170.7K
Downloads
381
Episodes
The best panels and seminars about analog game design & publishing.
Episodes
Saturday Nov 25, 2017
Saturday Nov 25, 2017
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Christopher Badell, Zev Shlasinger.
Once you've designed the game, it's time to produce it. Our panelists have dozens of finished products between them and offer their expertise to make your process smoother.
Saturday Nov 18, 2017
Saturday Nov 18, 2017
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Matt Fantastic.
How many cards are on a typical printing sheet? Can half an inch really save you that much money? Is it possible to license a mold? These sorts of questions shouldn't be the first thing you think about when making your next amazing game, but they can play a huge part in how realistic it is to actually get into print. Join Matt Fantastic as he talks through a bunch of common mistakes, easy fixes, and ways to look at your design/project that will save a bunch of money when it comes time to actually make it.
Saturday Nov 11, 2017
Saturday Nov 11, 2017
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Darren Watts, Jeff Tidball, John Adamus.
Our panelists talk about how to be good testers. Learn how to hear the questions being asked and answer with useful feedback. We all want to give helpful criticism; learn more about how to do that.
Tuesday Nov 07, 2017
Tuesday Nov 07, 2017
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Jason Morningstar, Jay Sylvano, Benjamin Morrow.
Games can obviously be political and create empathy, but can they be journalism? Can they create change, spur activism, prompt meaningful dialog? What does it take to make a game with a contemporary theme or focused on an important issue - and what can go wrong?
Saturday Oct 28, 2017
Saturday Oct 28, 2017
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Kenneth Hite.
In this year's iteration of "Ken Rambles About Stuff", Ken argues for the 'Iceberg Method' of game research. He is also likely to touch on how (and how much) to do research for setting design purposes, and may even divagate into the how and why of researching other game mechanics.
Saturday Oct 21, 2017
Saturday Oct 21, 2017
Recorded at Metatopia 2016.
Presented by Judeth Oden Choi, Jessica Hammer.
Presentation of our findings from a two-year long study of playtesting practices and education. As we build and refine our games, sometimes it's hard to hold onto those brilliant ideas and goals that first inspired us. Playtesting with a purpose is about articulating design and experience goals for your game and using playtests to help refine those goals and express them more fully in game play. We will invite participants to try out some of our methods and open up for discussion of playtesting practices.
Sunday Oct 15, 2017
Sunday Oct 15, 2017
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Melissa Lewis-Gentry, Cat Tobin, Matt Fantastic, Zev Shlasinger.
Have you ever played (or made!) a fantastic game, and then wonder why no one has it? Ever wonder why no one other than the Kickstarter backers bought a certain game? Ever make a game, then try to go through distribution and realize you'll lose money selling that way? Not all games are designed for retail sale! This panel will discuss the design choices that see success in a retail setting, and if retail is right for your game. Topics discuss will be graphic design choices and packaging, pricing and 3 tiered distribution, Organized Play and Demoing, and using retail sales as marketing.
Tuesday Oct 10, 2017
Tuesday Oct 10, 2017
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Christopher Badell, Jason Walters, Marie Poole.
Planning and running a Kickstarter campaign can be like designing and playing another game. Will you hack an existing formula or take a risk on an unusual approach? Will it include lots of fiddly mechanics and rewards or will you take a more artistic direction? When you're running the campaign, how do you play the roles of marketer, designer, publisher, business person, and artist? Join panelists as they talk about the design and management of Kickstarter campaigns themselves. In what ways have they evolved into established systems (stretch goals, etc.) and how are some creators breaking those conventions?
Saturday Sep 16, 2017
Saturday Sep 16, 2017
Historical Larp Design
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Moyra Turkington, Kimberley Lam, Shoshana Kessock, Elsa Henry, Rachel E.S. Walton, and moderated by Alex Roberts
This panel is all about re-evaluating the real diversity in historical settings, the difficulties of researching for historical non-western, non-white events and eras, especially those that feature women. It serves to discuss both larp design, and tabletop design, and is well worth a listen.
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Sunday Sep 03, 2017
Sunday Sep 03, 2017
Game Master Mechanics
Recorded at Metatopia 2016
Presented by Vincent Baker and and Jason Pitre.
Role playing games have a long history of providing detailed rules on how players may act in the fiction. Very few games provide explicit direction and purposefully designed tools to constrain GMs. Let’s talk about the various approaches, from Fronts, to Countdown Clocks, Doom Pools, and more. Where can GM mechanics change design?
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Saturday Jul 15, 2017
Saturday Jul 15, 2017
Powered by the Apocalypse: Using Apocalypse World to Outline and Draft Your Own RPG
Special episode, recorded online.
Presented by Meguey Baker, Vincent Baker, and Jason Pitre.
Apocalypse World offers a powerful, flexible framework you can use to outline, draft, and potentially finish your own role playing games. Dozens of creators, both experienced designers and first-timers, have used it with great success, and you can too. It’s not a game system, it’s an easy approach to game system design, a reliable way to get your creative vision quickly into a playable form. In this episode, we discuss apocalypse World’s philosophy and foundation, describe the fit and purpose of each of its systems, and point out fruitful ways to build on them, contradict them, repurpose them, subvert them, and go far beyond them.
A copy of the presentation that goes along with the episode is Available Here.
This panel was originally presented at Metatopia 2016, but technical problems at the audio meant that we had to re-record the discussion. It’s an excellent one though, where we discuss issues of the structure behind apocalypse, where the heavy design work needs to happen, the decision points on move construction, and how consent/power fit into the context of the framework.
Enjoy and share this episode freely!
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Saturday Jul 08, 2017
Saturday Jul 08, 2017
Breaking into Board Games
Recorded at Breakout Con 2017
Presented by Pam Walls, Tim Brown, Eric Lang, Sen-Foong Lim, and moderated by Daryl Andrews.
Want to design a board game? Have no idea how to get into the industry? Join our wonderful set of panelists to talk about how to enter the board game design world, do some playtesting, and get your game published.
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Episode118-Breaking_Into_Boardgames
Sunday Jul 02, 2017
Sunday Jul 02, 2017
What’s Up in Tabletop Games?
Recorded at Breakout Con 2017
Presented by Michelle Lyons-McFarland, Jonathan Gilmour, Robin D. Laws, Eric Lang, and moderator Jonathan Lavallee.
Bombard our panelists with questions about tabletop gaming and the many directions it’s headed in.
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Saturday Jun 24, 2017
Saturday Jun 24, 2017
Creating Horror in Games
Recorded at Breakout Con 2017
Presented by Michelle Lyons-McFarland, Jonathan Gilmour, and moderator Jacqueline Bryk,
Like ghosties, ghoulies, long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night? Join us for a panel on how to incorporate gothic horror tropes into your project or campaign!
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Saturday Jun 17, 2017
Saturday Jun 17, 2017
Sex in Games
Recorded at Breakout Con 2017
Presented by Moyra Turkington, Jacqueline Bryk, Alex Roberts, and moderator Emily Griggs.
From the Ramayana to Romeo and Juliet, love and passion are at the heart of some of the most timeless stories ever told. So, how do we explore these themes in roleplaying games? How do we as players and GMs help each other have fun and stay safe? What systems bring sex and romance to the forefront? What’s that thing larpers are doing with their hands? Your panelists will answer all these questions, and many more.
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Sunday Jun 04, 2017
Sunday Jun 04, 2017
GM Troubleshooting
Recorded at Breakout Con 2017
Presented by Robin Laws, Matt McFarland, Anna Kreider and moderator Fraser Ronald.
Solve your toughest GMing problems with the aid of our masterful panelists. Discussing the challenges of the game master’s life.
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Sunday May 14, 2017
Sunday May 14, 2017
Art in Games
Recorded at Breakout Con 2017
Presented by Rachel Kahn, Anna Kreider, Emily Griggs, and moderator Cory Reid
Demystifying the process of how art gets created for games — how to get commissions, how the process works, and what art can do for a game besides look great! The art that surrounds a game greatly influences how the game gets played, and inspires the players at the table. Join Anna Kreider, Rachel Kahn and Emily Griggs as they discuss the role of art in gaming.
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Saturday May 06, 2017
Saturday May 06, 2017
Getting Kids into Games
Recorded at Breakout Con 2017
Presented by Daniel Kwan, Rachel Kahn, Sean Munro and moderator Pieter van Hiel
We love role-playing games! Regardless of the game system, the storytelling, dice rolling, teamwork, and creative thinking involved in all tabletop RPGs have had a profound impact on our lives. But how do you introduce families and children to the imagination, storytelling, empowerment, and cooperation involved in gaming? Find out how to lay the groundwork for future, more complicated RPG sessions with your kids and family!
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Saturday Apr 29, 2017
Saturday Apr 29, 2017
Being a Great Player
Recorded at Breakout Con 2017
Presented by Emily Griggs, Jason Pitre, Moyra Turkington and Chris Chung, moderated by Corey Reid.
A great GM can only craft an amazing tabletop RPG experience with the help of great players. A discussion of how to be one of those players, improving the at-table experience for both yourself and everyone else. Includes discussions on roleplaying technique, communal storytelling, and how experienced players can help welcome new players into the hobby.
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Saturday Apr 22, 2017
Saturday Apr 22, 2017
Game to Game: Converting Between Systems
Recorded at Metatopia 2015
Presented by John Adamus and Paul Stefko
If you play more than one RPG, you will eventually want to use material from one system in another. Or maybe your favorite game has been updated to a new awesome edition, but you want to keep using your old books too. What should you keep in mind when converting RPG rules and adventures from one game to another? How much (or how little) work do you need to do?
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Saturday Apr 01, 2017
Saturday Apr 01, 2017
Playing and Designing at the Intersections: Creating Good Allyship
Recorded at Metatopia 2015
Presented by Kat Jones, Krista White, Elsa S. Henry & K.N. Granger.
This roundtable will focus on how to design and run games from an intersectional feminist standpoint. We will discuss different ways a game can be intersectional including: mechanics, characters, artwork, and more. Drawing on concrete examples from panelists about their own design process, as well as games that have influenced them, we will offer suggestions for designing intersectional games. We will also give some examples of how to make pre-existing games and systems more intersectional. Topics included in the discussion will be: how to fail forward, how to be a good ally, and how to respectfully write about marginalized groups when coming from a position of privilege
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Sunday Mar 19, 2017
Sunday Mar 19, 2017
Art for your Game without Breaking the Bank
Recorded at Metatopia 2015
Presented by Jack Parra, John Carimando, Scott Bowmanchester and Brennan Reece.
Getting high-quality art is key to making a product look professional. How do publishers do it without breaking the bank? Our panel makes with the tips and tricks.
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Monday Feb 06, 2017
Monday Feb 06, 2017
Working with Artists 101
Recorded at Metatopia 2015
Presented by Brennan Taylor, Fred Hicks & John Carimando
How do you find and contact artists to work with you on a project? How much can you expect to spend? How can you avoid pissing your artist off? Find out from the veterans!
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
Tuesday Jan 24, 2017
Special Episode 1
In this special episode of the RPG Design Panelcast, we discuss a few administrative bits concerning the podcasts, including issues of sound quality. I also take a chance to shamelessly plug one of my games which is currently kickstarting (http://tinyurl.com/SigKS)
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
Making your First Game
Recorded at Metatopia 2015
Presented by Mark Richardson, John Adamus & Jason Walters.
So, you’ve decided to make your first game. How exciting! Discuss what pitfalls to avoid and what strategies can speed you toward success with designers also making their first game.
Note that Mark’s first game is Headspace, currently available at Indie Press Revolution!
John’s first game, Noir World, is coming to kickstarter soon!
You can subscribe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes