jo kelly
or Joy if you're fancy
maker of music and games
morris dancer
they/them/she
- Finally checked out some expansion gubbins for @theoldkingscrown.bsky.social and it's kinda perfect. Just a little spice on top of an already wonderful game. Pictured is the cracked sundial, which we'd somehow all managed to forget about and ruined everyone's lives in the final clash.
- Reposted by jo kellyJoin Drew and I today at noon (central US) for Wehrlegig's annual Year Ahead stream. We'll be talking about joining Buried Giant Studios, the status of our current projects, and what we are working on next. www.twitch.tv/wehrlegiggames
- Reposted by jo kellyGet this occult action thriller ttRPG for 1-7 people. Perfect if you enjoy playing powerful undead revenants embroiled in breakneck action, interpersonal drama, and occult investigation. Soundtrack by @mollynoise.bsky.social and human-made art by @stregawolf.art. Jump in now for early bird deals!
- The next Bristol Friday daytime playtesting event is on 27th February! Any type of board game welcome, playtesters with no game even more so. Sign up on Meetup if you want to come along: www.meetup.com/playtest/eve... @playtestuk.bsky.social
- Reposted by jo kellyI don't like being this vulnerable in public but I also felt like I had to say something. youtu.be/1qlEn8ob2ns
- Reposted by jo kelly“At this time” Precisely the problem. You can and likely will in the future. WE DON’T WANT THIS. And this isn’t *just* about concerns of a game coming out from you. Please cancel *any and all products* that use JKR’s blood money.
- Reposted by jo kellyWe are calling for an immediate stop to all purchases from Upper Deck. Their total lack of communication is distressing—so we call upon everyone to help us escalate. No purchases from Upper Deck. No media coverage or posts of their games. Upper Deck will only respond when it hurts their wallets.
- Reposted by jo kellyYIKES. Upper Deck (Marvel Legendary) just announced a CCG using the Harry Potter license. Fans of UD are rallying against this decision. Like the CGE situation last year, I’m asking for your help. Join us. Share your disgust and frustration, and help us push UD to retract their awful decision. 🎲✂️
- Reposted by jo kellyHI WORLD! Buried Giant Studios is a new company formed by Cole Wehrle and Kyle Ferrin 🏠 Learn more here: buriedgiant.com
- Reposted by jo kellyYou can find more about our new venture here. buriedgiantstudios.com
- Reposted by jo kellyI have an important announcement. Kyle and I are going to be leaving Leder Games to start a new venture. It has been an honor to spend the past eight years working with them. We wish them all the best of luck, and cannot wait to show you what we are working on next. ledergames.com/blogs/news/a...
- Reposted by jo kellyI played Molly House by @miasmacorp.bsky.social and @colewehrle.bsky.social tonight with some queer friends. From very early on, we played essentially completely cooperatively, as we struggled to bring our community joy. 1/3
- Reposted by jo kellyIt's Cardboard Time! Episode 126 is now live! (tinyurl.com/4ds32efp) On today's episode, Arwen and special guest Olivia Lothary (@olloplays.bsky.social) discuss The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop and our Top 10 "new to us" games of 2025.
- Reposted by jo kellyThanks to starting a new job last year I learned and played far fewer new games than I would have liked, which has made this list a little weirder than usual. Still, tradition must be upheld so here is my Top 7 New (to me) Games of 2025: www.stuartellisgorman.com/blog/2025-in...
- Reposted by jo kellyI'll reflect on something I said for this Tuesday's episode. Queer people haven't gone traitor in a single game I've played of this, despite the in game consequences. There's something profound to be said about that.
- The Mollies tearing up Molly House. ZERO COP RAID GAME all gay love no gay betrayal W/ @jojosey.bsky.social @developher.net @elleelle.goodgirls.online @plaidistic.bsky.social
- Reposted by jo kellyThe Mollies tearing up Molly House. ZERO COP RAID GAME all gay love no gay betrayal W/ @jojosey.bsky.social @developher.net @elleelle.goodgirls.online @plaidistic.bsky.social
- Reposted by jo kellyi got to play a version of this at UKGE and it was a brilliant blast! jo has such a way of identifying the real dynamics at the heart of social relationships, cutting through the nonsense that people tell themselves to expose how systems actually work
- Reposted by jo kellyWe playtested this multiple times the other night and I'm hungry for more!
- Reposted by jo kellyHell yes; I cannot wait to check this out. And hey, If you aren't following Jo, you should fix that now.
- Reposted by jo kellyFOLLOW JO they make impossibly cool shit, including the best board game released in 2025, Molly House
- In 2026, I'm releasing my next game: WENDYBUXXX. Play as song characters brought to life by singer Wendy Miasma and forced to compete as lifestyle influencers to promote her new necrocurrency*, WENDYBUXXX. Gain the most followers by setting and following trends, while balancing controversy.
- WENDYBUXXX is a straight-to-VHS card game with a 10-track companion album by none other than Wendy Miasma herself. It'll be self-published under Miasma Corp Games. The design and art are complete, and I'm working out the logistics of getting it manufactured. More details soon!
- The best game I played this year was Wanderstop. You play as Alta, a fighter, stopped in her prime by an unexpected defeat and an insurmountable case of burnout. The setup invites you to imagine the game she wishes she were in - an action-packed gladiator fighting game. But this is not that game.
- Instead, she is retrieved from the forest by a kindly tea shop owner called Boro. He offers her an unending well of compassion, and a position running the shop. You grow plants, collect tea, dry the tea, sweep up trash. Weird characters come and maybe want tea, but maybe not.
- It is decidedly unglamorous. Boring, even. Alta rebels. She tries to leave, tries to pick up her sword, tries to do something stimulating, but she can't. And I sympathised with her. It's hard to sit still. It's hard not to do the thing you feel this need to, even when you really just can't.
-
View full threadAnd honourable mentions for best games I played include: The Old King's Crown Winter Rabbit Magical Athlete Maybe others? I might add below later
- Reposted by jo kellyMy final video for 2025 compiles the lessons I learnt about games design this year, from rethinking how I work, what I want to design, and the people who I couldn't have done without. Thank you everyone who has supported the channel this year, and have a wonderful 2026! youtu.be/62zLZONQc4Q 🎲✂️
- An honour for Molly House to be included in Best Week! More than just that, it's really exciting to see there are enough great board games exploring interpersonal relationships to make a Best Week list from. I hope this is the start of something that will continue to grow.
- Today is the fifth day of Best Week! Did you know that 2025 contained an unusually high number of games about human relationships? An unusually high number of *good* games about human relationships? Now you do! Read about them here: spacebiff.com/2025/12/29/b...
- Reposted by jo kellyI'm honored to see Molly House in such company! Congrats to @miasmacorp.bsky.social for their debut Best Week appearance and to all of the other ways fantastic games on the list.
- Today is the fifth day of Best Week! Did you know that 2025 contained an unusually high number of games about human relationships? An unusually high number of *good* games about human relationships? Now you do! Read about them here: spacebiff.com/2025/12/29/b...
- Reposted by jo kelly6. Molly House Give me more historical games like this! I love the semi-cooperative nature of this one and the way it presents its setting in the mechanisms. One of the more opaque games I played this year but it gets better the more you play! @miasmacorp.bsky.social @colewehrle.bsky.social
- Reposted by jo kellyBOARD GAME: The incredibly produced, lovingly researched, and just ludicrously FUN Molly House by @miasmacorp.bsky.social and @wehrlegig.games Play as queer 1700s Londoners trying to find queer joy while being pursued by fascists. Throw parties and go cruising, or betray your own people to survive
- The next Bristol daytime playtesting event is on 19 December! Sign up on the Meetup page: www.meetup.com/playtest/eve... @playtestuk.bsky.social
- Endurance is a wonderful game that made me feel absolutely awful. I mean that as a compliment. If that sounds like your thing, I think you should buy it.
- Many Nights a Whisper was absolutely one of the best games I played this year. It heaps you with responsibility that's impossible to shoulder, asks you to carry out an improbable task your character has spent years honing, puts fate in your hands, then has you questioning if it was worth it at all.
- My game of the Year is Many Nights a Whisper by @selkieharbour.com & @deconstructeam.bsky.social 🧵
- Its timing was impeccable. I played it after spending five years working on the largest creative project I've ever been involved with. It was asking questions I was already asking myself, and resonated like a bell within me. I finished it, I succeeded, and I was crushed.
- Really surreal to see Molly House included in both The Guardian's 30 best board games to play this Christmas and NPR's 50 best board games of 2025! What a year. @wehrlegig.games @colewehrle.bsky.social
- Also so glad to be in the company of the amazing @theoldkingscrown.bsky.social on both lists!
- Reposted by jo kellyLet's talk about board game boxes and their role in selling a game, framing and contextualizing the experience, and creating meaning. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgfV...
- Reposted by jo kellyI really really think more people should play Wanderstop... It's one of my favorite games of this year... And it's got C418 music #art
- Next Bristol Friday daytime playtesting event is on 28th November! Sign up on the Meetup event to join. @playtestuk.bsky.social www.meetup.com/playtest/eve...
- Reposted by jo kellyDrew and I have been overwhelmed by the support for the reprint campaign. If you've been looking for a copy of John Company or Molly House, this is your best chance to get a copy and the way that most directly supports us and our further efforts. www.kickstarter.com/projects/col...
- Reposted by jo kellyGreat afternoon thinking about society and games (and the gamification of history) at the social justice and gaming workshop at KCL! Also most importantly finally got to play Molly House, explained by the wonderful @miasmacorp.bsky.social , which I've been hoping to play since seeing it at TIPC4!
- Finally got my copy of The Old King's Crown (@theoldkingscrown.bsky.social) to the table. I first played a demo of it at UKGE, I want to say 3 years ago? It was already impressive then, but I can see it's so much more now. Absolutely spellbinding. Congratulations to the whole team.
- (I lost after failing to ambush with my last card, thinking my three cards with their deadly/shield combo were assured victory, only to have the uprising speak their true names and banish them all from the clash. What an evocative story-engine of a game.)
- Reposted by jo kellyCome join Drew and Jo, and I for a mid-day game of MH on the lovely new BGA mod. www.twitch.tv/wehrlegiggames @miasmacorp.bsky.social @wehrlegig.games
- I'm going to be at a Gaming Social Justice event at King's College London on 14 Nov, running a Molly House demo and then talking with others including @baddeo.bsky.social and @maxhaiven.bsky.social - it's free but tickets are at this link: www.tickettailor.com/events/kings...
- Reposted by jo kellyJe lu les règles de Molly House (merci @canardpc.com pour l’avoir rendu visible) et c’est une réussite de fusion thème/regles. Et quel thème ! La communauté queer du Londres du 18eme où on sent la menace de la corde à chaque fois qu’on fait la fête. 1/2
- Reposted by jo kelly[Not loaded yet]
- Reposted by jo kellyWe are now live! If you want to grab a copy of the new printings, now's your best chance. www.kickstarter.com/projects/col... This is also a bit of a strange campaign for us. To be honest, I don't even think I've ever been as nervous about a launch. I suppose that needs some explaining 🧵
- Reposted by jo kellyHappy Indigenous People's Day! ᎠᏁᎯᏯ ᎤᎾᏤᎵ ᎢᎦ! May all my indigenous family, friends, coworkers, and colleagues be recognized as they should be. If you'd like to support a Native business, we've got Winter Rabbit on sale just for today. www.absurdistproductions.com/product/wint...
- This game was made by a good friend of mine. I've played it a lot, and if you'd enjoy a comic book narrative and wide variety of puzzle and dexterity minigames in your escape-room-style game, I'd highly recommend it. (also you may recognise someone in the video) www.kickstarter.com/projects/min...
- Interstellar Adventures has launched on Kickstarter. 🚀 Back now for an exclusive early bird discount, active for only 48 hours.⌛️ 🔍 Full of puzzles, cyphers and hidden clues 🤝 A coop game 👥 2-4 players 👏 No internet required 🎁 Fully resettable #escaperoom #kickstartergames #puzzlegames #escapegames
- Reposted by jo kellyhi i'm getting a kickass set of new genitals installed in 2 weeks from now !! isn't that fucking cool ? i could use a little bit of help with medical bills + housing expenses during recovery and so i've set up a little gofundme! gofund.me/394dc2e93
- I'm constantly blown away by the things people write about Molly House. This one feels especially powerful.
- Finally played Molly House. Had a breakdown. Bon appetit. www.wargamer.com/molly-house/...
- Reposted by jo kellyHey heads up, The Game Changers paperback is on the shelves in most good UK bookshops right now. If you would like some positive reading about how we are all deeply connected as humans, & how games build communities in the darkest times, you might find something of value in it.
- Reposted by jo kelly💣 A royal secret is out… 👑🕵️♀️ Queen of Spies is our next game! From the brilliant minds of @beyondsolitaire & @djackthompson . Follow the Gamefound campaign here 👉 gamefound.com/en/projects/...
- Reposted by jo kellyMolly House will have a little spot at Essen this year 🎉 If you can spare a thumb on BGG, we just got it listed on their preview page. Help our heavy queer party game climb the ranks! boardgamegeek.com/geekpreview/...
- Reposted by jo kellyIf your courtship game has you competing with other players to have a higher stat to attract the attention of an automated partner, then your courtship game has the ideology of incels. Maybe it isn't as sexist, but it shares the same mindset as people who think dating is a metrics game you can win.
- Reposted by jo kelly🚨 The John Company & Molly House Reprint Kickstarter campaign launches October 21st, 2025. www.kickstarter.com/projects/124... /🧵
