Carl Hess
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original-carl.bsky.social
Carl Hess
@original-carl.bsky.social
Software Engineer, TTRPG Enthusiast
Truth. And the backpack problem. 🤣
The two hardest problems in Computer Science are

1. Human communication
2. Getting people in tech to believe that human communication is important
December 24, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Sorcerer’s Skull is one of my favorite blogs. Here, he takes the Known World from Isle of Dread and makes it a space opera. Genius.
A Highly Derivative Space Opera Setting, Briefly Described: From the Sorcerer's Skull

http://sorcerersskull.blogspot.com/2025/12/a-highly-derivative-space-opera-setting.html

#dnd #ttrpg
December 19, 2025 at 1:06 PM
All the LoLs. And this is about as political as I’m ever going to get up in here.
why is there no CBS Town Hall on D&D edition wars? we should teach the controversy.
December 18, 2025 at 4:10 PM
My friends, I give you the incomparable Ginny Di, a jewel of the TTRPG universe.
Barbie can be anything, including a pink tiefling 🌸💖🎀

Part 2 is coming tomorrow!
December 15, 2025 at 8:20 PM
I am a fan of Professor Dungeonmaster’s. Don’t know if he’s on BSKY, but I doubt it. This is his year-end Indy-RPG game review video. It’s amazing. :D youtu.be/gHAbI-wLJTo?...
D&D is dead. Independent games are the future.
YouTube video by Dungeon Craft
youtu.be
December 15, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Solid gold advice from Sly Flourish.
RPG tip from the archive: Keep narrative descriptions brief and focus quickly on the options in front of the characters.

#dnd #ttrpg
December 14, 2025 at 10:58 PM
I have no issue with the term, but I agree what Magnolia is saying here in principle. I think that good social skills are what makes a truly skilled player.
From the brilliant mind of Magnolia Keep comes the long-awaited sequel to Combat as my Balls!

The term "Player skill" has always rankled me, so I decided to delve a little deeper into that and discuss different kinds of player skill games can encourage.

magnoliakeep.blogspot.com/2025/12/skil...
Skill as My Balls
I have a distaste for a lot of terms bandied about in the OSR sphere. Gameable Content is one. Another, apparently is "Player Skill." During...
magnoliakeep.blogspot.com
December 14, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Yay! I love seasonal Sunday comics.
December 7, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I watched Ad Astra (James Gray) last night in a double feature with Sunshine (Danny Boyle).

👍🏻👍🏻

Great sci fi gaming material in both, in my opinion. Borrow from the best, they say.
December 5, 2025 at 9:25 PM
You better watch out.
December 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Here’s some new alterna-Traveller for Cepheus! I hope you sell a ton, Adam.
HARD VACUUM 11: Massacre Moon:
The PCs must roll skill checks to investigate what happened to a missing science team. And pilot a combat drone to fight mercs and raiders trying to cover up a deadly conspiracy. #CepheusEngine #TravellerRPG
#SelfPromotionSaturday
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...
November 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Riding the Hyperlite is my blog about developing my own sci fi role-playing adventure game. You can read my latest post here: hyperlite.bearblog.dev/the-adventure/
The Adventure
, the module, has 4 adventures in it. I would need 1 for ArcaneCon, and I wanted one that wouldn't involve a lot of tactical play. I wanted social over co...
hyperlite.bearblog.dev
November 21, 2025 at 11:23 PM
I drew some heads.
November 19, 2025 at 1:10 PM
It has been many, many years since I blogged anything. I have some technical skills to improve.

Bearblog has a great aesthetic. I love lightweight platforms like this. I’ll write for a month and if I still like it I’ll pay for it.

Probably going to pay for it. 🐻
November 14, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I run a modified Traveller game for some friends far away and it’s been really good. I get to test out stuff that I’ve been holding onto for years.

I’m running a hex crawl for them at the moment. It’s a classic module and has some fun bits, but I need to streamline the game loop. More to come.
November 14, 2025 at 2:55 AM
I ran a Traveller game at ArcaneCon Saturday that was one of the best games I’ve ever run. Like, top 10 of my life, I think.

Everyone was so happy and energized when we concluded. I’m going to carry that with me for a while.

ArcaneCon was 10/10 this year. 🤘🏻
November 9, 2025 at 2:29 PM
@arcanesword.bsky.social the West Hartford Tabletop Game Club is on our way to the greatest independent tabletop game convention in central New England!

www.arcaneswordpress.com/arcanecon
ArcaneCon | Arcane Sword Press
www.arcaneswordpress.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:47 AM
DCC is a brutal game. Failure is punished severely and risk is difficult to evaluate when everything in a scenario potentially can come alive and kill your character.

However, in group of seven in the right mindset it can be hilarious.
November 6, 2025 at 11:15 PM
It’s been a minute!

I’ll be at ArcaneCon (hosted by @arcanesword.bsky.social ) in North Hampton, Mass on Saturday.

At 1pm, I’m running Traveller ‘77 to showcase and demo the greatest sci fi role-playing game ever made, in my opinion.

I can only hope I deliver the session it deserves!
November 4, 2025 at 4:04 AM
My mother-in-law’s favorite holiday season was Halloween. I miss you, Ginger. 😿
A great #Halloween comic by Dami Lee dami-lee.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:36 PM
I do enjoy a good rat. Banksy is a big fan, too. They’re survivors and I admire that.
A sudden attack of inspiration has me slapping together a quick Mork Borg supplement.

And of course, it needed a cover image.

I bring you

"Scavenger"
Black & Yellow digital piece.
Oct 1, 2025
Dyson Logos
October 2, 2025 at 1:29 AM
So metal!
If you are looking for hand-cast dice in brass, bronze, copper, silver, or gold in time for the holidays, you can order them from my shop at:
thangs.com/designer/Mad...
They'll be made in and ship from Eindhoven, in the Netherlands.
#dice #metal #luxury #dnd #rpg
September 30, 2025 at 12:42 AM
My second-ever DCC funnel sheet. Innis lived. He is now Innis Tawinnis “the bandit” a first level warrior/fighter. First game as a level 1 next Tuesday.
September 30, 2025 at 12:13 AM