Maurice Suckling
@writegameread.bsky.social
Writes stories, makes games, reads history.
Assistant Professor, Games and Experiential Media, RPI, NY. Researching narrative in games & historical simulations. Writer of stories for games. Designer of board games.
https://mauricesuckling.com
Assistant Professor, Games and Experiential Media, RPI, NY. Researching narrative in games & historical simulations. Writer of stories for games. Designer of board games.
https://mauricesuckling.com
Today’s game(s) - a prototype : Japan’s Longest Day about surrender in 1945. Part 1 is about the fraught cabinet discussions leading up to the decision. Part 2 is about the coup attempt off the back of the decision. This is a co-design with Wes Crawford.
November 9, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Today’s game(s) - a prototype : Japan’s Longest Day about surrender in 1945. Part 1 is about the fraught cabinet discussions leading up to the decision. Part 2 is about the coup attempt off the back of the decision. This is a co-design with Wes Crawford.
Today’s arrival: The Other Renaissance by Paul Strathern.
November 8, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Today’s arrival: The Other Renaissance by Paul Strathern.
Today’s arrival: Flashing Blades RPG. It’s some 30 years since this has been in my life…
November 5, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Today’s arrival: Flashing Blades RPG. It’s some 30 years since this has been in my life…
Today’s game: Statecraft: Age of Elizabeth - a prototype in early development giving us the Elizabethan Age in 3 hours, for 2-6 players.
November 5, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Today’s game: Statecraft: Age of Elizabeth - a prototype in early development giving us the Elizabethan Age in 3 hours, for 2-6 players.
Today’s game: The Last Kingdom. A board game adaptation of a TV show adapted from a series of novels which are an adaptation of history (which is an adaptation of life that was lived).
October 29, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Today’s game: The Last Kingdom. A board game adaptation of a TV show adapted from a series of novels which are an adaptation of history (which is an adaptation of life that was lived).
Today’s game, in Narrative-Driven Analog Games at RPI: Tales of the Arabian Nights, by Z-Man Games. Chaotic story creation engine game.
October 27, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Today’s game, in Narrative-Driven Analog Games at RPI: Tales of the Arabian Nights, by Z-Man Games. Chaotic story creation engine game.
This week’s reading: Donald Stoker’s Grand Design.
October 24, 2025 at 12:01 AM
This week’s reading: Donald Stoker’s Grand Design.
Today’s game: 1793: Patriots & Traitors. Still leaning, but I like how the laws come in and change the game state and the semi co-op element as everyone needs to work together to hold the Coalition armies back or everyone loses.
October 22, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Today’s game: 1793: Patriots & Traitors. Still leaning, but I like how the laws come in and change the game state and the semi co-op element as everyone needs to work together to hold the Coalition armies back or everyone loses.
Yesterday’s secondhand bookshop find:
October 18, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Yesterday’s secondhand bookshop find:
Today’s games in Narrative-Driven Analog Games: Monumental Consequence, and The Grizzled.
October 16, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Today’s games in Narrative-Driven Analog Games: Monumental Consequence, and The Grizzled.
In Saratoga, NY, with some history: monument to the 77th NY Volunteers, part of the Army of the Potomac.
October 14, 2025 at 4:21 PM
In Saratoga, NY, with some history: monument to the 77th NY Volunteers, part of the Army of the Potomac.
Today’s arrivals: The Price of Freedom and Lincoln’s War.
October 10, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Today’s arrivals: The Price of Freedom and Lincoln’s War.
Today’s game. Back to Star Wars: Rebellion.
October 3, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Today’s game. Back to Star Wars: Rebellion.
Today’s game in Narrarive-Driven Analog Games: House of Danger.
October 2, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Today’s game in Narrarive-Driven Analog Games: House of Danger.
Today’s game: Peace 1905 prototype, testing the 2-player and 3-player game modes. Russia wins with the treaty ratified by both governments in the 2-player. In the 3-player Roosevelt was ahead until Russia blew up negotiations and forced the Japanese delegates to storm out - giving Japan the victory.
October 1, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Today’s game: Peace 1905 prototype, testing the 2-player and 3-player game modes. Russia wins with the treaty ratified by both governments in the 2-player. In the 3-player Roosevelt was ahead until Russia blew up negotiations and forced the Japanese delegates to storm out - giving Japan the victory.
This week’s read. He covers a lot of ground from a variety of angles. I really enjoyed this:
September 26, 2025 at 9:21 PM
This week’s read. He covers a lot of ground from a variety of angles. I really enjoyed this:
New cards for Rebellion: Britannia prototype. New playtest. Never seen Rome struggle like this before. This suggests Rome is harder to play for new players. (Silures have lapped the other factions on the score track.)
September 24, 2025 at 5:36 PM
New cards for Rebellion: Britannia prototype. New playtest. Never seen Rome struggle like this before. This suggests Rome is harder to play for new players. (Silures have lapped the other factions on the score track.)
Thank you to the generous, wise, and kind soul that is Richard Dansky for spending time with my students @rpihass.bsky.social and for dropping pearls of wisdom from his “The Video Game Writer’s Guide to Surviving an Industry That Hates You”.
September 23, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Thank you to the generous, wise, and kind soul that is Richard Dansky for spending time with my students @rpihass.bsky.social and for dropping pearls of wisdom from his “The Video Game Writer’s Guide to Surviving an Industry That Hates You”.
Today’s arrival: C3i magazine. Bittersweet as it is Rodger’s last.
September 19, 2025 at 10:41 AM
Today’s arrival: C3i magazine. Bittersweet as it is Rodger’s last.
Today’s game - played with my Analog Games Lab, Chronicles of Crime, 1400.
September 17, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Today’s game - played with my Analog Games Lab, Chronicles of Crime, 1400.
Today’s development update - revised board for Statecraft: Age of Elizabeth prototype (still building the physical prototype).
September 17, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Today’s development update - revised board for Statecraft: Age of Elizabeth prototype (still building the physical prototype).
Today’s project - new game development: Bartleby the Scrivener - a storytelling game.
September 12, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Today’s project - new game development: Bartleby the Scrivener - a storytelling game.
Today’s arrivals: (planning one or two new projects for the new year).
September 12, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Today’s arrivals: (planning one or two new projects for the new year).
Indeed, what stories?…
This week in Narrative-Driven Analog Games with Assistant Prof. @writegameread.bsky.social, students explored “story-making” tabletop systems that spark imagination and collaborative storytelling. Next: they'll design & teach a game of their own to be tested in class. What stories will they tell?
September 10, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Indeed, what stories?…