i am so grateful for the attention and support that the solo TTRPG scene has given to The Hourglass Sings. i feel lucky whenever a game finds its audience, but this connection in particular has been a happy surprise. special shoutout to @hime.vtubers.social, whose kind coverage has gone a long way.

Someone in one of my tabletop communities asked how to make her own TTRPGs. I didn't LOVE any of the articles I came across, so I wrote one of my own fueled by stubbornness and Vyvanse. This is the best 101 I can provide on the process of taking an RPG from idea to finished game. Hope it helps.

I have rolled the dice that were in the dicebox and which you were probably saving for saving throws Forgive me they were shiny so neat and unrolled

The No ICE in Minnesota Charity Bundle has officially LAUNCHED! There are 1,439 games to discover for a $10+ donation to Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota! Purchase the bundle here: itch.io/b/3484/no-ic...

Stories that aren't mine (from places I haven't been). A letter with a few feelings about mailing an object I mistook for a friend, the peculiarities of translation, and a bittersweet feeling in a place that's been abandoned. buttondown.com/Kurt/archive...

i'm sitting on a couple panels at a convention this year. i know deep down that i'm Smart & Helpful Guy Who Knows Stuff, but do y'all ever feel like --

See you at Breakout? 👀

never before has a sock puppets post included video. now i am spoiled forever. listen to this perfect bumpo.

As one of the KS rewards for Sock Puppets — a LARP where you make and operate actual puppets — the inimitable @kurtrefling.bsky.social offered the chance for backers to play a game with Herman, the puppet Kurt built to hype the game. So what game did I pick? SOCK PUPPETS.

In an act of radical approachability & mediocre puppetry, I made a quickstart video for Sock Puppets: a TTRPG about puppets and their problems. I made this because I want more games you can just... play. No homework. No tests. I also wanted to make bad, embarrassing jokes. youtu.be/DcAZH6iwcXU

Hey, did we mention we have Desperation back in stock?

So many people do not have a place in their lives where they can play with other people. I mean really be playful. And the capacity is always there, just waiting to be let out.

went to a white elephant gift exchange this weekend where everyone had to bring something hand-made. nobody said i *wasn't* allowed to bring watercolour gnomes, so obviously that's what i did.

In February, I ran a $10,000 TTRPG Kickstarter for one of my games. My take-home for the year will be $1,500. Here's the full financial breakdown. Footnotes in replies. 🧵 (If you'd like to read this as a post instead of images, feel free to click through here: www.reddit.com/r/RPGdesign/... )

Looks like it's official! System Matters is publishing a German version of Sock Puppets. I was delighted to discover that the German translation of Sock Puppets is "Sockenpuppen"... which is just adorable.

i don't usually post about my weekly indie TTRPG livestream, but this session featured a well dug into the sky... and someone drew it. thanks to friend of the show sierra for this bizarre, delightful gift. and thanks to nick wedig for Florilegium, a TTRPG about magic. nickwedig.itch.io/florilegium

sock puppets in this cool indie game store's new inventory picture is looking like

Can't overstate this! It feels wonderful to know that someone had a good time with your game. It's not just that they appreciate your work. Someone's day, maybe a day with their friends, got better because of something you put into the world. It's a special feeling.

I wrote an article about how to manage your art in the event of your death, for tabletop RPG designers. Sharing here as screenshots with alt text. Or, follow the link below: www.reddit.com/r/RPGdesign/...

I celebrated the fifth anniversary of my first published game with a crossword puzzle. If I was a more sane person, that sentence would mean "I had a bubble bath and did a crossword puzzle in the tub." But no. I made one. Which, it turns out, is wildly difficult. You can play it or read more here.

I'm gonna be a tease about this one.

You can get HOME from IPR, but I'd also highly recommend: Curios by @smolghost.bsky.social (a really cool investigation game that's a literal envelope full of evidence!) & The Hourglass Sings by @kurtrefling.bsky.social (GMless worldbuilding inspired by Zelda!)

6/17 Sock Puppets and friends!

This week at #RPGNightUtrecht we played Sock Puppets by @kurtrefling.bsky.social . What a unique joy it was! And a shining example of how you don't need mechanics when players know exactly what to do.

[Heated arbitration with the fetus union.] And why do you work on the nose in week 8? Don't sniff around in there. It's not OSHA-compliant. You know what else gets made in that cavity. Use week 8 for something useful; develop empathy. [An aide whispers in my ear.] WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT'S YEAR 8.

i hope there's a D&D guy out there who thinks it's spelled "fivey".

I got to play @kurtrefling.bsky.social’s Sock Puppets today and decided it wasn’t enough to make a puppet, I had to also dress like a children’s show puppeteer

Moonshot filmed a playthrough of my Sock Puppets TTRPG. All 4 players made their puppets in advance and didn't show each other until they were live. Please witness the exact moment Andrew wheeled in "Dr. Bean." The whole stream is SO funny. See it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGIJ...

So exciting!!! I'm sad I'll miss this live* but I'm psyched to watch the VOD. I'm told the puppets are 🧑‍🍳💋.

Last summer, a neighbour posted lots of vegetable juice on the local Buy Nothing group: a space for folks to lend or donate things they don't need anymore. I raised my hand -- far be it for a me to turn down free vegetables -- and walked over to the neighbour's address. (1/8)

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Sam's podcast (Afterimage) is the best attempt to capture the feeling of tabletop play ever made. Sam has shared, with my permission, a pretty rabid take from me on actual play in the thread. I'll take space here to ground and elaborate. (1/6)

We're continuing on with The Hourglass Sings by @kurtrefling.bsky.social tonight! www.twitch.tv/himeutsugi #vtuber #vsky #solorpg #solottrpg

IPR is bringing Sock Puppets and all its friends to Origins this year, so here's some glamour shots of my little TTRPGs. Vibes: Avenue Q, Majora's Mask, Lassie. (I know marketing is like 80% bragging, but you might wanna stop by early! Sock Puppets sold out at UKGE, to my delight and surprise.)

i'm still really proud of how the silhouettes of the volcano, title text and characters echo each other

I've released 15 TTRPGs. Most of them have terrible names. Here's what I did wrong, so you don't make the same mistake. Linking as a blog post, but also pasting as images in case you really hate clicking off-site (continued in thread). www.reddit.com/r/RPGdesign/...

if moonshot hits 1k on their weekend streamathon, they'll play sock puppets but here's the catch: it's also for a good cause 🏳️‍⚧️

hime played for 3 hours, drew 6 cards and almost cried. you may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.

i ran Sock Puppets at a convention this weekend -- a game about puppeteers being selfish and weird on a failing children's tv show. one of the puppeteers has a weird kink; their player gets to choose what the kink is. she chose puppets. we were horrified. it was incredible.

if you like solo actual plays, you can tune in tonight at 9pm eastern to see himeutsugi play through The Hourglass Sings!

my TTRPG streaming group is exceedingly distractible. we go on tangents, we tell out-of-game anecdotes. someday we'll get a heckler who hits us with "it's not an ACTUAL PLAY if you don't ACTUALLY PLAY" and they'll be so right and i'll give them a little crown that says "biggie roasts" on it.

It's the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, so I made my TTRPG tribute free for the next 3 days (when the moon falls). There are 5 full-page works of pixel art that I did by hand, and over 150 unique prompts. Labour of love from me. a-smouldering-lighthouse.itch.io/hourglass

Introduce yourself with your top 5 #TTRPG picks! ❧ Wanderhome ❧ i'm sorry did you say street magic ❧ For the Queen ❧ Legend of Aesthetic ❧ Fall of Magic

turned to my partner this morning. said, "cool beat." nodded towards a tapping: tip tip tip tip tip tip tip tip TIKKAtip tip tip tip tip tip tip tip TIKKAtip. we both groove for a second. anyway the upstairs neighbour left his sink on so now i'm replacing my bathroom ceiling.

a coworker asked me how you win a tabletop RPG. so i confessed. the jig is up, gang. now everyone knows there's no winner; we're just giving other grown-ups social permission to imagine stuff.

if i'm tagged in people's puppet posts for the rest of time, i won't get tired of it. please click through and see this fabulous puppet, oh my god.

i always love to see pictures of my games in-play, but @deepdark.games is doing more for my marketing with that cackle than any blurb could ever do.

something they don't tell you about TTRPG conventions is that they get better every year. acquaintances become friends; friends introduce you to new friends. very grateful for all the darlings i saw at @breakoutcon.bsky.social this year, and the new folks i was delighted to meet for the first time.

Amazing and restorative time seeing friends at Breakout, made some killer zine trades and played with some great people! Already taking notes for Breakout Bites 2026

Just put together a little zine with my Toronto food recommendations and a map of my favourite bookstores. If you're going to @breakoutcon.bsky.social this weekend say hi and I'll give you a copy! stockpotpress.itch.io/breakout-bit...

jason morningstar is one of the most clever, consistent, prolific designers in the TTRPG scene. i am so excited for zhenya's wonder tales, which is a dark, lush game with years of careful development and stunning card art. go go go seeeee www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...