A Second Summer LEGO RPG Jam!

Last summer, I invited everyone to participate in a Summer LEGO RPG Setting Jam. It was a lot of fun! And nineteen people created Lego-themed settings, adventures, and reminisces for the jam. Beyond the participants, I heard a lot of positive feedback, and many people asked me to announce another this year.

 

So, for the second year, I want to invite you all to join a new Summer LEGO RPG Jam! This is an invitation to write something for your favorite roleplaying system inspired by the Lego toys you enjoyed as a kid. This year, the jam will run from Monday, June 2nd to Friday, August 29th. Submit your jam entry by publishing it online and pasting the link in the comments to this post.

 

6365 Summer Cottage image source

 
  

What's Changed from Last Year?

 

Two of the most common concerns about last year's jam were that I was a bit restrictive in my suggestions for entries, and that I didn't give participants enough time. I hope I've fixed both those issues this year!  

 

You can write whatever you like - a class, a monster, a faction, an adventure site, a sandbox, a setting. You can write for whichever ruleset pleases you, or make something system-neutral. 

 

I encourage you to write about your favorite Lego sets - maybe the ones you played with as a kid yourself, maybe the ones you longed for when you saw them in the store, maybe the ones you've treated yourself to now that you have an adult income.

 

(One thing that hasn't changed - I still encourage you to draw on Lego's original sets and settings, rather than any of their licensed interpretations of other companies' intellectual property. If you do use licensed sets as inspiration, think about how you used to transform them when you played.) 

 

Your entry can be whatever length is appropriate to your creation. Last year I suggested making something that would fit on a single piece of paper ... and then the first entry was a 20-page long hexcrawl! Clearly my suggestion was too small. 

  

So, I still encourage you to be evocative and concise, to use language that inspires the readers' imaginations, and to try to say things as clearly in as few words as you can. But what that looks like will depend on your project! My one piece of advice is to try to pick a project you think you'll be able to have fun with and finish, rather than one that overwhelms you or stresses you out.

 

2996 Adventurer's Tomb image source

 

   

How Do I Participate?

 

After you write your jam entry, put it online where others can see it. Post it to your blog, upload it as a pdf on itch, whatever works best for you!

 

People love illustrations, and there are two types that most jam entries will benefit from. First, please include images of the Lego sets that inspired you! I have found Brickset to be an invaluable resource for looking up information about sets, including their cover art. (And please include the official set name and number, and a link to the image source, so that others can see your inspiration too!) And second, if you make any kind of setting or adventure site, try to include a map to help others navigate.

 

Please do not include racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, antisemitism, or islamophobia in your entry. I reserve the right to not share or promote any game jam submission that I think is being used to harass or bully.

Lego trademarks of the LEGO Group. The names and images of all Lego products are copyrights of the LEGO Group and are used here without permission. All names and images of Lego products used here are intended to represent Fair Use under the 1976 Copyright Act. Their use is non-commercial, and is part of a transformative artistic project, which is not a substitute for the original products, and should not affect those products' value.

 

Once your entry is online, comment on this post with a link. After the jam ends on August 29th, I'll write another post celebrating and linking to all the entries!

 

Good luck everyone, and have a fun summer!

 

6560 Diving Expedition Explorer image source