Starset RPG Game Review - Score: 85 / 100

This review is part of my new TTRPGs page, where you can find awesome Games Like DnD that you may never have heard of before. If you're interested in finding a new game to play, check out that article!

 

Josiah Mork is definitely one of the up-and-coming TTRPG designers that you should be watching. Let me first say that Josiah did not pay me to create this review. Through our exchanges, he has become a friend of mine, though that does not affect my review of his game (as you'll see below, I do have some critiques).

 

We originally connected when I reviewed his first TTRPG: BaG (Basic and Generic) Role-Playing Game, which Kickstarted back in 2021. My take on BaG was that it was a solid game system, but not what I would consider to be amazing.

 

Now, fast forward a couple years, and Josiah asked me to review Starset: The Great Dimming. And let me tell you, what an improvement. If you’ve seen some of my other TTRPG Reviews, you’ll actually note that my score for Starset: The Great Dimming (at 85/100) makes it into my top-5 list of all time, just behind the Marvel Universe RPG, which I rank at 4th place.

 

In my opinion, Starset is actually a better overall game than longstanding TTRPG favorites such as Shadowrun, Savage Worlds, Zweihander (another grimdark TTRPG), and more. This may seem like a stretch, but read on to see why I think this top-5 placement for Starset is so well-deserved.


If you want, you can also check out the Starset Kickstarter page to get a feel for the game, while you read this review.

Starset RPG the Great Dimming

How Unique is Starset RPG: The Great Dimming: (9/10)

Every great modern TTRPG is both firmly rooted in the genre’s core concepts established by D&D, and yet also expands upon key components to improve player/ GM experience.

 

Starset: The Great Dimming hits these marks as it contains ideas that are somewhat standard to the TTRPG genre, while there are also parts that take common ideas in entirely new directions.

 

Character Creation

Probably the most brilliant part of Starset is character creation.

 

There are only 3-core stats (Toughness, Vitality, Movement) to player characters in Starset, and all three are actually originally determined by finding your character’s height and weight. I was honestly surprised by this, but it's also interesting to see an TTRPG tie stats to something like character appearance.

 

Once core stats are determined, the next major part of character creation are “plot choices.” When creating a character, you're given a series of 4-15 choices you select, from essentially a random list of backstory prompts. Based on the prompt, you make a choice, which then shapes your character’s Skills, maybe your core stats a bit, and your character’s “Keywords.”

 

Keywords are like “Perks” or even “Feats” in other games, in that they give your character bonuses to skills, etc. or sometimes negative effects.

 

Taking your character’s “plot choices” and “keywords” into the game lets any player – even and especially those new to the TTRPG genre – start an RPG campaign with a nearly fully-fleshed out backstory that actively affects your character’s stats and skills.

 

Character Leveling

As if character creation wasn’t enough, I also love the Starset leveling system - at least as far as gaining XP goes (I do have some critiques, later, about the overall progression/ lack of options with leveling up).

 

Most times that you’re making a skill check (which is all the time), you’ll be rolling more than 3-dice at a time. I mention this because if you happen to roll 3-dice that land on the same number – for any roll – you get +1XP.

 

I’ve always enjoyed the idea that the more your character “does” something, the better they get at that activity. So, it was really fun for me taking on missions or trying to complete tasks, and naturally "leveling up" while doing so.

 

Dice Pools

Much like the Cypher System, in Starset, your character has a dice pool that also functions as HP.

 

Every turn, your character replenishes their dice pool up to their maximum value, and those dice can be “spent” on performing actions to increase your likelihood of success. 

 

If your character takes injuries (or becomes fatigue through additional exertion), the number of dice replenished to your pool decreases each round. If you ever take enough damage that you can’t replenish your dice pool to at least 1, your character dies.

 

This is obviously a close idea to Monte Cook’s Cypher System rules, but with some unique spin on it. This kind of dice pool/ HP usage is also very rare among TTRPGs, so definitely counts towards being a unique strength of the system.

 

It also doesn’t hurt that the way Starset uses dice pools is very clear, easy-to-use, and does not obstruct the game’s flow in any way.

Dungeon A Day Article

How Easy is it to Learn to Play Starset RPG: (10/10)

Compared to Josiah's first game, BaG RPG, which only had a 55-page rulebook, I was at first a little concerned by Starset, which comes in at 271-pages. However, the core rules to play Starset RPG only requires reading about 4-chapters (roughly 53-pages) and a lot of those pages  are taken up by charts and artwork.


As you'll see, my impression with Starset RPG is that the game is very easy to learn and teach to new players.

 

Character Creation

Back to generating characters – I love games where I can create a new character in under 15-minutes.


Do you know how many TTRPGs let you create characters in under 15-minutes? Pretty much none.

 

In that list, and along with Starset, I’d include BaG, maybe Cypher System if you kind of know what you’re doing, Eternity TTRPG, and that’s pretty much it. I realize that if you've been playing D&D or Pathfinder for your entire life, maybe you too could make a character in 15-minutes. But I'm talking about picking up a game for the first time, and still hitting that 15-minute mark. So no, D&D doesn't make the cut, here.

 

Additionally, the amount of immersive character-building you actually dive into during your 15-minutes of character creation with Starset RPG is unmatched. It’s easy, fast, and compelling, which is why I give this section a solid 10/10.

 

Gameplay and Skill Checks

Pretty much all of Starset RPG game is played using skill checks. Whether you’re investigating a break-in, conversing with an NPC, or attacking someone, you’re rolling one of the game’s many Skills to see what happens.

 

I would say that Skills in Starset RPG take the place of “core stats” in most other games.  I think Starset's "Skills" are well-defined and clearly labelled, leading to clear gameplay.

 

When it comes to Skill Checks, you basically just roll a number of d6 to see if you get enough “checks” to succeed at whatever task your character’s attempting. Nothing really unique here, but it’s  easy to understand, and it keeps the game moving at a quick pace. 

Starset RPG Review

Starset Presentation: (8/10)

I really like Josiah’s graphic design and layout choices for Starset RPG, and I think this game is a bit of an improvement over BaG, which I also like.

 

The graphics on the front and back cover, as well as the page borders throughout the text work very well. There’s definitely a unique “style” to Starset that makes the book feel both complete, and at home in the Sci-Fi genre.

 

I have to mention though that there are font choices in the book that are very difficult to read. If you sometimes have trouble reading small or partially-blurred text, you may not love all of the font choices in Starset RPG, to be honest.

 

As a “grimdark RPG,” I think the somewhat messy font actually makes sense for the game, thematically. However, there are places such as Pg.9 where the bolded text is almost too runny, or Pg.10 (in the bottom left corner) where the white text actually runs into a white background of oblivion (I think this issue was fixed in the PDF).

 

These issues are relatively small and did not affect my overall love of the game; they were more like small occasional annoyances.

 

Starset: The Great Dimming Lore: (10/10)

The lore for Starset: The Great Dimming makes me think of Starcraft, but if there were only humans. It’s gritty, dark, futuristic, and provides a deep dive into space exploration, survival on the fringe of civilization, and all kinds of related topics.

 

I especially enjoyed the various Factions presented in the game’s lore, their leaders, and basically everything provided in the chapter on “The Solar System,” which thoroughly details organizations, faction motivation, rumors around the universe, and so much more.

 

As the game master (known as the “Overlord” in Starset), I felt that there was more than enough material provided to create epic game sessions without needing to spend too much time in the game's preparation.

 

The core rulebook's lore is well laid-out and explained, and genuinely interesting.

Starset RPG The Great Dimming Rulebook

Combat in Starset RPG: (6/10)

As with BaG, I think that Starset isn’t really created for the power gamer (like me) who loves combat. Or rather, combat isn’t emphasized in incredibly unique or exciting ways.

 

Really, this is only the major criticism I have about Starset. So, if you don’t care a whole lot about having a fully developed combat system in your game, then ignore this section.

 

However, if like me, you really enjoy nuance and strategy in combat, then you may feel the need to supplement your Starset experience in some way, such as with homebrew rules. Personally, I'm just hoping for some supplemental material to Starset RPG in the future that specifically expands combat.

 

How Combat Works

As mentioned earlier in this review, every action in Starset RPG comes down to a Skill Check resolution, which includes combat.

 

If my character attacks with a rifle, I’d make a “Weapon (Ranged)” Skill Check, adding in any bonus dice I’d like from my character’s dice pool (up to a total of 5). I'd then add in modifiers to the attack from my weapon, which say adds another +4.

 

If my total “checks” from my dice rolls equal or exceed my target value, then I hit. That action then becomes a “Floating Action,” which actually resolves at the end of the target character’s upcoming turn.

 

Then, the defending character has the option to use their turn to try and “Dodge” the attack, or something similar that would otherwise reduce its damage. Basically, same process, and the degree to which they succeed reduces my degrees of success, and damage dealt.

 

Combat Skill Outcomes

So, that’s pretty much it. In my group’s experience, the Starset combat system ended up mostly being one character attacking, and then the attacked character spending their turn defending themselves.

 

Afterwards, the same character would attack again, and the same defending character would spend their turn trying not to die... again. Or, if they had a large enough dice pool, they’d also make a counterattack of their own, using the same simple attack/ defend process.

 

My Wishlist

I love that combat in Starset is very streamlined and fast paced. In addition to those great traits, however, my wishlist for a future version of Starset RPG includes:

  • An expansion of weapons with unique traits.
  • Some kind of unique powers or combat maneuvers that provide additional layers of strategy, but still keep combat simple.
  • “Keywords” from your character’s backstory that provide or enhance your character’s unique power or combat maneuvers.

 

Combat is the one big piece of Starset RPG: The Great Dimming keeping it from being even higher up on the list of best TTRPGs of all time.

Starset Map

Starset RPG Game “Flow”: (9/10)

Starset RPG “flows” smoothly, from character creation through actual play during the game’s session. Overall, Starset is a “rules-light,” classless RPG system, that provides a framework for campaign setting, character backstories, and skill/ knowledge/ combat resolution.

 

I tend to favor game systems that are light on rules. Many TTRPGs come with dense game manuals that require players to double-check rules quite frequently during the game - which, in my opinion, is why many TTRPG players come up with their own in-house rules meant to simplify the games they play.

 

In any case, I do think that Starset RPG: The Great Dimming is probably a little bit too light on rules/ game systems – even for my tastes.

 

What’s Missing

Take this section with a grain of salt, as I am giving Starset RPG: The Great Dimming a 9/10 when it comes to overall game “flow.”

 

However, if you recall what I mentioned before, Starset RPG doesn’t offer much meat and potatoes when it comes to combat. When it comes to overall game sessions and character progression, I actually feel basically the same...

 

There isn’t anything “wrong” with Starset RPG. There just isn’t anything inherently engaging about the game once you get past character creation, lore, and the cool way that skill checks resolve.

 

What I mean is that most TTRPGs have a progression system that naturally leads campaigns to build in intensity over time:

  • In D&D, players gain levels, which provide unique and powerful abilities/ spells based on the character’s class.
  • In Cypher System, you increase your character’s stats and gain unique “Cyphers” that provide you with interesting game options and powers.
  • In Star Wars, you gain Force Powers, etc.

 

I would love to see Starset adds in more level-up options/ ways to use XP in the future, such as:

  • The ability to create/ improve NPC importance (and have NPC importance do more than just be a reminder for GMs to use those NPCs in game sessions).
  • The ability to add desired keywords (and have more keywords in the game – especially those that count as unique “powers” of some kind, for both in and out of combat).
  • The ability to increase (or even decrease) your reputation with desired factions, without needing to resort to keywords (and to have that reputation have more "in-game" meaning or value).
  • The ability to add more than 5-dice to a skill check, to make your character truly god-like at certain skills, etc.
  • The ability to increase your character's Toughness, Vitality, and Movement (your character's core stats).

 

What it boils down to is that I want something within Starset RPG's rules that I feel like I’m “endeavoring towards,” aside from just the campaign story that the GM is creating. I get that Starset is a grimdark RPG, and so it is weighted more towards realism and somewhat frail characters.


But even so, I want to have my character be able to "do" more in the game, both as a matter of abilities/ powers, and their capacity to affect the game's world.

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Artwork: (5/10)

I don’t mean this in a negative way, but Starset RPG: The Great Dimming clearly makes use of AI artwork. I know this is a hotly-debated topic right now, and I won't weight in too much about AI art overall. I'm just pointing out that Starset makes use of quite a bit of AI art.


Some pieces look kind of odd, as AI art (as of the date of this article) still struggle with making human-looking art. With most of Starset’s art though, I think it is kind of nice to have as it breaks up the text, and makes the book look quite presentable.

 

With up-and-coming TTRPGs, I also never expect too much in the way of artwork. New TTRPGs often can’t afford a professional artist who can create multiple high-quality pieces, after all.

 

Starset has done really quite well as a Kickstarter game, but never aimed for high-quality artwork, anyways. I can appreciate that, and the game’s overall experience is certainly good despite the lack of full-color, human-made artwork.

 

Ease of Purchase: (10/10)

Starset is extremely easy to purchase. You can find it on the Hoodwink games website, and find information on it at the and Kickstarter page.

 

Price & How Many Books Do You Need to Play: (10/10)

Starset: The Great Diming has a player manual PDF price of $15, or complete core print for $40. For a core rulebook that’s over 200-pages, those are great prices to have.

 

I also enjoy that to play Starset, you only need the one core rulebook. Everything from player information to GM (Overlord) information is contained within. ï»¿

Starset RPG Announcement

Ease of Starting a Group & Availability of Supplemental Material: (8/10)

At this time – to the best of my knowledge – there are not any supplemental materials for Starset RPG. Hoodwink Games does offer a “Player’s Manual” and “Universe Manual” that are separate from the core rulebook, but those are actually pieces of the core rulebook split out into separate guides, and not their own unique books.

 

If you’re thinking of trying out Starset: The Great Dimming, I can confidently say that you can bring this game to any group of people – even those new to TTRPGs – and have a great time. The game’s easy to pick up, fast-paced, and provides tons of interesting setting material.

 

I’m personally hoping for more supplemental material from the game in the future (particularly for combat and level-up progressions).

 

Starset RPG: The Great Dimming is Produced By:

Josiah Mork – Hoodwink Games

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Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Author - Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

A high-angle shot of a crowded Gen Con event

Does DnD Actually care about Gen Con Again? Return to DnD's Roots

By Jacob Tegtman • April 5, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvxI1GXJerE Transcription Dungeons & Dragons is finally returning to the convention that made it famous… Well, to be clear – D&D has been at Gen Con. It’s just, they haven’t really had much of a presence there in recent times, have they? Even small indie games have had substantially larger booth space than D&D, which I saw last year basically tucked into a back part of the convention, with pretty much only like a 20ft by 10ft space, or so. If even that, to be honest.  And, I don’t know for sure if D&D hosted many events even at Gen Con while we were there last year. Maybe a few intro games? But if I had to guess, I would’ve said that third parties may have run more games of D&D than Wizards of the Coast D&D actually did. But, after years of near silence… Wizards of the Coast is planning to go all-in on Gen Con again. The real question is—why now? We’ve seen a lot of relatively big moves from D&D recently, back towards its roots. So, what could this move mean for the future of D&D? Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to news channel for all things D&D and tabletop roleplaying. Today we’re diving into some pretty cool news, hopefully a big positive for the direction of D&D: Wizards of the Coast is officially heading back to Gen Con with D&D in a big way. And honestly… it’s kind of a full-circle moment. Let’s rewind for a second, because – as I’m sure you know – Gen Con isn’t just any convention. Gen Con was founded back in 1968 by Gary Gygax, which to be honest, I didn’t know prior to researching for this video. If you aren’t aware, Gen Con is now the largest convention for tabletop gaming, I believe in the world. It pretty much takes over Indianapolis for, what I can confidently agree, is probably indeed the best 4-days of gaming each year. At the time they started Gen Con, it was just a small gathering of wargaming fans in Wisconsin. But in 1974… Gygax and Dave Arneson released Dungeons & Dragons. And, of course, Gen Con became ground zero for spreading the game. People would attend… pick up a copy… and bring it back to their hometowns. That’s how D&D went viral—before the internet even existed. It turns out, hanging out with cool people in person and telling them about cool things – in person – was the OG way to go viral. Go figure! So, fast forward a few decades… Gen Con became the D&D event, and the tabletop gaming event. We’re talking massive tournaments, huge reveals… Even a life-sized castle built on the convention floor. Yeah. That actually happened. But then something changed. In recent years, Wizards of the Coast has been… mostly absent. No big booths. No major announcements. Just a quiet, minimal presence—if anything at all. I can tell you, seeing them last year, like I mentioned, was not only unimpressive... it was actually even a bit sad. I remember thinking like, “why are you guys even here? Why bother with a booth like this, it just makes D&D look bad.” And other fans have definitely noticed, as well. At this point, you might be wondering: why did D&D pull away from Gen Con, anyways? Well, a few key things: First—vision. Wizards started treating D&D less like a game… and more like a global entertainment brand. You’ve seen the somewhat recent movie, and then they’re pushing hard towards digital tools now, trying to make D&D more of a money-making tool, and truthfully, less like the D&D we all grew up with. Second—control. Instead of third-party events like Gen Con, Wizards of the Coast has focused more on their own events. Things like MagicCon – for Magic: the Gathering. And third—cost. Giant booths and live events are expensive, and brand-awareness is not the same as actual sales. In the past, the cost of large-scale live events like Gen Con was a no-brainer investment for D&D. However, with D&D moving towards online income, live spaces didn’t fit the online vision as much. So, for years… Gen Con became more of a community-run D&D space rather than an official one. But now—that’s changing. Wizards vice president recently confirmed that Gen Con is about to become a major part of D&D again. Starting this year: Annual D&D product roadmaps will be revealed at Gen Con They’ll have more organized play events And there will be more direct and “official” community engagement Like so many of the things Wizards of the Coast is doing to push live community spaces for D&D again, this could be a big deal – but it will depend on how well Wizards follows through. Still though, this is the first time in years that Wizards is showing up where the players are. And this could be a great sign for the game. With all of this in mind, we now finally come to the question: “why is this happening now?” There are a few clues. First—D&D has lost major momentum in the TTRPG space, let’s be real. Wizards is, perhaps, finally recognizing the loss of their community, and is trying to reconnect with the people who built the community to begin with. We’ve seen: The return of classic settings – which is ok. I’d rather see – as one recent viewer put it – new stuff. Done in the classic way, but some actual new content would be x1,000 times better. And they are creating new seasonal content, with a return to D&D modules and “official” weekly play at local gaming stores. Second… Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The OGL controversy. You may remember: The Open Gaming License controversy, when Wizards of the Coast tried to change D&D’s open license in a way that would restrict creators and potentially take a cut of their earnings—sparking massive backlash and boycott calls from the community. That moment seriously damaged trust with fans. And while things have cooled down… This Gen Con push feels like a very intentional move to rebuild goodwill. Because if you want to win back hardcore players—You show up at Gen Con. That’s all there is to it. Show up, and make it fucking awesome. Make your audience actually want to play D&D again. For a lot of fans, D&D skipping Gen Con has felt… weird. It’s the place where the fire started. It’s been the biggest name in tabletop ghosting the biggest tabletop event in the world, in favor of creating online subscription models that very few people actually want. But now? This feels like a return to D&D’s roots. A reconnection with the community that built the game’s legacy in the first place. So the real question is—Is this just good PR… Or the start of a new era for D&D? What do you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments. And if you enjoyed this coverage, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and roll for initiative on the next video. See you next time!
Map of the Tomb of Horrors dungeon on aged parchment

The Return of Official D&D Modules in 2026 - The Future of D&D

By Jacob Tegtman • April 2, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r1xrclddMg Transcription A piece of classic D&D is coming back… but just not in the way you’re probably expecting.  Wizards of the Coast just announced something that could completely change how many people play D&D—short, fast, old-school adventures are officially returning. And yeah… I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that – as so often, depending how well Wizards of the Coast can execute this – this might actually be the biggest shift in D&D storytelling in years. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG—your go-to party member for all things Dungeons & Dragons. Today we’re breaking down the return of adventure modules, what they are, why they disappeared, and whether this is actually genius… or just another attempt at recovering a piece of D&D that’s already forever sailed away. So this all dropped at Gary Con in Wisconsin, which was March 19-22 nd , just a couple weeks ago. That’s where the VP of D&D, confirmed that modules are coming back. If you’ve only played modern D&D, where campaign books are pretty lengthy and involved, this might not sound like a big deal. But it kind of is a big deal because this isn’t just a new product… it’s a return to D&D’s roots. If you aren’t familiar though, you may be wondering – what even is a module. Back in the early days of D&D, adventures weren’t the massive 300-page books we often see now. They were short, self-contained stories. Think quick, punchy adventures you could finish in a session, or a few sessions. They’re basically the ancestors of modern one-shots. These official D&D modules, which many people absolutely loved, were: Compact Easy to run And perfect for drop-in play, for someone who was a more casual gamer, or for someone visiting, etc. But when 3rd Edition rolled around, D&D itself changed. The game shifted toward long-term campaigns, deeper character progression, and structured storytelling—and short, standalone modules just didn’t fit that vision anymore. This brings up a whole order of interesting topics, but in older D&D (like Basic and Advanced D&D), the game assumed: That you’d jump between adventures Characters might not persist long-term – character death was super common, and almost even encouraged And the game world was only loosely connected Modules fit that style of play perfectly, where you can do a quick story that is compelling, engaging, and action-packed, but doesn’t necessarily try to stretch that narrative further into a larger context. 3rd Edition D&D, however, introduced: Strong character progression systems Feats, skills, and long-term character builds And most importantly, a focus on ongoing story arcs Suddenly, D&D became about one continuous campaign , not disconnected adventures. So instead of a: “here’s a dungeon for the weekend” vibe, the design officially shifted to: “Here’s a story that takes your party from level 1 to 15.” It’s also worth mentioning that with 3rd Edition, Wizards of the Coast introduced the Open Game License . This license meant: That third-party creators could make adventures freely Which inevitably led to the market becoming flooded with small modules. So, Wizards of the Coast didn’t need to focus on short adventures anymore. Instead, they could focus on: Big flagship campaigns that had a longer shelf life, and felt like “premium products” With lengthier and more involved Core rulebooks While letting the community handle smaller content. To summarize the history, D&D once offered “official” short, adventure modules. That module model shifted towards third-party creators with the advent of 3 rd edition. And now, 26-years later, third parties are still creating modules, but we’re also making a return to “official” D&D modules. Moving forward, the big question is: what’s different this time? According to D&D, these new modules will tie into something called D&D Seasons, which we’re already getting a taste of now. Think of themed content sets that last 3–4 months. The idea is basically what Magic: The Gathering does with Card release sets. Every 3months, they roll out a new set, where players can access new content. In this case, with D&D, it’ll be a new module, or new modules, based around the current set’s theme. Examples could include what we’re seeing with D&D Seasons for 2026, which will each be three-month series: starting with the Season of Horror followed by the Season of Magic And then finally into the Season of Champions with this year’s last quarter. These modules will also connect to organized play programs—in-store sessions of quick weekly games, for those local gaming stores that want to host these kind of events. Overall, D&D is aiming for: · Faster games available to more people (meaning like 1-2hr adventures, rather than the 3-4hr sessions many longtime players often get into, with their friends) · Easier prep for DMs · And more accessible D&D overall We don’t know yet if these will be physical books… or digital-only releases on D&D Beyond. My guess is there will be both available. Modern D&D campaigns are a big commitment. Oftentimes you’re talking months… sometimes years. And I love that, personally. Probably, anyone who’s ever been part of a long-term successful campaign, does love that style of play. However, I think we can all agree that not all campaigns make it very far, at all. I’ve heard the average number of sessions for most campaigns is 7-usually before they fall apart because of scheduling conflicts, lack of player interest, etc. So, modules are intended to flip the current long-term D&D campaign dynamic, not by replacing them, but by giving players another choice. Modules aim to be: Easier for new players to get into D&D, Create less pressure on DMs/ less requirement for preparing a long-term campaign And provide alternatives of play that could be perfect for people with busy schedules This might be what the D&D community needs right now. At the end of the day, these modules coming out will essentially be one-shot sessions that D&D provides for anyone who’s interested. My take is that Wizards of the Coast has made some tremendous mistakes with D&D. However, I do think that an attempted return to D&D roots is move that makes a lot of sense. The real test will be in the execution. If Wizards can make this new generation of D&D modules feel fresh and meaningful—then they may be onto something. If, however, they feel like recycled content with a new label… Players will notice, and probably resent the effort a little bit. I’m just saying, we don’t need more content on Strahd, Tomb of Horrors, and many other adventures Wizards has been putting out. I’ve been playing those adventures since the original modules and content on them. Personally, I’d be looking for something new, and that means Wizards of the Coast would have to get creative and take some content risks. Which... is something big companies don’t often like to do. That’s why we see so many remakes of movies, rather than exploring new ideas. Corporations often prefer “safe money” over true art. But, what do you think? Are you looking forward to trying these new modules… or will you stick with longer campaigns? And do you think D&D will create some awesome new concepts, or try to rehash the same adventures people have been playing for years, in hopes of relying on past success? Drop your thoughts in the comments. And if you want more D&D news, updates, and tools to make your games smoother and more enjoyable—hit that like button and subscribe. I’ll see you guys in the next one.
Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset RPG and Pen RPG

Interview with Game Designer Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset & PEN

By Jacob Tegtman • March 27, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9In5gaz65s8 Transcription Jacob Tegtman (00:01.848) Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, where we cover really everything tabletop gaming related, Dungeons and Dragons. Now we're finally jumping into some of my favorite topics, which is game design and getting to spend some time with great game designers up and coming, people who are established. And today we're interviewing Josiah Mork, who is the owner and lead designer for Hoodwink Gaming. So welcome to the show. Thanks for being part of the channel. Josiah (00:33.142) Thanks, it's my pleasure. Yeah, it's been great working with you on eternity and getting to swap ideas. So I'm really looking forward to being able to talk through some of that process with you. Jacob Tegtman (00:44.478) Awesome, Ben. Yeah, I've been looking forward to talking with you. We always have a lot of fun when we catch up. I think this will be a really good conversation. There's so many parts of your mini games that I've wanted to ask you about for really such a long time. And it always felt like we were working on some project or discussing something. But now I have a really good excuse to just nail you down for maybe about an hour-ish and hopefully die. Josiah (00:50.028) for sure. Josiah (01:04.972) There's always something. Jacob Tegtman (01:14.352) dive into what you've been doing and why you've made some of the decisions you've made, which I think are really interesting. I'm sure, yeah. So do you just want to maybe start by introducing yourself more, know, who you are, what you've done, and yeah, where you're going? Josiah (01:20.968) Yeah, well, hopefully I've got good answers for you. We'll see. Josiah (01:32.756) Yeah, absolutely. yeah, like you said, I'm Josiah. I'm from Michigan, living just out of DC now. I've been designing and playing board games since my early teen years, I guess I would say. I love creative writing and storytelling. That's just been an amazing way that I've found to connect with people. My actually my undergrad and my grad degrees were in communication and looking at how communication connects us and strategies and stuff behind it. And so I find a storytelling a really compelling way to do that. But before I had gotten into school and whatnot, you know, I was homeschooled. I was in late middle school and I was reading this cartoon. Maybe you are some of your viewers have seen it. Foxtrot comics. And there are some. Have you seen it? Highly recommend, highly recommend. It's really funny. But there are these two characters, they're really nerdy middle schoolers and they were playing Dungeons and Dragons in the comic. And I just thought that was the coolest thing. But my parents, know, I'm a Christian, my family's Christian, fairly conservative. And so my parents were more familiar with like the 80s, like D &D scare, very like Stranger Things season four. And so they were not really like, yeah, not really D &D fans. And so I was like, well, okay, I'll create my own. And that's how it all got started, you know? And then it was a great way to make friends in my Boy Scout troop. You know, we would play, would swap ideas, we would... Jacob Tegtman (02:51.202) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (02:55.042) Not too far ahead. Sure. Yeah, that's awesome. Jacob Tegtman (03:08.12) time. Josiah (03:09.972) you know, go on crazy adventures with rules that didn't quite work. And then over time, you know, I just realized that there were all of these cool avenues to explore and storytelling that D &D didn't necessarily do. And so I just felt really passionate that this is my way to connect with people and connect people with each other is through writing games. Jacob Tegtman (03:30.508) That's amazing, man. Yeah, it's funny, like the ways that we get into gaming too. Like you mentioned those comics. you ever see Dexter's Lab? Okay. Okay. Yeah, was probably a little bit before. Yeah. There was like an episode that was kind of based on Dungeons and Dragons and I saw it when I was like six and that's what got me into it as well. yeah. Josiah (03:39.616) Yeah, well, I've heard of it. Yeah, I've seen clips from it, yeah. Josiah (03:52.972) It's so funny how it seems like every show, know, Community, Gravity Falls, like, there are all these shows of every different genre, and they all have like a D &D episode for some reason. And I love it, you know, but it's so random. Jacob Tegtman (03:58.679) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (04:05.302) Yeah, like all of them. Me too. Yeah, it is. Yeah. I also like the takes that different shows have on like nerdy board games. I think was like Parks and Rec had, I forget what the game was called. Yeah, you remember it. Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool, man. Josiah (04:20.81) The Cones of Dunshire, yeah. Love that, love those episodes. Jacob Tegtman (04:29.646) So I want to dive into really all of those things more, but what games do you currently have available then? And your website will post it in the show notes as well, but it is hoodwinkgaming.com for anybody who's interested. But yeah, tell us about some of your games. And again, I feel like I want to go into all of these in more detail, but yeah, give us the summary version at least for now. Josiah (04:55.05) Yeah, so it's a little deceptive at the moment. My original titles and kind of most of the games that I do are under the pen brand. So play easily now is the acronym. We have war game and role playing game. But actually neither of those are on the market at the moment. If you go to my website. Yeah, we've got a landing page for the war game and we've got a preview for the RPG. And I've actually I've got. Jacob Tegtman (05:12.95) really? I was actually, yeah, I was checking it out like yesterday, so. Josiah (05:24.422) know, prototypes of both of those here. But they are still in development because of various different reasons of wanting to refine some ideas or just kind of ended up having to move to other projects. So they're almost launch ready. But those are the ones that they're working on for the longest, just the newest editions aren't quite together yet. Jacob Tegtman (05:29.506) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (05:39.96) Yeah, nice. Jacob Tegtman (05:46.04) Very cool. Josiah (05:46.164) And then the one that I've been working on most recently, and that we actually have a new project launching next month for, is Star Set. So that's a grimdark survival-oriented tabletop role-playing game that we launched initially a couple years ago, and then just did a relaunch for the second edition for, which is much more crunchy, much more mechanical, and much more narrative-based. So really looking forward to building that out. Jacob Tegtman (06:14.542) That's exciting. Yeah, I can attest that game is great. I really enjoyed reading through it. Everything from the design of the book to the art to the way that you have, especially character building in that, I find super fascinating. You can just tell, yeah, the amount of attention to detail in there is like out of this world. It really feels like you guys... Josiah (06:27.148) Well, thank you. Josiah (06:34.966) haha Jacob Tegtman (06:38.478) You took the lore of the game and you baked it into every part of the game. Whereas I think a lot of games like, you know, we'll talk about D &D later. D &D is like the game that's everything. So it's like if it's in a fantasy book or movie or anything, like we'll just jam it into D &D somehow. And, you know, that kind of has its place, but for building characters and stuff, you know, like you don't, I don't know. It's supposed to be able to fit many different genres and you're Josiah (06:42.72) Mm-hmm. Jacob Tegtman (07:08.612) I think what's so cool about is that when you're playing Star set you're playing Star set Because from the very first thing you do with your character and their background and their skills even it's all based on the lore of this whole universe so Josiah (07:19.902) Mm-hmm. Well, I really appreciate that. mean, that's really the heart behind it when we were working on it is, we had a story that we wanted to tell and really created the universe to tell that story. And one of the things, you know, that I picked up studying communication is that, you know, we are attracted to details. And even if it's details that, we haven't necessarily experienced in our own lives. Jacob Tegtman (07:24.963) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (07:33.324) Yeah. Josiah (07:45.324) hearing vivid details or strong emotions in other people's stories lead us to be more connected with them. And so that was something that we really trying to flesh out in Star Set. hopefully, from the sound of it, it hopefully worked pretty well. Jacob Tegtman (08:00.352) I think so, yeah, absolutely. So, what do we talk about first, man? Like, what do you want to talk about first? Josiah (08:01.452) Thank you. Josiah (08:11.672) man, I could talk about games for hours and hours, so I better let you guide that conversation. Jacob Tegtman (08:14.944) You Okay, I just want to make sure we cover like the big things before we dive into the nitty gritty here. Yeah. Yeah. Josiah (08:24.332) Oh yeah, I mean, I kind of touched on, I guess I'll throw it out there. I'll throw it out there because it's really important to me and kind of the company into my story. you know, I really do, we're about to, you know, dig into the nitty gritty, like you said, and Dungeons and Dragons and all the different games that are out there. And I just think, you know, before whether you're a designer or a player, whenever you kind of step into a game, I think the most important thing and what's in the mission kind of a hoodwink that we try and do differently is that Jacob Tegtman (08:33.379) Yeah. Josiah (08:53.446) The games are just kind of an excuse. Really, the games are just an excuse to get together with people and to have FaceTime with people. And if working in social media has taught me anything, it's that people need that more than anything. And that's why we call it Hoodwink Games, because we kind of have all these substitutions. get hoodwinked into thinking that socializing is something that it's not. And really, it's just fellowshipping with people and joining community and FaceTime with people. and talking about the things that matter with people. And the way to do that from going from stranger to best friend is in my experience games. And so that's kind of the heart behind it. Jacob Tegtman (09:30.658) That's been a cool one. Yeah. You know, it's interesting you bring that up too, because this is something I've been thinking a lot about recently, especially as everybody's been seeing more AI come into their work, into their lives. And I feel that more than ever, people are wanting that human, real human interaction. And so as good as video games are looking nowadays and as fun as MMOs are and stuff like that, and I like all of those, I don't think I've Josiah (09:43.628) Mm-hmm. Josiah (09:53.004) Mm-hmm. Jacob Tegtman (10:03.53) found anything that's as fun is sitting around playing a tabletop role-playing game, especially in person. mean, even, you over FaceTime like this is fun, but something in person about it just makes it one of the best experiences. Josiah (10:09.729) video. Josiah (10:13.142) Mm-hmm. Josiah (10:18.686) It really does. It's those shared memories and those shared jokes. And, you know, I work in politics, doing social media for politics. And the thing that just aggravates me the most about politics, but also religion, people say don't talk about politics or religion because people care about it so much. And it's like those are things that we care about the most. So we should be able to share those with people. But you can't because as soon as you bring them up, you know, there are all these walls. Jacob Tegtman (10:39.48) Sure. Josiah (10:48.062) and games when you've played for a couple hours with somebody and slayed the dragon and made a couple jokes, then it's like, well, okay, now your opinion isn't the thing that I'm defining you on. The thing I'm defining you on is that, you know, you're a half drunk elf paladin or something like, and it just makes it easier. Jacob Tegtman (10:48.416) I guess. Jacob Tegtman (11:04.014) Yeah, that's so true. That's so true. Yeah, it definitely does break down those walls and give you that sense of shared history, even if it's like a shared mental history, theater of the mind. So, yeah. Josiah (11:17.27) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's great. Jacob Tegtman (11:21.428) I agree, man. Especially when you're doing... So I haven't read through all of the lore of Starseq. There's just so much in there. I've read through a good deal of it. But I think one of the things that also stands out about at least that game, because I know Penn's still in the work in progress... Josiah (11:38.599) the Jacob Tegtman (11:39.446) that, you know, it does cover a lot of political things and it covers a lot of religious things and you aren't like pushing a view on anybody, but just inherent to human life is politics and religion. so games let you approach these topics like in ways that allow you to explore what could be, but in a safe way and have conversations about what could be without feeling like you're being attacked or told. Josiah (11:53.856) Mm-hmm. Josiah (12:01.6) Thank you. Josiah (12:05.836) Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's really the, again, I'm really glad that you feel that way about the game, because that was one of the number one priorities of it, is there are just really hard conversations that should be had. And that game kind of came out of COVID, where there were a ton of hard conversations people were having. And I think you could spend every day, every minute of every day with people. Jacob Tegtman (12:14.306) Yeah, for sure. Jacob Tegtman (12:23.394) That's right. That's right. Yeah. Josiah (12:33.664) but if they're not people that you feel like you can have hard conversations with, then you haven't really been in community at all. And so having a medium like that, where, like you said, I don't wanna tell anybody what they should believe. There are things that I believe are true about God and about the world and about politics and stuff, but those things have to exist relationally for them to mean anything to you. so... Jacob Tegtman (12:39.788) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (12:50.542) Sure. Josiah (12:58.954) to have that space to kind of explore and talk and then role play through just makes it fun for one thing, but also makes it so much more personal and so much more impactful, I think. Jacob Tegtman (12:59.374) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (13:10.772) I agree. So what is the next thing that you said you're working on with StarCert? I think I missed that when you mentioned earlier. Yeah. Josiah (13:16.436) Yeah, so my co-writer, Emily, and her husband Ryan, who did some of the art for Star Set, they have actually written and illustrated the first campaign for it. It's called Echoes on Mars, and that's going to be launching on Kickstarter next month. Jacob Tegtman (13:31.822) Okay. Okay, cool. That's exciting, man. So what number of Kickstarter will this be for you? Josiah (13:38.092) Thank Josiah (13:42.294) That's Josiah (13:46.806) seven maybe six or seven. I'm doing this one well I should say the plan is to do it on Kickstarter but changing a lot of things. I'm still talking to them. My wife is behind me. I still want to talk through some of them with her because it had a lot of very negative Kickstarter experiences and learned a lot. So we're to do this one if we end up doing it on Kickstarter very slim down and very different than some of the other ones. So it's a constant learning experience. Jacob Tegtman (13:48.43) Sort of. Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (13:54.094) Sure. Jacob Tegtman (14:16.43) Yeah, I just remember I feel like every year or so I feel like you're launching something on Kickstarter successfully. So at least from the outsider's view looking in, it's like man Josiah just knows what he's doing with selling games. Josiah (14:30.208) You Well, I know a little bit more than I did last time and that's the goal. Yeah.
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