Errant Thinking

Hit Graphs: From Stick Figures to Hit Locations

Errant Thinking — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ever want to hit an exact location on your enemy in your tabletop roleplaying combat? A headshot, nonlethal blow to the knee caps, or that cursed bracelet on your ally's wrist? Today's Dungeons and Dragons won't give you what you're looking for. As I explore the nuances in combat mechanics for Small Souls</a>, I've been considering Harm, Wounds, and Scars and particularly where they occur on the body. Let's explore opt-in hit graphs, accuracy, and precision with stick figures in TTRPGs, which is my work in progress generalization of "hit boxes" in video games and "hit locations" in TTRPGs.

Woland: The Silver Cradle

Errant Thinking — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

William of "Half a Worm and a Bitten Apple" is hosting a community event to collaboratively create a realm called "Woland</a>", where 20 people create small regions within a hex map for a Mythic Bastionland game. My turn has arrived and I chose the center hex flower numbered 11, which happened to feature the Seat of Power of the realm! I endeavored to create a Holding worthy of being a Seat of Power of legend! I hope you like Berserk.

Tiny Epics RPG Blog Carnival Round Up

Errant Thinking — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As the March of the Tiny Epics</a> comes to a close today, I give one last "Hurrah!" for all those who participated throughout this month. Thank you everyone for participating and sharing your wonderful TTRPG creations and reflections on the theme of "Tiny Epics: Small Souls in a Big World!". You all had great things to share and I'm glad to have read each and everyone of them. Let's celebrate the participants and their creations!

Flower Folk: Camellia Fairy

Errant Thinking — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As part of the March of the Tiny Epics</a>, I wanted to add a Small Souls creature</a> inspired by the Becorns of David M. Bird</a> and from a walk in a park. I present to you one of the many flower folk, the Camellia Fairy.

Thoughts on BAYOU Roots

Errant Thinking — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Palleon Press successfully got me monologuing too much in my March of the Tiny Epics overview</a> so here that is to preserve the overview's flow. I clearly have some thoughts on BAYOU's Roots</a>. Good thoughts, and thoughts on what others consider when characterizing their characters in TTRPGs, at least from a general level probably with too skewed a recollection from the popular titles.

Relative Resolution in Small Souls

Errant Thinking — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

After sharing my design goals</a>, I am glad to share the character specification and core resolution mechanic behind Small Souls, and really its underlying generic engine, Soul System. As of version 0.2.0, Small Souls is a TTRPG with a roll-under counted dice pool and two thresholds that determine if those rolled dice are boons, banes, or blanks. This resolution mechanic quantizes the spectrum between automatic success and automatic failure, while providing different parameters to tune for more things to occur as side effects, whether good or bad. It provides a simple interface for players to improve their odds by first improving the narrative situation in their favor, possibly avoiding a roll altogether, or by using their resources to improve their odds or push their luck by rolling more dice. This is a forward moving mixed outcome resolution system that is designed for optional advancement in these abilities for higher level play, if so desired. Let's dive in!

Soul System Design Goals

Errant Thinking — Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I've been wanting to share my personal TTRPG project here for a while. As I'm hosting the RPG Blog Carnival with the theme of "Tiny Epics</a>", now is as good a time as ever given I started designing for a game within this genre. I started a year ago designing my game called "Small Souls" from which I separated the generic system from the small souls specifics. The relative nature of one's abilities as the scale of the task increases or decreases started in Small Souls, but I found it to be useful as a generic system that emphasizes dramatic tension, informs roleplaying direction, and fleshes out the spectrum of possibilities and agency. Here are some of my macro design goals for the "Soul System", which involves a counted dice pool with "push your luck" resolution mechanics as you pay resources that embody your character's use of stamina or energy. A post on the mechanics as of versions 0.1.0 and 0.2.0a is soon to follow, along with some playtest reflections.

March of Tiny Epics

Errant Thinking — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

More have joined in on the March of "Tiny Epics!</a>" for the RPG Blog Carnival. This community event is ongoing, and I wanted to discuss some people's shared creations! Share your creations with me early, and I'll do weekend updates in addition to the final roundup on March 31st.

Amidst Tiny Epics

Errant Thinking — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We're midway through March and already people have shared their creations for this month's RPG Blog Carnival on the theme "Tiny Epics: Small Souls in a Big World!</a>". This community event is ongoing, and I wanted to discuss some people's published content as well as some discussion that occurred around the internet. Share your creations with me early, and I'll do weekend updates in addition to the final roundup on March 31st.

List of Little Folk Stories and Media

Errant Thinking — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a non-exhaustive collection of stories and media that features little folk, whether people or other creatures. I gathered this raw list in my notes due to my interest over the past year in creating my Tabletop Roleplaying Game, Small Souls, which is for telling adventures and scenarios within this genre. Knowing the different kinds of stories that already exist helps me keep in mind the different tales players may want to tell with the game system. This really is a genre in itself, which I didn't fully appreciate prior to this project! I think that "Little folk" probably best describes it.

Tiny Epics: Small Souls in a Big World!

Errant Thinking — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The small ones among us are sometimes overlooked, but they surely have grand tales to tell! This March, let's explore these tiny epics for the RPG Blog Carnival</a>. This is a community event, so we'll ponder some ideas for this theme, then get to creating and start some discussion! Share your creations with me early and I'll do weekend updates along with a final roundup on March 31st</a>.

What We Thinking?

Errant Thinking — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

As with everyone, let alone bloggers, life can grab you by the collar and you just gotta run with it! With my hectic life aside, I feel it is appropriate to set some expectations for what kind of content I intend to write here, along with a brief introduction. Even if it is mostly to motivate myself to check off some boxes in the future, heheh.
I am Errant and I think about many things! In my daily life, I am a computer scientist. I research topics, analyze problems, design mathematical models & develop algorithmic solutions! Here, I will do the same for my hobbies, sharing more freeform thoughts that occur over time as I learn, and revising some pages as a wiki for the refined concepts.

The Town is the Adventure

Errant Thinking — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Settlements often serve as a safe haven or a base of operations in traditional roleplaying games, with cities being the most common place for an adventure to occur in a settlement. What about smaller settlements? As part of the RPG Cauldron Secret Santicorn</a> I'm hosting in 2025, which is separate from the typical Rainbow OSR Secret Santicorn, I received a request by Sully Tames</a> to explore making the settlement itself the adventure site.
The Request</h2>

The town/settlement as an adventure site in itself. What if you never had to leave the tavern to go on an adventure? </blockquote>
Alright! This is a good one that lets me use my research skills to understand what already exists out there and then provide some analysis of patterns and ways to make the adventure stay in a confined location. I use "settlement" to include a single more permanent building than a campsite in the smallest scale and a city in the largest scale.

The Last Candy Cane Caribou

Errant Thinking — Sat, 27 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A Rankin/Bass themed location for a Merry Hexmas</a> based on their 1982 animation of "The Last Unicorn". Where the mountains meet the coastline Haggard's Stronghold stubbornly resits the crashing waves of the Swirly Twirly Sea of Gumdrops.
The last candy cane caribou is somewhere in the North Pole, and is on a journey to find if she really is the last of her kind. This hex is her final destination where all her questions will finally be answered.

Ramkin

Errant Thinking — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I created a Rankin/Bass inspired creature that dwells in flocks among the mountain tops. This creature is the Ramkin, an intelligent yet primitive being with a ram's head and curling horns as well as a ram's hind legs. The ramkin's upper body is like that of a gorilla, muscular and in this case wool covered. Their hefty fists on their gorilla like arms are covered in keratin like their hooves, which protects their knuckles, and they have opposable thumbs with their two large and thick fingers which are plated in that keratin. They can grip and climb with their hands as well as walk and run on them as if hooves.

The Origin of the Term Undeath

Errant Thinking — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As part of my Secret Santicorn present</a> for "500poundsofnothing", I researched the concept of undeath where I encountered a claim that "undead" as a term that we recognize today is rather recent as of 1897 from Bram Stoker's "Dracula". I'm sharing what I found. While incomplete, I still find it interesting to consider the use of "undead" as we think of it today.

The Origin of Undeath

Errant Thinking — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Another year, another December, another Secret Santicorn</a> present delivered. This time I deliver the present of "The Origin of Undeath" to 500poundsofnothing</a>.
The Request</h2>

The origin of undeath. </blockquote>
I've split this into two posts. One for some initial research</a> I did on the origins of undeath as a term. And here, the main post including a short story and a couple of initial ideas for "classes" and their abilities pertaining to the type of undeath featured in the story.

The Powder Plains

Errant Thinking — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As part of Prismatic Wasteland's Rankin/Bass-themed 2025 Merry Hexmas</a>, I've contributed the Powder Plains as a snowfield hex. A relatively peaceful snowfield featuring multiple towns including Snowville, a village of cold elementals which neighbors the Snow Henge. January Junction makes an appearance along with Snowdin, inspired from Undertale. Also features Keh Night Automata and a twisted Cult of Janus.

The Rime Ridge

Errant Thinking — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As part of Prismatic Wasteland's Rankin/Bass-themed 2025 Merry Hexmas</a>, I present the Rime Ridge, a dense mountain range thick with fog that tends to freeze into hard rime ice upon all surfaces. An icey mist covered mountain range inspired by the Misty Mountains of Rankin/Bass's films 1977 "The Hobbit" and 1964 "Rudolph's Shiny New Year".

The Sleeping Slopes

Errant Thinking — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A jagged mountain range that features a long dormant volcano, Mount Heart, with a frozen spire at its top. The hollowed out volcano that was once mined for its riches and resources is now abandoned. Perhaps due to the dark secrets within its depths?
This is inspired by the Mines of Moria from "The Lord of the Rings" as well as the Rankin/Bass films "The Hobbit", "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", "Jack Frost", and "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July". Extra inspiration comes from Disney's movie Frozen and the 1844 "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen.

The Vorpal Vale

Errant Thinking — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A Rankin/Bass themed location for a Merry Hexmas</a>. A mysterious fog covered valley with a winding river between the various hills. The headless Chevalier Vert roams the vale from dusk to dawn in search of his lost head. In the mornign he turns to mist and the Jabberwock takes his place, albeit hunting for other's heads to mash and nash and misplace.

Hexmas: Four Rankin/Bass Themed Hexes

Errant Thinking — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Prismatic Wasteland has kicked off the Blogwagon: Hexmas</a> where he calls for bloggers to create multiple hexes within a shared world inspired by the thematic Christmas cinematic universe of Rankin and Bass</a>, such as the stop motion "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" and the animated "Frosty the Snowman". Rankin/Bass are also responsible for various other animations and stop motion films, including the original Lord of the Rings "Hobbit" and "Return of the King" animated films.
Given this, I provide four hexes to join the existing others, each of which I shall briefly detail here and then later on further refine and develop in their own blog post each following this one.

New Year's Self-Reflection: Resolutions Revolutionized

Errant Thinking — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

New Year's Resolutions are ephemeral. Self-reflections chart your course for a journey. Let's revolutionize our resolutions with purposeful reflection.
Around late November to after New Year's Day is a time of purposeful reflection for my friends and I. We dedicate time to consider what we are thankful for, the difficulties we've faced, our achievements, where we are, and where we choose to go in the new year. All this with an ample amount of answering the question, "Why?"! We've been self-reflecting and discussing every new year for the past three years, making this upcoming new year our fourth.
I want to share our process with you.

Inspiring Real World Feasts and Festivals

Errant Thinking — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I've decided to join in the festivities of this November's RPG Blog Carnival. This month's theme is "Feasts and Festivals" in tabletop role-playing games as hosted by of Dice and Dragons</a>.
I will discuss some real world festivals and mythology as sources of inspiration for one of my custom settings, Ophelos.

Granny Jam

Errant Thinking — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In the NSR Cauldron Discord</a>, I wrote a community prompt in hopes that I could get a community effort to characterize Granny Jam, a character I made up who specializes in creating magical jams and jellies. Under the pretense of creating magical jam and jelly items coupled with sharing stories of a time when Granny Jam used those jams, I was hoping we would discover the emergent character of Granny Jam and come to a better understanding of who she is as more people shared (made up) stories about her and her wares.
It never took off, but I do love the initial concept of Granny Jam and this idea for emergent characters from collaborative prompts. I wanted to share her here, at least through what I originally wrote up for the collaborative prompts.

Oh no, it's snow!

Errant Thinking — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It's Christmas in July</a> and I'm delivering a missing present to Kontent Punch</a> from Secret Santicorn 2024.
The Request</h2>

Oh no, it's Snow! </blockquote>
At first, I interpreted this as make some snow problems to solve, monsters in particular as this is OSR. I later realized that it is "Snow" not "snow" so its a named entity. So here's a 1d4 of cold based elementals and if I come back to this, I'll add some loose concept for a named entity of Snow, perhaps a character or a supernatural spirit.

Enlightened Retro Sci-Fi Uplifted Dinosaur Kingdom

Errant Thinking — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It's Christmas in July</a> and I'm delivering a missing present to Fairdragoon from Secret Santicorn 2022.
The Request</h2>

Cities, politicians and/or ministries of the enlightened retro-sci-fi uplifted dinosaur kingdom for a political/intrigue style game </blockquote>
This was a lot to take in for me, but after a bit I got something fun and a terrifying concept for a T-rex with monstrous mecha arms.

Roadside Inns with their Quirks & Secrets

Errant Thinking — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It's Christmas in July</a> and I'm delivering a missing present to Ighton of Serene Library</a> from Secret Santicorn 2022.
The Request</h2>

dHoweverManyYouFeelLike Roadside Inns and their quirks and secrets. </blockquote>
Excellent! I have chosen a d20. I've also chosen to include some taverns or pubs without the expected option of lodging. I have also thrown in a few in-city locations.

A Snow Field Bonfire

Errant Thinking — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

It's Christmas in July</a> and I'm delivering a missing present to The Byzantine</a> from Secret Santicorn 2024.
The Request</h2>

You and your party are gathered around a fire, surrounded by vast snow fields. What 1d6 strange encounters appear, seeking a place by the fire </blockquote>

Secret Santicorn, A History

Errant Thinking — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

With the end of July upon us, the seventh month of the year is coming to a close and I have decided to challenge myself to write more blog posts (gestures to empty blog). I started this blog with a response to a writing prompt</a> from Archon's Secret Santicorn 2024 community blogging event in the OSR Discord</a>, and back then I mused among others about delivering some of the publicly missing responses to writing prompts, or "sniping" as they call it in the OSR Discord.
So I decided to deliver some Secret Santicorn wishes that have gone unfulfilled as a personal challenge. A midsummer Santicorn if you will.
It's Christmas in July!


The Elves Revolt! An Adventure

Errant Thinking — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I told myself I'd setup my blog this year, and with the year coming to a close I thought I'd finally make that happen. I decided to sign up for some external accountability in the form of something called the 2024 Secret Santicorn. This is a yearly event hosted by Archon</a> in the Old School Renaissance (OSR) Discord, which is a community focused on Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPGs) that revitalizes the old school games in a modern way. That's the OSR</a> part. Secret Santicorn is essentially a secret Santa for blogging where everyone submits a writing prompt, the prompts get shuffled, and each person writes a blog in response to the prompt they received.
The Request</h2>
I was given The Robgoblin</a>'s prompt where he notes</a> that Goblette (Goblina?) conceived the original idea of the Christmas elves forming a trade union. The prompt is:

The Elves are revolting: class struggle at the North Pole. </blockquote>

The Request</h2>

dHoweverManyYouFeelLike Roadside Inns and their quirks and secrets.</p> </blockquote>
Excellent! I have chosen a d20</strong>. I've also chosen to include some taverns or pubs without the expected option of lodging. I have also thrown in a few in-city locations.</p>

The Request</h2>

You and your party are gathered around a fire, surrounded by vast snow fields. What 1d6 strange encounters appear, seeking a place by the fire</p> </blockquote>

The Request</h2>
I was given The Robgoblin</a>'s prompt where he notes</a> that Goblette (Goblina?) conceived the original idea of the Christmas elves forming a trade union. The prompt is:</p>

The Elves are revolting: class struggle at the North Pole.</p> </blockquote>

Errant Thinking

Hit Graphs: From Stick Figures to Hit Locations

Woland: The Silver Cradle

Tiny Epics RPG Blog Carnival Round Up

Flower Folk: Camellia Fairy

Thoughts on BAYOU Roots

Relative Resolution in Small Souls

Soul System Design Goals

March of Tiny Epics

Amidst Tiny Epics

List of Little Folk Stories and Media

Tiny Epics: Small Souls in a Big World!

What We Thinking?

The Town is the Adventure

The Last Candy Cane Caribou

Ramkin

The Origin of the Term Undeath

The Origin of Undeath

The Powder Plains

The Rime Ridge

The Sleeping Slopes

The Vorpal Vale

Hexmas: Four Rankin/Bass Themed Hexes

New Year's Self-Reflection: Resolutions Revolutionized

Inspiring Real World Feasts and Festivals

Granny Jam

Oh no, it's snow!

Enlightened Retro Sci-Fi Uplifted Dinosaur Kingdom

Roadside Inns with their Quirks & Secrets

A Snow Field Bonfire

Secret Santicorn, A History

The Elves Revolt! An Adventure

Errant Thinking

Hit Graphs: From Stick Figures to Hit Locations

Woland: The Silver Cradle

Tiny Epics RPG Blog Carnival Round Up

Flower Folk: Camellia Fairy

Thoughts on BAYOU Roots

Relative Resolution in Small Souls

Soul System Design Goals

March of Tiny Epics

Amidst Tiny Epics

List of Little Folk Stories and Media

Tiny Epics: Small Souls in a Big World!

What We Thinking?

The Town is the Adventure

The Last Candy Cane Caribou

Ramkin

The Origin of the Term Undeath

The Origin of Undeath

The Request</h2> The origin of undeath.</p> </blockquote>

The Powder Plains

The Rime Ridge

The Sleeping Slopes

The Vorpal Vale

Hexmas: Four Rankin/Bass Themed Hexes

New Year's Self-Reflection: Resolutions Revolutionized

Inspiring Real World Feasts and Festivals

Granny Jam

Oh no, it's snow!

Enlightened Retro Sci-Fi Uplifted Dinosaur Kingdom

Roadside Inns with their Quirks & Secrets

The Request</h2> dHoweverManyYouFeelLike Roadside Inns and their quirks and secrets.</p> </blockquote> Excellent! I have chosen a d20</strong>. I've also chosen to include some taverns or pubs without the expected option of lodging. I have also thrown in a few in-city locations.</p>

A Snow Field Bonfire

The Request</h2> You and your party are gathered around a fire, surrounded by vast snow fields. What 1d6 strange encounters appear, seeking a place by the fire</p> </blockquote>

Secret Santicorn, A History

The Elves Revolt! An Adventure

The Request</h2> I was given The Robgoblin</a>'s prompt where he notes</a> that Goblette (Goblina?) conceived the original idea of the Christmas elves forming a trade union. The prompt is:</p> The Elves are revolting: class struggle at the North Pole.</p> </blockquote>

The Request</h2>

dHoweverManyYouFeelLike Roadside Inns and their quirks and secrets.</p> </blockquote>
Excellent! I have chosen a d20</strong>. I've also chosen to include some taverns or pubs without the expected option of lodging. I have also thrown in a few in-city locations.</p>

The Request</h2>

You and your party are gathered around a fire, surrounded by vast snow fields. What 1d6 strange encounters appear, seeking a place by the fire</p> </blockquote>

The Request</h2>
I was given The Robgoblin</a>'s prompt where he notes</a> that Goblette (Goblina?) conceived the original idea of the Christmas elves forming a trade union. The prompt is:</p>

The Elves are revolting: class struggle at the North Pole.</p> </blockquote>