The Spooky Cassandra

The Spooky Cassandra

@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Talks occasionally. Trans. Socialist. Politics. Film (Paul Schrader Expert). Photography. 29. London. She/Her.

383 followers529 following2.5K posts

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking about #TTRPG & #ActualPlay stuff and just sort of an open question to the room here but has anyone come up with a better name than "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast" because imo it's the most insightful and loadbearing ideas in the TTRPG theory space and it's lumped with an awful name.

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The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

In Conclusion The Modern Actual Play scene has muddied the waters when it comes to talking about the Modern TTRPG scene because there is this incestuous relationship between them that many people within the scenes seem not to be aware of and just think these two things are the same thing.

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking about #TTRPG & #ActualPlay stuff and just sort of an open question to the room here but has anyone come up with a better name than "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast" because imo it's the most insightful and loadbearing ideas in the TTRPG theory space and it's lumped with an awful name.

View full thread
The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

The terms we are using here are wrong, the way we are thinking about it is wrong but also... it gets further complicated because the home games are not some pure space, people are absolutely "doing dimension 20" at home because that's how people see the game being played

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

If your only exposure to TTRPGs is D&D 3.5 Modules then when you run your own game you're going to structure it like a D&D 3.5 Module because that's how you do it. In 2006 you had people putting Final Fantasy cutscenes in their games (to mixed response)

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking about #TTRPG & #ActualPlay stuff and just sort of an open question to the room here but has anyone come up with a better name than "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast" because imo it's the most insightful and loadbearing ideas in the TTRPG theory space and it's lumped with an awful name.

View full thread
The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

We're essentially doing media analysis on Dimension 20, Critical Role, NADDPod, etc but we're talking about it like these are home games, like these are ideas that we are taking back and applying at home, "I didn't like how Brennan did X because in my home game that would be very disempowering"

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

"Can D&D (or any TTRPG) be participatory collaborative storytelling or is it doomed to be rigid interactive fiction?" is an essay question. "Is Dimension 20 collaborative storytelling or interactive fiction?" doesn't make sense because it's neither, it's semi improvised theatre.

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking about #TTRPG & #ActualPlay stuff and just sort of an open question to the room here but has anyone come up with a better name than "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast" because imo it's the most insightful and loadbearing ideas in the TTRPG theory space and it's lumped with an awful name.

View full thread
The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

The only Actual Play show that could actually be just actual play is one where you sneak a hidden camera in someone elses home game and none of the participants realise what's going on. But that would be unethical and, more importantly, produce bad content

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

So is it even correct to begin applying TTRPG theory like the Impossible Thing to Actual Play. Dimension 20 does not really have a simple Players & DM dynamic like a typical D&D Game because the third element here is The Audience. The Players & DM are working together to create a show.

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking about #TTRPG & #ActualPlay stuff and just sort of an open question to the room here but has anyone come up with a better name than "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast" because imo it's the most insightful and loadbearing ideas in the TTRPG theory space and it's lumped with an awful name.

View full thread
The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

The Most Important Quibble that renders all of this irrelevant 3 - Dimension 20 is not a TTRPG home game we are analysing like it's back in the forge days. D20 is an Actual Play show which is an entertainment product that makes decisions for entertainment reasons. #ActualPlay is not actual play

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

This is not to say that Actual Play is bad. I enjoy it, blah blah blah. But Actual Play is not people actually playing the game, even the one that you are thinking of in your head where they don't cut anything, no, that is still not actual play.

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking about #TTRPG & #ActualPlay stuff and just sort of an open question to the room here but has anyone come up with a better name than "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast" because imo it's the most insightful and loadbearing ideas in the TTRPG theory space and it's lumped with an awful name.

View full thread
The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

This was set off by me reading this thread and having a few of quibbles, from least to most important: 1 - Look I'm an indie TTRPG head, and I get that it's great for marketing but indie stuff does not solve these problems nearly as well as they think they do. This friction is baked into the medium

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

2 - I think this is one of those scenarios where it would be great if everyone had the same language to discuss this stuff because we're clearly dancing around the ideas of Impossible Thing (plz, a better name I beg you) without saying it and we could have a richer discussion about all this

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking about #TTRPG & #ActualPlay stuff and just sort of an open question to the room here but has anyone come up with a better name than "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast" because imo it's the most insightful and loadbearing ideas in the TTRPG theory space and it's lumped with an awful name.

View full thread
The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

What The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast points out is "What the fuck are you talking about? That doesn't work?? Stories come from the characters, what happens if Frodo doesn't want to carry the ring to Mordor? What do you do? What is the story then? How can you possibly split these two things??"

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking about #TTRPG & #ActualPlay stuff and just sort of an open question to the room here but has anyone come up with a better name than "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast" because imo it's the most insightful and loadbearing ideas in the TTRPG theory space and it's lumped with an awful name.

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

For the completely uninitiated, TTRPG is what D&D is and there is an idea that has been there right from the start which is The Players have control over their characters. The DM/GM has control over the story. You play as Frodo and the DMs job is to tell the story the struggle to defeat Sauron

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

Stephen Bush
@stephenkb.bsky.social

Replying to @stephenkb.bsky.social

The single biggest mistaken consensus in Westminster on tax in my view is the belief that a 'one and done' tax rise at the start of a parliament is something voters won't forget, but raising their taxes every year of the parliament is in fact good and clever politics.

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

Tom Roberts
@tpgroberts.bsky.social

Replying to @tpgroberts.bsky.social

Fundamentally, the 2028/2029 spending plan isn't real and hasn't been real since at least 2023. A good chancellor would have at least considered addressing that. Badenoch *gulps* was right "is that it?" Is the appropriate reaction, it's just her plan is an even more unrealistic spending plan.

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

Thinking of cannibalising an old thing I never finished to turn it into toxic yuri but I don't know if anyone would be interested in a sad 40 year old lesbian former spy turned PI, investigating the "suicide" of the CEO of British† Cisco/Nortel †German Colony since 1899, 100 Years Today!

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

Joel
@snufkinlib.bsky.social

Replying to @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social

groypers are tumblr now and it’s making lefties nervous

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

Jack
@jhol95.bsky.social

Replying to @jhol95.bsky.social

This is not a comment on tax, but the fact that successive governments have simply decided to raise min wage rather than fixing structural issues with our economy as a way of alleviating people's burdens, and that has led to something that looks suspiciously like wage compression.

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

The Starmer/Burnham era has turned me from a far left anti-Blairite, to a reluctant Blairite, to an anti-Blairite "he didn't go far enough to burn down the old party" Government by people reliving their teenage fantasies, blissfully unaware that the country has changed.

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The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

These people should be designated as terrorists

Andrew Kersley@andrewkersley.bsky.social

EXCL: The Soho Society is trying to stop the redevelopment of a deserted office because it would make Soho too busy. They claim that adding new bars, restaurants and cheap office space would alter its "established character as a quieter civic and green space". My @the-londoner.bsky.social scoop:

the-londoner.co.ukExclusive: The Soho Society strikes againPlus, who’s leaving London’s bridges ‘strangled’?

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

John C
@badsocialism.bsky.social

Yeah I've had people scoffing in groupchats about it being consent manufacturing as if supply chain vulnerabilities haven't been made extremely fucking clear

Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social

Finding some of the reaction on here to the 'stockpiling' stuff a bit odd. The Russians successfully firebombed the last prime minister's house! There was a cyberattack on a French supermarket a few weeks ago!

The Spooky Cassandra
@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

My take on an early election is that if Andy Burnham could provide good governance then it's insane to have an early election, but he can't, GE2029 will be a right bloc victory because Andy can just do short term boosts in popularity that don't hold up long term (which is ideal for a snap election)

The Spooky Cassandra@prophetcassandra.bsky.social

The only way this works is if Andy Burnham hikes up taxes in a few days so he's not doing deep public service cuts in the run up to an election but also I think the anti-immigration stuff derails this anyway because it's going to be a drag on the economy

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

thepig993
@thepig993.bsky.social

someone was taking this piss and he just believed it lmao

Stephen Jacob Smith@stephenjacobsmith.com

Omfg!! 14:45: “…the cultural values are vastly different. In England…they don't have fire recall the way we do—they have fire brigades, and people in the building use buckets while waiting for the brigade. In the U.S., we design elevators to perform specifically so firefighters can use them safely.”

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

Martin Concagh
@mconcagh.bsky.social

Replying to @sharonk.bsky.social

“This piece of legislation is politically motivated” is the epitome of the dishonest, thought-terminating anti-politics that’s infected absolutely everything

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

Jess O'Thomson
@jessothomson.co.uk

Viscerally upset by the Beth Upton stuff. They won't be satisfied until they have hounded a woman – who the tribunal explicitly found had done nothing wrong – to her death. Btw the "incident" in Australia is that a patient worried she *might* be forced to be treated by her. She of course wasn't.

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

QuoProQuid
@quoproquid.bsky.social

all voters *will* be assigned a fursona at the polling booth. sadly, because our election infrastructure is woefully outdated, they will all be mid-to-late 2000s sparkledogs

gwen howerton@kissphoria.bsky.social

a friend in Dallas got this gem of a political text today. The PAC, Texans for Common Sense PAC, is funded by Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC, of which a GOP mega donor named Tim Dunn, who you may have heard of, is a major funder of.

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

Huw TD
@huwtd.bsky.social

Replying to @sharonk.bsky.social

"The marketplace of ideas situation has developed not necessarily to the right's advantage. We will therefore be moving to a Sakoku of Ideas."

The Spooky Cassandra reposted

Leicester Gazette
@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *