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!!!

So many of my current projects have cards… lots of cards… In all of these projects, I’m supporting/collaborating with another game designer. It’s been incredibly rewarding to be exploring game concepts and making progress with another game creator. Looking forward to seeing where it all leads!

Today totally has the right Gloomhaven/Frosthaven-day vibe for me, but I have a big project that occupies prime adventure-battle time. Can I get two Saturdays this weekend and keep Sunday too?

Huh. A swastika on display in a Congressional Republican’s DC office? You don’t say. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

The official previews for the first Lorcana set I led design on begin today. It’s definitely bittersweet, but I want to put it out there that I’m grateful for the team that brought Whispers in the Well together, and I look forward to reading the excited reactions to what the world’s about to see.

Okay, I think I’m done with hearing the Fox Sports announcers reiterate ad nauseam that Seattle isn’t, according to them, worthy of competing with Toronto.

Was finally able to pick up a Jarren Duran jersey! (And yes, it’s supposed to be green 😁)

Gotta love Queen Anne (Seattle) newspaper boxes.

The Draft Cube is refreshed and ready to go! Added a load of fuel for the mana base — shocks, fetches, and more — and a few other spicy hits. Will be playing it at Cole Street Game Vault tonight!

According to Kristi Noem, Democrat leaders in Portland & Chicago are actively and successfully hiding all of the rampant domestic terrorism from the media & the public. They’re preventing the fallout of terrorism from happening, and that’s why they need to be arrested and their communities invaded.

Resetting the OG Draft Cube for Friday Night Magic

Yeah, that seems about right.

Did a 2-player draft with my original Magic cube last night, and it was all-caps FUN. Had a turn where I used Defense of the Heart to cheat Emrakul into play, cast & used Legacy Weapon, swung with a 14/17 Sythis (with two Batterskulls), and then won the next turn with a Simic Ascendancy. So stupid.

I’m not a Taylor Swift fan (not a hater either, not by a long stretch), but the algorithm’s got my feed AT LEAST 95% full of Swiftie posts, and it’s getting tiresome. Isn’t there anything else going on in the world?

and scene

Invoking the spirit of David Ortiz for today’s game.

Ready for AL Wild Card Game 2! Yesterday’s game was awesome. Too superstitious to say much more than that!

Not only am I now an owner of an officially-recognized licensed business in the State of Washington (again), today I filed BUSINESS TAXES! How ‘bout that?!

It’s Playoffs time! October starts in September this year! Also, YANKEES SUCK!

Last night’s family game night: Quacks of Quedlinburg. Smalls got a couple of really good turns early, and there was no catching up. Good for him!

Heading into a pretty busy week — multiple meetings arranged to playtest a game I’m assisting design on, weekend playtest data to compile, a follow-up demo meeting for a game I showed last week, another big project in pre-planning mode, business taxes to sort out, and more. Remember to breathe...

Hey board game creator friends! I have an opportunity to partner on a project with someone who wants to take the game to a crowdfunding platform. Having never done that myself, I have a bunch of questions and research to do. Anyone with experience in that realm got advice to lend?

Trump has given the directive to the Secretary of Defense to use the “full force” of the US military against US citizens. So Trump has declared war on the civilians of Portland, OR? That’s *got* to be impeachable, right?

Falling down a rabbit hole today of soul music covers (that is, covers of non-soul songs done by *mostly* soul musicians.) That dopamine hit I was looking for earlier today? This might be it. open.spotify.com/playlist/5UP...

Could use a Serotonin bump today. It’s reasonably possible that the Sox could clinch a playoff spot this evening, but that’s like 12 hours away. Tell me something awesome to get me through til then.

In the last two weeks, Fox News hosts have advocated for the mass murder of homeless people and the bombing of the UN. *The terrorism is coming from inside the building.*

Fresh DISCO CANDYBAR! I’m meeting with a publisher today. Read how I’ve prepared for it! discocandybar.com/2025/09/23/n...

Family game night: DIGGITY DUNGEONS, DICE & DANGER AN’ ALL THAT!

I bought this pretty awesome shirt from @bananachangames.bsky.social at PAX West a few weeks ago. My wife says it’s one of her favorite shirts of mine, so that’s cool. Anyways, I love it. If you dig it too, go hit Banana Chan up. I have to figure she’s got more of these around.

in light of the kimmel news, just a reminder that a few days ago a prominent fox news host literally called for killing homeless people. right afterward, someone shot up a couple homeless encampments. that fox news host still has his job.

Spamming yesterday’s blog post, but this time with a video preview! Come see how the dice-placement mechanics of the game work in action! discocandybar.com/2025/09/15/t...

I’ve got several game design/dev projects brewing right now; some paid contracts, some that’ll eventually be pitched, some that are mostly just a creative outlet. I was a freelance graphic designer and AD years ago. This all reminds me how challenging that contractor hustle can really be.

Our second play of Fountains. It’s very quickly becoming a major go-to game for the family. Timing the bonuses on the rondel has become a particularly cutthroat element. #theopgames

The end of lunchtime grilling season is getting closer. Taking advantage of what’s left while I can.

For the first time ever, DISCO CANDYBAR ON VIDEO! Watch as the Warrior takes on a pair of Goblins in a demo of the Disco Candybar combat engine! And if you’re enjoying these adventures in tabletop game design, please repost and share! discocandybar.com/2025/09/15/t...