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chkurk.bsky.social
Chase
@chkurk.bsky.social
240 followers 440 following 320 posts
Chicago based game designer, indie TTRPG lover, and photographer.

Tea Fanatic.

Check out my work at https://chase.kurkow.ski

Part of @storygameschicago.bsky.social
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chkurk.bsky.social
Walked around Logan with a camera in the snow tonight. Had some fun bloom around lights from water drops on the lens.
A photo of a parking lot with a cars red lights, a street light and the L train on the Blue line as the only light. California blue line station with a passenger waiting on the platform. Local bar’s Christmas tree through the window.
December 2, 2025 at 6:23 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
Playtest aftermath from this morning.

Got a lot of really great insights from this one. A reminder that it’s important to playtest with a breadth of different people.
Bunch of cards and early rules reference text strewn around a table after a playtest wrapped up of my unnamed card game.
November 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
Some of my favorite aurora photos from tonight.

It’s honestly wild to me that I’ve been able to see this twice with the naked eye within the city limits of a city as big as Chicago. So lucky.
November 12, 2025 at 7:48 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
From Montrose, near the Beacon around 9pm.
November 12, 2025 at 4:47 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
We got it. Took some photos of the aurora over Lake Michigan from the Montrose Beacon.

Here’s some shots straight out of camera.
Aurora borealis with the Montrose beacon in frame. Borealis with the tower at the midpoint to the beacon in the left of frame Aurora over the northern part of the city
November 12, 2025 at 4:44 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
Well since this exploded, if you like these photos and want to see more of my work or possibly even buy a print, you can find my portfolio here!

chkabstractions.client-gallery.com

There's a whole host of shots like these in and around Chicago.
November 11, 2025 at 9:22 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
Well I do have some summer long exposure photos from night time. I really love this building lol
November 11, 2025 at 4:09 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
Also the light dusting of snow on the trees is quite pretty!
A tree with a light dusting of snow on its branches and yellow leaves.
November 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
I took a photo yesterday as the sun was setting and I thought it would be fun to shoot it again while it was snowing.
A photo of a school in Chicago with the setting sun reflecting in its windows. A photo of snow falling in Chicago. Similar composition to the first photo but dark and snowy now.
November 10, 2025 at 8:53 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
Had some friends over to make dinner and watch Pan’s Labyrinth tonight.

Made a roasted tomato soup and then they threw together a bunch of grilled cheese with an assortment of cheeses.

Basically a grilled cheese tasting platter lol
Three bowls of soup with lots of grilled cheese.
October 25, 2025 at 2:21 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
This reminds me of the sand hill cranes that used to stalk the parking lot at the place I used to work. They’d peck at the windows for like half a day sometimes.
A Sandhill crane standing next to a car in the parking lot A sandhill crane standing outside a window.
September 16, 2025 at 2:44 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
Had some people play Synthetic Archaeology tonight at @scenefour.bsky.social playtesting group and got this sick ass relic of play from it.

#syntheticarchaeology

storygameschicago.itch.io/synthetic-ar...
September 9, 2025 at 2:30 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
Couldn't have been happier with how the art on this project turned out!

With art from @badbadtattoos.bsky.social, you can find their work under the same name on Instagram, and Eric Dewitt, @dew_it_comics on Instagram!
July 31, 2025 at 8:37 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
A sneak peak of the cover for my game Diabolic Dialect, releasing later this week!

If you're a fan of indie #ttrpgs, wizards, wacky hijnks and one-shot games then follow along and check it out when it releases!
A cover for indie TTRPG Diabolic Dialect. A field of wizards battling, causing crazy magical effects and wacky mishaps with a castle looming in the background!
July 16, 2025 at 6:24 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
My newest game Diabolic Dialect - a game of wacky freeform spellcasting - is nearing completion! Here's a sneak peak of an illustration from @badbadtattoos.bsky.social! I'll be posting some more about it as it looks to release soon!
A wizard tower with cutouts and cross sections that show all the activities happening on the interior of the structure!
July 14, 2025 at 11:23 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
I’ve been seeing some other people post #eclipse #photography from last year - so I’ll throw mine in the ring.

This is the best film shot I got of the eclipse, taken on my #hasselblad 500c. It was such an amazing experience, I can’t wait to chase another one.
A film photo of the total eclipse from last year.
April 8, 2025 at 5:58 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
Second playtest, first with printed cards. A lot of the kinks from initially vomiting this out onto handwritten index cards have been smoothed a bit.

The Otherkind dice mechanic from @lumpley.bsky.social has been just as engaging here for new and longtime RPG players. Which is what I was hoping.
January 25, 2025 at 5:59 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
I’m getting ready for a playtest this weekend with a game that meshes a number of #boardgame mechanics with some #ttrpg and #indierpg mechanics.

Lots of inspiration from the game Escape From the Dark Castle and Otherkind Dice from @lumpley.bsky.social
A photo of four cards, two face down and two face up. They have the type of card they are as well as some evocative questions. On the inside they have a challenge, more questions and a set of Otherkind outcomes. One of the cards with small d6s placed over the die icons for the Otherkind outcomes.
January 17, 2025 at 12:04 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
📸 #Fujifilm GL690
🎞️ #Kodak Ektar 100

#Photography #FilmPhotography #Chicago
December 22, 2024 at 8:41 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
Lightscape @ the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

📸 #Fujifilm GFX50s

#Photography #NightPhotography
December 18, 2024 at 1:52 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
Thinking about summer weather…

📸 #Canon EOS Elan 7s
🎞️ #Cinestill 800T

#Photography #Chicago #ChicagoBotanicGardens
December 12, 2024 at 11:55 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
From a walk through Humbolt Park.

📸 #Fujifilm GL690
🎞️ #Fujifilm Acros 100 II

#FilmPhotography #Photography #Chicago
Birds littering. Light pole and the electric lines coming off of it in a very minimal B&W photo.
December 2, 2024 at 5:03 AM
chkurk.bsky.social
Studying in the Art Institute

📸 #Fujifilm GL690
🎞️ #Kodak Gold 200

#Photography #FilmPhotography #Chicago #ArtInstituteOfChicago
A man and woman sitting on opposite sides of a a bench with notebooks in the Art Institute of Chicago. People walk around them through the hall with pieces of art and a window with large steel girders looking out over the city behind.
November 27, 2024 at 4:50 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
Parson’s on Armitage. Looking wild on some over exposed Phoenix 120.

📸 #Fujifilm GL690
🎞️ #Harman Phoenix 200 shot @ 100 (and I forgot to pull in dev lol)

#FilmPhotography #Photography #Overexposed #Chicago
An overexposed photo of Parson’s Chicken and Fish on the corner of Armitage and Humbolt in Chicago. Shot on a Fuji GL690 film camera with Phoenix 200 film that was overexposed by one stop.
November 25, 2024 at 8:32 PM
chkurk.bsky.social
Thinking about the walk out along that pier (in what was relatively high winds) stresses me out when I look at this photo.

📸 #Fujifilm GL690
🎞️ #Kodak Tri-X 400

#Photography #FilmPhotography #Chicago #LakeMichigan
November 24, 2024 at 8:42 PM