Tumulus Issue 8 is here.
Tumulus Issue 8 is shipping out to subscribers around the world!
Tumulus is a quarterly collection of analog gaming inspiration, tools, design theory, and playable content from Skeleton Code Machine. Each issue has a new theme. Design exercises are included so your reading is hands-on.
But don’t take my word for it. Here are some recent reviews posted on Reddit:
“Tumulus is great, it’s like an expanded/curated and nicely printed version of Skeleton Code Machine, so you could read a few articles from the newsletter to see if it’s up your alley. If you like what you see there, you’ll probably enjoy it in print!” — bicyclingbear
“Assignments designed to get you thinking about the content and creating, like “incomplete by design” games with exercises focused on about how they could be improved and questions added to the previously posted SCM articles.” — FaileasDhan
Each issue is creative, thought-provoking, and worthy of a place on your shelf.
What’s inside this issue?
The theme of Tumulus Issue 8 is “Insert coin to continue.” and is focused on how video games have influenced tabletop games, both TTRPGs and board games. It also includes a healthy dose of dead mall and abandoned arcade liminal nostalgia.
In The Lasting Influence of Rogue (p. 7), you can read about the history of rogue-like games from the earliest ones to their modern-day descendants like Slay the Spire and Hades. The lines between rogue-like (with a ‘k’) and rogue-lite (with an ‘t’) get blurry!
Bonfires, Lamps, and Sites of Grace (p. 17) examines Dark Souls and its sizable impact on game design and trends. Gila RPG’s RUNE is explored in this context, along with a short interview with creator Spencer Campbell.
Like Issue 7, this issue has two playable games. The first is Reload last save? (p. 27), designed and contributed by Chris at Junk Food Games. I always love Chris’ approach to both mechanical creativity and storytelling, and this one is no exception. He captures the soulslike genre in pencil-and-paper form.
The Builder feature this quarter is Make Your Own Dead Mall (p. 36) that you can then use to run a dead mall crawl with Dark Mall (p. 38) — a zero-combat Dark Fort hack. The game is “incomplete by design” with exercises at the end to improve it.
Each issue has a D6+D6 (p. 32) with two sets of things to spark your imagination. In this issue, I had way too much fun making some cursed arcade games and dead mall shops. Chris from Junk Food Games made a tie-in to his contributed game!
Finally, in Everybody Loves a Winner (p. 51), Greg Loring-Albright (Ahoy, Keep the Faith) shares a method for designing multi-victor games. It’s a trickier design problem than you might think!
Free Massive Damage bookmark
Tumulus Issue 8 ships with a free Massive Damage bookmark.
A boss monster that fits in your pocket? A giant robot vampire lord that helps mark your book page while reading? Sort of both...
Inspired by Giant Enemy Crab! at Skeleton Code Machine and Boss Fights at Exeunt Omnes. Roll 3d6 to generate a boss type, special move, and environment.1
Created for the TTRPG Bookmark Jam 2025.
Pick your issues with ordering
Please select your issues when subscribing. Tumulus 08 “Insert coin to continue.” is the current issue and will ship immediately. Tumulus 09 is the next one and will ship December 2026.
If you start a new subscription, your first issue will ship out right away if you select the current issue. Subsequent issues will be mailed to you once per quarter. No matter when you subscribe, you’ll always receive four issues.
Resubscribing? No problem! Just select the issues you want to ensure you don’t get a duplicate issue. Remember that subscriptions don’t auto-renew by design. You’ll need to resubscribe to receive four more issues.2
As always, if you have any questions about your order or need to update your address, please send an email to games@exeunt.press.
Back issues are available!
Not ready to subscribe just yet? A limited number of back issues are available at full list price. New issues are added after the next one has shipped.
Upcoming issues
Curious what’s coming up in future issues? Here are the themes for the next three:
Issue 09. “Ponder the orb.” (December 2026)
Wizards, magic, spellcasting, crystal balls, classic fantasy
Issue 10. “Get in the mech.” (March 2027)
Mecha, skirmish games, pilots, kaiju, heat, navigation
Issue 11. “Find the spots light can’t reach.” (June 2027)
Murder mysteries, hidden information, deduction, emergent narratives
What do you think? Which upcoming issue sounds the most interesting?
Issue titles and covers are subject to change, but that’s the plan! Images above are mockups. Issues 1 through 8 are printed and in stock.
— E.P. 💀
P.S. Check out a copy of Tumulus 8 (about arcade games) sitting on an arcade game in Manda’s photo on Bluesky.
Skeleton Code Machine is a production of Exeunt Press. All previous posts are in the Archive on the web. Subscribe to TUMULUS to get more design inspiration. If you want to see what else is happening at Exeunt Press, check out the Exeunt Omnes newsletter.
Skeleton Code Machine and TUMULUS are written, augmented, purged, and published by Exeunt Press. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission. TUMULUS and Skeleton Code Machine are Copyright 2026 Exeunt Press.
For comments or questions: games@exeunt.press
Actual, real-life monsters and combat not included.
Check your final issue for a discount code to use when you resubscribe. ;)
Excited to receive my first issue!