Zach Hoekstra
@zhoekstra.bsky.social
Game Designer with three published games and like 800 others I dabble in. He/Him
Reposted by Zach Hoekstra
"When it comes to publishing Harry Potter, it’s pretty simple: don’t."
Members of a grassroots movement are pressuring Upper Deck Entertainment to not put tabletop money in the hands of a powerful transphobe. So far, they've been met with silence.
Members of a grassroots movement are pressuring Upper Deck Entertainment to not put tabletop money in the hands of a powerful transphobe. So far, they've been met with silence.
Upper Deck is facing concerted online backlash after licensing a Harry Potter CCG
The industry is taking a step against transphobia in tabletop games.
www.rascal.news
February 10, 2026 at 3:16 PM
"When it comes to publishing Harry Potter, it’s pretty simple: don’t."
Members of a grassroots movement are pressuring Upper Deck Entertainment to not put tabletop money in the hands of a powerful transphobe. So far, they've been met with silence.
Members of a grassroots movement are pressuring Upper Deck Entertainment to not put tabletop money in the hands of a powerful transphobe. So far, they've been met with silence.
Party in Power: "Hello we're making concentration camps to lock up a minority we've designated to be hated"
Opposition: "I strongly condemn this action, you need to file the proper permits for a hate-based concentration camp first"
Opposition: "I strongly condemn this action, you need to file the proper permits for a hate-based concentration camp first"
Our DHS reform demands are exceedingly reasonable.
We're asking ICE to do nothing more than follow the standards that the vast majority of law enforcement agencies already follow.
Republicans, the ball is in your court. The clock is ticking.
We're asking ICE to do nothing more than follow the standards that the vast majority of law enforcement agencies already follow.
Republicans, the ball is in your court. The clock is ticking.
February 10, 2026 at 6:38 AM
Party in Power: "Hello we're making concentration camps to lock up a minority we've designated to be hated"
Opposition: "I strongly condemn this action, you need to file the proper permits for a hate-based concentration camp first"
Opposition: "I strongly condemn this action, you need to file the proper permits for a hate-based concentration camp first"
Surprise of the week was dipping a bit into American politics with some European friends and having one of them bring up the Black Panthers unbidden.
Like I know a bit about the Black Panthers, most Americans know very little, so it was interesting to see that Europeans knew about them as well.
Like I know a bit about the Black Panthers, most Americans know very little, so it was interesting to see that Europeans knew about them as well.
February 10, 2026 at 6:12 AM
Surprise of the week was dipping a bit into American politics with some European friends and having one of them bring up the Black Panthers unbidden.
Like I know a bit about the Black Panthers, most Americans know very little, so it was interesting to see that Europeans knew about them as well.
Like I know a bit about the Black Panthers, most Americans know very little, so it was interesting to see that Europeans knew about them as well.
New version of Pact is up, now with an expanded Agenda system and a bunch of optional experimental cards! Check it out!
screentop.gg/@zhoekstra/p...
screentop.gg/@zhoekstra/p...
February 9, 2026 at 9:09 AM
New version of Pact is up, now with an expanded Agenda system and a bunch of optional experimental cards! Check it out!
screentop.gg/@zhoekstra/p...
screentop.gg/@zhoekstra/p...
🎲✂️ Next up is some iteration on Pact's Agenda system.
Right now, Agenda's are doing what they're supposed to - Early Agendas give new players a hook to interact with the game, and Late Agendas give players a rubber band mechanic to come back.
Right now, Agenda's are doing what they're supposed to - Early Agendas give new players a hook to interact with the game, and Late Agendas give players a rubber band mechanic to come back.
February 6, 2026 at 3:20 PM
🎲✂️ Next up is some iteration on Pact's Agenda system.
Right now, Agenda's are doing what they're supposed to - Early Agendas give new players a hook to interact with the game, and Late Agendas give players a rubber band mechanic to come back.
Right now, Agenda's are doing what they're supposed to - Early Agendas give new players a hook to interact with the game, and Late Agendas give players a rubber band mechanic to come back.
Sometimes I feel like scammers don't appreciate the work I put into these puns.
February 6, 2026 at 5:31 AM
Sometimes I feel like scammers don't appreciate the work I put into these puns.
Took our son to Artis zoo today. He ran around, saw some animals, had a blast, and fell asleep on the train ride home. And yes, at his size he's now a pain to lug around a train station, but when I looked down and saw him asleep on my chest, I realized I'd remember this fondly in 10 years.
February 1, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Took our son to Artis zoo today. He ran around, saw some animals, had a blast, and fell asleep on the train ride home. And yes, at his size he's now a pain to lug around a train station, but when I looked down and saw him asleep on my chest, I realized I'd remember this fondly in 10 years.
Save 100's of dollars by running this script before you go to sleep!
February 1, 2026 at 6:27 AM
Save 100's of dollars by running this script before you go to sleep!
🎲✂️ Bookmarking this as a good way to nest a bunch of weird outlines on a punchboard. You'd need to extend your intended cuts by half the required distance between parts, but still!
January 31, 2026 at 6:53 AM
🎲✂️ Bookmarking this as a good way to nest a bunch of weird outlines on a punchboard. You'd need to extend your intended cuts by half the required distance between parts, but still!
🎲✂️
1️⃣Pact is gearing up for a gamefound launch in October!
2️⃣This means I have a lot to do, like
3️⃣Write a crap ton of marketing copy for said gamefound launch
4️⃣Finalize a design so we can make a bunch of professional prototype copies to
5️⃣Send to reviewers around the globe pre-launch
Wish me luck!
1️⃣Pact is gearing up for a gamefound launch in October!
2️⃣This means I have a lot to do, like
3️⃣Write a crap ton of marketing copy for said gamefound launch
4️⃣Finalize a design so we can make a bunch of professional prototype copies to
5️⃣Send to reviewers around the globe pre-launch
Wish me luck!
January 31, 2026 at 6:24 AM
🎲✂️
1️⃣Pact is gearing up for a gamefound launch in October!
2️⃣This means I have a lot to do, like
3️⃣Write a crap ton of marketing copy for said gamefound launch
4️⃣Finalize a design so we can make a bunch of professional prototype copies to
5️⃣Send to reviewers around the globe pre-launch
Wish me luck!
1️⃣Pact is gearing up for a gamefound launch in October!
2️⃣This means I have a lot to do, like
3️⃣Write a crap ton of marketing copy for said gamefound launch
4️⃣Finalize a design so we can make a bunch of professional prototype copies to
5️⃣Send to reviewers around the globe pre-launch
Wish me luck!
Reposted by Zach Hoekstra
Big personal update! My little family is going on a massive adventure and relocating to the Netherlands soon. We’re leaving in April or May, and we couldn’t be more excited! There’s a lot to do in a short time, but we wanna gtfoh, ya know?
There’s related professional news, but that’ll come later 😉
There’s related professional news, but that’ll come later 😉
January 23, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Big personal update! My little family is going on a massive adventure and relocating to the Netherlands soon. We’re leaving in April or May, and we couldn’t be more excited! There’s a lot to do in a short time, but we wanna gtfoh, ya know?
There’s related professional news, but that’ll come later 😉
There’s related professional news, but that’ll come later 😉
This is deeply mportant, because I see a lot of new designers that have a theme they think is cool and a bunch of mechanics they think are cool (usually from other games in the same theme), and kind of mash them together without thinking about what the mechanics do for the theme or vice versa.
Contemplating intentionality today.
Why that mechanism to tell that story? Why that rule? That behavior? I encounter a lot of design that has not dug deeper, even as an intellectual exercise.
What is the lore behind all your choices as a designer? What is its infinite soul?
Why that mechanism to tell that story? Why that rule? That behavior? I encounter a lot of design that has not dug deeper, even as an intellectual exercise.
What is the lore behind all your choices as a designer? What is its infinite soul?
January 28, 2026 at 7:05 AM
This is deeply mportant, because I see a lot of new designers that have a theme they think is cool and a bunch of mechanics they think are cool (usually from other games in the same theme), and kind of mash them together without thinking about what the mechanics do for the theme or vice versa.
Reposted by Zach Hoekstra
This is an excellent analogy, because my recollection from grade school is that the pen on the right looks fun and exciting, and then you play with it for a few minutes and realize it's not actually useful for anything and in fact makes some tasks more cumbersome, and never think about it again.
yeah, just out of interest, how many people choose the pen on the right for real work or art? See a lot of them in professional workplaces, do you?
January 22, 2026 at 12:21 PM
This is an excellent analogy, because my recollection from grade school is that the pen on the right looks fun and exciting, and then you play with it for a few minutes and realize it's not actually useful for anything and in fact makes some tasks more cumbersome, and never think about it again.
Little moment of joy for the day - I prepped a carne asada marinade for a bunch of ribeye I'm cooking up tonight, and now my hands will smell of tasty latin american flavors for the rest of the afternoon
January 19, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Little moment of joy for the day - I prepped a carne asada marinade for a bunch of ribeye I'm cooking up tonight, and now my hands will smell of tasty latin american flavors for the rest of the afternoon
You don't get to use "But it will make me a lot of money, and I'm not *directly* hurting people" as a moral defense. You know it's wrong, you've just calculated that the actual damage will be managable.
Which is paradoxically why it's important to raise hell over even small things like this.
Which is paradoxically why it's important to raise hell over even small things like this.
Upper Deck has announced that they have acquired the Harry Potter license for a series of trading cards. They have not yet said that they will be using this license for games, and we urge them to refrain from doing so, to help keep gaming a welcoming environment.
The leadership of the Tabletop Game Designers Association was disappointed to see the publisher CGE touting Codenames: Back to Hogwarts, a new Harry Potter-themed version of Codenames.
January 19, 2026 at 10:36 AM
You don't get to use "But it will make me a lot of money, and I'm not *directly* hurting people" as a moral defense. You know it's wrong, you've just calculated that the actual damage will be managable.
Which is paradoxically why it's important to raise hell over even small things like this.
Which is paradoxically why it's important to raise hell over even small things like this.
Reposted by Zach Hoekstra
Upper Deck has announced that they have acquired the Harry Potter license for a series of trading cards. They have not yet said that they will be using this license for games, and we urge them to refrain from doing so, to help keep gaming a welcoming environment.
The leadership of the Tabletop Game Designers Association was disappointed to see the publisher CGE touting Codenames: Back to Hogwarts, a new Harry Potter-themed version of Codenames.
January 18, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Upper Deck has announced that they have acquired the Harry Potter license for a series of trading cards. They have not yet said that they will be using this license for games, and we urge them to refrain from doing so, to help keep gaming a welcoming environment.
Reposted by Zach Hoekstra
This is a good lesson, no matter how you come to learn it
January 18, 2026 at 3:11 PM
This is a good lesson, no matter how you come to learn it
🎲✂️ Buzzing with nervous and excited energy after a great digital Pact playtest with a group of designers who were both very excited to tell their story of Branchbourne, but also give critical and actionable feedback on graphic design. We're on the right track! And yet still have so far to go!
January 17, 2026 at 6:40 PM
🎲✂️ Buzzing with nervous and excited energy after a great digital Pact playtest with a group of designers who were both very excited to tell their story of Branchbourne, but also give critical and actionable feedback on graphic design. We're on the right track! And yet still have so far to go!
Adventures in 3-year-olds: today Aiden decided to make his own sandwich. He has chosen to make a peanut butter, honey, and turkey sandwich.
He has eaten the entire thing. I'm kind of scared to try it for myself.
He has eaten the entire thing. I'm kind of scared to try it for myself.
January 17, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Adventures in 3-year-olds: today Aiden decided to make his own sandwich. He has chosen to make a peanut butter, honey, and turkey sandwich.
He has eaten the entire thing. I'm kind of scared to try it for myself.
He has eaten the entire thing. I'm kind of scared to try it for myself.
🎲✂️ bsky, I have a terminology conundrum.
In PACT, most pieces move between different places on the board, and as such I have a lot of terms for the different ways to move a piece from location A to location B. Rarely, a piece can be removed from the board, and I've used the term Destroy for that.
In PACT, most pieces move between different places on the board, and as such I have a lot of terms for the different ways to move a piece from location A to location B. Rarely, a piece can be removed from the board, and I've used the term Destroy for that.
January 16, 2026 at 9:14 AM
🎲✂️ bsky, I have a terminology conundrum.
In PACT, most pieces move between different places on the board, and as such I have a lot of terms for the different ways to move a piece from location A to location B. Rarely, a piece can be removed from the board, and I've used the term Destroy for that.
In PACT, most pieces move between different places on the board, and as such I have a lot of terms for the different ways to move a piece from location A to location B. Rarely, a piece can be removed from the board, and I've used the term Destroy for that.
Reposted by Zach Hoekstra
YIKES.
Upper Deck (Marvel Legendary) just announced a CCG using the Harry Potter license.
Fans of UD are rallying against this decision. Like the CGE situation last year, I’m asking for your help.
Join us. Share your disgust and frustration, and help us push UD to retract their awful decision. 🎲✂️
Upper Deck (Marvel Legendary) just announced a CCG using the Harry Potter license.
Fans of UD are rallying against this decision. Like the CGE situation last year, I’m asking for your help.
Join us. Share your disgust and frustration, and help us push UD to retract their awful decision. 🎲✂️
UPPER DECK ANNOUNCES COVETED HARRY POTTER LICENSE, UPCOMING PRODUCT COLLECTION - Upper Deck
Carlsbad, CA (Jan. 7, 2026) – Upper Deck, the global leader in sports and entertainment collectibles, is adding another iconic license to its extensive portfolio – announcing a deal to create collecti...
upperdeck.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:35 PM
YIKES.
Upper Deck (Marvel Legendary) just announced a CCG using the Harry Potter license.
Fans of UD are rallying against this decision. Like the CGE situation last year, I’m asking for your help.
Join us. Share your disgust and frustration, and help us push UD to retract their awful decision. 🎲✂️
Upper Deck (Marvel Legendary) just announced a CCG using the Harry Potter license.
Fans of UD are rallying against this decision. Like the CGE situation last year, I’m asking for your help.
Join us. Share your disgust and frustration, and help us push UD to retract their awful decision. 🎲✂️
🎲✂️ 2026 is the year of Pact!
We've got quite a few things to work on leading up to the September launch of our Gamefound project (recently moved over from Kickstarter), not least of which is me getting past my Imposter Syndrome to start doing real promotion and work
gamefound.com/en/projects/...
We've got quite a few things to work on leading up to the September launch of our Gamefound project (recently moved over from Kickstarter), not least of which is me getting past my Imposter Syndrome to start doing real promotion and work
gamefound.com/en/projects/...
January 14, 2026 at 9:54 AM
🎲✂️ 2026 is the year of Pact!
We've got quite a few things to work on leading up to the September launch of our Gamefound project (recently moved over from Kickstarter), not least of which is me getting past my Imposter Syndrome to start doing real promotion and work
gamefound.com/en/projects/...
We've got quite a few things to work on leading up to the September launch of our Gamefound project (recently moved over from Kickstarter), not least of which is me getting past my Imposter Syndrome to start doing real promotion and work
gamefound.com/en/projects/...
I'm fairly certain that there's an ancient curse preventing @hollandspiele.bsky.social games from reaching me in Europe. 2y ago I ordered one from Second Chance games, and it just got straight up lost in customs.
January 10, 2026 at 12:11 PM
I'm fairly certain that there's an ancient curse preventing @hollandspiele.bsky.social games from reaching me in Europe. 2y ago I ordered one from Second Chance games, and it just got straight up lost in customs.
Rereading Bob Altemeyer for some game design research and man it is disheartening to look at his research into RWA and SDO given the last.... year.
January 4, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Rereading Bob Altemeyer for some game design research and man it is disheartening to look at his research into RWA and SDO given the last.... year.
Seize wonder and happiness while it's here. go out and build that snowman
January 3, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Seize wonder and happiness while it's here. go out and build that snowman