paul
@thecastlebuilder.bsky.social
he/they. perhaps not just another software guy. newbie ttrpg designer. I blog about video games and ttrpgs weekly
blog: https://thoughtsabout.games/
games: https://thecastlebuilder.itch.io/
blog: https://thoughtsabout.games/
games: https://thecastlebuilder.itch.io/
Reposted by paul
Yesterday I wrote about Unbeatable and getting past your own expectations.
noescapevg.com/unbeatable-a...
noescapevg.com/unbeatable-a...
Unbeatable and sitting with dissatisfaction
I don’t know what I want out of UNBEATABLE (D-Cell Games, 2025) that it didn’t either promise or deliver on. I mostly liked the rhythm-action gameplay, and it’s been the way it is…
noescapevg.com
January 25, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Yesterday I wrote about Unbeatable and getting past your own expectations.
noescapevg.com/unbeatable-a...
noescapevg.com/unbeatable-a...
As someone who gravitates towards small and bespoke systems, it's incredibly useful to think about what's lost and what's gained from teaching something new to all the players at once (and needing them to be able to hold it while they play)
January 17, 2026 at 4:00 AM
As someone who gravitates towards small and bespoke systems, it's incredibly useful to think about what's lost and what's gained from teaching something new to all the players at once (and needing them to be able to hold it while they play)
I like Viditya's framing a lot, not because I inherently agree but because I like how it challenges me as a designer. Using it as a baseline assumption is energizing because I feel like my work is trying to prove exactly the opposite (that it DOES matter)
A big reason why if press I'll choose "system doesn't matter" is because having to prove that for myself has made me a better designer. Believing that "side" of it keeps pushing me into interesting design spaces!
I love systems discourse, it's foundational to personal growth!
I love systems discourse, it's foundational to personal growth!
Thinking through the steps and arguments of this issue with genuine curiosity and openness is a great way to improve as a designer, imo. I get why people bemoan it as “discourse”, because of its evolution into dogmatic “headline of the advice” (per Kieron Gillen’s recent piece on advice) but
January 17, 2026 at 4:00 AM
I like Viditya's framing a lot, not because I inherently agree but because I like how it challenges me as a designer. Using it as a baseline assumption is energizing because I feel like my work is trying to prove exactly the opposite (that it DOES matter)
For me the question of "does system matter" almost feels like it's driving you to decide between "nothing matters" and "everything matters". I can't exactly defend why this particular question feels like it pushes towards those particular extremes, but in my mind it does???
January 17, 2026 at 3:52 AM
For me the question of "does system matter" almost feels like it's driving you to decide between "nothing matters" and "everything matters". I can't exactly defend why this particular question feels like it pushes towards those particular extremes, but in my mind it does???
To me this is also an extension of the "GM as host" mental model, where they feel responsible for making everyone's experience good.
I don't disagree with what you're suggesting, but that pressure CAN come from a sense of hospitality, which might have positive implications about community too
I don't disagree with what you're suggesting, but that pressure CAN come from a sense of hospitality, which might have positive implications about community too
January 11, 2026 at 6:26 PM
To me this is also an extension of the "GM as host" mental model, where they feel responsible for making everyone's experience good.
I don't disagree with what you're suggesting, but that pressure CAN come from a sense of hospitality, which might have positive implications about community too
I don't disagree with what you're suggesting, but that pressure CAN come from a sense of hospitality, which might have positive implications about community too
I feel you on this, I think my insistence on avoiding short form video is the only reason I have any attention span left at all
January 8, 2026 at 5:18 PM
I feel you on this, I think my insistence on avoiding short form video is the only reason I have any attention span left at all
counting all of these as DISCOURSE so I guess I gotta log off
December 31, 2025 at 4:33 AM
counting all of these as DISCOURSE so I guess I gotta log off
if your PORN reaches 6 you may keep posting until you are satisfied and log off whenever you like. if your DISCOURSE reaches 6, you lose and you must log off immediately.
December 31, 2025 at 4:32 AM
if your PORN reaches 6 you may keep posting until you are satisfied and log off whenever you like. if your DISCOURSE reaches 6, you lose and you must log off immediately.
if you succeeded (by rolling at or below the value of the relevant stat), increase that stat by 1 and reduce the other by 1.
December 31, 2025 at 4:32 AM
if you succeeded (by rolling at or below the value of the relevant stat), increase that stat by 1 and reduce the other by 1.
(inspired by quoted post)
Skeets (a Honey Heist hack)
every time you post on bsky, determine whether it is PORN or DISCOURSE (each stat starts at 3). regrettably most things are DISCOURSE, so when you post PORN you gotta really go for it.
Skeets (a Honey Heist hack)
every time you post on bsky, determine whether it is PORN or DISCOURSE (each stat starts at 3). regrettably most things are DISCOURSE, so when you post PORN you gotta really go for it.
every day i strive to replace a discourse post with a porn post. that is my battle
December 31, 2025 at 4:32 AM
(inspired by quoted post)
Skeets (a Honey Heist hack)
every time you post on bsky, determine whether it is PORN or DISCOURSE (each stat starts at 3). regrettably most things are DISCOURSE, so when you post PORN you gotta really go for it.
Skeets (a Honey Heist hack)
every time you post on bsky, determine whether it is PORN or DISCOURSE (each stat starts at 3). regrettably most things are DISCOURSE, so when you post PORN you gotta really go for it.