Jeremy Robinson
@shimokitajer.bsky.social
Interested in Japan, board games, gaming and education, etc.
Japan's old calendar placed their new year at what was viewed as the "beginning" of spring. Of course they also had 24 seasonal divisions rather than just 12 months. But even a century and a half later there's still a widespread self image that Japan "feels" the seasons more strongly.
December 31, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Japan's old calendar placed their new year at what was viewed as the "beginning" of spring. Of course they also had 24 seasonal divisions rather than just 12 months. But even a century and a half later there's still a widespread self image that Japan "feels" the seasons more strongly.
One of my favorites, and 3p is definitely the way to go.
December 5, 2025 at 12:46 PM
One of my favorites, and 3p is definitely the way to go.
The book is the medium. If you change the medium it's not a book and you aren't "consuming" it in the same way. That doesn't mean it's a worse way -- in some cases it might even be better -- but there's no way to pretend it's the same experience.
November 19, 2025 at 7:33 PM
The book is the medium. If you change the medium it's not a book and you aren't "consuming" it in the same way. That doesn't mean it's a worse way -- in some cases it might even be better -- but there's no way to pretend it's the same experience.
No, audio books are not a form of reading. They are something different and equally valid as an experience (so no "poopoo the blind" thank you very much) but they are not reading. Engaging with words in written form is a fundamentally different experience from engaging with them in spoken form.
November 19, 2025 at 7:29 PM
No, audio books are not a form of reading. They are something different and equally valid as an experience (so no "poopoo the blind" thank you very much) but they are not reading. Engaging with words in written form is a fundamentally different experience from engaging with them in spoken form.
Thanks! Looking forward to it!
November 2, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Thanks! Looking forward to it!
Not able to access that site. Not sure if it's you or me, but the problem is the same whether I try to access it here or from your Design Diary on BGG.
November 2, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Not able to access that site. Not sure if it's you or me, but the problem is the same whether I try to access it here or from your Design Diary on BGG.
That's what the sword is for.
September 6, 2025 at 9:48 PM
That's what the sword is for.
No need to be focused. That's the point of a rant, and I totally get where it's coming from. I think we are all feeling the pressure change.
September 3, 2025 at 3:13 PM
No need to be focused. That's the point of a rant, and I totally get where it's coming from. I think we are all feeling the pressure change.
As Theodore Sturgeon said, ninety percent of everything is crap. More games means more crap but I'm glad we have reached a point where the 10% that isn't crap includes a lot more games than it used to.
September 3, 2025 at 12:43 AM
As Theodore Sturgeon said, ninety percent of everything is crap. More games means more crap but I'm glad we have reached a point where the 10% that isn't crap includes a lot more games than it used to.
I agree with much of this, but I think you're conflating two separate issues that are both the result of the expansion of the industry rather than the cause of any changes within it.
September 3, 2025 at 12:35 AM
I agree with much of this, but I think you're conflating two separate issues that are both the result of the expansion of the industry rather than the cause of any changes within it.
Apologies for assuming so.
Mmmm. J. Michael Straczynski.... mmmmmm.....
Mmmm. J. Michael Straczynski.... mmmmmm.....
August 27, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Apologies for assuming so.
Mmmm. J. Michael Straczynski.... mmmmmm.....
Mmmm. J. Michael Straczynski.... mmmmmm.....
I guess I read this differently. To me it sounded like he was saying that anyone who knew the comics could see this was the way to pull together the disparate pieces that had been created piecemeal in the MCU. But maybe that's giving him too much credit?
August 27, 2025 at 11:32 PM
I guess I read this differently. To me it sounded like he was saying that anyone who knew the comics could see this was the way to pull together the disparate pieces that had been created piecemeal in the MCU. But maybe that's giving him too much credit?
100%. If you'd told me at the beginning of the year that I'd like Thunderbolts more than either Superman or Fantastic Four, I'd have thought you were crazy, but there we are.
August 13, 2025 at 12:10 AM
100%. If you'd told me at the beginning of the year that I'd like Thunderbolts more than either Superman or Fantastic Four, I'd have thought you were crazy, but there we are.
Sorry Musk. Fundamentally misunderstand woke, go broke.
March 29, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Sorry Musk. Fundamentally misunderstand woke, go broke.
No, what we need is a news media that does many many stories giving attention to predictable consequences before they occur rather than highlighting the regrets of those who caused it after the fact. But yes, me thinking that will actually happen is ridiculous.
February 21, 2025 at 5:35 PM
No, what we need is a news media that does many many stories giving attention to predictable consequences before they occur rather than highlighting the regrets of those who caused it after the fact. But yes, me thinking that will actually happen is ridiculous.
Oh no! One of the guys who fucked us all over also got fucked over! Somebody help this poor man!
February 21, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Oh no! One of the guys who fucked us all over also got fucked over! Somebody help this poor man!
#6 will shock you!
#3 is just "Hank McCoy"
#3 is just "Hank McCoy"
January 26, 2025 at 3:31 PM
#6 will shock you!
#3 is just "Hank McCoy"
#3 is just "Hank McCoy"
I have friends who can't learn from rulebooks, so they watch videos. Or I learn the games and teach them. That isn't impugning their intelligence or calling them lazy, or suggesting that I learned the game "properly" and they didn't. They have other options and have taken advantage of them.
January 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I have friends who can't learn from rulebooks, so they watch videos. Or I learn the games and teach them. That isn't impugning their intelligence or calling them lazy, or suggesting that I learned the game "properly" and they didn't. They have other options and have taken advantage of them.
That's fine to take offense, but I said neither of those things. I said, from personal experience as a teacher, I've noticed my students aren't as good at learning from purely written materials than in previous years. And that's because there are other channels available to them.
January 18, 2025 at 1:59 PM
That's fine to take offense, but I said neither of those things. I said, from personal experience as a teacher, I've noticed my students aren't as good at learning from purely written materials than in previous years. And that's because there are other channels available to them.
I'd prefer you don't use what looks like a direct quote when it's not actually quoting me. I didn't say they can't handle it, I said they wouldn't accept it. And they shouldn't have to. Many games I've played aren't worth taking that time, and I certainly wouldnt trust the rulebook to tell me it is.
January 18, 2025 at 1:57 PM
I'd prefer you don't use what looks like a direct quote when it's not actually quoting me. I didn't say they can't handle it, I said they wouldn't accept it. And they shouldn't have to. Many games I've played aren't worth taking that time, and I certainly wouldnt trust the rulebook to tell me it is.
I think the answer to that is pretty simple. Most players simply wouldn't accept that.
January 18, 2025 at 1:39 PM
I think the answer to that is pretty simple. Most players simply wouldn't accept that.
Maybe I'm missing something, but how would a rulebook even begin to do #3? There are rulebooks that have a "If you're a beginner just do these actions for your first moves" section but that's still just another form of #1.
January 18, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Maybe I'm missing something, but how would a rulebook even begin to do #3? There are rulebooks that have a "If you're a beginner just do these actions for your first moves" section but that's still just another form of #1.
I think the larger issue I'm seeing (not just with game learners but with my own students) is that people are increasingly having difficulty absorbing information just in written form. I used to look down on this but it's simply that the available channels for information have increased.
January 18, 2025 at 1:30 PM
I think the larger issue I'm seeing (not just with game learners but with my own students) is that people are increasingly having difficulty absorbing information just in written form. I used to look down on this but it's simply that the available channels for information have increased.
I would argue that rulebooks that include a QR code to a learning video are saying "This book is the reference. Go here to get the learning guide." Fantasy Flight has taken the dual "how to play"/"rules reference" approach and I'm not sure it's any more effective.
January 18, 2025 at 1:27 PM
I would argue that rulebooks that include a QR code to a learning video are saying "This book is the reference. Go here to get the learning guide." Fantasy Flight has taken the dual "how to play"/"rules reference" approach and I'm not sure it's any more effective.
And even a very experienced player needs to actually play a game before really understanding it. The rulebook doesn't teach the game; it should guide you toward how you can learn the game yourself. But yes, many of them do that badly.
January 18, 2025 at 1:15 PM
And even a very experienced player needs to actually play a game before really understanding it. The rulebook doesn't teach the game; it should guide you toward how you can learn the game yourself. But yes, many of them do that badly.