@turtlebun.com
We're Hannah and Evan. We design ttrpgs and zines, and host Design Doc, a podcast about making games. This account is for news and updates. Personal accounts at adrawnnovel.bsky.social and hanbandit.bsky.social
Escape from Wonderland: Playtest with us! 2 open slots for a March campaign.
Join us for an online playtest of Escape from Wonderland! We're running a four-session campaign on the following dates:
Sunday 3/1, 12pm
Thursday 3/5, 6pm
Sunday 3/15, 12pm
Saturday 3/21, 6pm
(all times in EST)
Send us a DM or reply if you're interested and available!
Hell yea we did!
I think the latest episode of Design Doc from @hanbandit.bsky.social and @adrawnnovel.bsky.social at @turtlebun.com is a fantastic little lesson about game design.
What is an epiphany in game design, and how do you set yourself up for one?
pca.st/podcast/9dd9...
Design Doc episode title "Design Doc episode 105: Resolutions New & Old." Image is an old-timey illustration of a woman in a dress opening a small fondue pot at a party.
New episode of Design Doc before 2025 is a wrap! We talk about New Year's resolutions and why they're pretty great, actually—one Skill, one Mastery, and three Experiences to round out every year. Thank you everyone for listening! We will see you in 2026.
pod.link/1298080097/e...
Sunrise over Philadelphia skyline
Photo of 6 people smiling in front of a black curtain at PAX unplugged
Thanks to Philly for an awesome #PAXUnplugged ✨️ shoutout to our fantastic friends/booth-mates at @turtlebun.com and @moreblueberries.bsky.social for the amazing vibes all weekend!
@gamefiend.bsky.social @hanbandit.bsky.social
Episode 103 of Design Doc is a two-game debrief! We each ran games at a convention for the first time since the pandemic. We talk about how it went, and how to (hopefully) protect one of those games from scope creep. open.spotify.com/episode/5Lxe...
Graphic: Games for Palestine. Image shows covers of Questlandia and Noirlandia RPGs on dark blue background with watermelon and Palestinian flag graphics.
It’s the final day to get the itchio bundle for the Palestinian Children’s Relief fund! For $10 you can get Questlandia and Noirlandia + over 240 other games. It’s a great way to round out your weird indie library while supporting the fight for Palestinian liberation.🇵🇸 itch.io/b/3299/pales...
We've made 100 episodes! Thank you to everyone who has listened.
We brought Wonderland to a real-life theme park! In the latest episode of Design Doc, we talked about how to take tabletop rules off the table. What needs to be simplified, what can be dropped, and what should we wear?
my friend @nynphaiel.bsky.social has been taking in stray cats, but they're struggling to get the money together to care for, and feed them. as a recent immigrant they're not able to work, so this kind act is costing them dearly.
so, we've put together an @itch.io bundle. love cats? check it out.
Another good example of this is Enter the Orb by @turtlebun.com which has you all watch the trippy 1990s 3D animation video together and then play to create more. The shared context, as they say, is built in.
Thank you! Sometimes a game is just an excuse to impose the context :)
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! 🌟 And sorry to have missed it until now!
New Design Doc out today! This one is about our attempt to plan a game of Escape from Wonderland at Six Flags, and whether it’s actually possible to LARP on a roller coaster. Probably one of my favorite recent episodes. 😄
episodes.fm/1298080097/e...
New Design Doc today! In the episode @adrawnnovel.bsky.social and I talk about how even the ToC of a roleplaying game can help tell the game’s story and set the tone.
open.spotify.com/episode/3Sfs...
We do our best to answer some of these questions for Escape from Wonderland, and discuss how we've addressed them in our previous games.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts! Or right on our website:
turtlebun.com/pages/design...
The latest Design Doc is about epilogues!
How do you end a game on the best possible note, while also letting the players pick the tune?
Is it unbearable to introduce new rules at the end of a long session?
Why do games need to end, anyway??
The latest episode of Design Doc is about how mechanics can swing from one extreme to the other. Adjusting your rules *just enough* is an art form in itself!
You can find it here: pod.link/1298080097/e...
...or wherever you get your podcasts!
It's the last day for our spring PDF sale! 11 more hours! 💟 itch.io/s/149803/tur...
An illustration of a happy bunny and turtle floating on a star and flower background with text that reads "Turtlebun spring sale! 20% off our PDFs!"
All our games are on sale on itch through the end of the month! Grab a game individually for 20% off, or PDFs of every one of our games for $35 for the whole bundle.
Cheers, and happy Spring! 🌷🐢🐇
itch.io/s/149803/tur...
An illustration of a happy bunny and turtle floating on a star and flower background with text that reads "Turtlebun spring sale! 20% off our PDFs!"
All our games are on sale on itch through the end of the month! Grab a game individually for 20% off, or PDFs of every one of our games for $35 for the whole bundle.
Cheers, and happy Spring! 🌷🐢🐇
itch.io/s/149803/tur...
Awww! <3
Did you know it's Rex Manning Day??
Did you know that @hanbandit.bsky.social wrote an amazing game based off of the movie Empire Records, where that originates?
AAAAAANND... did you know we did an AP of it?! With @mattbartlettvo.bsky.social @nicolemackie.bsky.social and @brentpoynter.bsky.social!!
Design Doc should be available wherever you like to get podcasts.
You can find it on Apple:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/show/6UIwkMY...
Or our own website:
turtlebun.com/designdoc
A cover image for episode 90 of Design Doc, titled "It's my playtest and I'll cry if I want to." The image has the show's logo, a dotted-line cube, placed over a line drawing of a tea party.
The latest Design Doc is out!
This one is about a troublesome playtest. We had an extra player, which complicated things—but was that the only culprit?
Listen wherever you get your podcasts! Or click one of the links below.
The latest Design Doc is about pacing in TTRPGs! We talk about session counts, story arcs, and how to linger on the best moments.
You can listen to Design Doc wherever you download podcasts!
Our latest episode of Design Doc is about rewarding players with information. When making rules for intangible rewards, it's tough to make sure they'll match the mood at the table. We discuss and do some designing on the fly!
Out now in all the podcast places 💡
Our latest episode of Design Doc is about rewards and prizes! We talk about the difference between character and player-level rewards, and do a little live design for claw machine prizes!
Listen wherever you get podcasts! Or here, on Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4lFH...
Good morning! It’s my birthday and we have a new Design Doc up about Rewards and Prizes in roleplaying games! 🎁 Your character can be getting absolutely walloped while you as a player are like Hell Yea. Give it a listen! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
A great list! I'd recommend Design Doc from @turtlebun.com! Hannah and Evan are great, very experienced and have history - a deep library to choose from!
For myself, I'd gently like to promote my own actual play, @wederrakeep.bsky.social. It's accessible - episodes are mostly ~30 min (ep 1 is 40).
