Long Tail Games (developing Devil Town)
@long-tail-games.bsky.social
An experimental tabletop games publisher.
"Some of you know me already. Those of you who don't are in for a great, big fuckin' surprise. Those of you who do can expect an infinitely more horrible time than they care to remember!"
"Some of you know me already. Those of you who don't are in for a great, big fuckin' surprise. Those of you who do can expect an infinitely more horrible time than they care to remember!"
Tiny Library 2: Precocious Urchin
February 10, 2026 at 9:57 AM
Tiny Library 2: Precocious Urchin
All Day I Dream About Systems
February 10, 2026 at 6:45 AM
All Day I Dream About Systems
Reposted by Long Tail Games (developing Devil Town)
Some excellent folks I know have genuinely been doing this for some time, including games like Fishing28 and Apple Picking28.
Fill yer boots.
www.wargamer.com/warhammer-wi...
Fill yer boots.
www.wargamer.com/warhammer-wi...
February 10, 2026 at 5:46 AM
Some excellent folks I know have genuinely been doing this for some time, including games like Fishing28 and Apple Picking28.
Fill yer boots.
www.wargamer.com/warhammer-wi...
Fill yer boots.
www.wargamer.com/warhammer-wi...
Ryan Reynolds do you wanna buy an indie publishing company 👉👈
Five years ago today, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac completed their takeover of Wrexham 🐲
What has happened since is nothing short of remarkable. Three promotions later, Wrexham sit 73 places higher in the football pyramid, in the Championship playoffs, and can keep looking up 💪
What has happened since is nothing short of remarkable. Three promotions later, Wrexham sit 73 places higher in the football pyramid, in the Championship playoffs, and can keep looking up 💪
February 9, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Ryan Reynolds do you wanna buy an indie publishing company 👉👈
Maybe the company-level special weapon cards are turned face down when used, and turned face up when the company hq is activated. I don't want a rifle company running around with their bazooka every turn.
February 9, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Maybe the company-level special weapon cards are turned face down when used, and turned face up when the company hq is activated. I don't want a rifle company running around with their bazooka every turn.
And the special weaponry would function as a smaller version of the platoon cards, offering different actions each platoon in that company can take.
February 9, 2026 at 9:00 PM
And the special weaponry would function as a smaller version of the platoon cards, offering different actions each platoon in that company can take.
My current idea is there's a company HQ counter, and on the corresponding card a half-dozen different modes the company can be in. When that unit is activated you can shift from aggressive (-1 DEF, +1 ATT) to movement (+2 MOV on roads) for passive effects.
February 9, 2026 at 9:00 PM
My current idea is there's a company HQ counter, and on the corresponding card a half-dozen different modes the company can be in. When that unit is activated you can shift from aggressive (-1 DEF, +1 ATT) to movement (+2 MOV on roads) for passive effects.
Updating the counters to show company info. This is a rifle platoon, A company, 1st platoon. I want to add company and special weaponry to cards, but I'm not sure if they should both use the same system, or if they should be passive/active.
February 9, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Updating the counters to show company info. This is a rifle platoon, A company, 1st platoon. I want to add company and special weaponry to cards, but I'm not sure if they should both use the same system, or if they should be passive/active.
I'm thinking that will remain the idea - you control up to the battalion level - but maybe that will be the largest extent, with many games being subsets of this.
February 9, 2026 at 10:49 AM
I'm thinking that will remain the idea - you control up to the battalion level - but maybe that will be the largest extent, with many games being subsets of this.
I'm doing a bit of research into what a 'battalion' actually puts into the field, and it's a whole bunch of stuff. There's a HQ unit for each company, for instance, let alone the heavy weapons on the overall battalion HQ. So there's a buncha stuff I need to add.
February 9, 2026 at 10:48 AM
I'm doing a bit of research into what a 'battalion' actually puts into the field, and it's a whole bunch of stuff. There's a HQ unit for each company, for instance, let alone the heavy weapons on the overall battalion HQ. So there's a buncha stuff I need to add.
Overall I think that's fine because it allows space for the line of supply / logistics mechanic to get involved and roughly double the rate of prep increase.
February 9, 2026 at 10:47 AM
Overall I think that's fine because it allows space for the line of supply / logistics mechanic to get involved and roughly double the rate of prep increase.
It's partly because I nerfed the rifle stats, in an effort to allow them to be upgraded in a campaign system. But they shouldn't be *that* green. These are meant to be normal rifle companies, not untrained militia.
February 9, 2026 at 10:46 AM
It's partly because I nerfed the rifle stats, in an effort to allow them to be upgraded in a campaign system. But they shouldn't be *that* green. These are meant to be normal rifle companies, not untrained militia.
This wasn't due to the chit pull mechanic (which would have been somewhat okay) but the prep mechanism. It simply took ages for them to 'smoke break' themselves into enough prep to activate the firefight. I envision it taking a couple of rounds to do this, not 8 or 9.
February 9, 2026 at 10:45 AM
This wasn't due to the chit pull mechanic (which would have been somewhat okay) but the prep mechanism. It simply took ages for them to 'smoke break' themselves into enough prep to activate the firefight. I envision it taking a couple of rounds to do this, not 8 or 9.
Secondly, the white units tried to set an ambush for the black units moving south on the road, but they weren't able to trigger the fight until most of them were long gone.
February 9, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Secondly, the white units tried to set an ambush for the black units moving south on the road, but they weren't able to trigger the fight until most of them were long gone.
I will try that, but it could raise complications for mortar, artillery or snipers which are *supposed* to shoot things quite far away.
February 9, 2026 at 10:43 AM
I will try that, but it could raise complications for mortar, artillery or snipers which are *supposed* to shoot things quite far away.
The problem is, the 'upgrade' to 1-6 effectively makes them less accurate over the rest of the range. I'm not sure how to fix that - maybe a flat negative modifier according to distance?
February 9, 2026 at 10:43 AM
The problem is, the 'upgrade' to 1-6 effectively makes them less accurate over the rest of the range. I'm not sure how to fix that - maybe a flat negative modifier according to distance?
That makes sense. However, it hit a snag with the upgrade system. I wanted to upgrade a platoon from Firefight: 2-6 to Firefight 1-6, with the first number being the minimum distance and the second the maximum. The negative modifier would start after the first hex.
February 9, 2026 at 10:41 AM
That makes sense. However, it hit a snag with the upgrade system. I wanted to upgrade a platoon from Firefight: 2-6 to Firefight 1-6, with the first number being the minimum distance and the second the maximum. The negative modifier would start after the first hex.
And I think it's because I nixed the 'long range' negative modifier. In the previous playtest, the combat roll received -1 for each hex (meaning it was more effective to shoot at something 80 meters away than 200 meters away).
February 9, 2026 at 10:40 AM
And I think it's because I nixed the 'long range' negative modifier. In the previous playtest, the combat roll received -1 for each hex (meaning it was more effective to shoot at something 80 meters away than 200 meters away).
Two things from a playtest:
These rifle companies shot the shit out of each other at ~250 meters, each in stone buildings for cover. They each traded fire with 2 platoons, and completely wiped out 1 platoon in the process. From what I've read that's too lethal...
These rifle companies shot the shit out of each other at ~250 meters, each in stone buildings for cover. They each traded fire with 2 platoons, and completely wiped out 1 platoon in the process. From what I've read that's too lethal...
February 9, 2026 at 10:39 AM
Two things from a playtest:
These rifle companies shot the shit out of each other at ~250 meters, each in stone buildings for cover. They each traded fire with 2 platoons, and completely wiped out 1 platoon in the process. From what I've read that's too lethal...
These rifle companies shot the shit out of each other at ~250 meters, each in stone buildings for cover. They each traded fire with 2 platoons, and completely wiped out 1 platoon in the process. From what I've read that's too lethal...
I actually really enjoyed this game but it's a dice chucker of the highest order. Will be looking to pick up the set, which are apparently compatible with each other
February 9, 2026 at 8:46 AM
I actually really enjoyed this game but it's a dice chucker of the highest order. Will be looking to pick up the set, which are apparently compatible with each other
Listening to the GMT podcast, I discover almost all my design decisions are the same taken in a new game called Decisive Action. I guess that's... reassuring?
February 9, 2026 at 8:43 AM
Listening to the GMT podcast, I discover almost all my design decisions are the same taken in a new game called Decisive Action. I guess that's... reassuring?
Finally some dungeon crawling! Wrath of Ashardalon - bit of a relic from the 4th edition days
February 9, 2026 at 8:37 AM
Finally some dungeon crawling! Wrath of Ashardalon - bit of a relic from the 4th edition days
The pardon concept was always stupid as hell
"If democracy is going to survive, we need to curtail the pardon power of the president. It is a loophole big enough to allow rampant corruption and a full-throttle authoritarian state." ~ David Atkins
It’s Time to Curtail the President's Pardon Power
Trump’s mass pardons have turned a constitutional safeguard into a tool of corruption. The case for an amendment.
washingtonmonthly.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:38 AM
The pardon concept was always stupid as hell
Reposted by Long Tail Games (developing Devil Town)
