iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Very cool to see an Aragorn who's Black! More pushes towards accurate representation of the incredibly varied world we live in will only ever be a huge plus for me. @restorationgames.bsky.social

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Lee Dart Verrall (they/them) @ldverrall.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Relatedly, if anyone has any pics of anatomically incorrect plastic animal skeletons, I would love to see them My personal fave: spiders with spinal columns

A plastic skeleton spider with a spinal column, vertebrae, ribs... it's weird

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I’m not saying the best thing about Halloween is the decorative animal skeletons where the skulls have bone ears but I’m also not not saying that

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

When I was 12 and showing a younger kid how to water ski, she kicked out the bottom half of my two front teeth while trying to figure out how to deal with skis on her feet. Last night one cap randomly fell off and I had to get it replaced today and I Did Not Enjoy That.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

If financial and material resources, education, time, and space weren't an issue, what hobby would you start? (stained glass for me, please.)

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Randy Flynn @rf-seattle.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Emily's Perennial is live on Kickstarter! I playtested this a number of times, and it really got to a sweet place. It also gets the Flatout Games and Beth Sobel treatment, making in a wonderful product. Check it out! @flatoutgames.bsky.social @bethsobel.bsky.social @emilykeepskitties.bsky.social

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

If you pass a cat that is looking particularly snug, and petting them has a 50% chance of increasing the snugness vs decreasing the snugness, so you pet?

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Hi artists! Are you new to professional art? My top tip: If you are going to be late on a project, communicate that as soon as you know it. Apologize. I promise the client will be relieved by your communication, you will be relieved by not having to stress as much, and everyone wins! No ghosting!

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

First I was alive for 23 years, then I got married, now I have been married for 23 years. He's so good, y'all. 1000000000/5 stars, do recommend.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

She doesn’t even fold the laundry.

A lazy queen showing off legge. Also the queen is a cat.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Will I be cutting shingles this evening with a hook blade utility knife, or wearing a fabulously deadly fake mustache? Who can say!

A series of very dangerous fake mustaches. Or a series of hook blades. Literally impossible to tell which.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This was such a phenomenal debut! If you like stand alone fantasy with a bit of folklore flavor that explores who is served by the histories we keep, this one deserves a read!

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

As an attention-shy human, I have complicated feelings about my name on game boxes. That said, in this era of AI trash, if I do not see a human artist name on a game box, I will hesitate to buy it.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Overpainting AI art does not make it look like human-made art.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

What is the correct way to microwave and why is it pushing 33:33 and turning it off when you feel like it based on vibes

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Currently rebuilding a shed which is kind of fun. I was thinking I hope I can rebuild some other stuff but then I realized something would have to really break for that to happen, so now I hope I never have to rebuild anything ever again!

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

If anyone ever wants to do a mineral & gem sort of game I would love to paint those!

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

There is so much lasting joy to be had in learning a skill in which you are interested. AI is out there stealing all that joy.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Glacial milk water of Diablo

A weirdly turquoise lake with a moody sky

Look it’s called Diablo lake so probably the devil made it that color

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

There’s a high chance that my cat Juniper thinks her name is ‘oh hi little baby’

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

My anatomy skull is very testosterone-y so I got another one that looks less so and it came with all these face and cheek magnetic muscle plates which I took off and threw away, but Daniel just found one I missed on the living room floor. Bit 'o cheek flesh. Normal floor findings.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

My cat won’t sit in her heated bed unless it has this grungy towel on it. She has two heated beds so we have cut the towel in half.

A sofa with a cat bed in it, clad in half a grungy towel

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Daniel Newman // New Mill Industries @dnlnwmn.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Sumidagawa Red Town is completely sold out, but if you haven't bought Worst In Show yet (by the same designer, and with art by the extraordinary @bethsobel.bsky.social) there are plenty available! www.newmillindustries.com/store/p/wors... Fantastic trick taker, wild bidding system, best dogs!

newmillindustries.com

Worst In Show — New Mill Industries

It's the final day of the annual Canine Club Dog Show and the tension is palpable. All of the dogs that have made it to the finals are champions, but they're feeling the need to release some steam. Ma...

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Haole Boy Games 🔜 Game Market West @haoleboygames.com · 13/06/2026

After a bunch of playtesting, v1.1 of “Palace: River and Stone” using @bethsobel.bsky.social cards is now available. Big change: The “Have Fun” card now resets the value of the face-up discard pile to zero. That opens the game up and avoids some pain 2p loops. boardgamegeek.com/thread/29741...

boardgamegeek.com

Palace: River and Stone | Palace

Ver. 1.1 (12 JUN 2026) Using all 56 "[url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bethsobel/river-and-stone-playing-cards]River and Stone[/url]" playing cards designed by [user=bethsobel][/user], play [...

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Always a pleasure to work with Flatout!

The cover art for Perennial, an upcoming game from Flatout. Lots of native species prairie flowers, two bunnies, one wheelbarrow, much prairie.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Chronic illness is just a series of concessions to a negotiating partner who is a sadist.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

I'd love to see graphic designer names on game boxes! If you're putting the illustrator, why not also add the graphic designer?

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Unplayed games. What would you play first? (Some we’ve played in prototype form)

A photo of a shamefully large stack of games

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Randy Flynn @rf-seattle.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Look! A production copy of Cascadia: Alpine Lakes. Turns out you can still pre-order from & receive it soon-ish: gamefound.com/en/projects/... @flatoutgames.bsky.social @bethsobel.bsky.social @thenazzaro.bsky.social @fanfactories.bsky.social @boardgameghee.bsky.social @dylanmangini.bsky.social

Randy, holding a production copy of Cascadia: Alpine Lakes, with his hand below Nick Nazzaro's Cascadia poster.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

The best thing is when your cat is just walking around but then you praise them and they start walking like an absolute *queen*

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Washington state’s not too bad

North cascades national park Mountain View

Looking down past a waterfall to a lake, North Cascades National Park

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

How many hobbies is too many hobbies? Asking for a painter, quilter, board gamer, printmaker, reader, writer, very new & bad violinist, choir member, occasional baker... (also pls tell me your hobbies in case I need a new one sometime)

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

If there is a way to make footnotes populate to the bottom of the page they are on while reading on Kindle I would be so grateful to learn about it! (If there isn't, whyyyyyy)

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Surely it can't be that unusual to sleep with a pillow over your face, and yet I never see it in media.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Moderately impossible to photograph but here’s my oil on copper for the board game illustrator’s secret Santa

Round painting of a shiny beetle on a black background.

Same beetle painting zoomed out and pre-varnish. Also he’s probably named Nimizor.

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Sophia Babai @swingingstorm.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

How does it feel to be an Iranian right now? 🧵

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Preorders are just presents from your past self @cj-dotson.bsky.social

A copy of These Familiar Walls which I can't wait to read!

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Do you ever think about all the people you know and just get overwhelmed by their talents and awesomeness? IDK, man. Y'all are just super rad.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

The best thing about piranhas is how they look like they’ve gotten into the glitter and tried to hide it

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Very grateful to be able to afford an insulin pump! That said, my insulin pump company is shifting to a subscription model. "The company expects higher lifetime revenue per customer"

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🥧 suzanne 🥧 @425suzanne.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Reposting with ALT because this kind of phenomenal disdain and disrespect from within the industry literally against two of their own titles and the designer who made them is important to recognize.

Ryan Dancey - Chief Operating Officer of Alderac Entertainment responding to:

Baffles me why people think AI should be included in any serious business when it's like the office four year old.

Ryan writes

Because three years ago, it was essentially nothing but a curiosity. Now it’s useful, but in limited cases. In a year or two it will be as useful as any new hire. A year or two after that, it will be used useful as an experienced employee. And any field. For a few dollars day in cost.

15 years ago the best humans could be any computer playing chess. 10 years ago a human checking the work of the best chest plan computer could be the best human. Today the best humans cannot beat a chess playing computer. This is what is happening with AI except the timeframe is months not years.

I have zero reason to believe that AI couldn’t come up with tiny towns or flip seven or cubitos. I can prompt any of several AI‘s right now and get ideas for games as good as those. The gaming industry doesn’t exist because humans create otherwise unobtainable ideas it exists because many many previous games exist feed into the minds of designers who produce new variance of those themes. People then apply risk. Against those ideas to see if there’s a product market fit. Sometimes there is, and sometimes there’s not. In fact, much more often than not. Extremely occasionally quotes twice in my lifetime (D&D and magic the gathering) a human has produced an all new form of gaming entertainment. Those moments are so rare and incandescent that they echo across decades.

Game publishing isn’t an industry of unique special ideas. It’s an industry about execution, marketing, and attention to detail. All things AIs are great at.

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beth @bethsobel.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

I worked with Monique and Naveen on a rules teach for my playing card kickstarter and they were both phenomenal! Strongly recommend them & WIP!

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