Rob Harper
@harperrob.bsky.social
π€ 342
π₯ 305
π 1219
Player and designer of board games, doer of some other things also. He/him
pinned post!
Woohoo! The game I co-designed with
@mikeharrisonwood.bsky.social
is now officially released. You can get it from the publisher's website, or a small but growing number of other places. Here we go...! π
gibsonsgames.co.uk/collections/...
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Grab Bag Jungle
THE GAME Embark on a thrilling jungle adventure with friends and family in this immersive animal rescue game! Β Together, you'll race against the clock to save jungle animals by reaching into the Grab...
https://gibsonsgames.co.uk/collections/family/products/grab-bag-jungle
about 1 year ago
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Self-promotion... It's been a little over a year since my first commercially published game, Grab Bag Jungle (co-designed with
@mikeharrisonwood.bsky.social
), was launched. If you have bought it or played it, please would you do us a favour and rate/review on BGG or wherever you bought it. Thanks β€οΈ
1 day ago
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Dr Eleanor Janega
2 days ago
This is a really odd argument because I think at the heart of it, there is a deep misunderstanding about what writing is for. I write to communicate my thoughts and ideas, and to bring people along with me, which AI cannot do for me because it isn't me.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Robert StartPlayer
3 days ago
Ive seen seen with menus saying βwe donβt cater for coelaicsβ. This is much better than a βask me about alergensβ sign which normally means 10 mins queues being being told there is a risk of cross contamination. This is keeping me safe.
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Mike Harrison-Wood
6 days ago
I have a Character Demo Reel! Check it out!
youtu.be/Gmi0S3LTDsw
For more info, find out more at
mikeharrisonwoodva.carrd.co
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Mike Harrison-Wood Character Demo 2026
YouTube video by Mike Harrison-Wood
https://youtu.be/Gmi0S3LTDsw
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Thanks to
@spaceship47.bsky.social
for joining
@alcannon.bsky.social
and I for a playtest of The Artificers. About 45 minutes for a brisk 3-player game, leaving me lagging behind in scores as is often the case! π π²βοΈ
10 days ago
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Sooz Kempner
12 days ago
I've just come up with an amazing idea...maybe, if we ever get the chance, we should try and create a political environment where a Donald Trump-style regime can't thrive.
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I've been really lax about blogging lately, so in an attempt to get going again, here's the latest on the game I am working on with
@alcannon.bsky.social
... π²βοΈ
firsttakesomedice.blogspot.com/2026/03/intr...
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Introducing The Artificers...
Oh good grief, it has been a long time since I wrote a blog post. I haven't stopped working on games, so let's catch up on one of the projec...
https://firsttakesomedice.blogspot.com/2026/03/introducing-artificers.html
19 days ago
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Madeleine Mu π¨π¦π³οΈββ§οΈ
24 days ago
Dear IOC, Please explain, for the record: *the advantage kids on blockers from age ten have over their cis peers *the relevance of gender in any way to curling, shooting, etc. *how exclusion aligns in any way with the vision of the Olympic Charter. I'm all ears. Alao, fuck you.
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Thanks to the lovely folk at this evening's
@playtestuk.bsky.social
Oxford meetup I got to see the latest iteration of The Artificers (co-designed with
@alcannon.bsky.social
) played by 4 folk who weren't me for the first time. Some useful feedback and observations there, so I'm very happy.
25 days ago
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Smooth Dunk
5 months ago
me when the AI bubble bursts
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Matthew Dunstan
28 days ago
Big Pasti's latest video, entitled "The 7 Deadly Sins of Board Game Design", had a real effect on me, and today's video is a response to his. I think there is a better way we can talk about game design.
youtu.be/BY7TeikZcBw
π²βοΈ
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We need a better way to talk about game design
YouTube video by Matthew Dunstan
https://youtu.be/BY7TeikZcBw
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Ursidice
about 1 month ago
lads, don't repost screenshots of ai summaries as sources of information. especially when they're hallucinations. even if they align with how you'd like the world to be. this is how the world burns.
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I'm currently chugging through old episodes of the
@beyondsolitaire.bsky.social
podcast (I'm realising how overdue this it - it's always great!) and was just floored by this joyous discussion about art and jigsaw puzzles... β€οΈ Go listen!
beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/1091807/epis...
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Episode 48 - Adelyne Rizzo on the Fine Art of Puzzles - Beyond Solitaire
This week on the pod, I'm interviewing Adelyne Rizzo, an artist who also selects images for Art & Fable Puzzles. Join us for a conversation about what it means to engage with, appreciate, and cura...
https://beyondsolitaire.buzzsprout.com/1091807/episodes/8841062-episode-48-adelyne-rizzo-on-the-fine-art-of-puzzles
about 1 month ago
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Dax, sapphic fantasy author
about 1 month ago
NO LONGER CORRECTING TYPOS - THEY ARE ARTISINAL PROOF OF HUMANITY.
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Matthew Dunstan
about 1 month ago
In today's video I push back on the advice that new designers should expect their first creations to be bad, and what can be missed if you follow this advice.
youtu.be/eB6ln4buwxg
π²βοΈ
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Is the first game you design always terrible?
YouTube video by Matthew Dunstan
https://youtu.be/eB6ln4buwxg
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Tom Usher
about 1 month ago
#tabletop
Bluesky people! We're organizing a small print run board game market, hosted at UKGE this year (think Night Market at PAX). If you've got a small, original production that you'd like to get in front of people, we'd love for you to apply at
market.bastiongames.co.uk
Please share!
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Nick Bentley Makes Games
2 months ago
There are few hot takes I agree with more than this. - too many hobbyists take rules complexity as a proxy for depth, which it isn't. - too many hobbyists play simple games, don't understand the strategy but assume they do, and conclude "shallow". It's hubris.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Daniel Solis
about 1 month ago
Neurospicy, Neurosweet, Neurosour, Neurobitter and Neuroumami. The five neuroflavors.
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Playtesting The Artificers in person with
@alcannon.bsky.social
- great to get the game to a physical table again
about 1 month ago
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Rob Harper
Jon Teixeira Moffat -> UnPub
about 1 month ago
Inside every designer are two wolves: One leads the pack, charging toward possibility, One gnaws at the back of your brain, begging you not to risk failure ...wait where did all these other little wolves come from? NEW ideas?! Now?! No! Shoo! I need to focus! ... damnit
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John Kovalic
about 1 month ago
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Mandela F-G
about 1 month ago
I finally playtested the game and it was terrible. Irredeemably so. Time well spent. I regret nothing. π²βοΈ
add a skeleton here at some point
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Tim Clare
about 1 month ago
The autistic spectrum has been stretched to breaking point. Being autistic used to mean you were either a) a young boy who only communicates in six-digit primes & is the sole witness to a terrible murder b) Dustin Hoffman Now they've grandfathered in ladies, folk with *zero* Sonic OCs, the Dutch etc
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We've just had several days in a row when it didn't rain. This was confusing to me. It is raining again now and the world feels like it is back to a semblance of normality. Or what passes for normality this year.
about 1 month ago
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Jonathan Care
about 2 months ago
Security vendors have discovered AI. So have the attackers. Every booth at RSA will say "AI-powered". Ask any of them what they're doing about prompt injection or context poisoning and watch the subject change. Compliance theatre got a software update.
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Eric Lang
about 2 months ago
Convention Organizers: If you have invite a guest from a minority demographic πInviteπthemπtoπparticipateπinπmoreπthanπjustπtheπdiversityπpanelπ PLEASE AND THANK YOU
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β€οΈ Very timely message to game designers from Matthew...
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You belong here
YouTube video by Matthew Dunstan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3P0gg8dBrs
about 2 months ago
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J from 3 Minute board games
about 2 months ago
Time again for one of the greatest videos in board game history.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjHa...
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100% UNBIASED, Objective Game Review
YouTube video by Actualol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjHatfpdPd0
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Matt Thrower
about 2 months ago
Love how this claims to be complete and unabridged while censoring the cover
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Dave Chalker
2 months ago
I DO NOT want AI to come up with game ideas and playtest them for me I DO want robots to do the tedious painful parts like cut out a card sheet and then stuff them in sleeves for me I SHOULD NOT make robots that have access to the sharp edges necessary to cut cards
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Dan Thurot
2 months ago
Open up my torso and you'll find this etched onto my ribcage like the zinger to some cosmic horror novel.
add a skeleton here at some point
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π½πππ πΈπ π·πππ π΅ππ πΈπ
2 months ago
Wow.
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Beyond Cataclysm
2 months ago
Anyone in need of cash and looking to do some grotty art? Looking to spend Β£40, I'd like an A5 re-imagining of this piece from an Arthur Conan Doyle short story. I feel it's likely AI has been used on this version, so I'd like to commission someone to draw something with the same proportions
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Matthew Dunstan
2 months ago
In today's video I go over what I earnt as a full time game designer in 2025, comparing my income over the past few years and how it varies from game to game. My aim has always been to increase transparency in the industry and help newer designers with what to expect.
youtu.be/avLL2siSmyc
π²βοΈ
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How much money I made as a game designer in 2025
YouTube video by Matthew Dunstan
https://youtu.be/avLL2siSmyc
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Parody Nigel Farage
2 months ago
Wanted: Regional Director to work for an organisation opposed to home working. The successful applicant will be expected to work from home.
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This is one hell of a public service announcement from Mr Wild that I can very much get behind...
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STOP USING GENERATIVE A.I (Original Song)
YouTube video by Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsQtUSTSX40
2 months ago
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Rob Harper
Helen
2 months ago
Something compelled me to make this
add a skeleton here at some point
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Gail Simone
2 months ago
I was invited to a con in Puerto Rico soon after the hurricane. They were rebuilding everywhere, parts of the island were still without power. Trump was of course screwing them over. I didn't feel it was right to go, but I was told repeatedly to please come, they needed tourism back. 1/
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Matthew Dunstan
2 months ago
Today I delve into the topic of balance in games, and discuss why there might be some much more important things to do than optimising for a perfectly balanced game. I also look at feelings that players might ascribe to imbalance, but that are actually caused elsewhere.
youtu.be/7fpbTsZI3EI
π²βοΈ
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Game balance is overrated - do this instead
YouTube video by Matthew Dunstan
https://youtu.be/7fpbTsZI3EI
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Just had a nice evening playing
@jontexmo.bsky.social
's game about renaissance poo, Night Soil. Lots of fun, but I did sooo, sooo badly. I got the hang of things by the end, but it was way too late. Looking forward to another try tough.
3 months ago
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Beyond Solitaire
3 months ago
I don't like being this vulnerable in public but I also felt like I had to say something.
youtu.be/1qlEn8ob2ns
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Thoughts from a Minnesota Gamer
YouTube video by Beyond Solitaire
https://youtu.be/1qlEn8ob2ns
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Tabletop Games Blog (they)
3 months ago
Are you interested in history and/or historical board games? If so, please take 5 minutes to complete the form below for me. If not, please share it with people who you think might be interested.
forms.gle/wbfWAn2JFp4N...
Thank you. ππ
#boardgames
#HistoricalGames
#history
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Tim Clare
3 months ago
Playing Timeline: British History. Odd that they included this card showing something that never happened.
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Russ Jones
3 months ago
Suggested EU response: - US airbases now represent an armed presence, inside our borders, of a nation that is openly threatening to invade our territory - Withdraw the threat or we have no choice but to close those bases - This turns USA from a global power to a regional one, overnight 1/5
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Matthew Dunstan
3 months ago
Today's video is about approaching game design in a new way - trying to design a bad game from the start!
youtu.be/wj3IZtxw_PI
π²βοΈ
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Stop trying to design good games
YouTube video by Matthew Dunstan
https://youtu.be/wj3IZtxw_PI
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Iain McAllister
3 months ago
The latest episode of 'But Why Vikings?' is out right now. Inside this audio dumpling you'll find some tasty, hot tabletop game opinions from myself and
@ava.foxfort.net
on limited communication games, games as in-world objects, and a very odd question at the end.
open.spotify.com/episode/6cOa...
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Eyebrows are Fair Game
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6cOaeyDHsnJyK3dnF7dcUZ?si=_9hKqAeXSsKVsXeLj2JMJQ
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I feel every word of this from
@werenotwizards.com
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They.
YouTube video by WereNotWizards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2E92ObB61A
3 months ago
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Rob Harper
We're Not Wizards Board Game Podcast
3 months ago
And now, lets ask a grumpy old man what he thinks about late stage capitalism..
www.werenotwizards.co.uk/they/
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They.. - We're Not Wizards
They. They changed the staff in fast food places, and replaced the βcan I take your orderβ faces,β¦
https://www.werenotwizards.co.uk/they/
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Stuart Ellis-Gorman
3 months ago
While I love my niche stupid hobby of historical board gaming, sometimes it does just make me want to scream. Take the latest example, a board game about the Irish Potato Famine where you get to compete with friends to see who survives best (?)
www.kickstarter.com/projects/com...
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The Great Hunger
Easy-to-learn, card-driven game, rich with historical detail; explores 19th-century Irish expansion, blight, famine, & emigration. 2-5P
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/compassgames/the-great-hunger
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