sam “under and over” sorensen
@samsorensen.bsky.social
Tabletop RPG writer, editor, graphic designer (for hire!). Corpselike academic. he/him
samsorensen.blot.im
samsorensen.blot.im
Pinned
about six weeks ago, I started running a play-by-post real-time "logistics wargame" I made, called Cataphracts. It started with 5 players, now it has 23. I've tweeted about it a bit, but here's a short blogpost with more thoughts and observations ⬇️ (link below)
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
The latest TEETH newsletter features a guest essay on OVER/UNDER by prolific journalist and role-player @markwallace.bsky.social
It's really good. Have a read!
It's really good. Have a read!
Guest Post: On OVER/UNDER, by Our Man In California
Ahoy! You probably know what this newsletter is, since you signed up for it. But if you don’t, why not come by the Discord and ask someone? Perhaps Marsh or...
buttondown.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:06 PM
The latest TEETH newsletter features a guest essay on OVER/UNDER by prolific journalist and role-player @markwallace.bsky.social
It's really good. Have a read!
It's really good. Have a read!
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
"Players reported dreaming about Over/Under, losing sleep, even forgetting to eat."
@lincodega.com writes about the intensity of Mothership Month's hyperbaric roleplay experience and the bleed that resulted from a lack of conventional safety tools.
@lincodega.com writes about the intensity of Mothership Month's hyperbaric roleplay experience and the bleed that resulted from a lack of conventional safety tools.
Thirty Days of Bleed
Within a high-pressure, nonstop roleplaying game, denizens of Over/Under found it difficult to extricate their character’s emotions from their own.
www.rascal.news
November 28, 2025 at 3:08 PM
"Players reported dreaming about Over/Under, losing sleep, even forgetting to eat."
@lincodega.com writes about the intensity of Mothership Month's hyperbaric roleplay experience and the bleed that resulted from a lack of conventional safety tools.
@lincodega.com writes about the intensity of Mothership Month's hyperbaric roleplay experience and the bleed that resulted from a lack of conventional safety tools.
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
I have written a new blog about what an OSR is. I am told there is a lot of discourse about this, but am confident that this should settle the matter once and for all.
thegardenbelow.blot.im/what-is-an-osr
thegardenbelow.blot.im/what-is-an-osr
What is an OSR? - The Garden Below
a post about not knowing what the OSR is.
thegardenbelow.blot.im
November 27, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I have written a new blog about what an OSR is. I am told there is a lot of discourse about this, but am confident that this should settle the matter once and for all.
thegardenbelow.blot.im/what-is-an-osr
thegardenbelow.blot.im/what-is-an-osr
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
Tonight in about 3 hours, it's The Dovecote with @samsorensen.bsky.social!!
TOMORROW at 7:00 PM EST, it's The Dovecote with Sam Sorensen of Cataphracts and Over/Under! Tune in as we discuss Sam's large-scale wargames, PAX Unplugged and more!
Send questions to [email protected], and we'll answer!
Send questions to [email protected], and we'll answer!
November 26, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Tonight in about 3 hours, it's The Dovecote with @samsorensen.bsky.social!!
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
Hey @bsky.app @safety.bsky.app @support.bsky.team please unsuspend Goran immediately.
Goran is a great person, a great artist, and the whole anti-Palestine thing youre on is one of those "Ford funding Hitler" disasters you remember being shocked and dismayed by when you learned of in middle school.
Goran is a great person, a great artist, and the whole anti-Palestine thing youre on is one of those "Ford funding Hitler" disasters you remember being shocked and dismayed by when you learned of in middle school.
November 26, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Hey @bsky.app @safety.bsky.app @support.bsky.team please unsuspend Goran immediately.
Goran is a great person, a great artist, and the whole anti-Palestine thing youre on is one of those "Ford funding Hitler" disasters you remember being shocked and dismayed by when you learned of in middle school.
Goran is a great person, a great artist, and the whole anti-Palestine thing youre on is one of those "Ford funding Hitler" disasters you remember being shocked and dismayed by when you learned of in middle school.
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
seedlinggames.com/blogging/ove...
Wrote a bit about if O/U is a wargame. Also:
- IC, OOC and a secret third thing
- the role of violence in games with a small amount of violence
- a comparison to games that are mostly about politics but not necessarily role playing
#Over/Under
Wrote a bit about if O/U is a wargame. Also:
- IC, OOC and a secret third thing
- the role of violence in games with a small amount of violence
- a comparison to games that are mostly about politics but not necessarily role playing
#Over/Under
Blog
seedlinggames.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:46 PM
seedlinggames.com/blogging/ove...
Wrote a bit about if O/U is a wargame. Also:
- IC, OOC and a secret third thing
- the role of violence in games with a small amount of violence
- a comparison to games that are mostly about politics but not necessarily role playing
#Over/Under
Wrote a bit about if O/U is a wargame. Also:
- IC, OOC and a secret third thing
- the role of violence in games with a small amount of violence
- a comparison to games that are mostly about politics but not necessarily role playing
#Over/Under
if you're #OVER/UNDER alumni and you're at PAXU, I'll be here around 1:30 for the meetup
November 22, 2025 at 5:37 PM
if you're #OVER/UNDER alumni and you're at PAXU, I'll be here around 1:30 for the meetup
giving away the last of the Cataphracts booklets at PAXU, if you want a copy come find me
November 21, 2025 at 8:42 PM
giving away the last of the Cataphracts booklets at PAXU, if you want a copy come find me
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
SALE ALERT!
Right now, ALL of our TTRPG books, box sets, and cards are 30% off! Every MOTHERSHIP product, LIMINAL HORROR, CAIRN, FORBIDDEN PSALM, and a whole hellish host of third-party content for these and other fantastic systems. Discount applied automatically at checkout, so CHECK IT OUT!
Right now, ALL of our TTRPG books, box sets, and cards are 30% off! Every MOTHERSHIP product, LIMINAL HORROR, CAIRN, FORBIDDEN PSALM, and a whole hellish host of third-party content for these and other fantastic systems. Discount applied automatically at checkout, so CHECK IT OUT!
November 19, 2025 at 9:02 PM
SALE ALERT!
Right now, ALL of our TTRPG books, box sets, and cards are 30% off! Every MOTHERSHIP product, LIMINAL HORROR, CAIRN, FORBIDDEN PSALM, and a whole hellish host of third-party content for these and other fantastic systems. Discount applied automatically at checkout, so CHECK IT OUT!
Right now, ALL of our TTRPG books, box sets, and cards are 30% off! Every MOTHERSHIP product, LIMINAL HORROR, CAIRN, FORBIDDEN PSALM, and a whole hellish host of third-party content for these and other fantastic systems. Discount applied automatically at checkout, so CHECK IT OUT!
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
SPREAD THIS FAR AND WIDE
A group of New Yorkers has made an ICE hotline to protect their neighbors from being kidnapped by secret police.
A group of New Yorkers has made an ICE hotline to protect their neighbors from being kidnapped by secret police.
November 19, 2025 at 9:18 PM
SPREAD THIS FAR AND WIDE
A group of New Yorkers has made an ICE hotline to protect their neighbors from being kidnapped by secret police.
A group of New Yorkers has made an ICE hotline to protect their neighbors from being kidnapped by secret police.
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
worth noting that the $30.2 million deficit the school is facing can be traced to ballooning admin salaries, real estate, and admin benefits, according to the economics department's analysis. the salaries for the actual professors is in line with or *below* the school's revenue growth
November 19, 2025 at 4:33 PM
worth noting that the $30.2 million deficit the school is facing can be traced to ballooning admin salaries, real estate, and admin benefits, according to the economics department's analysis. the salaries for the actual professors is in line with or *below* the school's revenue growth
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
I love the genre mashup. Give me all the Golden Girls/Cthulhus and WWII/Draculas you've got.
But I'm also looking for non-mashups. Sometimes it feels like the industry has an allergy. Westerns without magic. Drama without aliens. Detectives without Cthulhu.
www.explorersdesign.com/one-genre-ga...
But I'm also looking for non-mashups. Sometimes it feels like the industry has an allergy. Westerns without magic. Drama without aliens. Detectives without Cthulhu.
www.explorersdesign.com/one-genre-ga...
Dare to Play it Straight
The rarest tabletop genre is the simplest one. A call for more anti-mashups.
www.explorersdesign.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I love the genre mashup. Give me all the Golden Girls/Cthulhus and WWII/Draculas you've got.
But I'm also looking for non-mashups. Sometimes it feels like the industry has an allergy. Westerns without magic. Drama without aliens. Detectives without Cthulhu.
www.explorersdesign.com/one-genre-ga...
But I'm also looking for non-mashups. Sometimes it feels like the industry has an allergy. Westerns without magic. Drama without aliens. Detectives without Cthulhu.
www.explorersdesign.com/one-genre-ga...
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
#over/under was not one of a kind. I have been playing similar games for the last EIGHT YEARS. Today, I give this medium a name - "Live Text Roleplay" - and help you build a community of your own.
www.valerialoves.com/how-to-repli...
www.valerialoves.com/how-to-repli...
How to Replicate Over/Under
A Guide to Live Text Roleplay
www.valerialoves.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:00 AM
#over/under was not one of a kind. I have been playing similar games for the last EIGHT YEARS. Today, I give this medium a name - "Live Text Roleplay" - and help you build a community of your own.
www.valerialoves.com/how-to-repli...
www.valerialoves.com/how-to-repli...
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
🙏CHAPTER SERF🙏
I finished it! A Warhammer 40K adventure & TTRPG where you *don't* play Space Marines. Instead you play those little hooded freaks loitering in the background while Space Marines hog the limelight.
PDF here: drive.google.com/file/d/1V4Mt...
1/
I finished it! A Warhammer 40K adventure & TTRPG where you *don't* play Space Marines. Instead you play those little hooded freaks loitering in the background while Space Marines hog the limelight.
PDF here: drive.google.com/file/d/1V4Mt...
1/
November 18, 2025 at 4:59 PM
🙏CHAPTER SERF🙏
I finished it! A Warhammer 40K adventure & TTRPG where you *don't* play Space Marines. Instead you play those little hooded freaks loitering in the background while Space Marines hog the limelight.
PDF here: drive.google.com/file/d/1V4Mt...
1/
I finished it! A Warhammer 40K adventure & TTRPG where you *don't* play Space Marines. Instead you play those little hooded freaks loitering in the background while Space Marines hog the limelight.
PDF here: drive.google.com/file/d/1V4Mt...
1/
after six long weeks, I have achieved the impossible: zero discord notifications
November 18, 2025 at 5:27 AM
after six long weeks, I have achieved the impossible: zero discord notifications
cataphracts
WHAT ANNOYING GUYS THINK SUN TZU'S ART OF WAR SAYS: show everyone in every single situation you're the big dog, literally bark in your bosses face to assert dominance
ACTUAL SUN TZU: no but seriously you do have to feed your army
ACTUAL SUN TZU: no but seriously you do have to feed your army
November 18, 2025 at 4:19 AM
cataphracts
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
In the first of what will likely be a series of blogs, @lincodega.com unpacks how @samsorensen.bsky.social's month-long realtime Mothership larp/megagame #over/under ended for their character, High Gardener Otso, and also, for themselves.
How to find an ending in Over/Under
After a month of emergent story, scheming, and bleed, it all ended with a gardener and a clown.
www.rascal.news
November 17, 2025 at 6:53 PM
In the first of what will likely be a series of blogs, @lincodega.com unpacks how @samsorensen.bsky.social's month-long realtime Mothership larp/megagame #over/under ended for their character, High Gardener Otso, and also, for themselves.
designers who release projects on itch, please include the credits on your main project page!! not only is it virtuous to emphasize that nearly all projects are team efforts, but also I want to know who worked on something without needing to squint at some screenshot
November 17, 2025 at 4:33 AM
designers who release projects on itch, please include the credits on your main project page!! not only is it virtuous to emphasize that nearly all projects are team efforts, but also I want to know who worked on something without needing to squint at some screenshot
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
so I think the RP/wargaming split wasn't necessarily literally wanting to move armies around on a map but more like, to what extent are you primarily trying to achieve objectives in the game (and possibly RPing based on that) vs primarily trying to play a character (who might be pursuing goals)
November 14, 2025 at 5:29 AM
so I think the RP/wargaming split wasn't necessarily literally wanting to move armies around on a map but more like, to what extent are you primarily trying to achieve objectives in the game (and possibly RPing based on that) vs primarily trying to play a character (who might be pursuing goals)
just locked up the #OVER/UNDER server. final channel count, including archived channels, out-of-game channels, and private or individual channels: 119
November 15, 2025 at 4:23 AM
just locked up the #OVER/UNDER server. final channel count, including archived channels, out-of-game channels, and private or individual channels: 119
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
this is what over 200 discord profile pictures look like next to each other. #over/under
November 14, 2025 at 1:26 AM
this is what over 200 discord profile pictures look like next to each other. #over/under
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
Over the course of the month I drew a portrait or 2(hundred) in #over/under and called them 🩸HEADSHOTS🩸
And @sean.tuesdayknightgames.com said he might put them in the Mothership app so now you can all apply gentle pressure to that situation too! lol
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
And @sean.tuesdayknightgames.com said he might put them in the Mothership app so now you can all apply gentle pressure to that situation too! lol
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
November 13, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Over the course of the month I drew a portrait or 2(hundred) in #over/under and called them 🩸HEADSHOTS🩸
And @sean.tuesdayknightgames.com said he might put them in the Mothership app so now you can all apply gentle pressure to that situation too! lol
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
And @sean.tuesdayknightgames.com said he might put them in the Mothership app so now you can all apply gentle pressure to that situation too! lol
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
me on monday: ah. #over/under ends tomorrow. I am happy that on wednesday i will have my entire brain back available to me and ready to work at maximum productivity
me today: i think i need 2 more days of talking only about over/under before i can stop
me today: i think i need 2 more days of talking only about over/under before i can stop
November 13, 2025 at 7:33 PM
me on monday: ah. #over/under ends tomorrow. I am happy that on wednesday i will have my entire brain back available to me and ready to work at maximum productivity
me today: i think i need 2 more days of talking only about over/under before i can stop
me today: i think i need 2 more days of talking only about over/under before i can stop
oh yeah if you have a podcast or show or whatever and want to chat about #OVER/UNDER, hit me up! my schedule is, surprise surprise, now quite free
November 13, 2025 at 1:22 AM
oh yeah if you have a podcast or show or whatever and want to chat about #OVER/UNDER, hit me up! my schedule is, surprise surprise, now quite free
Reposted by sam “under and over” sorensen
And it's finished!
One Hundred #over/under Tables: A Prospero Potpourri
ktrey.itch.io/overunder-ta...
It was super fun to flex some of my old Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi muscles before they completely atrophied!
One Hundred #over/under Tables: A Prospero Potpourri
ktrey.itch.io/overunder-ta...
It was super fun to flex some of my old Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi muscles before they completely atrophied!
Over/Under Tables: A Prospero Potpourri by ktrey
100 Random Tables for Over/Under
ktrey.itch.io
November 12, 2025 at 11:35 PM
And it's finished!
One Hundred #over/under Tables: A Prospero Potpourri
ktrey.itch.io/overunder-ta...
It was super fun to flex some of my old Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi muscles before they completely atrophied!
One Hundred #over/under Tables: A Prospero Potpourri
ktrey.itch.io/overunder-ta...
It was super fun to flex some of my old Cyberpunk/Sci-Fi muscles before they completely atrophied!