Marjane Satrapi 1969-2026

NEW EPISODE! I chatted with Akar Bharadvaj about his excellent Iran-Iraq War design Chalice of Poison. We discussed why it’s an underserved topic in games, his award-winning Tyranny of Blood, and diversity of topics in the historical corner of the hobby. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...

Iranian designer’s Persian folklore game about exorcising demons wins 2026 Cardboard Edison Award, which celebrates the best in unpublished designs: boardgamewire.com/index.php/20... Congrats to all the @cardboardedison.com finalists this year, some super intriguing designs and themes, as ever!

REMINDER!!! The deadline for Night Market submissions for SD HistCon is May 25. This is a great opportunity to get a small run of your bespoke historical design in front of attendees at one of the best cons in our hobby.

Penitent by @danbullock.bsky.social was a standout experience - thought-provoking, challenging, and greatly educational. I’m still thinking about this game. Highly recommend if you want a game that makes you think as much as you play. Don’t judge my prison design. It’s already been judged 😩.

Making politically relevant games is impossible without publishing your own work. The alternative is often making baubles or adolescent power fantasies for man-children.

“Of all art forms that I partake in, I feel like zines are the ones that make the least amount of sense to use AI for. They’re supposed to be handmade and scrappy.”

New episode! I chat with @colewehrle.bsky.social about his new publishing endeavor, Buried Giant, game expansions, and calibrating design scope open.spotify.com/episode/4R1d...

We have exciting news of two new planned events for SDHistCon Summit 2026 (Nov. 6-9 in San Diego). We're planning a Night Market for designers to create/bring/sell limited-print-run, self-published games, as well as a new Skunkworks event to showcase prototypes. Details: sdhist.com/sdhistcon-su...

"Prisons, constructed as such, have a sinister, but often, also, a nervous, makeshift air about them." - John Berger My first play of Penitent by @danbullock.bsky.social sees my nervous, makeshift prison collapse into ignominy on round 2. #boardgames #abolishthecarceralstate

This is a great opportunity to highlight some 2025 releases like Onoda from @fgradaille.bsky.social , Chicago '68 from @yoyoni.bsky.social , and In the Shadows from @josephnschmidt.bsky.social and yours truly.

Back from Circle DC, and it’s a busy day here at the house assembling orders. Penitent preorders should all be out the door this week. Love getting them all shipped to folks a few weeks early😎

This looks so fucking cool!

I will be bringing a copy of PENITENT to Circle DC. Though there is no formal demo on the schedule, I'm happy to show it off. Orders will begin shipping next week. There are still a few copies left on the Lock Horns Games site. lockhornsgames.com

Who here is headed to Circle DC this week and what are you playing or showing off?

If Jesus died today DraftKings would be giving odds on the resurrection

Just now realizing I should have made a cozy penitentiary-building game featuring 800 STICKERS!!!

Walkable City, my latest co-op game about building walking, cycling & public transit infrastructure - is now LIVE on Kickstarter! 🚶🚴‍♀️🚌🚈 Build out the walkable city of your dreams! www.kickstarter.com/projects/fow...

As someone that prefers to read game reviews, what video channels do you follow for in-depth reviews of new games? Before making the second print run of Penitent available to EU and Canada this fall, it would be worth seeing if anyone covers games like this (not that there are games like this)

America’s national character reduced to that of a mass shooter

A while back, I posted about my move to the Netherlands later this year. As part of that move, my family is also venturing into the world of tabletop game publishing through Hawk and Dove. I'd be honored if you would check us out and follow along on our journey!

I must admit that despite reading @danthurot.bsky.social reviews for like a decade, I had never noticed the hover text over the images. Clearly, I am too dense to be left to read on my ownsome😕

TOMORROW: Tickets for SDHistCon North go on sale! I'm very excited to have one of these fantastic events in my own backyard. Plenty of excellent guests and events in the works. Plenty of Twin Cities representation expected, but I hope to see some of my Wisconsin and Illinois people there.

Penitent by @danbullock.bsky.social is full of difficult questions and few answers, tackling the prison reforms of the early 19th century and their consequences. In many ways it's a troublesome game, but those same details make it a worthwhile dissection. My review: spacebiff.com/2026/03/05/p...

A tracking sheet to keep tabs on what records have been cut and by which Bowie has been added to the file section on BGG. Support of PNP games (much like published games) never really ends... boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...

Mollie wrote an excellent piece. I encourage other historical designers to check it out. Particularly, those of us that tackle challenging topics.

Ideally, the audience should be supporting game reviewers if they value their work, and the reviewers should be transparent about their policy with review copies before/after games are reviewed.

@danbullock.bsky.social was on my podcast today, just like I was on his! You should preorder a copy of Penitent while you still can--it's going to be very cool. youtu.be/i3K1OIkVJF4

NEW (& FINAL) SEASON of GDDD: I interview @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social to discuss her designs, creative director-ing at Leder Games, and the transition from game criticism to game design www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...

My deepest thanks to those that preordered Penitent and helped spread the word. It’s a struggle for these types of historical games to get made, so it warms my heart to know there is an audience for underserved non-kinetic topics

My newest game PENITENT is now available for preorder at lockhornsgames.com/products/pen...

When linocuts I made didn’t match the vibe of the Penitent cover, I made a custom ink stamp so I could print on each deck tile. I’m really happy with how they turned out.

Gonna solve the male loneliness epidemic by starting a charity that teaches men about brunch.

The FINAL design diary for Penitent is now posted ahead of preorders going up next week. I cover agency & friction along with ditching crowdfunding and donating a portion of our proceeds. Any help spreading the word for my bespoke prison game is much appreciated. boardgamegeek.com/thread/36611...

Have you ever wanted to play No Motherland WIthout but with an extra turn?! No? Well TO BAD! No Motherland Without: Turn Eight Expansion is now available on Tabletop Simulator! Experience the game with one extended turn and new events along the way! Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...

This was an absolute blast! TS played a huge part in introducing me to the hobby. My interview with Ananda Gupta and @jasondcmatthews.bsky.social can now be found on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtDK...

Quick Announcement: PENITENT will be available for preorder on FEBRUARY 20. We will notify our mailing list of the exact time. This print run will be limited to 200 copies (signed & numbered). Learn more about Penitent and upcoming releases by signing up for our mailing list on lockhornsgames.com

“Unbiased” board game reviews are the last ones to be trusted. Everyone has biases. Far more trustworthy are reviews that acknowledge their influence and bias. It indicates a level of awareness, honesty, and ability to contextualize that hints at more thoughtful and meaningful analysis and review.

As part of SD HistCon Winter Quarters, I will be moderating 20 Years of Twilight Struggle with @jasondcmatthews.bsky.social and Ananda Gupta. Come join us at 2:00PM EST today! www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtDK...

Proof of life: a second Design Diary entry for Penitent on scope and its unorthodox system posted to BGG. I promise one more before the launch in January. boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/43...

Famed game designers @danbullock.bsky.social, @volko.bsky.social, and @colewehrle.bsky.social discussing historical game design at our Summit convention in a panel hosted by @arturnottheking.bsky.social.

The first installment of the PENITENT design diary has been posted to BGG. I address incarceration as a design topic and a more sensitive approach. Subscribe for updates on the project. It will be crowdfunding in January with a limited run capped at 200 copies. boardgamegeek.com/thread/35942...

Chicago ‘68 has finally arrived, and the complete package is stunning. Congratulations to @yoyoni.bsky.social and @ronengoldstein.bsky.social! Nothing quite like the feeling of your first published game🎉

For those still waiting to take the plunge, Candice put together an excellent How to Play video for IN THE SHADOWS. You can find it here: boardgamegeek.com/video/575510...

Big day for @cmichpress.bsky.social! Check the Art & System crowdfunder, but then take a look at the proof copies of my game with them Keep the Faith! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/c...

In July, my new laptop transformed into a paper weight. I lost the entire Andor prototype and 3 months of event card work and graphic assets on Penitent. Sometimes losing one's place gives perspective on a design project. Have you ever lost progress only to find a new direction with a design?

NEW EPISODE! I chat with @gregisonthego.bsky.social about his excellent zine RULEBOOKS FOR RADICALS, his work, and finding design inspiration in dire times. We only got sidetracked on Process Era 76'ers for a tiny bit, but GDDD is never a slave to the algorithm. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...

The Bobby Nunes Memorial Award, launched last year to recognise historical gaming’s most exceptional culture writers, podcasters and video essay makers, has unveiled its second annual cohort of finalists: boardgamewire.com/index.php/20... (Bit late on this one due to summer holidays, sorry!)

Def should have led with card images yesterday, lol😅