being a tabletop designer means sometimes you find an Untitled Spreadsheet and inside is just the numbers 1 to 100 in order

Sometimes a game isn't working because the structure is fundamentally flawed. But sometimes it's a confluence of small factors--imprecise tuning, unclear UI, inappropriate terminology--obscuring a game that's otherwise solid. For this reason, you do have to start honing the details pretty early!

Hot Streak has been hard to get at times, but it's much more available right now! If you tried & failed to buy a copy before, now is a good time to try again.

I hadn't seen anyone explain exactly why Trump withholding SNAP funds is illegal until @brycecovert.bsky.social did it for us. Short version: benefits must go to all eligible applicants, & the reserve fund must be used when appropriations expire to keep the program operating.

Try removing HP from your strategy game.

The MADHOUSE Halloween Update is LIVE and introduces a new playable character in Versus Mode -- VLAD! Lots of fixes and improvements, too... #indiegame #Halloween #horrorgame #actionRPG #multiplayer

Cherry Rush - the incredible 3-day UFO 50 marathon fundraiser for charity (almost wrote "cherrity") - has been steadily uploading the runs from the event! In case you missed it or just want to relive the fun. Can't go wrong with any of them! 🍒: www.youtube.com/@Cherry-Rush

Periodically over ~25 years I’ve seen concern erupt over one variety of structured, playful interaction or another, questioning whether some kinds of “gameplay” might be inherently flawed (regardless of context or ends). Even after much thought I’ve never found these critiques cogent or accurate

New UFO 50 merch just dropped!

Looking for a party game that combines social deduction with the pleasant absurdity of rating animals, films, and the weather on a scale of ★ to ★★★★★? And it's just a simple deck of cards? AND it's live on Kickstarter now?!?! Guess what, STARFRIENDS has launched! www.kickstarter.com/projects/bra...

Lots of people appreciate the writing in Hot Streak -- the hilarious mascot backstories & the wacky fortunes. I just want to call out the talented person behind all of that: Sophie Abromowitz. IMO, her work really elevates the game. (She also named all the dogs in Spots, btw) sophie-abromowitz.com

Thanks for having me on the Decision Space podcast! In this episode I got to expound a bit more on some of the concepts from my GDC talk.

🛸 THE UFO 50 REMIXTaPE is here!!! Check it out on Bandcamp: twistbitofficial.bandcamp.com/album/the-uf... Also available on YouTube (link in the replies)! Thank you to @mossmouth.bsky.social, @strotchy.bsky.social, and everyone in the UFO 50 community. 🧡 #UFO50 #UFO50Remix #BandcampFriday

Fellow UFO 50 dev Paul Hubans has just released his new game in early access! Go check it out!

Hey, I'd love to be commissioned to work as a video games composer :) If you have a sort-of-serious project going on and would like some tunes, contact me. Been working as a composer for the theatre and film for the past 15 years, also got the main Slovenian award for theatre music in 2021.

I need some print & play testers for a new card game! I can't say too much publicly, but basics: * 2 players * 15 min * Requires printing ~63 cards * Non-violent theme * Has drafting * Has a weird/ambitious hook Email [email protected] Thanks!

Here's all of the new content that I managed to add since the demo released at the end of last May -- this is starting to feel like a real game! [Sound On] 🔊 MADHOUSE goes into Steam Early Access on 10/01 🎃 #indiegame #indiedev #solodev #horrorgame #rpg

doubtless you have already heard, but Bennett Foddy, Gabe Cuzzillo, and Maxi Boch's new game is out today and it's really good. store.steampowered.com/app/1281040/...

- Starting this Friday 09/20, we'll be re-airing the entire Year of UFO 50, weekly, on its own standalone feed. A much more fun way to play along - just subscribe and let the episodes come to you! Perfect for Switch/new players, tell your friends! And watch this space for a link... and finally...

There are only so many times you get to use the term "cult classic" with regards to board games but it's appropriate for Magical Athlete. It's a lighter game, but the appeal here is similar to Cosmic Encounter -- just a pure celebration of modular rules bouncing around & colliding with each other.

Reminder! We're doing a big LIVE finale show this week! Guests! News! Exclamation marks! Eggplant: The Secret Lives of Games Presents: A Year of UFO 50 Finale Eggstravaganza - LIVE! 09/17 at 5:30pm PST @ twitch.tv/eggplantshow

UFO 50 for Nintendo Switch is set to release in New Zealand on September 25. Thanks for your patience!

Did a short written interview, where I answered some questions about Hot Streak.

Last Sunday, I chatted about design in UFO 50 at a preview event for @roguelike.club & here's the video: tinyurl.com/3j7afb2c Also, be sure to keep watching after for two *excellent* talks by @ezra-szanton.itch.io and @apepers.bsky.social on synergy in deckbuilding & systems suspense respectively

Now that I have some distance from my GDC talk, I think if I were to boil down my game design advice into a single sentence, it might be something like: Focus less on adding stuff to your game, and more on developing connections between the stuff you already have.

Our first update for UFO 50 on Switch is out now (v1.7.8.30)! - Icon changed - Optimizations to address slowdown (more planned) - Pixel perfect scaling option added - Button swapping added - Addressed crash when copying Empty Profile - Global language setting now saves properly

This is today! My chat about game design in UFO 50 will be up first. See you there!

The Roguelike Celebration Preview Event is this Sunday at 3PM PST, with special guests: UFO50's @perryjon.bsky.social talking game design @ezra-szanton.itch.io talking synergy in deckbuilders @apepers.bsky.social talking design for suspense And come explore our MUD's dazzling, delightful circus!

Then another game of Hot Streak. We now have a saying at the store: “Gobbler will break your heart.” @perryjon.bsky.social

Cherry Rush was really moving & amazing to watch & take part in! Since I'm traveling I missed a lot so I still have replays to catch up on but what I saw was just stellar & I was able to hang out a bit on Friday & soak in the vibes (plus sabotage a few runners via my super secret backdoor 😜). Also..

DAILY MEMO: Border Patrol Takes More Than 12 From Studio City Car Wash, The Most In A Single Raid @eltragon.bsky.social

I should mention that this weekend, while 🍒CHERRY RUSH🍒 is happening, UFO 50 is 25% off on Steam! Store page: store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/... Cherry Rush livestream: www.twitch.tv/ufo50cherryr...

It's live now! I'll be on the stream myself a bit today at various moments.

This weekend don't miss 🍒CHERRY RUSH🍒 The talented UFO 50 community will be livestreaming Cherry runs of every UFO 50 game, starting Friday, tomorrow morning! It's a jampacked schedule, which you can check out here: www.cherry-rush.org/schedule And it's all for a great charity--Partners in Health!

Lately the party game that's been working best for me is... Yubibo

Dustbiters: Pocket Edition is coming to buttonshygames.com on Black Friday. A streamlined, 18-card wallet version of one of our favorite tiny games, in partnership with creators @squidcor.bsky.social, @jwaaaap.com, @terriv.bsky.social. buttonshygames.com/pages/dustbi...

I'll be at this online preview event for Roguelike Celebration, discussing design & proc gen in UFO 50. Join us!

gutting septa is gonna singlehandedly devestate philadelphia and i cannot believe those bastards in harrisburg think its a good idea please write in to tell them how awful this is: savesepta.com

UFO 50 is coming to Nintendo Switch in two physical editions, along with a recently unearthed 100+ page UFO Companion guidebook! Preorder now: www.fangamer.com/collections/...

I’m doing victory laps in my kitchen right now!!!! 💃🏼 CGE just announced they are going to be giving away 100% of the profit from their Harry Potter game to pro-trans charities!! www.instagram.com/p/DNG48n-IVP...

- Unfortunately, there was a delay in releasing to New Zealand. Very sorry about that. We're working on it and will announce when it's available there. - We're aware of some technical and performance issues and are addressing those right now.

🛸 Thank you so much for making the UFO 50 Switch release a great one! It was awesome to see all the excitement for it. Some things: - Thanks for the feedback about the icon. We'll change it to the below in a future update. 🧵(1/2)

ハチノヨンの面々と力を合わせ、日本語版『UFO 50』をSteam、Nintendo Switch向けに年内リリースする準備を進めています。さらなる情報は、今後の公式サイトに注目していてください！ 50games.fun/jp/ (We're working with 8-4 on a Japanese release of UFO 50 on Steam and Switch!)

Hooray! For all y’all new players on Switch: We’ve been doing A Year of UFO 50 since the initial launch, a weekly book club podcast, one game/episode per week. We’re almost at the end, but you should start at the start! Here’s our intro episode for the series: eggplant.show/ep-a-year-of...

Beyond just being on Switch, UFO 50 also has a physical edition on the way! Not to mention the UFO Companion strategy guide (which comes with the deluxe edition but also can be purchased separately).

So excited this day has finally come! Now, a whole new audience can enjoy the games of UFO 50. (And perhaps more people will be able to enjoy them multiplayer, as well!)

An update on this: We were successful! Our mayor issued a public memorandum meeting our demands regarding non-cooperation with ICE. Gotta celebrate these small victories. Authoritarianism is coming on fast & strong in the US & we all need to push back how we can.

Answering some important localization questions for UFO 50.

What is a good & SHORT roguelike deckbuilder (agnostic on whether deck here means cards/dice/etc)? They all feel at least 2x too long to me, so I keep drifting back to my daily dominion challenge, which gets me through that loop of, try a strategy, see if it succeeds, so much faster.

So I just made the laundry mistake where you accidentally turn a bunch of your whites pink.