Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
@fanfactories.bsky.social
Seattle board game designer/dev. Posts about game design, playtesting, art, and crowdfunding.
Credits: Fantastic Factories. Flatout Games CoLab dev for Verdant, Knitting Circle, Point Galaxy, Propolis, Cascadia: Alpine Lakes.
https://www.josephzchen.me/
Credits: Fantastic Factories. Flatout Games CoLab dev for Verdant, Knitting Circle, Point Galaxy, Propolis, Cascadia: Alpine Lakes.
https://www.josephzchen.me/
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Here it is in all its glory. 50 copies of Flip Stack Burger Shack ready for the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged! Let's see if they all fit in the suitcase...
PAX Unplugged recap thread! It was an amazing con as it is every year. Got to see some familiar faces, met some new friends, worked at the Flatout booth, sold games at the Indie Games Night Market, pitched to publishers, and got to tell everyone about my new game, HONEYPOT!
November 26, 2025 at 12:11 AM
PAX Unplugged recap thread! It was an amazing con as it is every year. Got to see some familiar faces, met some new friends, worked at the Flatout booth, sold games at the Indie Games Night Market, pitched to publishers, and got to tell everyone about my new game, HONEYPOT!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
Indie Games Market last night was a rousing success!!!!
WOW. I’m so impressed by all of the vendors organization and skill.
I’m sure we’ll be able together get stats from the PAX team, but this year definitely felt way bigger 🧵 🎲✂️
WOW. I’m so impressed by all of the vendors organization and skill.
I’m sure we’ll be able together get stats from the PAX team, but this year definitely felt way bigger 🧵 🎲✂️
November 23, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Indie Games Market last night was a rousing success!!!!
WOW. I’m so impressed by all of the vendors organization and skill.
I’m sure we’ll be able together get stats from the PAX team, but this year definitely felt way bigger 🧵 🎲✂️
WOW. I’m so impressed by all of the vendors organization and skill.
I’m sure we’ll be able together get stats from the PAX team, but this year definitely felt way bigger 🧵 🎲✂️
This is not a drill! Indie Games Night Market is in ~1 hour!!
Here it is in all its glory. 50 copies of Flip Stack Burger Shack ready for the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged! Let's see if they all fit in the suitcase...
November 22, 2025 at 10:44 PM
This is not a drill! Indie Games Night Market is in ~1 hour!!
One of the most exciting things for me is when I get to see my game being played out in the wild! It never gets old, and I'm so happy I was able to stumble across these two while walking through the freeplay area at PAX Unplugged!
November 22, 2025 at 5:29 PM
One of the most exciting things for me is when I get to see my game being played out in the wild! It never gets old, and I'm so happy I was able to stumble across these two while walking through the freeplay area at PAX Unplugged!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
✨ 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 Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
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'll be at PAX Unplugged this coming weekend! Who will I see there?
Will be arriving Thursday morning, leaving Monday. Working the Flatout Games booth (#2643) each afternoon, selling games at the Indie Games Night Market, pitching game designs, and playing games all night!
Will be arriving Thursday morning, leaving Monday. Working the Flatout Games booth (#2643) each afternoon, selling games at the Indie Games Night Market, pitching game designs, and playing games all night!
November 18, 2025 at 11:29 PM
I'll be at PAX Unplugged this coming weekend! Who will I see there?
Will be arriving Thursday morning, leaving Monday. Working the Flatout Games booth (#2643) each afternoon, selling games at the Indie Games Night Market, pitching game designs, and playing games all night!
Will be arriving Thursday morning, leaving Monday. Working the Flatout Games booth (#2643) each afternoon, selling games at the Indie Games Night Market, pitching game designs, and playing games all night!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
Seeing all the creativity coming out of these markets cemented something I’ve been feeling for a while. The “pitch to a publisher” pipeline as the norm really stifles game design. There’s so much creativity out there, it just needed an outlet.
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 8:58 PM
Seeing all the creativity coming out of these markets cemented something I’ve been feeling for a while. The “pitch to a publisher” pipeline as the norm really stifles game design. There’s so much creativity out there, it just needed an outlet.
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
We're going to PAX Unplugged! Stop by to demo Chicken Fried Dice or pick up a copy of Trickadee!
Also... check out our pre-launch page and reserve your copy of the Critter Critics mini expansion for Chicken Fried Dice: get.chickenfrieddice.com
Also... check out our pre-launch page and reserve your copy of the Critter Critics mini expansion for Chicken Fried Dice: get.chickenfrieddice.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:44 PM
We're going to PAX Unplugged! Stop by to demo Chicken Fried Dice or pick up a copy of Trickadee!
Also... check out our pre-launch page and reserve your copy of the Critter Critics mini expansion for Chicken Fried Dice: get.chickenfrieddice.com
Also... check out our pre-launch page and reserve your copy of the Critter Critics mini expansion for Chicken Fried Dice: get.chickenfrieddice.com
Got inspired and finally got around to taking a "glamor" photo for Flip Stack Burger Shack, which will be available at the Indie Games Night Market @ PAX Unplugged this Saturday!!
November 17, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Got inspired and finally got around to taking a "glamor" photo for Flip Stack Burger Shack, which will be available at the Indie Games Night Market @ PAX Unplugged this Saturday!!
I think my biggest regret in participating as a designer in the indie games market will be that I won't have time to check out all the games and buy them!
We’re thrilled to share our Special Presentation; Indie Games Night Market Preview!
It was a privilege to be part of this & share these games with you all~
youtu.be/HA_u8oxU0kc?...
See the games that will be at the IGNM in exactly 1 week at #PAXunplugged!
#boardgames #ignm
#cardgames #indiegames
It was a privilege to be part of this & share these games with you all~
youtu.be/HA_u8oxU0kc?...
See the games that will be at the IGNM in exactly 1 week at #PAXunplugged!
#boardgames #ignm
#cardgames #indiegames
November 17, 2025 at 8:14 PM
I think my biggest regret in participating as a designer in the indie games market will be that I won't have time to check out all the games and buy them!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
Gil started Informal Ferret Games (instead of Formal Ferret) so he asked me to illustrate a lil hoodie on top of his previous logo.
Some of the color options I made -
Some of the color options I made -
November 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Gil started Informal Ferret Games (instead of Formal Ferret) so he asked me to illustrate a lil hoodie on top of his previous logo.
Some of the color options I made -
Some of the color options I made -
Sometimes taking a few days off to attend a convention just means double the work meetings on the days preceding it... 😮💨.
At least I have something to look forward to! Hope to see folks at PAX Unplugged!
At least I have something to look forward to! Hope to see folks at PAX Unplugged!
November 17, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Sometimes taking a few days off to attend a convention just means double the work meetings on the days preceding it... 😮💨.
At least I have something to look forward to! Hope to see folks at PAX Unplugged!
At least I have something to look forward to! Hope to see folks at PAX Unplugged!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
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 8:06 PM
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...
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
We’re thrilled to share our Special Presentation; Indie Games Night Market Preview!
It was a privilege to be part of this & share these games with you all~
youtu.be/HA_u8oxU0kc?...
See the games that will be at the IGNM in exactly 1 week at #PAXunplugged!
#boardgames #ignm
#cardgames #indiegames
It was a privilege to be part of this & share these games with you all~
youtu.be/HA_u8oxU0kc?...
See the games that will be at the IGNM in exactly 1 week at #PAXunplugged!
#boardgames #ignm
#cardgames #indiegames
November 16, 2025 at 12:00 AM
We’re thrilled to share our Special Presentation; Indie Games Night Market Preview!
It was a privilege to be part of this & share these games with you all~
youtu.be/HA_u8oxU0kc?...
See the games that will be at the IGNM in exactly 1 week at #PAXunplugged!
#boardgames #ignm
#cardgames #indiegames
It was a privilege to be part of this & share these games with you all~
youtu.be/HA_u8oxU0kc?...
See the games that will be at the IGNM in exactly 1 week at #PAXunplugged!
#boardgames #ignm
#cardgames #indiegames
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
Next weekend at PAXU, when I’m not at the playtesting tables, you can find me with @coinflip.games and @boardgameghee.bsky.social over at booth 3752! Come say hi and fry some dice with me! 🍗🎲✂️🦆🎻
PAX Unplugged Countdown – 6 days to go!
By this time next week, we will be smack dab in the middle of PAX Unplugged 2025! I have to remember to savor it because it all goes by so fast. There are SO many unique games sold at PAX. You can check out the BoardGameGeek preview page, which has a list of…
By this time next week, we will be smack dab in the middle of PAX Unplugged 2025! I have to remember to savor it because it all goes by so fast. There are SO many unique games sold at PAX. You can check out the BoardGameGeek preview page, which has a list of…
PAX Unplugged Countdown – 6 days to go!
By this time next week, we will be smack dab in the middle of PAX Unplugged 2025! I have to remember to savor it because it all goes by so fast. There are SO many unique games sold at PAX. You can check out the BoardGameGeek preview page, which has a list of all the games being highlighted or sold.
orangerful.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Next weekend at PAXU, when I’m not at the playtesting tables, you can find me with @coinflip.games and @boardgameghee.bsky.social over at booth 3752! Come say hi and fry some dice with me! 🍗🎲✂️🦆🎻
This amount of care and effort is what indie games are all about! Make sure to stop by the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged!
And that is how a copy of Fold & Fly! is made. 😅 Doing it in batches makes things run smoother, and it really it a labor of love. I adore this game and am so so SO excited to share it with the world! 🌈🛫
Please come by and grab a copy at PAX Unplugged's Indie Games Night Market! 💖
Please come by and grab a copy at PAX Unplugged's Indie Games Night Market! 💖
November 14, 2025 at 1:50 AM
This amount of care and effort is what indie games are all about! Make sure to stop by the Indie Games Night Market at PAX Unplugged!
Not sure how we ended up here but by the end of an evening of playtesting games this is what we found ourselves doing.
November 13, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Not sure how we ended up here but by the end of an evening of playtesting games this is what we found ourselves doing.
Today's prototyping aftermath. Sometimes there's beauty in the scraps.
November 12, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Today's prototyping aftermath. Sometimes there's beauty in the scraps.
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
Ashwin & Rob (Urban Professional Games) are bringing Chicken Fried Dice to PAX Unplugged.
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you hit up their booth and let them show you this fun dice chucking game. Throw the dice, choose your ingredients, feed your customers!
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you hit up their booth and let them show you this fun dice chucking game. Throw the dice, choose your ingredients, feed your customers!
We're going to PAX Unplugged! Stop by to demo Chicken Fried Dice or pick up a copy of Trickadee!
Also... check out our pre-launch page and reserve your copy of the Critter Critics mini expansion for Chicken Fried Dice: get.chickenfrieddice.com
Also... check out our pre-launch page and reserve your copy of the Critter Critics mini expansion for Chicken Fried Dice: get.chickenfrieddice.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Ashwin & Rob (Urban Professional Games) are bringing Chicken Fried Dice to PAX Unplugged.
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you hit up their booth and let them show you this fun dice chucking game. Throw the dice, choose your ingredients, feed your customers!
If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you hit up their booth and let them show you this fun dice chucking game. Throw the dice, choose your ingredients, feed your customers!
ICYMI, I'll be selling Grunt Work & Flip Stack Burger Shack next week at the Indie Games Night Market @ PAXU. Making indie games really is a labor of love. I dyed all the wooden discs myself for the burger game and wrote a blog post about it: fantastic-factories.medium.com/prototyping-...
Prototyping: Coloring wooden discs using dye
I’m currently working on a game about building burgers and it uses wooden discs that represent ingredients that are drawn randomly from a…
fantastic-factories.medium.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:30 PM
ICYMI, I'll be selling Grunt Work & Flip Stack Burger Shack next week at the Indie Games Night Market @ PAXU. Making indie games really is a labor of love. I dyed all the wooden discs myself for the burger game and wrote a blog post about it: fantastic-factories.medium.com/prototyping-...
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
Friday 11/14 6PM ESTour Indie Games Night Market Special Preview goes up~
I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~
Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~
(tagged below)
@officialpax.bsky.social
I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~
Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~
(tagged below)
@officialpax.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Friday 11/14 6PM ESTour Indie Games Night Market Special Preview goes up~
I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~
Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~
(tagged below)
@officialpax.bsky.social
I’ll be active on here & on YouTube so feel free to ask any questions; I’d love to engage & chat about it~
Huge thanks to all of the lovely folks who contributed to make this happen~
(tagged below)
@officialpax.bsky.social
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
📣 It’s announcement time! 📣
The pre-launch page for Counterpoint is up on Kickstarter! All the cool kids are saving it! You should too! 🎻🎶
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
The pre-launch page for Counterpoint is up on Kickstarter! All the cool kids are saving it! You should too! 🎻🎶
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
Coming soon: Counterpoint: a Co-op Trick-Taking Classical Music Card Game
Counterpoint is a cooperative trick-taking game for 3-5 players where the challenges are based on different pieces of classical music.
www.kickstarter.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:20 AM
📣 It’s announcement time! 📣
The pre-launch page for Counterpoint is up on Kickstarter! All the cool kids are saving it! You should too! 🎻🎶
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
The pre-launch page for Counterpoint is up on Kickstarter! All the cool kids are saving it! You should too! 🎻🎶
www.kickstarter.com/projects/squ...
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
Just 24 hours to go and we only need 6 more backers to cross the finish line!
November 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Just 24 hours to go and we only need 6 more backers to cross the finish line!
Reposted by Joseph Z Chen 🔜 OrcaCon
Board game friends: you’ve gotta check out this kickstarter. _That’s the Spirit_ is a truly unique take on a deduction game—nobody knows for sure who’s guilty until the big reveal at the end! I’ve played many versions of the game over the last few months, and it’s been wonderful seeing it evolve.
November 3, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Board game friends: you’ve gotta check out this kickstarter. _That’s the Spirit_ is a truly unique take on a deduction game—nobody knows for sure who’s guilty until the big reveal at the end! I’ve played many versions of the game over the last few months, and it’s been wonderful seeing it evolve.