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😅

If you have significant crossover between games and Bowie fans in your life, the "remastered" version of BOWIE is now available for download on the BGG game page. Changes are mostly cosmetic, but the batshit premise is still the same. Enjoy! boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...

Big day for fans of North Korea worldwide /massive j No Motherland Without: Yan'an Fan-made Expansion is now out on Tabletop Simulator! Featuring 19 new Event Cards and a way to randomize Generation Map layout with the new Citizen Mini-cards! Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...

Okay now we're done with this ordeal No Motherland Without: Yan'an Expansion DEFINITIVE version is out now! Streamlined historical timeline with 5 additional event cards + 2 brand new West Policy cards, along with the promised EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG HISTORICAL NOTES!!! See original post for link:

What a fantastic slate of nominees! Congratulations to @danthurot.bsky.social @amabel.bsky.social @charlietheel.bsky.social and @fredserval.bsky.social for facilitating meaningful discourse about the culture of historical games.

For those of us that are more influenced by RPGs than board games, lack of victory conditions, collective victory, or having competing incentives in play aren't radical design choices. Board game publishers shy from them. It's why I published GODS WILL HAVE BLOOD and will do the same for PENITENT.

This week, I interview Lisa Smedman the designer of Trench Raid from Compass Games while trying to spread the gospel of Cindy Lee by way of outro music. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...

A sneak peek at FRUIT, Akar Bharadvaj’s brilliant CHALICE OF POISON, and a picture of the Muffaletta sandwich that changed our lives.

Tickets are on sale now for SDHistCon Summit 2025, to be held from Nov. 7-10 in San Diego: tabletop.events/conventions/.... More information on the event: sdhist.com/sdhist-summi.... Hope you can join us for it!

Should we tell him that virtually all wargame podcasts are precisely this?

Hey board game publishers! When I back or buy a game, I really really really want to know who designed it. Please include that info prominently on the box.

당신이 없으면 우리도 없고, 당신이 없으면 조국도 없다! Fanart dedicated to “No Motherland Without: North Korea in Crisis and Cold War” designed by @danbullock.bsky.social .

I was away at CSW Expo, but I want to share the latest episode of GDDD with @fredserval.bsky.social. We had lovely chat about design approach, where accessibility & strategic depth intersect, and the benefits of robust development (👉@joedewhurst.bsky.social) www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...

Last call for nominations of the Summit Award and Bobby Nunes Memorial Award! Make your opinion heard. Now is a chance to recognize historical games that may veer from what we typically see. sdhist.us18.list-manage.com/track/click?...

Forgive the one-sided nature of our correspondence as of late. New episode of GDDD with @criticalplay.bsky.social where we discuss the book PLAYING OPPRESSION, colonialism in analog games and its impact on how we view competition in design. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...

For designers seeking podcasts, I highly recommend @nictringali.bsky.social Paper Labyrinths. The episodes examine gray area between digital and analog spheres that fire the imagination. It's available on Apple Podcasts or directly here: sites.libsyn.com/568595/site

Tonight 9pm French, I'll be joined by @danbullock.bsky.social to do a teach and play of his latest co design, In The Shadows, released by @gmtgames.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/HnQqMEC...

Anybody interested in trying an Andor prototype. Extra points if you're a publisher with a Star Wars license😅

Getting excited for SD HistCon Second Front on Saturday? Lots of great demos, including the latest from @djackthompson.bsky.social , @volko.bsky.social, @markherman54.bsky.social. Paolo Mori will also showing off Battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars. Plenty worth checking out!

New Episode! I chat with Brian Asklev about his games 1812: Napoleon's Fateful March from VUCA and Baltic Empires upcoming from GMT. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...

I think some readers come across BoardGameWire and think it must be a relatively big operation, backed by a larger company. For clarity - it's not! It's just me, Mike, fitting in interviewing, researching and writing hundreds of articles each year around a day job and taking care of my two kids! 1/2

"In the Shadows" Two games in one! The rulebook is an exercise in over-efficiency, but it's worth the study. 100%. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhcK...

At 5:00PM this Saturday at @nobleknightgames.bsky.social , Liz Davidson will be teaching Night Witches (co-designed with David Thompson), discussing solo design, Oath expansions and future projects. Come by and join us! @wischistgaming.bsky.social @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social

Striking From the Dark - In the Shadows Review @gmtgames.bsky.social @danbullock.bsky.social @josephnschmidt.bsky.social

Does anyone have photos of Blood & Treasure from recent conventions that they would be comfortable with me posting on BGG? I would like to update the BGG page before posting design diary entries. Please feel free to comment or DM😉

Thought this was a great conversation between @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social and @jasondcmatthews.bsky.social on tariffs, board games, GAMA, and more: www.buzzsprout.com/1091807/epis...

“Space Biff review day” is second only to “production copy in my hands day”.

In the Shadows emphasizes the heroism of French resistance to German occupation, while also cluttering some of the romantic notion of the "French Resistance." It is a solid, and unfortunately timely, little board game. My review: spacebiff.com/2025/04/03/i...

This fucking clown bought votes in my state. Stop buying his clown cars or he will do it in yours.

Fruit by @danbullock.bsky.social is a wild one!

Hey! If you are going to be at Circle DC this week, come say hello. Good news: the latest version of both BLOOD & TREASURE and FRUIT will be there. Bad news: no delivery of cards for PENITENT😔 So who's coming and what are you bringing?

Introduced @danbullock.bsky.social gameThe Gods Will Have Blood in classroom for the first time. Put the board on PPT and then read each card aloud, and asked students to vote on each of the accused and discuss their views and strategies (to come to a 'joint decision' to imitate the solo player).

We hear “gamey” as a lazy critique, but does anyone care to define it? Is it a disruptive vibe that emerges from play, like a boom mic lowered into a shot that spoils a take?

Two days later than anticipated, but NEW SEASON of the pod. I chat with @fgradaille.bsky.social about Habemus Papam and Onoda. We get into the finer points of negotiation system design and why solitaire games are best suited to certain topics. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...

I seek guidance. For my design projects, I have wanted to buy a drawing tablet (with a screen). Any recommendations?