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Robert StartPlayer

@startplayer.bsky.social

190 followers 140 following 560 posts

Boardgames, baking, geocaching, poker, coeliac, trying to draw and learn Italian. 🏳️‍🌈 My attempts to post in Italian at @giocatoreiniziale.bsky.social

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Nov 17

Seems worth posting an Intro thread here.

I'm Robert living in Leeds, UK. My hobbies are listed above.... these are some more details.... I may add more to this as I go.

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 8d

With my Italian I’m just sneaking it everywhere I can. Italian on YouTube, shopping list in Italian. For reasons no other the fun I’ll be in Rome in in 12 days doing an an actual exam for foreigners. That’s keeping my daily motivation up…. At the expense of any games design though.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 8d

I’m almost at 450 days of learning. I am not ashamed of watching Peppa Pig as a 45 year old man. I’m quite proud I’ve reached this kind of measurable level of listening comprehension. I watch more complex this with subtitles and then try with out. This feels good to not need them at all.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 8d

I saw the filter too. I don’t believe anything suggestive about them. I wish I had time to improve my drawing skills! They are really good.

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 8d

My #Italian learning is at Peppa Pig Level. Out of all the language skills I’ve found listening the hardest. I’ve needed subtitles a lot to follow film and TV. Peppa Pig in Italian on Netflix doesn’t have subtitles. But despite it still being a little fast for me I can understand about 90% of it.

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 10d

Im not #vegan but I’m experiment lots more with aqua faba as eggs so expensive now. This omelette is made by folding garam flour and spices into whisked aqua faba so #glutenFree too.

It ended up sticking to the pan but the crispy bits were really nice. I will absolutely experiment more with this.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 14d

Remember you only need to win maybe 4 or 5 votes depending on player count. So I will pick a few goals and absolutly hammer them

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 14d

Once the game is set up I look at what’s in short supply. Is there only one way to get supporters when that’s always a goal. Is money hard to come by etc.

I tend to go for marks early. There are only so many goals. After a while it’s possible to guess what other players are doing.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 14d

Today was the #Leeds @playtestuk.bsky.social event. I seem to be trying to make another children’s game. A sort of push your luck roll and move with player interaction. Seems to be finding some sort of shape

Also I’m happy that so far it’s all be totally analogue. No digital development at all.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 14d

I’ve baked @nigella.bsky.social ‘s buckwheat chocolate cookies. I forgot to add the cocoa powder but still delicious. It’s good to make a simple and tasty #GlutenFree chocolate cookie recipe. I’m going to try and tweak this to do chilli chocolate perhaps! #baking

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 17d

I’ve found similar. I’ve spent far to many hours of my life in casinos playing poker. The gang is fun but i really want to play it with poker players who can work out what things are worth easier

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 18d

No worries. Have fun working it all out. I don’t know if they are from an expansion or base game but once you are familiar with it I really like different scenarios you can play

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 18d

With lots of variable set up! And lots of text on card. Particular spells. I’d encourage players on the first game not to try and read everything or it will really bog down.

Would you like a little playing strategy I use (and in pretty much every game with a variable set up) or not?

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 18d

Truely one of my favourite games.

It’s might look imposing but it’s you’ve played any worker placement before it’s not to tricky. The icons repeat themselves a lot and they soon sink in.

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 23d

I don’t know when I last was #baking #cupcakes. I really wanted to see if using aquafaba to make Swiss meringue would work. I’m happy to report that it does. Now I need to adapt lots of old recipes for #GlutenFree versions. I will try is as well in other egg white recipes.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 24d

This wonderful book about Manic Street Preachers arrived. Its so nice to read human sounding words and critique in the year 2025.

I’m alittle sad the book has destroyed my believe in the myth Richey played on No Surface All Feeling. Listening to it feels different now. @keithcameron2.bsky.social

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · 26d

After getting back from Italy I’m now wanting to bet back to #baking more breads again. This is a #GlutenFree Foccacia and is frankly amazing. I’m thinking of so many ways I could customise this. Recipe from The Loopy Whisk blog here. theloopywhisk.com/2024/06/07/e...

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 11

Ive been learning almost 14 months. I’m doing an exam here next month. Just CEFR A2 but it feels like a massive achievement considering how terrible the British are at other languages. I’m amazed I some how managed to say all I did!

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 11

How’s my Italian going….

Well I’m in Rome and was just stoped by the police whilst geocaching. I managed to explain in Italian what the hobby was before they let us go on our way! If that’s that’s not basically fluent I don’t know what is!

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 11

I was playtesting once and people gave me feedback “I didn’t understand untill half way through”. I thought that was fine as many heavier games are like that. The playtesters said the same.. “people play a game once and then sell it”. I didn’t understand that practice either.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 4

Also spelt Cannoli wrong which weirdly makes my less confident of hygiene. I’ve no idea if that’s a logical thought or not!

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 4

Things I like - seeing #GlutenFree food in Leeds clearly labeled.

Things I don’t like - when I ask if it’s #coeliac safe GF or just gluten intolerant safe that I’m asked “what’s coealic?” By someone working with food.

Decided as it’s was on a bottom shelf they probably weren’t coeliac safe :-(

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 3

I always rotate my fountain to match to orientation of the board. That way all the ways and orientations are the same and I don’t have to spent any thinking overhead rotating pieces.

I think the rules was taught to me that you have to able to walk back to the fountain.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 3

Far to much down time for me.

2 player you make plans based one what options you see and what might be left next turn.

6 player the game state will change so radically that by your turn so becomes to tactical for my tastes.

Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 3

What was unintuitive out of interest? It’s only a 30-45 minute game I find

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Robert StartPlayer @startplayer.bsky.social · Sep 3

Played the classic Alhambra. There was once a time where the classic 3 gateway games were this, Carcassonne and Ticket To Ride. It seems to me Alhambra has been mostly forgotten in recent years which is a shame as it’s a brilliant* game.

*At low player counts anything above 4 is chaos. #boardgames

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