Writing Tips, Snippets, And More!

For the past 2 years, I've gone over TTRPGs you can check out each year! This year is no different and I want to take a look at some great indie games to consider running, reading, or playing yourself this year. All games are linked to their Itch page in the title.

1. Beacon

Beacon is the perfect tactical TTRPG to fulfill all your Final Fantasy needs as you take on the role of chosen ones of your world to fight against an ever present darkness unique to your specific reflection. Running on a similar system to Lancer, but with refinements that take it to the next level, and downtime activites such as opening loot boxes, there's a lot of fun to be had with it! Fabula Ultima recently released its final atlas this year and is the ever popular top TTJRPG, but if you're looking for something that functions with a stronger wargame aspect with just as much narrative fun and character customization, consider giving Beacon a look. Perfect for those of you who love JRPGs and enjoy the many D&D 4e shootoffs we've gotten recently.

2. Stewpot

Recently released from Evil Hat, Stewpot is a cozy, yet melancholic narrative focused game where you take on the role of retired adventurers. Together, you run and operate a tavern while leaving your old life behind in a variety of minigames ala Warioware that allow for a mix of freeform and structured roleplaying. Through them, you'll slowly acquire more experience as a townsperson until eventually you get into the rhythm of things and your story ends happily. Your old life is behind you, one that was full of adventure, but a new one ahead, plenty of tales to await you. Excellent to play at the end of a high fantasy or scifi campaign or by itself, Stewpot is the perfect recipe for setting up how your characters' ends, as bittersweet as it may be.

3. Worldwizard

A worldbuilding TTRPG you'd often find in another book entirely, World Wizard, inspired by the ever popular Dawn of Worlds, is an amazing new tool and simply fun game to play before starting a campaign to build a world to explore and adventure in together. Going through 4 ages, players take turns adding things to a hex map. It may be civilizations, divine avatars, land masses, historic events, or more! The structured way it uses a point system allows things to stay down to earth, but ever interesting as you and your group work together to make something you can all be invested in.

4. Last Tea Shop

A melancholic game for just a party of one, Last Tea Shop has you take on the role of a tea shop owner at the border between the living and the dead. As you roll for various qualities like days past and the current weather, you'll meet customers, spirits on their way to the beyond, and prepare them tea and listen to their tale. You do this by consulting the weather and following question prompts, asking them and answering them. Eventually, they'll have to go and they'll leave some ingredients for you, but who you'll see next and when is a mystery.

5. Dust of the Traveled Road

Maybe it's just because it was such a bright and beautiful day, maybe it was the smell of my floral tea, but my first day felt like a huge hit. There were so many customers - paying customers! But that meant it was really busy all day, it took me longer than expected to set up the display shelves in the front. People kept coming in and the entrance is so narrow, I almost booty-bumped them a few times - that would have been bad, ha! I settled on an adventure theme, with a little bit of both fiction and non-fiction, since this whole thing is a bit of an adventure for me, and I felt like the animalfolk of Roost would appreciate that sort of thing. I may have dropped a romance and a few summoning books in there; I think those both count as types of adventures for sure. I think the exciting covers might have been what brought this adorable trio of fox kits in to the shop today. I helped them find some children's books to read and they actually bought a few. It was so cute watching them put together their pocket change to purchase a nice illustrated anthology of fairytales, "for their mom to read at bedtime," they said.

The people of Roost are so interesting, though! Everyone here is a traveller of some sort - though where they go off to in Brimming and Brisk, they'll never say - but this Heron I met today was full of travel stories. They came in looking for a book of poetry and we got caught up talking about different poetry styles along the river and deeper in-land. They said, "the way children speak, that's an underappreciated poetry. They don't know enough words to hide their raw reception of reality." All I could think about was the little trio of kits I met earlier who'd giggled over the word "Uranus" in a picture atlas for a good few minutes. The more I sit with it, I think I understand what they mean though; most of the poems I like feel a bit like a mystery unfolding to me. When I was a kid, I didn't like them much at all because they felt too close to riddles - like, what are you talking about! But now, that's exactly what keeps me thinking and rereading: "what did they mean here? And by this?" The rhythm of the verses send feelings through me, though I'm not sure what until I stop buzzing and just sit.

I read her Break, Break, Break by Lord Alfred Tennyson, and she nodded solemnly, but waved off the anthology and softly said "another time. I want to think less of the sea for now." She stared at me for a long moment with a faraway gaze, then offered me a tarot reading. She showed me her deck, the backs a beautiful vibrant purple with gold embossed borders and spiralling floral patterns. She was quite mystical about it too, it felt like even the plants leaned in to listen. "Six of Wands, Queen of Pentacles, The Hierophant," her airy voice felt hard to hold onto. She said something about past victories and feelings of accomplishment, a current mindset toward cultivating long-term stability and nurturance - of the self, others, and my resources -, and a future in which others look up to me as a respected and knowledgeable person. I mean, I am the only bookshop owner on the river, it's kind of obvious in a way. I don't know enough about tarot to know if she was messing with me or not, but maybe I'll ask her to teach me some more if she comes in again. She ended up leaving with a historical fiction book about ninja vampires. She said her name is Meri and she considers herself as permanent a resident as Roost can have, so I think I'll probably run into her again.

Speaking of characters, the guy that came up to the counter while I was ringing up Meri's purchase! I don't even know if it was a guy, actually. They were covered from head to toe in a long black cloak, hood up. The Brink chill is still thick in the air, but today was quite sunny with basically no wind. Also, there's definitely no wind in my shop! I think it just creeped me out that I never even saw them come in. They didn't even say a word while I rang up their books, just dropped exact change on the counter and walked out. Creepy. They bought a bunch of true crime novels too.

Things didn't slow down all day. The store ended up jam-packed with people mosing about, this one squirrel kept tickling a few people (me included) in the face with his tail and didn't even seem to notice. I probably would have been in a better mood about it if a snake hadn't come in to try to sell me an industrial blast freezer. What would I do with a blast freezer?! She would not take no for an answer, though, and just kept hounding me. Absolutely no interest in buying anything though, of course. She said she was nearly blind... So get out of my store? And every time I managed to get away from her, this young couple kept blocking and boxing me into the aisles, and the squirrel's tail went right back up my nose. Urgh. I'm not usually this annoyed by people or crowds, it just felt like the universe teamed up to give me the most inconsiderate group of customers. Naturally, the couple struck up conversation with the squirrel and they all ended up staying for a long time in the back of the bookstore chatting loudly. They did end up buying some books of the display, action and fantasy stuff. It seemed like they traded suggestions and might even form a little book club. I hope it goes well.

I didn't think I'd already be moving furniture back into place on my first official day, but the place was so packed! It's a shame I didn't make more money, haha. All in all, I think things went well. I don't feel like part of the river for real yet, but I don't feel like a total outsider either. Going to sleep early tonight, it feels like I haven't slept properly in ages.

Customers: 70

Profit: 83

Till: 183

I'VE FINISHED UNI BABEYYYYY LET'S GOOOOO

October 2025: Kolkata, India

Hindu women worship the sun god Surya at a pond at dawn on the last day of the Chhath Puja religious festival

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need To Know About Taxes

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about How to Increase Your Income

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Retirement and How to Retire

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Credit and Credit Cards

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Investing for Beginners

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about How to Pay off Debt

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need To Know About Living Independently for the First Time

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Repairing Our Busted-Ass World

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Self-Care

MASTERPOST: Everything You Need to Know about Getting a Job, Raise, or Promotion

specific examples include but are not limited to

why is an evil timeline character design disabled? (why do the heroes go through equally punishing battles and never lose an arm, a leg, an eye?)

why are the futuristic scifi terrorists uniformly darker skinned? (why are the heroes so much lighter?)

why is the greedy boss fat? (why are the heroes skinny?)

why is the criminal mastermind heavily scarred? (why is the brooding, traumatized hero unscathed?)

why is the predatory creep a bearded person in a dress and makeup? (why are none of the heroes trans women?)

who taught you that this is how things are?