Mike Ferdinando

@mikeferdinando

I'm an GenX IT manager in higher education, whose passion is tabletop role-playing games. I'm also a leftist and antifascist. I'll mostly be posting about gaming and politics. Twitter refugee. Games I've written:

674 Folgt591 Follower3.378 Posts

Bluesky

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir mikeferdinando.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· 14d

If you see this, we IMPLORE you to pist a picture from whatever device you're using without explanation.

A martini glass filled with an orange-hued cocktail, on a stone coaster, on an end table.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Jun 24

Name a film with a title that's a complete sentence.

Movie poster for the film "Dude, Where's My Car?" (2000) starring Ashton Kutcher and Sean William Scott.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Jun 21

At the Reflecting Pool, and guys, this doesn't look right.

Still from "The Neverending Story" (1984). Bastian, the young hero (Barret Oliver), tries to pull his white horse Artax from the Swamp of Sadness.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Jun 7

Who are they? Wrong answers only. The Sisters of Mercy

Still from the film "Superman II" (1980). Three figures clad in black leather stand in a dirt road, each striking a dramatic pose, blocking the way. General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O'Halloran).

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Jun 1

#TTRPG Mail Call! Two Polymorph System RPGs from @9thlevelgames.bsky.social. Mazes and Rebel Scum 2e.

Two RPG books: "Mazes" and "Rebel Scum 2e" both from 9th Level Games.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· May 31

Post something random or you'll have an AWFUL June!

A tasting of Pabst Blue Ribbon pickle-flavored beer with pickle-flavored Oreo cookies. On the top of a red cooler: 8 small paper cups each with an ounce of beer, with four cookies, each cut in half.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· May 29

BREAKING: Ellen Aim and the Attackers have also withdrawn from the Freedom 250 celebration.

Still from the film "Streets of Fire" (1984): Performance by in-movie band Ellen Aim & The Attackers. Ellen Aim (Diane Lane) wears a strapless red dress and sings into a 1950-style stand microphone, with a male guitarist and bassist standing next to her. The men wear 1950-style gray suits.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· May 25

QTP with your favorite Pokemon. (Wrong answers only.)

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· May 23

Fake title card for an episode of "Star Trek: The Original Series"

The USS Enterprise orbits a blue Earth-like planet.

Title reads, "Space Communism Is Awesome"

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· May 22

Radium is here to stay. We need to stop fearmongering about radium and start finding ways that radium can be used ethically and to support our causes. Nayayers need to realize that this technology is inevitable.

Newspaper ad from the early 20th Century:

Drink Great Radium Spring Water in Summer Time

Doctors do not know of a single case of summer complaint caused by GREAT RADIUM SPRING water, sold by THE GREAT RADIUM SPRING, INC. Protect your health first and avoid summer ailments.

Have you tried the RADIUM SPRINGS soda? Order a case delivered to your home and get the benefit of this SPARKLING, COOLING TONIC these warm, sultry days.

Ask for our soda in all the leading confectionery, fruit and grocery stores.

Telephone 715-2 now and have a case of soda or a bottle of spring water delivered to your door.

THE RADIUM SPRINGS, Inc.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· May 13

"Some of those that work forces Are the same that burn crosses... Those who died are justified For wearin the badge they're the chosen whites You justify those that died By wearin the badge they're the chosen whites Killing in the name of"

Pope Leo the 14th holds a microphone on a mic stand and the photo looks as if he's singing. He is surrounded by other church officials and photographers.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· May 10

Hey, Gorka: Fuck off, you Nazi scumbag. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Symbol of Antifascist Action: a red flag and a black flag inside a circle, with the words "Antifascist Action" surrounding the circle.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 28

Post an image of a game you played as a teenager.

Cover of the 1981 edition of Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 21

Without stating your age, what movie came out when you were 18?

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 17

Pretty sure it's one piece of pre-sliced gyro meat.

five slices of pre-packaged, pre-cut gyro meat. Gyro meat is a Greek-style meatloaf made of beef, lamb, breadcrumbs, and spices.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 15

Post a pic you took, no context, bring zen to the feed.

A large black cat lies on the back of a couch, resting its chin on the pillow. The expression on the cat's face implies boredom.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

84. Lovecraftesque by @armadajosh.bsky.social & @beckyannison.bsky.social A GM-less competitive cosmic horror RPG. Players take turns who controls the Protagonist and who is the Narrator. Players each write their own theory of the case and try to steer the story to make their theory true.

Cover of the Lovecraftesque box. A young woman kneels next to some kind of monster or other weirdness on the ground, her hand dripping with... something. The scene is illuminated by a car's headlights. A hovering skull looms behind her.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

83. Traveller 1e from Game Designers Workshop I last played this game while in college in the late 80s. I had the 3-volume "little black book" edition, but they got destroyed when my mom's cellar flooded in '98. This is a POD facsimile edition. I'd love to take this classic scifi RPG out again!

Cover of the facsimile edition of Traveller 1e. Cover is just white with the game's title and subtitle in the classic Traveller font. The text reads: "Traveller: Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far Future. The Classic SF RPG Rules. From Game Designers Workshop & Far Future Enterprises"

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

82. Thousand Year Old Vampire by @timhutchings.bsky.social In this solo journaling game, you are a vampire who has existed for centuries. The game guides you through your character's story, but you can only hold so many memories. At points in the game, you must choose which memories to forget.

Cover of Thousand Year Old Vampire. The book appears to be a leather-bound journal from the mid-20th century with an abstract art cover and labels that are evocative of stamps and shipping labels.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

81. Zombie World from Magpie Games In this card-based #TTRPG, the PCs are survivors of a zombie apocalypse who have come together to form an enclave as a defense against the hordes of walking dead. Characters are quick to create and quick to die: The game is the story of the enclave itself.

Cover of the Zombie World box. Two human figures are silhouetted in black against the white outline of a partially-destroyed cityscape. The figures hold hands; one has a pistol. Eight undead arms in silhouette grasp at them from off-frame.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

80. Dread by @epidiah.bsky.social In this horror RPG, the resolution mechanic is a Jenga tower! Any time your character does something risky, you have to pull from the tower, and if the tower falls, you die. A very innovative way to make players feel real fear and apprehension at the tame table!

Cover of Dread. The cover of the book is white, with the title in stark black letters in a large typewriter font. A bloody thumbprint is directly below the title, and more blood smear is just next to the book's spine.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

79. Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition from Wizards of the Coast Yes, I own a copy & have played it. D&D 5e is a perfectly good game, but I think it tries too hard to do everything and thus doesn't do anything particularly well. Every time I play, I wish i was playing something else I liked better.

Cover of the D&D 5e Player's Handbook. A human woman who's either a druid or sorceress and an elf man who's some kind of warrior fight a fire giant.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

78. Pathfinder, first edition from @paizo.com I played the hell out of this game from about 2009 through about 2017. I was VERY into it, and at one time owned every PF hardcover and every Adventure Path volume. But after discovering narrative-focused games there was no going back for me.

Cover of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook (first edition). Cover shows a white-haired human sorceress and a human swordsman fighting a red dragon.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

77. Daggerheart from @darringtonpress.bsky.social This is a fascinating #TTRPG that tries to split the difference between neo-trad and narrative-focused games. I've played once, and I liked what I saw. It was fascinating to see bits and pieces of other rulesets bolted together into something new!

Cover of the Daggerheart Core Set. A humanoid figure with rams horns stands with a sword facing off against a skleletal sorcerer. Above them, reminiscent of a movie poster, are other figures: A muscled human man with an axe, a humanoid frog casting a spell, and a white-haired elven woman. Behind them is a giant insectoid monstrosity.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

76 Pirate Borg by @limithron.bsky.social An OSR game of pirates in a fantastical version of the Caribbean in the 1700s. The rules are simple and straightforward, adapted from Mörk Borg. Chargen is typically done by rolling on a whole bunch of tables... which creates some fascinating characters!

Cover of Pirate Borg. A skeletal pirate wearing a bicorne hat emblazoned with a Jolly Roger stands on a beach, with a cutlass in one hand and a pistol in the other.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

75. The Stygian Library by @cavegirl.bsky.social A procedurally generated OSR adventure set in a vast extradimensional library with portals that can appear in any library in the real world. I've used this adventure with many games... including a MotW game where a portal opened at Harvard!

Cover of The Stygian Library. Black background with silver illustration of masked figures standing in a poshly-furnished reading room.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

74. Hearts of Wulin by Lowell Francis and @openhearthrpg.bsky.social A wuxia RPG set in mythic China. PCs are fearsome warriors caught up in forces beyond their control. As a wuxia story, affairs of the heart are even more dangerous than a blade. This game's "Inner Conflct" mechanic is just gold.

Cover of Hearts of Wulin. Cover shows four figures, done in the style of Chinese manga: A woman in red robes points a sword at the viewer; next to her is a man in a green suit wearing a conical hat while reading a scroll. Next to him is a woman in a blue dress with flowing hair with an open fan in each hand. And sitting on a ledge above them is an older man with white hair wearing gray robes

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

73. Apocalypse Keys by @temporalhiccup.bsky.social PCs are literal monsters working for a quasi-government agency to prevent even worse monsters from destroying the world. PCs can embrace their monstrous power to do great things at the cost of falling to the darkness within. Inspired by Hellboy.

Cover of Apocalypse Keys. A human figure wearing a business suite but with a six-winged eye instead of a head ascends up a beam of light to a mass of tentacles above. In the foreground a shadowy woman wearing a fedora summons magical power into her hand. Next to her, a figure in a hard-hat diving suit opens a mystical tome from which shadowy tendrils emerge. Sneaking around behind the ascending figure in the background is a young woman.

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

72. Uncharted Worlds by Sean Gomes A PbtA space opera RPG. This game uses the kind-of rare "split playbook" design, where players choose two half-playbooks (a Role and a Background) to make their character. This game leans a bit more toward hard scifi than the similarly-themed Impulse Drive.

Cover of Uncharted Worlds. Three scifi figures stand in a wedge. From left to right: A man with short white hair and goatee wearing a duster and holding a knife ("space pirate"); a muscled woman in military armor holding a blaster rifle ("space mercenary"); a man in a business suit and Arabic headscarf holding a briefcase and a pistol ("space fixer").

Mike Ferdinando@mikeferdinando· Apr 10

71. Castle & Crusades by @trolllordgames.bsky.social A sort-of retroclone of AD&D 1e using the unified dice mechanic from D&D 3e. That's the game. The first time I played, we made the unfortunate assumption that C&C characters were as tough as D&D 3e characters... and had our first TPK in years!