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@mindstorm.bsky.social

1.9K followers 500 following 520 posts

I'm just a silly little guy (he/him). Creator of TTRPGs and a follower of all the coolest blogs. Ennie award winner and definitely a person. Was @eldritchmouse on twitter. https://www.mindstormpress.com/

www.mindstormpress.com

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · Aug 26

📰 NEW MINDSTORM POST! 📰 I've thought a lot about what makes good worldbuilding, and the most consistent throughline seems to come down to one thing: being an absolute sicko about it. Here's a post about it, including some interviews from other designers.

www.mindstormpress.com/sicko-worldb...

Sicko Worldbuilding

Question: What does it take to make compelling worlds? Answer: Going sicko mode.

www.mindstormpress.com

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Reposted by Ty

norn noszka @nornnoszka.bsky.social · 21h

Welcome to the Maraketh Megathread: a page-by-page posting of the SECOND issue of our dark fantasy #webcomic ~ updates on the first Tuesday of the month. Behold the cover!👹🐍💅🔥🌙 by @mhudson-illustration.com

A digitally rendered comic book cover of Maraketh's Chosen featuring the protagonists urgently galloping towards the viewer on horseback, with a dramatic orange and purple sunset and dark birds behind them.

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Joshy McBoo! @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 10h

Reminded of the concept of "Speedbumps" in HIS MAJESTY THE WORM today.

I'm a forgetful person by nature, and when I'm GMing there's a lot of spinning plates.

I purposefully put speed bumps into the game so that I could remember to do the "bookkeeping" parts of the game that were important to me.
🧵

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Daniel Harila @danielharila.bsky.social · 8h

Its Jennell jaquays birthdat. She left this realm last January. Her her adventure design and artwork made a bigger impact on me than any other judges guild writer. I even used the color scheme from Hellpits of Nightfang for inspiration when illustrating Duginthroat Divided. Here's a small tribute.

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World Champ 🔜 Gamehole @worldchamp.bsky.social · 2d

Not every game is a product.
Not every booklet is a zine.
Not every idea is a kickstarter.
Not every conversation is content.
Not every collab is a stretch goal.
Not every designer is a peer.

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 1d

Drew Gooden did some digging on his youtube and it's really fascinating. Especially the director (I think, maybe producer) going on an interview and talking about how he earnestly thinks it's a good movie with a lot to say about society.

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 1d

it can go a bit further I think

Reposted by Ty

Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 4d

The last article in my Awards Debrief is up. What even is the point of an award show? Should anyone care?

www.explorersdesign.com/ennies-4/

Where do rpg awards go next?

An insider's look into the 2025 Ennie Awards. Part four. What's the point of an award show? And what do we want to see in the future?

www.explorersdesign.com

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 4d

Player: The town square is empty? Is there anyone watching us right now? Like from the alleyways? Can I roll perception?
GM: What will you do if there isn't anyone watching?
Player: I guess we'll just head across it to the other side...

Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 4d

Player: I want to roll insight on this guy before we make the deal.
GM: Okay. What will you do if he *does* seem trustworthy?
Player: Go through with the deal, I suppose.

You stakes and the follow-through. Things only change if the guy IS untrustworthy. Otherwise, you just narrate what happens next

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 4d

I think if you're going to use PERCEPTION & INSIGHT style skills, one good way of handling them is to ask the player what their character will do if everything turns out to be 'fine' or the status quo.

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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 6d

Part 3 is here. The deep dive into the Ennies. If you're someone who doesn't know much about the Ennie Awards, you should read parts 1 and 2. But if you like a bit of inside baseball and are interested in award shows in general—this is the article for you.

www.explorersdesign.com/ennies-3/

How are the Ennies designed?

An insider's look into the 2025 Ennie Awards. Part three. How does the structure of the Ennies determine its outcomes? And what does it mean for others?

www.explorersdesign.com

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 7d

I have a confession... I haven't been doing any of the editing. This guy has been ratatouille-ing me the entire time

bsky.app/profile/mind...

Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 19d

This is what stares back at me as I edit THE CASTLE AUTOMATIC if anyone was wondering

A ceramic worm with a top hat on top of the book HIS MAJESTY THE WORM

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Joshy McBoo! @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 7d

Ty at Mindstorm Press (@mindstorm.bsky.social) is a great developmental editor for RPGs: collaborative, attentive, intelligent.

If you need someone to help you with your next project, you should hit him up.

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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 7d

Alright, the first in-depth article of my awards debrief is live. "How do the Ennies work?" A top-down look at my judging experience from A to Z.

Please share, leave comments, and ask questions. And don't forget to read part 1 if you haven't already.

www.explorersdesign.com/ennies-2/

How do the Ennies work?

An insider's look into the 2025 Ennie Awards. Part two. What is the award process like behind closed doors, and how do the judges select nominees?

www.explorersdesign.com

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 7d

to know the mirror elf is to know yourself

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 7d

My initial glance had me reading it as "knows... mirror elf" and I thought, huh, that's a *really* specific spell that has me asking a lot of questions

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Lorde Stan Account @knightattheopera.bsky.social · 7d

My friend Directsun is on a mission to get more people creating Zelda-style puzzle dungeons. Give his blog a read and let him talk you into it:

puzzledungeon.com/puzzle-dunge...

Puzzle Dungeon Design: Themes & Gimmicks

Here are a couple of formalized steps for crafting puzzle dungeons that feel at home at the table—and are actually fun.

puzzledungeon.com

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wobblerocket 🎲🎮 @wobblerocket.com · 7d

Today, Freya experienced a sudden medical crisis. I found her lying limp and barely responsive. When we got her to the vet, her pulse, BP, and blood sugar were all dangerously low. Vet said if we'd waited an hour, she might not have survived.

🧵

A black cat on a windowsill in the sunlight.

A black cat sitting upright with wide expressive eyes, shot in black and white.

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Clayton @explorersdesign.bsky.social · 8d

I love award shows. It's no secret. It's why I've spent months writing, refining, and trying to distill my Ennies judging experience.

It's a 4-part series (I know, I know). One article a day. Today's lays out my goals and puts the focus on awards in general.

www.explorersdesign.com/ennies-1/

The Awards Debrief 2025

An in-depth look at the Ennie Awards, its process, design, and role from the perspective of one former judge.

www.explorersdesign.com

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Reposted by Ty

Joshy McBoo! @riseupcomus.bsky.social · 9d

I've been running a Magic School game using HIS MAJESTY THE WORM. This has obliged me to house rule the hell out of it. Here are the downtime actions to represent your extracurricular activities.

Magical School Downtime Actions

During my weekly game, I have been running a magical school game using His Majesty the Worm. Following my copy and paste manifesto ethos , I...

riseupcomus.blogspot.com

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Benj Dino 2 has a Patreon! @goobernuts.itch.io · 9d

I put up a goal on my ko-fi because I want to help my parents pay for my matriculation fees.

My mom lost her full-time job so my dad has taken on most of our expenses.

Any amount will help immensely! If you can't give anything, even sharing this around will help, too.

ko-fi.com/goobernuts/g...

Buy goobernuts a Coffee

Become a supporter of goobernuts today!

ko-fi.com

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Evlyn Moreau @evlynmoreau.bsky.social · 11d

Here is my cursed ogre zine: Gormand's Larder
Grab the digital copy here: evlyn.itch.io/gormand-larder
#TTRPG

Gormand's Larder by Evlyn

System agnostic illustrations only adventure

evlyn.itch.io

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 11d

diegetic shouldn't be in here but the common RPG-enjoyer misspelling "diagetic" SHOULD BE

kill ghost -> gamehole con @willjobst.bsky.social · 11d

there's a chance i can crank out this zine before gamehole con this month!

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Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 11d

the best part was how fast it proved that discord is a terrible place for tech support: someone asked a question and they DID get an answer, but those two posts were sandwiched between two other people having an internet slap fight. You'd never find the answer just searching discord

Ty @mindstorm.bsky.social · 11d

the cynic in me thinks that they made the discord and shut down the forms so that they have a void where all this discontent gets dumped in to, and they can just delete it and leave no trace at any time (unlike the forum which could be archived and searchable)

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