Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
@seraphimseraphina.bsky.social
she/her • Writer, Game Designer, Consultant, Dev Editor • Co-moderator of the Dice Exploder Discord server • trans queer woman of color • that friend who probably has a game recommendation for you • blog at https://seraphim-seraphina.itch.io/my-blog/devlog
Pinned
"What do we risk when we play?"
Contributor @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social interrogates the path of her life through a joyfully violent larp that radically reframes safety and risk.
Contributor @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social interrogates the path of her life through a joyfully violent larp that radically reframes safety and risk.
I want to fight my friends in the back of a moving truck
What if some games are too risky to not play?
www.rascal.news
I read @monsterpotion.bsky.social's new version of Fight Truck, and cried about it. Then I wrote this. It's personal and vulnerable and bold and I'm very proud. I'd love to hear from anyone if this speaks to you, and I want to hear why other people seek out risky play .
What a goddamn morning.
I’m a Venezuelan immigrant. I was born in Caracas. I have family there, although I have not spoken with them in some time. I hope they are okay.
I’m fucking tired of this. I’m furious and I’m shocked, but mostly I’m just sad.
I’m a Venezuelan immigrant. I was born in Caracas. I have family there, although I have not spoken with them in some time. I hope they are okay.
I’m fucking tired of this. I’m furious and I’m shocked, but mostly I’m just sad.
January 3, 2026 at 12:15 PM
What a goddamn morning.
I’m a Venezuelan immigrant. I was born in Caracas. I have family there, although I have not spoken with them in some time. I hope they are okay.
I’m fucking tired of this. I’m furious and I’m shocked, but mostly I’m just sad.
I’m a Venezuelan immigrant. I was born in Caracas. I have family there, although I have not spoken with them in some time. I hope they are okay.
I’m fucking tired of this. I’m furious and I’m shocked, but mostly I’m just sad.
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
Find some piece of media you don't like and communicate why without being aggressive or antagonistic. Ground it in the personal.
Find someone talking about something that they don't like but you do. Listen without feeling judged.
Understand that our media choices do not define us.
Find someone talking about something that they don't like but you do. Listen without feeling judged.
Understand that our media choices do not define us.
I need everyone to make a shitpost game that fits into at most 3 posts on here before the end of the year otherwise thr sun will not rise again
Not enough shitpost games though
December 31, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Find some piece of media you don't like and communicate why without being aggressive or antagonistic. Ground it in the personal.
Find someone talking about something that they don't like but you do. Listen without feeling judged.
Understand that our media choices do not define us.
Find someone talking about something that they don't like but you do. Listen without feeling judged.
Understand that our media choices do not define us.
This entire thread is gold, but this point in particular is exactly where my brain is- every choice is a tool in your toolbox, and your job as a designer is not to make the choices that are conventional wisdom, but to make the choices that are right for your art. Make "bad" art!! Challenge people!!
And finally --
29. There are no rules for designing games. A lot of what is considered "good" design is taste & conditioning; making "bad" design decisions on purpose irritates that, but is often more interesting, more personal, more memorable, more likely to push the form forward.
29. There are no rules for designing games. A lot of what is considered "good" design is taste & conditioning; making "bad" design decisions on purpose irritates that, but is often more interesting, more personal, more memorable, more likely to push the form forward.
December 30, 2025 at 2:44 PM
This entire thread is gold, but this point in particular is exactly where my brain is- every choice is a tool in your toolbox, and your job as a designer is not to make the choices that are conventional wisdom, but to make the choices that are right for your art. Make "bad" art!! Challenge people!!
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
My End of Year video is on the "Golden Age of Indie RPGs," from roughly 2010 to 2025. I start with Apocalypse World's release, work through the Google+ Era, and follow design lineages and historical events that have impacted the hobby up through 2025.
The Golden Age of Indie RPGs: 2010-2025
YouTube video by A.A. Voigt
youtu.be
December 29, 2025 at 5:07 PM
My End of Year video is on the "Golden Age of Indie RPGs," from roughly 2010 to 2025. I start with Apocalypse World's release, work through the Google+ Era, and follow design lineages and historical events that have impacted the hobby up through 2025.
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
"There’s really nothing quite so counter-productive to the goal of having useful conversations about role-playing technique and theory as One True Way zealotry. Sadly, there does seem to be an awful lot of it still floating around."
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
Musings and Mental Meanderings » Blog Archive » Interview with Sarah Kahn - Online freeform play
web.archive.org
December 28, 2025 at 8:37 AM
"There’s really nothing quite so counter-productive to the goal of having useful conversations about role-playing technique and theory as One True Way zealotry. Sadly, there does seem to be an awful lot of it still floating around."
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
--Sarah Kahn (2006)
web.archive.org/web/20060629...
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
blackout is an (almost entirely) asynchronous journalling game for two players about redacting, interpreting, & straining against the confines of language. it's played by creating & communicating through blackout poetry. playtest version with community copies out now satah.itch.io/blackout
December 28, 2025 at 1:05 AM
blackout is an (almost entirely) asynchronous journalling game for two players about redacting, interpreting, & straining against the confines of language. it's played by creating & communicating through blackout poetry. playtest version with community copies out now satah.itch.io/blackout
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
brilliant seraphina strikes hot with an iron, challenging the paradigm of how people talk about rpgs and what people mean when they criticize d&d for "not supporting xyz" seraphim-seraphina.itch.io/my-blog/devl...
What do we mean when we say a game “supports” play?
What do we mean when we say a game “supports” play? This is the first in a series whose placeholder title is “Lunch Break Lectures”. I’m trying to create an avenue for putting my thoughts ou...
seraphim-seraphina.itch.io
December 26, 2025 at 1:45 PM
brilliant seraphina strikes hot with an iron, challenging the paradigm of how people talk about rpgs and what people mean when they criticize d&d for "not supporting xyz" seraphim-seraphina.itch.io/my-blog/devl...
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
@seraphimseraphina.bsky.social started blogging on itch and the first one is a doozy, y'all. What if we stopped asking if a game supports this or that fiction or experience, and started figuring out what roles games can play within the way we play in the first place?
What do we mean when we say a game “supports” play?
What do we mean when we say a game “supports” play? This is the first in a series whose placeholder title is “Lunch Break Lectures”. I’m trying to create an avenue for putting my thoughts ou...
seraphim-seraphina.itch.io
December 26, 2025 at 10:28 AM
@seraphimseraphina.bsky.social started blogging on itch and the first one is a doozy, y'all. What if we stopped asking if a game supports this or that fiction or experience, and started figuring out what roles games can play within the way we play in the first place?
I've been thinking a lot about Batfam headcanons, cozy roleplay in D&D, and what it means to assert whether or not a game supports a certain kind of play. So I wrote down my thoughts and turned them into an inaugural post on my new itch blog! seraphim-seraphina.itch.io/my-blog/devl...
What do we mean when we say a game “supports” play?
What do we mean when we say a game “supports” play? This is the first in a series whose placeholder title is “Lunch Break Lectures”. I’m trying to create an avenue for putting my thoughts ou...
seraphim-seraphina.itch.io
December 26, 2025 at 1:32 PM
I've been thinking a lot about Batfam headcanons, cozy roleplay in D&D, and what it means to assert whether or not a game supports a certain kind of play. So I wrote down my thoughts and turned them into an inaugural post on my new itch blog! seraphim-seraphina.itch.io/my-blog/devl...
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
The Dice Exploder 2025 year end bonanza is here! This year I got together with @lincodega.com and @diogooldskull.bsky.social to go over a whole bunch of game mechanics that we think represent where rpgs were at in 2025 and where they might be going in the future.
2025 Year End Bonanza — Dice Exploder
It's the Dice Exploder 2025 year end bonanza! This year I'm joined by Lin Codega and Diogo Nogueira to go over a whole bunch of game mechanics that we think represent where rpgs were at in 2025 and wh...
www.diceexploder.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:31 PM
The Dice Exploder 2025 year end bonanza is here! This year I got together with @lincodega.com and @diogooldskull.bsky.social to go over a whole bunch of game mechanics that we think represent where rpgs were at in 2025 and where they might be going in the future.
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
Just in time for Jewish Christmas, we have a new TTRPG 🎲: The Vatican Stole the Menorah and We're Going to Steal it Back!
TVSTMAWGTSIB is a dreidel-powered heist TTRPG about reclaiming the Temple menorah from the Vatican. Itchfunding a print run till Jan 1! 📆
🔗: jumpgategames.itch.io/tvstmawgtsib
TVSTMAWGTSIB is a dreidel-powered heist TTRPG about reclaiming the Temple menorah from the Vatican. Itchfunding a print run till Jan 1! 📆
🔗: jumpgategames.itch.io/tvstmawgtsib
December 24, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Just in time for Jewish Christmas, we have a new TTRPG 🎲: The Vatican Stole the Menorah and We're Going to Steal it Back!
TVSTMAWGTSIB is a dreidel-powered heist TTRPG about reclaiming the Temple menorah from the Vatican. Itchfunding a print run till Jan 1! 📆
🔗: jumpgategames.itch.io/tvstmawgtsib
TVSTMAWGTSIB is a dreidel-powered heist TTRPG about reclaiming the Temple menorah from the Vatican. Itchfunding a print run till Jan 1! 📆
🔗: jumpgategames.itch.io/tvstmawgtsib
Really good thoughts worth considering- I think that the internal pitch process where we evaluate what ideas deserve additional development is a valuable one, as it serves not only to identify what makes a game exceptional, but how you can enable players to table it effectively and consistently!
🎲✂️ I am in a bit of a rut so I am processing what is getting me stuck on games being 'not finished'. So I typed up those thoughts, for what they are worth. Which is not necessarily much.
Here is how we hope to make games that Hook, Flow, and Twist:
dvc.games/blogs/news/g...
Here is how we hope to make games that Hook, Flow, and Twist:
dvc.games/blogs/news/g...
Game Design Question: The Three Goals
This is an entry in a series about game design, and what tools we as a design collective use when assessing and deciding what to create, develop and publish. I am having a bit of a day, and sometimes ...
dvc.games
December 18, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Really good thoughts worth considering- I think that the internal pitch process where we evaluate what ideas deserve additional development is a valuable one, as it serves not only to identify what makes a game exceptional, but how you can enable players to table it effectively and consistently!
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
Me, @ehronlime.bsky.social, and @aaronmfking.bsky.social have stepped from the shadows to make the Council of Aarons public. We pass judgement on 3 Harvests, and evaluate the course of 2025--at least in tabletop games.
2025: Harvest | Aaron on Aaron on Aaron
shows.acast.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Me, @ehronlime.bsky.social, and @aaronmfking.bsky.social have stepped from the shadows to make the Council of Aarons public. We pass judgement on 3 Harvests, and evaluate the course of 2025--at least in tabletop games.
I think “bad game design” maybe doesn’t exist, because I don’t think there’s a design that never works for any goals. What I see that makes me think *bad* usually just doesn’t meet expectations, or doesn’t live up to the promises made. Maybe that’s disappointing or boring game design instead.
December 16, 2025 at 12:20 PM
I think “bad game design” maybe doesn’t exist, because I don’t think there’s a design that never works for any goals. What I see that makes me think *bad* usually just doesn’t meet expectations, or doesn’t live up to the promises made. Maybe that’s disappointing or boring game design instead.
I highly recommend The Rule Book (2024), which provides an incredible vocabulary for these different types of rules. The text brings formal rules, but you bring internal rules, your table has social rules, and even the world around you has external regulations and material rules!
Try this thought on:
TTRPGs are built as composites of the people playing them and make use of their experiences and creativity to deliver stories and social experiences.
That means *you* are a rules engine. *You* bring unique sets of rules and mechanics to the table.
Neat, right?
TTRPGs are built as composites of the people playing them and make use of their experiences and creativity to deliver stories and social experiences.
That means *you* are a rules engine. *You* bring unique sets of rules and mechanics to the table.
Neat, right?
December 15, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I highly recommend The Rule Book (2024), which provides an incredible vocabulary for these different types of rules. The text brings formal rules, but you bring internal rules, your table has social rules, and even the world around you has external regulations and material rules!
I've had the honor to play both of these games (Persuasion digitally and PnP, Conviction after picking up a copy at Pax), and they're dynamic, engaging, thoughtful exercises in what boardgames can accomplish when they aren't chained to convention, and also a great time! Fantastic review, and games!
Persuasion and Conviction, both by @xoe.gay, explore two distinct acts in the life cycle of a relationship. Both installments are incisive, thought-provoking, and (deliberately) toxic. My review: spacebiff.com/2025/12/09/p...
Lovers’ Quarrels
Who was it that said that every tale is a tragedy, it’s only a question of when the story ends. I bet that person was a real hoot at noon tea. Personally, I think every story is a comedy, pro…
spacebiff.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I've had the honor to play both of these games (Persuasion digitally and PnP, Conviction after picking up a copy at Pax), and they're dynamic, engaging, thoughtful exercises in what boardgames can accomplish when they aren't chained to convention, and also a great time! Fantastic review, and games!
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
hi, we launched a gofundme. we need help covering rent for the first half of 2026, because we've still been unable to get a job. the goal is $10,875, which will cover half of rent for those six months. any extra will go towards bills. gofund.me/1f699bd36
Donate to Help Tautology cover rent, organized by Fionna Adams
hi, we're tautology. we're in our late 30s, queer, disabled, and unemployed. we haven't been ab… Fionna Adams needs your support for Help Tautology cover rent
gofund.me
December 3, 2025 at 8:53 PM
hi, we launched a gofundme. we need help covering rent for the first half of 2026, because we've still been unable to get a job. the goal is $10,875, which will cover half of rent for those six months. any extra will go towards bills. gofund.me/1f699bd36
I read @monsterpotion.bsky.social's new version of Fight Truck, and cried about it. Then I wrote this. It's personal and vulnerable and bold and I'm very proud. I'd love to hear from anyone if this speaks to you, and I want to hear why other people seek out risky play .
"What do we risk when we play?"
Contributor @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social interrogates the path of her life through a joyfully violent larp that radically reframes safety and risk.
Contributor @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social interrogates the path of her life through a joyfully violent larp that radically reframes safety and risk.
I want to fight my friends in the back of a moving truck
What if some games are too risky to not play?
www.rascal.news
December 3, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I read @monsterpotion.bsky.social's new version of Fight Truck, and cried about it. Then I wrote this. It's personal and vulnerable and bold and I'm very proud. I'd love to hear from anyone if this speaks to you, and I want to hear why other people seek out risky play .
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
"What do we risk when we play?"
Contributor @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social interrogates the path of her life through a joyfully violent larp that radically reframes safety and risk.
Contributor @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social interrogates the path of her life through a joyfully violent larp that radically reframes safety and risk.
I want to fight my friends in the back of a moving truck
What if some games are too risky to not play?
www.rascal.news
December 3, 2025 at 3:26 PM
"What do we risk when we play?"
Contributor @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social interrogates the path of her life through a joyfully violent larp that radically reframes safety and risk.
Contributor @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social interrogates the path of her life through a joyfully violent larp that radically reframes safety and risk.
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
New subscriptions to Rascal News will be rising by $1 in 2026. If you've been waiting to support us, we're currently running a holiday sale where the first two months of our entry tier is only $1/month!
Independent journalism on the cheap? Yippee-Ki-Yay, Anklebiters!
Independent journalism on the cheap? Yippee-Ki-Yay, Anklebiters!
We’re raising Rascal’s subscription prices by $1 in 2026
But you can lock in the old price right now with a holiday discount!
www.rascal.news
December 1, 2025 at 3:11 PM
New subscriptions to Rascal News will be rising by $1 in 2026. If you've been waiting to support us, we're currently running a holiday sale where the first two months of our entry tier is only $1/month!
Independent journalism on the cheap? Yippee-Ki-Yay, Anklebiters!
Independent journalism on the cheap? Yippee-Ki-Yay, Anklebiters!
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
its been a few years, but I was reflecting on my (admittedly small!) body of work recently, and i think my writing for FRACTALS riverhousegames.itch.io/fractals (and, especially, The Witch) is some of the best I've ever done.
September 27, 2025 at 5:02 PM
its been a few years, but I was reflecting on my (admittedly small!) body of work recently, and i think my writing for FRACTALS riverhousegames.itch.io/fractals (and, especially, The Witch) is some of the best I've ever done.
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
I'm back with @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social doing another 90 minutes on expressionism over on the patreon, this time breaking down game examples from my own work. This framework continues to be useful for me even as it doesn't apply tons of the time.
November 25, 2025 at 7:39 PM
I'm back with @seraphimseraphina.bsky.social doing another 90 minutes on expressionism over on the patreon, this time breaking down game examples from my own work. This framework continues to be useful for me even as it doesn't apply tons of the time.
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
Folks are still catching up to @armaanautomatic.itch.io's brilliant piece on The Ultimates #17 and ADHD:
comicsxf.com/2025/10/26/d...
comicsxf.com/2025/10/26/d...
Doom, Me & ADHD: Nothing in Marvel's Ultimates #17 needs fixing - COMICSXF
Doom learns that his torturer and foe is just another version of Reed Richards, and struggles with who he is in the face of that.
comicsxf.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Folks are still catching up to @armaanautomatic.itch.io's brilliant piece on The Ultimates #17 and ADHD:
comicsxf.com/2025/10/26/d...
comicsxf.com/2025/10/26/d...
i need more games for sickos. so many are so intensely aiming for broad appeal. whenever i find a game that is unapologetically weird it feels exactly like a glass of water in the middle of the desert. do your own specific thing. give me, the sicko, something i can sink my teeth into.
October 29, 2025 at 3:42 PM
i need more games for sickos. so many are so intensely aiming for broad appeal. whenever i find a game that is unapologetically weird it feels exactly like a glass of water in the middle of the desert. do your own specific thing. give me, the sicko, something i can sink my teeth into.
Reposted by Seraphina Garcia Ramirez
