Welp, that's a wrap. Buried Giant Studios has just finished its #GenCon2026 debut. What a wild ride it was. I hardly had time to post during the show, but I wanted to jot something down now. 🧵
Cole Wehrle
@colewehrle.bsky.social
Game designer focusing on strategy games with strong emergent narratives. Half of Wehrlegig Games. Formerly Creative Director at Leder Games. Now Creative Director at Buried Giant Studios. Voracious reader of just about anything I can get my hands on.
We are pumped!! We are all set up for Gen Con with @theoldkingscrown.bsky.social so find us at the giant mouth! Room 126. Booth 1555.
New @decisionspace.bsky.social is a report from @sdhistcon.bsky.social North! We talk about a bunch of games we played at this unique convention. I had an awesome time there and I hope my enthusiasm for the experience comes through! open.spotify.com/episode/0vDa...
An Infamous Traffic, Virgin Queen, John Company Megagame and More: Report from a Historical Game Convention
Decision Space · Episode
open.spotify.com
Today, we took the kiddos out for an afternoon of skipping rocks and swimming at McCormick's Creek state park about an hour outside of Indy. I'm grateful to have some time with the family before the hustle and bustle of the next few days. Tomorrow, setup for #Gencon2026 begins in earnest.
I've been fortunate enough to play this throughout its development and cannot wait to see the final thing. If you're interested in early modern labor politics or want to try your hand at smashing a stocking frame, check it out!
YoYoni@yoyoni.bsky.social · 2w agoToday we announce our next board game, "The Nights of King Ludd: The Luddite War on Industry 1811-?" A collaborative game of industrial sabotage ⚒️ 🔥 on Kickstarter September 2: www.kickstarter.com/projects/die... @joedewhurst.bsky.social @thedietzfoundation.bsky.social @ronengoldstein.bsky.social
Next week we are heading to Gen Con. We've spent months preparing the for the big show in one capacity or another. This is a ton of work with often low returns, but Gen Con isn't just about sales. It's about community and the work of making games together.🧵https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErRzMS2YmAs
GenCon is for Playtesting
YouTube video by Buried Giant Studios
youtube.com
Today we’re posting the prelaunch page for our next game: the second edition of An Infamous Traffic. There is so much to say about this game, and we’ll be talking about it quite a bit in the coming months, but I wanted to provide a little background here. 🧵 www.kickstarter.com/projects/col...
Coming soon: An Infamous Traffic: Second Edition
A new edition of the acclaimed game of cutthroat capitalism in the nineteenth century opium trade.
kickstarter.com
It's the game you've heard so much about! Winner of the 2025 Artwork & Presentation Golden Geek, The Old King's Crown is making its US convention debut at GenCon and the only place to find it is at Buried Giant Studios! Room 126. Booth 1555.
SEVEN-PART PACT, my fantastical ornate TTRPG about powerful wizards, asymmetrical board games, and the pressures of masculinity is now launching on kickstarter! www.kickstarter.com/projects/sjg...
Seven-Part Pact
A fantastical, ornate TTRPG from Possum Creek about the might and folly of powerful wizards bound by a venerable Pact.
kickstarter.com
I'll be at Games for Change Festival in NY next week, where Molly House has been nominated for an award!
Wehrlegig Games@wehrlegig.games · last mo.Honored to announce that Molly House has been nominated for Best Tabletop Game for Impact at this year's @gamesforchange.bsky.social Games for Change Festival! Huge congrats to all the other finalists and excited to share that Jo will be attending the festival this July in NYC too. 🎉🎉
Had a great time visiting the new @buriedgiantstudios.bsky.social office with @danbullock.bsky.social! Thanks for the tour @colewehrle.bsky.social and @wehrlegig.games!
I can't believe we ran a 25 player John Company mega game using the 1813 deregulation scenario AND mess of demos for An Infamous Traffic. Thank you @sdhistcon.bsky.social for organizing an incredible weekend of gaming here St. Paul. Until next time!
Having a blast here at Union Depot in Saint Paul at the first SD Hist North. Today is Traffic and Hellraisers and the John Company megagame this evening.
On Oath: New Foundations, we spent a lot of time with the game's core systems and making some structural adjustments both for the sake of the expansion and because we had a unique opportunity to make Oath better. You can learn more about what we did and why in today's video: youtu.be/EZZZi6Y1qM0
Why we changed the Actions in Oath: New Foundations
YouTube video by Buried Giant Studios
youtu.be
This is a great watch. Stop thinking about games. Start thinking about play. 🧵
Quinns@itsquinns.bsky.social · 4w agoNew video! Last month I was invited to Spain's Guadalindie game convention to do a talk of my choice. I ended up giving an angry polemic about how the culture of games is failing designers left and right, because there is no games industry. There's just "play" www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Xm...
It's here! If you've ever found yourself irritated or delighted by expansions or thought about how games grow and change over time, let Amabel guide you with this excellent video.
Amabel Holland@amabel.bsky.social · last mo.Expansions are kinda weird, right? I spoke with ten game designers and a historian about one of the most unusual elements of modern board games. www.youtube.com/watch?v=v08K...
Blake and I just wrapped up the last day of #PLAYCon. Big kudos to the whole @boardgamebbq.bsky.social team for running a fantastic convention. It was lovely to see so many old friends and meet lots of new folks. It was such a treat to attend. (Thanks to Teena for a couple of the pics)
Today, @colewehrle.bsky.social is sitting with the original Oath: New Foundations Kickstarter page to show you how the design elements we pitched 2 years ago morphed, moved, and coalesced over time into the final product you all will be receiving in just a few short months! youtu.be/sOl2_EfLoWo?...
Oath: New Foundations Kickstarter Retrospective
YouTube video by Buried Giant Studios
youtu.be
ANNOUNCEMENT Forget Starlight is a tabletop rpg set on an infinite feudal space station. Written by me, edited by @deptofmeteors.bsky.social. Out this summer with a print version available as well. More info here: enceledean.itch.io/forget-starl...
Went on a quick run this morning with my little brother Blake before kicking off Designer Day here at #PLAYCon in Sydney. @boardgamebbq.bsky.social
I'm preparing to head off to Australia for #PLAYCon by moving our Oath kit to a slightly more travel-friendly box. I'll have New Foundations and Infamous Traffic with me. If you're going to be in Sydney next week, I hope I see you there!
Today Matt and I are shooting some videos about the development of Oath: New Foundations and how the design changed over the course of its development.
Tonight's fare is somehow CS2 while playing a simultaneous game of Fresh Fish with the same crew.
For a while I've been noodling on a taxonomy of decision types. I'm not convinced it's fully baked, but I already have been using it successfully in my design process, so I thought I might share it here in its current form. At the moment there's 5 types.
Over the weekend, my kids and I played a ton of Catan, and after decades of service, we decided to retire our beloved set. Here's a little appreciation thread for objects of play and their gradual decay 🧵
I am so honored to share this nomination for Molly House with Jo, Ray, and Ricky whose exceptional work on the game is so deserving of recognition. And, I'm beyond humbled to be in the company of the other nominees (including one of my favorite places in the Twin Cites, Mischief Toys!)
The Diana Jones Award@dianajonesaward.org · 2mo agoThe Diana Jones Award committee is pleased to announce the finalists for its 2026 award. In alphabetical order, they are:
I'm delighted more folks will soon be able to enjoy the best modern trick taker out there. If you love this genre but feel a little worn out by the disposable gimmicks and complexity that sometimes get piled on, check this one out. It's the sort of trick taker that begs for years of play.
Bryan Bornmueller@bbornmueller.bsky.social · 2mo agoVery proud to have sourced and developed one of my favorite games for Office Dog and to help bring it to more people! www.officedoggames.com/game/schaden...
I'm launching a new history deep dive podcast BEFORECAST! Starting with a series on Machiavelli. Hopefully launching in July; you can subscribe here! www.patreon.com/adapalmer/po...
New "BEFORECAST" Launching | Ada Palmer
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