Jim Rossignol

@rossignol.bsky.social

9410 Followers 3589 Following

Writer. Makes books, games. Co-founded Rock, Paper, Shotgun and Big Robot (Sir, You Are Being Hunted). Now: TEETH RPG, MILESHIPS. And https://oldmenrunningtheworld.com/ email: jim at big-robot.com

Call of Cthulhu is very near and dear to me, and I love the sanity mechanic, but for Strange Stories, I found that our damage system works for both mental, physical, and even situational complications. We call them ‘setbacks,’ and they are a kind of narrative damage. Setbacks are words or short phrases that describe why your character is having a hard time. Things like “sprained ankle” or “frayed nerves” are assigned by the story guide, which gives the guide control over the story's tone. If it’s early in the story and you want to keep it light, the setbacks can be mild and go away after a scene is over, or if you’re at the end of an adventure and you want the stakes high, you can make the setbacks life-altering.
Like Ballard's surreal catastrophes (themselves channelling the early 20th century surrealists via the language of later 20th century sci-fi) the world of The End of Everything writes itself on its inhabitants as it ceases to be. It presents a horror stuff that we can all relate to, even if the story remains impenetrable and resistant to meaning, because: "The crisis has become permanent." The crisis has become permanent. Hasn't it, though? Jesus, Mike. He's writing early 21st century surrealism via the medium of early 21st century sci-fi, where the sci-fi is unable to reach escape velocities.
Simpsons "what is happening in there" meme, from the second best Simpsons skit.
Close up of a tiny iridescent rosemary beetle on stalk of lavender.
A large, rounded bush in my hedgerow, covered in blossom.
A secret lane in Somerset, shrouded in greenery.
Marsh Davies illustrations abound in the (silver) ENNIE-winning, False Kingdom.
A period-style map of Great New Plymouth.
A mockup of GOLD TEETH, featuring a gold crossbones in a red fabric cover, laying on a sandy beach, of course.
Pouring a cup of tea from a tea pot.
It is not respecting a person to pretend to agree with them when they spout the most insane, incoherent, and untrue nonsense. In a society of equals it is in fact a sign that I don’t respect them. That I think they are beyond reason or rational conversation. Reform’s voters are not just destroying the country for the rest of us, they are destroying it for themselves. We are all poorer, more divided, and literally sicker because of them. Their values are heinous and their project is delusional. And we should tell them that.
A view through an open gate into a half-ploughed field, in which a long line of seagulls are following the tractor as it works.
A brown dog stood in a shallow stream, shaking water from his fur.
What appears to be a volcano in the west country, but is in fact a spoil heap from a coal mine called a batch, or The Batch in the case of this one.
An island chain with Very French Names.
The beautiful, fungal cover of Wyrd Science magazine.
Chew Valley lake, with large reed beds and a blue sky.
A Sigmund Freud action figure.
Two left handed gloves.
Unhappy You feel DON'T worry baby. You have our words. 90-day Money Back Guarantee
Jim and Marsh wriying stretch goal for Blades '68.
Cornish flag (white cross on black field) with the words "Jam First" across the middle.
"did it work for those people" meme
Al Pacino in Insomnia.
Wrapped excerpt say "0 days without posting."
Big glowing tree.
Winter one hill from the Mendips.
A pig that was looking at me.
Screenshot of The Signal From Tolva.
Googlemaps depicting a series of English villages: Lower Dicker, Upper Dicker, The Dicker, and Wickstreet.
Mr Cat putting down his newspaper to think "i should make a book recommendation thread for Christmas". The cat is me.
The Sir, You Are Being Hunted waistcoat tee design.
A walking lighthouse stands in red light in a darkened cave, with a gate closing behind it.
A lighthouse wandering through a psychedelic alien landscape.
Close up of a large brown, long-haired dog.
Dogs ->
"Steam New Free RPG Take 'Countless Hours' of Your Life."
Speedball 2
Amiga 500
"Senior Labour figures tell Keir Starmer to stop making mistakes."
A back of van photo mural depicting two men grinning next to chunks of meat. The Meat Men
Santa Claus and his owner, a man.
Somerset news: Councillor Ham stops new homes near Somerset pig farm
Privet Hawk moth caterpillar, i think?
A shark-shaped cloud.
She said officers removed 19 items from her house, including iPads, a Palestine flag, books on Palestine, material related to Extinction Rebellion and the climate crisis, as well as drumsticks for – and a belt that holds – her samba drum. A friend who went to feed the cats and walked in on the police searching the house said there appeared to be a geiger counter – which measures radiation – on the table.
A bumblebee on a lavender flower.
A black cat with yellow eyes with some yarn crossing the image in the foreground.
Cartoon in which seven reasons to invest in renewables are listed in a presentation, none of them to do with global warming, with an audience member standing up and saying "What if it's a big hoax and we create a better world for nothing?"