This isn't the full answer to "why combat takes up so much real estate in rules" to be clear that's not something I could fit into a tweet
06.03.2026 15:31
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This isn't the full answer to "why combat takes up so much real estate in rules" to be clear that's not something I could fit into a tweet
I don't think this is accurate unfortunately. People cannot tell what is and isn't persuasive and such things are highly context-dependent. The reality is that heavily gameifying things like social interaction just doesn't feel good to most people for a variety of reasons, but combat does
also the reason for this is that evangelicals have intentionally built their own alternative institutions specifically because for the first century of their existence as an American movement they wanted nothing to do with secular society. they don't go to university, they go to bible college. etc
completely absent from the halls of power. except, y'know, the one hall
what on earth makes you think Trump will be imprisoned lol
the "actual screws vs mental disorders" meme but instead it's "Actual Kingdom Hearts games" which are KH1, Chain of Memories, and KH2, and then literally every single other KH game is listed under "mental disorders"
this one's been rattling around in what's left of my brain for a while
Sorry, re-reading that came off more terse than I meant it to! If I have misunderstood I definitely want to know so I don't think you're being mean. My understanding is more that you're suggesting that rules should either be presented as they come up, or be "discovered" as it were through play
Well, no, I don't think that. I think that's a plain reading of what you wrote when you said "you can still have rules," but since you didn't explore what that would look like, I surmise that that's not actually what you're arguing.
whoops lol I didn't see the "see more" button
bsky.app/profile/vexw...
huge agree, but also this was a big problem with 4e as well. It just wasn't something that the designers in question seemed to feel was that huge of a problem at the time
Mechanical complexity is a tool to be wielded responsibly, not a hazard to be avoided. TTRPGs with very freeform, sparse rulesets are not good teaching tools for players new to the medium. Mechanical idiosyncrasy is not the work of Satan.
And D&D 5E is not the WORST system to start out with.
Even calling it complexity is, imo, missing the mark. Rules that are quite complex can actually have a very small cognitive load, doubly so with good design
And I must be absolutely clear that despite my strong disagreement, JD's article is super interesting and worth reading. I hope my article comes off in the spirit of engagement and discussion!
My latest: Abstraction is Fine, Actually: A Response to @ratbastardgames.bsky.social
christianchiakulas.com/2026/03/05/a...
Ok I hope I don't come off as a hater because I found this article extremely well-written and genuinely thought-provoking. So thought-provoking that I have spent the last week writing a very long response about all the ways I disagree with it
christianchiakulas.com/2026/03/05/a...
yeah and the worst part is it often feels really weird/awkward to express that kinda feeling verbally unless you and that person have known each other forever
Sect EdEditing & Make your ok stour Book an Print Design!
Nothing against solo "journaling" RPGs, but it seems like they dominate the space and it's unfortunately just not what I'm into. Who's got good recs for trad or otherwise non-journaling-centric solo RPGs? (I'm working on one myself but it's not ready yet!)
lol. lmao
first of all, I am literally a Maoist so I'm further left than you.
second, who exactly are you encouraging young people to vote for, if not Democrats?
And I don't care if you call them "progressives," if they have a D next to their name on the ballot, they're a Democrat
us "young 'uns" overwhelmingly supported Bernie Sanders in 2016 and your party told us to go fuck ourselves. Then when we overwhelmingly opposed the genocide in Gaza your party condemned us, called us Russian ops, and called the cops on us. thinking the ball is in your court on this one
This is what I believed in like 2011 when I'd never met an out trans person and was also in denial
hey my first full-length fantasy novel Seed of the Black Oak is coming out in Q3 2026 from Alex Parker!!! It's a sword-and-sorcery with a strong sapphic romance element and I'm super proud of it
alexparkerpublishing.com/blogs/news/d...
are the new installments going to be Patreon-only?
Just a few weeks ago, all these European powers spoke of the threat that the US now presents to Europe. They talked about the possibility of Trump attacking Greenland, like it was an imminent and existential danger. Now Trump unilaterally bombs Iran and they all fall in lockstep
I never said anything about "voting third party." You're projecting
Idk who you assume you're talking to but I am not a "progressive" and I never loved fetterman lol
I never said anything about being a "non voter." You're projecting
the reason people sometimes act madder at democrats than republicans when republicans do impossibly evil shit is the same reason why, if you hired an exterminator to handle a roach infestation and he showed up to feed and play with them instead, your first instinct wouldn’t be to yell at the roaches
The left is not "missing out" on AI. It's winning the argument. Americans worry about AI and dislike tech CEOs. They're mobilizing against data centers. They support regulation, even refusal.
Calls for the left to embrace AI are an effort to change the terms of the debate in Silicon Valley's favor.