How has no one made an evil spaghetti game before!? Red sauce restaurants should feel obliged to partner with Ethan Gould and sell this zine.

So many cool things here. The game mentions Cyclonopedia. What is not to love?

I totally get that! The good thing is, you an always publish a post-jam extended version with more content, and then there is an organic reason to make more announcements and invite people to more playtests. Thanks for submitting something. I look forward to reading a CRPG with grit!

Hi everyone, just a quick note to say that, from the organizers' perspective, we'd love to see all of your submissions, even if they are incomplete or short! You don't need to write something long in order to add useful ideas to the Grit System community or win a prize from the judges. No worries if you're busy with August vacation/back to school activities, but feel free to submit whatever you have.

We would be honored to see a video game using the Grit System! I think using some version of our scores, burning a resource called grit, and especially weaving in the numbers 3, 6, and 9 can all work well to make the game feel Gritty. I actually think a shared-by-the-party pool of GRT is brilliant and doesn't "break the rules."

Note: we extended the game jam by a week, so there is still time left! If you have other specific questions, please feel free to comment here or ping me on Discord at-Stillfleet.

Happy birthday, HODAG! Cannot wait to play and talk about STRIKEMASTERS with you!

So sorry to be slow to reply! They do not have to be polished at all. It is totally up to you. The judges will use their own, well, judgment when assessing categories such as best writing, best visual design, etc. Polish may matter a lot for something like visual design (art), but less for best new rule, where the core concept matters more. I would just say: don't worry too much about it! Have fun.

GET WEIRD WITH US

For Appx. N Jam 2026, Wythe Marschall (Stillfleet, PICARO!, Why We Roll) and Anthony Grasso (Blister Critters) created a free, 4-page, A5, OSR-inspired, system-agnostic, Grit System-nodding-at, 1st-level adventure about a "dragon" (definitely, totally a dragon and not the giant worm pictured on the cover) who is eating a poor village's sheep. Ft. multiple hooks, areas, NPCs, &c.

Will you raise your sword to put down the beast? >

Thanks for checking out our games! We do love body horror and thus mutations. I personally don't focus too much on mutations in Blister Critters, but they a major focus of Danse Macabre for sure.

In the future, we'll have more OSR-adjacent games coming out that do not highlight or strongly feature mutations, as well as Stillfleet 2.0, in which the body horror comes more often from rogue nanotech.

Let's keep this short: FINALLY—

—you can see an entire TWO PAGES from book twelve of the absolute perfection that would have been the Stillfleet Studio's officially licensed TTRPG adaptation of the hit triple-A fighting-game series VILLAINHERO CHAOS ACADEMY.

Two pages. Eight characters. Limitless (ish) ideas for mayhem.

Get those pages. Free. TODAY.

• Adaptation (writing/layout) by Wythe Marschall
• Art by Anthony Grasso
• Powered by the Grit System

Hey there, we are definitely down to discuss a longer published zine. We just hesitate to commit to anything before the jam ends, the judges do their work, and we (separate from the judges) read everything. I feel torn because, as a game designer, I don't want anyone to limit their imagination based on page count. But as a publisher, we don't want to overcommit at this time.

If you want, please feel free to message me on Discord: at-Stillfleet.

Thanks for adding to the system!

Dear Sometimes friends, FYI, the first-ever Grit System Game Jam is happening all summer. There are prizes awarded by guest judges as well as third-party licenses for all the games, including The Sometimes Kingdom RPG. More info here:

https://stillfleet.com/gamejam2026

FYI, the first-ever Grit System Game Jam is happening all summer. There are prizes awarded by guest judges as well as third-party licenses for all the games. More info here:

https://stillfleet.com/gamejam2026

FYI, we are running the first-ever Grit System Game Jam here on Itch!

We have guest judges, prizes, this here SRD, and an amazing community.

Please consider playing around with/hacking apart our medium-crunch + narrative-forward system. Thanks!

Dear Sometimes players, this is a double FYI:

1. We have published the Actual Official First Zine for The Sometimes Kingdom RPG, Monsoon. Please check it out!

We have printed physical copies! You can find us in NYC or Philly to buy them, or ask your friendly local game store to carry it from Studio 2.

2. We are currently hosting our Actual Official First Grit System Game Jam. It's running all summer. We have commercial-friendly third-party licenses for all games, including the strange splendour of The Sometimes Kingdom RPG. We have guest judges. We have prizes, to be awarded by those guest judges. We have a system reference doc (SRD).

We would love to see your new spell words, Quest hooks, hacks, and so forth.

Hi y'all, I want to shares ome useful links for those designer who are participating in our big jam. I can add more as they arise.

"What is the Grit System?" tools:

• Grit System SRD PDF – Free system reference document
• Grit System game licensing PDF – Free, commercial-friendly, third-party licenses for all of our indie TTRPGs
• Grit System explainer on The Weekly Scroll – Grit System creator Wythe Marschall explains the system in depth, talks about what it was designed to do, offers examples
• Grit System explainer on Procedures at Play – Grit System creator Wythe Marschall explains the system in depth, talks about its place in the OSR/NSR 

Other useful tools related to the Grit System:

• SFS Discord server – This is the best way to interact with the Stillfleet Studio. (Reddit is a fun second-best!) If you're not on our server, please consider joining
• STRINGS – The in-development Stillfleet Studio digital app, with character generators
• Why We Roll – The indie tabletop roleplaying game design podcast of the Stillfleet Studio: thanks to our amazing guests, this is a great resource for people interested in designing TTRPGs!
• Grit System games Google Doc templates – Helpful tools to copy and paste when writing for existing Grit System games

Grit System games:

• Stillfleet
• Blister Critters
• Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying
• The Sometimes Kingdom RPG
• PICARO!
• [ULTRADELVE is forthcoming]

Grit System examples of actual play on podcasts/streams:

• Worlds Beyond Number: Solari (Stillfleet)
• Fun City: Float City (Stillfleet)
• DnD + Drama Nerds: Start the Steal (Stillfleet)
• Fun City: The Blood Thieves (Danse Macabre)
• RP Jesters: Lost Requiem (Danse Macabre)
• The Weekly Scroll: Blister Critters
• Pint of Cthulhu: Blister Critters
• The Questing Network: The Sometimes Kingdom RPG
• Plus One Exp: PICARO!

These look amazing, Alex, thank you! We definitely recommend that game designers who use Google Docs (which is what we work in) check out these useful templates.

Dear Macabre homies, the first-ever Grit System Game Jam is happening all summer, and we'd love people who have played Danse Macabre to join in! There are prizes awarded by guest judges as well as third-party licenses for all the games, including DM. More info here:

https://stillfleet.com/gamejam2026

Now is the time to check out the Grit System

Stillfleet. Blister Critters. Danse Macabre. The system that underlies these games and others is unique for being "medium-crunch": super easy to learn, highly extensible. At heart, you roll 1 die (d6 through d12, depending on the score) and try to get a 6. The powers are narrative. And your pool of grit goes up and down as you burn points to boost rolls and use those powers. But that's just the beginning…

What can you do with a truly modern system? Find out this summer! We have guest judges awarding prizes to a bunch of categories. We have commercial-friendly third-party licenses for all of our games. We have a ridiculously lovely community of players and GMs. What are ya waiting for?

Don't miss out—join the jam!

Hi everyone! This summer, we're running our second-ever game jam, with amazing guest judges, prizes, third-party licenses, and a system reference doc (SRD)! If you enjoy Blister Critters and have an idea to share, please consider joining the jam. We'd really love to see more amazing Blister Critters material. Thanks!

Hey y'all, this summer, we're running our second-ever game jam, with prizes, third-party licenses, and a system reference doc (SRD)! If you enjoy Blister Critters and have an idea to share, please consider joining the jam. Thanks!

Dear voidminers: we are running our first-ever Grit System Game Jam, featuring amazing guest judges, prizes, commercial-friendly licenses, and a free SRD. If you've enjoyed Stillfleet, consider entering the jam and sharing whatever weird idea(s) you've brought to your table. We'd love to see them!

Playtested, dense with art, & in dire need of creative gig-Adventurers—

After a year of playtesting the draft rules for artist Ethan Gouldini's bespoke isekai-adjacent fantasy game using the Grit System, we've refined them and managed to cage them in an official First Zine (number one of several). If you like portal fantasy, high-magic fantasy, urban/modern-ish fantasy, cozy/queer fantasy, lots and lots of non-evil skeletons, and/or magical cars, please check it out.

Pick up the The Sometimes Kingdom 🜸 Zine 01: Monsoon ☞

Just look at this gorgeous spread of spell words! The magic system is fun, intuitive, and infinitely extensible.

Look out for more SK zines with new rules and character options 🔜

Here is a bit more art by Ethan Gouldini that doesn't even appear in SKZ01 but probably will at some point. There's just too much art for a single zine! We're mad with art-power! And labor power! Come a journey with us, folks—try out The Sometimes Kingdom and bring earth and your next fantasy setting into conversation with each other. We swear, it's worth it.

Did you know we're also running a prize-dotted Grit System Game Jam with commercial-friendly third-party licenses for all games, including The Sometimes Kingdom? Yeaaah, buddy, that's right: you can start hacking the spell-forging rules right away. Come on down and jam with us!

Dear voidfriends—wow, it's been a while since we published the Stillfleet Core Rulebook. We are very proud of this massive effort and the community it spawned. Stillfleet is still one *the* best sci-fi games out there, all in. (In fact, now we're on Worlds Beyond Number!?) That said, in the years since the CRB, we've published several new games, each tweaking, extending, and pushing forward the Grit System.

To celebrate this fact, we are about to launch a summer-long jam—the inaugural Grit System Game Jam. We now have commercial-friendly third-party license for all games (including Stillfleet) and a free system reference document. The jam will be judged by amazing guests, all of whom are great indie TTRPG designers themselves. *And* we're offering multiple prizes, including cash + a print run of a zine.

If you have a cool homebrew idea for a Stillfleet venture, setting, item, NPC, power list, etc., please consider joining the jam. We appreciate all entries, big and small.

Thank you for your support over the years. Engaging with the Stillfleet community has been an absolute joy and honor. See y'all at the jam!

Dear Blister friends, this summer, we're running our second-ever game jam, with multiple prizes, third-party licenses, and a free system reference doc (SRD)! If you enjoy Blister Critters and have an idea to share, please consider joining the jam.

Dear Blister Community, we are launching our second-ever game jam, with multiple prizes, third-party licenses (commercial-friendly), and a free system reference doc (SRD)! If you enjoy Blister Critters and have an idea you want to share with the world, please consider joining the jam.

Ah, keen eye. They are baked into the vocations! So instead of a page on Mercs, then a page on Knights and a page on Needles, we just offered Merc/Knight and Merc/Needle, with all powers included, to save space for the first zine.

In a future rulebook, we may break them out again. Let us know what you think!

100 magical items based on real medieval history?

Well, they're not "magical" but "quintessent"—but yes!

Designed for Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying using the Grit System but useful for all players of medieval TTRPGs (OSR games, D&D, Borg games, Knave, Cairn, Into the Odd, etc.), this zine features great art and writing by Danse Macabre creator Christopher Pickett.

How does quintessence alter the body horror of the game? Find out as you read through these well-researched and actually interesting medieval weapons, books, clothes, and curios.

If you enjoy Danse Macabre, please consider leaving a brief positive comment to help others find the game—or just to let the artists know you stopped by. We really appreciate every reader, player, and Chronicler (GM).

We had to do a historical mega-dungeon.

The months and months of research = well worth it.

If you are into medieval TTRPGs, trying out Danse Macabre, looking to bring more gritty realism (and some abbey cats) to your D&D/OSR/Borg game, or just a fan of well-written adventures (featuring early mechanical horrors, zombies, shapeshifting undead nobles, the English! the dread English! and so forth), please check out Unsunken: Paris Below.

It's in-depth, full of art and maps, and really about as weird as it can be while still hewing to the original idea of a Parisian mega-dungeon based entirely in real French history and myth. (Plus mutant zombies.)

If you enjoy the campaign setting/dungeon/new underground rules, please let us know in the comments! We are a very small TTRPG-design studio, and we appreciate every single player/reader. Thank you!

Expand your medieval world with the Guide

Designed for Danse Macabre but useful for any medieval horror/dark fantasy TTRPG featuring body horror—this is a wild book of settings, encounters, and quests.

Check out the Guide if you have any version of Danse Macabre, or if you run other medieval TTRPGs. This book features a host of guest writers exploring different settings, dozens of excellent black-and-white illustrations in an old-school style, and many sparks to help you GM memorable and lethal medieval horror games.

If you like the book, please tell us in the comments! We really appreciate everyone who takes the time to check out our games.

Are you a fan of…

Between Two Fires? Souls-like games? Medieval history? Zombie-slaying with a thoughtful philosophical twist? Body horror?

Then check out Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying by Christopher Pickett & the Stillfleet Studio, now available on Itch.

This Grit System game is jam-packed with intuitive rules for brutal combat, 300 unique mutation powers (you become more potent—but less human—each time you die and rise again), real medieval weapons, memorable demoniacs (mutant zombies), and true death-granting relics—all drawn from history. The art is amazing. The alt-history (year = 1390) pulls the world away from "clashes of civilizations" and toward cosmopolitan, fortified city-states filled with zombie-genre scheming. And the game is 100% #HumanMade.

We (Stillfleet Studio) are a small indie TTRPG-design studio. We appreciate everyone who checks out, downloads, plays, and/or reviews our games. If you like the look/feel, feel free to drop a kind comment or join us on Discord to chat or jump into a one-shot. Thanks!

This game is great, really inspiring!

Check out actual play of Danse Macabre with three awesome streamers and the creators!

We have just launched the full version of Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, the dark historical fantasy TTRPG by Christopher Pickett and the Stillfleet Studio, on Kickstarter. Please check it out if you enjoy Prima Mors!

http://stillfleet.com/danse

FYI, we have just launched our third game using the Grit System—Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, a dark historical fantasy TTRPG by Christopher Pickett and the Stillfleet Studio. Please check it out if you enjoy the Grit System and dark medieval fantasy!

http://stillfleet.com/danse

FYI, we have just launched our third full game—Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, a dark historical fantasy TTRPG. Please check it out if you enjoy Blister Critters!

While they look different, both games use the same system, are about building community in the face of apocalypse, and feature rad art by indie illustrators! Please consider supporting us:

http://stillfleet.com/danse

FYI, we have just launched our third full game—Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, a dark historical fantasy TTRPG. Please check it out if you enjoy Blister Critters!

While they look different, both games use the same system, are about building community in the face of apocalypse, and feature rad art by indie illustrators! Please consider supporting us:

http://stillfleet.com/danse

FYI, we have just launched our third game using the Grit System—Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, a dark historical fantasy TTRPG by Christopher Pickett and the Stillfleet Studio. Please check it out if you enjoy Stillfleet! This game is also dark and political, but in a completely different way, being set on earth in the year 1390.

http://stillfleet.com/danse

FYI, we just launched our third full game—Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, a dark historical fantasy TTRPG. Will Savino is one of the artists working with us on the Danse Macabre Official Sound Track!

http://stillfleet.com/danse

FYI, we have just launched our third game using the Grit System—Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, a dark historical fantasy TTRPG by Christopher Pickett and the Stillfleet Studio. Please check it out if you enjoy the system!

http://stillfleet.com/danse