iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

I *really* don't like bringing this up too often as it's not at all what I want to do on this site but I think @thewanderingjew.bsky.social can confirm that before any of this blew up in national news, I was mentioning how many SF guys I know who aren't just into this stuff but INTO it into it 💀

1292

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I'm not even sure what fraternities really even are, other than like party houses? Do they actually do other stuff? What do they even have to do with Greece or whatever?

760

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

millenials use cards 🙄

370

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Why is the site where I learn about RPGs suddenly talking about Ella Langley of all things What is happening 💀💀

380

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Someday I want to more formally write up my Strahd mod. I don't think I'm some great writer but I like my angle on it. It gave the players more of a reason to even oppose Strahd, without giving him a reason to immediately kill them. ...In fact I'm gonna start it now.

1100

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

As of now I have seen the Resident Evil movie, under the promise it was "surprisingly good." Nobody told me it was a comedy. Also, that "good" is a very elastic term when you're dealing with a video game movie.

170

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Being an idiot I once left my phone on the counter after paying. I came back for it like twenty minutes later and they handed it back to me, but now it had a pop socket on it. "It didn't have this," I said. The hot goth smiled at me and said "yeah kid, now you do." Built different IG 💅

1110

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I'm still not sure this is a good idea; or at least, that's it's a system I actually want in my game. But I can envision a place for it, so feel free to study my musings if you're interested! snakebiterpg.blogspot.com/2026/09/syst...

snakebiterpg.blogspot.com

Systems You Might Not Need: the Designated Survivor

A weird thought came over me. "What if players could keep a character from dying?" It was an odd thought, especially as I'm specifically de...

13509

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I'm playing with the idea of a system where in any given session, one of the played characters has a pre-specified 'plot armor' effect. This character can still take injuries like normal, but in case of death....doesn't.

7170

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

There was a time in my life when I was definitely afraid of the danger of being burned at the stake. Eventually, it was replaced by a fear of being forced to walk the plank. I'm ready to declare that, at this point, my fears are unlikely to come to pass. Five-year-old me would be very relieved.

4150

Reposted by Kenzie

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I have learned, time and time again, that a lot of people *hate* my name, aha. It's cutesy, childish, preppy, whatever. People can call me the full Mackenzie if it helps, though I don't think it does. But it does have a Russian history to it! My parents are nerds, they weren't being precious. 💀

221

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Finished another Honey Heist that cannot possibly have been what the writer ever expected; as it was apparently largely a parody of a military video game and it featured hand grenades, a flying fortress, a boss battle, and one of the bears using cocaine. Fun, though!

2221

Reposted by Kenzie

Vince Pinton @ibir.cc · 17/09/2026

I wrote some opinions about magic systems inspired by @kenzius.bsky.social 's post from a few days ago! ibir.bearblog.dev/in-favor-of-... I don't usually write stuff, so feel free to throw criticism at me! I want to improve my writing.

ibir.bearblog.dev

In Favor of Magic Systems, Part 1

I just stumbled upon Kenzie's blogpost Against Magic Systems and I figured I'd write something about this. Not only because I also somewhat dislike many magi...

231

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I'm not sure how to ask this without making it sound like an insult--i swear it's not!!-- but what is the appeal of mega dungeons? Like, do you just solve a series of battles and traps and stuff? Are there like... characters? Plot? Or is it more of an investigation? Exploration?

21230

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

People are posting about Aella again and I want to point out I live right by these people and have met actual rationalists; of the "know Scott Alexander and go to his parties" set. I'm not one of them but they really are everywhere around here!

160

Reposted by Kenzie

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Ultimately I'm gonna go with whichever one gives me more opportunities to have people diving out of windows and sliding down the embankment and generally moving around because that's more fun than swinging a sword; swinging a sword is fun *because* you're doing it while balancing on a rope bridge.

241

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I learned pretty much all my gymnastics from Sergei, a former Russian circus performer. You should have heard him talk about nationalism, the role of the state, it's relationship to the citizen. These links never entirely went away!

170

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Two roads call to me. Down one is trip attacks, pushing people, dodge rolls, parry attempts; an arsenal of colorful swordfighty dueling manuevers. Down the other is the "Fighting" status that two or more units can be engaged in and you roll to take damage from it. I'm gonna split in half. 💀

5180

Reposted by Kenzie

🍁 Levi Kornelsen @levikornelsen.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Let's do this right here: Time recording in your TTRPG play: Do you do it / have you done it to any significant extent? I mean everything from "We mark days on an in-world calendar of events" to "Someone notes down what happens during our dungeon crawls (mostly in order)" and beyond. Tell me!

524415

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I got a few odd, racial messages about this so I should probably clarify: my parents immigrated from Moscow, I am ethnically Russian, I go to a Russian Church, and I live in a place nicknamed Little Russia; so while yes I am 100% American I also don't *need* to hear about Russian perfidy

3130

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I have been reviewing the literature and realized that part of my problem is that writing an interesting theology is hard, and I grew up reading Tolkien, whose world is beautiful. Arda as a song is just gorgeous.

1100

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I'm learning that most civilians are unaware of the most infamous cheer routine in American history. Tsk. Millenials don't even know their own history! No it's not the one from Lumberton, please. That one is just kinda tacky. No, the real one is breathtaking in a way no ironic meme ever will be.

240

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It's possible that I have a fondness for bronze age, ultra-low-tech, and generally iron-poor settings for my games because I have acquired a deep distaste for my iron pills. I don't think this is really true, but I'm bugged I'd never made the connection before. 💀

2120

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This is important to know about me. Elves seem to symbolize more than anything else a certain type of generic high fantasy, one that I don't hate but don't really love either. But they, in my read, are my favorites, and in fact the only nonhuman fantasy race I even generally want in my games!

6210

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I'm probably going to have to write a full essay about it but I want everyone to know I have somewhat obnoxious takes on the perennial and apparently feisty debate over whether or not religions would be similar or different in an RPG world where gods are "real" in a more discrete sense than ours.

7291

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Not a grad student but this has been why I've been trying to understand these old rpg systems that nobody seems to actually play, like Synnibar! It's helpful knowing how systems and ideas and tastes have changed over time. And will most likely change again!

5191

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

This is actually something I've almost never seen a system incorporate mechanically. Most fights are assumed to be to the death; *maybe* they add morale points. But I'm not sure why; shouldn't intelligent enemies act pretty much identically to PCs? Retreating if they're losing being a key part?

16281

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

More and more people are saying it!

160

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Getting maybe a little too into using counters. They're fun! But it's a bad idea to have like three of them going at a time, right? Though I'm not sure if there's a better system to track something like breaking free from restraints over time. I don't like it as a single roll ...

6120

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I know a cursed object when I see one.

A suspicious hair tie watched over by a sinister figure

180

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

FUN KENZIE FACT v.3: I grew up going to SF schools with a ton of immigrant families, and kids liked comparing accents and trying to guess where other kids were from. I, despite being born in SF, was consistently assumed to British, Ukrainian, or sometimes Polish.

160

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Not sure what else I'd expect 💀

360

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I don't know who Dasha is and I don't want to be compared to her if this story is the best can can write, thanks

240

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

This is cute but a pallet of paperbacks like this is like maybe 300-400 dollars, even less if you're pulling from donation collectors like ReUse centers. You don't need the lottery!

240

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I've spent the last few hours looking at galleries of fantasy paintings, mostly from the 70s and 80s, posted by I guess a former magazine called Heavy Metal. (It also has movies?) Some of these are incredible. Anyone knows if the actual magazine was like this, or just like covers?

7161

Reposted by Kenzie

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I've never actually been able to read Boris Ryzhy in English so he's formed a core part of my Russian; which means I'm mostly conversant about addiction, beauty, and anguish. It is not a lie to say it is the only Russian thing about me. That said: look up Boris sometime! He was great!

151

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

151

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

When people talk about old DND/similar games as being about entering a dungeon and then murderpillaging the inhabitants, what adventures are they referring to? I've been reading old X adventure modules and none of them really fit that structure at all.

17240

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I've read about the stronghold management systems that OS/OSR games often had for the late game. Are there any games that simulate running a band; more like a mercenary company, minstrel troupe, or even just an armed merchant company? Still within the general TTRPG world; not a board game.

11120

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Sudden realization as I contemplate "OSR" principles: I have no idea how leveling works in those games. Everyone tells me that OSR is about being, essentially, the filthiest idiots, and you will die. But surely that can't last forever, eventually you have castles and stuff, right? How's that work?

15400

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Summer is over, back to writing. My only thoughts on Dark Sun, a setting I'll probably never play but have heard quite a lot about: snakebiterpg.blogspot.com/2026/08/you-...

snakebiterpg.blogspot.com

You don't need slavery. But you don't need anything.

Summer is over. I don't really like summer as a season; I don't do well in heat and leaving the protective confines of the Bay can lead me t...

4110

Reposted by Kenzie

Lin Codega @lincodega.com · 22/08/2026

A hot girl is on a date 10 ft away from me explaining ttrpgs to a 4 at best and I think she should be on a date w me instead

61885

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

A lot of people are functionally illiterate, and that includes lacking the ability to easily grasp metaphors or gaps in exposition; it's probably why they so often build weird conspiracy theories to reduce the world into small pieces they can understand, or give up and become complete mystics.

280

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Starting our Saturday game early today so we can make a show tonight; rare chance to see my dice out in the full light of the sun. Relatedly: trying "Honey Heist!" I admit that while I do like my drawing of a bear and will do my best to be in the spirit, this is maybe not my default style. 💀

3130

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I will never read Dungeon Crawl Carl and nobody can make me

4130

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I’ve discovered this is not the right site to use when I’m in a bad mood.

1250

Kenzie @kenzius.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Perhaps my single most upsetting belief, beyond any RPG thing, is that most books just aren't that important. I read a lot; I have read so many bad novels. Are they worth preserving for eternity? Beh. Why would they be? Long before AI, people produced plenty of bad, unimportant stuff. Let it die!

260