Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Iain McAllister

@giantbrain.co.uk

2K followers 500 following 2.8K posts

Game writer, freelance critic, and podcaster. Host of the Brainwaves Tabletop News Podcast. Host of Cult of the Old. Find all my work here https://linktr.ee/thegiantbrain

linktr.ee

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · Jan 21

Hello new followers! I'm Iain McAllister and I post about games of all persuasions. You'll find all my written work over on my site. I have a particular focus at the moment on trying tabletop RPG criticism in different ways. Links in Bio, podcasts included.

giantbrain.co.uk

The Giant Brain

Tabletop Game Reviews, Interviews, and Criticism

giantbrain.co.uk

1 10

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 17h

1 2

Reposted by Iain McAllister

Jon at Handiwork Games @handiworkgames.bsky.social · 1d

We're delighted to say that Cold City second edition, the roleplaying game of hidden Agendas, trust and monster hunting is 🅞🅤🅣 🅝🅞🅦 in PDF and pre-order. All pre-orders come with a free PDF.

The PDF is available exclusively @drivethrurpg.com

Pre-order: handiwork.games/product/pre-...

Cold City Second Edition - Handiwork Games | Cold City Hot War | DriveThruRPG

In the divided city of post-World War II Berlin, terrors hide in the darkness. The legacies of war, suffering, and fringe science lurk beneath the surface, feared and desired by former allies and defe...

www.drivethrurpg.com

7 25

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 1d

Trialling a newsletter for the next few months on the Patreon. You have to be a member to get it but free tier counts. It will sum up my work in all places over the last month, games I've been playing, and work around the tabletop games world I think is interesting

www.patreon.com/posts/septem...

September Newsletter | The Giant Brain

www.patreon.com

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 3d

Just a conspiracy of game designers

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 3d

Lioness of Leith also great. Ancient Robot Games if you want a lovely games shop with a great bookshop next door. Lots of nice cafes around there as well.

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 3d

I must confess I've never played a cortex game.

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 3d

Congratulations on 200 episodes to my good friends @evilgaz.bsky.social, Ben and stunt Ben @burnafterrunning.bsky.social.

Gaz @evilgaz.bsky.social · 3d

🔊 New podcast alert! 200th* Episode special

Me and my good friend Ben reflect on many years of gaming and podcasting. What have we learned along the way? (Opinions vary.)

* More then 200 episodes are available. All those bonus eps, we're too good to you!

200th Celebratory Show

open.spotify.com

1 5

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 3d

@unmech.bsky.social

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 3d

Found someone doing Warhammer/Necromunda themed model trains, and I think it’s very important you see this

www.instagram.com/macey4271?ig...

A still from a video set showing a Necromunda themed model railway setup

1 6

Reposted by Iain McAllister

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 3d

Found someone doing Warhammer/Necromunda themed model trains, and I think it’s very important you see this

www.instagram.com/macey4271?ig...

6 42 210

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 3d

Giving a newsletter a go for the next little while. You need to sign up to the free tier on my patron to get it. Sums up the work I've been doing on the site and elsewhere, games I've been playing and interacting work I've been enjoying

www.patreon.com/posts/septem...

September Newsletter | The Giant Brain

www.patreon.com

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 4d

Sounds great. Don't know if I'll get to that stage but having fun for now. I'm enjoying how the playwall messes with characters motivations

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 4d

Just started running it. A one shot that then has enough juice for a campaign. Did our first downtime as a session (we only play for about 2 hours at a time) which allowed the players to expand the one shot characters and get a handle on the additional "benefits". It does whip.

1 3

Reposted by Iain McAllister

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 4d

Trying out a newsletter approach to my monthly updates. You do need to be a member of the Patreon to access but it includes the free tier.

www.patreon.com/posts/septem...

September Newsletter | The Giant Brain

www.patreon.com

2 2

Reposted by Iain McAllister

MiMi Aye @meemalee.bsky.social · 4d

Author and filmmaker Justine Bateman on generative AI

"They're trying to convince people they can't do the things they've been doing easily for years - to write emails, to write a presentation. Your daughter wants you to make up a bedtime story about puppies - to write that for you." We will get to the point, she says with a grim laugh, "that you will essentially become just a skin bag of organs and bones, nothing else. You won't know anything and you will be told repeatedly that you can't do it, which is the opposite of what life has to offer. Capitulating all kinds of decisions like where to go on vacation, what to wear today, who to date, what to eat.
People are already doing this. You won't have to process grief, because you'll have uploaded photos and voice messages from your mother who just died, and then she can talk to you via AI video call every day. One of the ways it's going to destroy humans, long before there's a nuclear disaster, is going to be the emotional hollowing-out of people." - author and filmmaker Justine Bateman from a piece by Emine Saner for the Guardian

20 1.8K 3.9K

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 4d

Trying out a newsletter approach to my monthly updates. You do need to be a member of the Patreon to access but it includes the free tier.

www.patreon.com/posts/septem...

September Newsletter | The Giant Brain

www.patreon.com

2 2

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 5d

It is weird to me that the excellent traits and passions mechanisms never really made it into any other RPG. I find it hard to think of an RPG that puts how your character's brain works in such an explicit way on the character sheet.

2 1 4

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 7d

Hades 2 firmly has its hooks in me.

Reposted by Iain McAllister

Tim Clare @timclare.bsky.social · 8d

Just a general shoutout: if anyone is after a creative writing workshop, writing on tabletop games, or you need an experienced SFF author on a project, hit me up. Also MS critique slots are available on my website. Funds v tight while I finish my book & some extra work would be lovely!

1 16 32

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 8d

Beautiful work from Dan here. I've been thinking about the language we use around games for a while and there are some great ideas in here.

Dan Thurot @danthurot.bsky.social · 8d

For today's article, I'm just griping about why "fun" is a bad word for critics. spacebiff.com/2025/09/30/a...

Anti-Fun

There’s one word I try to never use when writing about board games. The F-word. No, not that one. “Fun.” There it is. My critical curse word. Today I want to talk about why “fun” isn’t an especiall…

spacebiff.com

1 2 14

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 10d

Ihmcallister is my username

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 10d

True. I guess a sub category of the genre. I just don't think most people would consider them area control when asked to think of games with that mechanism

2 1

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 10d

I wouldn't say Compile is area control but lane battlers do have elements of that I guess.

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 10d

I've got the new blood and sand version that I haven't played yet.

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 10d

Oh we should. I keep meaning to pick up a copy but it is on BGA as well

1 1

Iain McAllister @giantbrain.co.uk · 10d

I'm a fan of Kemet just getting to the punch but also El Grande is superb still

3 4