This!

Saturday morning with a student in which we played "In This World" by @lamemage.com and discussed a bunch of other RPGs. If only every meeting could be like this. ❤️✍🏻 Link to the game (an excellent choice to play in class - easy to explain and modular/quick to play): www.lamemage.com/inthisworld/

I recently tried "First Contact" by Cosmo Drone Games. It's a fantastic language-based boardgame! It has elements of Codenames and Rosetta, used in a clever and compelling way. Link here, and keep reading below for some thoughts on the game. boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...

A new folk fantasy read and some lovely hikes as September turns into October. Books, games, and nature to preserve some joy and peace in dark times. We started volunteering with some local organizations and boy, it is dark out there. So find your beacons of light. 🍁🍂

Are you looking for a quick and playful activity to start your language-learning lesson in an interactive way, engaging the entire class in the conversation from the very beginning – during question creation? Try "6 questions, 1 die", free to download (EN-IT) here: czamboni.itch.io/six-question...

This looks gorgeous. Take a look! momatoes.itch.io/what-dust-re...

I restocked some tiny game favorites that I gave to friends, and got a new party game to explore and hack for language learning! Both "Kinoko" by @helvetiq.bsky.social and "Deep Sea Adventure" by @oinkgames.bsky.social are little gems - and I am curious about "Call 911".

This!

A student is running a Student Forum about branching and interactive storytelling in various media (ttrpg, larp, escape games, interactive theater, etc.) and asked if I could provide some ideas for single session tabletop games that focus on shared storytelling and world building...

Extremely thankful for the local speakeasy / cocktail bar Conspiracy bringing joy in the form of Tarot-inspired cocktails (with recipes written in the back of each Major Arcana card). Gorgeous gold foil tarot set, delightful drinks, and excellent chats. Who doesn't need that right now. 🥃🃏

Battle doom scrolling by posting 5 small pleasures in life: 1. Making tea 2. Snuggling with a warm puppy 3. Autumn in New England 4. Crisp cold air on a winter morning 5. The smell of cardamom

We just started a new campaign of this wonderful #ttrpg, "Wise Women" by @ksandrarpg.bsky.social - and I couldn't be happier! What's better than a light PBTA about polish folklore and witchcraft for this autumnal season? 🍁🍂🎃🔥 Find it here! ksandra.itch.io/wise-women

Thankfully, we still have good wine. All these three were great, but the Schioppettino "I Clivi" was something else. Incredible wine. Thanks to the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia for making excellent wines! #wine

This beautiful solo mystery game by @almostbedtime.bsky.social - "Song of the Scryptwyrm" - just arrived! Find it here, and also take a look at "The Librarian's Apprentice": almostbedtimetheater.itch.io/sots

"Asher's Ridge" is a beautiful and inventive project by @montfordtales.com - a GM-less, zero-prep, narrative-led tabletop roleplaying game with solo and multiplayer options, with an intriguing system using letter tiles and playing cards. I recommend taking a look at the crowdfunding page:

A lovely playtest with @planesailinggames.com

Back to school commercial. TW: it's set in the US, draw your conclusions before you watch. Are you horrified yet? Maybe enough to scream at your representatives that we need extreme gun regulations? youtu.be/b5ykNZl9mTQ?...

"I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational." - Charlie Kirk, 2023. Or, in other words: you reap what you sow.

Super excited about this new "Art & System" TTRPG series by Central Michigan University PRESS! "The series will open with Dog Eat Dog (2012) by Liam Liwanag Burke, Princess with a Cursed Sword (2025) by Anna Anthropy, and The Mountain Witch (2005) by Tim Kleinert." www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...

Very happy to report that Middletown, CT has TWO good in-person escape room locations! I visited Lara's Labyrinth this week and enjoyed their Da Vinci-themed room: ct.laraslabyrinth.com/home And I'll soon visit Puzzle Theory too, with three rooms available! www.puzzletheory.co/middletown

This looks great! And on @alicesamv.bsky.social 's Itch page there are many other intriguing games - I enjoyed the chaotic "Mycelium" and I am looking forward to trying "All Hands on Deck" - a Descended from the Queen about a ship and its crew.

This was heartbreaking to read - the perspective of a student who is missing out on what learning could mean, for both personal growth and community-building. But it's also a call to action: read on. /1 (article shared as gift, no paywall)

On Sunday, I playtested "Escape to Utopia," a GMless story-building game in development by @planesailinggames.com. It was intriguing to see how Alex's style is developing to include more complex/overarching mechanics and elements of resource management. Here's a screenshot of our PCIO table!

Read this.

This autumn I pledge to read to folk and fantasy fiction, listen to folk and fantasy music, and play, review, and promote folk and fantasy games. Here's another phenomenal album that is keeping me company in this stormy weekend, as I prepare for the new semester: open.spotify.com/album/7IBXmE...

If you see this, repost with a vampire that is not Dracula. Here's my all-time favorite. 🩸

Fall is coming. Fall is coming. Fall is coming! The best season! 🍁🍂🍄🎃🔥 #fall #autumn #newengland #connecticut #hiking #leaves #foliage

Last night we got to Chapter 13 and 14 of this gorgeous game, so we finally opened the second box! It's so nice to see the Fellowship all together! 🍃 This is still one of the best games of 2025, and I am excited that The Two Towers is coming out soon in 2026! #tricktakinggame #cardgame

Well, this is horrifying. Read more or look at the concise sum up by Hon below: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/o...

I don't usually share music recommendations here, but this new album by Faun, "Hex", is just fantastic. open.spotify.com/album/2T6UM5... #faun #hex #folk #music

One of the most interesting games I backed this year just arrived: "Duat" by Unphazed Games, a 2-player abstract strategy game made entirely of... marble! The gameplay is simple but strategic, and well, the marble makes this a truly gorgeous piece! Find it here: unphazedgames.com/games-catalo...

In the Spring, I helped a high school senior with his TTRPG-based capstone creative project. Today, as I came back to campus, I found a set of dice and a beautiful card waiting in my office as thank you gifts and that made my day. ❤️📖🎲 #ttrpg

A truly fascinating podcast to celebrate September and the coming of autumn! Learn all about pumpkins and squashes, and thank you Gastropod! open.spotify.com/episode/7jT2... #pumpkin #squash #gastropod #podcast #fall #autumn

Today we celebrate the strength and resilience of working people everywhere. Nearly 300,000 federal employees have lost their jobs this year not because of necessity, but because of a political agenda. And while people’s lives were destroyed in the name of “saving money,”

This.

Big news!

New games just arrived from @flatoutgames.bsky.social and AEG! Can't wait to try Propolis, which I explored a bit at the last Pax Unplugged. 🐝🐝

Very happy to be featured, among other instructors who regularly use tabletop games in the classroom, in this excellent piece by @keithlaw.bsky.social on @endlessmode.bsky.social . Take a look below! #boardgames #tabletopgames #ttrpg #gamesinclassroom #gamesineducation

Very very excited to read "They Burned the Books" by @dreamingrobotrpg.bsky.social, a #ttrpg about preserving literacy in which players highlight, scratch out, and tear pages from real-world books to craft spells for their characters. 💗 Find it here! dreamingrobot.itch.io/they-burned-...

Hello all, does anybody know more about this project? Would you recommend it? It seems intriguing but I am not sure why no artists are mentioned in the KS page - and they ask for too much personal information to get the free Quickstart. Thank you! www.kickstarter.com/projects/moo...

A big shout-out to @buttonshy.bsky.social and their wonderful customer service! I had inquired about replacing some damaged cards from their recent game "Dionysia," and they promptly sent me another set. Thank you! ✴️ Go check out all Button Shy games here: buttonshygames.com

One final write up on the NYC Scavenger Hunt! aftermath.site/zohran-mamda...

PSA: never use @bookingcom.bsky.social to make any reservations for flights or hotels if you need a reimbursement. They refuse to generate receipts or invoices with methods of payment used (which is needed for reimbursement in the US), and the customer care chat is completely unhelpful.

If you want some idea about the NYC Scavenger Hunt yesterday, here's a good thread! #zcavengerhunt

A NYC-themed scavenger hunt to promote knowledge of the city and as a mayoral campaign tactic. Pure brilliance, and I am sad not to be in NYC to participate!! #nyc #scavengerhunt #zohranmamdani

The final post-PML conference exploration in downtown Madison was to "Fromagination." I wanted to sample some Wisconsin cheeses other than cheddar, and I found a great selection inside - along with kind, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable staff. #madison #wisconsin #cheese

The second post-Play Make Learn conference explorations in downtown Madison was at Lake City Books, a local independent bookstore with an amazing selection of titles, a truly uplifting atmosphere, and some wonderful employees at the counter. Absolutely recommended if you're in town! #madison #wi

Sigh.

The first of my post-conference explorations in Madison was at Gamer's Library, a lovely game store downtown. Owner Andrew was friendly, kind, and truly knowledgeable about games, and resident shop dog Bella was a delightful surprise. 🐾

I truly loved the focus on practical and makerspace-informed education that was present everywhere at Play Make Learn 2025. I got to print not one, but two amazing totes to bring home as souvenirs! #playmakelearn