iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 5h

#GM tip of the day If you want a flat 1-36 number range, as for a D36, you can use (D6 * 6) + (D6 - 6) If you want a flat 1-64 number range, as for a D64, you can use (D8 * 8) + (D8 - 8) If you want a 1-144 number range, you can use (D12 * 12) + (D12 - 12), and so on for other dice combos #ttrpg

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 7h

Spongebob Squarepants is the most versatile movie actor of his phylum. His films include: Tinker Tailor Soldier Sponge Supersponge The Sponge of the Father The Princess Sponge Monty Python and the Holey Sponge Wag the Sponge The Third Sponge Spongin' in the Rain Spongebusters MacSponge #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 19h

This is not a bad idea at all! I started a 'Little Pleasures' game online with friends, where we just post tiny mundane things that pleased us. And I for one found that because I started to keep an eye out for them, I noticed them more.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 22h

*Lights the Writer-Signal and points it at the clouds* The Writer-Signal is, IDK, probably a quill pen or something Can anyone in my circles help out?

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#GM tip of the day Sometimes a fight scene gives characters a chance to perform stunts. Cutting the rope that holds up the chandelier, releasing the hungry tarrasque, planting a limpet mine on the back of the big bad robot ... Sometimes these stunts may take more than one combat round. #ttrpg

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

For debugging purposes, shadows used to be bright pink. #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Joan Jett can do a perfect impression of a caterpillar eating celery. #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#GM tip of the day 'Dead' according to a game's hit point rules should not always mean dead. It may mean 'no longer able to adventure', or permanent attribute loss, or whatever evil thing the GM can come up with, and 'dead' is a legit option, but it's kinda lame. Mix things up occasionally. #ttrpg

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Oh! A clear case where the vegan option is superior

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

A hybrid of a cucumber and a sasquatch is called a cumberbatch. #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#GM tip of the day Maps are cool, but can also be troublesome. One twist which might be fun for a scenario or two, is to have an accurate map which is non-portable. The player-characters can study it for as long as they please, but they know they can only look at it /once/. #scenario hook

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Things They Would Never Have Said, #216: Khorne, Chaos God of Blood: "It looks like that's enough blood to be going on with for now, lads. Well done, you can have the rest of the afternoon off."

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Dog Tetris Dog Tetris is a surprisingly tactical game, given that the players are dogs. The rules are approximately as follows: The object is to get into the most comfortable sleeping position in the centre of the bed while pretending to be asleep at all times. Moves are made by rolling over in

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D.N. Schmidt, SF author🪐📚 @dnschmidt.com · 14/09/2026

New science fiction story: An alien rescue team comes across a Human spaceship with dead engines drifting to nowhere. Oddly, none of the passengers seem to know they’re in space. A 15-minute read. dnschmidt.com/science-fict...

dnschmidt.com

There are no spaceships in Galeville - D.N. Schmidt

An alien rescue crew comes across a Human ship and boards to investigate. Oddly, the passengers don't seem to know they're in space.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

#GM tip of the day The least fun type of monster to fight in pretty much any RPG is the one you can't hit. A good example which came up in discussion recently is the Pathfinder 'Shadow' critter, which needs magic or magic weapons to handle. But the constraint applies to any monster with #ttrpg

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Aurora Metro Books @aurorametro.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Amnesty International are kindly hosting our launch for 'Writing Resistance' by human rights defender Nurcan Baysal on 21st October at their offices at 3pm. Come and join the discussion. bit.ly/3VnUEns #amnestyinternational #humanrights #journalism #Kurds #TurkeyWatch

bit.ly

Writing Resistance

A talk and book launch with human rights defender Nurcan Baysal and head of PEN International Burhan Sönmez

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Can I ask a RuneQuest question? I've got three Avalon Hill-era RuneQuest products, but I don't know what boxed set they're from. Can anyone tell me? They are: Glorantha Book #1, Genertela Book #2, and Player's Book: Genertela #3, and there's a map of the continent of Genertela.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I'm not planning to keep dogpiling on it, but yet another apposite anti-AI thing came up for me just today, and I wanna share. Some years back, I got a rather nice colouring book as a christmas present. But I've never touched it, and never will, because 'parts of it have been coloured in, to start

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Seems like, if you can't get past a chatbot to a human any other way, threatening legal action may do the trick. Certainly something I'm going to bear in mind

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#GM tip of the day To use random encounters effectively, preroll a batch of them in advance. A random encounter that you roll for and then immediately use will make no narrative sense and is a waste of everyone's time (www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0...), but if you preroll them, you know what's

giantitp.com

145 Mr(s). Wizard Explains It All - Giant in the Playground Games

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The British cruise line known as Cunard got its start making Olympic-grade racing pedalos for the People's Republic of the Congo. #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

To me, being offered Gen-Ai content, such as games, is like being offered a meal with a dollop of poo in it. Even if the cook promises all the poo was removed later on in the cooking process - and even if it REALLY WAS all removed, which I'm never going to believe - suddenly I'm not hungry any more.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Resharing for the attention of any author followers of mine :-)

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

If I had a nickel for every time a drunken Carmelite nun showed up in my back garden, necked the rest of her bottle of brandy, started a fight with the neighbour's dog, then pissed on the shed and passed out, I wouldn't have any nickels at all. #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

After some tidying and rationalising, I have space in my bookshelves. This is not, alas, a brag. What it actually means is that I don't have enough books.

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Aaron Lim 林家丰 @ehronlime.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The most load-bearing rule/ruling of RPGs is actually not the Rule of Cool, but its quieter cousin: Rule of Cognitive Convenience. aka Let’s Not Interrogate the Presence of Potatoes in Middle-Earth, or How Does The Plumbing Work Here.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Tidying up, I found a horseshoe in the back of my sock drawer. I don't have the tools to hang it up over a doorway, so I must have just put it there not being able to think of anywhere else to store it. I mean, it IS footwear, even if it's not my size. Okay, Past Me, you win this round, I suppose.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

So, my standing anti-gen AI mantra is that the people who post AI slop like the example below simply do not care about their customers, or about quality. But thinking about it, there is a second subtler aspect. /1

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I talk to animals IRL. It works rarely, but not never. I also talk to animals in computer games, even though I know that's never going to work. Who else does this?

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Vivaldi is the composer's stage name. His real name is Viv Aldi (shortened from Vivian), and he got his surname because he was found in an abandoned shopping basket in the Venice branch of an Aldi supermarket in 1678. #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

#GM and player tip of the day When you are interacting with a character that is very tall or very short, look at where their head would be in character if they were standing up, even if it involves craning your neck or leaning down. But try not to give yourself a crick in the neck, ow. :-) #ttrpg

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I despise generative AI. I'm also pissed off that it muddies the waters when trying to have technical discussions on other legitimate forms of AI, which do in fact exist. That said, generative AI does have ONE use, as far as I can see: If you don't care that the output is crap, gen-AI is ideal. 1/2

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

In the 1800s, French typographers learned to their cost that virgules and cedillas must be kept segregated, or they will viciously attack one another. #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

#GM tip of the day Nobody deliberately makes cursed magic items. If a magic item sucks in some way, someone made an effort to make the item suck in some particular way. Curses such asdying curses, or an item being haunted by a malevolent entity are extras, on top of whatever features #ttrpg 1/2

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

#GM (or mainly game designer) tip of the day There can be interesting reasons for how this particular #gamedesign ballsup evolves. And it's not unique to RPGs, as my initial example shows. #ttrpg 1/?

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

#gameideas more continued Carmageddonkey Kong No Worm's Sky The Witcher and Clank Teenage Mutant Ninja Gaiden Parappa the Sorceror

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Jane Friedman @janefriedman.com · 13/08/2026

Longtime editor & former agent Mary Kole has written a highly informative post about how she handles clients who use AI to generate substantive portions of their manuscript. She generously offers sample contract language other freelancers can adapt for their own purposes.

janefriedman.com

After Editing Two AI-Assisted Manuscripts, I Rewrote My Client Agreement | Jane Friedman

Inexperienced authors may believe generative AI use improves their manuscript, but there’s a cost—extra fees charged by freelance editors.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

There are two 'mons, which if they perform certain attacks in the right order, will attract the attention of a third which will fly in and steal and eat one. But if you time it just right, you can capture the third and it has two specials (flight and capture) that you can't get in the normal game.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Nah, it's still way too hot to go out and look at the eclipse. I'm gonna wait till it's fully dark, and have a look then.

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

A lovely map from Ori, whose maps have... I think the most atmosphere of any cartographer I follow. And there's several in my list. On this one, you can almost see the dust swirling

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

#gameideas continued again In which I continue to merge multiple games into one to work around budget constraints: Dragon Age of Empires Balatropico Katamari DOOMacy Plants vs Lemmings Sunless Sea of Thieves

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

While the popular summertime aperitif known as Aperol is manufactured by apes, as you might expect, it is distributed exclusively by marmosets. #dailylie

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

@drbecky.bsky.social Broke my years-long reading drought with a Brief History of Black Holes. Thank you very much for a cheerful and educational update that nicely expands on my previous knowledge, from, er, Isaac Asimov's very slim 'About Black Holes', pub. 1980. #thankyou

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Simons Mith @simons-mith.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

The Chattanooga Choo Choo from Company B once sneaked a pin-up of the One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater wearing its Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini into Davey Jones's Locker. It goes to show you never can tell. #dailylie

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