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Rascal News @rascal.news · 10h

Day one of @kickstarterunited.org's ongoing strike saw elected officials and union leaders show up in the streets of NYC to support workers.

Kickstarter United strikes in New York City for fairer contract

The workers were joined on day one by elected officials and various union leaders.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 11h

Hot on the heels of GAMA's expansive plans, John Stacy announces his departure at the end of 2025. The trade organization has yet to name an interim executive director.

GAMA’s John Stacy is stepping down as executive director

Sudden end to 7-year tenure follows the trade org’s big plans.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 1d

What do technofeudalism, Chinese restaurants, and struggling game platform itch.io have in common? @newmadras.bsky.social has some thoughts, especially about the "platform" part.

Itch.io isn’t like other platforms

It’s like a 3.5 star Chinese restaurant.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 1d

PODCAST: Tighten that half-Windsor and double-check the spreadsheets: it's serious business on the latest episode of the Rascal Radio Hour.

Nah, just kidding. It's degenerate stuff like information design, oracles, and Thomas' One Piece fandom.

Trickle-down Gamenomics

Draft dodgers in the console wars.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 1d

What do technofeudalism, Chinese restaurants, and struggling game platform itch.io have in common? @newmadras.bsky.social has some thoughts, especially about the "platform" part.

Itch.io isn’t like other platforms

It’s like a 3.5 star Chinese restaurant.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 5d

GAMA wants to better represent tabletop's global reality, but its announced ten-year plan might not touch international designers and professionals for another 3-5 years.

The name has barely changed; will the trade organization follow suit?

GAMA has been rebranded as, er… GAMA

What’s in a name?

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 5d

GAMA's new (and first ever) COO is part of a larger restructure that the trade organization hopes will position it as a leading voice for a more global tabletop industry.

We asked executive director John Stacy for specifics.

GAMA appoints the trade organization’s first COO amid larger restructure

How this affects the changing face and capabilities of GAMA.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 6d

Wizards of the Coast Studios Inc. is a bland name for a new digital outfit that could prove crucial for the publisher's many video game projects.

Wizards of the Coast expands video game capacity with new Montréal-based studio

No announced games as Hasbro positions second Canadian outfit to play support.

www.rascal.news

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Chase Taylor-Carter @chasecarter.bsky.social · 7d

Worth pointing out that Kickstarter United is NOT currently calling for a public boycott of Kickstarter's platform.

The work strike encompasses 59 "community support specialists, trust and safety analysts, marketing professionals, software engineers, and other tech workers" under the old contract.

Rascal News @rascal.news · 7d

Unionized workers with @kickstarterunited.org are poised to strike if the crowdfunding platform's management doesn't approve their new contract.

The union has demanded a four-day workweek, minimum living wage salaries, and protections against generative AI encroachment.

Kickstarter United workers will strike beginning October 2

Demands include enshrining the four-day, 32-hour work week in their contract.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 7d

Kickstarter United didn't explain beyond a general work strike for community support, marketing, and software engineers.

Importantly, @kickstarterunited.org's webpage is NOT calling for a boycott at this moment:
kickstarterunited.org

Kickstarter United

kickstarterunited.org

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 7d

Unionized workers with @kickstarterunited.org are poised to strike if the crowdfunding platform's management doesn't approve their new contract.

The union has demanded a four-day workweek, minimum living wage salaries, and protections against generative AI encroachment.

Kickstarter United workers will strike beginning October 2

Demands include enshrining the four-day, 32-hour work week in their contract.

www.rascal.news

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Reposted by Rascal News

Thomas M, Full-time Rascal @newmadras.bsky.social · 9d

In a couple days, it'll be one year of joining Rascal. I'm grateful that I get to do this job. Which is part of why I work so hard at it. Because it's a tough job when I do it well because I'm trying to tell the stories of real people and I don't want to mess that up.

Thanks for reading, folks.

Rascal News @rascal.news · 9d

Shadowrun is a unique phenomenon in the world of games. It's not the biggest game, but almost everyone’s heard of it — though what they’ve heard might not be complimentary. What's the story there? Why does it have the reputation it does?

Why do people love to hate Shadowrun?

A long-form exploration of corporations, cyberpunk, and elves.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 9d

Shadowrun is a unique phenomenon in the world of games. It's not the biggest game, but almost everyone’s heard of it — though what they’ve heard might not be complimentary. What's the story there? Why does it have the reputation it does?

Why do people love to hate Shadowrun?

A long-form exploration of corporations, cyberpunk, and elves.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 12d

Thomas sits down with Laura Lang to talk about Forgotten Roots of the Sewer Sanctuary, the value of redundancy in information design, and role of playtesting.

Laura Lang brings user-experience design to craft an adventure for new players

More like "use your experience", am I right?

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 14d

Designers are waiting weeks, and in some cases months, for payouts from itch as sympathy for the indie game platform's mounting problems wears thin.

Game designers are experiencing persistent payout issues from itch.io

The indie platform’s payout delays are a symptom of a bigger issue.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 13d

Sam Leigh's (@goblinmixtape.bsky.social) lifelong love of puzzles produced a collaborative scavenger hunt that tested the internet's knowledge of tabletop RPGs.

Blinking Birch Puzzle Hunt 2025 puts your TTRPG knowledge to the test

Bringing the community together through puzzle hunting.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 13d

Arc Dream's new production director, @darkerhue.bsky.social, is ready to put the Delta Green publisher's house in order. Both Spivey and CEO Shane Ivey agree: tabletop companies need production experts.

The question remains: is it realistic?

Chris Spivey and Shane Ivey on organizing the future of Arc Dream

"The obstacle is going to be giving Shane two jobs and saying he can't do the other five or six.”

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 13d

Sam Leigh's (@goblinmixtape.bsky.social) lifelong love of puzzles produced a collaborative scavenger hunt that tested the internet's knowledge of tabletop RPGs.

Blinking Birch Puzzle Hunt 2025 puts your TTRPG knowledge to the test

Bringing the community together through puzzle hunting.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 13d

Arc Dream's new production director, @darkerhue.bsky.social, is ready to put the Delta Green publisher's house in order. Both Spivey and CEO Shane Ivey agree: tabletop companies need production experts.

The question remains: is it realistic?

Chris Spivey and Shane Ivey on organizing the future of Arc Dream

"The obstacle is going to be giving Shane two jobs and saying he can't do the other five or six.”

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 14d

Designers are waiting weeks, and in some cases months, for payouts from itch as sympathy for the indie game platform's mounting problems wears thin.

Game designers are experiencing persistent payout issues from itch.io

The indie platform’s payout delays are a symptom of a bigger issue.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 14d

UPDATE: This piece has been updated with additional information regarding the links between the creators of the documentary and the designers and publisher of the game 1490 Doom.

Rascal News @rascal.news · 15d

Miniature painting documentary The Grim & The Dark has arrived, and our resident space marine-botherer Caelyn has thoughts.

The Grim & The Dark provides a concise introduction to the most overused term in miniatures

Gently Blanched.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 15d

Miniature painting documentary The Grim & The Dark has arrived, and our resident space marine-botherer Caelyn has thoughts.

The Grim & The Dark provides a concise introduction to the most overused term in miniatures

Gently Blanched.

www.rascal.news

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 19d

PODCAST: Thomas and Chase discuss, among other things, WotC president John Hight's obsession with a singular use case for generative AI technology.

Fear of Hights

And our fantasy heartbreaker predictions.

www.rascal.news

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Melo @letitmelo.bsky.social · 20d

I'm not surprised by any of this story but this still got an "...oh" out of me.

“It’s all kind of ridiculous, since it’s clear Diamond: never paid for the books to be printed; never paid artists, editors, game designers, graphic designers, and others for the work they did to create the book;, signed contracts with us acknowledging that they don’t own the stock and that they were selling the book on consignment; and never paid taxes on the books sitting in their warehouse,” said Jim Butler, Paizo CEO told Rascal via email.

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Rascal News @rascal.news · 20d

“[Paizo] isn’t really interested in buying product we already paid for once back from someone that doesn’t own it."

Amid adversary proceedings and delays, comic and RPG publishers settle in for a protracted legal fight against the bankrupted Diamond.

Diamond distributors levy adversary lawsuits against tabletop RPG, comic publishers

Delays in bankruptcy proceedings leaves everyone bleeding time and money.

www.rascal.news

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