RPG Design Panelcast

Episode 49 – Gmless RPGs and other Variations

Gmless RPGs and Other Variations

Recorded at Metatopia 2013

Presented by John Stavropoulos and Brennan Taylor

Role playing games have game masters, right? Well, not necessarily – plenty of interesting games have chosen not to assign that role, or share it between some or all of the players at the table. What goes into the decision whether to have one, many or no game masters?

 

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Episode 42 – Adventure Design as Technology

Adventure Design as Technology

Recorded at Metatopia 2014

Presented by Cam Banks & Rob Donoghue.

We started with a map and a key. There have been structural improvements since then: boxed text, wandering monsters, plot point adventures, hard and soft points, personality-driven dungeons, mad libs plots and many more. This process has not been rigors, so the spread of these ideas has been haphazard and without the thought that’s gone into rules improvements. That is a shame. Take some time to talk about these technologies and how they can help you make better adventures.

 

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Episode 41 – Designing RPGs for Kids

Episode 41 – Designing RPGs for Kids

Presented by Amanda Valentine, Tim Rodriguez & Krista White.

Designing games intended for younger audiences doesn’t mean dumbing down. What are the additional challenges involved in making products to appeal to the younger set?

 

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Episode 37 – Roleplaying Scenario Design

D015 – Roleplaying Scenario Design

Recorded at Metatopia 2013. Presented by Kenneth Hite, Darren Watts, Rob Donoghue, John Stavropoulos & Bill White. Our panel of experts drills down into the specifics of scenario-building for publication, whether it’s showing off the game’s basics with an introductory scenario, or stringing several together for a mini-campaign book.

 

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Episode 28 – Ebooks 101

Episode 28 of the RPG Design PanelCast is brought to you thanks to the Metatopia Game Design Festival by Double Exposure.

D050: “Electronic Book Publishing 101” presented by Jason Pitre & Joseph Bloch. What are the differences between publishing hard copy books and electronic publishing? This panel will fill you in on everything you need to know, from standards and tools to markets for reaching your audience. 

 

 

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Episode 27 – Making Games Feel Magical

This was originally broadcast by Indie+ online convention, led by Mark Diaz Truman , presented by Kyle Simmons, Julia Ellingboe and James Raggi.  This is discussion the various ways that games can feel magical, from the everyday kitchen magic to the perilous high magic that could end the world.

 

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Episode 25 – Is Fantasy Dead?

Is there still room for more Fantasy RPGs? What is fantasy really, anyways? How can you design interesting games within this genre?

This was originally broadcast by Indie+ online convention, led by Rich Rogers. The presenters are John Wick, James Raggi, Gilian Fraser, David A. Hill Jr., Brennan Taylor

 

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Episode 24 – How to Learn RPG Design

Everyone can design games, and we are here to help show you the way. We will teach you the basics and give you the resources to learning rpg design on your own. We provided attendants with a DVD full of podcast content and panel recordings. You can find much of that information at the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eibuw567kj9px3q/ScnQmP5A58

This was presented by Jason Pitre and Mark Diaz Truman.

 

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Episode 23 – No Nos in Game Design

No Nos in Game Design

A discussion led by Stan!, Jeff Bellinger., Matt Forbeck and Daniel Solis on mistakes they have learned from in their publishing experience. An excellent discussion worth a listen to this panel from GenCon 2011.

 

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Episode 22 – Things you think about games

Things you think about games

An excellent and philosophically rich discussion concerning why games matter. Presented Jeff Tidball and Will Hindmarch from Gameplaywright (http://gameplaywright.net) over at GenCon 2011.

 

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Episode 21 – Game Design is Mind Control

Game Design is Mind Control: Presented by Luke Crane and Jared Sorensen from way back in 2011.

The art of game design is to induce your players to behave in bizarre, irrational ways that they otherwise would not. Join us as we demonstrate how rules make you perform all sorts of ridiculous acts. And if you don’t believe us, you will by the end of the seminar!

 

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Episode 19 – Introduction to Nordic Larp

LARPs aboard submarines? LARPs about having cancer? Join us for a journey inside the fascinating high-art gaming scene of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. They play in submarines, nuclear reactors, and in custom-built shanty towns. They get government grants to LARP! Welcome to the arty world of Nordic LARP, where intense emotion, minimal mechanics — including safewords — and fabulous scenery rule the day. Join ‘Leaving Mundania’ author Lizzie Stark and game designer and Industry Insider Guest of Honor Jason Morningstar for a journey inside this fascinating high-art gaming scene.

 

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Episode 17 – The International RPG Scene

There are thriving RPG scenes in outside North America. Come find out from our Industry Insiders on what’s up, what’s innovative, and what’s scandalous. Presented by Jason Morningstar and Dominic McDowall-Thomas.

 

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Episode 15 – History Panic

Presented by Jason Morningstar and Kenneth Hite.

Stress-Free Historical Roleplaying Description: How to enjoy roleplaying in historical settings – common pitfalls and how to avoid (or ignore) them.

Presented at GenCon 2012.

 

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Episode 11 – It’s a Hit, now what? Dealing with Unexpected Success

“It’s a Hit! Now What? Dealing With Unexpected Success” presented by Fred Hicks & Curt Covert. You’ve made something and people like it and want more. Or your preorder went well – much better than you expected – and you find yourself facing a bigger print run and a bigger shipping effort than you’d planned for. Success can be a tricky thing – the bigger you succeed, the harder you have to work, and sometimes there are pitfalls. Join us and talk about the “now what?” phase.

 

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Episode 8: Licensing Popular Intellectual Property

“Licensing Popular Intellectual Property” presented by Amanda Valentine, Fred Hicks & Cam Banks. Three designers with extensive experience in the world of licensing well-known intellectual properties discuss what makes a good property for licensing, how to go about getting a license, and how to keep your licensor happy and yourself protected throughout the process.

 

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Episode 7: Lessons from Indie Publishing

An overall summary of Indie Game Publishing, including copyright, printing costs and the perils of distribution, by David A. Hill Jr. of Machine Age Productions.

 

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Episode 2: My Dearest Failure: Games That Didn’t Work and Why

My Dearest Failure: Games That Didn’t Work and Why” presented by Jason Morningstar, Kenneth Hite & Rob Donoghue. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Join us for a discussion of games that never got made despite the best of intentions, and what lessons we can learn from the wreckage.

 

Episode 2: Beautiful Failures [ 51:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (382)

Episode 1: The Coolest Game You Never Heard Of

Episode 1 is: The Coolest Game You Never Heard Of: presented by James Ernest, Kenneth Hite, Jason Morningstar, Cam Banks, Nathan Paoletta, Brennan Taylor & Others. Join our Guests of Honor and several additional talented designers for a discussion about their favorite obscure game that influenced them. What did we learn, why do we love them, and why do they remain obscure? This discussion will address both role playing and board/card games.

Here is a partial list!

1. Pitch
2. Blowback (and Nights Black Agents)
3. Bunnies & Burrows
4. Dirty Secrets
5. Inspectres
6. King Arthur Pendragon
7. How We Came to Live Here
8. Grey Ranks!
9. Summerland
10. The Collectors: The Burning House
11. Everway
12. Dream Park
13. Annalise
14. Legends of Alryia
15. Black Fire
16. Clover
17. vs. Monsters
18. Ganakagok
19. Primitive
20. The Quiet Year
21. Ribbon Drive
22. Final Girl
23. Unsung
24. Don’t Walk in Winter Wood
25. Urchin
26. Roanoke
27. Mutant: Undergångens Arvtagare (Mutant: The Inheritors of the Apocalypse)
28. Run Robot Red
29. Dark Space
30. Iron Crown
31. RIFTS Worldbooks (Wormwood and Phase World)
32. Secrets of Ziran
33. JAGS Wonderland
34. Archipelago!
35. Sandman: The Map of Halaal
36. Dune
37. Nine Worlds.
38. Kagematsu
39. The Whispering Vault
40. Heroes of Olympus
41. Weapons of the Gods
42. Spellbound Kingdoms
43. The Future King
44. Danger Patrol
45. Underground
46. Timeship
47. Great Ork Gods
48. Gangbusters
49. Boot Hill
50. Dogs in the Vineyard
51. Top secret
52. Kult
53. Puppetland
54. Wild Strawberries
55. Thou art but a Warrior
56. Call of Cthulhu
57. Over the Edge
58. Fate
59. Alarums and Excursions
60. Delta green
61. Nexus: The Infinite City
62. Feng Shui
63. Risus: The anything RPG
64. The Warp System
65. Where the Cookuu lands
66. Tales from the Floating Vagabond
67. 80s Ghostbusters game
68. Torg
69. The Morrow Project
70. Super Squadron
71. Goblins! (also Gurps Goblins)
72. FASA Trek
73. Icon
74. GURPS Black Ops
75. Hellboy (Gurps)
76. The Coda System
77. Thousand and One Nights
78. Atomic Highway (and supplement for monsters - irradiated freaks)
79. Gamma World
80. Apocalypse world
81. Car Wars
82. Serial Homicide Unit
83. Last Train Out of Warsaw
84. Sweet Agatha
85. Dungeons and Dragons
86. Perfect Unrevised
87. Scarlet Wake
88. Waiting For The Queen
89. Tea At Midnight
90. Baby Wars
91. The Mountain Witch
92. Under the Bed
93. Silver & White
94. Sign in Stranger
95. Legends of the Wulin
96. Lacuna Part 1
97. Orbit
98. Moldvay
99. Hunters Hunted