Thought Punks π² TTRPGs + Punk π©βπ€
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#TTRPG + weird
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home: https://thoughtpunks.com/
support Rev: https://bit.ly/HelpRev
moar RPGs: https://revcasey.itch.io
FEEDS
Design: https://bit.ly/RPGDesignFeed
Tag days: https://bit.ly/RPGTagDays
Global: https://bit.ly/GlobalTTRPG
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Starter Packs - Bluesky Directory
A curated collection of all things relating to the Blue Sky social media platform.
blueskydirectory.com
Ok new #TTRPG and #Newsky fam, I have a whole new thread for finding stuff on and using Bluesky.
1) Find people. Search for a few familiar faces to follow here. And explore trustworthy Starter Packs. CAVEAT: User-made. Lean on trusted hosts and trustworthy recs. blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs
1) Find people. Search for a few familiar faces to follow here. And explore trustworthy Starter Packs. CAVEAT: User-made. Lean on trusted hosts and trustworthy recs. blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs
You may also be interested in looking up the idea of the "magic circle" that normal reality is in a sense suspended for the alternate reality of the game.
February 10, 2026 at 5:34 PM
You may also be interested in looking up the idea of the "magic circle" that normal reality is in a sense suspended for the alternate reality of the game.
"Unnecessary" means not necessary to achieve end state/final goal.
In soccer or hockey, we can say the raw goal is "put the thing in the net". That, for example, you need to use a hockey stick or feet/legs is an example of inefficient/arbitrary ("unnecessary") obstacles/"rules" defining the game.
In soccer or hockey, we can say the raw goal is "put the thing in the net". That, for example, you need to use a hockey stick or feet/legs is an example of inefficient/arbitrary ("unnecessary") obstacles/"rules" defining the game.
February 10, 2026 at 5:18 PM
"Unnecessary" means not necessary to achieve end state/final goal.
In soccer or hockey, we can say the raw goal is "put the thing in the net". That, for example, you need to use a hockey stick or feet/legs is an example of inefficient/arbitrary ("unnecessary") obstacles/"rules" defining the game.
In soccer or hockey, we can say the raw goal is "put the thing in the net". That, for example, you need to use a hockey stick or feet/legs is an example of inefficient/arbitrary ("unnecessary") obstacles/"rules" defining the game.
You know what? You're right! <3
I've worked on this for YEARS. (Some will remember me talking periodically about making my own vampire game.) I should be loud and proud about that much effort.
I've worked on this for YEARS. (Some will remember me talking periodically about making my own vampire game.) I should be loud and proud about that much effort.
February 10, 2026 at 5:12 PM
You know what? You're right! <3
I've worked on this for YEARS. (Some will remember me talking periodically about making my own vampire game.) I should be loud and proud about that much effort.
I've worked on this for YEARS. (Some will remember me talking periodically about making my own vampire game.) I should be loud and proud about that much effort.
Reposted by Thought Punks π² TTRPGs + Punk π©βπ€
Seriously tho? GET YOUR EGO ON about your own games - the big dicks get their ego on about their shitfest racist, homophobic offerings to the gaming table so we should all get our ego on 10x more if our games don't include any of that crap as baseline. (And Rev's games always rock anyway - check it)
I don't wanna be too negative comparison or too ego but FOR ME this is the vampire game I was always promised, this is the vampire game I always wanted. Which is why I (with help) made it. I want my 80s/90s Goth culture with full mood lighting at 2am with coffee and cigarettes and FEELINGS.
February 10, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Seriously tho? GET YOUR EGO ON about your own games - the big dicks get their ego on about their shitfest racist, homophobic offerings to the gaming table so we should all get our ego on 10x more if our games don't include any of that crap as baseline. (And Rev's games always rock anyway - check it)
I don't wanna be too negative comparison or too ego but FOR ME this is the vampire game I was always promised, this is the vampire game I always wanted. Which is why I (with help) made it. I want my 80s/90s Goth culture with full mood lighting at 2am with coffee and cigarettes and FEELINGS.
February 10, 2026 at 3:43 PM
I don't wanna be too negative comparison or too ego but FOR ME this is the vampire game I was always promised, this is the vampire game I always wanted. Which is why I (with help) made it. I want my 80s/90s Goth culture with full mood lighting at 2am with coffee and cigarettes and FEELINGS.
3) Turning is NASTY. Thrice bitten lore. 9 nights. 9 HORRIBLE nights. First 3 is sensations & emotions turned to 11. No sleep. No lulls. Most die or end up in jail. Next 3 is viciously alienating all those you love. Final 3 is actually dying & feeling every bit of it. Then you still have to want it.
February 10, 2026 at 3:41 PM
3) Turning is NASTY. Thrice bitten lore. 9 nights. 9 HORRIBLE nights. First 3 is sensations & emotions turned to 11. No sleep. No lulls. Most die or end up in jail. Next 3 is viciously alienating all those you love. Final 3 is actually dying & feeling every bit of it. Then you still have to want it.
2) Renfields will break everyone's heart and make it REALLY uncomfortable. If you're the kindest liege possible? They've got 15 years. 15 years before their soul entirely dies and there's nothing coherent left in the driver's seat. No feeding them. You intentionally *addict* them to *being fed on*.
February 10, 2026 at 3:36 PM
2) Renfields will break everyone's heart and make it REALLY uncomfortable. If you're the kindest liege possible? They've got 15 years. 15 years before their soul entirely dies and there's nothing coherent left in the driver's seat. No feeding them. You intentionally *addict* them to *being fed on*.
Wait until you get the vampire game that uses this SRD!!!!!!!!
I'll send you a free copy when I get the alpha/beta posted up.
1) No Ravnos equivalent at all. And we don't really do bloodline purity lineages and ethnic associations at all, for that matter. None of that here.
I'll send you a free copy when I get the alpha/beta posted up.
1) No Ravnos equivalent at all. And we don't really do bloodline purity lineages and ethnic associations at all, for that matter. None of that here.
February 10, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Wait until you get the vampire game that uses this SRD!!!!!!!!
I'll send you a free copy when I get the alpha/beta posted up.
1) No Ravnos equivalent at all. And we don't really do bloodline purity lineages and ethnic associations at all, for that matter. None of that here.
I'll send you a free copy when I get the alpha/beta posted up.
1) No Ravnos equivalent at all. And we don't really do bloodline purity lineages and ethnic associations at all, for that matter. None of that here.
Again: This cover is a stock photo with open source software filters + processing. That "intentionally" messy vaguely DIY/retro look? Find photos with the right grain/noise for processing. Put thru short set of FOSS tools for the pipeline, amateur fiddling with settings. No grand process or talent.
February 10, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Again: This cover is a stock photo with open source software filters + processing. That "intentionally" messy vaguely DIY/retro look? Find photos with the right grain/noise for processing. Put thru short set of FOSS tools for the pipeline, amateur fiddling with settings. No grand process or talent.
I make these kinds of asides too! :P Because yeah, sometimes people make them wild jumps. Just to clear, it came across to me like you were just trying to express what makes D&D distinctly D&D to you and what you'd recognize/expect if someone said "D&D game". And obvi, happy to engage and listen!
February 10, 2026 at 3:23 PM
I make these kinds of asides too! :P Because yeah, sometimes people make them wild jumps. Just to clear, it came across to me like you were just trying to express what makes D&D distinctly D&D to you and what you'd recognize/expect if someone said "D&D game". And obvi, happy to engage and listen!
IT'S ALIVE! My twisted love letter to the vibes + splat-driven games of the 90s and the fiction-first games of today.
Opinionated + tuned for cross-genre, pulp, gonzo. Genre + concept set context, physics, scope & scale.
Open license. Hack away: www.drivethrurpg.com...
#TTRPG #IndieDev #SNAPSRD
Opinionated + tuned for cross-genre, pulp, gonzo. Genre + concept set context, physics, scope & scale.
Open license. Hack away: www.drivethrurpg.com...
#TTRPG #IndieDev #SNAPSRD
February 10, 2026 at 3:15 PM
IT'S ALIVE! My twisted love letter to the vibes + splat-driven games of the 90s and the fiction-first games of today.
Opinionated + tuned for cross-genre, pulp, gonzo. Genre + concept set context, physics, scope & scale.
Open license. Hack away: www.drivethrurpg.com...
#TTRPG #IndieDev #SNAPSRD
Opinionated + tuned for cross-genre, pulp, gonzo. Genre + concept set context, physics, scope & scale.
Open license. Hack away: www.drivethrurpg.com...
#TTRPG #IndieDev #SNAPSRD
I dunno how I ended up at the cool kids table with y'all, but omg. πππ
February 10, 2026 at 3:11 PM
I dunno how I ended up at the cool kids table with y'all, but omg. πππ
So, say classic 3d6 for bell curves house rule ranging through redoing the core to use playing cards or double blind bidding. Would that full range still be D&D, since it preserves the gambling?
What about the common practice of handwaving many combat & resources rules? Where's that line for you?
What about the common practice of handwaving many combat & resources rules? Where's that line for you?
February 10, 2026 at 3:11 PM
So, say classic 3d6 for bell curves house rule ranging through redoing the core to use playing cards or double blind bidding. Would that full range still be D&D, since it preserves the gambling?
What about the common practice of handwaving many combat & resources rules? Where's that line for you?
What about the common practice of handwaving many combat & resources rules? Where's that line for you?
For a mechanics-vibes bridge, I've yet to meet a veteran table that won't once in a while at bare minimum go "yeah you'd win that anyway/chance of botch would be silly". And there's a lot of vibes-main tables that run pretty close to the spirit of the rules.
February 10, 2026 at 3:06 PM
For a mechanics-vibes bridge, I've yet to meet a veteran table that won't once in a while at bare minimum go "yeah you'd win that anyway/chance of botch would be silly". And there's a lot of vibes-main tables that run pretty close to the spirit of the rules.
What's kind of weird is I'm classically on the side of system matters as well. I recently said Monster of the Week would play *way* different in BRP (even heavy borrowing stuff like Pendragon Virtues/Vices).
Fascinating here is vibes/diceless play can be real neutral that way. Close or far.
Fascinating here is vibes/diceless play can be real neutral that way. Close or far.
February 10, 2026 at 3:06 PM
What's kind of weird is I'm classically on the side of system matters as well. I recently said Monster of the Week would play *way* different in BRP (even heavy borrowing stuff like Pendragon Virtues/Vices).
Fascinating here is vibes/diceless play can be real neutral that way. Close or far.
Fascinating here is vibes/diceless play can be real neutral that way. Close or far.
Before I respond or jump in with assumptions:
How are you defining D&D The Game here? What makes something D&D The Game vs D&D Shaped Thing, for you?
How are you defining D&D The Game here? What makes something D&D The Game vs D&D Shaped Thing, for you?
February 10, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Before I respond or jump in with assumptions:
How are you defining D&D The Game here? What makes something D&D The Game vs D&D Shaped Thing, for you?
How are you defining D&D The Game here? What makes something D&D The Game vs D&D Shaped Thing, for you?
I'm using "rules" broadly here in the formal sense, encompassing more than the mechanical procedures and resolution systems.
We sit down for a freeform "no rules" table. We decide we're playing vampires. That's a rule. We decide we have three description bits. That's a rule.
We sit down for a freeform "no rules" table. We decide we're playing vampires. That's a rule. We decide we have three description bits. That's a rule.
February 10, 2026 at 2:51 PM
I'm using "rules" broadly here in the formal sense, encompassing more than the mechanical procedures and resolution systems.
We sit down for a freeform "no rules" table. We decide we're playing vampires. That's a rule. We decide we have three description bits. That's a rule.
We sit down for a freeform "no rules" table. We decide we're playing vampires. That's a rule. We decide we have three description bits. That's a rule.
I mean, sure, there's the Ship of Theseus thing. At what point does the game stop being the game? How much can you change before the thing is no longer the thing? And that's a fun armchair discussion and can be interesting to puzzle out for edge cases, but I feel that's far from this.
February 10, 2026 at 2:49 PM
I mean, sure, there's the Ship of Theseus thing. At what point does the game stop being the game? How much can you change before the thing is no longer the thing? And that's a fun armchair discussion and can be interesting to puzzle out for edge cases, but I feel that's far from this.
Swapping out the d20 for table consensus no more deletes the game, character sheet inspiration, etc than using 3d6 instead or the common handwaving of stuff (like encumbrance, fiddlier/deeper combat rules, etc). Choosing different resolution to read outcomes doesn't erase the rest of the game.
February 10, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Swapping out the d20 for table consensus no more deletes the game, character sheet inspiration, etc than using 3d6 instead or the common handwaving of stuff (like encumbrance, fiddlier/deeper combat rules, etc). Choosing different resolution to read outcomes doesn't erase the rest of the game.
I love it because for such a complicated topic (recreation, play, games) it's such a good Occam's Razor. Really distilled down to the essence of it and covering *almost* anything we would reasonably call a game (there's always demarcation issues).
But especially good for TTRPGs and mimicry play.
But especially good for TTRPGs and mimicry play.
February 10, 2026 at 2:42 PM
I love it because for such a complicated topic (recreation, play, games) it's such a good Occam's Razor. Really distilled down to the essence of it and covering *almost* anything we would reasonably call a game (there's always demarcation issues).
But especially good for TTRPGs and mimicry play.
But especially good for TTRPGs and mimicry play.
Screw it, let's dip into discourse: **Rules** matter.
D&D table. No dice rolls, all RP + vibes. **That's D&D with house rules**.
Before you yell, key thing: Using Dice != Whole of The Rules
Drop the dice. Still playing a Warforged Cleric with my stats, knowledge, spells, etc. Still playing D&D.
D&D table. No dice rolls, all RP + vibes. **That's D&D with house rules**.
Before you yell, key thing: Using Dice != Whole of The Rules
Drop the dice. Still playing a Warforged Cleric with my stats, knowledge, spells, etc. Still playing D&D.
I generally love this framing. This is close to where I'm at.
Critical context for Suits: The "unnecessary obstacles" here are explicitly game rules, which create a space/activity that does not exist without them. It's not "golf" or a game if you just randomly pick a ball and drop it in a hole.
Critical context for Suits: The "unnecessary obstacles" here are explicitly game rules, which create a space/activity that does not exist without them. It's not "golf" or a game if you just randomly pick a ball and drop it in a hole.
February 10, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Suits is pretty approachable as far as those things go and totally recommend it (or searching out a few essays that get into him).
Really recommend looking up Huizinga's idea of the Magic Circle. Really good framing for TTRPGs.
Really recommend looking up Huizinga's idea of the Magic Circle. Really good framing for TTRPGs.
February 10, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Suits is pretty approachable as far as those things go and totally recommend it (or searching out a few essays that get into him).
Really recommend looking up Huizinga's idea of the Magic Circle. Really good framing for TTRPGs.
Really recommend looking up Huizinga's idea of the Magic Circle. Really good framing for TTRPGs.
Screw it, let's dip into discourse: **Rules** matter.
D&D table. No dice rolls, all RP + vibes. **That's D&D with house rules**.
Before you yell, key thing: Using Dice != Whole of The Rules
Drop the dice. Still playing a Warforged Cleric with my stats, knowledge, spells, etc. Still playing D&D.
D&D table. No dice rolls, all RP + vibes. **That's D&D with house rules**.
Before you yell, key thing: Using Dice != Whole of The Rules
Drop the dice. Still playing a Warforged Cleric with my stats, knowledge, spells, etc. Still playing D&D.
I generally love this framing. This is close to where I'm at.
Critical context for Suits: The "unnecessary obstacles" here are explicitly game rules, which create a space/activity that does not exist without them. It's not "golf" or a game if you just randomly pick a ball and drop it in a hole.
Critical context for Suits: The "unnecessary obstacles" here are explicitly game rules, which create a space/activity that does not exist without them. It's not "golf" or a game if you just randomly pick a ball and drop it in a hole.
I heard this from Vsauce, but it's a quote by Bernard Suits in which he defines a game as a "voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles"
what do we think?
what do we think?
February 10, 2026 at 2:34 PM
Screw it, let's dip into discourse: **Rules** matter.
D&D table. No dice rolls, all RP + vibes. **That's D&D with house rules**.
Before you yell, key thing: Using Dice != Whole of The Rules
Drop the dice. Still playing a Warforged Cleric with my stats, knowledge, spells, etc. Still playing D&D.
D&D table. No dice rolls, all RP + vibes. **That's D&D with house rules**.
Before you yell, key thing: Using Dice != Whole of The Rules
Drop the dice. Still playing a Warforged Cleric with my stats, knowledge, spells, etc. Still playing D&D.
Suits' basic view is extremely dominant. And with good reason. He basically distilled a bunch of related thoughts into very accessible and comprehensible package. Nobody really disputes it except on the fringes. (Tbf, it'd be no small feat to refute him AND Huizinga, Wittgenstein, et al.)
February 10, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Suits' basic view is extremely dominant. And with good reason. He basically distilled a bunch of related thoughts into very accessible and comprehensible package. Nobody really disputes it except on the fringes. (Tbf, it'd be no small feat to refute him AND Huizinga, Wittgenstein, et al.)
Out of pills (~210 short). Scan + doctor loom soon too (100 a pop). Medical is hell in the US. Please help me survive it.ππ₯Ίπ
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#TTRPG games:
www.drivethrurpg.com...
#MutualAid #Helpsky
Tip:
ko-fi.com/revcasey
https://paypal.me/tpipc
(credit/debit option): https://bit.ly/payrev
#TTRPG games:
www.drivethrurpg.com...
#MutualAid #Helpsky
February 10, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Out of pills (~210 short). Scan + doctor loom soon too (100 a pop). Medical is hell in the US. Please help me survive it.ππ₯Ίπ
Tip:
ko-fi.com/revcasey
https://paypal.me/tpipc
(credit/debit option): https://bit.ly/payrev
#TTRPG games:
www.drivethrurpg.com...
#MutualAid #Helpsky
Tip:
ko-fi.com/revcasey
https://paypal.me/tpipc
(credit/debit option): https://bit.ly/payrev
#TTRPG games:
www.drivethrurpg.com...
#MutualAid #Helpsky