Silverarm RPG Newsletter: #13 Ennies Edition
Shrike Ennie Nomination, Scooby Doo as RPG Setting, and More Good Blogs!
Howdy,
Welcome back to the cave of wonders. Lots of projects in the sticky middle of process wrapping up and there’s a new book shaping up that am looking forward to talk about when we’re ready. Most importantly for this new edition of the newsletter The Shrike got an Ennie nomination and I’ve got a blog post out on Scooby Doo.
The Shrike got Nominated for an Ennie Award!
I was very excited to see The Shrike nominated for an Ennie Award for Best Adventure- Longform. For those unfamiliar the Ennies are the most well known RPG award and get a lot of eyeballs on the winners in each category. Leo has done an amazing job and the recognition is well deserved, no one does an extradimensional seaside hellscape sandbox with the same panache and oomph.
If you like The Shrike and want more people to like The Shrike give it your vote in the 2025 Ennies! Democracy made manifest.
Here’s the easy peasy process.
Go to this link —> https://vote.ennie-awards.com/vote/2025/
Find the “Adventure-Long" Category up top.
Pick the drop-down menu beneath “The Shrike”
Vote “1” from the options to pick The Shrike for your top choice
Hit the Vote button! Check out all the other winners too
Silverarm BlogScooby Doo as Post Apocalyptic RPG Setting
Scooby Doo has somehow outlasted all of it’s equally low budget Hanna Barbera cartoon peers to hold onto a seat on the cultural relevance bus. Lots of ink has been spilled on why this is but most importantly for this blog post, I love Scooby Doo. I also love post apocalyptic RPG settings. Hey gang, let’s play a mystery campaign in the shattered ruins of that which came before!
Favorite RPG Blogs I’m Reading Lately:
Give your Players Guns by LootLootLore
”There is a game design phrase I heard a while ago called "The Myth of the Gun and the Myth of the Sword can't coexist". The Myth of the Sword is your power comes from you. The power you have is intrinsic to you. For example, Hulk from the MCU. I want to focus on the Myth of the Gun, where the items you carry is where you get your strength. An example would be Iron Man from the MCU. If the item breaks, you lose the power. Oftentimes monster hit all parts of the character sheet, from rust monsters attacking your equipment to ghouls taking your levels. Here is where the Myth of the gun shines as your players have to come up with creative solutions to be able to use their Guns.”
questions to ask girls at the bar by Was It Likely?
“Whose teeth are in your mouth?
What is the thing you were named after and fall short of?
Why does the horde you command need from you?
What did you hope to gain in return for the eye you lost?
How does this impotent sorcerer continue to vex you?”
Design Your Locks with More Keys by Explorers Design
"But won't giving every puzzle multiple built-in solutions feel too gamified, too convenient, and too forced?" Not if we design our keys to do double duty as set-dressing, monsters, lore, etc. Think of your dungeon's locks like recipes for interaction. Every lock has different keys, every key has its own flavor, style, and preferred cooks.”
Writing Rooms in Pairs by Failure Tolerated
See ya soon,
Joel
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