Ben // foresight studio

@foresightstudio

Ben (he/him) // Award-winning TTRPG designer, layout artist, science guy // strange stories for strange people www.foresight-studio.com

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Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 6d

Do you like Angel's Egg, Evangelion, The Vorrh, kabbalah, or GMless/diceless games that still have some crunch? You'll probably like The Firmament. Updated playtest available for folks interested in giving feedback/reviewing/APs/etc! If that sounds like you, let me know: forms.gle/fUtq1zozWSya...

A Y2K-esque square image featuring a grimy purple/blue/green gradient in the background, with a faint grid overlaid on it. In the center of the image, a pair of slightly pixelated hands cup a red moon-like planet, with a pale glowing circle and radiating spikes on its upper right aspect. At the top of the image in glowing white letters, it reads: the fate of heaven is in your hands. Below the hands is the stylized title of the thing being advertised, "The Firmament, a tarot ttrpg of divinity & desperation." Along the left side of the image turned sideways are a series of icons and white text, including "1-7 players, no GM, human-made" and "Foresight Studio."

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 7d

They're calling it "one of the Gen Con hauls of all time"

A sparse collection of items acquired during Gen Con sit on a yellow rug. They include a copy of The Magus and The Oracle, by Momatoes, Esoteric, by Jay Dragon / Possum Creek, the Heir of Swords by Yanni Panagiotopolous / The Press Betwixt, and a pale green alligator-shaped bottle thing.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 7d

Got to facilitate The Firmament twice during gen con, with strangers & with friends, and: it's really good y'all Can't wait for more people to see the vision!!

A photo of a crowded round table with a black tablecloth, with a spread of tarot cards in the center and a few others placed around the table. Though the people can't be seen, each of the six players at the table has a paper in front of them and a small tented label, and a pile of papers near the edge of the table has a spiky greenish circle with the number 5 printed on it.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 14d

Went to look at some art yesterday and it's crazy how Norman Rockwell was doing his whole deal while his close artist friends & local contemporaries were Expressing Ideas

The 1938 painting "pine tree," by John Carlton Atherton. The painting uses trompe l'oeil to appear as a canvas pinned to a wooden board. On the canvas is painted a night scene of a small town, dominated by a house that's either falling apart or under construction. The right half of the "canvas" is covered by another arch-shaped piece of painted-on canvas bearing an image of a tree against a blue sky in the daytime.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 15d

Look how cool everything turned out!!! Even broke out the thermoplastic and metallic paint from my cosplay prop-making days

A hand flips through pages of The Firmament, a ttrpg, bound in a 3-ring binder.

A hand holds two copies of a postcard-sized print, one turned to a white side with black text, and the other showing off an image of a hand reaching upwards.

A hand holds two gold medallions in front of a binder and a couple of prints on a dark wood floor. The medallions bear a moon and sun, and are painted to look weathered and oxidized.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 15d

Finally just about ready for Gen Con!! I've got prints to give out and prototypes to show off, would love to talk to anyone and everyone about them

A collection of objects sit on a dark wood floor. On the left is a small black 3-ring binder with an insert in the front that's the cover of ttrpg The Firmament. Right of that are two 5 by 7 inch postcards, one flipped to the back (white with black text describing The Firmament) and one on the front (the cover art, a glowing hand reaching toward the top of the image). Below the postcards are two large weathered gold medallions, one bearing an image of a sun and the other a moon.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 18d

Please pray for my printer

A photo of an hp printer churning out some extremely ink-intensive pages. Why did I do this, it was not a good idea

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 20d

I got the brita that turns your water evil

A dim photo of a Brita filter jug sitting in a large metal sink. Water pours into the top, which glows with a menacing red light.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 21d

Humans have ravaged the earth, and now they want to do the same to heaven. Your job: stop them. free demo of The Firmament now available! Check out this upcoming GM-less tarot ttrpg about divine secrets, terrible humans, and a world-shattering betrayal. www.kickstarter.com/projects/for...

Large black text in serif italic font sits on a white background above a mockup of two open books, overlapping one another. The books show different pages from a TTRPG called "The Firmament." The one in the back shows a left-hand page that's mostly white titled "Cycle," with steps A through E visible, though the rest of the text is too small to read. On the right-hand page is a diagram of play. The front book shows a left-hand page that's a pixelated image of falling blank white cards glowing slightly, with the word "Spreads" at the bottom in white. The right-hand page shows text on a white background, titled "Spreads," with text that's too small to read below that. Overlaid on the image is a spiky worm thing that swoops from beneath the front book, interweaves with the "Get the demo" text at the top, and returns behind the back book. On its left side is an orbital-style ring with a sun on it.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 26d

The Cross Stitch is back in print, finally!! Get the best (only?) time loop adventure for Mörk Borg while supplies last. I heard kieron gillen said he liked it once (foresight-studio.com/product/the-...)

A hand holds three copies of ttrpg adventure zine The Cross Stitch, featuring a black clover with a bright magenta opening vertically across it. The opening is being stitched up by a white sketch of a needle. At the bottom is the title in white, with "foresight studio" below that. At the top, in white brush font, is "compatible with Mörk Borg." In the background are some bookshelves.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· 28d

well that's ominous

A picture of the sun today, glowing dull yellow-orange with a bright red corona diffused through a thick layer of yellowish cloud cover.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jul 6

Uh oh, somebody better do something about this

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jul 6

So far, one of my favorite things about playtesting The Firmament has been the wild characters everyone's making. Like look at this guy!! And this was in a game where one PC was sentient sound waves, and another appeared only in dreams (character sheet doodle from @nanelsonart.bsky.social)

A screenshot of the front of a character sheet for the game The Firmament, labeled Architect. It has a black circle with a white point in it in the middle, and the words "alter the shape of the labyrinth" underneath. Overtop this is a cool drawing of a veiled humanoid in golden armor with a golden axe and pointed gold wings. Behind them flows a gray cape lined in red. At the bottom right of the page is a sketch of the creature's head, with a pointed gold crown and wing like details on the sides of its veiled face.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jun 28

You can get it at foresight-studio.com/product/do-o...

Two copies of the TTRPG zine DO/OMEd sit on a white tablecloth. The top copy shows the back cover, with white text on a black background. The bottom copy is open, with the left page covered by the one on top. The right page shows a series of fading, expanding white rings emanating from a small circle at the bottom of the page.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jun 27

After 3 years and a few updates, it's finally in print! DO/OMED is a TTRPG of reincarnation and existential exploration in a world that's falling apart, built on the Breathless system by @rpdeshaies.farirpgs.com

A hand holds the ttrpg DO/OMED open against a wooden floor. The pages are black, and the left hand page has white text too small to read. The right hand page has a white arrow descending from the top to the middle of the page, where it points at a small circle connected to a line leading to the bottom of the page like an antenna. It has a series of gradually fading circles emanating from it.

A hand holds the ttrpg DO/OMED, showing the back cover, which is black and has two large slightly overlapping white rings on it. In the rings is the text "nothing survives outside the dome. Yet. We have received a signal. Find it." Beneath that is some small white text that says, "outside of sanctuary, the last traces of humanity crumble to dust. You have been chosen to leave the dome and pursue a strange beacon to the distant south. But do not fear death: sanctuary will ensure your name lives on. A ttrpg of existential exploration for a Guide and 1-5 players." Beneath that is a barcode and some icons indicating the game is for 2-6 players, requires polyhedral dice, and is human-made.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jun 24

New haircut & new game in stock in the shop!

A selfie of a white man with short brown hair in a white T-shirt standing in front of a gray wall. In his left hand he's holding a copy of a one-page bifold game called Decomposer, which has a dark greenish-black swirly cover and the title in melting white text. A white character sheet pokes out of the top of the pamphlet, with the word "Decomposer" in a spiky and wild font.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jun 17

tfw you do graphic design

Cover art for the Animorphs book "The Answer" by K.A. Applegate, depicting a boy with brown hair and a blue shirt transforming into a snake.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jun 8

Still have to upload some stuff but I'm on RPG Trader! rpg-trader.com/creator/409/...

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jun 8

⚠️TRADE OFFER⚠️ I receive: thoughtful feedback You receive: a sick 120+ page gm-less tarot game Playtest info here!! forms.gle/8zV3kQ6tZfKv...

A mockup of two copies of a TTRPG book floating against a white background. The book is a perfect bound paperback called "the Firmament." The front cover features a white glowing hand reaching up toward the title against a slightly grainy dark greenish pink gradient with a faint grid overlaid on it. A light blue doodle looking thing squiggles around the hand, wrapping around it and exiting at the top of the image. The second copy of the book shows the back of it, and is placed behind the first copy. It has some faint text in white describing the game and a few icon placeholders for the game's attributes (1-7 players, 2-3 hours, uses tarot cards, human made).

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Jun 2

learn to play The Firmament in 6 e̵̮̦̫͠ḁ̶̥͊̐̿̀̍̀̕ś̶̡y̵̨͍͚̦̰͔̝͝ͅ steps!!

A somewhat cryptic diagram of play showing how to play a game called The Firmament. It features black icons on a white background, labeled A thru F. It begins with a white circle overlapping a black circle next to a depiction of a square tunnel with an arrow descending from it. The arrow points to a large circle, at the top of which is a deck of cards. One is being drawn with an arrow pointing to a tarot spread in the center of the circle. At 3 o'clock on the circle are three cards, with an eye pointing toward the one on the center. At the bottom, 6 o'clock, is a card surrounded by a ring of spikes. At the left side, 9 o'clock, is a box with a greater-than-or-equal-to symbol and the number 10. This cycles back to the top of the circle. It also has a dotted line descending from it pointing to the bottom of the image, where a row of 4 cards each has a different symbol representing one of the tarot suits, followed by a bold X. The line then continues off the bottom of the image.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· May 21

Last night's playtest was great!! We managed to kick the humans out of heaven, but only after they broke open a crypt and let out a wave of unfathomable sorrow (oops) now back to work

A mockup of a TTRPG called "The Firmament," appearing as a glossy open book on a white background, with another copy, closed, sitting on the right-hand page. The open book shows a black spread with white details and text that can't really be read, other than the word "BIRTH" on the left-hand page, glowing in white text overlaid on a lumpy reddish image. The closed book shows its cover, on a greenish background with the white text "The Firmament," and a white hand reaching from the bottom of the cover toward the text.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· May 12

I'm setting up some playtests of The Firmament, my upcoming tarot TTRPG of divinity & desperation, over the next month-ish! If you like fortune telling, early 2000s cyber-esoterica, short GM-less games, or ancient near eastern cosmology, it might be for you forms.gle/S9uoNPCjLz8X...

A mockup of a glossy, dark open book, its left-hand page displaying a black circle with a blue chain-like thing wrapped around it, and the right-hand page displaying the text in white all-caps, "In the beginning." In smaller text are the words, "I know you've heard this story before, but things have changed. So please, listen." The book sits on a background of stars, with a series of faded-out images and grids overlaid on top of it. The background images include what look liek roots, a sun and moon, and a few dashed lines.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Apr 20

Map of the known universe (WIP for The Firmament)

A black background with a faint white grid overlaid on it. On the background is a grainy, scribbly illustration of a blue/pink/green plane, light shining down from it. In the middle of this top plane is a translucent blue arch with an infinity symbol in it. Below is a greenish-yellow grainy dome, with a glowing yellowish blob on it. It has root-like greenish structures coming off the bottom, and a faint blue ripple beneath it. There is a moon and a sun overlaid on the dome, and the space between the top plane and the dome is surrounded with a white box. A line descends from the box to the bottom half of the image, where it splits into a bunch of roots/branches. On the left side of the image starting about halfway down, there are four grainy rectangular images stacked vertically, including an inverted cityscape, some kind of landscape, a picture of some clustered dots that look a bit like cells, and a Mesopotamian seal.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Apr 16

I ❤️ vermont

A handful of people in black robes walking under a grey sky through a field toward a forest.

A scene of the VT countryside, including a small hill with a red barn on it. On the left side is a pond with a gnarled, bare tree, a circle of people in black robes standing beneath it.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Apr 7

Up pondering my orb

A very large papier mache sphere sits on a little metal stand on a table covered in newspapers. In the background is a white bookshelf with various knick knacks and books on it.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Mar 3

I don't really feel like counting anymore so here's some more things i like: the geometric ornaments getting more intense as the layers of TV Odyssey are described; the Play Structure cover page; how the border details sometimes interact with the art on the page.

A bit of a page from TTRPG Public Access, featuring a white box with some text visible. The box is punctuated by black lines, and the black background behind it has white lines that trace out an arc and some pointy upside-down mountain-like figures, and a circle sitting on the arc where it intersects the bottom border of the page.

White messed up and glowing text that says "Play Structure" in white. More wiggly messed up text is in green, fully illegible, on the black background behind it.

A screenshot of page from the TTRPG Public Access featuring the back of a person's head, upside down, reflected. A white line goes across to the line of reflection, then bends at the point that it reflects before fading away.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Mar 3

Number 2 is these cute little borders in the GM section. They're a nod to New Mexico, and they gently echo patterns found in Navajo and Pueblo weaving.

A couple of cut-off page bits from TTRPG public access, featuring black lines and a little bit of text on a gray background. It includes geometric angled patterns that intersect each other, surrounding info like the section name ("The Keeper") and the page number (30).

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Mar 3

With the public access kickstarter coming up i wanted to highlight a few of my favorite little layout details in the original version! number 1 is the little crosshair in the border of the player-facing section. Is it a print registration mark? A camera crosshair? Or the pure-white signal?

Screenshot of the top right corner of a page from the TTRPG Public Access. The background is black with a white line terminating in a white box with a little black crosshair in it. Below that is some cut-off white text that says "Anatomy of a Character Sheet," with a little descriptive text below it. Underneath that is part of a character sheet diagram with camera viewfinder artifacts in translucent green overlaid on it.

A screenshot from TTRPG Public Access featuring the shiny, 80's-style logotype for TV Odyssey in blue and purple chrome, glowing gently purple. In the middle of the O is a cross-shaped lens flare. Behind the text is part of a black page with two silhouetted figures walking into a white triangle, but the image is cut off.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Feb 23

Everyone should do this!! Will Jobst helped me survive the Humblizer™️

A draft cover of TTRPG "The Firmament," featuring white title text in a serif font at the top, followed by my name, Ben Mansky. In the center is a large opalescent hand reaching upward, with a sketch of a spinal-cord-looking thing spiraling around it and weaving over the ring finger until it exits the page at the top. The background is a grimy, dark gradient in black, green, pink and blue with a faint grid superimposed on it.

Ben // foresight studio@foresightstudio· Feb 22

To commemorate the end of a great campaign of The Silt Verses RPG, here's a little catalog of character sheet doodles