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Something with poetry - or word restrictions.

Like not using "e" - Or sentence length requirements - or maybe just overall word/character count limit.

Maybe a page limit.


Alternately - focus on the format of the book, create a template for a Booklet, or a folding brochure, then distribute that and the jam's goal is to work around that media/form.


Essentially, I think a creative limitation or restriction might induce some really creative work, and also makes a cohesive theme that is visual/distinctive.

I think that a page limit could be a very good idea. 

To riff on that, extend poem to sonnets and stanzas, make it about monsters, magic, and places that are tied to the lyrical.

I'm probably not going to do that, because I've never seen a game that worked like that while definitely being playable. I could be convinced to change my mind if you could show me counter-examples.

I think it could work fine as a surface level thing.

So like a name, poem of some kind, description , art, statblocks.

Just poems are a little hard to use - though maybe poems about pre-existing creatures could be interesting.

"Ode to Fiend Folio"

Or "Monster Manual Haiku"

(+1)

Oh, I wasn't thinking of game mechanics.  Just using that as a theme for OSR contributions.  Taverns noted for the bard competitions, singing monsters, a big bad that can only be dispelled via poem or song, music related spells and magical items.

Those are poems.

I Think it more interesting to attempt to describe magic monsters and places with poetry, but maybe that is too broad/boring.

I just like the idea of constraints - and poetry has rules and constraints.

A book of poems, each one describing a creature - and stats - that would be a great way to make descriptions interesting, and evocative, and maybe more open to interpretation than a usual creature book.

Maybe your idea could work for a setting - bards and such. When I think of riddle and songs in conjunction with d&d, I always think of the Hobbit - and in Middle Earth riddles and songs seem to be part of it on a deep level.