If enough publishers opt to use a platform like this, I feel it will help undo a lot of the harm that crowdfunding has inflicted on game development in the past decade.

Everyone should check their spam folder for notice of a class action settlement in Taylor v. Google. It's 100% legit; punch in your info on the settlement website so you'll get surprise money down the road. Also, the irony that a lawsuit against Google ends up in my Gmail spam folder...

If you tell yourself "I love trick taking games, but I can't play them in October because none of them are scary," then be sure to pick up a copy of Fright Factor before they're all gone, and then you can play trick taking games in October. Otherwise you have to stop, sorry I don't make the rules.

My wife is trying to send me a message in a language I do not understand.

Hobbies, amirite?

This past weekend got some gaming in, some treats, & got to connect with @nickferris.bsky.social in person! Great times~

Tim has found the ideal review format.

Nick's Game Design Tip of the Day. Stuck on something in your game? Write the rules for that part, even if it's broken, or even if you haven't designed it yet. Sometimes just writing in the area of a problem gives your brain the means to solve it. 🎲✂️

Considering I've watched it three times now, I'm ready to proclaim Starfleet Academy as my favorite Trek series premiere of all time. Please watch this show so it gets a proper run. (Maybe, dare I ask, a 20-episode season?)

@jenniesue.bsky.social and I ate about 3% of those cookies. They are delicious and so are the games, so you should all come check out the cafe sometime!

This is a smartly curated best-of selection for 2025--perhaps the one I've seen so far with which I most agree. (Yes I'm on it, but I swear that's only 4% of the reason why this list is so great.)

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: I have no gift to bring. BABY JESUS: Nice drum. LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: ... BABY JESUS: ... LITTLE BOY: ... BABY DRUMMER JESUS: New plan, Mom and Dads. I'm starting a band.

Wizardologist is sold out! (A few copies are still in transit to purchasers; a few are on hold for those I've spoken with.) Final donation tally to the Trans Youth Emergency Project between PAX Unplugged sales and after: $1345.00 I cannot express my appreciation to the board game community enough.

Look at this thing. PLEASE LOOK AT THIS THING. Thank you.

Just a casual Monday text-only post to say I'm expecting to mail the last copies of A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated this week. DM to order. After that, I'll have a few copies left you could get if you find me in person, and that's that. Options for its future are still being explored. 🧙‍♂️✨

Today is a "Go to the grocery store and hand-pick individual green beans out of a pile in the produce section" kind of day. There are no stores that have that around here. So I guess it's just Tuesday.

Remaining copies of games featured at the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged, like Houdini's Last Act, are starting to pop up online. Be sure to keep a lookout for them here and wherever else their designers tend to hang out, or you might miss them forever!

Last chance for Bluesky folks to snag a copy before I open up orders to the unwashed masses of the world! For those who have already ordered, thank you!, and your packages are packed and ready to go to the post office by this Friday.

Struggle artists of board game design, unite! I had to teach myself something resembling art for Wizardologist. In my case, I was lucky enough to be able to leverage experience with photo editing that I knew some tricks to turn my pixel doodles into something a little more eye-appealing.

Bluesky folks! You get first dibs to grab one of the very few remaining copies of A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated if you missed it at PAX Unplugged. Each copy is just $10, and shipping anywhere in the US is $6. To purchase, send me a DM here! Details follow...

Also, if you're in the central Connecticut area and wanna stop in for tonight's social deduction game night at @backagaincafe.bsky.social in Middletown, I may just have a few copies of A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated on hand...

Though they completely sold out at PAX Unplugged, I have a handful of copies left of A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated that I'll be putting together and making available in the next day or two. And since Bluesky is such a swell bunch of folks, I'll announce it here first!

One of the biggest surprises for me when showing Wizardologist at #PAXU were the amazing compliments on the art. I am not an artist or graphic designer at all. At best, I'm a photographer with some experience working with images and clip art. No AI was used.

Officially sold 102 copies of Wizardologist at PAX Unplugged's Indie Games Night Market. With extra contributions from especially generous gamers, that makes a grand total of $1085 raised for the Trans Youth Emergency Project at @southernequality.bsky.social . Thank you all for supporting TYEP!

I picked up two games at the PAXU Night Market! 😁 Beastro 🐻👩‍🍳 and A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated! 🧙‍♂️🪄 Both the designers were really nice and Nick Ferris is donating all of his sales at the con to the Trans Emergency Fund. 🥺🏳️‍⚧️😭😭😭

Back home but a quick recap: Indie Games Night Market at #PAXU was a wild success, particularly for A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated which sold out all 100 copies I brought! I'm still tallying sales and extra contributions, but look for a follow-up post later today with the grand charity total.

Learn more about A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated on the BGG page. See cards! Skim rules! Then come to the #PAXUnplugged Indie Games Night Market at 7pm tonight to get your copy before they sell out. #IGNM #PAXU

Breakfast at an old favorite before hopping on the train down to Philly and #PAXU. Indie Games Night Market tonight at 7pm! Let's see if I remember how to do a game convention...

Emily is an incredibly talented graphic designer and put this together for IGNM this Saturday night. Please come and buy lots of amazing, unique indie games you may never see again.

Pax Unplugged is right around the corner!! Looking back at all the IGNM coverage—I’m so proud and impressed at how much our community came together to promote these awesome indie works! There’s a game for everyone in this lot! Here’s a thread of all the incredible coverage of IGNM 2025: 🧵 🎲✂️

I'll be releasing a small run of A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated, a 5-minute social deduction game for 3-18 players, at the Indie Games Night Market this Saturday night at PAX Unplugged. 100% of the price of each copy sold will go to the Trans Youth Emergency Project. (1/3) #IGNM #PAXUnplugged

We’re thrilled to share our Special Presentation; Indie Games Night Market Preview! It was a privilege to be part of this & share these games with you all~ youtu.be/HA_u8oxU0kc?... See the games that will be at the IGNM in exactly 1 week at #PAXunplugged! #boardgames #ignm #cardgames #indiegames

I heard we're sharing photos of our assembly lines. Mine is more of a pile, but at least the cards are here and everything is printed! #IGNM #PAXUnplugged #boardgames #AWizardologistMostHexasperated

This is a feed of designers bringing their games to Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged 2025 next week. Right now, it is chock full of folks cutting, printing, boxing, and otherwise willing their games to life.

This is it. This is the singular photo that's going into the high school textbooks in the 21st Century American History chapter.

I'm not just reposting this because I have a game in it (Fright Factor, up for pre-order now @newmilky.bsky.social), but because this is essentially a terrific holiday shopping guide for all of us who are virtually out of shelf space but want to keep buying great games. Sometimes smaller is better!

Post an image from the last episode of Star Trek you watched.

Let's all prove Daniel's wife right and buy some of the new games coming from New Mill... like "Fright Factor"... which would prove *my* wife right that people want to play games I make.

A glowing review for Fright Factor, my upcoming trick-taker, among a tremendous slate of games that'll be popping up for pre-order on the New Mill website in less than half a day. www.newmillindustries.com Also 100% concur that @asmeesh.bsky.social is an S-tier artist!

💯To add to this, if you have a decent-sized playtesting group, try to have a couple of those folks not touch your game at all until way late in development. Eventually those who have played your prototype often become dull to the impact of your minor improvements and can't see the bigger picture.

I am once again asking for you to move to my town and vote for me.

New preorders from New Mill coming on Wednesday, October 1! I'll go into a little detail about one each day for the next 4 days! First up (in alphabetical order) is Fright Factor, by @nickferris.bsky.social with art by @asmeesh.bsky.social

🎲✂️I've just printed a big stack of cards on cardstock. Due to thermodynamics, the printer spits out the paper all curvy. What are some solutions for straightening these quick instead of waiting hours for weight and gravity to work? Assume I have access to a forge or air fryer but NOT a microwave.

My upcoming trick-taker is in excellent company. Look for Fright Factor and more going up for preorder in October from New Mill Industries!

A terrific write-up of the indie game market at PAX West. Lots of detail and photos. Potentially very insightful for folks planning to vend at Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged in November. 🎲✂️

I've been excitedly watching progress from folks vending at the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged 2025, but now I can share some of my own: actual printed cards! They turned out super crisp and colorful, and the stock itself is sturdy and shuffles well. 🎲✂️

"Look! Look! I finally found a strange new world!"

I really enjoy coming back to a shelved game design and taking an axe to all the things I convinced myself needed to be in it. 🎲✂️

Played Maracaibo today. Summary: go in a circle four times, workers aren't really workers, build cards, ignore combat. I took the book burning strategy, apparently.

Here's a small preview of my upcoming super-quick social deduction game, A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated, debuting at the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged 2025! 🎲✂️