🍁 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
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.
OSR is when a game keeps a promise D&D made and broke.
Indie is when someone wants to make you a new promise, and try to deliver.
Indie is when someone wants to make you a new promise, and try to deliver.
February 15, 2026 at 9:48 PM
OSR is when a game keeps a promise D&D made and broke.
Indie is when someone wants to make you a new promise, and try to deliver.
Indie is when someone wants to make you a new promise, and try to deliver.
AND:
90% of the people I have talked personal gaming histories with absolutely have deep, fond memories of "playing the promise" of (D&D / Vampire / etc), and also either drifting the rules VAST distances or getting annoyed at the rules failure to fulfill that promise.
90% of the people I have talked personal gaming histories with absolutely have deep, fond memories of "playing the promise" of (D&D / Vampire / etc), and also either drifting the rules VAST distances or getting annoyed at the rules failure to fulfill that promise.
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 15, 2026 at 9:05 PM
AND:
90% of the people I have talked personal gaming histories with absolutely have deep, fond memories of "playing the promise" of (D&D / Vampire / etc), and also either drifting the rules VAST distances or getting annoyed at the rules failure to fulfill that promise.
90% of the people I have talked personal gaming histories with absolutely have deep, fond memories of "playing the promise" of (D&D / Vampire / etc), and also either drifting the rules VAST distances or getting annoyed at the rules failure to fulfill that promise.
Is there, like, a repository of old D&D ads anywhere? Asking for reasons.
February 15, 2026 at 6:54 PM
Is there, like, a repository of old D&D ads anywhere? Asking for reasons.
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 15, 2026 at 6:15 PM
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
Game text as elaborate kayfabe prompt.
This hits on an idea I've only been able to articulate as "explaining that wrestling is fake" when a person points out or tears down these useful and fun lies.
Nobody wants to hear that wrestling is fake, but they're excited when you offer better wrestling.
Nobody wants to hear that wrestling is fake, but they're excited when you offer better wrestling.
February 15, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Game text as elaborate kayfabe prompt.
I have successfully activated the love/hate 4e sleeper agents by making a slightly novel point about the game; you can spot them by going back through my last few posts and seeing who has no apparent idea a new point was made.
February 15, 2026 at 5:04 PM
I have successfully activated the love/hate 4e sleeper agents by making a slightly novel point about the game; you can spot them by going back through my last few posts and seeing who has no apparent idea a new point was made.
The most important step in making a TTRPG that does a given thing is making the users believe it does that thing.
February 15, 2026 at 4:13 PM
The most important step in making a TTRPG that does a given thing is making the users believe it does that thing.
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
Fun fact that correlates to this: 4e hater used to always tell me "its not the D&D I remember"
Me: "what D&D do you remember?"
Them: <proceed to describe a lanky set of households that dont exist in the game>
Me: ....
Me: "what D&D do you remember?"
Them: <proceed to describe a lanky set of households that dont exist in the game>
Me: ....
4e annoys because it doesn't pretend that it's fighting-adventure rules are anything else and expects you to use rules as written. By not lying about itself, it fucks up the normal D&D process of pretending that it's good for other things, which pretence is *self-fulfilling* via quiet rulings.
February 15, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Fun fact that correlates to this: 4e hater used to always tell me "its not the D&D I remember"
Me: "what D&D do you remember?"
Them: <proceed to describe a lanky set of households that dont exist in the game>
Me: ....
Me: "what D&D do you remember?"
Them: <proceed to describe a lanky set of households that dont exist in the game>
Me: ....
Also your clever reward and framing mechanics primarily work not because of jellybean rewards, but because they are permission-givers. Which is why concealing them to make them emergent often fails; you didn't give social permission and cues to react to them as you hope.
Giving a game credit for things that it's not doing, that you are, creates a cushion of deniability that lets people push past their "making shit up in public" boundaries (since you can also flip to giving it blame if you err), and games that don't cooperate with this cause problems in some cases.
4e annoys because it doesn't pretend that it's fighting-adventure rules are anything else and expects you to use rules as written. By not lying about itself, it fucks up the normal D&D process of pretending that it's good for other things, which pretence is *self-fulfilling* via quiet rulings.
February 15, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Also your clever reward and framing mechanics primarily work not because of jellybean rewards, but because they are permission-givers. Which is why concealing them to make them emergent often fails; you didn't give social permission and cues to react to them as you hope.
Giving a game credit for things that it's not doing, that you are, creates a cushion of deniability that lets people push past their "making shit up in public" boundaries (since you can also flip to giving it blame if you err), and games that don't cooperate with this cause problems in some cases.
4e annoys because it doesn't pretend that it's fighting-adventure rules are anything else and expects you to use rules as written. By not lying about itself, it fucks up the normal D&D process of pretending that it's good for other things, which pretence is *self-fulfilling* via quiet rulings.
February 15, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Giving a game credit for things that it's not doing, that you are, creates a cushion of deniability that lets people push past their "making shit up in public" boundaries (since you can also flip to giving it blame if you err), and games that don't cooperate with this cause problems in some cases.
4e annoys because it doesn't pretend that it's fighting-adventure rules are anything else and expects you to use rules as written. By not lying about itself, it fucks up the normal D&D process of pretending that it's good for other things, which pretence is *self-fulfilling* via quiet rulings.
February 15, 2026 at 5:09 AM
4e annoys because it doesn't pretend that it's fighting-adventure rules are anything else and expects you to use rules as written. By not lying about itself, it fucks up the normal D&D process of pretending that it's good for other things, which pretence is *self-fulfilling* via quiet rulings.
Setting storytime: Braecru
(I have reacquired the vibe!)
In all the lands of the world, there is none so feared as Braecru the satirist. The high and the mighty turn swiftly to their finest manners if they even hear her shadow may pass over them.
1/
(I have reacquired the vibe!)
In all the lands of the world, there is none so feared as Braecru the satirist. The high and the mighty turn swiftly to their finest manners if they even hear her shadow may pass over them.
1/
February 14, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Setting storytime: Braecru
(I have reacquired the vibe!)
In all the lands of the world, there is none so feared as Braecru the satirist. The high and the mighty turn swiftly to their finest manners if they even hear her shadow may pass over them.
1/
(I have reacquired the vibe!)
In all the lands of the world, there is none so feared as Braecru the satirist. The high and the mighty turn swiftly to their finest manners if they even hear her shadow may pass over them.
1/
I mean, yes to the linked post, but, er. Two types of fun is... Not sufficient...
levikornelsen.itch.io/manyfold
levikornelsen.itch.io/manyfold
"Players seeking to have fun is bad for many games" is the opening statement of my latest post, where I argue that players should stop playing games trying to have fun, and instead let the game systems take them where they will, and trust that the fun will come.
tangentjoy.blot.im/against-intent
tangentjoy.blot.im/against-intent
Against Intent - Tangent Joy
Players seeking to have fun is bad for many games. I get frustrated, fairly often, with how people play games. It’s not a particularly serious
tangentjoy.blot.im
February 14, 2026 at 6:37 PM
I mean, yes to the linked post, but, er. Two types of fun is... Not sufficient...
levikornelsen.itch.io/manyfold
levikornelsen.itch.io/manyfold
Setting storytime:
It is, among the Milia, proper to call a local leader a king or queen, so long as, standing on the highest footing (including the main roof, if there are no towers) of their hall, all the occupied land is managed by those sworn to take protection from their hall.
1/
It is, among the Milia, proper to call a local leader a king or queen, so long as, standing on the highest footing (including the main roof, if there are no towers) of their hall, all the occupied land is managed by those sworn to take protection from their hall.
1/
February 14, 2026 at 5:28 AM
Setting storytime:
It is, among the Milia, proper to call a local leader a king or queen, so long as, standing on the highest footing (including the main roof, if there are no towers) of their hall, all the occupied land is managed by those sworn to take protection from their hall.
1/
It is, among the Milia, proper to call a local leader a king or queen, so long as, standing on the highest footing (including the main roof, if there are no towers) of their hall, all the occupied land is managed by those sworn to take protection from their hall.
1/
Got my new e-reader, which is a fully "Plug it in to computer and drop files in" deal, water resistant, SD card slot, runs on an android variant but software company out of Europe and under their laws.
Day one with it, but first impression is very good.
pocketbook.de/en/verse-pro...
Day one with it, but first impression is very good.
pocketbook.de/en/verse-pro...
Verse Pro Azure
Discover the PocketBook Verse Pro – a compact, waterproof e-reader with a 6" E-Ink Carta™ HD screen, SMARTlight, DARKmode, Bluetooth audio, and text-to-speech. Enjoy seamless audiobook playback, suppo...
pocketbook.de
February 14, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Got my new e-reader, which is a fully "Plug it in to computer and drop files in" deal, water resistant, SD card slot, runs on an android variant but software company out of Europe and under their laws.
Day one with it, but first impression is very good.
pocketbook.de/en/verse-pro...
Day one with it, but first impression is very good.
pocketbook.de/en/verse-pro...
I enjoyed all of the Charlie's Angels films, but admittedly in a "High-budget B-movie" kind of way.
In all incarnations, Charlie's Angels has only been successful in two of its six seasons and one of its three movies, that's a pretty low hit rate for something they keep trying to bring back
A new version of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ is in the works.
February 14, 2026 at 12:02 AM
I enjoyed all of the Charlie's Angels films, but admittedly in a "High-budget B-movie" kind of way.
I don't know if I have one of these in pronunciation - I'm one of those people that picks up accents, pronunciations, and colloquialisms reflexively (including off TV science fiction), not even trying to be cute, and has to focus to *not* do it.
In writing, though, "Tow the line".
In writing, though, "Tow the line".
What's a word that changes your opinion of someone when you hear them mis-pronounce it?
For me: 'et cetera'/'ecksetra'.
For me: 'et cetera'/'ecksetra'.
February 13, 2026 at 11:48 PM
I don't know if I have one of these in pronunciation - I'm one of those people that picks up accents, pronunciations, and colloquialisms reflexively (including off TV science fiction), not even trying to be cute, and has to focus to *not* do it.
In writing, though, "Tow the line".
In writing, though, "Tow the line".
Reposted by 🍁 Levi Kornelsen
Games with a million parts but no photo of how things are supposed to go into the organizer are acts of hostility.
February 13, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Games with a million parts but no photo of how things are supposed to go into the organizer are acts of hostility.
Woke up silly early, so gave this a go; found it fun.
Brainstorming starts 19 minutes in, and there's a rapid stepping from "based on this GB game" to a journaling game to a ritual game for during a chore that made me grin.
Onscreen:
@cutestpatoot.itch.io and @michellicopter.bsky.social
Brainstorming starts 19 minutes in, and there's a rapid stepping from "based on this GB game" to a journaling game to a ritual game for during a chore that made me grin.
Onscreen:
@cutestpatoot.itch.io and @michellicopter.bsky.social
20 Minute TTRPGs - Guest Michelle Kelly
YouTube video by EUphoria AP
youtu.be
February 13, 2026 at 1:14 PM
Woke up silly early, so gave this a go; found it fun.
Brainstorming starts 19 minutes in, and there's a rapid stepping from "based on this GB game" to a journaling game to a ritual game for during a chore that made me grin.
Onscreen:
@cutestpatoot.itch.io and @michellicopter.bsky.social
Brainstorming starts 19 minutes in, and there's a rapid stepping from "based on this GB game" to a journaling game to a ritual game for during a chore that made me grin.
Onscreen:
@cutestpatoot.itch.io and @michellicopter.bsky.social
Story time!
At the end of one harvest, in the hall of the king Surnic, a farmer named Buen came to claim that Surnic ought to pay to each of the farmers of his kingdom the cost of a new, wide belt. This on the grounds that the king had lost a fight to Buen the week before.
Here was the way of it:
At the end of one harvest, in the hall of the king Surnic, a farmer named Buen came to claim that Surnic ought to pay to each of the farmers of his kingdom the cost of a new, wide belt. This on the grounds that the king had lost a fight to Buen the week before.
Here was the way of it:
February 12, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Story time!
At the end of one harvest, in the hall of the king Surnic, a farmer named Buen came to claim that Surnic ought to pay to each of the farmers of his kingdom the cost of a new, wide belt. This on the grounds that the king had lost a fight to Buen the week before.
Here was the way of it:
At the end of one harvest, in the hall of the king Surnic, a farmer named Buen came to claim that Surnic ought to pay to each of the farmers of his kingdom the cost of a new, wide belt. This on the grounds that the king had lost a fight to Buen the week before.
Here was the way of it:
The movement you didn't know you needed.
February 12, 2026 at 3:06 PM
The movement you didn't know you needed.
I can be stupid and irresponsible too! I can! I believe in myself! GIMME A FUCKING LASER.
According to multiple NYT sources, it wasn’t even military personnel at Fort Bliss that fired an anti-drone laser at alleged cartel drones. It was CBP who used the weapon on loan from DoD against a child’s party balloon they mistook for a drone. The Pentagon gave CBP an anti-aircraft weapon.
February 12, 2026 at 2:21 PM
I can be stupid and irresponsible too! I can! I believe in myself! GIMME A FUCKING LASER.
The superbowl has made it clear that the American Right would be susceptible, Zentraedi-style, to an assault by Eurovision.
February 12, 2026 at 12:54 PM
The superbowl has made it clear that the American Right would be susceptible, Zentraedi-style, to an assault by Eurovision.
I'm not going to say that you MUST boycott everything from Hasbro or Wizards while they're partnered with Harry Potter and weird AI bullshit is creeping through the company, I'm just saying that doing so is cool and sexy.
February 12, 2026 at 3:12 AM
I'm not going to say that you MUST boycott everything from Hasbro or Wizards while they're partnered with Harry Potter and weird AI bullshit is creeping through the company, I'm just saying that doing so is cool and sexy.