Since we’ve already done some random table books this week, what’s one more? This is The Doomed Stronghold (2025) a zine about making, adventuring and living in unusual castles, keeps and fortresses. Every entry is brief to the point of terseness, but also full-to-brimming with inspiration.

Who wants a castle when they can have a petrified ark run aground in the desert? Or a coastal stronghold shaped like a conch? Why have opponents equipped with catapults when they can have flying lizards bombarding a castle with eggs that send serpents against the defenders when they shatter? Why have a normal disaster when a beanstalk can hoist the keep into the clouds? You get the idea — you’ll get tons of ideas!

The zine has a good look, too. It’s a little Mork Borg-y, but in a restrained, collage-y sort of way. I find lately that I enjoy pseudo-Medieval fantasy art in RPGs, because it usually mixes “simple” with “weird” in a way that I find accessible. Or maybe usable is a better word, as I can use these images easier in fortress building than I can some super cool realistic illustration. They also have a tactile aspect that marries nicely with a hand-made zine like this. And I just straight up like the super-saturated color and the way the images all look like color photo negatives. That’s not an aesthetic choice I thought I’d see in an RPG zine like, ever.