Archetype

Sleep well in Archetype, where the Gods do not go...

Archetype is a stark, sprawling city of stained glass, greenhouses, and whispers. The roads are narrow and smooth, running in convoluted, curving patterns throughout and terminating in one of the Seven Bridges. It is surrounded by a great void that Gods cannot cross, even by the great bridges maintained by the Guild of Spiders, and within, Mage-oligarchs rule.

Another minimally designed,  system-agnostic, weird fantasy setting zine for your favorite narrative game.  A queer little piece of Empty Spaces art.

A #ZiMo2025 submission: now crowdfunding on Itch! Buy this zine and help achieve the following stretch goals:

• $100: the Tria Nomina system (Praenomen, Nomen, Cognomen), full copyedit by someone other than me ✅
• $250: how to create an Archetype doll (written by Natalie Pudim) ✅
• $300: writeup of the foremost Cognomen and their houses in Archetype ✅
• $400: bindings of handmade zines switched from staples to stitching  ✅
• $500: bylaws of the Spider Guild (written by Rose Bailey), artist reveal for $750 ✅
• $600: bylaws and ranks of the Mage-oligarchs ✅
• $750: edition with location art by Just Oberoy ✅
• $800: vote on which secondary location (Ruined Belltower, Pyrope Bridge of the Forbidden Breath, Eight Profligate Evenings, or Magister Nonesuch Academy) gets a full writeup!✅️
• $6969: I stop posting  about Archetype altogether. This is the price to buy my silence for the rest of Zine Month 2025.

Content Note:
this setting involves hierarchy, state and spiritual violence, spiders, magical experimentation on sentient beings, indentured servitude, consensual behavioral modification, sexual content (including dubcon), and the general careless violence of a wealthy elected aristocracy. Reader discretion is advised.

Archetype has always been at war with Jargon.