Playtest Material Magazine

playtestmaterial.orgCollage and PlayTor Truslow writes, plays and collages in this visual essay created for Playtest Material Issue One.

We took a small website-posting hiatus but we are back uploading all the individual articles from Issue One. Today @toothandshore.bsky.social takes us on a visual journey with their gamed collages and collaged games. playtestmaterial.org/collage-and-...

If you enjoy Tor's work, they are developing a project right now called Kraldum. There are about three hours left on the crowdfunder so have a look while you can. They also use their collage methodology in Tending: A Game of Devotion; a really fascinating piece of work.

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Materialpublishing critical writing about roleplaying games

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Please note subscriptions for Issue One will CLOSE on October 31. After that the first issue for new subscribers will be Issue Two. playtestmaterial.org

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Dear subscribers. If you subscribed prior to October 11, your copy is now on its way to you if it has not already arrived. If you subscribed after October 11, it will be on its way early next week.

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

Some people are receiving their copies of Playtets Material. Fulfilment is occuring in phases, so do not panic if you did not yet receive yours. We hope you enjoy! On another note, pitches close tomorrow for Issue TWO. Get them in!

youtube.comThe Stillfleet StudioWe make weird + elegant + funny TTRPGs (Stillfleet, Blister Critters, Danse Macabre) and fun card games (Robot Hospital). About Stillfleet: « Uniquely flexible mechanics. An unforgettable game cosmo...

@laurieoc.bsky.social , our lead editor, will be live on Why We Roll in a short while talking about the process of putting together Issue One. Join us at www.youtube.com/@stillfleet

@threesailsstudios.bsky.social

*PLAYTEST lol

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Three Sails Studios

My copy of @playtestmaterial.bsky.social arrived! Looking forward to diving into this.

Playtest Material Magazine reposted

Steph

@fistfulofcrits.bsky.social

My issue of @playtestmaterial.bsky.social came today! Can't wait to dive in, there's a lot of very interesting think pieces in here and I'm very glad it exists. Awesome to print it too 🥹💕

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tor, mud skeleton (on the FINAL DAY of kraldumfunding)

@toothandshore.bsky.social

word on the street is that everyone's going nuts for the @playtestmaterial.bsky.social cover. imagine if the person who did it was available & gagging for artistic work.... oh whats this

tor, mud skeleton (on the FINAL DAY of kraldumfunding)@toothandshore.bsky.social

hey #portfolioday! would you like some collage art for your book covers, interior illustrations, dungeon maps, pamphlets, flyers or anything else? I'd love to do more commissioned work.

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Laurie O'Connel (is looking for ttrpg work (in Dublin))

@laurieoc.bsky.social

Just as an update for playtest material inquiries- we have had so many and we need to look at everything at once. If you haven't heard back please bear with us. Still really keen for reviews, literary essays and experimental pieces!

playtestmaterial.orgIssue Two: HistoriesIt’s my great honour as guest editor to introduce the second issue of Playtest Material, “Histories.” The call for submissions for this issue will open to the public September 15 and close October 15....

We are still OPEN FOR PITCHES for Issue 2. All experience and backgrounds welcome. We are especially looking for: -pieces not focussed on medieval europe -experimental writing -reviews have a look at our "experimental" and "reviews" sections in Issue 1! playtestmaterial.org/issue-two-hi...

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material Issue One: An RPG Is Like...Read the full magazine today.

Playtest Material Issue One is out now: playtestmaterial.org/playtest-mat...

View full thread

Miriam Jackel-Dewhurst @moonglummedia.com Nicholas Orvis @nsorvis.bsky.social , Noa Chazan @nnoa.bsky.social , Philippa Mort @mortphilippa.bsky.social Stephen Wilds @wilds.bsky.social Tor Truslow @toothandshore.bsky.social

We will slowly upload all the articles to the website individually, but this is a curated magazine, best enjoyed in one delicious gulp

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material Issue One: An RPG Is Like...Read the full magazine today.

Playtest Material Issue One is out now: playtestmaterial.org/playtest-mat...

This is a huge achievement for everyone involved but special thanks has to go to all of the writers: Amelia Stephen, Anna Simpson @selenedijon.bsky.social , Benjamin Klug @silkandstone.itch.io , D. Zhen C. @zhenwa40.bsky.social , David Blandy @davidblandyrpgs.bsky.social ,

Evan Torner @guyintheblackhat.bsky.social , Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk , Ian Badcoe, Irving Benitez @jellyfishlines.itch.io , John Lee Brougher @johnbrougher.com , Karen David, Kayla Dice, Laurie O'Connel @laurieoc.bsky.social , Luka Brave @psychhound.bsky.social

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material’s First Subscription Drive - A Resounding SuccessLast week, we launched a subscription drive for the inaugural issue of Playtest Material. Our aim was to meet a target of 75, which would allow our magazine to break even after paying contributors’ ...

So many people have put so much effort into Issue One of Playtest Material. It releases today online, with complete open access, at 20:00 UTC. playtestmaterial.org/playtest-mat...

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material launches its first ever subscription drivePlaytest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

Today is the last day of our "official" subscription drive. It's been a resounding success - but we still have further to go. Currently we have 89 subscribers. Reaching 100 would be a huge milestone for us. playtestmaterial.org/playtest-mat...

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C is for Crombil

@zhenwa40.bsky.social

I am grateful for the opportunity as a humble fan of TTRPGs to write for @playtestmaterial.bsky.social. I went into this writing with serious academic rigour, and the editing experience was really helpful in trying to make is parseable. It’s also just fun to be able to use quotes like this:

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

new on the site: what can 300-year-old Japanese sit-down comedy teach us about running better TTRPGs? playtestmaterial.org/rakugo-and-t...

playtestmaterial.orgSitting Down and Telling Stories: learning TTRPG skills from RakugoWhat do tabletop role-playing games have in common with Japanese sit-down comedy? In this article, D. "Zhen" C. explores the art of Rakugo and explains how TTRPG GMs and players can learn from its st...

“If we interpret a 'traditional' GM’s authority over storytelling as being similar to that of a Rakugoka to their 'banashi', then perhaps we can consider the traditional Rakugoka’s structured training in empathy to be a useful lens through which to understand safety in TTRPGs.”

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

new on the site: what can 300-year-old Japanese sit-down comedy teach us about running better TTRPGs? playtestmaterial.org/rakugo-and-t...

wouldn't it be fun if we can get to 100 by the time we go to print?

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

thank you so much for the support so far! our subscription drive is still ongoing, and we go to print on TUESDAY.

new on the site: what can 300-year-old Japanese sit-down comedy teach us about running better TTRPGs? playtestmaterial.org/rakugo-and-t...

Laurie O'Connel (is looking for ttrpg work (in Dublin))

thank you so much for the support so far! our subscription drive is still ongoing, and we go to print on TUESDAY.

Laurie O'Connel (is looking for ttrpg work (in Dublin))@laurieoc.bsky.social

1) since everything is ready, I am offically on holiday until playtest material issue one releases on tuesday. 2) patreon supporters, some very fun posts should be scheduled for over the weekend. 3) the playtest material subscription drive will continue til MONDAY, but I won't be updating so often.

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@laurieoc.bsky.social

Even before tori emailed offering to produce a piece for the magazine, I had already envisioned their art on the cover. I just knew it would be perfect for the magazine. If I could have only them do the covers forever, I would. They have a project on at the moment so take a look at their profile.

tor, mud skeleton (on the FINAL DAY of kraldumfunding)@toothandshore.bsky.social

pretty cool cover art too (i did it)

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Rowan Mysel Zeoli

@rowanzeoli.bsky.social

I love to see more critical writing (and print media!!) in the TTRPG space, definitely support them if you have the means

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

A serious one today. "This is a call to our readers and future readers: please, consider before scrolling away, if you think our magazine is worth £18+postage. It is not just an investment in a bundle of paper, but in meaningful critique in the ttrpg space." playtestmaterial.org/playtest-mat...

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material launches its first ever subscription drivePlaytest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

Playtest Material is at 71/75 subscribers. This is genuinely amazing; thank you to everyone. I think we'll pass 75, and will keep the drive going! The bigger our base is, the more we can support everyone involved with the magazine *and* think about lowering the cost of future issues.

We decide how many to print on Oct 1, the day we release digitally; that's also when we hit print (we have a quick turnaround!) If you want to secure one, make sure you have your subscription by then so we can lock in our numbers.

playtestmaterial.orgSpectating Play: Theatre, RPGs, and Critical SpectatorshipNicholas Orvis discusses the links between theatre and role-playing; what it means to perform and to watch others performing.

New article by @nsorvis.bsky.social Theatre is an art of re-presentation, of displaying a world... for a spectator; RPGs are about inhabiting one. By disentangling the way the two forms are like and unlike, we can expand the horizons of possibility for both." playtestmaterial.org/spectating-p...

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Personable | Markus

@personable.bsky.social

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material launches its first ever subscription drivePlaytest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

If I wasn't recently unemployed, I would be super keen on this. I'd love for enough folks to sign up that it's still around when I get more disposable income again.

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

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The Stillfleet Studio ☉ more than play 🇵🇸 🔜 Gaelcon

@stillfleet.bsky.social

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material launches its first ever subscription drivePlaytest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

TTRPG designers, players, readers, and commentators: the new journal of RPG studies, Playtest Material, is seeking subscribers to help grow and sustain itself. PM is something special. The caliber of writing has been incredible from the start.

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material launches its first ever subscription drivePlaytest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

Thank you all so much for such an impressive subscription drive so far! We are at 49/75 subs: Nearly two thirds of the way to what we need, and we've more than quadrupled our original subcriber base in less than 24 hours.

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

Please keep sharing today with your networks and talking about the magazine: let's keep up the momentum!

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John Lee Brougher

@johnbrougher.com

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material launches its first ever subscription drivePlaytest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

Please support new TTRPG magazine Playtest Material if you can! I have an article in the inaugural issue, as do folks like @jellyfishlines.itch.io and others!

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

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🪼Ghost Jellyfishlines 🔜 PaxU🪼

@jellyfishlines.itch.io

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material launches its first ever subscription drivePlaytest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

Shoutout to @selenedijon.bsky.social (aka @pelagicshardgames.bsky.social), she made a game for this magazine and I’m super excited to read it when the issue drops. If you wanna read and maybe even play her game, go grab a print subscription for Playtest Material today!

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

playtestmaterial.orgPlaytest Material launches its first ever subscription drivePlaytest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

Thank you so much to everyone who has shared or supported so far; we are nearly halfway towards our goal!

Playtest Material Magazine@playtestmaterial.bsky.social

Playtest Material Magazine reposted

1000000 years witch curse unbreakable

@selenedijon.bsky.social