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Scott - Minerva 🦉

@minervatabletop.co.uk
1.6K followers 195 following 1.1K posts

Board game designer and publisher from London, UK: 🥪 Crumbs! The Sandwich Filler Game 🎨 Swatch: The Abstract Game of Art 📝 Organiser of Playfest London and Playtest UK (South London) 🦉 linktr.ee/minervatabletop

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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 8h
Playfest London Gallery 2 One of the things I love about Playfest is the variety of the prototypes on show that reflects the diversity of design. From party games to heavy eurogames and everything in between, you’ll always find something to match your tastes. @playtestuk.bsky.social 🎲✂️
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 11h
Me and my grunge friends would’ve killed A.I. with hammers I can tell you that much
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J. Rey Lee @jreylee.bsky.social · 23h
I'm still not sure what an "agony aunt" is, but the vibes are all warmth and playfulness for me. I appreciate that they get into the sticky questions around play instead of just profiling games. So, I'd give this a try even if you're burned out on other bg podcasts.
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 29/09/2026
Playfest London Gallery 1 Every year our event grows, but it wouldn’t be the same without some familiar faces! It’s a joy to see designers return with new or developed games, and I appreciate their support over the years ❤️ @playtestuk.bsky.social #BoardGameDesign 🎲✂️
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Daniel Solis @danielsolis.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Almost every week I say "Well, that was it. The dumbest most inscrutable thing I've ever made. The next one will be normal."
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Jesse @requiemarm.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
you shouldn’t learn about bands from shady TikTok manipulation, you should learn about bands by hanging out with a girl you like but are also extremely afraid of
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Z @dxdydz.northsky.social · 26/09/2026
Because I dont think I’ve posted this here: Biblically accurate dominoes
Dominoes with googly eyes replacing the pips
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Exeunt Press 💀🎲 @exeunt.press · 25/09/2026
The artists are still dead. Their art is still free.
skeletoncodemachine.com
Public domain art resources
Using public domain art in tabletop game design
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Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fuck ChatGPT flyers. The future is broadsheets.
A crowded broadsheet with way too many fonts. It says:
Forget ChatGPT Flyers
Say it with 
Broadsheets
Unlimited fonts
Stretch them
Or cram a really long sentence into one line for no good reason
No whitespace
Mix capital and lowercase
Pointing hands
(They're called manicules!)
Don't be left behind
Broadsheets are the future
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Eerie Idol Games @theoldkingscrown.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Shoutout to our wonderful studio partner, Judson (creator of Deep Regrets) who has just launched his latest game on Kickstarter - Personal Demons! Go check it out, you’re bound to have a devilishly good time 😈 www.kickstarter.com/projects/tet...
kickstarter.com
Personal Demons
Join a therapy ritual to summon and conquer your inner demons in this spatial puzzler game for 1-4 players.
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will jobst @willjobst.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
don't be shy gen con go ahead. don't be shy pax unplugged go ahead. don't be shy origins go ahead. don't be shy gamehole go ahead. don't be shy gary con go ahead. don't be shy page go ahead. don't be shy breakout go ahead. don't be shy dragon con go ahead.
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James Wallis @jameswallis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I've just been sent these pics from the Milan event I liveblogged three weeks ago. This is me playing SE!ZE, the game I co-designed with F1 driver Charles Leclerc. My opponent is Hikaru Nakamura, the second-best chess player in the world (FIDE rankings). I did not lose badly
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BoardGameWire 🔜 Spiel Essen @boardgamewire.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It's Friday! Which means it's time for everyone to once again scour the internet for board game news. No STOP I've already done it for you! The latest BoardGameWire newsletter is out now, packed with all the good stuff - and, as always, completely free: buttondown.com/boardgamewir...
Players sit around a circular wooden table with a copy of Asmodee board game Take Time on. The green, blue and gold box is visible, as are several stacked pieces of golden brown cardboard. The players all have hands of cards.The letters C, M, O and N in yellow on a purple background. Logo for the board game publisher CMON.A man rest his elbow on a series of white shelves at the Pandasaurus booth at the Spiel Essen board game convention. Adverts for the board game The Wolves are visible in the background.Head and upper body photo of a woman sat at a square black table. She is smiling, and has short light brown hair swept to one side, and wears black-rimmed rounded glasses. She wears a warm-looking cream-coloured cardigan buttoned up, and is holding several playing cards with black and white backs. More cards are on the table in front of her, as is the game box. Jennifer Graham-Macht, the new lead at Chip Theory Games imprint Neon Knight.
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Geek Native @geeknative.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
UK Games Expo has banned generative AI art, text, and merchandise across all NEC exhibition halls, bringing the convention in line with broader British tabletop standards. Standholders face removal or bans if their products aren't made by humans. #UKGE
geeknative.com
UK Games Expo bans generative AI art and text across all trade halls
UK Games Expo has introduced a mandatory policy prohibiting generative AI art and text across all NEC trade halls, requiring exhibitors to sell only human-made games.
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The Seahorse & The Hummingbird @thinkdeepplaylight.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
🔮✨ Rune Rite is a polyomino flip-and-write game like nothing you've ever seen, coming to Kickstarter on 10/13. Fun, puzzly and satisfying. Read more about the game and sign up for a launch notification here: www.seahorseandhummingbird.com/shop/rune-ri... #boardgames #kickstarter #crowdfunding
Gorgeous & Thinky Flip & Write Board Game
20% off & a free expansion
Launching October 13th on Kickstarter
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Malcolm Craig @malcolmcraig.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
1) So You're A Game Designer Who Needs Advice From a Historian? Games with historical/historically inspired settings/themes are great. Occasionally an email pops into my university inbox from someone seeking advice, feedback, consultancy, and so on. As the advice-seeker, what's the best approach?
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Eric Lang @ericlang.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
When publishers and designers say their game has been play tested hundreds of times, they're not wrong but The published version you're playing has likely not been tested more than a handful of times, and zero times is a distinct possibility. It's not a bug, just a feature of complex iteration
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Semi Co-op @semicoop.com · 22/09/2026
New comic! Technically, the card did say… 📜 You can read this week's blog post at: www.semicoop.com/comic/rules-... #mtg
A Magic: The Gathering card called “Gaea’s Blessing” lies on the table, the text "draw a card" in the text box is slightly bolder. A spin down counter lays in the corner and a white cat paw is trying to grab it. A set of hands are scribbling a hand-drawn Magic card called Terror. A caption at the bottom reads: “Rachel enjoyed Magic: The Gathering but didn’t like how many times she had to ‘draw a card’.”
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Eerie Idol Games @theoldkingscrown.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We're lucky enough to share a studio in Edinburgh with Judson, and it is a real joy & privilege to watch this one-man-machine at work. He's honed the art of turning ideas into a living, breathing things, so much so that it feels like a celebration watching his games come to life.
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Tettix Games @tettix.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
AND WE'RE LIVE! Personal Demons is on Kickstarter! Go back it! www.kickstarter.com/projects/tet...
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Experimental Games Showcase @exgs.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
📣 Applications are now OPEN for the 2027 Experimental Games Showcase at GDC! 📣 You have until October 23rd to send us all the weird, innovative and unique things you are working on. More info and apply here: www.experimentalgamesshowcase.com
experimentalgamesshowcase.com
Experimental Games Showcase
SUBMIT YOUR GAME TO THE
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Carol Mertz @carolmertz.itch.io · 21/09/2026
Send us your experimental game — we wanna help you show it off! Get a chance to share your project onstage at GDC next spring, and help us inspire more people to make strange and experimental projects that change how we think about games. <3
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 22/09/2026
Oh damn this is cool, I should have done this for London at Playfest!
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Tettix Games @tettix.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Personal Demons launches tomorrow on Kickstarter at 2pm BST / 9am EDT! JOIN US! 🤘 www.kickstarter.com/projects/tet...
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Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 19/09/2026
I've written a piece for the forthcoming debut issue of @playtestmaterial.bsky.social. You can get a sense of what is coming here! playtestmaterial.org/role-playing...
playtestmaterial.org
Role-playing Games Are Raucous and Transformative
Introductions from the editors to the first issue of Playtest Material.
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 19/09/2026
Some Kickstarters deserve a dollar just because the name and description are cool as hell 😎 www.kickstarter.com/projects/gre...
kickstarter.com
THOMAS JEFFERSON'S SPEEDWAY HELL: Dangerous Playtest Edition
It's a tabletop RPG where sinners race through Hell to win brief moments of peace. It's handled with tremendous silliness.
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 18/09/2026
This year was our 5th Playfest and if you’ll allow me some self-indulgence, I’d like to reflect. I honestly think that when I look back on my time in the games industry, that my work with Playfest and Playtest UK will be the thing I’m most proud of. 🎲✂️ #BoardGameDesign
A photo of me (Scott) from the back at our first Playfest in 2022.
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Tim Clare @timclare.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
If you want some company for a long drive or run or while you do housework, I have over a 100 hours of interviews with brilliant writers of all kinds - novelists, nonfiction authors, poets, playwrights, plus psychologists, publicists - a real mix! Playlist here: soundcloud.com/timclare/set...
soundcloud.com
Death Of 1000 Cuts - Interviews
All the interviews I've done for Death Of 1000 Cuts, with authors, poets, playwrights, comedians, editors, publicists, psychologists and neuroscientists. Support the podcast here: www.ko-fi.com/timcl
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 17/09/2026
20 y/o me would be about to start designing his first game. He’d be fucking stoked to know I’d finished *one* game, let alone multiple published games.
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 16/09/2026
Playfest London donates the profits of each years’ events to a different charity, but this year’s choice is a personal one. Whilst we at Playfest were sat comfortably enjoying a day of gaming, members of my family were long-distance running to raise money for Motor Neurone Disease Association.
A photo of the raffle winners from Playfest London with the logos of Playfest London ‘26 and Motor Neurone Disease Association and a graphic reading ‘£400 raised’.
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 16/09/2026
The Childcatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has pulled out of Ed Sheeran's tour, citing reputational concerns of being associated with Robert Kraft.
A still from the film ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’, showing the Child Catcher enticing children into his wagon (in reality a disguised cage).
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Alita Robertson @alita-robertson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
My new downhill racing game Kart is now on Kickstarter! In Kart, you play as tweens who've built ridiculous karts out of random junk from garages and the neighborhood dumpster and now you're racing them through your neighbors' backyards. Check it out: www.kickstarter.com/projects/led...
kickstarter.com
Kart
Crash through the neighborhood with Kart, a new tabletop racing game for 2-4 players!
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 15/09/2026
On Sunday 100 board game designers and players converged for a day of playtests, talks, and prizes at Playfest London. Thank you to everyone who attended and made this year's event so special. We saw our highest attendance, held our largest giveaway, and raised a record amount for charity! 🎲✂️
A photo of a large group of people sat around tables playtesting prototype games with text saying 'THANK YOU. Our Biggest Ever Event!'.
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Adam Richards - Punchboard @punchboard.co.uk · 14/09/2026
I got fed up with the usual 'cosy' game recommendations, so with Autumn here, I came up with my own alternative guide to cosy games. What would you have in your own list? punchboard.co.uk/cosy-games-d...
punchboard.co.uk
Cosy Games Done Different - Your guide to cosy games with a difference
It’s Autumn, or Fall for my transatlantic friends. Time to hunker down with warm, comfy things, and that includes games.
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 15/09/2026
I was watching a documentary on architecture and one of the talking heads was a university lecturer who also happened to be the cofounder of my playtest group! The way I yelled at my screen 😂
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Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New: Macklemore says Robert Kraft — who owns Gillette Stadium, where Macklemore & Ed Sheeran were to perform later this month — called Sheeran. Kraft rallied other owners together behind an ultimatum for Sheeran: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you won't be allowed in our venues.

I'm not sure how to start this. So I'm going to speak from the heart and share the truth. Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour.
But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment I think it matters. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.

The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don't lose sight of that.

Ed is my friend. I've known him for 13 years. We've shared late nights, studio sessions and stages. He has this infectious magic about him that I've grown to love. I consider him a brother. And because of that, we've had some difficult conversations this past week. The type of talks rooted in love and respect for one another that still end in a place of fundamental disagreement. Nothing I'm writing here is out of spite or because I want to tear down his character. But as I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can't change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.

Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other
stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.

Ed was in …What I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years. So why is it an issue now? Because now I'm sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America. At a certain level of exposure, "Free Palestine" becomes too much of a risk. If I kept doing the shows, saying Free Palestine, with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestinian liberation, what artist might speak out next? The stage becomes resistance. Maybe that's why this time it became so important to silence me.

And one of the most effective ways to enforce that silence has been to weaponize the accusation of antisemitism. Antisemitism is real. And that is exactly why the word matters too much to be used as a shield against criticism of the Israeli state. When criticizing Israel, opposing Zionism or saying "Free Palestine" gets conflated with hatred of Jewish people, it doesn't protect Jewish people. It protects Israel from accountability.

I hope this isn't the end of my relationship with Ed.
Thirteen years of friendship doesn't disappear because of one painful disagreement. I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continuing that conversation.

When my brother Omar was doing the subtitles for the video I posted from MetLife, I thanked him. He told me there's a phrase in Arabic:
لا شكر على واجب
"La shukra ala wajeb." There is no thanks for a duty.
That stayed with me. Because that's what this has become for me and millions of others around the world. A duty. Not something deserving of praise or gratitude. Not brave. Human.

Who is winning the internet, who is getting canceled, who gets to play the stadium and who doesn't, all of it becomes so small when held against what we are actually witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank. An entire people be…
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A Man Possessed is Kickstarting Rune Rite! 🔮 @amanpossessed.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Over four years in the making. That's a bit of a dramatic intro; I wasn't working on it every day for four years. I was figuring out *games* for four years. But it's finally here. 💎 Rune Rite is coming to crowdfunding on October 13th. Follow this prelaunch page for a notification then. #boardgames
kickstarter.com
Coming soon: Rune Rite Flip-and-Write Game
Sharpen your quill and unstopper your inkwell! In this flip-and-write game for 1-5 players, you'll conjure your own polyominoes to win.
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Sam Francis (Samphire Games) @tzartzam.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I had a superb time yesterday at Playfest in London organised by Scott @minervatabletop.co.uk Thanks to William, Davide, Matt and Carl who played Dwarf Union! I was particularly pleased with the Coinkeeper and Union factions which I feel are now almost completely settled. 🎲✂️
A four player game of Dwarf Union in progress on the red tablecloths of PlaytestUK
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Rory Muldoon @rorymuldoon.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Do you like when games look real nice? I’ve got a starter pack for that. go.bsky.app/AcBC6R8
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⊹.🎃₊˚𖦹⋆spookiki ⋆⁺₊🧿.˚⊹ @yourmotherxo.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
To be an artist. Make some art > does it look terrible? > yes / no > you are an artist > make more art
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Opinion Editor @ Bluesky @dly.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
every seat in a movie theater should have an "I have to pee" button and if enough people press it they should be able to pause the movie
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Scott - Minerva 🦉 @minervatabletop.co.uk · 11/09/2026
Playtesters are the most important part of any playtesting event. I run weekly playtesting sessions which are almost exclusively attended by designers, so Playfest London is a fantastic opportunity for games to be tested by members of the public. But how do we encourage it? We make everything free.
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BoardGameWire 🔜 Spiel Essen @boardgamewire.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
All right, here's the first call out. Within hours of me publishing an incredibly in-depth piece on CMON's finances, which covers a multitude of stock exchange filings from across several weeks, this article appeared on @tabletopgamingnews.bsky.social: www.tabletopgamingnews.com/cmon-is-suff...
tabletopgamingnews.com
CMON Faces Make-or-Break Moment as It Warns of "Prolonged Structural Downturn" - TGN - Tabletop Gaming News
CMON has issued a stark warning about its future, telling investors its core business is stuck in a "prolonged structural downturn" and still burning through
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Matt Thrower @mattthr.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
My CHRONICALLY UNFIT daughter is training for a HALF MARATHON to raise money for a charity that helped her mum, my wife, survive a potentially life ending illness. If you've got a spare quid, could you encourage her please? www.justgiving.com/page/jasmine...
justgiving.com
Jasmine's fundraiser for Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland
Help Jasmine Thrower raise money to support Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland
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BoardGameWire 🔜 Spiel Essen @boardgamewire.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It's become hugely dispiriting how frequently I'm having to contact other tabletop news sites asking that they -please- cite BoardGameWire as the source of the story they've just directly lifted, slightly reworded or run through ChatGPT before slapping it on their site without attribution.
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Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
PSA! wyrd.science
A badly crafted notice full of dodgy graphical fonts  and emojis that reads

Listen Up

If your girl...

- is into roleplay
- always wants to try something new
- has a perfect spine

that's not your girl

that's a

Wyrd
Science
Magazine

--------------------------------
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Hinokodo @hinokodo.com · 08/09/2026
hinokodo.itch.io/human-made You can get it here for free.
hinokodo.itch.io
Human Made by HINOKODO
An icon pack made by humans
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Going Analog @goinganalogshow.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Good news: We got the Hello Kitty X Godzilla toys for their respective monsters in King of Tokyo: Godzilla. Bad news: Our average consumption of McDonald’s has skyrocketed recently. “Sacrifices must be made for the greater good.” — @chrispyha.bsky.social, after her third Happy Meal in three days.
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Prototyping Games @prototyping.games · 06/09/2026
I just updated prototyping.games by adding a couple of board game events to the list: - Playfest London (organised by @minervatabletop.co.uk) - COMBO Festival If you are an author looking for opportunities that could support your prototyping proccess, feel free to take a look at the website!
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Tim Clare @timclare.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is the oldest* surviving Snakes & Ladders board in the world. Specifically, it's Gyan Chaupar, the Game of Knowledge. It's from the late 18th Century, but the game is much older - paper & cloth are not resilient media. The ladders represent virtue, the snakes vice. The scorpions are decorative.
A Gyan Chaupar paper board with long snakes, ladders, & some scorpions
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