NPI does fantastic work! They were a major influence on Unsettling Catan, as I talk about in my latest design diary. #boardgames

The first book in the Tabletop Games series is now available! Start reading "Unsettling Catan" by J. Rey Lee at doi.org/10.3998/mpub...

Hey all, you can read Unsettling Catan: Detached Design in Eurogames free online right now! Stay tuned because instead of my typical monthly blog post, I'll be doing an AMA on BGG in a week or two. #boardgames #NewBook @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social

Unsettling Catan releases on Monday, so I sat down with Danielle from @uofmpress.bsky.social to do a Q&A on the book. (the interview was written, but I was sitting down at the time) #boardgames #catan @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social

Happy Essen Spiel to those who celebrate! 🎉 I won't be there but I love seeing all the posts.

Disappointed but not surprised academia.edu wants to peddle AI slop reviews of my book. Disappointed and very surprised they generated an AI review of a book that’s not out anywhere. The publishers and I have no idea what they based it on. #AcademicSky #AI #writingcommunity (1/5)

So proud of @uofmichigan.bsky.social for investing in Open Access publishing! In a world where "you get what you pay for," we're used to free meaning cheap. But UMP lays out over $27,000* to make a book available to the public. That's putting ideas over profit. You can support their work here:

This is why Dan is good at what he does: when he says "Writing is thinking for me," he means it. Instead of churning out content to fit a formula, he just engages with games and sees where it goes. I tell my students this over and over, so I'm always happy to see someone say it so clearly.

Glad to see the Tabletop Games series at @uofmpress.bsky.social take off with @jreylee.bsky.social's book on Catan. Clear, unambiguous writing on abstraction and gaming with regard to colonial themes.

Took a minute, but I finally cracked triple digits! #boardgames #railroadink @horribleguild.bsky.social

these thoughts have been rattling around in my brain for about a year and i finally had some time to scribble them down. some thoughts on how games might emulate the act of 'doing' history jenyth.com/2025/01/03/h...

Can cultural criticism convince cardboard consumers to challenge colonialism and capitalism in Catan? Find out in my newest design diary. CU there! #boardgames @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social @nopunincluded.com @stonemaiergames.com

Preorders for the Unsettling Catan audiobook are now live! My narration honestly isn't going to knock anyone's socks off, but at least it's human. 🚫🤖🚫 You can listen to the preview for a sneak peek and the rest will release alongside the print and ebook versions in November. #boardgames #catan

Deconstructing the language of boardgaming? The very definition of fun!

🎲 From UMP's exciting new 'Tabletop Games' series, 'Unsettling Catan' traces how Catan sparked the eurogame boom while questioning how its “peaceful” design masks power, conflict, & imperialist themes in play. bit.ly/47Wj6k6 @uofmpress.bsky.social @livunipress.bsky.social

Just finished recording the audiobook for Unsettling Catan 🎤 There was definitely a learning curve but I had fun with it! If editing goes smoothly, this should be released alongside the print and ebook editions in November. #boardgames

Just got my advance copy! Unsettling Catan releases Nov. 4 lookingglance.com/unsettling-catan/ #boardgames @uofmpress.bsky.social

“I, Scientist,” my second post-pandemic Pandemic boardgame reflection is now up at The Looking Glance. I’ve now been at it for half a year, which I believe counts as a decade in non-2025 years! 🎉 #boardgames #standupforscience #pandemic @mattleacock.bsky.social

"If your books were uploaded to LibGen/fed into the LLMs, add your name to the potential class action lawsuit by tomorrow." Details: LibDem database: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a... Attorney form: www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au... (This information comes via a reliable Discord source.)

I also have mixed feelings about the Devir and CGE wins. I’m thrilled these boycotts brought about swift, concrete changes. But activism alone can’t create the future we want. Boycotts are too reactive, fleeting, and pragmatic to change the culture responsible for these situations. 🧵(1/3)

This is so unsubtle that I'd guess they're going to try to call it parody. But parody isn't offensiveness with a joking tone. Parody has an incisive, critical soul. It punches up instead of down. Without doing any of that work, it's just plain offensive. (1/2)

Liz is so easy to talk to! I had a lot of fun and the time flew by! She probably also lulled me into rambling and saying something strange, but them's the breaks. 🤷‍♂️

My 2nd design diary for Unsettling Catan is live on BGG and lookingglance.com. I talk about why and how I chose six more recent eurogames to compare with Catan. Number 4 will shock you! Image credit to @semicoop.bsky.social @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social

When I talk about #boardgames not being immersive, that's relative to media designed for total absorption. This comic just wouldn't work for boardgames. *Panels from a chapter in "The I Wonder Bookstore" by Shinsuke Yoshitake, maybe my fav children's book author (though this one's for grown-ups).

If you love semantic arguments as much as I do, check out my new series on the language of #boardgames! This post kicks things off by looking at what naming and defining "boardgames" says about how we think and treat them. btw, the Captcha is fake so don't bother clicking it.

Check this out if you’re interested in history in #boardgames! I love how deeply Cole digs into Catan, a game sometimes exempted from discussions of historical games because of how hard it tries to be ahistorical. 🧵(1/3)

Thoughts on the Candyland Little Golden Book: 1. It makes the rainbow shortcut a choice instead of pure luck. 2. The characters willfully choose the longer path because it seems more fun. 3. It's fine to choose a suboptimal path for thematic reasons. Kids know what's up. #boardgames 🧵(1/3)

Why would anyone write 150 pages on Catan? If that seems as odd to you as it did to me, check out the first of three design diaries for Unsettling Catan, now available at lookingglance.com and bgg. #boardgames #catan @pbooth81.bsky.social @aarontram.bsky.social @uofmpress.bsky.social

Honestly wasn't expecting "neurodivergent kid makes connections" to be the crux of this story, but I'm there for it. 🚂 #tickettoride #boardgames @adriennekress.bsky.social

I sometimes wonder whether folks who appreciate the tactility of #boardgames are more likely to prefer physical books. Unsettling Catan will be available as a free open access ebook, but if that sounds like you, 50% off is as good a price as you'll likely see: press.umich.edu/Books/U/Unse...

I'm not a designer, but I love to see these issues get more attention, especially the cognitive accessibility issue which I rarely see discussed.

My post-pandemic Pandemic post is now live at lookingglance.com with apologies to @mattleacock.bsky.social "I, Medic" is the first in a new series of role-play reflections. #boardgames

My latest writing on #boardgames is probably unpublishable anywhere, so naturally I started a blog! Check out *The Looking Glance* if you're into oddly personal and philosophical reflections on boardgaming. lookingglance.com 🧵(1/3)

Just came here to post my new project and saw this. Love to see this!

This was my go-to shop for years. Thanks for all the incredible service and all best on your next endeavors.

Feeling unsettled by current events? Want to be unsettled by #boardgames too? Unsettling Catan, the first entry in a new series on Tabletop Games edited by @pbooth81.bsky.social and @aarontram.bsky.social, is releasing Nov. 2025. Link: press.umich.edu/Books/U/Unsettling-Catan 🧵(1/3)

Avoiding hard topics is easy but doesn't necessarily make folks feel safe. If we want everyone to feel truly welcome at the table sometimes we need to actively show we're on their side by putting in the work.

Do #boardgames even matter at a time like this? Well, in addition to being people's livelihood, they can show us a lot about how we got here. Here's an older piece I wrote on my experience of capitalism and unfairness in Catan: Oil Springs.

A truly inspiring video! Really neat that this dropped while I'm working on a piece on non-immersion in boardgames.

I'm most hopeful just after I interact with my students--not because I think this generation is well prepared to solve the unfathomable shitstorm we're handing them, but because I find comfort in people striving to figure out what the best versions of themselves look like.

In one of the more ominous cliffhangers I've seen, Journeys in Middle Earth informed us that the next scenario will test our social skills 😬

So excited for this! Got me reminiscing about the only functional game prototype I ever made: a LOTR Pandemic where Frodo was a shared character players had to escort to Mount Doom while defending Middle Earth from Orcs marching on havens.

I'm not much of a revolutionary, but I'm really sitting with this today. #martinlutherkingday2025

Thanks to @orcacon.bsky.social for creating a welcoming and inclusive con! Played some fun games with some nice folks.

Somewhat skeptical, but 2025 is probably about time to give this social media thing a whirl.