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Indie Game Reading Club

@indiegamereadingclub.com

I'm Paul Beakley and I write https://indiegamereadingclub.com Support the work at https://patreon.com/igrc

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Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 2d ago

Okay so there's some room for nuance here, yeah? Phones/tablets have been a bane at my table on and off for years. Used to really bug me, it bugs me less now, but I think there's still a social contract element being violated. 🧵 1/8

Wil (He/Him)@rivetgeek.aggregatecognizance.com · 2d ago

I don't know why, but my gut instinct when hearing that someone bans "phones and all electronic devices" from their #TTRPG table is that they're a weird control freak. I get that smartphones can be very distracting, but if someone is distractible, they'll get distracted phone or no phone.

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 2d ago

Okay so there's some room for nuance here, yeah? Phones/tablets have been a bane at my table on and off for years. Used to really bug me, it bugs me less now, but I think there's still a social contract element being violated. 🧵 1/8

Wil (He/Him)@rivetgeek.aggregatecognizance.com · 2d ago

I don't know why, but my gut instinct when hearing that someone bans "phones and all electronic devices" from their #TTRPG table is that they're a weird control freak. I get that smartphones can be very distracting, but if someone is distractible, they'll get distracted phone or no phone.

ரமணன்@save.vs.totalpartykill.ca · 5d ago

No hype, no fanfare, no award shows, no spell checking, no nothing. Just the Ramanan Sivaranjan Awards for Excellence in Gaming 2026. Once again we barely made it! #FuckTheEnnies

Save vs. Total Party Kill - Ramanan Sivaranjan Awards for Excellence in Gaming 2026

I just got back from Ottawa for work. I fly out to Victoria tomorrow to enjoy the sights of the West Coast. The summer is rushing by and I have been quite busy. How is it already GenCon? I feel partic...

save.vs.totalpartykill.ca

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 6d ago

Want to see the history handout our players got for this game? Check out our Patreon. This one's free. www.patreon.com/igrc/posts/u...

Urban Shadows: Hollywood 1955 and History Panic | The Indie Game Reading Club

July 31, 2026 - By Paul Beakley We’ve started a five player campaign of Urban Shadows 2e and I couldn’t be more excited. The first edition i

patreon.com

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 7d ago

Starting a big 5p game of @magpiegames.bsky.social's Urban Shadows 2e this week. Oh my gosh the setup is *intense.* And very productive. Nothing is wasted but damn. We're set in 1955 Hollywood. Went down a research rabbit hole and couldn't be happier with the results.

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 2w ago

House cons are where it's at, folks. Unless you *need* a dealer's room or you're hustling for work. Not to undersell the community building labor. Organizing 20-30+ people, some of whom you may not know, isn't nothing. Magic when you can make it happen tho.

Sean Nittner@seannittner.bsky.social · 2w ago

Since stepping down as steward of Big Bad, I’ve focused on small events, what I call housecons. No flights, no hotel, communal meals, and scheduling that is either very loose (let’s play some games) or fully scheduled in advance (welcome to SeanCon, here’s your itinerary). My thoughts.

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 2w ago

I confess I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact they're just past $21k while Deathbringer is at $1.1 *million.* Go back this.

MegueyB@megueyb.bsky.social · 2w ago

Wow! We're $50 shy of $21K! That's awesome! There's 45 hours left, and two more stretch goals: More Money For Artists at $24k, and More Game For Everyone at $28K. Will we get there?? You can help find out! Back, share, and enjoy the run! #PsiRun2e #ttrpg #PBTA www.kickstarter.com/projects/117...

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 2w ago

I confess I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact they're just past $21k while Deathbringer is at $1.1 *million.* Go back this.

MegueyB@megueyb.bsky.social · 2w ago

Wow! We're $50 shy of $21K! That's awesome! There's 45 hours left, and two more stretch goals: More Money For Artists at $24k, and More Game For Everyone at $28K. Will we get there?? You can help find out! Back, share, and enjoy the run! #PsiRun2e #ttrpg #PBTA www.kickstarter.com/projects/117...

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 3w ago

I remember when @paulczege.bsky.social's The Clay That Woke came out and there was similar hand-wringing about the tox-masc theme. Ditto the amazing gender-centered moves in Gregor Vuga's Sagas of the Icelanders. It's okay, straight dudes! Gaze into the abyss. We're terrible. It's a rich topic.

jay Dragon is sleepy@jdragsky.bsky.social · 3w ago

here's a question from the AMA that i've been asked a lot and i wanted to show to other people — i think there's a lot of anxiety about thinking through masculinity in 7PP as a cis man and i hope this answer can help reassure some people

oxaitza • 3h ago I know the game is supposed to touch on themes of toxic masculinity. What are the things you want/wish a cis-white male would a) experience and b) have to come to gripes with during play? Know it is not your job to teach, but also know that sometimes I can be a little unaware of where the critique is just because of privilege. Hope the question makes sense and doesn't lack tact! jdragsky OP • 3h ago Hi, no need to be apologetic! This is a game about toxic masculinity, but it's not restrictive in that approach. You are a cis white male, which means you've also experienced and thought about toxic masculinity. One of the points of the game is that the expectations of masculinity are difficult for everyone to maintain (you want to be strong, but you're scared you're too weak. you want to be a good dad, but your job pulls you away from your kids, etc.) I'm not interested in legislating a single correct way to engage with the themes of the game. Instead I encourage you to play the character that speaks to you and engage with it on your own terms. As long as you're compassionate to your fellow players, you'll find your own path.
Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 3w ago

Summers are where campaigns go to die. And from their ashes arise ONE SHOTS. I've gotten some fun one-offs to the table this summer and wanted to share them with you. @jaytreat.bsky.social 's Strange Gravity, @sidneyicarus.bsky.social 's Decaying Orbit, and @adambell.games 's Uneasy Lies The Head.

Hot One-Shot Summer (part 1 of ?)

Summers are where campaigns go to die. Schedules get impossible to coordinate, time passes, the fizz escapes the bottle. But where some see a campaign necropolis, I see opportunity! An opportunity …

indiegamereadingclub.com

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 3w ago

I was wondering what the next big wave in indie rpg publishing was going to be and I think it's gonna be BIG FUCKOFF PROJECTS. Ambitious, luxe, not priced or even formatted for everyone. This is a good thing. Not every gamer is owed every game. The big fuckoff projects du jour are of course ...🧵

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 3w ago

I remember when @paulczege.bsky.social's The Clay That Woke came out and there was similar hand-wringing about the tox-masc theme. Ditto the amazing gender-centered moves in Gregor Vuga's Sagas of the Icelanders. It's okay, straight dudes! Gaze into the abyss. We're terrible. It's a rich topic.

jay Dragon is sleepy@jdragsky.bsky.social · 3w ago

here's a question from the AMA that i've been asked a lot and i wanted to show to other people — i think there's a lot of anxiety about thinking through masculinity in 7PP as a cis man and i hope this answer can help reassure some people

oxaitza • 3h ago I know the game is supposed to touch on themes of toxic masculinity. What are the things you want/wish a cis-white male would a) experience and b) have to come to gripes with during play? Know it is not your job to teach, but also know that sometimes I can be a little unaware of where the critique is just because of privilege. Hope the question makes sense and doesn't lack tact! jdragsky OP • 3h ago Hi, no need to be apologetic! This is a game about toxic masculinity, but it's not restrictive in that approach. You are a cis white male, which means you've also experienced and thought about toxic masculinity. One of the points of the game is that the expectations of masculinity are difficult for everyone to maintain (you want to be strong, but you're scared you're too weak. you want to be a good dad, but your job pulls you away from your kids, etc.) I'm not interested in legislating a single correct way to engage with the themes of the game. Instead I encourage you to play the character that speaks to you and engage with it on your own terms. As long as you're compassionate to your fellow players, you'll find your own path.
Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 3w ago

Summers are where campaigns go to die. And from their ashes arise ONE SHOTS. I've gotten some fun one-offs to the table this summer and wanted to share them with you. @jaytreat.bsky.social 's Strange Gravity, @sidneyicarus.bsky.social 's Decaying Orbit, and @adambell.games 's Uneasy Lies The Head.

Hot One-Shot Summer (part 1 of ?)

Summers are where campaigns go to die. Schedules get impossible to coordinate, time passes, the fizz escapes the bottle. But where some see a campaign necropolis, I see opportunity! An opportunity …

indiegamereadingclub.com

MegueyB@megueyb.bsky.social · 3w ago

Only 67 book backers until everyone gets More Art in the form of a new map in the book! Corey's maps a very cool, and I am excited to see what he makes. Looking ahead, if we hit 24K in the next 8 days, I get to give all three artists a bonus, which would ROCK! www.kickstarter.com/projects/117...

PsiRun Second Edition

Whoever was holding you captive, you're free, for now. You have superpowers & amnesia. You know they're after you. What could go wrong?

kickstarter.com

Indie Game Reading Club@indiegamereadingclub.com · 3w ago

I was wondering what the next big wave in indie rpg publishing was going to be and I think it's gonna be BIG FUCKOFF PROJECTS. Ambitious, luxe, not priced or even formatted for everyone. This is a good thing. Not every gamer is owed every game. The big fuckoff projects du jour are of course ...🧵