I hope you’re doing well today.

New Releases

Here’s what’s new in the Lightspress shop this week!

The Great Gatsby: A Raven & River Journaling Game

In The Great Gatsby: A Raven & River Journaling Game, you'll step into the shoes of characters navigating the complexities of 1920s America. Using playing cards, you'll create your own stories, draw parallels to Fitzgerald's world, and perhaps uncover new insights into this enduring classic. Let's dive into the origins and cultural impact of this literary masterpiece.

Space Opera Adventures

20 reusable beat charts to help you quickly and easily create space opera adventures!

Space Opera Adventures is your gateway to creating thrilling, galaxy-spanning roleplaying game space opera adventures. This system-neutral guide offers a comprehensive approach to using beat charts, enabling you to craft engaging space opera narratives. Fully compatible with The Suspicion Engine, this book provides tools and techniques to bring your epic tales to life, whether you are a seasoned gamemaster or new to the genre. Prepare to embark on interstellar journeys, explore alien worlds, and engage in cosmic conflicts with Space Opera Adventures.

Space Opera Characters

Space Opera Characters is your ultimate guide to crafting compelling and dynamic characters for space opera roleplaying games. In this book, I cover a wide range of character traits that bring your characters to life, including their role in the story, background and history, personality, physical attributes, motivations, strengths and weaknesses, quirks, values, and conflict styles. This system-neutral guide is designed to seamlessly integrate with any game, while being fully compatible with Lightspress publications. Let's embark on this journey together to create memorable characters that will enhance your space opera adventures.

Espionage Adventures

20 reusable beat charts to help you quickly and easily create espionage adventures!

Espionage Adventures is a comprehensive guide to crafting thrilling spy-themed roleplaying game adventures using beat charts. This system-neutral resource is designed to help you structure your stories with precision, ensuring every mission is filled with suspense, intrigue, and strategic twists. Fully compatible with The Suspicion Engine system by Lightspress, Espionage Adventures provides you with the tools to create engaging plots and dynamic roleplaying, whether you're running a one-shot or a full ongoing campaign. Dive into the world of espionage and bring your adventures to life with detailed guidance and innovative techniques.

Espionage Characters

Espionage Characters is an essential resource for crafting compelling characters in spy-themed roleplaying games. This book examines a variety of character traits, ensuring nuanced portrayal of spies and their complex world. Organized into categories, including background and history, conflict style, motivations and goals, personality traits, physical traits, quirks and habits, role in the story, strengths and weaknesses, and values and beliefs, this guide provides a comprehensive toolkit for players and gamemasters alike. Whether you're creating a cunning informant with a shadowy past or a charismatic leader driven by a desire for justice, Espionage Characters offers the depth and versatility needed to bring these personas to life. Fully system-neutral yet fully compatible with Lightspress games, this book is designed to enhance any espionage campaign with richly developed characters.

Dark Academia Adventures

20 reusable beat charts to help you quickly and easily create dark academia adventures.

Dark Academia Adventures is your guide to weaving compelling narratives within the enigmatic and intellectually charged world of dark academia. This system-neutral book offers you the tools to craft intricate adventures using beat charts, ensuring each twist and turn captivates your players. Fully compatible with The Suspicion Engine system, also published by Lightspress, this book will help you create stories filled with mystery, suspense, and academic intrigue. Whether you're an experienced gamemaster or new to the genre, Dark Academia Adventures provides the structure and inspiration needed to bring your dark academia tales to life.

Dark Academia Characters

Dark Academia Characters is a comprehensive guide crafted to enhance your dark academia roleplaying games. This book examines character traits, from their role in the story to their deepest motivations and quirks. Each trait category, meticulously detailed, offers insight into creating complex and compelling characters. Whether you're developing a mysterious professor with a hidden past or a determined student with lofty ambitions, this system-neutral guide, compatible with all Lightspress games, provides a versatile toolset to bring your dark academia narratives to life.

This Week’s Discount Code

This week’s code is INTELLECTUAL

It will save you 20% off your entire purchase for one week after the date of this newsletter.

The Day-to-Day

It looks like #RPGaDay2024 is going to happen after all, and Lightspress will be participating via the blog.

In case you missed them, here are new and notable posts from the past week.

Understanding Fantasy Roleplaying Games Through the Lens of the Humanities

Tabletop roleplaying games and storygames offer a unique convergence of creativity, storytelling, and human experience, positioning them within the broader scope of the Humanities. While roleplaying spans many genres, this article focuses on traditional fantasy, the genre most closely associated with roleplaying. Exploring fantasy roleplaying games through the lens of disciplines such as literature, history, psychology, and sociology reveals their cultural and educational value. Read More

Developing Plot Hooks and Story Arcs

Creating intriguing plot hooks and compelling adventure arcs keeps players invested and excited in adventure-focused roleplaying games. The right hooks and arcs capture your players’ imaginations, draw them into the adventure, and keep them eagerly anticipating each session. Here are my tips on crafting these elements effectively. Read More

An Audience of One

Those seeking evidence that I write some things for an audience of one (myself) need look no further. Read More

Incorporating Romance into Your Campaigns

Incorporating romance into roleplaying games can add depth to the adventure and create memorable experiences for players. When done thoughtfully, romance can enhance character development, build emotional stakes, and add layers to the adventure. Here’s my advice on weaving romance into your games in a way that enriches the overall experience. Read More

Creating Compelling Villains and Antagonists

Developing memorable and challenging villains and antagonists is critical for any adventure-focused roleplaying game. A well-crafted antagonist can drive the plot, provide meaningful conflict, and engage players on a deeper level. Here’s my approach to creating villains and antagonists that leave a lasting impression and add complexity to your game. Read More

Thank You

The Lightspress Manifesto is our official weekly newsletter, delivering information on new and upcoming releases, sales and events, and sources of creative inspiration directly to your email inbox. It's your essential guide to all things Lightspress, and the best part? It's completely free. Stay connected and subscribe to The Lightspress Manifesto now!

Lightspress promotes a simple approach to roleplaying, focusing on the utility and value of the content rather than flashy production. We strategically employ visual elements to amplify the message conveyed by the text, allowing us to create powerful and affordable toolkits. Remember, the true essence of the roleplaying experience lies not within the pages of a book, but in the creativity and collaboration fostered around your tabletop.