After 20 years building digital products for others, I decided to build my own thing: a tabletop roleplaying game
Intelligent arthropods rule the wasteland left by humans. 🦀 🐞 ⚔️
I've spent 20 years building digital products for others.
Then I decided to create something completely my own: Bug & Claw, a tabletop RPG set in a world where intelligent arthropods rule the wasteland left by humans. 🦀 🐞 ⚔️
The irony? All of my product skills applied perfectly.
• User research became playtesting.
• Personas became player archetypes.
• MVPs became alpha releases to my 1900+ self-built community.
But here's what's surprised me:
The creative constraints in my side project have reinforced my product leadership.
When you can't just add another feature or throw more developers at a problem, you learn to:
• Design elegant systems with clear boundaries
• Listen to user feedback without ego
• Iterate based on actual usage, not assumptions
Building Bug & Claw has taught me that good product thinking works everywhere. Whether you're optimizing a fintech app or designing combat mechanics for mutant crabs. 🦀 ⚔️ 🦀
Side projects aren't distractions. They're training grounds.
What creative project has unexpectedly improved your day job skills?
