Michael Bolis
banner
summonedmonkey.bsky.social
Michael Bolis
@summonedmonkey.bsky.social
Romantic Ace Mech Pilot, affable cynic, father, habitual resistor, tabletop RPG enthusiast. I like Space and the things in it. He/Him.
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Some of the architecture I designed for my original setting 👀

#art
December 30, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Let’s swap out the fragile, slowly maturing frontal cortexes of society’s teens and replace them with a soulless, sycophantic pattern recognizing machine designed by hubristic, Ayn Rand obsessed simpletons with no historical sensibility, & whose main motivation is profit maximization. This is fine.
Adam Raine’s life hurtled toward tragedy soon after he began talking with ChatGPT about homework. Analysis of his ChatGPT account shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
74 suicide warnings and 243 mentions of hanging: What ChatGPT said to a suicidal teen
Analysis of high-schooler Adam Raine’s ChatGPT account by attorneys for his parents shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Rob Reiner either made your favorite movie, or made somebody you know’s favorite movie. If you’re a Californian, he’s also part of the reason you or your friends can get married. He has changed more lives for the better than this asshole commenting on him ever did.
December 15, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Werner Herzog could tempt me back to Instagram
el instagram de herzog es una de las mejores cosas que me pasó en este último tiempo.
December 14, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Apocalypse World: Burned Over
The 3rd edition of the groundbreaking original.
www.kickstarter.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Alan Wake 2
November 1, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
October 21, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
My latest 13th Sage column is up on the @pelgranepress.bsky.social website! I discuss using friction between the icons—both as a GM and as a designer—to create dilemmas and opportunities for heroes in the 13th Age #TTRPG. I hope it’s useful! pelgranepress.com/2025/09/07/a...
13th Sage: Iconic Intrigues
I often talk about how icon relationships are a powerful resource in the players’ hands. In this article, I’m going to discuss how I use the presence of mul
pelgranepress.com
September 8, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filling an IV bag from a murky puddle near Trump National's sixth tee. "The president needs parameciums," he tells the assembled media. "It's the only treatment proven to work in real testing." His golf cart is piled high with dozens of dead birds.
September 1, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
RIP, Terence Stamp. One of the great ones. May need to do a Limey rewatch tonight.
August 17, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
How to be an Alpha Male (per silent movies)

- Cross-dress regularly
- Climb up the sides of buildings
- Kick cops in the backside
- Befriend cute dogs
- Possibly become an anarchist or Bolshevik
- Wear spats
- Punch the crowns out of hats
- Fake it with a player piano
- Date Phyllis Haver
July 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Anyways, it is SUPERMAN week!
July 10, 2025 at 5:47 AM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
NEW QUINNS QUEST REVIEW!

At a time when fantasy RPG releases are competing for attention like crabs in a bucket, Mythic Bastionland by @bastionland.bsky.social upends that bucket and sets us all free. It's simple, it's genius, it's like nothing you've ever played.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4-u...
Quinns Quest Reviews: Mythic Bastionland!
YouTube video by Quinns Quest
www.youtube.com
July 2, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
The longest running zine in roleplaying history has come to an end. Thank you, Lee Gold, for Alarums & Excursions.

Here's an article with a number of good links.
attronarch.com/goodbye-to-a...
Goodbye to Alarums & Excursions APA
After five decades of continuous publication, the legendary Alarums & Excursions APA has come to an end. Lee Gold shared so with us, re...
attronarch.com
May 28, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
TTRPG creators feel this in their bones.
June 4, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
So let me get this straight: masks are bad and un-American if worn to fight a pandemic, but good if worn by people claiming to be government agents when they kidnap people off the street
May 10, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
can’t imagine why luigi became an overnight folk hero and sex symbol
May 9, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Caverns of Thracia continues to be a master work of dungeon design and @nickoten.bsky.social does a nice job further laying out why in this post, go read it: pathikablog.com/2025/05/05/h...

And make time to at least run a ~10 session game of Thracia with OD&D or clone!
How Jennell Jaquays Evolved Dungeon Design, Part 2: The Caverns of Thracia
(Continued from Part 1, which looked at the state of TTRPG dungeon design pre-Jaquays. These two posts are cleaned up versions of my two Bluesky threads on the subject.) In Part 1, we reviewed earl…
pathikablog.com
May 5, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Fired for being nice to someone. For trying to help them feel comfortable. For not being abusive. For doing her job

Anti-trans laws are evil
A Florida high school teacher has been fired for using a student's chosen name instead of their deadname, a first under a 2023 law signed by Ron DeSantis. “She is a beloved teacher that changed her students’ lives” said one parent leading a petition with 7,400 signatures demanding her reinstatement
Florida teacher loses job for calling student by preferred name
It’s the first known dismissal stemming from the conservative campaign to limit schools' recognition of transgender identity.
wapo.st
April 10, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
*cocks head to the side like a confused dog*

Huh. Fellas, I guess having sex with women makes us gay now.
April 9, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
One of my favorite weird signs at the rally
April 5, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Been a fan of your work through your Dungeon Magazine adventures and eventual stewardship. If I saw your name, I knew it was worth my $7.99. Enjoy!
Today I retire from Wizards of the Coast after 28 years. With D&D’s 50th anniversary wrapping up and the revised rulebooks doing gangbusters, this is the perfect fairytale ending for me. I can’t wait to enjoy D&D purely as a fan again, knowing the game is in good hands. See you in the Feywild!
a cartoon character is holding a sparkler and a green ball is flying in the air
ALT: a cartoon character is holding a sparkler and a green ball is flying in the air
media.tenor.com
April 4, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Michael Bolis
Cory Booker on the Senate floor going through the 3.5ed Monster Manual checking the stat blocks for accurate skill synergy bonuses
Cory Booker is on the Senate floor explaining the D&D Grapple rules.
Cory Booker is on the Senate floor giving Elden Ring boss-fight tips.
April 1, 2025 at 10:26 PM