Quigley
quigjam.bsky.social
Quigley
@quigjam.bsky.social
Digital and Tabletop Game Designer
LIVE NOW Fantasy in My Backyard: bit.ly/backyard-rpg

https://linktr.ee/quigjam
[email protected]
Do you like world building games? Do you like urban planning and walkable cities?

Fantasy in My Backyard is my #Zinemonth love letter to both using real locations and distances to build a believable urban fantasy.

Free preview available now!

bit.ly/backyard-rpg
Fantasy in My Backyard - Google Maps World Building
Start of your next urban fantasy campaign with a bang! Work together using a deck of cards and a city map to build a magical setting. Leverage any city's local history, landmarks, and transit to creat...
bit.ly
February 12, 2026 at 9:34 PM
love the mockup using blender!
February 12, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Finding unspoken issues is a practice of awareness and even if the remedy isn't perfect or has to be done to a B- level, I would think a band aid over a user problem is better than leaving it unaddressed.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
I don't think I have a perfect idea around this concept yet our what (if any) other remedies their are but I do know the opposite, remaining inflexible in the face of clear problems, pivots, or improvements, is one of the worse things a game dev can do.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
My current method of doing this is writing one-page briefs that outline the problem, possible fixes, those costs, and the potential benefits. Hopefully setting the table for someone to disagree with the problem, remedy, or cost leads to a discussion of whether any of it is real.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
At the end of the day ideas and planning are relatively cheap versus actual implementation so constantly providing the flexibility to think, pitch, and debate problems can hopefully unearth the "hidden work" as quickly as possible.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
My best response is pricing in an amount of "anti-development time" and leaving an open invitation to raise ideas/problems outside the regular project scope.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
These deviations however are by definition unplanned meaning you can't formally price them in to a production schedule. Ignoring them exasperates the problems leading to the problem worsening or delivering an experience that isn't enjoyable for the user.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
My definition of creating the best product is does it provided the intended experience for the user in an enjoyable and usable way. These spikes are usually a link to discovering something unknown the user wants or finding a better way to address their needs.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Although there can be unnecessary scope creep, I think even in a well targeted game these spikes are a natural part of the development process and largely come from developers adhering to the higher goal of "making the best product possible".
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
From my experience, development usually looks closers to the graph below. Projects begin according to plan but periodically an important problem is discovered/addressed which briefly causes work to expand to accommodate before returning to business as usually.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
"Forward development" progress is required expectation with development ideally following a nice downward curve to it's inevitable release date. The "burndown chart" is an organizational tool emblematic of this goal, labeling any increase in scope or deviation a problem in development.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Corporate project management focuses a lot of "capacity" This comes from 1. a innocent motivation to set reasonable work estimates based on each team member's ability and 2. the capital interest of being "on clock" requiring employees to maximize the value for their per hour cost.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Parkinson's Law is a concept that states "the work will expand to fill the time provided". This leads to the conclusion that for steady progress to be made "the work" should be time boxed to the minimum needed to fit the available time.
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
I want to talk about the need for "anti-production time" when developing games 🧵
February 12, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Okay i was just messing around with some Carta Srd stuff and I think I accidentally made a dungeon making game thats kind of banger.
February 12, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Reposted by Quigley
Would you like to be an artist for Bring Down the Stars? Email your portfolio and rates to [email protected] with the subject BDtS Art. Queer BIPOC prioritized. Please include examples of:

-Humans in a somewhat realistic style
-Fantasy or historical weapons, armor, costumes
Or
-Monsters
February 11, 2026 at 10:19 PM
OH shoot almost forgot, please check out Townies by @jellyfishlines.itch.io, I read Townies early in Fantasy in My Backyard's development and Irving's personal writing challenged me to find ways to be more intimate in my FinBs design. He's funding for visual costs rn.

jellyfishlines.itch.io/townies
TOWNIE(S) by Jellyfishlines
Rustbelt grit
jellyfishlines.itch.io
February 11, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Deepest Dark is a gm-less horror rpg about being trapped underground and finding your way out. I love horror games that make me incredibly uncomfortable so @gejwatts.bsky.social is really setting me up for a good time!

www.backerkit.com/c/projects/e...
The Deepest Dark
The Deepest Dark is a tragic, GM-less horror TTRPG about being trapped underground.
www.backerkit.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Whispers of War is a long-distance kingdom building war game by Paper Joust, I am incredibly biased since i'm literally building something similar but the more I can rope my friends into political intrigue RP, always the better!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/pap...
Whispers of War
A low-commitment strategy game that keeps friends connected no matter the distance.
www.kickstarter.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Want to shout out a few projects I would personally love to see fund the rest of this month.

On Call by @vjhcreations.bsky.social is a super cool game that mixes the aspects I love about Dispatch and Void FM into a werewolf fantasy!

www.backerkit.com/c/projects/v...
On Call
In On Call, you play as a werewolf who can’t shift during the full moon cycle (night before, during and after the full moon). Instead you and your colleagues are on call - dealing with any issues that...
www.backerkit.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Fantasy in My Backyard has fully funded! 🎉🎉🎉

Appreciate all the support from friends and peers! Next step is some great "quality of life" stretch goals like inspiration tables and reference cards before we cross into the green and get to the fun stuff!
February 11, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Ambessa is a great lesson in letting yourself say fuck it and make something strong, even if it breaks the game a bit, as long as you make sure the design is creating clear opportunities to react and/or negate those "broken" advantages.
February 11, 2026 at 4:22 AM
Or our friend Malphite who is although a simple and effective tank, when build for full damage has a tool kit that can become incredibly unreactive to deal with.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=krRu...
When Full AP Malphite Press R..
YouTube video by Chad Sett
www.youtube.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:22 AM
A classic example is "the Ancient One" from Hearthstone, a card technically strong enough to one hit your opponent but requires so much setup + 1 turn to react so it's effectively tame

youtu.be/GPAsYTzi-iI?...
A Glorious Guide to Hearthstone
YouTube video by Darkk Mane
youtu.be
February 11, 2026 at 4:22 AM