Welcome to the May 2026 Edition of the Eternal TTRPG Jam! 

This is a game jam for TTRPG designers to test ideas, experiment with concepts, and maybe find their next big idea! Every month there will be a new Jam with new themes and challenges. 

Hosted by Rowan Sender

Come join the Discord!!

There's also the Reddit if you're so inclined.

Follow the Jam's Tumblr

Theme: ______-naut: Scientific Exploration

Astronaut, psychonaut, chrononaut. This theme is all about travel and exploration. It also has a slight bent towards the scientific, implicit in many (though not all) of the ____-naut words. With this theme, think about documentation. Think about what it means to not just be in a space, move through a space; but to be immersed in it, subsumed by the subject of study. The subject, the study, and the state of being are one in the same.

This theme would be a great opportunity to do a take on many different types of speculative fiction, especially scifi classics. An Annihilation pastiche come to mind, bit just as easily a 2001: A Space Odyssey or Left Hand of Darkness would work just as well. This would also be a great time to stretch your legs as a world designer. Create a space to be immersed in. Fill it with texture and detail. 

Optional Challenge: Minimal Layout/.txt

This one's simple (rimshot.mp3). Make your game as simple as possible. Style it after an in world report, format it as an old monochrome crt display. Alternatively, really commit to the simplicity and make your game as a .txt file. 

Rules

• Your project should be made within the time of the jam. Ideas from before are fine, and it's totally okay to develop after the end, but the bulk of the work should be done during the jam time.
• Keep it short! The point is to not kill yourself on this one project. Loosen up, follow your creativity, and maybe you’ll land somewhere you wouldn’t have otherwise.
• This jam is focused on new games and experimentation. Revisions, updates, and new editions are allowed.
• No AI generation of any kind. Text, images, ideation. None of it. You’re better than that. What are we doing here?
• Charge what you like! I encourage pay-what-you-want, but it’s your call!
• Label adult, NSFW, and violent content appropriately. 

FAQ (Presumably)

What is the Eternal Jam?

This jam is a continuous series of jams that run until the heat death of the universe (aspirational). Every month has a new theme and an extra challenge for designers. The idea is that it’s always here, so even if you don’t have time or aren’t interested in the theme of the month, you can pick it up on the next one!

What is the point?

The Eternal Jam is meant to be an outlet for experimentation within the TTRPG space. These projects are supposed to be tiny, quick, and creative. Most probably won’t be fully fleshed out. But every so often, the spark of an idea will catch and a new project will be born from the breeding ground of the Eternal Jam.

Is the challenge required? 

No! The challenge has and always will be an additional wrinkle meant to put pressure on your designs. Engage with it as much or as little as you like. Use it as a lense through which to view you design.

What kind of content is allowed?

Anything, in theory. Explicit content should be tagged appropriately, but other than that: games, settings, waxing prose masquerading as playable content. Really anything goes.

Format?

One pagers, micro-zines, booklets, a loose collection of notes. It really doesn’t matter. It should be small ideally. The original idea was handmade zines, so it should fall somewhere around there. Check out Electric Zine Maker if you want a cool tool!

Art?

I don’t know. I think it’s art, but who am I to say? 

Draw it yourself. Use creative commons images. I don’t know, make a collage? Are crayons still a thing? You’ll figure it out, I believe in you.