Idle Cartulary

  • The Supply Chip

    I was saying to Marcia and Emmy that I’m feeling a little tired regarding the complexity of Knave 2e’s abundance of hazard dice, and mentioned that I am preferring a token system right now. I use poker chips. Buy Supply Chips in town, at the cost of 1 gp per Supply Chip. They take as… Continue reading

    , ,

  • Bathtub Review: Oz

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

  • I Read Shadowdark

    I Read Games reviews are me reading games when I have nothing better to do, like read a module or write or play a game. I don’t seriously believe that I can judge a game without playing it, usually a lot, so I don’t take these very seriously. But I can talk about its choices… Continue reading

  • House Rules for 5e from a House with No 5e

    There’s been a lot of talk about how 5e is bad lately (it isn’t) from public GMs and designers who want their players to switch to new or their games (they won’t), because GM and design centric perspectives misdiagnose that 5e is good, actually. This video’s first point illustrates the misdiagnosis well. Actually, players of… Continue reading

    ,

  • Bathtub Review: A Pound of Flesh

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

    , ,

  • Auto-gathering: A Cosy Overland Travel Layer

    I was thinking about encumbrance in the context of this fantastic post and was thinking that, while I love this level of quantum inventory, because streamlining inventory helps most games a lot, it detracts from the fun of “Ooh! I have this cool thing!” which I want more of. I, like everyone else, am playing… Continue reading

    , ,

  • Procedure as Move

    Marcia just posted this, positing fuck procedures, just let the GM decide as hoc for more meaningful bespoke travel. This is cool, but right now I’m into player choice, so I propose: When the party travels, spend the day. travelling. The GM proposes a danger you will encounter, an opportunity you will miss, and a… Continue reading

    ,

  • My personal feelings about Reach of the Roach God

    Yesterday I posted my Reach of the Roach God review, and it was a review I struggled with, for a number of reasons. This then, isn’t a review, but simply an expression of my feelings about the book and writing the review. I was torn on whether it was ethical to criticise strongly so early… Continue reading

  • Bathtub Review: Reach of the Roach God

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

    ,

  • Bathtub Review: Barrow Keep – Den of Spies

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

Want to support Playful Void or Bathtub Reviews? Donate to or join my Ko-fi!

I use affiliate links where I can, to keep reviewing sustainable! Please click them if you’re considering buying something I’ve reviewed! Want to know more?

Have a module, adventure or supplement you’d like me to review? Read my review policy here, and then email me at idle dot cartulary at gmail dot com, or direct message me on Discord!

Recent Posts

rootring: follow the ring from blog to blog, catch up on recent posts, and discover new TTRPG writing without relying on feeds, timelines, or recommendation algorithms.
Prev Next Random Ring

Categories

Archives

May 2026
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Recent Posts