Keith Ammann 🔜 PAXU
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themonstersknow.com
Keith Ammann 🔜 PAXU
@themonstersknow.com
3.9K followers 570 following 4.8K posts
ENNIE-winning author of The Monsters Know What They're Doing and other stuff. Humanist, antifascist, curmudgeon. Teeth on the board. ✶✶✶✶

Home: spyandowl.com
Blog: themonstersknow.com
Newsletter: onefootinfairyland.com
Mastodon: dice.camp/@KeithAmmann
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themonstersknow.com
This Saturday, 11/15, join me and @blackgirlmage.bsky.social, @dreamwisp.bsky.social, @themightyjerd.bsky.social and @urbanbohemian.com as we play D&D and raise funds in support of our neighbors who are being threatened with harassment, assault and kidnapping in the name of immigration enforcement.
A promotional image for The Ones Who Endure: A D&D Charity Stream in Support of Our Neighbors' Rights and Dignity. It includes headshots of DM Keith Ammann and players Brian Gray, Jen Kretchmer, Lexi McQueen and Jeff Mueller. The players' headshots are accompanied by banners adapted from the municipal flags of Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Portland, Oregon. Per the image, the stream begins at 6 PM U.S. Eastern Time, 5 PM Central Time, 3 PM Pacific Time.
November 11, 2025 at 1:24 AM
themonstersknow.com
This Saturday, 11/15, join me and @blackgirlmage.bsky.social, @dreamwisp.bsky.social, @themightyjerd.bsky.social and @urbanbohemian.com as we play D&D and raise funds in support of our neighbors who are being threatened with harassment, assault and kidnapping in the name of immigration enforcement.
A promotional image for The Ones Who Endure: A D&D Charity Stream in Support of Our Neighbors' Rights and Dignity. It includes headshots of DM Keith Ammann and players Brian Gray, Jen Kretchmer, Lexi McQueen and Jeff Mueller. The players' headshots are accompanied by banners adapted from the municipal flags of Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Portland, Oregon. Per the image, the stream begins at 6 PM U.S. Eastern Time, 5 PM Central Time, 3 PM Pacific Time.
November 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
themonstersknow.com
Gingerbread but make it spooky
A square pan of gingerbread, dotted with candy eyes of various sizes. Many of the eyes have melted slightly or sunk down into the gingerbread.
November 3, 2025 at 12:19 AM
themonstersknow.com
A row of handpainted green "gravestones" that read "Dearly Departed / Separation of Powers / 1789–2025 / Three Branches One Grave"; "In Loving Memory / Rule of Law / 1789–2025 / Eroded by Corruption"; "Empathy / Gone but Not Forgotten / RIP"; "Here Lies [sic] Science & Evidence / 1543–2025 / Buried Under Alternative Facts"; and "RIP Due Process / 1791–2025 / Short-Circuited by Unchecked Power."
October 31, 2025 at 11:02 PM
themonstersknow.com
Like hell I do @latimes.com
A pop-up window on the Los Angeles Times website that reads, "By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include ARBITRATION AND A CLASS ACTION WAIVER … You agree that we AND OUR THIRD-PARTY VENDORS may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies for … personalizing your experience and ads."
October 31, 2025 at 11:22 AM
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Good morning #GameholeCon from my last game of the weekend. The ventilation in the New Holland pavilion is working much better with this morning's smaller crowd—CO2 pretty consistently in the 600s all morning. Almost as good as being outside!
An Aranet4 reading 658 ppm CO2 in front of a Pathfinder GM screen.
October 19, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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A pleasant surprise: Contrary to my prediction yesterday, the CO2 level in the #GameholeCon vendor hall has remained fairly steady in the 1,000–1,100 ppm range. It's a great time to go shopping—and to get a signed copy of MAKING ENEMIES from Chimera Hobby Shop! I'll be here till 6 PM.
An Aranet4 reading 1,101 ppm CO2.
October 18, 2025 at 8:47 PM
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Levels stayed in the 800s and 900s for most of the morning, so that's not too bad. That 1,300+ reading must have been a fluke.
October 18, 2025 at 6:11 PM
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Weirdly, it's just dropped back down to 838 ppm. They must have just cranked up the ventilation.
Same image as before, but the CO2 reading on the Aranet4 has fallen to 838 ppm.
October 18, 2025 at 2:06 PM
themonstersknow.com
Good morning, #GameholeCon!

I'm running a D&D game in the New Holland pavilion this morning, and WOW. CO2 was in the 600s when I entered half an hour ago but is already up over 1300. If you have a game over here, you may want to bring a mask.
A middle-aged, bearded white guy with glasses, wearing a baby blue NO KINGS T-shirt and a navy blue overshirt with an enamel pin of the Chicago city flag. A rosewood dice tower, some miniatures and an Aranet4 reading 1,328 ppm CO2.
October 18, 2025 at 2:03 PM
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5:45 in the #GameholeCon vendor hall, and the CO2 level has been rising steadily since around 3:15 PM. Expect higher levels tomorrow afternoon.
An Aranet4 showing a reading of 1,248 ppm CO2.
October 17, 2025 at 10:51 PM
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Looking for me at #GameholeCon? I'm signing books until 6 PM. Find me next to Chimera Hobby Shop in Hall A!
A middle-aged, bearded white guy with glasses sits at a table with a green cover, next to a blow-up of a book cover.
October 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
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Shadowdark game is done, and the CO2's been rising in the Monona Room. First reading was from our halftime break, second when we wrapped up.

I'll be signing books by Chimera's booth in Hall A from 2 to 6.
The Shadowdark rulebook, a picture of a dwarf who's lost a leg, and an Aranet4 reading 1,084 ppm CO2. The Shadowdark rulebook, an illustration of a horrible subterranean arthropod, and an Aranet4 reading 1,252 ppm CO2.
October 17, 2025 at 6:25 PM
themonstersknow.com
Good morning from #GameholeCon! About to start my Shadowdark game in the Monona Room, where the air quality is excellent so far (as it has been everywhere except the Mendota atrium and surrounding rooms—might want to mask up if you're going to be spending much time there).
A Shadowdark rulebook and an Aranet4 reading 598 ppm CO2.
October 17, 2025 at 1:58 PM
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We're at the halfway point of my #GameholeCon Cypher game, "Burning Bright," in which our five heroes try to solve the mystery of … the Calavazo!
Five place cards with acrylic stand-up miniatures: Viola, a Naive Wander Whip Lived Among the Fey; Lucinda, a Virtuous Spirit Who Blazes With Radiance; Isabel, a Perceptive Huntress Who Slays Monsters; Lou, a Vicious Wolf Who Fights Dirty; and Henry, a Craven Prince Who Runs Away.
October 16, 2025 at 9:11 PM
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#GameholeCon air quality report: Not bad in the vendor hall, but a number like this on Thursday morning means it could get pretty high on Saturday afternoon. Will keep an eye on it.
October 16, 2025 at 4:54 PM
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Good morning from #GameholeCon, the best four days of gaming in Wisconsin and neighboring states! The air in the convention center is fresh (for now), and the halls are PACKED with gaming tables. Looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones! But also Making Enemies. 😉)
A middle-aged, bearded white guy wearing a gray T-shirt under a navy blue overshirt, holding up his convention badge. An Aranet4 air quality monitor showing a reading of 576 ppm CO2.
October 16, 2025 at 2:43 PM
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Speaking of framing things appropriately
Screenshot of the last two posts by unraveled, followed by the Endless Screaming account going "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH"
October 14, 2025 at 11:00 PM
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Screenshot from an SMS conversation: "There's a Cooper's hawk trying to hang out along the alley and the crows are absolutely hounding it. Following it just far enough away it can't catch them while screaming and flapping around it so it can't catch anything. A real metaphor for life" "Rooting for the crows NGL" "They always win"
October 13, 2025 at 9:37 PM
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Political map of Latin America in which Argentina is labeled "Self-described left but actually a form of economic chaos theory."
October 10, 2025 at 1:26 AM
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Nice. The judge gets it.
From the judge's order: Agents "must have visible identification (for which a unique recognizable alphanumeric identifier sequence will suffice) affixed to their uniforms or helmets and prominently displayed, including when wearing riot gear."
October 9, 2025 at 6:21 PM
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If you're in Chicago, you can catch me in person this week reading from MAKING ENEMIES:

Friday, Oct. 10, 7 PM at the Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave.
Sunday, Oct. 12, 3:30 PM at Chicagoland Games, 5550 N. Broadway

Hope you see you there!
A hardbound copy of Making Enemies rests on a wooden dining table. On the cover, a huge, pearlescent arthropod bursts out of a subterranean crevice and drives one of its large barbed claws through a dwarf fighter's abdomen, while another dwarf cowers in fear. The book is surrounded by blue and red polyhedral dice.
October 7, 2025 at 11:47 PM
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The municipal flag of the city of Chicago: two light blue horizontal stripes on a field of white, with four red, six-pointed stars between them.
October 7, 2025 at 11:35 PM
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TODAY'S THE DAY! Making Enemies: Monster Design Inspiration for Tabletop Roleplaying Games, with cover illustration by @kroovv.bsky.social and interior illos by @jencmars.bsky.social, is now on shelves!

Get it at your friendly local game store or through one of these links: spyandowl.com/making...
A hardbound copy of Making Enemies on a wooden dining table. On the cover, a huge, pearlescent arthropod bursts out of a subterranean crevice and drives one of its large barbed claws through a dwarf fighter's abdomen, while another dwarf cowers in fear. The book is surrounded by blue and red polyhedral dice.
October 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
themonstersknow.com
Never accept ICE's version of events before checking with the locals. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/05/f...
Rapid response teams, which work to document immigration enforcement activity, said they did not see officers being boxed in. Instead, federal agents crashed into a civilian car and caused a multi-car crash on Kedzie Avenue, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council and the Southwest Rapid Response team said in a joint statement. “Today’s ICE and [Border Patrol] operation on the southwest side of Chicago brought together all of [Homeland Security’s] brutal tactics in one neighborhood — including their history of lying about their operations,” the groups said. “Our communities have rejected and will continue to reject this violence on our families.”
October 6, 2025 at 9:50 AM