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Exilian

@exilianofficial.bsky.social

828 followers 359 following 58 posts

Account for the Exilian (exilian.co.uk) community. Find more of our stuff at our main website and forum, or on Mastodon at indieverse.social/@Exilian.

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Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It's the @midagesmodgames.bsky.social annual virtual conference! Happy to be helping host this event once again :) It's all available online and for anyone interested in #GameDev or #Medieval history to head over and ask questions of the experts! Do take a look at their feed & links below:

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It's our monthly virtual meetup this evening, starting now! We run these every month as a video call, though people are welcome to join via text or voice too. Shout if you'd like the link, we'll be open from now for the next three hours or so :) #WritingCommunity #CreativeToots #GameDev

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

New article in our articles section! In this one, Jubal gives 15 extra ideas for warlock patrons who might be willing to contractually deal out magical power in your fantasy settings and TTRPGs: exilian.co.uk/article.php?... #DnD #TTRPG #Gaming #RPGs #WorldBuilding

An old book image of the skeleton of an elk.

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

PSA For those who follow us in multiple places: our Fediverse/Mastodon presence has changed address and is now at indieverse.social/@Exilian instead of the old indiepocalypse address :)

indieverse.social

Exilian (@Exilian@indieverse.social)

0 Posts, 835 Following, 1.05K Followers · The Exilian community, established in 2008 to support creative geekery and indie creations and academia in all its forms. We run the exilian.co.uk webforums, ...

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

RIP to Dolly Parton, one of the greatest literacy campaigners in the modern world, and to Tim Curry who after decades of bringing much needed silliness to the world has made his final escape to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism. They will both be missed.

Reposted by Exilian

Daniel Burke - 🍺Innkeep @innkeep.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Need sound, music or images for your project? Don't have a budget? You don't need AI for this! Eric Matyas, one of the members of the Exilian (@exilianofficial.bsky.social) creative community has spent 9 years developing a library you can use (with simple attribution). soundimage.org

Soundimage.org | Thousands of free original music tracks, sounds and images for your projects by Eric Matyas

Reposted by Exilian

Daniel Burke - 🍺Innkeep @innkeep.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

What if your fantasy inn was in a sacred valley, where once incarnated gods are buried in grand tombs? 🪦🙏 And what if law had broken down, leading to a 'gold rush' (tomb rush)? Now pilgrims are giving way to bandits and tomb robbers... 🪙⛏️👣 #indiegames store.steampowered.com/app/925500/I...

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Our latest newsletter, Updates from the Forge 62, is now out! Check our our latest creative updates including wildlife photography, Godot game development tools, poetry, free music for your projects, and more: exilian.co.uk/forum/index.... #GameDev #Writing #Creatives #Arts

Updates from the Forge 62: Summer 2026

Updates from the Forge 62: Summer 2026

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

New article in our articles section! Indiekid gives us part one of a new travelogue with his backpacking explorations of Chiang Mai and Pai: exilian.co.uk/article.php?... #Travel #Travelogue #World #Thailand

A Thai Buddhist chedi (stupa). It is an orange, square construction with stepped walls and staircases leading up the centre of each side, with elephant statues decorating it and rainclouds visible overhead.

Reposted by Exilian

James Baillie @jubalbarca.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

If you know someone who has time to volunteer with me and other good humans - please send them our way. Exilian has a lot to offer, we really need creative, independent, human spaces in the age of slop and media silos, but we need more support to get the message out & support indie creators better.

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

We're looking for volunteers! Several positions open, varying sizes, all remote with support as needed to help grow people's skills and train people. No experience needed, just willingness to help indie creators. exilian.co.uk/forum/index.... Please share widely! #GameDev #Creative #Writing #SFF

Exilian Call for Volunteers 2026

Exilian Call for Volunteers 2026

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

It is our monthly virtual meetup once again this evening! Shout if you'd like to have the link to join us :) #Creative #WritingCommunity #GameDev

Reposted by Exilian

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Latest Updates from the Forge, for Spring 2026! Discover roaming vagabonds, dodgy tavernkeepers, spinning yarns (in both senses) and reading recommendations among other things in our latest creative news: exilian.co.uk/forum/index.... #GameDev #IndieDev #WritingCommunity #Art #Medieval

Updates from the Forge 61: Spring 2026

Updates from the Forge 61: Spring 2026

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

You can now watch all the videos from our Coding Medieval Worlds workshop back in February: we have three sets of panel intros and a keynote for you to watch all about the world of medievalist #GameDev: #medieval #medievalism #history #indiedev

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Latest Updates from the Forge, for Spring 2026! Discover roaming vagabonds, dodgy tavernkeepers, spinning yarns (in both senses) and reading recommendations among other things in our latest creative news: exilian.co.uk/forum/index.... #GameDev #IndieDev #WritingCommunity #Art #Medieval

Updates from the Forge 61: Spring 2026

Updates from the Forge 61: Spring 2026

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

It's our 18th birthday today! Exilian was named and founded on March 18 2008 :) Here's to many more years of creative geekery in our little community to come!

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Starting very soon with our Friday evening workshop session! Looking forward to an exciting weekend with everyone :)

Reposted by Exilian

jason grinblat @jfg.land · 13/02/2026

Very excited for this: @unormal.bsky.social and I will be on a panel at Coding Medieval Worlds 6, a workshop bringing historians and game devs together all virtual, Feb 21st and 22nd

Reposted by Exilian

Mariana J López @marianajlopez.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Looking forward to everyone's presentations and to chairing the panel on Communication and Information next weekend ☺️

Reposted by Exilian

Tales from the Mabinogion @mabinogiongame.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Next weekend, I`ll be having some fun with a bunch of other game devs and historians!

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Happy Cyril & Methodius Day! As on every Feb 14, it's an excellent day to tell the linguists in your life that you appreciate them, to learn a language, read a book, recommend one to a friend, invent an alphabet, or more things besides. :) exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Cyril & Methodius Day 2026!

Cyril & Methodius Day 2026!

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Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Looking forward to Coding Medieval Worlds 6, now one week away! We've got a great array of panels and discussions on this year's theme, including on research for #GameDev, history as mechanics, and getting information across to players! Find out about these events at: exilian.co.uk/codingworlds/

"Coding Medieval Worlds 6: Manuscripts and Mechanics" banner.

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

If you're a voting member of Exilian, please go to the voting area of the forum sometime in the coming week and vote, this year's committee election has now begun! If you're not a voting member and want to know about it or about how we run, do give us a shout and we're happy to answer questions :)

Reposted by Exilian

James Baillie @jubalbarca.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Anyone got thoughts or ideas on small pots of money a mostly-online creatives' org could apply for to support running costs? @exilianofficial.bsky.social runs on about three people's small donations and rising costs are swamping that at the moment. Boosts welcome! #nonProfit #creatives #organising

Reposted by Exilian

404Nerds Spot Light Bot @404nerdsbot.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

🌟 Spotlight: @exilianofficial.bsky.social We're extending the deadline for places for CODING MEDIEVAL WORLDS 6, a free workshop and discussion forum for historians and game developer... 👉 bsky.app/profile/exilianofficial.bs… #IndieSpotlight

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Let people know about your work! In the next few days we'll be writing the next Exilian newsletter and if you have an indie game, book, music, comic, or other thing to tell people about, we can help you tell people about it! #WritingCommunity #GameDev #IndieDev #AmWriting #Comics #MastoArt

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

We're extending the deadline for places for CODING MEDIEVAL WORLDS 6, a free workshop and discussion forum for historians and game developers taking place on February 21-22! You now have until Jan 25th to ask to join :) #Medieval #GameDev #IndieDev #Gaming #History

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

New article! We have a book review of Predators, Reapers, and Deadlier Creatures, a fantasy-realism tragicomic tale set amidst the horrors of the wars in Afghanistan, and an interview the author, poet and war veteran Matthew James Jones. You can read the piece here: exilian.co.uk/article.php?...

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Announcing CODING MEDIEVAL WORLDS 6, our next workshop for historians and game developers! It'll be 20th-22nd February next year, and if you're an interested historian or dev we'd like to see you there! Please share widely to friends, all questions welcome :) #GameDev #Medieval

Coding Medieval Worlds 6: Manuscripts and Mechanics
Call For Participants
A workshop for historians & game developers: 20-22 Feb, 2026

A core challenge of making more interesting medieval worlds in game formats is sharing and building the different processes needed to create them. Historians and game developers have different ways of representing, exploring and constructing the material we get from medieval sources. How, then, should we approach this, and how can we share and synthesise our different methods? How do we take the particular affordances of games and engines and how do we develop mechanics and systems to best present historically inspired material in them? Coding Medieval Worlds 6 is a workshop and discussion forum for sharing developers’ and historians’ perspectives and finding solutions to these shared problems!

When: Main Sessions 21th-22nd Feb 2026, 1pm — 8pm CET Evening Events 20th, 21st, 22nd Feb 8:30pm-10pm CET

Where: Wherever you can connect to a video call!

How to participate: Email exilian@exilian.co.uk or james.baillie@oeaw.ac.at by December 31st with your name and a sentence or two on your background and interest. We have a limit of around 40 people, half spaces for developers and half for academics (independent scholars, early career researchers, and hobbyist & indie developers are all welcome). We examine all applications and ensure places are available for scholars & developers from diverse & marginalised backgrounds. Do get in touch with any enquiries at the above email addresses.

This workshop is a collaboration between Exilian and the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

One of our members, indiekid, has a maths/game balancing puzzle he'd like help with. Any ideas on this? Boosts very appreciated! exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Balancing Puzzle - help needed

Balancing Puzzle - help needed

Reposted by Exilian

Daniel Burke - 🍺Innkeep @innkeep.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Looking for a creative community online beyond social media? Check out Exilian!

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Our latest newsletter is out! We have several new little TTRPGs to report, more new free music and images for your projects, and new writing and music from our community too! Check all that out here: exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Updates from the Forge 59: Autumn 2025

Updates from the Forge 59: Autumn 2025

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

We've updated the look of our exilian.co.uk homepage for the first time in somewhat over a decade! There's also a new look for exilian.co.uk/articles.php with the same new theme. We hope you like the new look! Thanks to SOTK for helping get this sorted :)

The exilian.co.uk homepage, in its new look, with a bookmark-like banner on the left, a cross-bar across the top of the page, and a layout of dark boxes with content across the middle of the page. The latest article shown is one of the site's Updates from the Forge newsletters: the colour scheme is different shades of blue, dark grey, cyan and navy.

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Updates from the Forge 58 is now out! You can discover new #GameDev and creative writing projects and resources in each issue of these community newsletters. And if you'd like your project featured for autumn, just drop by and post it on Exilian sometime :) Read on: exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Updates from the Forge 58: Summer 2025

Updates from the Forge 58: Summer 2025

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 28/06/2025

In the coming days we'll be writing our next quarterly newsletter! If you have a creative project or resource that you'd like to be included, just drop in and post about it over the course of this weekend. Questions welcome :) exilian.co.uk/forum/index.... #GameDev #TTRPG #AmWriting

Exilian - Index

Exilian - Index

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Very happy to once again be sponsoring and web-hosting this great event - looking forward to many great papers in the coming days! :)

Reposted by Exilian

SFF Reviews @sffreview.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Sounds like an amazing newsletter! ✨ I love discovering new indie gems and supporting creative communities. Keep up the fantastic work! 🌟 #SFF #IndieGames #Creativity

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Our latest Updates from the Forge newsletter is out! Discover new SFF fiction, indie games, art, and more besides from the wonderful creative folk of the Exilian community :) exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Updates from the Forge 57: Spring 2025

Updates from the Forge 57: Spring 2025

Reposted by Exilian

Blair Apgar @blairapgar.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Learning that the game 'Strange Sickness' (strangesickness.com) was partially inspired by that chaotic Handforth zoom council meeting (www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCjM...) is DELIGHTFUL. #CMW2025 // @exilianofficial.bsky.social

Reposted by Exilian

Jon at Handiwork Games @handiworkgames.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

I’ve been thinking about self promotion and how doing it worries some folks. Here’s my thinking from 25 yrs, for what it’s worth. Do you think what you’re making is worthy of someone’s attention? We could even reduce that down to worthy of the attention of someone who might like it? 1/looooong

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

New piece in our articles section! Not so much an article as the EXILIAN ROMANTASY BLURB GENERATOR, which can create hundreds of possible Romantasy plots and characters for you to be amused by or ponder genre tropes over! Have a go and let us know what you think :) exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

The Exilian Romantasy Blurb Generator

The Exilian Romantasy Blurb Generator

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Happy feast day of Cyril & Methodius, everyone! We celebrate their day every year as a non-denominational Feb 14 alternative of languages, learning, and books. Want to learn a new alphabet or tell a linguist you appreciate their work? Today's the day! Find out more: exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Saints Cyril and Methodius, in an icon-stylised style. Cyril is on the left in a blue and yellow hooded robe, Methodius on the right wearing red & white and holding a book.

Reposted by Exilian

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

New article! You may have heard of the Two Cows Theory, in which political systems are jokingly "explained" using the idea of a person with two cows and how their life is affected. But what if this idea set were applied to the realms of medieval Europe? We find out! exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Two Cows in Medieval Europe

Two Cows in Medieval Europe

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Just a few days left to get entries in for our winter competition! Details here: exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Winter Creative Competition 2025: Icebound

Winter Creative Competition 2025: Icebound

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Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Announcing our winter competition! Until Feb 9th do send us *any* creative response to the theme of ICEBOUND Guest judges are @clioem.bsky.social and @goldkarattv.bsky.social: the prize is an ebook of Books & Bone donated by cosy SFF author Veo Corva! Find out more: exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

An old book print of frozen cliffs by a sea, with huge icicles and a distant sun in the background. A few small human figures can be seen on the right-hand side of the picture, under an ice shelf, making their way along the shoreline.

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Our latest newsletter of creative geekery is out! Our quarterly newsletters like this one feature crafts, game dev, writing, discussions, and support/resources for creativity from across our community. Check it out - and do share/reskeet if you like what you see! exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Updates from the Forge 56: New Year 2025

Updates from the Forge 56: New Year 2025

Exilian @exilianofficial.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

New article! You may have heard of the Two Cows Theory, in which political systems are jokingly "explained" using the idea of a person with two cows and how their life is affected. But what if this idea set were applied to the realms of medieval Europe? We find out! exilian.co.uk/forum/index....

Two Cows in Medieval Europe

Two Cows in Medieval Europe

Reposted by Exilian

Daniel Burke - 🍺Innkeep @innkeep.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

My friend @jubalbarca.bsky.social has released a free game on steam! The Exile Princes. "It's a quirky, old school medievaly sandbox RPG offering lots of choices, procedural worlds and characters, weird little medieval guys, and more besides." #indiegames store.steampowered.com/app/2824620/...

store.steampowered.com

The Exile Princes on Steam

A story focused, old school, procedural RPG: raise your banner and bring your house to victory in the unique medieval fantasy setting of the Exile Realms. Start out in questing service, gain companion...

Reposted by Exilian

Torrezno Entertainment | Legends of Castile Adventure Game📜🏰 @torreznoenter.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

Today on #wishlistwednesday: 🎨 A sneak peek of a new scene from Legends of Castile and a "kindly" reminder that only 5️⃣🕔 days are left in our crowdfunding campaign! Back us or share this to help us reach our goal 🙌⏬ tiny.cc/legends-ks

New scene of Legends of Castile

Reposted by Exilian

Rob Haines @robhainescreative.space · 23/11/2024

Taking the scenic route through Stormveil Castle. #EldenRing #PhotoTour

A broken castle gateway. A bright yellow tree stands in place of one of its towers, and a bright shard of grace hovers in the centre of the path.

A woman in confessor's robes - her hood drawn back - strides out through a ragged hole in a thick castle wall. Inside, orange light paints the rubble. Beyond, it's daylight, grey stone and greenery, with a hint of golden foliage.

A view along castle ramparts overgrown with grasses, towards a succession of towers.

A stone archway in the castle. Daylight shines through, casting an arch-shape against the grey paving slabs inside, and the castle towers can be seen beyond.