Brooks Barber
@rollplusfun.bsky.social
Tabletop game designer - mostly historical but not always. Designer of Sykes-Picot from Hollandspiele. Forthcoming games Spindletop and Painkillers.
Giant tubs of differently flavored popcorns. Maybe a sampler of Ferrero Rocher if you’re fancy. The popcorn is not universally observed but it’s common I think.
November 23, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Giant tubs of differently flavored popcorns. Maybe a sampler of Ferrero Rocher if you’re fancy. The popcorn is not universally observed but it’s common I think.
When you realize on the plane to the convention that you forgot to update your cards and ask the hotel to print them for you and borrow their scissors… 🎲✂️
November 7, 2025 at 12:36 AM
When you realize on the plane to the convention that you forgot to update your cards and ask the hotel to print them for you and borrow their scissors… 🎲✂️
Chilled with my gnomey at the pumpkin fest this weekend.
October 14, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Chilled with my gnomey at the pumpkin fest this weekend.
As soon as I found out this game existed, I went to pre-order it. I’m fascinated by the history of urban “development” and NBS has accomplished something important and fascinating here. Can’t wait to get this one to a table soon.
September 30, 2025 at 6:32 PM
As soon as I found out this game existed, I went to pre-order it. I’m fascinated by the history of urban “development” and NBS has accomplished something important and fascinating here. Can’t wait to get this one to a table soon.
Just finished my first game of Positano by @jeffgrisenthwaite.bsky.social - it’s a light and fun bidding and building game, that can be quite mean at times. We played at two but I can see how it would really shine at higher player counts. Nice one Jeff!!
May 24, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Just finished my first game of Positano by @jeffgrisenthwaite.bsky.social - it’s a light and fun bidding and building game, that can be quite mean at times. We played at two but I can see how it would really shine at higher player counts. Nice one Jeff!!
Quite the feeling to hold the final product of something you created! Thanks to @amabel.bsky.social and @hollandspiele.bsky.social for taking a chance on me as a new designer. Pleased to have this be my first published game.
Now back to the game design! 🎲✂️
Now back to the game design! 🎲✂️
May 12, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Quite the feeling to hold the final product of something you created! Thanks to @amabel.bsky.social and @hollandspiele.bsky.social for taking a chance on me as a new designer. Pleased to have this be my first published game.
Now back to the game design! 🎲✂️
Now back to the game design! 🎲✂️
Work travel is always made better by some playtesting. 🎲✂️
May 9, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Work travel is always made better by some playtesting. 🎲✂️
Especially when contrasted with this map!
April 30, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Especially when contrasted with this map!
I played a TON of games this past weekend, at a local little con I help organize with a couple friends. We had about 100 people or so attend over four days of games. Always a blast. Here’s a sampling of the games I got to play.
April 30, 2025 at 2:25 AM
I played a TON of games this past weekend, at a local little con I help organize with a couple friends. We had about 100 people or so attend over four days of games. Always a blast. Here’s a sampling of the games I got to play.
*Ahem*
That’s a fun quiz. Tough to decide on several of them.
That’s a fun quiz. Tough to decide on several of them.
April 6, 2025 at 4:03 PM
*Ahem*
That’s a fun quiz. Tough to decide on several of them.
That’s a fun quiz. Tough to decide on several of them.
One of my favorite parts of historical design is starting the research for a new idea. I love the process of going to get books at a library. Now I have to read them (and many others)… 🎲✂️
March 25, 2025 at 6:29 PM
One of my favorite parts of historical design is starting the research for a new idea. I love the process of going to get books at a library. Now I have to read them (and many others)… 🎲✂️
A little gaming with the 4 year old foot spring break.
March 20, 2025 at 5:09 PM
A little gaming with the 4 year old foot spring break.
My kid is super into multimedia art right now.
March 9, 2025 at 7:11 PM
My kid is super into multimedia art right now.
Since I know everyone has been sitting around waiting for the thrilling conclusion, we finally exploded the volcano today!
February 8, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Since I know everyone has been sitting around waiting for the thrilling conclusion, we finally exploded the volcano today!
Triptych is back! I’ve been tinkering with this one off and on for about a year or so now. It’s the first design I ever play tested. Had a new idea for it last week that may take it where I want it to be. It’s trick taking with a slide puzzle where you and a partner complete a three panel image. 🎲✂️
January 25, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Triptych is back! I’ve been tinkering with this one off and on for about a year or so now. It’s the first design I ever play tested. Had a new idea for it last week that may take it where I want it to be. It’s trick taking with a slide puzzle where you and a partner complete a three panel image. 🎲✂️
At @protospielo.bsky.social this weekend, and getting in some good testing! Spindletop is almost exactly a year in the making, and it's very close to where I need it to be for pitching to publishers. But that's February work - back to testing! #boardgames 🎲✂️ #texagons
January 18, 2025 at 1:01 AM
At @protospielo.bsky.social this weekend, and getting in some good testing! Spindletop is almost exactly a year in the making, and it's very close to where I need it to be for pitching to publishers. But that's February work - back to testing! #boardgames 🎲✂️ #texagons
An update on volcano progress
January 11, 2025 at 10:43 PM
An update on volcano progress
Time to make a volcano, y’all!
January 11, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Time to make a volcano, y’all!
New version of Painkillers got a brief stress test this evening. It's an obvious upgrade from previous versions. It still has lots of kinks to work out, but the core loop is snappier, smoother, and better integrated overall. Looking forward to developing this iteration further. 🎲✂️
January 3, 2025 at 5:04 AM
New version of Painkillers got a brief stress test this evening. It's an obvious upgrade from previous versions. It still has lots of kinks to work out, but the core loop is snappier, smoother, and better integrated overall. Looking forward to developing this iteration further. 🎲✂️
Final stats for 2024, not counting BGA plays. A good year of #boardgames
January 1, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Final stats for 2024, not counting BGA plays. A good year of #boardgames
For Christmas, we got my four year old a set of glow in the dark planets and stars for his room. He’s not feeling well today so I put them up to see if it might help him feel better. We had to wait all day for it to be dark enough. It’s better than I could have imagined!
December 30, 2024 at 12:34 AM
For Christmas, we got my four year old a set of glow in the dark planets and stars for his room. He’s not feeling well today so I put them up to see if it might help him feel better. We had to wait all day for it to be dark enough. It’s better than I could have imagined!
Happy Hollandays to me! Striking Flint and [City of Six Moons] by @hollandspiele.bsky.social
![Two board games on a desk: Striking Flint by John DuBois and [City of Six Moons] discovered by Amabel Holland.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:uo44xfx6qxy4tohseq5tnygo/bafkreicr6jjab2vhxdycfbtdcc5ol526f6x4okc5z2q3c34o2fdofprqqq@jpeg)
December 10, 2024 at 10:26 PM
Happy Hollandays to me! Striking Flint and [City of Six Moons] by @hollandspiele.bsky.social
The action selection system uses a deck of cards. On your turn you can move people on map, then discard a card for its action. Four suits correspond to four regions of the map, where you can act. At end of round, your final 2 cards are used for a Texas Hold 'Em style poker resolution for bonuses.
December 10, 2024 at 3:06 AM
The action selection system uses a deck of cards. On your turn you can move people on map, then discard a card for its action. Four suits correspond to four regions of the map, where you can act. At end of round, your final 2 cards are used for a Texas Hold 'Em style poker resolution for bonuses.