Design TTRPG Resources in Indesign

Name: Design TTRPG Resources in Indesign
Rating: 4.9 (15 reviews)

Create Supplements, Modules, or entire books for Tabletop Role Playing Games

Created byPaul Dean

Last updated 9/2024

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

You will be able to create TTRPG supplements in Indesign
You will understand the basics of Indesign and some advanced techniques critical to creating table top game documents
You will walk away from this course with a template that you can use in all future game design products and the knowledge to use that template effectively.
You will learn to use Indesign in a fun way that teaches you what you need to know to build supplements for yourself, your friends, or for publication.
You'll understands the fundamentals of Indesign including frames, text wrap, paragraph styles, tables, table of contents, matching styles across documents, etc.
You'll know how to create both PDF and print documents
You'll be able to combine files into a single book
The things you learn in this course transfers to any sort of newsletter, pamphlet, document, or other design you can create in InDesign.

Course content

7 sections • 52 lectures • 5h 14m total length

Introduction1:26
Let's go over all the things you can expect to find in the Initiate Main Quest section of this course!
Creating a Document8:22
In which we create a document and discuss the various sizes, bleeds, margins, and other technical pieces of this process.
Frames (Part One) Color, Borders, and Text6:35
In this lesson you will learn about the basics of frames. How to fill them with color, create borders around them, and fill them with text.
Frames (Part Two) Adding Images3:57
In this lesson you will learn about adding images to your document. Dropping images into your frames and how to move them around.
Dropping in Documents4:33
In this lesson you learn a new way to bring text into your document. No more copy and pasting from a word doc, drop that bad boy straight into your file.
Intro to Paragraph Styles (Part One)7:18
Paragraph styles are the lifeblood of indesign. By learning to use them effectively, you're going to be taking HOURS of time off of your design process.
Intro to Paragraph Styles (Part Two)8:10
You'll learn even more about paragraph styles and their uses in this lesson.
Intro to Paragraph Styles (Part Three) - Character Styles3:23
Character styles are like baby paragraph styles. They affect a smaller grouping of characters than paragraph styles, allowing you to make focused changes to even smaller selections of text.
Manipulating Images3:32
In this lesson you will learn about manipulating the images inside your document and how to shape and resize frames, images within frames, and both at once.
Text Wrap8:30
In this lesson you will learn how to wrap text around images (or any frame) so that it looks and feels its best. Wrap to frames, or to images within frames.
Layers7:20
In this lesson you will learn about layers and how we use them to ensure that we're working and selecting only the things we want and nothing that we don't.
Text strokes and fills1:29
In this short lesson you learn about making changes to your text by fussing with fills and strokes around text in your document.
Saving, Exporting, and Packaging7:20
In this lesson you will learn the difference between saving, exporting and packaging your document. We'll go over when to use each one and how beneficial each of them can be depending on your needs.
Initiate Quiz

Introduction - Novice1:47
Navigate InDesign basics, including color styles (RGB vs CMYK), color themes with Adobe Color, and image sourcing and credits. Learn fonts, paragraph styles, relinking and preflight, and gradients.
Navigation3:43
Learn to zoom and navigate in InDesign, moving between pages, using the hand tool and spacebar pan, and zoom controls from the magnifying glass to 100%.
RGB & CMYK Colors9:52
Explain RGB and CMYK colors for digital display and print, and show how to manage black, out-of-gamut warnings, swatches, and RGB-to-CMYK conversion.
Color Themes in Adobe Color10:06
Discover color themes with Adobe Color, using complementary and split-complementary harmonies, extract themes from images, and test accessibility. Save palettes to Creative Cloud and apply as InDesign swatches.
Sourcing Images11:22
Explore practical image sourcing for your ttrpg project, from free sites like pixabay and pexels to paid assets on drive through rpg, with licensing and credits guidance.
Organizing your stock photos3:51
Organize stock photos in a single folder, categorize by creator, and rename files to include creator names, then use InDesign links to identify sources for proper credits.
Basics of Fonts10:51
Learn to choose and use fonts effectively in indesign, understanding serif vs sans serif, print versus digital use, sticking to one font, and checking glyphs and punctuation.
Adding Fonts to Indesign10:38
A Paragraph Style Sidequest5:50
Explore paragraph styles in InDesign, adjusting leading and tracking, experimenting with case, small caps, drop caps, and alignment to remove widows and orphans for clean ttrpg layouts.
Relinking and Preflight6:46
Use the preflight panel in InDesign to identify link and text errors, relink missing assets and fonts, resolve overset text, and ensure an export-ready document.
Gradients5:42
Learn to apply linear and radial gradients to frames in InDesign, create and manage multicolor swatches, adjust midpoints, and save gradient presets for reusable TTRPG resource designs.

Introduction - Explorer1:11
Paragraph Styles Revisited (Part One)6:49
Master paragraph styles in InDesign by creating chapter headers and subheaders, using shift-enter line breaks, applying a black line rule, and tuning spacing and font size for clear visual hierarchy.
Paragraph Styles Revisited (Part 2) Bullets, Hyphens, and Strikethrough7:52
Stand out and “Read Aloud” text5:26
Learn to create standout text in InDesign by mastering text wrap and ignore text wrap, using text frames, layers, and copy-paste workflows to enhance readability.
Grouping3:33
Group graphics and text boxes in InDesign with control G to edit as a single item, while watching layers and remembering layers when grouping, ungrouping, and pasting.
Parent Pages & Page Numbers7:49
Learn how to use parent pages in InDesign to propagate repeated design elements, manage background and headers, and automate page numbers with current page markers across a document.
Alignment (Part One)6:07
Master alignment in InDesign using grids, guides, and snap-to guides to align objects to margins, the page, or the center. Align via selection and key objects for precise layouts.
Alignment (Part Two) – Spacing5:25
Saving templates6:15
Save your InDesign document as a template to preserve paragraph styles, character styles, and master pages, and open it as the original to update future documents.
Explorer Quiz

Introduction - Adventurer0:32
Explore adventurer side quests and master InDesign import workflows using default text settings, the primary text frame, and smart flow beyond the initiate approach.
Setting Default Text4:48
Set the default text in InDesign by configuring paragraph, character, and object styles to Trilby regular ten. Changes apply only to new documents, not retroactively.
Primary Text Frame, Smart Flow3:09

Introduction - Heroic1:48
Explore the heroic module in InDesign: master paragraph and object styles, anchoring, and tables; import from Excel or Word, and build a multi-document book with a two-part table of contents.
More on Paragraph Styles (Part One) Shading5:40
Create standout text in InDesign by using paragraph styles, shading, and indents to design effective sidebars and read-aloud boxes for ttrpg resources.
More on Paragraph Styles (Part Two) Borders5:00
Master paragraph and border effects in InDesign by adjusting corner sizes, borders, and shading to create a scroll-like frame, while managing stroke, offsets, and paragraph spacing.
Object styles5:00
Learn to apply a drop shadow to a standout text frame in InDesign using object styles, text wrap, and precise offset, then adjust opacity and angle.
Anchoring6:18
Anchor objects within a text frame so they move with the text. Use anchored object options to set inline or above line positioning, and apply object styles for consistent behavior.
An Introduction to Tables10:49
Table Styles & Cell Styles9:45
Improve table design in InDesign by creating and applying table styles and cell styles, using alternating row fills and alignment to enhance readability for tabletop RPGs.
Importing Tables from Excel4:09
Import tables from Excel into InDesign by placing sheet data (A1 to B25), show import options, adjust left column center alignment and right column left alignment, and apply table styles.
Importing Word Files5:09
Learn how to import a formatted Word document into InDesign, preserve styles and formatting, customize style mapping to map Word headings to InDesign styles, adjust columns, and clear overrides.
Creating a book10:26
Creating a Table of Contents (Part One)12:24
Creating a Table of Contents (Part Two) Overrides and Tabs6:14
Heroic Quiz

Requirements

No prior knowledge needed!
Beginner to Advanced

Description

Stop trying to learn everything about InDesign before creating Table Top RPG content, instead, learn InDesign BY creating TTRPG content!

Creating content for Table Top RPGs has never been easier! Whether you're just starting out in Indesign, have watched tutorials on Youtube, or are well versed in Adobe Indesign, this course will take you through, step by step, all the information necessary to create stunning designs for your product!

In this course, you will have access to all the text and images that I'm using to create three separate RPG modules:

The Descendants Campaign Structure
Maw of the Matriphage (One-shot)
The Physicker (Class)

You will be able to follow along and create the exact thing that I am creating in the course OR build your own content while following along with the videos.

This course is broken down like a game:

Main Questline

In the Main Questline, you'll learn everything you need to create TTRPG content in Adobe Indesign. You'll learn everything from the basics of creating a document to creating Styles, Tables, and Indesign Templates. This is the meat and potatoes of the course broken out into the Initiate, Explorer, and Heroic levels.

Sidequests

Between each Main Questline there are optional sidequests. These side quests delve into information and skills that aren't necessary for creating TTRPG content, but can help you improve designs or optimize your process. This includes such content as setting text defaults, understanding and finding appropriate text and color schemes, and where to find images for your project.

Boss Battles

At the end of the course there are Boss Battles that will challenge your knowledge of InDesign. These "Boss Battles" ask you do perform tasks that you should be able to accomplish using the knowledge that you've acquired in the course, even if we didn't specifically cover that topic. (For example, creating an automated, alphebetized index.) These "Boss Battles" include a walkthrough that show you step by step how to perform the task in case you get stuck.

If you're ready to create beautiful Table Top RPG content using InDesign, pick up this course today and begin your adventure!

Who this course is for:

This course is for people who want to create table top role playing game supplments, rulebooks, and content using Indesign.
Graphic Designers
Authors
Creatives

Design TTRPG Resources in Indesign

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Main Quest: The Initiate13 lectures • 1hr 12min

Side Quests: Novice11 lectures • 1hr 20min

Main Quest: The Explorer9 lectures • 50min

Side Quest: Adventurer3 lectures • 8min

Main Quest: Heroic12 lectures • 1hr 23min

Side Quest: Master3 lectures • 19min

Boss Battles1 lecture • 2min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: