Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1h

TODAY!!!

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 5d

what's that in the distance?
it's the rumble of VERY FAST GAME DESIGN! 🏎️💨🫧

Oct 14, Ray Chou of @mythworks.bsky.social is joining me & @thismaybegraham.bsky.social for another SOAPBOX GAME MECHANICS: the show where we design & playtest a #ttrpg in 90 mins!

Tech production by @jienbirb.bsky.social

1 7

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 5h

if you pretend evil people aren’t people, you’ll never see it coming when your bud who seemed decent becomes a fascist. You’ll fall for “he can’t be evil because he’s a great dad! he loves his kids!”. It’s actually very important that we understand that truly evil people are still people.

1 1

Reposted by Gnome Anne

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 18h

quick question -- how many games am I allowed to design before I'm *required* to refer to myself as a "game designer"?

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 5d

what's that in the distance?
it's the rumble of VERY FAST GAME DESIGN! 🏎️💨🫧

Oct 14, Ray Chou of @mythworks.bsky.social is joining me & @thismaybegraham.bsky.social for another SOAPBOX GAME MECHANICS: the show where we design & playtest a #ttrpg in 90 mins!

Tech production by @jienbirb.bsky.social

8 1 23

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 16h

Happy thanksgiving!

1 15

Reposted by Gnome Anne

Graham Gentz Loves To Playtest @thismaybegraham.bsky.social · 17h

that's tomorrow! 😱💫🎆✨👁️

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 5d

what's that in the distance?
it's the rumble of VERY FAST GAME DESIGN! 🏎️💨🫧

Oct 14, Ray Chou of @mythworks.bsky.social is joining me & @thismaybegraham.bsky.social for another SOAPBOX GAME MECHANICS: the show where we design & playtest a #ttrpg in 90 mins!

Tech production by @jienbirb.bsky.social

1 3

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 18h

quick question -- how many games am I allowed to design before I'm *required* to refer to myself as a "game designer"?

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 5d

what's that in the distance?
it's the rumble of VERY FAST GAME DESIGN! 🏎️💨🫧

Oct 14, Ray Chou of @mythworks.bsky.social is joining me & @thismaybegraham.bsky.social for another SOAPBOX GAME MECHANICS: the show where we design & playtest a #ttrpg in 90 mins!

Tech production by @jienbirb.bsky.social

8 1 23

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 19h

TOMORROW! Let's design some games!!!

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 5d

what's that in the distance?
it's the rumble of VERY FAST GAME DESIGN! 🏎️💨🫧

Oct 14, Ray Chou of @mythworks.bsky.social is joining me & @thismaybegraham.bsky.social for another SOAPBOX GAME MECHANICS: the show where we design & playtest a #ttrpg in 90 mins!

Tech production by @jienbirb.bsky.social

3

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 19h

I can see the value! I think that’s why I like cosmic horror — the evil is unknowable

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 23h

I don't think we necessarily disagree. I think it's just a different take. I think evil isn't an end, but a means to an end. And some villains are just evil for evil and that feels very flat -- although I will say this is more common in TTRPG than in other forms.

1 3

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 23h

yeah, I agree that we don't need to have redeeming characteristics or tragic backstories -- but I also think if we pretend that fascists are evil aliens without humanity, we get blindsided when people who seemed decent become fascists, you know?

1 5

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

There’s a lot of space between “evil man is actually misunderstood and kinda justified” and “evil man is pure evil for literally no reason”.

The worst people rationalize their evil. They have motives. And I think that’s more interesting than “bad guy bad”, which feels more like allegory to me.

5 23

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

I find this conversation interesting.

I don’t think villains need to be sympathetic, but (if they’re a person) they should be understandable — because they should be *a little familiar*.

Fiction is always an exercise in empathy and taking on new perspectives. Understanding evil is part of that.

Kayleigh McKee, Cheerer for the Dolls ⏬️ AnimeUSA! @ghaspey.bsky.social · 1d

I'll say it: I think its rly annoying and frankly amateurish that writers are constantly told their villains must be understandable or have sympathetic motivation to be interesting or realistic when all our big villains irl are in fact rich, stupid, selfish, trickster dillweeds and always have been

3 34

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

I’m retiring. I’ll be a supporting character with no arc 🫡

3

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

I’ll be sassy and irreverent, but share hard truths you need to hear.

1

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

I’m tired of being the protagonist. I want to be the gay best friend.

3 1 43

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

This is a fascinating and relatively well-studied phenomenon that has been reproduced in many kinds of virtual spaces! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doorway...

Doorway effect - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

2

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

I like to imagine your recipes have cup as the smallest unit. Cake for giants!

1

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

(This was also my opinion of the new Dune movies)

4

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

ALSO upon further consideration, I think it’s a bit of intertwined tales of Prometheus and Genesis, and that’s neat. And if they recut the movie without the dialogue, it would be excellent.

1 2

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

I actually liked the movie. If you can stand the Disney Dialogue, it has some good ideas and the visuals are incredible. And the music. Again, the music 🤌

1 8

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

My suspension of disbelief ends at all this free-flowing traffic in downtown Vancouver

1 10

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

Okokok so Eve is guarding her forbidden knowledge from Satan who is all red. Satan makes a monster to hunt her, but the monster LITERALLY FINDS GOD who is Jeff Bridges in cleric robes. And Satan is banished to hell. Did I get it? All the other references are just the effect of writing by committee.

1 8

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

NIN soundtrack fucked, tho.

1 5

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

You're telling me Eve has some forbidden knowledge they use to grow a magic fruit tree and actually that‘s fine. Shes not like other billionaires. It’s the pagan gods who are are evil. Except for the one who’s Frankenstein’s monster and also Jesus?

2 10

Gnome Anne @annethegnome.bsky.social · 1d

I just saw the new Tron movie and I’m so confused. I guess, minor spoilers?

3 15