It is hot hot hot this nuclear summer, and guess what? You're all invited to the party! So grab your SPF 3000 and lose those hazmats, cuz it's time for the jam so nice that we did it twice. 

Last time around, The TTRPG Collective broke onto the jam scene with Hope Jam!, a feel-good jam about hopeful futures and actionable change. The resulting submissions were wholesome and inspiring, and loving them felt like a breath of fresh of air.

But this time, we're messy, we're irradiated, and we only have 2 falsies left on our 6 glowing eyes.

The theme of this jam is: "It's a Hot Mutant Summer! Now with Brand-New Radium Flavor"

"What does that mean?", you might ask. Well, I don't know! That's for you to figure out and for us to read about while sipping radioactive margaritas on the shore of a dried-up beach. Throw caution to the wind and get weird with your submission. It's yours, after all.

As long as your physical game follows these 7 simple party rules, you're all set for the time of your half-life:

1. Physical games only! Whether it be a standalone TTRPG game, a hack, a reskin, an expansion, or whatever else, cut the cord and make it fallout-shelter friendly. We don't care what that ends up looking like, just let us put our acrylic claws all over it! Multiple submissions are allowed.
   
2. Be hot, mutant, summer, or some combination of the three! It's up to you to decide how you'll use the theme in your submission...but be sure to actually use it!
3. Absolutely no AI-generated works! Robots are so passé and can't hang with us mutants.
4. No bigotry! Don't be that guy and kill the vibe. We're all about lifting people up, not putting people down. That's not to say your stories can't be messy or real, but maybe don't make neo-nazis the good guys, m'kay?
5. No old projects! If it isn't fresh off the press, then this isn't the jam for you. Give us something entirely new or significantly updated during the jam period. Better yet, join The TTRPG Collective Discord Server and share your process with us! We're all about collaborating and hyping each other up, so if a brand-new project seems daunting, let us help you!
6. Your submission must be accessible to everyone during the jam! If your game is free, then you have nothing to worry about. However, if your game is paid, you must either share a download link in the TTRPG Collective Server (#game-jams forum) or add sufficient community copies. Otherwise, other jam participants can't see your work, and that's no fun.
   
7. Have fun! Don't bend yourself all out of shape for this. If your idea fizzles out, try something new! If you're running down to the wire, submit something incomplete! The best kind of party is one that still happens, so if the best you can manage is a bag of hint-of-lime chips and some cesium salsa, we'll still have a great time regardless.

All submissions have the option to opt-in to the upcoming HMS Bundle (and are heavily encouraged to do so!). 50% of proceeds from The HMS Jam Bundle will be donated to the Rainbow Violence Prevention Network to help them keep local Rainbow communities in New Zealand safe. The remaining 50% goes right back to the creators who made the bundle possible. There is also an option to donate your share as well and add to the donation pile, if you're feeling generous.

Most of the fun is happening over in The TTRPG Collective Discord Server, so if you want in on this jam, you're also welcome to join the conversation over there to ask questions, share your work, or get a behind-the-scenes look at everyone's WIP submissions! We're an inclusive and supportive community of TTRPG enthusiasts, whether they be part of the games industry or just cool people with a cool hobby. If you like TTRPG's or are interested in getting involved in making or playing them, you'll fit right in!