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Phil, Ziapelta Games

@gruefodder.bsky.social
97 followers 361 following 44 posts

Research scientist. Sometime game designer. ziapeltagames.com

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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Messed with a reinforcement learning algorithm (PPO) to teach my computer how to play a trick-taking card game I'm working on. RL is definitely a pain - you have to do a good job of crafting intermittent rewards which help the model learn the game. Here's the win rate % graph. 🎲✂️
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Fields of Fire by @gmtgames.bsky.social got a lot of mileage this past month! It has a steep learning curve, but generates evocative narratives. Plenty of difficult decisions. First Normandy mission went really well - second one went off the rails terribly. Snipers are rough!
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Final editing is done for Lil' Lavender Book #1, just sent for proof copy. Writing is done for Lil' Lavender Book #2.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Skate Summer has really thematic graphic design, and I love the "don't fall" push your luck mechanic for performing tricks. It does feel a little disconnected to have the trick phase separate from the "ride around the park" phase, though, but I can see why they went that direction. #boardgamesky
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Blocking out some new #Oldhammer halflings to go with my previous crew. This update includes a couple Old School Miniatures halflings and four from @badsquiddogames.bsky.social. I just undercoated these straight white and used Speed Paints, next I'll layer highlights with acrylics.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Played Decorum recently - a collaborative puzzle game where everyone passive-aggressively tries to decorate a house the way they want. Really immersive and unique theme! Comes with quite a few scenarios. #boardgamesky
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Shogun has entered the chat.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Played the 1996 X-Files CCG recently. Also a product of its time, during the great late 90s CCG wave. The mechanics are a more complex version of "Guess Who?" where you try to guess what secret X-File card players have by playing Sites and investigating them. #boardgamesky
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Basked in some 1982 glory this past weekend. You roll two dice each turn, and assign one to your pac-man and the other to a ghost. Very much a product of its time, but do appreciate that the pac-man(s) "eat" marbles! #boardgamesky
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Turns out roadrunners are big fans of the heavy euro genre (Civolution in this case).
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Played Don't Look Back from Black Site Studios recently - a 1980s horror miniatures game. It was fun! Lots of accruing terror and running away from a maniacal killer. Very evocative theme.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
I also have some really old #oldhammer paper buildings from waaay back that I'm thinking of assembling to build out the Traitor's Toll town. Nothing like finishing a project 35 years after you picked it up.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Made some progress on the Traitor's Toll characters from @wargamesatlantic.bsky.social! Lots of customization options. This is only two of the six sprues included. These are close to builds shown on the box cover, but I may branch out more after this.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
Picked up the base set for Guards of Traitor's Toll this week, and started the time intensive process of assembling miniatures. I've been painting more old school-ish minis for so long that I forgot how involved that could be! Plenty to work with for now, and not even 1/2 through the sprues.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Really hit that Gen Z demo for LH 2E.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Wrote up some thoughts from recent playtest of Watermelon Mountain at a local con here (Bubonicon). The TLDR: it's good to not spend much time on graphic design for prototypes. But! Sometimes you can hurt accessibility and make it unplayable for some people. boardgamegeek.com/thread/35657...
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
I also painted some Bob Olley ogres for a game called Fantasy Warlord (which I neither own nor have ever played). They do have an #Oldhammer feel, which makes sense given Bob Olley did work for Citadel as well. They have massive shields which I decided not to use for now.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
One thing I've done recently (only took decades) was to shy away from White + Black for eyes. Went with a pale sand and red leather for these halflings. Red leather might be a little too muted, but in general the lower contrast looks much better. Most of my miniatures have had raccoon eyes.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Just about finished these #Oldhammer halflings (Old School Miniatures and Citadel Miniatures). Just in time for some more halflings to arrive and add to the unit! Really like the rabbit in the bag for the farmer-looking guy.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Also got into a game of _Guards of Traitor's Toll_ yesterday. It's fascinating - a non-wargame miniatures game, where you run around town solving plots, breaking up brawls, and trying to keep the peace. A confluence of RPGs, miniature games, and boardgames.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Tried _Fate of the Fellowship_ this weekend. It's solid. Big step up in complexity from pandemic. Instead of disease outbreaks, it's a much more complex shadow troop movement system. But very thematic and tense, thinking about picking it up.
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Played the new reprint of Warlock of Firetop Mountain by @stevejacksongames.bsky.social last night. This wasn't one of the ones I had in the 80s (I had Forest of Doom and Scorpion Swamp). Mostly did well, but get lost in the maze. Notecards were not the best choice for mapping!
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Phil, Ziapelta Games @gruefodder.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Current painting project is a unit of 12 #Oldhammer halflings, mostly from Old School Miniatures (www.oldschoolminiatures.co.uk), with 3 of them being old Citadel miniatures I found buried somewhere.
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