Russell Phillips
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rpbook.bsky.social
Russell Phillips
@rpbook.bsky.social
400 followers 12 following 410 posts
UK based military history & RPG author.

My main social media is https://gts.phillipsuk.org/@rpbook - you can follow that account on BlueSky at @rpbook.gts.phillipsuk.org.ap.brid.gy

Most posts from that account are copied here.

https://russellphillips.uk
Posts Replies Media Videos
rpbook.bsky.social
I just discovered that the iPhone pocket is a thing. I honestly had to double-check that a) I was really on the Apple website, and b) it wasn't an April fools article.

It appears that yes, Apple is genuinely intending to sell a cloth pouch for £140-200 [1/2]
A white iPhone in a purple cloth pouch. The iPhone is on its side so that the cameras look like eyes, kind of like it's reclining on a sofa or something. Honestly, it's really weird.
November 12, 2025 at 9:35 AM
rpbook.bsky.social
I bought a set of polyhedral dice at a comic con recently. Today was my first chance to use them when my eldest ran a D&D one-shot.

First roll was a natural 20 😀

https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/ttrpg https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/dnd
A d20 in a wooden dice tower. It has landed on the 20
October 25, 2025 at 1:52 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
I was listening to the War Movie Theatre podcast talking about Who Dares Wins this morning. They reminded me of this excellent protest banner.

https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/movies https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/sas
Still from the film Who Dares Wins, showing a bunch of people marching at a protest. There is a big sign being held above their heads which reads "Drop trousers not bombs"
October 24, 2025 at 8:40 AM
rpbook.bsky.social
I've ridden 100 miles on my https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/ebike !
An ebike LCD display. The odometer reads 100.8 miles
October 16, 2025 at 3:03 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
Apparently I'm an old enough geek that I still have BNC connectors and terminators in my tool box. Just in case.
Several old BNC ethernet connectors and terminators joined together.
October 12, 2025 at 9:14 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
I've been playing RPGs on and off since the late 1980s. I have lots of dice, but until today, I'd never bought a set. Today my youngest and I went to the local Comic Con, and I bought a random set of dice.

https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/ttrpg https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/ttrpgcommunity
A bag labelled "Lightgun Retro Gaming Mystery RPG Dice. Contains 1 full set of RPG gaming dice (7 dice)". To the right of the bag are seven dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, percentage). The dice are translucent and slightly sparkly, with light blue numbers.
October 4, 2025 at 3:59 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
I have a small RedBubble shop. I've just added a new couple of designs. They're probably even more niche than my previous ones, but they might interest some people here.
https://www.redbubble.com/people/rpbook/shop?collections=4367810 [1/3]
A Tetrarch tank in the colours of the trans flag (horizontal stripes of light blue, light pink, white, light pink, light blue) and the text "Protect trans kids" A Tetrarch tank in the colours of the pride flag (horizontal stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet) and the text "Tanks are for everyone"
September 29, 2025 at 10:43 AM
rpbook.bsky.social
At a friend's house, and getting called out.
Photo of a black bag labeled "Bag of useless cables I will never use"
September 27, 2025 at 10:07 AM
rpbook.bsky.social
Won a "paint your own unicorn" kit at Pride today 😀
A white unicorn in a box with a clear window. The box is labelled "Paint your own unicorn". Also just visible in the box window is a paintbrush and yellow and pink pots of paint. The box around the clear window is decorated in rainbow colours, with a unicorn, paintbrush, stars and moon.
September 6, 2025 at 3:03 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
New blog post about the Second World War pencils that helped Allied airmen escape.

https://russellphillips.uk/the-pencils-that-helped-allied-airmen-to-escape/

@histodons @militaryhistory @worldwarshistory [1/2]
Modern replica of an escape pencil in a green presentation case. There is a complete green pencil, and the component parts - green pencil barrel, rolled up map, tiny compass, ferrule, and rubber.
August 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
It's https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/internationaldogday . Snowy wishes every dog and dog lover plenty of treats and belly rubs.

https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/dogstodon https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/doggiverse
A small white dog lying down on the back of a brown sofa. She's wearing a rainbow bandana. A small white dog sitting and looking at the camera. She's wearing a short brown neck tie.
August 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
This morning we met a giant five-headed monkey. Luckily, it was friendly.
A mechanical five-headed monkey costume. A person has the torso and legs strapped to her, the arms are operated by two other people.
August 23, 2025 at 12:54 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
Also yesterday, we saw Barriere. As they say, "life is great while you wait". More fun than it had any right to be 😀
Three women on a pole at about 45 degrees, playing instruments, with a man at the bottom singing.
August 23, 2025 at 12:25 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
Yesterday we saw I am D(d)eaf, Destroyer of Words.
A man in grey doing an act. He is holding his grey hat out to his front. Sorry, I really don't know how better to describe this 🫤
August 23, 2025 at 12:24 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
We watched Leverage: Redemption tonight, and I noticed that https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/openstreetmap got a mention in the credits 😀
A TV screen showing credits: Video/images supplied by iStock. Stock media provided by Pond5. Maps courtesy of OpenStreetMap contributors.
June 25, 2025 at 10:14 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
I'm now the happy owner of an https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/ebike . I took it out today to map some new streets for https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/openstreetmap .
An orange Compass ebike, seen from front right.
June 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
Had a very good day at https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/cadburyworld today. Can recommend it for a day out.

Was particularly pleased to see a variety of https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/pride flags on display in the entrance, and that their disabled toilets are explicitly inclusive.
Lesbian and pansexual pride flags Bunting with triangular rainbow pride flags, and a trans pride flag Disabled toilet sign, with an "inclusive" label. Shows female, male, and mixed icons.
June 6, 2025 at 4:54 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
Our dog is staying with friends for a couple of days. So I took the opportunity to change the laces on my trainers.

Happy https://gts.phillipsuk.org/tags/pride month 🙂
A pair of black trainers. The laces are coloured yellow, white, purple, black - the colours of the #NonBinary flag.
June 6, 2025 at 8:24 AM
rpbook.bsky.social
I've set up a store so that you can now buy my books directly from me. To celebrate, until Friday 9th May you can use code FEDI25 to get 25% off all purchases.

russellphillips.uk/books/

#ColdWar #IndieTTRPG #MilitaryHistory #SecondWorldWar
Six book covers in a row, all by Russell Phillips. The books are Setting Europe Ablaze, Operation Nimrod, A Damn Close-Run Thing, A Strange Campaign, A Ray of Light, and The Epiphany Club and the Great Library of Alexandria.
May 1, 2025 at 9:25 AM
rpbook.bsky.social
Please help. I'd like to contact Norman A Hughes, the artist that painted this, or his heirs:
artuk.org/discover/art...

I want to contact them to discuss licensing that image, but I can't find any trace of him online.

1/2

#art #artist #copyright #painting #SecondWorldWar #MilitaryHistory
Painting of a Whitley bomber flying over an aqueduct, dropping a container by parachute.
March 23, 2025 at 4:54 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
I'm not having a lot of luck with contacting people in Italy to research my next book. A post to a local Facebook group was rejected.

Now my letter to Italy has arrived in the US 🙄

Does anyone know if it's likely to get to its destination in Italy?

#research #Italy #histodons #RoyalMail
Screenshot of Royal Mail tracking a letter. It says the destination is Italy and that the item has reached the sorting office in the destination country. The latest tracking history entry is "Item received at Sorting Office. FLUSHING, United States of America"
March 12, 2025 at 7:56 AM
rpbook.bsky.social
My titles are discounted at #DriveThruRPG for their GM's Day Sale, and they're also discounted at #WargameVault .

DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/3798/Shilka-Publishing?affiliate_id=235519&src=fediverse

Wargame Vault:
GM's Day Sale promo graphic. Blank D20 and "GM's Day Sale is on!" at the top, "Save up to 40% off" at the bottom. Covers of three books in the middle: A Ray of Light, Setting Europe Ablaze, and The Bear's Claws.
March 4, 2025 at 10:53 AM
rpbook.bsky.social
I love Si Clarke's #books .

Her Starship Teapot series is cosy #SciFi that reminds me of Douglas Adams.

Her Devon Island Mars Colony series goes into detail about what would be needed to set up a colony on Mars.

The Vigilauntie Justice series has old ladies doing whatever is necessary to keep
Promo graphic for Starship Teapot by Si Clarke. Has a tablet with the screen showing the cover of a three-book bundle, and quotes from reviews.
February 10, 2025 at 11:38 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
Starting the year with the Lord of the Rings #BoardGame , and a rare win. We lost Sam and Merry, but Frodo cast the one ring into Mount Doom and saved Middle Earth.
The Lord of the Rings board game. There is a board depicting Mordor, with two hobbits, Gollum, and Mount Doom. There are seven cards depicting various foes, and a corruption track with five hobbit figures around a Sauron figure.
January 1, 2025 at 11:24 PM
rpbook.bsky.social
I spent today at Tunstall #library in #StokeOnTrent . It used to be in the same building as a swimming pool, which I thought was wonderfully eccentric.

It moved a few years ago, and is now at the top of this fantastic staircase.
A beautiful large staircase that splits at the top.
December 13, 2024 at 7:16 PM