I'll open applications June 1, and post about it here and on my new mill mailing list. I choose who the vendors will be by Aug 1. I strip the names from the applications and go strictly by the descriptions of the games to try to get a variety of offerings.

@dnlnwmn.bsky.social so how does one get into the indie night market for next year's unplugged?

So a game design question. In deckbuilding games... is forcing an opponent to discard a card fun?

Taco Cat Games is now taking pitches from outside designers. We've sold over 13 million games, through all major US retailers. Read about what we're looking for and how to submit here: bit.ly/pitch-taco-cat This thread also covers it so you don't have to click through. 🎲✂️(1/19)

@unpub.org Do mentors have to sign up before 3/30?

I'm skeptical of the AI boom. It can be useful, like a really focused, specialized model that reads x-rays or checks seismic activity. Becoming overly reliant on it for normal stuff opens your life up to getting disrupted when it goes down. Like right now with Claude.

I really hate that when I look at any media, I have to evaluate whether this could be AI :(

Slowly realizing that to really get game design progress done quickly, I just have to sit down and solo playtest things. Which is the most boring thing ever but it does move you forward.

We now have an Entire Executive Branch that belongs locked up in a mental institution or prison for the rest of their lives. youtu.be/u4LRxj4CHfI?...

Just curious, does @cryptozoic.bsky.social take game design submissions?

@macaroobanzai.bsky.social Was this your first Indie Game Night Market? What's your take on the overall experience as a indie designer there? Process to get in? Steps taken to get ready, both design and production?

Nothing in art can be the best. it is only different - Arthur Rubinstein

@xopherchan.bsky.social So, how polished should something be for the Ion Awards? In terms of art and graphic design?

@xopherchan.bsky.social So I gotta ask... If a racing game has a betting system... is that a stock market game?

@macaroobanzai.bsky.social Did Pax do the booth arrangement? I feel like there's some room for improvement there...

@wunfatkid.bsky.social sorry I missed the unpub proam event, I had it down for 6:45 in my phone :(

Indie Games Night Market signage ready!

Are you excited for PAX Unplugged? So are our designers! See the games that will be available to playtest in the Unpub @ PAX Unplugged Game Gallery:  unpub.org/paxu

Metatopia was FANTASTIC. Got to meet and hang with a ton of great people, play some fantastic games (unpublished). I have a lot to chew on now from the playtests I got in. Maybe even make some updates before Pax Unplugged comes around!

Every metatopia I rush to try and turn a year's worth of design ideas into prototypes in a week. So far I have 1 1/2 of 4. 4 would be nice, but let's aim for 2. Yeah 2 sounds reasonable.

Got a specific game design problem you're trying to crack? We'd love to give our input in Missing Pieces, a board game design advice column in @ttgda.bsky.social's newsletter! You can submit questions here: docs.google.com/forms/d/1hc3...

Couldn't do No Kings today, but I will be donating! Thank you to everyone showing up and reminding us who is America.

@cardboardedison.com Is there a list of game design competitions around somewhere?

@nyugamecenter.bsky.social So I got an email approving me to attend the Thursday playtest. It implies that it's only good for today, but I recall it saying I needed to fill out the form only once per semester. Do I need to fill the form again?

In time for Halloween, here are 3 FANTASTIC horror (or creepy) games: The Exit 8 Platform 8 Twisted Gallery store.steampowered.com/app/2653790/... store.steampowered.com/app/2903560/... store.steampowered.com/app/3426920/...

@dvcgames.bsky.social Shout out to DVC, your game submissions guide is A+. Wish every publisher had one of these. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

@bluedevilduke.bsky.social Do you think you'll do another solo game design panel at Unpub next year?

Hey board game designers I made a list of Pax Unplugged publishers: docs.google.com/spreadsheets... "Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions. Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.

So I'm starting to do a rough write up of a designer diary for a upcoming project. Does anyone have a favorite one from BGG? I've read a few, but I don't think I've read enough to know what makes them great.

Any game designers on here have tips for working on narrative driven tabletop games? I'm currently trying to build a card game which is kind of choose-your-own-adventure, but the format you have to keep the cards (spreadsheets) is not really conductive of branching storylines.

@renegadegamestudios.com so I have a game design question. When designing a narrative game, maybe using cards, how do you keep track of all the content?

Playtest Thursday RETURNS next Thursday, Sept. 11th at the NYU Game Center! Our weekly in-house playtesting event where you can get feedback on work-in-progress games is back for the Fall 2025 semester! External guests of NYU who wish to join, please fill out this form: forms.gle/3EdgXVDe95P7...

@jakekbarnhart.bsky.social Has Null Signal considered creating anything besides Netrunner?

@gengelstein.bsky.social Are you still involved with NYU's game design program? Do they still meet Thursdays for playtesting?

You ready @macaroobanzai.bsky.social ?

One of my game design white whales is a horror card game ( Lovecraft of course ). But translating what would be a light RPG into cards has been really daunting, as is having to make so much content once I settle on the core systems. So far it's only been scribbles in my notebooks.

Has anybody on here played the Arcs campaign?

@jongilmour.bsky.social Metatopia this year?

Sometimes when I see really good art, music, movies, my belief that life's purpose is to create more life is questioned; maybe life is just art attempting to create more art.

Does anyone know anyone who does blind playtests? As a hobby or side hustle?

Here's something I've been working on: Explosive Space Battles! (working title) Probably the fastest I've ever gone from idea to "finished". Helps that it's a tiny game.

I could post game design stuff more often. If ya want.

Tell your Republican Senator(s) You Don’t Want To Pay The Price For Their Billionaire Tax Breaks act.indivisible.org/sign/no-cutt...

Also attending the protest tomorrow. If you're reading this and can, you probably should.

So I have this theory that "He tells it like it is" means different things on the left and right. The left thinks it means "He tells the truth" but the right hears "What he says is true", like it becomes true because it is said.

@bean-games.bsky.social Peter?

How does this only have 47K views? www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru8S...

Philly today