Phil, Ziapelta Games

Phil, Ziapelta Games

@gruefodder.bsky.social

Research scientist. Sometime game designer. https://ziapeltagames.com/

96 followers361 following45 posts

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Messed with a reinforcement learning algorithm (PPO) to teach my computer how to play a trick-taking card game I'm working on. RL is definitely a pain - you have to do a good job of crafting intermittent rewards which help the model learn the game. Here's the win rate % graph. 🎲✂️

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

My hope was that it could give me a rough idea of difficulties for the game (it's a collaborative game). If some configuration of goals was too difficult for the model, that probably means human players will really struggle. TBD on how hard that is to determine.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Does German have a word for "your boardgame production is taking a long time so you incessantly fiddle with mechanics even when the game is working fine and you really should do other things with your time like working on a different design but you can't stop thinking about it"? 🎲✂️

Phil, Ziapelta Games reposted

Indie Game Reading Club
@indiegamereadingclub.com

Against my better judgement and on something of a dare, I ran a fantasy adventure 3-shot for visiting friends last week. Is fantasy adventure Good, Actually now? Read on! My new favorite frankengame from two of my favorite creators: @fuseboy.bsky.social and @gruefodder.bsky.social .

indiegamereadingclub.comTwo Great Tastes etc: Lavender Hack + Trilemma AdventuresIGRC Global Operations had gamer visitors from California recently. We knew we’d be playing something while they were here, but we never quite nailed down what it’d be. So over beers, Phil Lewis’ L…
Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Got in a playtest of Monster Wasteland! this week - a fun sandbox game of crafting and carnage! We had a good turnout this week at our playtest meetup, enough people to have 3 playtests going at the same time. I love seeing designs develop over time. #boardgamesky

Monster Wasteland@monsterwasteland.bsky.social

Hey, I fixed the economy! In Monster Wasteland! Tonight's playthrough went at the desired pace - our heroes managed to secure a Weaponry victory, killing a whopping FIVE monsters in the end. Big ups to the group for striking the "way too excited 90s video game ad" pose at the end there 😂

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

I keep seeing AI described as a drunk toddler. Even a drunk toddler has an internal model of the physical world light-years beyond what any AI has or will ever have. No, AI is more like a savant with dementia.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Skate Summer has really thematic graphic design, and I love the "don't fall" push your luck mechanic for performing tricks. It does feel a little disconnected to have the trick phase separate from the "ride around the park" phase, though, but I can see why they went that direction. #boardgamesky

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Played Decorum recently - a collaborative puzzle game where everyone passive-aggressively tries to decorate a house the way they want. Really immersive and unique theme! Comes with quite a few scenarios. #boardgamesky

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Played the 1996 X-Files CCG recently. Also a product of its time, during the great late 90s CCG wave. The mechanics are a more complex version of "Guess Who?" where you try to guess what secret X-File card players have by playing Sites and investigating them. #boardgamesky

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Basked in some 1982 glory this past weekend. You roll two dice each turn, and assign one to your pac-man and the other to a ghost. Very much a product of its time, but do appreciate that the pac-man(s) "eat" marbles! #boardgamesky

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

This looks fascinating.

Zack Quaintance@zackquaintance.bsky.social

happy pub day to my incredibly talented wife @jazmineulloa.bsky.social, with her BRILLIANT new book about her hometown of El Paso, Texas, which she was inspired to write after she covered the deadly 2019 mass shooting carried out there by a white supremacist who opened fire at a wal-mart, killing 23

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

This is a fascinating looking game. Always interested to see designers take on more niche historical subjects.

Dan Bullock@danbullock.bsky.social

My newest game PENITENT is now available for preorder at lockhornsgames.com/products/pen...

lockhornsgames.comPenitentPenitent is a solitaire game where players take the role of Quaker reformers, tasked with designing a visionary American penitentiary in the early 19th century. Players will draw a floorplan for their...
Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Doing historical research (7th Century Iran and Eastern Rome) in the age of AI Slop is such a pain. Most searches are just a massive misinformation dump. I basically have to bypass google and go straight to sources like Encyclopedia Iranica, certain subreddits, or physical books.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Burying the "what is this game about" text inside a Saving Throw description is the most AD&D thing ever.

Tim Hutchings@timhutchings.bsky.social

This explanation of the game's intentions is buried in the Saving Throw section of the AD&D DMG. Check the alt text for easier to read version.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

You see this kind of thing in quite a few of the older RPGs. Palladium Fantasy is a particularly bad offender. It's like they were locked into a "Stream of Consciousness" writing challenge where you couldn't go back and edit earlier text.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Picked up the base set for Guards of Traitor's Toll this week, and started the time intensive process of assembling miniatures. I've been painting more old school-ish minis for so long that I forgot how involved that could be! Plenty to work with for now, and not even 1/2 through the sprues.

Phil, Ziapelta Games reposted

𓇢𓆸𝑭𝒆𝒅𝒆ꫂ❀
@fsohns.bsky.social

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO TTRPG ART COMMISSIONING AND LICENSING It's done! Here is my guide to art commissioning, licensing, and art direction in TTRPGs. It's free to see, has contract and brief templates, and plenty of resources to aid in art literacy in the space. www.patreon.com/posts/compre...

patreon.comA Comprehensive Guide to TTRPG Art Commissioning & Licensing | AraukanaGet more from Araukana on Patreon
Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

I definitely lean towards spending way more time on graphic design than I need to or should, though. Partly it's just fun, even though I'm mediocre at it. The downside is you really don't want to get attached to mechanics just because you like some graphic design thing.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

I also painted some Bob Olley ogres for a game called Fantasy Warlord (which I neither own nor have ever played). They do have an #Oldhammer feel, which makes sense given Bob Olley did work for Citadel as well. They have massive shields which I decided not to use for now.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Just about finished these #Oldhammer halflings (Old School Miniatures and Citadel Miniatures). Just in time for some more halflings to arrive and add to the unit! Really like the rabbit in the bag for the farmer-looking guy.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

One thing I've done recently (only took decades) was to shy away from White + Black for eyes. Went with a pale sand and red leather for these halflings. Red leather might be a little too muted, but in general the lower contrast looks much better. Most of my miniatures have had raccoon eyes.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Also got into a game of _Guards of Traitor's Toll_ yesterday. It's fascinating - a non-wargame miniatures game, where you run around town solving plots, breaking up brawls, and trying to keep the peace. A confluence of RPGs, miniature games, and boardgames.

Phil, Ziapelta Games
@gruefodder.bsky.social

Tried _Fate of the Fellowship_ this weekend. It's solid. Big step up in complexity from pandemic. Instead of disease outbreaks, it's a much more complex shadow troop movement system. But very thematic and tense, thinking about picking it up.

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