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This is absolutely adorable and sweet as heck!

Gorgeous art and a cute (if bittersweet) story.

Resolve to play more indie games in the new year and let Indiepocalypse #72 help you down that path!

-10 curated games for $15!
-Zine!
-Newly commissioned game by @cassowary.me

-Cover by @bhanupratap.bsky.social

pizzapranks.itch.io/indiepocalypse-72

I used Mint years ago on a thinkpad I bought on a trip to Japan, and it was magical. I've been debating finally getting a new laptop and using Mint once again, and I think this might get me going on that.

Aina from Demonschool saying: "The important thing is we have to smash all technology to bits. That'll prove to you there's demons in there." Also, for some reason, it has an ACTIVATE WINDOWS thing in the corner because even though my Windows is actually activated, Windows is a hell program made out of bullshit.

Me, ten years ago: "I love technology! It enables such incredible things, and it's only going to create more wonders in the future!"

Me, now:

Very excited to be out at my first PAX Unplugged, but I am deeply bummed that I have to wait until I get home to play more #Demonschool . I spent 10 minutes on the very first fight trying every combination to finish it in that last round (until I finally remembered Specials and it was easy).

NaGaDeMon Slayer Sale! by Running From Skeletons A bundle by Running From Skeletons, $2.00 for 5 games

Okay, I have built an itch page, and put a bunch of old projects on sale.

Grab some things I've made and love for cheap, or help yourself to Giant Robot Writers' Room for free! #ttrpg #NaGaDeMon

itch.io/s/167685/nag...

I have been very bad about checking and posting on here, but want to turn that around. What better way than to excitedly post that I finished my #NaGaDeMon game.

After 2 weeks of struggling, a new idea struck. Now I just need to put together an itch page and share it with the world!

Art and alternative games for the discerning palate, it's Indiepocalypse #69!

-10 curated games for $15!
-Zine!
-Newly commissioned game by
@deimosly.itch.io
-Cover by @abbycali-art.bsky.social

pizzapranks.itch.io/indiepocalypse-69

If you're interested in game direction, maintaining game vibes, trying to make a piece of art that's "commercial" while also fully strange, this is the episode for you! A back and forth between myself and @chopemon.bsky.social about the making of Promise Mascot Agency.

I have not - thank you so much for the recommendation!

Biollante - such an incredible creature design, and on a scale you don't usually see Godzilla going up against. More plant based kaiju in these movies, please.

Got any tips on things you haven't seen but would like to?

Do you find pre-built modules to be helpful/useful, or do you prefer to always roll your own stories/campaigns?

I mean, gotta mention Ringworld. But I found the main location in John Varley's Titan/Wizard/Demon books fascinating.

And if you don't mind manga, my top recommendation by a mile is Blame! (The exclamation mark is part of the title)

What horrible sequence of events caused those rules to be established?
And how was anyone still having fun with those rules?

Easy/obvious answer is Traveller - it's a game unto itself.

But big points also go to all the OSR games that make it a quick and painless affair (with lots of interesting randomness).

Demonschool, specifically a boss fight in a purple environment featuring a stack of televisions, is displayed on a white compaq 4:3 CRT on a table in a roof garden surrounded by plants.

Okay, sure, Silksong is going to sell millions of copies. But can you play it in 4:3 on your CRT like Demonschool!?

Go read this awesome article about a doujin follow up to one of my favourite video games of all time!
I didn't realize there was an english version of it until i read this article last year, 🤣.

Mage the Ascension, Vampire the Masquerade, any of the World of Darkness games, really.

Toss in TMNT and Traveller, and we've got all sorts of options for a great time...

What’s a technology that you think is overhyped? I’m going to give a sideways answer to this, which is that the venture capital business model needs to be understood as requiring hype. You can go back to the Netscape IPO, and that was the proof point that made venture capital the financial lifeblood of the tech industry. Venture capital looks at valuations and growth, not necessarily at profit or revenue. So you don’t actually have to invest in technology that works, or that even makes a profit, you simply have to have a narrative that is compelling enough to float those valuations. So you see this repetitive and exhausting hype cycle as a feature in this industry. A couple of years ago, you would have been asking me about the metaverse, then last year, you would have asked me about Web3 and crypto, and for each of these inflection points there’s an Andreessen Horowitz manifesto. It’s not simply that one piece of technology is overhyped, it’s that hype is a necessary ingredient of the current business ecosystem of the tech industry. We should examine how often the financial incentive for hype is rewarded without any real social returns, without any meaningful progress in technology, without these tools and services and worlds ever actually manifesting. That’s key to understanding the growing chasm between the narrative of techno-optimists and the reality of our tech-encumbered world.

Stand by this: www.politico.com/newsletters/...

Changeling the Lost is a ton of fun - the mechanics are fine (i like them, but I can't vouch for the balance), the setting is really interesting and might be a good option if you've been playing call of Cthulhu.

Mork Borg could be a fun (and simple) option to head to from the DnD angle.

I haven't looked much into 5th edition, but Revised was my first proper entry point to ttrpgs, and dang, the worldbuilding is completely off the charts. The mechanics may not have really worked, but the powers were thematic and cool as heck.

Gotta be tokusatsu. Something that really drills into the character arcs + wild overarching stories + some fun and fast combat.

I'd also love to do a kaiju game, but less giant monsters in a goofy fight and more struggling to survive on the ground while that happens.

I have a joke about game preservation but I'm not allowed to share it with you digitally

The cover of issue one with some AGA Amiga artwork of an Appleseed cover

The cover of our most recent issue, 22, with Dirty Pair in their Beverly Hills Cop tribute Hollywood calendar artwork.

Sniff, the introduction in the first ever issue

The same intro page from issue 22, sporting a better background and bespoke mascot artwork

Ah, it's just about to the hour for ONE WHOLE YEAR since the first issue of our fortnightly retro gaming and anime 'zine, BETWEEN THE SCANLINES, first rolled out. 🎉

Want to get in on the action with our £1 digital zine, knowing there's catch-up sale bundles available?

betweenthescanlines.itch.io

Someone just asked if our game was woke on Steam.

My response:

The cover for issue four with SNES import treasures, demo disc delving, Tales of Heroes of Might & Magic, and more!

The cover of issue fourteen with Sasha's First Open-World RPG, PSX Demo Discs in the USA, Translated Saturn Shmupery and more

Issue Twelve with Famicom Deep Space Horror, Vagrant Story Revisited, Hot Namco Arcade Action, and More!

Issue three's cover with Commodore Memories of 85, the Midas Touch-Sanvein, Kit & Sasha's Top 10 NES, and more!

Heya peeps!

It's our retro gaming e-zine's first anniversary tomorrow and we'd like to celebrate the milestone with a bit of a bang by selling a bunch of copies to put some funds away to support its future development.

Its home is here at betweenthescanlines.itch.io, but if using itch...

1/2

If it's any consolidation, I like it! The format/layout of the book is interesting, and I feel like wrestling especially lends itself to having actual photos rather than art.

Absolutely this, all the time.

I recently read an article talking about how OSR isn't a good match for mecha in a lot of ways, so I'm feeling motivated to experiment and see if i can play with that.