iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 5h

I've been showing the rulebook for Juxtafruit to my non-designer friends and a common response is "You do this for fun?" 🫠🫠🫠

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kill ghost @willjobst.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

playing different games is good but playing with different people may be better

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I have been getting Juxtafruit ready for the indie game night market. So this has been my creative life for the past month. I feel so close to the finish line but still some tweaking here and there.

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Matt Leacock @mattleacock.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I'm heading to PAXU for the first time and will be their Keynote / Storytime Speaker! I hear many good things about the show. Looking forward to seeing folks there and spending some time in Philly.

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

JC knows how to throw down a sizzle REAL

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

My heart is so full. The improv Fiasco show went superbly last night! I fumbled over the opening a little but everyone had a great time. Funny thing, the power actually went out during the final scene right at the ending so we did the outro in the dark with just an emergency light. Video soon...

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Ian Howard @leafydragongames.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This short essay on legacy and loss speaks deeply to me as I think about my own place in the world and the art I want to make. As always, Gene manages to deftly capture exactly what it means to be human, with all the joy and pain that accompanies it.

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Always Awake Games (Connor) 🔜 PaxU @connor.alwaysawake.games · 08/09/2026

And we've funded!!! Thank you so much to everyone who's backed and supported me along the way! Now I think I'll take a little rest

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Exeunt Press 💀🎲 @exeunt.press · 08/09/2026

I've been reading about "nim games" and well... of course ended up writing 2,200+ words on the subject at Skeleton Code Machine!😅 Can we learn a design lesson from this mathematically solved game? (Spoiler: Yes!) #nim #math #impartialgames #perfectinformation #grundy

skeletoncodemachine.com

What can Nim teach us about game design?

Follow me down the rabbit hole from trick-taking games to the Sprague–Grundy theorem. Nim, impartial games, perfect information, and Grundy values! Oh my!

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Unpub @unpub.org · 04/09/2026

Unpub at PAX Unplugged reserved tables are now available for purchase! These tables are for designers to save a spot; playtesters never need a reservation 💙 f.mtr.cool/v19f27pvc5

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Camilla Zamboni 🔜 Metatopia @czamboni.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Hi everyone - big news, please help me spread the word, and come by if you are in or near Connecticut! @jmstar.bsky.social will be at Wesleyan to give a talk on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 12 pm in RLL Common Room (300 High Street, Middletown, CT) about designing games for empathy and resistance.

A poster showing a picture of Jason Morningstar and a selection of his tabletop gams, along with Jason's biography and a date and time for an event!

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

As a game designer, the best feeling has got to be players lining up to play your game.

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Sticky Doodler 🖍️ Color Jam @stickydoodler.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

All of the "helpful advice" to designers about how to make games to get published is the original motivation for @tonytran.bsky.social and I to create These Games Are Not For Sale ( @notforsalegames.bsky.social ). We want to showcase game design as something worth doing even if you never publish

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I'm so excited to bring this uniquely ephemeral event this December together with Gene. If you are at PaxU, you should come by. It will be right next to unpub!

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These Games Are Not For Sale @notforsalegames.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Games are art Make games for the sake of art Celebrate artful games this December at PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia Follow for more details coming soon

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Phil Gross @mistergross.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

There’s still some tickets available for CuseCon, September 16-20. Super chill and friendly, plus it’s a hidden industry event. Many designers & publishers for a small con. (I hear some of you enjoy @dvcgames.bsky.social…!) Would love to see you there. www.cusecon.com

cusecon.com

CuseCon | CuseCon

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Protospiel online is literally happening now. If you never gone before and want to dip your toes into an online playtesting convention, I have a spare ticket! Otherwise, come join for a great weekend with great designers all across the world!

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Dan asking the critical questions.

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Dan Thurot @danthurot.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Sometimes readers will ask if it's really worth covering a game that isn't available to buy. I think so. I believe so. I'm interested in games as forms of human expression, which makes it all the more worthwhile to cover the things that might otherwise go overlooked. What do you think?

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Thank you for sharing! This brings me so much joy. Yesterday at practice we had someone play a mom character whose estranged children ran 3 different stores in the mall with the equally estranged fathers. So many plot twists.

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Bully Pulpit Games @bullypulpithq.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

We are excited for @tonytran.bsky.social, directing A Jackson Fiasco on September 10th. Get your tickets today and don't miss out. #FiascoRPG #TTRPGs #RPGs #improv www.purplepass.com/events/33792...

purplepass.com

A Jackson Fiasco!

A comedy show where the audience decides how the story begins and how each scene ends.

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Protospiel Online 🚧 Next Dates TBD @protospielo.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Badge sales for Protospiel Online August 21-23 2026 are open! 3 days of digital playtesting with 24 hour moderator support. Early bird pricing is available through Thur Aug 20, 2026 at 11:59pm EDT. 🎲✂️ protospiel.online/badges/

protospiel.online

Badges - Protospiel Online

3 days of playtesting on Discord + virtual tabletop. 10% of total badge sales go to charities supporting human rights.

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

It's happening!!! My two creative worlds are coming together on stage. Thanks @bullypulpithq.bsky.social for allowing us to put on this show 👏👏👏☺️☺️☺️.

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Ian Howard @leafydragongames.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

After the last Button Shy design challenge, I offered feedback to willing entrants in exchange for a small charitable donation. That meant watching and rewatching a lot of pitch videos, and there’s one big piece of feedback that I found myself repeating: SHOW US WHAT MAKES YOUR GAME EXCITING. 1/8

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

@protospielo.bsky.social Protospiel Online is back this upcoming weekend! If you ever wanted to attend the best designer focused online convention, this is it. I will be there this weekend with my game Juxtafruit, getting it ready for the IGNM 🎲✂️

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Game Makers Guild @gamemakersguild.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

GMG has been trying out different nights at Tavern of Tales the past few months to find out what works best for our playtesters and the venue. Catch us Tue August 18th, for a Playtest Night! 🎲✂️ Come join us for an evening of #playtesting, #gamedesign, and helping bring new ideas to the table.

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

🎲✂️ How do you store your prototyped games? I used to use the 6x4 picture boxes but the closure has gotten weak over time and I need replacements.

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JC @jcw.gay · 12/08/2026

Oh hey Indie Night Market designers and vendors! 📸 Last year I worked with a few folks to take some photos of them at the market (along with some random ones I took). I'm gonna be there again this year, so reach out if you want photos of your table and you in it!

A really well composed photo showcasing a designer that I wish for the love of God I could remember the name of showcasing their game to an enraptured crowd.

Matthew Hocker selling the hell out of Lunarpunk Games' Games, looking all in focus and sharp and engaged and stuff.

Eric Ditmore signing a copy of Adulting, the game he released at the indie game night market, a moment he surely enjoys having such a high-quality photo to remember it by.

I know this game was designed by Max Seidman, but I can't remember the name of it. It's a really good photo, though! Look at that slight angle, the action of the hand placing a block, the depth of field. It's almost like the guy taking the photos has an eye for composition.

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

LET'S GOOO! Juxta-Fruit got selected and I am over the moon, especially since it will be a family effort. Story time: My nephew (in-law, but I'm just use nephew) is 6 and does not come from an artistic family. I want to encourage that by featuring his art in the game! It's going to cute AF

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Are you doing pre-orders? Asking for a friend. Me.

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Tabletop Game Designers Association @ttgda.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Today TTGDA released what we believe is our most important effort so far - our Licensing Contract Rubric. This is an objective scoring metric that can be used to partially evaluate the quality of a contract. We applied it to a huge swath of the industry, and this chart shows how they scored. 🧵 🎲✂️

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Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

One major purpose of TTGDA is to help tabletop game designers negotiate better publishing contracts. We just released the rubric of what we look for -- and info on how different publishers scored on the rubric. Soon we will also release a model contract. More at www.ttgda.org/contract-bas...

Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDA) Releases Scoring Rubric and Tabletop
Market Contract Analysis to Promote Equitable Industry Standards

Bridgewater, NJ – The Tabletop Game Designers Association (TTGDA) today announced the
launch of their Contract Scoring Rubric and publication of its Tabletop Market Contract Analysis
– 2026, a comprehensive industry report designed to share information about contract practices
and advocate for fair treatment, intellectual property protection, and designer involvement in the
tabletop game publishing process.
The report, developed by the TTGDA contract & grievance committee—led by industry veterans
Geoff Engelstein, Elizabeth Hargrave, Matt Leacock, and James Lowder—seeks to address the
wide disparity in publishing agreements across the industry. With many first-time game
designers accepting terms that may be disadvantageous, the TTGDA has developed a rigorous,
objective scoring rubric to evaluate publisher contracts.
“Our intention is to shine a light on these industry practices and lead to more equitable
standards,” says TTGDA Vice President Sen-Foong Lim. To assist in this effort, the TTGDA will
be releasing model contracts that adhere to the criteria established in the scoring rubric.
The full report can be downloaded at www.ttgda.org/contract-basics.
Key Industry Findings
The analysis of contracts from over 50 publishers reveals several critical areas where many
standard publishing agreements fall short of fair practices:
● Advances: Only two-thirds of publishers offer a baseline advance above the
TTGDA-recommended minimum of $1,000, while 20% offer no advance at all.
● Designer Involvement in Expansions: 40% of publishers retain the right to create
expansions without consulting the original game’s designer.

Intellectual Property Rights: 75% of publishers retain the rights to a game’s name after
the publication agreement concludes and rights to the design revert to the creator.
● Financial Transparency: One-third of publishers deny designers the right to audit their
books, and 10% include non-standard deductions to revenue before royalties are
calculated.
Moving Toward Standards
The Tabletop Market Contract Analysis includes aggregate results, with summary scores for
each individual publisher available to TTGDA members. However TTGDA would like to highlight
the top five scoring publishers (alphabetically): 25th Century Games, Fireside Games, Lunar
Punk, Plaid Hat Games, and UP Games.
“These results are not a call to avoid specific publishers,” says TTGDA President Geoff
Engelstein. “Rather they are a tool for designers to negotiate terms that include fair payment,
intellectual property protection, and a meaningful role in the final product.”
The organization plans to release semi-annual updates to the Tabletop Market Contract
Analysis as more contracts are reviewed and publishers revise their standard agreements.
About the Tabletop Game Designers Association
The Tabletop Game Designers Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization dedicated to
supporting designers of all types of tabletop games, including board games, role playing games,
card games, miniature games, and others, whether mass market, specialty, or hobby. Learn
more about us at www.ttgda.org.

Contact:
Geoff Engelstein
President
Tabletop Game Designers Association
president@ttgda.org
www.ttgda.org

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David Masnato 🔜 PAX U @davidmasnato.com · 09/08/2026

After almost 2 months waiting in the pending queue and a contentious submission process, Pax Playground is finally on BoardGameGeek. Despite having a ruleset and player objectives, BGG didn’t want to list the game because the ending doesn’t explicitly identify players as winners or losers.

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Connie @connievdc.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Almost exactly a year ago, I left my (stable!) job for full-time game design. Some reflections 1/ 🧵

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David Masnato 🔜 PAX U @davidmasnato.com · 15/07/2026

I'm David! I'm a graphic designer, illustrator, community manager, and game designer. Most of my graphic design and illustration work in the tabletop world has been for my own projects, but I'd love to get serious about changing that! 💼: davidmasnato.com ✉️: hello@davidmasnato.com #PortfolioDay

The box cover for my game Pax Playground. The illustration shows a child in a yellow coat standing at the top of a slide. The title of the game is in big bold red letters below with my name nearby.

The cover for another game called Pax Penning. The words "Pax Penning, Game Design by Matilda Simonsson, Graphic Design by David Masnato" are surrounded by a detailed and colorful border.

A digital render of my game Tiers of Joy. Colorful tokens are spread across a playing area. Some of them are stacked to resemble miniature cakes.

Some cards from my game Oar Deal. Some cards are laid out in a playing area while another card is off to the side. The cards have a watery blue background with some iconography and numbers.

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

This is not a drill! There's a starcraft BW tournament happening the same weekend as PaxU just a few blocks away from the convention center. I gotta plan on how to do to both now...

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Marceline is Racing Dinos @marcelineleiman.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Play is intrinsically connected to hope, community, and identity. Games are a function of that play that we need in times of darkness. Games ARE political, and have been used as tools of propaganda by colonizers for nearly our entire modern understanding.

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JC @jcw.gay · 01/08/2026

A photo of a stack of games called Pressed designed by an incredible designer has been lovingly scribbled around and stickered to draw the user's attention.

The current iteration has added a vignette to the myriad of attention-grabbing effects.

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Watch It Played @watchitplayed.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Mission accomplished! Met up with good friend and talented creator @travisdhill.bsky.social and going home with two of his games. So good to see you - thanks for the rpg recommendations. Keeping making and sharing your art with us please.

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I'm so excited to see Pressed out in the wild for the very first time! And at GenCon too! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh The booth is 1649 if you want to check it out and pick up a copy! It's a little cozy flower game about planting and pressing flowers with art by Beth Sobel!

A picture of a table of board games being sold at the PlaytoZ booth at Gencon 2026 with my game, Pressed, circled in red.

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Daniel Newman // New Mill Industries @dnlnwmn.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

reminder: you've got until 9pm eastern tomorrow to submit an application to be a vendor for the Indie Games Night Market! I'll then spend a couple weeks going over the submissions and let folks know by the 15th whether or not you've been selected! www.newmillindustries.com/ignm-app

newmillindustries.com

IGNM App — New Mill Industries

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Tony Tran 🔜 Home @tonytran.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

For anyone at GenCon, I have two games there and I would love it if you played either one. Look out for Pressed (I designed) and Super Chonk (I dev'ed). Both are light weight card games that I'm super super proud of

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Chris | Junk Food Games @junkfoodgames.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Attention local DMV tabletop game designers! We have a catalog of indie games that we want local shops to have so they know how to buy our games! Our collective, Designed in the DMV, will be making the Fall 2026 catalog soon! Wanna join in? Discussions will be on our discord discord.gg/G3vMHU5kS

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