iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Paul Cornell @paulcornell.bsky.social · 21h

Meet team Murderbot! @marthawells.com is our compass, a perfect storm of an SFF writer, an anthropologist, formed by fandom, winning awards from way early and always campaigned for those left behind. Or mistakes are our own, but we’re making this for her. www.kickstarter.com/projects/cos...

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: Murderbot: The First Graphic Novel | Multi-award-winning SF!

The official adaptation of the international bestselling multi-award-winning ALL SYSTEMS RED, part of The Murderbot Diaries series.

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Reposted by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Ignyte Awards @theignyteawards.bsky.social · 10h

Hello and happy Fullmetal Alchemist Day! We're about ready to get started with this year's winner announcement A very special thanks to our first-ever sponsors: @bcsmagazine.bsky.social, @edmontonin2030.bsky.social, @laworldcon.bsky.social , and @revmindi.bsky.social ! #2026IgnyteAwards

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 10h

Children of Time :) although ‘the spider book’ doesn’t narrow it down that much in my work :)

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Reposted by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Head of Zeus @headofzeus.bsky.social · 14h

37 stories, more than 600 pages, the ultimate collection of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s (@aptshadow.bsky.social) short(er) fiction. #TheBestOfArianTchaikovsky is now available on @netgalley.bsky.social Request it now: bit.ly/4hZ6LQQ

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 17h

@emmanewman.bsky.social and I looked at her ‘Lolly Willowes’ for Starship Alexandria. Amazing book.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Serious Warhammer 40k spaceship vibes here in Cork.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

“This is a local disaster for local people!”

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

They are their own bicycles. If their environment was conducive to it they’d have developed wheels but Shroud doesn’t lend itself to roads.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The war with the bicycles was over and the humans had won.

Black and white wall photo at Leeds station showing a bunch of people on a hillside with a lot of bicycles lying around.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I have also written books about octopuses, crows, dogs, shrimp, robots, mechs, dinosaurs, fauns, aliens, more aliens, different aliens, shapeshifters, people with bug powers, spacegoing trilobites, centipedes, louse monks, frog gods (twice), bears, lizards... you know I feel I'm being misrepresented

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Reposted by Adrian Tchaikovsky

NickPheas @nickpheas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Another @aptshadow.bsky.social! Cage of Souls. I really must read this. No idea why I haven't, it's been sitting on my Kindle for seven years. 99p www.amazon.co.uk/Cage-Souls-A... Not reduced on Kobo

amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk

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Reposted by Adrian Tchaikovsky

NickPheas @nickpheas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Is this the month without any @aptshadow.bsky.social on offer? Don't be silly. The Final Architecture series is magnificent space opera, and this is the third book in the series. 99p. Bank it if you've not got the others to hand. www.amazon.co.uk/Lords-Uncrea... www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/...

amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

What the actual??? Damn, have to see if I can get to that.

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Sandy Nelson @buckeejit.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Absolutely devoured Spiderlight by @aptshadow.bsky.social. Combines the wonder and magic and philosophical anthropology of all his work into a Mad Max-paced explosion of Abercrombie-level grimdark fantasy.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

To be fair that is also a fairly popular future as far as what people have envisaged goes.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Mix of basilicanum grey and Gutrippa Flesh

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Reposted by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Rockets on Tyne @rocketsontyne.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

And for our final event of the day we are thrilled to have @aptshadow.bsky.social and @emmanewman.bsky.social in conversation! booksontyne.co.uk/event/adrian...

Flyer for Adrian Tchaikovsky and Emma Newman in conversation at Books on Tyne, 26 November, 6.30pm

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Oh I'm well aware. One of those rare things that's actually become weirder the more we know about it.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Never enough Gretchen - these are different sets as noted in the alt text. Particularly like the engineering crew #warhammercommunity

Old style space goblins with rubbish guns and knives

Space goblin engineers looking surprisingly competent

Medical goblins with saw and surgical modifications (unicycle goblin!) and ammo-carrying goblins

New style space goblins with slightly better looking weapons.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I guess it’s much shorter, as the crow flies. None of that underworld nonsense.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Sauron: ‘well that escalated quickl-‘

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Krang is from the cartoon? Are the aliens as a whole or did they come from the comic?

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Just saw a Kickstarter for some sort of ancient-period board game refer to an ‘early bird hero’ and was genuinely intrigued by this mythic figure before realising they were talking about a reward for early backers.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

They’re doing up the chin straps of their helmets while running to the Vipers I think?

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Was the character from the (far less for kids) comics or original to the cartoon? If the former presumably he was more competent in his first incarnation?

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I guess also they can't really count how many of them there are so it's just "lots".

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Shroud has been shortlisted for this year's Aldiss Award - relatively new genre award for world building. Very strong list there, an honour to be on it.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The face-eating leopard was unavailable for comment.

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Reposted by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Jon at Handiwork Games @handiworkgames.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Tyrant Philosophers RPG playtest sign up is now open! If you'd like to be among the first to play, then please sign up! We're building on the Cold City Hot War framework to create your meaningful and moving adventures in @aptshadow.bsky.social's Ilmar, City of Last Chances.

docs.google.com

The Tyrant Philosophers Roleplaying Game Playtest Sign Up

Thanks for your interest in the Tyrant Philosophers Roleplaying Game!

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

consequences for everyone involved as the powers that be or environmental hazards get involved.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

dice is another interesting lever. Basically it's a system that gives players a lot of hammers and invites them to pick their favourite finger, and I'm really looking forward to trying it out. Plus if the conflict used those special dice the GM will usually get to roll out some additional...

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

unopposed higher rolls, lower gets to choose consequences equal to matches, so a victory can be very pyrrhic. Plus those negative dice you rolled - depending on how they fell out, those bad traits and relationships may also end up biting you. So your decision to invoke them as a source of

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

for the sort of "heroes" of the series.) So that's one interesting narrative lever the players and GM can fight over. Success goes to the highest roll but matching high rolls are paired off until one side has an unopposed higher number. Winner gets to choose consequences equal to...

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Harder means the GM gets access to an extra source of special dice for their pool. If the PCs refuse, the roll just gets straight up more difficult but the additional consequences of those special dice don't figure. (In TP this works a bit differently in a way that feels appropriate...

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

At the start of the conflict the GM can offer players a couple of deals: easier or harder. Easier means the players walk it but the GM adds some dice to a pool, - the bad guys' attentions are elsewhere, furthering their own plans...

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

GM dice pool is drawn from the available dice of the opposing factions, which act as a sort of ablative countdown for the scenario - the more you win against that faction, the more depleted that pool becomes until, when sufficient pools are emptied, the endgame arrives...

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The base mechanic is, player assembles a dice pool from stat, traits, relationships etc. Negative traits and relationships can add in if it makes sense, and still give you bonus dice (yay!)...

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I've been reading Hot War from @handiworkgames.bsky.social , which uses a system that Tyrant Philosophers will have a variant of, and I did want to post about how fun it looks as a narrative tool.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It's still in playtest, but it's a relatively simple dice pool and compare highest rolls. Less crunch than Blades in the Dark, I'd say, but high narrative impact of dice rolls. Actually I've been meaning to post on the Cold City/Hot War system - watch this space.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I'm not sure - it's from Head of Zeus/Bloomsbury. So same sort of gap as you would have had with, say, Pretenders to the Throne of God or Bee Speaker. Also Forbidden Planet and other UK stockists will ship but I'm aware that's expensive.

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Adrian Tchaikovsky @aptshadow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It’s the Cold City/Hot War system which is its own beast

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