Wyrd Science 7! Back from the Dread
Not going to sugarcoat this, we're here to talk - at length- about our new issue here...
Gazetteer
¡Ay, caramba! we have a long but (self) important one today... So, this week I'd planned to bring you all the exciting stuff announced at Gen Con, but honestly in terms of exciting news it seemed to be pretty slim pickings. Some of that may just be down to tabletop games' profound marketing problem but from conversations it's also clear a lot of publishers' plans are a right mess at the moment due to ongoing uncertainties around tariffs.
Luckily, rather than talk about that we can fill the yawning void with our own incredibly exciting news, and that is that Wyrd Science issue 7 is -as of sending out this email- on sale and will start dropping through letterboxes around the start of next month. If you're as excited by that news as we are then you can stop reading and head over now to our webstore to order a copy, or even better go to Subsail where you can grab yourself a subscription (and save 10%).
Save money, help secure the future of independent print media and never have to worry about missing another issue!
Still here? huh, tough crowd. Ok, so you'd probably like to know what's in it then wouldn't you, as I'm happy to say that once again there's a hell of a lot as we explore the past, present and future of tabletop games and the world around them.
So, lets start with the past then. Well we have a brilliant essay by Dr Malcolm Craig on the history of roleplaying games released at the height of the Cold War and why they deserve to be studied in the same way we do with other media from the era. Great stuff. We also speak to a legend of the British games industry, Warhammer creator Rick Priestley about his latest work and we risk lead poisoning as we dig into the Oldhammer scene to see why more and more people are looking back to Games Workshops' 1980s golden period for inspiration.
Bringing us back to the present day we dig deep into some of the most exciting new games around and you'll find in-depth interviews with the folk behind the likes of award winning corporate horror RPG Triangle Agency, one of a kind time travelling rural fantasy Through The Hedgerow, acclaimed war/boardgame series Undaunted and epic science-fantasy computer game Caves of Qud. And that's not all!
We have reviews, we have new columnists, we have a whole new section looking at films, TV, books and more. We even have, in a Wyrd Science first, a standalone game from CJ Eggett for you to cut out and keep plus, of course, pages of incredible new art commissioned just for this issue from the likes of Alexey Gorboot (this issue's cover artist), Łukasz Kowalczuk, Flops and Gavin Mitchell.
Order your copy now and sit back with a feeling of smug contentment, knowing future you is in for a hell of a good time!
Like I said, it's a lot. Now this is the part where we get have to get serious as it also is an issue I didn't know if we'd ever make. Since we started there's been a lot of things happen in the world that honestly haven't made doing this any easier, our shipping and paper costs have risen dramatically, there's been endless new costs due to stuff like Brexit and our number 1 driver of sales, social media, has essentially collapsed.
After issue 6 came out last year a large part of me thought that would be a good time to hang up our sword and go do something more productive with our one go on this planet. We'd put out a dozen issues, about 6 more than I ever believed we would when I first had the idea, we'd published work by some genuinely fantastic writers and artists, annoyed some really annoying people and, unfortunately, lost several thousand pounds in the process. All in all it seemed like a good time to bow out.
As time went on though the idea of giving up without a last push started to nag. After all it felt like we'd barely scratched the surface of what we wanted to do, of the many stories we wanted to tell, stories that we know there's an audience and appetite for. The world may be a dumpster fire but tabletop games have never been more interesting and people more receptive to treating them as an important part of our culture.
At the same time whilst I always viewed Wyrd Science as an ongoing, very imperfect work in progress it was edging closer to the version that had always existed in my head, funnier, smarter, better looking. As I look in the mirror each morning, the magazine feels more and more like some horrifying reverse picture of Dorian Grey. We were still a way off from where I wanted it to be but it felt like I could at least see the destination, squatting tantalisingly on the horizon like some loathsome toad god.
I hesitate to say this but I have, perhaps ridiculously, also started to view independent print media -yes, even a magazine about space wizards- as a small but nonetheless important act of algorithmic resistance. You don't need me to tell you how we've entered a grim new world of corporate slop. Our feeds drowning in AI pollution, once respected websites gutted, experienced staff replaced by mindless prompts, artists' work chewed up and regurgitated, still slick with machine bile.
A magazine, something that gave us a temporary respite from our screens, that asked us to engage our brains for several thousand words at a time feels increasingly -and, yes, like I say ridiculously- like giving two fingers to a corporate world that offers us convenience in return for control. More and more I've come to cherish the, often imperfect, work of real human writers and real human artists working together to shine a light on games made by real people. Games, that as much as we sometimes jokingly brush off, have been an essential part of what it means to be human since we first started playing with knucklebone dice in caves.
So here we are with a new issue, maybe this is the start of a new chapter for us, maybe it's just a brightly coloured epilogue, honestly it could go either way. I've always said Wyrd Science has no divine right to exist, no one asked us to do this, but imperfect as this magazine is it fills a void right now and one that no one else seems keen to fill.
More than that though I think we can keep making this magazine better. I think we can find more writers and give them their first shot at being published, we can champion more artists and we can continue to celebrate games and what they mean to us.
To survive though we obviously need to sell more copies, not millions more but a good few, and we need to publish at least 3 if not 4 issues a year. After six issues I now finally believe we can do one of those things, the other is to a large degree out of our hands. So, in the grand tradition of Fighting Fantasy books this is the point where you get to be the hero. Or not, I don't begrudge anyone who has better things to do with what limited money they have these days, but we've got to give it a shot.
Still, whatever happens over the next few weeks, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone that has supported us in the past. Like I said I'm amazed we've done what we have and that's only possible because of you all. I also have to say thank you to everyone that's taken out a paid subscription for the website over the past month. I am very conscious that those who have are right now just paying to receive this newsletter but with the new issue nearly out we are already working on providing more value to you, so I thank you for your support but also your patience.
Ok, look that really is more than enough about us and we do have more for you this week that isn't just self promotion, so on that note I'll leave you to, hopefully, go buy a magazine and if not at least enjoy the rest of this week's newsletter. So till next week, keep rolling and stay Wyrd!
John x
P.S. Very randomly our warehouse found a box of issue 2, that has been sold out for nearly 2 years yesterday, I'm still a bit unsure how this has happened but anyway we have put 10 copies on sale, I know a lot of you wanted this so get stuck in.
P.P.S. We've also created a mega bundle of issues 3-6 and put our t-shirts on sale, so seriously if you've been holding off now's the time to treat yourself.
P.P.S. if you are a subscriber of the magazine via the Kickstarter we ran for issue 3, then there's a very good chance your sub has expired and will need to be manually renewed. If you have ANY questions AT ALL about this please just get in touch and we'll help in any way we can.
Go on, go on, go on, go on, you really want to treat yourself to a new magazine, don't you now.
Crowdfunding campaigns for things both diverse and interesting...
Serving Up Disaster
It feels somewhat fitting to talk about this new RPG from artist and writer Mol in the week that Masterchef returns to UK screens (admittedly under something of a cloud). Thankfully whilst Serving Up Disaster does transport us to the high pressure world of televised cooking, it takes its cues from the currently -frankly unbelievably- less problematic Kitchen Nightmares instead, the show where Gordon Ramsey visits cockroach infested restaurants calls everyone an arsehole and often gets hilariously ignored by chefs with, well, chef sized egos.
Serving Up Disaster then sees one player take on the role as the visiting foul mouthed TV chef, whilst the rest play the, no doubt equally belligerent, staff of a down on its luck restaurant. Based on an episodic structure the celebrity chef must cajole, threaten and inspire the staff to turn their fortunes around, improve their menu and make the place a little less cockroachy all in time for the big fancy relaunch.
Which honestly as far as games go all sounds rather delightful. If you've got a fallow week, someone can't make a session or you fancy a little palette cleanser or amuse bouche between SERIOUS ROLEPLAYING then and this could be a great option. It also makes a nice change from our normal go-to game for food related tomfoolery, Kieron Gillen's Come Dice With Me (which now I'm thinking about surely deserves a 2nd or ADVANCED edition by now).
Intriguingly Serving Up Disaster is powered by Jason Cordova's Brindlewood Bay system. Normally used for investigative RPGs it's an interesting choice and one that I can't wait to see in action. Anyway garnished as it is with some rather lovely art and graphic design I'd say that Serving Up Disaster looks like quite a tasty dish all round.
Find Serving Up Disaster on Kickstarter, campaign ends August 31
After The World Ends
Ah post-apocalypse settings, we do seem to love them. Whether its novels like A Canticle for Leibowitz, games such as Fallout or Mutant Year Zero or films like Mad Max, we sure do like to see plucky punks and misfit mutants battle it out in the ruins of civilisation. It's a genre with wide appeal, pulling in both people with libertarian instincts who picture themselves emerging as water hogging warlords or those who believe a new, better communitarian world can be born from the ashes of the old.
After The World Ends then is a celebration of the, often wonderful cheaply produced, films set after the bomb has dropped, the seas have boiled and mohicans have come roaring back into fashion. Between its covers you'll find not just the obvious touchpoints for the genre such as A Boy and his Dog, Mad Max and Escape from New York, but all the cheap, knock off productions that followed in their straight to VHS wake.
It seems hard to imagine now when films are often streaming just after or even at the same time as they appear in cinemas but even not that long ago you might have to wait years between a theatrical release and a film being more widely available. Annoying as that could be, it did leave a gap for enterprising producers to fill with cheaply produced hokum such as Battle Truck, Robot Holocaust and, errr, Crabs, all of which would clog up the shelves of your local video store are lovingly detailed in this book.
Packed full of incredible artwork, stills, reviews and interviews After The World Ends is an essential guidebook to all the different dystopias we can both imagine and that for some reason various people seem keen to haste. Forewarned is at least forearmed. Finally just as an addendum to this it's worth pointing out you can also grab Pulse's Barbarians book, focused on Conanspolitation movies, via this campaign. Our copy just happened to arrive today and I'm delighted to say it is great.
Find After The World Ends on Kickstarter, campaign ends August 28
African Boardgames Convention 2025
Whilst Nigeria's African Boardgames Convention has been running since 2016 the last couple of year's has seen it rapidly expand, thanks in no small part to successful crowdfunding campaigns in 2021 and 2024.
Bringing together players, publishers and game designers AB CON has played a vital role in developing the tabletop game industry in Nigeria and beyond with around 1300 people attending last year and the organisers hoping to more than double that in 2025.
Unfortunately they're trying to do that against some serious economic headwinds so they're once again asking for help. There's just a couple of days left to go here, so if you're not fully tapped out, do go check out their page and see what they're all about and if you can help.
Find the AB CON on Kickstarter, campaign ends August 11
Previously featured on The Gazetteer & still running...
Making History / Witch Hunt 1649, a double bill of pedagogical card games from Central Michigan University Press that seek to shine a light on how history is made and why your cow's milk has soured respectively. BackerKit campaign ends August 7
Being where we share all the other stuff, gaming and related or not, that's held our attention this week...
++ Fast becoming one of our favourite incredibly niche comic blogs this is a wonderful piece by Alec Meer into the brutal and amoral world of the 1980s UK Transformer comics and in particular the trauma inducing Target 2006 series. Makes me want to do a similar deep dive into the unbelievable trench battle horrors of Charley's War, a comic strip that apparently was suitable for 6 yr olds in the early 80s.
https://millionrobots.beehiiv.com/p/how-transformers-target-2006-warped
++ There's just 7 days left to go of the Appx. N jam over at Itch and there's already over 200 submissions, definitely check this out as it's an absolute treasure (for XP) trove for anyone in search of sword and sorcery shenanigans.
Appx. N Jam
A game jam from 2025-07-01 to 2025-08-15 hosted by Dank Dungeons & jorphdan. A list of fantasy and science fiction literature that inspired Dungeons & Dragons. Featuring authors such as Robert E Howard, Fritz Lieber, Michael Mo…
++ Last week was of course the Ennies, results here, all of which we're generally chill with except one that makes us doubt our sanity. Anyway, enough of that, what we really were holding out for was, of course, the Ramanan Sivaranjan Awards for Excellence in Gaming 2025, which despite snubbing Wyrd Science again delivered the goods...
https://save.vs.totalpartykill.ca/blog/awards-2024/
++ Tomas Rawlings looks at the doom laden world of YouTube fandom content creators, where every other video predicts in increasingly hyperbolic terms the imminent destruction of whatever IP they're parasocially clinging to.
https://exploringgamedevelopment.substack.com/p/apparently-your-fandom-is-about-to
++ Although saying that we did enjoy the latest episode of Ben Riggs podcast where he spoke to Mothership's Sean McCoy and David Ewalt about what on earth is going on at Wizards of the Coast right now with DnD's new edition.
https://readingdndaloud.libsyn.com/is-wotc-mucking-this-up-ep-64
++ Talking of Mothership, it would no doubt be overkill to apply most of this but this excellent article about how to solve brutal murders in space has given me loads of ideas for new scenarios.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/heres-how-astronauts-will-soon-solve-murders-in-space
++ Wyrd Science faves Castle Rat are back with a new album, Bestiary, which has just gone up on pre-order. A good time then to bump the recent video for WIZARD
++ A typically thoughtful and interesting essay from Jay Dragon, following on from the apparently provocative question, does Super Martio Bros. (1985) have rules?
https://possumcreek.medium.com/does-super-mario-bros-1985-have-rules-7ba73ed22805
++ There's lots of good stuff in this Twitch stream to check out about Games Workshop sending a cease and desist to Galactic Armoury and it's worth watching the whole thing BUT if you do one thing just scroll to about 38 minutes 45 seconds and watch for a minute or two as an IP legal expert's soul gets visibly punted out of their body. Just incredible to see.
QuestAuthority - Twitch
The Questionable Authority is a father, Army husband, lawyer, and a PhD candidate in copyright law. He is also an internationally recognized potential late bloomer, and way better at lawsplaining than playing video games. Fan Fiction Deep State for Life.
++ A lovely piece by The Guardian's Keith Stuart on the best electro-mechanical games you'll find on your next visit to a seaside arcade.
https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/aug/01/10-best-classic-seaside-arcade-machines
++ Devir Games came under fire this week for some wildly questionable art in their new boardgame Ace of Spades, but do seem to be doing the right thing now.
++ Very much enjoyed this little stroll through the "Vagueness and Similarity" of Gygaxian cities in AD&D
https://forlornencystment.blogspot.com/2025/08/non-descript-danger-vagueness-and.html
You know what we're going to say, please go buy a magazine! Thanks!
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