Mikel L. Matthews Jr.'s Avatar

Mikel L. Matthews Jr.

@improvgm

Improvisor, actor, director, GM, stand up https://linktr.ee/mikelmatthewsjr Start Playing GM: https://startplaying.games/gm/improvgm

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26.06.2023
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Latest posts by Mikel L. Matthews Jr. @improvgm

11.03.2026 03:08 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
An open letter to Grammarly and other plagiarists, thieves and slop merchants To everyone at Grammarly, I am writing a book right now, a really challenging endeavor that no doubt someone in Silicon Valley will think it’s fine to steal the day it’s published. I’ve been a profes...

I finally lost my shit about so-called AIs, LLMs, enshittification & everything fucking evil that @officialgrammarly.bsky.social is doing. I'm fucking furious, and not just about what 1 company has done. An open letter to Grammarly & the rest of the LLM hype machine www.moryan.com/an-open-lett...

11.03.2026 01:44 πŸ‘ 652 πŸ” 244 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 31

Mo off the top rope

11.03.2026 01:51 πŸ‘ 113 πŸ” 49 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 2
Preview
Public Access - Aberration with Jason Cordova Episode Notes For our Season 2 premiere, the Reanimators meet with Jason Cordova to discuss the analog horror TTRPG Public Access! We discuss the inspiration and design elements poured into the game,...

I recently appeared on a podcast called RPG Reanimators to discuss Public Access. This was a fascinating discussion because the panel of hosts are largely Call of Cthulhu players. Their questions were quite deep and thoughtful. Listen wherever you get podcasts or here: pnc.st/s/rpg-reanim...

11.03.2026 01:13 πŸ‘ 18 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

worth remembering, David Lynch directed β€œfix your hearts or die” specifically at transphobes. it wasn’t a generic β€œno mean people allowed” statement, it was said by his Twin Peaks character in defense of a trans woman he cared for and deeply respected.

10.03.2026 15:40 πŸ‘ 8443 πŸ” 3529 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0

I've found that when you call it magic, they get really offended.

I love it.

10.03.2026 21:41 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
My FIREFLY books just got banned in Alberta Yesterday the CBC reported that school divisions in Alberta, Canada, just banned 160 books, including two volumes of the FIREFLY series I wrote for BOOM. Here's a quote from Alberta Education Minister...

some news

gregpak.com/my-firefly-b...

10.03.2026 16:06 πŸ‘ 183 πŸ” 65 πŸ’¬ 10 πŸ“Œ 3

I adore these short, contained experiences that want to communicate a specific story to the player. It's not bogged down with things to keep you playing. It's pure, has heart. It hits you in a place that only interactive media can

I'm glad I spent the 70 minutes with it. You should, too

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

He might consider it, as I did, but he wasn't going to pull that trigger and it felt like if I told the game that, it'd break something.

But it didn't need to break that moment. I considered it. I thought it was possible. And I decided. No.

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

just knowing I could have grabbed some objects that could be weapons..... that I could have maybe used the shotgun.... felt like enough.

This person I was playing wouldn't do that.

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

But, as I played, goddamn it....I felt something.

It felt like I had opportunities to consider taking out the very nice mobster who was trying to talk me out of my decision.

Not take him out, really. But to consider it.

I'm sure the game would have given me some feedback but...

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

The things not said, because you're made aware of them, hang over you in a way that's extremely difficult in improvised media such as ttrpgs.

The clunkiness of the cooking at the end took me out of the game a bit. It's an interesting idea that fights against the simplicity of the rest of the game

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I think it's an interesting difference between scripted, interactive scripted and improvised media

I cried during the game. There are even greyed out things you could say (I don't think they would be options if I'd chosen differntly. They feel like his regrets) that, bc they're visible...are real

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 16 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

In a scripted piece, there's a possibility of those coming back later on. In an interactive scripted piece, there's the knowledge that you're denying your own culpability. It changes the experience for you because you saw what you could have admitted to.

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

There are a few times where you're able to deflect responsibility from yourself in the dialogue options. As an improvisor, I leaned heavily into "this is my fault" because, as an improvisor, if you decide to play coy and hide thing.... unless they're REALLY obvious, those moments are lost.

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I cried during it. Thought it was really powerful, even if the ending allowed for some mechanical confusion that meant it didn't quite hit as hard as what I felt before hand. Still....well worth the play.

As an improvisor and GM, there's some interesting moments.

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Thread:

Just played Adios, by Doc Buford. A really short, beautiful game about a pig farmer who's been letting the mob use his pigs to dispose of bodies for quite awhile. You've decided you don't want to do it anymore.

@docseuss.bsky.social

10.03.2026 04:03 πŸ‘ 30 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

Agreed

09.03.2026 16:19 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Sentinel Comics does teamwork and support better than any supers game I’ve found. Shame it has almost no support for non combat stuff

09.03.2026 16:17 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Ars Magica S2E7: Demon Hunting
7pm Central 3/8/2026

In order to find the Grass Crown, the Magi need to join the Cult of Mythras which means killing a demon to please the long dead priest guarding the artifact.

twitch.tv/improvgm

08.03.2026 23:45 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It's one I mean to play more often. It's such a fascinating game and the stories you're left with are pretty unique in CCGs.

08.03.2026 02:50 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I didn't realize how many Dreamcard sets they made.

08.03.2026 02:48 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Nice!
I haven't delved into those yet but I soloed with one of the DC sets that had Northern Wastes but didn't see those on the map. (I didn't scroll up)

08.03.2026 02:39 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Were these the sets you said were using AI or were they other ones?

08.03.2026 02:35 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Start playing MECCG

I've been using this site:
meccg.herokuapp.com#/play

It makes finding stuff so much easier.

08.03.2026 02:35 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Middle Earth: the wizards CCG Challenege Decks and a Neoprene map of middle earth for it

Middle Earth: the wizards CCG Challenege Decks and a Neoprene map of middle earth for it

I also go a custom map in neoprene (?) that I wish I’d gotten a little bigger

08.03.2026 02:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

We're doing The Darkening of Mirkwood and I think I may start pulling stuff from the card sets for both people, items, and things to use.

Also, "This is what Aaragorn was up to while three other characters got poisoned and one was lost to corruption" leaves behind stuff to deal with.

08.03.2026 02:27 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I've been considering using some of it for The One Ring campaign I'm running.

ME:TW was a game that deserved to be more popular but I get why it wasn't.

08.03.2026 02:19 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I wish I could find that post someone made that's like "the ideal form of media is one where there's a picture-in-picture of the creator loudly informing you that they don't approve of what's happening on screen whenever something bad happens"

07.03.2026 05:11 πŸ‘ 34 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

When you think about it, Ozymandias won at the end of Watchmen because his psychic squid plan averted World War 3 from happening, he got everything he wanted

07.03.2026 04:31 πŸ‘ 109 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0