 PM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #ChoirOfFlesh

A little bit solo, a little bit group, a little bit Cronenberg nightmare body horror, a little bit alternate historical, 1000 AD France. Choir of Flesh has a lot of things going on.

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30 - Choir of Flesh - Grim Tokens
Character creation for Choir of Flesh is fast, easy, and straightforward. It’s also a banger of a setting.
grimtokens.garden
January 30, 2026 at 7:49 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #MysteryFleshPit

Probably one of the most fun, modern, satirical settings I've had the pleasure of reading, but mechanically, I'm of two minds. Join me in the Mystery Flesh Pit.

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29 - Mystery Flesh Pit National Park - The RPG - Grim Tokens
A little man in black action at the Mystery Flesh Pit. Everyone loves a nice superorganism.
grimtokens.garden
January 29, 2026 at 5:58 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #Exalted3e

Look, we all know how I feel about super crunchy systems, and Exalted 3e is exactly that. So let's get stuck in and put together the worst kind of bureaucrat.

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28 - Exalted 3e - Grim Tokens
You know what? Exalted 3rd Edition is a real pain to create characters for.
grimtokens.garden
January 28, 2026 at 7:20 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #WushuForExalted

Exalted is a big, beefy, hungus monster of a setting and a game's text. But what if someone used one of the most open, freeform mechanical systems as its spine?

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27 - Wushu for Exalted - Grim Tokens
Putting together a Twilight caste Necromancer for Wushu for Exalted.
grimtokens.garden
January 27, 2026 at 5:31 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #ParanoiaFiveClonesFromAlphaComplex

I may have just experienced my favorite version of the Paranoia RPG rules, and it's not even an RPG. How does adventure wargaming work here? Let's find out.

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25 - Paranoia - Five Clones From Alpha Complex - Grim Tokens
How about an uncooperative wargame experience? The world of *Paranoia*, miniatures, and getting a little trigger-happy mix on the tabletop.
grimtokens.garden
January 25, 2026 at 7:42 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #WeHaveThatDungeonGameAtHome

When you tell mom that you want that dungeon game, and she tells you that you have that dungeon game at home, what do you actually have at home? You have this.

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24 - We Have That Dungeon Game At Home - Grim Tokens
We head out to the dungeon looking for adventure, but mom tells us that We Have That Dungeon Game At Home. Still not going to stop us. We're going to play an illithid!
grimtokens.garden
January 24, 2026 at 6:04 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #SweatyAndBreathless

It's not often I get to tinker with a game which would be perfect for tentacle porn, but here we are. Your ero game needs have been fulfilled. It's really quite good.

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23 - Sweaty and Breathless - Grim Tokens
I've discovered the perfect game for tentacle porn. No, I'm not kidding. It's perfect.
grimtokens.garden
January 23, 2026 at 6:59 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #SongsAndSagas

What does a lightweight BRP look like for a modern Cthulhu game? It looks a lot like *Cthulhu Unleashed.* Let's ask a detective for some help.

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22 - Cthulhu Unleashed - Grim Tokens
Is BRP Lite a good modern interpretation of Cthulhu? Let's ask a detective.
grimtokens.garden
January 22, 2026 at 6:44 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge #SongsAndSagas

If the system seems familiar, you've been paying attention. Songs and Sagas take us to low magic fantasy Viking territory. Time to go digging through grave mounds.

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21 - Songs and Sagas - Grim Tokens
Extremely lightweight, low fantasy. Potentially sword and sandals, but definitely Viking era fantasy RPG? That is Songs and Sagas.
grimtokens.garden
January 21, 2026 at 5:00 PM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #CosmicDark

Are you looking for a super lightweight mechanical game which has a very scenario-focused mode of play? Cosmic Dark might be for you, or it might not. Let's poke at it.

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19 - Cosmic Dark - Grim Tokens
Is it an RPG or is it an experience dressed like an RPG? Cosmic Dark is a little complicated. Let's put together a character.
grimtokens.garden
January 19, 2026 at 4:11 PM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #FeetFirstIntoHell

What if you like your adventure wargaming with a lot more wargaming and just a tiny little bit of character exploration? Well, you can drop Feet First Into Hell and ride with the Hell Patrol.

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18 - Feet First Into Hell 2e - Grim Tokens
When you put together a conscript penal squad for Feet First Into Hell 2nd Edition, things can get weird.
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January 18, 2026 at 8:19 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #BayOfVillains

I think it's time to take up a little superheroics. *Bay of Villains* needs a new crew operating. Something a little corporate.

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17 - Bay of Villains - Grim Tokens
What happens when you drop me in a kitchen sink superhero setting? Well, about exactly what you think. Let's go see a corporate necromancer about a job.
grimtokens.garden
January 17, 2026 at 6:19 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #BoundlessTides

It's time for a trip out to the high seas with our straightforward swashbuckler, Renaud, and another lightweight, zero-cost game, Boundless Tides.

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16 - Boundless Tides - Grim Tokens
Putting together a pirate and a ship on the *Boundless Tides*.
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January 16, 2026 at 7:30 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #FearAndPanic

It's time to take on a little fear and maybe a little panic. Fear and Panic is a lightweight percentile-based system for horror gaming. Let's see if it can handle an Alabama.

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15 - Fear and Panic - Grim Tokens
Fast and easy percentile-based horror system that can be stretched in all kinds of ways. Fear and panic might scratch your itch.
grimtokens.garden
January 15, 2026 at 5:41 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #SwordSorcery2d6

Minimalist OSR-adjacent PBTA-inspired kitchen sink fantasy that you can have for free? It's more likely than you think.

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13 - Sword Sorcery N 2d6 - Grim Tokens
Super lightweight hybrid PBTA / OSR gaming goodness. We could do some more kitchen sink fantasy, sure.
grimtokens.garden
January 14, 2026 at 5:30 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #SwordSorcery2d6

Minimalist OSR-adjacent PBTA-inspired kitchen sink fantasy that you can have for free? It's more likely than you think.

grimtokens.garden/Articles/Cha...
13 - Sword Sorcery N 2d6 - Grim Tokens
Super lightweight hybrid PBTA / OSR gaming goodness. We could do some more kitchen sink fantasy, sure.
grimtokens.garden
January 13, 2026 at 6:35 AM
Reposted by Alexander "SquidLord" Williams
You will never be able to design a game that forces tables to engage with its premise.

Design for folks that want your vision. Make that vision clear. "Enforce" (encourage) that vision with in-game incentives.
#ttrpg #gamedesign
I don't think it's wrong, but I *do* think this is why "Table Culture" is often irrelevant to have design. If the table's culture doesn't care about what the system wants you to do, then no amount of game design can counteract that.
January 12, 2026 at 3:27 PM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #ElderMythos

Sometimes you get to be the horror, and this is one of those times. Ever wanted to be a Cthulhu mythos entity? Ever wanted to take over, destroy, or subvert the world? Well, now's your chance!

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12 - Elder Mythos - Grim Tokens
Sometimes you want to play as the monster, and what greater monster is there than the Cthulhu Mythos entities?
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January 12, 2026 at 4:11 PM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #Elegy

New editions always add new complications in terms of game design. Some steps forward, some steps back. It's character creation time again for *Elegy*.

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11 - Elegy - Grim Tokens
Now in the beta edition of Elegy, how do we feel about librarian vampires, who also happen to be necromancers? Let's find out.
grimtokens.garden
January 12, 2026 at 4:11 PM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #IronFrame

Sometimes you just need that reminder that they can't all be winners, even in a genre you love. Let's put together an IronFrame recon hardsuit pilot, shall we?

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10 - IronFrame - Grim Tokens
Let's trudge through lightweight character creation that is still surprisingly unsatisfying. We need a recon hardsuit in IronFrame.
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January 10, 2026 at 5:07 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #BloodstainedFangs

We're going to dip our toes back into a little necromancy within a game named *Bloodstained Fangs*. Supernatural urban fantasy, I'm looking at you. More high speed, low drag mechanical design.

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09 - Bloodstained Fangs - Grim Tokens
How about a little corporate necromancy today? We're going to go touch on Bloodstained Fangs, a supernatural urban fantasy, lightweight RPG.
grimtokens.garden
January 9, 2026 at 5:20 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #LUR

Small enough to fit on a bookmark. Hardy enough to run your favorite characters. It's Lightweight Universal Roleplaying. And our new favorite shifty mech pilot with a secret.

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08 - Lightweight Universal Roleplaying - Grim Tokens
Let's create a character in one of the most lightweight systems, conceived Lightweight Universal Roleplaying. It fits on a bookmark.
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January 8, 2026 at 6:04 AM
#TTRPG #CharacterCreationChallenge2026 #FiveParsecsFromHomePlanetfall

If you were looking for XCOM on the tabletop with all that entails, come and see this story of the worst colony administrator in the Unity.

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07 - Five Parsecs From Home - Planetfall - Grim Tokens
Day 07: Five Parsecs From Home: Planetfall tags: #articles/CharacterCreationChallenge/2026 #game/wargame/five-parsecs-planetfall Character Creation Challenge 2026Character Creation Challenge Image.pn…
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January 7, 2026 at 6:14 AM