Category: Uncategorized

It is will great sadness that we at the Sanctum Secorum report the passing of Jennell Jaquays. She wasn’t just one of game design’s greats, she was also a trans woman. Her status in the industry wasn’t just a victory for herself, but for countless others who could look and see themselves reflected in her.  Jennell transcended being a designer, she was, and is, a true icon.

Jennell was an third party OG, having put out her own publication, The Dungeoneer, and having written for The Judges Guild. Her work was published by Chaosium, Avalon Hill, TSR, and others. Her adventure, Dark Tower is the only non-TSR product on the list of the Top 30 D&D Adventures of All Time. After leaving the RPG industry, she went on to work for companies like Colecovision and ID software. If you ever played Donkey Kong on the Colecovision, you’ve enjoyed her work. Her impact is far broader than can be summed up in a single write-up.

There are all number of tributes being posted today, and we encourage you to read every last one of them, so that you can come to better know this woman who was so fundamental in shaping the work of so many others. Her influence cannot be overstated, and the same can be said of her kindness.

We also urge you to donate to the Go Fund Me which has been set up to pay for outstanding medical, as well as funerary, costs.

Mark your calendars everyone! Michael Moorcock will be returning to Sanctum Secorum Live for another round of questions and sharing of stories. Join us on the Goodman Games twitch channel channel on Saturday, Dec 9th at 1pm PST/4pm EST/9pm UTC.

Mr. Moorcock will be answering even more questions about his life and work, and we are honored to be having him as a returning guest. If YOU have a question for Mr. Moorcock, go ahead and email it to us early at thehub@sanctum.media and you might get it answered live during the stream.

See you then!

The Keepers of Mysteries return to the Goodman Games Twitch channel on a special day, with an all-new episode! This month, Jen and Bob Brinkman explore and discuss The Knight of the Swords, by Michael Moorcock.

Join the Keepers of Mysteries as they delve into the first chapter of the story of Prince Corum, as he sets out upon a personal crusade against the Sword Rulers, Lords of Chaos, puppetmasters to Man. First of these is the loathsome Arioch, Knight of the Swords, master of five of the fifteen planes of reality. From Arioch, Prince Corum only requires… his heart.

Enter the Sanctum Secorum… and be inspired.

Exhausted by Gary Con travel,the Keepers of Mysteries missed their scheduled appointment with you, their fellow readers. However, this week they return to the Goodman Games Twitch channel for the postponed episode of The Sanctum Secorum Reading Room! This month, Jen and Bob Brinkman explore and discuss the final published Conan story of author Robert E. Howard, Red Nails.

Robert E. Howard described the story as,

“A Conan yarn, and the grimmest, bloodiest and most merciless story of the series so far. Too much raw meat, maybe, but I merely portrayed what I honestly believe would be the reactions of certain types of people in the situations on which the plot of the story hung…”

Join us as we dive into this classic piece of Sword & Sorcery literature and uncover the mystery of the Red Nails.

Enter the Sanctum Secorum… and be inspired.

As we prepare the fourth release from Ugandan game designer Ashraf Braden, we feel it is important to remind you of the three existing releases:

The Kakondo: A monster which preys on children. The release also includes information on a new weapon, the yakoma, which comes with a weapon specific Might Deed of Arms.

Lukwata: A legendary lake monster found in Lake Victoria which also includes rules for three new weapons and the most blood-curdling Might Deed of Arms ever – Dismembering Attack. Additionally, starting with this release and going forward, we include a pronunciation guide for some of the Ugandan terms complete with audio clips of the designer speaking the terms.

The Bachwezi: A tribe of invisible herdsmen brought to life as a fully playable character class for DCC RPG. Also included are stats for Boer goats and Sanga cattle as well as a pronunciation guide with audio clips.

What’s next you ask? The tale of Kamila, a river elemental and servitor of divine vengeance.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already, please check out our current releases. All of Sanctum’s proceeds (including affiliate income) go directly to the author. For a mere $1 each, how can you go wrong? The answer is, you can’t!

Remember to be sure to join the Keepers of Mysteries tonight on the Goodman Games Twitch channel with an all-new episode of The Sanctum Secorum Reading Room! This month, Jen and Bob Brinkman explore and discuss the final published Conan story of author Robert E. Howard, Red Nails.

Robert E. Howard described the story as,

“A Conan yarn, and the grimmest, bloodiest and most merciless story of the series so far. Too much raw meat, maybe, but I merely portrayed what I honestly believe would be the reactions of certain types of people in the situations on which the plot of the story hung…”

Join us as we dive into this classic piece of Sword & Sorcery literature and uncover the mystery of the Red Nails.

Enter the Sanctum Secorum… and be inspired.

The Sanctum Secorum celebrates its 50th episode in style with a few very special guests, beginning with the Dark Master himself – Joseph Goodman – to discuss Mr. Goodman’s favorite Appendix N story, The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard.

But wait, there is more. Tonight, we will also be joined by Francis Roberts, who recently composed music for The Spine of Night (starring Lucy Lawless, Richard Grant, and Joe Manganiello) to truly dig into the musical inspirations for and from Robert E Howard and Conan.

There may even be other guests and surprises in store! Be sure not to miss our 50th show special at its special time – March 14th at 7pm EDT/midnight UTC. So, join us over on the Goodman Games Twitch channel.

The Sanctum Secorum celebrates its 50th episode with a special guest, at a special time. Join the Keepers of Mysteries (Jen, Marc, and Bob) along with their special guest Joseph Goodman – the Dark Master himself – as they discuss Mr. Goodman’s favorite Appendix N story, The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard.

Plus, we may need to dig something truly special out of the Prize Closet of Mystery in celebration…

So, join us over on the Goodman Games Twitch channel on March 14th at 7pm EST/midnight UTC

The Keepers of Mysteries return to the Goodman Games Twitch channel with an all-new season of The Sanctum Secorum Reading Room! This month, Jen and Bob Brinkman explore and discuss Armor, by John Steakley.

Armor is the story of humanity’s war against an alien race whose foot soldiers are three-meter-tall insects, referred to in the book as “ants”. It is also the story of a research colony on the fringes of human territory which is threatened by pirates. The two sub-plots intersect at the end, with each providing answers and insight into events of the other. Join us and find how this book connects to Appendix N…

Enter the Sanctum Secorum… and be inspired.