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Yes, I am all for changing Theme to Setting to move the industry forward.

Here is a chance to pitch your tabletop game idea to Pegasus via a digital meeting!

pegasus.de/UEber-uns/Ka...

🎲✂️

Sundays are for rules editing.

Two playing cards, both with red and black backgrounds, and beige areas towards the bottom explaining the cards' rules in-game. The left shows a white man with moustache wearing an 1800s-style white suit and cracking a whip, and is titled SLAVER. The right card shows a half-naked black man in chains, apparently drooling or foaming at the mouth, titled FUGITIVE. Cards from the board game Ace of Spades.

Devir Games is recalling all copies of its new release Ace of Spades after being called out for using racist and culturally insensitive artwork in the game, describing it as “a serious mistake that we recognize and deeply regret”:

boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...

Recently the leadership of the Tabletop Game Designers Association became aware that the new game from Devir, Ace of Spades, contains offensive and disturbing artwork of minority groups in the American West. While the industry as a whole has made progress in being more inclusive and sensitive in depictions of people, this demonstrates that there is still much work to be done. We urge all publishers to use cultural consultants to review artwork, language, and other aspects of games to help guard against these issues and protect against the blind spots that all of us have in certain areas. Also, generally, it is fraught when slavery and other serious issues are used as ‘window dressing’ or stereotypes. These issues are worthy of inclusion and exploration in games, but need to be engaged with in a thoughtful way for a reason, not just for period seasoning. TTGDA will also now strongly recommend that all contracts contain a clause that gives designers the right to review art prior to publication, and remove their name and likeness from a game if they have issues with the artwork, theme, or mechanics changes implemented by a publisher. This will be part of our standard review template going forward. As an industry we need to continue to strive to do better.

TTGDA statement about sensitivity around art depictions in games.

Indie Games Night Market — New Mill Industries

The vendors for the Indie Games Night Market have been selected and notified!

Check out what's coming!

www.newmillindustries.com/ignm

August 2025 Welcome to the Indie Tabletop Newsletter, hear from independent tabletop games designers about their current and upcoming projects. Take a look at the games we've already self-published and our upcomi...

August's #IndieTabletopNewsletter is live! Check out new games and crowd funding campaigns from @postcurious.bsky.social @stuffbybez.bsky.social @benny275.bsky.social Man O' Kent Games

atikingames.com/newsletter/a...

It is a super strange feeling to hate your own creation or how it is presented to the public regardless if its in your control. End of the day, its for fun so I try not to weigh too heavily on it and enjoy the process.

Semi-improv related, I'm learning to enjoy the seconds of applause.

Games (and being creative in general) is so different than my day job that it took a lot of self reflecting to understand it. What helped me the most was the fact that your games are not you nor a representation of you.

Honestly, designers can do a whole talk about it... *coughunpubcough*

Can you go more into what Jono taught you?

This story was much easier to understand with the photo 🤣

Jeez so many amazing people on this list. I. An. Hyped.

I hope I get in that line before games sell out. If you are going to PaxU, this is the event to go to.

Big announcement!!!

I will be working with the folks at @unstablegames.bsky.social to set up a brand new sister studio as the lead game designer!

You may know them as the people behind Unstable Unicorns, Here to Slay, and more.

I’m so so excited for the future, and what we will create together!

I wanted to share a few thoughts recent discussions around CGE’s decision to partner with JKR for their upcoming @codenamesgame.bsky.social game have prompted. Thankful to those who spoke early to this issue (Marceline, Tiffany, @nopunincluded.com et al) for helping this get the needed attention.

Have a great time and be safe!

WHY? On July 2025, Steam, a popular storefront to purchase games on PC, and itch.io, a storefront that sells games, comics, tools, resources and much more, have recently delisted several NSFW games, after the group Collective Shout published an open letter to payment processors such as Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and more. As a result of this letter, payment processors have strongarmed Valve and itch.io into enforcing restrictive new TOS policies on what kind of content their platforms can host and sell. Visa, Mastercard, Stripe and Paypal have been censoring free speech and legal business on the internet for TOO LONG. Their most recent targets are Steam and Itch.io, but they have also been pressuring websites like Pixiv, Patreon, Fansly, Onlyfans and MORE for years, applying draconian standards for what kind of adult/pornographic content platiorms and their users can host and sell. If we as consumers and creators want to regain ground on this issue, we have to make our voice heard. HOW? BOMBARD THEM WITH PHONE CALLS Collective Shout, the organization that lobbied to have Steam and Itch.io change their TOS, did so with only around 1000 phone calls. Visa and MC have backed down from pressuring Onlyians to remove adult content entirely due to public backlash. Clogging their phone lines for an extended perlou, over a mont at the absolute least, will almost gudrantee that these compantes will at least have to pay attention to the backlash. this list is not exhaustive. but some contact points for the 4 targets are: 1. VISA: (US + Can): +1 [8001-847-2911 US option selection for operator: 1-1-2 or 1-1-3 2. MASTERCARD: (US): +1 (8001-307-7309 US option selection for operator: 1-1-2-2-2-1 Phone (outside US): 1-636-722-7111 3. STRIPE: (Headquarters): +118881 963-8955 (France): +33 805-11-19-67 Stripe: complaints@stripe.com 4. PAYPAL: (US): +1 (888)-221-1161 (outside US): 1-402-935-2050 Customer Service: +1 (877)-569-1116

Cheat Sheet v.2

nothing from the prior version is incorrect, but ive made it a little easier to read, plus included a bit more helpful information

imgur link: imgur.com/a/wWaLY2i

more comprehensive info can be found here:
stop-paypros.neocities.org
yellat.money

MAKE YOUR CALLS!!!

The leadership of the Tabletop Game Designers Association was disappointed to see the publisher CGE touting Codenames: Back to Hogwarts, a new Harry Potter-themed version of Codenames.

My game In Memory Of will be there! 🤩

In Memory Of is a story telling game about a fictional loved one that passed away. If you ever wanted to play a game that was designed to make you sad or cry, this is it.

Here's the list of 184 products from 108 of our member publishers we'll have in #Booth449 at #GenCon2025, including a link to download
a 36 page PDF or ePub with short descriptions of all of them, in case you wanted a little travel reading.
www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Gen-Co...

A vitamin D tablet found in our copy of Lost Cities.

What's the weirdest thing you ever found in a game box?

I'll start:

(P.S. there's a joke in here somewhere...)

Four lessons I've learned making #ttrpgs:

1. Never spend more than two years honing/developing a game if the play experience doesn't feel fun in the ways you want it to be in the first two iterations. It's extremely unlikely you'll manage to make it fun how you want to if it's not early on.

That's okay! I like my games having a little surprise under the hood.

It is incredibly touching to hear how you enjoyed it with family and friends. Thank you for the kind words and review. ❤️

@marcelineleiman.bsky.social

This event was me coming out as a publisher. It is truly 1 of a kind. If you have any inkling to self publish with zero risk, this is the event for you. 3+ months is enough time to get your game up to snuff to sell.

It makes me sad I will have anything for it this year, but I will be there to buy!

Indie Games Night Market — New Mill Industries

Hey!

Have you submitted to be a vendor at the Indie Games Night Market in November yet?

Applications are due by August 1 and decisions will be made by August 15.

Get to it!

www.newmillindustries.com/ignm

Congrats! I hope you continue to do well!

Those edges are super crisp!

Kites and Pendulum are the ones that come to mind. Any turn based ones are being able to juggle the cognitive load and decision trees. It is an interesting idea though.

An image showing a single silhouette of a dog that can be tied with itself in a very Escher-like pattern. Text: Post from a Facebook group called Mathematical Tiling. "Inspired from Ben Thompson post, the Cat Lego tiling. Here are my take, I'm a designer so I don't know all the mathematical terms should be used to explain etc. But here you go. Playful Shiba Inu."

🎲✂️ What would you do with a tiling pattern like this?