Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Announcing #RPGaDAY2026 in August

It's that time again! 


Every year, in August, Anthony (Runeslinger) Boyd and myself try to get the world talking in a positive way about tabletop roleplaying games. Now in its thirteenth year, we're back with another load of prompts to inspire you to blog, podcast, draw, photograph, or just post on socials about TTRPGs that you love. 

This year, the prompts are designed to be open to interpretation, though Runeslinger has suggested using the prompts to create characters. Whether that's a single character, or multiple characters, using the daily prompt as inspiration. There are also 'day of the week' modifiers based on the old rhyme along the bottom... 'Monday's Child is fair of face, etc...' which can influence your entry. There are also weekly themes down the sides to be added as well. Use whatever you like to inspire you and to get you talking - in a positive way - about tabletop games. Just remember to tag everything with #RPGaDAY2026 so everyone can find it, share it, and discover new games and players.

Above is the graphic for the week, feel free to share it far and wide. There's also a version below with instructions to share, as well as a version without the daily/weekly modifiers if you choose not to use them. 

We've also included a blank version, just in case you want to either translate the prompts into another language and share it, or if you're not inspired by those prompts at all and wish to come up with your own. Just remember to keep it positive, or you're defeating the purpose of #RPGaDAY

If you want a bit more structure to your prompts, Anthony has incorporated the single words into full questions, just like the old #RPGaDAY prompts from days gone by, on his blog here:

https://castingshadowsblog.com/2026/07/01/rpgaday2026-starts-august-1st/






I must admit, I had a strange idea of creating 31 characters - not the stats, but certainly their looks and personalities - to act as NPCs for the new game I'm working on. A whole class of characters! I may even draw them as tarot cards to have a weird and cool unified theme.

Best get plotting!

--

As in previous years, here are the prompts in text for easy access:

#RPGaDAY2026 - English

  1. Discipline
  2. Stature
  3. Poise
  4. Charm
  5. Burden
  6. Reach
  7. Mercy
  8. Resolve
  9. Privilege 
  10. Secret
  11. Tact
  12. Loss
  13. Strain
  14. Regard
  15. Endurance
  16. Composure
  17. Intensity
  18. Directness
  19. Desire
  20. Promise
  21. Charity
  22. Grit
  23. Fortune
  24. Distance
  25. Familiarity
  26. Regret
  27. Hunger
  28. Devotion
  29. Labour
  30. Pride
  31. Edge
Weekly Modifiers:

Week 1 - Drive
Week 2 - Intellect
Week 3 - Associates
Week 4 - Instinct
Week 5 - Emotion
Week 6 - Ability

Daily Modifiers:

Monday - Fair of Face
Tuesday - Full of Grace
Wednesday - Full of Woe
Thursday - Far to Go
Friday - Loving & Giving
Saturday - Works Hard
Sunday - Blessed


--

Spanish Translation - by Roberto Micheri



Agosto 2026 RPGaDAY

Temas semanales (columna izquierda)

  • Semana 1: Impulso
  • Semana 2: Intelecto
  • Semana 3: Asociados
  • Semana 4: Instinto
  • Semana 5: Emoción
  • Semana 6: Habilidad

Temas diarios (prompts)

  1. Disciplina
  2. Reputación 
  3. Aplomo
  4. Encanto
  5. Carga
  6. Alcance
  7. Piedad
  8. Determinación
  9. Privilegio
  10. Secreto
  11. Tacto
  12. Pérdida
  13. Tensión
  14. Consideración
  15. Resistencia
  16. Compostura
  17. Intensidad
  18. Franqueza
  19. Deseo
  20. Promesa
  21. Caridad
  22. Coraje
  23. Fortuna
  24. Distancia
  25. Familiaridad
  26. Arrepentimiento
  27. Hambre
  28. Devoción
  29. Labor
  30. Orgullo
  31. Ventaja

Etiquetas de la Fila Inferior

  • Rostro hermoso
  • Lleno de gracia
  • Lleno de pesar
  • Mucho por recorrer
  • Amoroso y generoso
  • Trabaja duro
  • Bendecido

Instrucciones al pie de página de la imagen

RPGaDAY es una expresión y celebración de la positividad y el entusiasmo por los juegos de rol (TTRPGs) durante todo el mes, que Autocratik y Runeslinger comparten cada agosto.

Durante agosto de 2026, utiliza los temas diarios como inspiración para crear arte, publicaciones, videos o episodios de podcast.

Recuerda etiquetar cada publicación con #RPGaDAY2026.

Este año puede ser un desafío para la creación de personajes. Crea 31, 7, 4, 0 o un personaje detallado. El viejo poema de los días de nacimiento puede guiarte, al igual que los filtros semanales. Usa todos o ninguno de estos. Elige tus inspiraciones o tira los dados para obtenerlas.

¡Visita los blogs de Autocratik y de Casting Shadows para más!

Solo mantén todas las publicaciones positivas y amigables para jugadores veteranos y nuevos.

¡#RPGaDAY2026 es nuestra forma de compartir el amor por los juegos de rol!


¡Contexto de 2026!

Este año, los temas pueden abordarse de dos maneras.

La primera es, por supuesto, la forma habitual. En la que tomas el tema y lo usas para inspirar o ayudar a dar forma a una publicación positiva en redes sociales sobre los juegos de rol. Si no encuentras inspiración, no te preocupes: hay un mes completo de preguntas de ejemplo, basadas en los temas, que puedes responder en lugar de dar un salto de fe con un tema de una sola palabra. ¡A continuación, encontrarás la lista de preguntas alternativas!

En segundo lugar, como se indica en la propia imagen, puedes usarla para crear y compartir entre 1 y 31 personajes distintos. Cada tema puede ser una parte de su profesión, de su trasfondo, de su personalidad o de sus características. Si lo deseas, hay filtros que puedes aplicar o a los que puedes recurrir en busca de inspiración, como el poema de los Días de la Semana (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday%27s_Child) sobre el destino de los niños nacidos en cada día, y los filtros semanales que hemos añadido, como un pie forzado sobre la personalidad de los personajes o quiénes son sus asociados y cómo son.

Como somos jugadores, incluso puedes mezclar esto un poco usando algunos dados. Estaré compartiendo algunos métodos diferentes a medida que avanzamos a lo largo de julio.


¡Preguntas Alternativas!

PREGUNTAS ALTERNATIVAS DE AGOSTO #RPGaDAY2026

  1. Comparte un personaje o compañero de juego que sea un ejemplo de disciplina.
  2. ¿Qué significa para un personaje su reputación dentro de su comunidad?
  3. Aplomo: ¿Cómo se presenta un personaje a sí mismo?
  4. ¿Un momento divertido de encanto que salió bien o mal?
  5. ¿Qué carga está dispuesto a llevar un personaje hasta el final?
  6. Alcance: ¿Con quién te gustaría compartir los juegos de rol?
  7. ¿Un momento de piedad recibido o concedido?
  8. ¿Un momento en el que un personaje mantuvo o abandonó su determinación?
  9. Da una razón por la que es un privilegio jugar con tu grupo.
  10. ¿Un secreto sobre un personaje que esperas que salga a la luz?
  11. Un personaje que se volvió genial gracias a su tacto o a su falta de él.
  12. La mayoría de las cosas terminan. ¿Cuál es una pérdida en un juego de rol que todavía sientes?
  13. Tensión: Hasta ahora, ¿cuál ha sido la situación más tensa que has enfrentado en un juego de rol? ¿Cómo la resolviste?
  14. ¿Cuál es un juego que consideras excelente y que aún no has jugado?
  15. ¿Cómo organizarías una sesión maratónica de extrema resistencia de tu juego de rol favorito?
  16. ¿Qué hará que un personaje pierda la compostura?
  17. Un ejemplo de la intensidad de un personaje.
  18. Franqueza: ¿Una introducción rápida de un nuevo PJ o de un jugador?
  19. ¿Un gran riesgo asumido por deseo?
  20. ¿Han cumplido o roto más promesas los personajes?
  21. Comparte una iniciativa benéfica relacionada con los juegos de rol, pasada o presente, que te haya conmovido.
  22. Un momento entretenido de coraje que los PJs lograron o no lograron resistir.
  23. Un momento entretenido de buena o mala fortuna.
  24. ¿Cuál es tu distancia preferida en cualquier tipo de conflicto en un juego de rol?
  25. ¿Un juego con el que te quieres familiarizar más?
  26. ¿Un juego de rol que te arrepientes de no haber tratado?
  27. ¿Qué es lo que más ansías (de lo que más tienes “hambre”) en una sesión?
  28. Devoción: ¡El juego que más has jugado!
  29. Labor: En lo que más estás dispuesto a trabajar para un juego.
  30. Un evento de juego del que todavía estás orgulloso.
  31. ¿Por qué cree un personaje que tiene ventaja?


--

Brazilian Portuguese - translated by Richard 'Bat' Brewster and Eric Souza

Mais uma vez, Dave e Anthony tentam fazer com que o mundo fale de forma positiva sobre os jogos de RPG de mesa. Agora, em seu décimo terceiro ano, eles estão de volta com mais uma série de sugestões para inspirar você a escrever em blogs, gravar podcasts, desenhar, fotografar ou simplesmente postar nas redes sociais sobre os RPGs de mesa que você adora.
Se você quiser um pouco mais de estrutura nas sugestões, Anthony transformou as palavras isoladas em perguntas completas.  Exatamente como as antigas sugestões do #RPGaDAY de tempos passados.


Contexto de 2026!

Este ano, as sugestões podem ser abordadas de duas maneiras diferentes.
A primeira é, obviamente, a maneira habitual: você pega uma sugestão e a usa para inspirar ou ajudar a criar alguma postagem positiva nas redes sociais sobre RPGs. Se você ficar sem ideias, não se preocupe: há um mês inteiro de perguntas-exemplo criadas a partir das sugestões, que você pode responder em vez de dar um salto de fé com uma sugestão de apenas uma palavra. Procure esse conjunto de perguntas alternativas abaixo!

Em segundo lugar, conforme indicado no próprio infográfico, você pode usá-lo para criar e compartilhar de 1 a 31 personagens diferentes. Cada tema pode ser uma parte da profissão, do histórico, da personalidade ou das características deles. Se quiser, há filtros que você pode aplicar ou usar como inspiração, como o poema “Dias da Semana”, sobre o destino das crianças nascidas em cada dia, e filtros semanais que adicionamos, como uma motivação pessoal ou quem são seus colegas e como eles são.

Como somos gamers, você pode até misturar um pouco isso com alguns dados. Vou compartilhar alguns métodos diferentes de uso de conjuntos de dados à medida que avançarmos ao longo de julho.


Modificadores semanais:
Semana 1 - Motivação
Semana 2 - Inteligência
Semana 3 - Relacionamentos
Semana 4 - Instinto
Semana 5 - Emoção
Semana 6 - Habilidade
Weekly Modifiers:
Week 1 – Drive
Week 2 – Intellect
Week 3 – Associates
Week 4 – Instinct
Week 5 – Emotion
Week 6 – Ability
Modificadores diários:
Segunda-feira - De rosto bonito
Terça-feira - Cheio de graça
Quarta-feira - Cheio de tristeza
Quinta-feira - Ainda tem um longo caminho pela frente
Sexta-feira - Amoroso e generoso
Sábado - Trabalhador
Domingo - Abençoado
Daily Modifiers:
Monday - Fair of Face
Tuesday - Full of Grace
Wednesday - Full of Woe
Thursday - Far to Go
Friday - Loving & Giving
Saturday - Works Hard
Sunday - Blessed

Como sempre, este evento tem como objetivo compartilhar tudo de bom sobre os RPGs e promover um mês de positividade em torno do nosso hobby em todas as redes sociais que usamos no dia a dia. Seja com posts curtos ou longos, simples ou complexos, com texto, imagem ou vídeo… seja qual for a forma que você preferir para compartilhar seu amor pelos jogos de RPG, esperamos que você se junte a nós mais uma vez para mais um ano de comemoração em agosto de 2026, do dia 1º ao dia 31.
AGOSTO #RPGaDAY2026 PERGUNTAS ALTERNATIVAS   

1. Compartilhe um personagem ou outro jogador que seja um forte exemplo de disciplina.
2. O que a estatura de um personagem em sua comunidade significa para ele?
3. Equilíbrio: como um personagem se apresenta?
4. Um momento agradável em que o charme deu certo ou errado?
5. Que fardo um personagem está disposto a carregar até o fim?
6. Alcance: com quem você gostaria de poder compartilhar RPGs?
7. Um momento em que recebeu ou concedeu misericórdia?
8. Um momento em que um personagem manteve ou quebrou sua determinação?
9. Dê uma razão pela qual é um privilégio jogar com seu grupo.
10. Um segredo que você espera que venha à tona sobre um personagem?
11. Um personagem que se destacou por ter ou não ter tato
12. A maioria das coisas chega ao fim. Qual é uma perda em um RPG que você ainda sente?
13. Esforço: até agora, qual foi o conjunto mais pesado de itens de RPG que você já carregou para jogar?
14. Qual é um jogo muito conceituado que você ainda não jogou?
15. Como você organizaria uma sessão de resistência do seu jogo favorito?
16. Uma coisa que faria um personagem perder a compostura?
17. Ao chegar em cena, em que seu personagem concentra sua atenção intensamente?
18. Franqueza: uma apresentação rápida de um novo PC ou jogador?
19. Um risco enorme assumido por causa do desejo?
20. Os personagens cumpriram ou quebraram mais promessas?
21. Compartilhe uma iniciativa de caridade relacionada a RPG, do passado ou do presente, que tenha te emocionado
22. Um momento agradável de coragem que os personagens conseguiram, ou não, suportar              
23. Um momento divertido de boa ou má fortuna
24. Qual é a sua distância preferida em qualquer tipo de conflito de RPG?
25. Um jogo com o qual você quer se familiarizar mais?
26. Um jogo que você se arrepende de não ter experimentado?
27. O que você mais anseia em uma sessão?
28. Devoção: o jogo que você mais jogou!
29. Trabalho: o que você está mais disposto a fazer por um jogo
30. Um evento de jogo do qual você ainda se orgulha.
31. Por que um personagem acha que tem uma vantagem?

--

French Translation - by Miguel Therriault

RPGaDAY est une expression et une célébration de la positivité et de l'enthousiasme pour les

jeux de rôle sur table (TTRPGs) pendant tout le mois, que Autocratik et Runeslinger partagent

chaque mois d'août.


Pendant le mois d'août 2026, utilisez les thèmes quotidiens comme inspiration pour créer des

illustrations, des publications, des vidéos ou des épisodes de podcast.


N'oubliez pas d'identifier chaque publication avec #RPGaDAY2026.


Cette année peut être un défi de création de personnages. Créez 31, 7, 4, 0 ou un personnage

détaillé. La vieille comptine des jours de naissance peut vous guider, tout comme les filtres

hebdomadaires. Utilisez-les tous, ou aucun. Choisissez vos inspirations ou lancez les dés pour

les déterminer.


Visitez les blogues d'Autocratik et de Casting Shadows pour en savoir plus!

Gardez simplement toutes vos publications positives et accueillantes pour les joueurs vétérans

comme pour les nouveaux venus.


#RPGaDAY2026 est notre façon de partager notre amour des jeux de rôle!


1. Discipline

2. Stature

3. Prestance

4. Charme

5. Fardeau

6. Portée

7. Clémence

8. Détermination

9. Privilège

10. Secret

11. Tact

12. Perte

13. Tension

14. Estime

15. Endurance

16. Sang-froid

17. Intensité

18. Franc-parler

19. Désir

20. Promesse

21. Générosité

22. Ténacité

23. Fortune

24. Distance

25. Familiarité

26. Regret

27. Faim

28. Dévouement

29. Labeur

30. Fierté

31. Atout


Modificateurs hebdomadaires

Semaine 1 - Élan

Semaine 2 - Intelligence

Semaine 3 - Alliés

Semaine 4 - Instinct

Semaine 5 - Émotion

Semaine 6 - Aptitude


Modificateurs quotidiens

Lundi - Beau visage

Mardi - Plein de grâceMercredi - Plein de chagrin

Jeudi - Long chemin

Vendredi - Aimant et généreux

Samedi - Travaille fort

Dimanche - Béni


Contexte 2026

Cette année, les thèmes peuvent être abordés de deux façons.


La première est, bien sûr, la façon habituelle : vous prenez le thème et vous l'utilisez pour

inspirer ou orienter une publication positive sur les réseaux sociaux à propos des jeux de rôle.

Si l'inspiration ne vient pas, ne vous inquiétez pas : il existe un mois complet de questions

d'exemple, basées sur les thèmes, auxquelles vous pouvez répondre au lieu de faire un saut dans

le vide avec un thème d'un seul mot. Vous trouverez la liste des questions alternatives

ci-dessous.


Deuxièmement, comme l'indique l'infographie elle-même, vous pouvez l'utiliser pour créer et

partager de 1 à 31 personnages distincts. Chaque thème peut devenir une partie de leur

profession, de leur historique, de leur personnalité ou de leurs caractéristiques.

Si vous le souhaitez, des filtres peuvent être appliqués ou utilisés comme inspiration, comme la

comptine des jours de la semaine à propos du destin des enfants nés chaque jour, ainsi que les

filtres hebdomadaires que nous avons ajoutés, comme contrainte de création pour la personnalité

des personnages, leurs associés ou la façon dont ils sont.


Comme nous sommes des joueurs, vous pouvez même mélanger un peu tout cela avec des dés. D'autres

méthodes seront partagées au fil du mois de juillet.


Questions alternatives!


QUESTIONS ALTERNATIVES D'AOÛT #RPGaDAY2026


1. Partagez un personnage ou un autre joueur qui est un bel exemple de discipline.

2. Que signifie la stature d'un personnage au sein de sa communauté?

3. Prestance : comment un personnage se présente-t-il?

4. Un moment amusant où le charme a bien fonctionné, ou a échoué?

5. Quel fardeau un personnage est-il prêt à porter jusqu'au bout?

6. Portée : avec qui aimeriez-vous pouvoir partager les jeux de rôle?

7. Un moment de clémence reçue ou accordée?

8. Un moment où un personnage a gardé ou perdu sa détermination?

9. Donnez une raison pour laquelle c'est un privilège de jouer avec votre groupe.

10. Un secret à propos d'un personnage que vous espérez voir révélé?

11. Un personnage qui est devenu mémorable grâce à son tact, ou à son absence de tact.

12. La plupart des choses ont une fin. Quelle perte vécue en jeu de rôle ressentez-vous encore?

13. Tension : jusqu'à maintenant, quelle a été la situation la plus tendue que vous avez vécue

en jeu de rôle? Comment l'avez-vous résolue?

14. Quel jeu tenez-vous en haute estime, mais n'avez pas encore essayé?

15. Comment organiseriez-vous une séance marathon de très grande endurance de votre jeu de rôle

préféré?

16. Qu'est-ce qui ferait perdre son sang-froid à un personnage?

17. Un exemple de l'intensité d'un personnage.

18. Franc-parler : une présentation rapide d'un nouveau PJ ou d'un joueur?

19. Un grand risque pris par désir?

20. Les personnages ont-ils tenu ou brisé davantage de promesses?

21. Partagez une initiative caritative liée aux jeux de rôle, passée ou présente, qui vous a

touché.

22. Un moment divertissant de ténacité que les PJ ont réussi, ou non, à soutenir.

23. Un moment amusant de bonne ou de mauvaise fortune.

24. Quelle est votre distance préférée dans n'importe quel type de conflit en jeu de rôle?

25. Un jeu avec lequel vous aimeriez vous familiariser davantage?

26. Un jeu de rôle que vous regrettez de ne pas avoir essayé?

27. De quoi avez-vous le plus faim pendant une séance?

28. Dévouement : le jeu auquel vous avez le plus joué!

29. Labeur : ce sur quoi vous êtes le plus prêt à travailler pour un jeu.

30. Un événement de jeu dont vous êtes encore fier.31. Pourquoi un personnage croit-il avoir un atout?


Crédits

Concept original : David F. Chapman / Autocratik et Anthony « Runeslinger » Boyd.

#RPGaDAY est partagé chaque mois d'août par Autocratik et Runeslinger.

Version française : JDR.Ninja


--


German Translation - by Bartimeaus


Was ist der RPG a Day?

Jedes Jahr im August schreiben (Anthony Runeslinger) und David F Chapman die RPGaDay Prompts (Inspirationen, die zum kreativen Schaffen anregen sollen) zum Rollenspiel. Auch die dreizehnte Ausgabe ist voll mit Inspirationen, die zum Posten, Bloggen, Podcasten, Video machen, Zeichnen, Fotografieren oder was Du sonst noch so beim Hobby machst anregen.

In diesem Jahr sind die Prompts mit dem Gedanken gestaltet worden, Charaktere zu erschaffen. Ob Du nun einen oder eine ganze Handvoll an Charakteren erschaffst, ist egal. Im Grunde ist es auch egal, ob Du die Prompts tatsächlich dafür nutzt oder etwas ganz anderes daraus machst :)

Nutze die Prompts, um Dich kreativ mit unserem Hobby auseinanderzusetzen und, wenn Du willst, es anderen Menschen zu zeigen – nutze dabei den Hashtag #RPGaDay26. Denkt daran, es geht darum unsere Liebe zum Hobby zu zeigen!

Einen ganz großen Dank an dieser Stelle an Kiki und Honze, die mir gestern spontan den Text übersetzt haben, so dass ich nur noch den Blog veröffentlichen musste! Viel Spaß beim diesjährigen RPGaDay 🙌

RPGaDAY2026 - Deutsch

Tägliche Prompts

  1. Disziplin

  2. Statur

  3. Gleichgewicht

  4. Charme

  5. Last

  6. Reichweite

  7. Gnade

  8. Entschlossenheit

  9. Privileg 

  10. Geheimnis

  11. Feingefühl

  12. Verlust

  13. Spannung

  14. Achtung

  15. Ausdauer

  16. Haltung

  17. Intensität

  18. Direktheit

  19. Verlangen

  20. Versprechen

  21. Wohltätigkeit

  22. Schneid

  23. Glück

  24. Distanz

  25. Vertrautheit

  26. Reue

  27. Hunger

  28. Hingabe

  29. Arbeit

  30. Stolz

  31. Kanten

Wöchentliche Modifikatoren:

Woche 1 - Antrieb

Woche 2 - Intellekt

Woche 3 - Beziehungen

Woche 4 - Instinkt

Woche 5 - Emotion

Woche 6 - Fähigkeit

Tägliche Modifikatoren:

Montag - Schön von Angesicht

Dienstag - Voll von Anmut

Mittwoch - Voll von Kummer

Donnerstag - Ein weiter Weg

Freitag - Lieben & Geben

Samstag - Hart Arbeitend

Sonntag - Gesegnet

(Kontext: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday%27s_Child)

PS: RPGaDay Bild

Ich hab leider nicht die Zeit und nicht die fähigkeiten, dass passende Bild zum RPGaDay 2026 zu übersetzen. Falls jemand von Euch da draußen Zeit und Lust hat, auf dem Blog von Autocratik findet Ihr die Grafik. Schreibt mir gerne, dann stelle ich die auch auf den Blog, natürlich mit Credits! Am besten via [Mail](mailto: hello@wuefellustbarkeit) oder Mastodon.

See the blog - https://wuerfellustbarkeit.de/rpgaday-2026/


Image thanks to www.edu-rpg.de




Friday, June 26, 2026

Looking Behind the Screen

Last weekend I went to a really cool 'Unconference' in London, hosted by Patchwork Fez Games, where a load of far more talented and cool creators got together and discussed various topics, from what printers to use, game distribution, why game companies don't progress from 'at the weekends' to full-time... and an interesting one about Patreon. 

I've had a Patreon for a while, and you can find it here:

https://www.patreon.com/cw/Autocratik

Part of the discussion was about making money through Patreon and I must admit, it's not something I really thought about. I mean, I set up paid levels on my Patreon, but I've not actually put anything on there that was exclusive to the paid levels, never mind exclusive to Patreon itself - everything that's been on there has been on this blog as well. After all, the number of people who are actually subscribed to my Patreon is in single figures. 

What do you think? Would you like me to reveal some 'behind the scenes' creation processes for my next project? If so, should I just put them on the blog and the free level, or should I try putting them behind that dreaded paywall?

As for what I'm working on at the moment? I've an idea for a second book for WILD, but I'm also working on something I like to think of as Grange Hill meets Narnia... The Magicians meets Excalibur... 

Called Hex Education.



It'll be smaller... possibly... probably... at least, until the ol' scope-creep sets in! 

Anyway, more later. Probably after #RPGaDAY2026... more on that in a few days.

Stay Multi-classy,

D

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Recovering from UK Games Expo 2026

 

Selfie of myself and my lovely wife, Debs, who is wearing fake antlers

It's hard to imagine that this time last week we were at UK Games Expo 2026 - officially the third largest gaming convention in the world. Over 80,000 attendance this year, spread over five enormous halls of Birmingham NEC (six if you include the ticketing hall). 

So, how was it? First of all, major disclaimer - I was not there as an exhibitor. We're just 'punters' and wandering around to take in the sights, see the cool games on offer, chat to creators, and just to enjoy ourselves. 

There and Back Again

In previous years, we've travelled to the Expo by the wonders of the train. Or rather, multiple trains, and having to travel across London via tube in the middle of the journey. It takes forever, and last year we even spread out the 'going to' journey with a stop over in London so we could get to the convention at a decent time on the Friday.

This year, our good friend Chimeric Designs decided to drive to the Expo and kindly offered to give us a lift there and back. Not only was this a lot cheaper (we contributed to the fuel) but also soooo much quicker and easier, and a lot less stress on our behalf. I don't know how stressful the actual driving was (I must admit, I find driving pretty stressful in general). I hope it wasn't too bad.

Sure, there was a nasty truck fire on the way there which slowed us down by almost 90mins, and there was a vast section of roadworks on the way back. But getting driven there and back was so much less stress. I cannot thank you enough for the chauffeuring. You're a legend.

At the Expo (Friday)

Due to the traffic (caused by that truck fire), we wandered into the halls on Friday afternoon around 4pm... Which meant getting our badges and lanyards was incredibly quick - no queue at all! 


Once inside, it was the usual packed and warm swarm of people mooching around and looking at all the cool stuff, though thankfully the crowds had died down a bit and it wasn't too unbearable. I made a quick beeline  to drop off some reference material that I no longer needed - hopefully it'll be useful to continue the legacy. From what I'd heard, that game has sold pretty well, and was even up for an award you know. 

After that, we cruised around the halls quickly, before they decided to close up. Stopping briefly at the Effekt stand so I could pick up a copy of Tales of the Old West for a friend. I already had my Kickstarter copy, but it was good to catch up with the Effekt guys and support their work. (Shout out to Phil from The Dark Orb who saw me there, good to chat again!).

At the Expo (Saturday)

Saturday was our full day at the con, a real opportunity to wander around and really take in all of the stands. I had maps printed out and the stands I really needed to ensure were visited were marked on... the only problem is, there's no real orientation... I spent ages dragging Debs around looking for a stand only to discover I had my map upside-down. It doesn't help that the maps are printed with no real relation to each other. 

I mean, c'mon, we're all gamers. We know maps. Heck, I used to work for Nature Conservation for the council, updating Ordnance Survey maps, so I know how to read my way around. Orientation needs to be consistent, and logical from one hall to the next. We need compass points, the street signs need to not only say the street but also indicate which way is East and West, or North and South. 

We met up with Chimeric Designs again and wandered around, picked up a copy of Dread Knight from Odd Artworks (love his artwork - I really hope he does print versions of the supplemental zines, they look really cool), got to chat to Adrian at Dungeons & Dyslexia who interviewed me ages ago.


Caught up with Stoo Goff who had really pushed the boat out to promote Aegean this year with this impressive banner hovering over the GMS stand, and met up with Gareth Sleightholme who did the interior artwork for Aegean and the Tarot deck art for WILD. Always good to meet up with you both!

Speaking of which, I'd volunteered to help out on the Compose Dreams stand, a great distributor of indie RPGs based normally in Canada who have UK distribution too. They stock WILD, Aegean, and even more (head to their site if you're after copies!), and it was a great opportunity to experience the fun of working a stand at UKGE. I mean, I'd done it before at Tabletop Scotland, but UKGE is soooo much bigger. 

Of course, this was when the air conditioning seemed to give up in the halls, and the temperature rose to sweat-inducing levels. It's almost like the NEC isn't capable of handling 80k visitors at once on a very hot spring day?

Ironically, though I was there to promote WILD, I managed to sell some copies of Stoo's games instead, including his new 'ashcan' sampler of Wolfshead - a new game of rebellion and resistance during the time of Robin Hood. The zine sampler looks awesome. It uses the same system as Aegean, and I'm sure we'll be playtesting that again in the near future.


While I was on the stand, Debs ran off to Hall 1 to meet Bill Making Stuff, host of a particularly amusing crafting and scratchbuilding channel that we enjoy. Debs was really excited to finally meet him, and gave him some of her zines. He even gave her some of his Gutterland Gazette zines in return, so she was a very happy bunny.


We wandered around a bit lost again for the rest of the afternoon, before heading over to the Hilton to hang around in the bar for a bit, after picking up some food from the food trucks. 

In the bar we saw lots of familiar faces, including some Youtube hosts who looked busy searching for specific people to talk to... so I didn't want to interrupt. I mean, they don't know me from Adam as the saying goes. Maybe next year I'll say hi, even if it's just to say "I watch your videos, they're really good". 

Even got to catch up with Angus who I haven't seen in many, many, many moons. Got to reminisce about the old days in the Camarilla, which was cool especially as Andy P arrived as well - I first met them both through those Vampire LARPing times in the 90s. 

Didn't stay too long as we were all exhausted. I don't know how you youngsters manage it!

A Quieter Sunday

Sunday, as with previous years, is a bit quieter. Except for the Orcs. They were loud and scary, but pretty cool...


With the aisles a little easier to navigate, we set out walking up and down as many of the halls as possible to see all of the stands we hadn't seen already. Got to pick up some titles we'd been eyeing up over the previous days (then reminded myself I needed to be a bit more cautious with how much I'm spending these days). After a necessary cup of tea, we headed back to the carpark and the journey home.

In Summary

All in all it was good. Too warm again, but this year we'd learned from previous mistakes and were carrying a lot less (and I didn't bother with a jacket, no matter how much I wanted to look tidier). 

Saw lots of people I knew, but it was too busy to really talk to them. Saw lots of stands with people I recognised and had the briefest of chats, but as I mentioned, I need to be a bit more careful with funds... 

There were a couple of stands with AI generated artwork which was disappointing. We lost count of 3D printed stuff - I don't mean the individually designed stuff, like minis and terrain, which is really cool and requires skill and talent. I mean the 'downloaded a file' dice-towers and stuff. Oh dear...

And we saw a few stands with Ghibli and Pokemon stuff which I'm sure isn't licensed. As someone who loves licensed games, and has worked closely with IP owners, I know the efforts that are necessary to get official licensing and approval. To see loads of unofficial stuff it's just a bit disheartening. 

I think mentally I may have gone to the convention with the "I'm going to talk to publishers" mindset. In my newly unemployed status, I guess I had that circling my mind at times, but UKGE is not the place for that kind of approach. Publishers of every size are far too busy.

The one thing I took from the whole convention is my admiration for those creators who are simply doing it all. They have a passion project, they create a cool game, they write it, illustrate it, do the layout, publish it, and get it out there for people to play. Cool creators like Montford Tales and Patchwork Fez Games who make games how they want to make them. 

Is it weird to equate them to David Lynch or David Bowie? I wrote a long blog-post a while ago about how they loved to immerse themselves in challenging projects and push the boundaries - do what they wanted to do, the way they wanted. And I see that in a lot of the creators at UKGE. They are an inspiration. 

After all, that's why I use the name Autocratik for the Masses. Do it my way, make stuff. 

And that's what I'll do while I'm looking for gainful employ, even if it's freelance. I've got ideas. I've got plans. I've also got some limitations, but by next Expo, who knows..? 

Thursday, May 28, 2026

Less "One Day", More "Day One"

Those of you who follow me on my various social media accounts will be aware, but after five years full time working as a Producer, developing a host of titles for the second edition of the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game (updating my original first edition design), and developing the second edition of The Laundry Roleplaying Game (changing game system completely from its original incarnation)... and after nearly thirteen years before that as a freelancer for them... I've parted ways from Cubicle 7. 


So, I guess the big question is... 'What's Next?'

Good question! That's all I can say!

I've had a couple of ideas buzzing around in the back of my head for a few years that I've not been in a position to work on, including a follow-up to my game of dreamshare technology, WILD (Wake Initiated Lucid Dreaming), and something completely different (that may also use WILD's tarot card mechanics, only adapted for the setting). 

Strangely, one of the biggest inspirations for this to-be-revealled game comes from the most unlikely places - and it's not even a game. On our bookshelves at home sat this rather lovely book from 1972, The Decorative Illustration of Books by Walter Crane, originally published in 1896. It's simply gorgeous, and a great insight into how Crane thought books should be illustrated. Everything, from the typography, the cover, the art, it's just everything I'd love to produce.


As they say, 'they just don't make 'em like this anymore...' (Wow, I sound old...)


Well, you never know. I've got the time now... just need to up my art skills.

I've been looking into other things as well recently, but alas, those plans have fallen through... 

So, this weekend is UK Games Expo!! It's going to be a new and exciting experience, wandering the halls as a freelancer, and I'm hoping that I get to see as many cool and inspiring games as possible. I remember the feeling of looking through the pages of Mothership for the first time and thinking that this is simply the most inspiring thing I've seen in the TTRPG space for a few years. 

I want to come out of the convention inspired, and excited to get started on something new.

I want to turn those projects that I always said I'd get around to 'one day' into projects that are starting on their 'day ones'. 

Of course, if anyone needs a freelance game designer, writer, developer, producer, or similar in the meantime, let me know. Nerd's gotta eat!!

Stay multi-classy

DFC

Sunday, April 5, 2026

#RPGaDAY2025 - Days 17-31

 

So late! I know! 

You ever have that feeling clawing away at the back of your head that you haven't finished something? You just can't seem to rest until that task is done and dusted? Well, I have, and one of the many, MANY things that has been pickling in its own creative juices is the fact that I never finished #RPGaDAY2025. I mean, I created the darn initiative to do #RPGaDAY, and here was me setting the worst example by not finishing it.

So, nearly eight months late, here is the final half of #RPGaDAY2025. I posted Days 1-16 here on the blog, so let's continue that format. 

Day 17 - Renew


For day 17 I thought I'd draw the moment that my interest and excitement in tabletop roleplaying games was renewed, when I went off to University. I'd kinda given up on gaming, some of my group had gone off to Uni and moved away, and my mind was on other things, but when I went off to Uni to do graphic design and illustration, I was introduced to the wonders of Vampire: The Masquerade. First thing I did was blow most of my term's budget that first month on a load of Vampire books and a heap of d10s. 


Day 18 - Sign


I couldn't think of anything cool to do for SIGN, and part of me just immediately thought of the weird 'mark' that is etched on some stones dotted around the sleepy little town in New England in the game we were playtesting. And how that sign could keep the Risen at bay... 


Day 19 - Destiny


For Destiny, it's all about Tarot cards. A great tool for determining or divining your destiny, but also a great way to resolve tests in a tabletop RPG. The numbers can determine success or failure, but the images on the cards can add further meaning and description to the result, or even simply drawing upon which suit the card is for minor arcana. I used Tarot for task resolution in WILD, and I'm planning on using it again in my next personal game... (when I'm finally able to do it).


Day 20 - Enter


For Enter, I figured I'd do the entry way to a strange location. I had this idea of a doorway under the roots of a huge tree, the path lined with stones holding the earth back. I thought it would be a cool location for one of my games. I'm still pondering how to use it. 


Day 21 - Unexpected


Day Twenty-One is Unexpected, and I thought I'd go with the most unexpected moment I've had in a game recently, which was my human character taking a Voight-Kampff test in Blade Runner, only to fail and be sent to holding as a suspected Replicant infiltrator. Really, really cool twist. 


Day 22 - Ally


For Ally, I had to go with one of the most memorable allies we've had in our games, and that is Daraka, a Rodian Slicer who was our 'go to' guy for any tech issues we had in our Star Wars: Force and Destiny game. He became such an integral part of the story, we even did a few side-story sessions with Daraka as a playable character. 


Day 23 - Recent


This was actually an easy one, as Recent simply meant to illustrate something from a recent game. At the time, we were early in our Mythic Bastionland game, so I thought I'd do a pic of my character, the Owl Knight, who was a bit bookish, but died in the most heroic way. He thought that going with the watery dryad who had taken a shine to him would mean the dryad wouldn't kill anyone else... well, it kinda worked. He thought he was going off to live with the dryad under the inland sea, and he did, for a minute or two... poor Ser Dorza... 


Day 24 - Reveal


For Day 24, the topic is Reveal. So, let's talk about the only big game reveal I was involved in, which was Dragonmeet in 2007, announcing the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game, with Chris Birch, Dominic McDowall, Angus Abranson, and Fred Hicks. You can see the photo here... but I doodled my version of it. 


Day 25 - Challenge


I challenge you, sir!! For Day 25, I thought I'd go with Mythic Bastionland again, as I seemed to be challenged to duels a few times. My replacement character (after the watery demise of Ser Dorza) was the Dusk Knight, but he was challenged by the previous Dusk Knight who had been lost. 


Day 26 - Nemesis


Day 26 is Nemesis, and while I could have drawn a particular horsefaced warlock, or something to do with Romulans, but instead I thought I'd keep it TTRPG related and mention one of the first sourcebooks I wrote which has never seen the light of day. When I was trying to get my break into roleplaying games (the second time, many years after my first attempt in the 80s), I was trying to prove to Eden Studios that I could write something and knew the Unisystem well enough to do it for them. So, I wrote a complete supplement for All Flesh Must Be Eaten, a slasher horror book, where the evil entity you're facing, the seemingly unkillable slasher, is called the Nemesis. 


Day 27 - Tactic


There's a whole part of tabletop gaming that is very tactical, and I'm afraid I'm not part of it. I really don't think tactically. I mean, I enjoyed playing X-Wing, and Shatterpoint, but I probably don't play tactically enough to really consider it 'tactical' at all. I kinda just shoot and hope for the best. I have fond memories of playing the old FASA Star Trek III ship combat game with the old gaming group, and I still have my Star Warriors ship combat game for the old West End Games Star Wars, which was fab. Cue TIE Fighter noises!! So, that's what I drew...


Day 28 - Suspense!


I dunno, having to wait 8 months for the final half of #RPGaDAY2025 seems pretty much like keeping you in suspense if you ask me. However, lots of suspense and tension in our game of Public Access, so I drew Joe, Debs' character, investigating the basement of the House on Escondido Street. Playing the game has been great and tense, but the actual way it works is taking a little to get used to. We had a long conversation about the mechanics and the lack of a definite solution, and how players could really break the game if they don't take it seriously. 


Day 29 - Connect


Day 29 has the prompt Connect, and I'm hoping that #RPGaDAY in general helps people to connect to each other. I drew me playing D&D with my old group of 40+ years, because the game helps to connect us even though we are spread all over the world. 


Day 30 - Experience


For Day 30, the prompt is Experience, and I guessed most people would describe something to do with how many experience points they've gained during a game, or what their most memorable experience of playing is. For me, I wanted to do the latter, and one of the most memorable moments I've experienced in gaming was GMing Kult back in the 1990s. My future-wife's character was upset about the demise of one of the NPCs, and decided to conduct the most epic and mind-melting series of rituals to bring them back, involving time travel and recovering a soul from hell...


Day 31 - Reward


The final day of #RPGaDAY2025 and it is Reward. I wanted to show what my reward was for doing this, and it's a complete sketchbook full of little doodles that relate to #RPGaDAY and it got me drawing again. Something I've been wanting to get back to for a long time. I've done some sketches for early versions of the WILD Tarot, but that was the first real drawing I've done since the old comic publishing days, so it's good to get back to it. I'd love to do all of the illustrations for my next personal project as well, but so far I've hated what I've done for them, and will probably attempt to redo them all. That's fine, I've rewritten the character creation chapter about a dozen times over the last six or seven years, so it's not going to get done for a very long time (and also, I can't really work on it at the moment for other reasons). 


So that's it, my reward is a complete sketchbook... hurrah!


Thank you to everyone who took part in #RPGaDAY2025, I know it was a long time ago now and we're actually closer to August 2026 than we are to the previous one... which is very scary...

To quote Twenty0ne Pil0ts:

"Days feel like a perfect length, I don't need them any longer, but for goodness sake do the years seem way too short for my soul..."

Will there be another #RPGaDAY for 2026? 

Who knows? I hope so... 

Saturday, April 4, 2026

My Nerdy Life in 100 Geeky Objects - #5: Marvel Star Wars Special Edition (1977)

Way back in 2024 I was feeling all nostalgic and started a series of blog posts called "My Nerdy Life in 100 Geeky Objects", looking at stuff I remember fondly from my past and the impact they had on my life and who I'd become. Well, it's coming up to my birthday, and every year I get nostalgic again and wonder about writing about my less than exciting life. 

I was staring at the blog, having just renewed my ownership of the domain name, and thinking that I hadn't done anything with the site for over six weeks. I needed to write something, to get something on the site and to vent my creative frustrations, and couldn't think of anything I wanted to write, or could write...

And then I remembered this little series of posts that I started, and didn't get very far with. The first posts covered the James Bond 007 Lotus Esprit made by Corgi in 1977, my subscription to Super Spider-Man and the Titans comic in 1976, the 2000AD Summer Special of 1977 and my first exposure to Star Wars, and the very first Palitoy Star Warsfigures my dad got for me. 

You can see a theme developing here... number 5 in my list of 100 Geeky Objects stays in 1977. 


#5: Marvel Star Wars Special Edition

I made a video about these a while back (11 years ago... hoooboy), when the first issue of the new Star Wars comic was released. I enthusiastically looked at the new comic, and then had a flick through how I was introduced to Star Wars comics.

I don't know what prompted it, but I remember dad coming home one day with this HUGE, oversized comic under his arm for me. It was twice the size of the average comic, not just in page count, but also in dimensions. 



Look at it. It's flipping gorgeous. The name Star Wars had been firmly lodged in my dad's mind after that 2000AD Summer Special, and, bless him for knowing my early forming nerdy interests so well, picked it up on a whim. I have fond memories of laying on the floor, the comic spread in front of me, while I poured over every panel. Unknown to me, there were scenes in there that wouldn't make it into the final film – the now legendary sequences with Biggs and the Tosche Station. I absolutely loved it, but it was only half of the story! 




It felt like months until the second half of the movie got its own collection (and it was, the first half was July 1977, the second October 1977), but thankfully my dad was just as happy to get the remaining half for me. It would be months before I finally saw the movie. It was only showing in one cinema in the nearest city (Hull) where they'd reopened the long closed Dorchester to show Star Wars continually for months and months. We got tickets before Christmas 1977, but the waiting list was so long to get in, those tickets were for screenings a few months later. Though seeing Star Wars for the first time would be one of those life-defining moments, and one I've written about before.

I'd like to write more nostalgic stuff like this, and I've often thought about writing a weird fictionalised account of my nerdy life, like Ready Player One meets that movie 5-25-77, but it just stays in the list of things I want to do but just can't motivate myself. Maybe one day.

In the meantime, I'm hoping to write more for the blog and the Patreon. Both remain free to access, do subscribe to the Patreon if you can to ensure this heads into your inbox when I finally write something. 

Until next time, stay multi-classy!

Sunday, February 15, 2026

The Strangest Form of Immersion

 

©Mystery Flesh Pit National Park


If you read my previous post, or (let's face it) a lot of my blog, you'll know that I'm in a bit of a creative funk at the moment. And not the good kind. There was a moment in 2024, looking at the physical copy of Mothership for the first time while at Tabletop Scotland, that I really had a wave of inspiration that got me fired up to create something. I did a blog post about it, back in September 2024.

I started thinking about something new to create, but there are some limitations that are holding me back. One day, I'll go into the details. But, after a sudden burst of enthusiasm, of joyous creativity, the reality of the situation crept back in, and my motivation and drive were thoroughly beaten into submission. 

Since then, there have been a couple of moments of similar inspiration. One was a video I watched called Pursue Ambitious Projects, which I covered in a blog post last year. It looked at how David Lynch and David Bowie enjoyed the freedom of doing whatever they wanted, without the limitations of commerciality, and revelled in the challenge of an ambitious project that really got them fired up and excited about things.

The other moment of real inspiration was last week, watching a video of a review of the Tabletop RPG based on Mystery Flesh Pit National Park. I'd heard vaguely about the TTRPG, and wasn't sure what to expect, but saw this video come up on my feed about RPGs getting weird and gave it a look. 

While the RPG looks great, and I like the implementation of the Cypher System, it's the opening section that really inspired me. Mystery Flesh Pit National Park is a personal project of Trevor Roberts. He just started posting this weird idea on a Subreddit, and kept building upon it, creating an immersive world where this weird biological entity has been commercialised and mined by a corporation. The amazing world building, the graphic design for this fictional world is fantastic.

It's just really inspiring. I want to be able to immerse myself in a setting and get really enthusiastic about it, just like Roberts did with the Park. Maybe soon...

--

In other news, the overlords at Google decided that my blog wasn't frequent enough, or focused enough, to warrant adverts to drag in a minimal amount of revenue, and you know what? I don't care. So, no ads on the blog. Or on the Patreon.

I will, however, try to be a little more frequent than once a month, but not so much that you get sick of me. 

In the meantime, check out that video about the Park, and who knows, maybe it'll inspire you too.

Stay Multi-classy!