GameHole Con 2026

I’ve submitted two events so far —

(4h) In FLIGHT OF THE DEMETER, 2--6 Phasmonauts (PCs) aboard their ship come across a derelict alien ship, drifting into the system from deep space. After boarding to investigate, they find the ship's large bay contains nothing but a single open crate, and one escape pod launched -- recently. It's a race against time and space to unravel the clues of mysterious incidents across space stations and planets in the local sector of space to discover who -- or what -- is behind a rash of killings. (Module M-01.)

(2h) CRISIS ON GRUVERIUS STATION. Stars Eternal: Phasmonaut (PC) creation and instant adventure. Disaster in space! Far out in the known galaxy lies a paradise moon sanctuary. After a flight cancellation, 2--6 stranded travellers aboard a late-night moon shuttle have unknowingly set a course for daring adventures in space and time. (Demo, likely to be reworked into Tricolor somewhere.)

Stardust Edition: the Moonshot

First, the Stars Eternal project is a multimedia writing, art and design effort of the heart, mind and hand. I am happy with it being an artisanal effort — and that is what Stardust Edition is: made by my heart, mind and hands.

All of the below looks very certain, but it will evolve. There is a core of material I’ve already written, so the broad strokes are already there.

Stardust Edition comprises:

JumpDrive Rules, the Player’s Quickstart

The classic booklet, 50% off PWYW on itch; currently in stock in print (v. 1.2)

JDR support material and swag:

Phasmonaut Canon sheet (available)

Bookmarks (in layout)

Appendix-N inspirations and recommendations type deal

Stickers almost certainly

Tricolor — three booklets that rely on each other:

Perilous New Journeys (PNJ), the Keeper’s Companion;

Galactic Research Guide (GRG), your Field Guide to the Abyss; and

the Triple Adventure (TPK) — three compatible Arcs in Space (entangled, not a trilogy)

C-01: “The Dream Pool” (Working title)

M-01: “Flight of the Demeter” (GameHole 2025, 2026)

Y-01: “Into the forest, Night” (Working title)

Tricolor support material:

Sector sheet

Poker-size deck of planets ready to play (print-on-demand)

Ship sheet (Phasmonaut interpersonal dynamics)

Vessel records sheet

Evolving idea: Keeper toolkit —

Keeper screen — 3-panel cardstock (portrait A5 x 3, in prototyping)

Oops, All Tables (cf DCC’s Reference Booklet)

K-00, a short self-contained prequel to…

K-01 The Living Starlight (GameHole 2019). Escape the prison star, Xirtis Void.

The Stars Eternal Aesthetic

Stars Eternal is slim on the visuals (…for now), but I do want to share a playlist, and (soonish) an Appendix-N type shout-out document to the games, novels, films, comics and series that have inspired me from small times to the present day.

It’s no big deal, just a personal soundtrack I started with a couple songs to help me try to capture the vibe of Stars Eternal and that I sometimes put on shuffle while I’m working. It’s not really a soundtrack so much as a bit of inspiration and/or thematic music for scenes I can imagine being played out in the game. (Like when Douglas Adams shouted out Paul Simon’s One Trick Pony in one of his books.)

The Adventure Continues

Next up: I’m looking to start play testing some of these games in person and online. Between now and GameHole, here’s our path in space and time:

Add two more sessions of Stars Eternal for a total of 12—14 session hours total. I’m leaning toward C-01 or Y-01, and a second similar (but not identical) 2 h demo.

PNJ is on v. 0.1.4, while GRG is on v. 0.1.2. The goal will be to get PNJ to 1.0 for GHC, and maybe printed, while GRG will be lagging behind.

JDR will always be PWYW. Your support helps fund Barzai Observatory’s mission. Thank you!

Faith of the Heart

I’ve been thrilled to make and play games with friends and fellow Phasmonauts at conventions over the years, and sharing Stars Eternal has been enormously thrilling. Stardust Edition is a moonshot goal for one person, but the amazing thing is that just sharing what I’ve made with everyone has made it possible and worthwhile.

In the process of making JDR, I discovered that the game was a lot more about speculative fiction as a genre and fandom than any particular example of sci-fi. I look forward to seeing where it takes us.