After 82 weeks of making progress, slow and incremental at times, on my various table top projects, I am breaking my streak. There will be no Three Nine Digest this week… or any week until things quiet down for me.

School, field placement, work, side hustle, parenting, partnering, being a good son… lots happening right now. And I simply don’t have the time to do this at the moment.

This is not goodbye, though. It’s a see ya later.

I’m not sad about this. I’ve done great work and I have enjoyed the process as I’ve moved along various projects. But I can’t keep spinning this many plates. I have to put one or two down and wait until there’s room to big them back up again.

I’m not sure when that will be.

Thank you for reading along with this newsletter, though. I really appreciate it. And… I… will… return…

We had recently watched Lupita: Castle in the Sky and that certainly influenced our thinking for the first relic. Check ‘em out!

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Waterstone pendant

• A dull droplet shaped stone and a simple metal chain.

• When activated, the stone glows blue and floats towards the nearest large source of water (oases, wells, private reserves, etc.). When it reaches the water it ceases both glowing and floating.

• Recharge: Hold in cupped palms during a rainstorm, allowing the rainwater to cover it completely.

Weather Dice

• A set of five ivory dice with blank faces.

• When activated, weather symbols appear on the faces of the dice. When rolled they reveal the weather for the next day. Once rolled, the symbols slowly disappear.

• Recharge: Spin all five dice, simultaneously, on the surface of a sun dial.

Running to-do list

• Make relic 1. Something for the sun.

• Make relic 2. Something for water.

• Make relic 3. Something for weather.

• Make relic 4. Something for shelter.

• Make relic 5. Something offensive.

• Make relic 6. Something defensive.

• Make spells specific to setting.

• Add flavour text to bestiary items.

• Add new monster to bestiary (Walking Flame).

• Write setting section.

• Make character sheet.

• Make timekeeper reference sheet.

• Make navigator reference sheet.

• Make quartermaster reference sheet.

• Add examples to text.

• Finalize text.

• Make point crawl.

• Copy text over to Scrivener file.

• Copy text over to Publisher.

• Draw alternative cover image.

• Draw internal images.

Buh-bye.

This is a battle against my own laziness here. There’s lots in the Cairn book which I could just repeat or file the serial numbers off of, but for this game to be the best it can be it needs some new and unique features. For me, that means creating my own relics, monsters, spells, etc. and also defining my setting more clearly.

Here’s my first little foray into this next stage of development.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

For my relics, I want to directly address the needs the characters will have in my setting. Those needs include shelter from the sun, access to potable water, ways to navigate the Great Desert and ways to predicate the weather. This first relic is focused on the heat of the desert and provides a way for characters to stay cool. I’ve made the recharge easy enough to satisfy (though, water could be scarce in your game). Adding the word ‘delicate’ is my way of saying this cloak could get damaged and ruined if the wearer is not careful.

Geckohide Cloak

• A delicate hooded cloak made from the skin of a geckos.

• The wearer is protected from the sun and does not take Fatigue from heat related exposure for an entire day.

• Recharge: Soak the cloak in five skins of cool water and leave to dry against a cave wall over night.

Running to-do list

• Make relic 1. Something for the sun.

• Make relic 2. Something for water.

• Make relic 3. Something for weather.

• Make relic 4. Something for shelter.

• Make spells specific to setting.

• Add flavour text to bestiary items.

• Add new monster to bestiary (Walking Flame).

• Write setting section.

• Make character sheet.

• Make timekeeper reference sheet.

• Make navigator reference sheet.

• Make quartermaster reference sheet.

• Add examples to text.

• Finalize text.

• Make point crawl.

• Copy text over to Scrivener file.

• Copy text over to Publisher.

• Draw alternative cover image.

• Draw internal images.

See ya later alligator.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Master to-do list

• Make scars table.

• Make spells table.

• Make relic 1.

• Make relic 2.

• Make relic 3.

• Make relic 4.

• Make spells specific to setting.

• Add flavour text to bestiary items.

• Add new monster to bestiary (Walking Flame).

• Write setting section.

• Make character sheet.

• Make timekeeper reference sheet.

• Make navigator reference sheet.

• Make quartermaster reference sheet.

• Add examples to text.

• Finalize text.

• Make point crawl.

• Copy text over to Scrivener file.

• Copy text over to Publisher.

• Draw alternative cover image.

• Draw internal images.

Tschüss.

I’m liking the to-do list method for keeping me on track with all this.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Last week’s to-do list:

• Print reference picture and experiment with tracing/sketching.

• Finish the copy editing of the ashcan.

Here is the to-do list moving forwards.

• Make scars table.

• Make spells table.

• Make relic 1.

• Make relic 2.

• Make relic 3.

• Make relic 4.

• Make spells specific to setting.

• Add flavour text to bestiary items.

• Add new monster to bestiary (Walking Flame).

• Write setting section.

• Make character sheet.

• Make timekeeper reference sheet.

• Make navigator reference sheet.

• Make quartermaster reference sheet.

• Add examples to text.

• Finalize text.

• Make point crawl.

• Copy text over to Scrivener file.

• Copy text over to Publisher.

• Draw alternative cover image.

• Draw internal images.

See ya nerds.

I was lucky to have some time this week that wasn’t entirely swallowed up by my main job or my main side job. I didn’t get a ton of TTRPG stuff done, but the little I did do was quite important. Furthermore, in doing these things, I felt a little spark of excitement for Sand & Stars. That’s something I had missed for the last few months, partly because editing can be very boring and partly because life has had its challenges over that span. But it feels good to look at this project as a whole right now and push it a little closer to completion.

Here’s what went on with it this week:

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

I got through the list I set last week:

• Connect my Three Nine URL to this substack account.

• Make a QR code for the S&S ashcan so I can easily share it with my in-person writers group.

• Take a photograph to use as reference for my S&S front cover.

• Start a Publisher project for S&S.

The publisher project was especially easy thanks to Yochai Gal’s wonderful decision to post the Cairn publisher project file online and provide free access to all. I’m not going to clone Cairn, but having the size and margins already plotted out is going to save me a lot of work.

Here’s my reference picture for the front cover. I want to try and sketch this image, with more sand covering the palm. I might even omit the thumb entirely. I want a minimal cover and the whole thing to a have a bit of a zine feel to it.

I quite like this list-making stuff. Here’s what I’ll try and do for next week:

• Print reference picture and experiment with tracing/sketching.

• Finish the copy editing of the ashcan.

New Rules: I’m not allowed to get mad at myself for not doing this on the list.

*nods

Even so, I’m creeping closer to my first completed game with Sand & Stars. I haven’t worked on that this week, since the weekend got away from me. I had to live blog a UFC event during the day all Saturday. On Sunday I had to wrap up sumo coverage on my other blog (which is doing really well, by the way, to the point it’s actually become a part time job and not just a hobby - that has its pros and cons, for sure).

Sumo Stomp!

2025 Nagoya Basho: Final day results and analysis

And we’re done…

Read more

9 months ago · 11 likes · 3 comments · Tim Bissell

And today was also my 11th wedding anniversary. Yay me! And it was the first one where my kid came up and said “happy anniversary daddy… happy anniversary mummy.” The world might be awful, but life can still provide moments of absolute bliss.

I don’t have any updates on projects to speak of here, so my form of progress this week will be purely ‘intention setting’.

Here’s my to-do-list to be done before the next newsletter:

• Connect my Three Nine URL to this substack account.

• Make a QR code for the S&S ashcan so I can easily share it with my in-person writers group.

• Take a photograph to use as reference for my S&S front cover.

• Start a Publisher project for S&S.

See you on the flip side!

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

I added a table to the NPC section (arghh tables!), fixed some formatting and added edits to the Wealth & Treasure, Retainers, Spellbooks & Scrolls and Casting Spells section.

Smell ya later.

No progress on any TTRPG work this week. It’s been a tough one. Had a family emergency on Monday that required an all hands on deck response. Thankfully, the worst did not happen and things are now improving.

I’ll get back onto Sand & Stars next week. Probably. Hopefully.

Cheers!

I’ve copied and pasted some of the newly revised sections below. I’m particularly keen on my Beasts section. Mounts and pack animals are kind of just thrown in to games. This game’s fiction logically requires the use of beasts, though. I need to make sure the rules encourage and not prohibit players acquiring and harnessing the power of beasts as they explore the great desert.

As I work through these edits I’m also pondering whether or not I need a more robust setting section. I’ve tried to sprinkle setting details throughout the rules so the reader “gets it” as far as the world I am designing for but, at the same time, not force them to play that world. As the rules become more specific to my setting, though, I’m left feeling like I just go all out and be like… “Yeah, this is set in The Great Desert… here’s how this place works.”

I’m leaning in that direction. So that might be the next thing to do after this next draft, and the rules, are fully set.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Survival

The Desert itself, which never ends, is the greatest risk to all PCs in Sand and Stars. The lack of water and punishing heat are fatal to all who are ill-prepared or unlucky.

Navigation

Those who traverse the desert rely on The Great Road. Guideposts and cairns along this road reveal the distance between roadside communities and landmarks.

PCs use the sun, moons and stars to determine what direction they are heading. Any PC with vision can discern north by looking into the clear sky.

Compasses, which are very rare, can be used to discern direction when a view of the sky is not possible, like when travelling underground or undersand.

Weather & Climate

When each moon rises, the navigator player must roll on the appropriate table to determine the weather/climate conditions. These conditions exist until the current moon sets and the next moon rises, which then prompts a new roll on the appropriate table.

The Lovers

• 1: Rain

• 2-25: Cool

• 26-100: Cold

The Child

• 1: Rain

• 2-25: Temperate

• 26-85: Hot

• 86-100: Blistering

Fool & judge

• 1: Rain

• 2-15: Temperate

• 16-65: Hot

• 66-100: Blistering

The Hangman

• 1: Rain

• 2-25: Temperate

• 26-85: Hot

• 86-100: Blistering

The Weeping Moon

• 1: Rain

• 2-25: Cool

• 26-100: Cold

Mouse & Snake

• 1: Rain

• 2-15: Cool

• 16-100: Cold

If a PC is exposed to the elements during Hot conditions, they must add a Fatigue to their inventory when the next moon sets. A PC is exposed to the elements if they are outside, with a clear view of the sky, while not being entirely covered by shade.

If a PC is exposed to the elements during Blistering conditions, they must add Fatigue to three of their inventory slots when the next moon sets.

If a PC does not have a head covering they add Fatigue to an additional inventory slot each time they are required to add Fatigue due to Hot or Blistering conditions.

If a PC is wearing armour that has the bulky tag, they add Fatigue to an additional inventory slot each time they are required to add Fatigue due to Hot or Blistering conditions.

If a PC is exposed to the elements during Cold conditions, and is not wearing a head covering and warm clothes, they must add Fatigue to their inventory when the next moon sets.

Example:

Augury tools and meteorological instruments have a 50% chance of correctly predicting the conditions of the next moon. On a successful roll, a PC with one of those items may make an early roll on the appropriate weather table to determine the conditions for the next moon.

Water

A waterskin occupies a single inventory slot whether it is empty or full. Water is measured in skins with one skin of water being enough to fill a single waterskin. Containers that hold multiple skins of water are widely available. They occupy as many inventory slots as skins they hold.

PCs must consume one skin of water per day (every eight moons) or else add a Fatigue to their inventory.

Natural sources of water are sparse in the Desert. Water can be collected when it rains or from rarely encountered succulent plants, wells and oases. Communities are often built around or close to water sources. However, access to water in these locales may be costly, difficult and/or dangerous.

All water must be purified before it can be safely consumed. A PC who drinks water that has not been purified adds a Fatigue to their inventory. Water can be purified through boiling and other less mundane methods (such as spells and magical items).

Food

Food is measured by inventory slots. The Guide Player determines how many slots various food items may occupy. A PC must eat one inventory slot’s worth of food every two days or add a Fatigue to their inventory.

Rest

PCs must rest for two consecutive moons each day or add a Fatigue to their inventory. During this rest period, at least one moon must be spent sleeping. Eating and drinking can be done during a rest period.

The Guide Player determines if a given activity is laborious enough to interrupt a rest period. Walking more than a few steps, heavy lifting, crafting, cooking, vigorous conversation and fighting are examples of activities that should interrupt a rest period.

Example:

Beasts of Burden

Riding and pack beasts are widely available in the Desert. These beasts have evolved to survive in the harshest conditions. The amount of water and food a beast must consume to survive varies due to their size.

Small beasts, such as monkeys and cats, eat and drink a negligible amount of food and water, shared from a PC’s supplies at a rate which does not require tracking.

Medium beasts, such as horses and riding lizards, must consume food and water at the same rate as a PC.

Large beasts, such camels and eluphants, store water in their bodies. If a large beast drinks 10 skins of water, they don’t need to drink for another 30 days. Large beasts consume food at the same rate as a PC.

Beasts generally require rest at the same rate as PCs.

Beasts of the desert do not suffer ill effects from weather conditions. They can drink water that has not been purified.

If beasts aren’t cared for appropriately (or kindly) they will bolt, become too disobedient to be helpful, or die.

Catch ya later.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Just a minor edit in the Survival section.

More next week? Maybe.

With the Time section I decided to kill my darlings and go clear over clever. This means that I have axed my cute system for measuring time, described in a past newsletter, and instead tried not to re-invent the wheels (how many cliches can I fit into this post, eh?).

Anyways, you can see my more simple time system below, along with the distance system, too, which has also been simplified some. I’ve also introduced the concept of the Great Road. I’m imaging all the point crawls I make for this (and possibly that everyone else makes) being modular and able to ‘click’ together, using the Great Road as the connecting piece.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Time & Distance

Time

Eight moons orbit the skies above the Great Desert. Each of these moons is visible for approximately four hours at a time. Because of this, days and nights are measured in four hour intervals known as Moons.

The Great Sun beats down on the Desert for four consecutive Moons each day. This is followed by four consecutive Moons of night.

During daylight hours red moons cross over the desert sky. The first of them is the Child. This is followed by the Fool, then the Judge and, finally, the Hangman.

The Great Sun sets during the Hangman’s Moon. The white moons then rise and fall in the dark.

After the Great Sun is set, the first moon to appear is The Weeping Moon. This is followed by the Mouse, then the Snake and finally The Lovers.

The Great Sun always rises as the Child passes over The Lovers.

The Great is most cool when The Lovers, The Child, The Hangman or The Weeping Moon are present.

The Desert is most hot when the Fool or the Judge are present. The Desert is most cold when the Mouse or the Snake are present.

Insert Diagram

Distance

Travel in the Great Desert occurs mainly along the Great Road, an enormous, winding and seemingly never ending road that connects all major settlements in the known world. Many smaller paths and roads branch off the Great Road, but none are as wide or as hospitable.

Distance in the desert is measured in lak. When travelling on the Great Road walking speed is 1 lak per hour. When travelling anywhere else, walking speed is 3 lak per hour.

Beast drawn carts travel at a speed of 2 lak per hour. They can only travel on the Great Road.

Typical riding beasts can travel 5 lak per hour on the Great Road and 2 lak per hour anywhere else.

Sand & Stars is designed to be played using point crawl adventures. Point crawls should always list the amount of lak between various points and clearly identify with points are accessible by the Great Road.

Happy trails!

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

I just started tweaking the Fatigue section, which is a very important section. I feel like that’s something new I’m bringing to the Cairn system and something that turns this into a ‘survival adventure game’.

Happy trails!

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Adding corrections to the rules section. Not exactly sexy. It’s still progress, though.

See ya next week.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Getting there…

See ya next week.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

After finishing the starting equipment and gear tables, now I’m faced with the optional gear packages.

I’ve tweaked the originals from Cairn to make them more desert-y and less forest-y. This is something where I know I can really knuckle under and make cool gear packages (masquerading as classes), but I’m feeling lazy — which is not great. The tweaks are good enough for now. I’ll need to really decide whether or not I have it in me to push through and add better and more distinct details. If I push through things will be better… but I’m tired. We’ll see.

That’s all for today.

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

Tables. Tables, tables and tables. That’s what I’ve been working on this week.

That’s all for today.

I’m continuing to focus solely on Sand & Stars. I have the first draft hard copy all marked up with alterations and now I’m committing those to the online Ashcan. Further details of that below:

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

There are a few good changes coming thanks to me review of the first draft. I really like where this game is heading and I’m excited to play it! I’m not just excited to play test it, it’s something I could see doing a campaign with and that’s really exciting.

I’ve fixed up the first ten pages of the Ashcan (34 to go!) and I’ve started adding in nicer tables.

I also added my land acknowledgement to the front matter.

This is something I’ve developed with a lot of care. I first featured something similar to this in my Breathless game WAKE. Land acknowledgements are important and part of my professional framework as a social service worker in training. I am a settler, but I also have family who are First Nations (Mohawk of the Bay of Quinte to be exact). Land acknowledgements are a formality in lots of aspects in Canadian life. Often they serve as just lip service. However, the point is not to just acknowledge we’re on stolen land but to make it a conversation and state how that informs our actions. I’ve tried to encapsulate that in my land acknowledgement below:

This work was conceived and created on the land of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Haudenosaunee, Mississaugas of the Credit and Wendake-Nionwentsïo. The creator of this work recognizes the historical and contemporary abuses suffered by these nations, at the hands of settlers and their civic and religious institutions, and commits to creating and supporting work that is anti-colonial and anti-racist.

You may not play this game if you are a fascist or a bigot or someone who values capital over community.

That’s all for today.

Thanks for sticking with me friends. We’re so close to a finished game!!!

I’ve made some big changes already on this pass. I’ve removed my overly cute lore regarding time-keeping. That was a ‘kill your darlings’ moment and everything made so much more sense once I had crossed it all out.

I’ve also added more to codify the ‘player roles’ to make sure the ‘GM’ isn’t left doing too much work in this game.

I think I’m a week or two away from this being pretty much text-locked as far as a playtest version goes. Then I just need to convince my friends to play it with me (if you’re reading this now… pleeeeeaaaasseeee can I play this game with you?).

Take it easy all. See you next week.

Project Run down

Sand & Stars

(Desert survival x Cairn, Ashcan here [link])

…

Added lots of tables to the Ashcan, which is now more a first draft than an actual Ashcan. That includes name, background, appearance, virtue, starting gear, spells, etc.

I’ve printed out the draft and will now to a ‘pencil edit’. We’re pretty much there, though, as far as a completed hack. Before I release this, though, I want a have an adventure finished and in the book. Would also like to tweak the bestiary and spell list to make a little more on-theme.

Steam Thieves

(Steampunk x Forged in the Dark, Ashcan here [link])

Added a little in the Fortune Roll section.

…

No progress.

Goodnight Maus

(Mausritter adventure site inspired by Goodnight Moon)

…

No progress.

Trinakum

(Original design - 3d6 dice pool/grid-based/combat simulator with Iron Age Celtic/Gaulish flavour, Ashcan here [link])

…

No progress.

Gatekeepers

(Mythos inspired Breathless game for the Beyond the Gates Jam, Ashcan here [link])

…

No progress.

WAKE

(Completed Breathless game inspired by Control, Inception and The Matrix, Game Page here [link])

…

No progress.

GIANT PINBALL

(Dungeon Crawl Classic Funnel set inside a pinball machine)

…

No progress,

See ya!