Shelfie #003

I’m an anonymous Maltese game developer making tabletop RPGs inspired by Maltese folklore, history and culture under the name Għar Gremxul.

Pretty standard in some ways. I own just under 250 books, and a large chunk of it is D&D books. However, for the last couple of years, I’ve made a conscious effort to branch out and pick up RPGs that use various different systems.

I tend to prefer game systems or settings rather than adventure modules.

I got into tabletop RPGs through D&D. I had always wanted to play during high school, but the 3rd edition books looked inscrutable to 12 year old me, and I didn't know anybody else that played that could teach me.

I properly started playing D&D in my 20s; it was required playing during my game development MSc programm, and then ran 4E for friends. Some years later, I picked up the hobby again through Matt Colville’s videos and ran 5E for friends. Since that was my system of choice at the time, I started picking up source books for older D&D editions as inspiration for my home games.

Oh no, this is a tough one. It’ll probably be one of the books that’s worth the most money, but I’ll probably try and find a way to rebuild my collection! (and don’t bring the rest of my books into this!)

This would be either any of the Planescape boxsets or books, or my copy of Dogs in the Vineyard. None of them were easy to find! I’m a big fan of planar fantasy, and therefore the Planescape setting is one of my favourites! Dogs in the Vineyard is one of those books that is constantly referenced by TTRPG designers everywhere, and while I’ve read through a PDF, I had to have a physical copy in my collection.

It's either the core rulebook for Root the RPG, or the core rulebook for the original Deadlands; I’m not sure which one is the latest addition.

Dragonfly Motel is also the newest publication in my collection, having been published in 2026. The Kickstarter was fulfilled not too long ago!

I’m actually unsure what the first addition to my collection could be. It might actually be Sanctuary’s Edge, which is a self-published Maltese sci-fi RPG by friends of mine.

For the oldest item in my collection, that distinction goes to Deities & Demigods, released in 1980. My edition contains the Cthulhu mythos and Melnibonean mythos, which were removed from later editions due to a lawsuit.

It has to be Dread. After playing Dungeons & Dragons for so long, Dread was a refreshing introduction to just how varied tabletop RPGs could be, and after playing a session, I immediately wanted to learn about what other RPGs were out there and how differently they played.

Maybe Dungeons & Dragons?

I’d still run D&D if I were asked to by friends interested in learning how to play, but nowadays I’d also suggest other games. I think variety is important.

I think it has to be Jay Dragon’s Wanderhome!

Pretty haphazardly, since the shelves are new and I’m still trying to get a good feel of where books should go and how I want to organise them.

At the moment, I keep all D&D books together, grouped by edition, and sorted with core rule books first, followed by any supplements, followed by any third party content. RPG books that use other systems are simply ordered by height.

I’m still waiting for an opportunity to complete my collection of Planescape 2E books. They’re almost impossible to get hold of.

I also could have sworn I came across a tabletop RPG in Spanish when on holiday in Cuba back in 2016, but I stupidly didn't buy it because I don't speak the language. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name and can’t find anything about it online. It would have been really interesting to see how the hobby has developed there!

The rest of my books on my shelves (and indeed, the vast majority of my collection of books) consist of Melitensia (books about Malta or published in Malta), folklore and mythology, and game design. My wife also works in traditional book publishing, so we have a lot of books around the house!

Without a doubt, one of the books I would consider to be part of my RPG collection is The Maltese Bestiary by Stephan D. Mifsud, since it was pivotal in pushing me to make games inspired by Maltese folklore. That book inspired quite a few people locally!

Other books that I consider influential to my work and revisit often include Ħrejjef Missirijietna by Manwel Magri, which is a collection of Maltese folk tales, as well as Erin Serracino-Inglott’s Il-Miklem Malti, a 10 volume Maltese-Maltese dictionary that’s a masterpiece.

But really and truly, I tend to find inspiration from loads of different places, including from books that have nothing to do with Malta. And depending on the game I’m working on, I’ll often grab appropriate books from my shelves to look through.

That would probably be my very first set of dice: a set of GameScience Precision inked dice in Coal Black. I keep them in a hand-knitted dice bag that a friend and former player made for me!

I’m not sure I have one. I don’t really use GM screens or dice trays when running games. Maybe a battle mat?

I don’t often get the opportunity to play in games (since I prefer running games), but when I do, it’s for one-shots, so my notes are simply on the edge of my character sheet.

As a GM, all my game prep tends to be digital, and I use Notion. Any impromptu notes that need to be taken down are normally scribbled on rough paper and logged later.

I’ve bought way too many PDFs through bundles on both itch.io and rpgtrader.com. However, I much prefer physical copies; I find them easier to read and to reference.

A lot of my fiction reading tends to be digital nowadays, since I find them easier to read on the go, and I’m currently using an old Kindle Paperwhite which has served me well for the past 14 years. (But I’ll also buy a physical copy if I feel like it’s the type of book I want.)f

Bee Scerri from Red World Press and Idle Cartulary were both influential in my TTRPG game design journey back when Twitter was still a thing; I’d love to see either of their shelfies!