Jesse Heinig
@jesseheinig.bsky.social
Game designer. Writer. World of Warcraft Classic developer. Original Fallout dev. Classic World of Darkness developer. Former Star Trek Online developer. He/Him. Account represents personal views.
Corollary: When your lead/producer tells you to cut it because there's no room/budget/time, hang onto the idea. A good idea can always be handy again later.
November 29, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Corollary: When your lead/producer tells you to cut it because there's no room/budget/time, hang onto the idea. A good idea can always be handy again later.
After about six more emails back and forth you should have all of their games
November 28, 2025 at 5:55 AM
After about six more emails back and forth you should have all of their games
This guy like he didn't have Lady Snowblood screenings during the making of Kill Bill
November 27, 2025 at 11:24 PM
This guy like he didn't have Lady Snowblood screenings during the making of Kill Bill
I gave away my 370 page Sand Marches campaign for Dark Sun for free, and someone complained that it has too much art and the (default) margins are too big, so it should only be 192 pages and people should temper their expectations accordingly.
November 27, 2025 at 4:05 AM
I gave away my 370 page Sand Marches campaign for Dark Sun for free, and someone complained that it has too much art and the (default) margins are too big, so it should only be 192 pages and people should temper their expectations accordingly.
The things about windmills is they always come back around
November 27, 2025 at 4:02 AM
The things about windmills is they always come back around
Perhaps, but a LITERATE ninny
November 26, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Perhaps, but a LITERATE ninny
Ooo, I should do this for my Shadowrun books by Steve Kenson.
November 25, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Ooo, I should do this for my Shadowrun books by Steve Kenson.
They're just mad because the Y-wings shoot heat rays.
November 25, 2025 at 9:25 PM
They're just mad because the Y-wings shoot heat rays.
Literally was forced to rename a game term because it was (oh no) referencing another language that had a stronger connection to the idea
November 25, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Literally was forced to rename a game term because it was (oh no) referencing another language that had a stronger connection to the idea
Some of the adventures in "Uncaged: Goddesses" definitely have a horror angle, given that some are dealing with evil goddesses (disease, undead, etc.).
www.dmsguild.com/en/product/3...
www.dmsguild.com/en/product/3...
Uncaged: Goddesses - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild
2022 Ennie Award winner for Best Adventure (Gold) and Best Cover Art (Silver), with nominations for Best Interior Art and Product of the Year!!!
Discover the motivations behind the goddesses of Dung...
www.dmsguild.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Some of the adventures in "Uncaged: Goddesses" definitely have a horror angle, given that some are dealing with evil goddesses (disease, undead, etc.).
www.dmsguild.com/en/product/3...
www.dmsguild.com/en/product/3...
I think the Night Elves asked the same question. :D
Seriously though, I'm not the guy for the deep lore metaphysical questions. I don't make those levels of decisions about WoW.
Seriously though, I'm not the guy for the deep lore metaphysical questions. I don't make those levels of decisions about WoW.
November 23, 2025 at 9:03 PM
I think the Night Elves asked the same question. :D
Seriously though, I'm not the guy for the deep lore metaphysical questions. I don't make those levels of decisions about WoW.
Seriously though, I'm not the guy for the deep lore metaphysical questions. I don't make those levels of decisions about WoW.
I think that the "in-world" fiction is probably that the divisions between these groups are murkier and there are probably some characters who blur the boundaries between warlock and necromancer, or mage and warlock, but the categories exist because they are useful definitions.
November 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I think that the "in-world" fiction is probably that the divisions between these groups are murkier and there are probably some characters who blur the boundaries between warlock and necromancer, or mage and warlock, but the categories exist because they are useful definitions.
There are several different supernatural power sources to pull from, and the divisions seem related to those: mages are more involved in messing with raw energy (fire/cold), warlocks with fel power (demon summoning and shadow), necromancers with nebulous void/soul/death magic.
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November 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
There are several different supernatural power sources to pull from, and the divisions seem related to those: mages are more involved in messing with raw energy (fire/cold), warlocks with fel power (demon summoning and shadow), necromancers with nebulous void/soul/death magic.
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Hence the concerns about mages becoming warlocks or digging into necromancy: While player classes are very distinct, there's some fiction about the concern that warlocks and mages are not as distinct as they feel (the rejection of mages by night elf culture in Classic, for instance).
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November 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Hence the concerns about mages becoming warlocks or digging into necromancy: While player classes are very distinct, there's some fiction about the concern that warlocks and mages are not as distinct as they feel (the rejection of mages by night elf culture in Classic, for instance).
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I think there's a general category of "magicians" that includes mages, warlocks, and necromancers, all of whom are manipulating supernatural energies, but the kinds of energies they use and how they do it varies by practitioner. Some spellcasters migrate from one model to another.
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November 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I think there's a general category of "magicians" that includes mages, warlocks, and necromancers, all of whom are manipulating supernatural energies, but the kinds of energies they use and how they do it varies by practitioner. Some spellcasters migrate from one model to another.
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I dunno man, these are existential questions that are at a higher level than the decisions I make about the game. I'm mostly just making characters and quests. :D
November 20, 2025 at 6:41 PM
I dunno man, these are existential questions that are at a higher level than the decisions I make about the game. I'm mostly just making characters and quests. :D
Altered States? Wow, that's one I didn't expect to see again.
November 19, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Altered States? Wow, that's one I didn't expect to see again.
fffff wow, what a legend. Thank you for sharing.
November 18, 2025 at 1:36 AM
fffff wow, what a legend. Thank you for sharing.
Anyway sorry for the rant, this is the sorta stuff that I think about and occasionally work on, and I grew up with the cyberpunk era, in California, living through the period of fear of Japanization ("they're buying the entire state!") and subsequent media frenzy.
~Fin~
~Fin~
November 14, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Anyway sorry for the rant, this is the sorta stuff that I think about and occasionally work on, and I grew up with the cyberpunk era, in California, living through the period of fear of Japanization ("they're buying the entire state!") and subsequent media frenzy.
~Fin~
~Fin~
So by the same token, the Orientalism of early cyberpunk ultimately comes from fear, from the fear of America becoming unrecognizable and Asiatic, when the now-modern reality is that urban Americans overwhelmingly embrace and integrate other cultures into their own experiences.
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November 14, 2025 at 8:16 PM
So by the same token, the Orientalism of early cyberpunk ultimately comes from fear, from the fear of America becoming unrecognizable and Asiatic, when the now-modern reality is that urban Americans overwhelmingly embrace and integrate other cultures into their own experiences.
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(Whole other essay about how the real dehumanization is not in using prosthetics and body modification, but rather in treating humans as commodities and turning your body into a weapon, a tool that functions only to kill people)
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November 14, 2025 at 8:16 PM
(Whole other essay about how the real dehumanization is not in using prosthetics and body modification, but rather in treating humans as commodities and turning your body into a weapon, a tool that functions only to kill people)
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