Y'All Mind If I Rant About Maps... and My Readers

New General Access Feature

After showing y'all how to map a pretty good dungeon, I got some lip from some readers who don't understand the difference between "maps as art" and "maps as game design," and think you can design a good game in a stolen map. I also got told off from someone who thinks "you don't have to show your players the map" means "I never have to map an adventure properly again." So let's talk about mapping like real gaming adults, shall we?

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The Y'All Mind If I Rant About Maps... and My Readers Readaloud

Supporters will receive a separate link to the Readaloud in the next few days. Sorry for the delay.

July 2026: An Update

I’m going to try to do this quick and get to the point rather than get wrapped up in personal crap.

For those who just read my weekly Features as they come up, things are mostly normal. This week’s article is going to be delayed a day or two, but you’ll get a new Feature.

For those of you who support me, you’ve noticed I’ve been kind of quiet for a few days and that things have been a bit bipolar. On the one hand, I’ve been tossing out lots of little messages about bits and pieces of projects and mechanics I’m working on. On the other hand, Early Access content hasn’t been arriving as scheduled, Live Chats got quiet, Bonus Content has been anemic, and Project Slapdash has been jerking forward and then getting held up.

I’ll get to the whys and wherefores in a minute for those who care. But first, work and content update.

I have a trip coming next week. I will be spending the time with friends and some close friends. Before then, I will catch up on Early Access and audio content. So, you can expect the now typical end-of-month flurry of posts to read and/or listen to if you’re a supporter. I’ll be focusing on shorter content for right now. A two-part end to the Stupid Narration Tricks series, a response to some comments about maps relating to my Let’s Build a Pretty Good Dungeon, and then something else.

I am working on bigger things. As I’ve hinted, I have a major examination with some new rules for searching and perception, something that will likely turn into a whole long exploration of downtime in town as actual gameplay, a whole thing on building custom signature items that level up with the character, and a whole new set of rules for building custom monsters and encounters in both versions of D&D 5E. I have several pieces of bonus content in the works and a plan to make old bonus content that’s been offline available to my supporters. There’s also the Slapdash combat engine shakedown starting sometime next month which is consuming a huge amount of prep and planning time.

But all I can do for the next week and a bit before I go silent for a week is to make sure I get caught up on weekly Features. I’m sorry about that.

The one thing I will put on the calendar right now is my Mostly Monthly Live Chat. I’ll be hosting that on Wednesday, August 5 at 8:00 PM ET on Discord and then post the recording on Patreon thereafter for all supporters.

Now for the personal side. The whys and wherefores. I’m including this partly for transparency and integrity and partly because people have been reaching out to me. People are worried. Thank you for worrying about me. I can’t say you shouldn’t worry; all I can say is that I am safe. I remain too stubborn-stupid to quit. Feel free to skip this part. It’s not a happy update.

Unfortunately, the setbacks I hit last month — a combination of technical issues, physical health issues, pet health issues, mental health issues, and financial issues — rocked things a lot harder than I wanted to admit and their fallout continues. I was very optimistic that, after July 4, I’d just get right back on the horse and gallop ahead. I’m an idiot. Same as always. As I kept struggling to fix everything all at once, I got quiet because I didn’t want to admit that I was failing. Not failing. Just still struggling. More than I wanted to. It’s bad here. It’s dark. Really dark. If you know, you know.

I don’t want to take this trip. My cousins convinced me months ago to commit to attending GenCon with them and several other friends are going to be there. Even splitting expenses and being frugal, it’s going to be expensive. I don’t want to go away when I’m so behind on so many things. I don’t want to leave Biscuit alone in the care of a neighbor while she’s still not fully recovered. But this trip is probably the right and healthy thing to do. I haven’t traveled in two years, haven’t taken a real vacation, and I haven’t seen any of my friends and family. I’ve been very isolated. Intellectually, I think this trip may be very restorative. That it may reinvigorate me a bit and restore some of my lost passion. Emotionally, I am not in a place where I can feel hope.

All I can do is keep trudging along.

Thank you all for your readership. Thank you for supporting my work. Thank you for worrying about me. I’m sorry I’m still falling so short of what I am capable of and what you deserve.

Breaking Ground on the Slapdash Battle Arena

New Audio Recording

The latest monthly Project Slapdash Live Chat and Project Update is available now on Club Slapdash for all those with access. For those not in the know, Project Slapdash is the code name for my currently in early development fantasy adventure roleplaying game adventure. All Frienemy-tier supporters are invited to follow the project, view the preview material, and participate in playtests as and when they become available. There is a channel in my Discord server for discussion, a website where I post news and updates and materials, and I host a monthly live chat and then share the recording for all those who can't attend.

Project Slapdash has gone through several rounds of alpha testing with small groups to check that the engine and core mechanics are functional. Starting in mid-to-late August I will be expanding the alpha testing a bit and inviting members of Club Slapdash to participate in short skirmish-type encounters. Basically combats. I need to run a bunch of combats. I did a massive overhaul of the combat engine earlier in the year and I need to make sure the redesigned combat engine is still smooth, playable, and not overwhelming.

More details are available in the Slapchat, which you can listen to if you have a valid login at Club Slapdash. But for those who can't listen to the audio recording, the important thing to note is that, if you want a chance to participate in one of these Slapdash Skirmishes, a signup form and availability poll will be available at Club Slapdash next week. Hopefully Thursday. I can't guarantee everyone will get a chance to play, I intend to record or stream at least one session, maybe several, so people can see them even if they can't participate, and everything is subject to what I can manage. I do intend to run more sessions than I strictly need just to give more people a chance to break the game.

Anyway, that's it. Take care.

Listen to Slapchat July 2026: Breaking Ground on the Battle Arena at Club Slapdash

Mental Models in Roleplaying Games: They're Not Bullshit

New General Access Feature

Why are some parts of tabletop roleplaying games so weirdly hard to handle: social interactions, traps, wilderness travel, downtime, and lots of other crap that should be core fantasy adventure gameplay. The problem isn’t bad mechanics, but missing mental models. There just aren’t any conceptual tools that help Dungeon Masters and players understand how the world works, make strategic choices, and actually play the parts of Dungeons & Dragons that shouldn’t be nearly as hard as they are.

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