Paul Czege @paulczege@dice.camp

Whole family playtest of Aloft, since we're no longer living across the country from each other. Seems like probably the first good board game I've designed. The strategy is a little beyond the kiddo. I might have to put 10+ on it.

Pro tip: You just enrolled your kiddo in a new school and you're out shopping a very particular school supplies list in December when stores are not stocked for back-to-school. When the frazzled cashier asks if you found everything you need she really doesn't want your true answer.

Last packing for the move. Throwing away lots of accumulated clutter. Found a note for a RPG design concept entitled Heal that must have stowed away in my unconscious for a while before becoming #Traverser.

@marcusn
The designer wrote a few things about it on Twitter a while back that suggested to me the game is an artistically inspired project for her.

If I was not in the throes of packing and moving a house across the country I'd be reading and thinking about this game.
https://nell-raban.itch.io/the-others/devlog/56443/follow-progress-on-the-others

Are you ready for *Driving In Cars with Game Designers*? Alex Grisafi interviewed me and Ron Edwards on the way to the last day of Lucca 2018. Hear me talk about finding inspiration for games and about what's missing from the Big Model. Google Translate is decent, but the text is less than the full interview. The linked audio is complete.
https://www.player.it/giochi-di-ruolo/362156-intervista-ron-edwards-paul-czege.html
And here's a selfie with Ron after the interview.

@edheil That's my understanding.

@mcread I am disciplined in many ways. But I do clash with arbitrary communication constraints.

@edheil You find someone you trust who's running a server or run one yourself (just like Mastodon). My understanding is it supports far fewer users per server, so even a small gamer exodus from G+ to hubzilla will require lots more folks deciding to run servers.

I probably need a hubzilla. I really can't stick to the 500 character limit.

"Whereas many animals use their brains to search in physical space, human minds (and those of some other animals) can search via simulation. That is, the brain can simulate potential future realities. This is possible because brains like ours encode a mental model of the world. By searching inside that mental model, we build narratives that tell us how to get from one place to another."

https://aeon.co/essays/why-did-shamanism-evolve-in-societies-all-around-the-globe

Game design is the new shamanism.

"Put simply, the mind is a search algorithm. Minds make their living by being able to find things. Food, mates, a good place to hide, effective methods of revenge, and the means to reach your goals, whatever they may be – all of these and more are targets of the mind’s searching eye.

(cont'd)

"Paul Czege is known for the inspired and unconventional roleplaying and storytelling games he makes — games like My Life with Master, Bacchanal, and The Clay That Woke. In this workshop he'll talk through his creative process for making games, which is about finding inspiration and motivation that will sustain you, solving problems, and getting what you need from others to finish and publish a game. The workshop will be partly conversational, and he will take questions."

Here's the workshop description in English:

These are *index cards*. I hear they're hard to get in Italy. Well, I'll be bringing these two packs with me. Come to my workshop at Lucca and you'll have a chance to win one of them. Spread the word.

https://www.luccacomicsandgames.com/it/2018/games/ospiti/paul-czege/

@Halfjack I get an occasional physical magazine from the printer that did The Clay That Woke talking about their business. They don't' think about cultural innovation. They're excited about ink-based "digital offset" technology they expect to be able to offer.

Thanks everyone. Whether you took advantage of the sale, or shared it to help me get the word out, I *really appreciate it.* It has reduced my storage space a lot and helped with moving expenses a lot too.

@Halfjack
In 2018 the test of friendship isn't whether you'd help someone move a body, but how you react when they tell you they need help to move three.

*The sale ends today.* If I let it go any longer I won't be able to ship purchases and also make my cross country move happen on schedule.
If you know anyone who's the audience for The Clay That Woke, please let them know.
Thank you.
http://halfmeme.com/claysale.html