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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole
@irny.bsky.social
2.4K followers 860 following 3.9K posts
Pale. Curious. Game-maker. Writer. (de-)Archivist. Goon. Goblinesque. Demi. ADHD. She/Her. Current things: - Darkened Hill & Dale 🎲💀🏞️ - TERMINUS 🎲💀🚇 - Trick or Retreat 🎃🎲☕☺️ links.patchworkfez.co.uk
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · Apr 8
Interested in a TTRPG of mine?

Pick up Darkened Hill & Dale at
shop.patchworkfez.games

TERMINUS late pledges are open on Kickstarter at
www.kickstarter.com/projects/pat...

Sign up to my rare newsletter at
buttondown.email/PatchworkFez

General info at
patchworkfez.games
Patchwork Fez Games
Horrible games for lovely people.
shop.patchworkfez.games
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Reposted by Sarah Cole
thecoppercompendium.co.uk
Daniel, The Copper Compendium @thecoppercompendium.co.uk · 4h
Hello UK #TTRPG folks! I need your knowledge!

What TTRPG stores do you know in the UK?

I decided to create (the start of) a compilation of stores that stock TTRPGs. Have a look, and if you know one I've not found yet, please submit it through the form linked on the doc!
UK TTRPG Stores
docs.google.com
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Reposted by Sarah Cole
Simon Parker @simonparker.bsky.social · 6h
The absolute bloody vandalism of austerity in one chart. Good analysis of the overall picture here.
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Reposted by Sarah Cole
nothingsmonstrd.bsky.social
Nothings Monstered @nothingsmonstrd.bsky.social · 13h
"Every CEO talking about replacing workers with AI is an example of the real problem: that most companies are run by people who don't understand or experience the problems they are solving. They don't do any real work, don't face any real problems, and thus can never be trusted to solve them."
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 7h
Sat next to a guy on the train home, and he's just fired up the first episode of The Residence.

I'd been considering a proper rewatch, but maybe I can just 👀 like a weirdo for half an hour.
Reposted by Sarah Cole
antlervel.vet
Stellaween? @antlervel.vet · 1d
WHEN THERE’S TREASURE BEHIND THE WATERFALL: Oh wow. Yes, very clever! Waterfall treasure! No one’s ever done that before. Lazy jackass

WHEN THERE’S NO TREASURE BEHIND THE WATERFALL: Wow. Too stuck-up to put treasure there huh? Too much of a fucking ICONOCLAST for that? Piece of shit. FUCK you
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 11h
Fri–Sun: £140
Sat–Sun: £95

The ticket includes a bed to sleep in, meals, and the opportunity to play games with some friendly folks.
irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 11h
TWO full tickets still remain for Trick or Retreat – and it starts next week!

I can't usually offer weekend tickets with an overnight option, but as we're getting close...

If you'd like to attend Fri–Sun, or even just Sat–Sun, but stay overnight, let me know and I'll discount a ticket for you. 💜
irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 16d
Folks, there are precisely TWO residential tickets left for Trick or Retreat!

22–27 October
Moira, Midlands, UK

£190 gets you a bed, food, and a few days of company with ~35 other lovely folks who like tabletop games, crafts, and gentle outings.

Info & tickets via
trickorretreat.uk
The counter of a long bar is piled high with boardgames. The quiet room has been made cosy with draped fabrics, fairy lights, and comfortable chairs. A zine library is visible on a long table to the right, and a roaring fire is playing on a large TV. A group of slightly blurry figures stand around a fire on a grassy lawn at night, considering how best to toast marshmallows. People chop up magazine and collage the pieces together at a long table, making pages for the event's annual zine.
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 14h
Ooof!
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 14h
Aside from being in flux, I did some research and the cost to ship out of the US is generally just surprisingly high!

I shared an example of a comparison I did over here: www.patchworkfez.games/collaboration/
irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 14h
Please don't get me into a fight with TfL again. 😅

I may give all backers a little postcard print as a gift, though...
irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 15h
That was the incident which triggered this, btw: www.patchworkfez.games/collaboration/

Because it may well have cost the US-based creator that much to send me the book, despite the fact it would cost me about 30% of that cost to post the same book back to them. US shipping costs are bonkers.
Collaborative Production, Publishing & Distribution – Patchwork Fez Games
www.patchworkfez.games
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 15h
Correct! The 'It is cooler below' and 'It is warmer below' posters were to encourage travel that was free from the trials of above-ground weather.

Also, fun to remember that the Tube used to be a more normal temperature before the surrounding clay warmed up.

www.creativebloq.com/design/poste...
These apocalyptic London Underground posters actually existed
This campaign didn't age well.
www.creativebloq.com
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 15h
No, I still haven't recovered from unexpectedly having to pay nearly £40 in postage to receive a TTRPG book that I backed for ~£45 (and which I wasn't overly impressed with on arrival) earlier this year.
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 15h
Just seen a TTRPG crowd-funder that looks great.
However, I think it's US-based and shipping 'will be charged later', and there isn't even a ballpark expected cost, so I'm afraid that's a no from me.

I don't mind being charged later, but I want at least an *idea* of what to expect. £10? £20? More?
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 15h
Btw, if you're ever keen to get into mosaic-making, I recommend the Mosaic Workshop for advice and supplies. Victoria, the owner, has been very helpful and kindly answered all of my novice-level questions.
The site & item listings also contains lots of contextualising info.

www.mosaicworkshop.com
Mosaic Supplies | Mosaic Workshop
Welcome to Mosaic Workshop, supplier of beautiful tiles in ceramic, glass, marble and smalti. Visit our online store for all the materials, tools and products you'll need to make fabulous mosaics
www.mosaicworkshop.com
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 15h
Love the photos from the Orsoni factory in Venice in Victoria's blog. Delightful that the smalti – the vibrant & irregular bricks pictured below – are still being made by hand, and in the same building the company/family has been working out of for ~150 years.
www.mosaicworkshop.com/post/off-to-...
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 16h
I don't hate it, but I'm not sure I'm totally happy with it?
I feel like there's a better version on the tip of my tongue, as it were. Just waiting for my subconscious to share it with me. 😅
irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 17h
Thanks!
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 17h
Yes, I had a bout of hyperfocus and accidentally stayed up past 1am working on this, and now I'm nursing a headache while enroute to a client office.

Also, yes, that rhyme still needs work.
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 17h
Progress in progress.
A photo of an iPad screen, showing a work-in-progress in Procreate. We see a cut-away of the earth below a rainy grey city street. Beneath this are slices of earth, tube lines, and finally a fiery section like the earth's core – or possibly hell. Warped text curves along the slices. It reads: 'When all is grey & hope is drowned descend to dreaming underground', and also 'It is waiting below'.
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 1d
That reminds me – the TERMINUS BackerKit survey is on its way, hopefully no later than Friday!

(The delay has largely been down to me having a fight with BackerKit's shipping setup, and consequently having to contact support to work out how best to fix it. 🫠 )
irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 1d
This morning I was stuck at East Croydon for nearly half an hour due to a points failure.

I didn't really mind, though, as it gave me more time to workshop some extra artwork for TERMINUS (in the style of Frederick Charles Herrick, who did the troubling 'IT IS WARMER BELOW' poster.)
A photo of an iPad screen, showing a work-in-progress in Procreate. It's a pretty rough sketch, and distinctly inspired by a well-known vintage Tube poster. We see a cut-away of the earth below a sketchy and grey city street. Beneath this are slices of earth, tube lines, and finally a fiery section like the earth's core – or possibly hell. Warped text curves along the slices. It reads: 'When all is grey & hope is drowned descend to dreaming underground', and also 'It is waiting below'.
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 1d
Thanks!

I need to workshop the rhyme a bit more because I'm not happy with that, but I've been making quick progress on it while on my travels today.

If I can get it looking half decent in the next... day?... I may lob a print version into the TERMINUS BackerKit survey as an optional add-on.
A tidier version of the previous iPad sketch posted in this thread.
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 1d
Turns out quite a few of Herrick's posters have an air of horror about them!
You can find a selection over at the LTM shop via www.ltmuseumshop.co.uk/posters/post... but, just to whet your appetite:
A vintage Tube poster by Frederick Charles Herrick – 'IT IS WARMER BELOW'. Above ground, people struggle with traffic and rain. Below ground, a Tube train rolls past a fiery nightmare that is either the centre of the earth or hell. A vintage Tube poster by Frederick Charles Herrick. A lurid edifice of London landmarks surrounds a crush of people that look more like an impact crater. The text reads 'THE WAY HOME ALWAYS KEEPS LONDON'S HEART AGLOW'. A vintage Tube poster by Frederick Charles Herrick. The text reads 'SMELLING THE RICHES OF LONDON'. A figure, possibly a woman, holds a small version of what might be the pagoda at Kew Gardens, their head tipped back as if it is a perfume bottle that they're smelling. It looks a bit like they're about to stab themself in the neck with its pointy top. A vintage Tube poster by Frederick Charles Herrick. The text reads 'TO KEEP PACE WITH TIME TRAVEL UNDERGROUND'. In the poster, passengers run to board a waiting train, while what appears to be Father Time, or possibly the Grim Reaper, flies into the tunnel ahead of the train, casting a large shadow on the station wall.
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irny.bsky.social
Sarah Cole @irny.bsky.social · 1d
This morning I was stuck at East Croydon for nearly half an hour due to a points failure.

I didn't really mind, though, as it gave me more time to workshop some extra artwork for TERMINUS (in the style of Frederick Charles Herrick, who did the troubling 'IT IS WARMER BELOW' poster.)
A photo of an iPad screen, showing a work-in-progress in Procreate. It's a pretty rough sketch, and distinctly inspired by a well-known vintage Tube poster. We see a cut-away of the earth below a sketchy and grey city street. Beneath this are slices of earth, tube lines, and finally a fiery section like the earth's core – or possibly hell. Warped text curves along the slices. It reads: 'When all is grey & hope is drowned descend to dreaming underground', and also 'It is waiting below'.
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Reposted by Sarah Cole
rossignol.bsky.social
Jim Rossignol @rossignol.bsky.social · 1d
"quarter of the typical energy bill in 2024 was profit. That is equivalent to every household paying £416 a year so other people can grow rich. The water industry tells a similar story. Almost a third of the average bill goes towards funding shareholder dividends and interest payments."
theguardian.com
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 1d
Soaring bills are the gift that keeps on giving for Reform. Shame Labour doesn’t have the guts to do anything about them | Mathew Lawrence
Soaring bills are the gift that keeps on giving for Reform. Shame Labour doesn’t have the guts to do anything about them | Mathew Lawrence
A cost of living crisis is not inevitable if there is the will to stop companies extracting profits from Britain’s essential services, says Mathew Lawrence of the Common Wealth thinktank
www.theguardian.com
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