About

This thing you have found is a blog about roleplaying games and larp. Mostly, I discuss games such as Pathfinder RPG, Nordic larp, academic role-playing game studies, and Finnish roleplaying games, but anything that catches my eye is fair game.

I’m the sole writer of the blog, and go by the handle NiTessine online. To my knowledge, I am the only one in the world using that handle, so if you see a NiTessine posting somewhere, especially a game-related forum or IRC channel, it is me. Outside the internet, I go by the name Jukka Särkijärvi. I am Finnish.

In this blog, I post thoughts on gaming, reviews and reports of game sessions and conventions. You will find little gaming material here, as crunching numbers and actual game design is not one of my gifts. Writing posts that exceed what I was aiming for by about 3,000 words is. I ponder, analyze, publicize and occasionally rant, though I’m trying to cut back on that last one.

In addition to this blog, I have written a nonfiction book about roleplaying games, Roolipelikirja (BTJ Kustannus, 2007), as well as a number of articles for the now-defunct gaming magazine Roolipelaaja. I also worked on the Living Greyhawk campaign and wrote two adventures for it, which I have made available for download on this website after the campaign ended. In addition, I’ve contributed a short text on H.P. Lovecraft for Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Weird Fantasy Role-Playing and done some other odd writing and translating jobs here and there, such as translating an essay for Unelma Keltaisesta kuninkaasta ja muita tanskalaisia roolipelejä. I am also the primary translator of the Stalker roleplaying game, involved with the workings of the game publisher Myrrysmiehet, and one of the editors of the 2016 Solmukohta books as well as 2020’s What Do We Do When We Play.

I served as the Master of Game Masters for the gaming convention Ropecon from 2009 to 2012 and again in 2020, served in the Program Team in 2013, and as Head of International Outreach in 2018. In addition, after working for some years with the anime and gaming convention Tracon as a consultant, I am part of the con committee for the new game convention Tracon HitPoint, debuting in late 2015. I was also a member of the Helsinki in 2017 Worldcon bid committee, and was the Gaming Area Head at Worldcon 75.

I served as the Venture-Captain of Finland for the Pathfinder Society organized play campaign from 2012 to 2015 and since 2020 have held the position of Venture-Agent.

I can be contacted by e-mail at jukka.sarkijarvi@gmail.com.