iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

- Spikes Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Dungeon Trap Design (Perhaps Grimtooth can present the Netflix adaptation?)

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

- One Hundred Years of Solo Gamebooks - Middlemarch-ing Order (the story of a low-level magic user) - The World According to GURPS - Feel the Fear, Make the Saving Throw and Do It Anyway

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James Wallis @jameswallis.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Nerdify a book, game or film: Five Geeks In A Balloon AD&DHD Richard the Nerd

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

- One Does Not Simply Fly Over The Cuckoo's Nest - The Man in the Iron Man Mask - Oliver [spoiler]Twist[/spoiler]

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I somehow only discovered Senet magazine last month at #UKGamesExpo. The display of past issues with their striking covers caught my eye, the articles looked interesting (and the interior visual design and overall "feel" was elegant) so I picked up the latest issue and finding it a good read so far.

Collection of Senet magazine covers from https://senetmagazine.com/products/complete-collection

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Usborne also had the "The KnowHow Book of Spycraft" - nice images and write-up of the book, spies in 1970s culture, and comparisons of Usborne spycraft with the real East German Stasi. wearethemutants.com/2018/07/05/u...

wearethemutants.com

Usborne’s ‘The KnowHow Book of Spycraft’, 1975

During the Cold War, a new archetypal establishment role joined the pantheon of soldiers, cowboys, and cops that often peopled children’s games: the spy. Equipped with false identities, given…

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

I remember those books fondly, along with the Usborne "Spy's Guidebook". Perhaps all nice tradecraft sources for a pre-teen-1970s-UK setting for Bubblegumshoe (@evilhat.bsky.social) or Kids on Bikes (@huntersent.bsky.social)? :-)

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

I hadn't heard about RPG Trader, thanks for sharing it!

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

The whole (four-issue) run of Interactive Fantasy magazine (which I enjoyed back when it was published in 1994-5) is now available for pay-what-you-want at jameswallis.itch.io/interactive-.... (This article was in issue 4.)

jameswallis.itch.io

Interactive Fantasy by James Wallis

A journal of game design and narrative systems

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

The "Everway" RPG (1995) and its freeform character generation was designed thinking of a player who'd wanted to play a princess and found that traditional RPGs didn't support it (according to @jonathantweet.bsky.social's designer's notes article in Interactive Fantasy #4)

Everway: Designer's Notes
Jonathan Tweet discusses some of the whys are wherefores of his latest role-playing game

Melissa wanted to be a princess, a beautiful princess. We, an all-guy group, were playing a fantasy/SF/post-holocaust game. Melissa was joining us for the first time. She was - can you guess? - the girlfriend of one of the players. We were mutated, magic-wielding, ass-kicking mercenaries in a ruined world. And Melissa wanted to be a beautiful princess.

Insert awkward pause here.

This home-brew game, you see, had statistics for strength, hit points, damage bonuses, and magical power. But looks? Status? The referee hadn’t bothered to include rules for those. It would have been unfair for Melissa to play a beautiful princess because her character would have advantages (good looks and status) that she hadn’t got by rolling dice. In an effort to make her happy, we suggested she play a sorceress, about the closest thing to a princess that fitted the rules.

She played, she left, she never returned.

I designed Everway with Melissa in mind. Everway uses freeform character generation so that you can play an ass-kicking mercenary or a beautiful princess. More to the point, you can play characters that I never would have thought of. You’re limited by your imagination, not by mine.

(From Interactive Fantasy #4, 1995)

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Leisure Games @leisuregames.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

It’s International Tabletop Day! We’re going to be playing games in store all day today to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

I can't be there today, but saw "Trouble at the Tempus" at UK Games Expo and it sounded like it has some really interesting mechanics, leaning into the concept that your spaceship also has a Time Drive!

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

I liked the #FateRPG ever since I read "Spirit of the Century" and the aspects mechanic clicked with me. So this was an interesting interview with Fred Hicks on the history and possible end of the game line: www.rascal.news/with-the-rel...

rascal.news

With the release of Umdaar, we might be at the end of Fate

Fred Hicks talks about the birth, life, and maybe death of the gaming line that launched his company.

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

I might have been away, or it might have been an evening when there were multiple games and I played something else? Either way, pretty sure I haven't played it.

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

On the way back from my first #UKGamesExpo in Birmingham - had an excellent time, played some fun games (City of Mist, Daggerheart, and Flabbergasted), enjoyed the live shows, and apparently boosted my step count wandering the halls and hurrying between the Hilton and the NEC! #UKGE

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Picked up "Play Unsafe" from the #UKGE stall (but didn't catch you), looking forward to reading it! (I didn't know Cosmic Dark, and Googling "Extracsa" brought a mixture of the space horror conglomerate and "extracapsular cataract extraction" which I suppose is a way to fight another darknesss...)

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Someone working at a bar near Birmingham New Street asked us what the huge queue was for, wondering if there was a local event and they should call more staff in. We clarified it was just the rail replacement bus...

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I thought was a good AD&D article too - "Vance's Evocation of Arcane Delight", on wizards and magic in the Dying Earth setting.

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Rav BOO!dram 🎃👻 @rvbdrm.com · 05/04/2026

Depluralize a movie. I'll start: Tree Gump

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

"The Rocky Horror Frame" Thinking of which, "One Year BC" and "1: A Space Odyssey" (already suggested separately) could make a nice science fiction(ish) double feature.

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

"Why is trading such a rare mechanic in modern Board Games?" (2017) - interesting post and discussion at boardgamegeek.com/thread/17418... (I hadn't thought trading a rare game mechanic, but ready to accept the author's analysis of Board Game Geek data over the sample of games I've played recently!)

boardgamegeek.com

Why is trading such a rare mechanic in modern Board Games? | BGG

Trading is one of the basic kinds of human interaction. It has probably been practiced for as long as we have existed, and can be implicitly understood by almost anyone. With that in mind, it's not s...

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

Just enjoyed this episode, thanks! (I had Star Trek Adventures 2e on the shelf still to be read - I grew up with ST:TNG and some DS9 and Voyager, so will be interested to see how it reflects the newer shows.)

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Rob Donoghue @rdonoghue.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Ok, this is @friede.bsky.social's fault. She raised the question of *how* people analyze RPG texts, and that is a BIG, HAIRY QUESTION, and it got me thinking. I'm not ready to take a tilt at it yet, but that's because it turns out there are a lot of things I do *before* I read an RPG. A lot.

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Scott M | Haunted Edition 🎃 @voxparlour.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

Ever wanted to design a solo rpg? I can probably offer some advice. This is just how I like to design. A key design point is tension. The player should be trying to do something, but the game should work against their goals and giving them meaningful choices.

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Nice write-up! I started in the hobby with race-as-class BECMI D&D, but AD&D's separation seemed more flexible to me then (the race/class level limits less so...) So interesting to see a view of what a thematically Dwarfish class might be - and how that can fit (or not) in design of modern D&D.

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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 23/12/2025

I’m an 18th centuryist & thanks to the work of @guyintheblackhat.bsky.social (& others) I’m very aware that D&D is just a visible part of the history of TTRPGs that’s much much older. (The emphasis on wargaming & D&D has often erased other parts of the history of roleplaying)

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Evan Torner @guyintheblackhat.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Indeed. The purchaseable *product* we call the TTRPG begins in the 1970s with Western Gunfight, Chainmail, and D&D. Yet role-playing "parlor games," simulations, and similar are centuries old and draw from a well that resembles all the positive stuff about D&D. Parlor games were feminized...

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Dwiz @knightattheopera.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Probably my last post for 2025. A little look at one of my earliest attempts at homebrewing RPG content. knightattheopera.blogspot.com/2025/12/arch...

knightattheopera.blogspot.com

Archaeology: Dwarf Class for 5E

I had been playing RPGs for many years before I ever even considered getting into homebrew. Of course, I wasn't against homebrew. I routine...

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

I remember running the Riddling Reaver back in the day using AD&D first edition (or, as it was called then, AD&D!)

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Steve Jackson Games @sjgames.com · 12/12/2025

Everyone is excited for Toon Second Edition! We've enjoyed seeing all your wonderful comments and feedback, and we can't wait to tell you even more about the amazing project as soon as it launches on December 17. Visit BackerKit today to sign up and be the first to pledge! bit.ly/toon2ebk

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Had fun with Toon in 1980s, keen to see new system after 40 years of narrative mechanics & other RPG evolution. (I once considered Fate Accelerated for Toon: Muscles, Zip, Moxie, & Chutzpah for approaches - stunts for shticks - cartoon-style consequences - & aspects like "Karmic Trickster Bunny".)

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Completely agree with "no dud skills". And games I'd run nowadays would be one-shots or short campaigns, so I've wondered if "no duds" suggests "shorter skill lists" (otherwise more risk that player invests in a skill which they then never have opportunity to use without GM tailoring/contrivance).

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

First - hadn't spotted that you were a writer of "Spirit of the Century". It was my first Fate game, and one which got me excited by the whole system as I read it! (Especially aspects and, as you say, the idea-sparking "what you can do" for each skill).

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Fun this weekend with @samarmstronggames.bsky.social's "Hello Wizard, I Have a Problem": a comedy game of troubleshooting wizards. Zero-prep, light rules (but with random tables for inspiration/structure), with GM hat rotating for each quick-three-scene problem. sam-armstrong.itch.io/wizardproblem

sam-armstrong.itch.io

Hello Wizard I Have A Problem by Sam Armstrong Games

An improv heavy TTRPG about wizards making things worse

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Kalum 🔜 GrogLaw 2027 @rolistespod.itch.io · 02/12/2025

A thread about ExCel feeling "too big" or "empty" as part of Dragonmeet 2025, or at least my understanding through attending the convention for 10 years and founding its #PodcastZone, with a sprinkle of my professional experience with London real estate and exhibition centres planning. 1/x

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

And finished Dragonmeet day with an enjoyable meetup for listeners to the Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast (www.ludonarrativedissidents.com) and the UK member of the hosting team @jameswallis.bsky.social at a nearby pub.

ludonarrativedissidents.com

Ludonarrative Dissidents

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Afternoon at Dragonmeet was the fun "Chronospindle Caper" with our multi-universe team (from cartoon rabbit to cyborg soldier) and my first encounter with the Cypher System, making the most of its cross-genre rules. (Maybe that's *another* cinematic rules-light system I'll take a look at!)

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Dragonmeet haul (4): Questworlds (@icooper.bsky.social, with whom I had interesting chat at Chaosium stall). Rules-light system for "cinematic, larger-than-life settings" - a style I like (and if it overlaps with Fate - well, I like Fate too!) www.chaosium.com/questworlds-...

chaosium.com

Other RPGs - QuestWorlds RPG - Chaosium Inc.

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Dragonmeet haul (3): The Magus and The Oracle (@momatoes.com) - solo RPG about "the quest for arcane mastery and the loneliness of power". The bits I've looked at while at the stall spark with ideas. nessundove.it/en/shopping/...

nessundove.it

Making sure you're not a bot!

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Dragonmeet haul (2): Incarnis (from @fanterland.itch.io), RPG of "a pantheon of gods who are all about interfering with each other's lives and with the world they created". Sounds a bit like a crossover between Nobilis and Fiasco. peregrinecoast.press/products/inc...

peregrinecoast.press

Incarnis

Incarnis is a tabletop roleplaying game about a pantheon of gods who are all about interfering with each other's lives and with the world they created. Think of Disney's Hercules, Terry Pratchett's Th...

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Dragonmeet haul (1): Page Turners (@robindlaws.bsky.social), new game of personal drama for GM plus solo player (inspired by Dramasystem/Hillfolk) & 11 scenarios. Not sure when I might *play* it, but loved the Dramasystem settings so looking forward to these. pelgranepress.com/product/page...

pelgranepress.com

Page Turners

Moving drama. Hilarious comedy. And you are the sole protagonist. Page Turners is the game of personal storytelling for one player and one GM. Acclaimed tabletop roleplaying designer Robin D. Laws wo...

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

On Saturday, another fine #Dragonmeet, now expanded at Excel. Lots of traders and some interesting finds; a fun cross-universe caper in my first time with the Cypher system; and post-con meetup for the Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast.

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Yes, given the article's detailed survey of other games, I'm sure he's aware of The Price of Freedom. (I didn't necessarily expect to see TPOF mentioned in this piece focused on post-nuclear-war settings, but thought it might still be of broader interest to other readers.)

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Serket :3c @serket08.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

It's been over a decade since the original quantum ogre posts. We use the term, but do we all mean the same thing? In this post I unpack the history of the quantum ogre and propose a modern definition. www.fluoriteguillotine.com/blog/2025/11...

fluoriteguillotine.com

quantum ogre reborn

It’s time we re-examine what we mean when we use the term “quantum ogre”. The seed of this post started when Valeria posted her review of Fabula Ultima and quoted Emanuele Galletto (the game’s author)...

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

As well as games mentioned in article, Greg Costikyan's "The Price Of Freedom" (1986) had related Cold War theme: not nuclear apocalypse, but resistance fighters in Soviet-occupied America. (A review at rollingboxcars.com/2022/08/17/t..., another view at grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/11/retr...)

rollingboxcars.com

The Russians are Coming! – The Price of Freedom RPG

The Price of Freedom Roleplaying in Occupied America Author: Greg Costikyan Publisher: West End Games Available Formats: Out of Print The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! America has s…

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Terry @stochasticpath.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

Interesting article. I remember the "Twilight: 2000" White Dwarf review and letters page discussions. I found myself nearly playing it once as a one-shot, but the whole session was spent generating characters...

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