Katrina Ostrander

Notepad++ users take note: It's time to check if you're hacked Suspected China-state hackers used update infrastructure to deliver backdoored version.

In case you missed yesterday, Notepad++ auto-update mechanism was hacked and was delivering backdoored versions for a couple months. Tons of devs use this, uninstall completely what you have, search for the sus files mentioned in article and only download from official site

DriveThruRPG's 5th annual PocketQuest game jam is coming soon!

Get ready for DriveThruRPG's 5th annual PocketQuest game jam where you'll be challenged to design a themed, pocket-size TTRPG in two months!

This year's theme will be announced on Monday, March 2

Join the Discord community: discord.gg/RollThru
#ttrpg

New episode alert! @danielhkwan.bsky.social & @drewquon.bsky.social had a chance to interview former Games Workshop artist LJ Koh about their work on the Warhammer: Old World Grand Cathay army book!

Now streaming on your favourite podcast platform and our YouTube channel!

🎧 pod.link/1429004408

Update: the session was wonderful, with a mix of experienced and new players ranging in age from 40 to 70. I got to break out some of my toys, and fun was seemingly had by all.

Tonight is my first night GMing since I had a baby, and I find myself super nervous. Do I remember how any of this works? Shiny math rocks go clacky clacky or something like that.

Minneapolis, 10 relics, & worlds by watt Patreon What it looks like in Minneapolis, plus a whole new space for worlds by watt content.

Here's my experience as a TTRPG creator in Minneapolis right now, 10 new relics for Cloud Empress, plus a new way to support my work (and all new Patreon).

worldsbywatt.substack.com/p/minneapoli...

Twilight Struggle! Lords of Waterdeep! Good shit!

The Freakonomics podcast cover self-help topics sporadically. They bring on experts who give the TLDR about the books they wrote. Most recently they talked about reset psychology with regards to the new year, and in the past they covered topics like the WOOP method of setting and achieving goals.

Tried The Adventures of Conan! This is an IP I know nothing about, yet I was able to win as the foe Husbas by going on a grand pilgrimage to three temples of Set and scryring and magicking my way to victory.

'The folks are fearful.' Haitians living in Ohio may soon lose temporary protected status • Ohio Capital Journal Thousands of Haitians living in Ohio will lose their temporary protected status next week unless a federal court blocks it.

Haitians in Springfield, Ohio lose temporary protected status on February 3rd. There will very likely be a major ICE incursion the next day. Haitians in Springfield were the targets of Vance’s lying during the campaign.
ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/01/28/t...

New on the blog: Why Solo RPGs? An invitation to find your fun wherever and whenever you can, especially if times are hard, and especially if you are busy. When we find delight in life, we can kindle the inner flame that helps us illuminate the lives of others. katrinaostrander.com/why-solo-rpgs/

New on the blog: Why Solo RPGs? An invitation to find your fun wherever and whenever you can, especially if times are hard, and especially if you are busy. When we find delight in life, we can kindle the inner flame that helps us illuminate the lives of others. katrinaostrander.com/why-solo-rpgs/

🚨 If you submitted a game to the No ICE In Minnesota charity bundle jam, please approve your submissions here itch.io/b/3484/no-ic... 🚨

All submissions unapproved by Febr 6 will be pruned so the bundle can start on time on Feb 9. Please share for visibility & tell your friends who joined the bundle

1/ Today you might be expecting the weekly Dose on flu, the U.S. pulling out of the WHO, or other health headlines. I’ll get back there soon. But after this weekend, those topics felt small and I needed to pause. Because I don’t know about you, but my weekend was full of really hard juxtapositions🧵

A new website about PC games, from me, @brendyc.bsky.social and @jonhicks.com.

Reader-supported, which means no ads, no guff, and lots of games blogging about delightful things to play. If you liked our work on RPS, we think you'll like @jank.cool.

NarraScope 2026 | Call for Talks NarraScope is a conference that brings together the writers, developers, scholars, and players of interactive narrative.

Are you a TTRPG developer? Do you want to submit a talk to #NarraScope 2026? You should! And this year Narrascope isn't on the same day as Free RPG Day!
narrascope.org/talks/

This is why it's important to call and let your voice be heard. @5calls.org makes it easy to make a difference. #abolishice

Imagine what’s happening in the camps.

What's happening in Minnesota is one reason the Reconstruction Amendments banned insurrectionists from holding office. Unfortunately, the originalists on the Supreme Court interpreted the plain language of the amendment to mean its opposite.

they're executing moms and nurses in the street. they're using preschoolers as bait. they're stealing people's dads and grandmas and children. they're tear gassing babies. they're staking out schools. there is no remedy but abolition. any proposal that doesn't start there is an act of violence.

A screenshot of a character board from the 2025 D&D Starter Set as recreated in Affinity Publisher 2.

Finally making the leap from InDesign to Affinity Publisher 2 by teaching myself how to recreate the character sheets from the D&D Heroes of the Borderlands Box Set in a printer friendly format. I used this template as the basis: www.dmsguild.com/en/product/5...

Hey, the excellent Minneapolis arts and culture magazine Racket took down their paywall for the day, so you can go read their coverage of the occupation unhindered. Start here: racketmn.com/voices-of-th...

A man with a green leather cap and white moustache and beard looks at the camera. Head and shoulder photo, he is wearing a white t shirt and grey open shirt, and has a lanyard coloured red, yellow, white and blue. Luke Peterschmidt from Asmodee.

Wooden components and a card from the Lord of the Rings: Fate of the Fellowship board game. Yellow wooden meeple shows Sam and Frodo, Green shows Legolas and Purple Aragorn, while the card behind has an image of Frodo and Sam and lots of game text explaining rules.

A blue background, with part of Hogwarts superimposed across the right of the image. The words Back to Hogwarts are visible in gold writing to the left, and the logo for Upper Deck in the centre.

Three men smile at the camera in separate images. The one on the left has folded arms and wears a black polo shirt and black cap, and has a short beard. The central one has light brown hair and wears a white t-shirt. The one on the right has dark hair and beard, glasses and is wearing a colourful beige, blue, red and orange patterned shirt. Ross Thompson, Ilya Ushakov and Ross Connell.

“No part of the mission says ‘Asmodee makes all the games'”: Luke Peterschmidt on shaping the future of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings tabletop titles

Read the full interview in the latest BoardGameWire newsletter, plus industry news, design notes and job openings:

buttondown.com/boardgamewir...

I mean this non-snarkily, @startribune.com, but you’ll have to update your headline.

I know I keep posting about this but every time I check, the list gets longer and longer and longer. Hundreds and hundreds of places, everything from huge local institutions to small spots that will definitely struggle.

No exaggeration, it's the most astonishing act of solidarity I've ever seen.

I haven't yet given up on our democracy. Precinct caucuses are Feb 3--the DFL will be doing a preference ballot for governor, and participating is the first step in endorsing candidates for the MN House and statewide offices. Find your caucus here: caucusfinder.sos.mn.gov

This is a photo of someone being tortured, not someone being restrained

SAVE THE DATE!

Step into Arkham with @fantasyflightgames.bsky.social to celebrate Chapter Two of Arkham Horror at the Miskatonic Masquerade!

The Abyss beckons, will you answer?

www.arkhamhorror.com/news/miskato...

5 Calls Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.

Finished my daily calls (voice mails this morning) begging my reps to not fund the group that could haul me off the street with impunity for "looking Asian".

Now to my regular begging people on social media to please make the calls too. It takes 5 mins. Get over your anxiety - people are dying.