R. Eric Reuss
@rericreuss.bsky.social
Game Designer & Dad. Best known for Spirit Island. He/him. Black Lives Matter. Trans Rights are Human Rights. Also on ohai.social/@REricReuss (Mastodon), but here more. My website: https://rericreuss.com/
We may not be especially active posters on here, but we do lurk like champs. So when @elizhargrave.bsky.social and the TTGDA pointed out that retailers should be citing game designers - not just publishers - when listing games, we thought.... yeah actually that makes sense.
I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful
Interesting thread on supply-chain food-safety vulnerabilities in the food industry and how things can go sideways (endlinked for maximum unroll)
JayIsPainting 🍁@jayispainting.earthskyart.ca · 2mo agoBy all accounts, THEY DID THE RIGHT THING. And they are being hung out to dry by an administration that has shirked its responsibility to public safety, the press and a supplier that did not do the work to keep people safe. /fin
Ditto for playtesting. I think some folks get so invested in avoiding "don't critique because it might hurt feelings" (which yes, is a disservice) that they miss "being harsh is *also* a disservice" - potentially a much worse one, esp. from prominent folks! Even if it accompanies legit criticism.
Ann Leckie@annleckie.com · 2mo agoThere is a huge difference between "You look like crap" and "oh, hey, I see you like eyeliner, you know what would really look cool on you? Have you tried that?" It isn't actually that hard to be honest and rigorous in critique without plunging a knife into someone's writing heart.
This essay is excellent. Among its other virtues, it's a thoughtful explanation I can point at if someone pulls out "The Death of the Author" as something either entirely true or entirely false.* * Oversimplification! But summarizing a high-quality essay in a single skeet ain't happening.
Dan Thurot@danthurot.bsky.social · 3mo agoWant to read a big old stonking essay about how Biblical criticism informs board game reviews? No? Eh, get outta here then. For the cool kids, I've got the goods right here: spacebiff.com/2026/06/10/t...
I expect many folks have already heard this news via W. Eric Martin / my newsletter / Reddit / BGG, but for those who haven't: www.wericmartin.com/r-eric-reuss...
Spirit Island’s Future: New Publisher, New Art, More Expansions
Look for a new look on Spirit Island once it finds a new home
wericmartin.com
An excellent thread about the *point* of youth sports, and why the anti-trans "fairness" argument makes no sense. (Not "is wrong" - though that too - but *isn't even relevant*.) Linked near the end so it's pre-unrolled. Also readable as a single page at skywriter.blue/@cripdyke.bs...
Page by Crip Dyke | @cripdyke.bsky.social
1/x Once again, I have to say this, bc even allies, even some trans ppl are being taken in by the rhetoric of "fairness in sport" to the point where they don't know how to respond when the topic come...
skywriter.blue
Crip Dyke@cripdyke.bsky.social · 2mo ago52/x And the bigot plan is unfair to taxpayers, who are spending gobbets of billion-money in order to get the benefits that our government researchers have told us we will receive from youth sports programs only to end up with higher costs for drug treatment, criminal punishment, & family support.
If you are interested in picking up the Orign Award winning game Winter Rabbit. We highliy encourage you to ask your local game shop tfor it, or order it directly from our webstore. Either way we are still so amazed and happy that it won yesterday. www.absurdistproductions.com/product/wint...
Winter Rabbit | Absurdist Productions
Winter Rabbit is a semi-cooperative, hidden worker placement game set in the world of Cherokee animal stories. Winter Rabbit is available for pre-order now.
absurdistproductions.com
...TIL setting BlueSky moderation for (eg) "Adult" to Hide doesn't hide posts tagged as Adult, it hides ACCOUNTS that made any posts tagged as Adult. Holy overkill! Esp. since "Hide" is often a default. (I'm also seeing claims that the vast majority of the tagging is being done by AI, often badly.)
Today I ran the final session of a troupe-style Earthdawn campaign I started SIXTEEN years ago. I'm going to miss it, I can tell, but am also *so* happy to have stuck the landing. 12 total players, 15 characters, ~130 sessions, and a hell of a lot of fun. (The roleplaying was *so* good! ❤️❤️❤️)
Anyone know a good text explanation of @gil.hova.net 's excellent "player in 3 persons" lens on games? (The one with Player, Avatar, Agent.) Searching, I'm only finding other news about Gil, or the board game from Avatar: the Last Airbender. 🙃 The closest so far: boardgamegeek.com/thread/23152...
Ludology 213 - Your Humble Narrator | Ludology
Gil and Emma discuss narrative in games. How can narrative improve games? What is the difference between embedded and emergent narrative? And what the are common ways that prototypes of narrative game...
boardgamegeek.com
This essay is good, and also a semi-explanation of why I don't post here more regularly. It's not that I don't like engaging with folks, or sharing stuff that catches my eye - just that if I give "post more" too much weight in my mind, it starts changing the way I look at & engage with the world.
Gnome Anne@annethegnome.bsky.social · 4mo agoI'm quitting content creation but I'm not quitting making stuff. And I wrote a cute little essay about what that means to me 🍄 ellipsus.com/read/7hO7YSO...
I know the folks at Absurdist Productions, so got a chance to try these at PAXU last December! They're quick, tight games where you can really get into the other player's head... or just mess around and see how things play out, if that's more your jam. Just backed, hoping it funds.
Absurdist Productions ➡️ 🎆 MiracleCon 🎇@absurdistprod.bsky.social · 4mo agoWe are live on Backerkit with Cellblock 18 and Riposte! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/a...
This compare-contrast post is *tremendously* topical, an excellently thoughtful read, and a useful reminder of some non-obvious truths. acoup.blog/2026/02/13/c... More respect to the people of MN than I know how to convey in words.
Collections: Against the State – A Primer on Terrorism, Insurgency and Protest
This week, continuing in the vein of some of our previous strategy and military theory primers, I wanted to off a basic 101-level survey of the strategic theory behind efforts, in a sense, directed…
acoup.blog
Brandon's ultimate point is absolutely 100% supported by my experience, in ways I never would have imagined in 2012. (You can jump to 13:00 for the 3-minute version, or to 15:00 for the 1-minute version, but the full speech does give a lot more grounding, context, & momentum.)
Brandon Sanderson@brandonsanderson.com · 7mo agoWe Are The Art | Brandon Sanderson’s Keynote Speech youtu.be/mb3uK-_QkOo via YouTube
I always enjoy @99pi.org, and their recent look at how some *really* neat Zimbabwean names have roots in post-colonial reclamation seemed like something folks might be interested in. 99percentinvisible.org/episode/657-... for best reading, podcastaddict.com/99-invisible... for best listening.
What’s in a Name - 99% Invisible
In any classroom in Zimbabwe, you are likely to find children with a mix of names—indigenous names in Shona, Ndebele, Tsonga, Venda or any one of the numerous other ethnic groups. You will most certai...
99percentinvisible.org
In Ecuador’s Pastaza province, the Kichwa community of Pakayaku has kept 400 km² of Amazon rainforest free from mining, oil and logging through a self-organised guardian force. buff.ly/tmtqu4s #ShareGoodNewsToo
Indigenous guardians successfully keep extractives out of Ecuador’s Amazon forests
PAKAYAKU TERRITORY, Ecuador — Deep in the heart of Ecuador’s Amazon, where the Bobonaza River winds through ancient forests in Pastaza province, Sacha Gayas spreads out a hand-drawn map across her…
buff.ly
The last two days have involved some emotionally-rough work, so this afternoon I'm taking a break & re-reading @maxgladstone.bsky.social 's Wicked Problems before jumping into the just-released Dead Hand Rule. Today is SO MUCH BETTER.
From Cultural Survival: mailchi.mp/culturalsurv... Of course, many of them are things that are great to do anytime, not just today! Today I'm finally starting Braiding Sweetgrass, which has been on my to-read list for ages.
15 Calls to Action on Indigenous Peoples Day!
mailchi.mp
‼️🚨KICKSTARTER WORKERS ARE ON STRIKE🚨‼️ As of 8am this morning, the workers of Kickstarter United/OPEIU Local 153 are on strike. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR A BOYCOTT! Creators and allies, please continue using and supporting the platform.
Hey, if you can help me out, take a moment and back or share my new Kickstarter? Even if you don't use VTT's there are options to support us that would mean the world to me. Thanks!
Coyote & Crow Games@coyoteandcrow.bsky.social · last yr.And we're live! Please help us bring our actual play podcast (from @manysidedmedia.bsky.social and @talesyettold.com )to life and bring Coyote & Crow content to @foundryvtt.store and @roll20.net www.kickstarter.com/projects/coy... #TTRPG #RPG #tabletop #NativeSky
My wonderful friends at @absurdistprod.bsky.social are looking for indigenous artists for paid work on their RPG. Please share! docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Call For Artists
Call for Artists — 1000 Generations RPG Absurdist Productions is seeking a diverse group of artists for our upcoming tabletop role-playing game: 1000 Generations. About the Game 1000 Generations is a ...
docs.google.com
I remember the experience of noticing, c. 1999, that this newer search engine "Google" just... *gave better results* than others. Over the last month, I've had a similar experience with a search engine called Kagi. Searching over 100x/month requires a subscription, but that may be worth it to me.
Reminder that Congress is out of session and it is the perfect time to look up when your members will be near you and tell them in person how you are affected by all this fuckery. Try to think of one specific ask -- stop funding genocide, stop tariffs, whatever you feel most strongly about.
This is a fantastic overview of reactions to CGE's decision to pay JKR royalties: boardgamewire.com/index.php/20... I'm not a reviewer, but given CGE's current stance, I certainly don't plan on buying from or pitching to them. Which is really too bad, I'd liked them.
Reviewers including No Pun Included, Shut Up & Sit Down boycott Codenames publisher CGE for releasing new Harry Potter game while ignoring JK Rowling’s anti-trans rhetoric -
Some of board gaming's biggest and most influential reviewers are boycotting Codenames publisher Czech Games Edition, after the company decided to release a new Harry Potter-themed version of the game...
boardgamewire.com
Hello, I'm a board game designer in a film, except most folks don't realize that's a profession so I'm shown as a toy inventor instead. I'm manically obsessive and wildly, carelessly creative, working amidst drifts of previous half-baked designs... which to be fair is accurate. Just not the toy part
Ada Palmer@adapalmer.bsky.social · last yr.Hello, I'm a historian in a film. I study ancient celebrity secrets & lost treasure. I teach at a university but that's no impediment to me rushing off to another continent on no notice. All my info comes from discovering a mysterious document or inscription, whose translation is 100% unambiguous.
I knew Tom Lehrer was amazing - I loved his music, growing up - but I did not realize he was amazing in this particular way. (Linking near end of thread so you get the whole thing)
Opal@opalescentopal.bsky.social · last yr.So I sent an email to the NSA historians. And I asked them: hey, when was this first noticed, and how much of a gas did people think it was? Did he get in trouble for it? That sort of stuff. The answer came back: "We've never heard of this before. It's news to us."
