Misha Grifka Wander
@mishagw.bsky.social
he/they | academic and game designer | mishagw.carrd.co
I'm sure most thoughtful people have turned to the question of "how did we get here" recently, but I think I've finally arrived at my take: complete lack of media skills.
We live in a highly mediated world. That's neutral, not a bad or good thing, just true. But it does mean (cont)
We live in a highly mediated world. That's neutral, not a bad or good thing, just true. But it does mean (cont)
November 21, 2025 at 2:26 PM
I'm sure most thoughtful people have turned to the question of "how did we get here" recently, but I think I've finally arrived at my take: complete lack of media skills.
We live in a highly mediated world. That's neutral, not a bad or good thing, just true. But it does mean (cont)
We live in a highly mediated world. That's neutral, not a bad or good thing, just true. But it does mean (cont)
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
Post a bird to support @sbworkersunited.org and warn your followers not to buy Starbucks for the duration of the ULP strike. 🪶
November 16, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Post a bird to support @sbworkersunited.org and warn your followers not to buy Starbucks for the duration of the ULP strike. 🪶
Imo the faster you learn this the happier you are
I tell younger folks all the time: Do not worry about losing the respect or presence of people who can't or won't accept you doing things that bring you joy. The only relationship you are guaranteed will last until you die is the one you have with yourself. Don't let yourself down.
One thing people kind of tell you, but not really, about middle age:
One day you'll be like "oh [thing] looks fun but people will think I'm a loser" about a thing
And then you'll say. Wait a second.
Fuck 'em
One day you'll be like "oh [thing] looks fun but people will think I'm a loser" about a thing
And then you'll say. Wait a second.
Fuck 'em
November 11, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Imo the faster you learn this the happier you are
Found out by chance that there are plans to build an AI data center right next to my home town. As if that wasn't bad enough, it's for nuclear weapons research. Do people ever get tired of being evil?
November 11, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Found out by chance that there are plans to build an AI data center right next to my home town. As if that wasn't bad enough, it's for nuclear weapons research. Do people ever get tired of being evil?
I've been pretty open about the fact that The Between doesn't work for me perfectly as a game. But I really liked this positive review of it - it gave me a perspective on how it *could* have worked for me, with different play styles at the table. oldmenrunningtheworld.com/threedom-the...
Threedom: The Between - Old Men Running The World
This is Threedom, our review series in which forever-GMs Jim Rossignol, Kieron Gillen, and The Mysterious Third (Chris) get to spend a bit of time as players
oldmenrunningtheworld.com
November 2, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I've been pretty open about the fact that The Between doesn't work for me perfectly as a game. But I really liked this positive review of it - it gave me a perspective on how it *could* have worked for me, with different play styles at the table. oldmenrunningtheworld.com/threedom-the...
I would rather 6000000 people get things they don't "deserve" than one child goes hungry.
There's something deeply disturbing about EBT/SNAP hate to me. Like just truly bone blanching shit.
November 1, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I would rather 6000000 people get things they don't "deserve" than one child goes hungry.
The US is a much more fragile governmental system and society than many of its residents assume. There is nothing keeping us from becoming a failed state, like so many other countries have throughout modern history.
Gift article
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.
OPINION | THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Are We Losing Our Democracy?
By The Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has, often in open defiance of the law. His actions have raised a chilling question.
OPINION | THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Are We Losing Our Democracy?
By The Editorial Board
November 1, 2025 at 7:57 PM
The US is a much more fragile governmental system and society than many of its residents assume. There is nothing keeping us from becoming a failed state, like so many other countries have throughout modern history.
Nebraska Public Media collaborated with PBS and the Wisconsin Menominee to make a full, free, video game. What a cool thing for public media to work on! They're always finding ways to meet audiences in new formats
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/nebraska-...
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/nebraska-...
Powwow Bound
nebraskapublicmedia.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Nebraska Public Media collaborated with PBS and the Wisconsin Menominee to make a full, free, video game. What a cool thing for public media to work on! They're always finding ways to meet audiences in new formats
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/nebraska-...
nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/nebraska-...
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
Big congrats to Vajra Chandrasekera for RAKESFALL's win; well deserved!
(The entire UKLG Prize list is stellar, by the way: a snapshot of diverse literary excellence.)
ARB editor @mishagw.bsky.social interviewed @vajra.me about the novel last year:
(The entire UKLG Prize list is stellar, by the way: a snapshot of diverse literary excellence.)
ARB editor @mishagw.bsky.social interviewed @vajra.me about the novel last year:
October 21, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Big congrats to Vajra Chandrasekera for RAKESFALL's win; well deserved!
(The entire UKLG Prize list is stellar, by the way: a snapshot of diverse literary excellence.)
ARB editor @mishagw.bsky.social interviewed @vajra.me about the novel last year:
(The entire UKLG Prize list is stellar, by the way: a snapshot of diverse literary excellence.)
ARB editor @mishagw.bsky.social interviewed @vajra.me about the novel last year:
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
Support the 2026 @apexmag.bsky.social Kickstarter! Apex publishes amazing SF, dark fantasy, and horror and we need their stories now more than ever.
I'll give an Apex gift subscription and dedication to one random person who promotes this Kickstarter! 1/
www.kickstarter.com/projects/ape...
I'll give an Apex gift subscription and dedication to one random person who promotes this Kickstarter! 1/
www.kickstarter.com/projects/ape...
Apex Magazine 2026
An award-winning digital literary magazine of science fiction, dark fantasy, and horror.
www.kickstarter.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Support the 2026 @apexmag.bsky.social Kickstarter! Apex publishes amazing SF, dark fantasy, and horror and we need their stories now more than ever.
I'll give an Apex gift subscription and dedication to one random person who promotes this Kickstarter! 1/
www.kickstarter.com/projects/ape...
I'll give an Apex gift subscription and dedication to one random person who promotes this Kickstarter! 1/
www.kickstarter.com/projects/ape...
i know a lot of ttrpg folks got started in a major way during lockdown, but i can't remember specific names. can anyone think of names? or maybe you are that person? i might have an interview opp
October 1, 2025 at 4:40 PM
i know a lot of ttrpg folks got started in a major way during lockdown, but i can't remember specific names. can anyone think of names? or maybe you are that person? i might have an interview opp
On vacation and finally got to see the northern lights irl for the first time!! They were visible to the naked eye, and I felt so lucky. Nature's beauty is the antidote to despair, for me.
September 17, 2025 at 2:06 PM
On vacation and finally got to see the northern lights irl for the first time!! They were visible to the naked eye, and I felt so lucky. Nature's beauty is the antidote to despair, for me.
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
Pet parrots which typically live alone (whilst those in the wild live in large flocks) were given the technology to call each other. They would use it for up to three hours a day, and developed favourite friends 💔
on.ft.com/3K05vhS
on.ft.com/3K05vhS
September 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Pet parrots which typically live alone (whilst those in the wild live in large flocks) were given the technology to call each other. They would use it for up to three hours a day, and developed favourite friends 💔
on.ft.com/3K05vhS
on.ft.com/3K05vhS
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
the murder that’s not on every front page nationwide
An antisemite shot two kids in Colorado, at least one of whom is Jewish.
The White House “fighting antisemitism” doesn’t care, because the shooter was a student radicalized online into far right beliefs, which the regime is cool with, rather than a student verbally criticizing Israeli govt policy.
The White House “fighting antisemitism” doesn’t care, because the shooter was a student radicalized online into far right beliefs, which the regime is cool with, rather than a student verbally criticizing Israeli govt policy.
‘Radicalized’ Evergreen High School shooter appeared to hold antisemitic, violent views in online accounts
Social media accounts that appear to be connected to the 16-year-old shooter are littered with references to mass shootings and antisemitic views, The Denver Post found.
www.denverpost.com
September 12, 2025 at 12:58 PM
the murder that’s not on every front page nationwide
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
Absolutely adore this — it really speaks to me both as a player and a designer, and it is clear and comprehensive in a way I didn’t personally find the Expressionist Games Manifesto to be
The Relationship Games Manifesto
An approach to analog roleplaying game design that centers our relationship to one another over any other priority. A call to action for games with empathy as a foundational principal. Free to everyone on my Patreon.
www.patreon.com/posts/relati...
An approach to analog roleplaying game design that centers our relationship to one another over any other priority. A call to action for games with empathy as a foundational principal. Free to everyone on my Patreon.
www.patreon.com/posts/relati...
The Relationship Games Manifesto | Luck of the Harbor
Get more from Luck of the Harbor on Patreon
www.patreon.com
September 11, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Absolutely adore this — it really speaks to me both as a player and a designer, and it is clear and comprehensive in a way I didn’t personally find the Expressionist Games Manifesto to be
i think this is a really interesting glimpse into what jay dragon is thinking about as a designer: possumcreek.medium.com/the-expressi...
unfortunately i think it shouldn't be a manifesto, because it's not very clear, and it's not very generous to other designers.
unfortunately i think it shouldn't be a manifesto, because it's not very clear, and it's not very generous to other designers.
The Expressionist Games Manifesto
“Work! Intoxication! Brain-racking! Chewing, eating, gorging, rooting up! Rapturous birth pangs! Jabbing of the brush, preferably right…
possumcreek.medium.com
September 10, 2025 at 6:04 PM
i think this is a really interesting glimpse into what jay dragon is thinking about as a designer: possumcreek.medium.com/the-expressi...
unfortunately i think it shouldn't be a manifesto, because it's not very clear, and it's not very generous to other designers.
unfortunately i think it shouldn't be a manifesto, because it's not very clear, and it's not very generous to other designers.
I love fall - it's my most creative time of the year. I've got a short story and novel in the works, as well as a new ttrpg, a painting, and some embroidery art. Here's hoping I finish some of them before it becomes winter!
September 10, 2025 at 3:53 AM
I love fall - it's my most creative time of the year. I've got a short story and novel in the works, as well as a new ttrpg, a painting, and some embroidery art. Here's hoping I finish some of them before it becomes winter!
If you're looking for a verified donation drive to help a family in Gaza, I can vouch that one of my irl friends is helping with this one. Consider donating if you can! chuffed.org/project/1479...
Help Mohammed Hold On to Hope
Mohammed Abu Jaber is a kind, caring man living in Gaza, doing everything he can to support his family through unimaginable circumstances. Before October 2023, he had a successful business, but all of...
chuffed.org
September 10, 2025 at 3:36 AM
If you're looking for a verified donation drive to help a family in Gaza, I can vouch that one of my irl friends is helping with this one. Consider donating if you can! chuffed.org/project/1479...
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
4️⃣2️⃣ You have 42 hours left to buy Queer Games Bundle 2025. Get over 600 radical, heartfelt games and projects for $60 (or $10+), less than the price of one AAA game. This morning, we've passed $80,000 for queer artists.
itch.io/b/3062
itch.io/b/3062
September 8, 2025 at 12:31 PM
4️⃣2️⃣ You have 42 hours left to buy Queer Games Bundle 2025. Get over 600 radical, heartfelt games and projects for $60 (or $10+), less than the price of one AAA game. This morning, we've passed $80,000 for queer artists.
itch.io/b/3062
itch.io/b/3062
Halfway through!! Get in on this!!!
Coming soon from the Co-op: The Far Horizons Guide to Mysterious Locations, a universal #TTRPG supplement, on #Kickstarter!
Follow now to get notified when we go live next month, and be one of the first to back this amazing project.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/fal...
Follow now to get notified when we go live next month, and be one of the first to back this amazing project.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/fal...
Coming soon: Far Horizons Guide to Mysterious Locations
A system-agnostic tabletop supplement to add strange and magical locations to your game worlds.
www.kickstarter.com
September 2, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Halfway through!! Get in on this!!!
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
If you can read Spanish, I hope you like Sofón, Issue 1. It includes 17 SFF short stories and poems in Spanish, which I really enjoyed reading, editing, and putting together. Sofón is the third speculative fiction magazine from Mexico that pays its authors. I also did the cover art ^u^
August 24, 2025 at 7:12 AM
If you can read Spanish, I hope you like Sofón, Issue 1. It includes 17 SFF short stories and poems in Spanish, which I really enjoyed reading, editing, and putting together. Sofón is the third speculative fiction magazine from Mexico that pays its authors. I also did the cover art ^u^
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
(1)🚨ALL EYES ON INDONESIA🚨
It's 0.41. A.M. Local time. First they cut off the power in Kwitang & Senen. Then the snipers came. And now they're using live bullets.
Just 3 days ago the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission silenced the journalists to not broadcast the protests.
It's 0.41. A.M. Local time. First they cut off the power in Kwitang & Senen. Then the snipers came. And now they're using live bullets.
Just 3 days ago the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission silenced the journalists to not broadcast the protests.
August 30, 2025 at 6:44 PM
(1)🚨ALL EYES ON INDONESIA🚨
It's 0.41. A.M. Local time. First they cut off the power in Kwitang & Senen. Then the snipers came. And now they're using live bullets.
Just 3 days ago the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission silenced the journalists to not broadcast the protests.
It's 0.41. A.M. Local time. First they cut off the power in Kwitang & Senen. Then the snipers came. And now they're using live bullets.
Just 3 days ago the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission silenced the journalists to not broadcast the protests.
my favorite weird place in columbus is the subway entrance. you might think, hey, columbus doesn't have a subway! and you'd be right. but there's a subway entrance cover and staircase and it goes down into a hole and just stops. relic of a more ambitious time
the @farhorizonscoop.bsky.social Guide to Mysterious Locations has me wondering about weird places in cities that either everyone knows & doesn't talk about, or hardly anyone knows any (but they talk about them a the time).
for me, it's the Dark Arches in Leeds.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/fal...
for me, it's the Dark Arches in Leeds.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/fal...
August 30, 2025 at 8:50 PM
my favorite weird place in columbus is the subway entrance. you might think, hey, columbus doesn't have a subway! and you'd be right. but there's a subway entrance cover and staircase and it goes down into a hole and just stops. relic of a more ambitious time
another PDF for your hoard! this time it's a wee 5-page zine for doing a heist in the middle of your other games! mishagw.itch.io/heist-time
Heist Time! by misha.grifka@gmail.com
a system-neutral minigame
mishagw.itch.io
August 30, 2025 at 8:36 PM
another PDF for your hoard! this time it's a wee 5-page zine for doing a heist in the middle of your other games! mishagw.itch.io/heist-time
Reposted by Misha Grifka Wander
Archaeologist is an absolute steal at $50, because you get the Guide to Mysterious Locations as well as games from @falconianp.bsky.social (PAVED IN BLOOD), @phophos.bsky.social (GHOSTBOX), @keithasada.bsky.social (CHARMED LIFE), and @mishagw.bsky.social (THE LONG ROAD AFTER WAKING). Banger deal.
August 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Archaeologist is an absolute steal at $50, because you get the Guide to Mysterious Locations as well as games from @falconianp.bsky.social (PAVED IN BLOOD), @phophos.bsky.social (GHOSTBOX), @keithasada.bsky.social (CHARMED LIFE), and @mishagw.bsky.social (THE LONG ROAD AFTER WAKING). Banger deal.