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Katrina Ostrander

@lindevi.bsky.social

730 followers 290 following 310 posts

a twin cities writer, gamer, and new mom. follow for musings on tabletop rpgs, sf/f books, board games, video games, history, parenting, and politics. opinions are my own. https://linktr.ee/lindevi

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Katrina Ostrander @lindevi.bsky.social · Nov 18

Thrilled to see so many tabletop gaming folks joining Bluesky!

I'm Katrina, and I've been working in TTRPGs and board games since 2013! Most of my time has been full-time at Fantasy Flight Games and Asmodee, but I've also freelanced for Cubicle 7 and written tie-in fiction for Aconyte Books.

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Chaosium @chaosium.bsky.social · 6h

Pendragon Classic is live on Kickstarter!

40 years after its original publication, we are proud to recreate the original edition of this classic RPG, as pure and raw as it was back then, with bonus content from the archives.

Back now -> www.kickstarter.com/projects/cha...

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Michael A. Stackpole 🇺🇦 @michaelastackpole.bsky.social · 14h

BattleTech readers: Based on a discussion in another thread here, I'd love for you to answer the following:

1) What book would you recommend as a new readers' 1st Btech novel to intro them to the current world.

2) What are the five follow-up novels to bring them wholly up to speed on Btech?

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Rob MacWolf, Werewolf Hitchhiker @robmacwolf.thevoice.dog · 1d

When we write or draw porn or erotica, we get banned from having a bank account and our livelihoods get seized even if we give it away for free.

When billionaires steal what we've written or drawn to churn out a slop-approximate of porn, they're allowed to charge for it.

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 1d

Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

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Adam Jury @adamjury.com · 1d

Hey folks — if you donate to either/both of these GoFundMes, I'll do an hour's worth of consulting work (ttrpg biz, graphic design, crowdfunding) for you.

Rob Wieland: gofund.me/edab5e905

Steven 'Bull' Ratkovich: gofund.me/6474dcaeb

Donate, show me proof, we'll work out the details.

Donate to Family of Robert Wieland, organized by Vickie ONeill

Friends of Robert Wieland have requested that we set up goFundMe page for the benefit of his f… Vickie ONeill needs your support for Family of Robert Wieland

gofund.me

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SDShamshel @ogiuemaniax.com · 10d

[Anime Central 2025] An Interview with Pili, the Puppet Studio Behind Thunderbolt Fantasy

At Anime Central 2025, I received an opportunity to interview Pili, the Taiwanese studio that co-produced Thunderbolt Fantasy. I hope that fans of Thunderbolt Fantasy, fans of Pili, and anyone curious about…

[Anime Central 2025] An Interview with Pili, the Puppet Studio Behind Thunderbolt Fantasy

At Anime Central 2025, I received an opportunity to interview Pili, the Taiwanese studio that co-produced Thunderbolt Fantasy. I hope that fans of Thunderbolt Fantasy, fans of Pili, and anyone curious about unique media and entertainment can learn from the in-depth answers they gave. 1) Taiwan has a celebrated tradition of puppet theater, something that is likely unfamiliar to much of the English-speaking audience.

ogiuemaniax.com

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Kira Magrann @kiraserpentine.bsky.social · 2d

Tell me your best movies of the year (from any country)

I’m having a real hard time finding anything that’s not super violent, not super dark and depressing, not stressful, doesn’t feature scary things happening to kids, and also isn’t a kids movie lol. Do these movies exist anymore?

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Cam Banks 🇳🇿 ❌👑 @rustysellsword.com · 3d

I am absolutely gutted to hear of the death of Rob Wieland, literally one of the greatest tabletop reviewers and commentators we had. Tirelessly tracked industry news, omnipresent in our collective circles and communities. I am so sad for his young family. These are dark days, friends.

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Dr. Emily Friedman @friede.bsky.social · 3d

Putting out a call: if you were part of WOTC’s late-2010s live events (Stream of Many Eyes, D&D Live, The Descent), I would love to talk to you as part of the Actual Play book.

[email protected] will reach me, either to schedule a chat or to share your memories.

Please feel free to share.

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Jozarth @jozarth.net · 3d

The real "true crime" content in your life is everything the past owners of your house did when they decided not to hire a professional to fix something.

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Katrina Ostrander @lindevi.bsky.social · 5d

It really is. Not sure if you're looking for advice, but supposedly noai.duckduckgo.com is supposed to filter out AI from its search results.

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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 6d

New from 404 Media: the Discord hack is every users' worst nightmare. Yesterday the hackers started posting Discord users' selfies, identity documents, email addresses, phone numbers, more. I watched in real time. This is risk of tech storing ID for age verification
www.404media.co/the-discord-...

The Discord Hack is Every Users’ Worst Nightmare

A hack impacting Discord’s age verification process shows in stark terms the risk of tech companies collecting users’ ID documents. Now the hackers are posting peoples’ IDs and other sensitive informa...

www.404media.co

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Katrina Ostrander @lindevi.bsky.social · 7d

I just managed to spell "Battle of Thermopylae" correctly on the first try and would like a gold star sticker, please.

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Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 7d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Evil Hat @evilhat.bsky.social · 8d

Official cover reveal!
Lorne Colt did an outstanding job with all four volumes of Designers & Dragons: Origins.
We launch this mammoth collection of roleplaying history two weeks from today! Sign up here to get notified on launch: www.backerkit.com/call_to_acti...

The four covers for Designers & Dragons: Origins. Volume 1 shows an illustration of a scaly dragon egg surrounded by jewels. Volume 2 shows a young hatchling clutching a crystal. Volume 3 shows a young dragon frolicking as it breathes wisps of fire. Volume 4 shows and adult dragon stalking directly toward the viewer in a menacing prowl.

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Monica Valentinelli would like a time machine @booksofm.com · 8d

Now available on DriveThruFiction, DriveThruCards, and @drivethrurpg.com! Tarot for Storytellers is a how-to book that teaches writers and game masters all about tarot! www.drivethrufiction.com/en/product/5...

Tarot for Storytellers | A How-To Book by Monica Valentinelli | New Release! Tarot for Storytellers is an eBook inspired by Monica Valentinelli's popular tarot workshop. Perfect for writers and game masters, this "how to" book packed with prompts and writing exercises teaches you about tarot, how to use tarot to create characters and plots, and so much more! Now available in PDF at DriveThruRPG, DriveThruCards, DriveThruFiction

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Marie Brennan @swantower.bsky.social · 8d

Happy Anti-Prime Day! Free shipping today and tomorrow at Bookshop.org -- support bookstores, not billionaires!

Bookshop: Buy books online. Support local bookstores.

An online bookstore that financially supports local independent bookstores and gives back to the book community.

Bookshop.org

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Dani Donovan 👩🏻‍🎨 ADHD Comics @danidonovan.com · 10d

This x 100000 = mood

#ADHDAwarenessMonth

Circular flowchart. “Too anxious to start on anything” leads into “stressed about not getting anything done,” then back to “too anxious to start on anything”—creating an endless loop.

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Thomas M, Full-time Rascal @newmadras.bsky.social · 9d

Hi, is there anybody here who is in/from Spain who could help me answer some questions about RPGs in the 90s?

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 10d

When I turned 30 I had not yet written my first published book or my first published novel and did not know (or know of) some of the most important people in my life. I didn't know how much my life could still change, and did, after the age of 30. There is so much your life still yet to live.

essencesimmone.blacksky.app @essencesimmone.blacksky.app · 12d

Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 13d

The "AI" responses that Google gives about me and my work are consistently error-prone, which I know because I am me. If I know Google's "AI" responses give incorrect answers about things I know about, I can't trust it to give correct answers about things I don't know. So, no, I don't use it.

John Gordon 🇨🇦🇩🇰 @johngordon.bsky.social · 13d

I’m surprised you don’t use ai answer engines in research you currently do with Google

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Katrina Ostrander @lindevi.bsky.social · 17d

The creator of Yokai.com looks to have a new book coming soon, to be funded via Kickstarter! Should be some great inspiration for anyone running games that feature creatures of Japanese myth and folklore: www.kickstarter.com/projects/osa...

Coming soon: Echizen-Wakasa Kidan: Strange Tales from Fukui

illustrated stories of yokai, ghosts, and weird tales from rural Japan

www.kickstarter.com

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Chris Spivey (Author) ➡️ Gamehole Con @darkerhue.bsky.social · 25d

🎷 Hey Hepcats, have you rolled dice with the multi-ENnie-winning, Diana Jones-nominated #HarlemUnbound yet? No? Why not?! You might’ve missed the groundbreaking indie darling 1E, but don’t sweat it. Bigger, Pulpier, & Expanded Second edition exist! 👀 #CallOfCthulhu #Gumshoe #RPGHorror #TTRPG

Harlem Unbound 1E cover with the three gold Ennies on it.

Harlem Unbound map rolled out on a wooden table.

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Arkham Historian @arkhamhistorian.bsky.social · 20d

1) @rosemaryjones.bsky.social has written more published books set in the Arkham Files IP than any other writer.

2) You can sign up to be included in a "chill-n-chat" with her Sunday night after registering for this wonderful online convention.

Rosemary Jones @rosemaryjones.bsky.social · 20d

Did you know that you now can directly sign up for open seats at Flights of Foundry in Limited Seating sessions? Chill-n-chat with me on Sunday and don't forget to check out all the other free programming! You find all the griffin-y good stuf at flights-of-foundry.org! Convention starts tomorrow.

Flights of Foundry's griffins look like they are snoozing in a pile, but they are really working behind the scenes for the 2025 convention.

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Katie @ktryn.bsky.social · 20d

Today I learned that NASA made a tabletop roleplaying game:

science.nasa.gov/mission/hubb...

The Lost Universe - NASA Science

Download NASA's tabletop role-playing game adventure, The Lost Universe.

science.nasa.gov

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Charlie Hall @charliehall.bsky.social · 21d

Friends, I finally am in the market for freelance work! It's a big year for things like Magic and D&D, so if you've got a hankering for some expert content get in my DMs. I'm also eager to discuss contract marketing and communications opportunities.

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