Jon Bolding
@jonbolds.bsky.social
Chalcolithic Liche, Forbes 10 over 10,000. Games writer, on and about. Appears pcgamer, IGN, etc. Panel Three Moves Ahead. freelancer, hire me.
Pinned
Jon Bolding
@jonbolds.bsky.social
· Aug 9
up late doing hot guy shit (contemplating The 36 Lessons of Vivec)
literal perfect videogame
"babies are born worshipping unknown gods" is one of the most incredible dwarf fortress bugs i have heard of. its poetry.
November 11, 2025 at 10:57 PM
literal perfect videogame
Reposted by Jon Bolding
"babies are born worshipping unknown gods" is one of the most incredible dwarf fortress bugs i have heard of. its poetry.
November 11, 2025 at 4:18 PM
"babies are born worshipping unknown gods" is one of the most incredible dwarf fortress bugs i have heard of. its poetry.
Backed this today. Excited to have my own copies come next year.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/col...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/col...
John Company & Molly House Reprint
Two of the most evocative historical board games are back for a new print run.
www.kickstarter.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Backed this today. Excited to have my own copies come next year.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/col...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/col...
Reposted by Jon Bolding
soooometimes, the posts on linkedin are good
November 10, 2025 at 9:53 PM
soooometimes, the posts on linkedin are good
I cut a whole paragraph in my EU5 review about this but Paradox’s choice of map projections is pretty unhinged. Just use a sphere please the world is an oblate spheroid. I’m sick of giant Russia and Greenland and tiny Africa in these games.
One thing that keeps bugging me about CK3's map of Asia is that Korea looks like it's bent at like a 45-degree angle. Japan looks relatively normal but I think they could make some more tweaks to help Korea not look so distorted.
November 9, 2025 at 6:02 PM
I cut a whole paragraph in my EU5 review about this but Paradox’s choice of map projections is pretty unhinged. Just use a sphere please the world is an oblate spheroid. I’m sick of giant Russia and Greenland and tiny Africa in these games.
cricket meals and generation ships, featuring an outstanding soundtrack
www.pcgamer.com/games/city-b...
www.pcgamer.com/games/city-b...
'The human body is equivalent in mass to 50,000 crickets': In city builder Generation Exile, humanity's last hope for sustenance is cricket mush
What will the last humans subsist on as they escape a dying earth? Bug soup, if Generation Exile is any indication
www.pcgamer.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:54 PM
cricket meals and generation ships, featuring an outstanding soundtrack
www.pcgamer.com/games/city-b...
www.pcgamer.com/games/city-b...
Reposted by Jon Bolding
November 8, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Stop the presses, I've found the single greatest tech in EU5
November 5, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Stop the presses, I've found the single greatest tech in EU5
That's A Button? I Thought That Was A Decorative Feature: The Europa Universalis V Story
November 4, 2025 at 6:30 PM
That's A Button? I Thought That Was A Decorative Feature: The Europa Universalis V Story
Reposted by Jon Bolding
Intimidated by EU5? We're offering a 30% off discount on your first month of the 3MA Patreon at the Discord Access tier and above, where @len.bsky.social can be your personal part-time tutor. Plus you'll get to hang out with our community of strategy experts!
Patreon.com/3MA
Code: LEARNEU5
Patreon.com/3MA
Code: LEARNEU5
It's finally here! @len.bsky.social, @rowan.monster, and @jonbolds.bsky.social set sail into Europa Universalis 5 to answer burning questions like, "Is it actually good?" and, "Is it even possible to evaluate it that straightforwardly at all at this point?"
www.idlethumbs.net/3ma/episodes...
www.idlethumbs.net/3ma/episodes...
Three Moves Ahead: Europa Universalis 5
Episode 641. Master Class.
www.idlethumbs.net
November 4, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Intimidated by EU5? We're offering a 30% off discount on your first month of the 3MA Patreon at the Discord Access tier and above, where @len.bsky.social can be your personal part-time tutor. Plus you'll get to hang out with our community of strategy experts!
Patreon.com/3MA
Code: LEARNEU5
Patreon.com/3MA
Code: LEARNEU5
Reposted by Jon Bolding
My review of Europa Universalis V is up! This is a game that knows its for sickos and caters to sickos (and aspiring sickos) almost exclusively, but if you're the kind of person who thinks they would enjoy it, I think you'll be pleased. It is a bit underbaked though.
www.ign.com/articles/eur...
www.ign.com/articles/eur...
Europa Universalis 5 Review - IGN
Tuning issues aside, this might be the most on-paper impressive historical strategy game of all time.
www.ign.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:01 PM
My review of Europa Universalis V is up! This is a game that knows its for sickos and caters to sickos (and aspiring sickos) almost exclusively, but if you're the kind of person who thinks they would enjoy it, I think you'll be pleased. It is a bit underbaked though.
www.ign.com/articles/eur...
www.ign.com/articles/eur...
Reposted by Jon Bolding
"It's nothing less than an attempt at simulating the world for centuries with a fidelity beyond anything else in the genre."
Here's @jonbolds.bsky.social review of Europa Universalis 5: www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...
Here's @jonbolds.bsky.social review of Europa Universalis 5: www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...
Europa Universalis 5 sets a new bar for historical simulation complexity
Even hardened grand strategy veterans may be startled by the complexity of this historical simulation.
www.pcgamer.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:44 PM
"It's nothing less than an attempt at simulating the world for centuries with a fidelity beyond anything else in the genre."
Here's @jonbolds.bsky.social review of Europa Universalis 5: www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...
Here's @jonbolds.bsky.social review of Europa Universalis 5: www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...
Here it is. The absolute strategy beast that is Europa Universalis 5. My review:
www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...
www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...
Europa Universalis 5 sets a new bar for historical simulation complexity
Even hardened grand strategy veterans may be startled by the complexity of this historical simulation.
www.pcgamer.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Here it is. The absolute strategy beast that is Europa Universalis 5. My review:
www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...
www.pcgamer.com/games/strate...
1494 the grand council of american species convenes and decides it shall send the gray squirrel to Eurasia as revenge
1493 the first horse since the megafauna extinction 15 000 yeas earlier stepped on the western hemisphere and u can bet that guy was like AND SOMEHOW HORSE RETURNED
October 30, 2025 at 12:38 AM
1494 the grand council of american species convenes and decides it shall send the gray squirrel to Eurasia as revenge
Reposted by Jon Bolding
But shall this crazed old man be tamely suffered to drag a whole ship’s company down to doom with him?
October 27, 2025 at 8:47 AM
But shall this crazed old man be tamely suffered to drag a whole ship’s company down to doom with him?
The ear. The ear.
I got this ad on Reddit for AI slop that starts funny purely because the bandage doesn't cover his ear and a human needed to look through their promo images and pick one, but I digress.
The hook here is *actual physical objects*!
The hook here is *actual physical objects*!
October 25, 2025 at 5:27 PM
The ear. The ear.
Yooooooooo
NORCO is Steam Deck Verified & 65% off until the 29th of October
October 21, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Yooooooooo
Deserved.
We can’t stress enough what an honor it is to see Against the Storm included in PC Gamer’s Top 100 Games list 😌
We’re grateful to the @pcgamer.com team for this recognition, and to our players for helping us shape a game worth playing!
www.pcgamer.com/games/the-to...
We’re grateful to the @pcgamer.com team for this recognition, and to our players for helping us shape a game worth playing!
www.pcgamer.com/games/the-to...
October 21, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Deserved.
Reposted by Jon Bolding
I'll be in Essen at Spiel running this game in 2-hour demos at the Studio Midhall booth. @spielessen.bsky.social
October 21, 2025 at 11:47 AM
I'll be in Essen at Spiel running this game in 2-hour demos at the Studio Midhall booth. @spielessen.bsky.social
I think I'm going to hire some witches to curse whoever put my email address on some general-purpose, purchasable list of journalists to spam with your random shit releases. Why the fuck am I getting press releases about grocery stores? About smart home water systems?
October 16, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I think I'm going to hire some witches to curse whoever put my email address on some general-purpose, purchasable list of journalists to spam with your random shit releases. Why the fuck am I getting press releases about grocery stores? About smart home water systems?
cybourgeoisie
"Cybourgeoisie" is the term for the tech-enamored well off, a vulgarity of class and time.
nothing says “cyberpunk” like owning a $100,000 vehicle
October 16, 2025 at 6:21 PM
cybourgeoisie
board gaming tariff casualty
Terrible news that AMIGO’s US division is shutting down. Produced some of my favorites and made them easily available here instead of needing to import them and get translated rules. Another needless tariff casualty.
October 15, 2025 at 4:29 PM
board gaming tariff casualty
You know those people who make friends with every single person that lives on their street? That’s my dad.
What’s ONE green flag about your father?
October 14, 2025 at 12:16 PM
You know those people who make friends with every single person that lives on their street? That’s my dad.
Reposted by Jon Bolding
Google is now returning AI summaries even for searches that start with "-AI", this bubble cannot burst soon enough.
October 14, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Google is now returning AI summaries even for searches that start with "-AI", this bubble cannot burst soon enough.