I’ve gotten pretty good at making simple games slightly more complicated to make them far less opaque.

“Players shouldn’t have bad turns” Is some of the most useless, privileged, nonsense game design reductionism I’ve ever heard. Ewwwwww 🤮

Wait, you don’t have a favourite dinosaur? Favourite shark? Favourite dog or cat breed? Why are we even talking?

Democrats all the fucking time.

If you ever want to disabuse yourself of the notion that you’re good at video games, play with 10-12 year olds

I desire to punch winter in the face

I can't hear "multiplayer solitaire!!!1!!1!" except in the snootiest French accent.

Rock and metal fans, fill in the blanks: If you're from _____ (country), the law requires that you like ____ (band). Getting the obvious ones out of the way Canada = Rush Brazil = Sepultura France = Gojira Germany = Rammstein

"Ugh too many cozy games!" I dunno man, maybe get some therapy?

The best normie explanation for ADHD I've heard goes something like "It's not that you can't pay attention to anything, it's that you have difficulty controlling what you're paying attention to."

Missing PAX Unplugged for the second year in a row, and will really miss my friends - particularly the ones I only get to see in Philly. Next year (assuming they don't overlap directly with BGG Con again) I'll make attending a priority.

Zohran Mamdami is an exceptional political operator with an exceptional team, fighting and winning against exceptional odds. He, or someone just like him, will be President someday—mark my words. Be radically optimistic. Change what you can in the world for the better.

Damn I typed “French” too often in a text chat and now I forget how to spell anything.

When evil men leave this world, celebrate the diminished evil.

Next time someone squawks about a game you like being “not even a game” Just roll your eyes, fart loudly, and leave the room

The modern metal sound just doesn’t move me at all. It feels like AI sound engineering to me at this point, and I yearn for the “record to tape together in the room” sound (I’m also painfully aware that this officially makes me a metal boomer. I’ll wear it with…not pride, but not shame?)

Surprisingly common journey I’ve observed: Inexperienced but wildly creative designer makes magic Then, as they absorb more game design rudiments, begin to disrespect the very innocent elements of their art that made it magic Designer makes a “fixed” second edition that falls flat

I’m often proudly the dumbest person in the meeting asking the most basic common sense questions Questions that much smarter folk have hypnotised themselves out of being able to answer clearly

Social media survival tip: Stop explaining yourself to people committed to misunderstanding you.

People of colour can be racist. Women can be sexist. Gay people can be homophobic. Trans people can be transphobic. You owe bigots and grifters nothing. (Re: Brianna Wu’s bullshit “apology” to trans people. Actions matter so much than words)

Every week, without fail, news of multiple friends losing their jobs. Their passions. Their livelihoods. Breaks my fucking heart.

Quote post your favourite reaction GIF of all time

In a just world, we would be posting about US President Zohran Mamdami of the People's Democratic Party Complaining about his UBI rollout taking slightly too long but still taking time to celebrate the fall of the RNC and DNC. Alas.

Played Stratego with a bear The bear won, handily. And yet I got a bear into gaming, so I feel like I won

I like food. A lot. It’s my favourite thing to eat

I’ve been enjoying the Mass Effect board game designed by @ithayla.bsky.social and @ericlang.bsky.social. Nice to play a campaign game that doesn’t take 20 sessions to complete. Also, you get to throw literal fistfuls of dice.

Game designs are falling out of my ass again. Did one rough prototype a day every day here at Essen Spiel. Doubt most of them will go anywhere but it’s nice to make stuff just to make it again. Been dry for awhile

Had a surprise and inspiring chat with the WA Secretary of State about the intersection of political and game theory, and how games can be useful for de-radicalisation And how games ultimately center our shared humanity ❤️

Gosh I hope the world doesn’t end cos I have some cool ass games to share over the next few years

Anyone attending Essen: I'll be in the Avalon Hill booth (in Hall 7) doing meet and greets Thursday-Saturday at 2:30pm Also open for interviews Fri-Sat at 10:00am (if you haven't gotten the Hasbro press release, feel free to DM me and I'll get you hooked up).

How much schnitzel is too much schnitzel? Turns out the answer is two. Exactly two.

Probably an aging thing, but every visit to Düsseldorf brings back a flood of childhood nostalgia. As they say, you can take the boy out of Germany, but

Surrounded by Asmodee execs on this flight, and we’re all just geeking on our favourite games. Every once in awhile things just feel alright.

At the airport lounge is an adorable old Jewish man who has drawn an audience of strangers as he recounts in riveting and precise detail how Lufthansa’s standards have declined over the past two decades And I am HERE FOR IT

I'd like more pandas at the protests, please and thank you.

Designed a mass market game that I'm madly in love with. "Okay, I'm going to give you this deck of cards and teach you a little song, and then you'll know how to play." God I love my job so very, very much.

My friends in the game industry are losing jobs as publishers fold one by one. Because a handful of robber baron sociopaths want all the money. Fuck them.

I just drafted a strategy game truly based on roll & move and it's fucking delightful ❤️

Susan McKinley Ross is one of the brightest game designers of our generation. And Qwirkle remains my favourite abstract game. Pure genius. Nothing happened, btw. Just fanboying over my favourite creative people.

Nothing more boring than calculated art

I wanna play drums in a dad rock band

Them: oh you're a feminist, are you? Ok name all the women You: Tina Turner Them: ...yeah alright

RIP Jane Goodall. One of the good ones.

Brains are silly, part 4980262413 Was supposed to take the day off, and came up with 4 different family and/or party game concepts.

More game talk! I am strongly against the iterative design idea of "just throw in everything and simplify after playing" That breaks my brain. I cannot work on a game without a clear execution of vision, and want even the first testable prototype super streamlined And still need to simplify.

Game talk! Had a couple exciting projects cancelled (which sucks, but it's nature of the biz when you do this a high level) But out of that came a brand new project which I got so excited about I designed the "easy first 80%" overnight and it feels like it's chasing goals similar to Reterra

America is becoming the third world dictatorship that Americans are taught only happens in brown countries.

Talking to so many game designers lately, we all share this insane low level burnout. Like, wtf are we doing making toy soldiers and nature simulators when everything is on fire every day? And how to resist yeeting folks who offer the helpful "hey just try not being burned out"