Bad Quail Games // G. Michael Truran
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Bad Quail Games // G. Michael Truran
@bad-quail.itch.io
620 followers 1.1K following 2K posts
He/They.

Librarian by day. Tabletop games artisan some of the rest of the time.

Purveyor of fine PDFs at https://bad-quail.itch.io.

Logo by John W. Sheldon.
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kitty soft
An orange and white creamsickle tabby cat, belly up, getting very good scritchies.
November 28, 2025 at 4:27 PM
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"You'll be visited by three spirits"

The spirits:
A screen from Star Trek the original series. In profile, from left to right: Spock, Kirk, and Leonard "Bones" McCoy.
November 27, 2025 at 11:15 PM
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In tonight's Old King's Crown the Clans took the victory from the Uprising and the Gathering, thwarting a gunpowder plot with a swift and fiery raid.
And end state in the board game The Old King's Crown. A gorgeous card game that takes up entirely too much table real estate.
November 26, 2025 at 2:59 AM
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Yup. This is what I was afraid of. The Old King's Crown is a beautiful game and I had a blast with it. But. It is too big! At least for the tables where I unusually go to play board games.
Mid game of a 3 player session of the Old King's Crown. A huge board depicting a stylized view of a fantasy kingdom with lots of gorgeously illustrated cards. It is quite cramped on the coffee shop table it sits on.
November 14, 2025 at 3:29 PM
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If you don't want to update to the new Affinity all-in-one app and have a license to v2 or v1 of Designer, Photo, and/or Publisher, you can scroll to the bottom of the Affinity by Canva page to access them.
A screenshot of the bottom navigation bar of the Affinity by Canva page. Including links to "Affinity V2" under the "Help" heading.
October 30, 2025 at 6:13 PM
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The Space Pig returns.
A white man with short, messy brown hair and goatee wearing thick glasses, a FloMask Pro, and a hoody layered with a denim vest. In the background, an out of focus airport terminal.
October 29, 2025 at 7:01 PM
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Space Pig obligatory travel selfie.
A white man with short, curly brown hair, green eyes, and a reddish goatee wearing thick rimmed glasses, a seafoam green Flo Mask Pro, and a beat up denim vest. A blurry airport terminal in the background.
October 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
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Soulframe has the best login screen.
A red haired fantasy character dozing sitting up against a boulder in a green field. Several animals nap around them including rabbits, deer, and a beaver laying belly up like a doofus.
October 20, 2025 at 4:55 PM
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Watching the Appendix N Jam awards live stream last night, I was curious about the relationship between entries the judges thought worth mentioning and the community rankings.

I'm not really a stats guy, but there are some interesting surface level observations.
A screenshot of a spreadsheet showing various entries in the Appendix N Jam that got mentioned in the awards live stream, along with their community ranking and number of jam ratings.
September 30, 2025 at 3:10 PM
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From a section on who at the table is responsible for what decisions. Probably more impactful than ye older "here there be an X Cars."

I have some quibbles with the exact wording, but I like the spirit of "hey, it's your responsibility not to (re)traumatize each other."
"Is the situation at the table making anyone uncomfortable or unsafe? Each player has a duty to stop the game at any time for the wellbeing of any other player."
September 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM
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I do love when a game is this up front about what it asks from participants.
"Each player strives to bring their paragon to life as someone who is interesting and daring, who reaches boldly beyond their current safety and means. All players share the same responsibility: You engage with the premise of Sword Opera by driving play towards interesting goals, risky decisions, and melodramatic circumstances."
September 27, 2025 at 1:35 PM
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Yesterday received Sword Opera: an RPG of Melodramatic Relationships and High Powered Violence. By @ericfarmer.bsky.social and Eli Kurtz. Backed on Kickstarter.
A perfect bound softcover book. The cover depicts a vaguely Italian Renaissance skirmish with swords fought by attractive and fashionable young people. At least one sword glows with supernatural power.
September 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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I have a bunch of tarot and oracle decks, but don't mess with them much. Hanging out at the coffee shop after work, I decide to take a pull . . .

ft. The Wormsong Oracle Deck by @helveticablanc.bsky.social .
A simple spread of three oracle cards. The past: the Shepard. Depicting a large, weary bull sitting beside an equally weary teacher. The present: the Teacher of Wings. Depicting a winged teacher giving cautious instruction to three pupils. The future: the Teacher of Eyes. Depicting a four-eyed teacher giving inspired instruction to three pupils.
September 17, 2025 at 10:09 PM
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Forgot that Mass Effect: Andromeda makes you do sudokus.
A 4 x 4 quadrant grid with a bunch of alien symbols. It's a puzzle you solve sudoku-style.
September 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
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Show me an image on your phone that has your energy but is not a selfie
September 4, 2025 at 5:25 PM
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I got a fine. Here compared with my extra fine Kaweco.
A writing comparison between a fine nib Sailor TUZU Adjust fountain pen and an extra fine Kaweco Brass Sport. The Sailor writes a little finer.
August 12, 2025 at 2:12 PM
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Sailor TUZU Adjust. Seems clearly aimed at competing with the Lamy Safari. Something about the shape of it feels out of time. Like an old marker uncovered in the bottom of the toy box and my grandparent's house.
A red pen, capped, sits on a white desk. A red plastic pen, uncapped, sits on a white desk. It's a fountain pen with a slip on nib and a triangular grip section. A red plastic pen, held to get a look at the top of the cap. A red plastic fountain pen, held uncapped.
August 12, 2025 at 1:35 PM
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Itch-dot-io user Thulsa Gloom writes: "Some of my favourite design in the jam so far just for how clean it is. Trifold is also a nice choice. So nice, so clean. Love the tone, and the characters. Well done!"
August 10, 2025 at 7:32 PM
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Gods, kings, and monsters: all are beholden to the games storage hive.
A freshly constructed 4' by 3' Kallax shelf.
August 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
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Itch-dot-io user Redcap Press writes: "Very fun! You absolutely nail the weird Appendix N vibe, and you laid everything out in a very clear and intuitive way that’d make it easy to pick up and run. Great job!"
August 9, 2025 at 8:29 PM
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Itch-dot-io user Explorers Design write: "I really like the cover for this. It's doing a lot with very little."
August 9, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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Itch-dot-io user Labyrinthine Press writes: "The layout is great—accessible, cohesive, and easy to parse. The prose is equally strong; its evocative and descriptive nature perfectly matches the literary pulp-fiction vibe. Bravo!"
August 9, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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Itch-dot-io user ArcaneSporecery writes: "Clearly organized, high in flavor, and a near perfect economy of words. It almost feels like a pulpy cross between the start of Lest Darkness Fall and The Colour Out of Space (since we're speaking in Appendix N terms). This is a strong powder keg setup with the notable people involved, but I would have liked to see a few more proverbial (or literal) buttons and levers for the party to mess with in the "dungeon" itself. The modest usage of graphics is clean and inspiring. Exemplary entry."
August 9, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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Itch-dot-io user spezbaby writes "Picaresque meets science fantasy meets Basionland. This has a ton of good jammed into a pamphlet. Great layout and the writing is clear and creative. Really nice work."
August 9, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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This night played Pax Pamir for the first time. A really snappy design, both visually and in briskness of play. Second game came to a hilarious end when one player switched allegiance to prevent a comrade from winning and accidentally handed the win to the Russians.
An endgame state in Pax Pamir. Several colorful bricks and wooden discs are arranges on a stylized map of Afghanistan (and parts of what is today Iran and Pakistan).
August 2, 2025 at 3:17 AM