I feel sort of nervous about 'advanced rules' - the original has a bunch of alternate rules that tweak incentives but that's it. I hope they're not included just for the sake of it & that they've been well playtested

Yes, but... I think a nontrivial percentage of other people shouting about it were introduced to it by me! (at least in the UK)

Actually cross at myself that I sat across from you & didn't ask you to come play. It's fun! It's a very solid, robust little game that lasts an hour. I think you will think 'huh. Neat!'

Sam who are the publishers? I tried emailing my old PR contact for moaideas but haven't heard back. Is it Synca in the UK? Distributors & publishers & all that nonsense baffles me beyond reason

Matt have you not played it yet?!!!!

As a tabletop reviewer, I'm not someone whose word transforms the fate of a game. I hang around the scene & love & admire many folks in it but I participate rather than steer. EXCEPT IN THIS ONE INSTANCE where I feel sure by sheer force of character I have hauled this game up into the light

I genuinely think that there is a case to be made that I am agent zero for people's rediscovering Joraku in the UK. I've badgered fellow reviewers until they finally played it, & many went on to recommend it in articles & videos. I've written multiple articles & a video. I am evangelical.

Torn because on the one hand, crackpot bigot, on the other, I too resent people being happy in cafes while I am too mentally ill to write

Anyway, a lot of people in the media get a lot of mileage out of undue confidence in their gut feelings laundered via the language of science without the method. People frequently take confidence in one's position as an indicator of expertise, when it usually demonstrates arrogance.

I mean, there is no one experience or trait true of all ADHD or autistic people but no neurotypical people. We don't have a special extra emotion or an extra organ called a fleench node that lets us inhale gas from the 11th dimension. It's about clusters of experiences, intensity & thresholds.

It's a commonplace observation in the neurodivergent community that some of the most unaccountably hostile opponents of positive change may well be undiagnosed themselves. Descriptions of ADHD & autism sound absurd to them, because 'that's just how it is to be human'. LOL no actually

'It's not a problem for me, therefore it's not a problem,' is many people's unexamined heuristic for judging whether a complaint is valid. Or, sometimes, more darkly, 'it's a problem for me too, therefore it should be a problem for all of us' - I suffered at school, so all children ought to.

It's not purely about money. Many people have a conservative streak that makes them wrinkle their noses at all this talk of 'accommodations' & 'invisible disabilities'. It doesn't feel right, to them. It smacks of queue-jumping, of whingeing, of not knowing one's place on the estate.

Very good point that, fundamentally, conclusions & our best estimate of the current reality are contingent on a willingness to fund services. If some recommendations allow for cost savings & some would require increased budgets, which do you think are likely to be implemented?

I don't think anyone could credibly accuse you of not having done your bit for autism, Guy

Obviously when they happen would be a factor for most people, & I don't know, but I appreciate different times work for different people in different countries so if there were interest I might try a few slots to see what worked. But that is moot if no one was that bothered of course!

If I started doing some 2-hour drop-in online creative writing workshops, is there anyone out there who might nominally be interested? I think it would be exercises, tiny bit of theory, optional sharing. I'd try limited spaces + voluntary donations afterwards, so no one would be shut out financially

We are recording tomorrow evening, all going well. What tabletop games questions have been weighing on your mind? Send them our way and we will do our best to untangle your conundrums. Post questions in reply to this or use our question form at the link!

I would have voted pine marten, but I didn't know the vote was happening & so forfeited the rights that Sonic gave his life for