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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen

@samsorensen.bsky.social
2.1K followers 636 following 3.2K posts

Tabletop RPG writer, editor, graphic designer (for hire!). Corpselike academic. Brooklyn, NY. he/him samsorensen.blot.im

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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
one of the big challenges of capital-L Lore in tabletop RPGs is that often getting the lore “correct”—making it tangible for the players—requires a bucket of very careful prep and work, but getting the lore “incorrect”—introducing some element that contradicts the Established Canon—is trivial
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directsun @directsun.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I've been working on this for some time and with the release of the first three Cairn CAS adventures in Markdown, I thought this was as good a time as any to make a few announcements.
games.puzzledungeon.com
Just The Games
Reference at the speed of play.
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
hello gamers! on Saturday, October 17th, to celebrate my birthday, I'll be hosting a night of GCTCG, my home-made science-fantasy trading card game of robots, demons, and lizards! it'll be at @boshis.place, featuring classic TCG goodness: rare drops, drafts, duels, and a tourney! see you there!
poster set with glowy CRT scanline effects, divided into four quarters, each its own color: tan, purple, green, and blue (clockwise). the text shifts color to match the quarter. the text reads:

"The Hidden Library & Dead Letters Present / SAM'S BIRTHDAY GCTCG DRAFTOURNAMENT / Sat. 10.17.26 / 5:00 p.m. doors / 5:30 p.m. tutorial / 8:00 p.m. tournament / boshi's place 1002 Metropolitan / $10 suggested donation. RSVP: forms.gle/MQXcR6wmVoZe7WRo8 / Ne plus ultra!"
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🍄 @snakeroot.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
That big boy, that big bitch, for all weather
Bactrian camel in the wind
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(Self) Regulators, mount up! @bankuei.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I have been thinking a lot over the last few years that lots of RPGs overlook the cost of repetitive tasks. Yes it's easy to come up with (stakes/costs) but it becomes less easy when you're asked to do it dozens upon dozens of times in one session. I think a lot of GM burnout hides in these things
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NYC TTRPG Book Club at @boshis.place! Thursday the 8th, a week from today! we're reading Zedeck Siew & Munkao's REACH OF THE ROACH GOD! come join us to discuss!
poster with a Munkao illustration of a big nasty cockroach wizard monster. text reads "Dead Letters Presents / NYC TTRPG BOOK CLUB / Zedeck Siew & Munkao's 'Reach of the Roach God' / Thursday, October 8th, 7:00 p.m. / boshi's place — 1002 Metropolitan"
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W. Gage Berry @gageberry.com · 02/10/2026
I got distracted and wandered off... is the slop still hot???
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NYC TTRPG Book Club at @boshis.place! Thursday the 8th, a week from today! we're reading Zedeck Siew & Munkao's REACH OF THE ROACH GOD! come join us to discuss!
poster with a Munkao illustration of a big nasty cockroach wizard monster. text reads "Dead Letters Presents / NYC TTRPG BOOK CLUB / Zedeck Siew & Munkao's 'Reach of the Roach God' / Thursday, October 8th, 7:00 p.m. / boshi's place — 1002 Metropolitan"
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The Stillfleet Studio ☉ more than play 🇵🇸 🔜 Gaelcon @stillfleet.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🎉💯 WE MADE IT TO EPISODE 100! 💯🎉 We celebrates 100 episodes of Why We Roll with Grit System Game Jam judges @danielhkwan.bsky.social, @wherewolf.bsky.social, @samsorensen.bsky.social & Lauren Bilanko, talking about the future of indie RPGs! 🎲🚀 #WhyWeRoll #Episode100 #IndieRPG #TTRPG
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
fuego
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Ghoula RPGs @gilarpgs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Reading all the nuanced takes on the feed today
static.klipy.com
Squidward: Daring Today Aren't We?
ALT: Squidward: Daring Today Aren't We?
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tanze bravopueblo / w.s. healed @tattletale.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
a rulebook should never give players 'permission' to change or break the rules -- the 'permission' is inherent in the fact that it's an inanimate object that can't do anything to stop you. it's at once condescending to the players and denigrating to your own design work
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Lilith Lilac Leviathan @blujayh.itch.io · 28/09/2026
most ttrpgs are way more fun when you do troupe play. I think this is most true about osr/simulationist style of play
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Pechera Lylyka || Lylyk's Cave @pecheralylyka.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It's a bit all over the place, for I can't figure out how to properly apply Agon to TTRPGs (like, is it about PvP, or does PvE competition counts?), therefore sometimes my answers are more tabletop-gaming related than strictly TTRPG. Anyways, it was a lot of fun to dig into, thank you!
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jay Dragon 🔜 Metatopia @jdragsky.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
overly underly samuel sorenson made a career off of digital fights then he wrote cataphracts communal wargaming unceremoniously proving him right ( @samsorensen.bsky.social )
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
astonishing! unaccountable! it's another episode of DEAD LETTERS! today, it's Evey Lockhart's WET GRANDPA, an ominous river adventure! join us as we discuss poetic meter, NPCs as ethical traps, "conversational infinity," gigging, and the Madonna. come listen! open.spotify.com/episode/6898...
open.spotify.com
29: Wet Grandpa
Dead Letters · Episode
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Rowan A. (sarcophagus-games.itch.io) @sarcophagusgames.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Am I still on time for this
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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Here are 5 covers I liked this month. One of them doesn't even look like an rpg cover. It looks like junk mail. www.explorersdesign.com/covers-sept-...
explorersdesign.com
Great Covers: September '26
Great covers from across the tabletop rpg industry.
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Mike Pohjola @mikepohjola.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This was a great discussion and a fantastic introduction to a very smart podcast. Thank you! I wrote a little reflection on it in my blog: mikepohjola2.wordpress.com/2026/09/24/t...
mikepohjola2.wordpress.com
The Turku Manifesto in Dead Letters
Twenty-six years ago I was young and arrogant enough to publish an artistic manifesto on roleplaying games and larps. (I’m not young anymore.)I proclaimed character immersion (“eläytymi…
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
jason grinblat writes that the aesthetic of simulationism is the aesthetic of non-fiction. in this regard, my hexcrawl is basically a nature documentary about fantasy adventurers. my referee style is that of a 24-hour trailcam
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J. Dracula @ratbastardgames.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
rat-bastard-games.itch.io/wolves-of-th... HEY DO YOU LIKE THE BRONZE AGE AND HEXCRAWLS? DO YOU LIKE THE MINOANS? CHECK OUT CRETE FOR WOLVES OF THE AEGEAN THE RULES ARE FREE
rat-bastard-games.itch.io
Wolves of the Aegean by Rat Bastard Games
Mythic Bronze Age Hexcrawl
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Highland Paranormal Society @n8hps.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Mapping
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
relistening to this episode has granted me a Campaign Vision Board
cover of "Swyvers," by Luke Gearign & David Hoskinscover of "Into the Cess & Citadel," by Alex Coggon & Charlie Ferguson-Averycover of "Magical Industrial Revolution," by Skerplesdigital cover of "Detailed Doskvol Street Maps," by Tim Denee
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
NYC TTRPG book club at @boshis.place! this Thursday the 24th at 7:00 p.m.! we're reading Tom Bloom's CAIN! come join us to discuss, we'd love to see you there!
poster with art from "CAIN" of a goth girl holding up two fingers and a thumb, with some grungy paper texture stuff thrown over it. text, double-shadowed in pink and orange (matching the woman's spooky eyes), reads "NYC TTRPG BOOK CLUB / Tom Bloom's "CAIN" / Thursday, September 24th, 7:00 p.m. / boshi's place — 1002 Metropolitan / Presented by Dead Letters." two of the woman's fingers rise up over to cover part of the "C" and "U" in "club," creating a smidgen of a layering effect
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
it cannot be! another episode of DEAD LETTERS, on Skerples' MAGICAL INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION! join us as we discuss setting guides (yet again), the relative social cachet of GMs as hobbyist game designer and/or improvisers, legwork, and postmodernism! come listen! open.spotify.com/episode/1Y5d...
open.spotify.com
28: Magical Industrial Revolution
Dead Letters · Episode
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UnturnedLeaves @unturnedleaves.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I turned in my assignment late
A quote repost of the theoryslop page.

RPG Designer Theoryslop Alignment charts & sheet

You have 20 points to assign to each stat array Pendragon style for tri- otherwise multipolar arrays express the stats as ranges e.g. gamist 1-7 dramatist 8-9 simulationist 10-20.

Lower part of sheet meant to be filled out is covered in haphazardly placed sticky notes and papers taped to the sheet covered with poor handwriting. 

Various notes read in no particular order:

Ludology the study of lumbo, it's first grade spongebob! 

Indecisive nerd

Gee Billy, why's your dad let you have an endogenous and diegetic hot dog?

Rulebooks, rulebooks, rulebooks!

The procedure is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding procedure

Object facilitates activity (but not required)

Let that game ride baby 

This guy doesn't like wearing suits (attached note "but you've gotta dress up sometimes!")

Never met a toy I couldn't apply delicious rules to!

You need to solve problems when you tell stories

Ludology?->Luddite?

Likes players with narrative power

A note with a poorly drawn chaos symbol with the words "chaos zone"

------

Over multipolar traits:

Theater kid who was too shy to be on stage so played TTRPGs instead

I'll take my chances at playing pretend

"I dont subscribe to this point of view" ~Sting (over cultures of play area)

Acting like I can immerse myself in the social aspects of gaming

-------

Bottom section for skills covered in colorful sticky book marks, left side reads: Unranked Vessel of Tags

Notes read:

Reader
Lazy
Dad
Day job -> free time? (Crossed off)
Brain?
Hopeful
Scroling finger
No A.I.
Art is an expression of love
Too many ideas
Free space
Anxiety 
Can make a sandwhich
Known to touch grass
Used to be in the SCA
LARPed once
Wargamer
Terrible handwriting 
GM when I can, overthink when I can't 

------

At the top in red reads "0/100, see me after class"

Name is unturnedleaves 
Project is Moot- small project
URL UnturnedLeaves.bsky.social
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Hawk [Any] @hawkdc.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Share the last 4 TTRPGs you played and expose your gaming habits (or don’t. I’m not a cop). Violence. Delta Green Old School Essentials Delving Deeper And the last four adventures. Rejection (Delta Green) Wages of Sin (Mothership) Hot Spring Island (OSE) Fever Swamp (OSE)
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Robert Raulus @rraulus.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
4 last ttrpgs: - ose with some becmi-ish house rules - 13th age - my vtm hack - fail forward 4 last adventures: - whatever @unpanny-valley.bsky.social has thrown at us - unreleased scifi prison ship by nuclear-saints.itch.io - sag river extreme cold research facility, alaska - gardens of ynn
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leo 🦈 @darlingthresher.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
COVER REVEAL GET SHARP ON 10-13-26. sophont.brittlestar.press
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
NYC TTRPG book club at @boshis.place! this Thursday the 24th at 7:00 p.m.! we're reading Tom Bloom's CAIN! come join us to discuss, we'd love to see you there!
poster with art from "CAIN" of a goth girl holding up two fingers and a thumb, with some grungy paper texture stuff thrown over it. text, double-shadowed in pink and orange (matching the woman's spooky eyes), reads "NYC TTRPG BOOK CLUB / Tom Bloom's "CAIN" / Thursday, September 24th, 7:00 p.m. / boshi's place — 1002 Metropolitan / Presented by Dead Letters." two of the woman's fingers rise up over to cover part of the "C" and "U" in "club," creating a smidgen of a layering effect
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Brian Ashford @brianbloodaxe.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
last four rulesets played: - 5e - Whitehack - 3 coins - Deathmatch Island last four adventures played: - Black Wyrm of Brandonsford - Reach of the Roach God - Holy Mountain Shaker - The Cage of Serimet (Trilemma)
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franc @francfrancfranc.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
francfrancfranc.itch.io/4-historical...
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J. Dracula @ratbastardgames.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
last four rulesets played - Delving Deeper - AD&D - Wolves Upon the Coast - Wolves of the Aegean (!!!) in my "D&D Era" (know thy enemy etc) last four adventures played - Wolves Grand Campaign - "Crete" for Aegean Wolves - Coffinkeep II. The Sewers - Christmas At the Piss Emporium
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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Last four rulesets played: - VtM - Call of Cthulhu - @catsumu.monster's PbtA one-shot game (When the Earth Sang Fire) - OSR mishmash for Dark Sun Last four adventures played: - CoC: Escape From Innsmouth - CoC: Masks of Nyarlathotep - PF2e: Season of Ghosts - Violence: Camp Corinth
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October Caleb @calebwimble.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Share the last 4 TTRPGs you played and expose your gaming habits (Or don't. I'm not a cop). Systems: - Into the Oddish - Sojourn RPG - Mythras - FKR Adventures: - The Secret of Vileplume Mountain - Black Death, Pale Fires - Ravenloft - The Isle
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teuthida // Octopus Ink Games @octopusink.games · 18/09/2026
Last four rulesets: - Houseruled b/x - Houseruled Mothership - Lancer 4 Gay Babies - Classic Traveller Last four adventures: - Cold Case (one I’m writing for mosh) - Wages of Sin bounty 19 - Operation: Raid of Meteor Fortress (l4gb) - Early Computing (DG in Violence)
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sam “ludonarrative disinterest” sorensen @samsorensen.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
last four rulesets played: - OSR mishmash - heavily hacked monostat murky bog - call of cthulhu - for the queen last four adventures played: - black manse - empire of hatred - masks of nyarlathotep - dead light
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Scribble M. Horror @scribblemhorror.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
for those who enjoy frustrating survey questions: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
Scribble M. Horror's RPG Playstyle Survey
Please try to answer the questions as accurately as possible to your actual experience. This is a shitpost joke survey
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Mids Meinberg @meinberg.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Now we are all sons of bitches
RPG Designer Theorslop Alignment Charts & Sheet
Designer: Meinberg
Project: Goat Song
Link: https://goat-song-publishing.itch.io/
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Tegelgeuse Tegelgeuse 🔜 PAXAUS @tegeljerk.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We're it not for @rangedtouch.bsky.social and Game Study Study Buddies, I would not know what a Suits or a Grasshopper was...
Sam Sorensen's theoryslop designer sheet. this Filled out in handwritten in orange pen for me, Sam. I skew towards challenging story driven play. I think systems matter but people need to interface with those systems.

the notable inclusions in my skills lists are that ttrpgs are not my day job, have experience in organising and my Other skill is CRAG.
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TheGiocorn @rotten-shotgun-games.itch.io · 16/09/2026
I didn’t feel inadequate in my understanding of theory while doing this, you did!
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William Knight @willknightauthor.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Fine, I'll bite. I believe in accepting the GM's hooks.
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Saoirse! @islandsaoirse.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Idk shit
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tália @taliautsch.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
something like that i guess
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Sporian Games @sporian.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Alright this is the best you'll get from me. Any question I didn't care about has been replaced with either something silly or a question I do care about, like the historical veracity of catharism.
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Sierra @skulkbastard.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Honestly, I think my style of game dev is fairly coherent.
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norgad.psd(*) 🗕 🗗 🗙 @norgad.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
i think i've made myself clear
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Sadie is 🎲 Laying It All on the Line 🎲 @oakleafinsignia.games · 15/09/2026
I want to take this so seriously, and yet....
A nonsensical use of M.A.S.H. on an RPG designer theoryslop alignment charts
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Omivel @omivel.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Anyhow
Omivels RPG designer theoryslop alignment chart & sheet
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La Ludothèque de l'imaginaire @ludotheqimaginaire.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Vous prendrez bien un peu de bouillasse théorique de JDR pendant qu'elle est encore chaude ?? principe: tu imprimes, tu remplis, tu te poses des questions que tu ne t'étais jamais posé avant!! (ou pas) #JDR
Une fiche de renseignement pour une créatrice de JDR et un jeu pour renseigner ses principales caractéristiques selon tout un tas de critères plus ou moins clairsla fiche de description remplie pour un jeu, Cet instant précis
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