DCC RPG Convention Playtest PDF! + Mr. Ringtail's Menagerie + When Nerds Attack!
4 days ago
– Sun, Sep 13, 2026 at 01:27:01 PM
First off, thank you for supporting and following the campaign progress! Second, things are moving at a good pace. I'm starting on the 5E conversion next week. Now, to the goodies...
Convention Draft
If you want access to the
DCC RPG Mutant Spawn of the Toadmother convention playtest files, click the link below!
The zip file contains a PDF and a Markdown file. We're using them to run the adventure at conventions this Fall. This is an early draft, pared down to fit a four-hour convention slot.
WARNING! There is NO FORMATTING, and it is super janky-looking.The final version will have enough content for several sessions, but the additional content is modular and can be left out to tailor the experience to your needs. ...And the layout will be less fubar.
If you run it, please consider reaching out with your feedback. We've collected a ton of incredibly useful feedback from players, but none from Judges yet!
As mentioned, this is an early draft, so we may revise some of the writing in the final, and I promise it'll look better.
DCC RPG Mutant Spawn of the Toadmother Playtest
Mr. Ringtail's Menagerie
Come one! Come all!! Welcome to Mr. Ringtail’s Menagerie!!! Explore a Level 1 DCC RPG adventure where you will discover the sinister, hidden secrets of this uniquely strange exhibition. Race to find the missing guests before you become missing too!
When Nerds Attack!
This 3 adventure set for Comic Crawl Classics pits superhero PCs against that most classic type of supervillain - mad scientists. Can the hero teams save their cities from these nerds gone bad?
Last Few Hours for The Sorcerer's Conundrum
21 days ago
– Fri, Aug 28, 2026 at 06:18:45 AM
Hey folks!
The September update for
Mutant Spawn of the Toadmother will hit you in the next couple of weeks. This update is the FINAL SPAM of
The Sorcerer's Conundrum.
The campaign ends at 2 PM CDT today.The pitch: Part three in the
Saga of Sorcerer Verrükter and the Rükstau Rejects:
The Sorcerer's Conundrum is live on BackerKit for
seven more hours! It's a level-2 adventure compatible with
Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG that puts the players into a labyrinth filled with everyone's favorite TTRPG pillar: puzzles!
Back the campaign while you can!The Sorcerer's Conundrum fits into any grimdark pulp fantasy setting, but it is also part three of a six-part series that takes characters from level zero to level five.
If you like hard choices with gruesome consequences, original puzzles, puzzles probably ripped off from children's puzzle books of the 70s and 80s, and general mayhem, I think you'll have fun with
The Sorcerer's Conundrum.
Thank you! I truly appreciate your indulgence and support.
Progress! + Creating Tension! + Other Cool Stuff!
about 1 month ago
– Tue, Aug 18, 2026 at 09:47:49 AM
Hey friends!
First, thank y'all for supporting the campaign, following along, and sharing your thoughts. You are a critical part of this project, and sure, I'm doing most of the work, but it would be impossible without you.
In this update, I've got a progress report for ya, an excerpt from the book on using ambiguity to create tension, plus links to other campaigns happening RIGHT NOW that I think you might be interested in (including mine)!
Progress
DCC RPGWe've finished the playtesting, and I am super grateful to everyone who took part. The ideas and insights gathered have been instrumental in how this adventure has come together.
The design is done, and I'm about a third of the way through the writing. I expect to be done in the next couple of weeks.
5eConversion of the ideas and substance of the adventure to
Fifth Edition has begun, but will require the completion of the
DCC RPG version to fully implement. I will announce playtesting opportunities for backers the first week of
September.
We are on-target for delivery in October 2026.
Creating Tension: Ambiguity
Mutant Spawn of the Toadmother is not heroic fantasy. It is survival horror fantasy. The characters are not a plucky band of adventurers that met in a tavern, and they aren't going to stroll back into town with magic swords and sacks of gold at the adventure's conclusion.
To create the kind of pleasure we get from movies like The Descent (2005), Alien (1979), and C.H.U.D. (1984), we need some special techniques.
Order
Managing narration can build tension. For instance, when a character does something that the other characters wouldn't be able to witness (e.g., wanders out of sight of the rest of the party), and they fail a skill check or are attacked by a monster, don't immediately describe what happens. Once the dice have spelled the victim's fate, cut the scene without vocalizing the outcome. Instead, shift focus back to the rest of the party.
Describe what they witness (hear, feel) and ask them what they do next. After they decide, switch back to the individual and describe what befell them, or don't. If a lone character dies, they can't tell anyone what happened. Don't even announce the character is dead if you don't want to. Maybe they'll turn up later having miraculously survived (probably not). Then go back to the group and play through the results of their previous decision, without the chance to change it. This way, you aren't sharing information the group couldn't know, which encourages more realistic decisions and builds tension.
Clarity
When the players look blankly at you after you finish a description, it's fine to try again with different words, but if it still isn't coming across, or you suspect misunderstandings have occurred, interrogate the players. Ask them to describe what they think is happening, and encourage them to ask clarifying questions. Be careful not to fall into the trap of over-describing, though, which can kill the mystery. We want players to fully understand the parts of the environment we reveal, but we don't want to flesh things out further.
Mystery
Keep the monsters mysterious, and don't describe the environment beyond what the party can see. Monsters should be a list of horrific traits, perceived in a rush as they leap out of the dark. "The rhythmic beating of the air is nearly on top of you as giant claws pierce the darkness above" is preferable to "you are attacked by a giant bat." The creature in the first description is a terrifying mystery, not an enlarged mundane animal, or worse, a stat block. "Below you, the rope dangles into a dark abyss" beats "you can't see the ground" because it doesn't give away that there is ground beyond the torches' range.
Theater
Finally, there are moments in the adventure when you make or call for rolls, and the results should not be shared with the players. This can create tension if you use it judiciously. It's also a good way to refocus the group when things get chatty, or when deliberations threaten to slow things down. Making a wandering monster check with a low level of probability will get the group's attention and raise the anxiety level without knocking things out of balance.
In the next update, we'll cover "Darkness."
Other Cool Stuff!
Part three in the
Saga of Sorcerer Verrükter and the Rükstau Rejects:
The Sorcerer's Conundrum is live on BackerKit for
ten more days! It's a level-2 adventure compatible with
Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG that puts the players into a labyrinth filled with everyone's favorite TTRPG pillar: puzzles!
We've cleared four stretch goals and are on our way to the next: More Art. At $6k, we'll add one more piece of art to the zine that you get to choose!*
Back the campaign now to help reach the next stretch goal!The Sorcerer's Conundrum will fit into any grimdark pulp fantasy setting, but it is also part three of a six-part series that will take characters from level zero to level five.
You read right! Back the campaign now and get more art!†* Technically, you get to vote on the art piece; there is no guarantee that your choice will be the winner.
† Once we reach $6k.
Play mystery-solving teens at wizard school! This is a standalone ttrpg that focuses on hijinks and investigation. Compatible with Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC).
Study magic
Solve mysteries
Survive graduation
This 200+ page book features gorgeous cover art by Sanjulinan, and interior art by Teresa Guido, Dax Hamon, Kiril Tchangov, and Bruno Prosaiko.
Academia Arcana is filled with four core classes, 30 spells, numerous table generators, dozens of monsters, students and faculty, two adventures, and solo rules. We are also working with writers from the Dungeon Crawl Classics community to create supplemental zines filled with extra monsters, classes, adventures, and more!
Academia Arcana launches on BackerKit about an hour after you got this email!
I am honored to have contributed a yearbook
Clubs and Societies section's worth of NPCs to compete with, conspire against, or court. ;)
Back Academia Arcana right now!
It is that time of year again! Time to demonstrate your fealty to the
Purple Sorcerer!
They have been providing indispensable online tools to make running
DCC RPG even easier. I know I couldn't live without them. This year, they are dealing with more than server costs and a list of upgrades they want to make. Wildfires in their Spokane, Washington home have made their lives more difficult than usual.
Pledge some dough to the drive now!
Last Call for Playtesters!
about 2 months ago
– Thu, Jul 30, 2026 at 01:41:56 PM
Howdy friends!
Thanks for contributing to and for keeping up with the campaign!
Playtesters wanted
We have one more playtest scheduled:
TOMORROW Friday, July 31st, 6 - 10 PM CDTOnlineNerdronomicon DiscordJoin the Discord if you haven't already, and @ me in one of the channels or send me a DM.
We have
three spots left as of this update.
We can go ahead with the folks who have already committed, but a couple more wouldn't hurt!
The Sorcerer's Conundrum
Playtest Options Still Available! + DCC Day Report + Other Cool Campaigns!
about 2 months ago
– Tue, Jul 21, 2026 at 08:55:10 AM
Hey folks!
First, let me again offer my gratitude to all of you who continue to support this campaign!
Mutant Spawn of the Toadmother is coming along great! I can't express how fun, rewarding, and valuable it is to me to put these adventures in front of folks and get some feedback. So, I want to remind y'all that I am holding three more playtest sessions this month for the DCC RPG version. If you've never played DCC RPG, you are more than welcome to come and try it out. It is easy to learn and a LOT OF FUN! 5E playtesting will occur in August. More on that in a future update. Playtesters get their names in the book!
Please see the calendar below and get in one of these sessions!
Playtesting
Wednesday, July 22nd, 7 - 11 PM CDT
In-personDMen Tap2849 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Great Three Floyds beer! Great Turkish-German street food!
Find
Gongfarmers Local 187: Obladra in the back room!
Friday, July 24th, 6 - 10 PM CDTOnlineNerdronomicon DiscordJoin the Discord if you haven't already, and @ me in one of the channels or send me a DM.
We have 3 spots left as of this update.
Friday, July 31st, 6 - 10 PM CDTOnlineNerdronomicon DiscordJoin the Discord if you haven't already, and @ me in one of the channels or send me a DM.
We have 4 spots left as of this update.
DCC Day @ DMen Tap 2026
We had a great time at DCC Day! We handed out free swag, played some great games, and sold some cool zines by local Chicago creators!
Other Cool Campaigns!
There are a lot of cool crowdfunding campaigns coming soon and happening right now! The first two are Nerdronomicon offerings, and the last two are from some other awesome creators!
The Sorcerer's Conundrum
Delve into an ancient elven labyrinth at the behest of the mad sorcerer Verrükter in this puzzling level-2 adventure zine compatible with Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG! Part three in the Saga of Sorcerer Verrükter and the Rükstau Rejects from Nerdronomicon.
Follow The Sorcerer's Conundrum for FREE VTT Tokens!
Basilisk
BASILISK is an existential horror adventure for MOTHERSHIP RPG \\ It is NOT SUITABLE for individuals with too firm or too loose a grip on REALITY \\ There is NO RETURN once experienced \\ YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
Coming in October! Follow now!BASILISK
The Lost Mines of Steller – a 4th level adventure for DCC RPG
Only 4 days left!
For use in the Shudder Mountains campaign setting, this fourth-level adventure module pits PCs against a demonic force threatening to take over the oblivious villagers of Steller.
Gary's Appendix: Issue 11 (Goblins!)
Gary's Appendix Issue 11 is the Goblin Issue. The monster sitting in Room One of every introductory adventure? The creature every player has sleep-spelled to death a hundred times? We've been overlooking them.
Including:
Goblins Beyond the Veil by Shannon Appelcline
The Bonejinx Tribe by Zac Goins
Making the Most of Your Goblins by Jeff C. Stevens
Going Greater With Goblins by John Kaniecki
Garblegrihm, God of the Goblins by Onslaught Six
Gary's Appendix: Issue 11 (Goblins!)
