If you’re under 40 and wonder why the rest of us are like this, Public Access is a fine bit of disaster tourism …

I don't always do this formally, but for Planet Raygun I formed a set of design principles: Things that will always be true in the game. Does "thing x" contradict any of these principles? Could it better fit those principles? Change accordingly. Players will never see these, but they'll feel them.

It’s really the perfect amount of clever for games that feel big but play tight.

really enjoying doing this sort of 90s Lucasarts point and click 'fuck perspective' sort of thing with these maps

To riff on cybernetics a little here, the Purpose of a Game is What it Does, and one of the biggest changes that has happened over the decade is that sentiment has moved away from the idea that there even IS a perfect game, and that the ideal game does The Thing It Does.

Because the bushes are people.

Happy Monday! Public Access is coming to Kickstarter in March, and it would help us a lot if you signed up for prelaunch! www.kickstarter.com/projects/gau... Please repost!

It's worth reading up on the environment behind age-verification on the web and connected platforms. These laws extend beyond the political boundaries you might expect. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_... www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

Into the Odd (Remastered) is such a beautiful book. Easily top ten all time among ttrpg books. That's all. It's just really, really good.

Working on some test spreads for a nearly finished game. Just got a few more pieces of art to make for it.

I don’t have a strong opinion about it, but it surprised me that Blades 68 is an expansion/mod for Blades in the Dark and not a standalone spinoff. This seems to be the first Evil Hat FitD game where that’s the case.

Iconic game, exquisitely designed. The Elizabeth Bennett of social-dynamic ttrpgs.

Swear to god, ICE could just announce they're leaving a city but not leave and the media will just stop covering that city completely even though ICE never left. It's what ICE and the media did with LA and they're doing it with Minneapolis too

Play solo as the GM! Triple-O, my beloved player character emulator, is coming back in zine format! More tables, examples, and use cases! Run published adventures, emulate NPCs or allies, playtest your own prep! Follow today on BackerKit (free one-page version for early backers) 👉 is.gd/tripleo

In celebration of the imminent Blades ‘68 campaign, I thought I’d talk a bit about its graphic design. BUT FIRST let’s compare and contrast with the graphic design of Blades in the Dark, a landmark in the history of RPG layout. Type nerdery ahoy 🧐

“The game is a conversation” means more than “it’s people talking in turns.” How does a good conversation flow? What helps it? How is it shared?

PbtA games at large should pick up the "What are you afraid might happen?" beat of risky rolls that's used in Carved from Brindlewood. This relieves SO MUCH pressure on the GM/keeper. And not just when directly using the prompt's answer …

As of tomorrow, Cairn Press is live! Bring me your modules, your supplements, your hacks - as long as they are Cairn adjacent, I'll take consider it! More soon. cairnpress.ink

Contributor Highlight: @madelancholy.bsky.social coordinates by day, and then spends time playing/running TTRPGs, game writing, or editing video for their YouTube actual-play channel Madelancholy. They have written for Brindlewood Bay and contributed to the Sprigs and Kindling community zine.

This is a must-read.

Do you play The Between: Ghosts of El Paso? Does your table have a Kid? Do they need more rivals to shoot at? @picaroon-jack.bsky.social and I have got you covered. Rivals is a small zine w/ 12 rivals ready to thrown down and, likely, die in the dirt. signalstation.itch.io/rivals-a-gho...

#Zimo My biggest crowdfunding campaign was the one I bought social media ads for. Not a lot, $50-100 worth, something like that. <1% of total revenue. I wasn’t methodical about testing to draw direct causation, but it’s worth trying if you want to expand reach.

Democrats can and must make it clear there will be trials and anyone even somewhat associated with ICE will face them. Maybe give a quit-your-job deadline on appeasement and give people 72 hours. I don't know. But currently the plan is to let them murder us in the street and get away with it.

I don’t want to hear anything from an elected official unless it’s a plan to defund the DHS and impeach Noem, Bovino, etc. No texts. No emails. No talk about the economy. Step up or step off.

The more we find out about this morning, the more it seems like this is a moderate position.

Contributor Highlight: @foresightstudio.bsky.social is a science consultant, layout artist, and occasional fortune-teller who writes tabletop roleplaying games as Foresight Studio. His work has appeared in Public Access, The Silt Verses RPG, The Between, and Triangle Agency!

From this moment forward (and before, but clearly now): -If you work for ICE. -If you vote for money for ICE. You are complicit. This is the gestapo. You're on the wrong side. You can't pretend not to know.

i’m not particularly attached to “abolish ICE” as a slogan but as a policy it’s mandatory

I've been leaning towards Tubi being the streaming service, and now I think it's official: they have Season 1 and Season 2 of one of the best science and technology comedy shows ever made… "Look Around You". Thanks, Tubi. Thubi. tubitv.com/series/30001...

THE 25 BEST FILMS OF 2025 A Video Countdown vimeo.com/1156345183

thanks to @ricklane.bsky.social for talking to me and other modders. sorry not-sorry for the ludicrous headline quote btw credit to @asponge.bsky.social who coined “concrete murderzones” years ago to describe QBJ1 and it stuck in my head all these years

A weird art book can be sold in more places than a weird rule book, which could help expand the audience for the rule book too. Imagine if Vermis had an actual game book. Or if Tales from the Loop was released in both forms concurrently.

Would you be interested in an art book separate from the ttrpg rule book it comes from? - Uniquely designed to showcase each piece - All the pieces from the rule book - Maybe 10-20% unique pieces - Potentially some diegetic lore

Yesssssss! A few other thoughts:

How did journalistic balance become wishful thinking? I can't remember it always being this way. But maybe?

This October, the town of Bon Soleil is rocked by a vicious murder. You can solve it. Experience a blend of True Detective, 'Salem's Lot, & the Carved from Brindlewood #ttrpg system by some of the best damn artists today... www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti... @backerkit.com

DEAD-PILLED is now available on The Gauntlet's $7+ Patreon feed (or available as a one-time purchase for $8). DEAD-PILLED is a new Carved from Brindlewood game by me! Check it out! www.patreon.com/posts/gauntl...

Bears

As one might suspect from Mike's games, he's got a keen eye when it comes to game design, narrative structure, and more. If you need a second pair of eyes on a project, you can get some quality feedback with this coaching offering. I did!

Mike has award-winning design and layout skills, plus he's a great writer, plus he's got smart thoughts about game design, PLUS he's just a great guy. If you're working on a new game, take him up on his new coaching service!

I’m piloting a design coaching service: writing, layout, or whatever else you could use help on with your ttrpg project. First session with @signalstation.bsky.social was a dive into syncing mystery components for his The Between-inspired carnival game Step Right Up.

Cover for Cairn Barebones Edition by @amandalee.bsky.social. There is no one else as good as her, nope

One of the most clever and creative writers to come up through The Gauntlet’s open calls!

Those who don’t study Reply all threads are doomed to repeat them.

Increasingly believe Actual Play is going to catch on to these games at some point and wonder why it wasted so many years of its existence …

Biblically accurate Sponge Bob

If the AI Apocalypse (LLM Edition) happens, the only things of value will be the things that can not be emulated by AI. Find your weird and make it sing, babydolls.

Hear the hums, feel the drums, Make it joyful, loud and clear : The Parade, old friends The Parade is here ❤️‍🔥

Man, the quote and chyron are a wild pairing …

Most of indie design at this juncture is still deprogramming. That’s a conversation, with push and pull, often based on implicit expectations. But it can still be exasperating.