iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Elizabeth Hargrave

Tabletop Game Designers Association @ttgda.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

We have learned of a website (which we are not linking to) that is charging people to pay to play knockoffs of popular board games like Catan, Wingspan, Agricola and more - different names, crappy art, same mechanics.

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Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

“If you don’t like public executions just don’t watch it” says the crowd trying to ban drag shows and books

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Just got a note from my doctor about a global estrogen gel/patch shortage. I'm imagining the amount of unbridled rage this could unleash just in time for the midterms.

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Armchair Dragoons @armchairdragoons.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Mentioned In Dispatches S17 E4 — The Tabletop Game Designers Association We're joined by Elizabeth Hargrave & David Thompson to talk about the TTGDA & what it can do for game designers & publishers Incl discussions of contracts/shenanigans, AI, prof dev & more… armchairdragoons.com...

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

ICYMI - come birding with me in Colombia Jan 11-20! 🦜 Please share with your favorite birder/ Wingspan fanatic 🫶

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Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The sheer contempt I have for these dipshits and their insistence we should join them in their willfull and gleeful ignorance is beyond articulation

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Thrift store as a third place: I wish Value Village still had dressing rooms, but it's kind of lovely to chit chat with women of all ages, races, and classes who come in a tank top and leggings and share the aisle mirror. We all need the occasional "Honey, that brown doesn't work on you."

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Alex Tomlinson @alextomlinson.com · 12/09/2023

Reducing light pollution at night helps migrating birds. Turn off the lights for them!

Illustration of bird silhouettes with stars overlaid. Text reads "Lights Out For The Birds"

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Rabbi Rachel Barenblat @velveteenrabbi.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

With gratitude to the friend who shared this one with me - a poem before Yom Kippur by @josephfasano.bsky.social. poets.org/poem/instruc...

poets.org

Instructions for Having a Soul

Take it out in the rain sometimes.

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I was ambushed into debating AI yesterday on a game design podcast (out soon) and I wish I could have better channelled Cory Doctorow in the moment. He talks here about AI lacking surprise, I talked about heart. (There's some overlap there, probably, which is interesting to think about...)

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Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 16/09/2026

less corruption, more spoonbill. 🪶

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Charming weekend scavenger hunt from twigandtoad.com

The weekend whimsy. Find any six before Monday.
Something clearly having a better day than you
A rock that looks worthy of promotion
Something that deserves a stern look
Evidence of an animal with opinions
A place you could reasonably lose track of 10 minutes( or 3 hours... Either way)
A tree keeping a secret
A plant that seems to have made a poor decision
A leaf worthy of the refrigerator
A shadow with an excellent temperament
Something falling beautifully
A bug dressed better than expected
Something that could reasonably be called" the incident"
A snack you hide from everyone else

Prize: one slightly More interesting weekend, and a very entertaining comments section.

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Layer upon layer of ugh. Treat artists like a precious resource. Ask permission and then once you have permission, credit them and jfc, don't run their creations through the plagiarism machine. Better yet, learn a skill. Make an art. It may not be beautiful but it will be *yours.*

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Some highlights from the first day of mushroom camp 🍄

Mushrooms in many shapes and colors, plus a red flower called bee balm

Mushrooms in many shapes and colors, plus a fuzzy white caterpillar

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Some highlights from the first day of mushroom camp 🍄

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Another absolute icon lost. What is it with these last couple weeks?

Gloria Steinem with her quote: "The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off."

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

More fun with the "moth" light last night. (many non-moths in the mix)

9 tiny insects (tentative IDs using iNaturalist):

Potato leafhopper: green with big black eyes

Another leafhopper, Osbornellus clarus, with mottled brown wings with hints of color

Suzuki's Promalactis moth, orange with white spots

Clouded plant bug, mottled brown with a triangle on its back because it is a true bug

Another mottled leafhopper, probably Osbornellus clarus again

Sooty winged chalcoela moth, which is only sooty on the bottom halves of its wings and otherwise yellow-brown

Yellow-stripped armyworm moth, with a pretty brown pattern

Lucerne moth, long and mottled brown

And an unknown midge, with clear wings and long legs

9 tiny insects (tentative IDs using iNaturalist):

Black bordered lemon moth, exactly what its name says

Garden tortrix, a brown moth with a stripe and two spots

Florida Tetanolita moth, mottled light taupe with its wings held out

A cranefly with very long legs and blueish eyes

An Idia litter moth, mottled brown like leaf litter

Elegant grass veneer, a white moth with a pretty golden brown pattern

Gold-striped grass veneer, another white moth with a pretty golden brown pattern

Heraeus plebejus, a dirt-colored seed bug (that's a description AND an official category)

Golden-eyed lacewing, all green with clear wings that have green veins

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That's EERIE-tainment @irritained.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Someone has already shared the Wingspan crop art with @elizhargrave.bsky.social. there's also a Wingspan cake at the fair! Dunno if this is a hummingbird cake too. That'd be cool.

A 2-tiered square cake representing the boardgame Wingspan. The cake is topped with a gingerbread rendition of the birdhouse-shaped dice tower used in the game, with fondant dice and some game tokens. On the side of the lower tier is an edible card depicting an American goldfinch.

Minnesota state fair 2026

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EP Walker @erikpeter.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Wingspan seed art at the Minnesota State Fair!

Seed art of a Wingspan game card shows the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher.

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

30+ yrs ago I dated an Italian and my most enduring memento is this Peperonata recipe, which I learned from Aunt Cristina in Italy. I still make it every summer: Chop equal parts peppers, onions, & tomatoes in big pieces. Lots of olive oil. Some garlic. Cook on LOW heat for 2 hrs. Salt to taste. 🥂

Red peppers, tomatoes, and onions in a pot

Cooked peppers, onions, and tomatoes in a pot

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Starting in a few minutes if you have time to stop by the stream!

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Tiny moths on my wall last night, with some UV encouragement and a macro lens (All but the first one are TINY tiny)

This moth has its wings outstretched, flat on the wall. It has subtle brown and taupe bands clearly meant to blend in with tree bark.

This moth has its wings folded up and has a more contrasty brown and white pattern kinda like a rorsharch test pattern. It has big dark eyes and long mouthparts that look like a snout

This moth has very dark, mottled wings that together make an almost equilateral triangle. Its body has unusual white stripes.

This moth is orange with white spots. It's orange mouthparts curl up and back towards it's head. It's antennae have black and white stripes. It was less than 1 cm long but with magnification it was the best moth of the night.

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Reposted by Elizabeth Hargrave

Our Family Plays Games @ourfamplaysgames.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Hello Sioux City! We're having a blast at the Sioux City Geek Con, hanging out playing #boardgames and meeting OFPG Fam! Watch this space and join us tomorrow at 11:05 AM CST for our live show, at the convention, featuring the amazing @elizhargrave.bsky.social: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRIC...

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Alex Sauerbrunn @birdsbyalex.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A Roseate Spoonbill bringing it in for a hug. #Coastal&River #BirdOfTheDay #birds #nature #wildlife #photography #pink

A large pink shorebird with a spoon-shaped bill, wings spread, facing the camera in shallow water. Photographed in Fellsmere, Florida.

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Didn't realize front row seats would be *this* close

The band Chatham County Line, taken with my phone resting on the stage

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Eric Lang @ericlang.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I see too much media educating game designers on how to make games publishers want Publishers make games that buyers want We need to make games for players, not gatekeepers

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I did an interview on KWMU yesterday with Jamey from @stonemaiergames.com. Fun tidbit around the 6:00 mark: Stonemaier has already sold all 175,000 copies of the first print run of Wingspan Pocket (into distribution). THANK YOU ALL. 🥳 (For comparison, Wingspan sold 200,000 in its first YEAR.)

youtu.be

Published in St. Louis, board game ‘Wingspan’ expands to dragons, fish and new pocket edition

YouTube video by St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU)

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Rain City Games @raincity.games · 23/08/2026

We may not be especially active posters on here, but we do lurk like champs. So when @elizhargrave.bsky.social and the TTGDA pointed out that retailers should be citing game designers - not just publishers - when listing games, we thought.... yeah actually that makes sense.

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I love how leafhoppers look gray from a distance but are actually dressed for a rave when you bother to look closely a metaphor for so much of life, really

The branch of a cherry tree in my yard, with a tiny bug on one leaf

A close-up of a boldly colored Red-banded leafhopper, with red and green stripes on top and a yellow underside

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

My camera reel right now is just alternating forest mushrooms and garden produce

A cluster of urnt orange boletes on the forest floor

Various garden produce in a still life arrangement in my kitchen

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Cognitive Gamer @cognitivegamer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Me with a copy of Sanibel by @elizhargrave.bsky.social that I bought on Sanibel by the lighthouse at Sanibel. Good game, and one I think I’ll use for a Game Day in my Cognition of Gaming class. (Also, great vacation spot!)

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Sam Rose @samwho.dev · 13/08/2026

This might be the most beautiful thing I've read in my life. What a privilege to be alive in 2026. ordinaryabundance.com

ordinaryabundance.com

Ordinary Abundance

A walk through a modern apartment, through the eyes of the people for whom everything in it was new.

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I don't really do con haul pics but I do feel compelled to share today's garden haul

A collection of garden produce including
Okra
Summer squash
Red peppers
Purslane
Figs
Raspberries
Tomatoes

Nicely arranged on a butcher block counter

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Reposted by Elizabeth Hargrave

Emily✨ @emilyoram.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Get yourself a sticker, because stickers are fun and cool www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4..., and then donate to a trans person’s GFM or set up a DDM to Five for Five www.fiveforfive.co.uk Feel free to drop your GFMs in the replies. Can’t personally donate to them all but someone else will I’m sure 🏳️‍⚧️🩵🩷🤍

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

One major purpose of TTGDA is to help tabletop game designers negotiate better publishing contracts. We just released the rubric of what we look for -- and info on how different publishers scored on the rubric. Soon we will also release a model contract. More at www.ttgda.org/contract-bas...

Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDA) Releases Scoring Rubric and Tabletop
Market Contract Analysis to Promote Equitable Industry Standards

Bridgewater, NJ – The Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDA) today announced the
launch of their Contract Scoring Rubric and publication of its Tabletop Market Contract Analysis
– 2026, a comprehensive industry report designed to share information about contract practices
and advocate for fair treatment, intellectual property protection, and designer involvement in the
tabletop game publishing process.
The report, developed by the TTGDA contract & grievance committee—led by industry veterans
Geoff Engelstein, Elizabeth Hargrave, Matt Leacock, and James Lowder—seeks to address the
wide disparity in publishing agreements across the industry. With many first-time game
designers accepting terms that may be disadvantageous, the TTGDA has developed a rigorous,
objective scoring rubric to evaluate publisher contracts.
“Our intention is to shine a light on these industry practices and lead to more equitable
standards,” says TTGDA Vice President Sen-Foong Lim. To assist in this effort, the TTGDA will
be releasing model contracts that adhere to the criteria established in the scoring rubric.
The full report can be downloaded at www.ttgda.org/contract-basics.
Key Industry Findings
The analysis of contracts from over 50 publishers reveals several critical areas where many
standard publishing agreements fall short of fair practices:
● Advances: Only two-thirds of publishers offer a baseline advance above the
TTGDA-recommended minimum of $1,000, while 20% offer no advance at all.
● Designer Involvement in Expansions: 40% of publishers retain the right to create
expansions without consulting the original game’s designer.

Intellectual Property Rights: 75% of publishers retain the rights to a game’s name after
the publication agreement concludes and rights to the design revert to the creator.
● Financial Transparency: One-third of publishers deny designers the right to audit their
books, and 10% include non-standard deductions to revenue before royalties are
calculated.
Moving Toward Standards
The Tabletop Market Contract Analysis includes aggregate results, with summary scores for
each individual publisher available to TTGDA members. However TTGDA would like to highlight
the top five scoring publishers (alphabetically): 25th Century Games, Fireside Games, Lunar
Punk, Plaid Hat Games, and UP Games.
“These results are not a call to avoid specific publishers,” says TTGDA President Geoff
Engelstein. “Rather they are a tool for designers to negotiate terms that include fair payment,
intellectual property protection, and a meaningful role in the final product.”
The organization plans to release semi-annual updates to the Tabletop Market Contract
Analysis as more contracts are reviewed and publishers revise their standard agreements.
About the Tabletop Game Designers Association
The Tabletop Game Designers Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization dedicated to
supporting designers of all types of tabletop games, including board games, role playing games,
card games, miniature games, and others, whether mass market, specialty, or hobby. Learn
more about us at www.ttgda.org.

Contact:
Geoff Engelstein
President
Tabletop Game Designers Association
president@ttgda.org
www.ttgda.org

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I might just leave this on loop for the rest of the day. Sound on.

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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

just learned about the guy that played Go so hard he died

A highlight of Edo Go history was a match hosted by the Matsudaira family in 1840, where he counterattacked Inseki's prized disciple, Akaboshi Intetsu (sent as a challenger), with a series of brilliant tetsujis. The game took a week to play and was so intense that Akaboshi collapsed from exhaustion and vomited blood, dying shortly after.[6] This incident made this match famous in Go history, and it is now called the blood-vomiting game.

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Just dropped a spade edge-first on my toe while moving some stuff around in the garage. 🤬🤬🤬 My afternoon plans just shifted to getting a tetanus booster and hanging out with my best friend the ice pack 🤬

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Liz Davidson @beyondsolitaire.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I always love GenCon, but this year was different from all the years before because I now take game pitches. Here is what I learned. youtu.be/I046P3P35WI

youtu.be

What GenCon Taught Me About Board Game Pitches

YouTube video by Beyond Solitaire

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