Tim Denee (Blades '68) ep. 272

Tim Denee (Blades '68) ep. 272

From TABLETOP TALK - Third Floor Wars by Craig Shipman

March 2, 2026 · 1h 18m · Season 1 · Episode 272

About this episode

Tim Denee discusses the interweaving of influences in TTRPGs and his work on Blades '68.

One of the great beauties of art is how different creators build upon their influences and contemporaries, creating layers that work together. We see it a lot in the TTRPG space, from shared mechanics, an influx of hacks and shared IPs, and so much cross-creation between mediums, be it books, video games, board games, and films. Tim Denee joins us today to talk about Blades ’68, but the conversation turns to adaptations and interweaving that any avid RPG lover can learn from. He discusses how Blades ’68 transports the universe of Blades in the Dark into a new era, playing on how our world could look like a science-fiction fantasy realm of its own, and he straddled the source material with his own personal approach. We’re at a point where TTRPG’s aren’t being developed in a vacuum—the genre is sprawling and interweaving in ways that give creators, DMs, and players a lot of room to grow and play. It’s a great inside look at how the most cutting-edge developers are working together to forge bigger and better universes than ever. Tim Denee is a designer who works on all sorts of projects, from book covers to websites and TTRPGs! He’s well known for the acclaimed Deathmatch Island…

People in this episode

Guest: Tim Denee

Topics covered

  • TTRPG
  • Blades '68
  • game design
  • adaptations
  • cross-creation

Keywords

  • science-fiction
  • fantasy
  • game mechanics
  • Deathmatch Island
  • Bloodred Clouds in the Western Sky
  • Unit-X

Mentioned in this episode

Products: TTRPG, Blades ’, Unit-X., Blades '68, Deathmatch Island, Bloodred Clouds in the Western Sky

Books & works: Blades, Blades in the Dark, Deathmatch Island, Bloodred Clouds in the Western Sky, Tales of the Manticore⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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