r/shadowdark • u/Lepper0 • 1d ago
Which category should I use?
What distinguishes a zine from a module?
The page count? Connectivity[...]?
What elements should I use to determine which product category it fits into?
I’ve always been curious about these "rules" regarding RPG content creation.
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u/agentkayne 1d ago
- A module is any kind of adventure module.
- A single sheet of paper (2 pages, each side) can be turned into a trifold or pamphlet (1 'sheet' folded in half, to make 4 'pages')
- 1 sheet can also make a pocketfold (8 pages at A7 size) which is like a mini-zine.
- A zine is usually designed to be printed in such a way it can be stapled and/or folded into a small magazine.
So a module can be any length, even a single page or 1000 pages. But a zine normally has at least 8 pages and less than 40 pages (10 sheets) because that tends to be around the limit that stapling a bunch of folded sheets together stops working. You can stretch that limit, but much longer than that tends to crave proper book binding and covers.
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u/MxFC 1d ago
This alines with the recent definition proposed on the Between Two Cairns podcast with the caveat that, instances of a booklet being more than one sheet of paper, it can be bound with staples.
You can absolutely get more than 40 pages into a zine though. The Cursed Scrolls from Kelsey are clearly zines and are 68 pages inclusive of the covers. If you wanted to use thinner paper, I imagine you could get another 12-24 pages (3-6 pieces of paper) into a single zine and still be able to bind it with staples.
This would also omit perfect-bound books from being categorized as zines, which I agree with.
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u/Studbeastank 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm no authority (nor is there one), but to me, a zine is defined by its size (IMO ~64 pages or less), not by its contents. A module is a (mostly) self-contained adventure. A zine can be a module, but can also be a collection of small sites, lists of monsters, random tables, or whatever its creator wants.
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u/ExchangeWide Joker & Thief 1d ago
For me the distinction comes from intended purpose.
A module is primarily there to be run. It gives you the locations, encounters, NPCs, hooks, maps, and rules needed for that specific adventure.
A zine is broader in purpose. It might include an adventure, but it often also present new rules, setting material, lore, procedures, tables, classes, monsters, or other pieces that create a larger play experience beyond one scenario.
Cursed Scroll #1 is a good example. It’s a zine that includes an adventure. If The Hideous Halls of Mugdulblub were pulled out and published on its own, I’d call that an adventure module.
So the overlap is real: an adventure can appear in a zine, and a zine can be mostly adventure content. But if the product’s identity is “here is an adventure to run,” I’d call it a module. If its identity is “here is a collection of material that expands or explores a particular corner of play,” I’d call it a zine.
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u/Dollface_Killah (" `з´ )_,/"(>_<'!) 1d ago
Zine and module aren't mutually exclusive, and both words get abused regularly. Zines started as low-cost, digest-ish-sized, independent publications during the Harlem Renaissance which showcased a mix of art, poetry, essays, articles, and event listings. The format later took off as "fanzine" in the sci-fi fandom, and then other fandoms, and are still best described as low-cost digest compilations of fan material. If it can't be printed off on a cheap/home printer and then stapled then it's too many pages to be called a zine.
https://todistantlands.github.io/2026/01/15/how-to-not-do-zines-wrong.html
A module is just any self-contained, low-prep adventure site intended to drop into a campaign or be run as a short adventure on its own. So a zine can contain one or more modules. For example the Cursed Scroll zines usually contain a dungeon module.