Joseph Arthur Ellis
@jarthurellis.bsky.social
Tech and game design at Plaid Hat Games. Anti-hate, anti-bigotry. He/him. I work on Forgotten Waters, Freelancers, Summoner Wars, Summoner Wars Online, and more.
The thing that we all ACTUALLY want from AI is a sci-fi phone/computer assistant that we can just talk to casually and it opens files and moves folders around and does all that boring shit for us. So far the attempts, like Gemini on my phone, are beyond pathetic far WORSE than old google assistant.
November 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
The thing that we all ACTUALLY want from AI is a sci-fi phone/computer assistant that we can just talk to casually and it opens files and moves folders around and does all that boring shit for us. So far the attempts, like Gemini on my phone, are beyond pathetic far WORSE than old google assistant.
I hope Josh Hutcherson doesn't regret going for it with this faceplant of a segment, because us fans of TI4 still really loved it. XD
youtu.be/XtcPqkNW8vY?...
youtu.be/XtcPqkNW8vY?...
Josh Hutcherson Calls The Hunger Games His College Days; Says Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 Is Scarier
YouTube video by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I hope Josh Hutcherson doesn't regret going for it with this faceplant of a segment, because us fans of TI4 still really loved it. XD
youtu.be/XtcPqkNW8vY?...
youtu.be/XtcPqkNW8vY?...
Whoops, our power went out. Hopefully it returns soon
Playing some Summoner Wars Online live in 15 minutes... with dragons! Will give away some digital decks during the stream.
Wanna see the new Drakesun Rebellion take on the Guild Dwarves? Even better, wanna watch Colby and Joe slap each other around? Heck yes you do!
Watch the carnage on Twitch, Tues, Nov 17 at 1:00 eastern!
#SummonerWars #SummonerWarsOnline #PlaidHatGames
www.twitch.tv/plaidhatgames
Watch the carnage on Twitch, Tues, Nov 17 at 1:00 eastern!
#SummonerWars #SummonerWarsOnline #PlaidHatGames
www.twitch.tv/plaidhatgames
November 18, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Whoops, our power went out. Hopefully it returns soon
Playing some Summoner Wars Online live in 15 minutes... with dragons! Will give away some digital decks during the stream.
Wanna see the new Drakesun Rebellion take on the Guild Dwarves? Even better, wanna watch Colby and Joe slap each other around? Heck yes you do!
Watch the carnage on Twitch, Tues, Nov 17 at 1:00 eastern!
#SummonerWars #SummonerWarsOnline #PlaidHatGames
www.twitch.tv/plaidhatgames
Watch the carnage on Twitch, Tues, Nov 17 at 1:00 eastern!
#SummonerWars #SummonerWarsOnline #PlaidHatGames
www.twitch.tv/plaidhatgames
plaidhatgames - Twitch
We make board games, and play them here.
www.twitch.tv
November 18, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Playing some Summoner Wars Online live in 15 minutes... with dragons! Will give away some digital decks during the stream.
Testing a @mistergross.bsky.social game at our local design meetup...
September 30, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Testing a @mistergross.bsky.social game at our local design meetup...
There's just nothing like fresh eyes on a 🎲✂️ prototype. For ourselves (and the people playing with us regularly), we all have too much of what the game wants to be or has been in our heads. There just is no way to think your way out of it, you have to see what a new player sees.
September 26, 2025 at 1:18 PM
There's just nothing like fresh eyes on a 🎲✂️ prototype. For ourselves (and the people playing with us regularly), we all have too much of what the game wants to be or has been in our heads. There just is no way to think your way out of it, you have to see what a new player sees.
My newest 🎲✂️ experiment: trying to design a regular-ass worker placement game. My games tend to have weird innovations in them, which involve a ridiculous amount of work and a lot of games that are dead ends. What will happen if I try something more contained?
September 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
My newest 🎲✂️ experiment: trying to design a regular-ass worker placement game. My games tend to have weird innovations in them, which involve a ridiculous amount of work and a lot of games that are dead ends. What will happen if I try something more contained?
Journalists/editors, please, I am begging you to stop making articles out of bs quotes by AI company CEOs, unless it's to make fun of them. They will literally say anything to make their valuation go up by .1%.
September 3, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Journalists/editors, please, I am begging you to stop making articles out of bs quotes by AI company CEOs, unless it's to make fun of them. They will literally say anything to make their valuation go up by .1%.
Oof, Dice Tower misunderstood the basic rules of Propolis, which is a lovely game, AND said several times that the rule they're playing wrong is the biggest problem with the game. Publisher and fans in the comments clarifying. Embarrassing, they should really take it down.
August 29, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Oof, Dice Tower misunderstood the basic rules of Propolis, which is a lovely game, AND said several times that the rule they're playing wrong is the biggest problem with the game. Publisher and fans in the comments clarifying. Embarrassing, they should really take it down.
Commentating on a live SW game right now!
www.twitch.tv/cherezsw
www.twitch.tv/cherezsw
cherezsw - Twitch
cherezsw streams live on Twitch! Check out their videos, sign up to chat, and join their community.
www.twitch.tv
August 28, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Commentating on a live SW game right now!
www.twitch.tv/cherezsw
www.twitch.tv/cherezsw
why is it so fun to brainstorm with others about iterating on a game design? 🎲✂️ it's one of the most energy-rich interactions you can have and i don't know why exactly.
August 28, 2025 at 2:01 PM
why is it so fun to brainstorm with others about iterating on a game design? 🎲✂️ it's one of the most energy-rich interactions you can have and i don't know why exactly.
Quick self-brag... Managed to finish couch to 5k (for the 3rd time in my life) this morning. Running 3mi (5k) 3 days per week in 30 minutes. Hoping to pick up the pace slightly then ramp up toward 5 miles. Haven't lost weight but I truly don't give an eff about that. Good to be somewhat in shape.
August 27, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Quick self-brag... Managed to finish couch to 5k (for the 3rd time in my life) this morning. Running 3mi (5k) 3 days per week in 30 minutes. Hoping to pick up the pace slightly then ramp up toward 5 miles. Haven't lost weight but I truly don't give an eff about that. Good to be somewhat in shape.
Starting a new 🎲✂️ meetup in Ashland, Ohio this Tuesday! Hoping to build more of a design community around here to engage with.
August 22, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Starting a new 🎲✂️ meetup in Ashland, Ohio this Tuesday! Hoping to build more of a design community around here to engage with.
I can't stop thinking about how many content creators just didn't say anything about the Ace of Spades art. That art was so over the top it belonged in a Key and Peele sketch about a racist card game. I am dumbfounded. Did people just think, "Trump's back, we don't have to worry about that anymore"?
August 8, 2025 at 5:17 PM
I can't stop thinking about how many content creators just didn't say anything about the Ace of Spades art. That art was so over the top it belonged in a Key and Peele sketch about a racist card game. I am dumbfounded. Did people just think, "Trump's back, we don't have to worry about that anymore"?
Apologies aside, a direct homage to a movie character is a lazy ass way to do art direction and world building in your game. Use some imagination.
August 8, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Apologies aside, a direct homage to a movie character is a lazy ass way to do art direction and world building in your game. Use some imagination.
"They needed to hire a sensitivity consultant" dude my racist West Virginia ancestors coulda told you that card art was racist.
August 8, 2025 at 12:57 AM
"They needed to hire a sensitivity consultant" dude my racist West Virginia ancestors coulda told you that card art was racist.
Alright, for 🎲✂️ folks doing cold pitches at Gen Con booths:
1. be very patient, there's a lot going on.
2. look into the publisher's catalog beforehand and decide if your game is a good fit. if it is, make sure to make that fit part of the pitch. Fit is more important than ever.
3. make it brief.
1. be very patient, there's a lot going on.
2. look into the publisher's catalog beforehand and decide if your game is a good fit. if it is, make sure to make that fit part of the pitch. Fit is more important than ever.
3. make it brief.
July 28, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Alright, for 🎲✂️ folks doing cold pitches at Gen Con booths:
1. be very patient, there's a lot going on.
2. look into the publisher's catalog beforehand and decide if your game is a good fit. if it is, make sure to make that fit part of the pitch. Fit is more important than ever.
3. make it brief.
1. be very patient, there's a lot going on.
2. look into the publisher's catalog beforehand and decide if your game is a good fit. if it is, make sure to make that fit part of the pitch. Fit is more important than ever.
3. make it brief.
Joe's #gencon shopping list (or, at least look at these and consider buying).
1. Beer Mug Dice. Older game getting its first English edition. Simple push-your-luck game where you roll actual barrels and see how many land standing up. Booth #2663.
1. Beer Mug Dice. Older game getting its first English edition. Simple push-your-luck game where you roll actual barrels and see how many land standing up. Booth #2663.
July 24, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Joe's #gencon shopping list (or, at least look at these and consider buying).
1. Beer Mug Dice. Older game getting its first English edition. Simple push-your-luck game where you roll actual barrels and see how many land standing up. Booth #2663.
1. Beer Mug Dice. Older game getting its first English edition. Simple push-your-luck game where you roll actual barrels and see how many land standing up. Booth #2663.
Have an ear infection for the first time in my adult life. Damn it's annoying. Ended up staying home from work to try to recover (along with prescribed antibiotics). But, good to get this stuff outta the way before the Gen Con trip I guess.
July 24, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Have an ear infection for the first time in my adult life. Damn it's annoying. Ended up staying home from work to try to recover (along with prescribed antibiotics). But, good to get this stuff outta the way before the Gen Con trip I guess.
hey we just announced our newest game. I'll be demoing it a lot of the week at Gen Con booth 2229. We're all huge fans of Super Auto Pets so this was a dream project.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/pla...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/pla...
Coming soon: Super Auto Pets Card Battle
Build a team of cute pets and battle your friends!
www.kickstarter.com
July 22, 2025 at 9:02 PM
hey we just announced our newest game. I'll be demoing it a lot of the week at Gen Con booth 2229. We're all huge fans of Super Auto Pets so this was a dream project.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/pla...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/pla...
My thoughts: The core of game design 🎲✂️ is that magical mysterious dose of uncertainty in the gameplay. It's hard to find, it almost has to be discovered rather than invented. That's the most important job of the game designer. Everything else overlaps with the developer.
I have my thoughts, but would be interested in hearing from all the 🎲✂️ peeps here: Besides the obvious, what is the difference between the roles of game designer and game developer? What are the divergences in skill? What are the overlaps?
July 22, 2025 at 3:06 PM
My thoughts: The core of game design 🎲✂️ is that magical mysterious dose of uncertainty in the gameplay. It's hard to find, it almost has to be discovered rather than invented. That's the most important job of the game designer. Everything else overlaps with the developer.
I have my thoughts, but would be interested in hearing from all the 🎲✂️ peeps here: Besides the obvious, what is the difference between the roles of game designer and game developer? What are the divergences in skill? What are the overlaps?
July 21, 2025 at 12:55 PM
I have my thoughts, but would be interested in hearing from all the 🎲✂️ peeps here: Besides the obvious, what is the difference between the roles of game designer and game developer? What are the divergences in skill? What are the overlaps?