Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 4hYour record collection should be a trophy room of weird finds from flipping through bins and of personal white whales you had shipped from a shop in the Japanese countryside. This is the whole point of the thing: It’s the nostalgic, emergent, and tactile *experience* of discovery. 053
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 22hWhy are list-numbering options in the same menu section as GenAI text? InDesign is drunk. 010
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepJohan Nohr @nohr.se · 29/09/2026If you can say yearly, weekly, daily, hourly, etc you should be able to say roundly and turnly. 4314
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepLone Archivist @lonearchivist.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Bookings now open for logo / brand design, editorial layout, crowdfunding graphics, and more! Hit the CONTACT button on lonearchivist.com. 05922
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepTanya Floaker @floaker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I keep saying this, but we have been in a long golden age of game creation, and it isn't done yet. I can't think of a better time to be into ttRPGs across my lifetime than now. 59919
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepPlus One Exp @ 🔜 Metatopia @plusoneexp.bsky.social · 26/09/2026This game was tickling my brain all last winter. It's pure Mike Martens goodness and will tickle your brain also. 0113
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Tourist Hole has been doing really well in retail shops and conventions … First run is sold out! So we're doing a second printing. It's a stark, whimsical exploration and escape of the stories we tell when we're in spaces between. If you'd like it on your shelf, contact @plusoneexp.bsky.social. 1125
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepPlus One Exp @ 🔜 Metatopia @plusoneexp.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I can't wait any longer! Time to reveal the covers for the Kingdoms Carved Combo! @robbiaburns.bsky.social manifesting a malicious modern Renaissance vibe for The 7th Order! @andrewbeauman.com & @thepressbetwixt.itch.io giving us a Y2K Illuminated manuscript for Ritual Deck! ttrpg.link/KCC 9/x 12217
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepMichael Van Vleet (he/him) @signalstation.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Did you know... there's a new issue of Sprigs & Kindling out? The free fanzine for Carved from Brindlewood games? You get free Silt Verses content! Weird gods & weird followers! Plus: entire games! Amazing layout variety! There's a reason these folks were Ennie-nominated. sprigsandkindling.comsprigsandkindling.comSprigs and KindlingAn ongoing digital zine of community collected creative works for Carved from Brindlewood TTRPG games 03322
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Told this guy to come back in a couple weeks. No time for this shit right now. 040
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepLea Verou, PhD @lea.verou.me · 06/08/2026🔥 New blog post: Dark mode toggles that expose three states (system, light, dark) seem like the best option. Until you think about user goals, that is. Before rushing to disagree, hear me out. lea.verou.me/blog/2026/da... PS: As a data point, @jakearchibald.com was converted after reading this 😅lea.verou.meDark mode toggles: two states are enough • Lea VerouYes, the underlying model must have three states, but one is always irrelevant to the actual user goal. Users do not seek out solutions to problems they don’t currently have. A lot of the hate towards... 3118935
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Are they only “boogers” if they come out your nostrils? What if they slip out the back? 120
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 13/09/2026I dropped the Public Access version of the elevator game into this one. And also you can play blackjack against Death in the form of an irradiated singing cowboy. 081
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepDinoberry Press @dinoberrypress.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Lair of The Reclaimed is a SUPER COOL dungeon! Jam made the map entirely from recycled materials like cardboard boxes and old papers. AND it features a ticking clock makes the party ask if it's worth it to face every monster they come across as the pressure builds. 4356
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 13/09/2026No, Warren Zevon did not write Werewolves of London about this. Please please stop. We have been over this so many times. 110
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 12/09/2026There are two wolves inside me … - The ttrpg writer who sees the character-creation pick list as a chance to show the world my genius. - The ttrpg layout artist who needs all this irregular shit to fit onto a standard sheet of paper. 1192
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Apparently, some people think this is a satire of some contemporary discourse they "care more about," rather than being about Warren Zevon writing a song that is SOLELY, LITERALLY AND UNDENIABLY about werewolves in London. That thinking is exactly the cancer the werewolf-deniers want to spread. 030
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepRichard @ R. Rook 🔜 Sleep @rrookstudio.bsky.social · 12/09/2026I just turned on "Sync with Mike Martens' Blocks and Mutes" and already life is easier. 031
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Blocking on sight anyone claiming that Warren Zevon wrote Werewolves of London as an allegory for Isle of Dogs independence has made my social media experience soooooo much better. Go to SETTINGS and make this change NOW! 140
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 09/09/2026It’s been an interesting project … I’m concurrently: - Refitting existing art and design - Guiding the visual identities in new directions - Assembling it all on a unified framework Digital previews went out to backers, and we will be hitting the print button sooooooon. 1132
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Putting the finishing touches on the Brindleverse Triptych this week! 0216
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepPlus One Exp @ 🔜 Metatopia @plusoneexp.bsky.social · 02/09/2026This fall, Kingdoms rise. Kingdoms fall. Kingdoms come. The 7th Order by Brian Miranda & the Ennie Award-winning Ritual Deck by @drlemons.itch.io are coming Sept 29th on @backerkit.com in the Kingdoms Carved Combo. 2 dynamic mystery games by 2 amazing creators ttrpg.link/KCC 1/Xttrpg.linkKingdoms Carved ComboGet notified when Kingdoms Carved Combo launches on BackerKit! 16538
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepWyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 01/09/2026New obsession… www.instagram.com/p/Dcn_qfNCDPp/ 5304
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear Keep70s Sci-Fi Art @70sscifiart.bsky.social · 23/10/2023Brilliant but sadly uncredited 1974 paperback artwork for "The Man Who Folded Himself," by David Gerrold. 318527
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepAmanda/iamatrex @iamatrex.com · 20/08/2026Sprigs & Kindling is hosting a free online writing retreat! November 9–15, 2026. This is a free week of writing, designing, playing, learning, and hanging out with other people who make and love CfB and Trophy TTRPGs. To register fill out the form linked on our website! sprigsandkindling.comsprigsandkindling.comSprigs and KindlingAn ongoing digital zine of community collected creative works for Carved from Brindlewood TTRPG games 14234
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepCreative Wronging @creativewronging.bsky.social · 21/08/202683. Vows of the 7 Stricken Heads by @clearkeep.bsky.social A phenomenally silly hexcrawl through a grisly traveling circus for Cairn 2e 🤕 Perhaps my favorite collection of NPCs in this whole jam, all written with deranged gusto, and set to the aesthetic of "graffitied bar bathroom". It's great!clearkeep.itch.ioVows of the 7 Stricken Heads by Clear KeepThey've been blighted, removed, and put on display … but they've vowed revenge. 242
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepPlus One Exp @ 🔜 Metatopia @plusoneexp.bsky.social · 21/08/2026All the games in the Brindleverse Triptych got some cover revisions. DEAD-PILLED by @carrion-comfort.com got a total rework by @dread-herring.bsky.social & @clearkeep.bsky.social. Wes & the creative team knocked out several extra easter eggs for you. Late Pledges Open. ttrpg.link/bv3 20/x 0105
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepRowan MacColl @skulkingfoxes.bsky.social · 18/08/2026During covid, I started this series of illustrations interpreting tarot cards. I eventually got distracted by work but these are still some of my favorite illustrations. I was really pushing myself in terms of storytelling. 23929328
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepPresent & Correct @presentcorrect.bsky.social · 24/03/2026A comprehensive compendium of Soviet era logos www.presentandcorrect.com/products/sov... Back in stock online & in-store 319446
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepBaxter @cosmicspooks.bsky.social · 14/08/2026New post! We’ve got a big one today, folks. In honor of Japan’s spooky season, I asked 10 of my incredible horror expert friends to each recommend a work of Japanese horror they wish the world talked about more! You WILL walk away with at least one new ghoulish delight to love. Enjoy!!tsundokudiving.comDiving with Friends | Finding Hidden Horrors10 horror fans share 10 hidden delights 413159
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepEmily C. Hughes @emilyhughes.bsky.social · 13/08/2026if there's a writer you like, and you'd like to keep reading that writer's work, *you need to pay for their work* 31062303
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepPlus One Exp @ 🔜 Metatopia @plusoneexp.bsky.social · 13/08/2026We are in the final 36 hours of the Brindleverse Triptych & in striking distance of our final few stretch goals. (Including our mystery 30K stretch goal!) Can we get to our 600 Backer Stretch goal to unlock a bigger actual play grant fund? We will unlock the final mysteries? ttrpg.link/bv3 12/Xttrpg.linkThe Brindleverse TriptychA set of three horror roleplaying games, based on the popular Carved from Brindlewood mystery system, each playable in 2-3 sessions. Brought to you by Plus One Exp & Gauntlet Publishing. 154
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 12/08/2026For the Brindleverse Triptych, I'm hard at work building a layout design system for creators' open use. It'll allow anyone to produce a short-form Carved from Brindlewood game that's visually on par with the official releases. 🧵 4435
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepWes Franks @carrion-comfort.com · 09/08/2026It would make a happy birthday for you to finally follow the COME ON IN Backerkit. We've been waiting so long for you and have so much to show you. Like a free digital copy of the full game in Ashcan form. I'm so generous, I'm giving gifts on my birthday.ttrpg.linkCome On InGet notified when Come On In launches on BackerKit! 47152
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepPlus One Exp @ 🔜 Metatopia @plusoneexp.bsky.social · 07/08/2026WE'RE HEADED TO THE BEACH w/@iknowadamseats.bsky.social @davidjoneskrause.bsky.social Tony & Keeper @jasoncordova.bsky.social of @gauntletrpg.bsky.social! On a boat out to the island w/Chet (so dreamy) Hopefully nothing bad happens like last year It' couldn't... right? Youtube.com/plusoneexp 1/2 12411
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 06/08/2026What’s particularly confounding is the logic … Why would winning statewide worry you about a contest that needs to be won statewide? 060
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepChaoclypse (Brandon Yu) @chaoclypse.bsky.social · 05/08/2026Since people seem interested, I've coded a version of this that yields better results, is more optimized, and allows you to customize the texture of the noise. It's free, and forever will be free. Enjoy! chaoclypse.itch.io/xerox-hell 824696
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepMorrus @morrus.bsky.social · 04/08/2026When most of the internet is AI content and most of the traffic reading that content is AI bots, there doesn’t leave much room for actual humans online… www.fastcompany.com/91579817/dea...fastcompany.comThe ‘dead internet theory’ is real. And it’s killing the web as we know itIf you can't monetize human attention, what do you monetize? 151
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepLisa DeBruine @debruine.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Today is the only day you can experience Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains” on the day it is set. Audio: archive.org/details/brad... PDF: thephilosopher.net/bredberi/wp-... 16431350
Reposted by Mike Martens | Clear KeepMike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Does anyone know where "the average RPG campaign lasts 6 sessions" originated? This had a big upswell as a concept 5 years ago or so. But I'm not sure if there's actual data or it's just something we started saying. 282
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Does anyone know where "the average RPG campaign lasts 6 sessions" originated? This had a big upswell as a concept 5 years ago or so. But I'm not sure if there's actual data or it's just something we started saying. 282
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 03/08/2026I wonder how much Stonetop will become a model for the next generation of PbtA (and -like) games and to what degree its scale will detract from that. (On its own, it’s def already a classic and a hit.) 2190
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Ever write a long thread about the heart of the ttrpg awards problem, look away to talk to a neighbor about your dog and his cancer scare, then turn your phone back on to find Bluesky has lost the whole thing? This is a tribute to that thread. (Also, he’s doing fine, “still here and making art.”) 060
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Carly's spaceships are top-notch but the scifi-scape background stuff is otherworldly. 130
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Working on an album about how to survive in the wild, so that there's a canonically correct answer to the desert island question. 020
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 31/07/2026When at the Plus One Exp booth, visit Tourist Hole. 0103
Mike Martens | Clear Keep @clearkeep.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out how earnestly people believed in Weekly World News … Stumbled into this existential horror. 250