RPG Design Panelcast

Book Design 101 – First Principles

Recorded at Metatopia 2013

Presented by Fred Hicks and Hal Mangold

The panelists look at the book as an object of design. Whether it’s conveying rules or setting, the look and feel of the book itself is crucial to the experience of play. Our experts will draw on their own experiences to explain why books look the way they do.

 

Episode 43: Book Design 101 - First Principles Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (192)

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

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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Hacking Apocalypse World

Recorded at Metatopia 2014

Presented by Vincent Baker, Misha Bushyager, Marissa Kelly, Mark Richardson & Mark Diaz Truman.

Learn about the Apocalypse World engine and why it has become popular amongst indie designers. This will be a panel of veteran *World players and *World game designers, including the designer of Apocalypse World!

 

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Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Analysis

Presented by Rob Donoghue & Jason Pitre.

So, the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons is out. Now it’s time to dig into the design and talk about the rules, procedures and advice that the game brings to the RPG design field. Let’s look at the crunchy bits! The companion reference to this discussion can be found on Rob Donoghue’s blog, where he discusses the Starter Set, the Player’s Handbook and the Monster Manual in detail.

 

Episode 39: Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Analysis [ 55:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (336)

 

D036 – Accessibility Issues For Game Designers

Presented by Russell Collins & Jason Pitre. Games are about imagination and creativity so the print medium shouldn’t be a barrier to entry. Understanding the needs of persons with learning differences and the options that designers have will keep you from excluding people who are eager to enjoy our hobby. This seminar will focus on blindness, low vision, and dyslexia and strategies to present your game content for those with print disabilities in digital and audio media.

 

Episode 38: Accessibility Issues for Game Designers [ 55:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (146)

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.

 

Episode 37: Roleplaying Scenario Design Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (213)

 

My Game Will Cost What?

Presented by Curt Covert & Stephen Buonocore. This panel will seek to explain why games cost what they do. What are the expenses, and what decisions must you as a designer make in order to hit your target price point? Presented at Metatopia 2013.

 

Episode 36: My Game Will Cost What? [ 1:02:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (189)

“Dangerous Mechanics”

Presented by Jason Pitre, Kenneth Hite, Rob Donoghue & Will Hindmarch. 

The panelists will deal with mechanics that look good on the surface but can have unforeseen negative consequences in play. Spending XP, no-effect rules, dice-generated currency – all have hidden dangers. Explore these and other light bulbs that didn’t quite work out..

 

Episode 35: Dangerous Mechanics [ 54:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (275)

“Gaming As The Other: Race in Our Industry”

Presented by John Stavropoulos, Terry Romero, Ajit George & Mark Diaz Truman.

As many “geek” activities have expanded over the last ten years, role-playing has often struggled to include the voices of racial and ethnic minorities. Join Ajit George, Mark Diaz Truman, and Terry Romero to discuss what challenges the industry faces including “Others”, why increased diversity is valuable and important to the future of gaming, and what path both designers and players can take toward building a more robust, inclusive community.

 

Episode 34: Race in our Industry [ 54:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (181)

 

How to Work with Editors

This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ. This panel was led by
Ryan Macklin, Amanda Valentine, Cam Banks and John Adamus.

Everyone needs an editor. How do you hire one? Once you have one, how can you work with her most efficiently? How does somebody become a great game editor themselves?

 

Episode 32: How to Work with Editors [ 54:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (140)

 

How to be a Good Playtester for Others

This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ. This panel was led by
Will Hindmarch, Tim Rodriguez and John Adamus.

Everyone agrees playtesting is crucial. But what kind of feedback is best for publishers? This panel looks at the necessary skills and mindset for being a good playtester from *this* side of the table.

 

Episode 32: How to be a Good Playtester for Others [ 56:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (226)

The Care and Feeding of Freelancers

This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ. This panel was led by John Stavropoulos, Ryan Macklin & Amanda Valentine 

You’ve reached the point where you’re ready to hire some professional freelancers to help you complete your game, whether as writers, editors, or artists. How do you find freelancers, how do you work with them, and how do you keep them happy to work for you?

 

Episode 31: The Care and Feeding of Freelancers [ 57:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (181)

Reaching Retailers: How To Get Stores Behind You

This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ.

Presented by Will Hindmarch, Jim Crocker & Brian Dalrymple (+1). Your game is ready for market. Now you’ve got to get it in the hands of players, and the best way to do that is to convince stores to carry and promote it. How do you do that? Our panel of experts fills you in!

 

Episode 30: Reaching Retailers [ 56:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (140)

Legalese: Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents

This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ.

Presented by Justin Jacobson & Jason Pitre. It’s all about protecting yourself. Where and when do these legal concepts apply, and what do you need to do to make sure you’re covered without spending a fortune unnecessarily?

 

Episode 29: Legalese and Intellectual Property [ 56:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (146)

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. 

 

 

Episode 28: Ebooks 101 [ 52:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (146)

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.

 

Episode 27: Making Games Feel Magical [ 57:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (228)

This was originally broadcast by Indie+ online convention, led by Mark Diaz Truman in conversation with Rob Donoghue. It’s a fascinating discussion on how game mechanics can create a feeling of magic during play.

 

Episode 26: Magic Mechanics Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (355)

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

 

Episode 25: Is Fantasy Dead? [ 53:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (248)

 

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.

 

Episode 24: How to Learn RPG Design [ 53:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (409)

 

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.

 

Episode 23: No Nos of Game Design [ 55:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (283)

 

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.

 

Episode 22: Things You Think About Games [ 46:55 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (218)

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!

 

Episode 21: Game Design is Mind Control.mp3 [ 1:00:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (408)

Kickstarter Roundtable: Presented by Fred Hicks and Brennan Taylor.

In this intense workshop, we will explore the ins and outs of using Kickstarter as a crowdsourced fundraising platform.  Topics will include best practices for making videos, for customer contacts through updates, etc.

Regrets from Cindy Au and Joshua A.C. Newman on account of hurricane.

 

Episode 20: Kickstarter Roundtable [ 1:43:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (202)

 

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.

 

Episode 19: Introduction to Nordic Larp Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (233)