iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 15h

Ferry tales really do come true.

Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

While I do love watching a good boardgame scam, I gotta go with "Disappointments from well-known designers" for the schadenfreude.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A few episodes later, decided an update was due. One each of STRANGE, NEW, and WORLD in my humble assessment. No combination is readily presenting itself as clearly the best, though I will say I thoroughly enjoyed "Off-Hour" in an otherwise lackluster season.

Three large white-outlined circles overlap one another to form a Venn-diagram-like composition. Each circle contains titles from episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with titles appearing in white.

The upper-left circle is labeled “STRANGE” in large cream-colored, italicized block lettering near the upper left. Within this circle are the following episode titles:

“Level-Five Transporter Accident” — highlighted in yellow
“The Griffin Incident”
“Four-and-a-Half Vulcans”
“Subspace Rhapsody”
“Lost in Translation”
“Memento Mori”
“What Is Starfleet?”
“A Space Adventure Hour”
“Those Old Scientists”
“A Quality of Mercy”
“Human Best Friend”
“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”
“Spock Amok”
“The Serene Squall”
“Charades”
“The Elysian Kingdom”
“Wedding Bell Blues”
“Valles Marineris”
“New Life and New Civilizations”
“The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail”
“Among the Lotus Eaters”
“Strange New Worlds”

The right circle is labeled “WORLDS” in very large cream-colored italicized lettering, with a stylized star inside the “O.” It contains:

“All Those Who Wander”
“Hegemony”
“Hegemony, Part II”
“Terrarium”
“A Case of Chiaroscuro” — highlighted in yellow
“Human Best Friend”
“Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach”
“Valles Marineris”
“New Life and New Civilizations”
“The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail”
“Among the Lotus Eaters”
“Strange New Worlds”
“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”
“Through the Lens of Time”

The lower-left circle is labeled “NEW” in large cream-colored italicized lettering. It contains:

“Children of the Comet”
“Ghosts of Illyria”
“The Broken Circle”
“Ad Astra per Aspera”
“Under the Cloak of War”
“Shuttle to Kenfori”
“Off-Hour” — highlighted in yellow
“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”
“Through the Lens of Time”
“Valles Marineris”
“New Life and New Civilizations”
“The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail”
“Among the Lotus Eaters”
“Strange New Worlds”
“Spock Amok”
“The Serene Squall”
“Charades”
“The Elysian Kingdom”
“Wedding Bell Blues”

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Don't sleep on one of the greatest game design and playtest opportunities in all of New England. Heck, in all of New *and* Old England. Yeah, I said it. Anyway, come play our games and show us yours and we'll all be better for it! 🎲✂️

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Lots of love for A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated the past couple weeks, and here's some more courtesy of @boardgameanimal.bsky.social along with an overview of last IGNM. Coincidentally, I did a very small reprint of Wizardologist to fill lingering requests. If you want to buy one, DM me!

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Everyone form an orderly queue for Worms... behind me!

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Actually plz don't I wanna buy them.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

No, *you're* buying Magic cards for the first time in 30 years.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

I spoke on the candle to my grandmother's lover this morning for just shy of 20 minutes. We talked about ANAPHASIC life forms, PLASMA conduits, and that awful new guy Mitch who just showed up where he is. I told him we want to see him get a prequel episode in SNW Season 5.

Beverly Crusher having some quality time by the candle.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

No thank you, I saw Backrooms.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

If you've been waiting to pick up a copy of Fright Factor until it's closer to Halloween season, YOU FOOL.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

They're giving Ro Laren her own videogame? Excellent. Amazing. I really hope this is the start of a new golden age of Star Trek videogames.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Oh you mean Solisorters? Yeah those little tags are great. Hey are you named after those by any chance? They rock. Always makes me happy to get a game with some nice Solisorters on the sprues. Big fan!

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Disclaimer: I do not work for Josh, but I can think of no time better than now for Connecticut to have its first genuinely progressive governor. Also he would be the first governor with whom I've played board games.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

@joshforct.bsky.social, the next governor of Connecticut if-there-is-any-justice-in-the-world, is doing an AMA over on the Connecticut subreddit today. Please go ask him any questions and consider voting for him in the primary on August 11th. www.reddit.com/r/Connecticu...

reddit.com

From the Connecticut community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the Connecticut community

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Those curved drill bits can be really useful for getting to hard-to-reach spots.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

I'm breaking the news of Tim's upcoming release before he even works on it. Don't let this one sit on the side of the road with a sign saying "free" for six months until it literally dissolves in the rain. No raccoons harmed in the making of this game.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Sounds like a game design if I ever heard one. This was sort of how it worked for us back in Virginia, only the dispatcher would still give us a pickup date knowing full well pickup would not happen anywhere near that date.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

I just pick the most simple element as the base for everything and give it a value of one and then cost everything against it except if I reach something that would have a cost of ten or more I delete the game and read a book instead because what am I some sort of human calculator I don't think so

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

When we went from 1000 to 250, more than one person thought I was dying.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

In the few trick-takers I've worked on, I've always tried to use a thematically appropriate word or phrase, even before the orange pestilence era. So "Scariest Monster" in Fright Factor, or just "Most Powerful" in a couple others. Players will still call it what they want though.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

If enough publishers opt to use a platform like this, I feel it will help undo a lot of the harm that crowdfunding has inflicted on game development in the past decade.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Everyone should check their spam folder for notice of a class action settlement in Taylor v. Google. It's 100% legit; punch in your info on the settlement website so you'll get surprise money down the road. Also, the irony that a lawsuit against Google ends up in my Gmail spam folder...

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

You've got two of the big ones already, but I can also suggest The Game and Mansions of Madness.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

If you tell yourself "I love trick taking games, but I can't play them in October because none of them are scary," then be sure to pick up a copy of Fright Factor before they're all gone, and then you can play trick taking games in October. Otherwise you have to stop, sorry I don't make the rules.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

My wife is trying to send me a message in a language I do not understand.

A whole pineapple with a hand written post it note declaring "Passive aggressive pineapple" seated on a small table.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Those are more late summer varietal boxes.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Board game boxes are so useful! I've even heard there's fun things inside sometimes, but you need extra people to help with them.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

But you DO only make X kind of game. X = really great

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Sounds like you could make a killing with whatever copies you have left, perhaps with the username This Is Not The Designer Not Selling A Game That Is Not About A Pipe.

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Reposted by Nick Ferris

BoardGame Animal 🐕 @boardgameanimal.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

This past weekend got some gaming in, some treats, & got to connect with @nickferris.bsky.social in person! Great times~

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Tim has found the ideal review format.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Nick's Game Design Tip of the Day. Stuck on something in your game? Write the rules for that part, even if it's broken, or even if you haven't designed it yet. Sometimes just writing in the area of a problem gives your brain the means to solve it. 🎲✂️

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Considering I've watched it three times now, I'm ready to proclaim Starfleet Academy as my favorite Trek series premiere of all time. Please watch this show so it gets a proper run. (Maybe, dare I ask, a 20-episode season?)

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

@jenniesue.bsky.social and I ate about 3% of those cookies. They are delicious and so are the games, so you should all come check out the cafe sometime!

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

This is a smartly curated best-of selection for 2025--perhaps the one I've seen so far with which I most agree. (Yes I'm on it, but I swear that's only 4% of the reason why this list is so great.)

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: I have no gift to bring. BABY JESUS: Nice drum. LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: ... BABY JESUS: ... LITTLE BOY: ... BABY DRUMMER JESUS: New plan, Mom and Dads. I'm starting a band.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Wizardologist is sold out! (A few copies are still in transit to purchasers; a few are on hold for those I've spoken with.) Final donation tally to the Trans Youth Emergency Project between PAX Unplugged sales and after: $1345.00 I cannot express my appreciation to the board game community enough.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Wholeheartedly agree. @hokiestone.bsky.social did such a phenomenal job with this one. All I want for Christmas is to make a worker placement game half as good as Santa's Workshop!

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Look at this thing. PLEASE LOOK AT THIS THING. Thank you.

A sealed copy of the game Fright Factor by Nick Ferris (me) with illustrations by A. Giroux who is amazing and is going to continue to take the board game illustration world by storm into 2026 and beyond, also the game itself is great too. Published by New Mill Industries. The game is sitting on the corner of a brown table.

In the background, seasonally appropriate holiday tree, a table, the back of a sofa, and part of one of those pretentious sliding barn doors.

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Just a casual Monday text-only post to say I'm expecting to mail the last copies of A Wizardologist Most Hexasperated this week. DM to order. After that, I'll have a few copies left you could get if you find me in person, and that's that. Options for its future are still being explored. 🧙‍♂️✨

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Nick Ferris @nickferris.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Yes, it's very heavily implied and might immediately turn away some folks who think werewolf = deduction. But also yes, a game can have werewolves and not be social deduction. Probably would need something in the title or box art to quickly distinguish this.

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