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Dr Tomas Rawlings

@tomasrawlings.bsky.social

380 followers 120 following 420 posts

Auroch Digital Studio&Bristol Games hub co-founder. VP Sumo Digital. Award winning game designer. Co-founder Digital Tabletop Fest, PhD in Software Studies. BAFTA Member. Warhammer and TTRPG fan. Climate advocate.

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · Dec 24

Here's all the key links about me: linktr.ee/tomasrawlings

tomasrawlings | Twitter | Linktree

Video game developer, game dev also into boardgames/wargames/RPGs & climate

linktr.ee

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 15h

Talking about Chaos and #Warhammer this morning at manchestergamecentre.org/events/2025/...

Games Workshop Research Day 2025 — Manchester Game Centre

We are pleased to announce that the Manchester Game Centre's second annual Games Workshop Research Day is taking place on Saturday 11th October 2025!

manchestergamecentre.org

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 16h

Interesting read on how spending on coal is going to cost more - its ideology over economics and the climate.
heatmap.news/politics/tru...

The Fiscal Contradictions of Trump’s Energy Policy

The administration seems to be pursuing a “some of the above” strategy with little to no internal logic.

heatmap.news

Reposted by Dr Tomas Rawlings

Auroch Digital @aurochdigital.bsky.social · 1d

We have published a survey for the Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life - Test Mission demo. If you have played the demo, we would appreciate your thoughts on what you experienced. ❤️

One lucky feedback entrant will win a £25 Steam voucher! 🙌🏻

Link to the survey is below 👇🏻

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 1d

Congratulations to Mark!

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 3d

Might do, as there’s more I want to cover on it

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 3d

The first in a semi-regular series of posts addressing a topic of note. This time I’m asking the question of why are so many people talking about Roblox? Why does it matter? IMHO it does, this is why. exploringgamedevelopment.substack.com/p/why-is-eve...

#gamedev #roblox

A screenshot showing day 10 of hopefully 99 days, from the game 99 Nights in the Forest. Screenshot by author.

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 5d

Unless it a chaos cult only for short people the marine is fighting?

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 5d

Indeed! I covered that cover (pun!) here - exploringwarhammer.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

EXCLUSIVE! Here are the original draft sketches and an alternative cover design for the iconic cover of Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader, featuring the last stand of Crimson Fist Space Marines vs Orks

Before creating the cover of 40K Rogue Trader, artist John Sibbick both sketched out an alternative design and the ideas for the final cover. This is a rare glimpse into the process!

exploringwarhammer.substack.com

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 5d

There's a very cool article on #Warhammer Community of Space Marine art over the years. Its got a wide range of images. www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articl...

#Warhammer40K

Black Templars space marines from 3rd edition cover (1998)

A Space Marine battles chaos worshipers in close combat

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 6d

Typo, RPG trailer. Hat tip to @rascal.news where I saw it www.rascal.news/why-do-peopl...

Why do people love to hate Shadowrun?

A long-form exploration of corporations, cyberpunk, and elves.

www.rascal.news

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 6d

OMG there's a Shadowrun ROG trailer! A Night's Work (Shadowrun promo, 1990) Gosh and it is fun and so very early 90s. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GPG...

A character uses psychic (or magic?) powers.

Three characters in the Shadowrun promo sneak along ready for action

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 6d

My copy has arrived!

Cover of Wyrd Science magazine showing two warriors

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 6d

Yeah it is very good. I’ve played the coop version which is basically the same. I’ve written about it here exploringwarhammer.substack.com/p/an-early-a...

An Early August Update - Chaos Rising, Monsters, Aliens and One Ring to Bind Them All

A grab-bag of updates about Kill Team, some in-person Chaos talks and where Tolkien (may) have got his One Ring idea from.

exploringwarhammer.substack.com

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 7d

The new Kill Team boxed set looks very cool. www.warhammer-community.com/en-gb/articl...

#warhammer #warhammer40k #killteam

Wolf Scouts and Stealth Battlesuits fight as quietly as possible in Kill Team: Dead Silence - Warhammer Community

Shush, don’t wake the tomb world…

www.warhammer-community.com

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 10d

Realized today that I'd totally forgotten a game I'd worked on from my gameography! agreatbecoming.com

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 12d

Not me, I just love the bonkers aesthetic

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 12d

Someone said it’s supposed to be an elf character?

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 12d

OMG Megabonk is amazing. store.steampowered.com/app/3405340/...

Save 15% on Megabonk on Steam

Smash your way through endless waves of enemies and grow absurdly powerful! Grab loot, level up, unlock characters and upgrade to create unique and crazy builds as you fend off hordes of creatures!

store.steampowered.com

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 12d

I didn’t read the image that way?

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 12d

D&D image showing alignment. I assume the party has a captive and they want info? The knight who is representing good is urging restraint, the evil thief-like character is seeking to torture the captive and the neutral warrior is standing by unconcerned. From 1983 edition.

Three adventurers with a captive goblin showing the three alignments of good, urging restraint, evil seeking to torture the captive and neutral, standing by.

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Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 12d

While Trump may want to bring back coal, the reality is that not only is it more polluting, adds more CO2 into the atmosphere (which they don't care about) but it costs more. While the alternatives are getting cheaper!

climatehopium.substack.com/p/the-powerf...

#climate #climatechange

Screenshot of a Reddit post about Trump vowing to bring back coal.

Graph shows renewables costs going down while coal is static.

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 13d

As a two-parter, a discussion of chaos as a cosmology, as a trope and as it arrived in Warhammer.

1. exploringwarhammer.substack.com/p/cometh-the...

2. exploringwarhammer.substack.com/p/pictures-o...

#warhammer #warhammer40k

A Chaos Beastman faces a group of warrior knights. From the cover of the first Citadel Compendium, 1983. Photo of the cover by me

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 14d

It’s all hedge trimmers now

Dr Tomas Rawlings @tomasrawlings.bsky.social · 14d

Pictures of Chaos From 230 BCE to Warhammer 40K in 1987 AD

A further exploration of chaos in the setting and some rambling about chaos as a cosmology & how it snuck into Rogue Trader - 'cos it is fun to ponder such things!

exploringwarhammer.substack.com/p/pictures-o...

#Warhammer #Warhammer40K

Photo by author, of a section from a couple of pages inside Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader showing the opening narrative setting quote. This book was released in 1987.

A warrior faces a frog-like creature. Image from The Quest for Chaos, a two-part mini-campaign for WFB which was given away as a free insert in the Citadel boxed set of miniatures, ‘SS1 - Warriors of Chaos’.

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