Dan Bullock
@danbullock.bsky.social
Analog game maker (1979, In the Shadows, Bowie, Penitent & more) Game Design Deep Dive pod. Fmr Scarring Party bandleader. he/him 🏳️🌈
The FINAL design diary for Penitent is now posted ahead of preorders going up next week. I cover agency & friction along with ditching crowdfunding and donating a portion of our proceeds. Any help spreading the word for my bespoke prison game is much appreciated. boardgamegeek.com/thread/36611...
Design Diary: Part Three | Penitent
In this final design diary installment for Penitent, I want to discuss agency and friction along with something seldom discussed in our industry: HOW the game is being made.
The Gods Will Have Blood...
boardgamegeek.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:26 PM
The FINAL design diary for Penitent is now posted ahead of preorders going up next week. I cover agency & friction along with ditching crowdfunding and donating a portion of our proceeds. Any help spreading the word for my bespoke prison game is much appreciated. boardgamegeek.com/thread/36611...
Reposted by Dan Bullock
Have you ever wanted to play No Motherland WIthout but with an extra turn?!
No? Well TO BAD!
No Motherland Without: Turn Eight Expansion is now available on Tabletop Simulator! Experience the game with one extended turn and new events along the way!
Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...
No? Well TO BAD!
No Motherland Without: Turn Eight Expansion is now available on Tabletop Simulator! Experience the game with one extended turn and new events along the way!
Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...
February 11, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Have you ever wanted to play No Motherland WIthout but with an extra turn?!
No? Well TO BAD!
No Motherland Without: Turn Eight Expansion is now available on Tabletop Simulator! Experience the game with one extended turn and new events along the way!
Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...
No? Well TO BAD!
No Motherland Without: Turn Eight Expansion is now available on Tabletop Simulator! Experience the game with one extended turn and new events along the way!
Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...
This was an absolute blast! TS played a huge part in introducing me to the hobby. My interview with Ananda Gupta and @jasondcmatthews.bsky.social can now be found on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtDK...
20 Years of Twilight Struggle with Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews
YouTube video by SD Hist Con
www.youtube.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:52 PM
This was an absolute blast! TS played a huge part in introducing me to the hobby. My interview with Ananda Gupta and @jasondcmatthews.bsky.social can now be found on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtDK...
Quick Announcement: PENITENT will be available for preorder on FEBRUARY 20. We will notify our mailing list of the exact time. This print run will be limited to 200 copies (signed & numbered).
Learn more about Penitent and upcoming releases by signing up for our mailing list on lockhornsgames.com
Learn more about Penitent and upcoming releases by signing up for our mailing list on lockhornsgames.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Quick Announcement: PENITENT will be available for preorder on FEBRUARY 20. We will notify our mailing list of the exact time. This print run will be limited to 200 copies (signed & numbered).
Learn more about Penitent and upcoming releases by signing up for our mailing list on lockhornsgames.com
Learn more about Penitent and upcoming releases by signing up for our mailing list on lockhornsgames.com
Reposted by Dan Bullock
“Unbiased” board game reviews are the last ones to be trusted. Everyone has biases. Far more trustworthy are reviews that acknowledge their influence and bias. It indicates a level of awareness, honesty, and ability to contextualize that hints at more thoughtful and meaningful analysis and review.
February 1, 2026 at 6:31 AM
“Unbiased” board game reviews are the last ones to be trusted. Everyone has biases. Far more trustworthy are reviews that acknowledge their influence and bias. It indicates a level of awareness, honesty, and ability to contextualize that hints at more thoughtful and meaningful analysis and review.
As part of SD HistCon Winter Quarters, I will be moderating 20 Years of Twilight Struggle with @jasondcmatthews.bsky.social and Ananda Gupta. Come join us at 2:00PM EST today! www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtDK...
20 Years of Twilight Struggle with Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews
YouTube video by SD Hist Con
www.youtube.com
January 31, 2026 at 6:43 PM
As part of SD HistCon Winter Quarters, I will be moderating 20 Years of Twilight Struggle with @jasondcmatthews.bsky.social and Ananda Gupta. Come join us at 2:00PM EST today! www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtDK...
Proof of life: a second Design Diary entry for Penitent on scope and its unorthodox system posted to BGG. I promise one more before the launch in January. boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/43...
Penitent
Draw on architecture and reform to build a model penitentiary
boardgamegeek.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Proof of life: a second Design Diary entry for Penitent on scope and its unorthodox system posted to BGG. I promise one more before the launch in January. boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/43...
Reposted by Dan Bullock
Famed game designers @danbullock.bsky.social, @volko.bsky.social, and @colewehrle.bsky.social discussing historical game design at our Summit convention in a panel hosted by @arturnottheking.bsky.social.
November 8, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Famed game designers @danbullock.bsky.social, @volko.bsky.social, and @colewehrle.bsky.social discussing historical game design at our Summit convention in a panel hosted by @arturnottheking.bsky.social.
The first installment of the PENITENT design diary has been posted to BGG. I address incarceration as a design topic and a more sensitive approach. Subscribe for updates on the project. It will be crowdfunding in January with a limited run capped at 200 copies. boardgamegeek.com/thread/35942...
October 17, 2025 at 9:06 PM
The first installment of the PENITENT design diary has been posted to BGG. I address incarceration as a design topic and a more sensitive approach. Subscribe for updates on the project. It will be crowdfunding in January with a limited run capped at 200 copies. boardgamegeek.com/thread/35942...
Chicago ‘68 has finally arrived, and the complete package is stunning. Congratulations to @yoyoni.bsky.social and @ronengoldstein.bsky.social! Nothing quite like the feeling of your first published game🎉
October 9, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Chicago ‘68 has finally arrived, and the complete package is stunning. Congratulations to @yoyoni.bsky.social and @ronengoldstein.bsky.social! Nothing quite like the feeling of your first published game🎉
For those still waiting to take the plunge, Candice put together an excellent How to Play video for IN THE SHADOWS. You can find it here: boardgamegeek.com/video/575510...
In the Shadows - BGG How to Play
Video for In the Shadows: Resistance in France 1943 - 1944
boardgamegeek.com
October 6, 2025 at 1:39 PM
For those still waiting to take the plunge, Candice put together an excellent How to Play video for IN THE SHADOWS. You can find it here: boardgamegeek.com/video/575510...
Reposted by Dan Bullock
Big day for @cmichpress.bsky.social! Check the Art & System crowdfunder, but then take a look at the proof copies of my game with them Keep the Faith!
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/c...
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/c...
Keep the Faith Project Update: Production Copy and a very good price shift
Dear Faithful Backers,
I am reaching out today for a few reasons. Number 1, our production copy of Keep the Faith arrived, and it looks awesome! We have already cleared it a...
www.backerkit.com
October 1, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Big day for @cmichpress.bsky.social! Check the Art & System crowdfunder, but then take a look at the proof copies of my game with them Keep the Faith!
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/c...
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/c...
In July, my new laptop transformed into a paper weight. I lost the entire Andor prototype and 3 months of event card work and graphic assets on Penitent. Sometimes losing one's place gives perspective on a design project. Have you ever lost progress only to find a new direction with a design?
September 29, 2025 at 4:08 PM
In July, my new laptop transformed into a paper weight. I lost the entire Andor prototype and 3 months of event card work and graphic assets on Penitent. Sometimes losing one's place gives perspective on a design project. Have you ever lost progress only to find a new direction with a design?
NEW EPISODE! I chat with @gregisonthego.bsky.social about his excellent zine RULEBOOKS FOR RADICALS, his work, and finding design inspiration in dire times. We only got sidetracked on Process Era 76'ers for a tiny bit, but GDDD is never a slave to the algorithm. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...
Radical Rulebooks with Greg Loring-Albright, PhD - Game Design Deep Dive
Greg Loring-Albright is the designer of Ahoy, Keep the Faith, and co-designed Bloc by Bloc: Uprising with T.L. Simmons. Moreover, he teaches Game Studies and Game Design at Harrisburg University. We d...
www.buzzsprout.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM
NEW EPISODE! I chat with @gregisonthego.bsky.social about his excellent zine RULEBOOKS FOR RADICALS, his work, and finding design inspiration in dire times. We only got sidetracked on Process Era 76'ers for a tiny bit, but GDDD is never a slave to the algorithm. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...
Reposted by Dan Bullock
The Bobby Nunes Memorial Award, launched last year to recognise historical gaming’s most exceptional culture writers, podcasters and video essay makers, has unveiled its second annual cohort of finalists:
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
(Bit late on this one due to summer holidays, sorry!)
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
(Bit late on this one due to summer holidays, sorry!)
September 17, 2025 at 12:36 PM
The Bobby Nunes Memorial Award, launched last year to recognise historical gaming’s most exceptional culture writers, podcasters and video essay makers, has unveiled its second annual cohort of finalists:
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
(Bit late on this one due to summer holidays, sorry!)
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
(Bit late on this one due to summer holidays, sorry!)
Def should have led with card images yesterday, lol😅
September 18, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Def should have led with card images yesterday, lol😅
If you have significant crossover between games and Bowie fans in your life, the "remastered" version of BOWIE is now available for download on the BGG game page. Changes are mostly cosmetic, but the batshit premise is still the same. Enjoy! boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...
Bowie
Bowie is a game best suited for 3 to 4 players. Each player will play David Bowie, or more accurately, a persona of David Bowie. The object of the game is to achieve the greatest legacy of any Bowie a...
boardgamegeek.com
September 17, 2025 at 5:16 PM
If you have significant crossover between games and Bowie fans in your life, the "remastered" version of BOWIE is now available for download on the BGG game page. Changes are mostly cosmetic, but the batshit premise is still the same. Enjoy! boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...
Reposted by Dan Bullock
Big day for fans of North Korea worldwide /massive j
No Motherland Without: Yan'an Fan-made Expansion is now out on Tabletop Simulator! Featuring 19 new Event Cards and a way to randomize Generation Map layout with the new Citizen Mini-cards!
Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...
No Motherland Without: Yan'an Fan-made Expansion is now out on Tabletop Simulator! Featuring 19 new Event Cards and a way to randomize Generation Map layout with the new Citizen Mini-cards!
Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...
July 29, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Big day for fans of North Korea worldwide /massive j
No Motherland Without: Yan'an Fan-made Expansion is now out on Tabletop Simulator! Featuring 19 new Event Cards and a way to randomize Generation Map layout with the new Citizen Mini-cards!
Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...
No Motherland Without: Yan'an Fan-made Expansion is now out on Tabletop Simulator! Featuring 19 new Event Cards and a way to randomize Generation Map layout with the new Citizen Mini-cards!
Link: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/...
Reposted by Dan Bullock
Okay now we're done with this ordeal
No Motherland Without: Yan'an Expansion DEFINITIVE version is out now! Streamlined historical timeline with 5 additional event cards + 2 brand new West Policy cards, along with the promised EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG HISTORICAL NOTES!!!
See original post for link:
No Motherland Without: Yan'an Expansion DEFINITIVE version is out now! Streamlined historical timeline with 5 additional event cards + 2 brand new West Policy cards, along with the promised EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG HISTORICAL NOTES!!!
See original post for link:
September 14, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Okay now we're done with this ordeal
No Motherland Without: Yan'an Expansion DEFINITIVE version is out now! Streamlined historical timeline with 5 additional event cards + 2 brand new West Policy cards, along with the promised EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG HISTORICAL NOTES!!!
See original post for link:
No Motherland Without: Yan'an Expansion DEFINITIVE version is out now! Streamlined historical timeline with 5 additional event cards + 2 brand new West Policy cards, along with the promised EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG HISTORICAL NOTES!!!
See original post for link:
What a fantastic slate of nominees! Congratulations to @danthurot.bsky.social @amabel.bsky.social @charlietheel.bsky.social and @fredserval.bsky.social for facilitating meaningful discourse about the culture of historical games.
We're proud to announce the 2025 Bobby Nunes Memorial Award finalists, recognizing exceptional pieces of gaming media from 2024 by @amabel.bsky.social, @fredserval.bsky.social, @charlietheel.bsky.social, and @danthurot.bsky.social. More on their nominated works here: sdhist.com/2025-bobby-n...
September 9, 2025 at 8:34 PM
What a fantastic slate of nominees! Congratulations to @danthurot.bsky.social @amabel.bsky.social @charlietheel.bsky.social and @fredserval.bsky.social for facilitating meaningful discourse about the culture of historical games.
For those of us that are more influenced by RPGs than board games, lack of victory conditions, collective victory, or having competing incentives in play aren't radical design choices. Board game publishers shy from them. It's why I published GODS WILL HAVE BLOOD and will do the same for PENITENT.
I like an efficiency puzzle, I play & have made them, but they're such a small part of what board games can be & it is legit disheartening how many designers & players resist what is out there or tell you what you have made "isn't really a game"
It's often lonely & isolating but is changing slowly
It's often lonely & isolating but is changing slowly
August 29, 2025 at 4:01 PM
For those of us that are more influenced by RPGs than board games, lack of victory conditions, collective victory, or having competing incentives in play aren't radical design choices. Board game publishers shy from them. It's why I published GODS WILL HAVE BLOOD and will do the same for PENITENT.
This week, I interview Lisa Smedman the designer of Trench Raid from Compass Games while trying to spread the gospel of Cindy Lee by way of outro music. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...
Trench Raid with Lisa Smedman - Game Design Deep Dive
Lisa Smedman is a best-selling author, journalist, and designer of many RPG games and modules. We discuss Trench Raid, her first solitaire tabletop wargame for Compass, the tactical approach to the to...
www.buzzsprout.com
August 22, 2025 at 4:57 PM
This week, I interview Lisa Smedman the designer of Trench Raid from Compass Games while trying to spread the gospel of Cindy Lee by way of outro music. www.buzzsprout.com/1993070/epis...
A sneak peek at FRUIT, Akar Bharadvaj’s brilliant CHALICE OF POISON, and a picture of the Muffaletta sandwich that changed our lives.
I spent the weekend in New Orleans, playing games with hist-game designers and wargaming wonks. Two of those games, Fruit and Chalice of Poison, were especially impressive. Read about it here: spacebiff.com/2025/08/13/c...
Chalice of Bananas
I promise this won’t become a food review. Although if you could see the embarrassingly touristy pictures of what I spent the past weekend eating in New Orleans, you would understand the impu…
spacebiff.com
August 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
A sneak peek at FRUIT, Akar Bharadvaj’s brilliant CHALICE OF POISON, and a picture of the Muffaletta sandwich that changed our lives.
Reposted by Dan Bullock
Tickets are on sale now for SDHistCon Summit 2025, to be held from Nov. 7-10 in San Diego: tabletop.events/conventions/.... More information on the event: sdhist.com/sdhist-summi.... Hope you can join us for it!
August 13, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Tickets are on sale now for SDHistCon Summit 2025, to be held from Nov. 7-10 in San Diego: tabletop.events/conventions/.... More information on the event: sdhist.com/sdhist-summi.... Hope you can join us for it!
Should we tell him that virtually all wargame podcasts are precisely this?
A podcast where board gamers talk about games they own but have never played.
August 12, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Should we tell him that virtually all wargame podcasts are precisely this?