And with this, I am sold out of physical copies of The Portal at Hill House. Apparently traffic was driven by YouTube but unsure where. Grateful for sure. Being said, The Portal Beyond Hill House is the next game. Spouse and I are passively working on it already. January-ish maybe? #TTRPG

Zine-ing

I am so excited about the next TTRPG coming out of this. It’s a love letter to thrash music and monster movies. More to come.

Unsure as to why I have had so many orders of the Portal at Hill House recently. Like I've had a half dozen this week alone, which is more than I usually receive in a month. No complaints, mind you. Being said, I only have 10 more in stock. You can grab one here. #TTRPG #cosmichorror

I am in the final push of dissertation writing. Come with me as I spend Thursday-Sunday feverishly converting 32 pages of transcript quotes into an interpretative phenomenological narrative for chapter 4. Thursday’s progress: 6.5 pages of quotes -> 13 pages of text Current page count: 143 #PhD

As the state of social media looks like it’s continuing to disintegrate, I’m grateful for all the micro, parasocial interactions on this app, friends.

Lots of frustrating, very expensive home ownership news today, on top of trying to stay afloat in my job, applying for future positions, on top of staying up late meeting deadlines for dissertation. Definitely am feeling immensely overwhelmed, beaten down, and that I can't take time to feel things.

I hit 127 pages on my dissertation today, so I celebrated my finishing up the first two zines of my zine club, where I actually print, fold, cut, and mail two one-page zines to you a month. Excited to finish up the page to sign up.

CHEERS TO A DROP WEEKEND! They're not all solo games, either. New in the shop: @travisdhill.bsky.social duet Astronomical 🪐 Introspective and personal. Congratulations, you’ve got a pen pal on another planet! Exchange missives across the vastness of space and ponder how and why we form relationships

I think I have nailed down my first two #zines. First is A Cat, Adrift is a solo journalling #TTRPG about an outdoor cat exploring memories and finding its way back "home." Second is a zine about belief, cats, and temptation as vignettes into who we are. Will release more info & links in a week.

I love this little game

Excited to make things! Am I ignoring my dissertation writing? Nope, not one bit. #zines #TTRPG

Been getting a bunch of spam texts recently. But this one didn’t really need to call me out like this.

#Zines about time, birds, and a revolution on the docket to be sent out to @junkfoodgames.bsky.social

Throwing this out into the Bluesky-sphere. Is there interest in a monthly small-form #TTRPG #zine? Like, old school 1 sheet of paper folded into 8 panels? I usually like giving things away, but considering I'd design, print, and fold each one, what would be a reasonable price? And where? Patreon?

And finally - some hardcopies of some @travisdhill.bsky.social games I've had digitally, plus Ella Lim's game which is DEFINITELY NOT Ken Lowery's game of a similar name, and a post-human post-apocalyptic adventure with a spice blend of interesting and talented contributors.

“To create a better world, we must first imagine her into being.” — Tessa Hicks Peterson Three weeks ago, I invited collaborators to imagine a place where problems get addressed through care rather than competition. 🧵

Up really early, not sleeping well. Could it be the intersection between dissertation writing, academic job search, and the state of the world? 🤷 Might as well see if I can finish up Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice.

Got a message on BGG earlier today about a possible trade. Later, they also shared this, and it so warmed my heart. It doesn't take much to be nice to people. Little does this person know the only thing standing between me and the folder of unfinished cube rails designs is a dissertation.

Feel like I already largely fit into this categorization. But it never hurts to read more. Thanks @gregisonthego.bsky.social 🎲✂️

Absolutely designing directly into layout. Forgot about hyperlinks and anchors. Maybe it's a cyberpunk choose your own adventure RPG of sorts? We'll see.

@bleakhousing.bsky.social Finally getting around to reading Enter the Peerless and what a trip these first 170 pages have been.

In celebration of Solo September, four of the my favorite solo games are on sale the whole month! itch.io/s/159599/sol...

On the YouTube, there’s this 10-hour video of Kiki asleep in the train car. It has some light piano music and train railway sounds and has been the most wonderfully soothing thing to have in the background.

Sorry for the late night dissertation talk, but I'm away at a hotel for the weekend, you know, writing. Why am I doing a qualitative study? Like, I haven't even written up my findings (nor complete data analysis yet), and this thing is already 89 pages. Y'all. How can I have this much to say?

One of my favorites, full of anger and spite, fresh into the pandemic, navigating civil unrest and solitude.

An introspective duet - one player embodies the House, the other, the Family. Follow their experiences - Events, Environments, and Emotions - as they move through time. Includes rules for solo play!

There might be a sequel in the works for this one. Some day maybe another 9 months or so.

Entertain yourself during your next video meeting by becoming a wizard (perhaps you do this already). This handy notepad charges spells using the actions of your illustrious peers. Your coworkers aren't wizards (they're marketing folks and analysts and stuff) and they simply wouldn't understand

BACK IN THE SHOP: games from @travisdhill.bsky.social - a little of everything! Solo + multiplayer. Weird worlds and wizard memos, contemplative anthologies, contemplative exercises, duets in which someone is a house. Play for a fun adventure or to understand yourself - and one another - better 🧵

I'm a sucker for notes/notetaking. I've been looking into @obsidian.md, been reading up on it, and watching a fair amount of reviews. It feels a bit overwhelming, but maybe not too much(?). Does anyone have experience with it?

I love this little one.

Gathering writers (and illustrators if you wanna play!) Looking for 11 more creators to build a travel guide to a place that doesn't exist. A little Lonely Planet, a little People’s History, a little #prefigurative world-building = a co-created travel guide to a #hopepunk metropolis. [...]

Fewer things make me as happy as seeing a Press Pot Games package in the mail! @travisdhill.bsky.social #TrainGame

Been staring at a computer all weekend? Week? Month? Between job searching and dissertation data analysis and writing, my eyes are tired. Regardless, tonight’s venture in cover letter writing has been supported by mainlining the same three Paramore songs on repeat. Oh and that new NIN song.

Got a box from @travisdhill.bsky.social and I almost don't wanna open it cause this is the most pleasingly shaped shipping box I've gotten in a long time

Put yourself out there, friends. It's worth it. #poetry

Thanks friend! So proud of this one. My spouse and I have started ideating on the follow-up actually.

Oh a box of train games just showed up at my house! #CCMF

I know I’ll have my Ph.D. in like 4-5 months, but maybe I should just hold off and grab a user plus subscription?

Bridge of Khazad-dûm Lego book nook is so satisfying to build!

Today is my birthday! 🥳 What is your favorite small way of celebrating something? Is it a tradition or does it hold any meaningful significance?

Update. My application to attend the Lone Star Zine Fest wasn’t approved. :( I was super excited to attend an in-person zine event, but it looks like this one isn’t happening. Oh well!

Divest your game collections of problematic publishers and designers. I still got a lot of work to do in mine, but no game’s enjoyment is worth more than someone’s sentiment of feeling safe, valued, or seen.

"We know the Harry Potter franchise funds trans hate and persecution around the world. We don't care. Also, please don't say anything mean about us."

What do you do to take care of yourself when you are overwhelmed by the suffering and hate you read about, the g*nocide you continue to see videos of, and the seemingly complete lack of ability you have in shifting the world? Draw? Color? Ignore? Dig in? Wall out? Write? Scream? Sing?

After 57 solo plays, I have completed all 18 chapters (including the lovely Chapter 16 1/2) of the FOTR: Trick Taking Game. Some I repeated for fun, others not. This was exactly what I needed over these last 6 months. What a marvelously fun puzzle of a game. Now to wait for the next installment!

Card Rails Exchange is now available for preorder if you want to snag a copy. This will be up for a few weeks, hoping to ship in mid-late August. Thanks all for sharing. www.presspot.games/store/p/card...

What is a thing (be it a place, situation, media, or something else) that slows you down and gives you a feeling of wonder? Of escape?

Big headphones on, spinning this masterpiece, being washed over with hope and courage and joy and nostalgia.