This policy is stupid, cruel, immoral, chaotic, pointless and – as if more was needed – economically illiterate and destructive. Adopting it requires lying to people about what it would actually entail, and the media choosing not to discuss its horrifying costs. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Imagine an AU where young (not)Genghis gets his shit kicked in by a rival, loses his throne, and becomes a hunted outlaw across all of (not)Asia, that's Orhan Timur. 1) you can read em in any order 2) Dariel is SO GOOD at writing action, small scale or large 3) he makes wizards so gross, goddamn

This is a lovely piece (and I particularly enjoyed the fierce Dickens opinions) but be warned: by the end of it, my list of “books I have to read“ had expanded dangerously.

So, you know we've a new print mag out in a hot minute but that also means we can finally spend some time on our new website too Kicking things off @macreadymusings.bsky.social speaks to @andrewgillis.bsky.social about Girl By Moonlight (@evilhat.bsky.social), hope, transcendence & transformation

Very much digging the look of this. None of the TTRPG attempts to emulate Dark Souls so far have worked for me, but this one looks very, very promising. Plus @soulmuppet.co.uk do great writing, ingenious narrative design, and beautiful books. www.kickstarter.com/projects/sou...

Not only am I communications director at Failbetter Games, I am also available for indie games marketing help. Typically I focus on Steam store pages. Get them right, and everything else becomes easier. My services are as follows:

Why call our new game Mandrake? And what's in the name Mandrake, for the people of Chandley? Here's @chrisgardiner.bsky.social to answer whether a name is ever just a name.

Team Cherry: "What's Steam? Is it a software?"

One of my all-time favourite games. A complete reimagining of D&D from the ground up, beautifully imagined and written. Plus it has an incredible range of support in the form of scenarios (all of which are fantastic) and articles collected in yearly annuals. It punches well above its weight!

Star Wars Outlaws was straight up my GOTY last year – it’s made with such love and attention, and is the most immersive realisation of Star Wars I’ve seen in a game. I still go back to play it – just hearing the intro music is a pure endorphin injection for me. It’s my happy place game. Pure joy.

Wyrd Science is the best, and you should buy it already. It’s also available digitally, so there is no good reason not to read all their great articles.

That's the art I did for Mandrake! Thank you very much!

Noice.

Aaaaand we're live!

Just remembered seeing Eternals at the cinema, and when Starfox appeared in the post-credits scene the row of teenage girls behind me abruptly LOST THEIR FUCKING MINDS. I was thinking, "Wow, I never knew Starfox had such a young & passionate following!" Readers, Starfox was played by Harry Styles.

Ever had something so shocking happen to you in a game that you needed to talk about it? I felt physically compelled to get this story out of my head and onto the page. Without that catharsis I genuinely didn’t know how to process and move on. www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/a-...

Fab thread of writing advice, but I especially like post 6 – about bringing the audience along with the characters’ decisions. Even if they don’t agree with the decisions, they need to be convinced the character would make them. One of the easiest things to slip up at, and it just breaks everything.

I was really happy with the way the Vagabond’s story turned out - anyone who’s played House of Many Doors knows I love it when an RPG companion has their own agenda, but Failbetter let me dial this up to 11 with Old Tom! Amazing article, thank you @jeremypeel.bsky.social 😁

yes. yes yes. the UK is (not just the originator but) the setting for some of the most popular culture in the world. there is a whole genre of videogames that are set in an imagined Britain. 'soft' power is real economic and even political power.

Absolutely loved this piece on a defining Sunless Skies experience by @jeremypeel.bsky.social All credit for the story in question should go to @skelicopter.bsky.social, who wrote the Amiable Vagabond with such relish and inventiveness. www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/a-...

More fabulous stuff coming from New Edge Sword and Sorcery, who are having a tremendous year.

Oh fantastic – a new issue of Wyrd Science! My absolute favourite gaming mag: a joyous celebration of tabletop gaming; beautifully produced and with proper interesting articles. And, as described in the blog post “a small but nonetheless important act of algorithmic resistance”

Had a great time on The Convergence podcast talking with @bangbangclick.bsky.social and @danmaher.bsky.social about game narratives. Bit of a AA bonding experience, and great to get to talk about differences and commonalities in our respective games’ approaches to humour, to lore, to character.

Errrrrr this sounds fucking rad?

I wrote this month's subscriber story for Fallen London – the first one I've written in apparently NINE YEARS. It's an intimate story set on an eccentric, quiet square about how routine can trap us; and how isolation makes us vulnerable to our demons. (With a bonus adorable beetle.) [1/4]

our players are good

I wrote this month's subscriber story for Fallen London – the first one I've written in apparently NINE YEARS. It's an intimate story set on an eccentric, quiet square about how routine can trap us; and how isolation makes us vulnerable to our demons. (With a bonus adorable beetle.) [1/4]

Who the fuck invented mosquitos?

ɹɐǝp ɥo

cheers very much @pcgamer.com for the coverage on mandrake this month <3

I think there are insights and examples in here that can be applied to any form of storytelling: whether art, writing, etc. Working with @erionmakuo.bsky.social is a joyous high point of my career, so I wanted to dig into why and how she’s so good at conveying character and setting through her art.

I think there are insights and examples in here that can be applied to any form of storytelling: whether art, writing, etc. Working with @erionmakuo.bsky.social is a joyous high point of my career, so I wanted to dig into why and how she’s so good at conveying character and setting through her art.

I love New Edge’s stuff. They have become the shepherds for a whole genre.

Can anyone recommend any good, accessible sources on caravanserais? Their history, what they would have looked like when active, etc? My basic online searching is just turning up tons of slop!

The sheer soaring exultance of the greatest “yeah” in pop music, three minutes and four seconds into Carly Rae Jepson’s ‘I Really Like You’.

Every rebuttal from an investor in this article in which they say ACTUALLY investors’ expectations are FINE ACTUALLY beautifully demonstrates how unreasonable investors’ expectations are.

You told us you wanted to know how an Exceptional Story plays before committing to a subscription. Sounds reasonable to us! Now everyone can play the Exceptional Story 'Reunion,' for free. A piquant sample, containing much royal intrigue. Enjoy! www.fallenlondon.com

I work in layers. I put down the stuff that I can, with relative ease, and leave gaps for the rest. Then I fill in whichever gaps are easy. Then the next-easiest. Then the next-easiest. When it works, each layer feels easy, because I'm not trying to do all the hard bits at once.

This has blown my mind.

Superman made me very very happy. A joyous, playful, sincere, imaginative and hopeful film.

Sunless Skies Locomotive @failbettergames.com #FallenLondon

This is a beautiful article on Fallen London. The FL team put out some of the best writing in games *every single month*, and it’s wonderful to see that recognised. (Got quite emotional to see shroom-hopping mentioned, too: one of my first pieces of work for games.) www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/iv...

What are some TTRPG rules that your own lived experience tells you are wrong, and how do you fix them? Mine: parenting has taught me that “how much can you carry” has nothing to do with strength and everything to do with how well you pack. Therefore, Encumbrance limits should be based on Wisdom. 😝

I can only make you all this solemn promise: that I will never attempt to say “straight fire.”

This was a lovely trip down memory lane. I miss this game and these characters, and their bold social hypothesis: “but if we have ENOUGH combat skills we just don’t need social skills!” Hard to say they were wrong, honestly.

The Steam Summer Sale is on, and we've made a handy reference for our games and the games we've recommended in our newsletter, many of which are in the sale!

We're getting close to funded! Have you checked out this thread of some of the wilder things on offer and how the crowdfund is THE best time to get this wonderful book? www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...

GM: What do you roll on your stealth test?” Player: “…partial success.”

hey I wrote this!!! my Fallen London Exceptional Story is live today!!!