https://simplecast.com Design Games We talk about game design, especially tabletop roleplaying and story games. We're professional designers ND Paoletta and Will Hindmarch. We're glad you're here. © 2016 All Rights Reserved en Tue, 1 Nov 2016 14:27:00 +0000 Sun, 11 Oct 2020 02:19:31 +0000 http://designgamespodcast.com Design Games https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/d762552b-58b5-4f89-bde3-34e9074a05ff/c9559eed-49af-42b7-9ebc-8f23b0b0dd34/3000x3000/1467813329-artwork.jpg?aid=rss_feed http://designgamespodcast.com episodic We talk about game design, especially tabletop roleplaying and story games. We're professional designers ND Paoletta and Will Hindmarch. We're glad you're here. Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch yes https://feeds.simplecast.com/3zDulnG5 design, games, gaming, game design Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch will@magic-circles.net 22a8b6f9-dfeb-4e41-8b08-1cc7180c976e Endings This is it. Our fiftieth episode marks the end of our long conversation about designing tabletop RPGs (and everything else we spilled over into). This episode addresses audience questions, the past, and the future. What do you do when you're done and the thing you've been working on leaves the workshop? Let's talk about it.

Thank you for joining us on this journey, for reals. It means a lot to us.

But we're not done! New miniseries under the Design Games banner are on the way. So weigh in on the show, share your own work, and let us know what you'd like to hear next by visiting our G+ Community. Our next miniseries is based on a question we get rather a lot: a request to do a deeper dive into a few particular games. Which games do you want us to look at?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Our supporters get access to special patron-only episodes (with one more coming this week!). Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Tue, 1 Nov 2016 14:27:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/50-b3cCSKXH This is it. Our fiftieth episode marks the end of our long conversation about designing tabletop RPGs (and everything else we spilled over into). This episode addresses audience questions, the past, and the future. What do you do when you're done and the thing you've been working on leaves the workshop? Let's talk about it.

Thank you for joining us on this journey, for reals. It means a lot to us.

But we're not done! New miniseries under the Design Games banner are on the way. So weigh in on the show, share your own work, and let us know what you'd like to hear next by visiting our G+ Community. Our next miniseries is based on a question we get rather a lot: a request to do a deeper dive into a few particular games. Which games do you want us to look at?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Our supporters get access to special patron-only episodes (with one more coming this week!). Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Endings Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:46:56 This is it. Our fiftieth episode marks the end of our long conversation about designing tabletop RPGs (and everything else we spilled over into). This episode addresses audience questions, the past, and the future. What do you do when you're done and the thing you've been working on leaves the workshop? Let's talk about it. This is it. Our fiftieth episode marks the end of our long conversation about designing tabletop RPGs (and everything else we spilled over into). This episode addresses audience questions, the past, and the future. What do you do when you're done and the thing you've been working on leaves the workshop? Let's talk about it. story games, production, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, reflection, tabletop yes full 50 fcf951d4-d6fe-4634-bd17-acd653ff54ae Funding Production You need funding. You might give your game away for free, but you didn't make it for free. Your time and work have value. How does that translate to cost and how does your product help fund itself and the next thing you want to make?

Nathan is sharing a living document about all this, too: "Notes on Independent Publishing." Get in there and share your questions on this topic, if you like.

We're also seeking some final questions and topics to explore as we wind down the show's run. Got questions? Weigh in on the show, share your own work, and let us know what you want us to talk about next, by visiting our G+ Community, for example. And hurry! We're soon to wrap up this series. (Our next miniseries is based on a question we get rather a lot, so these questions really do make a difference in what we cover.)

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Tue, 25 Oct 2016 16:31:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/49-ivgzQwiY You need funding. You might give your game away for free, but you didn't make it for free. Your time and work have value. How does that translate to cost and how does your product help fund itself and the next thing you want to make?

Nathan is sharing a living document about all this, too: "Notes on Independent Publishing." Get in there and share your questions on this topic, if you like.

We're also seeking some final questions and topics to explore as we wind down the show's run. Got questions? Weigh in on the show, share your own work, and let us know what you want us to talk about next, by visiting our G+ Community, for example. And hurry! We're soon to wrap up this series. (Our next miniseries is based on a question we get rather a lot, so these questions really do make a difference in what we cover.)

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Funding Production Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:50:26 You need funding. You might give your game away for free, but you didn't make it for free. Your time and work have value. How does that translate to cost and how does your product help fund itself and the next thing you want to make? Check out the full show notes for a link to Nathan's "Notes on Independent Publishing," too! You need funding. You might give your game away for free, but you didn't make it for free. Your time and work have value. How does that translate to cost and how does your product help fund itself and the next thing you want to make? Check out the full show notes for a link to Nathan's "Notes on Independent Publishing," too! story games, production, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 49 d77b3dbd-8bcb-4520-8289-a267b165befc Production Tools Let's talk about some of the software that we—Nathan and Will—use for production purposes like layout and graphic design. More importantly, let's talk about how that impacts our game designs and workflow across the board.

We're also seeking new questions and topics to explore as we wind down the show's run. Got questions? Weigh in on the show, share your own work, and let us know what you want us to talk about next, by visiting our G+ Community or writing in via Nathan's website.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Thu, 6 Oct 2016 19:55:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/48-JgfPGauZ Let's talk about some of the software that we—Nathan and Will—use for production purposes like layout and graphic design. More importantly, let's talk about how that impacts our game designs and workflow across the board.

We're also seeking new questions and topics to explore as we wind down the show's run. Got questions? Weigh in on the show, share your own work, and let us know what you want us to talk about next, by visiting our G+ Community or writing in via Nathan's website.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Production Tools Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:32:44 Let's talk about some of the software that we—Nathan and Will—use for production purposes like layout and graphic design. More importantly, let's talk about how that impacts our game designs and workflow across the board. Let's talk about some of the software that we—Nathan and Will—use for production purposes like layout and graphic design. More importantly, let's talk about how that impacts our game designs and workflow across the board. creative cloud, software, story games, production, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 48 d20b1b5e-2172-414b-9331-e2e55f929c7f Spheres of Production As you're proceeding into production of your game, ask yourself: What can I do myself? When should I ask for help? What would I say to externalize my vision to a hire? What you do yourself, what you expand your skills to accomplish, and when you hire experts — these are parts of the spheres of production.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Thu, 25 Aug 2016 18:02:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/47-U9Q5Hfkf As you're proceeding into production of your game, ask yourself: What can I do myself? When should I ask for help? What would I say to externalize my vision to a hire? What you do yourself, what you expand your skills to accomplish, and when you hire experts — these are parts of the spheres of production.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Spheres of Production Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:40:10 As you're proceeding into production of your game, ask yourself: What can I do myself? When should I ask for help? What would I say to externalize my vision to a hire? What you do yourself, what you expand your skills to accomplish, and when you hire experts — these are parts of the spheres of production. Support us on Patreon and help future episodes of the show come into being! As you're proceeding into production of your game, ask yourself: What can I do myself? When should I ask for help? What would I say to externalize my vision to a hire? What you do yourself, what you expand your skills to accomplish, and when you hire experts — these are parts of the spheres of production. Support us on Patreon and help future episodes of the show come into being! story games, production, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 47 317c46d6-66e5-4f87-883c-ec8949946dee Form Factors What form does your RPG take? Is it a book? A deck of cards? A poster or mousepad or business card? Are you sure?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Thu, 18 Aug 2016 16:11:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/46-2TRYU_AA What form does your RPG take? Is it a book? A deck of cards? A poster or mousepad or business card? Are you sure?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Form Factors Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:32:53 What form does your RPG take? Is it a book? A deck of cards? A poster or mousepad or business card? Are you sure? Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back Nathan and Will, too. Every dollar helps. What form does your RPG take? Is it a book? A deck of cards? A poster or mousepad or business card? Are you sure? Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back Nathan and Will, too. Every dollar helps. story games, product design, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 46 5809c627-d3e8-4d61-af0d-636cdeb0ce53 Cards Let's talk about another means of delivering random results and packaging information for players in your tabletop roleplaying and story games: cards.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Thu, 11 Aug 2016 18:51:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/45-KyR_cZ_7 Let's talk about another means of delivering random results and packaging information for players in your tabletop roleplaying and story games: cards.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Cards Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:41:08 Let's talk about another means of delivering random results and packaging information for players in your tabletop roleplaying and story games: cards. Let's talk about another means of delivering random results and packaging information for players in your tabletop roleplaying and story games: cards. story games, tabletop rpg, probability, game design, design, design games podcast, dice, games, tabletop yes full 45 c97bc1b7-78a0-4d14-ab4f-8e1acf660fe6 Reflections 2 Look around. Get your bearings. Take a look back at what's working and what you've learned, then move forward with the knowledge. That's what we're doing, this time.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 13 Jul 2016 13:34:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/44-eFxq3HIF Look around. Get your bearings. Take a look back at what's working and what you've learned, then move forward with the knowledge. That's what we're doing, this time.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Reflections 2 Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:23:55 Look around. Get your bearings. Take a look back at what's working and what you've learned, then move forward with the knowledge. That's what we're doing, this time. Look around. Get your bearings. Take a look back at what's working and what you've learned, then move forward with the knowledge. That's what we're doing, this time. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 44 e72484cc-6eeb-495e-b1bf-deb3354b68b3 Early Writing You've got a lot of notes, you've got rules and systems, maybe you've been writing for yourself. How do you start writing all of that out for other people in addition to yourself? Let's talk.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 6 Jul 2016 16:43:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/43-xtT1xGY2 You've got a lot of notes, you've got rules and systems, maybe you've been writing for yourself. How do you start writing all of that out for other people in addition to yourself? Let's talk.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Early Writing Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:51:03 You've got a lot of notes, you've got rules and systems, maybe you've been writing for yourself. How do you start writing all of that out for other people in addition to yourself? Let's talk. You've got a lot of notes, you've got rules and systems, maybe you've been writing for yourself. How do you start writing all of that out for other people in addition to yourself? Let's talk. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 43 99c615b3-fa1b-44d0-b1c5-88cd20406911 Iteration Say a thing. Say it again. A design isn’t right the first time, so we revise and restate and iterate. Let’s talk about that.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Mon, 6 Jun 2016 16:41:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/42-bv0reVTL Say a thing. Say it again. A design isn’t right the first time, so we revise and restate and iterate. Let’s talk about that.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Iteration Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:27:39 Say a thing. Say it again. A design isn’t right the first time, so we revise and restate and iterate. Let’s talk about that. Say a thing. Say it again. A design isn’t right the first time, so we revise and restate and iterate. Let’s talk about that. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 42 523a444f-7003-4638-811c-7c5a36160cd4 Game Chef Do you know about the Game Chef design competition? This time we talk about our experiences with Game Chef and what we know of its history and influence on games and designers.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Mon, 6 Jun 2016 16:39:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/41-bOY0Lz_1 Do you know about the Game Chef design competition? This time we talk about our experiences with Game Chef and what we know of its history and influence on games and designers.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Game Chef Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:22:43 Do you know about the Game Chef design competition? This time we talk about our experiences with Game Chef and what we know of its history and influence on games and designers. Do you know about the Game Chef design competition? This time we talk about our experiences with Game Chef and what we know of its history and influence on games and designers. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 41 974b48b5-50e2-4fe0-b82c-191f81363a5d Playtesting, Part Two Episode forty?! Ye gads.

Here we explore more notions on the topic of your early playtests, and how to get information out of them, make sense of some of it, and prepare for revisions to your design.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Mon, 6 Jun 2016 16:38:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/40-Q_gqV_g3 Episode forty?! Ye gads.

Here we explore more notions on the topic of your early playtests, and how to get information out of them, make sense of some of it, and prepare for revisions to your design.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Playtesting, Part Two Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:34:54 (Episode forty?! Ye gads.) Here we explore more notions on the topic of your early playtests, and how to get information out of them, make sense of some of it, and prepare for revisions to your design. (Episode forty?! Ye gads.) Here we explore more notions on the topic of your early playtests, and how to get information out of them, make sense of some of it, and prepare for revisions to your design. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 40 90d2fbb4-daae-4e33-9b2b-2132a9bdab70 Playtesting, Part One We’ve reach that time. Let’s talk about playtesting your design—specifically, how to prep and participate in the early playtests of your RPG.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Mon, 6 Jun 2016 16:36:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/39-sqJkbXPf We’ve reach that time. Let’s talk about playtesting your design—specifically, how to prep and participate in the early playtests of your RPG.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Playtesting, Part One Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:39:44 We’ve reach that time. Let’s talk about playtesting your design—specifically, how to prep and participate in the early playtests of your RPG. We’ve reach that time. Let’s talk about playtesting your design—specifically, how to prep and participate in the early playtests of your RPG. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 39 71b1105b-139d-4075-93cb-0037f9864f4c Universality and Hacking We set out to talk about designing games to be ready for hacking and remixing by the end user, but first a stopover at a discussion of universal systems, too. Let it go, Will.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Fri, 6 May 2016 16:35:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/38-mDUGxgzN We set out to talk about designing games to be ready for hacking and remixing by the end user, but first a stopover at a discussion of universal systems, too. Let it go, Will.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Universality and Hacking Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:40:55 We set out to talk about designing games to be ready for hacking and remixing by the end user, but first a stopover at a discussion of universal systems, too. Let it go, Will. We set out to talk about designing games to be ready for hacking and remixing by the end user, but first a stopover at a discussion of universal systems, too. Let it go, Will. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 38 04f03c1c-87d6-4707-acba-4e7ad83647e9 Affordances Let’s talk about how a game moves, functions, and adapts. Let’s talk about affordances.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Fri, 6 May 2016 16:33:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/37-8YalmeNV Let’s talk about how a game moves, functions, and adapts. Let’s talk about affordances.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Affordances Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:40:39 Let’s talk about how a game moves, functions, and adapts. Let’s talk about affordances. Let’s talk about how a game moves, functions, and adapts. Let’s talk about affordances. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 37 9059b82f-dcfc-4ef4-8d5b-048b3b1d65d5 On Visual Design Some game designs are highly visual. When does that work happen? How early is too early to think about art and a visual arrangement of ideas? We talk it out.

This episode references Nathan’s design-process illustration, by the way.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Fri, 6 May 2016 16:31:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/36-JXgBDHkV Some game designs are highly visual. When does that work happen? How early is too early to think about art and a visual arrangement of ideas? We talk it out.

This episode references Nathan’s design-process illustration, by the way.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> On Visual Design Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:36:39 Some game designs are highly visual. When does that work happen? How early is too early to think about art and a visual arrangement of ideas? We talk it out. Some game designs are highly visual. When does that work happen? How early is too early to think about art and a visual arrangement of ideas? We talk it out. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 36 0902d946-81fa-4da1-a0b9-5f0fd310b4eb Risk and Challenge This time, we tackle a great listener-submitted topic about how to makes risk and challenges feel dramatic and satisfying in your RPG designs — and how to help players think about risk and challenge in play.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 6 Apr 2016 16:30:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/35-RiBxc5PS This time, we tackle a great listener-submitted topic about how to makes risk and challenges feel dramatic and satisfying in your RPG designs — and how to help players think about risk and challenge in play.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Risk and Challenge Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:37:07 This time, we tackle a great listener-submitted topic about how to makes risk and challenges feel dramatic and satisfying in your RPG designs — and how to help players think about risk and challenge in play. This time, we tackle a great listener-submitted topic about how to makes risk and challenges feel dramatic and satisfying in your RPG designs — and how to help players think about risk and challenge in play. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 35 1fa3af62-63da-4980-929f-b1ed1d5a3520 Player Alignment Another great listener topic, another episode wrestling with said topic. This time: we talk about designs involving Player vs Player and PvE mechanics and, y'know, some of what that means.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 6 Apr 2016 16:28:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/34-LaeJTbK_ Another great listener topic, another episode wrestling with said topic. This time: we talk about designs involving Player vs Player and PvE mechanics and, y'know, some of what that means.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Player Alignment Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:46:41 Another great listener topic, another episode wrestling with said topic. This time: we talk about designs involving Player vs Player and Player vs Environment mechanics and, y'know, some of what that means. Another great listener topic, another episode wrestling with said topic. This time: we talk about designs involving Player vs Player and Player vs Environment mechanics and, y'know, some of what that means. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 34 3023233a-d6d9-4bd6-bb61-8a456967b965 On Purpose Here we attempt to tackle another great question from the G+ community. This one’s about designing with purpose and how purpose can align with (or away from) content, context, vision, and more.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 6 Apr 2016 16:26:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/33-U7rOUCEc Here we attempt to tackle another great question from the G+ community. This one’s about designing with purpose and how purpose can align with (or away from) content, context, vision, and more.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> On Purpose Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:45:43 Here we attempt to tackle another great question from the G+ community. This one’s about designing with purpose and how purpose can align with (or away from) content, context, vision, and more. Here we attempt to tackle another great question from the G+ community. This one’s about designing with purpose and how purpose can align with (or away from) content, context, vision, and more. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 33 8bea4e75-1f30-46de-be14-44712a6b9fbd Bring It Together We’ve talked a lot already about design steps and techniques, thoughts and approaches. You’ve got vision and notes and notions. Now let’s talk about bringing it all together.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Mar 2016 17:25:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/32-2wm1X5D6 We’ve talked a lot already about design steps and techniques, thoughts and approaches. You’ve got vision and notes and notions. Now let’s talk about bringing it all together.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Bring It Together Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:30:15 We’ve talked a lot already about design steps and techniques, thoughts and approaches. You’ve got vision and notes and notions. Now let’s talk about bringing it all together. We’ve talked a lot already about design steps and techniques, thoughts and approaches. You’ve got vision and notes and notions. Now let’s talk about bringing it all together. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 32 ec4b9023-3b08-4557-9615-fdf09342f477 Playstorming What even is a playstorm? We think we know and we dive into the answer in this episode, to consider what makes playstorming different from playtesting, what it’s for, and when we do it.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Mar 2016 17:23:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/31-7P5h9CZA What even is a playstorm? We think we know and we dive into the answer in this episode, to consider what makes playstorming different from playtesting, what it’s for, and when we do it.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Playstorming Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:24:54 What even is a playstorm? We think we know and we dive into the answer in this episode, to consider what makes playstorming different from playtesting, what it’s for, and when we do it. What even is a playstorm? We think we know and we dive into the answer in this episode, to consider what makes playstorming different from playtesting, what it’s for, and when we do it. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 31 778f67c9-cbd9-4ad0-83b8-c18eb1ccd7b0 Success and Failure What is “a success” in play? What is failure? When do players’ and characters’ victories align? When do they diverge? And how do we talk about it all? Tune in and hear.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Mar 2016 17:22:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/30-KTsCzhIO What is “a success” in play? What is failure? When do players’ and characters’ victories align? When do they diverge? And how do we talk about it all? Tune in and hear.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Success and Failure Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:47:47 What is “a success” in play? What is failure? When do players’ and characters’ victories align? When do they diverge? And how do we talk about it all? Tune in and hear. What is “a success” in play? What is failure? When do players’ and characters’ victories align? When do they diverge? And how do we talk about it all? Tune in and hear. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 30 01ec4ab0-97c1-4193-9564-8094fb56ed13 Color When we talk about “color” in RPG design, we’re often talking about texture and tangibility and how they interact with and express your game and what it is about. We think.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Mar 2016 17:20:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/29-vru1AYtC When we talk about “color” in RPG design, we’re often talking about texture and tangibility and how they interact with and express your game and what it is about. We think.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Color Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:27:49 When we talk about “color” in RPG design, we’re often talking about texture and tangibility and how they interact with and express your game and what it is about. We think. When we talk about “color” in RPG design, we’re often talking about texture and tangibility and how they interact with and express your game and what it is about. We think. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 29 216eaf9e-e559-419a-a50f-d47163ffca30 Emergence What do we mean when we talk about emergence? What’s emergent by design and what emerges anyway? We wrestle with the issue this time — and maybe not for the last time!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sat, 6 Feb 2016 17:19:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/28-XCZ8kvYg What do we mean when we talk about emergence? What’s emergent by design and what emerges anyway? We wrestle with the issue this time — and maybe not for the last time!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Emergence Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:37:34 What do we mean when we talk about emergence? What’s emergent by design and what emerges anyway? We wrestle with the issue this time — and maybe not for the last time! What do we mean when we talk about emergence? What’s emergent by design and what emerges anyway? We wrestle with the issue this time — and maybe not for the last time! story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 28 291377af-55f2-486c-b558-abb96cdc5369 Space Space, in many games (and especially RPGs), is abstracted and metaphorical, letting the idea of space mingle with other ideas in exciting ways. What is “narrative mass” and how do relationship maps suggest or defy a space? Let’s talk!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sat, 6 Feb 2016 17:17:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/27-Wgr6dnSJ Space, in many games (and especially RPGs), is abstracted and metaphorical, letting the idea of space mingle with other ideas in exciting ways. What is “narrative mass” and how do relationship maps suggest or defy a space? Let’s talk!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Space Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:40:16 Space, in many games (and especially RPGs), is abstracted and metaphorical, letting the idea of space mingle with other ideas in exciting ways. What is “narrative mass” and how do relationship maps suggest or defy a space? Let’s talk! Space, in many games (and especially RPGs), is abstracted and metaphorical, letting the idea of space mingle with other ideas in exciting ways. What is “narrative mass” and how do relationship maps suggest or defy a space? Let’s talk! story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 27 e560c73e-c6b0-42fa-9950-783bf6670a47 Time It’s time to talk about time. This time, we make time to discuss real-time play, abstractions, and dramatic units of time in RPGs and other games, which takes us into territory about focus, abstraction, and player agency once again.

Expand the episode with these links:

Also, re: Continuum — There are 5 Levels of Span (time travel ability, basically) in the game:

  • Span 1 -> Span 2 requires two months of real time, including 3 4-hour sessions
  • Span 2 -> Span 3 requires three additional months of real time, including 4 4-hour sessions
  • Span 3->Span 4 requires four additional months of real time, including 5 4-hour sessions
  • Span 4->Span 5 requires five addition months of real time, including 5 4-hour sessions
  • Additional Span levels are possible, each of which require 5 months of real time and 5 -4 hours sessions, plus some fictional triggers.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sat, 6 Feb 2016 17:12:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/26-0keFMKGd It’s time to talk about time. This time, we make time to discuss real-time play, abstractions, and dramatic units of time in RPGs and other games, which takes us into territory about focus, abstraction, and player agency once again.

Expand the episode with these links:

Also, re: Continuum — There are 5 Levels of Span (time travel ability, basically) in the game:

  • Span 1 -> Span 2 requires two months of real time, including 3 4-hour sessions
  • Span 2 -> Span 3 requires three additional months of real time, including 4 4-hour sessions
  • Span 3->Span 4 requires four additional months of real time, including 5 4-hour sessions
  • Span 4->Span 5 requires five addition months of real time, including 5 4-hour sessions
  • Additional Span levels are possible, each of which require 5 months of real time and 5 -4 hours sessions, plus some fictional triggers.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Time Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:34:55 It’s time to talk about time. This time, we make time to discuss real-time play, abstractions, and dramatic units of time in RPGs and other games, which takes us into territory about focus, abstraction, and player agency once again. It’s time to talk about time. This time, we make time to discuss real-time play, abstractions, and dramatic units of time in RPGs and other games, which takes us into territory about focus, abstraction, and player agency once again. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 26 2b0d86fb-dfd8-4cdd-babd-4824415c94bf Situation What’s the situation in your game? How do you flag, support, and inspire situations in play? RPG play can be as small as a single dramatic situation or as vast worlds teeming with volatile circumstances … but it’s for naught if the players don’t know how to interact with that situation.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sat, 6 Feb 2016 17:10:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/25-tLhTiYq5 What’s the situation in your game? How do you flag, support, and inspire situations in play? RPG play can be as small as a single dramatic situation or as vast worlds teeming with volatile circumstances … but it’s for naught if the players don’t know how to interact with that situation.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Situation Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:40:20 What’s the situation in your game? How do you flag, support, and inspire situations in play? RPG play can be as small as a single dramatic situation or as vast worlds teeming with volatile circumstances … but it’s for naught if the players don’t know how to interact with that situation. What’s the situation in your game? How do you flag, support, and inspire situations in play? RPG play can be as small as a single dramatic situation or as vast worlds teeming with volatile circumstances … but it’s for naught if the players don’t know how to interact with that situation. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 25 3a5c802f-59f2-4208-b251-c05901d7c86e Setting, Part Two Let’s talk more about settings and worlds for gameplay, including designing and recognizing links between your world and your game!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 6 Jan 2016 17:09:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/24-kKrM7iI_ Let’s talk more about settings and worlds for gameplay, including designing and recognizing links between your world and your game!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Setting, Part Two Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:34:44 Let’s talk more about settings and worlds for gameplay, including designing and recognizing links between your world and your game! Let’s talk more about settings and worlds for gameplay, including designing and recognizing links between your world and your game! story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 24 17ae3f96-4503-4338-83d1-cee96273e46d Setting, Part One How does your game’s setting interact with its design? How do you begin to design a setting? How does your setting suit your game — and why? We talk about this rich and vast topic, not for the last time.

Look around the old site for more info from this episode!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 6 Jan 2016 17:05:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/23-yv0KGmSI How does your game’s setting interact with its design? How do you begin to design a setting? How does your setting suit your game — and why? We talk about this rich and vast topic, not for the last time.

Look around the old site for more info from this episode!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Setting, Part One Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:37:10 How does your game’s setting interact with its design? How do you begin to design a setting? How does your setting suit your game — and why? How does your game’s setting interact with its design? How do you begin to design a setting? How does your setting suit your game — and why? story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 23 136596c1-19fd-4d77-9749-d423a85b84c9 Mindfulness and Inspiration Let’s talk about influences on our designs and how we converse with them and with our own game’s vision and voice.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 6 Jan 2016 17:04:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/22-TIvrjHcz Let’s talk about influences on our designs and how we converse with them and with our own game’s vision and voice.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Mindfulness and Inspiration Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:35:16 Let’s talk about influences on our designs and how we converse with them and with our own game’s vision and voice. Let’s talk about influences on our designs and how we converse with them and with our own game’s vision and voice. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 22 85f63fa9-006a-43e9-aca3-2153244e0912 Return to Beginnings What are some early exercises and tactics for starting a new design?

  • Formalize your inspiration and vision. Make some notes on what is exciting you about this game. Visually sketch out a scene in your head or write it out as lines of dialogue. Other techniques include: mockup a possible cover for an eventual book; sketch a character sheet; make art-direction notes

  • Try analog mind-mapping: sketching, making lists, arranging reference material on a table, post-it notes and notecards, or any other method that attaches your hands to your brain without using a keyboard.

  • Write an example of play from the perspective of “here’s what play should sound like.” Fill it back in with notes on mechanics and structure to get play to sound like that.

  • Analyze the “inputs” and “outputs” for a specific moment of play. What do the players need to already have? What does play revolve around? What needs to come out of the scene in order for play to progress? Note which inputs and outputs connect into reward cycles.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Wed, 6 Jan 2016 17:02:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/21-Xhbf6u_T What are some early exercises and tactics for starting a new design?

  • Formalize your inspiration and vision. Make some notes on what is exciting you about this game. Visually sketch out a scene in your head or write it out as lines of dialogue. Other techniques include: mockup a possible cover for an eventual book; sketch a character sheet; make art-direction notes

  • Try analog mind-mapping: sketching, making lists, arranging reference material on a table, post-it notes and notecards, or any other method that attaches your hands to your brain without using a keyboard.

  • Write an example of play from the perspective of “here’s what play should sound like.” Fill it back in with notes on mechanics and structure to get play to sound like that.

  • Analyze the “inputs” and “outputs” for a specific moment of play. What do the players need to already have? What does play revolve around? What needs to come out of the scene in order for play to progress? Note which inputs and outputs connect into reward cycles.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Return to Beginnings Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:30:51 What are some early exercises and tactics for starting a new design? What are some early exercises and tactics for starting a new design? story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 21 b798e889-4f21-4fb5-a85a-880a7c27cb5f Reflections This time, we look back at the show and reflect on 20 episodes of conversations. What are we happy with and what do we still want to attempt? What course corrections might we attempt for the show next? This approximates the kind of reflection we do as designers, midway through a design, and helps us identify what’s next for the show in 2016.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Dec 2015 17:00:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/20-diolHvuV This time, we look back at the show and reflect on 20 episodes of conversations. What are we happy with and what do we still want to attempt? What course corrections might we attempt for the show next? This approximates the kind of reflection we do as designers, midway through a design, and helps us identify what’s next for the show in 2016.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Reflections Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:24:05 This time, we look back at the show and reflect on 20 episodes of conversations. What are we happy with and what do we still want to attempt? What course corrections might we attempt for the show next? This approximates the kind of reflection we do as designers, midway through a design, and helps us identify what’s next for the show in 2016. This time, we look back at the show and reflect on 20 episodes of conversations. What are we happy with and what do we still want to attempt? What course corrections might we attempt for the show next? This approximates the kind of reflection we do as designers, midway through a design, and helps us identify what’s next for the show in 2016. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 20 d03d84f1-90d8-48da-8522-d4a66a2df9f8 Antagonism What is antagonism in play — we talk about the problems inherent in the term, what it means in play, and how you can think about it in your design.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Dec 2015 16:58:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/19-mzQiwuYF What is antagonism in play — we talk about the problems inherent in the term, what it means in play, and how you can think about it in your design.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Antagonism Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:35:28 What is antagonism in play — we talk about the problems inherent in the term, what it means in play, and how you can think about it in your design. What is antagonism in play — we talk about the problems inherent in the term, what it means in play, and how you can think about it in your design. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 19 d9dbe078-a667-4eb1-8a75-360863539e9b Player/Designer Communication This time, we talk about communications between a game’s designer and its players—especially the GM—both implicit and explicit.

We also refer again to our previous questions, written by Nathan and refined/revised through our conversations, about (but not just about) GM tasks, authority, and responsibility:

What need to be created (or established)?

  • Why does it matter who does it?
  • Who does the buck “stop with” in terms of content?
  • Who maintains authority over it once play begins?

What’s the propellant?

  • Who does what to make the (plot/action/story/situation/etc.) dynamic?
  • Who does what to keep it going?

What makes things “interesting” (and what does "interesting” mean in your game)?

  • Where does antagonism, challenge, or fictional friction come from?
  • What makes things non-trivial or non-obvious?
  • What makes the outcome of the game both unpredictable and inevitable?

Which personal visions for play do you prioritize (and why, and when)?

  • How do you handle the conflict of personal visions?
  • What structures in your game require or support the shift of emphasis in personal visions between different players in the game?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Dec 2015 16:56:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/18-b1gtHHiR This time, we talk about communications between a game’s designer and its players—especially the GM—both implicit and explicit.

We also refer again to our previous questions, written by Nathan and refined/revised through our conversations, about (but not just about) GM tasks, authority, and responsibility:

What need to be created (or established)?

  • Why does it matter who does it?
  • Who does the buck “stop with” in terms of content?
  • Who maintains authority over it once play begins?

What’s the propellant?

  • Who does what to make the (plot/action/story/situation/etc.) dynamic?
  • Who does what to keep it going?

What makes things “interesting” (and what does "interesting” mean in your game)?

  • Where does antagonism, challenge, or fictional friction come from?
  • What makes things non-trivial or non-obvious?
  • What makes the outcome of the game both unpredictable and inevitable?

Which personal visions for play do you prioritize (and why, and when)?

  • How do you handle the conflict of personal visions?
  • What structures in your game require or support the shift of emphasis in personal visions between different players in the game?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Player/Designer Communication Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:32:53 This time, we talk about communications between a game’s designer and its players—especially the GM—both implicit and explicit. This time, we talk about communications between a game’s designer and its players—especially the GM—both implicit and explicit. yes full 18 2ff4436c-a04d-4917-8d1e-cb0f66e64c92 Game Master Influences This time we’re dropping names and game titles all over the place, focusing on just a few of the games that we’re feeling influenced by lately or over time — especially when it comes to GMing.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2015 16:55:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/17-re84RxDe This time we’re dropping names and game titles all over the place, focusing on just a few of the games that we’re feeling influenced by lately or over time — especially when it comes to GMing.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Game Master Influences Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:36:48 This time we’re dropping names and game titles all over the place, focusing on just a few of the games that we’re feeling influenced by lately or over time — especially when it comes to GMing. This time we’re dropping names and game titles all over the place, focusing on just a few of the games that we’re feeling influenced by lately or over time — especially when it comes to GMing. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 17 eb9b9949-cbc8-4079-8ce1-7e2c82f2196f Game Master Authority This time we’re talking about designing for GM authorities and responsibilities in tabletop RPGs — a rich topic that we’ll explore more in the future.

Here’s a version of the questions that we considered on the show, useful for considering in your own designs, too, we hope:

Questions about, but not just about, “GM” tasks, authority and responsibility:

What need to be created (or established)?

  • Why does it matter who does it?
  • Who does the buck “stop with” in terms of content?
  • Who maintains authority over it once play begins?

What’s the propellant?

  • Who does what to make the (plot/action/story/situation/etc.) dynamic?
  • Who does what to keep it going?

What makes things “interesting” (and what does "interesting” mean in your game)?

  • Where does antagonism, challenge, or fictional friction come from?
  • What makes things non-trivial or non-obvious?
  • What makes the outcome of the game both unpredictable and inevitable?

Which personal visions for play do you prioritize (and why, and when)?

  • How do you handle the conflict of personal visions?
  • What structures in your game require or support the shift of emphasis in personal visions between different players in the game?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2015 16:52:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/16-SQ5ivWvH This time we’re talking about designing for GM authorities and responsibilities in tabletop RPGs — a rich topic that we’ll explore more in the future.

Here’s a version of the questions that we considered on the show, useful for considering in your own designs, too, we hope:

Questions about, but not just about, “GM” tasks, authority and responsibility:

What need to be created (or established)?

  • Why does it matter who does it?
  • Who does the buck “stop with” in terms of content?
  • Who maintains authority over it once play begins?

What’s the propellant?

  • Who does what to make the (plot/action/story/situation/etc.) dynamic?
  • Who does what to keep it going?

What makes things “interesting” (and what does "interesting” mean in your game)?

  • Where does antagonism, challenge, or fictional friction come from?
  • What makes things non-trivial or non-obvious?
  • What makes the outcome of the game both unpredictable and inevitable?

Which personal visions for play do you prioritize (and why, and when)?

  • How do you handle the conflict of personal visions?
  • What structures in your game require or support the shift of emphasis in personal visions between different players in the game?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Game Master Authority Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:30:13 This time we’re talking about designing for GM authorities and responsibilities in tabletop RPGs. This time we’re talking about designing for GM authorities and responsibilities in tabletop RPGs. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 16 33a66b34-9038-4df8-91d1-74518b216abc The Roles of the Game Master In this episode, we discuss the roles, responsibilities, and authority of the GM in tabletop RPGs and story games. It’s a role with a lot of permutations for designers to think about, plan for, and react to. What do you think?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2015 16:50:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/15-59COev_Y In this episode, we discuss the roles, responsibilities, and authority of the GM in tabletop RPGs and story games. It’s a role with a lot of permutations for designers to think about, plan for, and react to. What do you think?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> The Roles of the Game Master Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:34:41 In this episode, we discuss the roles, responsibilities, and authority of the GM in tabletop RPGs and story games. It’s a role with a lot of permutations for designers to think about, plan for, and react to. What do you think? In this episode, we discuss the roles, responsibilities, and authority of the GM in tabletop RPGs and story games. It’s a role with a lot of permutations for designers to think about, plan for, and react to. What do you think? story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 15 90fde42f-3d10-4fea-8db0-ec4cf5082d21 Listener Questions, Part Two We’re tackling a few more listener questions this time — and it’s a bit of a challenge. These are great questions!

Of course, it was only after we recorded that we remembered a great example of a game with character-leading-to-class mechanisms: Mortal Coil! Galileo Games’s worlds of magic and magical systems builds up the rules of magic during play in a really fun way!

This episode experienced some audio issues, too, as we wrestled with strange, new equipment. We’re getting it worked out — please bear with us.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2015 16:46:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/14-ueD4q7W5 We’re tackling a few more listener questions this time — and it’s a bit of a challenge. These are great questions!

Of course, it was only after we recorded that we remembered a great example of a game with character-leading-to-class mechanisms: Mortal Coil! Galileo Games’s worlds of magic and magical systems builds up the rules of magic during play in a really fun way!

This episode experienced some audio issues, too, as we wrestled with strange, new equipment. We’re getting it worked out — please bear with us.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Listener Questions, Part Two Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:58:19 We’re tackling a few more listener questions this time — and it’s a bit of a challenge. These are great questions! We’re tackling a few more listener questions this time — and it’s a bit of a challenge. These are great questions! story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 14 c605739d-3ee4-42a9-aa92-8de9e5b44491 Listener Questions For our not-spooky 13th episode, we address a few listener questions we’ve received. Still, things get a little spooky.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Tue, 6 Oct 2015 15:44:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/13-drUHLdwx For our not-spooky 13th episode, we address a few listener questions we’ve received. Still, things get a little spooky.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

What do you think? Weigh in on the show, your own work, and what you want us to talk about next, by searching for our G+ Community.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Listener Questions Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:22:27 For our not-spooky 13th episode, we address a few listener questions we’ve received. Still, things get a little spooky. For our not-spooky 13th episode, we address a few listener questions we’ve received. Still, things get a little spooky. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 13 63661548-dc5d-4724-8835-b51d17201873 Resolution Listen in as we discuss resolution mechanisms in RPGs, including musings about scope and scale and fictional time. How do you know when a thing has happened in your game? How do you know when to check to see if a thing has happened? By listening to this episode, maybe!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Tue, 6 Oct 2015 15:41:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/12-5BZbTibF Listen in as we discuss resolution mechanisms in RPGs, including musings about scope and scale and fictional time. How do you know when a thing has happened in your game? How do you know when to check to see if a thing has happened? By listening to this episode, maybe!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Resolution Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:39:25 Listen in as we discuss resolution mechanisms in RPGs, including musings about scope and scale and fictional time. How do you know when a thing has happened in your game? How do you know when to check to see if a thing has happened? By listening to this episode, maybe! Listen in as we discuss resolution mechanisms in RPGs, including musings about scope and scale and fictional time. How do you know when a thing has happened in your game? How do you know when to check to see if a thing has happened? By listening to this episode, maybe! story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 12 66cc2474-7651-4fcb-b1d1-2141ecbd2b50 Systems This time, we have a quick talk about the difference between a system and its rules. How does that affect your design and can a design change systems already in place? Let’s talk.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Tue, 6 Oct 2015 15:39:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/11-lkTi2QUQ This time, we have a quick talk about the difference between a system and its rules. How does that affect your design and can a design change systems already in place? Let’s talk.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Systems Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:22:59 This time, we have a quick talk about the difference between a system and its rules. How does that affect your design and can a design change systems already in place? Let’s talk. This time, we have a quick talk about the difference between a system and its rules. How does that affect your design and can a design change systems already in place? Let’s talk. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 11 114b483a-0371-4aa5-b9fd-70d07daf9b4b Reward Systems, Part Two We had more to say about reward cycles, systems, and mechanisms in theory and in practice, so this episode is about more of that.

As proof that the podcast is doing its job (for us, at least): we have thoughts beyond what we were able to squeeze into this longer episode. (Will had something of an epiphany a couple of days after we recorded.) Here’s a quick rundown of additional thoughts from Nathan, starting with some mechanical forms that rewards take in-game:

  • Currencies, pools of points to spend to help you (in the short or the long term)
  • Immediate rewards, like a bonus or some kind of advantage that applies immediately
  • Growth; some kind of pool, metric or meter that triggers different effects based on thresholds or overall totals but aren’t spent like currency

Some effects of rewards that make them, well, rewarding:

  • Unlock new character elements or abilities
  • Allow the player a certain kind of fictional authority, or fuel its use
  • Ensure success or counteract randomness
  • Establish new relationships between fictional elements or factors

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Tue, 6 Oct 2015 15:34:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/10-KkTeYX8q We had more to say about reward cycles, systems, and mechanisms in theory and in practice, so this episode is about more of that.

As proof that the podcast is doing its job (for us, at least): we have thoughts beyond what we were able to squeeze into this longer episode. (Will had something of an epiphany a couple of days after we recorded.) Here’s a quick rundown of additional thoughts from Nathan, starting with some mechanical forms that rewards take in-game:

  • Currencies, pools of points to spend to help you (in the short or the long term)
  • Immediate rewards, like a bonus or some kind of advantage that applies immediately
  • Growth; some kind of pool, metric or meter that triggers different effects based on thresholds or overall totals but aren’t spent like currency

Some effects of rewards that make them, well, rewarding:

  • Unlock new character elements or abilities
  • Allow the player a certain kind of fictional authority, or fuel its use
  • Ensure success or counteract randomness
  • Establish new relationships between fictional elements or factors

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Reward Systems, Part Two Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:51:39 We had more to say about reward cycles, systems, and mechanisms in theory and in practice, so this episode is about more of that. We had more to say about reward cycles, systems, and mechanisms in theory and in practice, so this episode is about more of that. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 10 de6a4d4e-a1b4-4c60-9b7f-6bc551acb74c Reward Systems, Part One In this doozy (doozy!) of an episode, we talk about reward cycles in design and play, from their core dynamics and philosophies to how they can befit or bemuse different players differently. (See also, flow as understood in psychology.)

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Sep 2015 15:32:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/9-_o_F0WdL In this doozy (doozy!) of an episode, we talk about reward cycles in design and play, from their core dynamics and philosophies to how they can befit or bemuse different players differently. (See also, flow as understood in psychology.)

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Reward Systems, Part One Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:40:28 In this doozy (doozy!) of an episode, we talk about reward cycles in design and play, from their core dynamics and philosophies to how they can befit or bemuse different players differently. In this doozy (doozy!) of an episode, we talk about reward cycles in design and play, from their core dynamics and philosophies to how they can befit or bemuse different players differently. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 9 bf978317-7b4a-4a7d-9c16-38dc86333283 Jargon Let’s talk about the terminology of our games and how that influences the patois at the table. What lingo do you use in your game and what sobriquets develop over time? As ever: decisions, decisions.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Sep 2015 15:30:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/8-usSb3ySJ Let’s talk about the terminology of our games and how that influences the patois at the table. What lingo do you use in your game and what sobriquets develop over time? As ever: decisions, decisions.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Jargon Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:30:24 Let’s talk about the terminology of our games and how that influences the patois at the table. What lingo do you use in your game and what sobriquets develop over time? As ever: decisions, decisions. Let’s talk about the terminology of our games and how that influences the patois at the table. What lingo do you use in your game and what sobriquets develop over time? As ever: decisions, decisions. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 8 86aee260-38d2-41d9-8923-5c0c8b41423e Character Monogamy What is character monogamy in an RPG and what does it do in your design? Let’s talk about it!

This time we reference games like Ars Magica, The Adventures of Indiana Jones, Dark Sun, Amazing Engine, Monsterhearts, Circle of Hands, and more (also salmon) while talking about what happens when players play just one character apiece… or not!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Sep 2015 15:27:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/7-iPdVYiuw What is character monogamy in an RPG and what does it do in your design? Let’s talk about it!

This time we reference games like Ars Magica, The Adventures of Indiana Jones, Dark Sun, Amazing Engine, Monsterhearts, Circle of Hands, and more (also salmon) while talking about what happens when players play just one character apiece… or not!

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Character Monogamy Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:40:49 What is character monogamy in an RPG and what does it do in your design? Let’s talk about it! What is character monogamy in an RPG and what does it do in your design? Let’s talk about it! story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 7 9c38075a-dca7-4257-aa6a-f4135fe81b4c Experience Points Here we look at the gist of experience points (XP) and character development, especially in tabletop RPGs, and how character progression can reward, reflect, and influence the play of your design. Once again, we’ve dipped into a deep topic, so we may well dig into this again down the road.

This episode is the result of several different techniques to the audio recording, so bear with us please through these audio developments?

We talked a bit about Remember Tomorrow and Night’s Black Agents in this episode, in addition to a lot of other games.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Sep 2015 15:23:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/6-yjVBlf49 Here we look at the gist of experience points (XP) and character development, especially in tabletop RPGs, and how character progression can reward, reflect, and influence the play of your design. Once again, we’ve dipped into a deep topic, so we may well dig into this again down the road.

This episode is the result of several different techniques to the audio recording, so bear with us please through these audio developments?

We talked a bit about Remember Tomorrow and Night’s Black Agents in this episode, in addition to a lot of other games.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Experience Points Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:30:42 Here we look at the gist of experience points (XP) and character development, especially in tabletop RPGs, and how character progression can reward, reflect, and influence the play of your design. Here we look at the gist of experience points (XP) and character development, especially in tabletop RPGs, and how character progression can reward, reflect, and influence the play of your design. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 6 74dc7e77-2b66-4a5a-ad75-f7df7b19cf1c Characters This time, we talk about characters in theory, in practice, in play, and in design, with examples focusing on tabletop RPGs and some references to video games. This is a big topic worthy of more talk later on, when we have more instruments on the table, but this is a good start.

Will references Robin D. Laws’ manner of iconic characters in this episode, which Laws once summarized like this:

“A dramatic hero follows a character arc in which he is changed by his
experience of the world. Examples: Orpheus, King Lear, Ben Braddock.
An iconic hero undertakes tasks (often serially) and changes the
world, restoring order to it, by remaining true to his essential self.
Examples: Beowulf, Sherlock Holmes, Batman.”

Robin Laws has more to say on the subject of iconic heroes in tagged posts on his old blog and his new blog, respectively.

(Will talks too loud and too fast, he’s been made aware of it.)

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 6 Sep 2015 15:17:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/5-8YnFwdEx This time, we talk about characters in theory, in practice, in play, and in design, with examples focusing on tabletop RPGs and some references to video games. This is a big topic worthy of more talk later on, when we have more instruments on the table, but this is a good start.

Will references Robin D. Laws’ manner of iconic characters in this episode, which Laws once summarized like this:

“A dramatic hero follows a character arc in which he is changed by his
experience of the world. Examples: Orpheus, King Lear, Ben Braddock.
An iconic hero undertakes tasks (often serially) and changes the
world, restoring order to it, by remaining true to his essential self.
Examples: Beowulf, Sherlock Holmes, Batman.”

Robin Laws has more to say on the subject of iconic heroes in tagged posts on his old blog and his new blog, respectively.

(Will talks too loud and too fast, he’s been made aware of it.)

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Characters Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:29:45 This time, we talk about characters in theory, in practice, in play, and in design, with examples focusing on tabletop RPGs and some references to video games. This time, we talk about characters in theory, in practice, in play, and in design, with examples focusing on tabletop RPGs and some references to video games. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 5 bd777203-7bd1-4ec3-84dc-5a98645a1874 Recurring Questions Listen in as we reveal some of the questions and ideas that we consider and reconsider near the beginning of various game designs, like “Why is this a game?” and “How does it start?”

Identifying what we design and how we design when we design games is important. This episode looks at some of the ways that we do that. Not everything we do is the best way to do it, sure, but here we see some of what we think about when we design games.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Thu, 6 Aug 2015 15:13:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/4-zZtoQFzk Listen in as we reveal some of the questions and ideas that we consider and reconsider near the beginning of various game designs, like “Why is this a game?” and “How does it start?”

Identifying what we design and how we design when we design games is important. This episode looks at some of the ways that we do that. Not everything we do is the best way to do it, sure, but here we see some of what we think about when we design games.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Recurring Questions Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:44:46 Listen in as we reveal some of the questions and ideas that we consider and reconsider near the beginning of various game designs, like “Why is this a game?” and “How does it start?” Listen in as we reveal some of the questions and ideas that we consider and reconsider near the beginning of various game designs, like “Why is this a game?” and “How does it start?” story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 4 f3b7be42-5eeb-42d3-a994-08b84f825687 Dice Here’s a big one. We spend an hour talking about dice, uncertainty, and information in analog game design and we still only manage to put grooves in the surface of the topic. This was a wonderful talk, though. We could probably do another hour about this stuff if there’s time for that someday.

We drop some jargon and some names in this one, so take in these links if you just can’t get enough:

  • Pascal’s triangle is a probability matrix about coin flips (or dice
    with 50/50 odds of success) that can be pretty important to know
    about.
  • James Ernest’s article on volatility in game design is a must-read
    that Will presents pretty weakly from memory in the episode.
  • What are we talking about when we say “Fortune in the middle” in this
    episode? Click on.
  • AnyDice.com is a wonderfully useful tool for game designers and
    players.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Mon, 6 Jul 2015 14:59:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/3-u2PUI1zx Here’s a big one. We spend an hour talking about dice, uncertainty, and information in analog game design and we still only manage to put grooves in the surface of the topic. This was a wonderful talk, though. We could probably do another hour about this stuff if there’s time for that someday.

We drop some jargon and some names in this one, so take in these links if you just can’t get enough:

  • Pascal’s triangle is a probability matrix about coin flips (or dice
    with 50/50 odds of success) that can be pretty important to know
    about.
  • James Ernest’s article on volatility in game design is a must-read
    that Will presents pretty weakly from memory in the episode.
  • What are we talking about when we say “Fortune in the middle” in this
    episode? Click on.
  • AnyDice.com is a wonderfully useful tool for game designers and
    players.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Dice Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 01:08:51 Here’s a big one. We spend an hour talking about dice, uncertainty, and information in analog game design and we still only manage to put grooves in the surface of the topic. This was a wonderful talk, though. Here’s a big one. We spend an hour talking about dice, uncertainty, and information in analog game design and we still only manage to put grooves in the surface of the topic. This was a wonderful talk, though. story games, tabletop rpg, probability, game design, design, design games podcast, dice, games, tabletop yes full 3 1020670f-2fbc-4066-a783-d56933091f83 The Big Three Questions Let’s talk about how we talk about game designs. Let’s talk about how a game does its thing and how a design achieves (or doesn’t) its selected goals. What is your game about and how is it about it? Let’s do that by talking about variations on the “Big Three” questions of RPG design.

The audio in this early episode is, uh, unpolished. Thankfully, writer, interviewer, and friend of the show, Brie Sheldon, stepped up to transcribe this episode, so you can read that transcript now, too!

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Jared Sorensen in these show notes so that you can google him and read more of him.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Mon, 6 Jul 2015 14:48:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/2-Gy3JQ0XT Let’s talk about how we talk about game designs. Let’s talk about how a game does its thing and how a design achieves (or doesn’t) its selected goals. What is your game about and how is it about it? Let’s do that by talking about variations on the “Big Three” questions of RPG design.

The audio in this early episode is, uh, unpolished. Thankfully, writer, interviewer, and friend of the show, Brie Sheldon, stepped up to transcribe this episode, so you can read that transcript now, too!

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Jared Sorensen in these show notes so that you can google him and read more of him.

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> The Big Three Questions Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:28:17 Let’s talk about how we talk about game designs. Let’s talk about how a game does its thing and how a design achieves (or doesn’t) its selected goals. What is your game about and how is it about it? Let’s do that by talking about variations on the “Big Three” questions of RPG design. Let’s talk about how we talk about game designs. Let’s talk about how a game does its thing and how a design achieves (or doesn’t) its selected goals. What is your game about and how is it about it? Let’s do that by talking about variations on the “Big Three” questions of RPG design. story games, tabletop rpg, game design, design, design games podcast, games, tabletop yes full 2 15c76158-b993-4092-adee-5ee97ce904e4 Ideas! We, Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch, design games. Also, we talk about designing games. Sometimes that means talking about design outside of games and games outside of their designs, but always it comes back to how we make games—especially in the style of analog roleplaying and story games, as is our fashion.

This first official episode is about ideas as the earliest parts of design. Get out your notebooks and jot down what you’re thinking about for your games while you hear us talk about the value and function of ideas for game designs, won’t you?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Sun, 5 Jul 2015 16:52:00 +0000 will@magic-circles.net (Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch) https://designgames.simplecast.com/episodes/1-mT_7nE_K We, Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch, design games. Also, we talk about designing games. Sometimes that means talking about design outside of games and games outside of their designs, but always it comes back to how we make games—especially in the style of analog roleplaying and story games, as is our fashion.

This first official episode is about ideas as the earliest parts of design. Get out your notebooks and jot down what you’re thinking about for your games while you hear us talk about the value and function of ideas for game designs, won’t you?

Design Games is made possible by our supporters at Patreon, where you can back NDP and Will right now. Every dollar helps.

Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

]]> Ideas! Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch 00:24:32 We, Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch, design games. Also, we talk about designing games. Sometimes that means talking about design outside of games and games outside of their designs, but always it comes back to how we make games—especially in the style of analog roleplaying and story games, as is our fashion. This first official episode is about ideas as the earliest parts of design. Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ We, Nathan D Paoletta and Will Hindmarch, design games. Also, we talk about designing games. Sometimes that means talking about design outside of games and games outside of their designs, but always it comes back to how we make games—especially in the style of analog roleplaying and story games, as is our fashion. This first official episode is about ideas as the earliest parts of design. Music is “Dances and Dames” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ rpg, story games, story game, game design, rpgs, design, games, tabletop yes full 1