Some Christmas Day games with pagan creatures. Happy Merry everyone!

10. Here Lies I played a ton of games by @dvcgames.bsky.social (they had a staggering number of bangers released) and this is the best one! A murder mystery game where you actually feel like Sherlock Holmes! A game mastered experience where all players get to feel creative. Soooo cool.

Pacts is here! Or, rather, at the warehouse. Currently getting all pre-orders fulfilled before letting any other orders through the system. Enjoy, folks!

@dvcgames.bsky.social Did @littlebigthumbs.bsky.social just add one of your games to their 2025 stocking filler video? youtu.be/WFDQekgsMN4

🎲✂️ I am in a bit of a rut so I am processing what is getting me stuck on games being 'not finished'. So I typed up those thoughts, for what they are worth. Which is not necessarily much. Here is how we hope to make games that Hook, Flow, and Twist: dvc.games/blogs/news/g...

The incredibly wacky bonus faction, the Fomorians. Likely first of two bonus factions to tackle onto other game orders or get from our event booths. These should be here in a few months.

😳

Lots of digital playtesting today.

Playing IGNM games today by @drawnonward.bsky.social and @ericdittmore.bsky.social ! Adulting + Fold and Fly!

I could shed a tear at simply what Dan says about my favorite faction (the Banshees), but for the time and kindness to love what we loved about @enzyshade.bsky.social ‘s lovely design? An ocean.

Sometimes something new will hit you like a ton of bricks. Need to figure out a sixth dexterity/physical movement concept though.

I am so glad we finally got to meet in person, and of course happy to see Pacts continuing to have the impact it is having. It is a special project and it deserves all the love.

PAX Unplugged 2025 wrap-up posted! Safely back from PAXU and recovered, it's time to share some thoughts and highlights from this year's tabletop gaming convention in Philadelphia. Spoiler: It was awesome! omnes.exeunt.press/p/paxu-2025-... #PAXU #PAXUnplugged #PAX2025

The designer of Pacts, @enzyshade.bsky.social, just followed me! Also follow him and help welcome him to Bsky and such. If he makes a prototype we should publish feel free to bug us about it.

Time to play Inkwell twenty times to be sure nothing in it is annoying us.

Playing Inkwell after losing Shasn Azadi lol

Good time today iterating on Distress Call. One player is the on-board computer helping the other players survive a random creature on a space station.

Post-Pax-Plays Persist: Piñatas! Pacts! @allplay.bsky.social @dvcgames.bsky.social (No really tho why is Pacts so freaking amazing….)

When we played an earlier version of Pacts (then called Spirit Split), we felt like we were being tricked into an ancient fae-like deal by Rumplestiltskin. That is how the game got its name as well as its theme. This is a rad write-up about the mechanism. Please give it a read.

This is highly specific, but I think my favorite moment of the con was when Rob taught Corvids to a group that was primarily ASL, and I watched as the interpreter suddenly made a bunch of violent pecking motions with their hand and everyone nodded and I thought "Ah yes that is the vibe of the game."

Every Pax U, I like to name my Game Of The Con™️! This year easily goes to Pacts by Ben Brin @dvcgames.bsky.social Pacts is elegant, wickedly fast, and filled to the brim with tortuous decisions! If you like the sound of Tussie Mussie-meets-The King Is Dead—this one is for you!

Y’all that was amazing. Good PAXU. Good friends. Everything went super well. So tired. Must lay on floor.

INDIE GAME NIGHT MARKET We already sold over half of the copies of Medusa’s Garden designed by @mistergross.bsky.social and Jono from Team Jasper! Super exciting!

✨ Reminder!! ✨ Indie Games Night Market is tonight @ 7pm!! When the Expo Hall closes, come down to Hall C to buy the freshest indie games!! “More even than last year, these games seem like they’re pushing boundaries. They capture the spirit of what it means to be ‘indie.‘“ @danthurot.bsky.social

Thank you so much!!!

Played Pact and Thing Thing, and I think it bares repeating: DVC is making some of the coolest experimental games that are of such high quality production for their weirdness. We live in a great time in boardgames! Also Rude Hat Man was dead wrong about Thing Thing!! HBD @dvcgames.bsky.social !!!

All set up and then chill birthday vibes with so many good folks! @marcelineleiman.bsky.social @tokengaymer.bsky.social @bobbywest.bsky.social @nickeldoodle.bsky.social @galens-games.bsky.social and many more! Thank you!!

Come check out the cutting edge of the art of game design, unrestrained by the expectations of the capitalist market. I promise you’ll walk away with a treasure you’d find nowhere else.

Aight be there or be square.

If you’re gonna be at PAX Unplugged this weekend come try out the Playthings demo by @dvcgames.bsky.social !!

It may not be an 'official' DVC creation, but Medusa's Garden is some real silly nonsense that came out of our friend group and game nights. Phil also did a ton of the best work here... if you are at PAXU, come play a round with us.

Playing some Ren Park prototype today!

Gathering treasures for PAXU.

Made a very strange party game with @mistergross.bsky.social and we hope you at least come and laugh about the fact that it comes with a hand mirror. Medusa’s Garden @ IGNM PAXU

Pacts for PAXU arrived today.

Friday 11/14 6PM ESTour Indie Games Night Market Special Preview goes up~ I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~ Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~ (tagged below) @officialpax.bsky.social

Proud of local designer and friend Ben Brin for bringing us Pacts. It has been a pleasure to beautify and build on. Check out his words on creating the game here, particularly an uncertainty about making a small game as a big-game designer. boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogp...

Got some nice shots of Medusa’s Garden to toss around leading up to Indie Game Night Market. Built and tested in the Team Jasper game night kitchen, it is fun to have made some copies to share with the world. Pictured: ‘Statues’ posed to hide Medusa from Perseus and his mirror

A conversational deduction game? You can only talk one-on-one at a time, where you either show a card, give a card, or use a card each. Players are either good guys trying to kill Dracula before he turns them, or vampires trying to kill Van Helsing. It’s wild. Does this click as cool for anyone?

"I'm not a fan of gory movies." - person who hasn't seen Psycho Goreman, probably

"Game designers will routinely fail at making something fun. When the game of making games is played right, it is always right outside the edge of what the designers know how to do." Incredible quote from an amazing article. Something I'm only beginning to understand 10+ years in to designing.

Big day of testing mats and getting some new photos to throw around social media. First up: Scream Park. Jerry and I had to break a tie of 68 points each.

I rarely get a new phone. I try to run whatever I own into rags before thinking of getting a new one. But this new phone auto-screens political spam texts. I wish I knew this sooner.

I don’t have an MTG mat so I assembled one with what I have around.

We are making new, awesomely better mats for all our games. Almost no creasing, and the fabric grips the components. Gonna have them available for a couple bucks as an upgrade, and switch out the material for all future game printings. Karnak’s mat, because it’s so impactful, will be free.

Nice musical cards!

Self-Diagnosed… Dracula??? It is hard being punk.

I’m thrilled to share we have a special video going through *every* game at the 2025 Indie Games Night Market (at PaxU)! We’re working with @dnlnwmn.bsky.social, some awesome designers, playing some games, all to give you a thorough set of previews & reviews to see the games you won’t want to miss~

Best use of my time? No. Fun use of my time? Yes. I think all of these are identifiable with a little thinking.

Playthings has players guess which token is theirs, but through touch and sound, as their eyes are closed as the tokens are placed by the Night Terror. However, they can instead ‘cheat’ and peek, if they can get away with it. The push-and-pull of making this tension work has been tricky.