May 2025 - Cinderella Edition
The Carousing Collective is back with our third issue, including a circulating library, a review of Fungi of the Far Realms, wisdom from David "Dinkie" Rizzle, and more!
This month we're welcoming two new members to the collective: Liz of Magnolia Keep and Elizabeth of Patchwork Paladin! And we'd like to thank our fairy godmother Clayton for waving his designer wand and giving us a glow-up. You can read about his process here.
Roll to Carouse!
- Lighten your coin purse at the Projects Pavilion.
- Pilfer ideas from the Blog Bazaar.
- Sample the delights of the Gameable Gallery.
- Hear the raving of Reviewers Row.
- Stroll the Columnists Colonnade.
- Languish in the Opinion Oubliette.
Projects Pavilion ⤴
- Blogs On Tape published by Nick LS Whelan
Blogs on Tape has begun releasing its 5th season, with a reported 8 hours of listening over 26 episodes, releasing weekly. It is a well edited and smooth listen that guides you through some of the best blogs available in the space today, in an audio format instead of words. As with any curated list of blogposts, there are plenty I already recognize and love, but others I hadn't seen or previously bounced off of reading before, and this is the perfect format to engage with those works almost passively. I greatly adore this series and I'm thrilled to see it return in 2025. - Farmer Gadda - Brioche Bataille by Florian Ingels
In the grim gluten of the far future, there is only war. - John - Knock! Issue #5 published by The Merry Mushmen
The infamous magazine of articles, classes, and adventure gaming bric-a-brac is back with 212 decadent, full-color pages of stuff. So far, every issue of this magazine has packed at least five articles that changed the way I played games. This issue is likely to do it again. - Clayton - Liminal Horror Deluxe Edition published by Space Penguin Ink
I never got warm with Call of Cthulhu or Lovecraft in general, but I dig the X-Files and other modern horror franchises. Liminal Horror is a great game and I'm not just saying it because it happens to be based on Into the Odd! - elmcat - The 2025 IGDN Diversity Sponsorship Application by The Indie Game Developers Network
If you are a game designer with a marginalized identity, the IGDN wants to support your work with a grant and mentorship. If you're thinking to yourself, "I wonder if I qualify?" The answer is likely a resounding, "Yes!" - Clayton
Blog Bazaar ⤴
- Designing a logo for Carouse, Carouse! by Clayton Notestine
Clayton dives into how the sausage gets made. Specifically, our sausage! On top of being a fun peek behind the curtain for the sickos in the audience, Clayton does a great job of accessibly documenting his creative process, from ideation to revision to the little mistakes made along the way. Especially impressive is the way he threaded input from many very different voices into one coherent whole. If you like his work here, you can support it by sharing this site with all your friends :) - Taylor B. - Dominoes Dungeon by Onslaught Six
Tidal Wave Games remixed the Cairn 2e dungeon stocking table for use with dominoes, thereby expanding the stocking process to also include the generation of a possible dungeon layout. Neat! - Tobias - Fiction Finally - This Vorpal Coil by Rose Skye
Rose Skye launches a new blog with a banger of a first post. Here, she writes about the "fiction first" concept in TTRPGs, dives into the origins of it, and describes some of the issues it can create. - Ty - How Jennell Jaquays Evolved Dungeon Design by Nickoten
Part one of this new series explores pre-Jaquays dungeon design, and it's full of examples and concise analysis. I'm glad to see further exploration of Jaquays' innovation and legacy and can't wait for follow-up posts! - Rowan H - Landmark Cites - Dwelling by Chris McDowall
Very much enjoying Chris' series on Landmarks—a mine of inspiration. - Will - On Casting by Sandro
A nice discussion on something that has often occurred to me; how do we choose the members of our group? - Will - Player-Facing Pointcrawl: Regional Sandbox by Derek B.
Holy cow—what an incredible deep dive and example of building a pointcrawl adventure from the ground up! You don't always need a hexcrawl; you can capture that same spirit of discovery with a pointcrawl, too. - elmcat - Sandbox Settlements: Downtime by elmcat
I'm a firm Play-by-Post Downtime Enjoyer but I do think elmcat is cooking with gas here. The design goals he's chosen make this downtime style easy (and appealing) to slot into any system with a focus on foreground growth. I'd happily add this to borough prep for my perennial fav Electric Bastionland. Especially interesting are his thoughts on discoverability, which hew close to the structure of an idle game and make me itch to experiment with Real Time Downtime. Good shit, elm. - Taylor B. - Sidrak and Bokkus: 415 Medieval Questions by Skerples
This is exactly the sort of weirdness that sends my imagination in unexpected directions. Some of these questions could form the basis of an entire campaign setting, and the others are, well... they're really something. - Rowan H - Vancian Magic Is Made for Sandbox Play in D&D by Bandit's Keep
Bandit's Keep makes a gentle but firm reminder that DnD's magic system of choice was made for a particular style of play, and expresses how that play can make or break your Sandbox campaign. Using examples from Jack Vance's actual text to underpin his point helped me, someone who isn't a fan of Vancian Magic, understand and appreciate the specific fantasy that is being fulfilled in games that reference it. This is a short but very sweet video that's given me a lot to think about with regards to player engagement in a world. - Farmer Gadda
- Who Up Tunneling Them Trolls? by Roll to Doubt
This piece takes us beyond D&D's origins into broader TTRPG history. If, like me, you're new to Tunnels & Trolls, it's the ideal introduction—offering a true hobbyist's perspective on what the hobby should value. - elmcat - Worldbuilding Through the Rebuking Cleric by Josh McCrowell
A really interesting thought about tying setting to mechanics. - Will - Why I Like Binary Resolution Systems by Fedmar
This is excellent advice: before you roll the dice, map out two possible outcomes and present them up front. I admit I don’t always think ahead when I call for a roll, but after trying both approaches, laying out the possibilities first always feels more meaningful. - elmcat
Gameable Gallery ⤴
The Circulating Library
by Patchwork Paladin
This exclusive library has a small reception area for guests and a much larger and more extensive collection for paying subscribers. Subscribers may withdraw one volume per week, and all books are imbued with spells which automatically return them to the Library shelves at the end of the week. No renewals are permitted. Guests can read one of three or four volumes available for perusal in any given week in front of the reception desk. These volumes change regularly, and are announced ahead of time in the Market Herald, as are new volumes available to subscribers. Nearly all stallholders of the Market subscribe, as do many patrons, and the Reading Rooms are an excellent place to meet people and gossip. The Library also runs a serialised fiction in the Deep Caller newspaper called "Amelia and Canderol," currently in its 157th week.
The head librarian is a tiny wizened forest gnome named Pinniminni, who wears a leather jacket adorned with gold and often seems to fade into the covers of the book stacks. Pinniminni has a particular fondness for tales of travel and knows much about the lands and history of the around around Deep Market and even further away. The Library is run by the Deep Market Library and Philanthropical Association, who also arrange the Library Ball at the Center, the social event of the year for Deep Market high society.
The assistant librarian is a very tall, willowy cat-person of a striped tabby variety named Harash who moves quietly through the stacks and often makes patrons jump. Harash is in charge of new patrons and acquisitions, while Pinniminni manages the collections and conservations of the books. Harash loves tales of romantic fiction, and believes herself to be in love with the author of Amelia and Canderol – whoever that may be. She scours the text each week searching for coded signs that her love is returned.
It is said that the library itself circulates from time to time, appearing in different parts of the Deep Market. Magical wards upon the whole are very strong, and special charms against fire and theft operate throughout.
d4 Adventure Hook
- Pinniminni has discovered a book upon the shelves in which someone has secreted a coded message. A review of nearby books shows several with similar messages. Can the PCs decode the messages?
- Harash receives a note from the anonymous author of "Amelia and Canderol" that he is in danger and only she can help. Pinniminni is suspicious and hires the party to follow her.
- Harash has been found in a puddle of blood in the library stacks and Pinniminni is nowhere to be found. The Library and Philanthropical Association needs backup.
- The library has been infested with some type of parasite which is damaging the books and frightening the patrons. Can the PCs clear out the library from the infestation?
The Tome of Mad Slibs
for use with the Circulating Library
an interpretation of hook number three from the table above
by Taylor B.
The Tome of Mad Slibs lies next to Harash, soaking up blood from the unresponsive cat-person. Whatever image was on the cover faded long ago, but you can just make out the hint of something - a smile? Hard to say. The librarians are too busy with damage control to investigate. "I've never seen that one," says a mousy intern, "but maybe it holds a clue?"
Touching the Tome transports the reader to the Preface with a soft whoosh, like a long exhale.
Map
The Tomb consists of white walls with thin blue horizontal lines painted at regular intervals. Bold red arches line each doorway. Inexplicably, it smells damp despite no obvious source of moisture.
Rules
The door to each room bears the page number it leads to above a series of prompts: long horizontal lines with descriptors underneath (noun, verb, etc.). Doors remain closed until all prompts have been filled in, at which point they swing open (and close) on their own. Prompts cannot be erased. If entering a room from a second entrance, the most recent set of prompts overwrites the first.
Prompts define what is inside each room. Fill in the read-aloud text and improvise as needed!
Anyone attempting to fill a prompt with a word that doesn't match is immediately eaten by a grue.
Preface
A long, cold hallway. Someone's hung a sign from the ceiling: "THE TOMB OF MAD SLIBS", and, in smaller text underneath, "an adventure for 3-5 readers".
The door to the next room is slightly ajar. Someone's already filled in the prompts.
Page 1
Prompts: Adjective (DAMP), Material (PAPER), Adjective (BREATHY), A Friend's Name (HARASH), Your Name (PINNIMINNI), Creature (GRUE)
Inside, written on the wall: "Behold, reader! You have been stolen away to the DAMP PAPER Tomb of Mad Slibs with a BREATHY whoosh! Beware, reader: my minions have already attacked your friend HARASH, and the only way to save them is with the healing poultice in Page 6! Hope you weren't planning to rely on PINNIMINNI for help, as they've been whisked away to the dungeon on Page 5!
Good luck, reader, and be warned: writing the wrong words will have you eaten by a GRUE!"
The room is barren aside from Pinniminni's Mini Pen, whose burgundy ink matches that written on the door.
Page 2
Prompts: Adjective, Number between 1 and 50, Noun, Adjective [Intimidating], Type of Poetry, Noun
Inside, written on the wall: "You enter a church in low light. Cracked pews litter the floor. A __ (adjective) orc with __ (number) hit dice and armor as __ (noun) gnaws on old bones. It attacks on sight with its ___ (adjective) battle axe, but can be calmed with a confident __ (poem) about __ (noun)."
Page 3
Prompts: Room you might find in a house, Adjective, Creature [Water-Dwelling], Verb, Emotion, Noun
Inside, written on the wall: "The air is cool. This space used to be a __ (room), but now a __ (adjective) river teeming with __s (creature) cuts through the tomb. Readers who taste its waters may find their ability to __ (verb) heightened significantly for the next day; this makes the __ (creatures from before) feel __ (emotion). The secret entrance to Page 5 is hidden. It only reveals itself in the presence of a single __ (noun).
Page 4
Prompts: Noun, Verb, Noun, Something In Your Pockets Right Now, Object, Catchphrase
Inside, written on the wall: "An enormous shrine takes up the far wall, depicting Mad Slibs in his __ (noun) form vigorously __ing (verb) a __ (noun). Readers who place their __ (pocket item) at the foot of the shrine will find it transmuted into a __ (object), but only if they say the magic word(s): __! (catchphrase)
Page 5
Prompts: Name (PINNIMINNI), Material, Unit of Measure [Length], Object [Pointy], Your Name, Creature [Flying]
Inside, written on the wall: "The tomb's hidden prison. PINNIMINNI wakes as you walk in, slumped in a cell made from __ (material). A pit twenty __ (unit) wide and filled with sharp __ (pointy objects) surrounds the cell on all sides. Thin bridges span the pit, but they'll collapse instantly unless __ (name) is the one crossing. Beware: whoever crosses will be attacked by my three vicious pet __ (creatures)!"
Pinniminni is terrified. He only woke when you walked in and has no sense of how much time has passed. If freed, he offers a modest reward from the library's coffers as compensation and can also intuit what a door's prompts might be connected to.
Page 6
Prompts: Adjective [Grandiose], Color, Material, Number Between -500 and 500, Gesture [Humiliating], Unit of Measure [Time]
Inside, written on the wall: "At last, the fabled Tome of Mad Slibs. My __ (adjective) sarcophagus takes up the center of the room, protected by the __ (color) coils of my gargantuan pet snake. It eyes you ominously, but only attacks if you attempt to open my grave and steal my __ (material) death mask, worth __ (number) gold pieces to all merchants. Worried about your friend? The poultice is free to take - simply perform a __ (gesture) and my snake will cough it out at your feet.
Touching the poultice will return you to your realm. But be warned: after reading this message, my Tome will self-immolate in sixty __s (unit)."
Negative numbers require you to pay that amount before a shopkeeper will take it off your hands.
Reviewers Row ⤴
Mini-review: Fungi of the Far Realms
by Markus M
The second edition of Fungi of the Far Realms, by Alex Clements with illustrations by Shuyi Zhang and published by Melsonian Arts Council, brings you all the fictional fungi you could ever need. It is presented as an in-fiction facsimile edition of a work by mycologist E.Q. Wintergarden. The main body of the work is 220 illustrated entries of various fungi, each presented with their habitat, appearance, flavour/mouthfeel, and aroma. The illustrations are all delightful watercolour paintings, presenting both a view of the fungus in-situ, and larger images of different angles and cross-sections, similar to what would be presented in a real work of mushroom identification.
Various appendices offer advice on how to incorporate these in your games, as well as tables of fungal infections and effects of specific mushroom. These are all presented in a system neutral way, mainly using natural language to describe what happens in fiction.
Overall, this is a great tome for anyone who wants to inject a few (or a lot) more mushrooms into their games, and don't want to make it up themselves. My one quibble is minor, and lies in the presentation of each mushroom. As there is no field for "effects" or "other", the toxicity, local legends, or various uses of the fungi are all crammed into the "appearance" field, where I feel like it does not quite belong. While it's not a big barrier, it makes it more difficult to determine the effects of eating the mushroom at a glance, as it necessitates reading the whole appearance paragraph every time.
The fungi of the book can also be presented in the form of flash cards, printed with the illustration on one side and the accompanying text on the other, which are ideal for handing out to players who have found and successfully identified the fungus.
If you're looking for detailed mushroom mechanics, this is not the supplement for you, but if you just want the fictional description and are happy to do any mechanical lifting yourself, this is a great addition to your RPG bookshelf.
Columnists Colonnade ⤴
Adventures in HTML
by Rowan H
In this article, I discuss the potential of HTML as a means of distributing adventures for role-playing games. It includes a (mostly) functional mockup!
Check out this page for the rest!
Challenge Jam: Void Edition
everyone should be writing more. even you! here's a challenge to get the juices flowing. send me your entry over on bluesky and i'll shout out my fav in the next newsletter! this month's challenge is inspired by A Void by georges perec - Taylor B.
Rules: Write a bestiary entry. Broad strokes: stats (any system), appearance, what it wants, and how it fights.
Challenge: Do not use the letter e. For extra challenge, also ban numbers and abbreviations with an e even if it's not written out (ex: don't use 0, 1, 3, STR, INT, etc.).
My submission: Droning Swarm
(stats for Mythic Bastionland)
Vigour X, Clarity 6, Spirit 4, Guard 2
Sting and Drain (2d6, hits both VIG and SPI)
You may find this swarm flitting through paddocks on warm mornings, caught up in a kind of pollination mania. You'll know it by the hum of its many flapping wings: grainy and distant, fuzzy as a shout from a far-off riot. Stopping a swarm is difficult; it fights with suicidal passion. Why? All swarms carry a brutal compulsion from birth: nourish your monarch or rot.
- Individual bugs all look similar. Four wings to a body, tiny jaws, painful stinging ovipositors. Clad in chitin armor with bold markings: black and gold bands, a symbol of royalty.
- Vigor shows how many bugs fly within this swarm. For big swarms, roll 4d4. For small swarms, roll 2d4.
- Hypnotically drawn to floral odors: hyssop, snapdragons, crocus.
Last Month's Entries
Click here to view the April 2025 Challenge Jam gallery.
the vibe for last month was alphabetical, constraining readers to write a dungeon room where each word started with sequential alphabet letters. we got seven entries along the A-to-Z spectrum which i've gathered into the gallery page linked above. just want a taste? enjoy this killer entry from barse.
Ossuary Plunge
Querents' relics stand their unending vigils. White xenoliths; yellowing zealots; aging bones.
- Column-Deacons (Eat faith. Gravel-hearted indolents.)
- Jailed Knights (Liturgy-muttering necrosaints, one per quarantined reliquary-stalactite.)
- The Underhang (vertiginous, wholly xenic. Yesteryear's zephyrs arc beneath, coiling down endless fathoms.)
Opinion Oubliette ⤴
Dinkie's Droppings 1
We are all familiar with David “Dinkie” Rizzle. One of the forgotten luminaries of the early TSR days, his own work on Dungeons and Dragons was discarded, allegedly after an argument with Gary Gygax over the marching order of the French left at Austerlitz descended into a fistfight, and he faded into obscurity. However, I was able to convince him to join Carouse, Carouse!, and tell us stories about the olden days and offer advice to us modern gamers. - Liz
It has come to my attention that at this moment there is discussion over which system best serves Exploration in Old School Roleplaying Games: The “Point Crawl” or the “Hex Crawl.” To my mind, the answer is obvious: the dungeon crawl. It is for this mode of play that the original rules for Fantastical Medieval Campaigns (and DDnD, to toot my own horn) were drafted. The tight corners and limited sighlines perfectly suit rules for torches and the like, as does characters’ limited movement: it boggles the mind to picture advancing over thirty-foot hexes individually across miles of terrain. Besides which, the name “Hex Crawl” carries with it connotations of witchcraft, which is the last thing that [Wizards of the Coast] needs right now.
As for the point crawl, well, a point is so infinitesimal that the idea of venturing across at that scale seems even stranger! During my Lexicopolis campaign, heroes like Lean, Kramus, or Daramni did not shuffle inch by inch across the land (unless they knew I had prepared some fiendish traps for them!). In a game of heroic adventure, that sort of behavior is best discouraged.
The solution of course, lies in the Dungeon Crawl. Here it is far easier for the Referee to describe the surroundings of the character without needing to include such things as trees, berry bushes, and the occasional squirrel or possumbat. Keeping track of torches makes much more sense in an environment where wood and pitch are at a premium, and the players cannot simply build a fire at-will. Now of course, this leads into my opinion on the Light spell, but that is a column for another time.
Now some ignoramus may question “Dinkie, what about transportation to and from the dungeon?” Balderdash! Lexicopolis was a day's ride away from the Sacred Citadel. Some hacks who shall remain nameless even put their dungeon right in the center of town! My nephew, however, found a better solution in one of his computer games. In “Diablo,” the player character can summon a portal to take him right back to town, where he can do his shopping and take himself back to where he left off. While such a thing should be restricted only to scrolls, such methods of egress can be valuable, and a clever DM might make monsters follow them out of the portal…