Nice.

Let this incredibly wise thought carry you into 2026.

Oh heck look at that!

What a place to play!

Oh cool! I’d seen this and thought it looked interesting. I haven’t read the QuickStart yet (gimme half an hour) but the premise seemed like it has a lot of potential and questions to ask.

I sometimes have concerns about my outlook, but here’s a thing. I was talking to a fellow creator, and they were expressing some desperation about not getting into ttrpg starter packs. I think it’s worth unpacking that desire to check on your aims. And I think this can be applied to various stuff.

So nice.

Hello to all the new peeps following my feed! I'm based in Scotland, where we have a thriving indie games scene. Take a look at this Starter Pack, and if you think you should be on it but ain't, hit me up!

Huh ok. Loving this current trend of suggesting folks make friends rather than “network”. Personally I’ve found the last few years really odd on this front. People seem to want to tell others what to do, and be told what to do, and speak at peers to extract information, rather than to make friends?

This time of year can be hard for some of us. Nine years ago a good friend of mine put his kids to bed on christmas night, said goodnight to his wife, went to a local park and committed suicide. Help is out there. spuk.org.uk

I had big plans to mark the end of the year with a big post etc but I’m done in! It‘ll keep. Thank you for keeping us so busy with orders for backdrop books this month. Clearly the premium Xmas gift of 2025! A few things yet to do but ending my year as I mean to start the next.

Hot War update is up! www.kickstarter.com/projects/han... New Paul Bourne art! An update to the Cold City PDF! All your favourite things! #coldcity

The #1 movie from when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 will go

It's only blinking Officer Peach from @peachytips.bsky.social, who is almost finished enough to look good in the right lighting. But here he is against the World War Ruins Backdrop book, and I guess this is Officer Peach's one dream where he makes it to the ruins of Paris? #jhbackdrops

Simply buy a @handiworkgames.bsky.social background book and you're sorted.

Nice.

Hot War is nominated as one of the most anticipated RPG releases of 2026! Nice. You can vote over this way: www.enworld.org/threads/its-... And find out more about Cold City and Hot War over here: handiwork.games/cold-city-ho...

Weird little guys hanging out. From The Burn, by @malcolmcraig.bsky.social. It’s a standalone title about being a weird little guy that uses The Silver Road story telling game. #ttrpgs

The world is so full of horrors but also Oki Dub Ainu Band: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KmY...

Naturally, self praise is no praise at all but on this one I’m gonna go put on a limb and declare, in hindsight, “mission accomplished”. What a strange thing we made. I don’t think there’s *many* other RPGs that look like this? (It’s the monochrome version of Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland)

About this time of night I like to have a poke around in my random, automatically-created phone folders. This one from Pine Pitch Black caught me unawares. Doing things is weird. Because later you can look back at the things and go “Woah. Weird” because past you is different to now you.

I've been asked for information about UK-based researchers with interest in TTRPGs and Actual Play. I have a half-dozen names off the top of the dome, but would be happy to hear of more to pass along for Schemes.

Official Trench Crusade Backdrop Books are almost done! There's still time to make a late pledge for either or both of the two books of Backdrops here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/han... #trenchcrusade #jhbackdrops

From the sublime to the ridiculous, a spambot just reminded me of this 'incredible' track featuring DJ A Norman and Wee Stevie. (@badsquiddogames.bsky.social do you know DJ A Norman similar name?) The spambot is offering to bring it to new listeners, but I don't think that would be strictly fair?

That's BEOWULF Age of Poems updated for our ever-patient KING BEOWULF backers. It'll be available to preorder as a print book, and out in PDF soon! The book collects together the specially commissioned poems by Dave Oliver from BEOWULF Age of Heroes, Trials of the Twin Seas and KING BEOWULF.

As someone who has learned to be an artist, there's a missing piece in all the button-pushing talk, & even the process chat (depending somewhat on what we mean by process) in that learning the process has shaped my whole life, and my whole life shapes the process? They're inseparable. Good thread.

Nice.

Aside from making really good-looking games, something I really admire about Three Sails Studio is that they're not printing in China. Maybe not the most obvious thing to appreciate, but it matters to me, and I was delighted to talk to George about this at Tabletop Scotland.

Getting tight for Christmas delivery if you're outside of the UK, but we just launched a range of gift cards (Been meaning to add this to our store forever!) so you can let them choose their own thing and the gift card will be emailed on the day of your choosing. handiwork.games/product-cate...

“Spearfame costs, and right here is where you start paying. In hwaet.” Don’t ask me I just work here.

We’re collecting all the poems from our BEOWULF books into a little poetry book. Mostly because we can & commissioning poetry has been a rare pleasure. We also have no shortage of art, so I’ve been adapting some pieces to fit a taller format. Nice to see these again. And make the skies bigger.

Ah go on then #selfpromosaturday. The giant robot horse heads of Fawkirk want to see it. Like and share and interact if you’ve got the spoons.

Yay! Naturally I’m biased, but I didn’t write it, so I think it’s fair to say I think that FiveEvil is very good.

My favourite 10 RPG books which I read in 2025 The Borellus Connection (for Fall of Delta Green) Control Group (for Delta Green) Darkened Hill and Dale The Electric State Fear Itself 2e FiveEvil The Lost Mountain Saga (for Vaesen) Moria (for the One Ring) Sin (for the Spire RPG) The Terror Beneath

“You gotta make that message your pinned post Jon. “I give you permission to make stuff out of nothing.””

Nice.

Don't throw out your dead pot plants. Combine them with your @knucklebonesminis.bsky.social, your scratch built terrain, your @fenrisgames.com rubble and your @handiworkgames.bsky.social World War Ruins Backdrop Book for startling good times. #jhbackdrops

The world is fucking awful right now. Which means that sometimes? For some people, that thing you made and nervously shared is the only good thing, with a human scale, on the timeline. So you know. Keep going, creative friends. This really matters. Anyway thought I’d lost this image but I hadn’t.

It’s another chance to enjoy @badsquiddogames.bsky.social’s homage to Queen Elizabeth II in 28mm miniature form (or is she heroic 32mm scale?) as she journeys the cosmos via the Planets and Nebulae Backdrop book. #jhbackdrops Orders have been absolutely wild this week but we’re almost caught up.

I was reminded yesterday that there is still good in the world, and of just why I love my adopted home of Scotland so much. This comment was made in response to Nnena Kalu winning the Turner Prize. Absolutely flawless response. Don’t mess with Glasgow.

FiveEvil was one of the surprise hits of this year for me - 5e distilled into somehting that does survival horror realy well. I need a scenario for ConTingency in Jan, and this looks great.

Same backdrop, slightly remixed scenery and camera angles. Bit of smoke machine. The first Trench Crusade Backdrop Book is almost done! Enjoying these new plastic Prussian models too. #trenchcrusade #jhbackdrops

Glasshouse for #FiveEvil by @malcolmcraig.bsky.social is out now in PDF! The early 90s, and while London is booming, you're struggling. You've got a job which will save your family-run asbestos removal company. What could possibly wrong? Oh no. Everything. www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

It's 10 miles to Ancient Robot Games, I got a train table seat to myself, half a backpack of FiveEvils, it's dark... and I’m not wearing sunglasses.

Genovefa has found a silent fisherman who says nothing but means much.What will she find when she visits his home, and will it help her escape the Shark-dredger?Find out at 10:45 p.m. ET in @handiworkgames.bsky.social's Beowulf:Age of Heroes,starring @taritoons.bsky.social! www.twitch.tv/arvaneleron

Once again a fantastic review from Seyed. I’m really grateful for any review who takes this amount of time to engage with what’s there in the book, understands mechanics very well, and even considers the creator’s intention as they perceive it. Along with loads more. This is contentful reviewing.

Heard you like them behind the scenes kinda things? Miniature and architecture by @fenrisgames.com, the Backdrop is from the Deserts and Warmer Climes book. Yeah CLIMES Three excellent Christmas ideas for your hard to buy for friends and loved ones: Hoplite, rubble, backdrop book.

Saw a squirrel yesterday. This absolute unit is 100% winter-ready. Thinking about the line of oak trees they live in. There must have been one million acorns on the ground this year. That’s a lot of squirrel food. It just grows on trees. Amazing.

Them: we made a whole tv commercial out of AIs Me: ***whatever the heck this is intensifies***

I’ve been really excited how well these Trench Crusade “Golden Seal” backdrops with weird sigils work. There’s no photoshoppery making them appear to glow - just the same lighting I’d use on any other backdrop - just a light across them from the top or side. #trenchcrusade