Sandy Pug Games

Games. By Dogs, For Dogs

About

Sandy Pug Games is a TTRPG design collective based in the ethereal zone. We write games and books, create music and ARGs, occasionally other stuff too.You probably know about us from Monster Care SquadWe've been around for over 10 years, putting out some of the most fun nonsense this scene has ever had the privilege of hosting. We strive to be a force for community good, and solidarity, through our grants, mentorship, and publishing outreach.Sandy Pug Games is sorta named after a dog we once knew, find the hidden link cave for pics of him and other animals we care for.Founded and managed by Nem, Sandy Pug's membership is fluid, shifting between projects but always bringing you The Good Shit.Nem's various opinions, good and bad, can be found on the SPG twitter and medium. Check out this article she wrote about Kickstarter.If you’d like to contact us for some reason, the email address is SandyPugGames [At] gmail.com or you can yell at us on Twitter here.

Our Work

SPG has a lot of content under its belt, here's some of our highlights.Americana is a murder mystery TTRPG set in a fantastical, and utopic, queer focused 1950s california. My favourite mechanic in this game is definitely the Your Dead Friend tool, a system designed to center the victim of the murder in your story and make them a character at the table with you. We kickstarted this and it was a blast to produce.Disposable Heroes stemmed from an attempt to create a fast, roguelike experience in a TTRPG format. We replaced character sheets and playbooks with cards, and we made death a fun mechanic that gives you a new set of tools every time it happens. I really love the Jet Set Radio inspired artwork, and it was a real joy to create this alongside artist collaborator Ren. Check it out here.Monster Care Squad is what you probably know us from. A world of peace and tranquility broken by a deadly virus effecting the little gods of the world. Elite black-ops Monster Vets craft bespoke cures, solve local problems, and save the world through solidarity, collective effort, and community love. Inspired by Final Fantasy, Miyazaki, and Monster Hunter, this brilliant thing really launched SPG into the atmosphere, and it's where the Ald-Amura setting was born.Honorable Mentions: Mirror, a 3 player TTRPG about vulnerability where you play as the person sitting across from you. Orc Stabr a semi-successful community building project where you hunt Big Monsters but the real draw was us doing bespoke and custom artwork with crayons on every single copy. JUSTICE SWORN a side scrolling beat-em-up TTRPG based on Streets of Rage and the Ironsworn engine. WIZARDPUNK a collection of cool WizzBizz from our entire collective, includes computer programs, short stories, music, and more all in one little booklet.
Check out our Itch for more.Big Ws
Our Shores
We published and crowdfunder with our South East Asian comrades in OUR SHORES, a collaboration between three major design houses from across the region. As a stretch goal we also helped publish a zine containing a dozen more smaller games by smaller creators.The Ald-Amura Historical Grant
In 2021 we ran a generous grant program, redistributing around $5000 of profits from Monster Care Squad into the hands of people making fan works and derivative projects based on, or set in, Ald-Amura. We actually found and bonded with The Marquis Of Shadows themselves, JN Butler, as a direct result of this project!Mentoring
SPG has provided mentoring and Kickstarter guidence pro-bono for a dozen designers and creative collectives over the last few years, with a 100% success rate going from idea to publication. We've also assisted a handful of co-ops in their formation, and operate on an open-knowledge policy, providing what we've learned as freely as possible.If you'd like a heads up whenever we make something new, sign up to our mailing list. No spam, promises.