iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Saw someone on reddit describe themselves as a "semi-F2P" Hearthstone player and... what? So you mean you just spend *some* money on the game?

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Exciting! Wonder if there's going to be any more of a preview at Blizzcon.

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Like two-thirds of the street food vendors at my nearby night market use AI food slop on their signs now and it's SO unappetizing

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

We stared down the shadows in Aberration from @ghostfiregaming.bsky.social in advance of its upcoming reprint/expansion campaign. Really cool wave defense/survival coop game!

Aberration Playthrough - Can you outrun the Great Beast?

Robert Komaniecki @komaniecki.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

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Reposted by Brandon (Optimal Play)

How do I explain to small business owners that the menu on the left is one billion times more appealing than the one on the right

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Always funny when #hearthstone cards just do not even remotely say what they do in the text.

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Godfather Kazakus
Battlecry: Plot a custom sham trial! Then choose the trial's length.
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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I'm just pressing "don't recommend channel" on every YouTube video with an AI slop thumbnail at this point. If you don't wanna learn basic photoshop then just use a random still from your video, at least that shows SOMETHING authentic about what it entails.

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Played Greylune yesterday with @neilan.bsky.social and @boardgamebarrage.bsky.social and really enjoyed it! For a worker placement game to land for me it's usually gotta have interesting player interaction, and Greylune nails that with constant, subtle impacts on each other without being attacky.

boardgamegeek.com

Greylune

Gather your companions and shape your story in this unique worker placement game.

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Reposted by Brandon (Optimal Play)

Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

gets incredible air here

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Things seem to be going well over at youtube today

Which of the following have you experienced on your YouTube homepage today?
• 'Don't recommend channel' menu option doesn't work
• Videos don't change when I refresh the page
• 'Not interested' menu option doesn't work
• I can't customize my feed well
• Other problem

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Listening to Dungeon Crawler Carl while manscaping, as one does

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Super Auto Pets: Card Battle from @plaidhatgames.bsky.social successfully recreates the autobattler strategy and chaos of the video game! We sent our adorable pets into vicious combat in this playthrough. youtu.be/ARlsWfXSyk0

Super Auto Pets Card Battle Classic Pack Playthrough!

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

A constant genre of post on reddit, especially in game-specific subs like for LCGs, is photos of unopened boxes just to announce proudly that they bought them. And they get tons of upvotes! But I downvote them, that'll teach 'em

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Our Root Homelands rematch game is up on the channel, featuring the new Knaves of the Deepwood faction this time which was a total blast to play. #boardgames #root

Root: The Homeland Expansion - Three Player Rematch featuring the Knaves!

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 14/07/2026

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Reposted by Brandon (Optimal Play)

This morning in Biddeford, Maine, a 26-year-old man said goodbye to his wife and daughter and left for work. Moments later he was dead, shot in the head by ICE agents, the second man ICE has killed in six days. ICE is killing our neighbors. ICE cannot be reformed. Abolish ICE.

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

I missed watching much of #SGDQ live this year but definitely bookmarking this to watch these highlights in the near future. Looks like they had a fantastic show.

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Still upset about losing my Duolingo combo because I "incorrectly" answered that a dog is not a doctor.

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Hittin' all the biggest animated movie premieres this year somehow

A wide photo from my seat at the Minions and Monsters premiere in the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

At last, we've reached the final mission of Regicide Legacy. It was a great finale and sort of bittersweet because we didn't want it to end. Hell of a game. youtu.be/H-hLGoQVsWA

Regicide Legacy Campaign Playthrough - Final Mission!

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

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Lending Captain's Chair to Ben may have been a mistake

Text from optimal play regular Ben: Captains Log, Star Date 202606.22;
We've had two further encounters with Ensign Picard and Shran.
Despite their formidable appearance, they failed to pose much of a threat and were easily handled. Further evaluation will be required

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

This documentary was an absolute delight. My cheeks hurt from grinning just from watching it alone while sorting cards.

Micah @rincewind.run · 18/06/2026

Reposted by Brandon (Optimal Play)

well a lot of your fans would like to watch ball without being reminded that people view them as subhuman

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

This is awesome! I'm a netdecker, who loves expandable card game gameplay but not really spending my time building decks, so this is perfect for me. Even more so for ashes because I've always found it sort of perplexing how to best sort and store those cards 😆

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

You had me at "human heart miniatures"

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

There's a Star Trek digital TCG in the steam next fest? 2026 seems like a decade too late for what looks like a tight Hearthstone clone, but I'm glad to see the genre still being attempted at least. Not everything has to be roguelike! store.steampowered.com/app/3874040/...

store.steampowered.com

Star Trek: Warp on Steam

Command the lanes. Control the outcome. Unlock iconic characters, starships, and locations as you play to complete objectives and earn legendary cards worthy of any captain's deck.

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Dodgers scoreboard as of the 7th inning stretch. Couldn't they have manufactured some drama for pride night?

A scoreboard showing the least eventful baseball game possible

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Oh man, played this one as a kid back in the era of Day of the Tentacle and Indiana Jones. Might have my weekend plans sorted out now.

Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Reposted by Brandon (Optimal Play)

Absolutely shocking how easy this is.

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Reposted by Brandon (Optimal Play)

The Emotion Engine @emotion-engine.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

I’m a bit rusty but please remind me if it’s a good economic indicator that PlutoTV is running ads where a woman is trying to buy food for her children but can’t afford it so an older woman pulls her aside and introduces her to a slot machine app.

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

First I have to change my Google search for a recipe twice to stop just getting AI recipes and recommendations, than when I finally find an interesting recipe it looks like this. The internet sucks now.

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

More than anything the release of Flip Voyage made me want to play more Fliptown. So I did! Also I drank weird green drink.

Fliptown Playthrough - Solo Against a Cowbot!

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

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This looks cool, finally exploring more chaos token design space! The reward card us both super cool, stapling one campaign mechanic to other campaigns, and also is SO overpowered. But I guess it helps you see the higher difficulty content, so that might be by design.

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

The Queen's Dilemma has really increased the number of icons, as any good sequel must

A spoiler-free photo of the symbol appendix in the Queen's Dilemma board game rulebook. It covers upwards of forty symbols and icons.

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Reposted by Brandon (Optimal Play)

Eric Lang @ericlang.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

If Terraforming Mars appeals to you but you don’t want to support people with a public record of transphobia, may I suggest a much better game made by much better people Daybreak is incredible.

Cover of Daybreak the board game by CMYK

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I might have to buy some of that final/canceled set of Altered just to get this card to hang on the game room fridge.

A full-art version of the Altered TCG card, Cuddly Corgi

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

There is no way this orthodontist featured in my previous dentist office's newsletter is a real person.

A screenshot of the bio of a supposed Orthodontist named Dr. Sham Pizza

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Lol this is a solid way to describe a game @pickpocket.games. Excited to try Thieves Market soon!

Web site banner declaring Thieves' Market is "LIKE SPLENDOR MEETS WHITE ELEPHANT!"

Geoff Engelstein - The Universe Explained with Cookie out now! @gengelstein.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Reposted by Brandon (Optimal Play)

FOR THE LAST TIME DONALD - YOU DON’T WANT ALL THE CARDS IN UNO.

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Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

This week we delved into Eternal Decks, which is far and away my board game highlight of the year so far. Check out our playthrough of this cooperative brain bending puzzler, and there's definitely more to come of this one on the channel. Eternal Decks Playthrough - First Delve into Eternity!

Eternal Decks Playthrough - First Delve into Eternity!

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

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Ugh I guess I better renew my passport now before this happens

Brandon (Optimal Play) @optimalplay.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Odd that there was no "Now Available" article on the FFG site about the new Arkham investigator decks. But I guess they're out?