CALLING ALL PLAYTESTERS! The short version: David Freeman and I have been designing a Trading Card Game (two, actually) for an author named Ryan Cahill. We’re looking for playtesters well-versed in TCGs and Tabletop Simulator. Interested? Plug in your details here! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Today on the DiscoCandybar blog, I procrastinate and avoid writing a rules document revision by writing about revising rules documents. discocandybar.com/2026/01/02/m...

My finished New Years’ Lego build.

New Year’s Eve at our house: Chicken nachos, a Lord of the Rings marathon, and a butt ton of Lego projects.

I got my son a glass that has the symbol for his Gloomhaven character on it (left). He’s overjoyed.

Got a new gaming mat for the table. First game to get played on it is another session of Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU OLD BUILDING AND LOAN!

For anyone who missed it when I debuted it in my blog, here’s the rules to a fast-play Poker variant I designed last week: REINDEER POKER! Happy holidays! discocandybar.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...

Gearing up for Jaws of the Lion scenario 5. Smalls is really excited about the new cards in his ability deck!

Smalls had his first “party entirely destroyed by turn 3” adventure in Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion today. We managed to survive scenario 4 on our second try. Don’t tell him, but I ordered him a glass with his character’s icon on it. Arrives after Christmas, but he’ll still love it.

Started Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion with Smalls today. Finished Scenario 1, and he immediately wanted to do scenario 2. He’s the Red Guard ⛓️, I’m the Hatchet 🪓 .

Happy holidays! I made a game you can play for free! Introducing REINDEER POKER! Learn about how I created this holiday-themed variant, and download the rules PDF so you can play it with your friends! discocandybar.com/2025/12/17/r...

Some lessons I’ve picked up about balancing in-person, physical playtests with online/digital testing… discocandybar.com/2025/12/05/p...

I had a bunch of store credit stocked up, so I decided to cash it in for an enchanted version of one of the Gargoyles cards I designed. Damn, that looks nice.

Huh. Turns out this is a 7-0 deck.

A new post about designing game elements that you know you’ll eventually cut, and some shameless (but appropriate) self-promotion. discocandybar.com/2025/12/03/y...

Bonus Thanksgiving dinner today!

12 years ago today I went to an in-person casting call for Survivor. That’s it for the story. Nothing happened.

The Marleys were dead, to begin with.

One for the crowd not currently slamming back shots of turkey gravy: How do I playtest the games I’m working on? Here’s some advice about the two most impactful structures for gathering feedback on your new game. discocandybar.com/2025/11/27/t...

Got a series of notifications here that someone gave a bunch of my recent posts about my blog “likes”. I looked them up, and found it was someone (likely a bot) that was posting a whole ton of pro-AI art articles and Midj0urn3y tips. Blocked that shit post-haste. AI propagandists need not follow…

Learned about a theory yesterday that Radiohead “hid” a “mirror album” in plain sight: the tracks on OK Computer can be meshed in (almost) sequential order with those on In Rainbows to create one mega-album. I must say, it flows and sounds awesome. open.spotify.com/playlist/4QG...

This should not be controversial. You did the work, list the experience.

Well, I’ve learned how to piss off reddit… and that some subreddits have very different rules of etiquette than others. Genuine educational moment there.

Many people ask me, “where do I start if I want to design a game?” I nearly always start at the end. What does that mean? Check out today’s post on my blog/site. discocandybar.com/2025/11/24/q...

In today’s blog post, why I prefer designing board games and TCGs with a partner, and some light behind-the-scenes of what I’ve been working on. discocandybar.com/2025/11/23/t...

Apart from the prerelease event I went to, I’ve bought a total of 5 packs of Lorcana since January. All have been Whispers in the Well, the set I led design on. Last night I cracked a pack and found Goliath, one of the specific cards I had a big part of designing. Hard to see here, but he’s foil.

I got a question this morning in response to a blog post from earlier this week. Today I give a little more insight into my thoughts on resource variance in trading card games, and ways to improve on old models. discocandybar.com/2025/11/20/q...

With multiple new Trading Card Game projects on my desk, I learned of a new prototyping tool. How does it stack up against the systems I’ve been using for years? discocandybar.com/2025/11/19/a...

As someone who’s designed for Magic: the Gathering, Lorcana, and now two original trading card games, what have I learned about designing TCGs? Here’s four key lessons I’ve picked up in the last 30 years…. discocandybar.com/2025/11/18/t...

Game designers: you know that feeling where you’re super-energized by the direction a project is moving, but you know you have to pace yourself? This guy here right now.

I’m back to some blogging! Highs, Lows, and a Buffalo for the las seven-odd weeks, including some thoughts on the fan reception to Lorcana: Whispers in the Well. discocandybar.com/2025/11/14/o...

Had a really positive playtest of a new project today. Now riding that fine line between embracing validation and staying humble.

So, say we see Trump go down in a figurative catastrophic blaze because he knew a ton of details of a child sex-trafficking ring, and that a bunch of people in Washington — knew Trump knew those things, and conspired to cover it all up for him. Do Vance, Johnson, and others go to jail? Please?

Did you play in a Whispers in the Well prerelease event this weekend? What were your highlights? Overall thoughts on the set and mechanical themes?

Had a mini-reunion tonight with some of the team behind the latest Lorcana set, Whispers in the Well. It was awesome to get to play with the cards I’d worked on, and to see the reactions to new mechanics and themes. A ton of fun, and 2-1 record.

Whispers in the Well prerelease events are today, and while I no longer have any ties to Lorcana, I’m still planning to hit my Friendly Local Game Store to play with the cards from the first TCG set I led the design of. Very excited to see people cracking packs, and hoping for some cool card pulls!

Our three jack-‘o-lanterns: uprising, upbeat, upchuck.

LONG LIVE THE REBELLION. F*€& / FIGHT THE EMPIRE.

Cutting away the skin of the pumpkin very carefully with an X-Acto blade. The yellow parts will glow, without showing the bright white of the light inside.

The pumpkin passes the interior scrape test; a flashlight inside the (eventual) jack-’o-lantern shows through the parts I’ve removed the skin from. No complete cuts through the shell for a while…

This is the part where I start transferring the template onto the pumpkin. I draw it on in negative, so that I can cut away the dark parts, leaving the skin as the black once it’s lit from inside.

You know the shell of the pumpkin is getting thin enough to carve when you can see a flashlight through the outer skin.

The pumpkin carving begins! I start by cutting out the BACK of the pumpkin, not the top. It makes it a lot easier to get an even scrape on the front from the interior. Consistency of the scrape is key to getting the front thin enough for the eventual mid-tones.

Almost time to start carving this year’s pumpkin…

Things you find in your old photos while digging around for past jack-o’-lantern pics: This old game design where players built steampunk-ish airships while trying to defend their goods from other players and sky pirates. The prototype is long since lost, but lo and behold, there’s evidence of it!

Five years ago I carved a Gus Fring jack ‘o lantern. This year I’m going every bit as ambitious. Maybe more. Stay tuned.

Hopping on a trend. I followed @gailsimone.bsky.social because @itsrossthompson.bsky.social told her I could answer some questions about board games for her, and when I followed up to see who this person was Ross had me talking with, I was like, “holy crap, she’s kinda awesome”.

One of my favorite gags in Whispers in the Well was this: The Headless Manhorse debuts in the same set as the Headless Horseman. Great card interaction? Not at all. But I still laugh so hard when I think about getting this into my first set design.

As a Red Sox fan, I don’t actually own any Mariners gear. Will this work? GO M’S!!!