Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
@etgoat.bsky.social
Biotech scientist and game designer. Game Makers Guild Philadelphia. Eat Tasty Games. he/him
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
Really nice article by @gengelstein.bsky.social on one of the most fundamental tools of game design. I'm constantly doing these kinds of EV calculations while designing, at both early and late stages of the process. gametek.substack.com/p/great-expe...
Great Expectations
Mathematical modeling for game design
gametek.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:10 AM
Really nice article by @gengelstein.bsky.social on one of the most fundamental tools of game design. I'm constantly doing these kinds of EV calculations while designing, at both early and late stages of the process. gametek.substack.com/p/great-expe...
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 2/15 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/ccH7FRidA
fb.me/e/ccH7FRidA
Log in or sign up to view
See posts, photos and more on Facebook.
fb.me
February 12, 2026 at 9:39 PM
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 2/15 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/ccH7FRidA
fb.me/e/ccH7FRidA
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
Finished my daily calls (voice mails this morning) begging my reps to not fund the group that could haul me off the street with impunity for "looking Asian".
Now to my regular begging people on social media to please make the calls too. It takes 5 mins. Get over your anxiety - people are dying.
Now to my regular begging people on social media to please make the calls too. It takes 5 mins. Get over your anxiety - people are dying.
5 Calls
Spend 5 minutes. Make 5 calls. Make your voice heard.
5calls.org
January 20, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Finished my daily calls (voice mails this morning) begging my reps to not fund the group that could haul me off the street with impunity for "looking Asian".
Now to my regular begging people on social media to please make the calls too. It takes 5 mins. Get over your anxiety - people are dying.
Now to my regular begging people on social media to please make the calls too. It takes 5 mins. Get over your anxiety - people are dying.
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for the first playtesting event of 2026 this Sunday 1/25 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/3RHfI8nnW
fb.me/e/3RHfI8nnW
Log in or sign up to view
See posts, photos and more on Facebook.
fb.me
January 20, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for the first playtesting event of 2026 this Sunday 1/25 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/3RHfI8nnW
fb.me/e/3RHfI8nnW
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
Want to make the most of Unpub Festival? Worried about late-night FOMO? Stay onsite to maximize the fun!
Book by Feb 11th for attendees-only discount:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1747848194805&key=GRP&guestreslink2=true&app=resvlink&inventoryMissing=true
🎲✂️
Book by Feb 11th for attendees-only discount:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1747848194805&key=GRP&guestreslink2=true&app=resvlink&inventoryMissing=true
🎲✂️
January 15, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Want to make the most of Unpub Festival? Worried about late-night FOMO? Stay onsite to maximize the fun!
Book by Feb 11th for attendees-only discount:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1747848194805&key=GRP&guestreslink2=true&app=resvlink&inventoryMissing=true
🎲✂️
Book by Feb 11th for attendees-only discount:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1747848194805&key=GRP&guestreslink2=true&app=resvlink&inventoryMissing=true
🎲✂️
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
It's the final stretch till Christmas. Here's my gingerboard creation for 2025. May those risky gift requests pay off.
@cmyk.games
@cmyk.games
December 24, 2025 at 6:16 PM
It's the final stretch till Christmas. Here's my gingerboard creation for 2025. May those risky gift requests pay off.
@cmyk.games
@cmyk.games
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for the last playtesting event of 2025 this Sunday 12/28 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/42jIZgELn
fb.me/e/42jIZgELn
Log in or sign up to view
See posts, photos and more on Facebook.
fb.me
December 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for the last playtesting event of 2025 this Sunday 12/28 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/42jIZgELn
fb.me/e/42jIZgELn
I’m thankful for an excellent #PAXUnplugged this year:
Game Makers Guild Philadelphia had a table in the @unpub.org room and we had local designers testing their prototypes there all weekend. I got to play a couple of cool games from @jakekbarnhart.bsky.social and @jamesfirnhaber.bsky.social
Game Makers Guild Philadelphia had a table in the @unpub.org room and we had local designers testing their prototypes there all weekend. I got to play a couple of cool games from @jakekbarnhart.bsky.social and @jamesfirnhaber.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 8:04 PM
I’m thankful for an excellent #PAXUnplugged this year:
Game Makers Guild Philadelphia had a table in the @unpub.org room and we had local designers testing their prototypes there all weekend. I got to play a couple of cool games from @jakekbarnhart.bsky.social and @jamesfirnhaber.bsky.social
Game Makers Guild Philadelphia had a table in the @unpub.org room and we had local designers testing their prototypes there all weekend. I got to play a couple of cool games from @jakekbarnhart.bsky.social and @jamesfirnhaber.bsky.social
Finished prepping my prototypes for #PAXUnplugged! I’ll mostly by playtesting in the Unpub room, but I also have a couple of pitches lined up and hopefully I can get a few more.
November 20, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Finished prepping my prototypes for #PAXUnplugged! I’ll mostly by playtesting in the Unpub room, but I also have a couple of pitches lined up and hopefully I can get a few more.
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
Game Designers! We will be hosting our monthly in person playtest w/ @breakmygame.com at Redcaps Corner tonight at 6:30pm. Designers! Sign up with the link below!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Testers! Come support your local design community! 🎲✂️
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Testers! Come support your local design community! 🎲✂️
www.eventbrite.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Game Designers! We will be hosting our monthly in person playtest w/ @breakmygame.com at Redcaps Corner tonight at 6:30pm. Designers! Sign up with the link below!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Testers! Come support your local design community! 🎲✂️
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Testers! Come support your local design community! 🎲✂️
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 11/16 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
Note that this is a week earlier due to PAX Unplugged - hope to see you there too!
fb.me/e/6oD4NTUDq
Note that this is a week earlier due to PAX Unplugged - hope to see you there too!
fb.me/e/6oD4NTUDq
Log in or sign up to view
See posts, photos and more on Facebook.
fb.me
November 12, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 11/16 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
Note that this is a week earlier due to PAX Unplugged - hope to see you there too!
fb.me/e/6oD4NTUDq
Note that this is a week earlier due to PAX Unplugged - hope to see you there too!
fb.me/e/6oD4NTUDq
Metatopia was excellent as usual. I had 3 very productive playtests of Smash Dash and got to play an interesting variety of games, the best of which was Look Into My Eyes from @nickmajorbowden.bsky.social. Elegant 2-player battle of wits with multiple juicy decisions every turn. Incredible game.
November 11, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Metatopia was excellent as usual. I had 3 very productive playtests of Smash Dash and got to play an interesting variety of games, the best of which was Look Into My Eyes from @nickmajorbowden.bsky.social. Elegant 2-player battle of wits with multiple juicy decisions every turn. Incredible game.
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
"Game designers will routinely fail at making something fun. When the game of making games is played right, it is always right outside the edge of what the designers know how to do."
Incredible quote from an amazing article. Something I'm only beginning to understand 10+ years in to designing.
Incredible quote from an amazing article. Something I'm only beginning to understand 10+ years in to designing.
Game design is simple, actually. Except when it isn't. Here are the 12 things you need to know.
Game design is simple, actually
So, let’s just walk through the whole thing, end to end. Here’s a twelve-step program for understanding game design. One: Fun There are a lot of things people call “fun.” But most of them are not useful for getting better at making games, which is usually why people read articles like this. The fun of a bit of confetti exploding in front of you, and the fun of excruciating pain and risk to life and limb as you free climb a cliff are just not usefully paired together.
www.raphkoster.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:40 PM
"Game designers will routinely fail at making something fun. When the game of making games is played right, it is always right outside the edge of what the designers know how to do."
Incredible quote from an amazing article. Something I'm only beginning to understand 10+ years in to designing.
Incredible quote from an amazing article. Something I'm only beginning to understand 10+ years in to designing.
Once again, woke up way before my alarm at Metatopia with my brain buzzing with game ideas.
November 7, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Once again, woke up way before my alarm at Metatopia with my brain buzzing with game ideas.
“Somebody once told me
His works he’d like to show me
He said they’d fill me with fear and dread.
He was looking kind of dumb
With two legs out in the sun
And nearby, a shattered stone head.”
Please someone tell me they have screenshots of PateraQuetzaI’s epic Twitter thread that I’m quoting here.
His works he’d like to show me
He said they’d fill me with fear and dread.
He was looking kind of dumb
With two legs out in the sun
And nearby, a shattered stone head.”
Please someone tell me they have screenshots of PateraQuetzaI’s epic Twitter thread that I’m quoting here.
Have you ever traveled off in an antique land
And encountered two legs of stone in the sand?
Let me tell you a story of lifeless things
Of the trunk of Ozymandias, King of Kings.
And encountered two legs of stone in the sand?
Let me tell you a story of lifeless things
Of the trunk of Ozymandias, King of Kings.
October 31, 2025 at 1:36 AM
“Somebody once told me
His works he’d like to show me
He said they’d fill me with fear and dread.
He was looking kind of dumb
With two legs out in the sun
And nearby, a shattered stone head.”
Please someone tell me they have screenshots of PateraQuetzaI’s epic Twitter thread that I’m quoting here.
His works he’d like to show me
He said they’d fill me with fear and dread.
He was looking kind of dumb
With two legs out in the sun
And nearby, a shattered stone head.”
Please someone tell me they have screenshots of PateraQuetzaI’s epic Twitter thread that I’m quoting here.
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
My first of two reminders on this, I promise:
Ferret Frenzy, the light push-your-luck card game I co-designed about the best pets in the world, is only up on Kickstarter for the next few days.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/sha...
Ferret Frenzy, the light push-your-luck card game I co-designed about the best pets in the world, is only up on Kickstarter for the next few days.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/sha...
FERRET FRENZY: A Party Game of Risk, Reward & Ridiculousness
Unleash the push-your-luck thrill of Exploding Kittens, Blackjack & Uno, with the SPEED & GREED of Spoons in this wild new Party Game.
www.kickstarter.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:46 PM
My first of two reminders on this, I promise:
Ferret Frenzy, the light push-your-luck card game I co-designed about the best pets in the world, is only up on Kickstarter for the next few days.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/sha...
Ferret Frenzy, the light push-your-luck card game I co-designed about the best pets in the world, is only up on Kickstarter for the next few days.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/sha...
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 10/26 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/3BZK2WDHC
fb.me/e/3BZK2WDHC
Log in or sign up to view
See posts, photos and more on Facebook.
fb.me
October 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 10/26 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/3BZK2WDHC
fb.me/e/3BZK2WDHC
Cocoon is free on #PSPlus and I’ve been really digging it. Weird puzzles, one button, no jumping, no enemies (except bosses), and a unique and alien visual style.
October 15, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Cocoon is free on #PSPlus and I’ve been really digging it. Weird puzzles, one button, no jumping, no enemies (except bosses), and a unique and alien visual style.
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
Hey board game designers I made a list of Pax Unplugged publishers: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
"Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions.
Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.
"Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions.
Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.
Pax Unplugged Publisher List 2025
docs.google.com
September 28, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Hey board game designers I made a list of Pax Unplugged publishers: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
"Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions.
Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.
"Would need to ask", means website and maybe contact, but their site doesn't mention submissions.
Leave a comment if I need to fix something up.
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 9/28 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/eFnK1Il9E
fb.me/e/eFnK1Il9E
Log in or sign up to view
See posts, photos and more on Facebook.
fb.me
September 25, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 9/28 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/eFnK1Il9E
fb.me/e/eFnK1Il9E
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
Hey friends! I have two games on KS right now! Please check out Making Monsters here www.kickstarter.com/projects/mak...
And Dinosaur Island here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pan...
And Dinosaur Island here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pan...
Making Monsters
Making Monsters: A laugh-out-loud bag-building board game of monster mayhem.
www.kickstarter.com
September 16, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Hey friends! I have two games on KS right now! Please check out Making Monsters here www.kickstarter.com/projects/mak...
And Dinosaur Island here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pan...
And Dinosaur Island here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/pan...
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
Game Designers! We will be hosting our monthly in person playtest w/ @breakmygame.com at Redcaps Corner tonight at 6:30pm. Designers! Sign up with the link below!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Testers! Come support your local design community!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Testers! Come support your local design community!
Break My Game Playtesting - Philadelphia, PA - Redcap's Corner
Come playtest board games designed by local independent game designers!
www.eventbrite.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Game Designers! We will be hosting our monthly in person playtest w/ @breakmygame.com at Redcaps Corner tonight at 6:30pm. Designers! Sign up with the link below!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Testers! Come support your local design community!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Testers! Come support your local design community!
Reposted by Jay Vowles 🔜 Protospiel Philly
Hey y’all don’t sleep on Eric’s playtesting event at The Board and Brew this Thursday! I’ll be there testing my new lane control game and you should be too!
Designers sign up with the link below - testers just walk in!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Designers sign up with the link below - testers just walk in!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Break My Game Playtesting - Philadelphia, PA - The Board & Brew
Come playtest board games designed by local independent game designers!
www.eventbrite.com
September 2, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Hey y’all don’t sleep on Eric’s playtesting event at The Board and Brew this Thursday! I’ll be there testing my new lane control game and you should be too!
Designers sign up with the link below - testers just walk in!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Designers sign up with the link below - testers just walk in!
www.eventbrite.com/e/break-my-g...
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 8/24 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/3ldCRtKjO
fb.me/e/3ldCRtKjO
Log in or sign up to view
See posts, photos and more on Facebook.
fb.me
August 20, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 8/24 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/3ldCRtKjO
fb.me/e/3ldCRtKjO
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 7/27 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/6NvZHdtXq
fb.me/e/6NvZHdtXq
Log in or sign up to view
See posts, photos and more on Facebook.
fb.me
July 22, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Come join Game Makers Guild Philadelphia for playtesting this Sunday 7/27 5-10pm at The Philly Game Shop 🎲✂️
fb.me/e/6NvZHdtXq
fb.me/e/6NvZHdtXq