vicnan.bsky.social
@vicnan.bsky.social
I get to play in a whole variety of things: work in tech, adjunct teach futures & systems thinking, play indie games & TTRPGs.


🍪 🇸🇬 🏳️‍🌈 🎲 🍜 👾

#singapore #ttrpg #rpgsea #gamemaster #dungeonmaster #discworld #pratchett #dnd #southeastasia #lgbtqia
Building TTRPGoblin has been wild - started as "let's help Singaporean GMs get better at admin" and somehow we're building GM superpowers now 😅
July 2, 2025 at 9:53 AM
No more guessing:

Will this group mesh well? ✅
Should I explain rules in detail? ✅
Focus on roleplay or combat? ✅
Any social dynamics to consider? ✅

It's like having player intel that actually matters.
July 2, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Looking at this data: 6 players, mostly Philanthropists with some Achievers and Socialisers. 2 new to me, 5 new to system, but 80% know each other. Average 5-star rating.
Lovely intel for session prep. (and I should get to prepping, I'm running #ParanoiaRPG - Stealth Train!)
July 2, 2025 at 9:53 AM
I built a solution. Before every session, GMs now get a full breakdown:

- Player personality types (Achievers, Socialisers, etc.)
- Experience levels
- Who knows who
- Gaming history
Everything you need to prep the perfect session
July 2, 2025 at 9:53 AM
(but also)

Movie you’ve watched more than six times using gifs.

(“Hard mode” no Star Wars, Star Trek, or LOTR)
April 26, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Reposted
Sharing with everyone reading this thread the story breaking this news and putting it into context:

www.npr.org/2025/04/15/n...
A whistleblower's disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data
A whistleblower tells Congress and NPR that DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data and hid its tracks. "None of that ... information should ever leave the agency," said a former NLRB official.
www.npr.org
April 18, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Aaaaaaaaaaaa. Okay can.
April 9, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Reposted
What if, and hear me out: what if you don't actually need her to tag back in for those pieces? What if the user experience wayfinder or the hawk-eyed editor is actually better equipped to fill in those missing design gaps than lunatic poet game design priestess ever was?
March 25, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Reposted
Stop thinking of yourself as a game designer. You are not in game designer mode, at least not in any sense that is rewarding or interesting. Figure out what you need to be, instead, in order for this work to feel meaningful in its own right. Become that person for a while.
March 25, 2025 at 3:17 AM
As you can see, nothing ground breaking. Some more:

🏯 SPIRIT PALACE (4-4): Like D&D's "Magnificent Mansion" but with a time dilation twist

🥊 WATER BUFFALO STRENGTH (1-1): Similar to "Bull's Strength" but with mind magic immunity

🌿 BETEL TRANCE (2-4): Spirit communication via ritual herbs
March 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Simple but fun flavouring - took me all of an hour? Some of my and players' favourite spells:

🧵 BATIK BINDING (3-1): Like D&D's "Web" but using magical cloth patterns

🎭 WAYANG KULIT (2-1): Shadow puppet messengers (similar to "Unseen Servant")
March 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Examples of reskinning - still spells you’re probably familiar with, but with Southeast Asian flavour:

"Shield" → "Durian Shell" (spiky fruit protection)

"Spider Climb" → "Naga Form" (serpent transformation)

"Unseen Servant" → "Wayang Kulit" (shadow puppets)
March 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Key Change #4: Since I now have a much shorter spell list, I reskinned them to be particularly SEA-inspired. Also, rolling doubles (1-1, 2-2, etc.) grants exceptionally powerful spells! (since in those cases players have no other options)
March 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Key Change #3: Switched to 2d4 instead of 2d6, making rolls quicker for faster character creation - most of the time was spent reading skills and spells (I also created a one-page char creation guide, if anyone's interested)
March 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Key Change #2: I let players choose how to combine their dice rolls for spells (e.g., 1-3 or 3-1). Gives meaningful choice without overwhelming options.
March 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Key Change #1: In Kala Mandala, magic is "everyday and matter-of-fact, like physics" – but my players were hesitant to use one-time scrolls. So mechanically, I've adapted #Cairn's approach to inventory and fatigue management. (but with some liberties). I love seeing players make those decisions.
March 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
I hacked (though I have no business doing so) a few things though - so here’s an overview:

- Adapted Cairn's inventory & fatigue management
- Players choose how to combine dice for spells
- Switched to 2d4 (faster character creation)
- SEA-inspired reskins + powerful doubles!
March 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM