Marc - The Thoughtful Gamer
@marcttg.bsky.social
Occasional board game reviewer. thethoughtfulgamer.com
To be fair, this particular experience of the film is likely quite subjective, and I know many will be (and have been) baffled by what I see in it.
October 1, 2025 at 5:10 PM
To be fair, this particular experience of the film is likely quite subjective, and I know many will be (and have been) baffled by what I see in it.
I think what resonates with me is that it's both a sober and accurate depiction of what it's like to be afflicted with anxiety and depression and, through its emotionally heightened and magical elements, a depiction of the absurd(ly wonderful) imaginative mind of one who has fallen in love.
October 1, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I think what resonates with me is that it's both a sober and accurate depiction of what it's like to be afflicted with anxiety and depression and, through its emotionally heightened and magical elements, a depiction of the absurd(ly wonderful) imaginative mind of one who has fallen in love.
I'm not much of a Sandler fan either, but PDL is magical, both in its impact and in a sort of literal sense in that it's a magical realist love story. (As is Magnolia, of course)
October 1, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I'm not much of a Sandler fan either, but PDL is magical, both in its impact and in a sort of literal sense in that it's a magical realist love story. (As is Magnolia, of course)
Nice ranking, though I can't agree with such a low placement for Punch-Drunk Love. Here's mine:
1. Magnolia
2. Punch-Drunk Love
3. Boogie Nights
4. There Will Be Blood
5. Inherent Vice
6. The Master
7. Phantom Thread
8. Licorice Pizza
I haven't seen the other two yet.
1. Magnolia
2. Punch-Drunk Love
3. Boogie Nights
4. There Will Be Blood
5. Inherent Vice
6. The Master
7. Phantom Thread
8. Licorice Pizza
I haven't seen the other two yet.
October 1, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Nice ranking, though I can't agree with such a low placement for Punch-Drunk Love. Here's mine:
1. Magnolia
2. Punch-Drunk Love
3. Boogie Nights
4. There Will Be Blood
5. Inherent Vice
6. The Master
7. Phantom Thread
8. Licorice Pizza
I haven't seen the other two yet.
1. Magnolia
2. Punch-Drunk Love
3. Boogie Nights
4. There Will Be Blood
5. Inherent Vice
6. The Master
7. Phantom Thread
8. Licorice Pizza
I haven't seen the other two yet.
All I know is that if your punch feels like a broken rib, you'd better work on your punching form.
September 3, 2025 at 10:36 PM
All I know is that if your punch feels like a broken rib, you'd better work on your punching form.
Agreed. Going backwards, the last series that truly rivals it was 14 (though I liked 16 quite a bit).
June 13, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Agreed. Going backwards, the last series that truly rivals it was 14 (though I liked 16 quite a bit).
How is that even a defense? Every one of the (billions? trillions?) of chatGPT queries have used as much water as an entire cheeseburger? That sounds like an immense amount of water to me.
June 4, 2025 at 12:16 AM
How is that even a defense? Every one of the (billions? trillions?) of chatGPT queries have used as much water as an entire cheeseburger? That sounds like an immense amount of water to me.
I have it and played it once years ago. I'll have to try it again as I remember nothing about it.
June 3, 2025 at 2:11 PM
I have it and played it once years ago. I'll have to try it again as I remember nothing about it.
But if the game can encourage more psychological elements, allowing the players to wade into the fog of bluffing and deception (which Mind MGMT might be trying to do), that can overcome the "knowing the odds" problem. The design idea I had tries to solve this end game issue in a more mechanical way.
June 3, 2025 at 1:35 PM
But if the game can encourage more psychological elements, allowing the players to wade into the fog of bluffing and deception (which Mind MGMT might be trying to do), that can overcome the "knowing the odds" problem. The design idea I had tries to solve this end game issue in a more mechanical way.
When you've deduced that the target is at one of two locations, reducing the outcome to essentially a coin flip, that can be thrilling, but it can also be frustrating. Which it is is probably determined by how fun the rest of the game had been.
June 3, 2025 at 1:35 PM
When you've deduced that the target is at one of two locations, reducing the outcome to essentially a coin flip, that can be thrilling, but it can also be frustrating. Which it is is probably determined by how fun the rest of the game had been.
I do both love and hate hidden movement games. The best ones have a delicious nugget of uncertainty and tension in the mid-game. However, the blind guessing of the early game and the certainty of the end game seem impossible to fully avoid. The latter can be particularly anticlimactic.
June 3, 2025 at 1:30 PM
I do both love and hate hidden movement games. The best ones have a delicious nugget of uncertainty and tension in the mid-game. However, the blind guessing of the early game and the certainty of the end game seem impossible to fully avoid. The latter can be particularly anticlimactic.
It would take a lot to convince me it's not Miller
May 23, 2025 at 2:47 PM
It would take a lot to convince me it's not Miller
Hadn't thought of that, though it seems like a clear market opportunity. What I actually think is that they've over-optimized for regular, easy, everyday searches and there isn't enough of a market for people like me for it to matter.
May 12, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Hadn't thought of that, though it seems like a clear market opportunity. What I actually think is that they've over-optimized for regular, easy, everyday searches and there isn't enough of a market for people like me for it to matter.
And AI is getting decent at very basic inquiry, I admit. Deep research is an absolute nightmare, though.
Anyone have any alternative search engines they recommend that actually work?
I've found duckduckgo to be okay and I've tried some niche ones that produce niche results (which can be helpful)
Anyone have any alternative search engines they recommend that actually work?
I've found duckduckgo to be okay and I've tried some niche ones that produce niche results (which can be helpful)
May 12, 2025 at 1:26 PM
And AI is getting decent at very basic inquiry, I admit. Deep research is an absolute nightmare, though.
Anyone have any alternative search engines they recommend that actually work?
I've found duckduckgo to be okay and I've tried some niche ones that produce niche results (which can be helpful)
Anyone have any alternative search engines they recommend that actually work?
I've found duckduckgo to be okay and I've tried some niche ones that produce niche results (which can be helpful)
It's always baffled me. She's an awful writer. A truly abysmal writer, even ignoring the content. I'm still mad I wasted part of my life forcing myself through The Fountainhead in high school.
April 25, 2025 at 7:31 PM
It's always baffled me. She's an awful writer. A truly abysmal writer, even ignoring the content. I'm still mad I wasted part of my life forcing myself through The Fountainhead in high school.
That said, if I heard there was a board game (not an RPG) with truly outstanding writing, I'd probably go out and buy it right away, if only for the novelty, as it's a tough challenge.
March 31, 2025 at 12:55 PM
That said, if I heard there was a board game (not an RPG) with truly outstanding writing, I'd probably go out and buy it right away, if only for the novelty, as it's a tough challenge.
Nearly all of my favorite games create stories, rather than write them out: Twilight Imperium, Netrunner, Dominant Species, Twilight Struggle, Space Alert, Mage Knight, Suburbia, Spirit Island, War of the Ring, The Resistance, and so many others.
March 31, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Nearly all of my favorite games create stories, rather than write them out: Twilight Imperium, Netrunner, Dominant Species, Twilight Struggle, Space Alert, Mage Knight, Suburbia, Spirit Island, War of the Ring, The Resistance, and so many others.
...Or when the first character retired, or when I realized I had fatigued myself out of being able to complete a mission because I couldn't quite walk far enough, or when someone managed to manipulate the enemies in such a way that they landed a massive AoE attack, turning the tide, etc etc.
March 31, 2025 at 12:55 PM
...Or when the first character retired, or when I realized I had fatigued myself out of being able to complete a mission because I couldn't quite walk far enough, or when someone managed to manipulate the enemies in such a way that they landed a massive AoE attack, turning the tide, etc etc.
4. Or just do what board games do best and communicate story through design, which is something Gloomhaven actually does well. I've played through the campaign and I can hardly remember anything about it, but I sure remember that time when a friend caused us to fail a mission by being greedy...
March 31, 2025 at 12:55 PM
4. Or just do what board games do best and communicate story through design, which is something Gloomhaven actually does well. I've played through the campaign and I can hardly remember anything about it, but I sure remember that time when a friend caused us to fail a mission by being greedy...
3. Complementing written text with audio/video breaks up the monotony of listening to someone read and allows the designer to emphasize key story elements. I haven't played much with this but even the audio elements in Space Alert give it a boost over other real-time games that don't have that.
March 31, 2025 at 12:55 PM
3. Complementing written text with audio/video breaks up the monotony of listening to someone read and allows the designer to emphasize key story elements. I haven't played much with this but even the audio elements in Space Alert give it a boost over other real-time games that don't have that.