Long-form analysis on tabletop RPGs, video games, sports, politics, and culture
Social Enmeshment TTRPGs: You Think Social Mechanics Are Flavor. They Aren’t. This is part of my ongoing series on system structure and pressure models—see also: Consequence Routing: When Getting Stronger Doesn’t Make You Safer.) You likely think that social RPGs are really just flavor layered on top of the real game. So if a social … Read more
Consequence Routing TTRPGs: When Getting Stronger Doesn’t Make You Safer This is part of my ongoing series on system structure and pressure models—see also: Horror TTRPGs: The Rules Are the Monster) This post isn’t about what deadly games look like, it’s about how TTRPG risk and reward design works at the system level. When people … Read more
The Best Hidden Gem PS2 games, Part 4 Part 3 New: Part 5 I set out to highlight PS2 games that were well made, creative, or important, but never got the recognition, sales, or attention they deserved. Underappreciated PS2 games Part 3 casts a wider net: more imports, late-generation releases, and cross-genre experiments … Read more
What D&D 2e Got Right About TTRPG Endgame Design Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition is where I started in the tabletop roleplaying hobby. I was in college at the time, I found a great DM and a good group, and we had a lot of fun. As a professional RPG mechanics auditor I decided to … Read more
How Reddit Profits from Public Shaming Have you ever left Reddit feeling worse than when you opened it? It’s not an accident. While most platforms reward users for being liked, Reddit distinguishes itself by publicly displaying when users are not. The reason Reddit sometimes feels so toxic can be summed up very simply–the downvote is … Read more