COME JOIN NEXT MONTH'S JAM!

Welcome to the September 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.

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Theme: Movement, Mapping, & Physical Space

There are many ways to represent the physical space within a game. This may be hex maps for travel, grids for combat, or a complete lack of either in some cases. Regardless, a key aspect of tabletop games is the consistent representation of the status of the game world. Tracking the physical space the game takes place in can make or break a game depending on the goals. Mapping that space can be simply a part of facilitating other aspects of play, or it can be the hinge upon which the entire game moves. 

Something to consider in this regard is movement. Character traversal in limited space, travel over distance, and failure/consequences for either. What does it mean for a character to have a movement speed? What would a platformer tabletop game look like? Can moment to moment movement be possible within a tabletop game?

Another aspect to push on is the physicality of the players themselves. How are they positioned? Does the location of play effect the game, and can that be dictated within the game text? Can you make your players touch grass? Lotta big IFs in this one.

Challenge: Teaching Principles: Map Tools

This one is going to be closely tied in to the theme. The challenge is to include tools for mapping that go beyond "Use a grid". How can you as a designer make the movement in space a meaningful aspect of play.Think outside the box on this one. Push beyond grids and hexes. Reach for tools that are more interesting than feet per round and squares on a flat surface.

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.
• No previously published works. Make something fresh!
• 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.

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.