Jonathan Tweet
@jonathantweet.bsky.social
Grandmother Fish (Macmillan 2016), the first book to teach #evolution to preschoolers, plus science games for kids (www.grandmotherfish.com). Over the Edge, #TTRPG of surreal urban danger (atlas-games.com/overtheedge). D&D 3E, Ars Magica, Everway, etc.
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Jonathan Tweet
@jonathantweet.bsky.social
· Jan 11
Grandmother Fish is the first book to teach evolution to preschoolers. Kids love learning that they are part of the great family of life on Earth, and they love wiggling like Grandmother Fish and hooting like Grandmother Ape. Now in Chinese, Japanese, and Italian.
www.powells.com/book/grandmo...
www.powells.com/book/grandmo...
I think about the great oxidation event a lot, when oxygen killed most life on Earth. The oxygen molecule is lopsided and destructive, which is why our body needs antioxidants. Luckily our ancestors evolved ways to put oxygen's destructive power to creative use, and here we are.
Did you know? There was no abundant amount of free oxygen on Earth during its first 3 to 4 billion years But it experienced a rise of oxygen levels in its shallow oceans and in the atmosphere during the Paleoproterozoic Era or about 2.5 billion years ago.
The Great Oxidation Event: Causes and Effects - Profolus
A definitive discussion of the causes and effects of the Great Oxidation Event or the Great Oxygenation Event.
www.profolus.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I think about the great oxidation event a lot, when oxygen killed most life on Earth. The oxygen molecule is lopsided and destructive, which is why our body needs antioxidants. Luckily our ancestors evolved ways to put oxygen's destructive power to creative use, and here we are.
Here's a lovely indie RPG from Clinton R Nixon (Clinton Dreisbach) from 2004. Shadow of Yesterday is about people, not monsters; and the people are pretty interesting!
I moved when I got married again, so old games from my basement are now up on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
I moved when I got married again, so old games from my basement are now up on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
November 25, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Here's a lovely indie RPG from Clinton R Nixon (Clinton Dreisbach) from 2004. Shadow of Yesterday is about people, not monsters; and the people are pretty interesting!
I moved when I got married again, so old games from my basement are now up on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
I moved when I got married again, so old games from my basement are now up on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
Of all the words that aren't recognized, this one makes me the saddest for some reason
November 25, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Of all the words that aren't recognized, this one makes me the saddest for some reason
Did a fun interview about 3rd Edition, etc, for an Italian production. Here's a sneak peak at my office. Behind my left shoulder, people in my family who have passed. Behind my right, photos of certain authors I respect. Bonus points if you spot the hand-assembled walktapus. 1/2
November 25, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Did a fun interview about 3rd Edition, etc, for an Italian production. Here's a sneak peak at my office. Behind my left shoulder, people in my family who have passed. Behind my right, photos of certain authors I respect. Bonus points if you spot the hand-assembled walktapus. 1/2
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
Going all the way back to Everway, ive always been fascinated with ways to use the visual arts to build story.
You can always use it representational, but what I am building now is a way to use it obliquely, allowing for fruitful collisions and juxtapositions.
You can always use it representational, but what I am building now is a way to use it obliquely, allowing for fruitful collisions and juxtapositions.
November 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Going all the way back to Everway, ive always been fascinated with ways to use the visual arts to build story.
You can always use it representational, but what I am building now is a way to use it obliquely, allowing for fruitful collisions and juxtapositions.
You can always use it representational, but what I am building now is a way to use it obliquely, allowing for fruitful collisions and juxtapositions.
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
CATURDAY: The color pattern was first spotted in 2007. It was later brought to the attention of feline researchers headed by feline geneticist Heidi Anderson in 2019. The team has since been figuring out exactly what causes the expression of this coat color and pattern. They finally figured it out.
Salmiak or Salty Liquorice: New Cat Coat Color Defies Genetics - Profolus
Researchers have identified a previously unknown coat color in domestic cats named salmiak or salty liquorice.
www.profolus.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:30 PM
CATURDAY: The color pattern was first spotted in 2007. It was later brought to the attention of feline researchers headed by feline geneticist Heidi Anderson in 2019. The team has since been figuring out exactly what causes the expression of this coat color and pattern. They finally figured it out.
Twenty years ago I got voice mail from a mentally unwell gamer who though we were going to create a series of D&D theme parks bigger than Disney's, but upending scientific understanding sounds a lot more fun
I am by no means a prominent public intellectual, but my inbox is increasingly filled with messages from people who have been convinced by sycophantic chatbots that they have discovered revolutionary theories that entirely upend our scientific understanding of the universe.
November 21, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Twenty years ago I got voice mail from a mentally unwell gamer who though we were going to create a series of D&D theme parks bigger than Disney's, but upending scientific understanding sounds a lot more fun
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
I think The Elusive Shift might be the Understanding Comics of RPGs.
Or actually sort of the opposite? Not "Let me explain comics," but "let me explain why you can't explain RPGs."
Or actually sort of the opposite? Not "Let me explain comics," but "let me explain why you can't explain RPGs."
November 21, 2025 at 12:46 AM
I think The Elusive Shift might be the Understanding Comics of RPGs.
Or actually sort of the opposite? Not "Let me explain comics," but "let me explain why you can't explain RPGs."
Or actually sort of the opposite? Not "Let me explain comics," but "let me explain why you can't explain RPGs."
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
We are taking part in BackerKit's Holiday Market, offering great deals on Blue Rose game books, fiction, and dice until Dec 1. The Holiday Market sells items that have been crowdfunded in the past, so it's different than most campaigns. Time to get festive!
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/g...
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/g...
Romantasy Roleplaying: Blue Rose Winter Sale
Aldis, Kingdom of the Blue Rose, shines as a beacon after the dark age of the Sorcerer Kings. Aided by the rhydan—their psychic animal companions—the Champions of the Blue Rose guard the Light against...
www.backerkit.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:30 PM
We are taking part in BackerKit's Holiday Market, offering great deals on Blue Rose game books, fiction, and dice until Dec 1. The Holiday Market sells items that have been crowdfunded in the past, so it's different than most campaigns. Time to get festive!
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/g...
www.backerkit.com/c/projects/g...
This is cool but grim. Ants are so prolific that lots of species of animals have adapted to prey on them, including other ants. And ants are wasps (thus the wasp waist), and most species of wasp are brood parasites, so these parasitic ant queens are old-school. h/t @edoffannyside.bsky.social
A parasitic ant queen enters a foreign colony under perfect chemical disguise and unleashes a spray that scrambles normal recognition signals. Confused workers eliminate the reigning queen.
The Outsider Parasitic Ant Queens That Turn Workers Against Their Queens - Profolus
A parasitic ant queen enters a foreign colony under perfect chemical disguise and unleashes a spray that scrambles normal recognition signals.
www.profolus.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:26 PM
This is cool but grim. Ants are so prolific that lots of species of animals have adapted to prey on them, including other ants. And ants are wasps (thus the wasp waist), and most species of wasp are brood parasites, so these parasitic ant queens are old-school. h/t @edoffannyside.bsky.social
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
A new card game I designed is coming out from Upper Deck in the next couple weeks! tinyurl.com/2vp4yevb
Legendary: Game of Thrones, Releasing Soon as a Cutthroat Card Game
I love the Legendary deck-building game designed by Devin Low! Lisa and I were in the same city as Devin when he made the original edition,...
tinyurl.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:03 AM
A new card game I designed is coming out from Upper Deck in the next couple weeks! tinyurl.com/2vp4yevb
It’s nice to see that the game recognizes this word, although I suspect that it’s not referring to a warrior employed by the magi in Ars Magica (a _custos_)
November 18, 2025 at 3:23 PM
It’s nice to see that the game recognizes this word, although I suspect that it’s not referring to a warrior employed by the magi in Ars Magica (a _custos_)
One fun part about working on D&D minis was doing minis for huge monsters. I’m fond of metal figures, but plastic lets you do really big models. These are official D&D minis from 2004, and I'm partial to the Nightwalker.
These & lots more from my collection on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
These & lots more from my collection on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
November 18, 2025 at 2:45 PM
One fun part about working on D&D minis was doing minis for huge monsters. I’m fond of metal figures, but plastic lets you do really big models. These are official D&D minis from 2004, and I'm partial to the Nightwalker.
These & lots more from my collection on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
These & lots more from my collection on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
Here's an interesting blog post about RPGs other the D&D, what they do, and how different systems support and demand different sorts of play. Thirty years ago, this is what I wanted to see one day: lots of story-oriented RPGs on the shelves.
sagaofthejasonite.wordpress.com/2025/07/24/b...
sagaofthejasonite.wordpress.com/2025/07/24/b...
Beyond D&D: A Complete RPG Guided Tour Through Tabletop Design Philosophies
I’ve created this guided tour for GMs and players who’ve played D&D and want to explore what else tabletop RPGs can do. It features 12 games arranged in a specific sequence, designed to show th…
sagaofthejasonite.wordpress.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Here's an interesting blog post about RPGs other the D&D, what they do, and how different systems support and demand different sorts of play. Thirty years ago, this is what I wanted to see one day: lots of story-oriented RPGs on the shelves.
sagaofthejasonite.wordpress.com/2025/07/24/b...
sagaofthejasonite.wordpress.com/2025/07/24/b...
The kids’ evolution apps we do are free & ad-free. Clades Solo lets you play Clades & Clades Prehistoric on your devices. It includes a new way to play, and you can play the two decks together or separately. Featuring Karen Lewis’s lovely art. #kidsgame #evolution
www.ideategames.org/Clades/
www.ideategames.org/Clades/
November 17, 2025 at 4:56 PM
The kids’ evolution apps we do are free & ad-free. Clades Solo lets you play Clades & Clades Prehistoric on your devices. It includes a new way to play, and you can play the two decks together or separately. Featuring Karen Lewis’s lovely art. #kidsgame #evolution
www.ideategames.org/Clades/
www.ideategames.org/Clades/
Got my 10-sided die to stand on edge. I don't care enough to get good at it, but I'm pretty happy with myself.
November 17, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Got my 10-sided die to stand on edge. I don't care enough to get good at it, but I'm pretty happy with myself.
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
The world itself is so weird & well-realized. Imagine a blend of X-Files, Twin Peaks, Deus Ex, Naked Lunch, Stranger Things, & Community. And even that's not doing the setting justice.
If you like collaborative storytelling that can go in any direction, Over The Edge is a must have.
🙏4⏳, 💜🐼Z
If you like collaborative storytelling that can go in any direction, Over The Edge is a must have.
🙏4⏳, 💜🐼Z
November 16, 2025 at 10:52 PM
The world itself is so weird & well-realized. Imagine a blend of X-Files, Twin Peaks, Deus Ex, Naked Lunch, Stranger Things, & Community. And even that's not doing the setting justice.
If you like collaborative storytelling that can go in any direction, Over The Edge is a must have.
🙏4⏳, 💜🐼Z
If you like collaborative storytelling that can go in any direction, Over The Edge is a must have.
🙏4⏳, 💜🐼Z
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
Over the Edge (1E). The idea that characters could be described with freeform traits rathe than a set list of attributes, that a system could be that simple, totally blew me away (1992).
October 13, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Over the Edge (1E). The idea that characters could be described with freeform traits rathe than a set list of attributes, that a system could be that simple, totally blew me away (1992).
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
I'm pretty sure the first designer other than Gygax that I recognized was Mark Rein-Hagen, because I saw the continuity from Ars Magica to Vampire: The Masquerade (and bought the latter on that name recognition).
Also @jonathantweet.bsky.social , though Over the Edge was a year later.
Also @jonathantweet.bsky.social , though Over the Edge was a year later.
Conversation with @deadlyfredly.bsky.social has me trying to remember the first time I consciously remembered the name of an RPG designer who wasn’t Gygax. Embarrassingly, I am pretty sure it wasn’t until college, after I’d been playing for years and had been exposed to many games.
November 14, 2025 at 7:09 PM
I'm pretty sure the first designer other than Gygax that I recognized was Mark Rein-Hagen, because I saw the continuity from Ars Magica to Vampire: The Masquerade (and bought the latter on that name recognition).
Also @jonathantweet.bsky.social , though Over the Edge was a year later.
Also @jonathantweet.bsky.social , though Over the Edge was a year later.
Reposted by Jonathan Tweet
Any RPG-heads recognise this quote and know who originally said it (we think a game designer)?
"Just because D&D is behind me does not mean it's beneath me."
"Just because D&D is behind me does not mean it's beneath me."
November 13, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Any RPG-heads recognise this quote and know who originally said it (we think a game designer)?
"Just because D&D is behind me does not mean it's beneath me."
"Just because D&D is behind me does not mean it's beneath me."
Here's a WP article about Tolkien's efforts to square his pagan-inspired fantasy world with Christian theology
Tolkien wrote racist themes into "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of The Rings"; which he himself acknowledged and then tried to retcon in his later books.
Being a devout Catholic, Tolkien phrased the problem in religious terms: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien...
Being a devout Catholic, Tolkien phrased the problem in religious terms: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien...
Tolkien's moral dilemma - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 13, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Here's a WP article about Tolkien's efforts to square his pagan-inspired fantasy world with Christian theology
Karen & I did a sister game to Clades: Clades Prehistoric. It's the same game but with extinct animals, such as pterosaurs as "sauropsids of the air" instead of birds. Kids love dinosaurs! You can play both versions separately or together. #evolution #kidsgame
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...
Clades Prehistoric
A "clade" is a branch of the evolutionary family tree such as mammals, arthropods, and sauropsids that are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor.
In Clades Prehistoric, players mus...
boardgamegeek.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Karen & I did a sister game to Clades: Clades Prehistoric. It's the same game but with extinct animals, such as pterosaurs as "sauropsids of the air" instead of birds. Kids love dinosaurs! You can play both versions separately or together. #evolution #kidsgame
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25...
The feral minotaur & the unspeakable demon were no problem, but the badass elf archer with more drow scimitar sisters were a tough fight. The paladin went down with no resolves left to come back up. Luckily a fighter had joined the party. 1/2
November 11, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The feral minotaur & the unspeakable demon were no problem, but the badass elf archer with more drow scimitar sisters were a tough fight. The paladin went down with no resolves left to come back up. Luckily a fighter had joined the party. 1/2
TIL that "oval" means "egg-ish", which is should have been obvious all along
November 10, 2025 at 7:17 PM
TIL that "oval" means "egg-ish", which is should have been obvious all along
D&D minis have gone back & forth between being licensed to third parties and being produced in-house. When I worked on D&D minis, they were in-house. Here are some in-house TSR monster minis from 1989 & 1995. These and a lot more gems from my basement now on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
November 10, 2025 at 6:48 PM
D&D minis have gone back & forth between being licensed to third parties and being produced in-house. When I worked on D&D minis, they were in-house. Here are some in-house TSR monster minis from 1989 & 1995. These and a lot more gems from my basement now on eBay.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_...