Let's just start a ubiquitous post of sad, depressing realism of the toll our current state of affairs is taking on a hobby of supposed escapism: board gaming. @wisewizardgames.bsky.social announces a reduction in workforce: www.wisewizardgames.com/wise-wizard-...

Two excellent defensive plays by the Blue Jays.

Games. Literature. Music. Film. I mean, if you know me from 20 years of freelance writing for web and magazines, you know words like "indie," "underground", "self-published/released/DIY" are ethos. If you jam Econo, I jam with you. But you should go to Space Biff first, especially for long form.

Twilight Override is better than any Wilco album in the last 20 years. And it makes me irrationally upset. Tweedy, this is magic & why aren't you making it with Wilco? Some great songs here & there w/ that wonderful band but not a complete album like this. TO is 30(!) completely wonderful gems.

These echo my thoughts after playing twice at Gen Con. I like plenty of Jamey/SM designs & Vantage is a giant step up in the storytelling decision space, but it's still missing finality. Maybe it's just my instructional designer's mind at work. But this game should now be the iterative step forward.

Columbus Day, the holiday invented for all the men who couldn't read a map and refused to ask for directions.

Honor's End from IV Studios feels incomplete, as if they had a solid idea & because of the tariffs incurred getting Brink to the U.S (w/ Realm of Reckoning already planned), they decided to rush this to market to offset costs for relief. Not the first publisher to use this tactic nor is it wrong.

Good morning @mirrorindy.org @indianacapitalchronicle.com Long time, first time. Have you thought about covering the possible impacts of a Nexstar/TEGNA merger on Indy media vis-à-vis the whole Jimmy Kimmel fiasco? I've included my words on it here, but it should come from better minds than mine.

As a more than casual Mariners fan, I've been conditioned that it's going to fall apart in the post season. However, hot damn Cal. Great job J.P. I see you Julio. Can't spell Bryan Woo without the letter K (it's silent & invisible). It's been a fun regular season & hope they stay finishing strong.

Whoever is writing the script for the NFL this week needs to submit for Emmy consideration.

I want to use Pablo Torre as an example of how skepticism is askew in this nation. A true journalist who is SHOWING HIS WORK, and yet people in his profession who should accept that paper trail won't either out of a) jealousy or bias, b) fear, or c) fealty. It speaks to America's climate as a whole.

What &nbsp is doing with Cross Bronx Expressway & turning historical @gmtgames.bsky.social canon on its ear, is excellent. This podcast as one last punctuation before CBX hits mailboxes (mine included) & shelves is something straight out of Snap Judgment. Hope he stays in this space & invades others

Schrodinger's Fascism

The first modern prestige show wasn't born on HBO, wasn't forged by David Milch, wasn't a cop show, etc. It was Roc in the raw days of Fox, and it's a shame Charles Dutton and that ensemble cast doesn't get its flowers.

Beastie Boys - "So Whatcha Want" That mfer scratch edit is immense, and is more impactful than the actual word.

Let's talk the whimper of the Blood Rage: Valhalla launch. It's clear Tycoon, in an effort to recoup what they paid to get the rights for Blood Rage from CMON, just took what CMON gave them & put it on Gamefound nearly as-is. $600k raised in 48 hrs is expected, but Tycoon gonna Tycoon.

Beyond TERF propaganda, Boyne's a hack w/ numerous accounts of inaccuracies that riddle his previous work & should discredit him ad infinitum. How can the Polari can continue after this-- their credibility is in tatters. Unfortunately, plenty of outlets will continue to platform Boyne's vitriol.

A Place for All My Book from @smirkanddagger.bsky.social may be one of my favorite solo puzzle games. The apparatus of having cards from Penelope's Rival deck shuffled back based on the little projects you complete makes when you complete them matter.

A week removed from Gen Con & I want to thank all the publishers who meet w/ me & appreciate that I ask tough questions. I ask fun questions too, but that they also entertain those tough questions & trust me with their answers, because they always strive to be honest and truthful.

Hot damn, a DNT email comes from the ether into the inbox. Some Tynan lo-fi drone to celebrate 20 years of DNT via his Sir Tad nom de guerre. It's been a dusty minute, but I've taken my Benadryl. sirtad.bandcamp.com/album/genera...

Day 3 of #gencon2025 was much like the other two, but my review began taking shape. And I remembered how appreciative I am of the people who come to my state for this event, and the publishers, designers, artists, and creators who pour themselves into this.

Day 2 of #GenCon2025 I would love to amp you up abt more awesome games & not get political, but the job numbers & the market & labor stat fallout all correlate to fewer games, increased costs to you & publishers, & many games stuck overseas & Asian & EU games not being localized.

Going to try to deliver some onsite #GenCon2025 reporting, starting by immersing myself in the experience of the Running of the Nerds for the first time in long while. When in Pamplona, one must run with the bulls...

Before Gen Con, here's a primer on things I know, things I don't, & what I'm looking forward to ft. @chiptheorygames.bsky.social @stonemaiergames.com @kidstablebg.bsky.social ‬@25thcentury.games @thamesandkosmos.bsky.social @direwolfdigital.bsky.social @devirgames.bsky.social @playpunk.bsky.social

Not quite as awesome as 101 Notes on Jazz when it comes to pseudo library music, but my curiosity is piqued. fredarmisen.bandcamp.com/album/100-so...

The amount of crazy LP announcements recently: M. Sage Steve Gunn Orcutt/Shelley/Miller Mendoza/Fluke-Mogul/Perez Jens Kuross

I don't think, if I were to rate Captain Beefheart albums, that I would put Trout Mask Replica in my Top 3. Because it broke ground doesn't mean he stopped doing that, even on something as "benign" as The Spotlight Kid.

Three albums you should definitely buy today on Bandcamp: Chris Brokaw - Ghost Ship (12XU) Hiromi - Out There (Concord Jazz) Living Dream - Absolute Devotion (Inscrutable Records)

The new hit in the household is Diatoms from @25thcentury.games -- the 9 yo who loves cozy spatial games (like Junk Drawer, Evergreen, & Intarsia) keeps wanting to play. I'll have compliments in an upcoming CGI issue.

What would lasting tariffs mean to US-based board game production? That's something I'm exploring, but off the top of my head: more card driven games (there are US based card manufacturers). Less plastic, wood, minis, complex inserts. Fewer publishers and far fewer games.

If you've read any of my board games biz via CGI or (once upon a time) @polygon.com, many of these people the incomparable WEM (@boardgamegeek.com) reached out to are sources I mine because they cut to the quick. So, heed their tariff warnings: boardgamegeek.com/blog/1/blogp...

Do you think this will be enough? I drink plenty but I also wash my face a lot. Should get me through the week.

Wilco has constrained a bit of Nels Cline's magic the last decade or so (at least on records). There's restraint but certainly no constraints on his Consentrik Quartet album on Blue Note. Some great melodic free-ish jazz.

Has any hypothesized that Elden Ring is just a sequel to NES classic, Faxanadu?

Just so Board Gaming Bluesky knows, publishers are announcing MSRP increases due to tariffs. An expensive hobby is about to get more so. Don't blame them, some of you all voted for this.

Monday Morning Listening: Oblique Occasions - TRUST obliqueoccasions.bandcamp.com/album/trust

Nothing like listening to the upcoming Tim Hecker release in the morning of our dystopic present.

In another lifetime I used to write about these things called albums....

The live dark wave soundtrack performance during the FIDE Blitz Chess Championship is intense. They need more live music during these tense chess Championship matches moving forward.

I wish @intlanthem.bsky.social had a yearly vinyl sub. Forget Pokemon, gotta catch all them Intl Anthem recs.

This newly posted video of Maylee Todd from @bestshow4life.bsky.social is straight up getting me through a tough start to a gloomy Wednesday www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoaI...

Unpopular music opinion about 30+ year old albums: Tiny Music....Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop > Purple

How about not saving industry? The labels, rights holders, & Ticketmaster have stranglehold & aren't going to properly pay artists or foster grassroots growth. Platforms aren't the problem, the industry is. But out of touch musicians don't know better. societyofrock.com/yes-keyboard...

Are you needing some idea for games to play w/ family & friends during the long holiday weekend? CGI has you covered with some rapid reviews of Intarsia, River Valley Glassworks, Agent Avenue, and Neon Reign: casualgamerevolution.com/blog/2024/11...

What I wouldn't give for a retrospective reissue of Joe Henry LPs from the 90s and early 00s. Specifically Trampoline through Tiny Voices. I know the late 00s and 10s are getting that treatment but keep going back.

Y'all should study up on the July Revolution. Because we're about to live in the lead up to it, and we best be ready to do what's right and just when history calls upon us to free ourselves from billionaire techocrats.

"An uninterested slacker who cares for nothing" This from a HS art teacher who became my nemesis. I was disinterested for a lot of reasons (coping w/ anxiety, him being a terrible teacher) but the verbal sparing we had for years became legendary among my peers (and other teachers).

If I challenge Linda McMahon to a steel cage match & win, can I become the new Secretary of Education?

Chad Kassem > Casey Kasem

River Valley Glassworks is an Azul neutralizer. However, I reserve the right to eat my own words if Azul Duel is any good.