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revivifygames.bsky.social
Anthony J. Zinni, designer of adventures, tools, and play aids inspired by the classical age of tabletop roleplaying. www.revivifygames.com
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Sneak peek of the next project I have in the works...

I don't know if it's just me, but I always start my adventure planning with some sort of spatial rendering. This one is going to be a pointcrawl/funnel I am working on for Cy_Borg. Bonus points if you can guess what my mental picture of Cy is...

This week in the Bathtub, its Chateau Amongst the Stars! In this gorgeous Shadowdark module, explore a floating mansion as it slowly collapses on the village below. Does it shine bright, or collapse into a black hole?? idlecartulary.com/2025/05/05/b... #osr

We're past $75k! That $100,000 goal is within sight - we've got just over 6 days to hit it!

Steal my prep... I'm going to be running DCC's "The Veiled Vaults of the Onyx Queen" in Shadowdark. revivifygames.com/blog/veiled-...

Small tabletop creators already feeling squeezed by the Tariff Era

Has anyone seen the meta add where the person asks for discussion starters on Moby Dick... I think it explains why I hate AI, as a x-ennial this would have risked you being labelled a "poser" a fate worse than death. AI is just tech-powered posing. 🤯

I put together some design tips for making print-friendly games, and how to work around the impact of tariffs as a small independent TTRPG publisher. revivifygames.com/blog/graphic...

Meanwhile in the first ~3 months of this year I have played, Cy_Borg, Pirate Borg, Mork Borg, Dragonbane, Shadowdark, Tales from the Loop, DCC, WHPA Fairhaven and ad&d 1st edition. I am wildly more interested in ALL of those games at this point... (2 of 2)

Looks like the Wizards quarterly earnings call is on the 24th, should be interesting. I am guessing this will be the one where we finally see how little the 5.5 edition has moved the needle. I bought the books, and they sit on my shelf almost untouched (1 of 2).

Some of my thoughts on Shadowdark Gauntlets: revivifygames.com/blog/shadowd...

I've seen many conversations like this one today. Been lucky enough to be in a few. If you are a #TTRPG or boardgame enthusiast, understand *very few* of us get rich, or even cover the bills, with this industry. We charge as little as we can to stay relevant with giants who pay 1/4 our costs. 🧵

toxic sword lesbians is in this which also means you can get it at a sick discount limited time only ✌️

My buddy Lorien posted his Gary Con recap on the Lords of the Pit website (I'm mentioned a few times): lordsofthepit.com/2025/03/28/g...

My first Gary Con is in the books, it was such an amazing con. I played in a wide variety of games, from completely narrative-driven ones to the 4 hours test of wits that was the Legends of Roleplaying Tournament. Our team even managed to grab the title. Only 364 days till next time!

Spent last night printing and folding, but I'm all ready for Gary Con! Find me to score a free copy of my Mork Borg/Shadowdark adventure "A Stinking Suspicion," or some of the left over zines from last year's Zine Quest and a Revivify Games patch!

1991's Dark Sun: One of D&D's riskiest settings. Psionics, defilers, survival. My new video: youtu.be/AVUgJ4icQfo #DarkSun #DnD #TTRPG

Less than 3 hours left, help me set a new personal best! www.kickstarter.com/projects/zin...

One of the things I have been doing in my spare time is making large-scale high-res redrawn of the Dark Sun city states. Just finished Urik, City of Lions. revivifygames.com/blog/dark-su...

Inspired by an old thread on the NSR Cauldron, I wrote this article about the evolution of my adventure design process and building my criteria for "good." revivifygames.com/blog/adventu...

There are 7 days left in the campaign, and today, I give some insight into the additional zines that are the next major stretch goals. www.kickstarter.com/projects/zin...

Why are the sane-sounding people called cynics? I've been listening to Ed Zitron a lot lately and I don't know what it says about me about how relatable he feels. Especially when it comes to AI. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAUT...

Don't buy stuff THIS FRIDAY

Another great article from Explorer's Design www.explorersdesign.com/gaming-commu... I've been thinking about some similar things lately, wishing there were more groups here in Chicago for people who like indie RPGs to get together casually and play.

I'm getting pretty psyched for Garycon... Got my events in and I am going to be playing such an amazingly diverse set of games over the weekend. Weird Heroes of Public Access Tales from the Loop Conan Ad&d 1e Pirate Borg Hoping to get a pickup game of Mothership, Shadowdark or Eat the Reich, too!

This year's Zine Quest was funded in ~12 hours, and I'm super pumped! www.kickstarter.com/projects/zin... Thank you to everyone who played any role in getting this one over the line!

And we're live! www.kickstarter.com/projects/zin... I've been heads-down developing this new Shadowdark adventure for a month now, so please check it out!

I don't know, something about today has me thinking about getting into the merch game...

I've been trying to sneak in some Kingdom Come Deliverance II and I already picked up a cool low-level scenario. Started a bar brawl, was locked in a pillory and was left with nothing but my underpants. No one reacts favorably to me... such a fun start, finding your pants.

Great lesson for creators in this issue of The Explorateur that I also learned in my time working in an agencies, "never be precious with your ideas" ... www.explorersdesign.com/the-explorat...

Sneak peek #2 from my coming Zine Quest "The Château Amongst the Stars" for Shadowdark: www.kickstarter.com/projects/zin...

This $10 game bundle is a great deal to support the trans community

introduce yourself with four movies 🎞

Seeing a lot of excitement around owning your own content, making sites and magazines, and I love this. Let's try something. I am a classically trained print/digital/brand designer, had a 15yr career. Here to help. Post a screenshot, I'll (gently!) workshop, we can all learn together? Notes 👇🏼

Do you design TTPRG zines that are explicitly designed to be printed on a home printer or even photocopied at the library? Can I give you a metaphorical soapbox to stand on while I interview you? (I'd appreciate reposts on this one, I'm trying to reach more than just my inner circle)

It's time for my first Zine Quest mini interview featuring @revivifygames.bsky.social talking about The Château Amongst the Stars

I'll be launching the Kickstarter for The Words We Leave Behind as part of Zine Quest next month but if you want to get the ashcan it's available at a reduced price on itch until next week. After that you'll need to back the kickstarter so go get it from lunarshadow.itch.io/the-words-we...