Its a rare Saturday. The snowy midwinter of Minneapolis, Minnesota peeks its head into the door despite the growing global sauna. Time and space are an open runway for one geeky writer of one discombobulated pseudo-rag. An original mission to Sleep Concepts to conceive of a replacement futon cushion brings an unprepared, red-haired wanderer into the space next door. Which begins as a detour and distraction from the fact that I forgot the dimensions of the said cushion, results in bold sky blue hues under emerald glowing green.
Midwest Clan: Enter the Odd Mart
The Odd Mart is a place of truth and fun for the quirky art and sundry appreciator in everyone. Its contents are a hogepoge of radical toon expression with fun and community safe vibes. It is the site of many an art market get-together, a consignment store of various great makes, and a darling of deeply interesting folk.
I’ve strode my way into its interior many times for art events, but today was a serendipitous derail, and one that made me notice a certain change. In the room with the numerous books, comics, and zines written and designed by local and regional creators, there was a new rotating stand specifically for TTRPG zines! … Eyes flash, and curiosity peaks. And pay day was yesterday. Oh glorious day!
Spinning the rack around like an exagerated cartoon, my eyes happen upon a collection of zines of homebrewed items, and retro nintendo-themed adventures. I cue the montage! snatch from the spinning rack, whipping down on the counter, beep of a card sensor, paper bag being filled, joyous thank you and your welcome, door close with bell ringing.
So, whats in the bag?
Unveiling my purchasing collection, it occurred to me that this manner of impulse buy, while tricky, is informed by a value and appreciation for certain vibes and art styles, but also supplied by a curiosity. A need to shake up that which otherwise can feel monotonous. … A lightbulb moment allows me to realize that it is my duty to document such adventures, and certainly it wont be the last time the adventure takes me back here.
So, I’m calling this bit … Odd Mart Oddities. A series of one (so far). Perhaps joined by an entourage if I connect the wires just right to get the most of my impulse buy! … 2D Con Unplugged is just around the corner, and it’ll be a solid excuse to use these materials!
What materials, you ask?
Let me introduce you to the design and art of one JP Coovert, and a certain batch of retro video game coded entries into the tabletop RPG zine scene.
JP Cooverts Nintendo-themed TTRPG Zines
JP is a freelance artist, illustrator, and designer out of Cincinatti. With a background in T-shirt design, skate board design, comics, and kids books, his art style manages to fit a very specific vibe that is perfect for the kind of RPG products he’s produced.
Whether you would consider them coffee table booklets, or active game supplements, JP has an assortment of zines that hit the sword and magic fantasy bone, from the Flik Silverpen series, to drawing guides and one-off game booklets.Â
Check out JP Cooverts site and shop here!
Today, we are going to narrow into some select RPG zines which harken to the days of retro gaming consoles and blowing on the cartridge before inserting. No worries for those wondering of the mechanics. All of the entries are system-agnostic, and because the elements provided are typical fantastical fare, a skilled GM shouldn’t have too much trouble determining what kind of stat blocks fits each element.
A solar eclipse? … A floating castle? … A foul curse?
Sounds like its time to go vampire hunting!
Castle Gloomshroud is a 13-page black-and-white zine filled with illustrations of monsters, a branching castle point-crawl map, and room descriptions for those who wish to step into the haunting depths of Nikolas Von Shrouds towering abode. Each room is a pre-scripted, but dice rolled set of encounters equiped with creatures and curios familiar to the NES and SNES days of Castlevania. Some are apparent monstrous threats with ability descriptors, while others are a mesh of interactables and witnessings; seeds to a deeper mystery if you so choose to entertain them.
Its a perfect example of what I love about a vast sea of zines such as this; you are provided just enough of the seed to place the character(s) and to provide them threats and challenges without dictating to the players or game master how the threat is measured or how your table chooses to pursue the encounter. … Naturally, Capcoms famous vampire-killing saga lends to whip lashes, claws, relic wielding, and sword strikes. However, the door is open for the table to make their own mythos, and allows for some glorious improv.
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Not explicitly Nintendo-coded. … But more than welcome. Who doesn’t love words like bazaar, emporium, or odd mart? I’m seeing a meta-theme here.
Are you looking for strange and interesting unique and magic items to add to your epic fantasy game? Flik Silverpen is your hookup. … The Unscrupulous Emporium comes with various objects of double-edged fortune, offered by three mysterious merchants! The description of each item is itself a wonder to gaze through, and the backstory of each merchant is so majestic, you may just want to carbon-copy them into your own game!
Enjoy 32 Unique Items for trade! … What are they, or ask? … Ha! … Far be it from me to spoil the fun!
Sincerely, all of the Flik Silverpen titles have great illustrations and content in them, and I highly recommend checking each of them out!
Whether its the nostalgia kick, the video game vibe, the quaint light-hearted atmosphere, or perhaps something to run with kiddos, Asterlan Odyssey hits a specific brainspace for people looking for a colorful pixelated adventure for a session or two. Or more if you’d like (I’m not your Dad!)
Inspired by the likes of Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Legend of Zelda, Asterlan Odyssey imagines a world where a great evil, once vanquished, threatens to consume the land once again. The heroes must quest across the various sites and monuments on their approach to confront the evil warlock in his floating castle! … This module is broken up into three separate booklets:
- Drakons Curse – A primer and opening quest for the heroes, which sets the stage for the darkness that is to come. Equiped with world introduction, character development bits, and encounter table.
- The Ruinous Voyage – A layout of all of the major locations within Asterlan, including its dungeons. Each site has unique features, and provides a leveling experience for the party, including the final confrontation.
- A Monster Draws Near – Consider this the monster manual of the batch. Each page has illustration and descriptors of each foe you must face in your trek through Asterlan, along with items and treasure you could discover!
Which game system can I play using these zines?
Any fantasy-based game, truly! … However, its easy to imagine this module being part of a JRPG-themed game. Here are some of my suggestions, including links!
With so many things to throw down onto a writing platform in cyberspace, its great to de-oppress myself and to kick on the fires of inspiration when they hit. My big question is; what do you think? Are you tuned into strange and unusual zines? Are you looking for more Odd Mart Oddities? Are there any unrelated zines that YOU might suggest?Â
Reach out and tell me your thoughts. … Go ahead! Ping my brain!
- Leave a comment down below!
- Reach out to me via the CW Contact Me page.
- Share on social media and poke @chaoticanwriter.
Also be sure to check out the Odd Mart!
- Odd Mart Oddities: JP Coovert’s Nintendo-style TTRPG Zines! - January 14, 2025
- Doomsong RPG Launches! A Game of Medieval Horror and Biblical Apocalypse - December 20, 2024
- Cursed Captains of Cthulhu: A Pirate TTRPG with Cosmic Horror - December 9, 2024