Mad Jay

The New Novelty Hello readers. It’s been a while. You may have noticed I haven’t put anything up for a few months. Things are good here, no worries. No medical emergencies, no family or work drama. My kid’s school…

Plus: a look at our Lifted progress, recent play in Mythic Bastionland, and a wrap on the M.A.C.E. Corp arc. Here’s a late ICYMI from the Indie Game Reading Club: www.indiegamereadingclub.com/indie-game-r...

Monday Musings #121 🤬 Musings on Branded Games™️

This week I’m thinking about branded games — the ones that carry big licenses and even bigger expectations. Ghost in the Shell and Invincible just dropped, and I’m wondering if they can break the curse of “safe” licensed RPGs.

open.substack.com/pub/playfear...

Monday Musings #120 🤬 Musings on 3I/ATLAS

Every now and again, the universe drops an event that feels tailor-made for TTRPGs.
Meet 3I/ATLAS — an interstellar visitor with weird outgassing, a Sun-side blackout, and a trail of mysteries.

Read it before the invasion starts.

open.substack.com/pub/playfear...
#ttrpg #astronomy

It's early, but we're live!

PIC: Fortified castle bridge, rough painting/sketch Cover of Mythic Bastionland by Chris Macdowall TEXT: Once upon a time the Vulture Knight & the Horde Knight hunted the Elf... Sunday, October 5th 8am to 10am-ish EST twitch.com/actualplay

Bright and early with @newmadras.bsky.social and @madjay.bsky.social for an Elf Hunt.

Need to listen to the last bit of the previous session at the High Lord's keep to brush up.

Knights hunt the Elf. The Order hunts the Lich.

Who will prevail?

1/3

Catching up on #inktober #inktober2025
Day 2. Weave.
I think I found a nib I like.

It wasn't, but Cortex would be a fine fit! Traits plus dice is a good start.

Aight, I'm in, #Inktober2025
Mustache.

Monday Musings #119 🤬 Musings of a GenX Gamer

Four decades of rolling dice, and the games still surprise me. At 54, I’m thinking about what it means to carry this hobby into my 60s—gaming IRL, gaming online, small cons over big ones, and maybe gaming in a new city 🤷🏾‍♂️
Welcome to Act II of an old-head gamer. 🤬 open.substack.com/pub/playfear...

Invincible – Superhero Roleplaying Forge your own superhero legend in the official Invincible RPG from Free League and Skybound, based on the groundbreaking comic book.

Yeah, sure, just take all my damn cash!

I just backed Invincible – Superhero Roleplaying on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/119...

Monday Musings #118 🤬 Musings on PC Horoscopes

Downtime, stress, XP, and… astrology?
This week I’m musing on Flying Circus, Mythic Bastionland, and what happens if your stats are Sun/Moon/Mars instead of STR/DEX/INT.

Would you roll your Sun sign for initiative? 🌙🔥
Good Monday, Gamers!

#TTRPG

Almost 90% funded! Will we beat the time limit bell today?

World Wide Wrestling 2E: Repackaged Reprinting the Premier Pro Wrestling ttrpg of Narrative Action - In Hardcover For the First Time!

Over the halfway mark already, and closing in on 100 backers today - amazing! Thanks so much, friends and fans.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/ndp...

Monday Musings #117 🤬 Appendix MJ and Downtime in Bastionlands

Mythic Bastionland downtime. An entire session at the Highlord’s palace!
Appendix MJ. I lay out the media that shapes my games: Glen Cook’s Dread Empire, House of X/Powers of X, Farscape, Ars Magica, and more!
Good Monday Gamers!! Monday Musings #117 🤬 open.substack.com/pub/playfear... #ttrpg

We're LIVE!!!!

Such a joy talking about this TTRPG system with Lowell!

Monday Musings #116 🤬 Post game talks and office space.

Good Monday Gamers!!
This week on Monday Musings:

Reclaiming space & the rituals that fuel creativity +
Mythic Bastionland’s “adult moment” fighting mythic wolves.

Sometimes the real gold at the table isn’t the dice rolls—it’s the conversations after.
open.substack.com/pub/playfear... #ttrpg

a woman is standing in a hallway talking to a group of people and asking them what that is . ALT: a woman is standing in a hallway talking to a group of people and asking them what that is .

Today's game for the young knights errant...

We're live, with coffee this morning! Join us! www.twitch.tv/actualplay

TEXT: Once upon a time the Vulture Knight and the Horde Knight ventured into the Realm seeking Glory... PIC: Castle Bridge sketch, Toledo, Spain

Sunday. Sunday! SUNDAY!

Mythic Bastionland with Rascal, @newmadras.bsky.social and Fearless, @madjay.bsky.social

Seers will be honored!
Myths will be sought!
Realm, protected!

Playlist for this series:
www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Voo Lounge, Downtown KC

There’s more than the eye first can see,
When scouting the best of KC.
From cocktails and wine,
To rock shows divine,
Stay sharp — get the drop, SecretKC. ✨

New SecretKC edition on Thursday! Get on the List!
#kansascity

Shotgun!!

Out today SecretKC Weekend: EDM, Reggae & Black Keys - Weekend Adventure Sept 4-6
Discover KC's epic Labor Day weekend: EDM under stars, reggae on the river, street art, and Black Keys concert - your ultimate guide to unmissable city adventures!

www.secretkc.com

Online Store — ndpdesign

sorry to be a downer but coming off of my worst sales summer in years, now would be a great time to pick up something from my catalogue! spooky season's coming up, so I'd recommend:

😈 Imp of the Perverse - monster-hunting American horror!
🥀 Annalise - GMless Vampire horror!

www.ndpdesign.com/store

I've heard great comments about Hardwired Island's setting! I'm not sure how that got past me!

Monday Musings #115 🤬 Running Cyberpunk TTRPGs with Character Baggage and the Sprawl as Sandbox.

Cyberpunk gaming isn’t mission-of-the-week.
It’s baggage: the debts you owe, the obligations you can’t outrun.
This week, I explore how to run cyberpunk the way Twilight: 2000 runs war: as backdrop, not plot. The sprawl is the sandbox. The story is survival.
open.substack.com/pub/playfear...

Screenshot of the Launching Soon! page for Apocalypse World: Burned Over showing 662 followers.

Just wondering who will be the 4th follower from this moment. For reasons. www.kickstarter.com/projects/lum...
#ttrpg #ApocalypseWorld #PBTA

I'm in a social media growth challenge with @growthinreverse.com that uses a version of this!

Wares Blade Swords & Sorcery & Mecha. One of Japan's most popular TTRPGs from the 80s and 90s finally arrives in English. Be a part of history.

It's Andy K's fault really...

I just backed Wares Blade on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/bas...

I'm reading through this now, hoping to get it to the table ASAP!!