This looks like it could be awesome. Side topic: I'd love to see more games where you can just exist in a horror kind of world. Elden Ring-esque city builder, Innsmouth handyman, be the person (demon?) responsible for looking after the scary boss monster in a chamber somewhere.
This is very sad. I had a lot of fun with the few LDs I did.
I like white hair, but when the cool ruff is black it gets lost with the rest of the clothing which makes me sad, so between these two I'd say black hair.
Good review, I enjoyed it!
Cool stuff!
What you say here about feeling rudderless and parenting really hit me - gives me a different way of looking at how I've been feeling lately, or maybe for a while. Thank you for sharing.
I'm honestly pleasantly surprised by that UK result!
The hero being illiterate (and maybe not that smart) while the villain is literate is an interesting trope in the classic Sword and Sorcery fantasy. Why did writers like Robert E. Howard and others like this? Presuming it is Howard that got this started.
This is actually an interesting point because Robert E. Howard DID NOT invent the brainless barbarian stereotype. Quite the opposite: Conan the Cimmerian is hella smart. But let me break this down a bit.
Super interesting read!
Indeed! It's good advice but especially 'create atmosphere' and 'add to the world' need some extra qualifiers I think, could easily fill a book with nothing but those two.
Really cool game!
For the Steam Spring Sale you can get Perfect Tides: Station to Station for 20% off. Recent recipient of the 2026 IGF Excellence in Narrative award, and waiting to feed your soul!
store.steampowered.com/app/2088810/...
We got a DM the other day with a fun request from a local family:
Could we find this nice BART train operator who always waved and beeped at this special little rider?
And if we found him, could we deliver him a thank you card!?
So we got to work …
Yep, very true. Good advice!
I feel ideally the designer should stop (at least discourage) players from doing stupid things that drain their own fun or break the game in unfun ways, but doing dumb stuff and having consequences or breaking the game in goofy ways should be encouraged.
This is neat!
I liked in Titanium Court how they've made the help popup into a character just by writing in a conversational way with a bit of personality, sounds like a similar thing in terms of making you want to read.
Well put! It's an incredible game.
I have posted a detailed breakdown of the designer royalty payments that I have received for all four games I have played a part in and the royalty payments that @downtowntbrown.bsky.social has received from Votes for Women (with her permission).
ludorum.substack.com/p/designer-r...
Thanks to you both for sharing these numbers! Very interesting.
I'm home and I've written a bit on my blog about post-GDC feelings:
meredithgran.com/gdc-thoughts...
Great article, and good discussion here on the thread too! I'm strongly persuaded by your article, but I do like reading paragraphs. Some of the counterpoints below are compelling too.
a single paragraph guide to taking pleasure in both the games you play and the material you put into the world. via @meredithgran.com
meredithgran.com/perfect-tide...
It absolutely comes into the same area of first impressions that you get with the tutorial/first part of the game. Sometimes in this era of Steam reviews it is helpful to make it clear what a game is *not* so you don't end up getting a lot of disappointed people having a bad experience.
I like the bottom one better, feels less 'cluttered' or something? They both look good though!
Great review, very interesting.
That's really cool! I'm glad there's a market for them.
A long read from me today, about the delicate task of designing respectful historical board games. Massive thanks to @amabel.bsky.social and @colewehrle.bsky.social for talking to me about their design approaches. www.wargamer.com/board-games/...
Great article!
My first board game wasn't released until I was 30, and the stuff I'm really known for didn't start until I was nearly 40. I know how desperate and hopeless your twenties can feel, especially when you see your contemporaries having an easier time of it. As the OP says, that's the capitalism talking.
Great thread!
