This site consists of the public records of the Cyclopean Compact.

Cyclopean Activities

  • BLOG: a blog about Taiao, game design, and my other game systems.

  • TAIAO: a role-playing game based on OSR principles

  • OSINT: research on-demand

  • ARTISTRY: commissions available

  • WRITING: inquire within

Recommendations

TAIAO

Taiao is a fantasy role-playing game written under OSR principles, set on the pre-apocalyptic discworld Aia in the midst of its Renaissance. It is built partially upon the foundation laid by the GLOG, but it is a complete and functional standalone system of greater size and scope than the GLOG and I hesitate to call it anything more than "GLOG-adjacent".Taiao's current version is a free public draft of the player's manual for testing. Download below and give it a try. Feedback is always appreciated and can be sent through the Contact page or posted as a comment on the blog.

Noteworthy Features

  • 5 unique player races (including harpies and squids) that encourage class-race diversity instead of another dozen elf wizards

  • 5 primary classes, including takes on the Fighter, Thief, and Magician as well as a priestly class that plays as something like a cross between a CIA operative and a Jesuit missionary

  • 8 'bonus' classes for adding color to your characters plus 1 unique bonus class for each race

  • Several new magical schools that are also compatible with most other GLOG hacks

  • Careful balance of character-equipment power so that you can do cool things but your 10-foot pole and lantern are always useful

  • A wholly original elemental crafting system with diegetic rules for creating powerful magical items out of raw material

  • Pneumatic rifles instead of gunpowder (see the real-world Girardoni air rifle)

  • Cooking mechanics & food-based HP recovery for encouraging dungeon delicacies

  • Drugs of various sorts

  • An implied but unobtrusive default setting that diegetically leverages all of the mechanics in the game

Downloads

Game Development Status

As of March 2023, Taiao is a mechanically complete game. Some content is left unfinished, including the majority of the magical schools and some religious and cultural content. The GM's manual remains a work-in-progress. A wildly incomplete mass combat system is also available.

Opinions

Taiao is what I would jokingly call an "opinionated" game. It is, after all, a very polished labor of love - it has strong opinions, as I do, about the way a role-playing game is to be played. I have attempted to partially ennumerate the notable assumptions within the book itself, in the Introduction, the first chapter following the Table of Contents. A prospective and adventurous GM is advised to read this section to acquire a better understanding of how Taiao has been designed.

Contact

Send me an inquiry, request, comments, or regards. I'll get back to you as soon as possible.If you're looking for an artistic commission, make sure to check out the gallery and the commission information page.

Marketplaces

Miscellanea Maps

Battlemaps for use in D&D and other popular grid-based tabletop role-playing games. Initially managed as a Patreon subscription service from 2020 to 2022. Individual products are still available for sale. I also accept commissions.

About

I am an independent Minnesotan developer, digital artist, game designer, writer (technical & creative), programmer, network engineer, OSINT researcher, UI/UX expert, and whatever else I set my eyes upon.I published my works for a while under the name of Miscellanea Maps. You may recognize some of that work in the gallery. I have also published other works under other names, such as Saki. If my other pseudonyms become relevant, I might yet put them up here.I maintain a blog at https://blog.cyclopeancompact.com/. Check it out.Cyclopean Compact and the TAIAO role-playing system are the property of Saki, present author.

Commissions

Cartography has historically been my main commercial practice, but I can draw anything.

General Advice

  • Please know what you're after. It's hard to extrapolate from a starting basis of one vague sentence. Examples, such as similar reference images, are welcome.

  • Half of the agreed-upon payment must be delivered before work begins.

  • I accept Paypal, BTC, and AVAX by default. I am open to other methods of payment, but you must specify.

  • Exclusive licensing has special requirements and will have to be discussed in-depth.

  • I can always be contacted via email, but ongoing exchanges regarding a product can also be held through Discord, Matrix, or depending on the client's taste more esoteric protocols such as Steam or IRC.

  • If you're after something other than cartography, send me the details and I'll get back to you with a quote.

Sketches

  • A pretty sketch with charcoal and watercolor.

  • Price varies, but can be expected to be around $20 to $50 depending on the details.

  • Minor revisions and corrections are acceptable.

  • Please describe your desire with as much detail as you can. Reference images, poses, and descriptions are all very useful and appreciated.

Battlemaps & Other Cartography

  • These take around a week to finish, accounting for corrections. They are fully-featured detailed canvasses depicting a desired scene.

  • Price varies heavily depending on the complexity of the composition. $100 to $250 is the average range. Many factors go into the final price, but it essentially boils down to "how long will this take to complete?".

  • I provide regular sketches and other previews throughout the process to allow for corrections. If a dramatic revision is required, an additional fee may be asked for.

  • Client exclusive/special rights to the final product will cost a variable additional fee. I provide discounts if I am allowed to maintain rights to sell the final product.

  • I can produce variants of a map for a percentage of the total price. Simple filter effects are free unless they require substantial reworking of the product (such as repainting lighting).

  • A resolution of 140ppi is recommended for battlemaps.