Jess at Dissent Games
@dissentgames.bsky.social
Games about protest, games on birthday cards, and games co-created with schools. Based in Reading, UK. I’m Jess. (*waves*) I might also post about books, UK politics, and Quakers. www.dissentgames.com
Packing up copies of The Smugglers’ Secret. It’s a story-based, text-heavy, cold case adventure puzzle in an envelope.
Basically, imagine a whodunit and an escape room had a baby.
So much fun to design! 🎲✂️
Basically, imagine a whodunit and an escape room had a baby.
So much fun to design! 🎲✂️
November 17, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Packing up copies of The Smugglers’ Secret. It’s a story-based, text-heavy, cold case adventure puzzle in an envelope.
Basically, imagine a whodunit and an escape room had a baby.
So much fun to design! 🎲✂️
Basically, imagine a whodunit and an escape room had a baby.
So much fun to design! 🎲✂️
Rule 101 of small print run game design: do not design things which take FOREVER to assemble.
On the plus side, it looks fabulous.
🎲✂️
On the plus side, it looks fabulous.
🎲✂️
November 15, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Rule 101 of small print run game design: do not design things which take FOREVER to assemble.
On the plus side, it looks fabulous.
🎲✂️
On the plus side, it looks fabulous.
🎲✂️
New game design 🎲✂️ just gone on Kickstarter! This is my super quick no-frills Christmas KS. I have a puzzle treasure hunt kit for kids, and a story-based cold case puzzle for teenagers/adults. The puzzle hunt can also come as PDFs only!
Delivered in the UK by 1 December. Yes, really.
Delivered in the UK by 1 December. Yes, really.
November 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
New game design 🎲✂️ just gone on Kickstarter! This is my super quick no-frills Christmas KS. I have a puzzle treasure hunt kit for kids, and a story-based cold case puzzle for teenagers/adults. The puzzle hunt can also come as PDFs only!
Delivered in the UK by 1 December. Yes, really.
Delivered in the UK by 1 December. Yes, really.
Here’s what the packed up ones look like!
November 5, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Here’s what the packed up ones look like!
I’ve finally got my puzzle packs online! (I’m also putting them all together today. Much stuffing of envelopes.)
November 5, 2025 at 2:11 PM
I’ve finally got my puzzle packs online! (I’m also putting them all together today. Much stuffing of envelopes.)
I have this glorious map of (fictional) Raspel! It’s all a bit Famous Five round here right now.
October 15, 2025 at 8:35 PM
I have this glorious map of (fictional) Raspel! It’s all a bit Famous Five round here right now.
This is my “I have 10 minutes and some paper” prototype. 🎲✂️
October 12, 2025 at 10:13 AM
This is my “I have 10 minutes and some paper” prototype. 🎲✂️
Today I’ve been mainly writing a front page for a fictional local newspaper. This is part of my escape room style puzzle!
October 10, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Today I’ve been mainly writing a front page for a fictional local newspaper. This is part of my escape room style puzzle!
This week in 🎲✂️ I’ve been making a very large board.
Tomorrow I’ll be using this board with 60 children. It’s going to be an interesting experience…
Tomorrow I’ll be using this board with 60 children. It’s going to be an interesting experience…
September 30, 2025 at 8:49 AM
This week in 🎲✂️ I’ve been making a very large board.
Tomorrow I’ll be using this board with 60 children. It’s going to be an interesting experience…
Tomorrow I’ll be using this board with 60 children. It’s going to be an interesting experience…
Puzzle adventure game (for ages 9-12) is in the final stages of design. Big playtest on Sunday. Actually, this will be the first playtest of all the pieces together.
September 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Puzzle adventure game (for ages 9-12) is in the final stages of design. Big playtest on Sunday. Actually, this will be the first playtest of all the pieces together.
Puzzles! Here’s two parts of the puzzle I’m creating.
September 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Puzzles! Here’s two parts of the puzzle I’m creating.
New game thoughts! Rising like the tide.
September 20, 2025 at 8:10 PM
New game thoughts! Rising like the tide.
Funded on Kickstarter! Woooo woooo!
September 17, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Funded on Kickstarter! Woooo woooo!
It’s on Kickstarter! Loose In The Library is finally live! Please do go check it out. We only need four more games backed to fund…
www.kickstarter.com/projects/dis...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/dis...
September 17, 2025 at 8:49 AM
It’s on Kickstarter! Loose In The Library is finally live! Please do go check it out. We only need four more games backed to fund…
www.kickstarter.com/projects/dis...
www.kickstarter.com/projects/dis...
This photo is called: Where Is The Cumin?
It’s brought to you by gram masala. But not by cumin.
It’s brought to you by gram masala. But not by cumin.
September 17, 2025 at 8:46 AM
This photo is called: Where Is The Cumin?
It’s brought to you by gram masala. But not by cumin.
It’s brought to you by gram masala. But not by cumin.
I have eaten far far too much cake.
September 12, 2025 at 3:59 PM
I have eaten far far too much cake.
Scoring my playtest yesterday — we just tucked our player cards under the contracts we’d won, and then added them up at the end. Worked beautifully.
August 2, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Scoring my playtest yesterday — we just tucked our player cards under the contracts we’d won, and then added them up at the end. Worked beautifully.
Today we have mainly been making badges…
July 19, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Today we have mainly been making badges…
These photos are called “Jess has done lots of experimenting for the solo mode, but still not come up with answers, and so she definitely needs more tea”.
July 18, 2025 at 6:02 PM
These photos are called “Jess has done lots of experimenting for the solo mode, but still not come up with answers, and so she definitely needs more tea”.
General reminder for political people in the UK (particularly England and Wales): we don’t know how many seats any political party would get under a PR system, because polling data only asks about a single vote.
Under STV, how many people would put Green first and Reform second, or vice versa?
Under STV, how many people would put Green first and Reform second, or vice versa?
July 14, 2025 at 11:22 AM
General reminder for political people in the UK (particularly England and Wales): we don’t know how many seats any political party would get under a PR system, because polling data only asks about a single vote.
Under STV, how many people would put Green first and Reform second, or vice versa?
Under STV, how many people would put Green first and Reform second, or vice versa?
🎲✂️ Lady Bracknell’s Luncheon. This one has a name and a clear direction. But I tried it last week and it COMPLETELY fell apart, so it’s on to the next iteration.
July 7, 2025 at 9:12 PM
🎲✂️ Lady Bracknell’s Luncheon. This one has a name and a clear direction. But I tried it last week and it COMPLETELY fell apart, so it’s on to the next iteration.
🎲✂️ Hidden numbers game, or passing numbers, or both… I had this thought about a cooperative game where players swap cards in their hands in order to get sets. That mechanic sort of works, so I suppose the experiment was successful, but I’m not sure what the rest of the game is going to be.
July 7, 2025 at 9:11 PM
🎲✂️ Hidden numbers game, or passing numbers, or both… I had this thought about a cooperative game where players swap cards in their hands in order to get sets. That mechanic sort of works, so I suppose the experiment was successful, but I’m not sure what the rest of the game is going to be.
🎲✂️ Maze game. Last year I did quite a bit of experimentation with mazes. I never quite found what I was after though. Maybe I should take this game out again and try a new approach.
July 7, 2025 at 9:09 PM
🎲✂️ Maze game. Last year I did quite a bit of experimentation with mazes. I never quite found what I was after though. Maybe I should take this game out again and try a new approach.
🎲✂️ A game about stuff found down the back of the sofa. It features things such as unpaired socks, sticks, and plastic bags. It’s a trick taking game and in order to have an equal number of cards per player at different player counts I added in wild cards with weird numbers. Doesn’t really work yet.
July 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
🎲✂️ A game about stuff found down the back of the sofa. It features things such as unpaired socks, sticks, and plastic bags. It’s a trick taking game and in order to have an equal number of cards per player at different player counts I added in wild cards with weird numbers. Doesn’t really work yet.