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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen

@qarl.bsky.social
248 followers 338 following 66 posts

Game Designer of video and board games. Working on Keelblade for Digital Confectioners. Also/prev: Path of Exile, Endeavor: Age of Sail, Endeavor: Deep Sea. ♟Kennerspiel des Jahres winner.♟

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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 1h
New trailer on the Keelblade page: store.steampowered.com/app/2708040/... in preparation for the Next Fest Demo. It is a huge demo, design work on such a broad game is mighty fun.
store.steampowered.com
Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) on Steam
Sail across a fantasy world in your own pirate ship. Master souls-like combat and powerful magic to hunt deadly bosses. Discover new islands and loot them for hidden treasures to craft upgrades for bo...
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Tristan Salazar @ofnadwy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Ada Palmer: I created the Gendered Sex Club as a cautionary tale Tech Company: At last we have created the Gendered Sex Club from the classic sci-fi novel, Look What Happens When You Have a Gendered Sex Club (apologies to @adapalmer.bsky.social for this gross mischaracterization of Terra Ignota)
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 11/09/2026
Our final playtest before October's Steam Next Fest is now live! If you missed signing up on Steam, join our Discord to get your own key while supplies last: discord.gg/6nEPsYzUtm Patch notes available here: store.steampowered.com/news/app/270... #Keelblade #Playtest
store.steampowered.com
Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) - Keelblade - One Last Playtest Sets Sail... before Next Fest! - Steam News
Our first weekend playtest as Keelblade, and the last before a BIG Steam Next Fest Demo in October
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I was excited to get my copy of Blades '68 today. I looked at the credits and thought, huh, some familiar names, this Tim Denee guy really pays attention to NZ rpgs. I check, he is from New Zealand. Another reason to like it ( also another example of NZ game design punching above its weight).
Cover if Blades '68
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The game I’ve been working on has a new name: Keelblade. I’m immensely proud of what our team has been building, and very glad to finally put its new name out into the world. Wishlist it now, and play the demo during the upcoming Steam Next Fest. store.steampowered.com/news/app/270...
store.steampowered.com
Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) - Triarchy is now Keelblade! - Steam News
It's still the same game you've been following and playtesting, with a new name that better reflects the fantasy pirate adventure it's grown into.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i7g... John Finnemore has answered this question.
youtube.com
Making Money - John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme
YouTube video by John Finnemore
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
For me to like that, I would really need to feel like the ending the playgroup got gelt personal and we didn't care we missed the other 29 endings. (And replaying for narrative as a group feels kind of weird)
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I really enjoyed Ada Palmer's Inventing the Renaissance, which is accessible history that is a joy to read. I discovered she also wrote scifi, so started on her Terra Ignota series, it is fascinating but ...
Nice dog scary dog meme, with the nice dog labelled Ada Palmer writing history, the scary dog labelled Ada Palmer writing Scifi
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Yes, it is coming together, we should be showing it off properly in the next Steam Nextfest
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 02/08/2026
Wild screeching can be heard far to the North, and charred emissaries bring tales of woe. Perhaps you should sail South instead in our Steam playtest? store.steampowered.com/app/2708040/... #Triarchy #Playtest
Wyvern signs have been spotted in the seas to the North - even a warship this powerful will struggle!
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 30/07/2026
You're gonna need a bigger boat for what's coming in this weekend's playtest… #Triarchy #Playtest
This ship looks worthy of a crew with your experience
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Endeavor: Deep Sea was is on the Did You Know of Wikipedia today (might be New Zealand only?):
The Did You Know section of Wikipedia, it includes a reference to Endeavor: Deep Sea
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PC Gamer @pcgamer.com · 04/06/2026
John Blanche, a hugely influential illustrator famed for his work on Warhammer 40,000 and other Games Workshop properties, has died.
pcgamer.com
Legendary Warhammer artist John Blanche has died
Blanche's work set a stark, brutal vision for the grim dark future.
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Dr Thom @thomaslinley.com · 31/05/2026
#wellycon #boardgame con is on this weekend and I caught up with the creators of #EndevourDeepSea for @deepseapod.com. For the cons special edition card they wanted to showcase New Zealand marine science and ended up using our expedition. ...where do I put this on the impact reporting?
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 21/05/2026
Mudley entertaining a business contact... fully tax deductible, you understand. Cooking debuts in Triarchy with our next Playtest, coming end of May. #Triarchy #PCGaming #Gaming #SteamPlaytest
Mudley entertaining a business contact... fully tax deductible, you understand.
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Jetset @jet-set.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
The First WORLD FENCING LEAGUE is happening April 25th!!! I'M GEEKING!!! Japanese engineers developed this "Sword Tip Visualisation" tracking technology specifically for this event that will make it so much easier for the average person to see what's going on! I MUST WATCH THIS ENTIRE TOURNAMENT
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Hexacon today was China's War. 1937-41. I was the invading Japanese while the other three factions squabbled and somewhat defended.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
First day of Hexacon. Ready to play some Musket and Pike. 2nd Breitenfeld, I am the Imperials against a very keen to fight Sweden.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Play this game! Made by my workmate Bryce, it is a great take on backpack management crossed with survival. Great fun to play co-op too.
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 01/04/2026
Our metrics show that less than 0.01% of players defeated Pete so we have removed his cannon, he will now fight unarmed... #Triarchy
Pete RKO's a Triarchy player
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Packmates @packmatesgame.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
An entirely new act, with new enemies, new areas, and a new boss with fresh mechanics, releases with the Packmates launch in April. #Packmates #PCGaming #Gaming
2 players fighting through Act 3
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 26/03/2026
Triarchy has reached 50,000 wishlists, and we're building something BIG for Steam playtesters this coming weekend. Sign up to join the playtests on our Steam store page: store.steampowered.com/app/2708040/... #Triarchy #PCGaming #Gaming
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Packmates @packmatesgame.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Packmates launches on April 16th, 2026 with a huge wave of new content, systems, and replayability that goes far beyond what you’ve played in any demo so far. Wishlist Packmates on Steam to get notified on release day! store.steampowered.com/app/3171540/... #Packmates #PCGaming #Gaming
store.steampowered.com
Packmates on Steam
Gear up your animal hero in this 1–3 player co-op survivor roguelite forged on tactical inventory mastery. Arrange loot for devastating combos, obliterate enemies, and battle to dominate the darkness ...
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Unexpected happy surprise this morning, gushing praise for Endeavor: Deep Sea in the GMT newsletter ("above the fold" no less).
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
I have adopted the wine cellar analogy for my unplayed games. I have laid in stocks for the right occasions and moods.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
And yes, I have rated a 10 myself, and I feel no shame doing so, I enjoy it greatly. :-)
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Endeavor: Deep Sea hit the Board Game Geek top 100!
Chart showing entries 98, 99 and 100 being Fields of Arle. El Grande and Endeavor: Deep Sea.
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 18/12/2025
In the sacred groves, the Fungalblade Clan raises architecture to mirror unseen ideals, their structures precise echoes of a higher, unknowable order. #Triarchy #PCGaming #Gaming
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
It will be in The New Buildings section of the base rules, if they have that
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.chantal//RYAN @thoughtrise.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
this field biologist does a great job highlighting the insidiousness of AI editing these one-click AI edit buttons are incredibly appealing to many photographers, amateurs and professionals alike, and are framed as innocuous this is worth sharing and educating people about
screenshot of a post on facebook from Alex Lamoreaux, depicting two versions of the "same" photograph of a bobcat in front of a pine plantation, one labeled original game cam photo, one labeling AI processed

the markings have been altered on the AI photo, and the head changed and resized

text says:

Oh! A neat goose hybrid posted to ‘What’s this Bird?’ but when you zoom in on the photos the bill details have been too manipulated by AI photo editing to be accurately assessed for which species may be involved.
Scroll on… A cool-looking Red-tailed Hawk that someone is wondering which subspecies it might be - right up my alley! But when you zoom in on the photos literally every feather group has been so heavily manipulated and altered by AI editing that it’s impossible to determine subspecies because the photo is essentially fake now; just a mashup of whatever AI thinks parts of a Red-tail should look like. 
Scroll on… WOW! That’s a remarkable trail cam photo of a Bobcat! It almost looks like a painting!… but the head looks oddly small…. hmmmm. After some prodding the original photo is produced and sure enough it had been so heavily altered by AI ‘post processing’ that the photo posted was essentially a digital mock-up with totally different proportions and fur markings. No longer the photo off the trail cam; it may as well have just been ‘created’ by AI from scratch.
This stuff is killing me. My days on social media are becoming very limited. We can’t even trust simple, everyday photos of animals to be real. The wildlife community needs to quit editing with AI, and we need to start calling out photographers that are using it. Our reality is being destroyed all around us.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Puerto Rico is a great game, although I did not get that super fancy edition. I think I might even get a credit in there somewhere (for the first fan-submitted expansion).
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 11/12/2025
This gate marks the boundary of the real and a sacred mushroom grove. The mushroom people believe the world is an illusion and an echo of a greater truth. #Triarchy #PCGaming #Gaming
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
I just backed Guardian Maia: A Māori Sci-Fi Saga on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/gua...
kickstarter.com
Guardian Maia: A Māori Sci-Fi Saga
Guardian Maia is an action adventure novel that weaves historical sci-fi with the depth and richness of Māori culture.
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Keelblade (formerly Triarchy) @playkeelblade.com · 04/12/2025
Gribbles have a diverse ancestry, while some are small they come in many types and sizes. There is talk of a gigantic, bloated Gribble champion - protecting their treasure from marauding pirate clans. #Triarchy #PCGaming #Gaming
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
One of my favourite game series, Volko Ruhnke's COIN games:
Three stacks of boardgames, a full collection of the COIN games.
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Keith @mosheroperandi.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Me when a driver is buggy: "computer's haunted" Me when we take the crystalized thoughts of every dead person who has ever been recorded and compress them into a singular artifact we imbue with false life: "It's just linear algebra"
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Geoff Engelstein - The Universe Explained with Cookie out now! @gengelstein.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
The designer of Mouse Trap, Rock'em Sock'em Robots, Lite Brite, and many other toys has passed away. What a legacy of joy! www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/a...
nytimes.com
Burt Meyer, 99, Dies; Made Lite-Brite and Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Revenants are optional aspirational bosses you start finding, even pretty early in the game. Lucian will be in the upcoming playtest for example (although is a little work to find/summon). www.youtube.com/shorts/dsZW8...
youtube.com
Triarchy - Meet Lucian #gaming #pcgaming
YouTube video by Digital Confectioners
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Jaws Slayer 🎃 @jesawyer.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Rebecca was one of the founders of Interplay and programmed & designed for some of the most influential games of my youth, notably Bard's Tale I & III and Wasteland. She will be missed.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Completed my Space Empires set, the full game with all rules seems pretty nuts, but when I have played with Expansion 1, I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to play even while tracking teach per fleet and crew experience. Not sure how I feel about adding logistics to tht however.
The board game Space Empires 4x and its three expansions in a stack.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
What I have been working on the last little while at Digital Confectioners (pls wishlist): store.steampowered.com/app/2708040/...
store.steampowered.com
Triarchy on Steam
Sail your ship, explore islands, fight monsters, choose your abilities, and craft legendary gear to hunt for deadly bosses. Play Triarchy your way! Activate Boss Challenge Modes or enable Assists to s...
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Microplastics Sommelier @leastactionhero.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Dominos meme
White Sox fan forced to accept Cubs jersey

Assyrian bishops refuse to condemn Nestorius's 431 challenge to the use of the title Theotokos ('Bearer of God'") for Mary.
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Ludology Podcast @ludologypod.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
🎲✂️ *New Episode!* @ericabouyouris.bsky.social and @senfoonglim.bsky.social welcome @qarl.bsky.social, Jarratt Gray, @burntislandgames.bsky.social and @grandgamersguild.bsky.social to discuss the past, present, and future of SdJ Winner, Endeavor: Deep Sea. ludology.libsyn.com/ludology-347...
ludology.libsyn.com
Ludology: Ludology 347 Sail Away
Erica and Sen welcome designers of the award-winning Endeavor: Deep Sea, Carl de Visser and Jarratt Gray, along with their publishers, Helaina and Josh Cappel (Burnt Island) and Marc Specter (Grand Ga...
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
I am genuinely surprised Hudson Hawk has not become a sleeper cult film of interest. When I was in university, a group of friends and I watched it multiple times in the theatre. I need to rewatch it, and work if I was just had terrible taste when young.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
After a great NZGDC, I get to spend the day visiting award winning game designer Jarratt Gray.
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Gosh, you really should play that one!
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
New game coming from Digital Confectioners (where I work). The designer is Bryce Haywood, which is totally a name you will see again over the next few decades. It is a great co-op back pack survivors game I have enjoyed playing the hell out of. store.steampowered.com/app/3171540/...
store.steampowered.com
Packmates on Steam
Gear up your animal hero in this 1–3 player co-op survivor roguelite forged on tactical inventory mastery. Arrange loot for devastating combos, obliterate enemies, and battle to dominate the darkness ...
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Back from Berlin, with this! The Kennerspiel des Jahres:
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Qarl 🔜 SPIEL Essen @qarl.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Thank you!
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