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John Zinser

@aegjohnz.bsky.social
324 followers 49 following 179 posts
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It’s 3:00 AM. In a few hours, we launch Electrify. There are years of work sitting in that box. Design, development, art, production, playtesting, changes, mistakes, improvements, and a lot of people trying to make something special. Now there’s only one thing left to do. Flip the switch.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I have played an unreasonable number of games of Electrify on BGA lately. I keep telling myself it’s work. This is the best kind of playtesting. :) #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Congratulations Jolly and Kenzer crew.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
How great is this?
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Look great Pete.
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Reposted by John Zinser
Matt Forbeck @forbeck.com · 09/09/2026
Gamers! The chat I had with @bandofbadgers.bsky.social last week is already out on YouTube. Go check it out! youtu.be/DfOnv_6481E
youtu.be
Live Q&A with MARVEL RPGs Lead Writer MATT FORBECK
YouTube video by Band of Badgers
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Sitting in my dentist’s chair playing Electrify on BGA on my phone. Life is good? Or life is strange? :)
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The power is on, and the Electrify Alpha is working great! I’m preparing for the most fun you can have as a game company employee: playing one of our games with new friends. Come join us and find out why people are calling Electrify “The Engine Builder’s Engine Builder.”
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This game really is “The Engine Builder’s Engine Builder.” Playing it is making my brain hurt in the best possible ways. Tableau engine building from my favorite designer, John D. Clair. Electrify is a beast.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Went and saw the new Spider-Man movie with Mom yesterday. Wow, was it good. So glad I saw it in the theater.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I’m on summer break, but I’ve been working closely with Jaedon on this one. Can’t wait to get back to it and finalize the artist and name. Super fun game, and Jaedon’s videos are a great origin story to follow.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Electrify is hot and I’m getting excited watching the engine for the launch come together. Yesterday we learned the BGA implementation is ahead of schedule, which means we get to turn the power on a little earlier than planned. So now we’re looking for a few engine builders to help.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The older I get, the less interested I am in proving what I already know. Companies change. Games change. People change. If you’re still learning, experimenting, failing, adjusting and trying again, you’re still in the game. Evolution isn’t something you finish.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Up at 4 AM again. Apparently this is who I am now. Coffee. Quiet house. A couple uninterrupted hours to think about AEG, what we’re building, what isn’t working, and what I’m learning along the way. There are worse ways to start a day.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I love the smell of rain in the desert. I learned a new word today. Petrichor - The small of rain after a dry day. I love the rain here in South Carolina but I miss the Petrichor from California.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
On my way to Gencon. I have already been informed of a delay of my connecting flight in Baltimore. I was worried weather was going to get me.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Just spent 20 minutes reading about circadian rhythms. I wake up every day at 3:30. Turns out it’s probably not my bladder, my back, time to bed or random chance.My circadian clock has learned that 3:30 is when the day starts and begins waking my body before I’m even conscious. Brains are amazing.
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Reposted by John Zinser
Alderac Entertainment Group @alderaceg.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Designers coming to Gen Con? Drop by Big Game Night for 15 minutes, see what the event is all about! Introduce yourself to John Z and let him put you on the clock (1 Minute elevator game pitch) Friday, 8-12PM Lucas Oil Stadium, East Club Lounge Post your name in this thread to get on the list. 🎲✂️
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
JumbleJack, Word Wipe and Assemble. A year of building, testing, and learning. These three projects taught me more about improving AEG than I imagined possible. #playtestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
It isn’t an accident that Jaedon Johnson, the designer of one of our Big Game Night 2027 games, is helping make Learn to Play videos for our 2026 releases. One of the biggest lessons from #PlaytestingAEG is that players want access, not just announcements. Expect more of this as we move forward.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the best podcast guests out there. I chase down and listen to his interviews wherever he shows up. This week he is on DOAC. He just said he got internet hate from saying that cows are machines created by humans to turn grass into steak. 👨‍🍳🌱 🐄 = 🥩
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Naming games is hard. Sometimes the name just lands. Smash Up. Love Letter. Other times you go through 500 ideas and still don’t feel like you have found the one that is worthy of the game you created. The game is great. The team believes in it. But until the name clicks, it's not finished.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Watching CSI reruns reminded me that every great TV team has roles. Nobody expects the forensic scientist to interrogate suspects or the detective to run the lab. Clear roles make extraordinary teams look ordinary. We’re still learning that at AEG. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
A lot of my relearning how AEG works is happening inside of the work I am doing on BGN and the games we are launching at this event. I look forward to seeing the next big hit. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I spent the sunrise working on plans for Big Game Nights that won't happen until 2028. One of the odd things about publishing games is that you're usually working on the future while everyone else is looking at the present. #playtestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
We've been thinking about Big Game Night as an annual event. Turns out it's three annual events running at the same time. One BGN in discovery. (2028) One BGN in development. (2027) One launching. (2026) Once we built it that way in Asana, everything started making more sense. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
@alderac The best feeling ever right? Congrats I chase that all the time.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Going to start watching Spider Man - Noir on Netflix. Hoping the coin lands on great Nic Cage for this one.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Getting a few peices of art reframed. Wife asked who this was. I got maybe 1/4 way through Togashi Mitsu’s story before she said “I am sorry I asked”😜. 🐉🐉🐉
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Multiple years of hard work and lots of teamwork and planning went into creating this great game. Very proud of my team.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
I worked on 3-4 games featured at this years BGN. First true dev work I have done at AEG in many years. Very satisfying to see these games come to life. See you at GenCon. #DingDing #Alderac #Biggamenight
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
To bed early and awake at 3AM. Some days I roll over and go back to sleep. Other days, like today, my brain has other plans. Hi ho. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Some games have longer lives than you expect. Had a call today with a new partner bringing one of our older titles from the 2010's back, and the early work looks incredible. Excited to share more soon. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Frogs in the morning. Frogs in the afternoon. Frogs at suppertime. No more frogs. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
2 weeks until the Let’s Go to France Kickstarter launches. The team are doing great. Feels strange to be this disconnected from something so important. Not being involved creates more anxiety than being involved. It’s like letting someone else plan a vacation for you. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
There are only so many hours in a day, and lately I feel like I am squeezing every ounce of juice out of them. Some days that feels productive. Some days it just feels sticky. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Word Wipe. One of AEG’s Big Game Night games for this year. I love playing it but boy am I not any good at coming up with or guessing the secret connecting words.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Day 4 of the summit. Would you like to play a game? A lot of rounds of Assemble today. Fast, fun, and built to hit the table over and over. At the end of it all, this is still the most important part. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Day 3 of the AEG summit. Less about having the right answer. More about making sure we’re all asking the same question. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Day 1 of the summit is behind us. Spent most of the day working through the new operating system. Good day. Also completely exhausted. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
New passport. No stamps. No visas. No travel memories… yet. Hadn’t even signed it until today. Feels like the right way to head into the summit. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Had 3 weeks to build next week's summit agenda. Putting the finishing touches on it the day before I leave. Parkinson’s Law is undefeated. Shorter deadlines might be part of the fix. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
I can already feel the pull to optimize this. Better posts. Better timing. More reach. More Posts. Not the goal. One post a day. Build the habit. #PlaytestingAEG
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Reposted by John Zinser
Matt Forbeck @forbeck.com · 15/04/2026
Gamers! My sons @martyforbeck.bsky.social and Pat and I have been working on a tactical tabletop game with @rayboxgames.bsky.social called THE CATS OF NEW ORLEANS, and it's coming to Kickstarter! Get on the pre-launch list for an alert the moment it launches on April 21.
Nineteenth century nthropomorphic cats (and a prairie dog) battle an alligator turtle and giant mosquitoes in the bayou outside New Orleans.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Wrote a procedure for writing procedures. That’s when I knew I was in the deep end. Also not the part of the business I ever expected to enjoy… but here we are. If the system can’t explain itself, it doesn’t scale. #PlaytestingAEG
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Some things scale because they’re systemized. Some things work because experienced people hold them together. You don’t really know which is which… until you start doing the work yourself. #PlaytestingAEG
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Reposted by John Zinser
Taylor Shuss @drawnonward.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
And I can finally announce my followup project with Tim Fowers - Driveable City! In this 60 minute solo game you get to pave through local communities, meddle with local transit, and play with millions in grants from your government like funny money. Just how Robert Moses would have wanted it!
The cover to Driveable City, an April Fools joke on my crowdfunded game Walkable City. On the cover all the streets have been paved, the title has been changed, and the monorail above the streets has been turned into an inter-city highway.
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John Zinser @aegjohnz.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Wait what??? This is awesome. I am a misfit. I need a card. My ability should l be like Designer Wins from L5R. If your picture is on this card and in your tableau you win. LOL.
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Reposted by John Zinser
Paul Owen @paulowengames.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
117th game of 2026 is Cascadia by @rf-seattle.bsky.social @alderaceg.bsky.social with @kbowenwriter.bsky.social - such a pleasant game on a pleasant Virginia afternoon
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Reposted by John Zinser
Taylor Shuss @drawnonward.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Day 2 of Walkable City on Kickstarter! Huge thanks to all the backers who've pledged. Please feel free to share this in urbanist communities as I am sure many people there will be interested in the project! 💖 www.kickstarter.com/projects/fow...
kickstarter.com
Walkable City - the Urban Planning Boardgame
Asymmetric Cooperative boardgame about building a city without cars.
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