Travis Magrum 🎲

Single session per scenario

We're having a #GenCant Sale on our site this weekend! All #ttrpgs and #boardgames are 25% off with free US shipping, including our brand new game, Super Squad High. If you are into rules systems that create a story as you play, you should check it out:

Same. I watched the damn walkthrough to get the next step.

The rules for several games state that negotiation can include future promises but the future promises don't need to be upheld. I thought that was an odd inclusion but it helps new players understand the gameplay expectations.

Origins was excellent. I spent most of it as an industry professional, testing other people's games and being a team mentor in Unpub's Pro-Am game jam. I highly recommend it as a pro or participant.

Unpub has been hopping. Too many demo games aren't available (Gen Con release or Kickstarter)

3 hours until I get to Origins!

Nerdy Pup Games

I've been quiet for a bit, but back with some big news! Our new website and online store is LIVE. You can now order physical copies of our games directly from us.

www.nerdypupgames.com

YouTube video by Villain Support A hero takes a moment to breathe

To all you heroes and soon to be heroes

Blue Prince layout with Antechamber.

Blue Prince layout with antechamber and filled grid.

Credits on day 15. Didn't get back to that room until day 31 (when I filled the board).

Everbloom arrived from @chaosmoss.bsky.social @nerdvanagames.bsky.social

image of watchmen's doctor manhattan, a superhero who is entirely blue and nude, sitting on a rock, small in frame, on what is depicted to be a very pink version of the surface of the planet mars. he looks pensive.

It is 2002. I am 18 years old. We are in a once-in-a-generation economic crisis.

It is 2008. I am 24 years old. We are in a once-in-a-generation economic crisis.

It is 2020. I am 36 years old. We are in a once-in-a-generation economic crisis.

It is 2025. I am 41 years old. We are in a—

" On April 5th, a 54% tariff goes into effect on a wide range of goods imported from China. For those of us who create boardgames, this is not just a policy change. It's a seismic shift. At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans. We do know that we can't absorb this kind of cost increase without raising prices. We've done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely. Here are the numbers: A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean. Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That's not a luxury upcharge; it's survival math. Some people ask, "Why not manufacture in the U.S.?" I wish we could. But the infrastructure to support full-scale boardgame production – specialty dice making, die-cutting, custom plastic and wood components – doesn't meaningfully exist here yet. I've gotten quotes. I've talked to factories. Even when the willingness is there, the equipment, labor, and timelines simply aren't."

Steve Jackson Games posted this to their blog and the post is getting so many hits their site is effectively crashed but the point is worth repeating

-How does Leader Games benefit from the internship program as opposed to hiring long-term or getting freelancers?
-Which Spirit Island spirit is most difficult to win with in a solo game?

Descent, The Fellowship of the Ring Trick Taking Game, Marvel Remix, Striking Flint

A good day of gaming with my crew.

Striking Flint by @johndubois.bsky.social is great! I tried it solo with three committees for my first play. I'm hoping to get it to the table with my regulars.

I got to play this at PAX Unplugged. It is excellent!

Wish I could! Instead I'm trying to make sure that all of my regular job stuff is taken care of so I can just enjoy the convention

Julia hoarded all the mushrooms in Wild Gardens @rosegauntlet.bsky.social

At nerdvana with Ian and Julia. The meal and games were great!

Leaf by @weirdcitygames.bsky.social

The new Captain America movie is good. People might tell you you need to watch a bunch of stuff to get the references, but you'll be fine if the last thing you saw was Endgame

Beth from Sarah and the Safe Word wearing a custom tie with the band's logo.

It's rare that I'm the one giving a tie to someone else.

YouTube video by Machinery of the Human Heart By the Willow Tree - Machinery of the Human Heart

The way Marvin poured their heart out on stage felt like an amazing, deep, personal conversation. Go listen to all their stuff.

A great day of gaming. Played Descent, got through five missions of The Lord of the Rings trick taking game, and played Echoes: the Microchip

Heading Forward is great and I just ordered Striking Flint.

K! So! We spent this week figuring out how the tariffs, inflation and other bullshit is going to affect business. Time to thread.

For those not in the know, I'm the Director at Hachette Boardgames USA and I import games for foreign publishers and market and sell them in the US.
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Snow news is good news

Tickets are on sale NOW for our tour in February! Join us - plus our friends in @worriedabtowen.bsky.social and Machinery of the Human Heart - as we destroy family values and make questionable jokes about your family's dishware. We'll play our music, too.

Tickets + VIP: sarahandthesafeword.com/tour

I'm thinking about Geekway to the West. Anyone that want to hang out in St Louis?