Chris Lawrence
@chris.eternalstudios.com
Board game designer, creator of Coupon Clipper and Propaganda, and avid fan of TTRPGs and indie video games. He/him
Pinned
Today I'm covering three more upcoming Indie Games Night Market titles! Fold & Fly!, Coupon Clipper, and Paper Pencil Stencil are all tactile treats. My reviews: spacebiff.com/2025/11/17/t...
Paper Planes, Coupons, Stencils
We’re only a few days away from the Indie Games Night Market at Pax Unplugged. Funny how time gets away from us. Don’t worry, that’s less a plaintive cry about my fading youth tha…
spacebiff.com
I'm so glad Dan liked Coupon Clipper! (And I appreciate the six-year-old's sacrifice.)
I've also played Fold & Fly! a bunch of times and can vouch for it, it's great silly fun.
Both'll have copies sold at the IGNM this Saturday at PAXU. (And yes Coupon Clipper comes with scissors!)
I've also played Fold & Fly! a bunch of times and can vouch for it, it's great silly fun.
Both'll have copies sold at the IGNM this Saturday at PAXU. (And yes Coupon Clipper comes with scissors!)
I had a great (but tiring) time at PAX Unplugged this past weekend! I pretty much spent all of Friday and Saturday running around, and then all of Saturday night at the IGNM.
It was amazing seeing everything, and being able to meet so many cool people. Hopefully next year will be just as cool!
It was amazing seeing everything, and being able to meet so many cool people. Hopefully next year will be just as cool!
November 24, 2025 at 11:51 PM
I had a great (but tiring) time at PAX Unplugged this past weekend! I pretty much spent all of Friday and Saturday running around, and then all of Saturday night at the IGNM.
It was amazing seeing everything, and being able to meet so many cool people. Hopefully next year will be just as cool!
It was amazing seeing everything, and being able to meet so many cool people. Hopefully next year will be just as cool!
The Indie Games Night Market starts in an hour! Come grab a copy of Coupon Clipper and Fold & Fly from me and @drawnonward.bsky.social.
November 22, 2025 at 11:11 PM
The Indie Games Night Market starts in an hour! Come grab a copy of Coupon Clipper and Fold & Fly from me and @drawnonward.bsky.social.
Reposted by Chris Lawrence
✨ Reminder!! ✨
Indie Games Night Market is tonight @ 7pm!!
When the Expo Hall closes, come down to Hall C to buy the freshest indie games!!
“More even than last year, these games seem like they’re pushing boundaries. They capture the spirit of what it means to be ‘indie.‘“ @danthurot.bsky.social
Indie Games Night Market is tonight @ 7pm!!
When the Expo Hall closes, come down to Hall C to buy the freshest indie games!!
“More even than last year, these games seem like they’re pushing boundaries. They capture the spirit of what it means to be ‘indie.‘“ @danthurot.bsky.social
Pax Unplugged is right around the corner!!
Looking back at all the IGNM coverage—I’m so proud and impressed at how much our community came together to promote these awesome indie works!
There’s a game for everyone in this lot!
Here’s a thread of all the incredible coverage of IGNM 2025: 🧵 🎲✂️
Looking back at all the IGNM coverage—I’m so proud and impressed at how much our community came together to promote these awesome indie works!
There’s a game for everyone in this lot!
Here’s a thread of all the incredible coverage of IGNM 2025: 🧵 🎲✂️
November 22, 2025 at 1:20 PM
✨ Reminder!! ✨
Indie Games Night Market is tonight @ 7pm!!
When the Expo Hall closes, come down to Hall C to buy the freshest indie games!!
“More even than last year, these games seem like they’re pushing boundaries. They capture the spirit of what it means to be ‘indie.‘“ @danthurot.bsky.social
Indie Games Night Market is tonight @ 7pm!!
When the Expo Hall closes, come down to Hall C to buy the freshest indie games!!
“More even than last year, these games seem like they’re pushing boundaries. They capture the spirit of what it means to be ‘indie.‘“ @danthurot.bsky.social
Reposted by Chris Lawrence
Pax Unplugged is right around the corner!!
Looking back at all the IGNM coverage—I’m so proud and impressed at how much our community came together to promote these awesome indie works!
There’s a game for everyone in this lot!
Here’s a thread of all the incredible coverage of IGNM 2025: 🧵 🎲✂️
Looking back at all the IGNM coverage—I’m so proud and impressed at how much our community came together to promote these awesome indie works!
There’s a game for everyone in this lot!
Here’s a thread of all the incredible coverage of IGNM 2025: 🧵 🎲✂️
November 19, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Pax Unplugged is right around the corner!!
Looking back at all the IGNM coverage—I’m so proud and impressed at how much our community came together to promote these awesome indie works!
There’s a game for everyone in this lot!
Here’s a thread of all the incredible coverage of IGNM 2025: 🧵 🎲✂️
Looking back at all the IGNM coverage—I’m so proud and impressed at how much our community came together to promote these awesome indie works!
There’s a game for everyone in this lot!
Here’s a thread of all the incredible coverage of IGNM 2025: 🧵 🎲✂️
I've been doing a lot of printing.
November 19, 2025 at 12:44 AM
I've been doing a lot of printing.
Reposted by Chris Lawrence
Today I investigate three more indie games, all of which are ambitious and explorative of what games can accomplish. These are good'uns. spacebiff.com/2025/11/18/h...
Nebulae, Medusae… Crownae?
Yesterday on BlueSky, Marceline Leiman asked a great question. Using only one or two extremely vague words, how would I describe the titles on offer at this year’s Indie Games Night Market? N…
spacebiff.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Today I investigate three more indie games, all of which are ambitious and explorative of what games can accomplish. These are good'uns. spacebiff.com/2025/11/18/h...
I'm so glad Dan liked Coupon Clipper! (And I appreciate the six-year-old's sacrifice.)
I've also played Fold & Fly! a bunch of times and can vouch for it, it's great silly fun.
Both'll have copies sold at the IGNM this Saturday at PAXU. (And yes Coupon Clipper comes with scissors!)
I've also played Fold & Fly! a bunch of times and can vouch for it, it's great silly fun.
Both'll have copies sold at the IGNM this Saturday at PAXU. (And yes Coupon Clipper comes with scissors!)
Today I'm covering three more upcoming Indie Games Night Market titles! Fold & Fly!, Coupon Clipper, and Paper Pencil Stencil are all tactile treats. My reviews: spacebiff.com/2025/11/17/t...
Paper Planes, Coupons, Stencils
We’re only a few days away from the Indie Games Night Market at Pax Unplugged. Funny how time gets away from us. Don’t worry, that’s less a plaintive cry about my fading youth tha…
spacebiff.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:44 PM
I'm so glad Dan liked Coupon Clipper! (And I appreciate the six-year-old's sacrifice.)
I've also played Fold & Fly! a bunch of times and can vouch for it, it's great silly fun.
Both'll have copies sold at the IGNM this Saturday at PAXU. (And yes Coupon Clipper comes with scissors!)
I've also played Fold & Fly! a bunch of times and can vouch for it, it's great silly fun.
Both'll have copies sold at the IGNM this Saturday at PAXU. (And yes Coupon Clipper comes with scissors!)
Reposted by Chris Lawrence
Any rule in a board game can & will be missed or forgotten by someone. So increasingly when deciding whether to add a rule, I consider whether it "fails gracefully." If you forget that rule, does the whole game halt or break? Or does it continue functioning (albeit with a minor loss in quality)?
November 14, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Any rule in a board game can & will be missed or forgotten by someone. So increasingly when deciding whether to add a rule, I consider whether it "fails gracefully." If you forget that rule, does the whole game halt or break? Or does it continue functioning (albeit with a minor loss in quality)?
All of the scissors that are going to go into copies of Coupon Clipper!
It's worth noting all of the blades are less than 4 inches, so all of the scissors are carry-on safe.
It's worth noting all of the blades are less than 4 inches, so all of the scissors are carry-on safe.
November 14, 2025 at 1:47 AM
All of the scissors that are going to go into copies of Coupon Clipper!
It's worth noting all of the blades are less than 4 inches, so all of the scissors are carry-on safe.
It's worth noting all of the blades are less than 4 inches, so all of the scissors are carry-on safe.
Reposted by Chris Lawrence
The more I think about it, I consider this a publisher’s mishandling of design process.
From a product POV bad feelings make a bad product. Who wants to buy a banana filled with razor blades?
Games are weird because if they don’t bind us or challenge us in some way, they aren’t doing good games.
From a product POV bad feelings make a bad product. Who wants to buy a banana filled with razor blades?
Games are weird because if they don’t bind us or challenge us in some way, they aren’t doing good games.
“Players shouldn’t have bad turns”
Is some of the most useless, privileged, nonsense game design reductionism I’ve ever heard.
Ewwwwww 🤮
Is some of the most useless, privileged, nonsense game design reductionism I’ve ever heard.
Ewwwwww 🤮
November 13, 2025 at 1:42 AM
The more I think about it, I consider this a publisher’s mishandling of design process.
From a product POV bad feelings make a bad product. Who wants to buy a banana filled with razor blades?
Games are weird because if they don’t bind us or challenge us in some way, they aren’t doing good games.
From a product POV bad feelings make a bad product. Who wants to buy a banana filled with razor blades?
Games are weird because if they don’t bind us or challenge us in some way, they aren’t doing good games.
Coupon Clipper is up on the PAX Unplugged Preview list!
I was a bit late to the party, so if you have a chance give it some love.
boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/...
I was a bit late to the party, so if you have a chance give it some love.
boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/...
PAX Unplugged 2025 Preview
PAX Unplugged is a tabletop gaming-focused event that grew out of the video game-focused PAX events, and this preview highlights new games being demoed or sold.
boardgamegeek.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Coupon Clipper is up on the PAX Unplugged Preview list!
I was a bit late to the party, so if you have a chance give it some love.
boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/...
I was a bit late to the party, so if you have a chance give it some love.
boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/...
Coupon Clipper is going to be at PAXU!
Copies of it'll be sold at the Indie Games Night Market, alongside @drawnonward.bsky.social's Fold & Fly!
The game has had a very rocky life, but I'm excited that at least a handful of copies will be able to reach people.
Copies of it'll be sold at the Indie Games Night Market, alongside @drawnonward.bsky.social's Fold & Fly!
The game has had a very rocky life, but I'm excited that at least a handful of copies will be able to reach people.
November 11, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Coupon Clipper is going to be at PAXU!
Copies of it'll be sold at the Indie Games Night Market, alongside @drawnonward.bsky.social's Fold & Fly!
The game has had a very rocky life, but I'm excited that at least a handful of copies will be able to reach people.
Copies of it'll be sold at the Indie Games Night Market, alongside @drawnonward.bsky.social's Fold & Fly!
The game has had a very rocky life, but I'm excited that at least a handful of copies will be able to reach people.
Reposted by Chris Lawrence
November 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM
I increasingly wonder if I should've made Propaganda a TTRPG. Every time I play it with new players everyone's laughing and having a great time, but it's mostly because of what the players themselves bring to the table.
The rules help facilitate that, but don't really cause it directly.
The rules help facilitate that, but don't really cause it directly.
October 16, 2025 at 12:22 AM
I increasingly wonder if I should've made Propaganda a TTRPG. Every time I play it with new players everyone's laughing and having a great time, but it's mostly because of what the players themselves bring to the table.
The rules help facilitate that, but don't really cause it directly.
The rules help facilitate that, but don't really cause it directly.
Reposted by Chris Lawrence
Next up is local friend Mike Trias. His first game was Upstaged, and now he is crowdfunding DJ Icon. The turntable mechanism has always been a highlight and players can use real vinyl to play the game!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/koa...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/koa...
DJ Icon: A Game About Tactics, Timing and Turntables
DJ Icon is an easy-to-learn, tactical board game where 2-8 players battle to win the DJ Icon Series Championship.
www.kickstarter.com
October 14, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Next up is local friend Mike Trias. His first game was Upstaged, and now he is crowdfunding DJ Icon. The turntable mechanism has always been a highlight and players can use real vinyl to play the game!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/koa...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/koa...
Playtesting in Santa Monica! We got 6 or 7 games to the table so it was a pretty successful afternoon.
October 12, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Playtesting in Santa Monica! We got 6 or 7 games to the table so it was a pretty successful afternoon.
I've had a drop in attendance for a couple playtesting groups I run, and I've been trying to figure out if it's part of a larger trend or just a natural rhythm (maybe the holiday season started early?).
October 9, 2025 at 11:05 PM
I've had a drop in attendance for a couple playtesting groups I run, and I've been trying to figure out if it's part of a larger trend or just a natural rhythm (maybe the holiday season started early?).
I appreciate BlueSky getting rid of the algorithm, but it does feel like when you post now matters a lot.
October 5, 2025 at 2:48 AM
I appreciate BlueSky getting rid of the algorithm, but it does feel like when you post now matters a lot.
Reposted by Chris Lawrence
We're closing! Last chance to get our games. Thanks yall!
www.zeruagames.com/shop
www.zeruagames.com/shop
October 4, 2025 at 6:49 PM
We're closing! Last chance to get our games. Thanks yall!
www.zeruagames.com/shop
www.zeruagames.com/shop
I was always pretty happy with how the cover to Propaganda came out. I made it by taking a couple different photos and "rotoscoping" them together.
My one regret is using toy pieces, since some people thought they were in the game. I could've probably found a different "model".
My one regret is using toy pieces, since some people thought they were in the game. I could've probably found a different "model".
October 4, 2025 at 1:01 AM
I was always pretty happy with how the cover to Propaganda came out. I made it by taking a couple different photos and "rotoscoping" them together.
My one regret is using toy pieces, since some people thought they were in the game. I could've probably found a different "model".
My one regret is using toy pieces, since some people thought they were in the game. I could've probably found a different "model".
Ran a playtest of Propaganda on Saturday! This board has a zone that scores only to whoever has the highest sum of dice in it.
(If it's a little off center it's because I was the superpower and had to close my eyes while they played lol.)
(If it's a little off center it's because I was the superpower and had to close my eyes while they played lol.)
September 30, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Ran a playtest of Propaganda on Saturday! This board has a zone that scores only to whoever has the highest sum of dice in it.
(If it's a little off center it's because I was the superpower and had to close my eyes while they played lol.)
(If it's a little off center it's because I was the superpower and had to close my eyes while they played lol.)
In one of my recent games there was a hard card to score - just 2 pts per set of A and B, but counting it was awful.
I changed it to a table so now you just count the pairs and then check the table, and it feels so much better.
I think a big part of design is psychology and how players see things.
I changed it to a table so now you just count the pairs and then check the table, and it feels so much better.
I think a big part of design is psychology and how players see things.
September 24, 2025 at 12:17 AM
In one of my recent games there was a hard card to score - just 2 pts per set of A and B, but counting it was awful.
I changed it to a table so now you just count the pairs and then check the table, and it feels so much better.
I think a big part of design is psychology and how players see things.
I changed it to a table so now you just count the pairs and then check the table, and it feels so much better.
I think a big part of design is psychology and how players see things.
If you're boycotting a company because of an action they took, you need to go back to supporting them if they then reverse course.
A boycott is to make it clear they will get your money only when they do the right thing.
But if you refuse to support them ever again, they have no reason to listen.
A boycott is to make it clear they will get your money only when they do the right thing.
But if you refuse to support them ever again, they have no reason to listen.
September 23, 2025 at 12:58 AM
If you're boycotting a company because of an action they took, you need to go back to supporting them if they then reverse course.
A boycott is to make it clear they will get your money only when they do the right thing.
But if you refuse to support them ever again, they have no reason to listen.
A boycott is to make it clear they will get your money only when they do the right thing.
But if you refuse to support them ever again, they have no reason to listen.
New boards for Propaganda! Including one designed by the lovely @neilk-design.bsky.social and one by @drawnonward.bsky.social.
I'm trying out a few different things and playtesting to get things just right, but hopefully they'll be in peoples' hands soon.
I'm trying out a few different things and playtesting to get things just right, but hopefully they'll be in peoples' hands soon.
September 13, 2025 at 8:40 PM
New boards for Propaganda! Including one designed by the lovely @neilk-design.bsky.social and one by @drawnonward.bsky.social.
I'm trying out a few different things and playtesting to get things just right, but hopefully they'll be in peoples' hands soon.
I'm trying out a few different things and playtesting to get things just right, but hopefully they'll be in peoples' hands soon.
I thought about making a board game called "Monopoly On Violence" and then realized I might run into some trademark issues there.
(Which would be a little funny given how unrelated the content would be.)
(Which would be a little funny given how unrelated the content would be.)
September 12, 2025 at 1:23 AM
I thought about making a board game called "Monopoly On Violence" and then realized I might run into some trademark issues there.
(Which would be a little funny given how unrelated the content would be.)
(Which would be a little funny given how unrelated the content would be.)