iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Want to work together? I do. I'm delighted to announce that I'm launching my own independent creative studio. Can't wait to collab with you! smrvl.com

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

A regret: I should have stopped him in the airport to ask where he got that hard yellow suitcase. It was the perfect shade and shape. Now I’ll never know.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

I'm in the beta for Apple's new Glass UI, and gang... I'm not reactionary, I tend to be very open-minded about design choices... but this is so hard to use that I'm literally considering a switch to a Google phone.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Trying to decide between Blue Prince and Control as my next game … clearly in pursuit of liminal spaces.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Alex Garland House of Leaves when

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

My greatest sin as a game designer? I cannot stand Ticket to Ride. I would rather play Monopoly, 100 out of 100 times. This is my secret shame. I mean not so secret, I guess, since I posted it here. But still, my shame.

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Reposted by David Somerville

Atlas Games @atlasgames.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

In independent author Adam Beckwith's newest Planegea 5E release, the PCs steal a prized possession of the Air Empire. dlvr.it/TJmbCn dlvr.it/TJmbCq

dlvr.it

Heist Adventure for Planegea 5E

Rats in the Walls for Planegea 5E

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

I saw a lot of cool stuff at GDC but absolutely nothing caught my attention like Tamashika. store.steampowered.com/app/2996080/...

store.steampowered.com

TAMASHIKA on Steam

the game is about keeping your mind at one place

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Reposted by David Somerville

planegea.bsky.social @planegea.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Our heist adventure, Rats in the Walls, is here! It's available for purchase on Patreon and soon on DTRPG. The download includes the 30-page pdf, color map of the Apogee Palace, two battlemaps, and a high-definition jpg of the beautiful cover art by Pablo Palomeque. www.patreon.com/planegea/sho...

patreon.com

Buy “Rats in the Walls: A Planegea Heist Adventure” on Patreon | Planegea

Check out Planegea’s shop on Patreon

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

Ended my #GDC adventure with a great talk by the inimitable Jesse Schell. Now getting lunch at Mel’s Drive-In, then back to the hotel for a hard half-day’s work.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

My first day of GDC, I felt a little lost. Today, I had great conversations with old friends and colleagues. People really do make all the difference.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Day 2 of GDC, day 2 of Sightglass. Good coffee is good coffee.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

If you’re looking for a good meal at GDC, I absolutely recommend Burma Love.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

I’m short on plans for the rest of the day. If anyone at GDC needs a friendly face to practice their pitch with or wants me to gas them up, give me a shout, I’m around! #GDC

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

I’m in the Cyberpunk MaxTac talk at GDC. I’m not a developer, so it’s all Greek to me, but just being in the room, hearing @cdpr.bsky.social folks talk about my favorite game is all my nerdy little heart needs.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Amazing, I’m in. Also in no order: Thousand Year-Old Vampire D&D 5E, babyyyy Dread Lasers & Feelings Never Tell Me the Odds* *This one’s mine but it’s still one of my favorites.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

First session. Stoked for this. #GDC

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

Killer coffee at Sightglass before diving into my first day of #GDC.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

I’m here! It’s real! Let’s goooo #GDC Also I know nobody here but I’m very happy and excited to have arrived.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

My brain is broken. I get to San Francisco for #GDC and all my subconscious can serve me is this old clip from Flight of the Navigator.

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Reposted by David Somerville

keb mode: engaged mode @kebbyruxpin.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

this image changed the shape of my brain as a kid

calvin from calvin and hobbes as "tracer bullet" the private investigator, smoking, B&W cut out on a black background

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Near-Future Sci-fi Setup: AI is deemed essential tech. Because of its climate impact, progressives are as terse with it as possible, while conservatives engage warmly, leading to its syntax (and therefore its emergent behavior) diverging strongly — Red AI is cozy, Blue AI is cold.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Wim, you don't need me to tell you this, but @dungeonalchemist.com is SO COOL

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Let's go #GDC! I'm David, a tabletop game designer who's worked with Wizards of the Coast on #DnD and created my own settings and systems, including Planegea and Vast: The Crystal Caverns. (I'm also head of creative for a big PR firm, but that's less geeky.) This is my first #GDC, and I'm stoked!

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

I just participated in my first-ever fantasy baseball draft and let me tell ya I have NO idea what just happened.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Had a chance to recommend Jesse Schell’s seminal text, “The Art of Game Design.” Can’t think of a book that had a bigger impact on me as a young game designer. And next week I get to hear him speak at #GDC! www.amazon.com/Art-Game-Des...

amazon.com

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Third Edition

The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Third Edition [Schell, Jesse] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Third Edition

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 13/03/2025

amazon: your package is delayed me: why? amazon: um

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

It's gray here today so I'm getting my vitamin D in the form of Sun Ra.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

This review made me smile so much. Love to hear two best buds talking about how much they love Stone Age TTRPG settings. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvKN... #planegea

youtube.com

S3:E8 - What Is Planegea?

YouTube video by The Jaunty Mantis TTRPG Podcast

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Has anyone run any of the new half-page adventures from the DMG? (Or adventures in that style?) If so, super curious how that went.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

After death, wicked designers are condemned to an eternity working on their portfolio websites. Here's mine: smrvl.com

David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

As a designer, I'm a big fan of frameworks. Some of my favorites, which I use all the time for all sort of things: - Alignment Chart - Zodiac - Enneagram - Jungian Archetypes - Weiland's Story Structure - Mind/Body/Heart/Soul - Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - 2x2 Matrix - SUCCESs Model #deeplynerdy

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Some of the logomarks I've designed over the past decade or so, both for clients and for personal projects. Each one was a labor of love.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

I forget why I drew this little #flumph, but I'm 1,000% sure it's @alphastream.bsky.social's fault.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

I can usually be found staring into space, thinking about how #Cyberpunk2077 explored the idea of “the good, true, and beautiful” with an earnest, searching, violent power.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

I don’t know who needs to hear this but: there’s no such thing as a graphic design emergency.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Holy cow, this song is incredible. 17 by @barteesstrange.bsky.social. I'm going to have this on repeat for... I don't know, forever? www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXq...

youtube.com

Bartees Strange - 17 (Official Visualiser)

YouTube video by Bartees Strange

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

There are 13 threats in #Planegea, and each one has a table like this. Now that I’m running my own longform Planegea campaign, I can’t believe how much I go back to these tables for ideas in between sessions/arcs.

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Songs this idiot heard and was like, "Wow, this track is a real standout, I think I've discovered a gem," only to later learn they were covers of Extremely Famous Songs, a running list: Voodoo Child (not by Angelique Kidjo) Lay, Lady, Lay (not by Magnet) High and Dry (not by Jamie Cullum) 🤦‍♂️

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David Somerville @smrvl.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

I recently learned the inimitable Jared Rascher is stepping away from his longstanding "What Do I Know About" series. Jared, thank you for all you've done for this hobby! I'm personally very grateful for his time spent with Planegea, including this longform review. gnomestew.com/the-star-sha...

gnomestew.com

The Star-Shaman's Song of Planegea Review

When I first heard about the product that I’m looking at today, I was very intrigued. There have been a wide variety of fantasy settings used over the history of roleplaying games, but there haven’t b...

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