Thoughtful Dane
thoughtfuldane.bsky.social
Thoughtful Dane
@thoughtfuldane.bsky.social
Blogger, Game Designer, Software Engineer, Photographer.

Dane living in Sweden since 2011.

https://thoughtfuldane.com
Is it only me or is your bsky feed also a cacophonic mess?

Time for a SoMe reset:

Only follow people I've met IRL and that I would stop and have a conversation with if I met them on the street.
January 16, 2026 at 8:09 AM
January 13, 2026 at 2:34 PM
I have been waiting for this reset for a long time. The thing with bubbles is, there is money to be made until the very last microsecond. Even if you know they are bubbles.
January 13, 2026 at 6:22 AM
Created for Fastaval 2008. I wanted the players to tell the story of the Cathars, as real people, individuals.

I self-published Montsegur 1244 in English in 2009. I had the opportunity to travel to Dreamation where I hosted three games.
January 12, 2026 at 8:46 AM
Montsegur 1244

A story game about the Albigensian Crusade and the Cathars who were given the choice to repent or burn for their beliefs.

thoughtfuldane.com/games/montse...
Montsegur 1244 - Thoughtful Dane
A story game about burning for your belief by Frederik Jensen. Do you renounce your heretic beliefs and do you wish to receive the forgiveness of the merciful Father? In March 1244 this question was p...
thoughtfuldane.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:41 AM
The booklet steers play through the overarching story as everyone at the table takes the role of one of the colonists that each have to find their own answer.

Your dream was to go to Mars to stay. But when reality hits and you see what it truly costs, will you give up and go home?
January 12, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Mars to Stay is inspired by The Martian of course but also the Lost Colony of Roanoke.
January 12, 2026 at 8:32 AM
Mars to Stay

You are a team setting up the first colony on Mars and have all signed up to live the rest of your life on Mars. Have you truly left Earth for good?

thoughtfuldane.com/games/mars-t...
Mars to Stay - Thoughtful Dane
Would you give up Earth for good? You dream to go where no human has gone before and do what no human has done before. You pursue an almost impossible dream — to build humanity’s first colony on Mars....
thoughtfuldane.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Inspired by the also magnificent and fun GM-less game The Marquis of Ferrara by Richard Lacy.

rpggeek.com/rpgitem/1508...
The Marquis of Ferrara
Publisher's blurb: The Marquis of Ferrara is dead. Murdered. Niccolò d’Este, the Lord of Ferrara, Modena, Parma and Reggio. The bastard son who inherited the beautiful city at just ten...
rpggeek.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:29 AM
Death of Rapacus

Petty wizards battle it out after one of them murdered their leader in this dark comedy love letter to Ars Magica.

thoughtfuldane.com/games/death-...
Death of Rapacus - Thoughtful Dane
Medieval wizards battling it out in this dark comedy story game by Frederik Jensen. Who is left standing when the purple smoke clears? You are wizards in a magical conclave. Your leader is dead -- a v...
thoughtfuldane.com
January 12, 2026 at 8:25 AM
This is exactly what lead me to create GM-less story games like Montsegur 1244, Mars to Stay and Death of Rapacus.
The "traditional" structure of TTRPGs puts an enormous amount of pressure on the GM to learn/refine & very little on the players.

Which is somehow seen as more reasonable than spreading the load of learning/contribution across the whole table.

Broader implications about community in there, y'all.
January 12, 2026 at 8:20 AM
El Grande for the first time in a long while and I still vaguely remember the rules. Published in 1996!
January 11, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Nice day to take the dog for a walk!
January 11, 2026 at 10:09 AM
Play Mountain Witch (as special guest star)
January 11, 2026 at 7:50 AM
Not an exploit, it had a risk/reward that made it a fair gamble! If fewer pirates had come out on generation cards or if any of you had competed to sink pirates first, it wouldn't have been as good! Plus he helped both of you by clearing pirates that would have blocked your growth.
January 10, 2026 at 8:08 AM
At least they didn't pick a go live date in the past /s
January 9, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Looking forward to the next part, I think this is going to be an important point: While certain early games and designers stood out as inspiration, it was also a very open and inclusive world to become part of, it felt like everyone could publish a game.
January 9, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Bro built the first stone church and spread their beautiful daughters across Gotland but in the end the greatest Gute of them all were Hoburg and their sea legged pirate slayers.
January 9, 2026 at 10:10 PM
"Verden nærmer sig hurtigt den langsigtede temperaturgrænse, der er fastsat i Paris-aftalen. Vi er dømt til at overskride den; det valg, vi nu står over for, er, hvordan vi bedst håndterer den uundgåelige overskridelse og dens konsekvenser for samfund og naturlige systemer [...]"
January 9, 2026 at 9:29 AM
99 Luftballons got on the playlist too of course. It was huge where/when I grew up. After all these years, I finally understand the lyrics.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMSl...
99 Luftballons
YouTube video by Nena - Topic
www.youtube.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:19 AM
We have been listening to a lot of Rammstein lately.

My oldest started learning German this Fall. I tipped him that he could listen to German pop music to get an ear for the language.

I sent him this link to get him started:

youtu.be/1AXlVZRpweI?...
Dschinghis Khan - Dschinghis Khan (ZDF Starparade 14.06.1979)
YouTube video by DschinghisKhanVEVO
youtu.be
January 9, 2026 at 7:17 AM
Is it the one with the cosy village of Pleasantville?
January 8, 2026 at 6:39 AM