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I got one of my long-term Runescape friends into TTRPGs recently so recommended him this, it's still a good read!

Combat in Runescape is a very mixed bag, you write about the Prayer skill nullifying most combat encounters, and outside of PvP where combat really shines, combat in Runescape is overall quite uninteresting.  

What I really like though is that a lot of Slayer monsters (and some quest monsters) can only be harmed or killed while using specific equipment. Count Draynor in Vampyre Slayer cannot be killed unless you have a hammer and stake, even if you're max level. Aberrant Spectres really stink, so unless you have nose pegs you're really gonna suffer!

This can be easily applied to TTRPGs, and can make for some more interesting bosses or combat encounters. Either have an enemy weak against a specific weapon, or give them attacks/abilities that can only be defended against with unique equipment. It's especially good if the party face the enemy without the specific equipment first, get their asses kicked, complete an adventure to get the necessary equipment, and then come back better prepared.

Of course Runescape didn't invent this, it's existed in games and folk stories for centuries (Beowulf requiring a shield of solid iron to defend against a dragon's breath comes to mind), but is still something that can really elevate things in a TTRPG. 

10 months later I just ran it! I blended it into an ongoing campaign, so had a recurring evil magician the one behind The Mother being unearthed, and fleshed out the start of the adventure into a bit of an investigation as to where the menfolk were vanishing off to! 

Overall a very fun little adventure, I'm looking forward to running the party through the rest of your one-shots soon!

Just played a taster game with Ryan - Jimmy "Brass Knuckles" managed to fisticuff his way out town after a run-in with the sheriff John! Good stuff : )

Thank you so much, I'm glad you like both! Heartseeker is a classic!

Thank you! I'm glad you like them :)

Thank you so much! Heartseeker is honestly so sick, been meaning to write something for it for years now so I'm glad you're enjoying the vibing vibes!

I'm Elf.

I hope you enjoy both! : )

Just read through it! It's amazing! Thank you so much for typing it up, and hopefully you enjoy the Revised Edition of Pentagruel when it's finished! Good gaming, hopefully the wizard will get his revenge next time!

This is amazing! Love the idea of the wizard in an adventuring party going mad and the rest of the adventurers having to defeat him! 

So glad you enjoyed the game, and those paper minis are so rad! Thank you for writing, I hope you enjoy the Revised Edition of Pentagruel when it's finished!

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I can't wait to see it!

This would be amazing! Please do! I have played Pentagruel as a sci-fi game, fielding most of my force with Muskets, snipers with Bow & Arrows  and then a tank as an Ogre Chariot!

When I first started working on Pentagruel, I planned to title it Mincemeat, with a sci-fi variant called Meatgrinder. I didn't get round to it in the end, but from my notes the main things that would need rules for that Pentagruel doesn't currently allow for are explosives and vehicles. 

I can't wait to see what you come up with! If you do put together any specific solo rules please share those as well, I've had a few people recommend adding a solo variant, but as I've never played any solo wargaming I wouldn't know where to begin! 

Thank you so much for all the kind words! Making DIY magic cards was one of the main motivators for making Pentagruel, Hotheads' sheets are so inspiring! 

This alternate roster sheet is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, it's so sick!!! I hope you have a good game next weekend! If there's anything you feel is missing/off about the game please let me know, I'm currently putting together a Revised Edition along with a few other things, so any feedback is likely to be put into that! 

The only real ways to reach out to me are here on itch through comments, or over on discord. I'm @jamzillarpg on Discord, feel free to message! Those prints I sent to the Dungeon Dive were leftovers from a zine fair I tabled at, I'd be able to print a couple more off though : )

This looks so sick, printed the rules off at work, don't have many scifi minis so gonna try and collage some paper minis to get gaming asap! 

Absolutely man! I've moved back down to the Black Country since we last crossed paths but I'm always down to talk zines and fantasy games! Do you have Discord? I'm @jamzillarpg on there, if not we'll sort something out!

Can't wait to see more! 

Definitely feel that about being a bit absent in digital and analogue spaces, but ultimately people follow for your amazing games! So keep pushing, it'll all be worth it 🙌

This goes so hard, just read through it and already planning to run it as a one shot for my Heartseeker group! Rad stuff! 🐺

The illustrations are also really sick! Can't wait to see what what the Oneiromancers divine next!

That's amazing! I'm glad you both enjoyed it, and those retro White Dwarfs are filled with so much cool stuff!

You didn't miss any rules regarding cover, I didn't put any in - while writing I couldn't think of anything that didn't slow down shooting more than I wanted it to, your solution of having it count as a shield is perfect! I've been keeping all of the notes and feedback that people have messaged me with since releasing the 'finished' game, once I have enough I'll put together a Revised Edition, and this mechanic for Cover is definitely something I'll add in if you're happy for me to!

Thank you as well for spending time to leave a comment, it's really appreciated : )

I can't wait to see them! 🧛

Wouldn't look half as great without your guys collage cheat sheets! Thanks for putting them out and for the comment : )

I intended it that unopposed combat rolls were ignored and don't inflict damage - having more lives means you're more likely to win as you're rolling more dice and likely tobget a higher roll compared to someone rolling one. I'll try and make this clearer in the next revision of the rules, thank you for the feedback :)

That's amazing, I'm glad you both had fun! And thank you for leaving a comment!

If there are any suggestions or changes in the game you have I'd love to hear them, as I'm slowly but surely working on a revised version of the game : )

Thank you for your comment, I'm glad you like the look of the game so far :)

I'm definitely gonna start doing more Ashcans for games I have 'ready' but not 'finished', I don't get too much free time for working on zines and games either so doing finetuning/balancing on a game just isn't an option unless I want to release a game every year (or longer!)

I'm looking forward to seeing what you put out next, Ashcan or otherwise!

Thank you so much man! I hope you have fun with it!

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This is a very good read :)
Runescape was probably the most influential piece of media for me growing up, as well as Talisman 1E. I played as a kid before the Grand Exhange was introduced, and opted to play Ironman mode in Oldschool to rid myself of the temptation. I played without the Wiki, which encouraged me to ask other players for help/advice if I couldn't for the life of me figure it out myself!

Sorry for all that rambling, here are some of my design thoughts on Runescape:

Tools with Multiple Uses:
Runescape is fickle when it comes to this one. Some tools, like the Knife and Chisel, are used in a variety of different scenarios and activities which I like. However, the fact that Battleaxes cannot be used to cut down trees has always bugged me, and if more tools had the same variety that a Chisel did it would make planning out your equipment for a quest much more interesting. 

This is a lot easier to do in a tabletop game than in a virtual one. Giving players more versatile equipment that encourages them to think creatively with what they have can lead to many more interesting moments in your games.

NPCs as part of the World:
There are a *lot* of NPCs in Runescape. Many of them I don't interact with (or can't, really) once their quest is complete. Some NPCs are used in multiple quests, which can make dialogue options sometimes confusing but that's a limitation of the computer game. I always found it strange as a kid that once you've done a quest for a character all they can do is essentially say 'well done' and aren't part of the game anymore.

In my table games I always try and do the opposite. I'll always re-use NPCs where possible, as it not only saves time preparing a character, but also gives the players a familiar face, friendly or otherwise. Perhaps players need a potion for a quest, but the only brewer in the land is a druid they wronged in a previous adventure. This leads to players thinking more about the social consequences of their adventures and puts them more firmly in the world they're exploring. Do they now force the druid to brew them a potion, or try to right their previous wrongs? 

Food as Culture:
This is probably one of the biggest things I learnt from Runescape in terms of design, and links into my next point a bit. Different cultures/settlements/creatures will eat different types of food, usually determined by their environment. This sounds obvious when written, but probably not something many people think about too often. How many times in a tabletop tavern do your adventurers eat 'food' and drink 'ale'? 

In Runescape, the people of Lumbridge have a lot of cow and chicken farms, while the people of Karamja eat tropical fish, goblins eat cave-bats and toads, and so on. When players are eating in your tabletop game, think about where they are and what the local people have to hand. You could give food systemic properties (advantages/disadvantages) to influence players to interact with food more often, but even if it's just a 'cosmetic' change, it can still help immerse the players in whatever region of the world they're in. 

Crafting and Survival:

Many of the attributes you have in Runescape don't contribute to combat or magic at all, and yet they're often some of the most important (especially without the Grand Exchange!). These are your crafting and survival skills. These include things like Fishing, Firemaking, Herblore, and are essentially skills that enable you to make useful equipment/resources out of the natural environment. Although there's no hunger/survival systems in Runescape, you'll often need to eat to regain HP. Killing and cooking small creatures like Chickens yields few HP, but as you increase your relevant skills you can prepare more restorative foods and more powerful potions to aid you.

These mechanics are best utilised in Runescape 3's Dungeoneering minigame, which is essentially a rogue-like dungeon crawler built into Runescape. Pools in dungeon rooms can be fished in, vines on the walls cut down and campfires made from them, there may be geodes or ores in crumbling walls to make metals from and so on. It creates a really cool feeling that you're making the most out of scant resources, a lone adventurer in the depths of this sprawling dungeon. 

I do tend to use survival mechanics in table games. Players need to eat, sleep, drink, and not doing so comes with detriments. This makes wilderness travel all the more interesting - players want to reach their objective as quickly as possible, and different terrains come with different advantages/disadvantages. It makes the wildernesses of the world feel more real, and not just a literal walk in the park.

I realise I've rambled on quite a bit there, I just like Runescape a lot and over the years it's made me think more deeply about the fantasy worlds I create. 

Thank you for making this zine, it is very good :)

May thine sword be ever sharp, and thine cunning ever sharper!

Yo! Yeah I've deleted Instagram, I've still got you on Discord so just messaged you there <|: )

Thanks for checking up on me, honestly means a lot :) 

Thank you! I hope you enjoy the digital version! That's strange it didn't come up on any searches, I'll look into that thanks for letting me know!

Hi Fasssq! I hope you're enjoying the physical copy! That was the first zine I ever put out, so I hope it stands the test of time! It has its own itch page here: https://jamzilla.itch.io/tot
Given that you've already got a physical copy I'd be more than happy sending you the digital stiff for free, let me know your email and I'll send a download link over to you! <|: )

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying <|: )

I do print my own zines, I don't have the most professional setup but I've got all I need for small runs of zines and stuff like that! The printer I use can print borderless on some paperweights but only one-sided! I print 4 A6 pages on one side and then manually feed it back in to print the reverse on the other side. I then cut the zines with a metal ruler and a craft knife and use a long-arm stapler to bind them. It's always vey chaotic when I'm printing zines with sheets of paper lying around everywhere but definitely worth it :)

I might expand these out into a full hack and post that at some point, but for now here's a few special troop types to field, as well as some specialty hirelings for campaign play!

The cost listed is for individual troops, not entire units! So ten Questing Knights would cost 240c. I haven't played with these units yet so they might be too expensive/cheap. 

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Questing Knight:
3 Hits, Armour Rating 6, Movement 18 squares, Morale 11, 24c

• Subtract 1 to your own morale tests while you have any Questing Knights on the table. 
• If Questing Knights charged into melee as part of their Movement phase and were not subsequently charged they gain +1 on their attack die rolls for that combat only.
• A unit of Questing Knights that charges into melee immediately inflicts 1 Hit on the charged unit. If this completely destroys the charged unit, the Questing Knights may continue their move.

Trebuchet:
2 Hits, Armour Rating 6, Movement 0 squares, Morale 9, 35c

• Trebuchet units suffer no penalty for medium or long range missile attacks.
• Each trebuchet shot inflicts D3 Hits instead of 1.

Dragon:
5 Hits, Armour Rating 6, Movement 20 squares, Morale 10, 60c

• Dragons may only be fielded in units of 1
• A Dragon may fly over terrain and other units as part of its movement.
• A Dragon may breathe fire as a missile attack each turn. Any target units that are hit are set ablaze. At the end of each turn roll a D6. On a 6, any unit that is ablaze takes a Hit. A blazing unit may put itself out instead of moving normally.
• A Dragon that charges into melee immediately inflicts D3 Hits on the charged unit. If this completely destroys the charged unit, the Dragon may continue their move.

Giant:
3 Hits, Armour Rating 5, Movement 9 squares, Morale 9, 22c

• Whenever a Giant is slain in melee, roll a D6. On a 4+ it falls flat on the enemy and inflicts Hits equal to the roll.
• Any units of spears that are Set when charged by Giants gain +2 to their roll.

Specialists:

• Engineer - 100c (Needed for Trebuchet units.)
• Enchanter - 100c (Needed for Questing Knight units.)

Jamzilla, 2024

Hell yeah this is rad! Definitely got me wanting to put together a list of monsters to hire and spells for sorcerers! If I put some stuff together for it and post it on itch is that cool by you? Amazing work though forsooth!

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Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it <|: )

Alas! I sent them out yesterday! I’ll get this one posted out to you tomorrow, hope you enjoy it <|: )

I’ve just put up the physical copies! If you’re in the US, you might wanna wait for Knave of Cups’ next drop, they’ve got a few copies on their way! <|: )

There are! I haven’t posted them up yet but am planning to do so by the end of this week! As well as the zines there are A3 foldout maps! I’ll reply to your comment again to let you know when they’re up! <|: )

Thank you so much! I’m glad you like my work :)

Thanks so much for ordering a copy, I honestly really appreciate it! I’ll send you an email soon when I’ve posted it out to you, and I hope you enjoy it once it arrives!

Amazing! I always use Hearseeker whenever I run a proper dungeon-crawl, so that honestly means a lot! <|:^)

Yo! Not sure if you’re into Caves of Qud (very Dune inspired science-fiction game), but the soundtrack in that game is honestly really good, might be worth checking out as inspiration or just something to build from :) You can check it out here: https://soundcloud.com/craigoryham/sets/caves-of-qud-sessions

Amazing! Thank you so much, and for getting Bile Keep as well honestly it means a lot :D I’ll have to put in some extra goodies as well, thank you fr :)