Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
@connor.alwaysawake.games
π€ 625
π₯ 327
π 437
Board game designer, illustrator and indie publisher Store:
https://www.alwaysawake.games/
pinned post!
Excited to announce that Out of Sorts second edition is launching this August! All new books to sort, challenges to face and a mini expansion all in a shiny new box. Follow now on Kickstarter:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/alw...
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Coming soon: Out of Sorts - 2nd Edition
Work together to sort the strange books in an alien's library before time runs out!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/always-awake-games/out-of-sorts-2nd-edition
2 months ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Jon Perry
about 17 hours ago
I really like this series by
@connor.alwaysawake.games
that pushes back on common board game design advice like "find the fun" and "stick to design" and I find myself agreeing with most of the points being made.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuoY...
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Multiple Win Conditions: Welcome!
YouTube video by Always Awake Games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuoYfJADXmc
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Ted Mann Schaller
3 days ago
Only 48 hours left to back Counterpoint and help make this game a reality! Come explore this whimsical world of classical chamber music and trick-taking! ππ»πΆ Link in bio!
#boardgames
#cardgames
#chambermusic
π²βοΈ
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
I just put together a little unboxing/whatβs changed video for Out of Sorts second edition. Check it out!
youtu.be/7TuS_GDca70?...
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Out of Sorts Unboxing (second edition)
YouTube video by Always Awake Games
https://youtu.be/7TuS_GDca70?is=iBziCmAnbAnbS__i
7 days ago
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December feels like so long agoβ¦but now Iβve got the final approval copy from the factory! No matter how much it tried to kill my hand, I loved working on this project. Make sure to follow or sign up for my newsletter to get a copy when they go live!
always-awake-games.kit.com/6e660f3e7a
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6 days ago
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ceefox
7 days ago
Amazing new components and art refresh for Out of Sorts 2e, plus exciting new rules tweaks - finale and micromanagement expansion both sound phenomenal!
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I just put together a little unboxing/whatβs changed video for Out of Sorts second edition. Check it out!
youtu.be/7TuS_GDca70?...
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Out of Sorts Unboxing (second edition)
YouTube video by Always Awake Games
https://youtu.be/7TuS_GDca70?is=iBziCmAnbAnbS__i
7 days ago
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Starting to figure out booth setup stuff. Got a three tier display I stained and then 3d printed these little individual card holders. Iβm honestly getting more inspiration from craft market vendors than board game booths. Weβll see how it goes, but liking how itβs looking so far.
10 days ago
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Finally got a new 3d printer and the first thing I printed out was the insert
@brstf.games
designed for Club Spooky! 3d printers have gotten so much better since I got my first one 6 years ago. Check it out here:
makerworld.com/en/models/28...
12 days ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Tim Clare
12 days ago
We're about to record a new episode of But Why Vikings & we'd still love your questions about tabletop conventions/expos etc. Can be queries from newbies, attempts to solicit our opinion on a thorny topic, dilemmas you've faced, practical tips, whatever. Please share & @ me with your queries!
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Working on the Out of Sorts KS page and wondering if I've committed to the bit enough. There's just something about teal.
13 days ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Mike Cook
15 days ago
I wrote a manifesto for making games, and (not) selling them, for
#manifestojam
illomens.itch.io/no-one-is-go...
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NO-ONE IS GOING TO BUY YOUR GAME by ill omens
A Manifesto For Making Games
https://illomens.itch.io/no-one-is-going-to-buy-your-game
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Daniel Newman // New Mill Industries
16 days ago
Hey you! Yeah, you! Have you been waiting for the application to be a vendor at the 2026 Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged? Well, it's been up for over a week! It'll be up until August 1. Go submit your game, maybe you'll get picked?
www.newmillindustries.com/ignm-app
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IGNM App β New Mill Industries
https://www.newmillindustries.com/ignm-app
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First pass at the cover is done!
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16 days ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Sticky Doodler
17 days ago
Tabletop enthusiasts, we need your help putting an event together for PAX Unplugged. Which of these event names would catch your interest? Assume no context; all you see is the title. Please share / repost -- we don't have any other way to poll people! ("We" =
@tonytran.bsky.social
& me & others)
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Couldnβt find anywhere that had the right colour, so I did the logical thing
18 days ago
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Just did a photoshoot swap for Out of Sorts 2e and I think I got some good ones. Shoutout to
@tedmannschaller.bsky.social
and Becky Young for being great models (and Becky for organising)!
19 days ago
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Just did a photoshoot swap for Out of Sorts 2e and I think I got some good ones. Shoutout to
@tedmannschaller.bsky.social
and Becky Young for being great models (and Becky for organising)!
19 days ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Ted Mann Schaller
21 days ago
Do you love classical music?! Me too! π» Do you love card games?! Me too! β£οΈ Do you love cute animals?! Me too! π· Wow! Look at everything we have in common! π Counterpoint is live on Kickstarter right now. Go back it!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
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Just cause I always find this surprising: this is how much space ~700 small box games takes up in my office (stack is ~3ft tall) Itβs not nothing, but itβs surprisingly manageable. And thatβs all I need as an indie publisher.
23 days ago
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Tim Clare
23 days ago
I wrote a piece about attending the UK Games Expo last weekend, about feeling bad, stupid & worthless, about taking my 9 year old daughter for the first time, about the values of the market, & about pointless games. It's called 'Stupid Games, Stupid Prizes':
www.timclarepoet.co.uk/stupid-games...
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STUPID GAMES, STUPID PRIZES - Tim Clare - Author, Poet and Creative Writing Advice Podcaster
STUPID GAMES, STUPID PRIZES A week ago, in 34Β°C heat, I went with my wife and daughters camping. We deliberately chose a site only fifteen minutesβ drive from our house, near a familiar spot weβve oft...
http://www.timclarepoet.co.uk/stupid-games-stupid-prizes/
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Ava Foxfort
25 days ago
I wrote about some of my
#UKGE
feelings. Free on patreon
www.patreon.com/posts/what-i...
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What I feel about when I feel about games conventions | Ava Foxfort
What I feel about when I feel about games conventions by Ava Foxfort on Patreon. Join Ava Foxfort's community for exclusive content and updates.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/what-i-feel-when-159843704?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
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Knave of Cups
25 days ago
Yesss
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Eric Dittmore
25 days ago
In my humble opinion, the indie market scene is the most exciting thing happening in the board game space right now. Come join the movement to make small batch games that can be as weird and special as you can imagine!
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Sticky Doodler
25 days ago
I love that IGNM offers an alternate "capstone" for a tabletop game project instead of signing with an existing publisher. There are many games that want to live in the world that simply don't fit existing commercial or audience niches, even if they're great games! Personally, ...
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Daniel Newman // New Mill Industries
25 days ago
The application to be a vendor at the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged in December is now live!
www.newmillindustries.com/ignm-app
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IGNM App β New Mill Industries
https://www.newmillindustries.com/ignm-app
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W. Eric Martin | Board Game Beat
28 days ago
Self-publishers will feature unique creations at UK Games Expo 2026
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What Awaits at Bastion Indie Market?
Are you at UK Games Expo 2026 this weekend, specifically on May 30? If not, then you're going to miss out on Bastion Indie Market, an event run by the folks who organize the annual Bastion convention in North Wales. Bastion Indie Market is modeled after Indie Games Night Market, an event at PAXU organized by Daniel Newman, with Bastion being an inexpensive way for independent creators to demo and sell their works directly to the public. Here are a few of the games being featured: βͺοΈ Jerusalem: England's Green, Unpleasant Land, designed by Tony Boydell and Matt Green, challenges 2-4 players to place businesses, houses, roads, public services, recreational facilities, and places of worship in the village of Jerusalem to elevate it to a proper town. From the designers: > Players may be able to demolish each other's work, vote on new municipal structures (a cathedral, an airfield, a reservoir β giant pieces that overlay whole sections of the landscape), and generally create a satirical vision of a typical English town. βͺοΈ Brink is a dexterity game from Benedict Douglas in which two players try to flick discs as close to the opponent's edge of the raised playing area as possible, ideally hanging a disc on the brink of falling off. βͺοΈ **_Roost_** is a collection of tile-laying games from Lydia Naomi Wallace, with one game for each player count from 1-4 in which you try to gather colored birds. βͺοΈ **_Mongoose Poker_** is a Rikki Tahta design he describes as a cross between Hanabi and The Gang, with you trying to determine the rank of your poker hand with limited information about your cards. βͺοΈ **_CHEF!_** is a card game from Andy and Emma Meaney, with players trying to use as many ingredients as possible in their dishes to score the most points...as long as someone agrees that the dish is, in fact, edible. βͺοΈ **_Paths of Pollination_** from Dave Wetherall of GGG Games pits bees against butterflies in a two-player abstract strategy game on a field of modular, hexagonal flowers. βͺοΈ **_Meeple Creeple: The Changeable Meeple Game_** from William Ross is a storytelling game for 2-7 players in which you assemble a meeple character from two halves, then describe how this character would succeed with a task presented on a scenario card. βͺοΈ **_Acacia Mini_** is a two-player abstract strategy game from Dean Morris in which you try to connect your creatures on a two-sided board that allows you to push out the competition. β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ β’ Like what you read? Leave a tip to support independent board game journalism! Leave a tip
https://www.wericmartin.com/what-awaits-at-bastion-indie-market/
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David Masnato
29 days ago
I don't love OK Go's music, but this video really resonated with me. It speaks so much to how I approach iteration in my own art and game design. It's why I'll never offload that process to generative AI. The bad ideas and journey are the process.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG-M...
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OK Go Sandbox - A Good Plan
YouTube video by OK Go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG-MY7ciSJM
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Should probably add, if you like this sort of silliness, you can follow the Kickstarter here!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/alw...
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28 days ago
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Regarding needing to build a robust playtesting network to go pro as a game designer, justβ¦ try not to pull the rug from under your local designer community in the process. (taking lots of people with you to private groups, using the βI need to playtest first cause this is a real projectβ card, etc)
29 days ago
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The judgemental librarian health tracker has an actual book now!
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29 days ago
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Cardboard Edison
29 days ago
Countering arguments against self-publishing by noting the overlap between game design and core publisher responsibilities, via
@connor.alwaysawake.games
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Just Stick to Design? - Multiple Win Conditions
YouTube video by Always Awake Games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdzmkc4qQ7w
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Look what just arrived!
about 1 month ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Ted Mann Schaller
about 1 month ago
Counterpoint is live on Kickstarter! 2 years ago I had a silly idea to mix two of my favorite things (classical music and games) and here we are after countless hours of prototyping, testing, simplifying, and reworking. Excited to hear your music! ππ»πΆ
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
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Counterpoint: a Co-op Classical Music Trick-Taking Game
Counterpoint is a cooperative trick-taking game for 3-5 players where the challenges are based on different pieces of classical music.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/squarecactusgames/counterpoint?result=project&term=counterpoint&total_hits=49
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Iβve gotten to see this game a lot throughout its development and Iβm excited itβs finally launching. If you like co-op trick takers, check it out! Iβm not usually a trick taker fan, but this one hits the spot for me. (Plus I love the lizard violinist)
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about 1 month ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Derek Yu
about 1 month ago
Genuinely, this concern about AI is one of the reasons why I think having friction in video games is good and why it's increasingly important to have games that simply exist instead of catering to our expectations. Reposting this message from Kojima about "pre-digested" art:
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Feeling good about this one, so Iβm jumping straight to some cover sketches! (Iβve got a brand to stick to with these titles now)
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Ted Mann Schaller
about 1 month ago
Big thanks to
@tricktaking.bsky.social
for his kind words about Counterpoint today. Check it out:
youtu.be/e7Jb2yC-bqk?...
Launching on kickstarter this coming Tuesday!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
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Counterpoint & Shochikubai ~ Taylor's Trick-Taking Table
YouTube video by Taylor's Trick-Taking Table
https://youtu.be/e7Jb2yC-bqk?si=VJXxwkSH3kOrOVNN&t=1250
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Iain McAllister
about 1 month ago
For the first time since we launched the cast
@ava.foxfort.net
,
@timclare.bsky.social
and I are all on the same episode.of "But Why Vikings?". This episode we put together a curriculum on "games as art" and discuss the merits of board game libraries.
podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/t...
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The Fug of Silent Approval
Podcast Episode Β· But Why Vikings? Β· 22 May Β· 1hr 4min
https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-fug-of-silent-approval/id1849975867?i=1000769038559
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
BoardGameWire
about 1 month ago
Iranian designerβs Persian folklore game about exorcising demons wins 2026 Cardboard Edison Award, which celebrates the best in unpublished designs:
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
Congrats to all the
@cardboardedison.com
finalists this year, some super intriguing designs and themes, as ever!
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Cardboard Edison
about 1 month ago
And.... The WINNER of the 2026 Cardboard Edison Award is: ASTROLABE by Yasaman Farazan! 2nd Place: Limelight by Cameron Fleming 3rd Place: Braggin' Wranglers by Luke Wolyncewicz 4th Place: Hatchlings by Alan Leduc Congrats to all the designers! Find out more at
cardboardedison.com/award
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Amabel Holland
about 1 month ago
I don't know if there's a video in it, so my short & boring answer is that this is all very sound, safe advice for making "normal" games aimed at a broad market, and is probably the right way to teach game design to literal children
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Ted Mann Schaller
about 1 month ago
Counterpoint launches on Kickstarter in one week! Are you following along? Click the link and hit the notify me button below:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
#boardgames
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Minærva McJanda (she/her, zie/zir)
about 1 month ago
This is a great example of how price is flexible to your intents, too. If you just want the thing to exist and keep it available, 3x is fine. But if you want to have the book available worldwide, in retail, and pay your contributors, and have a budget for the next one, then 5x just won't cut it.
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Joseph Z Chen
about 1 month ago
I keep forgetting to post these, but we had another great playtesting night yesterday! It's awesome to see new faces join as well.
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Taylor Reiner
about 1 month ago
We're doing a indie game market at Gen Con called Game Market Indianapolis!! Come on down the Saturday of Gen Con at 7pm!
www.gencon.com/events/325961
Designers apply below!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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Gen Con | Gen Con Indy 2026
The Best Four Days in Gaming
https://www.gencon.com/events/325961
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Been working on something new while I wait for Out of Sorts 2e proofs. The player on the right has a control panel for the robot on the left and needs a task done. The issue is theyβve got no idea how the controls work. Having fun trying to make some goofy scenarios
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about 1 month ago
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Hawk and Dove Games
about 1 month ago
I just sent out our first newsletter to subscribers! The biggest piece of news is announcing our first game - Painkillers, one of my designs. I am immensely proud of this game and how far it has come since its inception. Here's a mini thread on the game as it is now.
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Peer Sylvester
about 1 month ago
Very true. I realized again and again that if I tried to make a game because I thought it would be something that appeals to many people, that I fail and the game feels clunky at best. So I try to do something I would like to play, something that interests ME.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Iain McAllister
about 1 month ago
By the end of this week there will be two new But Why Vikings? episodes in the editing suite. We really need your help to spread the word about the cast so please share it wherever you can. Also we need more questions! Please send us your tabletop quandries
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...
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Weird little squiggles
Podcast Episode Β· But Why Vikings? Β· 8 May Β· 1hr 2min
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/weird-little-squiggles/id1849975867?i=1000766749865
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Always Awake Games (Connor) π Pax West
Lin Codega
about 1 month ago
Four Pillars Gaming published hundred of AI-generated profiles over the past four months and when people asked to be taken down, they doubled down, defended their process, and refused. The ramifications of hallucinatory LLM "histories" threaten to erode truth and destroy the historical record.
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AI-generated profiles of TTRPG designers ignite fury across social media
4 Pillars Gamingβs new website adds AI-generated slop to an already ephemeral online historical record.
https://www.rascal.news/ai-generated-profiles-of-ttrpg-designers-ignite-fury-across-social-media/
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