Contrarian
@pataverse.com
I have nothing to sell you. I'm just a boy who never stopped loving AD&D.
My wife @coreyosullivan.com dragged me to a "creative reuse" store -- it's like a thrift store for craft supplies. Someone donated a dozen perfectly useable dice bags!
Also, this is apparently where unwanted card games in Ann Arbor go to die.
Also, this is apparently where unwanted card games in Ann Arbor go to die.
January 10, 2026 at 5:55 PM
My wife @coreyosullivan.com dragged me to a "creative reuse" store -- it's like a thrift store for craft supplies. Someone donated a dozen perfectly useable dice bags!
Also, this is apparently where unwanted card games in Ann Arbor go to die.
Also, this is apparently where unwanted card games in Ann Arbor go to die.
Shout-out to my old college gaming club, UT-BASH, who instituted a hygiene policy back in 1991 *and* made enforcement a responsibility of elected club officers.
If you ignore all the club presidents who got sent to prison, BASHers were a surprisingly civilized bunch!
If you ignore all the club presidents who got sent to prison, BASHers were a surprisingly civilized bunch!
If you have a tournament, magic or Warhammer or whatever? I want to come to that tournament. I want to come to painting night. I want to make incidental impulse buys at those events.
I will not come if I have to be across the table from catpissman.
I will not come if I have to be across the table from catpissman.
January 7, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Shout-out to my old college gaming club, UT-BASH, who instituted a hygiene policy back in 1991 *and* made enforcement a responsibility of elected club officers.
If you ignore all the club presidents who got sent to prison, BASHers were a surprisingly civilized bunch!
If you ignore all the club presidents who got sent to prison, BASHers were a surprisingly civilized bunch!
Look, an entire thread of contrarian opinions I agree with! Bad people are bad for the hobby, and pushovers who think it's "rude" to call them out are also bad for the hobby. Grow some spines and get some standards, you cowards.
I spent an excessive number of years moderating a gaming forum and I learned a great deal about community spaces and cultivation, whether I wanted to or not. I have critical advice for anyone who runs a game store or gaming convention. Please share this thread with people who run those things.
January 7, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Look, an entire thread of contrarian opinions I agree with! Bad people are bad for the hobby, and pushovers who think it's "rude" to call them out are also bad for the hobby. Grow some spines and get some standards, you cowards.
And yet, there were no marsupials in the #ADnD #MonsterManual. A huge mythological oversight by Gygax!
theonion.com/australia-ad...
theonion.com/australia-ad...
Australia Admits All Those Animals Made Up - The Onion
SYDNEY—Saying the ruse began as a harmless prank about the continent’s mammals having pouches, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese admitted Tuesday that all those animals like wallabies, numbats, quokkas, and bandicoots were completely made up. “We just assumed everyone would have caught on by now, because these creatures are clearly imaginary,” said Albanese, adding that […]
theonion.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:29 PM
And yet, there were no marsupials in the #ADnD #MonsterManual. A huge mythological oversight by Gygax!
theonion.com/australia-ad...
theonion.com/australia-ad...
#ForFucksSake -- @usatoday.com does a human interest story on Black #MTG players, and the Facebook comments go "All Nerds Matter" on the story.
AND USAToday's website is suggesting questions about Somalis and fraud? The #SystemicRacism has infected the #AI!
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
AND USAToday's website is suggesting questions about Somalis and fraud? The #SystemicRacism has infected the #AI!
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
December 31, 2025 at 8:03 PM
#ForFucksSake -- @usatoday.com does a human interest story on Black #MTG players, and the Facebook comments go "All Nerds Matter" on the story.
AND USAToday's website is suggesting questions about Somalis and fraud? The #SystemicRacism has infected the #AI!
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
AND USAToday's website is suggesting questions about Somalis and fraud? The #SystemicRacism has infected the #AI!
www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
Tim Kask was a curmudgeon and a Killer DM, and I'll miss him for both those things. #RIP #TimKask
www.enworld.org/threads/tim-...
www.enworld.org/threads/tim-...
December 31, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Tim Kask was a curmudgeon and a Killer DM, and I'll miss him for both those things. #RIP #TimKask
www.enworld.org/threads/tim-...
www.enworld.org/threads/tim-...
Hit up some game stores in Oakland County (Michigan) today for $40 of mismatched vintage #TTRPGs.
If the #DaveArneson autograph on that
#Blackmoor book is legit, it's probably worth more than the two dollars the comic book store charged me for it.
If the #DaveArneson autograph on that
#Blackmoor book is legit, it's probably worth more than the two dollars the comic book store charged me for it.
December 21, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Hit up some game stores in Oakland County (Michigan) today for $40 of mismatched vintage #TTRPGs.
If the #DaveArneson autograph on that
#Blackmoor book is legit, it's probably worth more than the two dollars the comic book store charged me for it.
If the #DaveArneson autograph on that
#Blackmoor book is legit, it's probably worth more than the two dollars the comic book store charged me for it.
I love it when dumb people ask dumb questions AND limit who can reply to them.
#TTRPG goes back to the 1990s, possibly originating in Japan. But hey, those guys are old now, so maybe you can take them in a fight.
groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.a...
#TTRPG goes back to the 1990s, possibly originating in Japan. But hey, those guys are old now, so maybe you can take them in a fight.
groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.a...
December 19, 2025 at 3:39 AM
I love it when dumb people ask dumb questions AND limit who can reply to them.
#TTRPG goes back to the 1990s, possibly originating in Japan. But hey, those guys are old now, so maybe you can take them in a fight.
groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.a...
#TTRPG goes back to the 1990s, possibly originating in Japan. But hey, those guys are old now, so maybe you can take them in a fight.
groups.google.com/g/rec.arts.a...
I know #DnD players are all about the treasure chests, but for much of human history, baskets and jars were the default for storing household possessions, including money.
www.popsci.com/science/roma...
www.popsci.com/science/roma...
40,000 Roman-era coins discovered in French village
The town was important to the Celtic Mediomatrici tribe before it was conquered by Julius Caesar.
www.popsci.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I know #DnD players are all about the treasure chests, but for much of human history, baskets and jars were the default for storing household possessions, including money.
www.popsci.com/science/roma...
www.popsci.com/science/roma...
This article reminds me of an #ADnD game in 1987 where our party had to retrieve a book, bell, and candle to defeat an evil magic-user. I didn't get the cinematic reference because I was an uncultured 15-year-old.
Also like this article, that's not "news."
www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/12/dd-f...
Also like this article, that's not "news."
www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/12/dd-f...
D&D: Five Spells With Easter Egg Spell Components - Bell of Lost Souls
The devil is in the details when it comes to D&D's magic spells, and those details might be hiding an easter egg or two.
www.belloflostsouls.net
December 7, 2025 at 11:50 PM
This article reminds me of an #ADnD game in 1987 where our party had to retrieve a book, bell, and candle to defeat an evil magic-user. I didn't get the cinematic reference because I was an uncultured 15-year-old.
Also like this article, that's not "news."
www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/12/dd-f...
Also like this article, that's not "news."
www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/12/dd-f...
Twenty years ago, I realized I could afford to focus on gaming or comic book collecting, but not both. I choose #TTRPGS because "at least those get me out of the house."
I guess other people are realizing that's a good thing now?
www.avclub.com/pax-unplugge...
I guess other people are realizing that's a good thing now?
www.avclub.com/pax-unplugge...
What PAX Unplugged tells us about the future of tabletop gaming - AV Club
Who knows what games await the tabletops of the world? Well, we kinda do, after attending PAX Unplugged in November.
www.avclub.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Twenty years ago, I realized I could afford to focus on gaming or comic book collecting, but not both. I choose #TTRPGS because "at least those get me out of the house."
I guess other people are realizing that's a good thing now?
www.avclub.com/pax-unplugge...
I guess other people are realizing that's a good thing now?
www.avclub.com/pax-unplugge...
If you're going to post @larryelmore.bsky.social art for easy Internet Points, you could at least link to the site where he can make money from it. Artists need to eat, you know.
larryelmore.com/store/TSSF/t...
larryelmore.com/store/TSSF/t...
December 3, 2025 at 2:17 PM
If you're going to post @larryelmore.bsky.social art for easy Internet Points, you could at least link to the site where he can make money from it. Artists need to eat, you know.
larryelmore.com/store/TSSF/t...
larryelmore.com/store/TSSF/t...
I don't spend much time on YouTube, but my TV (which knows I'm a gamer) recommended Professor Dungeon Master's year-old interview with @lukegygax.bsky.social about his father's house rules and DMing style.
I have some thoughts.
youtu.be/NBqdVDP6dDk...
I have some thoughts.
youtu.be/NBqdVDP6dDk...
Gary Gygax's SECRET D&D Rules Revealed At Last! (Ep. 371)
youtu.be
November 30, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I don't spend much time on YouTube, but my TV (which knows I'm a gamer) recommended Professor Dungeon Master's year-old interview with @lukegygax.bsky.social about his father's house rules and DMing style.
I have some thoughts.
youtu.be/NBqdVDP6dDk...
I have some thoughts.
youtu.be/NBqdVDP6dDk...
Today, for the first time in years, Facebook showed me a #dating site ad. It was a badly targeted ad, because I'm not into anime, and I'm happily married. I don't need a Sailor Mistress.
Now I'm going to tell a story about advertising, #DnD, and I why I haven't seen a dating ad in years.
Now I'm going to tell a story about advertising, #DnD, and I why I haven't seen a dating ad in years.
November 24, 2025 at 4:47 AM
Archaeologists providing new ideas for dungeon dressings: A #boardgame (that isn't a giant chessboard) built into the floor of an ancient ruin.
phys.org/news/2025-11...
phys.org/news/2025-11...
Ancient Maya game board with unique mosaic design discovered in Guatemala
Centuries before Monopoly, there was Patolli, a high-stakes Mesoamerican game of strategy and luck where players wagered crops and wealth as they raced their opponents around a cross-shaped board.
phys.org
November 23, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Archaeologists providing new ideas for dungeon dressings: A #boardgame (that isn't a giant chessboard) built into the floor of an ancient ruin.
phys.org/news/2025-11...
phys.org/news/2025-11...
I don't know if artificial colors cause cancer, but #Cheetos that don't leave orange fingerprints in your rulebooks could be a real boon for the #ttrpg hobby.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Doritos and Cheetos debut 'NKD' options, without artificial colors or flavors
The new "colorless" products will be for Doritos Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch flavors and Cheetos Puffs and Flamin' Hot flavors.
www.nbcnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I don't know if artificial colors cause cancer, but #Cheetos that don't leave orange fingerprints in your rulebooks could be a real boon for the #ttrpg hobby.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Takes some real nerve to pretend those are the same #dice. No wonder this set ended up at #FiveBelow.
November 16, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Takes some real nerve to pretend those are the same #dice. No wonder this set ended up at #FiveBelow.
Back for Day 2 of U-Con #gameconvention and I brought @coreyosullivan.com with me.
We're totally failing at taking #selfies with the U-Con quilt!
We're totally failing at taking #selfies with the U-Con quilt!
November 15, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Back for Day 2 of U-Con #gameconvention and I brought @coreyosullivan.com with me.
We're totally failing at taking #selfies with the U-Con quilt!
We're totally failing at taking #selfies with the U-Con quilt!
If you're going to beg for easy #DnD street cred by posting @jeffeasley.bsky.social art, you should at least do him the courtesy of including a sales link!
jeffeasleyart.com/store/PHBK/p...
jeffeasleyart.com/store/PHBK/p...
November 14, 2025 at 3:04 PM
If you're going to beg for easy #DnD street cred by posting @jeffeasley.bsky.social art, you should at least do him the courtesy of including a sales link!
jeffeasleyart.com/store/PHBK/p...
jeffeasleyart.com/store/PHBK/p...
Longer badge pickup line than usual at U-Con this year. I should have done this last night!
www.ucon-gaming.org
www.ucon-gaming.org
U-Con Gaming Convention
Nov 14-16, 2025
www.ucon-gaming.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Longer badge pickup line than usual at U-Con this year. I should have done this last night!
www.ucon-gaming.org
www.ucon-gaming.org
Page 35 of the #ADnD Players Handbook asserts all coins in the game are "relatively equal in size" and page 102 asserts all coins weight 1/10 of a pound.
For some reason, this pair of "facts" upsets many #grognards, but it just amuses me. #DnD be crazy like that, people!
For some reason, this pair of "facts" upsets many #grognards, but it just amuses me. #DnD be crazy like that, people!
November 14, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Page 35 of the #ADnD Players Handbook asserts all coins in the game are "relatively equal in size" and page 102 asserts all coins weight 1/10 of a pound.
For some reason, this pair of "facts" upsets many #grognards, but it just amuses me. #DnD be crazy like that, people!
For some reason, this pair of "facts" upsets many #grognards, but it just amuses me. #DnD be crazy like that, people!
This month's #TTRPG related purchase at the #Ypsilanti #fleamarket is a $1 #VHS copy of the movie that introduced a very young me to fantasy. Is it weren't for #TheHobbit, I might not even be me.
November 9, 2025 at 5:48 PM
This month's #TTRPG related purchase at the #Ypsilanti #fleamarket is a $1 #VHS copy of the movie that introduced a very young me to fantasy. Is it weren't for #TheHobbit, I might not even be me.