Tim Clare
@timclare.bsky.social
(he/him) Author, podcaster & tabletop games writer. Books: The Game Changers, Coward, The Honours & The Ice House.
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-game-changers-how-playing-games-changed-the-world-and-can-change-you-too-tim-clare/7687024
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-game-changers-how-playing-games-changed-the-world-and-can-change-you-too-tim-clare/7687024
Pinned
Tim Clare
@timclare.bsky.social
· Oct 12
Intro post to pin to profile:
I'm an author & podcaster. I've written 2 gothic Fantasy novels, The Honours & The Ice House, a book on the science of anxiety & panic called Coward, & a book on how boardgames make us human, The Game Changers.
I make a podcast for writers called Death of 1000 Cuts.
I'm an author & podcaster. I've written 2 gothic Fantasy novels, The Honours & The Ice House, a book on the science of anxiety & panic called Coward, & a book on how boardgames make us human, The Game Changers.
I make a podcast for writers called Death of 1000 Cuts.
Life has not felt 'good' for weeks now. I'm doing my best to scrape together little glimmers of good things, small pleasures or lovely moments, & to notice them, because zooming out mostly feels too wobbly & scary & makes me feel a bit sick. Lurching between hope & doom, trying to survive.
November 13, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Life has not felt 'good' for weeks now. I'm doing my best to scrape together little glimmers of good things, small pleasures or lovely moments, & to notice them, because zooming out mostly feels too wobbly & scary & makes me feel a bit sick. Lurching between hope & doom, trying to survive.
Reposted by Tim Clare
Folks it pains me to ask so bluntly, but could anyone use some work doing by me? I've got to find income for three months until my next royalty payment, and I'm not having much luck.
November 13, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Folks it pains me to ask so bluntly, but could anyone use some work doing by me? I've got to find income for three months until my next royalty payment, and I'm not having much luck.
Reposted by Tim Clare
Prolific board game designer Amabel Holland has won the second annual Bobby Nunes Memorial Award - recognising exceptional discussion of cultural issues in historical gaming - for her video essay on Kurt Vonnegut's long-lost board game:
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
@amabel.bsky.social
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
@amabel.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Prolific board game designer Amabel Holland has won the second annual Bobby Nunes Memorial Award - recognising exceptional discussion of cultural issues in historical gaming - for her video essay on Kurt Vonnegut's long-lost board game:
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
@amabel.bsky.social
boardgamewire.com/index.php/20...
@amabel.bsky.social
Hey, my ADHD / autistic chums, have you found any useful techniques for bringing your nervous system back to baseline on days when every noise feels like fifty jackhammers & anyone who speaks faster than an Ent is almost impossible to hear?
November 12, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Hey, my ADHD / autistic chums, have you found any useful techniques for bringing your nervous system back to baseline on days when every noise feels like fifty jackhammers & anyone who speaks faster than an Ent is almost impossible to hear?
To cope with this stinker of a fortnight my wife & daughter have been binge-watching old series of Traitors. My wife asked my daughter if she likes them as much as the celeb version.
'Well, there's more swearing & crying... so it's just like home.'
'Well, there's more swearing & crying... so it's just like home.'
November 11, 2025 at 8:44 PM
To cope with this stinker of a fortnight my wife & daughter have been binge-watching old series of Traitors. My wife asked my daughter if she likes them as much as the celeb version.
'Well, there's more swearing & crying... so it's just like home.'
'Well, there's more swearing & crying... so it's just like home.'
The past couple of months have been rough both on me & people I deeply love. If my posts have been a bit earnest & twee of late, it's just been one of my attempted coping mechanisms. I know it can grate a bit (in a way it probably wouldn't in a face-to-face conversation) but it helps to air it.
November 11, 2025 at 2:51 PM
The past couple of months have been rough both on me & people I deeply love. If my posts have been a bit earnest & twee of late, it's just been one of my attempted coping mechanisms. I know it can grate a bit (in a way it probably wouldn't in a face-to-face conversation) but it helps to air it.
Reposted by Tim Clare
Until this message got me googling, I had no idea what a bread pudding is. Now we have bread pudding. Thanks for bringing joy to our evening!
November 11, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Until this message got me googling, I had no idea what a bread pudding is. Now we have bread pudding. Thanks for bringing joy to our evening!
Reposted by Tim Clare
I got this book tonight, and I'm already four chapters in.
Its fascinating, funny, and weirdly profound - especially if you're the kind of person who at once believes in a rational, scientific world, and yet find yourself replacing your D20 mid-battle because it was being mean to you.
Its fascinating, funny, and weirdly profound - especially if you're the kind of person who at once believes in a rational, scientific world, and yet find yourself replacing your D20 mid-battle because it was being mean to you.
If you are thinking of gifts for Xmas this year, my book about tabletop games, The Game Changers (UK, other territories) / Across the Board (US, Canada), is out in paperback, audiobook & ebook. I think it is good for anyone who loves boardgames old or new, or who likes stuff on culture & history.
November 10, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I got this book tonight, and I'm already four chapters in.
Its fascinating, funny, and weirdly profound - especially if you're the kind of person who at once believes in a rational, scientific world, and yet find yourself replacing your D20 mid-battle because it was being mean to you.
Its fascinating, funny, and weirdly profound - especially if you're the kind of person who at once believes in a rational, scientific world, and yet find yourself replacing your D20 mid-battle because it was being mean to you.
I know we often get told to 'live in the moment', & there's wisdom in that, but I hear less about the merits of finding something in the future to look forward to. Even if the future is 'this evening' & the something is 'the last of the bread pudding in the fridge', it's great medicine.
November 10, 2025 at 1:48 PM
I know we often get told to 'live in the moment', & there's wisdom in that, but I hear less about the merits of finding something in the future to look forward to. Even if the future is 'this evening' & the something is 'the last of the bread pudding in the fridge', it's great medicine.
I feel extraordinarily shattered & wrung dry by the past month & I'm gonna support the tabletop industry by getting myself a small box game or card game. Any recommendations? Ideally something that plays well at two - two-player exclusive is fine, too. I have Jaipur & Hanamikoji.
November 9, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I feel extraordinarily shattered & wrung dry by the past month & I'm gonna support the tabletop industry by getting myself a small box game or card game. Any recommendations? Ideally something that plays well at two - two-player exclusive is fine, too. I have Jaipur & Hanamikoji.
Reposted by Tim Clare
Just tried out the Monotropism questionnaire. Monotropism is a model of a key autistic trait - the tendency to focus intensely on a few interests. I answered honestly & scored pretty highly. It's an area with some research behind it & lots of community discussion.
dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/
dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/
November 8, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Just tried out the Monotropism questionnaire. Monotropism is a model of a key autistic trait - the tendency to focus intensely on a few interests. I answered honestly & scored pretty highly. It's an area with some research behind it & lots of community discussion.
dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/
dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/
Reposted by Tim Clare
Autism question! Does anyone have any good links/resources for, like, what to *do* when you're diagnosed autistic? How to examine your thinking/beliefs, work out what masking is, learn self compassion etc etc? Broad question, but I really should do something with this knew self knowledge.
November 9, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Autism question! Does anyone have any good links/resources for, like, what to *do* when you're diagnosed autistic? How to examine your thinking/beliefs, work out what masking is, learn self compassion etc etc? Broad question, but I really should do something with this knew self knowledge.
Reposted by Tim Clare
My new cast with @ava.foxfort.net and @timclare.bsky.social is out for your auditory pleasure. Each episode we answer ludological questions from listeners! Would you like to have your question answered on a future cast? Get in touch!
open.spotify.com/show/02ctAw2...
open.spotify.com/show/02ctAw2...
Deranged in my Promiscuity
open.spotify.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:17 AM
My new cast with @ava.foxfort.net and @timclare.bsky.social is out for your auditory pleasure. Each episode we answer ludological questions from listeners! Would you like to have your question answered on a future cast? Get in touch!
open.spotify.com/show/02ctAw2...
open.spotify.com/show/02ctAw2...
Just tried out the Monotropism questionnaire. Monotropism is a model of a key autistic trait - the tendency to focus intensely on a few interests. I answered honestly & scored pretty highly. It's an area with some research behind it & lots of community discussion.
dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/
dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/
November 8, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Just tried out the Monotropism questionnaire. Monotropism is a model of a key autistic trait - the tendency to focus intensely on a few interests. I answered honestly & scored pretty highly. It's an area with some research behind it & lots of community discussion.
dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/
dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/
Fuck high literature & deathless prose. I want a pair of mismatched goons doing the boss's dirty work whose theme tune is mostly bassoon, who show up to frustrate the heroes at various junctures only to switch sides near the end when they realise the stakes, because they're not so bad really
November 8, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Fuck high literature & deathless prose. I want a pair of mismatched goons doing the boss's dirty work whose theme tune is mostly bassoon, who show up to frustrate the heroes at various junctures only to switch sides near the end when they realise the stakes, because they're not so bad really
By the way, we were thinking of doing a special festive episode of BUT WHY VIKINGS? solving your boardgame gift problems & recommending games to play with your family / found family over the holidays. Interested? Reply below with who you're buying for / playing with & relevant stats (age, likes).
November 8, 2025 at 10:48 AM
By the way, we were thinking of doing a special festive episode of BUT WHY VIKINGS? solving your boardgame gift problems & recommending games to play with your family / found family over the holidays. Interested? Reply below with who you're buying for / playing with & relevant stats (age, likes).
A memorable Xmas should feel like a hostage situation
There's only one game you need at Christmas and that's TI which should be brought out right at the first sign of any tensions between various family members starting to emerge.
November 8, 2025 at 8:42 AM
A memorable Xmas should feel like a hostage situation
I'm exaggerating 'for comic effect' (citation needed) but I remain stunned & disheartened that the majority of people don't know boardgames made in the past hundred years beyond Monopoly (dire), Scrabble (superb) & maybe Uno (I reluctantly concede that Uno does what it sets out to do pretty well).
Surely with e.g. Waterstones and John Lewis now carrying a decent range of games year round that first question is becoming less common?
November 8, 2025 at 8:40 AM
I'm exaggerating 'for comic effect' (citation needed) but I remain stunned & disheartened that the majority of people don't know boardgames made in the past hundred years beyond Monopoly (dire), Scrabble (superb) & maybe Uno (I reluctantly concede that Uno does what it sets out to do pretty well).
We are entering the season when newspaper editors & radio producers suddenly get interested in boardgames, & me & my tiny cabal of fellow tabletop writers get day release from the oubliette to say 'yes, there are more games than Monopoly' & 'well, that depends on what your family likes'
November 8, 2025 at 8:27 AM
We are entering the season when newspaper editors & radio producers suddenly get interested in boardgames, & me & my tiny cabal of fellow tabletop writers get day release from the oubliette to say 'yes, there are more games than Monopoly' & 'well, that depends on what your family likes'
About halfway through my wife & daughter watching the current run of Celebrity Traitors, I remembered that years ago I actually played Mafia with Nick Mohammed (my first ever social deduction game experience!) & suddenly boring old daddy & his boardgames became a Trusted Insider
November 7, 2025 at 6:55 PM
About halfway through my wife & daughter watching the current run of Celebrity Traitors, I remembered that years ago I actually played Mafia with Nick Mohammed (my first ever social deduction game experience!) & suddenly boring old daddy & his boardgames became a Trusted Insider
My hot take is that all villains are tragic villains, if we're given sufficient access to their interiority & backstory. Redemption arcs & empathy with villains aren't about excusing harm - on the contrary, acknowledging humanity is to emphasise our constant, ongoing capacity to *choose otherwise*.
November 7, 2025 at 3:06 PM
My hot take is that all villains are tragic villains, if we're given sufficient access to their interiority & backstory. Redemption arcs & empathy with villains aren't about excusing harm - on the contrary, acknowledging humanity is to emphasise our constant, ongoing capacity to *choose otherwise*.
Reposted by Tim Clare
Just listened to this and really enjoyed it - some really thoughtful and entertaining discussion.
And I giggled out loud at Tim's "kill jester" reference.
[i_understood_that_reference.gif]
And I giggled out loud at Tim's "kill jester" reference.
[i_understood_that_reference.gif]
My new podcast with Ava Foxfort & Iain McAllister is up on Apple podcasts & Spotify. It's called BUT WHY VIKINGS? & we answer listener queries, dilemmas & big philosophical questions about tabletop games. New episodes fortnightly. Would love you to be involved:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...
Deranged in my Promiscuity
Podcast Episode · But Why Vikings? · 10/31/2025 · 1h 34m
podcasts.apple.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Just listened to this and really enjoyed it - some really thoughtful and entertaining discussion.
And I giggled out loud at Tim's "kill jester" reference.
[i_understood_that_reference.gif]
And I giggled out loud at Tim's "kill jester" reference.
[i_understood_that_reference.gif]
The strongest thread emerging from the new book I've been working on feels to me that I've never really seen myself or felt represented in stories set in the 'real' world, but weird fiction, folklore, geek culture, Fantasy, SF & video games sometimes resonate with painful intensity.
November 7, 2025 at 10:17 AM
The strongest thread emerging from the new book I've been working on feels to me that I've never really seen myself or felt represented in stories set in the 'real' world, but weird fiction, folklore, geek culture, Fantasy, SF & video games sometimes resonate with painful intensity.
TikTok has decided this morning to bombard me with Omnichord covers of Remember You & now I'm in bits. Rebecca Sugar is working on a new Moomins movie & I fear it might actually obliterate me with a blast of pure melancholy
November 7, 2025 at 9:44 AM
TikTok has decided this morning to bombard me with Omnichord covers of Remember You & now I'm in bits. Rebecca Sugar is working on a new Moomins movie & I fear it might actually obliterate me with a blast of pure melancholy
One notable crunch point over the past few months was applying for an academic position & feeling like, throughout the whole process, including the interview, being asked to figure out a bunch of secret codes & not feeling safe to be myself. I don't want to do any work where I can't show up as me.
November 6, 2025 at 3:49 PM
One notable crunch point over the past few months was applying for an academic position & feeling like, throughout the whole process, including the interview, being asked to figure out a bunch of secret codes & not feeling safe to be myself. I don't want to do any work where I can't show up as me.