Shannon Appelcline 🌮
@shannonappelcline.bsky.social
Author of the DESIGNERS & DRAGONS series of RPG histories, including THIS IS FREE TRADER BEOWULF: A SYSTEM HISTORY OF TRAVELLER. Science-fiction, fantasy, comic, and RPG fan.
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
I can't describe how amazing this magazine is and outstanding all the work that goes into every issue, you owe it to yourself to give it a look!
I look forward to tonight when I can read this issue with a nice warm beverage!
I look forward to tonight when I can read this issue with a nice warm beverage!
Just noticed I must have ticked a box as our new issue is currently discounted on DriveThruRPG & only around £2 there
RPGs vs the Cold War!
Rick Priestley talks esoteric christianity & Warhammer!
Triangle Agency gets weird!
Castle Rat unleash the beasts!
Undaunted's war stories!
& lots more!
RPGs vs the Cold War!
Rick Priestley talks esoteric christianity & Warhammer!
Triangle Agency gets weird!
Castle Rat unleash the beasts!
Undaunted's war stories!
& lots more!
Wyrd Science (Vol.1, Issue 7) - Wyrd Science | DriveThruRPG
The award winning Wyrd Science returns for another exploration of the strange worlds and new horizons of tabletop games...
In this issue...
Roleplaying Games & the Cold War! What can they tell us ...
www.drivethrurpg.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:50 PM
I can't describe how amazing this magazine is and outstanding all the work that goes into every issue, you owe it to yourself to give it a look!
I look forward to tonight when I can read this issue with a nice warm beverage!
I look forward to tonight when I can read this issue with a nice warm beverage!
Introduce yourself with four spaceships.
November 26, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Introduce yourself with four spaceships.
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
there were a couple weeks where i tried Perplexity to see if AI search engines were any good.
They aren't.
If you disagree let me make something clear: I am better at searching than you.
They aren't.
If you disagree let me make something clear: I am better at searching than you.
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 26, 2025 at 1:12 AM
there were a couple weeks where i tried Perplexity to see if AI search engines were any good.
They aren't.
If you disagree let me make something clear: I am better at searching than you.
They aren't.
If you disagree let me make something clear: I am better at searching than you.
The Republicans would like to take us right back to the fun days before the ACA where you were shackled to a full-time job because getting private insurance was a crap-shoot and you could be denied for any arbitrary reason that *might* lead to a serious medical condition in the future.
Markwayne Mullin on healthcare: "What the president would like to do is say, hey, if you take care of yourself -- you don't smoke, you don't dip, you're not drinking, you're not overweight, you're working out -- then you should pay less than the guy that obviously is not taking care of himself."
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 PM
The Republicans would like to take us right back to the fun days before the ACA where you were shackled to a full-time job because getting private insurance was a crap-shoot and you could be denied for any arbitrary reason that *might* lead to a serious medical condition in the future.
The word AI has been misused to the point of uselessness.
Instead of "I used AI to find Christmas presents" say "I used search to find Christmas presents"
Hat tip to @deadlyfredly.bsky.social
Instead of "I used AI to draw art" say "I used computers to copy other peoples' art".
Instead of "I used AI to find Christmas presents" say "I used search to find Christmas presents"
Hat tip to @deadlyfredly.bsky.social
Instead of "I used AI to draw art" say "I used computers to copy other peoples' art".
November 25, 2025 at 5:45 PM
The word AI has been misused to the point of uselessness.
Instead of "I used AI to find Christmas presents" say "I used search to find Christmas presents"
Hat tip to @deadlyfredly.bsky.social
Instead of "I used AI to draw art" say "I used computers to copy other peoples' art".
Instead of "I used AI to find Christmas presents" say "I used search to find Christmas presents"
Hat tip to @deadlyfredly.bsky.social
Instead of "I used AI to draw art" say "I used computers to copy other peoples' art".
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
Maybe we can start saying “a web search can” instead of “A.I. can” so as to highlight a) it’s all predicted stolen content b) it’s not really that remarkable or ground breaking in the end outputs
Roughly 42% of shoppers are already using A.I. tools for their holiday shopping, a recent survey found. More than half of Generation Z and millennial respondents said they trusted A.I. to recommend unique gifts. nyti.ms/4pocGQc
A.I. Can Do More of Your Shopping This Holiday Season
New tools and features from retailers and tech companies use artificial intelligence to help people find gifts and make decisions about their shopping lists.
nyti.ms
November 25, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Maybe we can start saying “a web search can” instead of “A.I. can” so as to highlight a) it’s all predicted stolen content b) it’s not really that remarkable or ground breaking in the end outputs
I turned Privacy Badger on a few weeks ago, and I am shocked how many sites (mostly the mediocre brand of news sites that isn't quite AI but certainly isn't quality) now say I'm ad blocking and to please turn it off.
Those would be the sites violating community norms such as Do-Not-Track.
Those would be the sites violating community norms such as Do-Not-Track.
Looking to protect your sensitive information from data brokers? Don’t want Big Tech monetizing your personal data? Privacy Badger is here to help! www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Online Tracking is Out of Control—Privacy Badger Can Help You Fight
Every time you browse the web, you're being tracked. That’s why EFF created Privacy Badger, a free, open source browser extension used by millions to fight corporate surveillance and take back
www.eff.org
November 25, 2025 at 12:31 AM
I turned Privacy Badger on a few weeks ago, and I am shocked how many sites (mostly the mediocre brand of news sites that isn't quite AI but certainly isn't quality) now say I'm ad blocking and to please turn it off.
Those would be the sites violating community norms such as Do-Not-Track.
Those would be the sites violating community norms such as Do-Not-Track.
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
Chris makes a fantastic point here! I'm a better editor than I was when I started at Paizo in 2023 because I have incredibly talented colleagues and I'm constantly learning from them.
Thank you to Patrick, Avi, Simone, Ianara, Sol, Priscilla, Felix, and Zac!
#NationalEditorAppreciationDay
Thank you to Patrick, Avi, Simone, Ianara, Sol, Priscilla, Felix, and Zac!
#NationalEditorAppreciationDay
I love being an editor, but I'm only ever as good as those I've studied under and those that continue to edit my own work.
Editing is such an important component of the writing process and is often overlooked. But let it be known my work would be WAY worse without editors.
Editing is such an important component of the writing process and is often overlooked. But let it be known my work would be WAY worse without editors.
By the way, it's National Editor Appreciation Day.
Nobody ever reads a great article and thinks, "Dang, that was some tight editing." But editing is a big part of how it got to be great.
So writers, if you've ever worked with a good editor, shout 'em out.
Nobody ever reads a great article and thinks, "Dang, that was some tight editing." But editing is a big part of how it got to be great.
So writers, if you've ever worked with a good editor, shout 'em out.
November 25, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Chris makes a fantastic point here! I'm a better editor than I was when I started at Paizo in 2023 because I have incredibly talented colleagues and I'm constantly learning from them.
Thank you to Patrick, Avi, Simone, Ianara, Sol, Priscilla, Felix, and Zac!
#NationalEditorAppreciationDay
Thank you to Patrick, Avi, Simone, Ianara, Sol, Priscilla, Felix, and Zac!
#NationalEditorAppreciationDay
From the modern school of "journalism" that also brought "Having troubles making ends meet? Skip breakfast", "Sell your possessions to make the rent and doesn't the emptiness make you feel better?", and "Millennials can't buy houses due to $8 avocado toast."
November 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
From the modern school of "journalism" that also brought "Having troubles making ends meet? Skip breakfast", "Sell your possessions to make the rent and doesn't the emptiness make you feel better?", and "Millennials can't buy houses due to $8 avocado toast."
I was looking for good synonyms for "fandom" and wasn't that surprised to find none. In English, we're really spoiled for synonyms because of our dual origins in German and Latin, but fandom is a portmanteau (fan + domain).
But Miriam-Webster TRIED. Its options: audience and CULT.
But Miriam-Webster TRIED. Its options: audience and CULT.
November 24, 2025 at 10:00 PM
I was looking for good synonyms for "fandom" and wasn't that surprised to find none. In English, we're really spoiled for synonyms because of our dual origins in German and Latin, but fandom is a portmanteau (fan + domain).
But Miriam-Webster TRIED. Its options: audience and CULT.
But Miriam-Webster TRIED. Its options: audience and CULT.
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
Return to the Ninth World!
Eight times the people of this Earth, over millennia of millennia, built their civilizations, reaching heights we cannot even imagine now.... welcome, to the Ninth World.
Sign up for advance news, exclusive sneak peeks, and a special FREE gift!
mymcg.info/numenera
Eight times the people of this Earth, over millennia of millennia, built their civilizations, reaching heights we cannot even imagine now.... welcome, to the Ninth World.
Sign up for advance news, exclusive sneak peeks, and a special FREE gift!
mymcg.info/numenera
November 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Return to the Ninth World!
Eight times the people of this Earth, over millennia of millennia, built their civilizations, reaching heights we cannot even imagine now.... welcome, to the Ninth World.
Sign up for advance news, exclusive sneak peeks, and a special FREE gift!
mymcg.info/numenera
Eight times the people of this Earth, over millennia of millennia, built their civilizations, reaching heights we cannot even imagine now.... welcome, to the Ninth World.
Sign up for advance news, exclusive sneak peeks, and a special FREE gift!
mymcg.info/numenera
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
November 22, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
Green Ronin’s PAX Unplugged announcement.
The next chapter of superhero roleplaying begins! Streamlined rules and all-new art, Mutants & Masterminds 4E is ready to rise—sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter campaign launches!
👉 greenron.in/mnm4e
👉 greenron.in/mnm4e
Coming soon: Mutants & Masterminds 4th Edition
A new edition with updated and streamlined game systems, new options, and an all-new look!
www.kickstarter.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Green Ronin’s PAX Unplugged announcement.
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
Games with player-driven turn orders like Draw Steel and Daggerheart have had me thinking.
I paged to Combat Sequence in 13th Age 2E. “Jonathan introduced cyclic initiative to F20 gaming 25 years ago and we are never going back.”
Opinionated. I like it.
I paged to Combat Sequence in 13th Age 2E. “Jonathan introduced cyclic initiative to F20 gaming 25 years ago and we are never going back.”
Opinionated. I like it.
How D&D Got an Initiative System Rooted in California House Rules
Some groups playing first-edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons might have run initiative by the book, but with the incomprehensible rules text, no one knew for sure. Besides, the full rules prov…
dmdavid.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Games with player-driven turn orders like Draw Steel and Daggerheart have had me thinking.
I paged to Combat Sequence in 13th Age 2E. “Jonathan introduced cyclic initiative to F20 gaming 25 years ago and we are never going back.”
Opinionated. I like it.
I paged to Combat Sequence in 13th Age 2E. “Jonathan introduced cyclic initiative to F20 gaming 25 years ago and we are never going back.”
Opinionated. I like it.
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
Look what arrived on my doorstep.
November 21, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Look what arrived on my doorstep.
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
The countdown has started - the Pioneer RPG Kickstarter ends in one week!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/mon...
This is the game of near future space exploration. Build a Moon base, mine an asteroid, and conduct daring rescues in Low Earth Orbit!
#ttrpg #TravellerRPG
www.kickstarter.com/projects/mon...
This is the game of near future space exploration. Build a Moon base, mine an asteroid, and conduct daring rescues in Low Earth Orbit!
#ttrpg #TravellerRPG
November 21, 2025 at 4:41 PM
The countdown has started - the Pioneer RPG Kickstarter ends in one week!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/mon...
This is the game of near future space exploration. Build a Moon base, mine an asteroid, and conduct daring rescues in Low Earth Orbit!
#ttrpg #TravellerRPG
www.kickstarter.com/projects/mon...
This is the game of near future space exploration. Build a Moon base, mine an asteroid, and conduct daring rescues in Low Earth Orbit!
#ttrpg #TravellerRPG
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
Final form at least with current data about our expense basis. True reckoning will come in Januaryish when things go to the press, get requoted, etc! As it stands, this expected net profit is under 14% of the overall funding and does not account for us increasing the print run size (~+$25k = +1ku).
November 21, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Final form at least with current data about our expense basis. True reckoning will come in Januaryish when things go to the press, get requoted, etc! As it stands, this expected net profit is under 14% of the overall funding and does not account for us increasing the print run size (~+$25k = +1ku).
And the Designers & Dragons: Origins is over. Thanks so much for the support! We brought in just a hair short of a quarter-of-a-million dollars (wow!), which I believe puts us in the top-5 Evil Hat Kickstarters (OK, #5), so I'm super happy for the interest in history!
November 21, 2025 at 3:00 AM
And the Designers & Dragons: Origins is over. Thanks so much for the support! We brought in just a hair short of a quarter-of-a-million dollars (wow!), which I believe puts us in the top-5 Evil Hat Kickstarters (OK, #5), so I'm super happy for the interest in history!
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
This is where we're at at the 72 minute mark (a couple minutes ago). This net is high enough that we could afford to bump up the print run size another 1000 units (the delta's around $25k), and given the demand, we might want to. Publishing! It's esspensiffff.
November 21, 2025 at 12:51 AM
This is where we're at at the 72 minute mark (a couple minutes ago). This net is high enough that we could afford to bump up the print run size another 1000 units (the delta's around $25k), and given the demand, we might want to. Publishing! It's esspensiffff.
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
In case folks wonder why we might decide not to ship internationally — it’s in part because the chances of something like this happening have been nonzero for a while now, and who knows what new horrifying customer-penalizing fees will show up suddenly by the time we’re actually ready to ship?
This is fun, because trade with consumers in the EU was not enough of a pain in the ass already taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/news/e-comme...
E-commerce: 150 EUR customs duty exemption threshold to be removed as of 2026
The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached by EU Member States today within the Council to remove the 150 EUR customs duty relief threshold, transforming the way e-commerce goods are hand...
taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu
November 21, 2025 at 12:40 AM
In case folks wonder why we might decide not to ship internationally — it’s in part because the chances of something like this happening have been nonzero for a while now, and who knows what new horrifying customer-penalizing fees will show up suddenly by the time we’re actually ready to ship?
Reposted by Shannon Appelcline 🌮
🕐🕧🕛It's the final 90 minutes Designers & Dragons!
Over 1500 backers are making this ambitious project a reality!
We've got one last poll that will add not one but THREE new entries to the exclusive preview PDF we share with backers.
Still time to get in! 👇
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
Over 1500 backers are making this ambitious project a reality!
We've got one last poll that will add not one but THREE new entries to the exclusive preview PDF we share with backers.
Still time to get in! 👇
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
November 21, 2025 at 12:24 AM
🕐🕧🕛It's the final 90 minutes Designers & Dragons!
Over 1500 backers are making this ambitious project a reality!
We've got one last poll that will add not one but THREE new entries to the exclusive preview PDF we share with backers.
Still time to get in! 👇
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
Over 1500 backers are making this ambitious project a reality!
We've got one last poll that will add not one but THREE new entries to the exclusive preview PDF we share with backers.
Still time to get in! 👇
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
Designers & Dragons: Origins has topped 1,500 backers, which means that 100+ people have joined since I woke up a bit more than 7 hours ago. (Don't judge! I'm in Hawaii, so that was 6.45am!)
Woot! This is why I've been writing history since I published a little article on WotC 19 years ago!
Woot! This is why I've been writing history since I published a little article on WotC 19 years ago!
November 21, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Designers & Dragons: Origins has topped 1,500 backers, which means that 100+ people have joined since I woke up a bit more than 7 hours ago. (Don't judge! I'm in Hawaii, so that was 6.45am!)
Woot! This is why I've been writing history since I published a little article on WotC 19 years ago!
Woot! This is why I've been writing history since I published a little article on WotC 19 years ago!
Evil Hat now has the poll up for the $200k Designers & Dragons Origins stretch goal.
What TSR UK product would you like to see added to the backers-only preview?
I think there are two obvious answers for intriguing or well-loved products, but we'll see what folks think!
What TSR UK product would you like to see added to the backers-only preview?
I think there are two obvious answers for intriguing or well-loved products, but we'll see what folks think!
Designers & Dragons: Origins Project Update: 8 hours left! The Expert Set joins the Hoard, plus, our 200k backer poll...
Hey friends, it's the final 8 hours of the campaign and in the last 24 hours you've broken not one but two stretch goals.
That's at least 18 different entries we're a...
www.backerkit.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Evil Hat now has the poll up for the $200k Designers & Dragons Origins stretch goal.
What TSR UK product would you like to see added to the backers-only preview?
I think there are two obvious answers for intriguing or well-loved products, but we'll see what folks think!
What TSR UK product would you like to see added to the backers-only preview?
I think there are two obvious answers for intriguing or well-loved products, but we'll see what folks think!
5 hours left for Designers & Dragons: Origins.
We're at 1,457 backers.
We're at $234,522 raised.
I'm eager to see how we can do on both numbers!
(It's been a phenomenal last day! Thank you for the interest in roleplaying history, it's why I keep writing!)
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
We're at 1,457 backers.
We're at $234,522 raised.
I'm eager to see how we can do on both numbers!
(It's been a phenomenal last day! Thank you for the interest in roleplaying history, it's why I keep writing!)
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
It's the final few hours for Designers & Dragons: Origins!
Delve deep into the triumphs (and stumbles) from the early days of TSR as @shannonappelcline.bsky.social takes you through every single product they produced for OD&D, B/X BECMI, and AD&D 1e.
Back it here:
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
Delve deep into the triumphs (and stumbles) from the early days of TSR as @shannonappelcline.bsky.social takes you through every single product they produced for OD&D, B/X BECMI, and AD&D 1e.
Back it here:
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
November 20, 2025 at 9:16 PM
5 hours left for Designers & Dragons: Origins.
We're at 1,457 backers.
We're at $234,522 raised.
I'm eager to see how we can do on both numbers!
(It's been a phenomenal last day! Thank you for the interest in roleplaying history, it's why I keep writing!)
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
We're at 1,457 backers.
We're at $234,522 raised.
I'm eager to see how we can do on both numbers!
(It's been a phenomenal last day! Thank you for the interest in roleplaying history, it's why I keep writing!)
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...