While I realize that many Exeunt Omnes subscribers are also Skeleton Code Machine subscribers, I also realize it can be hard to keep up with everything. It’s easy to miss one of the posts, like the Exclusion Zone Botanist: Epsilon development updates that only come out on the third Friday of each month.1
I’ve written some pieces recently that I’m particularly proud of and wanted to make sure you had a chance to read them. So this week, here’s a quick list of posts you may have missed that are well worth your time!
1. The (implied) author of this game hates you.
Exploring the concept of antagonistic game design and the (implied) author as player. Games that include frustration as a core element and why people play them.
I recently discovered Use & Regret, a fascinating little game by Stargazer Sasha. It’s a solo TTRPG about taking a test, but it uses antagonistic design principles in how it’s structured. This sent me down the rabbit hole of antagonistic design and types of fun that don’t neatly fit into LeBlanc’s 8 Kinds of Fun.
Read it: The (implied) author of this game hates you.
2. Can we use bingo cards in TTRPGs?
Exploring how bingo-style mechanisms can be adapted for use in TTRPGs.
I maintain a list of potential Skeleton Code Machine topics so it’s easier to know what to write about each week. I’ve had “bingo” on that list for probably a year. Recently I actually dug into the topic of bingo, the history of the game (BEANO!), and how we might use bingo mechanisms in TTRPGs. The response has been quite notable! So many people felt inspired and said they are now working on bingo-related things!
Read it: Can we use bingo cards in TTRPGs?
3. Games, lookups, and the science of interruptions
Proposing a definition for lookup events in tabletop games. Identifying lookups, qualitatively describing their factors, and using them to improve game designs.
I often get a game design idea stuck in my head that I just can’t get out. It would seem the only way to resolve it is to write about it.2 That’s what I did recently regarding my idea of “lookups” in tabletop games. A lookup is a required event in a tabletop game that causes a player (or players) to interrupt the main flow of the game to reference some information that is part of the game. Researching this, I ended up learning about the science behind interruptions and how we can use that information to make better games.
Read it: Games, lookups, and the science of interruptions
4. Tumulus 08 “Insert coin to continue.”
The latest issue of Tumulus is shipping now, packed with game design inspiration and hands-on exercises. Dead malls, abandoned arcades, rogue-likes, and the influence of video games on tabletop games.
Finally, while not a regular Skeleton Code Machine article, I really don’t want you to miss that Tumulus Issue 8 is shipping now with new 4-issue subscriptions.
I’m particularly excited about this issue and I’m really proud of how it turned out. It has contributions from Chris of Junk Food Games (Necromancer Heretic) and Greg Loring-Albright (Ahoy). There are playable games, a dead mall generator, cursed arcade games, hands-on exercises, and a mini-interview with Spencer Campbell (RUNE, NOVA) of GilaRPGs.3
Skeleton Code Machine currently has 238 posts in the archive. All for free. Nothing paywalled. A Tumulus subscription or a back issue is the best way to show your support!
Read: Tumulus 08 “Insert coin to continue.” announcement
- E.P. 💀
P.S. I’ll be at PeopleCon 3 in Takoma Park, MD, this Saturday (10/17). Please stop by and say hello! You can read more about it in my recent interview with organizer Gene Koo.
Play some weird and wonderful games at shop.exeunt.press.
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In fact, the next update will be this Friday (10/16) as that will be the third Friday of October!
This is one of the reasons I created Skeleton Code Machine. :)
Tumulus 8 includes Dark Mall, which Almost Bedtime Theater recently tried: “For solo RPG club today I played Dark Mall, a liminal dead mall crawl in this issue of TUMULUS. I survived gathering video evidence of the Whistler, the Mall Walker, and the Balloon Cloud before barely escaping! And I love the included exercises that get you thinking about ways to improve the game.”