Ksandra

@ksandrarpg

Creator and player of ttrpgs. Author of Wise Women. Ennie-nominated. Folklore. Writing. Photography. Middle-earth. Star Trek. Occasional VtM videos. Bi. Ace. She/her.

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Ksandra@ksandrarpg· 1d

Photography is a hobby I've been neglecting recently (I'm trying to change it now). I haven't posted a picture in a while, but I'm actually quite happy with this one.

A black and white photo of several burned silhouettes of tree trunks on a mountain slope. Branches are reaching out into white background of the sky, towards upper right corner of the picture. The ground is covered in low vegetation and partially disappears in the fog.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· 8d

Blizno Lake and sunset over some fields. So far I haven't done much on my holiday but I'm having a great time and resting.

A photo of a lake in warm afternoon light. On the right side of the picture trees grow on the shore and there are reeds and water lily leaves on the water. The sky is blue, water dark bkur and reflecting clouds that gathered low over the horizon.

A photo of a sunset over fields. Ground and trees are black shapes, while sky is oragne-yellow over the horizon and bkue with shades of pink over the clouds above.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· 12d

Some photos from Masurian lakes in Poland.

A photo of a lake on a sunny day. The water looks blue and there are some water lilies and reeds in bottom left of the frame. Green trees frame the photo on the left and cover the opposite shore. The sky is intense blue, with white clouds.

A photo of a lake. Water and cloud-covered sky look gray. The opposite shore is covered by a forest. Five cormorants are sitting on branches that fell into water in the middle of the frame. Two are spreading and dring their wings.

A photo of a lake at sunset. Water reflects the sky and clouds. Both water and sky are dark-blue, grey and orange, with some shades of light yellow and pink. On the opposite shore and on the right of the frame are dark silhouettes of the forest.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Apr 4

I don't usually post about food as most of my cooking isn't that exciting but I'm proud of this one. Veggie version of aushak (Afghan dumplings). I found this recipe ages ago but only now tried it. (Link below) They turned out delicious!

Dumplings with green filling visible through thin dough lying on a white plate. They're partially covered by veggie mince with tomato sauce. Everything is sprinkled with yoghurt.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Mar 18

Have a look at these illustrations for the new winter supplement for Wise Women (coming this week). I was so excited when I saw them! The artist isn't on here but you can find her on IG @/maria_danielak_art

A minimalist illustration depicting a single black branch against a grey background. Several white icicles are hanging off the branch.

A black and white illustration depicting a forest growing over snow-covered ground. Several white, thin trunks of smaller trees can be seen against the background of dark, taller and denser evergreen vegetation.

A black and white illustration depicts a withered, dry plant with no leaves and thin stalks. In the background there is snow-covered ground and blurred dark shapes of trees.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Mar 15

Look at my new beautiful dice from @jodiesdicefarm.bsky.social Can't wait to use them in a game!

Three red six sided dice on a white background. They're arranged in a semi-circle, casting shadows towards the right. Black abstract patterns decorate red dice.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Jan 19

I finally recorded a new #vtm clan video last night! It took way longer than I expected all the way through and even yesterday I finished after 2 am, but I'm very happy with the script. Editing still left to do but hope people will enjoy it once it's ready!

A white woman with tied back brown hair is sitting in an office chair, in front of a black table. She's wearing a black suit jacket and trousers, white shirt and a red tie. Behind her there's a white photographic background. Lights, microphone and monitor to read from are propped up on chairs and cardboard boxes.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Jan 10

In Polish #folklore clover was seen as an effective protection against magic. Blessed clover crowns hung on the outside of the house were also said to protect it from storms, lightening and hail. Wise Women illustration by Maria Danielak.

A drawing of clovers on a white background. Drawn in black ink, the clover stems with leaves or flowers are growing upwards from the bottom of the picture.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Dec 30

In Polish folklore mezereon was a component for love magic. Its root needed to be cooked at the first cockcrow, left for 8 days and then spilt on the road. The decoction would make the person who stepped on the spot where it was spilt fall madly in love. Wise Women illustration by Maria Danielak.

A black and white painting of a mezereon branch on white background.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Dec 14

I want to get back to posting about folklore that inspires me, so let's start with plants that I included in Wise Women. In south-eastern Poland, an abundant flowering of daisies was seen as a portent of good harvest but could also indicate a coming death of a child. (Artist info below)

A black and white painting of a daisy. A white flower is painted on a black background, which some grey shading on petals.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Nov 21

Today apparently marks 7 years since I misspelled Freud as Fraud in a draft of my PhD thesis and go this amazing comment from my supervisor.

An opening of a chapter titled "Soviet Psychotherapy and its Others". Misspelled word Fraud is circled and next to it a comment reads: Now that is Freudian!

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Nov 17

Share your favourite Star Trek Voyager episode. I always struggle to pick favourites, but one I really like is Course: Oblivion. There are a couple of points where Voyager doesn't shy away from a pretty harsh look at death and this one uses its premise so well to face that painful reality.

Captain Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, looking towards the left of the frame with a pained look. Her face is partially deformed, boils-like and melting-like.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Nov 17

I finished reading The Land of the Living and the Dead by Shauna Lawless. I really enjoyed the whole series. The blend of mythology and history is right up my alley and it is a compelling story, where the narration and perspectives of two main characters complement each other very well.

The cover of The Land of the Living and the Dead by Shauna Lawless. The title is written in white letters on dark green cover decorated with Celtic motifs.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Nov 3

I proposed a while ago on a starry night by a lake. Today he surprised me with his own proposal on a mountain trail. It's now doubly official - we're getting married next year!

The hands of two white people, both wearing engagement rings. The hands are resting on a wooden railing. In the background is a green landscape of shrub, grass and trees.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 23

Wanderlust: Travel Stories is a visual novel (or rather, collection of stories) about travel. It substituted exploring the world for me during lockdown and it is a nicely written and put together game. Arctic story was really impactful for me.

Wanderlust: Travel Stories is written in black letters with postal rubber stamp marks on both sides.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 22

Another not-ttrpg here is, perhaps predictably, Bloodlines. It's a game that showed me that I can enjoy computer games. I love its mood and really enjoyed playing it. And of course it captures a lot of the spirit of VtM, which naturally speaks to me.

Cover of Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines shows a woman in blue trousers and a crop top leaning over the shoulder to look at the viewer. In the background is a dark street and blue lights of the city. A single figure is standing on the street, casting a shadow shaped like and ankh.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 22

Signal to Noise by @whodo.bsky.social This game has a lot of things that gripped me. Focus on communication, change, loss and certain melancholy around it all. It lends itself to very emotional stories, which is what I enjoy. Beautiful cover and art really add to its atmosphere.

A cover of Signal to Noise shows a painting of a woman in yellow dress sitting on a rock, looking away from the viewer. Up a dirt road from her is a station with a huge round antenna. The background is light blue sky and vague shapes of white clouds.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 22

Star Trek Adventures are an exception to the rule for me. I normally don't have interest in licenced IP ttrpgs, even if I like the original work they're based on. But I genuinely enjoy this one. It captures a lot of Star Trek and leaves plenty of space to tell own Star Trek stories.

A cover to Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game is showing three Starfleet officers sheltered under a mysterious structure, investigating object on the floor and looking around. The background shows buildings and smoke in the distance.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 22

When it comes to games, I mostly enjoy ttrpgs, but there are some games of other types I love too. Disco Elysium absolutely blew me away. Many have sung its praises and the accolades are absolutely deserved. It's excellent. It's truly art. And it's one of my favourite creative works.

An image advertising Disco Elysium: The Final Cut showing the painting of the two main characters. In the background are shapes of buildings of a city, and bright-coloured sky.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 22

Vaesen spoke to me due to its focus on folklore. I enjoy that it leans into darker stories and some of the suggested plots can be genuinely disturbing (as folk stories often are). It's not the only type of stories that can be told through the game, but it's the kind of stuff I enjoy a lot.

A cover of Vaesen corebook shows a scene in cold, green-grey tones. A white man in a trench coat and hat is holding an oil lamp and pistol. He carefully stands in front of a boulder covered in strange carvings. From behind the boulder emerges a huge, bulky monster with big deer-like horns and sharp claws.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 21

Night Witches by @jmstar.bsky.social I have many thoughts on games that draw on real history, but the way Night Witches is set up and written does it right. Well-researched game with a very strong concept. I love that is shines a light on Soviet women pilots. This historian of the USSR loves it.

A cover is divided along a diagonal. Upper left corner has a black background, a picture of a World War 2 plane flying across the moon and the title. Lower right corner has a red background and a fragment of a technical drawing of a plane, as well as the title written in Russian.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 21

Fall of Magic by @rosscowman.bsky.social This game is absolutely beautiful. Having it on a scroll isn't just a gimmick but adds to the sense of journey that the characters undertake. The prompts are great in guiding the story. I couldn't stop thinking about it after playing it.

A partially unrolled scroll. Fall of Magic is written in its top left corner. It is covered with black and red writing and black drawings of a castle, hills and a city.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 21

Told by Starlight by @trueryankhan.bsky.social The concept of drawing constellations and telling stories, creating mythology in the process immediately spoke to me. I had a really great, atmospheric experience with it. It's the sort of game I could just play forever.

A cover of Told by Starlight. The title is written at the bottom of the page. Black background is split more or less in half by an uneven vertical line. The part on the right side is filled with stars.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 21

Dungeon Bitches by @cavegirl.bsky.social This is such a well thought out game. The concept, writing, rules and art come wonderfully together. It's expressive and raw in the best possible way. Definitely one of the games that spoke to me the most, ever.

A purple cover with Dungeon Bitches written in a white, distorted font.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 21

This was my first PbtA game and I have so many good memories of playing it. It is still very much my go to on many occasions, especially if I'm to run something for people whose gaming style I don't know well yet. It brings fun and comfort.

Cover to Monster of the Week by Michael Sands. Cover illustration sowes a yellow-orange monster with wide mouth full of teeth and four tentacles as hands fighting a group of monster hunters.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 21

First one is the most obvious one. I was late to VtM. Strangely didn't play it as a goth teenager, but only got to play it in 2017. The core of the game ticks so many boxes for me, it is my perfect game in many ways. Do I edit it? Yes. Would I want to swap it for something else? Absolutely not!

A cover of Vampire the Masquerade. The title is written on the top of the page, on a textured green background. In the bottom of the page is a single red rose.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Oct 21

I'm trying to get better at actually posting on social media, so let's try this thing that I saw other people do. It's also an excuse to talk about the games that I love, so how could I not do it?

A text on grey background reads: Get to know my game taste. For every like, I will post one game I love.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Sep 4

Conspiracy and Reality is my new short game about falling deep into conspiracy theories. The simple system is based on Lasers and Feelings. I'll be selling it for the first time this weekend at Tabletop Scotland at the Indie Connection stall! (Online version coming soon after!)

Three identical zines on a black background. The cover shows a black and white photo of UFO-like object flying over a lake. The title reads: Conspiracy and Reality

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Aug 17

I've been pretty quiet on social media, because, frankly, it can be exhausting. But while I was spending less time here, I created a short ttrpg (coming soon!) Here's an image for the cover that I put together:

A black and white, grainy and blurry photo of a lake with a dark, flying saucer like object in the sky.

Ksandra@ksandrarpg· Jun 22

I just released a new supplement for Wise Women. Borovka is a ready made village setting, including locations, NPCs and ideas for plots. It's available to all who backed or bought the game in the past and will be included in all future purchases.