Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Wyrd Science Magazine

Shannon Appelcline 🌮 @shannonappelcline.bsky.social · 3h

I've done a few interviews about Designers & Dragons Origins over the last few days, and some folks have asked about the origins of Origins.

There's a long-ish story about the DnDClassics site and the return of D&D PDFs to the world.

The product histories emerged organically from that.

Launching Soon - Designers & Dragons: Origins

From Evil Hat - Launching Soon - Designers & Dragons: Origins

www.backerkit.com

1 8 19

Reposted by Wyrd Science Magazine

Evil Hat @evilhat.bsky.social · 4h

Designers & Dragons: Origins covers the history and lore behind every single product produced by early TSR. The books are comprehensive but the entries are very digestible.
Find out for yourself with our free preview, available now on @drivethrurpg.com
www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

The cover of Designers & Dragons Secret Door edition, the free preview available on DriveThruRPG. On the cover, a scaly dragon egg is surrounded by coins, gems, and crystals.

8 12

Reposted by Wyrd Science Magazine

Dan Thurot @danthurot.bsky.social · 1d

Not many board games are as mysterious as City of Six Moons. Is it a puzzle? A training ground for historical preservation? A grift? To answer those questions and many more, today we’re joined by Amabel Holland to discuss her oddest title yet. Listen here: spacebiff.com/2025/10/07/s...

Space-Cast! #50. City of Six Amabels

Not many board games are as mysterious as City of Six Moons. Is it a puzzle? A working board game? A grift? To answer those questions and many more, today we’re joined by Amabel Holland to di…

spacebiff.com

2 10 36

Reposted by Wyrd Science Magazine

Central Michigan University Press @cmichpress.bsky.social · 6h

Our new Art & System series was featured in a newsletter for @wyrdscience.bsky.social! Read all about it here: https://bit.ly/4o1Nled

Our campaign runs until October 30th -- pledge now for your copy of Dog Eat Dog, Princess with a Cursed Sword, and/or The Mountain Witch! https://bit.ly/4mIpcbG

Art and System: Games for Expanded Play series banner with horizontal selections from the three game covers for Dog Eat Dog%2C Princess with a Cursed Sword%2C and The Mountain Witch.

3 4

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 8h

Genuinely would love to know exactly what terrible thing it was that saturated colours did to whomstever has been the art director for the current Warhammer epic scale games the past few years

1 6

Reposted by Wyrd Science Magazine

Frederik Hornung @frederikhornung.com · 1d

HORUS!

Finally finished drawing this mean-ol' baldie on his own retro pulp faux cover. #warhammer

2 15 70

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 10h

stop ruining my great point with facts!

1 2

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 10h

it really gets to the heart of a lot of what Wyrd Science is about & does it in an enjoyable & very readable way

even if you didn't spend your childhood imaging the bright flash on the horizon that would rescue you from your maths homework it's a great feature & perfect way to kick off issue 7

3

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 10h

As such they are as worthy of study as books, films, music and TV and Malcolm makes a great case for that here as he takes us from the gonzo Gamma World, through the fear & loathing of Twilight 2000 and onto the likes of Greg Costikyan’s very much argued over Price of Freedom.

1 2

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 10h

examine that era in the way we do with any other media released at the time.

We’ve long said that whether you think of RPGs as art or not, they are undeniably cultural artefacts, ones that are both shaped by the world around them & in turn shaping the contours of that world too.

1 2

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 10h

the likes of Cold City & Hot War (both just now being republished by @handiworkgames.bsky.social) on his CV, Malcolm is currently working on a project looking at how post-apocalyptic & Cold War adjacent RPGs released at the time reflect the culture they were created in and can be used to...

1 2

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 10h

it's the first big feature in the new issue, I love it & it touches on lots of ideas close to my heart, having both grown up in the shadow of nuclear annihilation & being something of a tabletop gamer myself

Anyway a games designer himself with...

1 2

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 10h

Right, now I have some time (and a copy myself!) it's time to share some internal pics from the new issue, my thoughts on the relevant features & perhaps persuade a few more of you to buy a copy (because it's swell)

shop.wyrd.science

So today let's start with @malcolmcraig.bsky.social's one, as...

a photo of the latest issue of Wyrd Science, open to a spread on a feature about Cold War RPGs, one the left hand side is a full page picture of an atom bomb test, on the right the headline Playing Games in the Shadow of the Bomb

a photo of the latest issue of Wyrd Science, open to a spread on a feature about Cold War RPGs, it shows a still from the film Red Dawn with Russian soldiers posing in front of a McDonalds, the subhead for this section reads The Paranoid Style in American Gaming

a photo of the latest issue of Wyrd Science, open to a spread on a feature about Cold War RPGs, one side is taken up with the cover art for Greg Costikyan's Price of Freedom

a photo of the latest issue of Wyrd Science, open to a spread on a feature about Cold War RPGs

1 11 21

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 11h

please don't say they're whining about wheelchairs in fantasy games again? do they not have any new material? shouldn't they be standing around in ill fitting fatigues being twerked on by a frog rather than whining like little babies?

anyway, Games Workshop did missile armed wheelchairs in 84, so 🤷‍♂️

a combat wheelchair, or indeed battlechair, from the Games Workshop battelcars game in 1984

5 12 53

Reposted by Wyrd Science Magazine

The Weekly Scroll @theweeklyscroll.com · 1d

FINALLY! Let's goooooo! If you're not reading @wyrdscience.bsky.social you're wrong.

1 13

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 1d

wait, I'm sorry, hwat?

a screenshot of text from Jar Jar Binks wikipedia page (look I just produced a magazine, I'm trying to chill out & take it easy) where it is revelaed Michael Jackson was originally lined up to play the gungan fool

7

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 1d

It’s a very good piece too and it is out now (shop.wyrd.science)

@rhi.bsky.social send us a message if you see this and want to and we’ll send you a copy

The new issue of Wyrd Science open to a feature about the recent republication of Sir Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch as a Penguin Modern Classic

6 22

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 1d

oh nice! thanks so much for picking that lot up!

2

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you!

Reposted by Wyrd Science Magazine

Perplexing Ruins @perplexingruins.bsky.social · 1d

Interrupting hiatus to say that I really appreciate @wyrdscience.bsky.social @johnpower.bsky.social
Sure, you can google games articles, but the very act of curation is one of love. And to have such a publication available is special!
Gives me the same feelings as Under the Radar from college days

1 3 29

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 1d

Nice reminder I need to buy this

1

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks!

I would love to hire a proof reader/copy editor. But we also currently lose money on every issue as it is, so until that changes we’ll just have to muddle along for a bit

1

Reposted by Wyrd Science Magazine

Goblins and Gardens @goblinsandgardens.bsky.social · 1d

Got my latest copy of @wyrdscience.bsky.social and it’s already my favorite volume so far (and I’m not even in this one!)

3 4 26

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 1d

Three Stats = A Trend

5

Wyrd Science Magazine @wyrdscience.bsky.social · 1d

Very good, if inevitably depressing, piece.