iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Austria v Algeria, crazy! A draw seemed more favourable than a win for Algeria, but they still went for it! Does anyone more into the world cup know why they don't hold back the draw for the next round until the group stage is complete? Would solve these oddities. Logistics? Some ad revenue stream?

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Reposted by Phil Walker-Harding

Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Call for proposals from Asmodee's Game In Lab. Each project will be eligible for a maximum grant of €20,000: www.game-in-lab.org/en/internati...

We invite international research teams to submit proposals for fundamental or applied research on
any topic related to board games, broadly defined. Selected research teams will receive a grant
from Game in Lab to support their work. We welcome projects from all academic disciplines, from
sociology to the health sciences, and we particularly encourage interdisciplinary proposals.
This year, we are particularly interested in projects that explore the following areas:
- Sustainability, Justice and Inclusion: The role of tabletop games in addressing crises of
environmental and social sustainability, and in promoting social justice and inclusion.
Gathering and interpreting evidence about the role of games in promoting climate action
and / or driving sustainable transitions in society, as well as in supporting social action on
inclusion or in fostering accessibility and diversity through their mechanics, dynamics and
aesthetics.
- Health and well-being: The potential of games to support healthy lives, therapeutic
applications, and community health and resilience. Additionally, we are interested in
research addressing the pleasures of play, and the role of games in helping players develop
competencies to participate actively in social life.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Saw a copy of one of my games at my local charity shop! 😊 It was a pirated copy. 🫤

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Thanks so much for the kind words Ella, and so glad you had fun with Wombat Poo! 😊

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

It’s finally here! Wombat Poo is a stinky stacking game, brand new from Joey Games! You can find out more and order from: joeygames.com.au/wombatpoo Or ask for it at your local game store! Wombat Poo will be available in North America in March, 2026.

A photo of Wombat Poo from Joey Games with a stack of wooden poo cubes beside the game box.

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Reposted by Phil Walker-Harding

W. Eric Martin @wericmartin.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Board Game Beat is officially launched & loaded with content...with more to come as I report on Spielwarenmesse! If you're into independent board game journalism—articles, videos, interviews, news, reviews & more—please check it out and share. www.wericmartin.com #boardgame #spielwarenmesse

wericmartin.com

Board Game Beat LLC | W. Eric Martin

Tabletop and board game journalism with deep-dive news, reviews, interviews, videos, and essays, plus rulebook writing and editing services.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

My copies of Misfit Heroes came today! Here are some favourite characters from my first deck: Spider Spirit, Reptilian Leprechaun, Tiny Giant, and Evil Baker.

4 cards from the game Misfit Heroes showing characters made by combining a card and a transparency in a cards sleeve.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Working on another shared board tile-laying game! No keepers yet, but fun to try using a pretty old game design muscle again.

A board game prototype showing a grid board with small tiles on it forming different green and grey regions.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

This is Matt’s most important video so far. Thanks for being vulnerable and getting the conversation going about the hard stuff in our job.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

The players of the Super Mega Lucky Box app are amazing!.. I didn’t think 85 points was even possible and someone just got 88! It has been really interesting to watch players optimise this game so long after its release.

A screenshot of the high score list of the Super Mega Lucky Box app. The high score is 88.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

My Essen release Tropicalia had its first version all the way back in 2014, but the central mechanism has remained the same from the start: two-phase worker placement. First, place workers around the edge of a grid, then move workers along their row or column to claim an action space. 1/3

A board game set on a tropical island, which is made up of a grid of action spaces.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

I have 2 new games currently crowdfunding! 👻 Sinister Institute is a magical co-op adventure set in a haunted swamp! 🌴 Tropicalia is a puzzly worker placement game about harvesting fruit and building a village! Honoured to be sharing the campaign with Kramer and Kiesling's new game too!

gamefound.com

Mojito Trio | Sinister Institute + Lords of Worlds + Tropicalia by Mojito Studios

Mojito Trio brings together three exciting family games designed by renowned creators: Sinister Institute, Lords of Worlds, and Tropicalia.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

A sneak peek at the next release from Joey Games! Dropping in Q4.

A cover of a board game called Wombat Poo showing a cute wombat next to a tower of poo cubes.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Working on a shared board tile laying game like it’s 1998!

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Triple J is running a poll for the greatest Australian songs of the past 50 years. A great chance to come up with my top ten but almost impossible to choose just one Go-Betweens track! 🐨

A list of my top ten Australian songs including The Triffids, The Saints, and The Go-Betweens.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

I have been enjoying this book by @3mbg.bsky.social ! It thoughtfully onboards newer gamers with the way it categorises games and uses some nifty tag icons. Plus nice write-ups of games of all complexities. Recommended!

Sitting on a table, the book “101 board games to try before you die” by Jarrod Carmichael.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

I was on a podcast recently and was asked what piece of art I’d recommend to everyone, and my response was Pet Sounds. Unexpected, honest, personal, and at times super weird, but also somehow a hit. It shows that art can be challenging yet still completely a gift to the audience. RIP Brian.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Really enjoyed Friedemann Friese's Fishing. A wild frankenstein curveball thrown into the trick taking scene.

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Reposted by Phil Walker-Harding

Postmark Games @postmarkgames.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

We're delighted to share that both 52 Realms: Adventures & Koala Rescue Club have been shortlisted for Best Print & Play game at the Golden Geek awards 2024. There’s some great titles nominated this year so we’d love your help in voting for one or both games. boardgamegeek.com/geekawards/b...

Banner showing a wreath and images of two games with the text 'Golden Geek Best Print & Play Nominees 2024' 'Voting Now Open'

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

New maps available for the two Joey/Postmark print-at-home collabs: Koala Rescue Club and Scribbly Gum! 🐨🐛

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Reposted by Phil Walker-Harding

Sai Beppu @saibep.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

I love HABA!

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Really excited that Misfit Heroes is now funding on Kickstarter! It’s my crazy deck-mutating combo-creating tableau builder. And it has a frogman in it… a frogman!

kickstarter.com

Misfit Heroes designed by Phil Walker-Harding from AEG

Card craft amazing heroes and take control of the lands of Absurdia. A new game from the designer of Sushi Go!, Gizmos and Imhotep.

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Reposted by Phil Walker-Harding

Jason ToToTam @tototam.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Earlier this year I started a Board Game Club in Burwood, Sydney. The next event we're celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Sushi Go with the creator, @philwh.bsky.social. Come play some games and hear the story of Sushi Go! 🎟️ RSVP www.burwood.nsw.gov.au/For-Resident...

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Just updated my web site to include my latest releases. If you're interested, I have mini-designer diaries for each game! www.philwalkerharding.com

A screenshot of the index page of Phil Walker-Harding's designer web site. It shows the covers of some of his latest game designs including Cities and Wrath of Fire Mountain.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

This was a really fun chat! Some really interesting questions and some great games discussed.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

It was a real honour to design a game about one of the great films! At times the pressure to do it justice ran high for me, but I think we produced something that feels like the Jupiter Mission feels. I hope fans of the film feel this way when they play it too.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Misfit Heroes is launching soon! It’s a tableau builder where each character is created by combining a card and a transparency which alters it, meaning there are 1000s of possible characters and the deck can mutate every time you play. Years in the making so I’m really happy it’s almost here!

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: Misfit Heroes designed by Phil Walker-Harding from AEG

Card craft amazing heroes and take control of the lands of Absurdia. A new game from the designer of Sushi Go!, Gizmos and Imhotep.

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Reposted by Phil Walker-Harding

Josh Wood @sirjoshwood.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

It was a lot of fun to working with Phil Walker-Harding on this upcoming game from AEG. Only about a month to go!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ald...

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: Misfit Heroes designed by Phil Walker-Harding from AEG

Card craft amazing heroes and take control of the lands of Absurdia. A new game from the designer of Sushi Go!, Gizmos and Imhotep.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

The As d’Or has been nominating great games in recent years. Really excited to try For a Crown!

A graphic showing the three nominees for the French As d’Or board game prize: Captain Flip, For a Crown, and Odin.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 11/01/2025

I didn't get to play too many 2024 releases, but 3 of my favourites were: 🏛️ Foundations of Metropolis (Emerson Matsuuchi) 🧚 Fairy (Mashiu) 🎰 Flip 7 (Eric Olsen)

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 28/11/2024

The "line between inspiration and stealing" in game design is rarely discussed well - because what constitutes the real design work of a board game is not well described by comparison to other creative work. It's not the same discussion as copying a melody in a song, or making a better rougelike.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

It's so cool to me that there are still Cacao tournaments in Germany. Really thankful that Abacusspiele continues to support an almost 10 year old game! 🍫

A collage of photos of people playing the tile-laying board game, Cacao, in a tournament in Germany.

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Reposted by Phil Walker-Harding

Melissa Rogerson @melissainau.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

I am making a starter pack of boardgame people (players, researchers, designers, etc) in Australia. It is embarrassingly short so far, so please let me know if you or someone else should be added. go.bsky.app/JNbGLf1

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

I haven’t done a huge amount of co-designing but this article rings true for me!

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

The most played games on BoardGameGeek for over 20 years! I really enjoyed this video put together by Igor Larchenko. It starts when I was getting into the hobby, so a nice trip down memory lane. Also, amazing to see the staying power of Carcassonne and Ticket to Ride.

youtu.be

Most Played Games. 250 months

YouTube video by Pard Studio

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

Working on a card game about birds who want chips.

2 prototype game cards. One shows a chip, the other shows a bird with a chip in its mouth, shouting "GIMME!"

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Ruel Gaviola 🇺🇸🇵🇭🀄🎲 @ruelgaviola.com · 10/11/2024

Played two new-to-me games with @doscar.bsky.social: King of Tokyo Duel and Wrath of Fire-Mountain! Both are excellent dice chuckers. KoT Duel adds two tug-of-war tracks while Wrath features area majority scoring and a volcano that shifts map tiles (and awesome dinosaur minis!).

King of Tokyo Duel player board and main board

Wrath of Fire-Mountain map tiles with cave people and dinosaur minis

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 10/11/2024

Got some interesting new games in a local math trade including Hase und Igel with original SdJ 1979 logo!

6 boardgames on a table including an early edition of Hase und Igel.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

Great to see more board game folks here! A fun question I’ve been pondering: What are the best ever game rules? i.e. which single directive leads to the most surprisingly great play? Mine so far: Blokus: You can only touch your pieces diagonally. Time’s Up: Reshuffle all the cards each round.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 30/10/2024

I've been using PlayingCards.io to test new prototypes lately. It's the quickest and easiest way I've found to do a digital test of a card game. You can also play a whole bunch of standard deck games there. Recommended!

A screenshot of a digital card game prototype in the playcards.io interface. The cards depict different foods.

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Phil Walker-Harding @philwh.bsky.social · 29/10/2024

Ok, last old prototype pic! This is Llamaland, back when the llamas were much less fun-looking houses. I cut lots of tricky pentominoes from foamcore because I wanted to show how important thick tiles were for playability. Thankfully Lookout went with super thick cardboard!

A boardgame prototype showing pentomino tiles cut from foam core and large wood cubes.

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