Tom Betts
@tomnullpointer.bsky.social
UK Indie Game Dev - Just released "The Horror At Highrook"
A clockwork-card narrative-board game
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/The_Horror_at_Highrook/
Previously "Into The Pit", BigRobot, Phd in the digital sublime
A clockwork-card narrative-board game
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/The_Horror_at_Highrook/
Previously "Into The Pit", BigRobot, Phd in the digital sublime
Pinned
Tom Betts
@tomnullpointer.bsky.social
· May 1
🌜The House is finally open 🌛
The Horror at Highrook is an occult card-crafting RPG
🕯️Uncover the dark secrets of Highrook Manor
🌙Manage your team of investigators
🔥Summon Ancient Demons
www.youtube.com/watch?v=drjG...
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
The Horror at Highrook is an occult card-crafting RPG
🕯️Uncover the dark secrets of Highrook Manor
🌙Manage your team of investigators
🔥Summon Ancient Demons
www.youtube.com/watch?v=drjG...
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
The Horror At Highrook - Release Trailer
YouTube video by tomnullpointer
www.youtube.com
After about 2 years my strange
clockwork-cosmic-horror-narrative-card/boardgame
Is released! Proud of this one, hope it does well enough for me to keep exploring this unique and exciting avenue of game dev.
clockwork-cosmic-horror-narrative-card/boardgame
Is released! Proud of this one, hope it does well enough for me to keep exploring this unique and exciting avenue of game dev.
Reposted by Tom Betts
![Comic. [Banner: Mathematical Society: 2025 Meeting.] PERSON 1 with bun: Any other new developments from the year to cover before we wrap? PERSON 2: Oh, the teens picked a new funny number. PERSON 3 with short hair: Aww, I’m glad to hear they’re still doing that. PERSON 4 with ponytail: I’ll add it to the list. [List: 23 (skidoo!; 42; 69; 420; 1,337; 58,008; [circled]: 67]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreig43e2u4zzpifhq6fbf2iwplmva2lt5rokfg5uws5dysbe55up6wa@jpeg)
December 26, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Hello new followers!
Im Tom, an Indie dev veteran making games with small teams over the last decade or so.
My last title was The Horror At Highrook - an atmospheric card/board based comsic horror. And its currently 30% off!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Im Tom, an Indie dev veteran making games with small teams over the last decade or so.
My last title was The Horror At Highrook - an atmospheric card/board based comsic horror. And its currently 30% off!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Save 30% on The Horror at Highrook on Steam
The Horror at Highrook is an occult card crafting narrative RPG. Explore a haunted mansion with your team of investigators, summon dark entities, craft powerful protections, uncover the fate of the mi...
store.steampowered.com
December 26, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Hello new followers!
Im Tom, an Indie dev veteran making games with small teams over the last decade or so.
My last title was The Horror At Highrook - an atmospheric card/board based comsic horror. And its currently 30% off!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Im Tom, an Indie dev veteran making games with small teams over the last decade or so.
My last title was The Horror At Highrook - an atmospheric card/board based comsic horror. And its currently 30% off!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Reposted by Tom Betts
Found a bit of tissue that looks like a frog merry christmas
December 25, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Found a bit of tissue that looks like a frog merry christmas
Reposted by Tom Betts
They used to "laugh and call him names." Now they're all dead
December 14, 2025 at 1:55 PM
They used to "laugh and call him names." Now they're all dead
Happy turn off motion smoothing day everyone!
December 25, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Happy turn off motion smoothing day everyone!
Reposted by Tom Betts
Merry Christmas
All I Want For Christmas Is You (Wii Shop)
YouTube video by kuribo98
youtu.be
December 24, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Merry Christmas
Reposted by Tom Betts
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
I had five fascinating conversations for this RPS piece, gathering perspectives on genAI chatbots in games, as seen in Where Winds Meet. Thanks to @meghna.bsky.social, @pyrofoux.bsky.social, @maxkreminski.bsky.social, and @chrisgardiner.bsky.social www.rockpapershotgun.com/horrible-bor...
"Horrible", "boring", and "cheap": Experts pan new chatbot NPCs, but some leave room for optimism
We speak to a collection of developers and AI experts about the potential impact of LLM-powered NPCs in videogames.
www.rockpapershotgun.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Essentially, I think that LLM-generated dialogue only makes sense if you believe that the product of writing is words.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
But the product of writing isn't words, any more than the product of justice is prisoners, or the product of love is weddings. The product of writing is meaning.
Ive been playing Tainted Grail. Its got a bit of jank in it, but its great! It does the skyrim stuff but also throws in these 'what if king arthur lived in geigers sketchbook' kind of aesthetics. Its also very open world with loads of just optional wandering about. Just lets you get on with it!
December 24, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Ive been playing Tainted Grail. Its got a bit of jank in it, but its great! It does the skyrim stuff but also throws in these 'what if king arthur lived in geigers sketchbook' kind of aesthetics. Its also very open world with loads of just optional wandering about. Just lets you get on with it!
Reposted by Tom Betts
“...feels wholly unique in how it spills its cryptic secrets revealing a tale of horror card by card.”
Inverse
Now 30% off during the Steam Winter Sale!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Inverse
Now 30% off during the Steam Winter Sale!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Save 30% on The Horror at Highrook on Steam
The Horror at Highrook is an occult card crafting narrative RPG. Explore a haunted mansion with your team of investigators, summon dark entities, craft powerful protections, uncover the fate of the mi...
store.steampowered.com
December 22, 2025 at 6:27 PM
“...feels wholly unique in how it spills its cryptic secrets revealing a tale of horror card by card.”
Inverse
Now 30% off during the Steam Winter Sale!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Inverse
Now 30% off during the Steam Winter Sale!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Just played Metal Garden, pretty much in a single sitting.
Very source engine feeling minimal fps set in a sparse melancholy (very grey) megastructure-adjacent world. The exploration was great and theres enough combat and interaction to make it a fun time.
store.steampowered.com/app/3539440/...
Very source engine feeling minimal fps set in a sparse melancholy (very grey) megastructure-adjacent world. The exploration was great and theres enough combat and interaction to make it a fun time.
store.steampowered.com/app/3539440/...
Save 20% on Metal Garden on Steam
Travel through an overgrown megastructure, and discover what lies beyond it. Metal Garden is a short, atmospheric singleplayer FPS game.
store.steampowered.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Just played Metal Garden, pretty much in a single sitting.
Very source engine feeling minimal fps set in a sparse melancholy (very grey) megastructure-adjacent world. The exploration was great and theres enough combat and interaction to make it a fun time.
store.steampowered.com/app/3539440/...
Very source engine feeling minimal fps set in a sparse melancholy (very grey) megastructure-adjacent world. The exploration was great and theres enough combat and interaction to make it a fun time.
store.steampowered.com/app/3539440/...
I haven't been shouting about Highrook as much as I should have this autumn/winter, but this was a nice reminder to do so!
Go buy my cosmic horror narrative board/card game thing! 30% off, thats basically a tenner (UK folk)!
Go buy my cosmic horror narrative board/card game thing! 30% off, thats basically a tenner (UK folk)!
Happy Holidays folks!
ScreenHub just listed Highrook as one of its top ten indies for 2025!
www.screenhub.com.au/news/feature...
Coincidentally you can get the game for 30% off right now!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
ScreenHub just listed Highrook as one of its top ten indies for 2025!
www.screenhub.com.au/news/feature...
Coincidentally you can get the game for 30% off right now!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
The 10 best indie video games of 2025 | ScreenHub: Film, TV, Streaming and Games
The best indie video games of 2025 include a god-fighting roguelike, manor mystery puzzlers, a quirky open world adventure, and more.
www.screenhub.com.au
December 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
I haven't been shouting about Highrook as much as I should have this autumn/winter, but this was a nice reminder to do so!
Go buy my cosmic horror narrative board/card game thing! 30% off, thats basically a tenner (UK folk)!
Go buy my cosmic horror narrative board/card game thing! 30% off, thats basically a tenner (UK folk)!
Reposted by Tom Betts
I also want to say thank you to the person who introduced me to the French word 'beaucoup' this year. It means a lot.
December 19, 2025 at 1:32 PM
I also want to say thank you to the person who introduced me to the French word 'beaucoup' this year. It means a lot.
Reposted by Tom Betts
Happy Holidays folks!
ScreenHub just listed Highrook as one of its top ten indies for 2025!
www.screenhub.com.au/news/feature...
Coincidentally you can get the game for 30% off right now!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
ScreenHub just listed Highrook as one of its top ten indies for 2025!
www.screenhub.com.au/news/feature...
Coincidentally you can get the game for 30% off right now!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
The 10 best indie video games of 2025 | ScreenHub: Film, TV, Streaming and Games
The best indie video games of 2025 include a god-fighting roguelike, manor mystery puzzlers, a quirky open world adventure, and more.
www.screenhub.com.au
December 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Happy Holidays folks!
ScreenHub just listed Highrook as one of its top ten indies for 2025!
www.screenhub.com.au/news/feature...
Coincidentally you can get the game for 30% off right now!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
ScreenHub just listed Highrook as one of its top ten indies for 2025!
www.screenhub.com.au/news/feature...
Coincidentally you can get the game for 30% off right now!
store.steampowered.com/app/2836860/...
Reposted by Tom Betts
A gentle reminder if you've received an invoice from a Freelancer/Self employed person which is due before Christmas.
Be a love, and pay it today.
Be a love, and pay it today.
December 19, 2025 at 9:46 AM
A gentle reminder if you've received an invoice from a Freelancer/Self employed person which is due before Christmas.
Be a love, and pay it today.
Be a love, and pay it today.
Reposted by Tom Betts
Dwarf Fortress and Caves of Qud are on sale at the same time!
🍄⛏ Get both with the Best Patch Notes bundle: store.steampowered.com/bundle/38314...
🍄⛏ Get both with the Best Patch Notes bundle: store.steampowered.com/bundle/38314...
December 13, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Dwarf Fortress and Caves of Qud are on sale at the same time!
🍄⛏ Get both with the Best Patch Notes bundle: store.steampowered.com/bundle/38314...
🍄⛏ Get both with the Best Patch Notes bundle: store.steampowered.com/bundle/38314...
Very oroud for Highrook to have been part of the Outersloth 25 releases crew!
Outersloth continues to be one of the most meaningful things I've worked on so far! ❤️
Posted our 2025 wrapped, can't wait to see what fun new games await us in 2026~
Posted our 2025 wrapped, can't wait to see what fun new games await us in 2026~
It's the end of our year which means our annual wrap up of all things OUTERSLOTH! 🦥🥳
Highlights:
⭐ Holiday time! We're not signing more games until Jan 2026.
⭐ 4 game releases this year woooo~
⭐ We've funded a grand total of 23 games... so far!
Read it all: www.innersloth.com/outersloth-2...
Highlights:
⭐ Holiday time! We're not signing more games until Jan 2026.
⭐ 4 game releases this year woooo~
⭐ We've funded a grand total of 23 games... so far!
Read it all: www.innersloth.com/outersloth-2...
December 12, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Very oroud for Highrook to have been part of the Outersloth 25 releases crew!
The way Herzog says Excalibur tho...
December 12, 2025 at 10:56 AM
The way Herzog says Excalibur tho...
Navigating the issues of contemporary dev/politics is tough, here iss Alan doing an excellent job imo.
So, “Order of the Sinking Star” by Thekla was just announced, which takes several small free games (two of which are mine) and gives them a major graphical upgrade and mashes up their rulesets. I haven’t been very involved but it’s a great concept and looks cool.
December 12, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Navigating the issues of contemporary dev/politics is tough, here iss Alan doing an excellent job imo.
Reposted by Tom Betts
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
'Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey.'
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
December 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
i mean....
Open letter claims mobile gamedev is "ignored" because industry perceives it as a "world of predatory monetization and low quality"
www.gamesindustry.biz/open-letter-...
www.gamesindustry.biz/open-letter-...
Open letter claims mobile gamedev is "ignored" because industry perceives it as a "world of predatory monetization and low quality"
Christian Lövstedt, CEO of Midjiwan AB, has published an open letter to the "global games industry" calling out peers f…
www.gamesindustry.biz
December 10, 2025 at 7:18 PM
i mean....
Reposted by Tom Betts
A week of 50% off our blue-skies-and-space-ruins robot ghost story:
Save 50% on The Signal From Tölva on Steam
The Signal From Tölva is an open-world first-person shooter set on a distant, haunted, future world. Unlock savage weapons and recruit robots to fight alongside you as rival factions struggle to disco...
store.steampowered.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
A week of 50% off our blue-skies-and-space-ruins robot ghost story:
Reposted by Tom Betts
@schillingc.bsky.social did you realise that Square Enix pulled a "Legend getting two stars from The Guardian" with your Octopath review?
December 5, 2025 at 7:51 PM
@schillingc.bsky.social did you realise that Square Enix pulled a "Legend getting two stars from The Guardian" with your Octopath review?
Where's tale of tales when you need them huh ?
December 5, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Where's tale of tales when you need them huh ?
Are games art? 2025 reboot featuring hot takes from all your old favourites.
December 5, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Are games art? 2025 reboot featuring hot takes from all your old favourites.
Today, London seems to be full of folk taking photos of you through Cafe windows without asking...
December 5, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Today, London seems to be full of folk taking photos of you through Cafe windows without asking...