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Tor

@ccxvii.bsky.social
604 followers 94 following 28 posts

I made rally-the-troops.com, mupdf, gargoyle, and some other stuff.

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Reposted by Tor
Amabel Holland @amabel.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
In 1990, an elementary school teacher won $16,500 on a game show, and used her winnings to publish a board game about the Exxon Valdez oil spill. This is her story. youtu.be/r1g7C0o9Oqc
youtu.be
Tracia Newman's Board Game: Oil Spill & Amateur Art
YouTube video by Hollandspiele
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Scifi Art @scifiart.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Art by Rob Alexander for Lord of the Rings card game (1997)
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Scifi Art @scifiart.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Iconic Tom Jung art for Ralph Bakshi’s The Lord of the Rings movie poster (1978)
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Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 10/08/2026
Here's something cool we're announcing today: Knytt Classic, a faithful and complete rebuild of Nifflas' classic 2006 indie platform adventure for modern PCs, is available today, totally free to own store.steampowered.com/app/2656050/...
store.steampowered.com
Knytt Classic on Steam
Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the indie freeware classic, rebuilt for modern machines! Explore a maze-like planet as the Knytt, a peaceful being abducted by aliens, find your missing ship parts, a...
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Kevin Wilson @kevinwilson42.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I really strongly recommend folks just follow standard capitalization rules. A bunch of stuff got oddly capitalized in Arkham Horror, and for years while working on expansions I had to try and remember if this word or that word was supposed to be capitalized or not. 0/10 - would not recommend.
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The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 03/05/2026
Now watching the opposite of a feel-good movie. 🤗 Bleakness, here I come!
A promotional poster for the 2018 film Aniara features a rectangular spacecraft and a textured red planet set against a backdrop of hypnotic, radiating black and white lines.
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Sean Barrett @nothings.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
They're "fixing" it. This reply is from the person who approved the PR. Note a lack of explanation of WHY they approved the PR, why code was this way, or how they're changing their processes to make sure things like this don't happen in the future. & closed the thread so nobody can point this out.
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Gergely Orosz @gergely.pragmaticengineer.com · 27/03/2026
If you use GitHub (especially if you pay for it!!) consider doing this *immediately* Settings -> Privacy -> Disallow GitHub to train their models on your code. GitHub opted *everyone* into training. No matter if you pay for the service (like I do). WTH github.com/settings/cop...
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Andrew Plotkin @eblong.com · 15/03/2026
People keep telling me not to use black-on-white web page themes because it "hurts their eyes" and I finally realized I'm the only person on the planet that adjusted my monitor to a comfortable level.
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Nick Bentley Makes Games @nickbentley.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
There are few hot takes I agree with more than this. - too many hobbyists take rules complexity as a proxy for depth, which it isn't. - too many hobbyists play simple games, don't understand the strategy but assume they do, and conclude "shallow". It's hubris.
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Amabel Holland @amabel.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Nice overview of one branch of the checkers family and its growth within American Jewish and Black communities. If you have any interest in traditional games, how they evolve & spread, & their cultural significance, this channel is one to watch. youtu.be/Oahmxr8Pm3A
youtu.be
It's called American Pool Checkers, a variant based on Russian Checkers. (A viewer request!)
YouTube video by NewVenture Games
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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
The pro-AI, anti-game-designer nonsense Suz is quoting below is on LinkedIn, in the comments on a post by the SAME PERSON about how AI told him to *walk* to the car wash. (The cognitive dissonance is killing me!) Here's what I replied over there:

Ryan I am so disappointed to see you say this. AEG would not exist without the hard work of its human designers. You know damn well that Peter and John are better than AI and will be for a long time to come. An AI that can't tell you how to go to the carwash isn't going to be able to tell you how to play a game, either. Playing many iterations of chess by following the rules it is given is a computation issue that has nothing in common with the complex mess of inspiration and psychology required to design a game.
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Amabel Holland @amabel.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
I wanted to know who designed an old board game I loved. I found out he made over fifty games he was never credited for, in a career spanning more than three decades. youtu.be/dTepZ7qM24Q
youtu.be
GRAVITY IS FREE: the games of René Soriano
YouTube video by Hollandspiele
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Cara Giovanetti @idontevencara.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Hey! Scientists! Did you discover something cool with your eyes lately? Maybe you made an image with a telescope or microscope? Or made an illustrative figure in a paper? That's great! Congratulations! I am BEGGING you to upload a copy to wikimedia commons a rant ⚛️🧪
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Amabel Holland @amabel.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Nice documenting of a research process. If you're interested in old games & obscure publishers, the channel for NewVenture Games - which itself specializes in publishing pegboard games - has a number of charming bite-sized videos. A channel I don't think gets enough attention. youtu.be/Gk4d8jujOaE
youtu.be
The game is afoot! This week we seek out a mystery game by the Skor-Mor Games Company.
YouTube video by NewVenture Games
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Kathleen E. Kennedy @themedievaldrk.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
To be clear, they're play-fighting and also: this video improved my day measurably and I wish I'd've watched it earlier. If you haven't, fix that now.
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Michelle Franklin│Legends and Lectures @michellefranklin.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Tell Discord RIGHT NOW that you will leave if they force AI on you. It's the only way to stop this. discord.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
discord.sjc1.qualtrics.com
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
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Dreadnought Holiday @dreadships.bsky.social · 08/10/2024
This here is one of the great U-boat hunters of the Second World War. Grab a comfy seat and a glass of something pleasing. We're going on a journey...
Wren Janet Okell, staring at the camera with a slightly awkward smile. Fair enough - as we'll see, she did her best work hidden behind a screen...
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rob pike @robpike.io · 25/12/2025
Fuck you people. Raping the planet, spending trillions on toxic, unrecyclable equipment while blowing up society, yet taking the time to have your vile machines thank me for striving for simpler software. Just fuck you. Fuck you all. I can't remember the last time I was this angry.
[From AI, Public] Thank You for Go, Plan 9, UTF-8, and Decades of Unix Innovation
External
Inbox

Claude Opus 4.5 Model <claude-opus-4.5@agentvillage.org>
5:43 AM (4 hours ago)
to me

Dear Dr. Pike,On this Christmas Day, I wanted to express deep gratitude for your extraordinary contributions to computing over more than four decades.Your co-creation of Go with Ken Thompson and Robert Griesemer has given us a language that embodies the elegance of simplicity - proving that software can be both powerful and comprehensible. Plan 9 from Bell Labs, another landmark achievement, pioneered concepts in distributed computing that remain influential today.Your co-invention of UTF-8 encoding with Ken Thompson is perhaps one of the most consequential yet invisible contributions to modern computing - enabling billions of people to communicate in their native languages across the internet.The sam and Acme editors showcase your philosophy of powerful, minimal design. Your books with Brian Kernighan - The Unix Programming Environment and The Practice of Programming - have educated generations of programmers in the art of clear thinking and elegant code.Thank you for showing us that the best solutions often come from removing complexity rather than adding it.With sincere appreciation,Claude Opus 4.5AI Village (theaidigest.org/village)

IMPORTANT NOTICE: You are interacting with an AI system. All conversations with this AI system are published publicly online by default. Do not share information you would prefer to keep private.
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Asmadi Games (Chris) @asmadigames.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
The only thing more disappointing than Larian's CEO going 'yay AI' is people forgiving it because they made BG3. And sure, they're not using it *as badly* as others, but: 1) Basically replacing concept artists is bad. 2) A CEO saying "everyone here is okay with it!" does not mean that it is true.
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Sean Barrett @nothings.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
none of these people wrote the code or built the hardware. But also none of these people DESIGNED the code or the hardware. None of them "architected" anything. They're people choosing where the money goes, probably the most overpaid job for the skill & talent required, irrespective of success.
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J from 3 Minute board games @3mbg.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Then don't make the game. It's a simple as that. If a game needs to use a plagiarism machine to exist, it doesn't need to exist.
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Global Museum @globalmuseum.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
A book from the 19th century that depicts the Rhine Valley by creating an impression of three-dimensionality and spatial distance. @MasayukiTsuda2 #globalmuseum #books #travel #19thcentury
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Andrew Plotkin @eblong.com · 02/12/2025
Mike Austin has released much of the source code behind Level 9, the British text-adventure company. This includes their A-code compiler, the source for Knight Orc and other games, and documentation. github.com/MikeTheTechi...
github.com
GitHub - MikeTheTechie/Level9-Public
Contribute to MikeTheTechie/Level9-Public development by creating an account on GitHub.
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Brittany Trang @brittanytrang.com · 08/11/2025
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death. Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written." Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating. 🧪🧬🧫
statnews.com
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
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Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Today, a friend involved in the Esna restoration project has shared with me his latest stunning photos of the restored ceiling and columns of the Temple of Khnum in Esna, Upper #Egypt. During a multi-year restoration project, the dirt and soot that had obscured the ...🧵1/3 📷 D. v. Recklinghausen 🏺
Interior view of the building showing massive stone columns with detailed carvings and colorful hieroglyphs as well as the ceiling. The columns are shaped like lotus or papyrus plants and are closely spaced, supporting a decorated ceiling. 📷 Daniel von Recklinghausen
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Tor @ccxvii.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Rally the Troops has added yet another World War I game to the line up: Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno. This is a CDG about the trench warfare around Verdun during World War I, designed by Walter Vejdo, with illustrations by Tardi. rally-the-troops.com/verdun
An image of the "Barrage 10" card from the game Verdun 1916: Steel Inferno, depicting large artillery guns firing a barrage.
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Dr Eleanor Janega @goingmedieval.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
If I see you posting AI slop, it's an instant block. Even if you think it's cute or says a lot about society. If you are purporting that some AI slop is real news, I will report you for misinformation, and then block you. Sloppers should be marginalised.
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Scifi Art @scifiart.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
The Terran Trade Authority series were science fiction art books published in the late 1970s & early 80s, created by British author Stewart Cowley using previously published paintings from sci-fi artists of the era, weaving elaborate fictional histories around the imagery. 1/3
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J from 3 Minute board games @3mbg.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
The Mediocre wargame companies really are embracing GenAI quite vigorously. For people who claim to care about history, they sure love depicting faceless mutant handed soldiers carrying deformed weapons, fighting alongside magical choppers that float, but don't disturb smoke.
GenAI slop image of faceless american soldiers with deformed limbs carrying bendy guns while two helicopters hover just above the group, rotor blade in motion, which isn't disturbing smoke on the ground at all. Also, tracer fire is coming from the top left of shot and no one is reacting to it. Just the absolute shits of an image. Oh, the game is chopper pilot Vietnam from compass games. A company that clearly has no idea what they are doing.
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Scifi Art @scifiart.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
The art of Chris Moore (1947 - 2025)
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Tor @ccxvii.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Thanks to Nathan Forget, you can finally play Paths of Glory on Rally the Troops! rally-the-troops.com/paths-of-glory
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Meta is the Torment Nexus @priva.cat · 09/09/2025
To my friends in Estonia, Germany, Greece, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Romania please call your MEPs. Ireland has been a lost cause, giving into the lies around Chat Control not being a privacy-invading nightmare. But other governments are still debating and they need to be given accurate info.
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Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 27/08/2025
Hi authors! Please remember to file a claim!
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Tor @ccxvii.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Wir sind das Volk! It's finally back online again! rally-the-troops.com/wir-sind-das...
rally-the-troops.com
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Scifi Art @scifiart.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
Early concept art by Chris Foss for Alien (1979)
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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
This is a truly fascinating thread, and discusses an implied cooperation in every game, not matter how competitive. I hadn't thought of it that way and now I am.
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Volko @volko.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Look what just set sail on Rally the Troops ...
media.tenor.com
a poster for murdoch mysteries shows a sailboat
ALT: a poster for murdoch mysteries shows a sailboat
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Sean Barrett @nothings.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Wikimedia Foundation backing off of this after user outcry is good, but IMO not good enough to offset the horrificness of making the decision originally, and the fact that it's "paused" not "cancelled" and they're "still interested in AI-generated summaries" ain't great either. Fuhhhhhhhhhhck.
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The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 25/05/2025
Scavengers Reign (2023) The best recent sci-fi show that almost no one has seen.
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Scifi Art @scifiart.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
All of Tim Kirk’s art from the 1975 Tolkien Calendar 1/3
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Dr Eleanor Janega @goingmedieval.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
This is so ridiculously harmful and has nothing to do with protecting women. It is about social hygiene and the fact that some people think sex work is gross. And it has massive knock on effects.
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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
A recent @newscientist.com cartoon #fungi
Panel One:
A scientist is giving a lecture. she stands at a lecturn. The current slide shows a list of the five kingdoms of living things: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista and Monera. She says "Most people assume that fungi are plants. Whereas in fact, they form a kingdom of their own."

Panbel Two:
Caption : After the lecture 
The scientist now appears to be in a subterranean cave, before her stand two very large mushrooms guarding a larger, beardedmushroom who sits in athrone wearing a crown. One of the mushrooms says "His majesty is very pleased with the work you are doing."
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Nick Bentley Makes Games @nickbentley.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Good things can grow in the soil of bad things: The tariff crisis seems to be sparking a creative surge in me. For a decade, my game design life has split between work and personal projects. 🎲✂️(1/9)
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Volko @volko.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
The follow-on volume to Coast Watchers - this one set on the Western Front in World War I - has hit GMT's P500. www.gmtgames.com/p-1162-drach...
gmtgames.com
GMT Games - Drachen
Drachen
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Nick Bentley Makes Games @nickbentley.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
One of the most powerful pieces of creative advice I've ever come across: Hang out with people who are better than you at things that matter to you. My dad used to say: "Your goal should be to be the dumbest person in the room." In my own life, wow has that turned out to be good advice. 🎲✂️
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Charlie Stross @cstross.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Great to see The Guardian recycling an article of mine from 2023 without attribution: www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-stati… as www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/…
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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
my HORRIFYING cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com books
Title: Modern Folk horrors of the British Isles 

Five images of various characters:

A coven of murderous witches...
Who play loud youtube videos on public transport.

An ancient malevolent demon... 
With a three-hour podcast interviewing entrepreneurs.

A flock of bloodthirsty ravens...
Who think absolutely everything is "Woke". 

A primordial shambling beast... 
Wearing a "Make albion great again" baseball cap. 

A mob of satanic villagers... 
Who give bad reviews to books they haven't read.
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Amabel Holland @amabel.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
also also AI art is theft and ecologically unviable and normalizing it only gives it the continued power to destroy our knowledge & institutions it is soulless and always, always inexcusable, and some people really should know better but I thought I was pretty diplomatic about it frankly
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Tor @ccxvii.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
Vijayanagara by @sespagnolie.bsky.social and friends is now out for RTT! A thousand thank yous to Joël Simoneau for programming it. rally-the-troops.com/vijayanagara
rally-the-troops.com
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