Evan Torner
@guyintheblackhat.bsky.social
Associate Professor of German, Niehoff Professor of Film & Media Studies at U of Cincinnati; Scholar of East German cinema, science fiction, and role-playing games. He/Him. Bi. Wears a hat.
Pinned
I'd like to think of "dark academia" as "I, a brooding professor who wears all black, have [these clothes] on while I send many emails and update Canvas assignment due dates"
Reposted by Evan Torner
[Official art] Let's do this one more time: Very first painting I did when I joined Kpop:Demon Hunters as an Environment ArtDirector.
December 30, 2025 at 2:42 AM
[Official art] Let's do this one more time: Very first painting I did when I joined Kpop:Demon Hunters as an Environment ArtDirector.
Reposted by Evan Torner
"There is no sense calling for independent or solitary action by something called “the humanities” when that category has been so thoroughly absorbed by concerted attacks on democratic governance, due process of law, rights to privacy, security, assembly, and expression.
We are all humanists now."
We are all humanists now."
The ‘Crisis of the Humanities’ Is Over. That’s Not a Good Thing.
All of higher ed now suffers the attacks of politics and technology.
www.chronicle.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:51 PM
"There is no sense calling for independent or solitary action by something called “the humanities” when that category has been so thoroughly absorbed by concerted attacks on democratic governance, due process of law, rights to privacy, security, assembly, and expression.
We are all humanists now."
We are all humanists now."
Reposted by Evan Torner
As always, Aaron does great, vital, interesting work. I started playing RPGs in 2010, so it’s really nice to chart my own experience and slice of the hobby along with this video, and great to see Session Zero here as it was a really crucial turning point for me. Playtest Zero was born there!
My End of Year video is on the "Golden Age of Indie RPGs," from roughly 2010 to 2025. I start with Apocalypse World's release, work through the Google+ Era, and follow design lineages and historical events that have impacted the hobby up through 2025.
The Golden Age of Indie RPGs: 2010-2025
YouTube video by A.A. Voigt
youtu.be
December 30, 2025 at 3:00 AM
As always, Aaron does great, vital, interesting work. I started playing RPGs in 2010, so it’s really nice to chart my own experience and slice of the hobby along with this video, and great to see Session Zero here as it was a really crucial turning point for me. Playtest Zero was born there!
Reposted by Evan Torner
My End of Year video is on the "Golden Age of Indie RPGs," from roughly 2010 to 2025. I start with Apocalypse World's release, work through the Google+ Era, and follow design lineages and historical events that have impacted the hobby up through 2025.
The Golden Age of Indie RPGs: 2010-2025
YouTube video by A.A. Voigt
youtu.be
December 29, 2025 at 5:07 PM
My End of Year video is on the "Golden Age of Indie RPGs," from roughly 2010 to 2025. I start with Apocalypse World's release, work through the Google+ Era, and follow design lineages and historical events that have impacted the hobby up through 2025.
David Jara Soto's 2021 dissertation deals with the fact that a RPG's *paratexts* -- any material surrounding the "main" text -- are crucial to our interpretation of it.
In other words, we're often reading frames through frames within other frames, also modeling the *essence* of the medium itself.
In other words, we're often reading frames through frames within other frames, also modeling the *essence* of the medium itself.
Ok, this is @friede.bsky.social's fault. She raised the question of *how* people analyze RPG texts, and that is a BIG, HAIRY QUESTION, and it got me thinking.
I'm not ready to take a tilt at it yet, but that's because it turns out there are a lot of things I do *before* I read an RPG. A lot.
I'm not ready to take a tilt at it yet, but that's because it turns out there are a lot of things I do *before* I read an RPG. A lot.
December 29, 2025 at 3:31 PM
David Jara Soto's 2021 dissertation deals with the fact that a RPG's *paratexts* -- any material surrounding the "main" text -- are crucial to our interpretation of it.
In other words, we're often reading frames through frames within other frames, also modeling the *essence* of the medium itself.
In other words, we're often reading frames through frames within other frames, also modeling the *essence* of the medium itself.
My Students: We're considering building a point-and-click adventure game.
Me: Cool. What are your opinions on puzzles?
Students: Erm we don't...
Me: Ancient aliens? Mad scientists? Meta-commentary and references? Crowbars & tire irons?
Students: We wanna tell visual stories!
Me: Mwahahahahaha
Me: Cool. What are your opinions on puzzles?
Students: Erm we don't...
Me: Ancient aliens? Mad scientists? Meta-commentary and references? Crowbars & tire irons?
Students: We wanna tell visual stories!
Me: Mwahahahahaha
a video game shows a man standing in front of a store called stan 's
Alt: a video game shows a man standing in front of a store called stan 's
media.tenor.com
December 28, 2025 at 9:44 PM
My Students: We're considering building a point-and-click adventure game.
Me: Cool. What are your opinions on puzzles?
Students: Erm we don't...
Me: Ancient aliens? Mad scientists? Meta-commentary and references? Crowbars & tire irons?
Students: We wanna tell visual stories!
Me: Mwahahahahaha
Me: Cool. What are your opinions on puzzles?
Students: Erm we don't...
Me: Ancient aliens? Mad scientists? Meta-commentary and references? Crowbars & tire irons?
Students: We wanna tell visual stories!
Me: Mwahahahahaha
Reposted by Evan Torner
"Starbucks baristas are struggling to make ends meet. Many rely on SNAP and Medicaid because they don't receive enough hours to pay their bills or access benefits... [T]he average barista receives just 19 hours of work per week, leaving them one hour short of the cutoff to receive company benefits."
"It’s a pretty bleak state of affairs... if, even at the 'best' job available, you can’t get stable hours & your bosses can crush you when you dare ask for better."
A bargaining delegate for @sbworkersunited.org, explains why almost 4K baristas are on strike.
A bargaining delegate for @sbworkersunited.org, explains why almost 4K baristas are on strike.
Striking Barista on Starbucks' Endgame: “They Don’t Want Working People to Have a Voice"
Silvia Baldwin, a bargaining delegate for Starbucks Workers United, explains why more than 3,800 baristas are on strike against “the biggest labor law violator in modern history.”
inthesetimes.com
December 28, 2025 at 8:41 PM
"Starbucks baristas are struggling to make ends meet. Many rely on SNAP and Medicaid because they don't receive enough hours to pay their bills or access benefits... [T]he average barista receives just 19 hours of work per week, leaving them one hour short of the cutoff to receive company benefits."
Reposted by Evan Torner
Here’s a thread to talk a little more about my games! I’ve been making and self-publishing ttrpgs since 2004. My design approach is to use rules that matter to drive play that satisfies the promise of the game. You can find all of these at www.ndpdesign.com
ndpdesign
ndpdesign is the home of game designer, independent publisher and graphic artist Nathan D. Paoletta. Find the World Wide Wrestling RPG as well as many other good games for interesting people!
www.ndpdesign.com
November 23, 2024 at 9:48 PM
Here’s a thread to talk a little more about my games! I’ve been making and self-publishing ttrpgs since 2004. My design approach is to use rules that matter to drive play that satisfies the promise of the game. You can find all of these at www.ndpdesign.com
Reposted by Evan Torner
Translators work hard to make sure that the translated words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, etc, not only convey the author's meaning, but also the author's *style.*
Translators are alchemists. They are artists, and poets, and researchers, and editors. They are magicians and wizards.
Translators are alchemists. They are artists, and poets, and researchers, and editors. They are magicians and wizards.
December 28, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Translators work hard to make sure that the translated words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, etc, not only convey the author's meaning, but also the author's *style.*
Translators are alchemists. They are artists, and poets, and researchers, and editors. They are magicians and wizards.
Translators are alchemists. They are artists, and poets, and researchers, and editors. They are magicians and wizards.
Reposted by Evan Torner
I really miss talking games (and playing games!) with Sarah. I wish all those old tapes were available somewhere somehow.
"There’s really nothing quite so counter-productive to the goal of having useful conversations about role-playing technique and theory as One True Way zealotry. Sadly, there does seem to be an awful lot of it still floating around."
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
Musings and Mental Meanderings » Blog Archive » Interview with Sarah Kahn - Online freeform play
web.archive.org
December 28, 2025 at 1:56 PM
I really miss talking games (and playing games!) with Sarah. I wish all those old tapes were available somewhere somehow.
"There’s really nothing quite so counter-productive to the goal of having useful conversations about role-playing technique and theory as One True Way zealotry. Sadly, there does seem to be an awful lot of it still floating around."
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
Musings and Mental Meanderings » Blog Archive » Interview with Sarah Kahn - Online freeform play
web.archive.org
December 28, 2025 at 8:37 AM
"There’s really nothing quite so counter-productive to the goal of having useful conversations about role-playing technique and theory as One True Way zealotry. Sadly, there does seem to be an awful lot of it still floating around."
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
Reposted by Evan Torner
this is something I think about a lot vis a vis observability. people have a pretty good instinct but pretty poor outcomes when it comes to telemetry design; we know when we’re at our own “context window” but its tricky to promulgate that at scale
aicoding.leaflet.pub/3may5niwoyk2...
aicoding.leaflet.pub/3may5niwoyk2...
Compaction Is a Financial Strategy - The Phoenix Architecture
Why smaller codebases win in the AI era
aicoding.leaflet.pub
December 27, 2025 at 8:36 PM
this is something I think about a lot vis a vis observability. people have a pretty good instinct but pretty poor outcomes when it comes to telemetry design; we know when we’re at our own “context window” but its tricky to promulgate that at scale
aicoding.leaflet.pub/3may5niwoyk2...
aicoding.leaflet.pub/3may5niwoyk2...
Reposted by Evan Torner
10 ttrpgs I want to play/run in 2026!
- Girl Frame
- City of Flesh
- a|state
- Hot War
- Undead Paradise
- Exile
- In Dreaming Avalon
- Tribes in the Dark
- Zephyr
- City of Winter
- Girl Frame
- City of Flesh
- a|state
- Hot War
- Undead Paradise
- Exile
- In Dreaming Avalon
- Tribes in the Dark
- Zephyr
- City of Winter
10 TTRPGs I want to play/run in 2026!
- The Between
- Our Queen Crumbles
- Solemn Vale
- Deathmatch Island
- Mythic Bastionland
- DIE
- Flabbergasted
- Public Access
- Inevitable
- Perils & Princesses
Slightly cheating, as at least 2 of these are definitely happening.
- The Between
- Our Queen Crumbles
- Solemn Vale
- Deathmatch Island
- Mythic Bastionland
- DIE
- Flabbergasted
- Public Access
- Inevitable
- Perils & Princesses
Slightly cheating, as at least 2 of these are definitely happening.
10 TTRPGs I want to play/run in 2026!
• Curseborne
• The Between
• Doomsong
• Death game
• Fabula ultima
• Liminal horror
• Wildsea
• Ultraviolet Grasslands
• Cold city/hot war
• Witching winds
Special shoutout to the dee sanction, ex tenebris, rosewood abbey, mir, mausritter & troika
• Curseborne
• The Between
• Doomsong
• Death game
• Fabula ultima
• Liminal horror
• Wildsea
• Ultraviolet Grasslands
• Cold city/hot war
• Witching winds
Special shoutout to the dee sanction, ex tenebris, rosewood abbey, mir, mausritter & troika
December 23, 2025 at 11:32 PM
10 ttrpgs I want to play/run in 2026!
- Girl Frame
- City of Flesh
- a|state
- Hot War
- Undead Paradise
- Exile
- In Dreaming Avalon
- Tribes in the Dark
- Zephyr
- City of Winter
- Girl Frame
- City of Flesh
- a|state
- Hot War
- Undead Paradise
- Exile
- In Dreaming Avalon
- Tribes in the Dark
- Zephyr
- City of Winter
Reposted by Evan Torner
🔴 28 people were injured, and one person was killed as a result of the Russian attack on Kyiv.
UNITED24 Media reporter Amira Barkhush reports from the scene.
UNITED24 Media reporter Amira Barkhush reports from the scene.
December 27, 2025 at 12:32 PM
🔴 28 people were injured, and one person was killed as a result of the Russian attack on Kyiv.
UNITED24 Media reporter Amira Barkhush reports from the scene.
UNITED24 Media reporter Amira Barkhush reports from the scene.
Reposted by Evan Torner
“Algeria's parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France's colonisation of the North African state a crime, and demanding an apology and reparations.”
Colonialism is not an artifact. It still takes shape through global politics today and restitution should be made to address its effects.
Colonialism is not an artifact. It still takes shape through global politics today and restitution should be made to address its effects.
Algeria's parliament approves law declaring France's colonisation a crime
Lawmakers unanimously approve a law, which demands an apology and reparations from the former colonial power.
www.bbc.com
December 26, 2025 at 7:50 PM
“Algeria's parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France's colonisation of the North African state a crime, and demanding an apology and reparations.”
Colonialism is not an artifact. It still takes shape through global politics today and restitution should be made to address its effects.
Colonialism is not an artifact. It still takes shape through global politics today and restitution should be made to address its effects.
Reposted by Evan Torner
Reposted by Evan Torner
163 years ago in Mankato, 38 Dakota men were hung in the largest mass execution in our nation’s history.
I’m grateful to the riders who continue to remind us the importance of fighting for accountability and healing for the Dakota people.
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
I’m grateful to the riders who continue to remind us the importance of fighting for accountability and healing for the Dakota people.
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
Dakota riders return home to Minnesota via horseback, honoring legacy of Dakota 38
Dakota riders completed a journey of hundreds of miles to honor the 38 Dakota men executed in 1862 — the largest mass execution in U.S. history. The annual rides ending in Mankato serve as a poignant ...
www.mprnews.org
December 27, 2025 at 2:18 AM
163 years ago in Mankato, 38 Dakota men were hung in the largest mass execution in our nation’s history.
I’m grateful to the riders who continue to remind us the importance of fighting for accountability and healing for the Dakota people.
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
I’m grateful to the riders who continue to remind us the importance of fighting for accountability and healing for the Dakota people.
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
We at AGS experienced this a few years back and it has honestly shaped a substantial part of our perception of our subfield.
With all our human foibles, it still does matter how we treat one another, and for years onward.
With all our human foibles, it still does matter how we treat one another, and for years onward.
There are people who go to conferences with all the warmth of a circling shark looking for a meal, and that is not how you forge friendships in this biz.
December 27, 2025 at 12:33 AM
We at AGS experienced this a few years back and it has honestly shaped a substantial part of our perception of our subfield.
With all our human foibles, it still does matter how we treat one another, and for years onward.
With all our human foibles, it still does matter how we treat one another, and for years onward.
Trauma studies reminds us of how trauma freezes time: trigger effects keep bringing us back to specific moments and memories, which are experienced as if on repeat.
No addressing the source via this repetition, and yet we are compelled to return to traumatic moments, time and time again.
No addressing the source via this repetition, and yet we are compelled to return to traumatic moments, time and time again.
The thing that bothers me about our post-pandemic COVID discourse is how much of it isn't about how to do things better next time, it's playing Monday morning quarterback. It's not about learning, it's about spending years trying to win arguments that people had online from March 2020.
this is a good response to In Covid's Wake
what Kucharski gets right, crucially, is holding in tension the fact that the shutdown was brutally and inequitably costly, and the fact that not doing a shutdown would have been even more brutal and inequitable
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-di...
what Kucharski gets right, crucially, is holding in tension the fact that the shutdown was brutally and inequitably costly, and the fact that not doing a shutdown would have been even more brutal and inequitable
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-di...
December 26, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Trauma studies reminds us of how trauma freezes time: trigger effects keep bringing us back to specific moments and memories, which are experienced as if on repeat.
No addressing the source via this repetition, and yet we are compelled to return to traumatic moments, time and time again.
No addressing the source via this repetition, and yet we are compelled to return to traumatic moments, time and time again.
Reposted by Evan Torner
campuses have learning opportunities, social space, entertainment, and universities ARE healthcare.
multigenerational access is net social good.
multigenerational access is net social good.
'Record numbers of Swedish retirees are enrolling in a university run “by pensioners for pensioners” amid increased loneliness and a growing appetite for learning and in-person interactions.' 1/2
‘Keeps your mind alert’: older Swedes reap the benefits of learning for pleasure
Retirees with ‘fantastic hunger for education’ taking part in university organised events in record numbers
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 12:50 PM
campuses have learning opportunities, social space, entertainment, and universities ARE healthcare.
multigenerational access is net social good.
multigenerational access is net social good.
Monolog for a Taxi Driver (1962), an East German existential journey that takes place one Christmas Eve....
What's the most tragically underrated Christmas movie of all time?
December 25, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Monolog for a Taxi Driver (1962), an East German existential journey that takes place one Christmas Eve....
Reposted by Evan Torner
Oak Lawn Methodist Church Nativity in Dallas, TX
December 21, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Oak Lawn Methodist Church Nativity in Dallas, TX
Reposted by Evan Torner
Young People Aren’t Abandoning Democracy — They’re Waiting to Be Invited In | They are routinely asked to vote, volunteer, or participate, but rarely invited to shape priorities, language, or direction, writes Yardley's Stu Faigen.
Young People Aren’t Abandoning Democracy — They’re Waiting to Be Invited In - Bucks County Beacon
They are routinely asked to vote, volunteer, or participate, but rarely invited to shape priorities, language, or direction.
buckscountybeacon.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Young People Aren’t Abandoning Democracy — They’re Waiting to Be Invited In | They are routinely asked to vote, volunteer, or participate, but rarely invited to shape priorities, language, or direction, writes Yardley's Stu Faigen.
Happy Chrismukkah to all, esp. those of us with interfaith families and complicated arrangements.
My Christmas Eve duties were to keep the fire going (12 hours!) and to entertain the children while [redacted] happened.
Every year I know less & less what to do this season, except "be kind."
My Christmas Eve duties were to keep the fire going (12 hours!) and to entertain the children while [redacted] happened.
Every year I know less & less what to do this season, except "be kind."
December 25, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Happy Chrismukkah to all, esp. those of us with interfaith families and complicated arrangements.
My Christmas Eve duties were to keep the fire going (12 hours!) and to entertain the children while [redacted] happened.
Every year I know less & less what to do this season, except "be kind."
My Christmas Eve duties were to keep the fire going (12 hours!) and to entertain the children while [redacted] happened.
Every year I know less & less what to do this season, except "be kind."
Reposted by Evan Torner
Morning all. Over the last few days, while I should have been taking a break, I put together a revised version of my first book, Play Unsafe.
Here it is on my Patreon. Hope you enjoy it. And have a great day.
www.patreon.com/posts/gifts-...
Here it is on my Patreon. Hope you enjoy it. And have a great day.
www.patreon.com/posts/gifts-...
Gifts | Graham Walmsley
Get more from Graham Walmsley on Patreon
www.patreon.com
December 25, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Morning all. Over the last few days, while I should have been taking a break, I put together a revised version of my first book, Play Unsafe.
Here it is on my Patreon. Hope you enjoy it. And have a great day.
www.patreon.com/posts/gifts-...
Here it is on my Patreon. Hope you enjoy it. And have a great day.
www.patreon.com/posts/gifts-...