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15
November
2026

People believe that if we would just take something seriously, if we would just really dedicate ourselves to whatever they think we should dedicate ourselves to, then we could make it work. I would love that to be true. But the truth is sometimes I throw myself body, heart, and soul into a project, and it still doesn’t work. …

… We talk a lot about the triad of: What is it that I want to do? What is it that I can do, (i.e., have the skill and the resources to do)? What is it that audiences are looking for? There has to be some overlap with those things, or do not pass go, do not collect $200. — Mark Diaz Truman explains how Magpie Games changed over the last decade

I really loved this interview with Mark Diaz Truman by Thomas Manuel. Mark talks about success and failure, the growth of his company, what that has meant for the sorts of games they are able to produce within the context of their company, and the hegemony of D&D. They cover a lot of ground. Two of my absolute favourite games of the last decade are Cartel and Zombie World, so it’s a shame they weren’t bigger commercial successes. If you don’t own either game, what are you doing? Two of the best! Award winning, in fact. I was sad the follow on card based RPGs based on Zombie World aren’t being made. Hopefully we see them one day. It’s such a great format for a quick easy-to-learn RPG.