After Barbabianca, we're gearing up for another project: The Roots of Soledad, a magical realism #ttrpg by Matthijs Holter. As fans of Archipelago and Society of Dreamers as much as A Hundred Years of Solitude, it's a privilege for us to do our part in developing this game.
New Yorkers scream out each officer’s lawsuits against them for excessive force and more upon their city, right to their faces while protesting.
There is a lot of hate posting about Aella. I fail to see why. I've been reading her surveys and posts for years; they are eye-opening, insightful and clear.
Spill fjorårets suksess Saqaliba på Arcon!
I en vakker, sinnssyk verden hvor friheten er en drøm; hvor imperiet i øst har all makt, og Europa bare er en fotnote. Spill elitesoldat, konkubine, smugler, gatebarn - eller en av mange andre roller!
www.spillfestival.no/ar-event/saq...
VERDENSPREMIERE PÅ ARCON: Første offentlige spilling av Avgrunnen!
Avgrunnen er et rollespill satt i H. P. Lovecraft sitt mythos-univers, hvor personlig drama møter kosmisk horror. Vanlige mennesker forsøker å nå sine mål - mens verden rundt dem blir sinnssyk.
www.spillfestival.no/ar-event/avg...
Turns out, the way to experience the mature themes you want to see in TTRPG is shutting up and playing home games with the homies.
Thinking about C. Thi Nguyen’s idea of striving games — where the real joy is in the striving, not just the winning.
Thought: for fans of striving games, reading thick rulebooks is itself a form of striving — before you even play.
The rulebook is the first boss fight.
📝 Sometimes I wonder: Why do we default to heroes? Why not ordinary people, or even people in too deep, trying to survive?
💬 What kinds of protagonists do you enjoy playing most?
📝 I think Session Zero should be about more than safety tools. What about emotional depth? Vulnerability? How far we want to go, not just what to avoid?
💬 Do you talk about intensity when starting a campaign?
Step 1: Don't go.
Remember that side eyeing baby? This is her today. Feel old yet? #TheWhiteLotus
📝 Some of my most intense game moments came in short, focused scenes — not long quests or battles. Just one moment that cracked open something.
💬 Do you prefer deep, short scenes — or sprawling narratives?
📝 I keep thinking about power in RPGs. Not “how strong you are” — but how it isolates you, or twists your character. What if power made things worse, not better?
💬 What kinds of stories do you like around power?
📝 I’ve been wondering: What does your game system teach, whether intentionally or not? Trust, hierarchy, chaos, competition?
💬 What values are built into your favorite system’s mechanics?
📝 Do you think we overuse the idea of ‘player agency’? Sometimes I feel like structure and limits can be far more powerful — because they generate drama.
💬 Where’s the balance for you?
📝 Sometimes I wonder if we rely too much on setting lore to carry our games. What happens when we shift the focus from worldbuilding to dramatic moments between characters?
💬 What makes a world stick with you — the history, or the heartbreak?
📝 I’m curious — do you still enjoy XP and leveling systems, or have you drifted toward other ways of showing character growth?
💬 What kind of development feels most meaningful in your games?
📝 I keep coming back to characters who are messy, vulnerable, and deeply human. Competence is fine — but I want tension, regret, bad decisions.
💬 Anyone else feel this way about character play?
For me, the shift from “one mind steering the story” to a shared space of collective storytelling was huge. It made the drama feel more real — and more surprising.
📝 I’ve been thinking about GMless games lately. Not just as a format — but as a different way to build trust and share responsibility at the table.
💬 Have you had a GMless experience that really stuck with you?
Ominous icon of a wolf with the words "Slow Walk" beneath it.
Six of Hounds (Me and @lizziestark.bsky.social) is looking for folks to playtest a small activism game called Slow Walk. It's for 2-9 participants/1-2 hours and requires in-person play. We need some external testing. Let us know if you are interested!
Have you been asked, as a federal worker, to do something you don't want to do? But they won't put it in writing?
DON'T DO IT.
If they're going to punish you? MAKE THEM PUT IT IN WRITING. ALL OF IT.
Document, document, document.
Act confused. Be confused! Go slow. Require clarity. Lots. Document
ICE Agent Decides He Wants Kids After Seeing Incredible Love And Devotion Of Parents Begging Him Not To Take Their Child
ICE Agent Decides He Wants Kids After Seeing Incredible Love And Devotion Of Parents Begging Him Not To Take Their Child
theonion.com/ice-age...
I've been dying to get back to working on the art for "Avgrunnen" (English title: the abyss). @matthijs1000.bsky.social's card based, lovecraftian horror game putting human interactions and drama in the foreground. I've been working on these using pen and ink + my arsenal of letraset dry-transfers!
Thanks. This post came at the right time. Magic is happening.
I'm love rituals of play: activities or procedures you do in a game, often at the beginning, in order to set a certain tone or expectation for the play session. I learned their power by playing things like The Society of Dreamers, which has a strong, slightly uncomfortable, ritual component. (1/)
Today's spicy 🌶️ #ttrpg take is that rules-lite & minimalist ttrpgs are NOT good for beginners.
Beginners requires scaffolding & support that rules-lites systems simply can't offer.
Most experience players and designers have been at this so long they've forgotten what it was like to be a beginner.
A fun session using a friend's world with my new GM-less game system.
blog.indre-auge.studio/2025/01/02/n...
remember, there's no better use of your time than taking care of yourself. that includes rest. intentional rest is the opposite of wasting time
