iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 19h

🎲✂️ It's not a gamefound camapign without a unnecesarry but satisfying metal coin upgrade

A front/back stl view of a Pact metal coin

Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 22h

We're starting to see reviews come in for Pact! "Pact quickly transports players to a world where A Bug’s Life meets Game of Thrones. A sort of A Song of Lice & Fire Ants. Sorry, I’m not overly proud of that pun…"

dicedaniel.nl

Review: Pact (Wulfhorn Games) – English

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Steve Irwin didn't die, he got isekaid into the Kanto region and is living his best life

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Hey so I know I've been a little quieter when talking about Pact. That's because I've been furiously working on a ton of gamefound things behind the scenes, one of which is THIS! www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Wc... Launching October 13!

youtube.com

Pact - Coming to Gamefound

YouTube video by Wulfhorn Games

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

"Hear me out, we help the fascists oppress *one* minority group, and then they'll be happy and leave us alone forever"

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

🎲✂️ If the Pact gamefound campaign makes at least $2 million, @wulfhorngames.bsky.social has promised to dress up in a Jenna mascot costume for the entirety of next Spiel. This is definitely something I have discussed with him beforehand. Help me make this happen, folks.

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Hawk and Dove Games @hawkanddovegames.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I want to spend some time today talking a bit more about this game, and why I think it's so important. Small Steps to Fight Fascism is a unique game in several ways. It covers a very recent and particular bit of United States history, but its model is applicable to many different circumstances.

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

1) This is a classic game and cool concept that deserves more attention 2) Mr. B enthusiastically published my first game after Mayfair tossed it in a closet for several years. He's an amazing person and deserves every dollar you give him to make forgotten classics available again.

kickstarter.com

Ace of Aces: Handy Rotary & Flying Machines Deluxe Editions

Ace of Aces returns for the next two Deluxe reprint installments, Book 2, Handy Rotary, and Book 3, Flying Machines!

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Hawk and Dove Games @hawkanddovegames.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This month, we're pleased to announce another game we've brought into our pipeline. Small Steps to Fight Fascism is a codesign by @goatgruff.bsky.social and Joe Kell about the ICE occupation of Minneapolis in late 2025 and early 2026. Read more about it here: www.hawkanddovegames.com/blog/small-s...

hawkanddovegames.com

small steps to fight fascism — Hawk and Dove

How our third board game fits with Hawk & Dove.

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Playing tabletop wargames really gets me into the simultaneous mood of "I can't get this feeling from boardgames" AND ALSO "This is terribly written, I could make this so much cleaner to play" So am I idly reinventing a generic Guild Ball / Blood Bowl because I can? Yes.

Round Play
In the first round, the receiver goes first. In future rounds, the player with the fewest Match Points goes first. In case of a die, flip a coin or dice off to determine the first player. The second player gains one additional ⏳ as compensation.

Players then take turns choosing an unactivated model and activating it, until both players have activated all their models or activated 6 models, whichever comes first.
Activation
During its activation, models may perform any number of Action Plays (⚙️) in any order it chooses. Once a player chooses to or cannot take any more action plays, the models activation ends.

Models by default have access to the following plays:
Advance (⚙️1️⃣): The model moves up to its movement speed, OR stands up from being Knocked Down.
Attack OR Kick (⚙️1️⃣): The model makes an attack (melee 👊 or ranged 🏹), OR kicks the ball.
Bonus Attack OR Kick (⚙️⏳): The model makes an attack (melee 👊 or ranged 🏹) or kicks the ball.
Rush (⚙️1️⃣⏳): Increase the model’s movement by 2” this turn. If the model started its turn unengaged, it gets +3 dice on its first melee hit this turn.

When it is not their turn, models also have default access to the Counterattack reaction play
Counterattack (↩️1️⃣⏳): After being attacked (but not counterattacked), attack the original attacker.

End Of Round
Refresh each player’s pool of Bonus Time to ⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳. Then in turn order, each player may return a model that was taken out this turn to half health (usually 3/6 wounds) and deploy it to their deployment zone touching the pitch edge.

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

WELCOME TO WERNER HERZOGS NEW LINE OF CHILDREN'S TOYS SAD BEIGE TOYS FOR SAD BEIGE CHILDREN NOW IN EXISTENTIALISM GRAY, WITH DARK BLUE ACCENTS REMINDING US OF THE MERCILESS OCEAN DEPTHS AND THE FATE THAT AWAITS US ALL

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Mollz (ballz) @dopestatistics.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOO

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Taking care of my post surgery dad in Wales this week, which comes with something we haven't been able to do in close to 10 years - play miniature wargames with each other. God Guildball is a hoot to play, I wish it was still supported.

My father carefully measuring out exactly how to completely screw me over on a play

My father carefully considering the next play

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Dan Thurot @danthurot.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

It was a slow week! What did you get to the table?

board games: Baba Is You, Six-Sided Seas, Suppose, Enchanted Ivy, Brute Fort, Pact: The Future of Branchbourne, Mountain Goats Legacy, Party House, Pond, Abroad

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Historical miniature wargamers are a funny side-evolution of game design because what do you mean Roman Medium Cavalry prevents damage on a roll of 4 1/2 or more on a d6. Who thought that was a clean and easy rule

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

🎲✂️ working on a complex design means I am increasingly embarrassed at the number of typos and errors I let slip through the cards and boards I *shipped to reviewers a week ago*

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Bart de Jong @bartgamedesign.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

We had an amazing session of @zhoekstra.bsky.social's upcoming game Pact this evening. There was lots of scheming, there were plots being foiled and some poor bug got guillotined. Y'all should be looking out for this one: gamefound.com/en/projects/...

gamefound.com

PACT by Wulfhorn Games - Gamefound

A sudden death, a kingdom on the brink. You have a rare chance to make pacts with key groups and make the future of Branchbourne yours

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Continuing my journey into rediscovering miniature painting with this ice troll

A miniature of an ice troll holding a rock

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Toying with metal coin ideas for backers that want a luxe-version

Images of a branchbourne coin, with plain circle edges and a banner edge

Images of a branchbourne coin, with art deco edges

Images of a branchbourne coin, with art deco edges and a more mismatched "hand cast" look

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Okay hear me out a CCG pauper tournament scored like a Speedrun. Players play multiple games Swiss style, and you need a roughly 60% win rate to place. But after that you are ranked solely by your decks cost, so the winner is the person who brought the cheapest deck that still wins 60% of the time

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Anyone who says "you can't get ahead while getting even" clearly doesn't have access to a guillotine.

A picture of the game board for Pact, centered on the character Kashaf Amin. The guillotine piece has been placed on him, marking him as executed.

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Eric Lang @ericlang.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

“Publishers know what players want better than—“ Nope. We’re all just guessing and pretending to know better Make art you love. Work hard to get better at making art you love. The rest is admin

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

🎲✂️ At Essen Spiel this year, in addition to having a pre-production copy of Pact to play, we will also have promo cards for the upcoming game available! Introduce a secret society of gamers to your playthrough of Pact!

Gathering Of Players

(replaces Ermine V's Funeral)

In turn order, all players may [sign a pact]. Influence gained this way may be placed on any courtier instead of the reserve

"they say it's just a 'weekly game night'. Branchbourne's spymasters know better."

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

🎲✂️ As Grachtenpand / Canal Houses gets localized, I'm endlessly interested in which countries choose to do a full translation versus keep the original name. China chose to keep the original name on the front with "Canal Flower Houses" translated on the top, while Germany just went "HIGH HOUSE!"

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I'm really proud of how beautiful this game turned out

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

It's time, my babies! Fly, fly away and get me those pretty little reviewers!

A stack of boxes with review copies of Pact

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Ramona @alderdoodle.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

That big 'R' is my favourite letter I've drawn this year.

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Happy to announce the launch of Restless Raven Game's landing page! We're a real company now! www.restlessravengames.com

restlessravengames.com

Home | Restless Raven Games

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BoardGameWire 🔜 Spiel Essen @boardgamewire.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Who has the fairest contracts in board games? TTGDA launches publisher benchmark to improve treatment of designers: boardgamewire.com/index.php/20... @ttgda.bsky.social

A graph showing blue dots scattered above, below and along a black x-axis line. Title reads: TTGDA Contract Scoring Distribution.

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Shooting for the gamefound trailer!

An expensive camera in a tripod is pointed downwards at a game of Pact

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

🎲✂️ Get ready to play some politics, starting this October.

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

One of the hilarious side effects of trying to avoid car ownership in the Netherlands and only rent cars when we need it Is that our son is fully convinced that if you ever need a car you can just open the door of a car parked on the street and drive it.

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

🎲✂️ UPS says our preproduction copies will be here tomorrow, but given that they're still in new delhi right now, I think UPS is full of shit

Geplande bezorging
Donderdag, Augustus 06 om 12:00

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Me hearing the latest drama in some niche fandom subreddit I'd never heard of before (My artist for Pact is working on some promo card sketches and I'm having a lot of fun describing fun intrigue things for him to draw)

A rough sketch of someone whispering to a reclining woman, a knowing smirk on her face and a glass of wine in her hand

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

W40k fans: "The setting is a dark reflection of humanity's worst impulses and a tragic reminder that fanatisicm is a churning wheel of blood that goes nowhere... forever" Also W40k fans: "His name is Commander Legface because I ran out of heads and used a leg for his face. He's 40% of my points"

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

board game designers too - there is a special quality to games that are cheerfully handmade and bad. Don't make slop, make the board game equivalent of Halal Movie Night

Halal Family movie night, a hastily slapped together poster advertising Finding Nemo 2 with a clipart fish and the words "Inshallah they find him"

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⚔️🎀 𝔉𝔦𝔞𝔡𝔥 🎀⚔️ @fiadh.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

i am begging venues & bands to rediscover clipart

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

🎲✂️🧵 So let's imagine there's a game that's designed for 4 players, and is playable but not as good at 3 (Spoilers it's Pact) It's got a deck of 90 some cards and a board and tokens.

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Now is the time for my solitaire Game of the Goose design to wow publishers and earn accolades

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

*sigh* pretty much. With Pact I specifically designed the game with 4 personalities that bounce off of each other in interesting ways, but that means the game feels a bit lackluster at smaller player counts. 3 feels a bit weak, 2 feels rote, and a solo mode would feel like a different game

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

I may look like a fluffy golden retriever on the outside but I'm a big fan of the morbid, the gothic, and the frightening. So this was my reaction on finding Danse Macabre at the Efteling this weekend. Haunted Mansion eat your heart out

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

🎲✂️, I want your opinion on how I organize information in this rulebook. It goes: 1️⃣ Components and Setup 2️⃣ Key Concepts 3️⃣ Round overview 4️⃣ Player Turn / Action overview 5️⃣ Keywords / special rules 6️⃣ Appendix docs.google.com/document/d/1... Let me explain my thoughts

docs.google.com

PACT Rulebook

Set in the miniscule bug kingdom of Branchbourne, Pact is a game of Grand Politics in a Tiny World. Jenna Ermine the Sixth feels the weight of her mother's crown. Without any allies and far too youn...

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Bellevue version Parthenay! I love that the window signage actually goes up and down with the houses

A jaunty table with a copy of Bellevue version Parthenay, buttons, and cups

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

🎲✂️ After close to a month of design, the pre-production files for Pact have been sent! I'm so excited to see what we made You can see a little sneak peek of what everything looks like put together in the screentop implementation. Check it out! screentop.gg/@zhoekstra/p...

A shot of the final pieces for the sideboard and main board

A shot of the player board and cards for Matuk Inkclaw

A shot of the player board and cards for Weaver Neith

A shot of the player board and cards for Jenna Ermine

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Zach Hoekstra @zhoekstra.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

🎲✂️ "Reeding" is the term for marking and channels made around the edge of a coin in order to make it harder to shave or counterfiet. But I've always called them greeblies

4 options for a fantasy coin. The centers are all the same, but the markings around the rim are slightly different

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Andrew Nesbitt @andrewnez.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Incident Report: CVE-2026-LGTM nesbitt.io/2026/06/26/i...

nesbitt.io

Incident Report: CVE-2026-LGTM

A series of unfortunate agents.

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Garrett Gilchrist @garrettgilchrist.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

NANCY PELOSI: We must find the next generation of Democratic leadership. Young, charismatic and exciting candidates who can energize the party. People that voters love because they're not 80 years old and sold out to big capital. CHUCK SCHUMER (behind sniper rifle): Found one PELOSI: Take the shot

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