Brett Rolfe
@brettrolfe.bsky.social
Educator and game designer, stealing all the best ideas from tabletop gaming and bringing them to the classroom.
Pretending to be a corporate entity at https://schoolhouse.games/
Pretending to be a corporate entity at https://schoolhouse.games/
Reposted by Brett Rolfe
A short 🧵 on what I'm using for print on demand and why the print copy of SPINE is so darn affordable:
SPINE is my first time using Mixam's print-on-demand option. It was easy to set up.
The pricing ($9.99) really is a steal. It's printed in color as a "reading book," uncoated paper, which is exactly what I wanted for a game that you mark up. And yet, it's still Mixam's usual great print quality.
The pricing ($9.99) really is a steal. It's printed in color as a "reading book," uncoated paper, which is exactly what I wanted for a game that you mark up. And yet, it's still Mixam's usual great print quality.
interested in Spine by @backwardsttrpg.bsky.social, saw something that was a 1st for me: mixam on demand link.
got physical copy for $10 (a steal), creator doesn’t have to hold inventory, & I’ll get a better quality than I can print. Excited for potential this has for writers who don’t want to ship!
got physical copy for $10 (a steal), creator doesn’t have to hold inventory, & I’ll get a better quality than I can print. Excited for potential this has for writers who don’t want to ship!
October 27, 2025 at 11:04 PM
A short 🧵 on what I'm using for print on demand and why the print copy of SPINE is so darn affordable:
Amazing episode! @diceexploder.com and @car0mur.bsky.social, given the discussion of bleed... are there any play experiences you know of that are unapologetically about the player exploring their own identity and sense of self (rather than doing so through the mediation of a character)?
This week on Dice Exploder: we're just about ready to land the plan on my larp series, but I wanted to make sure we squeeze in a last episode about the whole production of larp, so I sat down with Caro Murphy (Galactic Starcruiser) for a big episode about experience design.
Experience Design with Caro Murphy — Dice Exploder
Here near the end of Dice Exploder's larp series, I wanted to have on Caro Murphy ( Galactic Starcruiser ) to talk about experience design, and specifically how to think about curating all those parts...
www.diceexploder.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Amazing episode! @diceexploder.com and @car0mur.bsky.social, given the discussion of bleed... are there any play experiences you know of that are unapologetically about the player exploring their own identity and sense of self (rather than doing so through the mediation of a character)?
Sounds like someone needs to write an indie game about critiquing indie games...
My final interview in the SPINE design series is w/ @liz-shrikestudio.bsky.social about what games can learn from House of Leaves. Liz discusses the implications of calling You Will Die in This Place a book versus a game, how metanarrative informs mechanics, and the paradox of unplayed indie ttrpgs.
Liz Little on Games and Ergodic Lit
An interview with Liz Little on Games and Ergodic Literature
www.backwardstabletop.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Sounds like someone needs to write an indie game about critiquing indie games...
Hey game designers!
Do you remember playing interesting games while you were at school (like, actually AT school)? Or were there other formative experiences in the classroom that helped set you on the path to creating games?
Do you remember playing interesting games while you were at school (like, actually AT school)? Or were there other formative experiences in the classroom that helped set you on the path to creating games?
October 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Hey game designers!
Do you remember playing interesting games while you were at school (like, actually AT school)? Or were there other formative experiences in the classroom that helped set you on the path to creating games?
Do you remember playing interesting games while you were at school (like, actually AT school)? Or were there other formative experiences in the classroom that helped set you on the path to creating games?
Reposted by Brett Rolfe
Tlingit artist Nicholas Galanin, “Architecture of return, escape (The British Museum)”, a deerskin map a floor plan of the British Museum and possible escape routes for various Indigenous cultural belongings held there.
September 6, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Tlingit artist Nicholas Galanin, “Architecture of return, escape (The British Museum)”, a deerskin map a floor plan of the British Museum and possible escape routes for various Indigenous cultural belongings held there.
'You Will Die In This Place' (@liz-shrikestudio.bsky.social y.social) and 'City of Six Moons' (@amabel.bsky.social) are both intriguing, challenging artefacts with a game at their heart. It occurs to me that I don't think I'll ever actually play either of those games... and that's perfectly okay.
October 17, 2025 at 9:40 AM
'You Will Die In This Place' (@liz-shrikestudio.bsky.social y.social) and 'City of Six Moons' (@amabel.bsky.social) are both intriguing, challenging artefacts with a game at their heart. It occurs to me that I don't think I'll ever actually play either of those games... and that's perfectly okay.
Couldn't resist any longer - I can pretty much guarantee I will never play a 'nihilistic survival-horror dungeon crawler', but this is an amazing piece of work.
October 17, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Couldn't resist any longer - I can pretty much guarantee I will never play a 'nihilistic survival-horror dungeon crawler', but this is an amazing piece of work.
Just squeezed in before the gates of BackerKit clang shut!
WE DID IT!!!!
October 17, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Just squeezed in before the gates of BackerKit clang shut!
Reposted by Brett Rolfe
My second interview in the SPINE design series is about book design with @explorersdesign.bsky.social. He discusses how designs can ground play, how book formats engineer expectations and use, and how books emulate other genres and objects. We also open the floodgates on the book design for D&D 3E.
Clayton Notestine on Book Design
An interview with Clayton Notestine about book design and how it can invite play
www.backwardstabletop.com
October 16, 2025 at 11:31 AM
My second interview in the SPINE design series is about book design with @explorersdesign.bsky.social. He discusses how designs can ground play, how book formats engineer expectations and use, and how books emulate other genres and objects. We also open the floodgates on the book design for D&D 3E.
This is very cool - some provocative thoughts and examples in here. I've always been fascinated with books - even more so with the intersection of books and play. Now, as I ponder turning a classroom game (schoolhouse.games/terra-fabula/) into a 'book', I'm wondering how the game changes as I do so.
Oops! I accidentally sent this essay a day early, the second in my series about books in ttrpgs and how we play with them.
When and why do we call our games "books"? What terms do we use for our books and why?
When and why do we call our games "books"? What terms do we use for our books and why?
How do we talk about TTRPG Books?
An essay on how we talk about ttrpg books, plus how book design invites bookplay.
www.backwardstabletop.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:58 AM
This is very cool - some provocative thoughts and examples in here. I've always been fascinated with books - even more so with the intersection of books and play. Now, as I ponder turning a classroom game (schoolhouse.games/terra-fabula/) into a 'book', I'm wondering how the game changes as I do so.
So excited to crack open my shiny new copy of 'Cardboard Ghosts' by @amabel.bsky.social. I'm keen to see how her ideas on metaphor, immersion and agency might translate to classroom play experiences... particuarly with her commentary on several of @colewehrle.bsky.social's historical games.
October 15, 2025 at 4:47 AM
So excited to crack open my shiny new copy of 'Cardboard Ghosts' by @amabel.bsky.social. I'm keen to see how her ideas on metaphor, immersion and agency might translate to classroom play experiences... particuarly with her commentary on several of @colewehrle.bsky.social's historical games.
My hacked-together copy is much less beautiful than the physical version I already covet, but it's enough to excite me about the experience that is Spine. Diegetic AND ergodic? Sign me up! Straight onto my list of games to steal ideas from, to use in the classroom. schoolhouse.games/games-im-goi...
October 15, 2025 at 1:41 AM
My hacked-together copy is much less beautiful than the physical version I already covet, but it's enough to excite me about the experience that is Spine. Diegetic AND ergodic? Sign me up! Straight onto my list of games to steal ideas from, to use in the classroom. schoolhouse.games/games-im-goi...
Just backed this gorgeous project on Kickstarter.
I'm intrigued by the potential of GM-less TTRPGs in the classroom, as they remove the need for the teacher to act as GM, enabling students to play in pairs or small groups. I could already see this scaffolding creative writing in an English class.
I'm intrigued by the potential of GM-less TTRPGs in the classroom, as they remove the need for the teacher to act as GM, enabling students to play in pairs or small groups. I could already see this scaffolding creative writing in an English class.
For the Glatisant Kickstarter we kept things simple, with only 3 tiers. You can get just the Book for $25 or you can get everything by choosing the Quest Tier, which gets you the book, the sticker sheet, the journaling stickers, the pins, and the lino print, all for $65
tinyurl.com/bd949nbv
tinyurl.com/bd949nbv
October 14, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Just backed this gorgeous project on Kickstarter.
I'm intrigued by the potential of GM-less TTRPGs in the classroom, as they remove the need for the teacher to act as GM, enabling students to play in pairs or small groups. I could already see this scaffolding creative writing in an English class.
I'm intrigued by the potential of GM-less TTRPGs in the classroom, as they remove the need for the teacher to act as GM, enabling students to play in pairs or small groups. I could already see this scaffolding creative writing in an English class.
Love this so much! So many educational games completely ignore the way board games can create meaning... and how this potential can be used to achieve powerful learning outcomes.
It’s finally here! Mechanisms as Metaphors: How Board Games Create Meaning takes a look at how board games make persuasive arguments, how they might move us emotionally, and how the ways we talk about the form might hinder its development.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG4z...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG4z...
Mechanisms as Metaphors: How Board Games Create Meaning
YouTube video by Mary & Amabel Holland
www.youtube.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Love this so much! So many educational games completely ignore the way board games can create meaning... and how this potential can be used to achieve powerful learning outcomes.
Sometimes complex character creation can be a barrier to getting players into a game. I was amazed how enthusiastically our Year 5 students took on roles based on super-simple pre-made character cards, in our Victorian gold rush game Ararat. schoolhouse.games/ararat/
October 14, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Sometimes complex character creation can be a barrier to getting players into a game. I was amazed how enthusiastically our Year 5 students took on roles based on super-simple pre-made character cards, in our Victorian gold rush game Ararat. schoolhouse.games/ararat/
A neat mechanic from a game we playtested this year, bringing 'class' to life for Year 5 students. Events befall them at sea, en route to the Victorian gold fields. Depending on whether they are in an 'upper class' cabin or 'lower class' steerage, the same card can have different consequences.
October 14, 2025 at 3:35 AM
A neat mechanic from a game we playtested this year, bringing 'class' to life for Year 5 students. Events befall them at sea, en route to the Victorian gold fields. Depending on whether they are in an 'upper class' cabin or 'lower class' steerage, the same card can have different consequences.
This is one of the best pieces I've read/heard/scene about games in the classroom. It inspired me to actually put down some of the thoughts I'd been having about the different roles play can have in schools. schoolhouse.games/a-taxonomy-f...
This week on the pod, my friend and colleague Andrew Olimpi drops by to talk about making games fun in the classroom--something that is a lot harder than it sounds. youtu.be/q1-Yl1y1QQ0
Beyond Solitaire Podcast 155: Andrew Olimpi on Adapting Games for the Classroom
This week on the pod, my colleague and fellow solo gamer Andrew Olimpi (@Solitarius_games) hops on to chat about gaming in the classroom, how to create tensi...
youtu.be
October 14, 2025 at 3:17 AM
This is one of the best pieces I've read/heard/scene about games in the classroom. It inspired me to actually put down some of the thoughts I'd been having about the different roles play can have in schools. schoolhouse.games/a-taxonomy-f...
How do you encourage Year 4 students to appreciate the impact of colonial first contact on Indigenous communities? We've been exploring the potential of an immersive, thematic game.
It's free to download, for any teachers keen to try it in their classroom. schoolhouse.games/terra-fabula/
It's free to download, for any teachers keen to try it in their classroom. schoolhouse.games/terra-fabula/
Terra Fabula - Schoolhouse Games
This is the meta description for Terra Fabula. How long should it be to look awesome do you think? I'd not anticipate it being much longer than this really.
schoolhouse.games
October 14, 2025 at 3:12 AM
How do you encourage Year 4 students to appreciate the impact of colonial first contact on Indigenous communities? We've been exploring the potential of an immersive, thematic game.
It's free to download, for any teachers keen to try it in their classroom. schoolhouse.games/terra-fabula/
It's free to download, for any teachers keen to try it in their classroom. schoolhouse.games/terra-fabula/
Reposted by Brett Rolfe
COMING OCTOBER 20th!
Tune in for a TWO HOUR discussion about teaching games through actual play featuring an absolute POWERHOUSE panel.
Ft.
@friede.bsky.social
@itsquinns.bsky.social
@brennanleemulligan.bsky.social
Subscribe to Talk of the Table wherever you get your podcasts.
Tune in for a TWO HOUR discussion about teaching games through actual play featuring an absolute POWERHOUSE panel.
Ft.
@friede.bsky.social
@itsquinns.bsky.social
@brennanleemulligan.bsky.social
Subscribe to Talk of the Table wherever you get your podcasts.
October 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
COMING OCTOBER 20th!
Tune in for a TWO HOUR discussion about teaching games through actual play featuring an absolute POWERHOUSE panel.
Ft.
@friede.bsky.social
@itsquinns.bsky.social
@brennanleemulligan.bsky.social
Subscribe to Talk of the Table wherever you get your podcasts.
Tune in for a TWO HOUR discussion about teaching games through actual play featuring an absolute POWERHOUSE panel.
Ft.
@friede.bsky.social
@itsquinns.bsky.social
@brennanleemulligan.bsky.social
Subscribe to Talk of the Table wherever you get your podcasts.
Reposted by Brett Rolfe
Excited to see the re-release of brilliant TTRPG 'Dog Eat Dog' by @thoughtfulemoji.bsky.social, as part of a new series from the Center for Learning through Games and Simulations (CLGS). Helmed by @timhutchings.bsky.social, I'm keen to see what's next in the series. www.backerkit.com/c/projects/c...
Art & System: Games for Expanded Play
A new indie game series from Central Michigan University Press launching with a lineup of three games: Princess with a Cursed Sword, Dog Eat Dog, and the Mountain Witch
www.backerkit.com
October 9, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Excited to see the re-release of brilliant TTRPG 'Dog Eat Dog' by @thoughtfulemoji.bsky.social, as part of a new series from the Center for Learning through Games and Simulations (CLGS). Helmed by @timhutchings.bsky.social, I'm keen to see what's next in the series. www.backerkit.com/c/projects/c...