Yochai Gal, the designer behind the minimalist stalwart Cairn, has outlined a significant expansion of operations for 2026, including a transition to full-time publishing, a new convention in Portland, Oregon, and a suite of new tabletop roleplaying releases.
The announcement, made via Gal’s design blog New School Revolution, signals a shift for the Into the Odd hack, which has become a pillar of the ‘New School Revolution’ (NSR). While Cairn began as a community-focused, open-licence project, Gal’s move to full-time writing and publishing in February 2026 suggests a maturing of the product line into a sustainable business model, a path recently trodden by other independent creators seeking stability outside the constraints of traditional employment.
A New Setting Book and System Tweaks
Central to the 2026 roadmap is The Book of Vald, a new setting guide expected to exceed 100 pages. Gal describes this as the first in a potential trilogy designed to flesh out the implied world of Cairn. In a move that preserves the system’s open-culture roots, the text will remain under the CC-BY-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike) license, allowing other creators to build on the lore commercially.
For groups who prefer the stark, high-lethality playstyle of the OSR (Old School Renaissance), Gal also announced Cairn Barebones. This iteration strips away the narrative-rich backgrounds of the second edition in favour of purely random character generation. It targets what Gal affectionately terms “the real sickos”, meaning players who want a character to emerge from dice rolls rather than design choices.
Between Two Cons
Perhaps the most ambitious reveal is Between Two Cons, a new tabletop convention scheduled for June 26th and 27th, 2026, in Portland, Oregon.
Co-hosted with Brad Kerr and Sam Mameli (better known as “Skullboy”), Gal’s collaborators on the Between Two Cairns podcast, the event aims to bring the podcast’s community into a physical space. While details on vendors and specific programming remain light, the move to host a dedicated convention underscores the growing influence of the Cairn ecosystem within the broader indie RPG scene.
Tech and Omnibus Editions
On the digital front, the character keeper app Kettlewright is slated for a major overhaul and a public beta. Gal reasserted his commitment to open-source software, confirming the tool will remain free.
Meanwhile, collectors can look forward to a Cairn Adventure Series Omnibus. This volume intends to collect existing modules alongside new entries, compiling them into a single hardcover that integrates the locations into the wider world of Vald.
For those looking to explore the current edition before these 2026 releases arrive, the Cairn Player’s Guide and other materials are available digitally via DriveThruRPG.
