Dan captures with so much clarity the challenge of critical work. This echoes the feelings I was processing with my City of Six Moons review, but presents the well constructed and detailed breakdown that that piece could never. Read this if you care about how we discuss games as art!
ICYMI: Issue 23 is out now! Featuring @danthurot.bsky.social’s investigation into board-gaming’s most ancient and controversial mechanism: roll-and-move. With Richard Garfield and Jo Kelly @miasmacorp.bsky.social. Go to senetmagazine.com to order your copy and subscribe. #boardgamesarebeautiful
Excellent post as always, Dan! Can't wait to read the rest.
Today is Thursday, the best day for discussing the board game adaptation of The Man Who Was Thursday, a novel that could be described as formative for a younger version of myself. My kinda-sorta review: spacebiff.com/2026/06/11/t...
Senet magazine
Whew! Someone finally gave me the "oh, so you hate waffles?" style of comment that I was really hungering for. It's such a doozy that I honestly have no idea how to respond.
Agent Avenue with the 12yo. We're currently tied 1-1, so things are tense!
Honestly, I've been pleasantly shocked at the positive reaction to this piece. I didn't think it would be ultra controversial or anything, just maybe too dense or too insouciant or too earnest to appeal to anyone.
Bible, board games, and sexy Roland Barthes? AlI in one essay? You know it’s gotta be the work of that still-living historical personage and (dare we say it?) author, Dan Thurot.
Gosh, I love this poem. I keep returning to one of my favorite Chesterton quotes. "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing badly."
Please Use AI, via open.substack.com/pub/shawnsmu...
Want to read a big old stonking essay about how Biblical criticism informs board game reviews? No? Eh, get outta here then. For the cool kids, I've got the goods right here: spacebiff.com/2026/06/10/t...
Want to read a big old stonking essay about how Biblical criticism informs board game reviews? No? Eh, get outta here then. For the cool kids, I've got the goods right here: spacebiff.com/2026/06/10/t...
