Idle Cartulary

  • Bathtub Review: The Iron Coral

    Bathtub Reviews are an excuse for me to read modules a little more closely. I’m doing them to critique a wide range of modules from the perspective of my own table and to learn for my own module design. They’re stream of consciousness and unedited critiques. I’m writing them on my phone in the bath.… Continue reading

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  • Zungeon Zunday: The Divorced Mage

    In 2025 I’m reviewing zungeon zines. They’re stream of consciousness and unedited critiques, just like Bathtub Reviews, but they’ll be a little briefer. The goal here is a little different: I want to spotlight what a craft-based, just-do-it approach to module writing can do. The Divorced Mage is an 8 page zungeon for DURF by… Continue reading

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  • Bathtub Review: Lost Mine of Phandelver

    Bathtub Reviews are an excuse for me to read modules a little more closely. I’m doing them to critique a wide range of modules from the perspective of my own table and to learn for my own module design. They’re stream of consciousness and unedited critiques. I’m writing them on my phone in the bath.… Continue reading

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  • Zungeon Zunday: The Temple of Kuzhlen

    In 2025 I’m reviewing zungeon zines. They’re stream of consciousness and unedited critiques, just like Bathtub Reviews, but they’ll be a little briefer. The goal here is a little different: I want to spotlight what a craft-based, just-do-it approach to module writing can do. The Temple of Kuzhlen by Kirhon Vi is a 3 page… Continue reading

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  • Releasing Guilders

    For the last few years, I have been really intrigued by Trophy and particularly Trophy Gold, which are absolute messes of games, which don’t suit my play style at all, but that I find deeply compelling, to the point where I wrote a very long review for Wyrd Science about them. Anyway, in the intervening… Continue reading

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  • Zungeon Zunday: A Mirror Dungeon

    In 2025 I’m reviewing zungeon zines. They’re stream of consciousness and unedited critiques, just like Bathtub Reviews, but they’ll be a little briefer. The goal here is a little different: I want to spotlight what a craft-based, just-do-it approach to module writing can do. A Mirror Dungeon was the first zungeon written, to my knowledge.… Continue reading

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  • Bathtub Review: The Sunless Citadel

    Bathtub Reviews are an excuse for me to read modules a little more closely. I’m doing them to critique a wide range of modules from the perspective of my own table and to learn for my own module design. They’re stream of consciousness and unedited critiques. I’m writing them on my phone in the bath.… Continue reading

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  • The Idle Cartulary Awards for Excellence in Elfgames 2024

    This is the second year I’ve decided to post Novies, but rather than struggle to create novelty categories every year, I’m going to keep it simple. From 2024 (or so), I’m going to pick my favourite things, judging for innovation and how influential it was to me. However many runners up I want, because spread… Continue reading

  • The Zungeon Manifesto: Demystifying Dungeon Creation

    I have a really large earring collection; I have perhaps as many earrings as I have TTRPGs, and I mainly buy them from local craft markets, not jewellers. They’re all made from resin or clay, or cut from wood or acrylic, by hand or with homestyle equipment, in peoples’ basements or garages, not outsourced to… Continue reading

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  • Critique Navidad: Triangle Agency

    This holiday season, I’m going to review a different module, game or supplement every day. I haven’t sought any of them out, they’ve been sent to me, so it’s all surprises, all the way. I haven’t planned or allocated time for this, so while I’m endeavouring to bring the same attention to these reviews, it… Continue reading

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