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Neighborhood Robots: Turning a card game into a solo journaling TTRPG
Exploring how Neighborhood Robots from the Giot Anthology modifies a solitaire card game to turn it into a solo journaling roleplaying game. Build mechs…
Apr 14
13
2
Dice combat in Hercules and the 12 Labors
Exploring how Hercules and the 12 Labors uses many of the elements of dungeon crawls to create a thematic combat experience. Can a dungeon crawl be a…
Apr 7
15
3
3
March 2026
What is a degenerate game state?
Exploring the concept of degenerate strategies and degenerate game states in board games and TTRPGs. What does it mean and why does it matter? And how…
Mar 31
38
22
10
Stealth and noise mechanisms in Seal Team Flix
Exploring how Seal Team Flix (a flicking game) implements a particularly challenging mechanism — stealth in tabletop games with no hidden information…
Mar 24
12
8
Thief's Market, fair division, and the ultimatum game
Exploring the Thief's Market pie cutting mechanism and how game theory experiments (and fierce pirates) show that players may not always act in a…
Mar 17
16
8
1
Play now or play later with mercenary cards in Shards of Infinity
Exploring how the addition of the "fast-play" mechanism in Shards of Infinity creates tougher choices in a head-to-head deckbuilding game. Also, what…
Mar 10
16
8
1
Building circuits in We Shall Be Monsters
Exploring how We Shall Be Monsters by Seb Pines uses a zero-luck prompt system that is both thematic and structured. Also, Tumulus Issue 06 is filled…
Mar 3
21
3
3
February 2026
Action dice in Dark Venture: Battle of the Ancients
Exploring the use of action dice in Dark Venture: Battle of the Ancients and how tokens are used to mitigate luck and increase player agency.
Feb 24
14
4
Limited communication in Glatisant
Exploring how Glatisant, a GM-less TTRPG for two players, uses specific communication limits and a secret victory condition to create an Arthurian…
Feb 17
21
8
🔥 The beacons are lit! SCM calls for aid!
Vote for "Everything is Pointcrawl" and "Playing the Chaplain's Game" in this year's The Bloggies awards. Today, Monday, February 16, 2026 is the last…
Feb 16
8
3
Are lane battlers actually area control games?
Exploring lane battlers and area control via the example of Air, Land, & Sea. How far can we modify a lane battler by adding thematic elements before it…
Feb 10
21
15
3
Moon rings, missing fingers, and teaching game design
Exploring how Moon Rings takes a simple card-grid and turns it into a journaling game about a witch hunting for rings in a dangerous labyrinth. And how…
Feb 3
27
19
4
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