caro

Presently panicking between airports but ICYMI I wrote a thing

if nothing we touch is ever pure — touch everything

Faggot Games: An Urgent Warning — Darling Demon Eclipse How do I express this to you, the faggot game designer who is most likely to read a blog about TTRPGs with such an aggressive name? You have to do it now, and loudly, and into the future. You have to ...

something something write faggot games now more than ever, now even if you don't usually write erotica, now for all of us, for those that need to remember we're human despite being banned, delisted, and erased.

A screenshot from itch.io's terms of service/creator FAQ that reads: "We don’t allow hosting content that includes sexualized images or videos of real-life humans. Fictional, illustrated, and rendered content is generally fine, assuming it’s legal. AI-generated imagery that is designed to resemble photographic content of real people is not allowed. Content glorifying sexual violence is not permitted. Depictions of minors, minor-presenting, or suggested minors in a sexual context are not allowed and will result in account suspension. Our policy is not an invitation to push the boundaries of what is acceptable. Violations that result in administrative action are permanent with no chance of appeal. Any funds on the account will not be eligible for payout. There is no second chance."

A screenshot from itch.io's terms of service/creator FAQ that reads: The following is a non-exhaustive list of prohibited themes present in card processing networks. We are unable to support the sale of any works containing these topics: Non-consensual content (real or implied) Underage or “barely legal” themes Incest or pseudo-incest content Bestiality or animal-related Rape, coercion, or force-related Sex trafficking implications Revenge porn / voyeur / hidden cam Fetish involving bodily waste or extreme harm (e.g., “scat,” “vomit”) It’s almost impossible to come up with an exhaustive list of unacceptable products to sell, so often we have to take content reviews one at a time. If an issue arises with your account that isn’t already covered by our policy, then we will contact you and share what options you may have."

Having a hard time reconciling exactly what these policies will mean for game designers who sell on itch.io in any capacity. So many games "contain" these themes and topics without having them as part of the narrative... the line isn't in the sand, it's somewhere underwater and constantly moving.

A cover illustration depicting a massive red devil bearing its teeth over four masked individuals carrying instrument cases while running across the top of a train. Text reads: LAST TRAJN TO BREMEN. CARO ASERCION. each corner of the illustration has a small drawing of an music instrument: drum, mic, guitar, and fiddle

My cover for Last Train to Bremen by @seaexcursion.itch.io produced by @possumcreekgames.com

Crowdfunding for the game’s reprint just wrapped! A huge thanks to all who made it happen

Last Train to Bremen A storytelling game of four doomed musicians and their poor decisions.

we are heading into the final 24 hours of the backerkit campaign for LAST TRAIN TO BREMEN, the award-winning storygame about a band on the run, with @possumcreekgames.com. dont get left at the station bit.ly/bremen_bk

the my first dungeon crew coming out swinging here. dont write this one off

Don’t wait to create, don’t wait to learn A prominent game designer recently said in a Dice Exploder thread, that breaking down design paradigms before you design games is self-limiting and unproductive. This was interpreted by many as “yo…

I write about game design, starting out, and broadening your palette. idlecartulary.com/2025/07/09/d...

Coming soon: The Last Fifteen Minutes A marionette opera and short film about having dinner together before a giant kaiju steps on you.

Would you like to be notified about my new project, crowdfunding in August? It is a short film and marionette musical about the residents of a shitty apartment in Los Angeles grieving and eating together before a giant kaiju crushes them.

www.kickstarter.com/projects/shi...

WHOA NEW VIDITYA VOLETI GAME???

This is my small Star Wars heartbreaker I love making sci-fi systems and STAR CRASH has been one in my drafts for YEARS

SO happy to finish it up for indiepocalyse hope you like it!

cover for indiepocalypse #66 showing a lunging person in a large brimmed hat

screen for Star Crash showing the game's title

indiepocalypse launcher carousel

Celebrate the thriving world of independent games with this month's Indiepocalypse #66!

-10 curated games for $15!
-Zine!
-Newly commissioned game by @vidityavoleti.bsky.social

-Cover by @pimientosdulces.bsky.social

pizzapranks.itch.io/indiepocalypse-66

Since I'm taking a little bit of a break, I want to talk about the work I've done over the last three months at Rascal.

I've done interviews, criticism, reportage, and stuff that's hard to classify. I'm incredibly proud of all of it and want to take some time and lay it out in one thread:

1/

in an age of what feels like perpetual war and infinite cultural replications and homages to it, check out a game that turns a classic war game on its head to invite players to ask thoughtful questions and explore a radical vision of disarmament as not a possibility but an inevitability

The Ship Sinks Here 5th Anniversary Update This week I updated my game The Ship Sinks Here , an anti-war sequel to battleship, with a full second edition. It's been five years since I originally published it, and looking back it's still some o...

I just posted an update to The Ship Sinks Here, my anti-war sequel to battle ship. It's gotten a complete rewrite, a new print at home layout, and an a remodeled itch page with the best banner I've ever made. This game was one of my favs, now its even better. You can read about the update here:

thirteen years of retribution, paid in full

two page spread from intergalactic Teaz. art on the right is of two people standing next to each other in provocative poses in front of a futuristic space background.

2-page spread for the micro-game "Black Future: Emancipation of Stars". On the left is a futuristic black man with grey and green dreadlocks in front of a starry background. On the right is the title and the intro text: "When Earth began to burn, black people and everyone else with the Mission in their hearts travelled in soulships, searching for the freedom that eluded them on Earth. The harrowing turn of years provided no comforts, but persistence did its work; eventually, they got free. Free to live and to love as desired, free to choose paths well or less travelled, free to exist without the weight of strife wrapped around the neck. They became the Free People, traveling and settling on new worlds, pushing further and further into the unknown and unexplored. That was long ago."

two page spread of "Come Out From Your Grave". The art on the left is a spirit standing over a woman praying in front of a cross tombstone with candles on its base. The ghost is pointing as if giving directions.

Two page spread of Neighborhood Robots . A large two page piece of art in the background where a robot is being operated on and played with by young children in an urban environment.

Y'all. The final, full color digital version of the Griot Anthology is live!

If you've already bought it, you should get an e-mail. If you haven't bought it... you should. An incredible collection of games from incredible black designers and artists.

thoughtcrimegames.itch.io/griot-anthol...

This is a very good interview and I'm very happy with my responses.

@rowanzeoli.bsky.social is genuinely one of the best interviewers I've ever sat down with, and it felt amazing to sit down and chat with someone who really GETS it, and have my work feel truly seen.

I've been banging this drum for years now, I know, but Zohran's Big Night is a clear illustration of the power of giving people a vision of the future that boldly contradicts the rhetoric of Republican fearmongers. Not just "disagrees on policies," but actively paints a different image of the world.

From now through November, we're gonna hear about how NYC is different and how we cannot think that what works here will work everywhere.

But this part absolutely will: Create an active (not reactive) vision for what the world could be. Motivate people to build that world together, with you. Win.

this is the shot. this is THE shot. all of conner's new illustrations are stunning but every time i share the full set, this is the one that takes everybody's breath away

An etching style illustration of four animal masked figures looking out the open door of a train boxcar. Instrument cases are piled in the middle. The sun rises over thick clouds

Fourth of my five chapter illustrations for @possumcreekgames.com upcoming release of Last Train to Bremen by @seaexcursion.itch.io the game’s crowdfunding campaign launched today!

thanks tyler!!

thank you reeder!

Crowdfunding launched! So excited for this project, go give it a look

Last Train to Bremen is finally live! I got the absolute joy of editing this baby and, in my unbiased opinion, it deserves every dollar y'all can throw at it. It really is special in the way it blends theatre mask work, liars dice, and larp sensibilities. Now is the perfect time to give it a look!

We're THRILLED to announce we're partnering with @possumcreekgames.com and @stevejacksongames.bsky.social for a mini-season of Last Train to Bremen!

Our quartet of doomed musicians is:
@brianflaherty.bsky.social
@moreblueberries.bsky.social
@shenuque.bsky.social
@strautmaskreplica.bsky.social

Last Train to Bremen A storytelling game of four doomed musicians and their poor decisions.

When the Devil calls, the musicians flee.

LAST TRAIN TO BREMEN, a tragedy for a doomed quartet, now crowdfunding on Backerkit with @possumcreekgames.com! Come join the train bit.ly/bremen_bk

Last Train to Bremen A storytelling game of four doomed musicians and their poor decisions.

LAST TRAIN TO BREMEN, the award-winning 4-player dice rpg about doomed musicians and their deal with the devil by the fantastic @seaexcursion.itch.io , is now live on BACKERKIT! www.backerkit.com/c/projects/j...

a comic. a possum is rummaging around inside a trash can. It erupts from the can holding something in its paws. “hey!” she says. She holds out the desktop calendar. “Today is June 24th! Look!” She leans on the edge of the trash can. “that means today is make a terrible comic day!” She produces a ballpoint pen from the trash and clicks it. “the idea is to just make something! no rules, just enjoy the act of creation! (Or don’t and just do it anyway)” she is drawing on the cardboard back of the calendar. “tell a story, tell a joke, make something silly or sublime or totally abstract! make something and don’t stop making it until it’s made!” She holds up her little comic with pride. “tell your inner critic to ‘fuck off!’ make a terrible comic!”

Happy #makeaterriblecomicday2025! It’s mandatory that you create some piece of sequential art — what it is and how you make it is up to you! Have fun! You might as well!

they fled with their instruments, and little else

An etching style illustration of a dimly lit bar. Two figures in animal masks play liars dice at a table in the foreground while a band plays music in the distance. More masked figures stand near the bar counter

Second of my five chapter illustrations for @possumcreekgames.com upcoming release of Last Train to Bremen by @seaexcursion.itch.io 5 days till the game’s backerkit launches