There’s an Arabic version of “every cloud has a silver lining” that translates to “no cows, no feeding them at dawn.” A Scots version is “today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky.” And a Romanian phrase for looking on the bright side is un șut în fund, un pas înainte, or “a kick in the ass, a step forward”

Just had the tidal equivalent of Unwrapped, and my tidal for 2025 was solely “stuff we played when DJing at the club night.” What do we play? Well…

Samuel L Jackson is 77. This is wonderfully in-depth interview conducted by @bilgeebiri.bsky.social Jackson is insight as usual on the technical aspects of acting but as you can see below, he’s just damned entertaining & straight-talking: www.vulture.com/article/samu...

Worked hard to get this into Guardian Oz & big props to @fiercemum.bsky.social for setting it up & Melissa Davey for publishing it. She will doubtless get loads of hassle from transphobes for it, but it needs to be out there. Puberty Blocker bans harm trans kids, no-one should pretend they don’t.

I'd missed this until the indie RPG newsletter linked to it - Cannibal Halfling writes on the OSR onion structure and compares and contrasts how you can view Burning Wheel and DIE RPG's structure tweaking the layers, both putting character at the centre. Er... that's not the best paraphrase.

Ok, final call for any pre-Christmas orders of Darkened Hill & Dale, TERMINUS, etc. on my web shop! Order by 6pm today (Sunday) and I'll post it tomorrow morning – otherwise it won't dispatch until after Christmas. Choose Tracked 24 postage for pre-Christmas UK delivery! shop.patchworkfez.games

Lots to think about here, not least poor rasmus‘ first rpg being DIE RPG.

Two days left on this Forged in the Dark sale bundle! bundleofholding.com/presents/For...

There is nothing more festive than being hunted by robots, I say! And it is with that sentiment in mind that I bring you Sir, You Are Being Hunted, beloved and seminal stealth and survival game from Big Robot, a gift of 40% off. Cheers!

I smile that the majority of reposts of this reference painting Warhammer minis. I suspect anyone who’s ever painted Warhammer minis can see why the reconstructions of statues paint is likely flawed. I admit, I’d love to see modern mini painters given old paints and set to work on them.

Cheeky GW copyright infringement is a fine medium in which to work - I have done much of it myself - and I believe Erika is making some of the greatest Space Marine pisstakes currently available

On at Watershed Bristol today and tomorrow.

I think my favorite internet of the year was when someone took this seriously. Never change, internet.* *do change, you’ll be the death of us all.

Forged in the Dark innovators thread! Who's doing cool new stuff with the FitD model? (promote your own or someone else's). I'll start: Slugblaster, by @wilkiescandylab.com is a smart hack of the core systems, tweaked in just the right way to fit the more light-hearted adventure style of the game.

Wrestlings mini Rumbleslam's Christmas Exclusives are quite the thing. Check out thegingerbread man and the - really - "Gainzdeer". ttcombat.com/collections/...

@casparw.bsky.social and @kierongillen.bsky.social with another banger in “The Power Fantasy” No. 14. The art, dialogue, and conversation about power is never lacking.

The #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go I guess it's the year when I make out with my mum :(

Apocalypse World is profoundly important work. It has shaped the landscape of roleplaying games for over a decade, and with this third edition, I'm sure it'll continue to shape it for a decade more. Clever, gripping, and human. There's still a few hours to snag your kickstarter copy!

Free Planet's a big swing; an effort to create something rich & complex with literary aspirations. That's why it's so very gratifying to receive such generous praise from Pulitzer Prize-winning author @attackerman.bsky.social. Free Planet Vol 1 available NOW. www.forever-wars.com/the-first-tr...

This week's Three Themes episode of Off Panel seemed to have struck a nerve (in a good way!), so I wanted to reshare it, as my guests brought some fascinating themes to the table which led to some great discussion. Plus: It's fun!

And the chat is now live! discord.com/channels/336...

Ed Brubaker on the latest criminal special and everything else is fun, charting to @alexsegura.bsky.social crimereads.com/ed-brubaker-...

Us three will be on the RRD Discord chatting later today! Come say hello, and see our faces.

Matt Reads Comics has done conversations on every issue of TPF. They're normally RIGHT before a new issue, so this is 13, and all about a lovely chat between friends. mattreadscomics.com/2025/12/16/t...

A gentle reminder if you've received an invoice from a Freelancer/Self employed person which is due before Christmas. Be a love, and pay it today.

We spoke to a dozen professional concept artists who are currently or have previously worked in game development about whether generative AI image tools have made their jobs any easier. Zero said it did. Most said it made things harder. thisweekinvideogames.com/feature/conc...

This is well worth reading, and not too late to buy for someone you love this Christmas (including yourself.)

@kierongillen.bsky.social writes briefly about my favorite, most unplayable, still-obsessed-with-every-theme-in-it, technically-my-first-professional-writing-credit-was-for TTRPG, In Nomine. I cosign Kieron's statement: "I ran it poorly, however. The game just runs poorly." it sure does

Hey, new announcement for DIE RPG. Next year, @rowanrookanddecard.bsky.social will be crowdfunding DIE RPG: THE METADUNGEON - a huge dungeon where each level is explicitly about a different period of RPG history. @mytholder.bsky.social has gone berserk. Sign up! www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...

I'm a little disturbed by the lack of balance in the licenced the Clash TTRPG. I've been looking at the pre-generated characters, and if my math is correct, one of them incapable of not succeeding in ANY skill check. Rudie can't fail.

Seems like a lot of people have got this in Spam - I'll talk to ButtonDown about it, but the best guess is that I used the word "Dobber" in the subject line. That seems worryingly likely.

And @fluxblog.bsky.social on some of his favourite things of the year, including The Power Fantasy (the Power Fantasy not pictured).

Lovely to turn up in Sktchd's list of Creators of 2025, among fine and glorious folks. sktchd.com/column/the-s...

I've had a good read of this now, and although it’s clearly not aimed at us I do have some thoughts on it. Buckle up, lads!

This was announced last night. It’s pretty wild. Nose!

Hey - folks should check their spam filters on this. I've had a report of it being in spam, and Opens do seem to be lower than normal.

"And Tiny Tim, who did not die" = heartwarming, Christmassy. "And Tiny Tim, who would not die" = sinister, alarming.

From being unable to program the VCR to the VCR reprogramming you.

Hey, new announcement for DIE RPG. Next year, @rowanrookanddecard.bsky.social will be crowdfunding DIE RPG: THE METADUNGEON - a huge dungeon where each level is explicitly about a different period of RPG history. @mytholder.bsky.social has gone berserk. Sign up! www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...

THE POWER FANTASY #14. we are your new gods, now and forever, wait, I’ve got the wrong script. imagecomics.com/comics/relea...

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.

This week's newsletter! The Power Fantasy #14 and DIE: Loaded #2 are out! The DIE RPG: Metadungeon is announced! Script club news! Questions and answers! Rambling, as per usual! @imagecomics.com #comics

More on this in my newsletter, coming shortly.

DIE: Loaded #2 offers readers a visually striking meditation on art and the people who make it. It also strongly implies Stephanie Hans is an art goddess, and who am I to disagree? @imagecomics.com @kierongillen.bsky.social comic-watch.com/comic-book-r...

Happy The Power Fantasy #14 and DIE: Loaded #2 day!

Happy The Power Fantasy #14 and DIE: Loaded #2 day!

“Aw, mate. Don’t be a dobber. I don’t wanna cut you from crotch to neck, mate”

While parenthood has expanded my range of ttrpg voices, I’m now left pondering whether using Bluey’s dad as my villain will fly.

To give you an idea how old I think I am, I bought a standard sized box of 5000 staples, and firmly believe I will die before using them all.

The most essential part of prep for an in-person TTRPG is "hoping there's enough ink in the printer."