Hi, I’m Ben. I like figuring out how things work, then making things of my own.
I build and maintain software for the web. Outside work, I make tools for tabletop games and worldbuilding, and follow my curiosity into art, heraldry, and whatever else catches my attention. This site is a home for the things I’ve made and the things I’m still learning.
You can find me on Mastodon at @skysong@floss.social.
Other places to find me:
Explore the site
- Things I've made - software, tabletop games, art, and published work. Start with my open-source projects or RPGs.
- Writing - posts about projects, games, software, and the web. The topic guides below offer a few starting points.
- Working notes - a knowledge base of subjects I'm learning about, from game design to software engineering.
- Heraldry - notes, a glossary, and historical source texts for a subject I keep returning to.
- Recipes - things I've cooked and adjusted over time.
- About me - more background and contact information. For a snapshot of what I'm doing now, see Now.
Most Recent Blog Posts
- September 28, 2026 - What Heraldry and Japanese Mon Can Teach Us About Building Visual-Identity Generators
- September 27, 2026 - Iron Arachne's 'Workshop' update
- July 23, 2026 - July 2026 Update on Iron Arachne
- May 17, 2026 - Progress on my textjam project
- May 8, 2026 - Entering textjam spring 2026
Read by topic
Worldbuilding and Iron Arachne
Follow the ideas and tools behind my generators, from words and planets to connected campaign worlds.
- Word generation in Iron Arachne
- Upgrading the star and planet generators
- The Iron Arachne Workshop update
Heraldry and game design
How visual traditions, rules, and tabletop games shape the things I make.
- Heraldry generation: the basics
- Old School Baroque
- What heraldry and Japanese mon can teach us about generators
The web and personal publishing
Thoughts on making a home for your work online and keeping the small web alive.
For a more personal look around, see what I use, sites I recommend, or the books I've read.