James Wallis
@jameswallis.bsky.social
Game designer, publisher, teacher, critic, writer, evangelist, FRSA. Wrote Everybody Wins, runs http://www.gamedesignmasterclass.com, co-host of RPG podcast http://www.ludonarrativedissidents.com, & setting up www.bigtable.games, a trade body for the UK&I.
Pinned
James Wallis
@jameswallis.bsky.social
· Oct 18
Hello! I'm best known for running Hogshead Publishing in the 1990s, but these days I'm setting up Big Table, a trade body for the UK tabletop industry. Follow us: @bigtable.bsky.social
Come on then 2026. Show us what you've got. We can take it. Just try us.
January 1, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Come on then 2026. Show us what you've got. We can take it. Just try us.
Reposted by James Wallis
"People didn't put politics in their gaming in the old days".
The year is 1969, a 25 year old Jim Dunnigan designs the wargame "Up Against the Wall, Motherf*****", a game about the student demonstrations at Columbia. One player plays the Administration and the other the Radicals.
The year is 1969, a 25 year old Jim Dunnigan designs the wargame "Up Against the Wall, Motherf*****", a game about the student demonstrations at Columbia. One player plays the Administration and the other the Radicals.
December 30, 2025 at 11:43 PM
"People didn't put politics in their gaming in the old days".
The year is 1969, a 25 year old Jim Dunnigan designs the wargame "Up Against the Wall, Motherf*****", a game about the student demonstrations at Columbia. One player plays the Administration and the other the Radicals.
The year is 1969, a 25 year old Jim Dunnigan designs the wargame "Up Against the Wall, Motherf*****", a game about the student demonstrations at Columbia. One player plays the Administration and the other the Radicals.
We've been invited to a New Year's Eve dinner party, and the host has asked if we could "bring some games".
OH MY BITTER WINTER CHILD YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DREADFUL FORCES YOU HAVE UNLEASHED
OH MY BITTER WINTER CHILD YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DREADFUL FORCES YOU HAVE UNLEASHED
December 30, 2025 at 12:45 PM
We've been invited to a New Year's Eve dinner party, and the host has asked if we could "bring some games".
OH MY BITTER WINTER CHILD YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DREADFUL FORCES YOU HAVE UNLEASHED
OH MY BITTER WINTER CHILD YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT DREADFUL FORCES YOU HAVE UNLEASHED
Reposted by James Wallis
Did the United States really spend trillions of dollars on winning the Cold War, only for its president in 2025 take orders from a Russian dictator?
This is an earth-shattering humiliation for America of which its reputation may never recover.
This is an earth-shattering humiliation for America of which its reputation may never recover.
December 28, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Did the United States really spend trillions of dollars on winning the Cold War, only for its president in 2025 take orders from a Russian dictator?
This is an earth-shattering humiliation for America of which its reputation may never recover.
This is an earth-shattering humiliation for America of which its reputation may never recover.
Massive longshot: in the early 2000s, as you drove into the Suffolk village of Dunwich, there was a road sign (red triangle) warning of toads crossing. Do you have a picture of it that you're willing to share? The one I took has gone missing.
December 29, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Massive longshot: in the early 2000s, as you drove into the Suffolk village of Dunwich, there was a road sign (red triangle) warning of toads crossing. Do you have a picture of it that you're willing to share? The one I took has gone missing.
Reposted by James Wallis
The most important post on Bluesky today
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
December 29, 2025 at 2:38 PM
The most important post on Bluesky today
Reposted by James Wallis
Remember:
When Tylenol was poisoned *by an outsider* and killed people, the company recalled all their products & redesigned them.
When Intel’s Pentium had a bug so obscure it affected 1 in _9 billion_ long division calculations, they recalled their chips.
ChatGPT was made deadly *by its team*.
When Tylenol was poisoned *by an outsider* and killed people, the company recalled all their products & redesigned them.
When Intel’s Pentium had a bug so obscure it affected 1 in _9 billion_ long division calculations, they recalled their chips.
ChatGPT was made deadly *by its team*.
i don’t see how any of the benefits of chatgpt and other consumer-facing LLMs can possibly outweigh their incredible ability to induce suicides
Adam Raine’s life hurtled toward tragedy soon after he began talking with ChatGPT about homework. Analysis of his ChatGPT account shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
December 28, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Remember:
When Tylenol was poisoned *by an outsider* and killed people, the company recalled all their products & redesigned them.
When Intel’s Pentium had a bug so obscure it affected 1 in _9 billion_ long division calculations, they recalled their chips.
ChatGPT was made deadly *by its team*.
When Tylenol was poisoned *by an outsider* and killed people, the company recalled all their products & redesigned them.
When Intel’s Pentium had a bug so obscure it affected 1 in _9 billion_ long division calculations, they recalled their chips.
ChatGPT was made deadly *by its team*.
2001: A Space Odyssey still looks utterly convincing. Knowing how the magic was done doesn't stop it being magic.
December 28, 2025 at 7:29 PM
2001: A Space Odyssey still looks utterly convincing. Knowing how the magic was done doesn't stop it being magic.
You’ve just opened up a Star Trek themed restaurant.
What are you calling it?
It'll be a traditional British restaurant...
ENTER PIES
What are you calling it?
It'll be a traditional British restaurant...
ENTER PIES
You’ve just opened up a Star Trek themed restaurant.
What are you calling it?
It’ll be a fish restaurant……..
Bream me up Scotty
What are you calling it?
It’ll be a fish restaurant……..
Bream me up Scotty
You’ve just opened up a Star Trek themed restaurant.
What are you calling it?
It’ll be a buffet restaurant……..
The Trouble With Nibbles
What are you calling it?
It’ll be a buffet restaurant……..
The Trouble With Nibbles
December 27, 2025 at 1:30 AM
You’ve just opened up a Star Trek themed restaurant.
What are you calling it?
It'll be a traditional British restaurant...
ENTER PIES
What are you calling it?
It'll be a traditional British restaurant...
ENTER PIES
Jimmy Carr has had so much plastic surgery he now looks like an early-2000s CGI render of Jimmy Carr.
December 26, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Jimmy Carr has had so much plastic surgery he now looks like an early-2000s CGI render of Jimmy Carr.
Reposted by James Wallis
"tell me we didn't just fire a dozen $500,000 missiles at a $200 camel"
"sir, no evidence of any camel present, sir!"
"sir, no evidence of any camel present, sir!"
December 26, 2025 at 7:17 PM
"tell me we didn't just fire a dozen $500,000 missiles at a $200 camel"
"sir, no evidence of any camel present, sir!"
"sir, no evidence of any camel present, sir!"
Reposted by James Wallis
Ok, since this has come up four times in the last three days:
REPUTABLE LITERARY AGENTS WILL NOT CHARGE YOU MONEY.
IF A LITERARY AGENT WANTS TO CHARGE YOU FOR AN "EXPEDITED ACCESS PACKAGE" THIS IS A SCAM.
REPUTABLE LITERARY AGENTS WILL NOT CHARGE YOU MONEY.
IF A LITERARY AGENT WANTS TO CHARGE YOU FOR AN "EXPEDITED ACCESS PACKAGE" THIS IS A SCAM.
December 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Ok, since this has come up four times in the last three days:
REPUTABLE LITERARY AGENTS WILL NOT CHARGE YOU MONEY.
IF A LITERARY AGENT WANTS TO CHARGE YOU FOR AN "EXPEDITED ACCESS PACKAGE" THIS IS A SCAM.
REPUTABLE LITERARY AGENTS WILL NOT CHARGE YOU MONEY.
IF A LITERARY AGENT WANTS TO CHARGE YOU FOR AN "EXPEDITED ACCESS PACKAGE" THIS IS A SCAM.
You should read this.
Had an absolute blast with this Time Out exclusive:
'Die Hard' screenwriter @stevenedesouza.bsky.social ranking 10 'Die Hard'-inspired action flicks www.timeout.com/news/10-die-...
'Die Hard' screenwriter @stevenedesouza.bsky.social ranking 10 'Die Hard'-inspired action flicks www.timeout.com/news/10-die-...
10 ‘Die Hard’ clones ranked by the screenwriter of ‘Die Hard’
Yippee-ki-yay! Steven E de Souza sorts the ‘Die Hards’ from the try hards
www.timeout.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM
You should read this.
Watching JAWS and veering wildly between 'Oh my god John Williams is a genius' and 'Oh my god John Williams is a fucking hack', often in the same scene.
December 25, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Watching JAWS and veering wildly between 'Oh my god John Williams is a genius' and 'Oh my god John Williams is a fucking hack', often in the same scene.
Reposted by James Wallis
Disco Elysium being free on the Epic Games Store is truly a Christmas miracle. This is such a singular and superb video game.
store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/disc...
store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/disc...
Disco Elysium - The Final Cut | Download and Buy Today - Epic Games Store
Download and play Disco Elysium - The Final Cut at the Epic Games Store. Check for platform availability and price!
store.epicgames.com
December 25, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Disco Elysium being free on the Epic Games Store is truly a Christmas miracle. This is such a singular and superb video game.
store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/disc...
store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/disc...
The Room in the Tower, this year's ghost story for Christmas, was admirable right up to Gatiss's usual last-minute monster, which was unnecessary and rather spoiled it.
December 24, 2025 at 10:48 PM
The Room in the Tower, this year's ghost story for Christmas, was admirable right up to Gatiss's usual last-minute monster, which was unnecessary and rather spoiled it.
Reposted by James Wallis
Yep, over on BGG I wrote up some relevant ways gender has mattered for this history: boardgamegeek.com/thread/34237... ... WRT pretend play across media in general, I'd add Lizzie Stark (2012; ch. 3) and Marina Viallon (2025; server seems down right now www.metafilter.com/209376/Knigh... )
The women who invented murder mystery LARPs and other old parlor games | BGG
A few weeks ago, I was looking into the history of a murder mystery parlor game and basically stumbled across a number of stories attributing the invention and popularization of a particular kind of m...
boardgamegeek.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Yep, over on BGG I wrote up some relevant ways gender has mattered for this history: boardgamegeek.com/thread/34237... ... WRT pretend play across media in general, I'd add Lizzie Stark (2012; ch. 3) and Marina Viallon (2025; server seems down right now www.metafilter.com/209376/Knigh... )
Reposted by James Wallis
In ‘86/87 it was clearly The Law that you had to have Judge Dredd in background of early scenes in your fantasy film. A McMahon Dredd t-shirt in The Princess Bride and the Dredd Board Game in Labyrinth.
December 19, 2025 at 10:23 PM
In ‘86/87 it was clearly The Law that you had to have Judge Dredd in background of early scenes in your fantasy film. A McMahon Dredd t-shirt in The Princess Bride and the Dredd Board Game in Labyrinth.
What a treat--a whole evening of Ghost Stories for Christmas on BBC4: Woman of Stone, Lot No. 249, Count Magnus, The Mezzotint, Whistle and I'll Come To You, and Top of the Pops Christmas 1978, with Noel Edmunds presenting Boney M, the Bee Gees and Showaddywaddy.
December 22, 2025 at 11:37 PM
What a treat--a whole evening of Ghost Stories for Christmas on BBC4: Woman of Stone, Lot No. 249, Count Magnus, The Mezzotint, Whistle and I'll Come To You, and Top of the Pops Christmas 1978, with Noel Edmunds presenting Boney M, the Bee Gees and Showaddywaddy.
Absolute SCORE for wife's Christmas stocking: a staff tee-shirt from the Brick Lane Beigel Bakery. I'm 90% sure she'll love it, and 10% packing a bag in case she doesn't.
December 22, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Absolute SCORE for wife's Christmas stocking: a staff tee-shirt from the Brick Lane Beigel Bakery. I'm 90% sure she'll love it, and 10% packing a bag in case she doesn't.
Some of you will have noticed that I have failed to keep up with this years's (hashtag) BONNE MAMAN JAM ADVENT CALENDAR OF JAM. There are reasons: my last brush with Covid left me with basically no sense of smell at all, which affects my enjoyment of food; but mainly it's because (shock!)
(cont.)
(cont.)
December 22, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Some of you will have noticed that I have failed to keep up with this years's (hashtag) BONNE MAMAN JAM ADVENT CALENDAR OF JAM. There are reasons: my last brush with Covid left me with basically no sense of smell at all, which affects my enjoyment of food; but mainly it's because (shock!)
(cont.)
(cont.)
Reposted by James Wallis
Here's a linked version too: youtube.com/shorts/ctsGN...
I Am the Very Model of a Miniature Tyrannosaur
YouTube video by Nature Podcast
youtube.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Here's a linked version too: youtube.com/shorts/ctsGN...
The Ludonarrative Dissidents are livestreaming tonight (Friday), talking about the year in RPGs, cool new releases, the Robocop statue in Detroit and more. We're live from 23:00 Europe, 22:00 UTC, 5pm Eastern, 4pm Central and it'd be great to see you. www.twitch.tv/RossPaytonRPPR
December 19, 2025 at 5:03 PM
The Ludonarrative Dissidents are livestreaming tonight (Friday), talking about the year in RPGs, cool new releases, the Robocop statue in Detroit and more. We're live from 23:00 Europe, 22:00 UTC, 5pm Eastern, 4pm Central and it'd be great to see you. www.twitch.tv/RossPaytonRPPR
Reposted by James Wallis
The BMA has come out swinging for the rights of all trans people in healthcare settings and beyond - both patients and healthcare providers.
Genuinely brilliant news amongst the bad - please read it and share, and remember that we are NOT alone. Not by a long stretch.
Genuinely brilliant news amongst the bad - please read it and share, and remember that we are NOT alone. Not by a long stretch.
The BMA has published an updated policy position on the rights of transgender and non-binary people in healthcare settings.
www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-s...
www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-s...
Policy position on the rights of transgender and non-binary people in healthcare settings
Our policy position is centred around the need to advocate for equitable access to healthcare, create safe and inclusive workplaces for trans and non-binary people working in healthcare settings, and ...
www.bma.org.uk
December 19, 2025 at 9:26 AM
The BMA has come out swinging for the rights of all trans people in healthcare settings and beyond - both patients and healthcare providers.
Genuinely brilliant news amongst the bad - please read it and share, and remember that we are NOT alone. Not by a long stretch.
Genuinely brilliant news amongst the bad - please read it and share, and remember that we are NOT alone. Not by a long stretch.