Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019

Presented by Anne Ratchat, Misha Bushyager, James Mendez Hodes, Eli Eaton & Jonaya Kemper with moderation by Jason Pitre

Knowing how to support people is always difficult. When considering different backgrounds and identities, good intentions can backfire. This panel will introduce what to consider when being an ally and some ways to assist in a productive manner.

EDITOR's NOTE: The audio recorder stopped recording 2/3rds of the way into this panel, but the content here is still quite valuable. Enjoy!

Recorded at Breakout 2019

Presented by Daniel Kwan, Agatha Cheng, Amar, Kienna S. and James Mendez Hodes with moderation by Daniel Kwan.

How do we make our games and tables more inclusive? How do we make our stories more interesting and diverse? Join the Asians Represent! podcast crew as they discuss and answer these questions.

Recorded at Breakout 2019

Presented by Nicole Winchester, Mo Turkington, Misha Bushyager, Sharang Biswas & Jonaya Kemper with moderation by Jason Pitre

Different individuals, communities, countries, and cultures have different ideas about what LARPs and roleplaying games should and should not address, and as gaming communities interact on and offline these ideas often come into conflict. What is acceptable in a game, and who gets to make that decision? How do we have productive and compassionate conversations about these issues? Are there things that games are not equipped to address, or are we limiting games by limiting their subjects?

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019

Presented by James Mendez Hodes, Sharang Biswas, Agatha Cheng. Moderated by Daniel Kwan  Regrets from Banana Chan 

Are you interested in how Asian cultures can inspire games and game design? Are you curious about Asian portrayal in games? Join us for a panel discussion about these topics as experienced Asian TTRPG, LARP, and board game designers discuss cultural and historical themes. We will talk through examples that we’ve seen, the differences between Asian American and overseas Asian perspectives, and the impact of thoughtful representation and why it matters.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Anne Ratchat, Kenneth Hite, Elsa Henry, Julia Ellingboe, Jabari Weathers. 

Horror Mechanics (For More Than Just Horror)"In the genre of horror, game designers and writers have developed an arsenal of tools specifically to disempower the characters in their worlds. These mechanics are assumed one-trick ponies but can also serve as useful mechanics for empowering play as well when understood. The goal of this panel is to break down why specific horror mechanics work and how to use them effectively, regardless of genre.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Kate Beaman-Martinez and Jonaya Kemper

"Love Like A Bomb". We're going to examine some evolving wisdom about balanced, healthy intimate relationships and apply it to group dynamics. In this case, we're going to talk about how the concept of "love bombing" applies to gaming communities.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Julia Ellingboe, Moyra Turkington, Jonaya Kemper, and Misha Bushyager.

"Intersectional Feminism: Game Design That Tackles Topics that Matter". Designing historical games is complicated, especially when we're telling the stories of people who are often forgotten. How do we handle those stories without accidentally perpetuating or compounding existing damage?

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Jason Pitre, Mark Diaz Truman, Kate Bullock

Games are art, and can explore challenging subject material. It can often be useful to use fictional metaphors to recontextualize these difficult topics and make them easier to to examine with a layer of emotional distance. On this panel, the speakers will explore how and when to use metaphors in your game design, and the pitfalls to avoid.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by DC

Participate in a discussion about expanding the narrative fantasies applied to tabletop RPGs. The standard "set" of explored backgrounds and settings are not only old, but also fundamentally structured around a singular perspective. Inspecting the foundation of our fiction allows us to better understand the values or pitfalls of those choices, and how they may affect who decides to, or not to, join us at our table

Recorded at Metatopia 2018

Presented by Sam Saltiel, Brand Robins, Camdon Wright, Eli Eaton

Good consent practice requires that consent is enthusiastic and informed. Let's talk about how to encourage a higher level of consent. We will discuss tools you can add at the table, but then we'll explore ways to integrate consent into the foundations of your design.