Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
@tzartzam.bsky.social
Editor, father, feminist, writer, capoeira, boardgame designer (Samphire Games: Poll & Write) (he/him). I believe in letting people flourish. Bristol, UK. https://linktr.ee/samphiregames
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
I'm sorry the guy changing the rules on the fly is named what
I stand with County Executive Calvin Ball as he signs emergency legislation today prohibiting privately owned buildings from being used as ICE detention centers.
Howard County chose dignity, accountability, and its people. Tune into our event now:
bit.ly/4a2VtHw
Howard County chose dignity, accountability, and its people. Tune into our event now:
bit.ly/4a2VtHw
Redirecting...
bit.ly
February 7, 2026 at 2:34 PM
I'm sorry the guy changing the rules on the fly is named what
Someone's been playing the British map of Ticket to Ride.
Absolutely tremendous work here, no notes.
(Apart from to say that this proposal is by the actual president of RIBA)
(Apart from to say that this proposal is by the actual president of RIBA)
February 7, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Someone's been playing the British map of Ticket to Ride.
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
The endless column inches, YouTube videos, podcasts and more given over to the largely non-existent rightwards shift of young men is exhausting.
A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!
A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!
The untold story that is told constantly and isn’t really true
February 7, 2026 at 12:37 PM
The endless column inches, YouTube videos, podcasts and more given over to the largely non-existent rightwards shift of young men is exhausting.
A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!
A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
INCIDENTALLY you can check out that work on the Kickstarter for his
Word Dungeon, and it's in the last few hours:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/wha...
Word Dungeon, and it's in the last few hours:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/wha...
Word Dungeon
Print-and-play solo dungeon scrawler where letters become loot. Spell your way through hand-drawn depths and leave with treasure!
www.kickstarter.com
February 7, 2026 at 7:47 AM
INCIDENTALLY you can check out that work on the Kickstarter for his
Word Dungeon, and it's in the last few hours:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/wha...
Word Dungeon, and it's in the last few hours:
www.kickstarter.com/projects/wha...
My friend Joe is exemplary on this point. He "couldn't draw", and so instead of AI-ing it, he taught himself to draw what he needed to in order to make his game. He followed some helpful videos and got some advice from artist friends. He practised. Now he has a game he designed and drew.
Regarding the Discourse, lemme just say that if you can't draw, yes you can.
Everyone can draw, and folks will almost certainly respond more positively to your stick figures than some generic "A.i." slop.
Also, there are LOADS of resources for free images. Like this! 🧵
www.nga.gov/artworks/fre...
Everyone can draw, and folks will almost certainly respond more positively to your stick figures than some generic "A.i." slop.
Also, there are LOADS of resources for free images. Like this! 🧵
www.nga.gov/artworks/fre...
Free Images and Open Access | National Gallery of Art
Free open access image downloads are now available directly from the object pages located on this website. Close to 60,000 images are available for download, and we will continue to add more images fo...
www.nga.gov
February 7, 2026 at 7:47 AM
My friend Joe is exemplary on this point. He "couldn't draw", and so instead of AI-ing it, he taught himself to draw what he needed to in order to make his game. He followed some helpful videos and got some advice from artist friends. He practised. Now he has a game he designed and drew.
This reminds me of a series I used to love in the @theguardian.com about 20 years ago where they had a little feature on writers' rooms. It was a wonderful window into their creative spaces!
If part of your home office or workspace looks like this, you are a boardgame designer 🎲✂️. Focused design and iteration of my latest game, about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, has included not worrying about cleaning up this space as the changes and improvements have been swift.
February 5, 2026 at 7:22 PM
This reminds me of a series I used to love in the @theguardian.com about 20 years ago where they had a little feature on writers' rooms. It was a wonderful window into their creative spaces!
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
Everyone should watch this
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Everyone should watch this
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
The next Bristol Friday daytime playtesting event is on 27th February! Any type of board game welcome, playtesters with no game even more so. Sign up on Meetup if you want to come along:
www.meetup.com/playtest/eve...
@playtestuk.bsky.social
www.meetup.com/playtest/eve...
@playtestuk.bsky.social
Bristol Daytime Playtest meetup, Fri, Feb 27, 2026, 10:30 AM | Meetup
If you're working on a game, whether it's an early idea or almost done, we want you! Board games, card games, puzzle games, silly or serious, short or long, any kind of gam
www.meetup.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:09 AM
The next Bristol Friday daytime playtesting event is on 27th February! Any type of board game welcome, playtesters with no game even more so. Sign up on Meetup if you want to come along:
www.meetup.com/playtest/eve...
@playtestuk.bsky.social
www.meetup.com/playtest/eve...
@playtestuk.bsky.social
Just finished Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber which concludes with this
Ridiculous people. One reason *I* advocate a basic income is that I think most people would do *more* productive, interesting, useful work if they didn't have to do useless makework drudgery to survive.
February 3, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Just finished Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber which concludes with this
Let it be known that my game group has decided on the abbreviation for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Trick-taking Game.
TLOTRTFOTRTTTG shall be know to us as lortyforty.
I look forward to playing lortytorty soon as well.
TLOTRTFOTRTTTG shall be know to us as lortyforty.
I look forward to playing lortytorty soon as well.
February 3, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Let it be known that my game group has decided on the abbreviation for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The Trick-taking Game.
TLOTRTFOTRTTTG shall be know to us as lortyforty.
I look forward to playing lortytorty soon as well.
TLOTRTFOTRTTTG shall be know to us as lortyforty.
I look forward to playing lortytorty soon as well.
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
It's a Nazi bar with holographic Nazis all around
75% of twitter is bots and the rest are nazis and people who don't mind being on a site full of bots and nazis.
It's not just a nazi bar, but a nazi bar that is 75% empty.
People who stay, trying to sell their queer art there: who the fuck are you selling it to?
It's not just a nazi bar, but a nazi bar that is 75% empty.
People who stay, trying to sell their queer art there: who the fuck are you selling it to?
Reposting with Alt Text added. (Source: Mashable)
February 3, 2026 at 9:41 AM
It's a Nazi bar with holographic Nazis all around
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
This is my view. Luckily point 2 really matters.
1. Trump certainly wants to fully rig elections.
2. He has no actual plausible plan to do so.
3. We should absolutely take the threat very seriously and actively do what's possible to protect elections and democracy.
4. What's actually likely is success or failure at the margins; every bit counts.
2. He has no actual plausible plan to do so.
3. We should absolutely take the threat very seriously and actively do what's possible to protect elections and democracy.
4. What's actually likely is success or failure at the margins; every bit counts.
The last time he started talking like this, his allies minimized the risks and we ended up with January 6. This time we must take him literally and seriously. These comments are a five-alarm fire for democracy. In a functioning republic, he would be impeached and removed from office today.
February 2, 2026 at 9:29 PM
This is my view. Luckily point 2 really matters.
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
This Kickstarter is LIVE and has me excited. Isn't this something we need desperately right now:
we&we is a gamified philosophy of living, designed as an open, real-world cooperative RPG focused on awareness, self-improvement, and shared well-being.
we&we is a gamified philosophy of living, designed as an open, real-world cooperative RPG focused on awareness, self-improvement, and shared well-being.
we&we is a game set in our current world. Here and now. We are all playing it. It’s just that some of us don’t know it yet. Every person is a player. You choose who you will be. Death is permanent. Results are real. And the goal is simple.
Find out more in the comments.
Find out more in the comments.
February 3, 2026 at 12:58 AM
This Kickstarter is LIVE and has me excited. Isn't this something we need desperately right now:
we&we is a gamified philosophy of living, designed as an open, real-world cooperative RPG focused on awareness, self-improvement, and shared well-being.
we&we is a gamified philosophy of living, designed as an open, real-world cooperative RPG focused on awareness, self-improvement, and shared well-being.
Reposted by Sam Francis (Samphire Games)
Only just twigged umbrella presumably means 'little shadow' etymologically and damn that's a cute ridiculous word that makes a lot of sense.
Just read someone in the US insisting that in the UK, we call umbrellas "bumbershoots".
February 2, 2026 at 12:52 PM
Only just twigged umbrella presumably means 'little shadow' etymologically and damn that's a cute ridiculous word that makes a lot of sense.
I worked on the rulebook for this - fun game and a beautiful set of cards!
It might still be winter, but spring is on the way, and if you want some more colour when May rolls around, you could do a lot worse than checking out Roller Disco from @huffnomore.bsky.social when the campaign launches. I've written a full preview here - punchboard.co.uk/roller-disco... #boardgames
Roller Disco Preview - Legwarmers at the ready!
Roller Disco is a ladder-climbing shedding game with a strong sense of style, unlike pretty much every other game with similar DNA.
punchboard.co.uk
February 1, 2026 at 9:46 PM
I worked on the rulebook for this - fun game and a beautiful set of cards!
Fantasy Map Maker looks like a fun roll-and-draw (involving @ways-unseen.bsky.social whose style I really like).
It looks like it's refusing to bow to players who say but "I can't draw" which I can respect!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/doo...
It looks like it's refusing to bow to players who say but "I can't draw" which I can respect!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/doo...
Fantasy Map Maker
Roll dice, draw features, and fulfil quests as you craft a fantasy world.
www.kickstarter.com
February 1, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Fantasy Map Maker looks like a fun roll-and-draw (involving @ways-unseen.bsky.social whose style I really like).
It looks like it's refusing to bow to players who say but "I can't draw" which I can respect!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/doo...
It looks like it's refusing to bow to players who say but "I can't draw" which I can respect!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/doo...
I'm really enjoying this podcast, so ask them some questions!
"But Why Vikings?" is a tabletop agony aunt column I do with @ava.foxfort.net and @timclare.bsky.social. We need your engagement to keep it running. Got questions about etiquette at the table? Philosophy of play? The best game to fit in pockets? Send them our way!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...
But Why Vikings?
Games Podcast · Updated fortnightly · Any unanswered questions at your gaming table? Ava Foxfort, Tim Clare, and Iain McAllister mull over tabletop conudrums: from etiquette at the table to recommenda...
podcasts.apple.com
February 1, 2026 at 8:05 AM
I'm really enjoying this podcast, so ask them some questions!
Just submitted my dwarf game for the Cardboard Edison Award.
January 31, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Just submitted my dwarf game for the Cardboard Edison Award.
My FX? NO.
My hate machine? Pretty.
My rain? Purple.
January 31, 2026 at 7:10 AM
My FX? NO.
Quote with 5 jobs you've had:
Paperboy
Barman
Cleaner
Cartographer
Editor
Paperboy
Barman
Cleaner
Cartographer
Editor
Quote with 5 jobs you’ve had:
1. Mum
2. Pupil Support Worker
3. Putting up tents for a larp hotel
4. Mobile and ISP Nework Tech
5. Posting taxi business cards through doors
1. Mum
2. Pupil Support Worker
3. Putting up tents for a larp hotel
4. Mobile and ISP Nework Tech
5. Posting taxi business cards through doors
1. Video shop employee (which instantly dates me)
2. Clothes shop assistant stockroom monkey
3. Postman
4. Dreary corporate marketing drone
5. Historian
2. Clothes shop assistant stockroom monkey
3. Postman
4. Dreary corporate marketing drone
5. Historian
January 28, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Quote with 5 jobs you've had:
Paperboy
Barman
Cleaner
Cartographer
Editor
Paperboy
Barman
Cleaner
Cartographer
Editor
Aaaand we're back. A passing comment on a podcast I was listening to on my cycle to work sparked an idea of how the journalist should probably work. Specific "newsworthy" actions by other players allow them to react by gaining a token of a specific suit (matching the action) 1/2
So many variables in designing new factions! Need to come back to this one with more time in the day - I think it could be a core faction and I know what I want it to do, but struggling to figure out the actual mechanisms! 🎲✂️
January 28, 2026 at 11:53 AM
Aaaand we're back. A passing comment on a podcast I was listening to on my cycle to work sparked an idea of how the journalist should probably work. Specific "newsworthy" actions by other players allow them to react by gaining a token of a specific suit (matching the action) 1/2
Boardgame account follows me on Instagram
Vetting begins! Do they use AI? Zoom in to look for tells... The style can make it obvious, but also there are some artists whose style looks AI, and AI can generate all sorts as well.
Do they credit an artist? Are there unexplained shadows?
Vetting begins! Do they use AI? Zoom in to look for tells... The style can make it obvious, but also there are some artists whose style looks AI, and AI can generate all sorts as well.
Do they credit an artist? Are there unexplained shadows?
January 28, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Boardgame account follows me on Instagram
Vetting begins! Do they use AI? Zoom in to look for tells... The style can make it obvious, but also there are some artists whose style looks AI, and AI can generate all sorts as well.
Do they credit an artist? Are there unexplained shadows?
Vetting begins! Do they use AI? Zoom in to look for tells... The style can make it obvious, but also there are some artists whose style looks AI, and AI can generate all sorts as well.
Do they credit an artist? Are there unexplained shadows?
SO many acronyms
How does tabletop journalism differ from its video game cousin? And where do they align? @crapstacular.bsky.social reflects on their leap into an analog industry and wonders why we use so many acronyms.
How does tabletop journalism function today?
Khee Hoon asks a gazillion questions about their job and the industry.
www.rascal.news
January 26, 2026 at 4:15 PM
SO many acronyms