Ian Yusem here, Hull Breach Vol. 1 guy. I hope you're doing ok, hanging in there. Maybe you aren't. But guess what? I have some hope for you.

There are amazing things happening in the roleplaying game community right now. Real community organizing is what we need, stat, and these people are making it happen for our little world. Let me convince you that humanity is salvageable.

Coming up: Rascal News, Mothership Month, Metatopia 2024, and the new Tabletop Game Designers Association.

This newsletter is on the longer side, but I promise every kernel of information is worth reading, particularly if you design or ever hope to design TTRPGs yourself. Buckle up.

HOT E-TIP! If you can't read this all in one sitting, mark the email as unread and come back later.

Rascal News is Saving Roleplaying Games

Two weeks ago, Rowan Zeoli of Rascal News (an independent tabletop news collective) published the single most significant and best piece of investigative reporting into indie roleplaying games, of all time.

If you haven't heard it, Rowan's piece covers a months-long investigation into allegedly exploitative (not my words) practices of TTRPG company World of Game Design. Link to the article below, but keep reading. I personally play a role in the piece's narrative, but I want to talk about what the article represents for us as a community more than its specific contents.

The fact that an organization like Rascal, capable of this level of investigative reporting and willing to go to bat for small creators, exists at all is a major force for good in the TTRPG world. They get people talking to each other about good business practices — who's safe or unsafe to work with.

Rascal News is a threat to any shady operation who thinks they can intrude into our hobby/industry unnoticed.

HARD PITCH FOR RASCAL NEWS!:

If you care about indie roleplaying games and the wellbeing of people who make them, you should be subscribed to Rascal News. Pay these good people so they can do more essential community-saving work in roleplay games.

The World of Game Design article is both a disturbing and fascinating read, like a car crash you can't look away from. It only costs a dollar to read if you aren't subscribed (which you should be). Read it.

LINK TO THE WOGD RASCAL ARTICLE:

Former World of Game Design Employees Claim Tabletop Company Exploits Workers and Clients

P.S. Rascal's reporting on this topic, and my own personal experience working with corporations large and small on Hull Breach Vol. 1, inspired me to write my own related article.

If you're a game designer, or just someone who likes to see how the sausage gets made, you may enjoy/learn from my recent blog post on navigating TTRPG business contracts and partnerships:

A Nest of Vipers: Navigating TTRPG Contracts and Partnerships

My article and Rascal's gives a little bit of insight as to why I haven't sent out a newsletter or blogged for over a year. Sorry about that, by the way. I'm back now.

Mothership Month is Important (Here's Why)

If you're getting this email, I'm going to assume you know what MOTHERSHIP MONTH is.

If you somehow don't: 21 rad new Mothership projects are currently crowdfunding on Backerkit. What you might not realize is just how significant and inspiring this is for us creators who rely on the strength of the community to make our art (and rent).

Also: I'll be talking about my brand new "reverse murder mystery" pamphlet Shadow of a Doubt below, so stick around.

In a world where other games' 3rd party publishers have had to fight tooth and nail just to continue making their craft without legal/financial imperilment (see the D&D OGL debacle), it's a breath of fresh air to see Tuesday Knight Games pour so much support into our community. MOTHERSHIP MONTH is the most significant embodiment of that support so far, and a striking success story of what a healthy 3rd party community can look like if nurtured.

On a personal level: Without Mothership, I might not have been able to feed myself these past few years.

RPG stuff is my full time job now, and that's pretty fucking cool.

What you're witnessing with MOTHERSHIP MONTH, the central organization and community fellowship raising all ships (like some sort of… rising tide), is perhaps the exact same thing happening for other people which happened to me. It's real infrastructure, it has a tangible impact on peoples' lives, and that's because it's so well-coordinated and successful. The swanky bespoke icons for each project, the 5-project-pledge bonus content ("supply drops"), all of this is a shot in the arm for the working game designer.

And it doesn't end at Mothership. Backerkit's scaffolding and the Mothership community's efforts are a blueprint other games communities can and will follow: whether 3rd party creators for another system, or designers working in a certain genre/style, or maybe even just a hodgepodge of likeminded zine scamps.

We should celebrate MOTHERSHIP MONTH not just as a cool event for fans of the system, but also as a promising development for community-led organizing efforts in RPGs generally.

NEW PAMPHLET ALERT: Shadow of a Doubt

Speaking of that supply drop, here's the scoop on my BRAND NEW PAMPHLET SCENARIO just announced yesterday (wow!) Shadow of a Doubt, included with your purchase of 5 or more MOTHERSHIP MONTHS:

It's a reverse murder mystery.

What does that mean? It means that the Crew are the killers, and they choose their victim. It’s the Crew's job not to get caught (and find a way to live with themselves when the deed is done).

It's ethical dilemma horror meets Colombo meets Twin Peaks, set on a tense 3-day space elevator ride.

I wanted to design something that challenges players to plan and pull off the "perfect murder," and interrogate what it means to be a bounty hunter — to take the life of a stranger. A trolley problem of Mothership proportions, if you will.

The cool part is that the scenario doubles as a weird shore leave "bottle episode" if players choose not to kill. It's full of weird NPCs (potential victims, potential friends) with hooks that can lead you further down the rabbit hole of your Mothership campaign. With Terminal Delays and Cryonambulism, it completes my TKG-published "something weird/terrible happens to your Crew while traveling" trilogy.

Shadow of a Doubt is surreal, dreamlike, full of tension, and a lot of fun — particularly with a murderously-inclined group.

SIDE NOTE: My Mothership Month recommendations!

If you're agog at the sheer count and quality of the offerings available in MOTHERSHIP MONTH, I highlighted a few via a reddit post on launch day (though all 21 projects look awesome in their own right). Click through above if you're interested, maybe I can persuade you to hit that magic 5-count for Shadow of a Doubt.

Metatopia: A Convention for What Ails You

Last weekend, I attended a tabletop convention that changed my life.

It restored my faith in humanity (if I ever had any), opened my mind to creative heights of game design not yet glimpsed, and it gifted me many new and dear friends. I write this, several days later, still pumping with dopamine from the experience. From the dark, twisted husk of my horror-loving heart, I tell you it was magical.

[Curious what I brought to Metatopia for playtesting? You'll have to wait for a future newsletter for the full reveal, but here's a sneak peek:]

I won't speak at length of my experiences at the con (a post on that could fill a book), but let me please pitch you on Metatopia:

Metatopia Elevator Pitch!

This is a tabletop game design convention (RPGs, board games, LARPS, etc.), specifically for game designers to test their "alpha builds" and speak to other designers about their craft. In that sense, it was a smashing success. I received better playtesting feedback, more useful production tips, and experienced the most powerful design revelations I've ever had in RPGs.

But Metatopia is more than just a game design tool, it's a community. A haven.

First off, the organizers. I don't know how they pulled it off so beautifully, but the good people at Double Exposure Inc. cultivated the perfect atmosphere of compassion and accommodation. That was mirrored in the attendees themselves, a kinder cohort I have never before encountered. There was indie RPG royalty in attendance (e.g. the Apocalypse World Bakers), but every single person I encountered — including many non game designers — was friendly, interesting, and worth meeting.

If you're reading this, and a game designer, and able to make Metatopia 2025 — I hope, nay, demand, to see you there.

More on the convention and Double Exposure Inc. here (they run other cons too!):

Metatopia 2024 website
Double Exposure homepage

The Tabletop Game Designers Association is the Way Forward

I saved this one for last because it's the most niche in interest (unlike the others, only game designers can participate), but it's also the most important.

By the end of my pitch, I hope to convince all game designer readers to open a new tab and immediately join this organization, if able. It's not a union, but it's the closest thing we currently have.

WHAT IS THE TTGDA?

The Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDA) is a trade association encompassing all tabletop games: board games, roleplaying games, you name it. Its membership is exclusively open to game designers, and for the benefit of game designers.

In brief, TTGDA exists to protect its members — from legal danger, to contractual exportation, to mere lack of community and professional contacts (and beyond). Through funding from member-paid dues, they offer a wealth of resources and services to help support game designers at any step in their career.

Here's a link to the TTGDA website for full information, but I encourage you to read my orientation before getting stuck in.

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

So, so many reasons. But let's start with some notable members — to give you a sense of who in the tabletop world believes in this initiative.

First off, the executive board members (the head of the spear and I believe group founders):

• Elizabeth Hargrave (Wingspan)

• Sen-Foong Lim (Mind MGMT)

• Geoff Engelstein (The Expanse Board Game)

All industry titans in their own right, and an EXTREMELY reassuring cadre of steady hands at the helm. These people, this organization — they're as legit as it gets. But let's continue with the rank and file membership:

• Richard Garfield (Magic: The FUCKING Gathering)*

• Jason Morningstar (Fiasco)

• Rob Daviau (Pandemic Legacy)

• Cole Wehrle (Root)

• Me!

*I believe that's the preferred title. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong Mr. Garfield.

While there's definitely a stronger board game contingent among the big names here, I think that will change with time. Maybe this post will convince some RPG people... One can hope.

Ok, not convinced yet? Read on for the biggest sells:

WHAT CAN TTGDA DO FOR YOU?

A lot. A lot a lot. I'll try to keep this brief:

Designer Resources

Expertly compiled game design tools, from playtesting, to graphic design, to licensing.

Contractual Safety Net

Model contracts, an attorney contact list, IP education, dispute mediation, and biggest of all, free contract review services for members! These people have your back.

Some of the events in that Rascal article might not have happened if those involved were TTGDA members.

Industry Advocacy

TTGDA is not afraid to throw its weight around, notably securing recognition of designers as authors on Barnes & Noble’s website (previously they weren't even credited)!

Just think of what they could do for roleplaying games: pro-human-made and other creator friendly policies (better deals?) on platforms like DriveThruRPG, Kickstarter, etc.

Community

Members have access to the institutional knowledge of the seasoned TTGDA leadership and constituency, in the form of online seminars, convention meetups, a members-only Discord server, and more.

Want to check in about others' experience with a publisher, fulfillment company, or other potential business partner? I can think of no better group to ask than TTGDA.

Upcoming Programming

Some things I heard discussed at the TTGDA convention panel I attended at Metatopia as “currently in the works”:

• Mentorship programs

• Scholarships/funding opportunities

• Public-facing transparent organization finances

• Elections for both the Association's executive and advisory boards

• Probably other things I forgot to take notes on!

Pie In The Sky Stuff

There was a question at said panel regarding TTGDA brokering advantageous health insurance plans for (US) members.

While it sounded like that may be logistically and financially improbable, the fact that it's in consideration AT ALL speaks to the kind of power an organization like this can wield. The good it can do in our lives.

Is This a Union?

As a truly inspiring and genuine union man I met at Metatopia (shoutout to Web, a real one) told me [paraphrased]:

“This may not be a union yet, but it's a big step on the way to unionization.”

The fact that TTGDA cropped up earlier this year feels very relevant given unionization and worker's rights seems under imminent threat in the US, and perhaps globally.

DID I CONVINCE YOU?

If I didn't, tell me why. I want to work on my pitch.

If I did, JOIN, JOIN, JOIN! Link to pay your dues and become a card carrying* member here:

CLICK HERE TO JOIN TTGDA!

Again a link to the TTGDA website homepage if you need more information. And be sure to request access to the Discord by emailing TTGDA if you sign up! I’ll see you there.

*To my knowledge they don't have membership ID cards (yet), but they will someday if I have anything to say about it.

Hope Delivered?

That's it for this edition of the Anodyne Direct. I realize this was a little light on news relating specifically to my own projects, but I promise I have some incredibly exciting things in the works (and you all will be the first to hear about them). I just felt all this stuff was important and, well, newsworthy.

Did you like this post? Do you feel a little ember of hope kindling inside you after reading? Let me know either way. I'm still trying to figure out what this newsletter should be, and I need that feedback from you all.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Get organized.

Signing off,

Ian Yusem

We've just released Hull Breach Vol. 1 and ALL our other Mothership books on the brand new Anodyne Printware webstore. They're all available RIGHT NOW, directly from us, in print — and shipping today!

Visit our store and pick up anything you missed (or woefully regret skipping) from the Kickstarter:

https://shop.anodyneprintware.com/

Procure our delectable offerings: a hardcover sci-fi adventure anthology that doubles as a sandbox campaign setting, a legal handbook flush with in-universe corporate contract handouts, or our complete collection of hip, modern and deadly zines and pamphlets, like the new Agent Class!

Hull Breach Kickstarter Exclusives

In addition to all our new and updated Mothership 1e compatible books, we're stocking VERY limited and HIGHLY exclusive quantities of leftover products bespoke to the Hull Breach Kickstarter camapign. This includes:

• The Executive Suite bundle of Hull Breach expansion materials, containing Breach of Contract and Agent Class, plus a fold-out sector map, bookmark dungeon, player achievement stickers, and the Teamsters Union ID Card!

• The "DAYS SINCE LAST HULL BREACH: 000" patch in tastefully alarming caution-orange.

• The "ESCAPE POD PASS" patch — secure your seat in the event of hull breach, today!

These will never be reprinted… but! We're sending this newsletter out to you before we announce the store anywhere else, so you have first dibs.

NEW BOOKS!!!

Hull Breach Volume 01

You may have already heard about our opus Hull Breach Vol. 1, but please allow me to pitch it anyway.

First off, it's huge: 232 pages and 26 modules from 20 authors. It's got all the best features of an anthology — an assortment of scenarios and toolkits so diverse and inspired, you're sure to find something you just NEED to get to the table.

But the really cool part is how everything interconnects into a cohesive sandbox setting. In any given module, you'll find enticing hooks leading naturally into half a dozen others.

We did all the prep work for you, so all you have to do is have a good time with your friends.

Did I mention the book ribbon?

Breach of Contract

This legal-horror supplement comes stuffed with in-universe corporate contracts to use as player handouts, binding PCs in the Company’s machinations.

Sign on for shipbreaking duty with a Legitimate Salvage Contract, set sail for a career of space-piracy with the Letters of Marque, plan for the inevitable by taking out a life insurance policy on your PC!

Written by an actual, practicing, somewhat moral attorney.

And, whoa! Hey! Just where do you think you’re going? Don’t you forget the Agent Class: the Mothership class for corporate intrigue and interstellar spy games.

Thus concludes our promotional bulletin. I hope you enjoyed it!

It's hard for me to fully reckon with, but we've been working on Hull Breach for almost 3 years now. You could say it's a big deal for me and the team that it's finally, properly out.

A lot of you have already supported us and backed the book already, which I'm incredibly grateful for. Even if you have no plans of buying anything, give our store (and homepage) a peek! You might be nostalgically amused by the Y2K web design influence.

Signing off,

Ian Yusem

What is the Anodyne Direct? Why, it's the newsletter and major announcement hub for all things Anodyne Printware. You might know us from our TTRPG modules like Hull Breach Vol. 1, The Drain, and Picket Line Tango.

With Hull Breach Kickstarter fulfillment well underway (and wide release near at hand), now seems a good time to look at what's next for this promising publishing outfit.

EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT: Alien Autopsy

Our brand-new, upcoming Mothership adventure takes players where they've never been before: the bowels of an alien corpse.

Don your Hazard Suit and grab your scalpel, a deceased non-human entity in your area mandates emergency quarantine and autopsy procedures — for the betterment of science, humanity, and the Company.

Art by the incomparable Sajan Rai.

I've been slowly developing this adventure for the past several months, and I'm so pumped to finally talk about it.

In Alien Autopsy (working title), players will carefully examine, prod, scan, and attempt to dissect the mysteriously treacherous anatomy of an unknown alien species. It's corpse-as-dungeon, where each organ is a trap, and the entire puzzle “dungeon” fits on a medical operating table.

Release Date: Classified.

COMING SOON: The Anodyne Webstore

In just under two weeks, we're releasing Hull Breach Vol. 1 and our entire TTRPG catalog on our very own webstore!

If you missed the Kickstarter or you’re regretting not picking up some of those sweet add-ons, they’re here and ready for you: Hull Breach Vol. 1, Breach of Contract, Agent Class, our back-catalog of zines and pamphlets fully updated to Mothership 1e — we have it all.

KICKSTARTER-EXCLUSIVE EXTRAS

We'll also carry surplus Kickstarter-exclusive items available in extremely limited quantities, like the patches and Executive Suite bundle. If you just NEED to pick those up (who doesn’t want a dungeon on a bookmark?), keep an eye out for our next newsletter.

And the good news is, Anodyne Direct subscribers will be the first to know when our store goes live!

FIRST LOOK: Wrath of God Codex

Now that the Mothership 1e Shipbreaker's Toolkit has released and overhauled ship combat, our spaceship-bound hexcrawl Wrath of God needs some love.

To ensure 1e compatibility (and as an excuse to make rad spaceships), we're building a free companion website with expanded ship stats, dossiers, diagrams and illustrations.

We're calling it the Wrath of God Codex. Check out these ships!

Our brilliant 3D modeler and illustrator Jacob Marks brings the heat with PS1-era aesthetics and heavy, industrial ship designs. We want the website to feel like flipping through an "ENEMIES" rogue's gallery menu in your favorite video game, eyes widening at dangers you've yet to face.

We hope this will not only be an invaluable tool for anyone running Wrath of God, but also a fully-fledged expansion to the core Shipbreaker's Toolkit roster.

Release Date: Soon.

OTHER STUFF!

We have so much more going on at Anodyne HQ — more than we can cover in a single post… but here's a peek at even more upcoming stuff anyway:

• The Sci-Fi RPG Rosetta Stone, enabling easy conversion to and from Mothership and other fan-favorite sci-fi roleplaying systems.

• A free and open-license standalone publication of my Mothership funnel rules.

• A full production and design post-mortem on our half-million dollar Hull Breach Vol. 1 Kickstarter campaign.

• And course, Hull Breach Vol. 2 (eventually).

That's all for this issue of the Anodyne Direct. Expect to hear from us soon when we launch Hull Breach Vol. 1 and our store!

Signing off,

Ian Yusem

P.S. If you're wondering why you're getting this email, it's probably because you signed up for our newsletter via the Hull Breach Vol. 1 Backerkit survey. I know, it's been a while. I promise we'll make this newsletter worth reading!

Welcome to the first issue of the Anodyne Direct newsletter.

As I furiously prepare a barrage of promotion for Hull Breach (set to launch in just two days! AHH!) I thought it might be nice to take a break from ad copy and write something a little more personal.

Let’s analyze how my latest project came to be the (somewhat terrifyingly) ambitious project that it now is.

Breaching the Hull

Back in the heady days of December 2020, I was riding high on the smash success of a digital 3rd party Mothership bundle I helped assemble with 10 other creators. I was about to run my first ever Kickstarter for Zine Quest 3, I was still fresh off the back of a beautiful experience contributing to Dissident Whispers — the world was my oyster.

To tee up the next group project with my fellow 3pp Mothership creators, I pitched a modest collaborative zine we could all chip into. We welcomed anyone and everyone in our humble 3rd party publisher’s Mothership server to submit. In January we determined our unnamed project (internally dubbed “the zine”) might hit 50 pages or so on the high end, the upper end of saddle stitching. From such humble beginnings, it grew into a mighty beast.

By February I officially took the mantle of publisher. By March I’d drawn up a rough project framework and assembled all interested authors into a work Discord server. Budgets, logistics and style guides crystalized across a sea of Google docs and sheets. By May we targeted 100 pages, perfect bound. Softcover.

The submission count grew as artists and editors arrived on scene. Initial layouts cast projected page counts into the harsh light of [In]design reality. Scope expanded like an angry rash. Several delirious and dev-filled months later and we gazed at 160 pages, not counting table of contents and other ancillary book anatomy. Could this be a hardcover? Did we dare? It was, and we did.

On this day, one year hence its initial conception, “the zine” which is no longer a zine nears completion. We stand on the eve of a Hull Breach Kickstarter, its complexity and heft ever expanding with each iteration and “yeah, that’s a cool idea!”

200 pages and counting.

Like I did for The Drain, I intend to autopsy Hull Breach with extensive post-mortems and production tutorials (far more insightful and less prosaic than this). I hope you’ll find them useful.

Until then, please consider looking at our campaign page for Hull Breach on launch day (January 4th). You don’t have to back it, but I’ll be damned if people don’t at least witness and appreciate our 90s-anime-homage campaign video. It’d be cool if you did back it, though (there’s a free patch in it for you if you back day one).

So, that was it! The first Anodyne Direct newsletter. I’m still figuring out what I want this thing to be, and I hope you’ll all help me do that.

You should be able to reply to this post (via email? on the Substack website? both?) but if newsletter technology fails you, my Twitter and Discord DMs are open.

Was this too short? Too long? Too informal? Too lacking in big announcements (here’s a small one: I’m including a bundle of my existing Mothership stuff updated to 1e rules in the Hull Breach campaign — slipped it in!)? Tell me your whims!

If you’re reading this, you’re one of a hundred people who’ve subscribed and I just want to take a second and thank you. Publishing RPGs is hard work fraught with uncertainty and anxiety, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone who follows and supports my stuff.

So thank you for reading, and wish me luck!

Signing off,

Ian Yusem

My name is Ian Yusem, and I publish weird indie TTRPG content (often for Mothership). From this soapbox, I gather all by brainchildren and scatter them into the digital void. If you wish to keep up with my work, this is the most practical and least fraught route.

In future issues, I will announce and expound upon my upcoming projects, share behind-the-scenes TTRPG development and publishing guides and candidly address the human element in design work.

I hope to see you there.