Graham Walmsley
@grahamwalmsley.bsky.social
I design games, especially tabletop roleplaying games (Cthulhu Dark, Cosmic Dark). I also write books on storytelling (Play Unsafe) and drift into interactive fiction (39 Steps) and LARP (Will That Be All).
And I love theatre, art and history.
And I love theatre, art and history.
We played Dino Island! @savagespiel.bsky.social brought little dinosaurs.
November 15, 2025 at 5:51 PM
We played Dino Island! @savagespiel.bsky.social brought little dinosaurs.
I love codes. Stealing Cthulhu has lots of them. Here's the coded transmission from the Cosmic Dark Kickstarter, looking glossy and beautiful.
October 17, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I love codes. Stealing Cthulhu has lots of them. Here's the coded transmission from the Cosmic Dark Kickstarter, looking glossy and beautiful.
We're playing Heart. I played a one-shot and really liked it, so we're doing a little campaign.
October 15, 2025 at 8:48 PM
We're playing Heart. I played a one-shot and really liked it, so we're doing a little campaign.
I went to the Lee Miller exhibition at Tate Britain today, which was pretty mind-blowing honestly. Go if you can.
October 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I went to the Lee Miller exhibition at Tate Britain today, which was pretty mind-blowing honestly. Go if you can.
Slightly obsessed with this art from @m-haddock-art.bsky.social , which reminds me of Trail of Cthulhu art. Note the cryptid on the left.
September 21, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Slightly obsessed with this art from @m-haddock-art.bsky.social , which reminds me of Trail of Cthulhu art. Note the cryptid on the left.
I'm at the Globe again, like the groundling I am, to see Twelfth Night.
It's raining! We have shelter unless the wind blows and the rain falls differently!
It's raining! We have shelter unless the wind blows and the rain falls differently!
September 12, 2025 at 6:08 PM
I'm at the Globe again, like the groundling I am, to see Twelfth Night.
It's raining! We have shelter unless the wind blows and the rain falls differently!
It's raining! We have shelter unless the wind blows and the rain falls differently!
When I played Cosmic Dark in Vienna, @krakentoa.bsky.social did beautiful Lego models during the game. Here's his take on the Cosmic Dark cover.
August 30, 2025 at 9:04 AM
When I played Cosmic Dark in Vienna, @krakentoa.bsky.social did beautiful Lego models during the game. Here's his take on the Cosmic Dark cover.
Things are not going well for Captain Jules in Murder at Clifftop Hotel. (This isn't the final layout of the cards. There's some beautiful art coming.)
August 24, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Things are not going well for Captain Jules in Murder at Clifftop Hotel. (This isn't the final layout of the cards. There's some beautiful art coming.)
I'm getting ready to give a workshop on horror scenarios. I've written so much on this over the years - in Stealing Cthulhu, Cthulhu Dark and Cosmic Dark - and it's hard to bring it together.
August 23, 2025 at 9:45 AM
I'm getting ready to give a workshop on horror scenarios. I've written so much on this over the years - in Stealing Cthulhu, Cthulhu Dark and Cosmic Dark - and it's hard to bring it together.
I'm running a workshop on horror scenarios tomorrow and, luckily, someone has brought Cthulhu Dark so I can see what I wrote.
(That's a proof of Cosmic Dark, not a final copy.)
(That's a proof of Cosmic Dark, not a final copy.)
August 22, 2025 at 9:23 AM
I'm running a workshop on horror scenarios tomorrow and, luckily, someone has brought Cthulhu Dark so I can see what I wrote.
(That's a proof of Cosmic Dark, not a final copy.)
(That's a proof of Cosmic Dark, not a final copy.)
Day 5 of #rpgaday2025: Ancient.
@inkle.co 's archaeological storytelling game, Heaven's Vault, has a language called Ancient. I especially like the ambiguity: this phrase could be either "Robots speak history" or "Robots tell stories", which give very different impressions of what robots do.
@inkle.co 's archaeological storytelling game, Heaven's Vault, has a language called Ancient. I especially like the ambiguity: this phrase could be either "Robots speak history" or "Robots tell stories", which give very different impressions of what robots do.
August 5, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Day 5 of #rpgaday2025: Ancient.
@inkle.co 's archaeological storytelling game, Heaven's Vault, has a language called Ancient. I especially like the ambiguity: this phrase could be either "Robots speak history" or "Robots tell stories", which give very different impressions of what robots do.
@inkle.co 's archaeological storytelling game, Heaven's Vault, has a language called Ancient. I especially like the ambiguity: this phrase could be either "Robots speak history" or "Robots tell stories", which give very different impressions of what robots do.
I didn't think I had an answer to this, but then I thought that statistical textbooks are really good. This one has boxes for deep-down analysis, boxes for real-life research, etc. The material itself is really dense.
August 1, 2025 at 9:46 PM
I didn't think I had an answer to this, but then I thought that statistical textbooks are really good. This one has boxes for deep-down analysis, boxes for real-life research, etc. The material itself is really dense.
"The birds can see you. But"
July 27, 2025 at 9:28 AM
"The birds can see you. But"
"How much do you really need to breathe? What would happen if you just...stopped?"
July 27, 2025 at 9:26 AM
"How much do you really need to breathe? What would happen if you just...stopped?"
Existential and slightly threatening questions on our country walk.
July 27, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Existential and slightly threatening questions on our country walk.
This just arrived from @ndpdesign.com ! Now I've got something to eat this afternoon.
Obviously that word was meant to be "read" but let's go with it.
Obviously that word was meant to be "read" but let's go with it.
July 25, 2025 at 12:30 PM
This just arrived from @ndpdesign.com ! Now I've got something to eat this afternoon.
Obviously that word was meant to be "read" but let's go with it.
Obviously that word was meant to be "read" but let's go with it.
Bookmarks are very satisfying. They're so easy to make and they arrive looking glossy and beautiful.
Maybe I'll just write games on bookmarks from now on.
Maybe I'll just write games on bookmarks from now on.
July 24, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Bookmarks are very satisfying. They're so easy to make and they arrive looking glossy and beautiful.
Maybe I'll just write games on bookmarks from now on.
Maybe I'll just write games on bookmarks from now on.
Editing Cosmic Dark over coffee. It's nearly done. Gosh this chapter is bleak.
July 20, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Editing Cosmic Dark over coffee. It's nearly done. Gosh this chapter is bleak.
We're really enjoying Mothership at the moment. We've just finished this scenario by @dgchapman.bsky.social , which was great. My scientist character was very clear that the alien goo could have great benefits for medical technology and should be studied.
July 16, 2025 at 9:09 PM
We're really enjoying Mothership at the moment. We've just finished this scenario by @dgchapman.bsky.social , which was great. My scientist character was very clear that the alien goo could have great benefits for medical technology and should be studied.
We're at the Globe Theatre. I've wanted to go for about twenty years. It's Merry Wives of Windsor, which I don't think I've ever seen, and we're standing, because I wanted to have that experience at least once.
July 5, 2025 at 6:06 PM
We're at the Globe Theatre. I've wanted to go for about twenty years. It's Merry Wives of Windsor, which I don't think I've ever seen, and we're standing, because I wanted to have that experience at least once.
Back in COVID times, I wrote a game called The Crime Bunnies Roleplaying Game (it's as it sounds).
From time to time, I find Milla Markussen's art, and it always makes me happy. Maybe I'll just post a rabbit here from time to time.
From time to time, I find Milla Markussen's art, and it always makes me happy. Maybe I'll just post a rabbit here from time to time.
July 3, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Back in COVID times, I wrote a game called The Crime Bunnies Roleplaying Game (it's as it sounds).
From time to time, I find Milla Markussen's art, and it always makes me happy. Maybe I'll just post a rabbit here from time to time.
From time to time, I find Milla Markussen's art, and it always makes me happy. Maybe I'll just post a rabbit here from time to time.
Two beautiful things I picked up in St Ives: strange alien art by Luke Owen and a painted book by Sally McCabe.
June 28, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Two beautiful things I picked up in St Ives: strange alien art by Luke Owen and a painted book by Sally McCabe.
Last day in St Ives. I've loved all the food and art, but I especially liked this location-specific play about a ghost. It took me a while to realise that the sound effect of the thundering sea was...the sea.
June 27, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Last day in St Ives. I've loved all the food and art, but I especially liked this location-specific play about a ghost. It took me a while to realise that the sound effect of the thundering sea was...the sea.
I'm at the Leach Pottery in Cornwall. I like learning about different creative things: pottery is so strange to me, working with the earth and fire, with lots of precision and repetition.
June 26, 2025 at 9:58 AM
I'm at the Leach Pottery in Cornwall. I like learning about different creative things: pottery is so strange to me, working with the earth and fire, with lots of precision and repetition.
Good morning! I'm a dark room with a caged rock that's whispering to me. #tatestives
June 25, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Good morning! I'm a dark room with a caged rock that's whispering to me. #tatestives