Evan Torner
@guyintheblackhat.bsky.social
Associate Professor of German, Niehoff Professor of Film & Media Studies at U of Cincinnati; Scholar of East German cinema, science fiction, and role-playing games. He/Him. Bi. Wears a hat.
Hey @gregisonthego.bsky.social and @momatoes.com -- I kept the faith!
February 15, 2026 at 9:39 PM
Hey @gregisonthego.bsky.social and @momatoes.com -- I kept the faith!
Roses are red
And splendid to wear
And splendid to wear
February 14, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Roses are red
And splendid to wear
And splendid to wear
WKRC documented today's protest by a group of SPCA students in Cincinnati. This particular group was led by a 7th grader with a bullhorn who self-organized a whole coalition of students to leave their classes and protest ICE.
I wish the international community could see such everyday US actions.
I wish the international community could see such everyday US actions.
February 12, 2026 at 4:51 AM
WKRC documented today's protest by a group of SPCA students in Cincinnati. This particular group was led by a 7th grader with a bullhorn who self-organized a whole coalition of students to leave their classes and protest ICE.
I wish the international community could see such everyday US actions.
I wish the international community could see such everyday US actions.
Some goose egg friends (complimentary)
February 7, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Some goose egg friends (complimentary)
Goose eggs never get old (to me)
February 7, 2026 at 12:52 PM
Goose eggs never get old (to me)
Still a banger, after all these years
February 2, 2026 at 1:03 AM
Still a banger, after all these years
From Peter Fleming's Dark Academia:
January 31, 2026 at 1:02 PM
From Peter Fleming's Dark Academia:
"Did I do this in the 2012 Metropolis larp?" I asked myself.
Sorta. Anna Westerling's Growing Up (2010) is the key text underlying its design, but I simply didn't know its name at the time I wrote this.
alexandria.dk/en/data?scen...
Sorta. Anna Westerling's Growing Up (2010) is the key text underlying its design, but I simply didn't know its name at the time I wrote this.
alexandria.dk/en/data?scen...
January 18, 2026 at 12:28 PM
"Did I do this in the 2012 Metropolis larp?" I asked myself.
Sorta. Anna Westerling's Growing Up (2010) is the key text underlying its design, but I simply didn't know its name at the time I wrote this.
alexandria.dk/en/data?scen...
Sorta. Anna Westerling's Growing Up (2010) is the key text underlying its design, but I simply didn't know its name at the time I wrote this.
alexandria.dk/en/data?scen...
From the 2nd Ed RPG Handbook:
January 17, 2026 at 10:48 AM
From the 2nd Ed RPG Handbook:
One of the best ever short articles in RPG theory claims that the entity called the "game master" is just a series of functional and social roles that can be divided up amongst a player group, easy peasy.
You can read it here in the 2012 KP book if you wanna:
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zj11u...
You can read it here in the 2012 KP book if you wanna:
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zj11u...
January 12, 2026 at 1:43 AM
One of the best ever short articles in RPG theory claims that the entity called the "game master" is just a series of functional and social roles that can be divided up amongst a player group, easy peasy.
You can read it here in the 2012 KP book if you wanna:
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zj11u...
You can read it here in the 2012 KP book if you wanna:
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zj11u...
I called the original shelfie "partial" because here's the other part:
Land of Eem
Everway
Make A Scene 2019
Radiant Citadel
Sin
Swords of the Serpentine
Cyberpunk Red + supplements
Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast
Monstrous
Land of Eem
Everway
Make A Scene 2019
Radiant Citadel
Sin
Swords of the Serpentine
Cyberpunk Red + supplements
Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast
Monstrous
January 9, 2026 at 3:17 PM
I called the original shelfie "partial" because here's the other part:
Land of Eem
Everway
Make A Scene 2019
Radiant Citadel
Sin
Swords of the Serpentine
Cyberpunk Red + supplements
Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast
Monstrous
Land of Eem
Everway
Make A Scene 2019
Radiant Citadel
Sin
Swords of the Serpentine
Cyberpunk Red + supplements
Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast
Monstrous
Partial shelfie of a few indie (& other) TTRPG titles acuired over the last few years.
Goal this year is to play or run more of these.
Goal this year is to play or run more of these.
January 9, 2026 at 9:49 AM
Partial shelfie of a few indie (& other) TTRPG titles acuired over the last few years.
Goal this year is to play or run more of these.
Goal this year is to play or run more of these.
Immer noch höchst relevant
January 8, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Immer noch höchst relevant
September 3, 1951
A Vietnamese soldier keeps watch in Caobang, which had been liberated from French colonial occupation in October 1950 by the Vietnamese People's Army.
A Vietnamese soldier keeps watch in Caobang, which had been liberated from French colonial occupation in October 1950 by the Vietnamese People's Army.
January 8, 2026 at 3:31 PM
September 3, 1951
A Vietnamese soldier keeps watch in Caobang, which had been liberated from French colonial occupation in October 1950 by the Vietnamese People's Army.
A Vietnamese soldier keeps watch in Caobang, which had been liberated from French colonial occupation in October 1950 by the Vietnamese People's Army.
My first essay on this topic was published over 10 years ago and is worth revisiting. This is one of my foundational pieces for RPG studies, but unfortunately tucked away in a WyrdCon Companion Book.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e8s8a...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e8s8a...
January 5, 2026 at 12:53 PM
My first essay on this topic was published over 10 years ago and is worth revisiting. This is one of my foundational pieces for RPG studies, but unfortunately tucked away in a WyrdCon Companion Book.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e8s8a...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/e8s8a...
Aimé Cesaire, Discourse on Colonialism (1955)
January 3, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Aimé Cesaire, Discourse on Colonialism (1955)
Tonight's NYE party meant that I had 2 tween/teen brothers over who desperately wanted to wrestle on our couches, so we instead mainlined the following games:
* Moonlight Castle
* Mouse Trap
* 5-Minute Dungeon
* Escape the Dark Sector
* Thunder Road: Vendetta
Now my niche hobbies *are* childcare.
* Moonlight Castle
* Mouse Trap
* 5-Minute Dungeon
* Escape the Dark Sector
* Thunder Road: Vendetta
Now my niche hobbies *are* childcare.
January 1, 2026 at 4:54 AM
Tonight's NYE party meant that I had 2 tween/teen brothers over who desperately wanted to wrestle on our couches, so we instead mainlined the following games:
* Moonlight Castle
* Mouse Trap
* 5-Minute Dungeon
* Escape the Dark Sector
* Thunder Road: Vendetta
Now my niche hobbies *are* childcare.
* Moonlight Castle
* Mouse Trap
* 5-Minute Dungeon
* Escape the Dark Sector
* Thunder Road: Vendetta
Now my niche hobbies *are* childcare.
Happy Chrismukkah to all, esp. those of us with interfaith families and complicated arrangements.
My Christmas Eve duties were to keep the fire going (12 hours!) and to entertain the children while [redacted] happened.
Every year I know less & less what to do this season, except "be kind."
My Christmas Eve duties were to keep the fire going (12 hours!) and to entertain the children while [redacted] happened.
Every year I know less & less what to do this season, except "be kind."
December 25, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Happy Chrismukkah to all, esp. those of us with interfaith families and complicated arrangements.
My Christmas Eve duties were to keep the fire going (12 hours!) and to entertain the children while [redacted] happened.
Every year I know less & less what to do this season, except "be kind."
My Christmas Eve duties were to keep the fire going (12 hours!) and to entertain the children while [redacted] happened.
Every year I know less & less what to do this season, except "be kind."
"Your character walks along a path when suddenly..."
December 23, 2025 at 3:08 AM
"Your character walks along a path when suddenly..."
If you see this, post a comics cover you love.
December 10, 2025 at 11:25 AM
If you see this, post a comics cover you love.