It was a joy to have @thejenna.bsky.social and @tomasfranzese.bsky.social on the pod to be much smarter than me about anti-union video game companies and cancelled AAA projects. Apparently, it happens all the time!

With times being as dark as they are, the need for commentary, criticism, and critique surrounding the horror genre has never been more needed. And here we are, ready to speak. Darker Times is a new worker-owned horror magazine, follow us into the dark… darkertimes.com

Members of @uwotc-official.bsky.social described a May 28 meeting with Wizards of the Coast management as an all but forced hour of anti-union propaganda. It's the latest in a mounting campaign that workers told Rascal includes constant emails, letters, and forced training for Arena supervisors.

The @thebarbedwire.com is a phenomenal publication. Any editor or newsroom leader would be a fool not to hire or commission pieces from Olivia and her team. Can't wait to see what's next for them.

I spoke to two members of United Wizards of the Coast-CWA about new and baffling anti-union efforts from WotC management, including an embarrassing "debate" format that nobody enjoyed. Workers also extended sympathy to Arena supervisors who are caught in the propaganda machine with little recourse.

i wrote about motion capture, animation, and bodies in games for TEEN VOGUE! it's very excited to have a byline at a magazine that i've been reading since i was teen✨ www.teenvogue.com/story/why-ar...

Freelancing is hard enough already, and inflation sucks. Defector is raising our base freelance rates by 20 percent. Great time to pitch us. Email me or [email protected]

A year ago I wondered aloud in a @neverpo.st editorial meeting if answering “Why can so many things play Doom?” would generate enough material for a segment. After talking to a bunch of people much cooler, and smarter than myself … I can say the answer is a resounding “yes”, and then some.

Y'all better save the best UKGE juice for tomorrow.

I spoke to a few non-US folks (Soulmuppet Publishing, Modiphius Entertainment and more) about attending Gen Con 2026, and why they are still headed to the United States despite the uncertainty

For some publishers, the cost of missing Gen Con outweighs mounting risks www.rascal.news/for-some-pub...

Please do not say the sentence "kids don't want to feel the adult behind the book" but also yes they fucking do. One of the best parts of being a kid is reading a book that is just out of your grasp of maturity. Feeling like you're getting an early preview of the world.

I'm going to do everything in my power to make this one of those weekly memes.

Today is the last day of our collective Bundle! If you've been waiting on this deal (50% off one month's subscription to six independent websites), now's your final chance. A huge thank you to everyone who already supported. Y'all are our lifeblood.

RPG bundle crowdfunds disaster aid in the aftermath of Typhoon Sinlaku www.rascal.news/rpg-bundle-c...

Congrats to the guy who subpoenaed us and folded immediately after we told him to fuck off www.404media.co/404-media-ob...

Exclusive: Unionized tech workers at the New York Times have filed grievances accusing management of using AI-powered performance tools to track and discipline staff. The Tech Guild says recent disciplinary notices appear to be generated using one of the tools. 🎁 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Hello! I'm looking to speak to artists or art directors who have opinions about visdev / art agencies and crediting practices for artists who work through those agencies. Basically, as far as I can tell, some companies credit the artist and some don't, and the agency leaves it up to them.

I've secured last-minute travel to UKGE for Saturday only - surprise! If you have something to show me or just want to say hello, reach out here (email also works)! I'll mostly be perusing the floor and playing some games, for a change.

Seeing the White House UFC arena and a post reminding me Scavengers Reign S2 isn't ever happening is really kneecapping the ol' existential optimism today.

Another one of @aptshadow.bsky.social's book series is being adapted for tabletop roleplay. @handiworkgames.bsky.social will turn the The Tyrant Philosophers into a scheming, factional RPG, and the studio talked to us about their goals for the project.

INBOX: Journalists at the five McClatchy newspapers in Washington and Idaho (the Idaho Statesman, Bellingham Herald, Tri-City Herald, Tacoma News Tribune and The Olympian) are calling a one-day strike today over wages and AI protections. That means no clicking on any links to their sites for today.

Multiple reasons to not assume the most important segments of your audience will be at major conventions (cost, health risks, fascism risks, etc.), but it also perpetuates the perception of insularity within tabletop. As if this hobby is skeptical of information spreading too wide, too fast.

You still have a few more days to snag the Independent Media Collective Bundle! Subscribe to Rascal, @aftermath.site, @neverpo.st, and @rogue.site, while also supporting @alloymag.bsky.social and @thejenna.bsky.social for 50% the normal price. Take a chance on five excellent worker-owned outfits!

I've secured last-minute travel to UKGE for Saturday only - surprise! If you have something to show me or just want to say hello, reach out here (email also works)! I'll mostly be perusing the floor and playing some games, for a change.

Appreciate the folks who spoke to me for this story. I think every worker in this space knows how hard it is to just put out good work and support your colleagues as new, ehm, challenges keep coming down the pike

Little Wolves takes top honors at the 2026 Indie Groundbreakers Awards www.rascal.news/little-wolve...

Look! I'm in Rascal! 💚 Quoting myself, "never underestimate the power of a few devoted nerds." www.rascal.news/digital-elbo...

Rascal Reading Club: Burning Wheel www.rascal.news/rascal-readi...

i generally wear a mask while flying because i know that if you spend hundreds of dollars on a ticket somewhere you’re getting on that plane no matter how bad you feel. imo a very practical way to avoid getting a cold or what have you

Looking for people who have been involved in adapting another IP into an RPG who are down to talk about what you found difficult, easy and different from the normal design process. Bonus points if its an unusual one

Digital elbow grease saves largest actual play database www.rascal.news/digital-elbo...

If you're a board game publisher you'd be absolutely out of your tree not to be trying to get your games shown off in Wyrd Science, a flipping excellent magazine. Send this man an email!

Princess Carolyn wrote this headline.

Great thread, read it all. Mentorship of both criticism and journalism skills is so fucking hard in flat structures. Ideologically, you want everyone able to do a bit of everything. Realistically, brain drain via layoffs, closures, etc. means most teams are now composed of freelancers and refugees.

Today, the IGNCG sent this letter to our President of Ziff Davis Gaming & Entertainment to demand pay that reflects the rate of inflation in our contract. Please join us in asking @errorjustin.bsky.social, @peer-ign.bsky.social, @corradimus.bsky.social, and @yprough.bsky.social to pay us fairly.

Thomas now knows concepts such as "anchor clues", which tells you these puzzles are only increasing in quality.

Rascal Crossword 4: Getting Generic www.rascal.news/rascal-cross...

It's about to be 82F (28C) in my part of the UK for the next week, and I will delight in watching my adopted countrypeople melt onto the sidewalks. Finally, I am in my element.

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!

“We need to stop being reactionary”: New GAMA president Meredith Placko on being data driven, improving communication and turning its ten-year plan into a reality Read this and all the other important industry news in the new BoardGameWire newsletter, just released! buttondown.com/boardgamewir...

Not much of note in the delayed Hasbro Q1 shareholders call. No mention of @uwotc-official.bsky.social nor the reason behind the cyberattack. On MTG Arena composing a shrinking amount of the TCG's overall revenue, Chris Cocks blamed it on the game originally being built for Standard play.

it just gets sadder

SO to @remapradio.bsky.social for letting me go extremely long and self-indulgently about ZERO PARADES FOR DEAD SPIES, a game that knocked me fully on my ass again and again. 100/100 👉🏽🐬s Go read it!!! 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽 remapradio.com/articles/zer...

If I had a nickel for everytime this year a board game professional had cited praying on their actions, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

Bludgeon wants you to embrace roleplaying in your own, radical way www.rascal.news/bludgeon-wan...

What struck me most from the conversations I had with multiple Palestinian devs for the unpublished piece how they spoke about how Palestine was portrayed in media, and how we so rarely get depictions of it as a place where people just like you and I have just...lived lives. Whole, beautiful lives.

Hello, I'm doing a story on Jubensha Con - if you've attended the convention, mind chatting with me on a story for Rascal News? Hit me up: kheehoon @ rascal (dot) news