{"id":1040933,"date":"2026-01-17T03:54:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T03:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=483231"},"modified":"2026-01-17T03:54:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T03:54:28","slug":"tabletop-creators-leave-x-for-bluesky-in-droves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/tabletop-creators-leave-x-for-bluesky-in-droves\/","title":{"rendered":"Tabletop creators leave X for Bluesky in droves"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"X
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the wake of the US Election, tabletop creators and fans are leaving the Elon Musk-owned X <\/a>for alternatives like Bluesky<\/a>. While alternatives like Thread and Mastodon<\/a> have also seen growth during this social media exodus<\/a>, Bluesky\u2019s unique combination of content curation tools, moderation protocols, and general ease of use have provided an opportunity for tabletop creators to rebuild communities that align with their ethics and goals.<\/p>\n

The micro-blogging site X, formerly known as Twitter, was once heralded as a digital town square and played a pivotal role in jumpstarting the careers of many within the tabletop industry. Since being purchased by Elon Musk in October 2022 for $44 billion<\/a>, the site has faced a number of significant changes \u2014 including, but not limited to, laying off 80% of its employees<\/a>, turning verification badges<\/a> into a paid system<\/a>, inverting and dismantling moderation protections<\/a> (in line with Musk\u2019s \u201cfree speech absolutism<\/a>\u201d), a documented rise in hate speech<\/a> as well as misinformation<\/a>, and the involvement of Musk<\/a> in the re-election of Donald Trump<\/a> \u2014 causing users to abandon the once vital community and industry hub. According to NPR<\/a>, after the election, over 115,000 X users had deactivated their accounts by November 19. Others have kept their accounts, to prevent potential imitators, while making statements indicating their social presence will predominantly live \u201cwhere skies are bluer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bluesky, which launched in early 2023, has grown from 9 millions users<\/a> in September to 21.2 million users<\/a> at the time of publication, with a growth rate of roughly 8 new users per second. Among those include vast swaths of the tabletop ecosystem, who are using the new platform\u2019s tools to reconnect with their community and rebuild their audience, while protecting themselves from bad actors.<\/p>\n

Bluesky\u2019s lack of any centralized algorithm is both a benefit and barrier to new users. Instead of engagement farming through controversial posts, users compile \u201cfeeds\u201d that can offer a curated series of posts around a central topic. Additionally, any Bluesky user can compile a \u201cstarter pack,\u201d a collection of accounts under a single umbrella that users can mass follow \u2014 or block \u2014 rather than searching for individual posters. According to the independently created aggregation tool Bluesky Directory<\/a>, there are currently 40 different feeds and over 200 starter packs specifically for tabletop games, with the vast majority of those focusing on tabletop roleplaying games. These discoverability and curation tools, however, can also be utilized to target marginalized individuals, which is a growing concern as the site becomes more popular \u2014 though Bluesky\u2019s powerful (if imperfect) moderation tools like blocking and reporting offer significant safeguards that Twitter lacked.<\/p>\n

While many small to mid tier creators have found a home on the platform, this influx includes publishers like Paizo<\/a> and Kobold Press<\/a>, platforms like D&D Beyond<\/a> and DriveThruRPG<\/a>, and personalities like Aabria Iyengar<\/a>, Matt Colville<\/a>, Chris Perkins<\/a>, and the cast of Critical Role<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear how the migration to Bluesky will impact tabletop creators in the long run, though in the immediate future, many are glad to be on a platform that is not adjacent to the levers of an incoming administration with stated authoritarian goals<\/a>. Whether Bluesky will provide a sense of community and opportunity early Twitter once did, or be able to maintain stability amidst such massive growth, has yet to be seen.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the wake of the US Election, tabletop creators and fans are leaving the Elon Musk-owned X for alternatives like Bluesky. While alternatives like Thread and Mastodon have also seen growth during this social media exodus, Bluesky\u2019s unique combination of content curation tools, moderation protocols, and general ease of use have provided an opportunity for tabletop creators to rebuild communities that align with their ethics and goals. The micro-blogging site X, formerly known as Twitter, was once heralded as a digital town square and played a pivotal role in jumpstarting the careers of many within the tabletop industry. Since being purchased by Elon Musk in October 2022 for $44 billion, the site has faced a number of significant changes \u2014 including, but not limited to,…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1040934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1040933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polygon"],"yoast_head":"\nTabletop creators leave X for Bluesky in droves | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In the wake of the US Election, tabletop creators and fans are leaving the Elon Musk-owned X for alternatives like Bluesky. 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