iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 38m

Dragon Magazine was my favorite thing as a youngster. It introduced me to many things. At one point they used Gustave Dorè art. A reader wrote in to say their new artist really captured the medieval feel. They said, "Probably because he lived a lot closer to them than we do".

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Arlan Skellington (famous) @thehell.zone · 10h

they should make laws that also apply to people who have a lot of money

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 5h

A customer was selling me a One Piece card that I valued at $3. He said ChatGPT told him it was worth $12.

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hazel marie @dykeworship.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

allies 30 seconds after mild criticism

cardboard box labeled "be quite!® straight power"

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 14h

Soon after I got the Red Box and within a year graduated to the AD&D hardcovers. Like you do.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 14h

I read The Isle of Dread by Tom Moldvay. My cousins wanted to run it, so I did. But I had NO CLUE how to play D&D. So I converted everything to Star Frontiers rules which used a d% system. My conversions were...imperfect, but we had a lot of fun.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 14h

I became OBSESSED and recruited my cousins to play it with me. At first we only followed like 20 percent of the rules, but it worked and we were shooting lasers at space pirates in no time. A year or two later my cousin had a friend who owned some D&D books and he borrowed them.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 15h

That was when I realized that it was not a game. It was an instruction book on how to create a universe.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 15h

Several months later I was bored on a rainy day and picked up the book again. The first few paragraphs explained the setting - a galaxy where humans traveled the stars with several other friendly species (and a few not so friendly). It had a section detailing each species' abilities and drawbacks.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 15h

I took it home and unwrapped it. The main instruction book was around 65 pages long. I threw it across the room in frustration. At that point, the most complex game I'd ever played was Monopoly. What kind of maniac makes a game with 65 pages of instructions?

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 15h

There was a poster of The Silver Surfer on the wall. I thought it was Ice Man, because I'd never seen the Surfer before. But more importantly, there was a blue box of a game called Star Frontiers. It was probably ten bucks, but I managed to get my dad to buy it for me. This was a big deal.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 15h

In 1982 I went to a comic book shop for the first time in my life. Heroes World in the Echelon Mall (RIP). I knew about superheroes mostly from cartoons like the Super Friends and Spider-Man and His Amazing friends. Seeing so many actual comics was mind-blowing.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 15h

I gave a jokey answer because that was the theme. But the real answer is that I heard of D&D in an issue of Games Magazine and was instantly interested in the concept. Before that I had already made classifications of monsters and mythical creatures with what could be called stat blocks.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

"How did you get into TTRPGs?" I willed them into existence as a child.

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(Self) Regulators, mount up! @bankuei.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I have been thinking a lot over the last few years that lots of RPGs overlook the cost of repetitive tasks. Yes it's easy to come up with (stakes/costs) but it becomes less easy when you're asked to do it dozens upon dozens of times in one session. I think a lot of GM burnout hides in these things

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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Generative AI would be viewed a lot more positively by the public if the people making it and most heavily pushing it weren't all, to a one, billionaire nazi sexual predator absolute fucking freaks. Helps a lot, if the literal face of your technology isn't a sieg heiling freak with Allegations

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The next dungeon adventure I make will be for Shadowdark. I don't know if I will bother converting The Lost Vault of Zarnak to Shadowdark. The OSE version (in spite of being AWESOME) is a mediocre seller. I kind of want to make new dungeon crawls that are apart from my Dungeon Company series.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I forgot to give credit to my cover artist. Gustave Dorè. That guy is going places!

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I cleaned up my classic mystery adventure, The Wolf of Moonbreak and converted it to Shadowdark. You can get it for two dollars now, or wait for the Spooky Bundle to come out and get it with a whole bunch more goodies! Or you can do both! rpgtrader.com/products/100...

rpgtrader.com

The Wolf of Moonbreak for Shadowdark on RPG Trader

The Wolf of Moonbreak is a mystery-horror one-shot for low-level characters, where whispers of a werewolf mask a far stranger truth. As livestock vanish, villagers die, and healing magic falters, the ...

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

So...I ran a session of Shadowdark at work last night. For the most part, the players liked it. I have nine players in my group, but two couldn't make it. One player doesn't want it to be a long campaign, but I think it's a clash of play style more than an issue with the game itself.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

rpgtrader.com

The Wolf of Moonbreak for Shadowdark on RPG Trader

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RPG Trader @rpgtrader.com · 01/10/2026

🎃 Calling all creators! 👻 We’re putting together a Spooky Season Bundle, running October 10 - 31, and we’d love for you to contribute! Got a spooky, creepy, weird or suitably unsettling TTRPG product? Come join the bundle! 🦇 rpgtrader.com/dashboard/bu...

rpgtrader.com

Spooky Season Bundle on RPG Trader

Join the bundle to add your products.

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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Tech industry is laser focused on solving the problem of humans enjoying each other’s company bsky.app/profile/down...

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Evan Urquhart @evanurquhart.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Definitely click through on this story for the quotes from the Third Way spokesperson, who AGREED Democratic candidates should NOT adopt Republican language on trans issues. I was floored - even tried to get Billie to put it in the headline. This is not just analysis, these quotes are news.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

If they want to do those things they could try....writing.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

10yo picked a fight with the king's guards. They get dropped down to 3hp and I (the healer), drop to zero. I roll 3 on the death timer - 3 rounds to be saved. 10yo: Wait! I have a potion of healing! Me: Oh good! 10yo: I drink it!

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

My halfling thief, Mork died to a gelatinous cube. I made an Elf Priest of Memnon - Jerole the Zealot. Spoose is a goblin fighter named Bemmer.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

My Spoose drew this at kid's direction. This is their Shadowdark character, Ritty the Chaotic Wizard

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I DMed a group tasked with stealing a magic crown from a hobgoblin leader. One player kept asking if they could have it and offered money for it. The crown was a symbolic and literal source of power. No persuasion worked. But 5e tells players that you just have to roll well enough.

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Kava Ladek | KLVD Studios @klvdstudios.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Hot take: “My character wouldn’t do that” can be an excuse to avoid making a decision. Your character can be cautious, selfish, or scared. But if they never take risks, make mistakes, or change, you’re not playing a character. You’re protecting a stat block. #TTRPG #TTRPGCommunity #TTRPGPlayers

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Came home from work to find the kid jonesing for another session. Dinner first. Sorry.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A troll nearly took us down, but eventually kid learned that fire is your best option there.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Most of the evening was determined by random encounters which were just evocative enough to keep the game fun an moving.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I didn't have anything planned. So I spitballed a plot about a guy who got hold of an evil amulet that makes zombies. PCs were hired to get it back. The guy didn't have any other special abilities, so it was achievable. Kid made ample use of Sleep, Charm Person, and Burning Hands.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Kid played a Human Wizard. My spoose played a Goblin Fighter, and I made a GM PC Halfling Thief. We survived fairly well.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The spellcasting system is refreshinhg. Instead of keeping track of slots, you just keep track of how badly you fucked up.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It's one thing to read the book, but only playing will make you ask things like, "Wait....how are Wands handled in these rules?" It's simple and elegant. That's why I like it.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

My 10yo wanted to play D&D with me. We haven't done so in almost a year. I introduced them to Shadowdark instead. It was a good primer for me to learn the rules before my new campaign starts Wednesday.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is the only way a language model can reach a conclusion; by copying the work of actual humans.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The final episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds involves Spock going back in time to meet The Beastie Boys.

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Michael J Patrick @michaeljpatrick.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I'll believe AI is sentient when it can use The Force.

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