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Ben Robbins is launching M2

@lamemage.com
1.3K followers 199 following 651 posts

game designer, made Microscope, Kingdom, West Marches, this that and the other thing. I blog at arsludi.lamemage.com

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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 15h
Is Microscope an RPG? The Eternal Question I am pleased to have raised the level of soul-searching in the gaming community 😂
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Caroline Hobbs @chobbs.bsky.social · 17h
So exciting! Microscope is such a foundational game - really psyched for it to be getting a second edition
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 18h
In one week I click the button and let slip the dogs of fractal history… Tuesday October 6 www.kickstarter.com/projects/lam...
kickstarter.com
Coming soon: Microscope (2nd Edition)
The fractal game of epic histories
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 23h
Witness the burning truth
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Caroline Hobbs @chobbs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Playing all the sad women to get emotional revenge for Ben's game KILLING my farm boy
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 28/09/2026
"We’ve gone from DICKENS tooooo AUSTEN!" How @chobbs.bsky.social rocks This Means War
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Pen and Paper Köln e.V. @pnpkoeln.pnpde.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/09/2026
Die Würfel könnt ihr am 11. Oktober zu Hause lassen, denn an diesem Tag spielen wir nur würfellose Spiele in der Juzi in Köln-Sülz! Meldet euch an, um in einer von sieben Runden zu spielen: forms.gle/LeeK7S6pg3UmfUkD8 #pnpde #Köln @koelngruppe
Ort / Location: JUZI, Sülzburgstraße 112/118, Köln-Sülz
Start: 14:00 Uhr 
Ende: 19:30 Uhr

Spielrunden dieses Mal:
Tearable RPG, mit Jan
Ein Homebrew System ("5 Traits"), mit Konrad 
Microscope, mit Hannah
Viva la Queer Bar, mit Heike
[in English] Dread: Dredd, mit Dirk
Beak, Feather and Bone, mit Dennis
Good Society, mit Melanie
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 24/09/2026
Turns out God made the angels *after* the dinosaurs, and specifically charged angels to protect the dinosaurs, back in the golden days of eden Sooo… what did you expect, God?
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Thursday Garreau @keftiu.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
remembered this today and got way too excited
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 18/09/2026
Tapping the Microscope timeline for one-shots in the same setting: confirmed genius.
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Catacombs Gourdeiro🎃 @topmarx.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
using Tinder for its intended purpose: recommending an array of beginner-level GMless story games to someone sick of always being her D&D group's forever-DM
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 17/09/2026
Our Microscope game tonight: "God’s plan was to wipe out the dinosaurs, but rebel angels sabotaged it. Dinosaurs live!"
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 16/09/2026
This is how you do it
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Ross Cowman @rosscowman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
soft launching UK-based shipping on heartofthedeernicorn.com right now. Free shipping on orders over $200 to the UK and Republic of Ireland. Duty paid shipments to most EU countries. If you want to do me a solid, try ordering something DM me to let me know how it goes.
heartofthedeernicorn.com
Heart of the Deernicorn
Publisher, distributor, and manufacturer of tabletop games including RPGs, Solo RPGs, and Story Games.
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 14/09/2026
Came to talk about the new version of Microscope, stayed to argue about AI Because I have… thoughts… about AI arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/54...
arsludi.lamemage.com
"AI is a monster"
I went back on Justin Gary's Think Like A Designer podcast to ramble about the new Microscope and the strange and magical experiences of playing This Means War. We also got into a debate on AI. That'...
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 11/09/2026
Games are here to help!
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Ian Doherty @idoherty451.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Great commentary from Ben Robbins and my friend @sodave.bsky.social on game design and the new version of Microscope coming out! #ttrpg #microscope #gamedesign
youtube.com
What a Pro Game Designer can Teach you. Less is more, and the Clarity of Minimalism in Microscope 2
YouTube video by Dave Pruner
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 01/09/2026
We had a great talk about the new Microscope, This Means War, and all sorts of other gaming stuff that came to mind. And yes, sock puppets too. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com
Episode 176: Ben Robbins and His Socks Return from Lame Mage
Podcast Episode · Dice in Mind · August 24 · 1h 21m
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RPG Roots @rpgroots.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Another guest for Season 1 of RPG Roots is Frederik Jensen @thoughtfuldane.bsky.social, author of "Montsegur 1244", "Mars to Stay", "The City," and more TTRPGs and card games. Frederick is based in Sweden and publishes under the name Thoughtful Dane.
In this poster, there is a picture of game designer Frederik Jensen in the foreground, and three pictures of the covers of his story games in the background: Montsegur 1244, Mars to Stay, and The City.
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 31/08/2026
Pottery Shards by @thehintguy.bsky.social is coming together nicely. Summerlab!!!
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 24/08/2026
No really, quite a bit about socks. I forgot all about the socks Short pitch: it's actual play, you keep the original audio, but replace the video with sock puppets I would watch that
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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 23/08/2026
While it doesn’t explicitly focus on GMless/GM-full games, this is as elegant an encapsulation of the pleasures of those systems as I’ve ever come across. (Which is why I counter the “I’m cooking dinner” model of GMing with “potlucks and cookouts exist”)
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 19/08/2026
I put together a deep dive into both the nitty and the gritty of what's changing in the new Microscope, and why: arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/53...
arsludi.lamemage.com
M2: What's Changing in the New Microscope
My fellow designer Caroline Hobbs has described Microscope as my Silmaril, 'the work of my heart that cannot be remade'. And she was not wrong. For a long time cracking open Microscope and revising it...
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Jason Morningstar @jmstar.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Games You Should Play Before Playing Fiasco, in no particular order. * Play whatever you like * Even games that suck teach you stuff * Also play games that scare you sometimes * Distrust taste-makers * As a taste-maker I highly recommend Rusałka by Nick Wedig
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 02/08/2026
ooooh, that's an idea: Game meetup, con, etc, but the agreement is we only play games older than X years (10? 20? 30?) What's the secret agenda? Rediscover design ideas that sparkled but were lost and forgotten. Dig up past wisdom and reincorporate it for the future (or learn from others' mistakes)
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 27/07/2026
🤘
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 26/07/2026
I realized I left out a critical opportunity for characters to *feel* in This Means War The good news is, I've got a simple fix arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/53...
arsludi.lamemage.com
I Left Out the Reaction Shot, a Dev Journal
When I was a kid watching movies with my Dad, he would sometimes frown and say, "they left out the reaction shot". What he meant was the movie showed some important moment like the bad guy getting de...
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EUphoria Actual Play @euphoriaap.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Join us NOW at twitch.tv/EUphoriaAP for the first episode of Querent, where the cast will build their universe using Microscope RPG (2025 edition) #actualplay #ttrpg
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 21/07/2026
Why write a nice little tip for creating good characters when you could swan dive into fundamental questions about the connection between players and their characters? Asking for a friend arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/53...
arsludi.lamemage.com
One Strong (But Wrong) Opinion
It's hardly revolutionary to say that in the vast majority of role-playing games, your character is your single strongest vector of contribution, so making a good character is critical. But what's a "...
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 21/07/2026
Nice! @elrefugioeditorial.com does good work
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 14/07/2026
Honestly, that's a great combo. Knowing the Microscope history would give the Ten Candles session a lot more depth and pathos
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It's Trevor! @newbornstranger.com · 04/07/2026
A legitimately fun game on its own, Microscope is also an amazing worldbuilding tool for long campaigns. I led a game of microscope to build a game world for D&D and we played in the resulting land of Tetherin for years and years. I've never seen characters more tied to the lore of the world.
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Tabletop Bookshelf🔜Gamehole Con @tabletopbookshelf.com · 04/07/2026
NEW: Micrscope is a fractal roleplaying game of epic histories. Want to explore an epic history of your own creation, hundreds or thousands of years long, all in an afternoon? That's Microscope. By @lamemage.com
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Johannes @johanneso.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Wake up, babe! My favorite game, the legendary Microscope is getting a makeover! #ttrpg #GMLess #Microscope2E #CrowdfundingSoon
A table with index cards, pens and refreshments. It's a game of Microscope in progress. 

The caption reads: "Wake up babe - Microscope bookends history!"
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Nick @nickjustageek.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
#TTRPG geeking out! 😏 Microscope is a weird little world building game. I can't wait to learn how it's being updated
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 02/07/2026
That's awesome!
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Caroline Hobbs @chobbs.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Some of my most treasured game experiences have been with Microscope. I'm very excited for the new edition!
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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 01/07/2026
Does this count as an event, a moment or a new period?
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 01/07/2026
I'm making it official: Microscope second edition is in the works. Crowdfunding in October. I swear on this stack of game books arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/52...
arsludi.lamemage.com
M2
I'm making it official: a new edition of Microscope is in the works. I've looked in my crystal ball, laid out my schedule, and set crowdfunding for October. If you've been following this blog, you ...
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 28/06/2026
Union rules update: storks are now canon
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 26/06/2026
Players keep making scenes that make me go "wow, that was so good", so I'm digging into the how and why plus a small detour into the fundamental nature of role-playing games and suspension of disbelief arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/52...
arsludi.lamemage.com
Living In the War, a Dev Journal
I've talked about how This Means War strives to simulate a believable (but surprising) war. But now I want to talk about the other half of the game: the character-side. The idea all along was that th...
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LycanthrEppy @epidiah.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Because it came up a bit over the weekend, I'm going to reiterate something here for all my #ttrpg designing pals, new & old. Using AI can only shrink your audience. No one is excited to see AI, and plenty of folks abhor it. When you use AI, you attract no one new & repulse more than you know. …
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 23/06/2026
The game store of my childhood got a huge upgrade and a fantastic array of indie RPGs. I am hella jelly arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/52...
arsludi.lamemage.com
Going Back to Games Unlimited
The old Games Unlimited in Pittsburgh was the game store of our childhood. It's where we went to buy RPGs, modules, dice, and a whole pile of miniatures. We rummaged through the shelves in the far bac...
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Hey @chobbs.bsky.social: I went to an educational/therapy conference talk at Origins yesterday, and it turned out that the bulk of the session was playing Epitaph. Turns out the speaker lives outside of Spokane and was thrilled to hear that I knew you & Marc. Had a deep, emotional play session!
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BR Cross @kylleran.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Hi RPG hive mind, I'm working on a class for GMs. We will be going over the history of TTRPGs. I have a year by year list of important or noteworthy games. I know I missed some. So I'm going to reply to this with a year by year breakdown. Please add anything you think I'm missing.
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Bully Pulpit Games @bullypulpithq.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
The Blue Way is a game of lost stories, colonialism, and its cultural aftermath from @jmstar.bsky.social and Central Michigan University Press. Even if you are familiar with this game, there is new disturbing art from @arayaart.bsky.social as well! #TTRPGs #RPGs #games
backerkit.com
The Blue Way: A Game of Lost Stories
The Blue Way is a game of lost stories, colonialism, and its cultural aftermath from Jason Morningstar and Central Michigan University Press.
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Jennifer Adcock @jenkatwrites.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
My latest playtest kit is available now! Pax Deorum is a one-shot GMless RPG about the Vestal Virgins of Ancient Rome. You'll use your rare political influence to try to manage pressures in the city, until inevitably the heavy burdens of your role catch up to you.
jen-adcock15.itch.io
Pax Deorum - Playtest Edition by Owl Knight Games, by Jennifer Adcock
Serve the gods, protect the city, save yourself
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 12/06/2026
"I love tabletop storytelling" Oh hell yeah
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 11/06/2026
you read the first one and you're like "ugggggh" but then, spoiler, it picks up in the second act
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Ben Robbins is launching M2 @lamemage.com · 09/06/2026
“What do you mean they want us to attack? Now? On those mountains? In the middle of the damn winter?” Fantastic review of how This Means War unfolds and the whole player experience of not being able to control what happens. #ThisMeansWar kindofold.substack.com/p/playing-th...
kindofold.substack.com
Playing a whole war, solo! [Agile Review of "This Means War"]
Review and solo actual play of Ben Robbin's newly released playtest version of This Means War.
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