iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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This truly means the world to hear. MCing Under Hollow Hills has been a magical experience, and I wanted to do that feeling justice, but to have Vincent Baker read my review and say this about my writing has simply floored me.

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C is for Crombil @zhenwa40.bsky.social · 21h

I played in that game as Button! @sparkybee.bsky.social is an incredible MC, allowing so much creative freedom for Operation Scrooge to convince Father Winter to not freeze humanity in an eternal Winter. Button as Jacob Marley laughed evilly before falling through a trap door (w/ a bruised side).

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Sparky @sparkybee.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

You can buy words of mine straight from Tuesday Knight Games now! A year ago I never would have even imagined this as a possibility. Thanks to Quinns Quest, Sean McCoy, Over/Under, my C/O Labs crew, and everyone I've ever played with for leading to this! www.tuesdayknightgames.com/products/sub...

tuesdayknightgames.com

Subarktic

Navia refuses to be terraformed. Rare elements stay locked beneath its icy crust. Team after team has disappeared thanks to the violent weather, which strikes with frightening speed, and eerie precisi...

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MeatCastle GameWare @meatcastlegameware.com · 01/10/2026

I finished all of Big Walk last night and can't stop thinking about the game's best design bits and how I could use them at my TTRPG tables. You can read my thoughts in this FREE post over on Patreon: www.patreon.com/MeatCastleGa...

patreon.com

Learning From Big Walk To Run Better TTRPG Sessions | MeatCastle GameWare

I completed the entirety of Big Walk last night. It’s an incredibly special game, and I can’t stop thinking about how I could bring some of

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Playtest Material Magazine @playtestmaterial.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This is a huge achievement for everyone involved but special thanks has to go to all of the writers: Amelia Stephen, Anna Simpson @selenedijon.bsky.social , Benjamin Klug @silkandstone.itch.io , D. Zhen C. @zhenwa40.bsky.social , David Blandy @davidblandyrpgs.bsky.social ,

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alex v @alexvalente.fyi · 28/09/2026

a month ago five of us played Harvest, by @wildwoodsgames.bsky.social; four of us joined forces to write about it enter @glaedth.bsky.social @zhenwa40.bsky.social @joao.omg.lol as we begin our little play...

playpretend.fyi

Was it all worth it? A narrative review of Harvest

A play in three acts, a review in four voices.

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alex v @alexvalente.fyi · 26/09/2026

i got to read this one in the editing stage, and it's a really intriguing mapping that zhen does of the two modes of storytelling!

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C is for Crombil @zhenwa40.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I am grateful for the opportunity as a humble fan of TTRPGs to write for @playtestmaterial.bsky.social. I went into this writing with serious academic rigour, and the editing experience was really helpful in trying to make is parseable. It’s also just fun to be able to use quotes like this:

The audience for this game was a single session game (a “oneshot”) featuring players who had never played the game before. A feature of Mythic Bastionland is the “weirdness” of the setting and open interpretation of the gameworld. This is exemplified, for example, by the entry of the Screaming Seer, whose details are replaced with “RAAAAAARGH!” and “YAAAAAAAAAARRRHG!!” respectively, a reading which can be comic or tragic depending on specific interpretation by the GM and players.

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Emily✨ @emilyoram.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Always a treat to be reminded of an old friend

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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Today in a thing I cannot believe I have to do... I basically had to set up 2-Factor Authentication. On MYSELF. On my work. Because people are out there impersonating science journalists to take their work. Yes really. brookshire-team-trash.beehiiv.com/p/2-factor-a...

brookshire-team-trash.beehiiv.com

2-Factor Authorification

I hate that I even have to do this.

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Playtest Material Magazine @playtestmaterial.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Thank you all so much for such an impressive subscription drive so far! We are at 49/75 subs: Nearly two thirds of the way to what we need, and we've more than quadrupled our original subcriber base in less than 24 hours.

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Playtest Material Magazine @playtestmaterial.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A serious one today. "This is a call to our readers and future readers: please, consider before scrolling away, if you think our magazine is worth £18+postage. It is not just an investment in a bundle of paper, but in meaningful critique in the ttrpg space." playtestmaterial.org/playtest-mat...

playtestmaterial.org

Playtest Material launches its first ever subscription drive

Playtest Material needs 75 subscribers to break even — one of those could be you.

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Laurie O'Connel (is looking for ttrpg work (in Dublin)) @laurieoc.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Hello, this is a big deal! And the culmination of a lot of very hard work by people that have amazing stuff to say about TTRPGs. And so I am politely asking my more famous friends and mutuals to repost.

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Playtest Material Magazine @playtestmaterial.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Oh dear... is that somebody leaking (part of) the table of contents for issue one of playtest material? Thank goodness we were able to contain it before they managed to launch a subscription drive.

Regular table of contents
Editorials & Thematic Essays
David Blandy–Laurie O’Connel–Karen David
Storytelling and the Stage
Kayla Dice–Nicholas Orvis–D. “Zhen” C.
Reviews & Case Studies
Stephen Wilds–Luka Brave –Miriam Jackel-Dewhurst–Philippa Mort
Experimental Writing & Art

Tori Truslow–Anna Simpson–Milo Cassidy
Playing With Words

Irving Benitez–Benjamin Klug–Amelia Stephen–Noa Chazan
Opinion & Events

Evan Torner–Ian Badcoe–Iain McAllister–John Lee Brougher

ToC: Storytelling and the stage

Sitting Down and Telling Stories: learning TTRPG skills from Rakugo
D. “Zhen” C.
Pages 11-23

Determining a Melodramatic Sensibility in Tabletop Role-playing Games
Kayla Dice
Pages 24-29
Spectating play: theatre, rpgs and critical spectatorship
Nicholas Orvis

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Playtest Material Magazine @playtestmaterial.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

New on the site: "From itchio to Paizo, you can feel cultures of play changing, people poking at the edges of things, tuning engines, hacking codes, patching broken hardware and seeing what this baby can do" @davidblandyrpgs.bsky.social @laurieoc.bsky.social playtestmaterial.org/role-playing...

playtestmaterial.org

Role-playing Games Are Raucous and Transformative

Introductions from the editors to the first issue of Playtest Material.

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Crimson Adder Curiosities @crimsonaddergames.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I have a solo/co-op RPG on Gamefund. Myco//Drift is a biopunk RPG in which players take on the roles of genetically altered pilots bonded to skyscraper-sized fungal bio-mechs fighting Kaiju mutant bugs! gamefound.com/en/projects/... #ttrpg #indieRPG #ttrpgcommunity #biopunk

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C is for Crombil @zhenwa40.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

@dimension20.dropout.tv’s new season has arrived in a timely manner! I’ve been reading the works of Charles Causley & A. A. Milne as a means of studying 20th century British writing themes & aesthetics. Conflict in such works, while mundane & simple, is very important in being well understood IMO.

Image of two books - one of “Winnie the Pooh the complete collection” and another “Collected Poems for Children, Charles Causley”.

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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 16/09/2026

One of the great things about being in the same city as my grad school bestie is driving around with her & her telling me this and me FLAILING LIKE A MUPPET in the passenger’s seat.

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🪼Ghost Jellyfishlines 🔜 PaxU🪼 @jellyfishlines.itch.io · 12/09/2026

Mom shattered her toe and can’t work for a little bit. She’s a waitress and the main breadwinner of the home. Anything helps if you can spare. ko-fi.com/jellyfishlin...

ko-fi.com

Support Jellyfishlines

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Bat Terror @mattthr.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

My CHRONICALLY UNFIT daughter is training for a HALF MARATHON to raise money for a charity that helped her mum, my wife, survive a potentially life ending illness. If you've got a spare quid, could you encourage her please? www.justgiving.com/page/jasmine...

justgiving.com

Jasmine's fundraiser for Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland

Help Jasmine Thrower raise money to support Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland

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Playtest Material Magazine @playtestmaterial.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

hello proofreaders, early readers and artists. We are putting the final touches on issue one in the next two weeks. If anybody would like to spare some time to proofread or early read a few articles, or provide an editorial illustration, we are looking for volunteers. Please get in touch!

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Thomas M, Full-time Rascal @newmadras.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This is one of the first stories I pitched at Rascal when I joined in 2024. I did the reporting then but didn't write it then for complicated reasons. Earlier this year, I ran the game again. When I sat down to write, I had a lot to say and it all came pouring out.

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paisley ghostlywhispers @nerdywhispers.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Send me your character sheet and use code CHARACTERSHEET for a 25% discount on TTRPG Characters! #dnd #commissions #opencommissions #illustration ko-fi.com/nerdywhispers

TTRPG (Tabletop Roleplaying Game Character) Commission Sale! Send me your Character Sheet for a discount. 25% off on full-body fantasy/sci-fi illustrations starting at $25usd. I will do OCs (Original Characters), no reference-image requests, NSFW, and horror material.

I take payments through Ko-fi, PayPal, and Venmo.

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C is for Crombil @zhenwa40.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

While Wanderhome, one of my fav games of all time, would not exist without BoB: I want to give a shout out to The Quiet Year. I played it into the night with one of my oldest friends while he polished copper jewellry he made me. I hope he has the map still.

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Bethany Black @bethanyblack.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

One of the greatest line reads of all time. Tim Curry for Command And Conquer, clearly it was a one and done and he could barely stop laughing at the ridiculousness of the line. Perfection

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Quinns @itsquinns.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Adolescence is amazing because it really makes it a game about *change*. Tons of games have casts of characters that you fall in love with. Exocolonist makes you fall in and out of love, then back in again

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Laurie O'Connel (is looking for ttrpg work (in Dublin)) @laurieoc.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Only available in print: The Rat Line is a new solo roleplaying game by Laurie O'Connel. Using a pack of playing cards and your own wits, play as an investigative reporter looking into the secret rat-line of arms operated by the CIA and MI6 during the Syrian Civil War (2012-15).

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Matthew Ayers @matthewayers.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

The physical version of Blightfall is now available for purchase! quadaygames.com/products/bli... It includes all of the PDFs, as well as PDFs for the new bonus class, The Palace--which released today!

quadaygames.com

Blightfall Corebook - Physical + PDFs

Blightfall is a dark fantasy TTRPG for a GM and 3-5 players. Doomed villagers infected with darkness sacrifice shreds of their humanity for the power to protect their home. A unique system featurin...

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Afraid of Encounters (He/Him) @isaacisafraid.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

THE INDONESIAN TTRPG SCENE IS GROWING DAY BY DAY

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 13/08/2026

Reminder: 1. You don't need to have an opinion on everything, especially stuff you don't know enough about 2. You don't need to have a PUBLIC opinion on everything 3. It's okay to focus on one or two things and let others take up the slack elsewhere 4. It's okay to take a break when overwhelmed.

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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 08/08/2026

To encounter the right poem at the right time — whew. “I want a word that means okay and not okay, more than that: a word that means devastated and stunned with joy. I want the word that says I feel it all all at once.” [Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, “For When People Ask”]

For When People Ask
Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
I want a word that means okay and not okay,
more than that: a word that means
devastated and stunned with joy.
I want the word that says I feel it all all at once.
The heart is not like a songbird singing only one note at a time, more like a Tuvan throat singer
able to sing both a drone and simultaneously
two or three harmonics high above it—
a sound, the Tuvans say, that gives the impression of wind swirling among rocks.
The heart understands swirl,
how the churning of opposite feelings weaves through us like an insistent breeze
leads us wordlessly deeper into ourselves,
blesses us with paradox. so we might walk more openly into this world so rife with devastation, this world so ripe with joy.
@thelitarchives

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Jon Bois @jonbois.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

i wrote this months ago. might have some edits to make

50007: Second draft

T.J. Bro I have been trying to hit you up for months. I got something for you.

JUICE. hit me

T.J. Sliced ketchup. Sliced mustard. Sliced mayonnaise. Sliced hot sauce. Sliced ranch dressing. All solid.

JUICE. hold up here

T.J. I figured out how to stabilize sauces and shit. No more fuckin' with the little packets. No more stupid bottles. It just comes out of a can like cranberry sauce. You can slice it like a butter knife.

JUICE. hooooold up here

T.J. Yeah. It's mad congealed. And that means shit doesn't spill everywhere or come out the sides when you make a sandwich.

JUICE. this also means, and i'm sorry if i'm jumpin to conclusions here, i just feel as though we opened the ark of the condiment. this means that an addition such as ketchup could be regarded not as a condiment of fluid and indeterminate quantity but a signature filling, a stackable, countable food integer. no longer will one ask for some ketchup. one will ask for a ketchup

T.J. See, you get it. You're seein' the vision here, bro. You got, like, special glasses where you can see the vision.

TEN. You're just describing glasses, I think.

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beetle moses @beetlemoses.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Two year anniversary of when I first posted this comic

Two panel comic. Panel 1: an anglerfish is washed up on the ocean shore, laying in the tide. It thinks to itself, “it’s so beautiful.” Panel 2: wide shot of the beach, rocky cliffs, and sky at sunset, with the anglerfish still laying in place. The anglerfish continues thinking to itself, “I might have never known.”

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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 05/08/2026

I could (and probably will) write many essays on the intersection of gender, humor, expertise, and attention spans that come out of the reception of just this clip. (I am trolling, & it’s impressive how many folks missed that)

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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 03/08/2026

This morning: 2 pieces on my episode of @dimension20.dropout.tv Adventuring Academy on @dropout.tv First I went Full Nerd Professor annotating our convo with explainers & links for every digression, citation, & anecdote (if I missed any, y’know, Get in the Comments there) Free to read RIGHT NOW.

patreon.com

FAQ: Adventuring Academy, Annotated | Dr. Em Friedman

FAQ: Adventuring Academy, Annotated by Dr. Em Friedman on Patreon. Join Dr. Em Friedman's community for exclusive content and updates.

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ahdok @socksandpuppets.com · 03/08/2026

Alright, let's do this and see what happens. Please read my reply thread for questions/details.

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Quinns @itsquinns.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

The amazing QQ Discord mods have arranged a review jam for the month of September! Super excited to offer tips and help give some awards at the end. (August can be for playing stuff you might wanna review, but it's not mandatory)

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C is for Crombil @zhenwa40.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

You ever feel a cringe so deep when you’ve discovered you’ve mansplained to “the” professor of ActualPlay?

static.klipy.com

Crumpling Pink Face Animation

ALT: Crumpling Pink Face Animation

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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 30/07/2026

I am unbelievably touched that @dropout.tv titled my @dimension20.dropout.tv Adventuring Academy episode “A Duty of Care”  I’m overwhelmed today, but I want to circle back in a while to share the links to everyone & everything I cited. More soon.

watch.dropout.tv

A Duty of Care (with Dr. Emily Friedman) - Season 7 - Dropout

Dr. Emily Friedman joins Brennan to discuss the history of actual play and the best gaming system. Content Warning: Misophonia (Crunching) - [throughout 54:37-1:01:03]

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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 25/07/2026

I love this twist on the meal metaphor from @aabria.bsky.social — more importantly, it’s an approach to the table that I think aligns with her other goals.

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Laurie O'Connel (is looking for ttrpg work (in Dublin)) @laurieoc.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I just posted an article looking at solo games through the lens of samuel beckett and the theatre of the absurd over on patreon. Right at the bottom members will find more advanced thoughts on the subject below. www.patreon.com/posts/164724...

patreon.com

RPG Book Club: Samuel Beckett and the inherent absurdity of solo journaling. | Laurie O'Connel

This is the second part of a series called RPG Book Club where I attempt to write about books I’ve read that make me think differently about

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🪼Ghost Jellyfishlines 🔜 PaxU🪼 @jellyfishlines.itch.io · 23/07/2026

Hey folks, I need a bit of help this month and anything helps. Anything at all is deeply appreciated, thank you 💖 ko-fi.com/jellyfishlin...

ko-fi.com

Support Jellyfishlines

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Dr. Emily Friedman @ecfriedman.com · 20/07/2026

OK, now a 🧵 of Indeterminate Length Last night: heist-funded INTO THE ODDISH, which I got for 3 reasons: - can’t imagine it will exist in print for long - likely useful in class one day - @oneofthegoodpauls.bsky.social But it’s also a stealth commentary/parody of White Plume Mountain module.

Red and Blue editions of Into the Oddish and adventure “Vileplume Mountain”

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C is for Crombil @zhenwa40.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Had a chunk of time to finally get around to reading @austinwalker.bsky.social’s Realis - there is something etherial & grand in the way it approaches actions, like Nobilis. Unlike Nobilis, I find myself not untethered & somewhat grounded in it’s Sci-fi setting? I’ve gotta bring it to table soon!

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