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J. Walton

@ludopolitics.bsky.social
311 followers 235 following 526 posts

He/they. I teach about Game Design, Technoscience, & East Asia at Carnegie Mellon. Indie game designer -- Indie RPG Award (2006), IndieCade Night Games (2015), Ennie Judge's Spotlight (2026). Comments my own.

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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
How can people use AI to write emails when clearly you should: re-read them over at least 8 times before sending them, while making tiny little clever word choices that don't matter, and ensuring they are way too long for any actual human to actually read them. Letters = Victorian art form.
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Tim Gaedke @timgaedke.com · 26/09/2026
talent is a lie
a cartoon picture of a frog throwing a crooked looking clay vase with the words “talent is a lie, just do it anyway”
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Everybody else: "It's decorative gourd season MFers." New Englanders: "It's cranberry season MFers."
Ocean Spray ad with two cranberry boggers
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
RPG Thought of the Day: There are three primordial structures for campaign-length play -- Dungeon, Overland, and Urban (thanks @johnharper.bsky.social). Urban doesn't come from LOTR, but sneaks in through Lankhmar & especially Cyberpunk. The D&D thing that best embodies all 3 is Planescape.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I dreamed that Tor Books was publishing a Party Larp by @jmstar.bsky.social called Moon & Amethyst Try Not to Destroy the Earth. Moon (bored nepo-baby) & Amethyst (indulgent aristocrat) are two groovy aliens bringing their eternal roving hippy party to Earth, alongside their semi-friend Sex Head.
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Aaron Trammell @aarontram.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Happy Monday!! Amazing little piece by @edmondchang.bsky.social about what he calls ludofatigue…or the kind of play that happens when games are no longer fun. www.gamerswithglasses.com/features/the...
gamerswithglasses.com
The Summer without Games, or, Living with Ludofatigue — Gamers with Glasses
Don’t you sometimes just feel…tired? Edmond Y. Chang discusses “ludofatigue,” how it feels to live with the persistent sense that play just isn’t fun anymore, and the perennial relevance of Candleman ...
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Kara Stone @solarserver.games · 01/08/2026
I decided to playtest my upcoming game Landfill every single day for 7 weeks — and make a short vlog about it each week
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United Academics of the University of Oregon, AAUP-AFT 3209 @uauoregon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Make no mistake: Just like the Trump administration's first failed higher ed compact, Compact 2.0 once again asks colleges and universities to align themselves with a far-right agenda at the expense of students’ education and the public’s well-being. www.aft.org/press-releas...
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Playtest Material Magazine @playtestmaterial.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
A serious one today. "This is a call to our readers and future readers: please, consider before scrolling away, if you think our magazine is worth £18+postage. It is not just an investment in a bundle of paper, but in meaningful critique in the ttrpg space." playtestmaterial.org/playtest-mat...
playtestmaterial.org
Playtest Material launches its first ever subscription drive
Playtest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Opportune moment for the AAUP to be posting this, right as my university is in the midst of publicly denouncing one of my colleagues -- likely in a misguided attempt to appease right-wing political pressure. Academic leaders: We have to stand up to this nonsense. The frogs are boiling in the pot.
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Jonathan @jsench.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by private equity and data science.
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Duke University Press @dukepress.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
In "Materia Medica," Nicole N. Ivy @nicotron3000.bsky.social traces the lives of the enslaved women conscripted into the development of US gynecology, exposing the representational labor imposed on black female bodies in both medical and creative works. Read the intro for free: buff.ly/YQSWs0T
Cover of Materia Medica: Black Women, White Doctors, and Spectacular Gynecology by Nicole N. Ivy. The cover has a museum-like installation with red lighting and a seated, elongated sculpture made of woven fibers on a rug. Pink fabric is draped in front of the figure. The title appears vertically in large red text with the author's name and subtitle in white adjacent to the title.
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Hannah @venneh.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
So, if you’re keeping track, this is the punishment/retribution phase of narcissistic abuse, which you get when you don’t comply with what they want.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
VERILY, LET IT BE KNOWN. Other revelations ring yet true, O Prophet. Still WE descend via shitpost now to proclaim a new news. Let this gospel tell of TIME INDIFFERENT. Mortal lives are candleflickers, mapped as moments in sequence, but WE the Messengers know Creation only ONCE, as a singular event.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
VERILY, LET IT BE KNOWN. Other revelations ring yet true, O Prophet. Still WE descend via shitpost now to proclaim a new news. Let this gospel tell of TIME INDIFFERENT. Mortal lives are candleflickers, mapped as moments in sequence, but WE the Messengers know Creation only ONCE, as a singular event.
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Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A 30% cut to international enrollment is lights out at many public R1’s. And: once again, this is not bungling on the part of the administration, or unintended consequences. It is *precisely* the intention.
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Malcolm Craig @malcolmcraig.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
1) With 3000 reads and a whole bunch of responses since publication, I'm very grateful for each and every response to my Twilight: 2000 article. I'd say about 80% of responses from the TTRPG community have been positive. I'd like to address the negative ones - in particular some common criticisms.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Robot & A.I. stuff is weird & a bit freaky, right? But also: Let's be careful about how Orientalism & Yellow Peril bullshit sneaks into these framings --> a robotic & specifically Chinese/Asian Other that has better raw technical performance than "us" but lacks creativity & soul. You see?
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Molleindustria FUTURE? NO THANKS! OUT NOW @molleindustria.org · 24/08/2026
I hate it when I find my wife’s dead body on a ship and I have to use my magical pocket watch to figure out her identity and fate.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Grateful Hades The Beatniks Iron Torture Chamber
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Greg Stolze @gregstolze.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The lovely thing about #TTRPG writing is that number two isn't at all true, although one and three are, like, DOUBLE true.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Uh, I made this surreal card game about fishing, in collaboration with my best friend from Middle School @inauthenticity.bsky.social, and then we won an Ennie Award...? store.possibleworldsgames.com/product/tack...
store.possibleworldsgames.com
Tacklebox
Step off of dry land and into Tacklebox, a surreal fishing TTRPG where reality shifts with every card. Featuring 40 roleplaying prompts by designer J. Walton & surrealist author James Tadd Adcox, Tack...
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
"Between the Heart & the Synapse" (2005) by Boston prog emo legends The Receiving End of Sirens
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
On Monday classes start back for both myself and my kids, grinding out degrees at the degree mill. For those about to commence similar endeavors, I salute you! May our efforts to create meaning, learning, compassion, and justice in the midst of intensely problematic institutions bear fruit.
The Handsome Monkey King steals the Peaches of Immortality in the legendary animated film "Havoc in Heaven."
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Fifteen years and i have never seen good evidence of this.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Oops. Apparently my Patreon account -- which often suffers from benign neglect -- was on hold for a few months because I needed to unify my backer account & my (unused) creator account? Weird. Apologies to folks like @evlynmoreau.bsky.social and @jeeyon.bsky.social, who are some of my fave creators.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. You have no idea. I can't believe he finally released a bunch of games from this series. Aaaaaaahhhh. It's happening!!!
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Bully Pulpit Games @bullypulpithq.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Let @jmstar.bsky.social further pique your curiosity with his #NineSpaceGames walk-through! #TTRPGs #RPGs #games #larp youtu.be/x4OaeHSBxkA
youtu.be
Nine Space Games Walk-through
YouTube video by Bully Pulpit Games
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Hmm, I think the best options are... 1. Women Are Werewolves 2. Rapture: The Second Coming 3. The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen 4. Teenagers from Outer Space 5. Die 6. Midnight
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
This photo from GenCon 2026 could have been taken at GenCon 2006, where I first met these folks in person. We all look pretty much the same.
Jaywalt, BurningLuke, and Mike (Freakin') Holmes
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
JOB POST: Games/Creative Folks with a Master's Degree (or more), Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) -- where I work -- is HIRING for 1 permanent & 1 contract teaching position, for interactive media folks w/ some programming background. Is that you? apply.interfolio.com/189698
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Adrian Hon @adrianhon.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Great news: the talks from Jubensha Con are now available online for FREE! Big thanks to our amazing speakers for agreeing to this, and to Joe Strickland at @chronicinsanity.bsky.social for producing the videos. A lot of much bigger and more expensive conferences don't do this – but we just did.
youtube.com
Jubensha Con 2026 - YouTube
The talks given at JubenshaCon 2026 Find out more about the convention at https://jubenshacon.com Buy jubensha from: https://jubensha.co.uk https://www.suspe...
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Hmm, I'm gonna say it's one of these.
Cover of Frankenstein by Mary ShelleyCover of Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, translated by Anthony C. Yu
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Driving to GenCon tomorrow (Thurs) for the first time since... 2007? I'm basically using Tacklebox & @possibleworlds.bsky.social getting a Judges Choice Ennie as an excuse to reconnect with more folks I haven't seen in a dozen+ years. Excited to chat and play weird games with y'all.
GenCon logo, surrounded by dice.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Promotion of lukewarm word/art/data soup as "AI" has been so misguided -- & pushed by such terrible people -- that Big Tech may have finally poisoned the well? The public correctly doesn't trust them, or the institutions allied w/ them, to implement large-scale ML projects w/o causing massive harm.
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astra is dreaming ⭐ @featherlewd.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
every day the same shit over and over again
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
JOB POST: Games/Creative Folks with a Master's Degree (or more), Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) -- where I work -- is HIRING for 1 permanent & 1 contract teaching position, for interactive media folks w/ some programming background. Is that you? apply.interfolio.com/189698
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Oh, I finally figured out what game everybody was subtweeting about. Amazing how the edgelord schtick always works, no matter how many times. Makes me want to finally finish my game draft that's not-so-subtlely about the edgelord schtick.
Cover image for game draft "Edgelord 1674" with a aristocrat holding up a glass of wine, while looking proud and judgemental.Text of the first page of the game draft "Edgelord 1674."
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Shannon Mattern @shannonmattern.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
"Kathryn J. Gindlesparger... [shows] how everyday documents such as meeting minutes, policy drafts, budgets, and accreditation reports can be used to push back against authoritarian and corporate forces that undermine an institution’s mission." (Echoes of Ben Kafka's The Demon of Paperwork 😈)
upress.umn.edu
Paper Pusher
Paperwork is the new protest: leveraging bureaucracy for progressive actionIn contemporary higher education, power increasingly circulates through documents ...
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
With all the Odyssey film buzz, someone should make "Rocs & Rocks," the game of fantastic voyages. I want to Dawn Treader it up on some strange islands.
Roc from Sinbad filmsClashing rocks from Greek myth.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Uh... Episode I, maybe? I would pick Vernon, Florida, but that's totally intentional on the part of the filmmakers.
en.wikipedia.org
Vernon, Florida (film) - Wikipedia
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Müller and Lewandowski are playing in the same soccer game tonight. Hey, @cwgriffen.bsky.social, what year is it? Gonna try to stay up for the big West Coast game though: Seattle vs. Portland is always the best.
chicagofirefc.com
Matchday | Chicago Fire FC Celebrates Homecoming Red Out, pres. by Wintrust, Facing Vancouver Whitecaps FC | Chicago Fire FC
Match Information Chicago Fire FC (8-4-2, 26 points) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (10-2-2, 32 points) Thursday, July 16, 2026 7:30 p.m. CT Soldier Field – Chicago How to Watch: Apple TV English: Evan We...
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Molleindustria FUTURE? NO THANKS! OUT NOW @molleindustria.org · 14/07/2026
The United States is turning into a kind of reverse Omelas: everyone is miserable except for a single child, Donald Trump, who inexplicably must be kept happy.
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joyce’s monster 🎃 @joycelaurie.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
insta xpost
claude levi-strauss writing floridly homophobic observations of fire island, how everything there is backwards, pantanal 163
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chris “bluesky” poster @chrisrd19.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
It’s like when your food is taking a long time to come out so your server brings some free bread to apologize for the wait.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
If you look up "feckless unprincipled sycophant" in the dictionary, there's a photo of Lindsey Graham. One of the worst senators to ever have substantial political power, which he used in the most cowardly & cruel ways possible. See you at the Resurrection of the Dead, Lindsey!
Illustration of the Tarot card "Judgement," which depicts the Resurrection of the Dead.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
The new-ish @chaosium.bsky.social series -- where RJ Ivankovic adapts Lovecraft stories in a Dr. Seuss style -- reminds me of the time Josh Jordan & I tried to write a small indie RPG in anapestic pentameter. I would wrestle a giant albino penguin for a simplified kids' version of CoC in that style.
Cover of Ivankovic's "At the Mountains of Madness"Page 1 draft of "A Bothersome Journey to Ramshackle Bluffs," by J. Walton and Josh Jordan.Page 2 draft of "A Bothersome Journey to Ramshackle Bluffs," by J. Walton and Josh Jordan.
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J. Walton @ludopolitics.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Haven't played this game since middle school, with @inauthenticity.bsky.social, and it was OOP then.
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Molleindustria FUTURE? NO THANKS! OUT NOW @molleindustria.org · 09/07/2026
We owe you an apology
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Tadd Adcox @inauthenticity.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Oh hey, it's @crabmoney.bsky.social on @partyofonepodcast.bsky.social playing Tacklebox, the surrealist fishing game from @possibleworlds.bsky.social designed by @ludopolitics.bsky.social and co-written by me:
open.spotify.com
Party of One Says Go Birds: Tacklebox with Emma Shannon
Party of One Podcast · Episode
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