Played Death May Die (season 1) for the first time in a couple years. God damn I’m proud of this game. Not gonna be even a little humble about it.

I love everything about this, but I’d completely rewrite the sign 😂

First thread, the three Kinderspiel nominees (pictured below) ⭐️ Boo Party ⭐️ Mooki Island ⭐️ Verflixt Verzaubert

I decided to go to BGG Spring (one of my favourite cons) almost last minute. And like last time, they’re showcasing the Spiel des Jahres nominees So ima play all of them, and write about my feelings on each And predict a winner (as well as what I think should win)

“Broad appeal” is not at odds with quality. Only snobs think that It’s also not at odds with complexity, though there is admittedly some tension (not nearly as much as snobs say though)

Describe your job weirdly: I identify fun social moments and then put obstacles in the way to make them feel earned somehow

For the first time in many years, I have no predictions for Spiel des Jahres nominees. I've played almost no new games this year. That's a me problem, not a game industry problem. Games as a whole are more polished and refined than ever.

Generally speaking: if you’re willing to work your ass off, make lots of compromises to capitalism, and *persevere*, you’ll probably be okay in this biz. Luck is a huge part of it. Though it usually determines the scope of your success, not whether or not you succeed at anything.

I’m taking a prolonged break from working on new games Life is in the way However I have some really cool stuff in process that I’ll pour myself into wrapping up Including a big box hobby game I think y’all will be excited about

An interesting thing about being in crisis Is that it neatly separates friends/acquaintances into two camps - those who show up - those who want to be SEEN showing up The former is messy, painful and life-saving The latter is often the people you expect it to be, yet still disappointing

Leftist political strategy 102: The endgame for our politics is to open two, and exactly two, Pandora's boxes: Universal Basic Income Universal Healthcare Once those are open, they cannot be closed by a feckless President without nationwide revolution Eyes on the prize. Do what it takes.

PSA to Democrat partisans Your compromise candidate is Zohran Mamdani. Candidates who can’t meet his standard of anti-corruption and service-oriented drive are effectively 90s republicans Meet the moment, stop attacking your left flank and support real change like you claim

It’s my experience that most people who spend their time online berating others for not having standards. Those people often get the most toxically upset when you hold them to their own standards.

Allowing mentally ill people to use AI chatbots is tantamount to abuse.

There is nobody I trust less than the person who proclaims they're unassailably right, just and good.

Fuck TERFs forever. May their power evaporate, and their silence endure.

If Terraforming Mars appeals to you but you don’t want to support people with a public record of transphobia, may I suggest a much better game made by much better people Daybreak is incredible.

Any service business that started asking for tips from COVID era: Ask the employee if the tips go to them. It does not in a surprising number of cases In which case I recommend not tipping and (if you have spoons), formal and loud boycott The practice may even be illegal in your state.

Hey friends. I’m unfollowing everyone with a news-focused feed. My mental health is too garbage to handle ragebait or doomer shit Not personal. Promise.

Grieving for a loved one not physically gone, but gone, is something I would not wish on my worst enemy

Ongoing family crisis has put my own mental health into the toilet (not looking for advice, just saying it aloud to say it aloud)

WW3 because a bunch of rich pedophiles don’t want to go to jail Best timeline ever

If someone you care about tells you about a powerful person's bad behaviour And you dismiss them with "well they were always good to ME so" They will not trust you again And that's 100% on you

AI chatbots are an extinction level mental level health threat Any other conversation around this tech is unproductive and probably harmful

Job hunting in a hostile environment. ✨

Love deeply. Love boundlessly It’s all we’ve got at the end of the day

This feels like a troll. A masterful troll tbh

How many Germans does it take to screw in a lightbulb? One. We’re efficient, and not very funny

How do you know when it’s a dad joke? It’s apparent

I find the most common miscommunication when playing a prototype I’ll ask the designer why a particular feature is in the game And they’ll explain the feature and how it works or whatever development problem is solving And I’ll have to say “I understand how it works, but why is it here”

Ever notice how party game publishers are terrible at playing mind meld style party games (like green team wins)? This is 2000% a subtweet

I often abandon games after “successful” play tests. Often at that point I can see ahead to the best version that game will be, once the little issues are addressed And it’s…fine. Good. Very good, Steve even. But I don’t love it. And I’m no longer in the business of making things I don’t love

Our industry has always been replete with smooth talking bros LARPing as legit business disruptors. They’re all the same: valueless and parasitic

If you start a serious conversation about music with me, chances are you’re ending up with a playlist YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

After successfully trolling Gail Simone I stopped posting on Bluesky Because really, after that - what’s even the point?

Broadly speaking, this is already standard practice in entertainment industries in their focus on the attention economy. And it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to know there are high level dipshits in all media exec who believe auditing user time spent by the second is real accounting

Back in video game days, I met with a monetisation executive who unironically suggested that every minute of unmonetized time players spend on F2P (free to play) games should be accounted as a red line item in corporate ledgers. “As a discipline” There truly is evil in the world

Fucked up my wrist and ankle drumming without warming up Don’t get old, kids.

Quickest way to my heart is telling me about how playing games helped you bond with your family

“(Game you made) is my favourite game” Is probably the most humbling compliment I can imagine. I still don’t know how to process that. Not really.

Who needs april fools in the age of slop?

Too many cool game concepts. Not nearly enough time to develop more than a fraction into something real. As it should be.

I’m still mostly focused on family and broad market games, but I think I’ll always have one big box experience in development. It’s my native language, after all

Two things: I’m so jazzed about the games I’m working on right now I’m also existentially flattened by the state of the world and crushing personal stuff Feels like two parallel lives Or rather, fucked up life and happy bubble

Been back in Canada for less than a week and I’m already ashy AF

The most sensitive and fragile people on social media are the ones who lash out against pushback to the mean and aggro comments THEY THEMSELVES made to a stranger.

I’m not sure if we talk enough about how chasing payment is such a big part of the freelance life.