“It’s a loose and chaotic trick-taker, one which is more amusing than strict. Those favoring serious titles in this genre will find this rebellious and unsatisfying. ... Origin Story cuts its own path of lighter mischief that is emphasizes amusement over intricacy” I feel so seen. This made my day.

“It’s like Ameritrash trick-taking” This is surreal because I’ve loved Joel’s videos ever since I first got into the hobby. Seeing that he really understood what the game was going for and had fun with it is just so cool.

I was in charge of the layout for the Japanese versions of these games🙂 I'm really excited to play Origin story!!

New episode of @decisionspace.bsky.social is all about hybrid deckbuilders! We examine why these totally dominate the BGG top 100 and what makes it such an adaptable hook for games. Also Jake posits a theory that we should call these deck shuffling games instead. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

Unsure I’ll ever get tired of Old Kong’s Crown. Last nights game was absolutely BONKERS and saw one player win by a single point by stealing from every other herald on the last battle. @theoldkingscrown.bsky.social

Hello all! It’s wild to be talking about a game that isn’t Halloween themed! today we are discussing Origin Story! A trick-taking game from @stonemaiergames.com 🔥 youtu.be/PLlYC-ik9kU?...

I downloaded Ball x Pit and it has the most dopamine rich brain rot loop for me of any game since Balatro. This does not bode well for my productivity…

This is probably my trick-taker of the year

I watched a lot of people play Origin Story at Essen and it is the first design of mine folks can get their hands on. I knew while designing that it had the potential to be a polarizing game and it feels very vulnerable putting it out there.

Don't listen to Jake's adorable baby! Our new merch is super cool!

I designed a card game! This is Haunted Mouse and you can join me in this tutorial to see how it plays :) youtu.be/jeYycf5aqZc

Little interviews with Jamey and I about designing Origin Story: m.youtube.com/watch?v=nesw...

Essen continues to be crazy! People have been so cool and Origin Story sold out already! I feel so crazy lucky and can’t thank the team enough at @stonemaiergames.com !

Essen has already been an unforgettable experience and it hasn’t even started.

In Amsterdam for 24 hours before headed to Essen. Trying to see and eat everything the city has to offer!

Want to see how Origin Story is played at two? Check out the playthrough Tylor and I did: youtu.be/E0ddZQhKLOw

A little late to post, but I had a superb time @stonemaiergames.com design day. Paul, @petewiss.bsky.social, and I will recap the whole thing on next week’s pod. A huge thank you to all these wonderful people playtesting Arcanist Battle!

In today's very silly episode of @decisionspace.bsky.social , the hosts drafted the best components in games. Join our discord to vote for the winner! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Guesstimates is the party game I demoed at SM Design Day. It has players writing Ito/Wavelength style clues that are then bought in an auction. These granular clues players wrote were so funny. Where would you guess these are numerically on this scale? Whats most and least valuable to buy?

🤯🤯🤯 I’m beyond floored. I had no idea what people would make of Origin Story and I just CANNOT believe this! m.youtube.com/watch?v=TH4I...

Want to know which games have a similar vibe to Origin Story? Check this out!

Tomorrow is my 4th Stonemaier Design Day. It’s always a creatively exciting con and a sort of anniversary for me. I started designing games because I made a New Year’s resolution once to make something I could bring to the event. This year I’m bringing a party game instead of a trick-taker! Crazy!

💥 Origin Story 💥 youtu.be/OnbYX7Zkha8 This is the newest Stonemaier Games release, and it is a TRICK-TAKING GAME! We were stoked to be able to play this one and share it with you all! Check out our How to Play video! @stonemaiergames.com

Grab your cape, some cool gadgets, and discover your archnemesis in this new trick-taking game from @stonemaiergames.com. As rounds continue you'll power up and craft your Origin Story as you do it. Join me here and let's learn how to play: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FCj...

Absolum is basically my dream game. I love roguelites and am a sucker for cool fantasy art. I grew up on beat'em ups like Guardian Heroes, Turtles in Time, and the DnD/X-Men arcade games. I've just dipped my toes in it but so far I'm VERY into it. store.steampowered.com/app/1904480/...

I did not design Origin Story's solo mode, but the wizards at Automa Factory created a crazy intricate system to simulate playing a trick-taker against human opponents. It is super impressive and a really meaty addition to the package! boardgamegeek.com/thread/35896...

It was an absolute privilege to have @perryjon.bsky.social on @decisionspace.bsky.social to discuss tabletop game design. Check it out! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

Origin story gets the Jamey "My Favorite Mechanism" treatment! www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_wI...

I’m pretty proud of the 2 player mode we landed on for Origin Story. Player count scaling can be difficult for trick-taking games, especially one where going nil is baked into the incentive structure! boardgamegeek.com/thread/35874...

This just arrived and I don’t think I’ve ever fallen so deeply in love with a game before actually playing it. @theoldkingscrown.bsky.social

In today’s design diary I ramble about two of the games core systems: stamina and villainy! boardgamegeek.com/thread/35868...

Next design diary for Origin Story is about how the theme and mechanisms came together. It was a cool process because the art was already there before I came on as co-designer! @stonemaiergames.com boardgamegeek.com/thread/35863...

Jamey will be posting design diaries for Origin Story on BGG in the days leading up to its October 15th launch. We started work on the game years ago so it was fun to reflect on the process and contribute to these. The first one just went live: boardgamegeek.com/thread/35858...

This was such a fun podcast to record!

Secret is finally out!!!

Oh hey! Preorders are up at www.newmillindustries.com

The new episode of @decisionspace.bsky.social is a love letter to Dominion and an exploration of one of my favorite mechanisms in tabletop (and digital) gaming: deckbuilding! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

Player count problems and solutions: What makes games flexible or inflexible at certain player counts, and what can designers and publishers do about it?

This was excellent. This has been my most anticipated game since preordering it long ago. I teach government and economics: this feels like a game made for me.

I played the upcoming space rails game from @tabletapasgames.bsky.social last night and had a blast. Streamlined rules for what is ultimately a mid point between a cube rails and 18xx game. Look for this when it hits crowdfunding!

Part 2 of my love letter to Root is up today! The new (jumbo sized) episode of @decisionspace.bsky.social is all about the expansions and how they make the game more dynamic for players who want to dive deep. Brendan and I just didn't want the episode to end! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...

Lifestyle games: what they are, what kinds of games can become lifestyle games, designing one today, and more, via @decisionspace.bsky.social

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... Today's episode of @decisionspace.bsky.social is a sort of love letter to the modern trick-taking design renaissance, a subject very near and dear to my heart.

I finally watched @perryjon.bsky.social 's GDC talk about tabletop design influencing UFO 50 and WOW. It was an excellent look at game design principles. The explanations of modular rules and chunky decisions will ABSOLUTELY inform my own design work moving forward. gdcvault.com/play/1035154...

Catching up on video uploads for @decisionspace.bsky.social and you can now WATCH us geek out about my favorite game ever! I’m proud of this episode and we’re recording part 2 on expansion factions soon! @leder.games @patrickleder.bsky.social @colewehrle.bsky.social m.youtube.com/watch?v=QFOY...

I was delighted to chat with Jamey Stegmaier about Vantage, his first-person open-world exploration game. Listen while we discuss Jamey's inspirations, games-within-games, and the secret inspirations for Vantage. spacebiff.com/2025/08/06/s...

New episode of @decisionspace.bsky.social with very special guest @danthurot.bsky.social ! We discuss open world games and use Earthborne Rangers and Vantage (my two current obsessions) as case studies. @stonemaiergames.com @earthbornegames.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

A highlight of Gen Con was playing the upcoming Root Homeworlds expansion with @patrickleder.bsky.social @lordoftheboard.bsky.social and Arnie the puppet! I can’t wait to play these new factions and maps with my group at home. Getting amazing new stuff for my favorite game is such a treat!

My Gen Con haul! Most excited to get to play an early copy of @tabletapasgames.bsky.social upcoming Stellar Ventures!

Seal of excellence for a game I did development on! They specifically shoutout the theme that I made for the game. Excited to demo this for folks at Gen Con! m.youtube.com/watch?v=ce65...