RPG Design Panelcast

Recorded at Metatopia 2024

Presented by Meguey Baker

Games and stories have told us that life is nasty, brutish and short, while the true story of human society is built on solidarity and empathy. In this panel, we will discuss how we can come together and care for each other in games and in life.

Note that this panel was originally focused more on world building, inspired by some of the excellent posts by Meguey on her blog at https://lumpley.games/2022/11/28/follow-the-thread-a-worldbuilding-guide/

Presented at Metatopia 2024

Hosted by Amanda Valentine, Lisa Padol

You’ve probably heard that you should hire an editor for your game project, but why? What can an editor do for you? How do you hire one and how do you work with one? Bring all of your questions to this AMA and our experts will be happy to talk with you.

Recorded at Metatopia 2023

Presented by Jay Dragon and Amanda Valentine

Every game has a voice, from the biggest trad book to an indie zine, and this narrative voice helps a game teach itself and stand on its own. In this round table held by award-winning game designer Jay Dragon we'll talk through a number of examples of games that utilize narrative voice to articulate their game-worlds, and rewrite our own mechanics in ways that emphasize how different perspectives can change the nature of the game on a deep level.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

Presented by Richard Ruane, Pam Punzalan, Brian Yaksha, Zedeck Siew.

 

In METATOPIA 2020's "Devil in the Details" panel, we explored microsettings; settings that focus closely on a specific area, region, or location. This year, we'll discuss how microsettings challenge traditional assumptions about game mechanics, focusing on character creation, magic, technology, and GM procedures. How can the concrete specificity of microsettings open up other design opportunities beyond just the setting details?

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

 

Presented by Sen-Foong Lim, Paul Stefko, Moe Poplar and Quinn Murphy. Jonathan Lavallee was unable to attend for medical reasons.

Analysis paralysis exists in creativity! When we put up limits and restrictions, we find new ways to solve problems and be creative. This panel will talk about what works for them when putting up walls around their creative process. 

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

Presented by Jonathan Lavallee, Sen-Foong Lim, Misha B.

It's always great and interesting to have cool terms for features in your game, but there are moments when that can get in the way of what you're trying to say. We'll be talking about the importance of, and balance between, clarity and flavor in your text.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021

Presented by Jay Dragon, Robert Donoghue, Rabbit Stoddard, Darla Burrow.

Game design and publishing are complex tasks at the best of times, and particularly so for those dealing with ADHD. Many creatives struggle with maintaining their attention and concentration on their design and publishing work. How do you track your accomplishments and keep track of what you need to do next? How do you manage multiple deadlines and juggling priorities? How can ADHD be harnessed to help you with your creative work? In this panel, four experienced designers will share their hard-won secrets

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Grant Howitt, Matt Jones, Alexi Sargeant, Jeeyon Shim, Jason Tocci.

Writing long games is hard, but so is writing short games. What advantages do one-page games afford us? What can't they do? What can they do better than longer games? We're going to find out.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

Presented by Graham Walmsley, Christopher McGlothlin, Darren Watts, Lynne Hardy, Alex Helms.

It's almost a truism that it's very hard to make RPG adventures, scenarios and modules that will sell unless you're talking about the very biggest games. Is that really true? Let's share some tricks and tips on this panel!

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020

 Presented by Richard Ruane, Brian Yaksha, Zedeck Siew, Amanda Franck, Pamela Punzalan.

 

Microsettings (settings that focus closely on a specific area, region, or location) can be a powerful touchstone for game design. By focusing their attention and concerns on a small region, city, or even places as focused as a bar, a school, or a shopping center, microsettings give the smaller, more particular stories a space to happen. In the panel, we'd like to discuss how designing and detailing of focused microsettings can evoke a location's multiplicity and diversity, make the world of the game more accessible and real, challenge characters to form relationships within the setting, and invoke curiosity about mundane aspects of setting life.

 

A thread of additional questions and answers have been prepared by Brian Yaksha, one of the panelists.

https://twitter.com/goatmansgoblet/status/1324917649143435265

 

 

 

Recorded at Metatopia 2019

Presented by Kenneth Hite

A METATOPIA tradition - Kenneth Hite rambling about game design. In this case the notion of scope: How big should your setting be? How can you design a setting to contain multiple core game activities, and should you? As always, Ken has notions and questions, and hopes you have more of both as we explore Bigness (and un-Bigness) in games.

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 2017

Presented by Elsa Henry and Lauren Roy.

Fiction writing and game writing are definitely two separate skillsets, but they are complimentary. This panel will feature people who do both, discussing how to develop these skillsets to further both parts of your career, with extra attention to the ways they diverge and how to know which skills to use. Where do these skillsets not overlap, how do they fight against one another? What are the best ways to develop both skills without shortchanging one or the other.

Recorded at Metatopia 2017

Presented by Joshua Yearsley.

Writing Rulebooks: An Introduction and Workshop. Trying to write your first (or seventh) rulebook? Want to build a solid foundation on rules writing fundamentals? Ready to get your hands dirty with real rules revisions? This is for you. We'll first explore why rulebooks are so difficult to get right, discuss the goals of the rulebook itself, and then jump into the fundamentals. You'll learn a new language for describing rules, the theory and application of rules structure, and tons of tips and tricks to improve flow. After the talk, we'll break into groups and put these skills to use, workshopping badly written rules into better ones, guided by a professional rules writer and editor. This talk + workshop was first given as part of a course on game design taught by Rob Daviau, co-designer of Pandemic Legacy, at Hampshire College, where it received a great response (though the METATOPIA version probably won't give you college credit)

Recorded at Metatopia 2017

Presented by John Adamus and Ann Stolinsky.

Editing is the crucible through which your idea passes in order to emerge as the game and experience you intended. Find out what works, what doesn't, and how to navigate the red flags and feelings around them. 

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2018

Presented by: Robin Laws, Rachel Kahn, Jax Bryk, and Cindy Moore

Moderator: Pieter van Hiel

From fascinating NPCs to deadly dragons, each adventure the heroes brave must be memorable. Join our incredible panelists to discuss how to keep your adventures interesting and keep your players coming back for more!

Recorded at Metatopia 2016

Presented by Joshua Yearsley, John Adamus, Dr. Jessica Hammer.

Writing and editing rulebooks is still a black art, not an empirical science. In this panel, Dr. Jessica Hammer and professional editors John Adamus and Joshua Yearsley hash out the state of the rulebook. What works? What doesn't? Why do so many professionals (including us!) disagree about how to write good rulebooks? Why are so many rulebooks still bad, and what can we do about it? We won't have all the answers - maybe you'll help us find some. It is somewhere between a panel and a roundtable. We'll certainly have things to say and discuss with each other, but we absolutely welcome audience input to figure out what the world's thinking about.

Apologies for the poor sound quality.

Structuring Game Texts

Recorded at Metatopia 2015

Presented by Jason Pitre, Robert Bohl, Jay Treat and Cat Tobin.

You’ve designed your game, you’ve playtested it, and you’ve decided you want to publish it as a text (either for free download or sale). How do you structure that text so that it will draw readers in and make the game easy to understand the first time, and easy to use as a reference later?

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Why do you Hate your Readers and Players?

Recorded at Metatopia 2015

Presented by John Adamus

When writing a game or project, it’s important that the language be clear and enjoyable, not just showing off how smart the author is. Learn techniques to keep your project readable and enjoyable.

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Ten (More) Ways To Make Your Rulebook Awesome

Recorded at Metatopia 2015

Presented by Joshua Yearsley.

Your rulebook is the heart of your game, so why not give it the love it deserves? In this seminar, you’ll learn ten best practices for improving the structure, style, and clarity of your rulebook. Did you come last year? These tips and tricks will be all new! Got any burning questions about rules craft? Get answers from a professional rulebook editor.

Link to the full presentation here!

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What an Editor can do for you

Recorded at Metatopia 2015

Presented by John Adamus

Editors are here to help. It’s their job. They’re tasked with making your project better. So why not use one? Get answers to what they do and how they can benefit you. Trust us, everyone needs one. Really

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Editing Rulebooks

Recorded at Metatopia 2014

Presented by Joshua Yearsley.

Your rulebook is the heart of your game, so why not give it the love it deserves? In this seminar, you’ll learn ten best practices for improving the structure, style, and clarity of your rulebook. Got any burning questions about rules craft? Get answers from a professional rulebook editor.

Additional references and a copy of the presentation is available at http://joshuayearsley.com/case/ten-things-you-can-do-to-make-your-rulebook-awesome/

 

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The Best Practices for Information Organization in Tabletop RPGs

Recorded at Metatopia 2014

Presented by Brennan Taylor, Matt Wilson, Meredith Reitman, Krista White & John Stavropolous

Tabletop RPGs serve as both a “let’s play!” and a reference document. RPGs designers and writers often attend to one of these goals at the expense of the other. Come to this panel to learn about professional theories of information organization, best practices for making the important information in your games findable and learn lessons from experienced game designers who have made information organization innovations and mistakes in their own games.

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Style Guides are your Friend

Recorded at Metatopia 2014

Presented by Amanda Valentine and John Adamus

Style guides are one of the indispensable tools an editor uses to help make your project the best it can be. Learn more about them and the other must-have tools an editor uses, and find out why following the style guide can mean the difference between making “a thing” and “a game”.

 

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What Editors Do

Recorded at Metatopia 2014

Presented by John Adamus, Jeremy Morgan & Amanda Valentine.

Cleaning up your tortured syntax and fixing your punctuation is only the beginning. A good editor can help you improve the presentation of your game on many levels

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