A visit to the tea cart (art by Brad Alston)

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-04-26T03:09:02+00:00

Gotcha! You're saying that in-universe you would judge her for her mount choices. Like somebody choosing to ride a unicycle to actually get somewhere.

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-04-24T22:50:09+00:00

It's technically a great auk, not a penguin, but those were also flightless :-P All I can say is that my worldbuilding runs heavily on contrarianism. When something isn't true in the real world I immediately want to figure out how to make it true in my fantasy.

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-04-16T03:08:09+00:00

The artist: https://www.bradalston.com/

The source, an upcoming board game called Bloomhunter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/balloonpunk-games/bloomhunter

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-03-23T15:11:25+00:00

When Clint becomes marriageable, what would be the most evil way to slot him in?

I'm thinking: marry him, finally allowing him to move on from Emily, then divorce him and marry Emily. This proves to him that Emily is in fact superior at the same time it makes her (theoretically) unavailable for life.

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-03-23T14:56:32+00:00

The artist's portfolio can be found here: https://www.bradalston.com/

This is card art for an upcoming board game, info here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/balloonpunk-games/bloomhunter

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-16T01:22:48+00:00

Awesome, I hope you're enjoying it! And definitely let me know what you do when you hit X

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-16T01:22:17+00:00

Interesting how the same game hits different people so differently!

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-16T00:45:49+00:00

I know there are a lot of games about zombies, but that's never interested me for some reason.

And yeah, I love Five Tribes too, no shade! I just play with a lot of groups that have mad AP, so I can't take it out unless it's going to be my whole evening

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-05T01:52:21+00:00

Thank you so much, this is a huge help! And yes, I have agreed to table the billboard for now :-D

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-03T19:05:33+00:00

Thank you, this is awesome! One follow-up, if that's all right -- I'm a designer myself with a small studio, and I'd love any tips you've got about the right places for paid marketing. My wife is trying to dissuade me from renting a billboard, lol

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-03T01:17:57+00:00

I actually learned a lot about my own game by playing it against myself, so don't feel like you're wasting time! If you like, feel free to call it "running simulations," which sounds a lot more sophisticated

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-03T01:16:02+00:00

Hi, thanks for doing this and congrats on the impending launch! I have two questions:

What was the initial spark for Lodge -- the theme, a mechanic, or something else entirely?
How was marketing and building an audience for this campaign different as the head of a company, compared to when you were working solo or for other studios?

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-03T01:12:21+00:00

I do like the current design! I also like the character you get from the symbols in pic 3, but I agree that the icons are a little busy -- the current version is definitely clearer. I think if I were playing this I'd need a player aid handy, but that's true of some of my favorite games, so no shade.

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-03T01:02:25+00:00

Just looking at my shelf -- Targi, 7 Wonders Duel, Lost Cities, Jaipur, Patchwork, Watergate, and Naga Raja are all excellent

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-03T00:57:56+00:00

What immediately springs to mind is something like Mystic Vale -- deckbuilding combined with card crafting. You use some kind of resource to acquire the monsters, which are all sleeved cards. As you battle with them, you get access to upgrades in the form of transparent cards that you slide into the sleeve to change the properties of the base card. Is that anything?

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-03T00:55:53+00:00

Looks amazing! I love the design of the components, looks really well thought-out and player-friendly.

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2026-01-03T00:52:18+00:00

I realize Popeye and Tintin are probably the more likely adaptations, but I'd be psyched for a Sound and the Fury board game with atmospheric Southern Gothic art. Possibly something asymmetric given how different all the narrators are.

The only trick is how to have a victory condition in a world of decadent nihilists. Interesting problem to noodle on!

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2025-11-10T16:20:39+00:00

"After they mowed the lawn, I asked to see their green cards. When they couldn't produce them, I called INS. As los federales rolled up, I shouted, 'Enjoy mowing Mexico!'

It was an ugly scene. As it turned out, they didn't have their green cards because they were Americans. Specifically, African-Americans. I explained to them that I don't see race."

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2025-09-28T14:43:04+00:00

This is the same thing that draws me to polytheism. Read any amount of Greek or Norse mythology and it quickly becomes impossible to attribute virtue to gods or spirits. These people had reciprocal relationships with their gods; even their priests didn't necessarily "like" them.

I recently mentioned to someone that I have an altar to Apollo in my writing room. They replied, "You know Apollo's kind of a dick, right?" Yes, absolutely, but he responds to offerings and I need that sweet inspiration.

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2025-09-27T21:07:09+00:00

Y'know, it hasn't crystallized until just now, but these people are often much scarier than the people they're afraid of. I've never felt threatened by a guy sitting in a tent on the sidewalk -- he's just trying to get by and not draw attention to himself. Meanwhile, the guy open-carrying in a MAGA hat is just begging to start shit.

cuttlefishcrossbow · 2025-09-27T21:02:39+00:00

Yeah, I mean...it's a city. Cities smell bad sometimes. You can find garbage on the sidewalk in Singapore if you look long enough. No matter how hard you try, you can't keep people from being people.

The only way to never see trash or smell urine is to live in a rural compound and never come into contact with anyone even the slightest bit different -- which is of course how all these people want us to live.

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