The original name for Rune Rite was Poly•oly•omino and it was universally hated.

The very first iteration of Rune Rite, then called Poly•oly•omino.

The second iteration of Rune Rite, with my own art and a much more complex scoring system.

The third artistic iteration (and twentieth mechanical iteration?) of Rune Rite.

The current and hopefully final iteration of Rune Rite. I just need to get the player sheet redone and colored.

I've been working on Rune Rite for over four years, and teasing a release for almost as long. The core game has always remained the same, but the tweaks have been endless. I've pretty much done it all, and I'm quite happy with what it's been honed into.
#boardgames

Available now: the adorable Canal Houses! 🏠✨
Build your own charming waterfront city in this cozy card-placement game.

#BoardGames #CozyGames #FamilyGames #TravelGames #CityBuilder #CardGame #TabletopGames

The famous Zach Galifianakis math meme from The Hangover with complex equations floating around Zach's head. At the bottom, the question, "Is it too soon or too late for art?" is superimposed over it.

An important lesson I'm learning along the way is that doing the right things in the right order at the right time prevents frustration, burn out, wasted time and wasted money. Sure, that sounds obvious; but I'm still learning the things, the orders and the timing.
#boardgames

Pyrotechnics - The Seahorse and The Hummingbird Pyrotechnics is a fast, two-player card duel packed with strategy and sparks—easy to learn, quick to play, and endlessly replayable.

🧨 Fits in your pocket. Lives in your head. 🤯
Pyrotechnics is a tiny 2-player card game with just enough bite.

10–20 minutes. Bluffing. Blocking. Tough little decisions.

$15 • US shipping only • Get your copy today!
A portion of each sale goes to good causes.
#boardgames

You might have a copy in your hands in a few months!

Love this game!!! Watch for it!

A visual explanation of the gameplay of Rune Rite. Place a card atop some other cards in different orientations to generate various polyominoes.

In Rune Rite, you copy polyominoes onto your player sheet to score and win. How do you get the polyominoes? You build them! On your turn, take one card and place it on the pile to build the polyominoes most advantageous to you and least useful to your opponents.
#boardgames

A game box of Rune Rite tipped onto a corner on a reflective surface.

The IV Studios ad treatment.
#boardgames

The box top for the prototype board game Rune Rite with cards from the game scattered around it and a player sheet off to the right.

The box top for the prototype board game Rune Rite atop a grid of cards from the game.

It took me a while to get started on promotional images for Rune Rite. I probably woulda-coulda-shoulda had these done a long time ago. But now that I'm in it, the going keeps going. Just had to prime the pump. There's more to do, but now I'm doing it.
#boardgames

A witchy flip-and-write polyomino game comin' your way!

I'm revving up for a Rune Rite pre-sale later in the year. If you want to be reminded up Rune Rite updates, you can sign up for minimal email reminders right here! (I hate spam, too.)
#boardgame #flipandwrite #polyomino

A 3D rendering of the prototype board game Rune Rite.

Workin' on some more assets and stuff.
#boardgames

A screenshot of Board Game Geek on the GoldenGeek Awards for 2025 with the nomination pane for Pyrotechnics open.

🏆 If you'd like to nominate Pyrotechnics for one or more categories in the 2025 GoldenGeek Awards, you can go to this link: boardgamegeek.com/goldengeek
Scroll down to Pyrotechnics, click on it to open a pane in which you can nominate.

Thank you for your support!
#boardgames #goldengeek

HELL YEAH IS THAT A MULTIVICTOR GAME I SEE RIGHT THERE HELL YEAH I LOVE UNIONIZING SQUIRRELS

That brings the TSH&THB catalog to:
0) The Book of Wandering (released)
1) Pyrotechnics (released)
2) Rune Rite (2026)
III) Threed (2026/2027)
4) Contralateral (2027)
5) Sneaky Squirrels (tentatively 2028)

A close-up of a prototype game of Sneaky Squirrels; square cards with leaves on them and wooden squirrel meeples. Mequirrels? Photo by Xoe Allred.

A table of people playing Sneaky Squirrels. Photo by Joe Kell.

I am thrilled to announce that The Seahorse & The Hummingbird has signed Sneaky Squirrels by Joe Kell!

A super-fun game by a great designer. I look forward to working with Joe to bring the game to life and to market.

Photos by @xoe.gay and Joe Kell.
#boardgames 🎲✂️

Pyrotechnics *PRE-ORDER* Designer Michael Byron Sprague Publisher The Seahorse and The Hummingbird Players 2 Playtime 20-30 mins Suggested Age 14 and up Additional Info 441646/441646 http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/441646/441646/forums/63 ETA Q3 2026 Meet Pyrotechnics, the two‑player card duel that fits in your pocket and delivers ten minut

Hey there, Canadian friends! Pyrotechnics is currently available for pre-order over at Board Game Bliss! Get your own copy in time for Canada Day. 🎆
#boardgames

Closeup of a blue board game box (Rucksack) and two TTRPG books: Tiny Tome 2 and Book of Wandering.

Congrats to @phelyx.bsky.social, winner of Breakup Gaming Society's indie game bundle, including the fine work of @grumpyspidergames.bsky.social, @thinkdeepplaylight.bsky.social, @long-tail-games.bsky.social and @cjeggett.co.uk (who, along with Mary McGroary, comprises Ada Press).

#boardgames

How to Interact with Board game Media - The Giant Brain Interacting with board game media can be tricky to navigate. Let me guide you as best I can to help you get the best results

I gave a talk in Edinburgh recently that I have turned into an article. It's on how to interact with folk like myself when you have a game to promote. Hope you find it useful.

giantbrain.co.uk/2026/03/28/h...

A few standouts I played were Sneaky Squirrels by Joe Kell and Threed by @rollplusfun.bsky.social. Sneaky Squirrels is a tactical risk assessment and memory game. Threed is a wonderfully brain burning trick taker/sliding image puzzle. Both were incredibly clever. I can't stop thinking about them.

Two people puzzling out a table of the prototype board game, Threed.

Two people puzzling out a table of the prototype board game, Threed.

At #Unpub, I finally started getting some testing done on Threed (nee Triptych by @rollplusfun.bsky.social). Threed is a trick-taking slide puzzle game, and it is a real brain-melter. The rules are short, the gameplay is simple, and it will scorch your psyche. I had...
🧵 1 of

#boardgames 🎲✂️

Dang. I’m in it just for the name.

A view of the unpub hall with full tables all around.

#unpub was hopping this year! Got in a bunch of great tests and played a ton of great games. Thanks to the organizers for another great year! And special thanks to @thinkdeepplaylight.bsky.social and @goosepoopgames.com for letting me use some time at their tables. They have great games brewing!

Two people at a table staring at a game of Threed, confused and concerned looks on their faces.

Quote of the Con about Threed:
“The more you understand it, the more difficult it becomes.”

I might put that tagline on the box.
#boardgames 🎲✂️ #unpub

Broccoli and Sulfur Pizza I like small games. No, smaller. Smaller. Small enough that I can fit at least three of them in my hand at once, comfortably, without even stretching. Today we’re looking at three such titles…

Pyrotechnics is fun. Hey, don't take my word for it. I'm biased. But @danthurot.bsky.social? His word, you can... take it for. 🤷

Read his wonderful and insightful review of Pyrotechnics (and a couple other cool #boardgames).

A top-down layout of the prototype board game Threed. In the middle is a 4x4 grid of mix-n-match cards, surrounded by two card decks and three hands of twelve cards fanned out.

A close-up of twelve cards fanned out with a partial view of a 4x4 grid of cards blurry in the background. This is from the prototype board game, Threed.

Unpub prototype number two is complete. Threed is a trick-taking game like you've never seen before, by @rollplusfun.bsky.social. A trick-taking, sliding puzzle, match three game.

I probably should have made this one third.
#boardgames 🎲✂️ #unpub

Broccoli and Sulfur Pizza I like small games. No, smaller. Smaller. Small enough that I can fit at least three of them in my hand at once, comfortably, without even stretching. Today we’re looking at three such titles…

Today I look at three tiny card games: Pizza Roles, Pyrotechnics, and Don't Botch the Broccoli. Oh, and none of them are trick-takers! Read about them here: spacebiff.com/2026/03/10/p...

Hawk and Dove

Hello world! We are pleased to announce the founding of Hawk and Dove, a new historical game studio. We're just getting started on this journey, and we invite you all to follow along as we navigate the incredible world of board game publishing!

Check us out here: www.hawkanddovegames.com

board games: Re;MATCH, Regicide Legacy, Barbecubes, Annulet, Pyrotechnics, The Glasgow Train Robbery, Burned, Cozy Stickerville, Penitent, Gods & Mortals, L'oaf, Rhine & Rhone, Rex Regnat, Let's Go! To France

Had a lovely week of games. What did you get to the table?