psychhound games │luka brave

@psychhound

luka brave. he/they. #indiettrpg designer & grad student studying therapeutic applications for games. pitbull dad working on #spiritkeepttrpg - a multiplayer campaign #ttrpg designed to help players heal from complex trauma

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Bluesky

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psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· 9d

if yall gencon folks aint stopped by the @plusoneexp.bsky.social booth #449 yet youre missing out on a ton of great games, including my duet wolf & cub game shadow/giant 2e, inspired by twd, logan, tlou, stranger things, arcane, & more! ty for pics 💖@faefatalegames.bsky.social @jaztice.bsky.social

two photos of hands holding the physical copy of shadow / giant 2e by Luka Brave of Psychhound Games at Gen Con

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· 10d

sorry if anyone at #gencon just got a strong craving for veggies. i tried plugging my dog into cerebro like prof x so i could use her psychic powers to tell everyone that #indiettrpg shadow / giant 2e is at booth #449 with @plusoneexp.bsky.social, but she really only cares about fresh veggies... :/

A photo of the TTRPG zine Shadow / Giant 2e by Luka Brave of Psychhound Games. The cover shows art of an Indian man looking shocked and worried as a young Vietnamese girl steps in front of him with a circle of fire coming out of her hands. The background of the cover is a ray of various patterned papers and scenes. The zine is laying on black fabric, surrounded by objects such as: a pocket knife, a pen, playing cards, old coins, a 20-sided die, the corner of an old framed photo, a crystal necklace, and a beaded bracelet with beads spelling "SHHHH".

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jun 29

there are also random generators now!! the set up generator quickly randomizes genre, each playbook, the PC's communication barrier, the safe place they're trying to get to, and the threat that's after them. try it online: perchance.org/shadowgiant2e & with purchase - a scene prompt card puller!

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jun 29

my first print run for one of my TTRPGs, so i'm being a bit indulgent :') new baby photoshoot pspsps who wants a 2 player wolf & cub game? 🤲 psychhound.itch.io/sg2e plusoneexp.com/products/sha...

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jun 9

gamers should i watch twin peaks - dale cooper 87% top match - mark watney 87% - sean maguire 87% - uncle iroh 86% openpsychometrics.org/tests/charac...

dale cooper from twin peaks, 87% top match

Dr. sean maguire from good will hunting, 87% match

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 26

The 60-page zine comes with a whole host of examples, roll tables, picklists, & oracles to make 2 player GMfull play a breeze - Best for 1 to 12 sessions - Uses dice & playing cards (alt rules for digital incl) - 2 to 4 hours per session Also SUCH gorgeous art by Vicky Lee (insta: @svickerdoodles)

[ID: A spread from Shadow / Giant 2e showing the Giant's rolling mechanic. It includes the circumstances that grant rerolls, Devil's Bargains that grant rerolls at a cost, and the results of each potential dice combination, including no combo, 3 of a kind, small straight, full house, large straight, and 5 of a kind. Each combo has a specific outcome and shows an example next to it. There are also textboxes with hypothetical examples using the players Lee and Clementine. End ID]

[ID: A spread from Shadow / Giant 2e showing the last page of the Shadow's character creation. It includes picklists for the origin of the Shadow's difference, the feature that sets the Shadow apart, and one thing they wish they were versus one thing they try not to be. The facing page has an example Shadow from the hypothetical player Lee and shows art of a young Mongolian girl clutching a bag and running away while glancing behind her. End ID]

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 26

Shadow / Giant 2e, a 2 player wolf & cub #indieTTRPG a la Logan, TLOU, Arcane, and more, is coming to print through @plusoneexp.bsky.social ! Take on the roles of a traumatized, powered youth & their jaded guardian, trying to get somewhere safe & outrun the Threat. plusoneexp.com/products/sha...

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 25

this is the error i get no matter the options i click on. trying to open the dropdown menus also causes the site to glitch out, i have to click on them 3 or 4 times before they actually open rather than flash and send me to a different place on the page

A screenshot of the site under the header Cost Estimates. Print cost per unit shows up as $--.-- with a red warning underneath that says HTTP 401 Unauthorized: Not authenticates

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 25

when people ask me, a guy with a master's in writing, basic grammar questions

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 25

somehow completely missed this @partyofonepodcast.bsky.social episode but it made me weep with laughter. i love when an absurdist comedy game can be described as "nightmareish" you can find this game here!! first one i ever designed. came to me in a dream (fr) psychhound.itch.io/not-a-tabloid

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 24

so excited to officially announce that SHADOW / GIANT 2e, a hugely improved & expanded edition of my wolf & cub #TTRPG, is coming to print THIS JUNE (in like a week!!) through @plusoneexp.bsky.social, with a bunch of GORG art by vicky lee (@svickerdoodles on insta) plusoneexp.com/products/sha...

[ID: Promo art for the TTRPG Shadow / Giant 2e, by Psychhound Games, art by Vicky Lee

An elderly Haida woman is sheltering a young Mongolian girl under her button blanket while they both look forward at something. The button blanket is red and black with a bear design on it. The older woman has a woven basket on her back. The young girl is wearing a blue deel (a traditional Mongolian robe) and has a satchel at her side. The background is light and textured like a book page.

The text reads:
“Do you see anything?”
With a blink of surprise, she dropped her eyes to the young girl.
“You were supposed to stay at camp.”
Peering at the figures in the distance, the girl shrugged. “Got bored.” A brief glance up, flippant. “Plus, you’re a hundred years old. Hard to spy if you can’t see more than a meter in front of you.”
“Cheeky little thing.” A huff. She pulled the young girl under her button blanket. “Alright, then … The patrol circles three times before switching routes, see? So, our best bet for getting inside—”
End ID.]

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jan 17

reading the day's section out to the animals and then listening to the song together has become our bedtime ritual!

a close up photo of an old tan pit bull pressing her face against the chest of a young orange cat with no eyes

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Oct 14

this game and 4 others are on sale right now until halloween!! if you're looking to get into the spooky mood, look no further!! i've got multiplayer games for families & adults, a duet game, and two spooky solos!! please check it out :D itch.io/s/161859/hal...

a screenshot of an itch sale showing the TTRPGs mama werewolf, familiar field trip, the graveyard game, crescent grin, and a heart starts beating

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Sep 23

my thesis on therapeutically applied #ttrpgs was published!! 40,000 words about the psychology, linguistics, and therapeutic impact of multiplayer tabletop roleplay, including a brand new study on ttrpgs building emotional resilience!! www.proquest.com/docview/3251...

Abstract: This thesis aimed to further research on a growing method of play therapy, therapeutically applied tabletop role-playing games, and examine its users as a discourse community with shared but unmet needs. Several methods were taken to accomplish this goal. A literature review explored the current state of the research. Then, a study with 109 participants was conducted to deduce the connection between tabletop role-play and emotional resilience. Finally, five popular texts in the tabletop role-playing game genre were analyzed against seven criteria, synthesized from therapeutically applied role-playing game community experts, to determine if currently available texts fulfilled the needs of this community. The texts included Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, New World of Darkness, Apocalypse Keys, Wanderhome, and Songs for the Dusk. This research found that the benefits of tabletop role-playing games are shared between clinical use and home use, but that currently available texts are not ideal for fulfilling therapeutic purposes. Therefore, the thesis includes the foundations of a new text that is designed to be perfectly suited to the requirements of this genre: a game called Spiritkeep, designed to help players heal from complex trauma through long-term play. As the therapeutically applied role-playing field is growing in use by experts as well as in popular attention, the development of this new text has the potential for great impact in the role-playing community.

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Sep 14

i didn't consent to be a part of this marketing video or your marketplace. i do not want my games in this video. if you wanted to create a solution for our community you should've actually consulted us first

a screenshot of the video with several games circled in red

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Aug 25

almost to 40 followers on the shadow / giant 2e prelaunch!! 2 player #ttrpg following a jaded adult and traumatized, magical child with touchstones like marvel's logan, #strangerthings, & #tlou some VERY RAD guest writers will be announced soon!! all queer & trans writer team!! 👀👉 igit.me/sg2e

a banner for the TTRPG shadow / giant. it shows a silhouette of an adult and child holding hands as well as the title shadow / giant in bold letters. text reads "2-player TTRPG / GMless + Oracles / d6s + Playing Cards." the banner is in speckled risograph style, like an old pulp comic, with orange and blue overlapping to make a green image and font.

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jul 8

woah shadow/giant #5 on itch right now :O if y'all like the lone wolf & cub trope, jaded adult & traumatized magical child (logan, the last of us, the walking dead, bioshock, etc etc) ... maybe check out? >:) #ttrpg #indiettrpg psychhound.itch.io/shadow-giant

a screenshot of itch.io, showing the most popular physical games. shadow / giant is fifth on the page

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jun 14

IS ANYONE ELSE SEEING THIS HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO ME !!!!! you all want to vote for with breath & sword, a solo game that helps you calm down from anxiety attacks as you play, soooo bad -> forms.gle/oiCoF28rWqa3...

a screenshot of itch.io showing the ttrpg "with breath & sword" by psychhound as the number one game under the popular physical games tab

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jun 14

in a few hours it'll be my 30th birthday :) a great present would be checking out my games (on sale!) and reposting psychhound.itch.io

a spread of pages from the ttrpg "a heart starts beating." it shows two pages of rules with stylized layout including a circle of red text around a dark image of the moon

a page from the ttrpg "shadow/giant" showing the character mechanics for the giant. it is stylized to look like it was written in a notebook

a spread of pages from the ttrpg setting zine "how high!" it shows potential npcs and the wolf pack pantheon. it has a foggy forest background

a page from the ttrpg "a pyrite bullet" showing character and party roll tables. the background is an 1800s american encampment

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jun 2

speaking of With Breath & Sword, i teamed up with @gamingthemind.bsky.social to let them distribute some free copies in their chill out rooms at UK conventions!! really cool opportunity!! if you want to check the game out, you can get it here: psychhound.itch.io/with-breath-...

a photo of several physical copies of the TTRPG "with breath & sword" spread out on a table

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Jun 2

oh btw 🥰👍

a graphic showing "2025 crit award nominee". the image is of a chibi blue dragon and dice

the graphic for the 2025 crit awards best solo games nominees. it includes "with breath & sword" by psychhound games

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 29

new #indiettrpg up 🎉🎉 toxic yuri bury your gays haunted house solo journaling "walking sim" (inspired by the prompts for may's @eternaljam.bsky.social and @aavoigt.bsky.social's discussion of a ttrpg walking sim) psychhound.itch.io/a-heart-star...

the title for "a heart starts beating / a queer haunted house game". the text is framed on a black background and the rest of the image is dark crimson and black florals

a screenshot of the game showing a page of dice mechanics that has stylized text and a page on ending the game. the second page has text wrapping around an image of a moon with a glowing red figure falling beneath it. the spread is in dark brown, gold, and red

a spread from the game showing a ritual for "the void." one side of the spread shows a glowing red figure falling through the frame, the other side has red text. the background is dark brown

spreads from the game showing the section for the house's rooms and the first room. the room has four items to find and two rituals to complete. the background is deep crimson and one side has a gold floral pattern overlayed on it with a gold outline of a hand reaching up

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 24

moving halfway across the country at the end of the month to a safer area (bye oklahoma), so buying my #ttrpgs would really go a long way right now!! i've got solo journaling, some duets, 1page oneshots, silly competitive multiplayers, you name it!! AND on sale :) reposts helpful psychhound.itch.io

a spread for a ttrpg called "you are thinking about silver". one half of the page is black with light gold text. the other half of the page has a gold-toned old artwork of hunting dogs attacking a wolf

the playbook page for "the giant" in the game "shadow / giant". the background is an open notebook with a pencil lying on it, and the text is laid out and made to look as though its written on the notebook

a page from the one-page game "the pyrite bullet". the background is a gold-toned photo of an 1800s encampment in the desert in front of a mountain. the text and roll tables have been designed around the background image, with graphic design embellishments like a pink sun and mountain outline

spreads for the setting zine "how high". the background is a misty forest. one page shows npcs on a table and the other page shows information about the pantheon. the color scheme is dark green, white, black, and vibrant red

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 18

these are such a treasure trove. working on a new #indiettrpg and everything from these pages except the little person outline comes from public.work!

a two-page spread from a haunted house horror game. one page has a 6-box checker board type pattern. the textured, dark brown squares have gold and red text in them. the other squares have gold-toned patterns of what look like colored pencil drawn lens flares. the other page has gold and red text with a dark reddish brown furniture upholstery like pattern. halfway down the page there is an outline of a person who looks like they're falling

a two-page spread from the same game. the top half of the page is a light tan paper like texture with very faint circular drawings. the bottom half is a deep red floral pattern. on the left page, there are large chunks of text that curve around a circle that is not filled by anything. on the other side, there is less text that curves around a half-circle containing a vintage drawing of an explosion with a parachute falling away from it. some of the text is disjointed with letters too high or tilted away from the rest of the word

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 15

howdy! i started publishing in december '22 and have published 26 ttrpgs to date! i just graduated with my masters studying and publishing on therapeutic and educational ttrpgs. my big project is #spiritkeepttrpg which helps players heal from complex trauma. love doing layout too! psychhound.itch.io

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· May 3

some extremely crunchy photos, but i got to present about #ttrpgs at a conference last weekend!! i presented a study i did on using ttrpgs to develop emotional resilience. the study is being published too 🎉 i'll update when i know a date for the publication :)

a photo of OP, a pale man with short brown hair and glasses, presenting in front of an audience at a conference. he is gesturing and speaking

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Apr 18

the only things she knows in this world are be cozy, eat hot soup, and lie

a tan pit bull snuggled with two big blankets on a couch, laying with her head on a pillow

a tan pit bull snuggling with a blanket on the couch and asleep. she's wearing blue space themed pajamas

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Apr 18

sometimes my dog gets maxed out on grumpy and the only way to fix her is to put her jammies on her, give her some warm soup or some oatmeal, and then put her down for a nap. because simply she's a toddler disguised as an 11 year old #pitbull #dogsky

a tan pit bull wearing blue space themed pajamas asleep on a couch. she's facing away from the viewer and has both her back legs up on the back of the couch

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Apr 17

i have a queer weird west poetry zine up on itch :) here's one of the poems from it psychhound.itch.io/crying-call

true love

jackrabbit, jackrabbit,
what is your fear?
only wailing, gnashing teeth? ever sharpened, just for you? a dozen lovely daggers made for jumping flesh & slip-singing songs of your mother’s father’s mother’s father & the ripened juice of him down the throat of those who will always be bigger, stronger, faster? or the smell of blood, yours, & the smell of the hunt, theirs, & how they’ve never once considered their howls may keep you up at night? or do you fear loneliness, jackrabbit, knowing your seconds of perfect ecstasy will soon fade to the mere company of the moon & red dirt & a bloated cactus hoarding water? oh, to capture you in a moment, only movement, only an infinite understanding of the cyclical nature of life, the workings of a body, how the cosmos twirl around each other in just a like fashion
oh jackrabbit, jackrabbit,
do you fear you might never learn my name?
or do you fear the most that you may, in one hot moment of glorious kindness, forget to be afraid at all, breathe deep, live well, & feel, for once, unlike your kin, peace in your heart, & that this, like all other things in the life of a jackrabbit,
will be the death of you?

psychhound games │luka brave@psychhound· Apr 17

turned in my #thesis today 😵‍💫 its a 40,000 word text on therapeutically applied ttrpgs (TA-RPGs), looking at current use of them, the needs of the community, currently available games, and then laying some groundwork for a #ttrpg thats designed to induce therapeutic experiences. #spiritkeepttrpg :)