🦉Role-Playing Literature

Welcome, adventurer!

I hope you had a good week. I got the chance to inflict some fresh emotional wounds on my players this week with Curse of Strahd.

And while I’m enjoying my favorite hobbies, like watching Saul get traumatized (again),I’m getting ready for one of my favorite summer events.

Celsius 232.

In case you don’t know, it’s an outdoor festival in Avilés focused on horror, fantasy, and science fiction literature (and TTRPGs) , featuring talks, panel discussions, and super interesting activities with renowned authors from the scene.

And this year, we’ve had a last-minute surprise: you’ll be able to find some of my dice and screens there at the Hangar Rebelde booth.

So, with the festival as an excuse, today I’m here to recommend three role playing reads for the summer that aren’t 330 page rulebooks full of math.

D&K: Dungeons and kittens

I want to start with my book recommendation,one that, as it turns out, isn’t 330 pages long.

It’s 464 pages long.

I’m sure you’ve already heard of it, but I sometimes live in a cave, so I didn’t discover it until this summer.

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.

Who, by the way, is coming to Celsius.

Since I’m just starting to read it, I can’t,and don’t want to, give too much away, but it’s a book that hooks you right away.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re living in a hole, like I have, let me tell you about this book.

Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, are among the few survivors of Earth’s destruction at the hands of an alien faction. Now they’re forced to participate in a reality show based on the mechanics and setting of role-playing games in order to survive.

Literally.

It sounds like a sort of space version of The Hunger Games, but it’s completely irreverent and absurd.

And I love it.

If you like dark humor and a frenetic pace, this is my recommendation.

More dungeon crawlers…

The following recommendation comes from Saúl, in his usual style of light, straightforward reading.

Please note the irony.

Vermis by Plastiboo

Vermis is a video game of which only the manual has survived, which is what you’re buying, and only by reading it will you be able to imagine what the gaming experience was like.

The art is amazing, it’s like Dark Souls meets ’80s retro style, or rather, what you imagine ’80s video game art to be like.

The overall tone is full of characters, dungeons, and, above all, very enigmatic mechanics.

The kind that make you stop and scream, “Wait, what?!!!” and force you to read it again.

I hope I’ve imitated you well, Saúl.

In short, this book lets you fantasize about the gap between the narrative and what the video game would actually be like, making each experience unique (and very similar to role-playing).

For idle afternoons

Our last recommendation is very brief and more laid-back than the previous ones.
Well, it’s not exactly a book.

But it’s a diary that Saúl and I discovered at our favorite role-playing store, and it’s perfect to take with you to the pool or the beach.

It’s called Dungeon Diary: A Dungeon Design Journal by El Refugio de Ryhope.

Now that I’m writting it, I’m not sure if it has an english version.

Based on Sean McCoy’s proposal of designing a dungeon creating a room each day (he called it #dungeon23) the people behind El Refugio de Ryhope have created a journal for that purpose.

I call it “Sudoku for role-players” because it’s perfect to carry in your backpack and keep you entertained during those idle moments at the pool or beach.

With just 51 pages, the premise is very simple: you have 31 entries to create 31 rooms in a dungeon.

Saúl and I set out to create one room whenever we have a spare moment.

The little book gives you plenty of world-building tools to guide you through the creative process.

Although there’s one thing I miss in this one: more specific challenges.

I’d like a little book that gave you a prompt for each room, because it’s true that sometimes the blank page can feel overwhelming.

We’re signing off for today because, since it’s going to rain here, we’re going to have a weekend of nonstop role-playing and you won’t believe it...

I’m play as a character!

As I enjoy this dreamlike moment of not DMing, I wish you, as always,

Successful quests and better rolls,

🦉Irene the Sorceress

🦃Saúl the Bard