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John Curtin

@curtinwrites.bsky.social
410 followers 438 following 894 posts

Ennie-nominated game and culture writer Words @Paizo.com and sundry Projects: @starfinderfacts2e.bsky.social www.patreon.com/BearlyFactual ko-fi.com/bearlyfactualproduction Occasional musician. Built a robot once.

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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
So first: the bag is nearly unopenable, one of those Forever Plastics that requires superhuman strength Once opened, you receive The Odor, which smells like someone poured hot sauce into a bag of gummies, which is as unsurprising and unpleasant as it sounds The small servings may be a blessing.
A mangled-open bag of Franks Red Hot Spicy Halloween gummies. One gummy pumpkin and 5 gummy bears, coated with strange dried residue
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Dear internet I am going to eat the Franks Red Hot Spicy Halloween gummies so you don't have to
Franks Red Hot Special Limited Halloween Edition Gummies
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Nature is healing
A four loko can hanging on a branch
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
I'm sure I'm not the first person to consider a KPop Demon Hunters face tattoo but based on my initial research, I do think that I would wear it the best
One John Curtin, generic bearded white male, wearing a K-pop demon Hunter sticker affixed to his cheek
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
GAP-TOUCHED! THAT'S THE ONE!! Fun @starfinderfacts2e.bsky.social : the [GAPPED] portion of the manuscript was submitted in Wingdings. I've also already made a gap-touched character, a synthetic gnome that is a clone of an old character, so I sprang this badly-photoshopped character art on my GMs
A space-age android/gnome from the Starfinder TTRPG
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Barbossa, Imperial Emperor and the final boss of Suikoden 1, Monologuing
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
I've been playing a little bit of Wildermyth every night as my bedtime story and it is truly a treat
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Day two of cooking: snow day edition
Potajes de garbanzos, a Spanish bean-and-vegetable stewA London broil round top steak, scored then seared to a caramelized well-done state
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I got to spend a lot of time playing games with @comedianmtg.bsky.social and @luastardust.com - they recommended @doomlings.bsky.social, kicked my ass at @riftbound.riotgames.com, and we all tried to date all the same monsters in @paizo.com's Monster Match. Great people and great games!
Viktor stands no chance against Jynx's onslaught in a very one-sided game of RiftboundPaizo's Monster Match board gameA pack and started box of the Doomlings card gameThe Warlocky card art from Doomlings
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
My biggest lapse in purchasing restraint was finally grabbing the Eldamon book from @rollforcombat.bsky.social . I get my son a plushie at the cons I go to and he was so thrilled for his Squirrelash - we'll see if my players respond as positively! Plus my copy is signed by @markseifter.bsky.social !
Eldamon book and Squirrelash plushie by Roll For Combat
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Still slowly unpacking my head from PAXU: my second biggest lapse in purchasing restraint came at the @ipr.bsky.social booth. I couldn't walk away from Orbital Blues and Jukebox when they were right there. They're both beautiful in very different ways and I'm already salivating to play them.
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Multiple other people expressed dismay that I got to talk with @gamefiend.bsky.social and they didn't, but you should still be able to find him over at the @turtlebun.com table to talk games, art, and human connection - plus check out some of the excellent games he and his friends are making!
Pages from Thoughtcrime Games' Griot Anthology, compiled by editor Quinn MurphyMud, a memoir journal game by Turtlebun
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
Some of my favorites: @paizo.com Monster Match! was a ton of fun. I demo'd it in the morning and then kept dragging friends back to the demo table so we could fight over who got to smooch oozes, dragons, and cat folk. I had my heart repeatedly broken by a mustachioed frog and couldn't be happier.
Paizo's Monster Match board game
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Morning update: had my heart broken at @paizo.com 's Monster Match, had a lovely conversation and demo of class-lite dungeon crawler Mythcrafters, and a lot of staring at beautiful @carlosatscg.bsky.social and his perfect hair as we talked the @nightvaleradio.bsky.social RPG
Paizo's Monster Match board game. Not pictured: my inevitable heartbreak
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Slow-moving for day 2 (my final 🥲) of PAX Unplugged! I'm interviewing @carlosatscg.bsky.social about his experiences as a game designer on Welcome To Nightvale and more, want to try some of the @paizo.com new board games, and try to see as many new and old friends as I can find on the floor. Say hi!
John Curtin, serious games journalist, making a silly face
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
Chihuahua foster puppies, if anyone in the Philly region is in the mood to adopt wiggly little meerkat
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
I don't think I'm coming back to PAX, I got a better offer
John Curtin on a couch with three dogs climbing on top of himJohn Curtin on a couch with three dogs climbing on top of himJohn Curtin on a couch with three dogs climbing on top of him
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
This skeet brought to your by my PAXU flight being 5.5 hours delayed Taking edibles and dissociating in the airport, AMA
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Took myself on a date to @sidequestbooks.bsky.social 's live D&D game with Anjali Bhimani tonight. It's pretty awesome seeing a busy D&D event in the middle of a trendy hotspot. Can't wait for the game!
Bow St Market in Somerville, a two-story shopping center wrapped around a central courtyardA crowded room of gamers gathered to watch Anjali Bhimani GM
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Game tip - Clover Pit is a brand-new rogue-like gambling game that blends Balatro and Inscryption for a new addictive game where you play slots for your life. Review coming soon, but great job to @panikarcade.bsky.social and @futurefriendsgames.com on this store.steampowered.com/app/3314790/...
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
I played this game back at PAX East and it was an immediate favorite. I counted down the days until it's summer release. Once I got it, I played for about an hour before I went and bought the soundtrack. It's chockful of energetic hits across pop, metal, and hip-hop, and there's no duds at all.
Skiing through a surreal blue-lit landscape of floating obelisks
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
"My turn." "Do you want help? Daddy's turn?" "No." *fumbling button presses.* *hands me controller* "...thank you daddy." "Do you want help now?" "Yeah."
A curly-headed toddler plays with a Switch controller; Mario Kart plays upon a distant tv
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
Seriously the resemblance is uncanny
A screenshot from "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" tv show with mouse's subtitles edited to say "I'll never get out and I'll never see my mom again!"
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
Blue Prince (2025)
A scene from the "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" TV show. Mouse stands, arms spread wide, bemoaning "Boy, why did we build so many rooms?"
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Choosing violence on Discord:
Screenshot of a discord conversation:

Unidentified friend: "aren't you the same guy who called Outer Wilds a rogue-like"

Me: *posts a meme of a maniacally smiling child labeled "guilty"
Me: "Time loop games are neural roguelikes, I will die on this hill and respawn at the bottom of said hill"
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Anyways, if you also suspect that the devs had inside intel on the coming zombie apocalypse, go practice your zombie-slaying skills on @killingfloor3.com and get ready for the coming Zed-picalypse!
A variety of Killing Floor 3-branded items, including a lunch box, a pint glass, a first aid kit, dress socks, stickers, a mouse pad, a tactical knife, an emergency pen, and shooting targets
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
This is what broke me. Not the keychain bottle opener, but rather the bag. Or should I say The fully stocked first aid kit. And it hit me: Target practice? Tactical tools? Medical supplies. It's not a hype box - it's a survival kit. And preparatory. ...what does Tripwire Interactive know???
A keychain bottle opener and a square black bag, both with the Killing Floor 3 logo upon themA fully stocked med kit
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
It takes me a minute to figure out what this is - a tactical emergency pen! It's got an LED flashlight in the cap, ballpoint pen in the body - and a solid steel point on the end to smash glass safely in the event of an emergency. Little strange, but how practical and useful!
An emergency pen, made of steel and with a glass-breaker pointAn in-action shot of an opened emergency pen, shining the LED flashlight in the cap on the pen point
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
In hindsight, this is when things first started to get weird. But damn, cool knife. Immediate 'I have a toddler, highest possible shelf in the house' energy, but it's a damn good knife.
A Killing Floor 3 collapsible tactical knife
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Also included were these high-quality stickers, and this pint glass I'm legitimately obsessed with. It's bigger than a regular pint glass and heavier too, perfect for either glassing a Zed or finding your local pub to hole up in and wait for the whole thing to blow over
Killing Floor 3 stickersA killing Floor 3 pint glass
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Next up, good standard swag fare - mouse pad, limited-edition all-metal Killing Floor 3 lunchbox, even Killing Floor 3 socks for when I want to hide a little zombie carnage under my Business Professional attire
Large desk-sized mouse pad picturing a Killing Floor 3 survivor standing in front of a black-and-red oversized Zed bustA lunchbox with a Zed head from Killing Floor 3Black and red Killing Floor 3 dress socks
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
First thing I see: ZOMBIE FACE! Shooting range targets! With Killing Floor Zeds on them! It's been a few years since I've hit the range but it's nice to know that I have some iconic friends to bring with me next time.
Shooting range targets printed with full-color Zed illustrations of the zombies from Killing Floor 3
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
So when the lovely @hamburglar61.bsky.social offered me a swag box I leapt for it. I love swag, I love killing zombies, Killing Floor has a great rep and a new game, match made in heaven, right? I wasn't prepared for what I found in the box tho
A black cardboard box, partially opened; "The Battle Begins With Nightfall" is printed in severe white letters on the inner flaps
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Still riding the rush of drafting two Space-Time Anomalies while trying out the new @magic.wizards.com Edge Of Eternities set, a truly brutal combo in a Limited format. I went 7-2 (got cocky after going 5-0 and got dropped by a lobster, iykyk), But you can bet that my azorius decks are glowing up
Spacetime anomaly card Magic the Gathering Edge of Eternities
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
Coming home from vacation to quite a lot of unboxing to do - Very excited to check out each of these! @killingfloor3.com @paizo.com
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
I forgot we were playing Pathfinder so I had to fix it
Nosferatu with stringy, grima-wormtongue hair and blacked-out eyes
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Me: "I'm really excited to play a vampire!" Them: "Oh cool, like that Anne Rice show?" Me: "...not ...exactly."
Nosferatu with drawn-on hair
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
My "Zero-Sugar Beef Jerky" label is raising a lot of questions answered by my label.
A bag of Country Archer Zero Sugar Classic flavored Grass-Fed Beef Jerky
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Ope just caught up on the aiuvaran (half-elf) rules in Pathfinder and:
Gimli: "Never thought I could have a baby with an elf."
Legolas: "What about with a friend?"
Gimli: "Aye, I could do that."
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Not the entire collection and infiltrated by comics and other books too, but here's most of my Pathfinder and Starfinder things - plus some D&D (3.0 and 5.0), Call of Cthulhu, and even one Transformers TTRPG book in there 😂 Not pictured: bottom row of comics and sci-fi
An untidy bookshelf
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
I was today years old when I found out about Paizo's gunwitch. A witch with a gun. Straight out of NPC Core. Part of the basic rules for the game. This is why Pathfinder is the best.
Gunwitch. A witch with a gun. A rifle, specifically, that she is enhancing with glowing purple magic.
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Fox News: "LIBERAL TEACHERS are FLOODING OUR SCHOOLS with WOKE PROPAGANDA" The Propaganda:
The children's books "Curious George Votes" and "Curious George Goes To A Bookstore"
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Case in point: 7 am helping out at my local plant sale 10 am hitting the convention floor
A rainy parking lot, set up with tents and tables for a plant sale. So many hostas and lilies of the valleyCrowd shot of PAX East
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
My pace of demos was much slower today because I stayed up late and took breaks to talk with folks, but some more great games at PAX East today #PAXEast
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
PAX East: Day 1 Ask me anything about these games. And no, that is not a typo, "Pizza Bandit" is in fact a co-op cooking shooter
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Already spotted @cypheroftyr.bsky.social rocking the VIP badge so It Is Officially On
John Curtin, Average Bearded White Male, in front of the PAX East megalogo
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Hello it is me, Serious Games Journalist John Curtin, getting ready to hit the expo floor at PAX and cram in an exciting day of demos and conversation. Already been trying demos in prep so I'll post quick takes as I go
John Curtin, Average White Guy, with a short beard, jacket, classic Nintendo graphic t, and hat, giving a friendly thumbs up and point to the camera
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
I'm wrapping up reading the original Avengers Academy and getting myself ready to be absolutely gutted, if the finale is anything like the first 38 issues.
The cover for Avengers Academy #1
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
So my I've been reading :Otherscape, a mythic cyberpunk RPG legends are coming to life disguised in the noise of technology, and I can't help but feel like it's perfect for a Department Of Truth/X-Files campaign where the government is desperately invested in researching and controlling wild legends
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John Curtin @curtinwrites.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Found this excellent and evocative old Wayne Reynolds art during a D&D lore deep dive. Can you name this wizard? (Full disclosure - I couldn't!)
A malevolent wizard in ornate hooded robes glowers from his rough-hewn thrown. A lit brazier sits to his left, a fierce and majestic bird perches on his throne to the right.
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