Skeleton Code Machine
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Fair (and fairy) cake-cutting in Pacts
Exploring how the divide and choose ("I cut. You choose.") mechanism in Pacts from DVC combines with area control to create tough choices and meaningful…
Nov 25
23
6
2
Revisiting SPI's 1981 Dragonslayer and what it can teach us
What can we learn from the board game adaptation of the 1981 dark fantasy film Dragonslayer? Quite a bit, both from what it does well and how it might…
Nov 18
23
4
1
Skirmish Week is coming and I need your help.
Which skirmish games do you love? Do skirmish games need minis? Let me know what makes a game a "skirmish game" and which games you'd like to see…
Nov 13
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Exeunt Press
12
18
Using blackjack to raise the dead
Exploring Necromancer Heretic by Junk Food Games and how traditional games can be modified and recontextualized as the basis for modern board games and…
Nov 11
25
7
2
Who's behind Skeleton Code Machine?
It's me. I'm the person! Learn a little more about me in an interview I did with TTRPGKids where we talked about my background, teaching at libraries…
Nov 5
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Exeunt Press
19
3
1
The power of zero-agency game design (and a huge baby)
What happens when Baba Yaga, Sisyphus, and a rocket scientist have a race? We learn how player agency (or lack thereof) in game phases impacts player…
Nov 4
21
13
1
October 2025
Who is Reiner Knizia? (And why you need to know!)
Exploring the design hallmarks of Dr. Reiner Knizia, one of the most prolific and respected game designers. With over 700 published designs, we can…
Oct 28
23
2
3
10 ways to have happy playtesters
Sharing what I learned about creating the best playtesting experience at a recent Harrisburg University public playtesting event. Getting inspired by…
Oct 21
15
5
Every choice in this game is painful
Exploring a "subversion of the point salad paradigm" game that makes every decision seem like a bad one. How The Field of the Cloth of Gold creates it's…
Oct 14
31
25
3
Mythic battles with dice
Exploring the combat dice system in Mythic Battles: Pantheon and how it uses discarding dice and re-rolls to create a push-your-luck mechanism.
Oct 7
15
5
September 2025
Roll three, pick two in Rumble Nation
Exploring how simple dice mechanisms can be used to create deep decision spaces in strategy games via Rumble Nation published by Hobby Japan.
Sep 30
26
6
Use inductive reasoning to talk to aliens
Exploring deduction and induction games and learning the differences between the two using Signal (DVC Games) as an example. Can we make more highly…
Sep 23
28
13
2
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