Hello dear readers!
Oof. It’s been a bit of a rough month. This will be short post to round off June.
I’d hoped to have a more special issue ready for reaching number 120, but oh well.
Some Quick House-Keeping
If you’re subscribed to the Penflower Post as an email newsletter, I wanted to apologise in case you received a bunch of “test” emails last week. This was due to the technical difficulties my website was experiencing earlier this month. So sorry about that.
We also had to update our SSL provider. A few people were getting an error message whenever trying to view the website. Unfortunately this has had a bit of impact on my work and earnings, and I am still not entirely sure that the issue has been resolved.
We’re also still experiencing a heatwave, like a lot of people in Europe right now.
All in all, a very stressful and tiring past couple of weeks.
Anyway, everything should be fixed and with any luck the temperature will go down a bit soon.
Here’s what I’ve been up to since my last post.
A Fruit-Moon For Bugworld: Print Version available!
My proof print copy of AFMFBW finally arrived and I’m pleased to say I am super happy with it.
The cover illustration really pops and the quality of the print and paper is exactly what I had hoped for. I designed the setting imagining it as a physical zine, so to be able to hold it in my hands felt incredibly rewarding.
You can watch me flip through the zine in this short promotional video I put together.
You can purchase the Digital + Print version on my website, and on RPGTrader.
Below is a gallery of pictures I took of the print version.
Translating ALBO: Italian Version Coming Soon!
I got to run another in-person session of ALBO in Italian at our monthly local TTRPG meet-up on the 13th.
It went really well, and the majority of feedback I have received has all been very positive.
As a result, I have written up and formatted an Italian translation of the game.
The digital version of the translation is already up on the game’s page on itchio.
I’ve ordered myself a proof print copy of the zine in Italian and plan to publish the Italian Version of ALBO as a separate product once I’ve received it.
Some More Alboverse Concept Art!
Because of the heat, I haven’t been able to draw much. I still work with ink and paper and that’s hard to do when the sweat makes the page stick to your hand and arms!
Nonetheless, I managed to sketch some more character concept art for my next Alboverse setting idea.
Pictured above: a catfolk concept, this time leaning more into the solarpunk aesthetic. I‘m almost certainly not going to include this line of design in the next setting, but I really like how it turned out, so I’m still sharing it.
Pictured above: a trio of magically mutated familiars. This version is leaning more towards dark and weird fantasy. I like this aesthetic a lot, but – as you-ll read below – I decided to move away from animal-based characters.
I drew all these about a week ago and since then I’ve changed my mind quite a bit about how I want this setting to look and work. I’m basically going through my stack of unfinished world-building projects and taking elements that I think feel fun.
Very special thanks go to my wife for brainstorming with me until I reached a concept that felt worth exploring.
The latest iteration I’m tinkering with still involves a solarpunk post-magical-apocalypse world, but this time inherited and inhabited by magical robots. Below is a preliminary design for the magical robots in their base, mass-produced form, alongside a modded version.
Pictured above: My concept for a magitech robot, with a single camera lens eye, star-tipped antenna and glowing pink crystal battery in their chest cavity. To the right is the same robot, but equipped with chunky padded armour and an extra visor attachment on their head that can flip down over their eye.
Media Spotlight!
- JP Coovert shows us how he gets ready for a convention.
- An interesting video by Andrewism on the problems with democracy and how an anarchist society would provide alternatives.
- Cozy RPG Reviews (a channel I only just recently discovered) looks back on the recent UK Games Expo and lists some of their thoughts on how the event is organised and what it needs to improve on.
- Check out this amazing TTRPG Bundle over on RPGTrader for Free RPD Day 2026.
- I recently came across and fell in love with hemlocke springs’ latest album “the apple tree under the sea“.
That’s all for this issue!
As always, thank you so much for reading.
One last reminder that if you feel like supporting my work, you can buy something from my website or itchio, join my Patreon as a paying member, or commission me.
If none of the above are doable for you, please consider spreading the word about my work to your friends!
Want to try a space to hang out and chat that’s not a social media platform?
Check out my forum, PennySpace!
Until next time,
– Penflower