Simon McNeil
@simonm223.bsky.social
Artist, critic, weirdo pomo leftist.
Opinions do not represent anybody else.
Ask me my opinions on wizards.
He / Him
Blogger at http://simonmcneil.com
Opinions do not represent anybody else.
Ask me my opinions on wizards.
He / Him
Blogger at http://simonmcneil.com
Well, happy birthday!
January 26, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Well, happy birthday!
Likely fascist account detected. Block block block.
January 25, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Likely fascist account detected. Block block block.
I swear this kitten is half Maine Coon. The ears are wrong but the tail is exactly what you'd expect from the breed and he's growing at a prodigious rate.
Our other male seemed to fill out at 14 lbs. I'm curious how big this boy will get.
Our other male seemed to fill out at 14 lbs. I'm curious how big this boy will get.
January 23, 2026 at 12:39 AM
I swear this kitten is half Maine Coon. The ears are wrong but the tail is exactly what you'd expect from the breed and he's growing at a prodigious rate.
Our other male seemed to fill out at 14 lbs. I'm curious how big this boy will get.
Our other male seemed to fill out at 14 lbs. I'm curious how big this boy will get.
Looks just like one of my cats.
January 22, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Looks just like one of my cats.
But like here's an example from the book I'm happening to read right now. Published 1989. It's a fantasy novel and there's just a a throw-away allusion to No Exit. If someone did that these days it'd be pretty much entirely a retelling of No Exit and would be marketed as such in the book trades...
January 22, 2026 at 12:30 AM
But like here's an example from the book I'm happening to read right now. Published 1989. It's a fantasy novel and there's just a a throw-away allusion to No Exit. If someone did that these days it'd be pretty much entirely a retelling of No Exit and would be marketed as such in the book trades...
A lot of Americans on this app are really embodying this meme lately.
January 21, 2026 at 5:38 PM
A lot of Americans on this app are really embodying this meme lately.
Azul is a tile-pattern-making game where you race to collect the pieces you need to complete your mosaic pattern. Combining simple gameplay with beautiful design, it is a pleasure to play.
January 20, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Azul is a tile-pattern-making game where you race to collect the pieces you need to complete your mosaic pattern. Combining simple gameplay with beautiful design, it is a pleasure to play.
The TTRPG I generally am not the forever DM for - Vampire the Masquerade. In the last campaign I played a Bruja who was embraced during WWII having previously been an anti-fascist Italian partisan.
January 20, 2026 at 4:08 PM
The TTRPG I generally am not the forever DM for - Vampire the Masquerade. In the last campaign I played a Bruja who was embraced during WWII having previously been an anti-fascist Italian partisan.
Eldritch Horror is interesting because it splits the difference between a board game and a TTRPG. Effectively an abbreviated campaign or a very loose one-shot, this board game pits a party of adventurers into a globe-trotting race against time to prevent the rise of a creature from beyond the stars.
January 20, 2026 at 2:29 PM
Eldritch Horror is interesting because it splits the difference between a board game and a TTRPG. Effectively an abbreviated campaign or a very loose one-shot, this board game pits a party of adventurers into a globe-trotting race against time to prevent the rise of a creature from beyond the stars.
Half SFF pop-culture puns and half deck building sprint game, Clank! In! Space! is an absolute delight at every level.
January 20, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Half SFF pop-culture puns and half deck building sprint game, Clank! In! Space! is an absolute delight at every level.
Collect guns, explore mazes, kill Nazis. I met my best friend at a computer summer camp playing a hacked version of Wolfenstein on a local area network. Wholesome fun for the whole family.
January 20, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Collect guns, explore mazes, kill Nazis. I met my best friend at a computer summer camp playing a hacked version of Wolfenstein on a local area network. Wholesome fun for the whole family.
Stellaris is probably my favorite 4x game. The only reason it didn't pop up higher on this list is because Paradox keep completely changing the way it plays with every patch.
January 20, 2026 at 12:24 PM
Stellaris is probably my favorite 4x game. The only reason it didn't pop up higher on this list is because Paradox keep completely changing the way it plays with every patch.
I have almost never wanted a video game as desperately as 13 year old me wanted this one. It's an early attempt at true 3d in a first-person RPG and has many clunky systems but playing it is pure nostalgia.
January 20, 2026 at 11:52 AM
I have almost never wanted a video game as desperately as 13 year old me wanted this one. It's an early attempt at true 3d in a first-person RPG and has many clunky systems but playing it is pure nostalgia.
Once upon a time someone at Palladium games made a game called Nightbreed and, after Clive Barker threatened to sue, they renamed it Nightbane. This game asks the question: what if the monsters of Midian were freedom fighters against evil capitalist cosmic horrors. It's lumpy and unwieldy...
January 20, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Once upon a time someone at Palladium games made a game called Nightbreed and, after Clive Barker threatened to sue, they renamed it Nightbane. This game asks the question: what if the monsters of Midian were freedom fighters against evil capitalist cosmic horrors. It's lumpy and unwieldy...
If Wingspan is the best engine building game then Everdell is its closest challenger. This beautiful game about building a city full of adorable woodland creatures is only weakened by needing a house rule tweak to turn order and is otherwise a near perfect game.
January 20, 2026 at 11:25 AM
If Wingspan is the best engine building game then Everdell is its closest challenger. This beautiful game about building a city full of adorable woodland creatures is only weakened by needing a house rule tweak to turn order and is otherwise a near perfect game.
Reef is a fun bit of pattern gameplay about building an awesome coral reef. A lot of fun.
January 20, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Reef is a fun bit of pattern gameplay about building an awesome coral reef. A lot of fun.
I played Blokus today with my family and had a lot of fun.
January 20, 2026 at 1:41 AM
I played Blokus today with my family and had a lot of fun.
Terraforming Mars may be a hyper-capitalism simulator but it's the best hyper-capitalism simulator. 10/10 if you want to be just evil in a tabletop game but have more friends at the end than if you played Diplomacy.
January 19, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Terraforming Mars may be a hyper-capitalism simulator but it's the best hyper-capitalism simulator. 10/10 if you want to be just evil in a tabletop game but have more friends at the end than if you played Diplomacy.
Daggerheart is a game I've loved from afar. I've listened to some lets's plays of it and would very much like to play it but haven't got my hands on the game just yet.
January 19, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Daggerheart is a game I've loved from afar. I've listened to some lets's plays of it and would very much like to play it but haven't got my hands on the game just yet.
What a horrible time to have eyes.
January 19, 2026 at 7:39 PM
What a horrible time to have eyes.
Surprising nobody I like the point-and-click adventure game about a cop becoming a communist. Disco Elysium is another one of those games that perfectly embodies its type.
January 19, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Surprising nobody I like the point-and-click adventure game about a cop becoming a communist. Disco Elysium is another one of those games that perfectly embodies its type.
Kingdomino is the sort of game you play at the end of a gaming session when you want one more game but don't want to have to take too long to play it. Fun, easy and fast.
January 19, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Kingdomino is the sort of game you play at the end of a gaming session when you want one more game but don't want to have to take too long to play it. Fun, easy and fast.
I think I probably hold the record for most references to Agamben in an Elden Ring review. (Possibly the record for most references to Agamben in any video game review)
Either way ER is the shit. Git gud.
Either way ER is the shit. Git gud.
January 19, 2026 at 7:29 PM
I think I probably hold the record for most references to Agamben in an Elden Ring review. (Possibly the record for most references to Agamben in any video game review)
Either way ER is the shit. Git gud.
Either way ER is the shit. Git gud.
I am proud to say I have *never* spent a single solitary red penny playing this game online. Once upon a time I did play physical magic cards and even have a few old decks kicking around but, hey, it beats Hearthstone or Gwent.
January 19, 2026 at 7:18 PM
I am proud to say I have *never* spent a single solitary red penny playing this game online. Once upon a time I did play physical magic cards and even have a few old decks kicking around but, hey, it beats Hearthstone or Gwent.