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.
Been having an extraordinarily rough one today. Waves of fear & shame ripping through me. I can't remember if life was always this hard or if the past few months have marked a step change. You know the world is full of suffering & still you crave your own miracle, finally feeling safe, ok & normal.
January 17, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Been having an extraordinarily rough one today. Waves of fear & shame ripping through me. I can't remember if life was always this hard or if the past few months have marked a step change. You know the world is full of suffering & still you crave your own miracle, finally feeling safe, ok & normal.
I did a bunch of research & a small amount of writing today. A good reminder that I do my best thinking on the page, & the first thing I have to do is get those thoughts down, then I can shape, reorder & (mostly) cut later. I tend to discover my best, sharpest lines on the way to something else.
January 16, 2026 at 8:53 PM
I did a bunch of research & a small amount of writing today. A good reminder that I do my best thinking on the page, & the first thing I have to do is get those thoughts down, then I can shape, reorder & (mostly) cut later. I tend to discover my best, sharpest lines on the way to something else.
'‘When Randolph Carter was thirty he lost the key of the gate of dreams… He had read much of things as they are, and talked with too many people... Wonder had gone away... Wise men told him his simple fancies were inane and childish, and he believed it...' - The Silver Key, H P Lovecraft
January 16, 2026 at 1:48 PM
'‘When Randolph Carter was thirty he lost the key of the gate of dreams… He had read much of things as they are, and talked with too many people... Wonder had gone away... Wise men told him his simple fancies were inane and childish, and he believed it...' - The Silver Key, H P Lovecraft
Reposted by Tim Clare
My guess here, is that a lot of these reviews are honest and sincere, but they reflect a combination of enthusiasm for the thing you are into with the dreaded insecurity of trying to convince people to also be into that thing.
Which is kinda sweet, not gonna lie.
Which is kinda sweet, not gonna lie.
January 16, 2026 at 1:38 PM
My guess here, is that a lot of these reviews are honest and sincere, but they reflect a combination of enthusiasm for the thing you are into with the dreaded insecurity of trying to convince people to also be into that thing.
Which is kinda sweet, not gonna lie.
Which is kinda sweet, not gonna lie.
Reposted by Tim Clare
So why is it that when I click on a review that claims to have spent so much time on the game, all I read is marketing hooks? It's someone trying to convince you the game is amazing with the barest observations that you could have written after one play?
January 16, 2026 at 1:37 PM
So why is it that when I click on a review that claims to have spent so much time on the game, all I read is marketing hooks? It's someone trying to convince you the game is amazing with the barest observations that you could have written after one play?
Reposted by Tim Clare
Ideally, all that time spent with the game will give you opportunities to reflect and analyze your own thoughts, feelings. It's not about game mastery because believe it or not, game mastery does not help write a good review.
It's just about creating opportunities to spot something others haven't.
It's just about creating opportunities to spot something others haven't.
January 16, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Ideally, all that time spent with the game will give you opportunities to reflect and analyze your own thoughts, feelings. It's not about game mastery because believe it or not, game mastery does not help write a good review.
It's just about creating opportunities to spot something others haven't.
It's just about creating opportunities to spot something others haven't.
Reposted by Tim Clare
I'm constantly amazed (pejorative) with bgg reviews that tout 100h+ of playtime.
I am one of those people of a firm mind that yes, the longer you spend with a game the better a review you will write.
Not because you will "discover the hidden secrets of gameplay" or whatever, but because...
I am one of those people of a firm mind that yes, the longer you spend with a game the better a review you will write.
Not because you will "discover the hidden secrets of gameplay" or whatever, but because...
January 16, 2026 at 1:33 PM
I'm constantly amazed (pejorative) with bgg reviews that tout 100h+ of playtime.
I am one of those people of a firm mind that yes, the longer you spend with a game the better a review you will write.
Not because you will "discover the hidden secrets of gameplay" or whatever, but because...
I am one of those people of a firm mind that yes, the longer you spend with a game the better a review you will write.
Not because you will "discover the hidden secrets of gameplay" or whatever, but because...
Trying to read Deleuze & Guattari without immediately dismissing them as a performance piece satirising French intellectuals... & failing miserably. Their work genuinely reads to me like a transcript from someone who was bonked on the head by a coconut
January 16, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Trying to read Deleuze & Guattari without immediately dismissing them as a performance piece satirising French intellectuals... & failing miserably. Their work genuinely reads to me like a transcript from someone who was bonked on the head by a coconut
90% of the cases you in true crime docs would never have happened if the perpetrator had really internalised the lesson of I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly
January 16, 2026 at 9:45 AM
90% of the cases you in true crime docs would never have happened if the perpetrator had really internalised the lesson of I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly
'ASK why God made the gem so small?
And why so huge the granite?—
Because God meant mankind should set
That higher value on it.'
An older guy, day-drunk, walking his dog, quoted me this Robert Burns poem years ago in Edinburgh. He took it to mean God loved him, in his unspectacular ordinariness
And why so huge the granite?—
Because God meant mankind should set
That higher value on it.'
An older guy, day-drunk, walking his dog, quoted me this Robert Burns poem years ago in Edinburgh. He took it to mean God loved him, in his unspectacular ordinariness
January 15, 2026 at 2:46 PM
'ASK why God made the gem so small?
And why so huge the granite?—
Because God meant mankind should set
That higher value on it.'
An older guy, day-drunk, walking his dog, quoted me this Robert Burns poem years ago in Edinburgh. He took it to mean God loved him, in his unspectacular ordinariness
And why so huge the granite?—
Because God meant mankind should set
That higher value on it.'
An older guy, day-drunk, walking his dog, quoted me this Robert Burns poem years ago in Edinburgh. He took it to mean God loved him, in his unspectacular ordinariness
Weird how I was deeply into Britpop & Indie in the 90s, listened to hours of radio every day, went to gigs, read fanzines, went to record fairs to buy old singles & promos & B-side collections, yet until yesterday I'd somehow never heard of Salad or listened to their music
January 15, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Weird how I was deeply into Britpop & Indie in the 90s, listened to hours of radio every day, went to gigs, read fanzines, went to record fairs to buy old singles & promos & B-side collections, yet until yesterday I'd somehow never heard of Salad or listened to their music
You'd never get to it via modern theories of plot, but something I find powerful & moving in a story is a moment of unexpected, maybe unearned, grace - a moment where a character is shown forgiveness, or compassion, & they haven't really done anything to 'deserve' it, but it's granted anyway.
January 15, 2026 at 11:56 AM
You'd never get to it via modern theories of plot, but something I find powerful & moving in a story is a moment of unexpected, maybe unearned, grace - a moment where a character is shown forgiveness, or compassion, & they haven't really done anything to 'deserve' it, but it's granted anyway.
If you're watching The Traitors & you've never played a social deduction game, an important bit of context you're missing is that everyone is universally shit at spotting traitors, *especially* in very mechanically-simple games where you're relying on reading tone, body language & behaviour.
January 14, 2026 at 9:21 PM
If you're watching The Traitors & you've never played a social deduction game, an important bit of context you're missing is that everyone is universally shit at spotting traitors, *especially* in very mechanically-simple games where you're relying on reading tone, body language & behaviour.
Anyone planning to be at Airecon this year? It feels like ages since I've been able to dedicate some time to immersing myself in games & finding out what folks are playing.
January 14, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Anyone planning to be at Airecon this year? It feels like ages since I've been able to dedicate some time to immersing myself in games & finding out what folks are playing.
For what it's worth, if you or any org you know wants someone to teach creative writing at any level, to come do a talk on the history & culture of tabletop games, to write about tabletop games or autism or mental health, or to chat on a podcast about the above, by all means hit me up!
January 14, 2026 at 3:57 PM
For what it's worth, if you or any org you know wants someone to teach creative writing at any level, to come do a talk on the history & culture of tabletop games, to write about tabletop games or autism or mental health, or to chat on a podcast about the above, by all means hit me up!
I love Ice Hockey Hair by Super Furry Animals. It has the lyrics:
'Table tennis rules
They're so confusing - it's not played by fools'
then it builds to this crescendo with the refrain 'Now that you're here / tell me you're a non-believer' that is somehow rousing & beautiful & true
'Table tennis rules
They're so confusing - it's not played by fools'
then it builds to this crescendo with the refrain 'Now that you're here / tell me you're a non-believer' that is somehow rousing & beautiful & true
January 14, 2026 at 10:19 AM
I love Ice Hockey Hair by Super Furry Animals. It has the lyrics:
'Table tennis rules
They're so confusing - it's not played by fools'
then it builds to this crescendo with the refrain 'Now that you're here / tell me you're a non-believer' that is somehow rousing & beautiful & true
'Table tennis rules
They're so confusing - it's not played by fools'
then it builds to this crescendo with the refrain 'Now that you're here / tell me you're a non-believer' that is somehow rousing & beautiful & true
I thought too much today & now my brain feels like it was put into my skull via a piping bag. I definitely have a data limit on how much thinking I can do before my brain starts to lock up. I can't afford to go beyond the free plan so it's a cold shower, weighted blanket & darkened room for old TC
January 13, 2026 at 2:31 PM
I thought too much today & now my brain feels like it was put into my skull via a piping bag. I definitely have a data limit on how much thinking I can do before my brain starts to lock up. I can't afford to go beyond the free plan so it's a cold shower, weighted blanket & darkened room for old TC
Carrying an old Dictaphone on the bus so I can occasionally hit record & mutter something into it like 'Squid Games Mallett's Mallet' before returning to staring out the window
January 13, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Carrying an old Dictaphone on the bus so I can occasionally hit record & mutter something into it like 'Squid Games Mallett's Mallet' before returning to staring out the window
God help me I'm thinking about Lil Slugger again. The crisis monster. You know in Rummikub where you think you've worked out an elaborate system of swaps to pinch another player's tile, & you're desperately trying to hold it all in your head? That's how writing this book feels to me.
January 13, 2026 at 1:13 PM
God help me I'm thinking about Lil Slugger again. The crisis monster. You know in Rummikub where you think you've worked out an elaborate system of swaps to pinch another player's tile, & you're desperately trying to hold it all in your head? That's how writing this book feels to me.
Day 13 of the January 200 words a day warm-up is on the Discord, if you'd like to join us. All previous days are available if you'd like a little course to work through. Today I'm gobbing off about Ursula Le Guin & Oliver Postgate & honestly I'm so happy.
discord.gg/DUdY4SEF
discord.gg/DUdY4SEF
Join the Death Of 1000 Cuts Community Discord Server!
Check out the Death Of 1000 Cuts Community community on Discord - hang out with 314 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.
discord.gg
January 13, 2026 at 10:27 AM
Day 13 of the January 200 words a day warm-up is on the Discord, if you'd like to join us. All previous days are available if you'd like a little course to work through. Today I'm gobbing off about Ursula Le Guin & Oliver Postgate & honestly I'm so happy.
discord.gg/DUdY4SEF
discord.gg/DUdY4SEF
Something perfectionists need to contend with if they want to soften their self criticism are multiple splendid babies in the bathwater: care, excellence, the desire to do your best. It's good to want to make your art the best it can be. Taste, conscientiousness & humility are all valuable traits.
January 13, 2026 at 9:23 AM
Something perfectionists need to contend with if they want to soften their self criticism are multiple splendid babies in the bathwater: care, excellence, the desire to do your best. It's good to want to make your art the best it can be. Taste, conscientiousness & humility are all valuable traits.
No English person, if asked 'do you take sugar?' when offered a cup of tea, is able to ask for more than 2 sugars without apologising. *Sometimes* a 3 sugars person learns to say '2 big spoons please' but mostly if you like 3+ you understand it's seen as mildly shameful & must do a little speech.
January 12, 2026 at 6:21 PM
No English person, if asked 'do you take sugar?' when offered a cup of tea, is able to ask for more than 2 sugars without apologising. *Sometimes* a 3 sugars person learns to say '2 big spoons please' but mostly if you like 3+ you understand it's seen as mildly shameful & must do a little speech.
Something I really like about having a support worker to help me remember & prioritise tasks is I get a weekly list like unfinished RPG subquests:
- ask David about the article
- finish your research into Montmarche
- return the library book
It makes me feel like any moment I'm going to level up.
- ask David about the article
- finish your research into Montmarche
- return the library book
It makes me feel like any moment I'm going to level up.
January 12, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Something I really like about having a support worker to help me remember & prioritise tasks is I get a weekly list like unfinished RPG subquests:
- ask David about the article
- finish your research into Montmarche
- return the library book
It makes me feel like any moment I'm going to level up.
- ask David about the article
- finish your research into Montmarche
- return the library book
It makes me feel like any moment I'm going to level up.
So we are 12 days into the 200 words a day for January writing group I'm organising over on the Death Of 1000 Cuts discord if you'd care to jump in & join us. If you start now you'll have racked up over 2 weeks of writing by the end of the month. If you don't, you won't:
discord.gg/AEYWnYVy
discord.gg/AEYWnYVy
Join the Death Of 1000 Cuts Community Discord Server!
Check out the Death Of 1000 Cuts Community community on Discord - hang out with 312 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.
discord.gg
January 12, 2026 at 11:55 AM
So we are 12 days into the 200 words a day for January writing group I'm organising over on the Death Of 1000 Cuts discord if you'd care to jump in & join us. If you start now you'll have racked up over 2 weeks of writing by the end of the month. If you don't, you won't:
discord.gg/AEYWnYVy
discord.gg/AEYWnYVy
Just went for a dip in a 5° river. Not my finest moment. Screamed, lasted less than a minute. Will try to do better next time!
January 12, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Just went for a dip in a 5° river. Not my finest moment. Screamed, lasted less than a minute. Will try to do better next time!