Dave Nelson

Not many writers have access to great health insurance in my country. Please help an excellent game-writing colleague to pay his medical bills.

Also, please feel embarrassed for us that our very wealthy country is like this. Thank you.

working in the arts means knowing so many people over the years whose talent is undeniable and awe-inspiring, and who spend most of their time working shitty day jobs and struggling to survive

We need to pay this as soon as humanly possible! The possibility of being evicted is already very high and we have gotten little to no help all month!

Game journalists talking about new TTRPGs this year, don't forget about Starfinder 2e please!! It's a truly stunning science fantasy game built on the award-winning Pathfinder 2e engine. It was created by a super queer team. It deserves your attention!

I keep it out so he doesn't associate it with the vet.

But he still won't get in it when it's time to go, so easy is not the word I'd use. 😅

Close up photo of a grey and white tabby cat, calmly laying in a confined plastic cat carrier with the door open.

Lounging in his carrier of his own free will, for reasons unknown. No, he hasn't had a trip in it recently, he's just opting to chill in it.

RFK Jr’s health department to halt $500m in mRNA vaccine research Agency to end 22 federal contracts, questioning safety of technology credited with helping end Covid pandemic

Hey, so, TOTALLY not suggesting that RFK Jr. BACKS DOWN when we PUSH BACK, BUT if you’d like to call…

HHS Toll-Free: 1-877-696-6775

HHS Direct Line: 202-690-7000

PLEASE share and consider calling your senators and representatives as well.

NONE of this is okay.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Honestly, with hindsight, Radcliffe, Watson and Grint's public statements where they sided with trans people, expressed their support with no caveats, and willingly blew up any chances at future ties to the franchise has only gotten more and more noteworthy as more actors are revealed to be cowards

Speaking as a former Potter fan in childhood, I truly think Potter fans in the modern age are scum. "Oh but my childhood"—that was my childhood too. I don't get to pick and choose which parts of Rowling's legacy I support, because I am trans, and she wants people like me forced out of society.

💯.

This got more traction than I had takes I am willing to say here. Appreciate all the likes, hope some of the thread was helpful or made other folks feel seen.

The industry would be far better off if people could accept that it's okay to cordially dislike someone who hasn't really done anything harmful but who just annoys you personally. It should be fine to just not get along with someone without that meaning "and therefore their life should be ruined."

Publishers will easily forget your good work unless you constantly advocate and self-promote. This is made even more difficult when your name is among a dozen+ other authors and individuals contributions are not labeled with the contributing author.

Product reviews are of very limited value to authors. Table variation plays a huge factor in how well something works and personal preference even more so. Often writers must follow an outline with specific requests, including what to put in an adventure or mechanic. If that's what you hated, then 🤷

The bigger a publisher you are, the more overhead you have. This keeps down wages for both permanent staff and freelancers. Ironically because of this small studios that get a massive wave of crowd funding can pay more than bigger places. A 2 mil Kickstarter pays more than a regular Paizo assignment

Because the margin of profit is so small, full time creators often either come from enough privilege to not need a full livable wage or need to supplement their income with other work. This a large factor as to why the industry is still mostly white men/wealthy people from other fields.

It is good that there has been a huge push for more diversity in the industry. However, it has largely been lopsided to focus on those who are visibly diverse. This has killed intersectionality and is leaving the less visibly diverse dismissed and ignored with increasing frequency.

I think you're overlooking those of us who are neurodiverse/socially awkward, or looking to maintain professional boundaries between employer and employee. "Easy" is very relative here and gives preference based on "what have you done for me lately" over proficiency and skill.

Playing a system a lot does not a designer make. Findijf a typo does not mean you should be hired. Armchair GMs and players who claim they can do better 9/10 do not have the temperament, patience, or cooperative nature to be good freelancers, designers, or editors.

Is the system you've been playing and constantly hacking to suit your purposes really your favorite/the best for your group? Or do you just have good memories of your friends at the table where this system just happened to have been played? Give it a critical think before engaging in system wars.

As a GM, you do a disservice to your players to point out flaws or reveal outcomes for a prewritten that your table would otherwise not see. It is your responsibility as a GM to be adaptable and inventive when you encounter a problem, not to burden your table with it.

"Bad editing" is almost never a factor if there are errors in a product. For every error that reaches print, over 1000 were caught and fixed in editing. 100% perfect products are possible, but the increased cost and production time would make you complain anyway.

The need for TTRPG freelancers to generate parasocial relationships with the people assigning them work in order to stay employed is both ableist and promotes bad actors over capable professionals. This likewise applies to how freelancer recognition with consumers works.

DnD 5e only reached the heights it has because of the massive free marketing granted by Critical Role and other actual plays. WotC has coasted on this rather than put out good or meaningful content.

TTRPGs are incredibly underpriced for the amount of work that goes into them. The call to keep prices low also keeps your favorite creators poor. As an entertainment luxury item, you are not owed an "affordable" price. Each time there is an increase it is long overdue.

One like = one unhinged TTRPG opinion (that I actually and sincerely believe in)

Let's see how fast I can become unpopular this GenCon weekend!

testing

On top of this, if you're going to gen con TAKE A COVID TEST TODAY.

You don't wanna accidentally bring that over and infect 30,000+ people.

I don’t want the NIH to be fucking profitable, I want it to cure cancer and Alzheimer’s

Three panels: Panel one: a yellow-gloved hand is angrily holding the lapels of a soldier in desert camo. The soldier says, "I thought your kind were the good guys." Panel two: Rogue from the X-Men is preparing the beat the shit out of the soldier. She says, "You killed those, sugar." Panel three: closeup of Rogue's face, twisted in a furious scowl. "Now you get ME."