🍁 Levi Kornelsen
@levikornelsen.bsky.social
Canadian maker of tabletop RPG bits and assorted weirdness.
Most of my things are at: https://levikornelsen.itch.io/
Most of my things are at: https://levikornelsen.itch.io/
Pinned
Having reached a thousand followers here (!), it's clearly time for me to do a big ol' self-promo thread of "Here's the parts of my TTRPG work I think you should know about!".
So here we go:
#ttrpg
So here we go:
#ttrpg
Okay, serious face, though:
If we actually do want to move the way we talk about TTRPGs "forward" on the theory front, develop that more beyond the bounds of academia, here's what we need to do:
Start treating clarified views of gaming as distinct lenses you can put on and take off.
1/
If we actually do want to move the way we talk about TTRPGs "forward" on the theory front, develop that more beyond the bounds of academia, here's what we need to do:
Start treating clarified views of gaming as distinct lenses you can put on and take off.
1/
February 17, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Okay, serious face, though:
If we actually do want to move the way we talk about TTRPGs "forward" on the theory front, develop that more beyond the bounds of academia, here's what we need to do:
Start treating clarified views of gaming as distinct lenses you can put on and take off.
1/
If we actually do want to move the way we talk about TTRPGs "forward" on the theory front, develop that more beyond the bounds of academia, here's what we need to do:
Start treating clarified views of gaming as distinct lenses you can put on and take off.
1/
A helpful meme for the next time this comes around:
February 17, 2026 at 3:10 PM
A helpful meme for the next time this comes around:
Also, because I gotta:
The problem with attempts to bring rigour to TTRPG thinking is that they also often bring mortis along for the ride.
The problem with attempts to bring rigour to TTRPG thinking is that they also often bring mortis along for the ride.
February 17, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Also, because I gotta:
The problem with attempts to bring rigour to TTRPG thinking is that they also often bring mortis along for the ride.
The problem with attempts to bring rigour to TTRPG thinking is that they also often bring mortis along for the ride.
This cartoon makes me think about game pacing.
February 17, 2026 at 2:25 PM
This cartoon makes me think about game pacing.
(Yes, including me, though I'm much better on this than I once was.)
You can tell TTTRPG theory is working properly when the user is excited by things it illuminates from a new angle, and that it's failing bad when people drag it into unrelated discussions as grounds to be judgy.
February 17, 2026 at 2:17 PM
(Yes, including me, though I'm much better on this than I once was.)
A clear promise of play:
February 17, 2026 at 6:00 AM
A clear promise of play:
No shocks here; my (biased) summary:
When rules get collapsed down, anything that *feels* like fiddly tracking or bean-counting is likely to get chucked.
Character personality traits, archetypes, and broad-utility system components are most likely to stick (with reduced fiddliness).
When rules get collapsed down, anything that *feels* like fiddly tracking or bean-counting is likely to get chucked.
Character personality traits, archetypes, and broad-utility system components are most likely to stick (with reduced fiddliness).
Let us say you're playing some TTRPG casually (pick one you have, if any) to the point of ignoring 90% of the rules.
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
February 17, 2026 at 5:36 AM
No shocks here; my (biased) summary:
When rules get collapsed down, anything that *feels* like fiddly tracking or bean-counting is likely to get chucked.
Character personality traits, archetypes, and broad-utility system components are most likely to stick (with reduced fiddliness).
When rules get collapsed down, anything that *feels* like fiddly tracking or bean-counting is likely to get chucked.
Character personality traits, archetypes, and broad-utility system components are most likely to stick (with reduced fiddliness).
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
I'm so bad at self-promo that I forgot to mention we released the Final Alpha for Dungeon World 2. It's been receiving a lot of love so, if you wanna add your voice and help @primarchspencer.bsky.social & I create the best possible game, this is your chance! 😊🖤 www.dungeon-world.com/the-final-al...
The Final Alpha is here!
The Dungeon World 2 Final Alpha is now out! See it for yourself. There is a PDF of the rules (this time in horizontal layout), plus a digital Character Keeper and GM Screen.
The Final Alpha adds a lo...
www.dungeon-world.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:59 AM
I'm so bad at self-promo that I forgot to mention we released the Final Alpha for Dungeon World 2. It's been receiving a lot of love so, if you wanna add your voice and help @primarchspencer.bsky.social & I create the best possible game, this is your chance! 😊🖤 www.dungeon-world.com/the-final-al...
Trying to figure out how to codify "Take big swings and go hard, be touchy as hell about your personal pride, dive into danger for the glory" into chargen for the Saesin/Milia thing, because it's both the ideal vibe and also locks in with Schema (which loads enough on a roll that "go big" is GOOD).
February 17, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Trying to figure out how to codify "Take big swings and go hard, be touchy as hell about your personal pride, dive into danger for the glory" into chargen for the Saesin/Milia thing, because it's both the ideal vibe and also locks in with Schema (which loads enough on a roll that "go big" is GOOD).
Voting for the lesser evil is what you do AFTER you have exhausted all other options. Refusing to exhaust those options, uh, what Rob says.
The further in advance you announce your willingness to vote for a horrible person as the lesser evil, the more enthusiastically supportive of that evil you seem.
Which is to say, Newsom is horror show, and preemptively declaring support in a theoretical future vote says you like his kind of horror
Which is to say, Newsom is horror show, and preemptively declaring support in a theoretical future vote says you like his kind of horror
February 17, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Voting for the lesser evil is what you do AFTER you have exhausted all other options. Refusing to exhaust those options, uh, what Rob says.
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
What rpgs have the best rules reference sheets?
February 17, 2026 at 12:58 AM
What rpgs have the best rules reference sheets?
The short form:
- Formulate a clear promise of what you do in the game and say it EVERYWHERE.
- Fit the game tightly to that promise and explain that fit constantly by MANY methods.
- Prepare the game to be collapsed to the minimum and keep it's critical parts, partly by doing it yourself.
- Formulate a clear promise of what you do in the game and say it EVERYWHERE.
- Fit the game tightly to that promise and explain that fit constantly by MANY methods.
- Prepare the game to be collapsed to the minimum and keep it's critical parts, partly by doing it yourself.
If we accept that people do play both the text of the game as they read it and the promise of a game as they perceive it, and often prioritize that promise over the text, then what's to be done in terms of design?
1/
1/
February 16, 2026 at 11:34 PM
The short form:
- Formulate a clear promise of what you do in the game and say it EVERYWHERE.
- Fit the game tightly to that promise and explain that fit constantly by MANY methods.
- Prepare the game to be collapsed to the minimum and keep it's critical parts, partly by doing it yourself.
- Formulate a clear promise of what you do in the game and say it EVERYWHERE.
- Fit the game tightly to that promise and explain that fit constantly by MANY methods.
- Prepare the game to be collapsed to the minimum and keep it's critical parts, partly by doing it yourself.
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
Let us say you're playing some TTRPG casually (pick one you have, if any) to the point of ignoring 90% of the rules.
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
February 16, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Let us say you're playing some TTRPG casually (pick one you have, if any) to the point of ignoring 90% of the rules.
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
Let us say you're playing some TTRPG casually (pick one you have, if any) to the point of ignoring 90% of the rules.
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
February 16, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Let us say you're playing some TTRPG casually (pick one you have, if any) to the point of ignoring 90% of the rules.
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
1. What vanishes *first?*
2. What *never* goes away?
(For me, encumbrance goes first, and noted character motives / personality traits / morality never leave).
*Mental break*
Wait, why in the fuck are merfolk usually skinny?
Like, grim, lean adventurers and soldiers on land, there's some sense going on with that, but a serious level of fat is SUPER EXTRA USEFUL in the water.
Fat merfolk, people.
Wait, why in the fuck are merfolk usually skinny?
Like, grim, lean adventurers and soldiers on land, there's some sense going on with that, but a serious level of fat is SUPER EXTRA USEFUL in the water.
Fat merfolk, people.
fat merfolk fat merfolk fat merfolk fat merfolk
February 16, 2026 at 6:22 PM
*Mental break*
Wait, why in the fuck are merfolk usually skinny?
Like, grim, lean adventurers and soldiers on land, there's some sense going on with that, but a serious level of fat is SUPER EXTRA USEFUL in the water.
Fat merfolk, people.
Wait, why in the fuck are merfolk usually skinny?
Like, grim, lean adventurers and soldiers on land, there's some sense going on with that, but a serious level of fat is SUPER EXTRA USEFUL in the water.
Fat merfolk, people.
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
I like this thread and think it's correct, and enjoyed the follow-up brainstorm on how to maybe design around it, but I do honestly think that for the sake of design as an art form this is in fact A Problem
I am circling around a thing today, and I swear I'm gonna catch it. Lunging again:
Groups play some mix of the text of the game and their own view of the *promise* of the game, and the further you are into playing the promise, the less the details of the text matter.
AND
Groups play some mix of the text of the game and their own view of the *promise* of the game, and the further you are into playing the promise, the less the details of the text matter.
AND
February 16, 2026 at 5:45 PM
I like this thread and think it's correct, and enjoyed the follow-up brainstorm on how to maybe design around it, but I do honestly think that for the sake of design as an art form this is in fact A Problem
Also, a GM doesn't need to be anywhere *close* to as good a designer as someone putting out a game to improve that game for their table, because they have the titanic, overwhelming advantage of actually being at their table.
February 16, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Also, a GM doesn't need to be anywhere *close* to as good a designer as someone putting out a game to improve that game for their table, because they have the titanic, overwhelming advantage of actually being at their table.
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
The three crunch settings are Soft Baby, Boring Regular, and You Fucking Nerd.
February 16, 2026 at 4:49 PM
The three crunch settings are Soft Baby, Boring Regular, and You Fucking Nerd.
If you're following the discourse, please search up "Autocondimenting" and what restaurants do about it as a point to consider.
February 16, 2026 at 4:41 PM
If you're following the discourse, please search up "Autocondimenting" and what restaurants do about it as a point to consider.
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
Interesting things to chew on here, but also really underlines how game design and the game text are in asymmetric and asynchronous conversation with the reader/player, with varying amounts of effort to anticipate the hidden side of the convo
If we accept that people do play both the text of the game as they read it and the promise of a game as they perceive it, and often prioritize that promise over the text, then what's to be done in terms of design?
1/
1/
February 16, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Interesting things to chew on here, but also really underlines how game design and the game text are in asymmetric and asynchronous conversation with the reader/player, with varying amounts of effort to anticipate the hidden side of the convo
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
I can understand why a designer might not *like* someone altering their game for artistic reasons, but the whole idea that the purchaser of a game owes "respect" to a designer is just an illustration of how parasocial the RPG hobby is. We're not friends. This is a commercial agreement, nothing more
February 16, 2026 at 2:03 PM
I can understand why a designer might not *like* someone altering their game for artistic reasons, but the whole idea that the purchaser of a game owes "respect" to a designer is just an illustration of how parasocial the RPG hobby is. We're not friends. This is a commercial agreement, nothing more
If we accept that people do play both the text of the game as they read it and the promise of a game as they perceive it, and often prioritize that promise over the text, then what's to be done in terms of design?
1/
1/
February 16, 2026 at 5:22 AM
If we accept that people do play both the text of the game as they read it and the promise of a game as they perceive it, and often prioritize that promise over the text, then what's to be done in terms of design?
1/
1/
Okay, "Playing the promise of the game over the text" has now moved into my head as The Way To Say That Thing, so even though it's not what I was hunting today, I'm going to call it a win.
February 16, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Okay, "Playing the promise of the game over the text" has now moved into my head as The Way To Say That Thing, so even though it's not what I was hunting today, I'm going to call it a win.
System matters is when you got mad about games not working right so you made a better one you desperately want people to read.
System doesn't matter is when you learned to work around bad rules until rules basically stopped having an impact on you, and you don't want to read that other guy's game.
System doesn't matter is when you learned to work around bad rules until rules basically stopped having an impact on you, and you don't want to read that other guy's game.
February 16, 2026 at 12:44 AM
System matters is when you got mad about games not working right so you made a better one you desperately want people to read.
System doesn't matter is when you learned to work around bad rules until rules basically stopped having an impact on you, and you don't want to read that other guy's game.
System doesn't matter is when you learned to work around bad rules until rules basically stopped having an impact on you, and you don't want to read that other guy's game.
BlueSky will one day implode under the owner/user dissonance, but in the meantime, you know who to thank for carving out what space we do get.
Bluesky was literally meant to be a cryptobro social network for grifters, LinkedIn sludge, and libertarians who know way too much about age of consent laws.
Jack Dorsey *left* when instead of weird and off-putting cryptonerds, trans people started hanging out here.
Jack Dorsey *left* when instead of weird and off-putting cryptonerds, trans people started hanging out here.
Can you think of examples where people use technologies differently from what the developers intended, whether unintentionally or as an act of resistance?
February 15, 2026 at 11:06 PM
BlueSky will one day implode under the owner/user dissonance, but in the meantime, you know who to thank for carving out what space we do get.