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Diabolus in Musica (Latin for “The Devil in Music”) is the infamous name for the tritone—an unholy chord so discordant and unsettling that the Church banned its use during the Middle Ages.

In DiM, the players portray Church-sanctioned Minstrels who travel the countryside investigating rumors of musicians using the tritone. Once located, the Minstrels exorcise the Devils possessing these poor souls by defeating them in epic musical duels. 

Needed to Play

• A handful of six-sided dice
• 1-2 decks of playing cards
• A token, such as a coin or poker chip

Created for the One-Page RPG Jam 2026.

DON YOUR ARMOR. GRAB YOUR BLADE. THROW YOUR BACK OUT.

In the GEEZERS & GOBLINS TTRPG, players are world-weary, out-of-shape, and perpetually grumpy former adventurers who have come out of retirement to earn some much-needed coin and escape the horrors of family life. 

The rules cover creating your Geezer, tests and contests, advice for surviving quality Family Time between adventures, and what happens when a player is cursed with the “Loser” condition.

And don’t worry. You don’t have to be a literal Geezer to participate—all you have to do is dig deep and find the Geezer within who is annoyed by life’s banality but resigned to soldiering on.

thanks!

That is a great idea. I wish I had thought of adding a mechanism for this. Thank you for sharing. 

 2130, the colony ship Sol’Nostrom left a dying Earth in search of salvation beyond the stars. Generations of colonists are born, live, and die within the ship’s metal confines. 

Generation Ship is a TTRPG about colonists hurtling through the Void. During each game session, players tell the story of a single generation of colonists and the trials they face during their endless journey. Once a session's scenario is resolved, the story fast forwards 100 years to focus on another generation of colonists’ trials and tribulations. Players now portray a descendant of their previous character. 

Needed to Play:

• 2+ players to portray the colonist player characters (PCs)
• A Game Master (GM) to present narrative challenges and portray the non-player characters (NPCs)
• A handful of six-sided dice
• Index cards and pens

Created for the One-Page RPG Jam 2025.

Hi, and thanks for playing the game. When I first wrote Blood, the monthly salary was based on the lower end of what a real world EMT makes. The monthly cost of living is also a rough estimate. Like most of the mechanics, it was intended to put pressure on the character.  

Going broke or into debt doesn’t have any direct mechanical effects, but could affect the story you are telling.  Narratively, there are ways around this: you can journal about how the character asks for a raise, lowers their standard of living (eg moves into a crappier apartment), picks up a second job, decides to rob some of their victims in addition to draining them, etc. 

If you prefer not to deal with this more mundane element, then you could adjust the character’s monthly salary up, cost of living down, or both  However, this mix of mundane vs fantastical challenges was intentional. That being said, it’s your story, so feel free to make any changes that increase your enjoyment of the game.

Sort of a long answer to a short question, but I hope it helps!

Best,

TS

WELCOME TO THE WORLD THAT REMAINS

When the old world was snuffed out by doomsday technology, a new one arose in its place. A world of mutant flora and fauna, factions of humans and machines with deadly agendas, and ancient weaponry waiting to be discovered buried deep in the ruins of a lost civilization. Struggling to survive in this dangerous new world are isolated pockets of humanity huddling together in villages. Thankfully, they are watched over by Rust Buckets, robots designed to protect the human race at all costs.

The original Rust Buckets TTRPG included the core rules for creating player characters, resolving tests, and enough content for a game master to guide the players' Rust Buckets their first steps into the World That Remains. The Rusty Game Master’s Guide expands this world with 26 pages of new foes, locations, factions, vehicles, and more. The included village generator and adventure hooks will help GMs create sessions that challenge and engage players and their Rust buckets.

The Rusty Game Master’s Guide Includes:

• 10 new locations
• 12 random ruins
• Details about resources needed to survive
• Guidelines for generating the PCs’ village, including 18 unique village features
• 4 factions
• 5 vehicles and mounts
• 30+ stat blocks for new foes and allies
• 12 adventure hooks
• A third-party license so you can publish your own Rust Buckets-compatible content

Be sure to download the core rules at:  https://groovydad.itch.io/rust-buckets

Thank you! Much appreciated.

I finally finished my industrial sci-fi adventure, SONG OF METHUSELAH. It uses 24XX to tell a story of exploration and horror. 

Five days ago, a radio telescope on Erebus Station detected an ultra-low frequency fast radio burst (FRB) originating from the direction of Methuselah, the oldest star in the known universe. Upon further analysis, a message fragment was discovered hidden within the FRB: directions for constructing a machine of unknown purpose.  

Players are members of a scientific team assembled by the Wellstone-Rubicon Corporation. Their mission: reach Methuselah as soon as possible to locate the signal's origin, decode the full message, and determine the nature of the device. Speed is of the essence as WRC’s competitors rush to be the first on site.   

Touchstones and inspirations for the adventure include the films Contact (1997) and Signal (2007) as well as the Season 3 episode of Love, Death, & Robots, “In Vaulted Halls Entombed” (2022).

Thanks! I appreciate it.

Groovy Dad Games proudly presents SONG OF METHUSELAH, an industrial sci-fi adventure of discovery and horror.

Five days ago, a radio telescope on Erebus Station detected an ultra-low frequency fast radio burst (FRB) originating from the direction of Methuselah, the oldest star in the known universe. Upon further analysis, a message fragment was discovered hidden within the FRB: directions for constructing a machine of unknown purpose.  

Players are members of a scientific team assembled by the Wellstone-Rubicon Corporation. Their mission: reach Methuselah as soon as possible to locate the signal's origin, decode the full message, and determine the nature of the device. Speed is of the essence as WRC’s competitors rush to be the first to the site.   

The Aleksander on approach to Methuselah.

Song of Methuselah is an industrial sci-fi adventure of discovery and horror. It uses a modified version of the 24XX system created by Jason Tocci, but can be easily adapted to your table's favorite system. 

Touchstones and inspirations for the adventure include the films Contact (1997) and Signal (2007) as well as the Season 3 episode of Love, Death, & Robots, “In Vaulted Halls Entombed” (2022).

Thanks! The website is very cool, and I like a lot of the changes you incorporated. 

Hi! Sorry for the delayed response. I designed this with a GM and 2-4 players in mind. Three is probably the sweet spot.

I'm not sure about solo play. It's probably not conducive to solo play since the players' experience depends on going into the adventure completely blind, including information about the genre and their own PCs.

That said, I could probably create a solo version if there was  interest.

I hope this helps. I hope you enjoy the game!

TS

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the feedback. 

THE TENSION SYSTEM features mechanics for resolving challenges quickly and dramatically while continually ramping up the pressure on players throughout the game. Although setting-agnostic, the system is most appropriate for fast-paced, intense adventures like those in 80s action movies, spy thrillers, and stories where the clock is ticking, the stakes continually rise, and the heroes are under unrelenting stress while in constant danger. However, the system is adaptable enough to accommodate other settings, including science fiction, dark fantasy, horror, and more.

You may use or adapt THE TENSION SYSTEM to create your own games and settings. The system is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. 

Hi! Thanks for the comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the game. 

I also appreciate the suggestions for an expanded edition. I tried to think of ways to integrate some specific prompts in this version but struggled due to the 36-word limit of the jam. 

I definitely want to add some prompts that would help build out a stronger/more complex narrative. I also thought about (1) creating an audio track to be used while playing the game that would have some audio cues embedded in it, and (2) creating some "artifacts" (notes, pictures, clues) that could be randomly uncovered over the course of the week-long investigation.

I just need a week or two off from my day job to get it all done.

Best,
TS

Thanks for the comment. In retrospect, it's similar to the Blades in the Dark progress clocks, but in reverse. Instead of the narrative moving the clock forward, here, the clock drives the narrative. At least that was my thinking. I like your idea of the 'never-ending prompt/oracle clock' as well. 

Doomsday Clock is a doomed TTRPG created by Groovy Dad Games for the 36-word RPG Jam.

thanks!  I appreciate it!

Thanks! My email is trent.seltzer@gmail.com.

Hi! Given that this is a solo RPG/LARP, there really isn’t a win/lose state. That is to say that the goal isn’t to “win” but rather to have an experience and tell a story. 

Some of this is vagueness is due to the 36-word limit of the jam. There wasn’t much room for extensive mechanics for encounters, combat, investigation, etc.  That being said, I am considering expanding this after the jam ends, so some of those elements may be added along with some more detailed events/encounters. 

Behold. Another submission to the 36-word RPG Jam. This one is called Eulogy. It's a TTRPG about honoring heroic sacrifice. Also, by telling the hero's story, you are also telling your own. 

I thought I was done submitting to the36-word RPG Jam. Apparently, I was wrong. Behold and despair. "A Commonplace Guide to the Ubiquitous Minor Gods" is now available for download at Groovy Dad Games.  It's a rules-lite TTRPG about everyday gods using a scarce pool of words of power to make their mark on the world. 

My childhood home, there was a window above my bed that looked down a long dark road.  I was always worried someone would poke their head thru and peer down at me while I was sleeping.  

Let me know if you play the game. Would love feedback as I may build this out after the jam.  

Groovy Dad Games has just two new games for the 36-word RPG Jam:

It Lurks Just Out of Sight is a solo horror live-action role-playing game that you play alone in the dark.

Ephemera15 is a simple tabletop role-playing game in which players create and destroy characters by writing and erasing words on their character sheets. 

Both are free to download during the jam period.

Of course! The world needs—no, demands—more games and stories set in the dad says Rizz Cinematic Universe.   I’ll get to work on  an SRD for the Rizzverse posthaste!

Thanks! I appreciate the comment. And, yes, I will add a low ink / printer friendly version as soon as I can. 

it was worth it to hear the kids’ sweet groans of horror

Thanks! I appreciate it. This was indeed the most depressing thing I’ve ever created.  

We've just submitted our latest game, Make Fantastica Great Again, to the One-Page RPG Jam. 2024. 

Every four years, the people of the once great United Kingdoms of Fantastica elect a new high king. The players form a party of campaign operatives working to elect their party’s candidate. The operatives will use all manner of strategies and tactics—some honorable, some distasteful; some mundane, some magical—to ensure their candidate garners enough political capital, coin, and votes to claim the high throne.

Sure. Here's a link to a .docx copy of Temporal that you can use as a template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u4PXD6MhAPCgiK3gaUlS4TOGwCNfrBbo/edit?usp=sh...

Hope this helps.

Best,
TS

Hi, Alexander. I finally had time to go back and remind myself what the exact rules were regarding the villains. So, rules as written, if the NPC has a villain tag, then yes, they follow the same damage/condition rules as PCs. I agree, this can make them pretty tough. However, the most commonly applied damage from weapons is Chassis damage, so it should be possible (not easy, but possible) for the PCs to send a villain into negative Chassis repeatedly until they hit system failure.

Thankfully (for the PCs), only two stock foes have the villain tag (Apostles and Boilermakers), and then the 3 main baddies in the included adventure.  I wanted the main big bads to be tough to take down.  That's the DM in me who gets frustrated when a party takes out the main villain too easily. 

That being said, I agree it's probably too hard as written. If I do an update (and this is a game I've been meaning to get back to at some point), I would probably come up with some other solution for making the villains challenging without using the PC rules.  In the interim, you could certainly house-rule this if you play and say villains must be knocked to zero on a stat X number of times before they're destroyed.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for improving the game.

Best,
TS

Hi there! Glad to hear you enjoyed reading through it. Great question about villains. I’m under a deadline for my day job, and will give you an answer as soon as I can. Just didn’t want you to think I was ignoring this. 

Thank you! I appreciate the kind words.

You add the d6 to defense only for the model that took the dodge action. The dodge bonus is used the next time that model is targeted by an attack, after which the model loses the dodge bonus (i.e., the model would need to retake the dodge action on a future activation to gain the defense bonus).

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Best,
TS

Yes. That's correct. On your turn, you can use one of your actions to dodge. The next time someone attacks you, add +1d6 to your defense roll. 

Technically, rules as written, you could use both actions on your turn to dodge and add 2d6 the next time you are attacked.

Hope this helps! Thanks for playing!

SYNAPSE is a hex-crawl adventure that sees players exploring a Subject's subconscious searching for a valuable memory buried deep in the Subject's psyche.

The adventure is system-agnostic; however, a modified version of our TENSION SYSTEM is included. 

Created for the Fill the Hex Jam. 

Deal. Happy to do it. It's just fun to know that someone is actually playing these games and getting some joy out of it.

Rolled a d20 and got a 4, which was for Enhanced. I'll send a download key shortly. 

Best,

TS

Also: you’ve been so kind and enthusiastic that I want to give you some download keys for my other games. Let me know if there’s any of my other games you want to try, and I’ll email you a key to the address on your receipt for M&M. 

same!