Nathan Russell
@perilplanet.bsky.social
🇦🇺 Game designer. Dad. Teacher. Adventurer. Not in that order. Designer of Freeform Universal, Neon City Overdrive, Hard City and weird little games.
I'm in Brisbane this weekend for Go Play Brisbane! I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones.
#goplaybrisbane #brisbane #tabletopRPG
#goplaybrisbane #brisbane #tabletopRPG
August 29, 2025 at 9:11 AM
I'm in Brisbane this weekend for Go Play Brisbane! I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones.
#goplaybrisbane #brisbane #tabletopRPG
#goplaybrisbane #brisbane #tabletopRPG
I mean, look at these nerds!
June 21, 2025 at 10:13 PM
I mean, look at these nerds!
Another early start as I return to Sydney for SuperNova. This time I am chaperoning my daughters and their friends so they can meet their favourite fantasy author. What a bunch of nerds! 😃 #supernova #popculture #ThingsWeDoForOurKids #booknerds
June 21, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Another early start as I return to Sydney for SuperNova. This time I am chaperoning my daughters and their friends so they can meet their favourite fantasy author. What a bunch of nerds! 😃 #supernova #popculture #ThingsWeDoForOurKids #booknerds
It was a 5.30am start today, heading to Sydney for Free RPG Day. I am excited!
June 20, 2025 at 9:48 PM
It was a 5.30am start today, heading to Sydney for Free RPG Day. I am excited!
We are doing "Australia's Biggest Morning Tea" fundraiser at work today, and a co-worker made this amazing cupcake topper of my book! #BiggestMorningTea #HardCity #CancerCouncil @ospreygames.bsky.social
May 22, 2025 at 11:24 PM
We are doing "Australia's Biggest Morning Tea" fundraiser at work today, and a co-worker made this amazing cupcake topper of my book! #BiggestMorningTea #HardCity #CancerCouncil @ospreygames.bsky.social
Found this evidence that we may in fact be living in the future. Now, where did I park my mech?
January 31, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Found this evidence that we may in fact be living in the future. Now, where did I park my mech?
I saw Hard City in the "wild" while at CanCon this weekend!
January 27, 2025 at 3:20 AM
I saw Hard City in the "wild" while at CanCon this weekend!
I went to a museum exhibition about Pompeii yesterday & saw these very old dice. Got me thinking about what the oldest game in my collection is. The game I've had the longest is probably the remains of my red box DnD set. The oldest game though is a 1st edition copy of Traveller.
What about you?
What about you?
January 24, 2025 at 9:07 PM
I went to a museum exhibition about Pompeii yesterday & saw these very old dice. Got me thinking about what the oldest game in my collection is. The game I've had the longest is probably the remains of my red box DnD set. The oldest game though is a 1st edition copy of Traveller.
What about you?
What about you?
Here's a picture of our pretty girl, living her best life. We lost her sister earlier this year and she has been spoiled rotten since. It took me quite a while to realise how that loss affected me, but I am so grateful to still have this cutie in our lives.
December 31, 2024 at 1:36 AM
Here's a picture of our pretty girl, living her best life. We lost her sister earlier this year and she has been spoiled rotten since. It took me quite a while to realise how that loss affected me, but I am so grateful to still have this cutie in our lives.
Screenshot whatever you are currently listening to and suggest a game to accompany it!
This came on my Spotify and I thought "Hmmmm, perhaps World Wife Wrestling"...
This came on my Spotify and I thought "Hmmmm, perhaps World Wife Wrestling"...
December 20, 2024 at 3:41 AM
Screenshot whatever you are currently listening to and suggest a game to accompany it!
This came on my Spotify and I thought "Hmmmm, perhaps World Wife Wrestling"...
This came on my Spotify and I thought "Hmmmm, perhaps World Wife Wrestling"...
When the T-1000 meets Donald Duck...
December 13, 2024 at 2:22 AM
When the T-1000 meets Donald Duck...
A game of 19th century adventure with zeppelins and fairies and all kinds of courtly intrigue in a fantastic Europa. The game is presented as if a modern-day time traveller visits the world and teaches the people about RPGs. It uses cards, because dice are too common for gentlemen and ladies!
December 8, 2024 at 7:05 AM
A game of 19th century adventure with zeppelins and fairies and all kinds of courtly intrigue in a fantastic Europa. The game is presented as if a modern-day time traveller visits the world and teaches the people about RPGs. It uses cards, because dice are too common for gentlemen and ladies!
The Project A-ko RPG is based on the anime of the same name. (Check out the anime, it's hilarious.) The game uses a version of the Silhouette System, with a neat card-based combat. It is simple, straightforward and fun. What's your favourite anime RPG?
December 7, 2024 at 9:06 PM
The Project A-ko RPG is based on the anime of the same name. (Check out the anime, it's hilarious.) The game uses a version of the Silhouette System, with a neat card-based combat. It is simple, straightforward and fun. What's your favourite anime RPG?
Underground - is it a superhero game? A cyberpunk game? A commentary on society that may still be relevant 30 years later? Some very cool ideas in this. I particularly like how your actions affect the status of neighbourhoods, which are tracked with ratings in different areas.
December 6, 2024 at 9:33 PM
Underground - is it a superhero game? A cyberpunk game? A commentary on society that may still be relevant 30 years later? Some very cool ideas in this. I particularly like how your actions affect the status of neighbourhoods, which are tracked with ratings in different areas.
Savage World's is a fast-playing and flexible generic rules set that is great for pulpy action games. I like that miniature battle rules are baked right in but not necessary to play. My favourite part of this edition - it was so cheap everyone could have a copy.
December 5, 2024 at 8:40 AM
Savage World's is a fast-playing and flexible generic rules set that is great for pulpy action games. I like that miniature battle rules are baked right in but not necessary to play. My favourite part of this edition - it was so cheap everyone could have a copy.
Tell me you're a roleplayer from the 90s without telling me.... SLA Industries by Nightfall games. I don't even know how to describe it. 😃 How would you describe it?
December 4, 2024 at 6:58 AM
Tell me you're a roleplayer from the 90s without telling me.... SLA Industries by Nightfall games. I don't even know how to describe it. 😃 How would you describe it?
Dark Sun is my favourite D&D setting. I don't know if this is because it is so different from the other settings, or because it came out during my influential teen years, or because I love classic pulp stories like those of John Carter of Mars.
December 4, 2024 at 6:55 AM
Dark Sun is my favourite D&D setting. I don't know if this is because it is so different from the other settings, or because it came out during my influential teen years, or because I love classic pulp stories like those of John Carter of Mars.
Traveller - the grandaddy of sci-fi RPGs and an incredibly influential part of our hobby history. There have been many editions, but this little black box is iconic.
December 4, 2024 at 6:47 AM
Traveller - the grandaddy of sci-fi RPGs and an incredibly influential part of our hobby history. There have been many editions, but this little black box is iconic.
Space 1889 is a game of Victorian science fiction, where Mars, Venus etc. were colonised in the 19th century. It is far less steampunk than you might expect, probably because it was written before the advent of that popular subgenre. It is more inspired by the science fiction of the 19th century.
December 3, 2024 at 9:17 PM
Space 1889 is a game of Victorian science fiction, where Mars, Venus etc. were colonised in the 19th century. It is far less steampunk than you might expect, probably because it was written before the advent of that popular subgenre. It is more inspired by the science fiction of the 19th century.
A Penny For Your Thoughts, by Paul Tevis, puts players in the role of amnesiacs working together to discover each other's histories. It can be fun, but I would discuss your safety tools before playing. The alternate setting where you are all spies is great, too.
December 2, 2024 at 8:03 AM
A Penny For Your Thoughts, by Paul Tevis, puts players in the role of amnesiacs working together to discover each other's histories. It can be fun, but I would discuss your safety tools before playing. The alternate setting where you are all spies is great, too.
Elves? Cyberware? A dragon for president? What more do you want chummer! We fell hard for Shadowrun when it first arrived on the scene in the early 90s and the setting makes it easy to forgive any problems with the rules.
December 2, 2024 at 7:59 AM
Elves? Cyberware? A dragon for president? What more do you want chummer! We fell hard for Shadowrun when it first arrived on the scene in the early 90s and the setting makes it easy to forgive any problems with the rules.
I don't even know what it is I like about this iteration of the D20 system, but I remember enjoying it immensely. The classes based on stats and the talent trees were a cool innovation (for D20) that made character creation quite flexible and fun. The genre supplements were also great.
December 1, 2024 at 11:19 PM
I don't even know what it is I like about this iteration of the D20 system, but I remember enjoying it immensely. The classes based on stats and the talent trees were a cool innovation (for D20) that made character creation quite flexible and fun. The genre supplements were also great.
I really enjoyed this edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. For me, it captured a nice balance between the grimness and wackiness of the Old World.
December 1, 2024 at 10:33 AM
I really enjoyed this edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. For me, it captured a nice balance between the grimness and wackiness of the Old World.
Star Wars by West End Games. What an amazing game. It really captured the feel of the original films, and the additional supplements and adventures actually contributed to the official lore of the setting. Also, it uses dice pools, which I love! Have you played this version of Star Wars?
December 1, 2024 at 10:30 AM
Star Wars by West End Games. What an amazing game. It really captured the feel of the original films, and the additional supplements and adventures actually contributed to the official lore of the setting. Also, it uses dice pools, which I love! Have you played this version of Star Wars?