This jam is now over. It ran from 2023-06-12 05:00:00 to 2023-08-08 04:59:59. View results

The Classic Explorer Workshop is live!

Build your own version of "classic fantasy" with the Classic Explorer layout template.  If you're interested in honing your layout skills, experimenting with new ideas, getting feedback, trading ideas, or simply launching that big (or diminutive) idea into the wild—this jam is for you.

The mission of this game jam is simple: discover the power of design and give others the tools to explore. This workshop lets us do that together! 



First and foremost, you have to use the Classic Explorer Template in some way or another. It can be the free starter version, the Canva template, the full paid version, or a game made from the template's guide packaged with the templates. So long as you use the Classic Explorer Template, you can make any rpg, supplement, or adventure you like for non-video game purposes. 

You can modify the template heavily and still be eligible to participate. Changing the typefaces, grid system, and overall design to fit your game is encouraged.

You can find both versions of the template on the Explorers Itch storefront and at Explorers Design.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to make my submission free or under Creative Commons?

No. You are free to release your template under any license you wish. The template's CC by 4.0 license is meant to protect you while using it. All that's required is that you credit Explorers Design and the Classic Explorer Template somewhere in your document. 

Does my submission need to be made during the workshop?

No. You're encouraged to submit a project made with the template even if you made it before this workshop launched. 

Does my submission need to be new and original for the workshop?

No. Your finished project can be a re-design or re-launch of a previous rpg product (that you have the rights to convert). In fact, conversion is a great way to learn more about layout and design. All we ask is that you mention that it's a conversion in your submission.

Can I edit my submission later?

Yes! In fact, you're encouraged to keep polishing your project during and after the workshop's duration. The goal is for all of us to become better designers and iteration is a big part of that.

There are so many jams. Can I submit Explorer entries elsewhere?

Yes. If your project can contribute to and support another jam, we don't just allow it—we encourage it. 


Submission Integrity Requirements

Your product cannot under any circumstances support or sanitize hateful or harmful beliefs and behaviors. That includes making content that is colonialist, racist,  sexist, homophobic, or transphobic. This also means you're encouraged to not make an adventure or supplement for games whose creators have been found to hold those beliefs and behaviors. 

Studio Reservations

We reserve the right to reject and revoke any submissions that break our submission's rules and integrity requirements. 




This workshop is all about collaborating, teaching, and learning. However, we know that's hardly enough, so we've also added some incentives to help you along the way! Me and (hopefully) a few others will be spotlighting certain entries for being especially exciting and worth attention.

Winning Categories

Gold ExplorerEverything is subjective, but some games merit special attention. The winner of this category will have exhibited incredible attention to craft. This winner will likely have a firm grasp of space, information design, hierarchy, typography, etc. 

Perilous Explorer. Sometimes the best among us are the weirdest, boldest, and most unexpected. This award will go to whichever project pushes the template to its limits, breaks the grid, or spawns rules dependent on the layout and visual design itself. 

Rising Explorer. This award will go to any new or fledging designers who catch the panel's eye and merit attention from the community at large. A project that wins this entry might not be the best design or the most original, but it will likely be the most compelling. 

Prizes

  • A respectable amount of fame and glory
  • The next Explorers Design product release for free
  • A spotlight design delve on Explorers Design
  • A neat little title on the Explorers Design discord
  • Other potential goodies...


Community Workshop

If you want to jam with your fellow designers, get feedback, pursue layout rumors, and trade in forbidden design lore, you won't find a better place for tabletop rpg design than the Explorers discord. 

You can join us in the studio by click on this discord invite link.

Layout and the Grid Basics

Excited to start, but you're not entirely sure what all these weird words mean? Good news: the Explorers Design website has guides on the basics, including grid system terminology and design fundamentals. 

You can find those articles at Explorers Design in the design guide

What should I design for?

If you're just now leaning over the design map and don't know where to explore first. There are tons of games out there that are looking for contributors. Here's just a humble list of games to choose from:

  • MiniBX by Lucas Rolim, A hyper-minimalist fantasy rpg that upends classic D&D BX conventions.
  • Errant by Kill Jester. Classic fantasy with some classic-defying tech under the hood. 
  • Down We Go by Markus Linderum. Rules-lite fantasy that fits on a page. 
  • Tunnel Goons by Nate Treme. Old-school fantasy for nice people. Looks nice, too. 
  • Mausritter by Losing GamesClassic mouse adventure in the style of Redwall and Mouseguard.  
  • Durf by Emiel Boven. An old-school fantasy game about brave adventurers. In multiple languages! 

Submissions(33)

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be a naughty little goose
Suburban Gothic RPG set in 199X
Quest-based classic fantasy RPG
Play a necromancer in space! A setting and sourcebook compatible with Liminal Horror.
HOWL
£6
A horror adventure of dark folklore for Cairn
3 adventures for Heart: The City Beneath
B3 converted for Cairn and modern sensibilties
A High Level, Fungal Horror, Down We Go Adventure
A short scenario about returning to your home town and all the horrors that entails.
A lumberjack and moose filled forestcrawl for Cairn
Make your Fortune before the End of the World
A Mausritter adventure with war and political intrigue
a TRPG about living your best life in spite of human drama
10 adventure collection & fully-loaded campaign setting for Mausritter
An adventure for Cairn
You wake from Fevre Dreams surrounded by the dead and dying.
Weird obscure oldschool TTRPG one-shot
System agnostic fantasy adventure
A system-neutral TTRPG module about facing your inner demons.
A region of invention for Cairn RPG
A Capaclean fantasy RPG
Nimble d6 TTRPG
A two player narrative game about a Mushroom God and their Human Host
An undersea hack of Lasers and Feelings
[WIP] adventure roleplaying
An Arcane Exercise expansion that delves deeper into the mechanic of Ability Scores
A 12-word RPG for any number of players
d100 Exercises for Fantastic Physical Fitness
A fantasy heartbreaker, Gila style
A souls-light TTRPG that encourages action narrative play