iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 5h

Really? I’m going to leave it until after Dragonmeet and hope the muse strikes. It’s not even in my Top Ten conventions anyway. Is there any reason I should submit now?

Poster saying UKGE RPG submissions are open.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Sorry you’d have to get them a good D&D starter set. I don’t like it but you would have to. Basic Role-playing or GURPs lite. Probably BRP. Fate or Powered by the Apocalypse. But I’d much rather than took part in my “Choose Your Adventure” introduction to TTRPGS.

Pull up banner for choose your adventure outside vintage building.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

#WiPWednesday Digging out my #TTRPG Dice ready for Funace at the weekend, see what I found! I’m guessing its this tangibilisation and seeing how the artwork I’ve got doesn’t suit the book was what knocked me off track. Re-arrange some art? Buy a bit more? Any suggestions? Volunteers?

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

3 ..and brining in some meta elements? The poster child for this is “It came from the late, late, late show” TTRPG. You play through plots from old-time horror, monster, SciFi movies but you’re simultaneously playing the character and the actor portraying that character. Things like: 3

Cover for IT CAME FROM THE LATE LATE LATE SHOW TTRPG by Stellaer Games. Plain white cover with red text and a B&W illustration of a zombie couple on the sofa watching something which scares them on an old type TV set.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

4 Several things work against this: - dice fetishists that buy exotic dice which are difficult to read. - promotional do’s where the 1 or the 6 (it isn’t consistent) is replaced by a funky symbol. - dice apps on phones. - device which replaces dice. The one below is what prompted this thread. 4

Steampunk/Keyring style machine allowing you to spin to get results instead of throwing a dice.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

8 I got so fed up with the art not fitting. I’ve got loads of period horror stock art but the scenario is contemporary. There’s no way I can afford to buy bespoke art to fit the story. And most of it is “of its time” with its portrayal of women verging on the misogynistic. 8

Skeletal hand viewing woman in low cut dress through a glass to reveal her skull.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

7 I was going to say it’s all written, laid out with artwork etc. But I’ve just been to look at it only to find I’ve removed all of the artwork. Maybe for memory size when I assembled the book (Even an Ipad pro’s memory has difficulty with the final assembled book) but maybe because… 7

Male presenting 2 page spread character sheet for pregenerated Code of Cthulhu pregenerate character - Kenji Okoru a venal self-centred politician.

Handout detailing the history of the Henshalls brewery.

Page on of chapter one on the rulebook - detailing the pregen charcters.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

3 I’ve just hit a malaise. One lasting several months. Apologies for repeating myself. I write very day. Feel free to skip this thread if you’re fed up about me banging on about this one game. I’m fed up with it myself. It’s an adaptation of my “Code” system to horror. 3

Front Cover of The Code of Cthulhu TTRPG featuring a picture of a Star Spawn (probably Cthulhu) in some kind of undergound space.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

4 Today I want to look at one of the specialists I’m supposed to “employ” as part of a game’s infrastructure a digital content manager. Of course, as the man with an ipad in his bedroom I’m talking about one of the numbskulls in my head. To what extent does a game NEED… 4

Page from The Numbskulls comics strip showing the little men in a man;s head controlling them. This story shows an accident with the Adam’s Apple.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

3 I created and co-authored the game. Commercial failure (another story) critical success. Fast forward to c. the turn of the century. I dip my toes into the internet & find people on line still burbling on about GH. GW were doing nothing with it but wouldn’t let ME do anything with it. 3

Front cover of The GOLDEN HEROES Superhero Role-playing game. Beneath the title is a starburst in front of which are six Supheroes hurtling towards the viewer. Unbermensch male front and centre, clenching fist, flanked by an armour figure and lightning wielding female. Mysterious cloaked figure behind and up above a flying female and leaping acrobat.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I’m sorry. Not in a world where Quatermass 2 exists.

Film poster for Quatermass 2 featuring a blackened face at the top - title can cast details in the middle and three scenes from the film at the bottom.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS 1 “I don’t believe in the no-win scenario”. Of course we’re talking about The Kobayashi Maru Starfleet training scenario from Wrath of Khan. Invented by Jack B Sowards but promoted by Nicholas Meyer from the middle of a draft script to the opening scene because it is such a… 1

Front cover of The Kobayashi Maru Star Trek novel featuring a starfield, and older tri-nacelled ship and portraits of young versions of Kirk, Sulu and Scotty.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I approve. (We failed when we tried this. The authors of The Boys, Invincible et al unfortunately never played Golden Heroes back in the 1980’s.)

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

9 But I suspect the extra detail would up the price. I also publish a game called The Code of Warriors and Wizardry. For this I used STOCK ART. A brilliant artist called Storn Cook does (eg.) cover art for TTRPGS. Gets paid full rate. Expensive. Worth it. But then passes that art on. 9

Female warrior with sword and (I only realised recently) blowpipe.

Front cover of The Code of Warriors and Wizardry TTRPG. Black female with sword front and centre, flanked by a white male wizard, female warrior with spear, Elf riding a big St Bernard dog and Bugbear wielding a big axe.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

6 I’d just watch She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and wanted to skin the game to invite young women into the hobby. So I found a female artist on-line and asked her to produce 4 character images in the style of the series separately and composited on a cover. (See also the FATE rulebooks.) 6

Female Warrior figure. Bright, TV cartoon style.

Group of 4 TV cartoon style female adventurers in a dungeon setting fighting dice-shaped monsters. Title THE D6 HACK

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 31 - EDGE 1 Different TTRPGs have their own jargon.. Some TTRPGs hijack terms. I can’t think of the term EDGE without thinking of SAVAGE WORLDS. OR “Truth is a three-edged sword”. A simple trick to keep in mind when running a TTRPG scenario. 1

Illustrated August 2026 calendar for the RPGaDAY challenge, with each day assigned a single-word prompt in red handwriting. The prompts begin with "Discipline", "Stature", and "Poise", and continue through themes such as Charm, Burden, Resolve, Secret, Grit, Pride, and Edge. Hand-drawn notes along the left group the prompts into weekly themes, while a pencil, polyhedral die, and Tarot card fragments decorate the page.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 30 - PRIDE 1 I don’t want to be negative but by the time a TTRPG project is finished all I can see is the short cuts and compromises I’ve had to make along the way. So I find it hard to be proud of the final project. 1 .

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 29 -LABOUR 1 THE CODE OF CTHULHU - the rules exist. I’ve run several different scenarios at cons across the country. The first half of the book - which basically the intro scenario and stater pack - is finished and has been POD printed. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 28 - DEVOTION 1 The word devotion makes me think of my favourite D&D character class - the Cleric. Created specifically for D&D. Before that - and still for most of the world - a cleric is Father Brown and similar church officials. But D&D needed healing. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 27 - HUNGER 1 I hunger for the buzz i get refereeing a TTRPG, no matter how small. I wish i Hungered for the joy of writing/creating/planning TTRPGs and all the other things I could be doing in between playing games. it would make my life so much easier . 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 26 - REGRET 1 I don’t have access to all my old files here. Today’s post would be much better if I could SHOW you all the stuff. When I first decided to produce an updated version of Golden Heroes, I had no access to Art. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 25 - FAMILIARITY 1 I find it’s the Familiarity between editions that causes me problems with identifying/remembering the nuances between them. I`m familiar with the basic rules of D&D, BRP, GURPS, SW etc. But the devil is in the details. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 24 - DISTANCE 1 As soon as you have a rifle with 250m range or discuss how much distance a Dwarf can run in the same time as an Elf you’re into maps and figures territory. More bit, more expense, more stuff between you and the game. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 23 - FORTUNE 1 OD&D - you kill the monsters, you get the gold. Over time your experience fame & fortune grow. Experience is the driver. Fame has little effect. Fortune buys you better equipment, nicer inns, transport etc. At last you buy a house, castle or tower. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 22 - GRIT 1 We all know what this is. It’s the little bit of bite left in the TTRPG that can still hurt a bit. there can be consequences that bite in amongst all the fun. You can still die or lose a limb or a friend. Things can affect you badly that can HURT. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 21 - CHARITY 1 TTRPG cons in the UK raise a LOT of money for charities. They go hand in hand and work well together. I have two issues, one negative and one positive. 1 .

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - PROMISE 1. I try not to promise any thing. TTRPGs are famously variable in their outputs and I lean into that. I know what I’m doing and in an hour you’ll probably have had a fun adventure, laughed a lot and recused the missing dinosaur. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 19 DESIRE 1 ‘I wants it. I want my precious.” a classic line that drives the book and 80% of fantasy stories. Having the PCs desire something Helps drive The story. 1/fin

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 18 - DIRECTNESS 1 TTRPGs started in the dungeon. We explored hidden rooms and slowly uncovered the map. There has been a narrative holdover from this. For some people it is perceived wisdom that PCs start knowing nothing & should uncover the plot as you go along. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 17 - INTENSITY 1 “It’s what my character would do” is a statement which is generally looked down upon. Usually because a player has done something which isn’t helpful to the GAME. But this IS a TTRPG. You are embodying a character. It’s a very intense experience. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 16 - COMPOSURE 1 That moment where the PCs are about press THE BIG RED BUTTON.You know what’s going to happen & you’re looking forward to it. As a Referee you need to keep your composure, a poker face. Also the moment when the players have come with an idea. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 15 - ENDURANCE 1 In Golden Heroes we used the term “endurance” for the health/fitness characteristic rather than the classic “constitution”. I think this was the right decision. Con carries connotation overlaps with Strength & heroes endure quite a lot. 1/fin

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 14 - Regard 1 As with some other characteristics - the original Charisma blossomed into many other areas. You can charm people, convince people or intimidate them. I’ve always though it can be variable, going up and down as you impress people - or the opposite. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 13 - Strain 1 One of the things I enjoy about TTRPGs as a medium is that consequences have teeth. The trope about a Starship Captain straining his engines heroically, land a bit different in a TTRPG when they might actually fail. 1/fin.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 12 - LOSS 1 Loss of life. Loss of hit points. But there are other ways to lose. Loss of experience points. Loss of levels. Loss of characteristic points. Loss of skill. Loss of ability. Loss of status in the game. Loss of status in the gaming group. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 11 - Tact (ics) 1 It’s a curious thing, but as soon as people start playing a TTRPG, they try to come up with original and unique tactics. How long was it, I wonder, between D&D being invented and someone shoving a burning rag 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 10 - SECRET 1 Part of my standard game spiel: “I play an open table. All the players know everything about all the characters. But we’re all mature enough to understand that the characters might not know everything about all the other characters. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 9 - Priviledge 1 Thanks for choosing to play in one of my games. It’s a real priviledge to have you here. I hope you feel the same. (Even thought I’ll happily run a game for (almost) everyone.) 1/fin

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 8 - Resolve 1 When something is unclear in a TTRPG you need to resolve it. Here are three ways: Just decide, either by “Executive Fiat” (a Ken St Andre term that has stuck with me all these years) or through discussion with the table. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 7 - Mercy 1 Twatting goblins is part of the D&D TTRPG type fun. I understand as much of the colonialism-type arguments as an old middle-class white man can but I still like to twat goblins. But twatting can take various forms. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Nope. Definitely Turboman’s unpopular sidekick. Same chest logo though.

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Turboman holding up a Turboman action figure with his appalling sidekick Booster standing uselessly in the background.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 6 - Reach 1 Two possibilities. Bang on about why Halo wouldn’t make a good TTRPG because - apparently - one of it’s important planets is called Reach - as in The Fall of Reach. Or Weapon Reach. I’ve just watched The Odyssey. In amongst the absolute stupidities….. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 5 - Burden 1 It’s a continuum. But one division in game playing/design is “what you see is what you get” with every ability and every item in a backpack specified and recorded or more narrative games where things are more loosey goosey. 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 4- CHARM 1 I remember an article in a fanzine from way back in the day (late ‘70s/early ‘80s - probably “Trollcrusher”) that the Charm Person spell should be higher level because of it’s effects on society. The argument went along the lines of: 1

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

For some reason this weekend it’s decided to lean forwards and tip over. No idea why. I needed both my tablecloths to cover one round table so I was reduced to used one table for everything. I don’t think it looks too bad. I forgot to take a photo of it in use. 2/x

A shot of some standard in a trade hall.

A very strange design for a folding chair. Even when set up the seat tips up like an old cinema seat. Very strange to use.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

#RAPTURE Before I write my blog I recall I promised you photos. I’ve a roll-up banner. Standard 6’ thing like every else’s. It’s served well for a decade. (Well, I lost one but ordered & exact replacement so no difference.) When you unroll it & hook it onto the pole it leans slightly back. 1/x

Round table set up with character sheets on stand for people to choose to play TTRPGs.

Round tables Set up to play board games with stnad of games for sale in the background.

A shot of more stands in the hall inc. a cosplay one.

Some consoles set up for gaming. In the background the stage with a large screen where the tournaments took place, loud music was played and people screamed into microphones which already had the volume turned up.

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Simon Burley 🔜 Tyneside Games Expo @squadronuk.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

#TTRPGTHOUGHTS #RPGaDAY26 - 3 - Poise 1 Tough one. Like many on this list a facet of Charisma. 1

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