Indie Game Reading Club

Hey friends, Been threatening this almost from the beginning, so more than a decade later we're finally getting to it! We've posted the first episode of the Indie Game Talk Club, a monthly (for now) podcast. If you know IGRC you'll dig it. Huge thanks to our friend @olddog.games for the sick logo!

Oh I like how @juddthelibrarian.bsky.social structured this. Good stuff!

Oh man... This is like almost 50 years ago! But I think it was: 1. D&D B/X 2. Traveller 3. Top Secret 4. Skyrealms of Jorune 5. Empire of the Petal Throne

Eyyyyyyy episode 3 of The Indie Game Talk Club is live! Get it wherever you get your podcasts.

Eyyyyyyy episode 3 of The Indie Game Talk Club is live! Get it wherever you get your podcasts.

A quick reflection on what I want players to learn, in order of importance. Ran Inevitable at the pub last night and woke up thinking about this. Learn these things, in this order, and get capital G Good.

Second of my three deep dives after playing new-to-me stuff at our local con. This week: Elder Mythos. It's bad. I hate writing negative reviews but I know Mana Project Studio is capable of so much better.

Second of my three deep dives after playing new-to-me stuff at our local con. This week: Elder Mythos. It's bad. I hate writing negative reviews but I know Mana Project Studio is capable of so much better.

A quick reflection on what I want players to learn, in order of importance. Ran Inevitable at the pub last night and woke up thinking about this. Learn these things, in this order, and get capital G Good.

Hey friendos! Ep 3 of the Indie Game Talk Club comes out next week. But if you're eager for more talk, my appearance on Ludological Alchemy just dropped. Great conversation with some really big brains. ludologicalalchemy.substack.com/p/the-hypoth...

Hey friendos! Ep 3 of the Indie Game Talk Club comes out next week. But if you're eager for more talk, my appearance on Ludological Alchemy just dropped. Great conversation with some really big brains. ludologicalalchemy.substack.com/p/the-hypoth...

When I cornered my uncle, stuck in bed all summer recovering from a construction injury, and made him play Car Wars and The Creature That Ate Sheboygan. "You're a weird fuckin' kid," he'd mutter while I tried explaining, well, anything. First one to say it out loud!

Interviewer: Can you explain this gap in your resume? Indie Gamer: Oh the designer left that empty so I could fill it in later. Interviewer: The designer... Indie Gamer: It's important I feel ownership during this one shot. Might just ghost the table though, not feeling much agency.

So very helpful. Thanks, prep friends. Running Inevitable at the pub on Thursday. Hope I have time to get ready!

Timecube reshare

I ran three new-to-me things at a convention last week. Here's the first one. Get ready to get primitive! More of this, less licenses please.

I’m not saying I was really apprehensive about a reviewer of Paul’s experience and incisiveness running my game… wait yes that is what I’m saying. #maskwitches

Lavender Hack is such a charming game! Ran it for some visiting friends a few months back as a lark/dare. Wrote about it too. This new print of the core rules is like $20. Go check it out.

Lavender Hack is such a charming game! Ran it for some visiting friends a few months back as a lark/dare. Wrote about it too. This new print of the core rules is like $20. Go check it out.

This is kind of the whole ball game right here. Unfortunately designers often hide the ball. Or they don't understand their own intentions. (No seriously.) The flip side of this is when players are dead-set on asserting their *own* intentions, system be damned.

I've been reading Hot War from @handiworkgames.bsky.social , which uses a system that Tyrant Philosophers will have a variant of, and I did want to post about how fun it looks as a narrative tool.

It's crazy they let these kinds of typos into the wild. (@bullypulpithq.bsky.social 's Nine Space Games is very cool, highest recommendation, a must-have for fans of The Culture and/or make-believe arguments.)

E2 of the Indie Game Talk Club is live! Available wherever you get your podcasts. If you get our newsletter emailed to you when I post, I discovered you don't get a link to the episode, just the show notes without context. We're learning so much. 😳 indiegamereadingclub.com/making-and-b...

It's crazy they let these kinds of typos into the wild. (@bullypulpithq.bsky.social 's Nine Space Games is very cool, highest recommendation, a must-have for fans of The Culture and/or make-believe arguments.)

E2 of the Indie Game Talk Club is live! Available wherever you get your podcasts. If you get our newsletter emailed to you when I post, I discovered you don't get a link to the episode, just the show notes without context. We're learning so much. 😳 indiegamereadingclub.com/making-and-b...

Check out @madjay.bsky.social & I's podcast - Muses of Play! It's all about creativity and work in a creative field. Our first guests were @lumpley.bsky.social & family. See all the episodes so far here: www.patreon.com/collection/1...

Cool Ranch Dragon hoards yacht rock albums

Second episode of the Indie Game Talk Club is coming this Thursday! Are you subscribed? It's now available *everywhere* you find podcasts. indiegamereadingclub.com/igtc/

Second episode of the Indie Game Talk Club is coming this Thursday! Are you subscribed? It's now available *everywhere* you find podcasts. indiegamereadingclub.com/igtc/

I had a great time talking to Marco about design, story games, Blades '68, and much else! Links in the quote.

ssssssssss The Golden Cobra Challenge 2026 is OPEN for sssubmissions. Ssubmit by October 15th! www.goldencobra.org

The Indie Game Talk Club is now available wherever you get your podcasts! Next episode will be released September 24. We're going monthly for now, but if there's demand we might have to increase the supply. Dunno what's up with the thumbnail there but here's the subscription/episode page.

The Indie Game Talk Club is now available wherever you get your podcasts! Next episode will be released September 24. We're going monthly for now, but if there's demand we might have to increase the supply. Dunno what's up with the thumbnail there but here's the subscription/episode page.

Ever make a mistake running a game that continues to haunt you? Surely not just me. Happily I learned a lot! But the sins of the past are never really gone.

Great post! An interesting addendum is that the misunderstanding that "only the mechanised things are real" is equally detrimental to OSR play as to the post-forge games described in the post.

Ever make a mistake running a game that continues to haunt you? Surely not just me. Happily I learned a lot! But the sins of the past are never really gone.

Terrific list of women designers in here!

The @indiegamereadingclub.com has the best reviews in the industry

We're seeing renewed interest in a|state - it's a really great adaptation of the already brilliant Forged in the Dark rules. In a|state you'll take the role of troublemakers trying to improve their corner of The City, pushing back against the Trusts, organised crime, et al.

We promised show notes, and now we've added them! Run into an acronym or concept you didn't understand? Check the notes. Holy cow, tossing off several dozen game titles in an episode is exhausting. If there are *still* concepts or acronyms you'd like more info about, hmu and I'll add 'em.