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Night of the Living Comus

@riseupcomus.bsky.social

5.6K followers 1.1K following 3.8K posts

Award-winning TTRPG designer/idiot His Majesty the Worm Out Now! http://hismajestytheworm.games/

hismajestytheworm.games

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · Mar 20

Hello! My name is Josh and I like RPGs.

Here's an overview of some of my current projects:

His Majesty the Worm - A new/old-school, tarot-based, megadungeon crawler

Dungeon Design Course - Make a dungeon with me!

Knock! - Adventure gaming bric-a-brac

His Majesty the Worm - New-school game, old-school sensibilities. Slice of life gameplay using tarot cards in an infinite megadungeon.

Designing Dungeons Course: Or, How to Kill a Party in 30 Rooms or Less. Step-by-step course on making fun dungeons. Like if Bob Ross taught dungeon design.

Knock! #5. Cover art of adventurer with sword gripping onto crumbling ledge, almost dropping into a swirling abyss below.

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1h

Damn, this book deserved every award it ever won. It's so hilarious and inventive.

Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 2h

Playing hookie today. I like that the mural of the town in the cafe includes a You Are Here. Good way to give maps to players (me)

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 4h

YOU BET YOUR SWEET BIPPY. I'm putting ALL these mf in there.

These little scenes are exactly what I'm trying to evoke in the Shire.

One of her fanfictions is about the three hobbit archers that fought in the Battle of Fornost. I put their graves on the map, too.

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 5h

Tolkien Gateway (the _good_ Tolkien wiki) has this info. I also ordered her books and reached out to the Tolkien Society for more information.

Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 5h

I'm VERY charmed by Woollard's story - an older person deeply involved in the early fan scene, creating fanfiction and fanart for zines. Thinking carefully about stories, not just in the books, but stories of her own. Someone who obviously knew a lot and cared about Hobbits.

Wonderful.

/thread

Older Hobbit playing strange instrument, child hobbit eating pie

Hobbit maids bathing in a river with a lookout

"A very necessary place" - aka a hobbit outhouse

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 5h

She also had a character named Hob Painter, an independent "draughtshob" who (barely) earned his living by painting inn signs, but also did other illustrations. Many of her Hobbit scenes are attributed to him.

And I LOVE these. This person thought DEEPLY about the "real" lives of Hobbits.
+

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 5h

As a fan, she had two "characters" that she embodied and even dressed up as during meetups. The first is Dora Baggins, a relative of Bilbo's. Here is a picture of Woollard in costume as Dora and an illustration she did of Dora.

+

A faded photograph of two older women in a turn-of-the-century costumes

Illustration of an old Hobbit woman writing letters

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 5h

As near as I can tell from my research, Woollard's illustrations only appeared in fanzines, newsletters, and bulletins from the Tolkien Society and smaller, local Tolkien fan clubs

She also published (as books!) two small fanfiction stories about Hobbits.

Hobbit home scene of a peddler selling medicines and tinctures

Hobbit family inside their cozy home having dinner; many children and relations

Hobbit hole completely overgrown with a robust garden, vines, greenery

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 5h

Y'all, I am VERY excited to introduce you to one of my new favorite Tolkien artists: Kay Woollard (1924-2008).

Woollard first read LotR in '79 when she was 55. From then until her death, she was heavily involved in Tolkien fan culture, contributing illustrations to Tolkien Society publications.

A🧵

A recursive cover of Amon Hen, Bulletin of the Tolkien Society, with a hobbit reading a copy of Amon Hen with a hobbit reading a copy of Amon Hen, and so on

A bulletin titled "A Long-Expected Party Progress Report: Preparation" depicting many hobbit chefs baking pies

Christmas card of a Hobbit couple carrying their child on their shoulders through a snowy landscape

A postcard titled "A Slumbering Pedlar" showing a sleeping Hobbit pedlar resting on his pack of goods

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Reposted by Night of the Living Comus

Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 22h

I have a confession... I haven't been doing any of the editing. This guy has been ratatouille-ing me the entire time

bsky.app/profile/mind...

Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 13d

This is what stares back at me as I edit THE CASTLE AUTOMATIC if anyone was wondering

A ceramic worm with a top hat on top of the book HIS MAJESTY THE WORM

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

Shared on the Worm discord, the green reflection gave me a jump scare (but always love seeing them in the wild)

A copy of HIS MAJESTY THE WORM with a mysteriously green cover on an indie rpg bookshelf

Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

...well now it's all I can think of, now, too!

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

Ty at Mindstorm Press (@mindstorm.bsky.social) is a great developmental editor for RPGs: collaborative, attentive, intelligent.

If you need someone to help you with your next project, you should hit him up.

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Reposted by Night of the Living Comus

Art SilverGlass ~ Sophie Grunnet @silverglass.bsky.social · 2d

I just re-opened commission slots for personalised Tavern Signs 🍺

Check it out if you missed it last time
sophiegrunnet.etsy.com/listing/1748...

Line art format, $26, You gain all rights of the illustration, both for personal or commercial use.

Shows a handful of fantasy tavern signs I have made in the past.

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

The Mirror Elf that was a member of the party just died (RIP) or else I'd incorporate Yrurd Lane into her story.

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

I'm casting Know Mirror Elf.

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

They know different spells, but until they're shaken down by the party, I'm leaving that space blank.

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

Making a deck of students for my players to run into/make friends with/become rivals with in my Magical School game

Index cards with simple cartoons of wizard children

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

GLOB

Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

I don't object, but don't drink a ton of rye so don't know how it would taste. I am open to iterating!

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

My go to is Ancient Age (a bourbon).

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

sickos.jpg

Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

I like cold whiskey (but not cold whisky) for summer cocktails. I recommend this! Feels like a new innovation on one of my staple drinks.

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Night of the Living Comus @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 1d

Some peaches come from a can
They were put there by a man
In a factory downtown

Some peaches come from a tree
They were canned, then, by a me
Like you would can a pickle

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