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Andrew Valentine

Writing

Writing

Essays, development notes and ideas worth keeping somewhere that isn't a feed.

2026-07-24

Why Longbarrow has no dice

Randomness in combat does not create tension, it teaches players that volume beats precision. Removing it moves the drama onto the decision.

  • Longbarrow
  • Game design
  • Development note

2026-07-11

The gap between two forecasts

Planning tools show you either the optimistic timeline or the realistic one. The useful number is the distance between them.

  • Homeostasis
  • Systems
  • Forecasting

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