iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 17h

I cannot easily explain how this 200 metre stretch of road sends my every nerve on edge, my knuckles white, and my teeth ground tight. It's a nightmare.

An outdoor street market fills a residential road lined with red-brick buildings. Colourful gazebos and stalls run along both sides beneath strings of bunting, while crowds browse between them. In the foreground, shoppers gather around craft stalls, with a child in a pushchair and a golden-coloured dog among the crowd. The sky is pale blue and overcast.

480

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Panorama. Hot air balloons, landscapes, flora and fauna. Choose a tile, place it left or right of your balloon, move the sun clockwise to the next balloon, and repeat. Objectives score 10 pts, while landscapes score animal X plant within a continuous area. Nice quick game. @allrolledup.bsky.social

Long thin interlocking multi-coloured landscape tiles on a green neoprene play surface.

Five coloured wooden game tiles, four hot air balloons and a sun token.

Long thin interlocking multi-coloured landscape tiles on a green neoprene play surface. A small score pad with scores for two players. A tall narrow game box balanced upright entitled Panorama.

140

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Twenty-one years ago, scientists regenerated a heart, building up from the barest tissue-thin scaffold back up to a beating organ. What ideas might we conjure for a game system that's about building from a scant frame? #humanphysiology #popularscience #SanctionRPG glowingmonkeys.com/ghost-heart/

030

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Honestly, 2026 can not be over soon enough. I have become the bitch to a constant sense of overwhelm and anxiety. Every time I feel like the next turn will be for the better, it bites me. The picture might be from 2025, but it sums up how I feel about '26. Hang in there with me, please 😐

Close-up photograph of a man wearing black-framed glasses and a dark zip-up jumper, leaning back with both hands clasped behind his head and looking upwards. Several badges are pinned to his chest. A brightly coloured abstract artwork is blurred in the background.

17531

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Celebrating Pokemon 30th Anniversary with everyone's favourite electric rodent! #JimHolloway

Black-and-white illustration of a hulking, anthropomorphic rat-like mutant with claws, a long curling tail and cybernetic implants. A large futuristic gun is mounted in its back, alongside additional technological equipment. The creature stands with tail and butt cheeks caught in a giant sprung mousetrap.

091

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Cypher system from @montecookgames.com showed me both how simple a mechanic could be, while remaining conceptually so complex in play. The Black Hack served up a concise game system for a familiar style of game that showed me what an amateur could do—leading to Cthulhu Hack, Dee Sanction and more.

1142

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

In the Midst of Shades is a game about Victorian ghost hunters. No one else believes in ghosts. But, you can see them and know they're a threat. Trouble is, the ghosts know you're a threat, too. #Sanction www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/4...

Black-and-white illustrated cover for In the Midst of Shades: A Genre Setup for SANCTION. Three Victorian-era figures occupy a shadowy staircase: a stern woman standing above, a bearded man holding a heavy cane-like weapon, and a sinister figure in a tall hat and goggles in the foreground.

0185

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Long pause there on the latest Telemarketer spam call. A whole 17 seconds of strained silence. Usually, the system hangs up in 3 or 4. The longer pause allows more opportunity for quiet contemplation. Care to share you own experiences of shared silence 😶

030

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Vicki Davis @chigster.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Thank you @presentcorrect.bsky.social for the recommendation for the London Centre for Book Arts. I had a great day of letterpress printing in this amazing space, what a brilliant experience.

London Centre for Book Arts in Hackney WIck, London

Workshop space including press, work benches and many typefaces

Display cabinet in museum space - typography nerd heaven

26416

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

How was I meant to not buy this stack of books for £12? Yes, I'm meant to be packing. But, no, this was not an option to walk on by. @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social @olgaravn.bsky.social

Stack of four books on a wooden surface beside a window: The Employees by Olga Ravn on top, above Jeff VanderMeer’s Veniss Underground, Shriek: An Afterword, and City of Saints & Madmen.

3120

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

May Contain Geeks @maycontaingeeks.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

4-dimensional — a 4-sided System for Temporal Adventures (TTRPG/book) by @paulbaldowski.bsky.social #GeekPost #TTRPG #d4 #TimeTravel <<((⏰))>>

352

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Out for a walk yesterday, listening to Rivers of London: Stone & Sky. I had a broad smile and a snigger when Kobna uttered, "About 200 hit points." The things that raise a smile 😃 (You'll have to read/listen for context.) uk.bookshop.org/p/books/ston...

uk.bookshop.org

Stone and Sky: Book 10 in the #1 bestselling Rivers of London series

THE BRAND NEW NOVEL IN THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING RIVERS OF LONDON SERIES'This isn't London. The rules are different up here, and so are the allegiances.'Detective Sergeant Peter Grant takes a much-ne...

0100

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Fascinating when you recognize an obscure book on the shelf in a TV series. I just saw a copy of Codex Seraphinianus on a character's book shelf in Series 2 of Dark Matter. #DarkMatter (this is my copy on my shelf, in 2021)

Close-up of a wooden bookshelf packed with books on folklore, Elizabethan history and roleplaying games. Visible titles include Secrets of the Crucible, This Hollow Land, Suffolk, The Elder Gods, Walsingham, The Sultan and the Queen, Sex in Elizabethan England, The European Reformation 1500–1610, and The Cult of Elizabeth. Several books are stacked horizontally across the top of the shelf.

070

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

As I picked up the physical book, but I'm not adverse to making progress while out walking, I was delighted to find that @benaaronovitch.bsky.social Stone & Sky audiobook is co-narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith and Shvorne Marks. Nicely done 😀

Paperback copy of Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch, a Rivers of London novel, lying on a pale wooden background. The blue cover features a hand-drawn coastal map of the area around Aberdeen, waves, seabirds, ships and offshore "structures" in white and gold.

140

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Laura Haynes👩‍🔬⚾️🐾💙 @drlaurahaynes.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Good morning 🌞 Is anyone interested?

45378581258

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Sarah Andersen @sarahseeandersen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The image is of a four panel comic.
In panel one, we see a man sitting at a restaurant table. He is sweating. He says "Y-you have beautiful eyes".
The second panel zooms in on the man's face. He says, "I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous."
In panel three we see that a biblically accurate angel is sitting on the other side of the table.
In panel four we zoom in on the angel's face, who says "BE NOT AFRAID".

129171493031

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

RossyDoesDrawings (commissions open) @rossydoesdrawings.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I drew a comic strip.

a comic strip. The first panel shows a goblin in a long coat approaching a guard. The second panel has the goblin saying "we're just normal men!". The third panel has the guard replying "what do you mean normal men?". The fourth panel shows both the goblin in the coat and the guard. The coat is beginning to open to show many goblins within. The guard looks suspicious and a goblin emerging from the coat is saying "We're just innocent men!"

5291682061

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

It's such a horribly long time since I've browsed in a book shop. Wilmslow Waterstones proved an antidote to that and between online pricing for both and the alluring gold and pink on Starving Saints, I feel better now. #AntiMemeticsDivision @caitlinstarling.com @qntm.org @waterstones.bsky.social

Two books lying side by side: There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm, with a dark surreal cover featuring a deer, and The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling, with a vivid yellow cover depicting a veiled figure holding a honeycomb-filled frame.

7383

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Damn! We've had a tyre blow an hour out of Manchester. First incident in 13 years... Oh, I see what happened there.

A van with a shredded tyre, seen from beneath.

Motorway matrix display showing warning about Debris.

A shredded car tyre with a bent mudguard.

11290

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Grid @isbergillustration.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Black Suns #illustration

Painting of an eclipsed sun above an orange desert with two angels.

373373570

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

jwmuk ⚖️ GrogLaw 17 Oct @jwmuk.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

3/4 Thanks also to the late nighters when Thomas, Max and @dailydwarf.eurosky.social took on and completed the Poisoned Soup escape room with 1m13s to spare, I bet victory tasted better than the soup! Cthulhu Hack proving again its my go to pulp, con one-shot Cthulhu sweet spot. #OBAWS

Great Cthulhu steps out of the deep, octopoidal gorrila, bat thinge in Cthulhu Hack

181

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A couple of purchased from the Bring and Buy at @tabletopscot.bsky.social Those hanging on to check, there are various folk queuing to re-price their stuff, so I expect now would be as good a moment as any to drop in.

2140

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Oops! Emergency... Keeping it interesting at Tabletop Scotland. 🫣

A crowd of people in the loading area behind the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh.

1100

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

German dinkel bread with honey, elderflower juice, and some lovely new fresh ground coffee. Almost finished Neuromancer—great read.

Two slices of dark seeded toast on a patterned plate, beside a glass of fruit juice and a copy of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, on a white table.

2220

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Dirk the Dice @thegrognardfiles.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

My Dee Sanction All Rolled Up is getting its first appearance at MorpCon today @allrolledup.bsky.social

3412

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

A great session of The Benger Sanction this afternoon, on a stormy September morning in 1557, Deptford. Six players in fine fettle playing the ideal game of "Doing the exact opposite of what the guy in charge wants us to do." Thanks. (Nasally) "I've fallen in the water." #TheDeeSanction

A busy tabletop role-playing game session at a convention, with six smiling players seated about a round table covered with character sheets, dice, maps, notes, drinks and Dee Sanction game materials. Numerous other gaming groups fill the bright convention room in the background.

0110

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

It's Tabletop Scotland vs The Kraken! In a crossover no one asked for, Fabian Küchler and his daughter Milllllla have come to Edinburgh to haunt the @allrolledup.bsky.social stand and household. If you're nearby, come along for a chat and a warm welcome from Germany 😀

A bearded man in a black beanie and red All Rolled Up T-shirt stands behind a busy tabletop gaming accessories stall at a convention, with shelves of RPG books and an All Rolled Up banner behind him.

A bearded man, wearing a black cap and T-shirt, sits at a table beside a smiling woman with glasses; both playfully hold pieces of toast, with flowers, drinks and kitchen items around them.

0110

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The breakfast prep—granola, coffee and revision notes for this afternoon's game of The Dee Sanction. At @tabletopscot.bsky.social with @allrolledup.bsky.social in Edinburgh.

A morning writing setup: a rulebook plus a notebook for The Dee Sanction, stacked on a white table with pens and pencils resting across them, beside a mug decorated with a cat. A bag of Holie’s low-carb nut-and-seed granola stands in the background.

0141

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Pre-Day 1 breakfast for @tabletopscot.bsky.social in Edinburgh. Great setup day yesterday. Good drive, Tebay services, accidental diversion, arrival before setup time, assisted setup with various helpers, good progress made toward being ready for today. Good start 😀 for @allrolledup.bsky.social

Table set with bowl for breakfast, a cup for black coffee, and a book, entitled "Neuromancer" by William Gibson, with a blackblack, white and pink cover. Bowl contains cereal and fruit, with a large spoon resting on the right side of the rim. Tabletop is white, shiny and reflective.

091

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Roberto "Sunglar" Micheri @sunglar.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

¡Mi Reporte de Acción del #RPGaDay2026 ya está publicado! Reflexiono sobre la creación de 31 PNJs, mi preparación y la comunidad. También estoy considerando compilar los PNJs en un suplemento digital. ¿Les interesaría? Léelo aquí: stargazersworld.com/2026/09/02/r...

011

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Keen not to lose momentum—which I'm seeking to spin into pressing projects around me, packing and worrying aside—I present a seed of a notion of a hook for Sanction: The Agency. Off to @tabletopscot.bsky.social in Edinburgh so inevitably thought turns to The Fringe. www.boreders.com/2026/09/two-...

boreders.com

Two Seats Sold—Sanction: The Agency

I’m going to be in Edinburgh for a few days at Tabletop Scotland, which takes places in the aftermath of The Fringe. It occurred to me that given that The Fringe has been running for almost 8…

063

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Preparation for Storm in a Tea Chest at @tabletopscot.bsky.social A read through of the structure and, I suspect, some judicous editing for time. #TheDeeSanction

A stapled manuscript entitled Storm in a Tea Chest lying on a wooden tabletop.

081

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Duncan Jones @manmademoon.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

If there are any film industry peeps who follow me from Japan, let me know if there are any good distribution companies I can show ROGUE TROOPER to! I’s love to see it reach Japan and I think you’d love it! 🇯🇵💪🏼❤️✌🏼🇯🇵

25515116

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

With #RPGaDay2026 at a close, #SanctionRPG has expanded. I'm trying to bring some thoughts and comments together to post updates and attention-grabbers on Sanction's Kickstarter, DriveThruRPG, Facebook and elsewhere. www.boreders.com | www.sanctionrpg.com

Promotional collage for Sanction RPG, showcasing seven free RPGaDay 2026 genre setups: The Last Clemency, The Ovation, The Feed, Dying on the Pass, By Appointment, Dead Letter Office and QkSLVa. Text explains that the ashcan settings and new mechanics are available from boreders.com, with permanent links at sanctionRPG.com, above the slogan “Wrought by Sanction”.

082

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Seven years on—and unable to attend Fighting Fantasy Fest due to commitments—I'm reminded, in a couple of pictures, just how lovely it was to share a time with Russ Nicholson. We were ironing out the details of a range of @allrolledup.bsky.social accessories featuring his art. Lovely man. Missed 😢

A white-haired man—Russ Nicholson—wearing glasses and a black graphic T-shirt sits behind an artist’s table, engaged in animated conversation with someone out of view. He speaks with left hand raised and pen held between the fingers of his left hand. A large, half-filled bottle of water sits on the table; several white Funko boxes sit on a table behind him. The setting is an indoor convention space.

A white-haired man—Russ Nicholson—wearing glasses and a black graphic T-shirt sits behind an artist’s table, holding up a fabric gaming roll. An open portfolio of detailed black-and-white fantasy artwork lies on the table in front of him, with boxes and art materials nearby. The setting is an indoor convention space.

2111

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The whole point of #RPGaDay2026 this year, for me, was to use the prompts to create a bunch of articles to promote Sanction RPG as a system for newcomers, but also to help those who own it understand what creating their own content involves. I think it worked. www.boreders.com/2026/08/rpga...

boreders.com

RPGaDay2026 – Edge

121

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Quoting because: (A) I got a mention, and (B) I need to bookmark it so I can come back and read every single one of these It's been a great event ❤️

030

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Antre Rôlistes @antrerolistes.fr · 30/08/2026

C'est la rentrée cette semaine ! Mardi : 𝗖𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗹𝗵𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸 avec Le Dernier Phare avant Fin du Monde 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶 𝘀𝗼𝗶𝗿 𝟮𝟭𝗵 : 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗿𝗲 é𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 : youtube.com/live/Tunmnto... Vendredi : la fin de l'𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻 ! Retrouvez toutes nos vidéos sur notre application : antrerolistes.fr/app/

053

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

chainsawroll🍉🌮✨ @chainsawroll.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Hi my name is Karla! You’ve doom scrolled your way to my art. Enjoy!

327336

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Now that #RPGaDay2026 is coming to a close and the fun of expanding on Genre Setups for #SanctionRPG is coming to a close, I aim to scatter future posts around my array of pointlessly themed blogs. So, for example, find new quick Fringe-science adventure ideas at: glowingmonkeys.com/harder-faster/

glowingmonkeys.com

Harder Faster

Using QTC (quantum tunnelling composite) in the buttons for lifts and pedestrian crossings could finally lead to rewards for those insistent individuals who push again and again in the hope that th…

162

Reposted by Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11)

Paul @spookshow71.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

scribbly idea sketch this morning which asks the question ‘what if house of leaves but behind the door, no labyrinth, just an endless shopping centre full of closed down shops?’ haunted retail hinterland it’d be lit just like that.

A very rough scribble of a figure at the end of a long corridor of closed shop units

5626

Paul Baldowski 🔜 Furnace, Sheffield (Oct. 10–11) @paulbaldowski.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

I forgot the image for my QkSLVa post today, again. These were all commissioned in early 2025, after I bumped into Jonny Gray at Con-Tingency and I thought his style would fit the setting. #SanctionRPG #RPGaDay2026 #QkSLVa

Black-and-white comic-style illustration of a futuristic armed operative kneeling on rocky ground, wearing tactical armour and carrying a large rifle, with smoke grenades and stakes attached to their gear. The figure has braided hair and a focused expression. Bold red “QkSLVa” title lettering appears across the lower left, with the artist’s signature in the lower right.

190