Episodes
Saturday Jul 24, 2021
Episode 296: RPGs for Therapy
Saturday Jul 24, 2021
Saturday Jul 24, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Heather O'Neill, Timothy Grant, Brian Quinones, Jack Berkenstock.
This panel of game designers and therapists will discuss their journey to design RPGs for use in therapy as well as the overall benefit of using roleplaying games as a therapeutic tool. What games have they used in the past? What worked, what didn't? How did they modify games for therapy sessions?
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Episode 295: Integrating the Natural World
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Jeeyon Shim, Meguey Baker, Jason Morningstar.
Understanding the natural world as an active participant in games and design shifts our engagement with environmental justice and enriches every aspect of our work. Join this panel of game designers with backgrounds as adventure guides, outdoor educators, and naturalists as they discuss the various ways integrating the natural world positively impacts their design and community work in games. Attendees will learn tools to understand the more-than-human community around them in ways they can weave into their own participation in games, whether as players, designers, or organizers.
Sunday Jul 11, 2021
Episode 294: Applying Education Theory in Games
Sunday Jul 11, 2021
Sunday Jul 11, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Gabriel de los Angeles, Sen-Foong Lim, Brian Quinones.
Using concepts from education theory is a natural and obvious way to improve game design practices. Our panelists will talk about how to apply an understanding of how people learn and engage in play to your design process to create more immersive, satisfying designs.
Saturday Jul 03, 2021
Episode 293: Publishing in Asia
Saturday Jul 03, 2021
Saturday Jul 03, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Jason Morningstar, Sungil Kim, Taka'aki Ayukata, Steve Segedy.
Asian game markets are booming! Come meet two publishers who are actively licensing and translating English-language properties for their own countries and beyond. Join us for an informal conversation with and between publishers from Japan and Korea.
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Episode 292: Fulfillment to Latin America
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Thursday Jul 01, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Alastor Guzman, Sergio Ake.
"How To Include Latin America In Your Kickstarter Fulfillment" Latin American gamers are often excluded in Kickstarts due to. high shipping prices, tax and unfamiliarity with the market. In this panel, we'll talk about how to include them in your fulfillment estimates and make it worthwhile for all involved.
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
Episode 291: Play With Your Food
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Online
Presented by Anne Ratchat, Sharang Biswas, Bronwyn Sperling, Kristen Roberts.
Food is fundamental to survival and yet serves as so much more, building communities and relationships, serving as an artistic expression, connecting us to ideals and memories. We will explore our diverse relationship with food, cooking, and eating and, in turn, show how such simple acts can be very powerful mechanics in games, most notably LARP.
Saturday Jun 12, 2021
Episode 290: Tactile Games
Saturday Jun 12, 2021
Saturday Jun 12, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Online
Presented by Avraham Yosef Baez, Bronwyn Sperling, Emily Care Boss
Role-playing games that integrate tactile components and mechanics allow our other senses to engage in play. Although COVID put a pause on many games that offer tactile experiences, join our conversation about what we are excited to have in the future. This panel will discuss how these little touches (see what we did there?) help enhance the game experience, how could they hurt it, and what considerations should be thought of when designing a game with tactile components. Whether it is sewing, stacking, smelling, or sounds, come join us and sigh about what we long to get back to.
Saturday Jun 05, 2021
Episode 289: The Intersection of Roleplaying and Medicine
Saturday Jun 05, 2021
Saturday Jun 05, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Rach Shelkey, Jacqueline Bryk, Sidney Icarus, Jen Dixon.
Has the current global health crisis inspired a new game idea? Considering writing a game about healthcare workers? Join our panelists as they discuss what role playing games can learn from the field of medicine and how to thoughtfully address the medical profession in your designs. Questions encouraged!
Saturday May 29, 2021
Episode 288: Designing Microsettings
Saturday May 29, 2021
Saturday May 29, 2021
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
Monday May 24, 2021
Episode 287: Designing RPGs That Don't Centre on Violence
Monday May 24, 2021
Monday May 24, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Ash Kreider, Jason Morningstar, Mike Czaplinski, Jeeyon Shim.
A panel about the limitations of imagination when it comes to how we see violence in tabletop games. With the entire range of human experience to draw from, why is designing games without violence still seen as having a "niche" audience? In this panel, we will discuss what it means to explore designing games that don't feature interpersonal violence as a resolution mechanic.
Saturday May 15, 2021
Episode 286: Consulting 101
Saturday May 15, 2021
Saturday May 15, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by J Li, Jessica Hammer
Consulting 101: Selling Game Design As a Service for $5K - $250K: . Want to sell game design as a service to large institutions? This panel will walk you through the practical details of the consulting pitch and sales process. Topics include how to get started, finding clients, crafting proposals, asking for money, sales strategy, execution deliverables, and long-term business development.
Saturday May 08, 2021
Episode 285: English as our Vehicular Language
Saturday May 08, 2021
Saturday May 08, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Kalum, Pamela Punzalan, Diogo Nogueira, Allan Cudicio.
"RPGs and English as Our Vehicular Language: Beyond the American Culture Online: The internet enables Tabletop RPG fans to come together globally. However, it is difficult for non-American communities to have their voices heard. This due to the use of English as our shared vehicular language combined with the disproportionate American demographics online. In this panel, we'll explore the experience of non-native English-speaking RPG luminaries within this reality. We'll talk through the lens of RPG about local identities and cross-border engagement.
Saturday May 01, 2021
Episode 284: Don't Kickstart Your Game
Saturday May 01, 2021
Saturday May 01, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Nicole Cutler, Avonelle Wing.
It seems a little unpopular to tell new designers "don't kickstart your game"; Kickstarter is an invaluable tool. There are so many encouraging blogs and podcasts that talk optimistically about how accessible it is to crowdfund your own game. but there's not a lot that talk in depth about the logistics, liabilities and potential pitfalls. Before making the decision to launch a campaign, we want to give potential new creators a realistic look behind the curtain to see what they're diving into.
Saturday Apr 24, 2021
Episode 283: Distribution and your Boardgame
Saturday Apr 24, 2021
Saturday Apr 24, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Online
Presented by Scott Morris, Mike Paschal.
Are you a designer and want to know how your game gets distributed? Are you self publishing and want to know more about Distribution? Are you crazy enough to actually ask a Distributor anything? Join us as Scott Morris from GTS and Mike Paschal from PHD discuss the U.S.'s 3-Tier system and answer questions.
Saturday Apr 10, 2021
Episode 282: Canada is not a Northern Suburb of the USA
Saturday Apr 10, 2021
Saturday Apr 10, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Jason Pitre, Sen-Foong Lim, Nicole Winchester, Christoph Sapinsky.
For Canadian game designers and pros, it's pretty common to get lumped in with U.S. designers. After all, it's all North America, right? The cultural differences between the two countries often gets lost, especially when discussing the elements that inform game design and aesthetics. Our panelists will talk about the specific parts of their Canadian experience that affect their game development work.
Wednesday Apr 07, 2021
Episode 281: The Human Heart
Wednesday Apr 07, 2021
Wednesday Apr 07, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Vee Hendro, Hayley Gordon.
All RPGs engage our emotions, and some are made with feels first in mind. We discuss the ethics and how-to of emotional storytelling and RPG design. From buy-in to agency and safety, how can we make anguish and yearning an enjoyable experience? Brought to you by Storybrewers, Australia.
Saturday Mar 27, 2021
Episode 280: No Gods, No Masters, No GMs
Saturday Mar 27, 2021
Saturday Mar 27, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by A.C., Jay Dragon, and Viditya Voleti.
Being a GM is hard; like, really hard. Having nobody willing to fill that role has been the downfall of many a game group. But there is an alternative! GM-less roleplaying games are getting more and more popular, and this panel is here to discuss why.
Saturday Mar 20, 2021
Episode 279: What We Mean, When We Talk About Lyric Games
Saturday Mar 20, 2021
Saturday Mar 20, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Maria Mison, Casey Johnson, Jay Dragon.
What are Lyric Games exactly? And why are they deemed an important body of work, both in a personal and game scene level? What makes a game 'Lyric'? Additionally, our panelists share tips on how to go about the process of creating and sharing such games - fever dreams, love letters, rituals and treatise calling to be born. The panel will also have a segment for questions.
Saturday Mar 13, 2021
Episode 278: How to Playtest Your Game
Saturday Mar 13, 2021
Saturday Mar 13, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Daryl Andrews, Jessie Edwards, Omari Akil, Bruce Harlick.
Join us for a roundtable conversation about how to get the best data from your time at the playtesting table. We'll discuss our experiences running playtests, and talk about common mistakes and how to avoid them
Saturday Mar 06, 2021
Episode 277: How to Pitch Your Game
Saturday Mar 06, 2021
Saturday Mar 06, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Alex Cutler, Matt Forbeck, Kenneth Hite.
You made a game! Congratulations! Now explain your incredible game in one sentence. That isn’t as easy as it sounds. You want people to buy into your game as players, as investors, or as retailers. You will only have one chance to make that first impression. It needs to have impact. If you want to see your game successful on a crowdfunding site, or sold by your local game store, then you need to know what kind of pitch types and styles to maximize both what you say and target the right audience.
Saturday Feb 20, 2021
Episode 276: How Larp Online Community Emerged
Saturday Feb 20, 2021
Saturday Feb 20, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Gerrit Reininghaus, Tara Clapper, Acata Felton, and Kate Hill.
Live Action Online Games (LAOG)s, also known as online LARPs, have reached unthinkable dimensions of attention due to the pandemic. This is a design framework with a completely new set of possibilities and requirements. We are not only talking about technology as a design surface but also questions around accessibility, safety and environmental awareness. Where do LAOGs come from? What were the driving forces? What has happened in 2020? How to become a LAOG designer? Where to find all the games and the community?
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Episode 275: How to Run Online Larps
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Tara Clapper, Olivia Montoya, Joie Martin.
Running a digital LARP (or LAOG - live action online game) can be a simple impromptu effort or a multi-session experience requiring significant organization. Let's talk about how to run a digital live action experience while keeping in mind safety and participants' needs.
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Episode 274: Running a Successful Virtual Playtest Group
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Presented at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Tam Myaing, David Gordon, Chris Backe, Kevin Dunkelberger.
When the COVID lockdowns began, the NYC Playtest Group was one of the first to move to online playtesting. Since then we have run over 50 sessions since mid April, and have also helped other gaming conventions with running games virtually. In this panel we will discuss with moderators from other groups around the world, on the the lessons we've learned in the trenches in running a successful virtual playtest group.
Saturday Feb 06, 2021
Episode 273: Running Games on Roll20
Saturday Feb 06, 2021
Saturday Feb 06, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020
Presented by Chris O'Neill, Stephanie Bryant, Warren Morrison, Walt Ciechanowski.
Roll20 provides players and GMs with a popular virtual tabletop for games. How can you best take advantage of it as a player, a designer or a publisher? Our experts and power-users will bring you up to speed on the service.
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Episode 272: The Publisher Perspective for 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Online
Presented by Dan DiLorenzo, Frank DiLorenzo, Kira Peavley, Curt Covert, Shari Spiro, Ben Harkins.
You have a great board/card game and you're ready to start shopping for a Publisher. What are they looking for these days? Our panelists will explain what excites them, and talk about how they look for key elements that they can extend into sellable games.