Getting started
Your first two weeks making or reading RPG zines
A calm path for new makers and curious readers of small-press tabletop.
Day one
Pick an eight-page ashcan scope. Read Zine Wikipedia, then skim our glossary for page budget and credit-block terms.
Pick a scope
House layout and licensing notes on one page. If a call repeats (fonts, bleeds, CC terms), ink it.
Teach the table
If a layout ornament adds three hours and hurts readability, cut it. Usable pages beat sacred spreads.
After session one
Cite artists, editors, and playtesters in the credit block—every time, not as an afterthought.
If a layout ornament adds three hours and hurts readability, cut it. Usable pages beat sacred spreads.
House layout and licensing notes on one page. If a call repeats (fonts, bleeds, CC terms), ink it.
Date credit drafts, print-file checklists, and jam constraints. A collaborator should inherit a brief, not a vibe.
House layout and licensing notes on one page. If a call repeats (fonts, bleeds, CC terms), ink it.
One eight-page ashcan shipped cleanly beats a shelf of unfinished forty-page dreams on week one.
Related desks in this neighborhood
OSR and Borg crates are natural neighbors when your staples bind doom or dungeon procedures.