Works in Progress at G&G
The year's end is nigh, irons on the fire...
Welcome to the Glyph and Grok - A weekly blog-letter exploring topics in the tabletop gaming arena. We explore design, execution, and culture relating to anything played on a tabletop.
Introduction
2024 has been a decent year for the Glyph and Grok. We’ve successfully moved to weekly blog letter entries and have surpassed our goal for the year for more subscribers than some D&D villages before December. Today we are discussing the slew of small projects and prospective written pieces I’m considering to get us to the end of the year.
Death By Dungeon: Site of the Megalo - OD&D Megadungeon Sublevel
This is a Substack mega dungeon project headed up by Thog of
and it’s filled with talented people making cool stuff. I submitted concept for a sub-level and it was accepted. I think the map is where I want it to be. The room key is sketched out with descriptions, monsters, a random encounter table, and some treasures. All that’s left is to bring it all together in a single column layout in the OSR zine fashion. This is my next immediate task, I don’t actually know when it will be released for the project - it may be some months, but I want to get it completely submitted before 2025.
Vorlokus - Shadowdark Exploration Site
The third and final iteration of the Vorlokus is underway, designed for use with Shadowdark and to be released by Goof and Grump. I’ve been working on a redo of the map, and I think the stat block is locked in. We may be trying something different with the layout so i’m looking forward to what that will look like.
Wyvern Rookery: Subscription Reward
I have nothing to show for this yet, but I was inspired by my most recent solo play to put together a Wyvern Rookery exploration site designed for use with Shadowdark and to give it to all subscribers. My goal is to have this ready for delivery before end of December. This will be the first official module from the world of Giathos and made exclusively available to the subscribers of the Glyph and Grok.
Xara and Sabaar #2 and Giathos Lore Entries
I am planning to see where Xara and Sabaar’s story takes them after the first entry was good fun for me. Pelf is still around, and I intend to have his storyline intersect with Xara and Sabaar at some point assuming everyone survives to that point. I have many ideas floating around for Giathos. As I explore, expect more entries describing major events, deities, stories and more to cement into canon.
There is also a regional hex map of the Catastros region in the works.
TTRPG Reviews
His Majesty the Worm
I just picked up a copy of this today, and I am excited to read it. Sold as a new-school rpg with old-school sensibilities that makes resource management like food, hunger, light, and inventory central but fun. Flipping through the art and layout are great, I need to know what mechanics are at work in this one.
Dragonbane
The starter box has been sitting on my shelf for months. I’ve read through it once, but I plan to get my thoughts on paper about the solo system rules and what I like or don’t like about the game itself. More fantastic art from a game that originates from the old days.
Player’s Handbook / Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024)
I wholesale refuse to purchase any digital products from WOTC for D&D, but I am buying the 2024 series of primary physical books because I have some fun people running a weekly 5E game where I get to be a player - but also the book is a pretty artifact. It really is a shame that WOTC basically canned their book department after making these, I want to be a data point for physical books and against making D&D into a loot box-ridden VTT video game.
The 2014 DMG was rather bad. I’ve read it multiple times cover to cover and it never felt like it helped me as a dungeon master attempting to expand my skill set. If for nothing else, I wish to read the new book all the way through and spell out what I think can be found in it that is positive for today’s aspiring game masters.
I have to wait for Christmas for the DMG though ;P
3D Printing - Lots of Necromunda
The other major tabletop game I’ve been playing is Necromunda. I bought a second under hive gang and have been pushing my 3D printer to make me cool terrain non-stop for weeks.
The Darkhyve STLs by Saucerman Studios is the coolest thing I’ve found for this purpose. I’m using spools of plastic printing this scenery out that if purchased by Games Workshop (producers of Necromunda and 40K) it would cost me hundreds of dollars for what I’ve printed already and thousands of dollars for what I plan to have on the shelf when I’m done.
I’m not very good at the game, but I am having a blast playing!
Conclusion
In summation, thanks for being on this journey with me as we continue to explore tabletop gaming topics that peak our interest. The next three weeks will have regular written entries as usual, and the last two weeks of the year will be break time! Until that point, we are thankful for you wonderful readers. The projects will continue onward as we learn by doing. The above was presented in no particular order, if any of these topics is more interesting to you than others, feel free to comment as such.
Till next time.
Useful Things For You
Playlist Add - Role: Baseline
Great job and high quality stuff for RPG! Keep on doing as well in 2025!