Malcolm Craig

Malcolm Craig

@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Senior Lecturer in US History @ljmuofficial.bsky.social, historian of games, the Cold War, nuclear stuff, researching #ColdWar era post-apocalypse roleplaying games. #TTRPG designer. You may remember me from such games as #astaterpg, #ColdCity, and #HotWar

3K followers562 following3.1K posts

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Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Hurrah! My article on the Twilight 2000 RPG in the Journal of American Studies is now open access (OA), so anyone who wants to can have a read. OA is important to me, as I want my work on RPG history to go beyond the academy and reach the gaming public. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

cambridge.orgWhen You Say, “Thermonuclear War,” I Think You Mean “the Call to Adventure”! The Twilight: 2000 Tabletop Role-Playing Game and the Postapocalyptic World’s Imaginary Spaces | Journal of American Studie...When You Say, “Thermonuclear War,” I Think You Mean “the Call to Adventure”! The Twilight: 2000 Tabletop Role-Playing Game and the Postapocalyptic World’s Imaginary Spaces
Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

"Why The Young Should Be Sacrificed (of course not our friends' kids, heaven forbid! No, we mean the poor.)" by Marshmallow Lancaster-Bomber and Sir Dimbulb Roderick-Spode

Scuzzy Mortspider 🕷️ 🎃@jussienorthside.bsky.social

“We’ve taken away every possibility and opportunity from you - jobs, housing, community, culture, the chance to have a family of your own. Also, we’d like to feed you into a meat grinder.”

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

I particularly appreciated this: "This is a game about war, state violence, refugees, untreated trauma, disease, and institutional failure, with body horror and supernatural nastiness wrapped round it. The text is thoughtful and doesn’t glamorise any of this....

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

...It treats Cold War ethics and real-world conspiracies as something to be engaged with critically, but you still need to know your group and use safety tools. This is heavy material, even before the things with too many teeth show up."

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

The "first five RPGs you played" thing is really taxing my memory beyond the first two. 1) Twilight 2000 (1st ed) 2) Traveller 2300 3) Traveller (blue book - I know for sure this was the first game I ran) 4) Cyberpunk (black box) 5) Shadowrun (1st ed) Lots of SF in there!

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Oh, hang on. We did play Gygax's Dangerous Journeys once, because one of the group had bought it & therefore got to run it. I recall the setting being some sort of faux-Egyptian stuff, & the session being derailed because the GM mentioned "a statue of a giant ass". So of course we misinterpreted him

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Maelstrom is such a formative game for an entire generation of UK gamers. I still have my copy somewhere, brought through one of those "save 10p a week and at the end of the school year you'll have a book" clubs.

Sacha@sacha72.bsky.social

My first 5 TTRPGs, in the order I played them: 1. AD&D 2. Runequest 3. MERP 4. Maelstrom 5. James Bond

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Explaining Maelstrom to US friends who grew up with D&D: "So you start in St Albans..." "A fantastical realm?" "Err, no, it's a cathedral town in Herefordshire." "But you can be a wizard?" "Again, no. But you can be a Herbalist!"

Malcolm Craig reposted

Jon at Handiwork Games
@handiworkgames.bsky.social

I think this is a very good analysis of why we jumped at the chance to adapt Tyrant Philosophers into an RPG. And more news on that soon by the way. We’ve been very busy!

An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog@hugobookclub.bsky.social

The Grave Of Perfection by @aptshadow.bsky.social is full of a sly wit that keeps bringing to mind Discworld. Not as comedic, but the same joy in language Rincewind might not find himself at home on the streets of Ilmar, but he would at least understand the wry irony of the local Maric patois.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

A 15 minute YouTube history video is not - under any circumstances - a "deep dive". It's wading about in the shallow end of the pool wearing a lifejacket and shouting "Look at me! I'm Greg Louganis!"

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Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

The session gave me so much to think about in terms of themes, structure, and approach. And I now have a whole bunch of reading to do as well! In a time when HE in the UK is under such strain, this really reminds me of how supportive and collegial the history community is.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

I now have reading to do on: The cultural backlash against the Cold War in Reagan's America Transnational skateboarding in West Germany and the US The history of emotions and their triggers Right-wing paramilitary anti-communism And much, much more!

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

I don't believe that Lewis de Frates who hosted and organised is on BSky, but he deserves a shout out as well. Attendees very kindly read my draft chapter on RPGs that dealt with the subversion and invasion of the United States (so, Paranoia, Price of Freedom, Freedom Fighters, etc.)

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Cold City and Hot War are also available at Leith's finest games shop. Cold War and Hot City were written by Craig Malcolm, who is by all accounts an idiotic oaf with ideas well above his station.

Ancient Robot Games@ancientrobotgames.bsky.social

New RPGs available now! -Blades ‘68, standard edition and deluxe edition -The Bunker Game -Hot City, and Cold War -Pork Mort

Malcolm Craig reposted

Guy Milner (BurnAfterRunning / Unconventional GMs)
@burnafterrunning.bsky.social

Lets face it - there are HUNDREDS of conventions in the UK that don't treat the community like this, and that you'll probably have more fun at. Why go to, and support, the one that does?

Katherine Stark@kastark.bsky.social

You may appreciate the naked contempt dripping from this email reply @loremistress93.bsky.social. Just a reminder to all UK creatives that UKGE does not give a shit about you or your opinions, and the recent AI stuff is more than just a simple mistake.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Unacceptable from anyone organising a con, but from one of the people in charge of the biggestUK event? At what point did he think this was a) good comms strategy? & b) not going to get spread far & wide? Then again, I've always felt that the organisers have utter contempt for traders and attendees

Katherine Stark@kastark.bsky.social

You may appreciate the naked contempt dripping from this email reply @loremistress93.bsky.social. Just a reminder to all UK creatives that UKGE does not give a shit about you or your opinions, and the recent AI stuff is more than just a simple mistake.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

At the heart of it, games companies don't actually need UKGE, but UKGE needs game companies. The kind of toxic, dismissive contempt that they continually show all to clearly will eventually be their downfall.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

I look to Ropecon in Finland and see a big con that is entirely volunteer run, with no tiny cabal taking huge salaries out of the event. The joy of playing and discussing games lies at the heart of Ropecon, not bilking traders and attendees out of every last penny.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

You know how @fromthemorgue.bsky.social did amazing things with FitD for a|state 2E and equally amazing things with D&D 5E for FiveEvil? Well he's also doing amazing things with the Cold City/Hot War 2E mechanics for @handiworkgames.bsky.social's adaptation of @aptshadow.bsky.social's books.

Jon at Handiwork Games@handiworkgames.bsky.social

We're over the moon to announce The Tyrant Philosophers Roleplaying Game! Take to the streets of Ilmar in this game of Rebellion and Resistance in @aptshadow.bsky.social's City of Bad Decisions! Find out more and sign up to be notified of the launch here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/han... #ttrpg

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

CW: animal cruelty What the fuck is wrong with these people?

Chris Packham@chrisgpackham.bsky.social

Five hen harrier chicks found dead on a grouse moor had injuries consistent with stabbing . . . YES , stabbing . Email your ‘victim impact statement’ to gamebirds@defra.gov.uk (subject: Call for Evidence) by 1 Nov . It can't go on . raptorpersecutionuk.org/2026/10/16/p...

raptorpersecutionuk.orgPost-mortems suggest five Hen Harrier chicks found dead in nest on grouse moor in northern England had injuries consistent with being stabbedEarlier this summer I submitted a Freedom of Information request to Natural England, asking for information on the causes of death, including post mortem reports, of all Hen Harrier nestlings (i.e.…

Malcolm Craig reposted

LJMU History
@ljmuhistory.bsky.social

One of these days @malcolmcraig.bsky.social should run an RPG for the department so we actually understand what he's on about...

Malcolm Craig@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Here's me, sitting at my desk, comparing the Traveller RPG to RAND analyses of Cold war geopolitical competition. Wait, what? This is really early stuff and just a tiny footnote in my wider project.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

And related to this, I did not imagine when I started this project that I would be requesting stuff from the archives of the Mclean County Museum, Illinois.

Malcolm Craig@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Here's me, sitting at my desk, comparing the Traveller RPG to RAND analyses of Cold war geopolitical competition. Wait, what? This is really early stuff and just a tiny footnote in my wider project.

Malcolm Craig reposted

Lucie Matthews-Jones
@luciejones83.bsky.social

My uni have released their PhD funding call. It’s a competitive, cross uni scheme. My advice: it needs some consideration ‘real world’ (broadly defined). But there’s great research (&engagement) happening in my dept www.ljmu.ac.uk/academic-uni... & School. Start chats early. Deadline: 29/01/27

ljmu.ac.ukVC PhD scholarships scheme 2027Apply for one of the studentships available to PhD students at Liverpool John Moores University, and join a fantastic, vibrant community of researchers.
Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Here's me, sitting at my desk, comparing the Traveller RPG to RAND analyses of Cold war geopolitical competition. Wait, what? This is really early stuff and just a tiny footnote in my wider project.

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Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

The universe at large could be reduced to a set of manageable mechanics and outcomes, even if those outcomes could be founded in randomness through the involvement of the dice. This wasn't a 'Cold War' game per se, but it did incorporate many themes and ideas from the milieux.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

As I said, this is little to do with the main threads of my analysis of nuclear age games, but it does give food for thought. For me at least. I realise that precious few people will care about this stuff! And I could be well wide of the mark, TBH.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Here's me, sitting at my desk, comparing the Traveller RPG to RAND analyses of Cold war geopolitical competition. Wait, what? This is really early stuff and just a tiny footnote in my wider project.

View full thread
Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Of course, Traveller was primarily influenced by classic science fiction 'space opera' literature typified by the work of Issac Asmiov, E.E. 'Doc' Smith, and Frederick Pohl. And the original 1977 game should not be confused with the much more detailed setting that emerges over time.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

But like RAND analysts attempting to understand the Cold War's complex geopolitics, Traveller used systems to make sense of a complex universe underpinned by randomness and uncertainty.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

Here's me, sitting at my desk, comparing the Traveller RPG to RAND analyses of Cold war geopolitical competition. Wait, what? This is really early stuff and just a tiny footnote in my wider project.

Malcolm Craig
@malcolmcraig.bsky.social

So as the game expanded from its original 1977 form as an open-ended sandbox for SF play into a more fully realised/detailed fictional universe (god bless you, TAS!), Traveller presented players with galaxy-spanning geopolitical struggles/ideological conflict/technological change & development.