March 2026 - A Year of Carousing
It's been one year since we published the first issue. Revelers have come and gone. Some issues have been slim, others jam-packed. The party carries on! We aim to further embrace the collaborative nature of this project going forward. To that end, four of us wrote a Flux Space borough for Electric Bastionland loosely inspired by Kowloon Walled City. Check it out in the Gameable Gallery. Plus, Kati writes about their experience running Gallows Corner!
Roll to Carouse!
- Lighten your coin purse at the Projects Pavilion.
- Pilfer ideas from the Blog Bazaar.
- Sample the delights of the Gameable Gallery.
- Hear the raving of Reviewers Row.
Projects Pavilion ⤴
Broadcast Fiends by giant robot tackler and Robin
Six sinister broadcasts threaten to corrupt the kids of Bastion—but not if Dads against Electronically Transmitted Anomalies has anything to say about it. This zine features the astonishing imaginativeness, unsettling vibes, and crisp, vivid writing I've come to expect from Taylor. Killer stuff here. - Rowan H
Blog Bazaar ⤴
BULLET POINTS LIKE DUST IN THE EYE OF GOD by snow
An excellent repudiation of the trend towards homogeneity in presentation. There is no one right way to present RPG materials, and saying there is can stifle innovation and art.
Some Points In Favor Of Incoherence by Liz
A follow-up from Magnolia Keep, which works as a nice corollary, losing some of its punch while perhaps being more accessible reading
Satisfaction is the Spit in their Eye from The Garden Below
Sees Juniper throw her own Manifesto into the pot, in her signature collage style. It has the juice. - Markus M te
Gameable Gallery ⤴
Stack
by Kati B, Rowan H, Taylor B, and Zak H
Loosely inspired by Kowloon Walled City, this Flux Space borough for Electric Bastionland features a hotel infested by pheromone-controlled roaches, a recycling center for humans, out of control dancers, and more!
Explore the entirety of the borough here.
Reviewers Row ⤴
Hanging my Hat on Gallows Corner, A Review
by Kati B
Recently, I took the opportunity to run Gallows Corner for folks, and it was a delight. Gallows Corner is a recently funded TTRPG where players take the role of peasants in England in 1376. Character creation is quick and simple where experience, trade, and job are tied to a die. Experience in this instance being a character's physical, emotional, and intellectual ability. While the game is narrative first, when dice are rolled it's dictated by the player rather than the referee, or Narrator as the game states, which die to use to create a dice pool. Any result over a 5 is a success!
The quickstart provides a one-page adventure centered around the Tower of London. It lists possible reasons the party would be at the tower as well as a handful of NPCs that exist there. While I spent longer than expected on preparation, it was cool to incorporate facts into the one-shot from a real-world location. The downside of this is the fear of being incorrect about what existed, the history of a place, etc. To its credit, the language in the quickstart suggests every version of England visited in play will be different. Folks planning to run the system may want to be clear in their plans for levels of historical accuracy.
Perhaps the most streamlined and innovative system is its combat. First, there are no hit points! Instead, a diamond represents the current condition of a combatant which can be Standing, Knocked Back, Down, or Retreating. Combatants can also be grouped to represent multiple combatants. In my session, 2 players pretended to be guardsmen and were moving through a crowd, and the crowd reacted negatively. I grouped the players into 1 combatant, while the crowd became another. For players, one person chooses who will roll for their group. Once combatants are set up, each side rolls their Physical die, and the winner of the round gets to choose from a list as to what happens. Some options on the list can only occur when a combatant has a specific condition. For example, a character can only be killed or captured when they are already Down. This makes combat fast and snappy. It's simple enough that it keeps the narrative at the forefront but also variable enough to account for a wide array of combat encounters.
Another component that's briefly explored in the quickstart of which I'm eager to dig into more is the level up system. Rather than use experience points, it uses retainers to expand a player's dice pool. Retainers are acquired through Influence that’s earned as players make a name for themselves. These Retainers are used to represent the community around a character. Retainers can be sent on missions and die for you. They expand your dice pool and can earn upgrades though the list was not included in the quickstart.
I’m excited to better understand a couple of mechanics that are briefly mentioned, mainly how Clocks are used and explore the pointcrawl of England. Throughout play, the game reminded me of a stripped down Forged in the Dark (FitD) system. The only component missing that would have convinced me it was a FitD system was a Crew sheet. Initially in my session, I found it difficult to think of how a Mummer, Scrivener, Blacksmith, Servant, and Pickpocket knew each other and were at the Tower of London. Some kind of relationship question/party onboarding beyond the characters are peasants revolting would make play even smoother. All this to say, I'm looking forward to getting the full ruleset in my hands.