Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 10/10/2026My current WIP will briefly mention one minor character playing hurley, a more major one playing lacross, but I want to play around with names. As yet no scene is planned to portray a game, so no need to describe them.... But maybe I could slip it in on the wedding celebrations. 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 08/10/2026Oooh, so I HAVE read one of your sapphic romances lol. I thought it was just fantasy with a bit of teenager. NM, good read! 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Jumped into a friend's 5e #D&D last night, and was handed an EIGHT PAGE character sheet. FFS, was only playing for three hours. My remit for Blade & Bullet is that if you can't fit it all on one page, you may as well stay in the office and get paid for all that admin. #ttrpg #rpg #fantasy 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Good against evil. I hate villain protagonists. Vampire Darth Vader heroes? Get lost lol 001
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Hehe, now I've read it, I realise I missed the point of the first line of this post lol 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 25/09/2026The gnomes of Abalone, and many of the human hybrids, have large eyes, no noses, but also large sensitive tongues. Their senses in the dark are quite acute 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 24/09/2026A bit nervous about reading my first LitRPG/Progression Fantasy type thing, but also looking forward to the new experience! (Do I get XP for reading it???) 100
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Portraits made using Heroforge. I really need to get a couple of art pens and start sketching, but I'm shockingly bad a people and animals. 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Worrying about use of AI 'art' in my products. Historically, I have, but I'm working to get rid. I've hired a great digital artist for my covers, and I'm using digital art packages for a bit of stuff. Does that count? AFAIK, that aint the same beast! So here are the chapter headers. Yes or No? 100
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Having emigrated to Portugal, I so miss Fish n Chips (salt n malt vinegar FTW) 021
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Hit my target of 50k words for Abalone vol2, but realised one character's story track bimbled on a week after the others finished, so 2k words are heading for vol3. Lets see if editing puts that 2k back in. #booksky #fantasy 050
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 23/09/2026The continent of Abalone is completely surrounded by a wall of magical mist. Sunrise and sunset release eerie streams of polarised light and auroras across the sky, with the time of year and cloud cover affecting people's moods for the day 110
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 22/09/2026In my current campaign, climate change has flooded the players' real town, and the next village can only be reached by boat 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 19/09/2026The world is flooded, the rich live in orbit, everybody else fights for survival. 011
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I hadn't thought about tides, moons and things... Until my current wip story needed a multiple kidnapper escaping on the high tide each time (ttrpg player led clue) 040
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I'm a survivor of the 70s n 80s, when SF&F & Western fiction often meant graphic descriptions of every wound & sexual fantasies that made me worry about the writer's mental health, and the swear words! @ipiercebrown.bsky.social's Red Rising is proof you dont need that to make modern fantasy/SF. 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Abalone's oceans are linked to the Elemental Realm of Water. The primal Avatar is the Abyss, said to be the First Elemental after the World Serpent formed the world and worshipped by the undine peoples. In some human cultures The Abyss has been identified with Leviathan, Njord and Dagon. 030
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Volume 2 of Abalone is kind of not far off. The original 80k target is more likely to be 45-50k, as I've removed the second half of it for further development. I think I'm looking at a 5 book series, all around the 45-50k mark. I'm hoping for an Xmas release. Stay tuned :) #booksky #fantasy 030
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 16/09/2026"The Water Blade" £0.99 on Amazon.everywhere If you like high fantasy with a twist of realism, quirky characters and brutal action (but low gore), dive in to the world of Abalone. Suitable for YA to 87 year olds (so far). #booksky #fantasy www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Blade-...amazon.co.ukThe Water Blade: A Novel of AbaloneThe Water Blade: A Novel of Abalone eBook : Ælse, Phil: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store 140
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 03/09/2026About 2 hours. I got bored and sent in the goons whilst they talked about it 😆 010
Reposted by Phil @ Mace GamesPhil Ælse @philaelse.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Sharing for no particular reason youtu.be/AsjLAt5t7EQ?...youtu.beThe naming of Alexandria | Horrible Histories HDYouTube video by Vexmybeloved 011
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 30/08/2026AD&D, which I didn't get, age 12. A year later got introduced to Traveller. Hooked! 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Red Rising. Not quite sure what to expect from something I'd heard was YA. Genuinely exciting read. 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 26/08/2026C'mon August... there's only one famous old geezer we want gone, improve your aim! 000
Reposted by Phil @ Mace GamesPhil Ælse @philaelse.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Difficult to imagine that there isnt a Russian operative posting videos on SM of kids doing stupid things just so UK kids will copy them: burning moorland, dangerous driving, eating chemicals, voting for fascists. Why send agents when people are stupid enough to damage resources and infrastructure. 001
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 25/08/2026I think the most stand out one was "was there a sewer grid anywhere near each kidnapping". My medieval town didnt have sewers.... Until that moment. "Were they all virgins?" Yes, but then I made one who wasn't and the bad guy needed a new victim in a hurry. "Might they have used an escort service?" 020
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 24/08/2026I've run a kidnap scenario several times with different groups. Always been fun and I've normally gone with good ideas for clue finding from the players rather than making it linear. Currently its being worked into a novel 120
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 23/08/2026I found THAC0 quite intuitive, but not everyone is competent at mental maths. Blade and Bullet asks players to make a score of 10 with the least number of thrown d6s, the remaining dice boost the effect. People still struggle. 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Automatic page opening at the rule I need now! 🤣 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 15/08/2026On the other hand, scenario writing is happening 😀 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Climate change is messing with my #RPG Too hot to game from home, insufficient space in the campervan by the coast for my PC 😞 100
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Writing a kidnap mystery. I had all the right clues, not necessarily in the right order 🤣 000
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Played Forbidden Lands a few years ago, liked it 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 03/08/202650 mins in to PCs planning to attack (or steal the cars of) the baddies, I began wandering the baddies around the map, in and out of the PC's vision on Roll20. 20 min of this, the baddies walked in the PCs cabin and suddenly its like that bit in Phantasm when the ball goes for them mid-plan :D 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 02/08/2026Vol 1 of Abalone was 43k words. I was pleased with it, but wanted more for vol 2. 80k+ words so far. But I am struggling with the editing. Restarts, losing track, getting nowhere. Started treating it as two 40k vols, editing improving, more control and momentum. Vol 2 may come as 2 & 3 #booksky 050
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 22/07/2026There's always another layer of bad-guy management above them 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 22/07/2026Destiny's peasant is a bit worn, and hapless love-struck youth somehow saves the galaxy 😜 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Self-editing a book. Break each chapter down in to its own document, or keep it integral? #booksky 030
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Would love such a service, but I can't justify $1400 for a book that might earn £4 (70k x $0.02). When I'm rich and famous ☺️ 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 10/07/2026I try to keep a voice in my head for each character, even if they're "placeholders". I have Sean Bean, Judy Dench and John Wayne starring in mine lol 010
Phil @ Mace Games @mace-games.bsky.social · 22/06/2026My book is free on Amazon till Tuesday. If you get it, please leave a review on Amazon, help make the 2nd Volume better. www.amazon.co.uk/Water-Blade-... #fantasy #books #bookskyamazon.co.ukThe Water Blade: A Novel of AbaloneThe Water Blade: A Novel of Abalone eBook : Ælse, Phil: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store 010