I thought was a good AD&D article too - "Vance's Evocation of Arcane Delight", on wizards and magic in the Dying Earth setting.

Depluralize a movie.

I'll start:

Tree Gump

"The Rocky Horror Frame"

Thinking of which, "One Year BC" and "1: A Space Odyssey" (already suggested separately) could make a nice science fiction(ish) double feature.

Why is trading such a rare mechanic in modern Board Games? | BGG Trading is one of the basic kinds of human interaction. It has probably been practiced for as long as we have existed, and can be implicitly understood by almost anyone. With that in mind, it's not s...

"Why is trading such a rare mechanic in modern Board Games?" (2017) - interesting post and discussion at boardgamegeek.com/thread/17418... (I hadn't thought trading a rare game mechanic, but ready to accept the author's analysis of Board Game Geek data over the sample of games I've played recently!)

Just enjoyed this episode, thanks! (I had Star Trek Adventures 2e on the shelf still to be read - I grew up with ST:TNG and some DS9 and Voyager, so will be interested to see how it reflects the newer shows.)

Ok, this is @friede.bsky.social's fault. She raised the question of *how* people analyze RPG texts, and that is a BIG, HAIRY QUESTION, and it got me thinking.

I'm not ready to take a tilt at it yet, but that's because it turns out there are a lot of things I do *before* I read an RPG. A lot.

Ever wanted to design a solo rpg? I can probably offer some advice. This is just how I like to design.

A key design point is tension. The player should be trying to do something, but the game should work against their goals and giving them meaningful choices.

Nice write-up! I started in the hobby with race-as-class BECMI D&D, but AD&D's separation seemed more flexible to me then (the race/class level limits less so...) So interesting to see a view of what a thematically Dwarfish class might be - and how that can fit (or not) in design of modern D&D.

I’m an 18th centuryist & thanks to the work of @guyintheblackhat.bsky.social (& others) I’m very aware that D&D is just a visible part of the history of TTRPGs that’s much much older. (The emphasis on wargaming & D&D has often erased other parts of the history of roleplaying)

Indeed. The purchaseable *product* we call the TTRPG begins in the 1970s with Western Gunfight, Chainmail, and D&D.

Yet role-playing "parlor games," simulations, and similar are centuries old and draw from a well that resembles all the positive stuff about D&D.

Parlor games were feminized...

Probably my last post for 2025. A little look at one of my earliest attempts at homebrewing RPG content.

knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2025/12/arch...

I remember running the Riddling Reaver back in the day using AD&D first edition (or, as it was called then, AD&D!)

Everyone is excited for Toon Second Edition! We've enjoyed seeing all your wonderful comments and feedback, and we can't wait to tell you even more about the amazing project as soon as it launches on December 17. Visit BackerKit today to sign up and be the first to pledge!

bit.ly/toon2ebk

Had fun with Toon in 1980s, keen to see new system after 40 years of narrative mechanics & other RPG evolution. (I once considered Fate Accelerated for Toon: Muscles, Zip, Moxie, & Chutzpah for approaches - stunts for shticks - cartoon-style consequences - & aspects like "Karmic Trickster Bunny".)

Completely agree with "no dud skills". And games I'd run nowadays would be one-shots or short campaigns, so I've wondered if "no duds" suggests "shorter skill lists" (otherwise more risk that player invests in a skill which they then never have opportunity to use without GM tailoring/contrivance).

First - hadn't spotted that you were a writer of "Spirit of the Century". It was my first Fate game, and one which got me excited by the whole system as I read it! (Especially aspects and, as you say, the idea-sparking "what you can do" for each skill).

Hello Wizard I Have A Problem by Sam Armstrong Games An improv heavy TTRPG about wizards making things worse

Fun this weekend with @samarmstronggames.bsky.social's "Hello Wizard, I Have a Problem": a comedy game of troubleshooting wizards. Zero-prep, light rules (but with random tables for inspiration/structure), with GM hat rotating for each quick-three-scene problem. sam-armstrong.itch.io/wizardproblem

A thread about ExCel feeling "too big" or "empty" as part of Dragonmeet 2025, or at least my understanding through attending the convention for 10 years and founding its #PodcastZone, with a sprinkle of my professional experience with London real estate and exhibition centres planning.

1/x

And finished Dragonmeet day with an enjoyable meetup for listeners to the Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast (www.ludonarrativedissidents.com) and the UK member of the hosting team @jameswallis.bsky.social at a nearby pub.

Afternoon at Dragonmeet was the fun "Chronospindle Caper" with our multi-universe team (from cartoon rabbit to cyborg soldier) and my first encounter with the Cypher System, making the most of its cross-genre rules. (Maybe that's *another* cinematic rules-light system I'll take a look at!)

Dragonmeet haul (4): Questworlds (@icooper.bsky.social, with whom I had interesting chat at Chaosium stall). Rules-light system for "cinematic, larger-than-life settings" - a style I like (and if it overlaps with Fate - well, I like Fate too!) www.chaosium.com/questworlds-...

Dragonmeet haul (3): The Magus and The Oracle (@momatoes.com) - solo RPG about "the quest for arcane mastery and the loneliness of power". The bits I've looked at while at the stall spark with ideas. nessundove.it/en/shopping/...

Incarnis Incarnis is a tabletop roleplaying game about a pantheon of gods who are all about interfering with each other's lives and with the world they created. Think of Disney's Hercules, Terry Pratchett's Th...

Dragonmeet haul (2): Incarnis (from @fanterland.itch.io), RPG of "a pantheon of gods who are all about interfering with each other's lives and with the world they created". Sounds a bit like a crossover between Nobilis and Fiasco. peregrinecoast.press/products/inc...

Page Turners Moving drama. Hilarious comedy. And you are the sole protagonist. Page Turners is the game of personal storytelling for one player and one GM. Acclaimed tabletop roleplaying designer Robin D. Laws wo...

Dragonmeet haul (1): Page Turners (@robindlaws.bsky.social), new game of personal drama for GM plus solo player (inspired by Dramasystem/Hillfolk) & 11 scenarios. Not sure when I might *play* it, but loved the Dramasystem settings so looking forward to these. pelgranepress.com/product/page...

On Saturday, another fine #Dragonmeet, now expanded at Excel. Lots of traders and some interesting finds; a fun cross-universe caper in my first time with the Cypher system; and post-con meetup for the Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast.

Yes, given the article's detailed survey of other games, I'm sure he's aware of The Price of Freedom. (I didn't necessarily expect to see TPOF mentioned in this piece focused on post-nuclear-war settings, but thought it might still be of broader interest to other readers.)

quantum ogre reborn It’s time we re-examine what we mean when we use the term “quantum ogre”. The seed of this post started when Valeria posted her review of Fabula Ultima and quoted Emanuele Galletto (the game’s author)...

It's been over a decade since the original quantum ogre posts. We use the term, but do we all mean the same thing? In this post I unpack the history of the quantum ogre and propose a modern definition.

www.fluoriteguillotine.com/blog/2025/11...

This piece by my friend @malcolmcraig.bsky.social is very much worth your time. Really excited to see where this research goes next. It's free to read.

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

The Russians are Coming! – The Price of Freedom RPG The Price of Freedom Roleplaying in Occupied America Author: Greg Costikyan Publisher: West End Games Available Formats: Out of Print The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! America has s…

As well as games mentioned in article, Greg Costikyan's "The Price Of Freedom" (1986) had related Cold War theme: not nuclear apocalypse, but resistance fighters in Soviet-occupied America.

(A review at rollingboxcars.com/2022/08/17/t..., another view at grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/11/retr...)

Interesting article. I remember the "Twilight: 2000" White Dwarf review and letters page discussions. I found myself nearly playing it once as a one-shot, but the whole session was spent generating characters...