Darren Johnson
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darrenj.bsky.social
Darren Johnson
@darrenj.bsky.social
420 followers 1.2K following 120 posts
Gamer (TTRPG, Board Games, Miniatures Games), FLGS Owner, Storyteller, Former Electrical Engineer, Astrophotographer, Amateur Photographer, Ham, Maker. Stroke Survivor. Formerly @IODarren on the bird app.
(he/him)
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darrenj.bsky.social
Here’s what my 40K looks like
A picture of the very first Ork Codex.
October 3, 2025 at 2:52 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
This is the most idiotic thing…..

The American experiment is over.
A screenshot of a proposed bill to allow the president to acquire Greenland and rename it as ‘red white and blueland’ A picture of Bart Simpson saying “this is the stupidest day in America” and Homer correcting by saying “The stupidest day in America so far”
February 11, 2025 at 6:55 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
Yep. Sadly.
February 11, 2025 at 6:51 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
Taking a shot at 3-D printing up some maquettes. First one’s going to Ice, from the Justice league. Her costume is fairly simple, white and blue so it shouldn’t be too hard to do. Little worried about the skin tone, but time to really learn my airbrush.

#3dprinting #miniatures
3-D printed pieces of a statue featuring the superhero, heroine Ice, from the Justice league
January 16, 2025 at 4:58 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
I am totally being judged.
A black long-haired cat with a little bit of white on her lower jaw sitting in a cat house, staring at me. Intently. Very intently.
January 10, 2025 at 3:34 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
I have never been the biggest fan of Vampire:TM. Always much more of a Mage person myself. But I am really like what they did with the new version of the V:TM LARP rules.

The local club that’s playing here. It started up a brand new chronicle and I’m finding myself involved. #ttrpg #larp #vampire
A copy of the laws of the night hardback rulebook : LARP rules for vampire, the masquerade, and my newly created character sheet.
January 5, 2025 at 4:57 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
Finally finished up this piece of terrain for my Cyberpunk/Apoc gaming. Good start to the new year. Gonna plow through some of these projects and get em done.
#cyberpunk #wargaming #ttrpg #miniatures
A gaming terrain piece, consisting of several stacked cargo containers, heavily weathered with stairs and railings going around them, used as cheap housing. A gaming terrain piece, consisting of several stacked cargo containers, heavily weathered with stairs and railings going around them, used as cheap housing. A gaming terrain piece, consisting of several stacked cargo containers, heavily weathered with stairs and railings going around them, used as cheap housing. A gaming terrain piece, consisting of several stacked cargo containers, heavily weathered with stairs and railings going around them, used as cheap housing.
January 2, 2025 at 3:38 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
I’ve come to realize that I like painting terrain more than I do miniatures. Just a little bit of simple weathering on these containers from monster fight club and they look perfect for any cyberpunk game. Can’t wait to get them on the table.

#cyberpunk #ttrpg #wargames #miniatures
A plain orange plastic shipping container from monster fight club. With no weathering on it, it looks rather plain. The same orange shipping container with just a little bit of weathering and a couple decals put on it. All four of the shipping containers I did tonight. Now that I have the process down, I can start mass painting these. I’ve only got about 130 left.
December 11, 2024 at 8:13 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
My journey from being just a casual gamer to owning my own FLGS for 26 years now started here. Was hired to work the gaming counter here, & learned I had a taste & knack for it. So sad to see this place closed. Good memories & even better friends from that place.

#ttrpg #wargaming
Exterior of the store "Hobby Bench" in Phoenix Arizona. The store is now slowed, with blocking paper covering all of the windows. Interior of the now closed store "Hobby Bench" all of the fixtures have been removed as well as all of the pegboard on the walls. Interior of the now closed store "Hobby Bench" all of the fixtures have been removed as well as all of the pegboard on the walls. Interior of the now closed store "Hobby Bench" all of the fixtures have been removed as well as all of the pegboard on the walls.
December 10, 2024 at 11:14 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
A little bit of historical gaming today. Mein Panzer today. Scenario is Russian front, August ‘43. Minis and terrain by my friend Pete Skaar. Miniatures by GHQ.

#miniatures #wargames #wargaming
A game of Mein Panzer being played at Imperial Outpost Games. A game of Mein Panzer being played at Imperial Outpost Games. GHQ microarmor figures of tanks cresting a hill. A game of Mein Panzer being played at Imperial Outpost Games. The Germans taking fire from a bunch of Russian tanks. A game of Mein Panzer being played at Imperial Outpost Games. German tanks advance down a rural Russian road.
December 7, 2024 at 9:13 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
Today is a threefer. These are the first TTRPG books I ever had. Got these back when they came out as new back in ‘79. My entire career and livelihood (with a few detours here and there) and be traced back to these very books.

#ttrpgsky
December 7, 2024 at 8:53 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
Imaging the 1001 Arabian Nights...in space. A high sci fi game, taking place in a faraway cluster of colonies, cut off from earth. The game has a very heavy Middle Eastern/Arabic theme to it, and has some very interesting supernatural/high science mysteries to explore.

#ttrpgsky
The cover of the TTRPG 'Coriolis' by Free League Publishing.
December 2, 2024 at 6:16 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
I LOVES me some cyberpunk, and it's always fascinating to see how other systems interpret the genre. Using the amazing Blades in the Dark system, comes Hack the Planet! This game really emphasizes the rebellion/anti authority theme of the genre that other interpretations miss.

#ttrpgsky
The cover to the TTRPG , Hack the Planet - a cyberpunk games using the Blades in the Dark system.
December 2, 2024 at 6:05 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
In a unique twist to the post apoc genre, Polaris takes the survivors of a war torn, ecologically ravaged earth & takes them undersea. A high concept sci fi game, it's like a grittier, more feral version of Seaquest DSV, with higher tech.

#ttrpgsky
December 2, 2024 at 5:59 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
Based on the novels by fantasy writer Mathieu Gaborit, the game is sort of 7th sea, in a more Shakespearean/Baroque setting, with the fantasy high fantasy dial turned up to 11. Sadly, only 5 of the 30ish books have been translated from French to English. packed with gorgeous art!

#ttrpgsky
Cover to the French TTRPG, Agone.
December 2, 2024 at 5:27 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
Take a zest of Laputa, a dash of Scythe, a pinch of Richtofen's War, a tad of Sky Captain, & one cup of PbtA, & you get Flying Circus by @opensketchbook.bsky.social. In a sort of Ghibliesque Europe, ravaged by war, WWIesque airplane squadrons protect villages from raiders and monsters!

#ttrpgsky
Cover of "Flying Circus" TTRPG by Erika Chappell
December 2, 2024 at 5:18 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
It’s 10 degrees outside. Seems like a perfect time to sit back by a nice warm fireplace and read a book.

#montana
A brick fireplace with a lit fire and a recliner next to it, all prepped for a night of reading.
December 2, 2024 at 2:04 AM
darrenj.bsky.social
The granddaddy of Mecha ttrpgs, Mekton. There’s not a subset of the anime robot combat genre that can’t be done with this system. It can get very crunchy if you starting, including a lot of optional things. But it is the de facto gold standard by which judge all other mecha combat games.

#ttrpgsky
The cover of the Mekton Zeta rulebook, by R Talsorian Games.
December 1, 2024 at 11:11 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
This one sometimes gets lost in the shadow of another RPG of a similar bent, Toon. This one hyper focuses on all of the tropes, quirks, peculiarities of anime. From big huge robots to magical girls this one has it all. Its high school setting makes things even more fun and comedic

#ttrpgsky
The cover to Teenagers in Outer Space, by R talsorian games.
December 1, 2024 at 11:02 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
I’ve only ever gotten to play it once but this game has always intrigued me : In Nomine. A game in which the players are Angels and Demons. The way the factious forces of Heaven and the divisive forces of hell are set up , many times you have Angels and Demons working together.
..
The cover of the English version of the ttrpg, In Nomine.
December 1, 2024 at 10:52 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
Now that my Holy Trinity of RPG's is done, lets dive deeper onto the shelf.

When X files was riding high, this game was one of my go to games. Though the mechanics were...wonky...at times. This one tickled that hidden conspiracy nut that lives inside of me.

#ttrpgsky
The cover of the 1st edition Conspiracy X TTRPG.
December 1, 2024 at 6:29 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
Forget 2020, 2045 or even 2077. This was the thing that launched it all. Cyberpunk. Good old 2013 edition. Up till I had played this, all of my TTRPG experience was AD&D, and the groups I played with treated it more like a wargame. This is the game that taught me about ROLEplaying.

#ttrpgsky
December 1, 2024 at 6:24 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
Another of my Holy Trinity of RPG's. This is one of those examples of a game whose mechanics perfectly complimented the themes. Playing with dice, and playing cards and poker chips just nailed home the setting.

#ttrpgsky
The cover of the first edition Deadlands RPG.
December 1, 2024 at 6:21 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
One of my favorite RPG's of all time. You can definitely see the lineage from early V:TM and W:TA in it's veins, but the idea of the dark ages in space was wonderfully executed. At a time when there was no Dune RPG, this was a wonderful substitute.

#ttrpgsky
The cover of the 1st Edition Fading Suns rulebook.
December 1, 2024 at 6:17 PM
darrenj.bsky.social
If you see this, post a concert photo you took.

Rush in concert, Las Vegas, July 25 2015
A picture of Rush in concert.
November 23, 2024 at 3:13 AM