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Nate O.

@sanildefanso.bsky.social
218 followers 233 following 1.5K posts

Official Board Game Tastemaker and Co-host of Cult of the Old with @giantbrain.co.uk and @mattthr.bsky.social. Christian pacifist, TV snob, coffee addict.

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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The Browns are 2-1, and it makes me very happy. I do not like Deshaun Watson and I know they will almost certainly lose more than they win by the end of the year. But two wins in a row is something I have experienced so rarely. I treasure it.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Having recorded this a long time ago, my comment about the weird longevity of the original Bohnanza artwork aged badly by just a couple weeks. With the new Pandasaurus version we are getting new artwork! This is a good episode. I'm so thankful for both @giantbrain.co.uk and @mattthr.bsky.social.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Steelers-Patriots giving us some proper Yakkety-Sax moments.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Probably pretty pleased, but I'm not sure I have the heart to explain the process by which he would get to this point.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
As I get older, the primary question for every new game is less “will I play this?” and more “where am I going to put this?”
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
One of the huge gaps in the hobby gaming scene is a lack of willingness to treat mainstream games like games that millions of people actually want to play, rather than slop that the unenlightened masses play for lack of something better. I'm really proud of how we've done that on CotO.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Normally I would say that I couldn't talk a whole hour about Jenga, but with @mattthr.bsky.social and @giantbrain.co.uk we pulled it off!
open.spotify.com
Cult of the Old - Jenga
Cult of the Old · Episode
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Drop a 10/10 90s movie
static.klipy.com
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Motorcycle in Terminator 2
ALT: Arnold Schwarzenegger on Motorcycle in Terminator 2
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I don’t know if it’s hated so much as forgotten, but I genuinely love Peter Jackson’s King Kong. It was a truly thrilling movie, just achingly earnest and big in an absurd way. PJ clearly loves the original, and it has the feeling of being a life’s work.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
This week Cult of the Old released our episode on Lords of Vegas (spoiler: it's great). So I felt inspired to check out our very first episode on Agricola. In spite of some rough spots, we had the format down pretty well from the start! Thanks no doubt to @giantbrain.co.uk and @mattthr.bsky.social.
open.spotify.com
Cult of the Old - Agricola
Cult of the Old · Episode
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
A great film from each year of the 60s: 60 The Apartment 61 One Hundred And One Dalmations 62 Lawrence of Arabia 63 The Nutty Professor 64 A Hard Day's Night 65 The Sound of Music 66 Ebirah: Horror of the Deep 67 The Graduate 68 Oliver! 69 True Grit
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Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 10/08/2026
@mattthr.bsky.social and @sanildefanso.bsky.social have both covered their favourite game on Cult of the Old and this season it is my turn. open.spotify.com/episode/7jqi...
open.spotify.com
Cult of the Old - Lords of Vegas
Cult of the Old · Episode
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
This terrific video talks about old games, so it's totally speaking my language. Lots of common classics mentioned here, but some more obscure ones as well. It's a great watch.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I wrote lots of content for a few years in the early 2010s. But I am the most proud of the work we've done over at Cult of the Old. I love working with @giantbrain.co.uk and @mattthr.bsky.social to do our bit to be historians for a hobby with a short memory. This episode is about my favorite game!
open.spotify.com
Cult of the Old - Cosmic Encounter
Cult of the Old · Episode
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Teenage angst has paid off well, now I'm bored and old.
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Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 20/07/2026
It's always a pleasure to get back in the podcast saddle with @sanildefanso.bsky.social and @mattthr.bsky.social. In episode 2 of our new season we look at a game where every card makes you do a double take: Innovation.
open.spotify.com
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
I am so thankful that @giantbrain.co.uk and @mattthr.bsky.social were there to help make the podcast I always wanted to listen to. Truly better together.
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Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 20/07/2026
Cult of the Old came about from me interjecting in a conversation between @sanildefanso.bsky.social and @mattthr.bsky.social. 4 season later and we are still looking at older titles in a modern context. Here is where it all started.
open.spotify.com
Cult of the Old - Agricola
Cult of the Old · Episode
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Stuff like this makes me think that Jeff Goldblum is just one Fatboy Slim video away from becoming Christopher Walken.
youtube.com
JEFF GOLDBLUM eating “Pocky” for the first time! #shorts
YouTube video by FLIP YOUR WIG
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I'm really excited about the new edition of Tigris & Euphrates that started on Kickstarter today from @25thcentury.games, because it's a favorite of mine. Want to hear some more of my thoughts about this classic? You can on this podcast with @giantbrain.co.uk and @mattthr.bsky.social.
open.spotify.com
Cult of the Old - Tigris & Euphrates
Cult of the Old · Episode
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They Might Be Giants @tmbg.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I love card-driven games, and this looks very cool. I love seeing a little-known aspect of a much bigger conflict like this.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I've been listening to the new Jack White album a lot, and it's extremely what you would expect from Jack White. That's not a dig, more just a feeling that my expectations were precisely fulfilled. Seems very much like a middle-aged dad rock record, which fortunately suits me perfectly.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
I believe many board gaming heresies, but a big one is that I don't like metal coins. I feel like they make my fingers smell like metal, they make the whole game way heavier, and they are basically never worth the price.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Castles of Burgundy is, I think a classic. But as I discuss with @mattthr.bsky.social and @giantbrain.co.uk, it happened without any of us realizing it. Listen to us in our season 4 premier of Cult of the Old!
open.spotify.com
Cult of the Old
Podcast · cultoftheolduk · Every episode of Cult of the Old your hosts Iain McAllister, Nate Owens, and Matt Thrower focus on a title from the history of tabletop games. They’ll look at the impact of ...
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
First reaction upon listening to this one a while after recording it: does my mic pick up EVERY breath so loudly?
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
It's finally happening! The long-gestating fourth season of Cult of the Old is back, with a game that I put off trying for a long time, but that I now enjoy.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
This year I resolved to try to track my plays on the BG Stats app. It has taken me about six months to recognize that I really sort of hate tracking plays.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
I've made a concerted effort to follow baseball more closely this year. It's been a while since I've done that, and it's been very rewarding. This video does a great job of explaining why baseball is rewarding, in terms that relate to game design.
youtu.be
My Fighting Game Friends Asked Me About Baseball
YouTube video by Daz is Bambo
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
My 16-year-old son has started using the word "tough" when he means "cool" and nothing he has ever done has ever made me feel older. It's how I imagine middle-aged people in the 80s felt when "Bad" hit the airwaves.
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Lore Sjöberg @loresjoberg.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
She looks at me with a sly smile, glances around at the other tables, then leans in and whispers into my ear. “I’m not wearing any underwear.” “I’m wearing two pairs,” I whisper back.
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Nathaniel Tapley @thatnatt.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Baffled by the number of people who give commencement / graduation speeches to students, and don't say "You can be whatever you want! Go and change the world!" but rather "There's a wonderful, new tech that will eat your future! You have no option but to comply!" and wonder why it doesn't go well.
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Jason, ex Inferis @benedictsred.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Do people mad about the odyssey casting know about bible characters being cast as vegetables
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
In an interest to give myself a new little ritual every day, I've taken to watching the highlights from the previous night's Guardians game, then checking to see what's going on in the overall baseball standings. Rituals are good. People should have more of them.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Without stating your age post your favorite film released the year you turned 18.
static.klipy.com
Lord Of The Rings: Legolas Walking in Mountains
ALT: Lord Of The Rings: Legolas Walking in Mountains
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Absolutely brilliant and heartbreaking thread. It's tough out there for people who don't fit in, but it used to be so much worse. Thanks Tim for sharing this story.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Saw a YouTube video that described They Might Be Giants as "autistic music," and though I'm not autistic the thought of TMBG being "neurodivergence-coded" suddenly makes my 30-year obsession with them make a lot more sense.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
My top 15 TV shows ever, gut instincts only (unordered): The Simpsons Lost Doctor Who The Wire Breaking Bad Arrested Development Friends 30 Rock Futurama Bob's Burgers Mad Men Battlestar Galactica Crazy Ex-Girlfriend MST3K Taskmaster
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
New They Might Be Giants album came out a couple weeks ago, and it was a great reminder that they are probably the one band that has been with me constantly through my formative years. Very thankful for their music, particularly in dark times. The new album is great, BTW. Best since Glean.
youtu.be
They Might Be Giants - Wu-Tang (Official Visualizer)
YouTube video by ParticleMen
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
It’s possible to do this less than perfect, like Vivec City in Morrowind. But that’s mor a function of the granular simulationist nature of that game; it just takes so long to get anyplace in that city.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Doing a replay of Pillars of Eternity using the turn-based mode, and I just got to Defiance Bay. And can I just say, there are few modes of play I love as much as "CRPG puts you in a big city and lets you wander around questing and helping factions."
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Dire Wolf @direwolfdigital.com · 28/04/2026
Rand al'Thor rises to meet his destiny. Will you do the same? War of the Dragon: The Wheel of Time® begins on Kickstarter. 🔗 Read More: launchoracle.com/r/FQJzwPDb
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I did not start reading any Pratchett books until just a couple years ago, but my enjoyment of them has prompted me to grieve belatedly for Terry Pratchett's death. He seems like he really was one of the good ones, and it's been my pleasure to introduce his books to my sons.
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Lore Sjöberg @loresjoberg.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Why is the sentence “He quietly held her hand” reasonable and the sentence “He loudly held her hand” ridiculous?
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
I confess I have not seen it, but I feel safe in saying the new movie adaptation of Animal Farm shows that the 30-Rock-ification of the real world continues unabated.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Apropos to the below post, my family played Modern Art as a bit of Easter gaming. This was the first time for our younger son, who indulges us by playing stuff but doesn't love board gaming. But this game was wildly successful. He was engaged the whole time, and never complained about the length.
Board to the board game Modern Art
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
The more board games I play online, the more I prefer games that feature interaction that makes it kind of hard to play electronically. Cosmic Encounter, Modern Art, Lords of Vegas, Catan...give me things that work best in person.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
This is an endlessly wonderful thread. Anything involving Milhouse is very popular with my kids. "Everything's comin' up Milhouse" is a common quote for us, and the sequence below is one of our favorites.
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Nate O. @sanildefanso.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Arrives on March 5 in Early Access, and it includes MULTIPLAYER. Buying this game will be the last thing I get done in 2026.
youtu.be
Slay the Spire 2 - Early Access Trailer
YouTube video by Mega Crit
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Richard Kadrey @richardkadrey.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
2026 basically
A photo of an ice cream machine with a sign reading, "Anything is possible with ice cream." Beneath that is a hand lettered sign reading, "No ice cream".
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