Mike the Nerd Therapist | Friend Shaped Studios's Avatar

Mike the Nerd Therapist | Friend Shaped Studios

@perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social

#Perth | Counsellor | he/him #NerdTherapist | RPG Therapy | Video Games in Therapy https://twitch.tv/FriendShapedStudios

501 Followers  |  367 Following  |  469 Posts  |  Joined: 10.07.2023
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Posts by Mike the Nerd Therapist | Friend Shaped Studios (@perthnerdtherapy.bsky.social)

Pictured: Spider-Man facing a dinosaur-man, saying "with all this time on your hand you could be making tiktoks"
And a pterasaur-man replies "but I don't want to make tiktoks i want to write roleplaying games"

Pictured: Spider-Man facing a dinosaur-man, saying "with all this time on your hand you could be making tiktoks" And a pterasaur-man replies "but I don't want to make tiktoks i want to write roleplaying games"

Me making a tiktok on why I haven't been making tiktoks.
I've been making roleplaying games.

friendshapedgames.itch.io/cozypunk

03.03.2026 06:27 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
The Dust Has Settled, Tea is Ready by Mike A cozypunk game of choosing friendship in the Weird Post-Apocalypse

I've just independently published my very own role-playing game; The Dust Has Settled, Tea is Ready. A cozy game of choosing friendship and community. It's live on Itch!

Its pay what you want.

friendshapedgames.itch.io/cozypunk

02.03.2026 08:09 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

Its more "we got all the pillaging out of our system, now let's bake some bread". The players will play Apocalyptic Antagonist Archetypes who settle down and start a town

23.02.2026 07:52 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

My first role-playing game is awaiting art, balance and some detailing before going to next steps!

In the meantime I've written two more and I'm really thinking one is going to be super simple, not quite a one-pager but short and flexible - a cozypunk game of making tea during the apocalypse.

23.02.2026 07:13 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Im so hyped it's about dang time they dropped the old games on virtual console

20.02.2026 11:36 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Is this FireRed/LeafGreen on Switch?

20.02.2026 10:10 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Cover art for my very own RPG is almost in, and playtesting begins Thursday!

I'm so keen and trying to maintain creative momentum so I've started putting down lore and mechanics for a new game in the system I'm developing!

20.02.2026 10:09 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

I love yall's work! Eat the Reich is PURE VIBE but helping people connect to RPGs who don't have the headspace for D&D realise there's more accessible options out there has been lovely, and has really guided my own RPG writing to not have as many moving parts.

20.02.2026 09:12 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Cool af thing I got to do this week; Recommend the one page games of @rowanrookanddecard.bsky.social as a fatigue / disability friendly way to bond with friends.

20.02.2026 09:07 — 👍 7    🔁 4    💬 1    📌 0
A photo of Derek, a teen from the USA. He is winding up for a punch, to be thrown against the point-of-view, an ICE supporter with a camera.

A photo of Derek, a teen from the USA. He is winding up for a punch, to be thrown against the point-of-view, an ICE supporter with a camera.

For five years I've run over fifty therapy D&D campaigns in the same world; Emdyria.

Emdyria mostly leans on D&D's canon deities but I'm inducting another into the Pantheon.

Derec the Resolute, God of Justice In Defiance of Tyranny.

16.02.2026 11:57 — 👍 9    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

I sent a draft of my game to a friend of mine with little experience in RPGs. They had a character built in minutes. Hell yeah!

I'm aiming for it to be easy to make characters for.

16.02.2026 09:31 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

I was on the bus this week.
Two young guys, somewhere between 16 and 19, were bragging about the money they had. They used the phrase "Epstein money" as aspirational.

There is already a portion of the culture that doesn't see the horror. Just sees money and power and wants a piece.

Horrified.

15.02.2026 17:00 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

My game is at a stage where all that's left to add is little lore drops and other stuff that comes in after playtesting.

I'm so dang hyped! A real triple-A game if i say so myself! Australian Antifascist Action :D

11.02.2026 15:33 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
text reads: no ice in minnesota

text reads: no ice in minnesota

itch.io/b/3484/no-ic...

The NO ICE IN MINNESOTA bundle is up. There's a lifetime's worth of good games in this! If you submitted something or just want to shout something out, reply here and let's reshare it and spread the word on this thing.

10.02.2026 01:34 — 👍 282    🔁 228    💬 19    📌 14

My character at present is a Knight; Sir Rowan Briarpath of Manor Rosethorn. Their house banner is a mansion surrounded by gorgeous and vividly bloody rose bushes. Their current quest is hopefully going to have them made a Duke of the Spring Court.

11.02.2026 14:19 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I NEVER want to hear any shit from neurotypicals again about "autism has an empathy deficit" when they're the ones in the comments sections justifying filicide.

01.02.2026 11:29 — 👍 9    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

A 74 page pdf is ready.
Barring some minor details and flavour my game is READY
All I need now is some stuff like the demo scenario, quickstart characters and other stuff that I'll see arise in play.

I'm so dang hyped.

26.01.2026 16:13 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

My roleplaying game is almost done, except for a few details and some pre-generated content.

What do y'all look for in a core RPG book? What can I add to make this a better experience for you?

25.01.2026 04:17 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

New Idea Me, writing a role-playing game that's now in the first stage of testing: HEY YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE AN AWESOME ADDITION

Me: Blowing a project out is a surefire way to lose momentum.

New Idea Me: "BUT RADIOACTIVE-"

Me: "Not now. Later."

ADHDers know the beast with whom I grapple.

20.01.2026 01:21 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
Download the latest indie games itch.io is a simple way to find, download and distribute indie games online. Whether you're a developer looking to upload your game or just someone looking for something new to play itch.io has you co...

My TTRPG of Australian antifascism playtested last night and wrinkled out some bugs!

Its so interesting to see what other people find!

I'm approaching a point where I'm honestly thinking about a roadmap to publication - would y'all recommend approaching a publisher, Itch.io or Kickstarter?

18.01.2026 02:03 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

Me: Understanding that people process worries through play and storytelling.
Me: Wow this game about a fascist dystopia is really cooking!
Me, a beat later: Ah beans.

18.01.2026 01:51 — 👍 3    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

The difficult part about the modern climate is that there's an approach to therapy that intrinsically suggests that your worries are disproportionate to the situation.

In terms of current events, therapy skills should centre coping, safety, connection and community.

18.01.2026 01:50 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

I'M MAKING MY OWN SYSTEM

STAY TUNED

12.01.2026 17:22 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

I asked myself a question today
"What does Australian Fascism look like?"
And then I answered it.
I've riffed with a friend and we've cooked up the first steps into what I was thinking would be the start of a book - and now it's a #TTRPG setting!

Torn on systems - or making my own!

12.01.2026 15:18 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 1

I've never been as on-sight as I have with Divinity 2's Magisters.

11.01.2026 15:18 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

As a player or as a DM? I can connect you with spaces if you like!

03.01.2026 10:42 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

I'm excited to give it a go - it'll be a fun "thing a week" kind of game.

03.12.2025 09:38 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
A stack of 10 copies of the same book: The Stargate SG1 roleplaying game.

A stack of 10 copies of the same book: The Stargate SG1 roleplaying game.

I ended up with a stack of the SG1 TTRPG - gotta find them good homes! (A few of them are earmarked but what a weird get)

26.11.2025 12:12 — 👍 5    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

A duality of me;

Me: "I'm kinda hoping for a character driven space fantasy campaign out on the frontiers of known space and the edge of reality and reason."

Also me: "Hey do you think we could home-brew a rule to create a Megazord out of your starfighters?"

12.11.2025 23:58 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Do we ever "separate the art from the artist" when the art is good?

I can't imagine reading "wow what a hauntingly beautiful tale of the horrors of brotherhood in the face of industrialised war - but lets separate the art from the artist and ignore the impact of war upon the human psyche."

10.11.2025 15:27 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0