Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Whitney Delaglio , Camdon Wright , Avraham Yosef Baez . People are told to tell their own stories when making games, but biracial folk are often forced into an unreasonable process of justifying their marginalization regardless of their life experiences. We'll also talk about the racist foundation of not allowing designers to speak about living in, growing up around, and often excluded from more than one community. Also about how our backgrounds inf...
Mar 12, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 447
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Roberta Taylor , Paul Saxberg , Kimberley Lam , Shoshana Kessock. How do you keep a creative spark alive when everything is coming to pieces around you? This panel will discuss some practical ways to nurture your creative self when you feel like you can't possibly make anything....
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 446
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Sarah Shipp , Kathleen Mercury , Eric Slauson . How do designers get their themes to reverberate across the hobby? By adding depth, shape, and clarity to their themes. Let's talk about how to avoid muddy themes and create games that sing.
Feb 26, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 445
Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Presented by Misha Bushyager , Elsa Sjunneson , Kristen Roberts Explicitly feminist world-building will consider all the ways that traditionally domestic tasks and arts enrich your setting and shape your characters. From textiles to food, child-rearing to death rituals, considering the ways these details fit together will make for deeper, richer game experiences. These principles apply across all game forms...
Feb 20, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 444
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Chance Feldstein , Erika Skirpan , Jessica Comstock , Jon Cole. Generally, "transformative" games teach skills, facilitate personal insights or shadow work, or otherwise have a significant impact on your non-gaming life. What makes a LARP game transformative without sacrificing fun and other important elements?...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 443
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jason Pitre , Fiona Geist , Darren Watts , Viditya Voleti. Indie game publishing is a strange craft and the design communities approach the process differently. In this panel, we will explore the similarities and divergences in publishing approaches from a Story Game, Sworddream, Trad and OSR perspectives. Let's share our knowledge and get weird....
Jan 29, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 442
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Graham Walmsley , Christopher McGlothlin , Darren Watts , Lynne Hardy , Alex Helms. It's almost a truism that it's very hard to make RPG adventures, scenarios and modules that will sell unless you're talking about the very biggest games. Is that really true? Let's share some tricks and tips on this panel!...
Jan 22, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 441
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Dr. Jessica Hammer, Christopher Hall. What does it mean to design games from a Jewish perspective? We have recently seen several games that center on the Jewish experience, like Rosenstrasse, Keeping The Candles Lit, Dream Apart and Mud. In this session, we'll look at key Jewish texts to see how themes and ideas from Jewish culture can inform your design. All texts will be provided in English; please come prepared for a vigorous conversation....
Jan 16, 2022•59 min•Ep. 440
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Charles Simon , Justin Ford , Pamela Punzalan , Erik Bernhardt , Nychelle Schneider. Forged in the Dark designers share their secrets! A diverse panel of up-and-coming indie designers inspired to create by Blades in the Dark who have variously playtested, engaged with fellow Forged in The Dark fans, and kickstarted projects comes together to discuss their inspirations, design challenges, and successes....
Dec 18, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 439
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Tam Myaing , Doug Levandowski , Roberta Taylor , Jessica Creane . As designers we strive to make games "fun", but they can also be a vehicle for other emotions, such as fear, sadness, disgust, shame, etc. From Brenda Romero's Train to Marc Gertz's Imperial, we will explore several games that intentionally or unintentionally make you feel bad...
Dec 12, 2021•58 min•Ep. 438
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jason Pitre , Rob Donoghue , Emily Dresner , Kenneth Hite The 100 GP Pearl: Economics and Trade as Design Elements. Economics and trade have long been foundational elements of game design, from the hyperinflation of dungeon pillaging to the free traders of Traveller. In this panel, we discuss how these aspects can be used as the foundation for game mechanics and procedures. Don't make me quote the rules of acquisition at you...
Nov 27, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 437
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Russell Collins , Brennan Taylor , Meguey Baker , Greg Stolze . Was your game imperfect when it was released? Has it changed over time? Have you? We'll explore why (and how) you can update your game for the 2nd, or 3rd, or 4th, edition...
Nov 22, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 436
Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Presented by Jason Pitre, Spencer Campbell , Sasha Moros , Ben Robbins , Caroline Hobbs . Role playing games have a long history of asymmetrical rules, beginning with the establishment of the Dungeon Master in the very beginning and continuing to games such as Kingdom. Role playing games have explored countless different ways of allocating authority, and modern asymmetrical boardgames (Root, Vast, etc) have showed some new approaches worth considering. In this panel, w...
Nov 06, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 435
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jason Walters , Moe Poplar , Darren Watts , April Walsh , Jonathan Lavallee . Publishing your first RPG can be difficult, how do you know when enough play testing is enough? What feedback should you listen to? How do you get your game ready for print? All these questions, and more, will be answered in this comprehensive advice panel....
Oct 30, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 434
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Curt Covert , Julie Ahern . Games Are Art: Designing Through An Artist's Lens. When you think of art, you think of music, theater, painting, sculpting, writing, film. And at the heart of each is an artist, who uses their talents, creativity, skill and intelligence to craft something that never existed before, with the intent of sharing a vision, a feeling, a message, a sense of discovery or connection. The games we create are no less an art form, an...
Oct 23, 2021•58 min•Ep. 433
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Eric Whalen , Rob Hebert , Steven Long , Debbie Moynihan . "Contract Literacy 101: Whereas & Therefore & Beyond" The majority of game designers will need to sign at least one contract prior to completing their game. This panel will improve your literacy and familiarity with the structure of contracts, as well as explain some of the standard contract terms you ought to be prepared to encounter. The information should be relevant to designers,...
Oct 16, 2021•45 min•Ep. 432
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jason Morningstar, Jabari Weathers , Brennen Reece . Art Direction: From Designer to Director to Artist. A game designer, an art director, and an artist who recently worked on a project together will talk about the project (Bully Pulpit Games' "Dead House") from each of their perspectives - how they collaborated and communicated and perceived both the brief and the final output....
Oct 09, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 431
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Will Sobel , Beth Rimmels . For better or worse, traditional RPGs have a reputation for crunch and complication that can be scary for new players. How can designers and publishers make their games less imposing both in substance and appearance?
Oct 02, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 430
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Curt Covert , Melissa Lewis-Gentry , Jason Walters , Isaac Vega . How do you present a game to playtesters without biasing them, but getting what you want from the test? How do you present that same game to a publisher differently? How do you present the game to fans at a show to get them excited enough to buy it? Some things will be identical, others will be custom-tailored to the audience and what they care about (or what you want from it). And th...
Sep 25, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 429
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Olivia Montoya , Donna Prior , Avonelle Wing . Discord. Itch. Twitch. If you blinked and suddenly your peers sound like they’re talking about new horsemen of a very minor apocalypse, we’re here to help you catch up. There are a plethora of new(ash) platforms available to empower your gaming experiences. Avie’s here as our token dinosaur, while Donna and Olivia bring the knowledge...
Sep 19, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 428
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Pamela Punzalan , Vince Smith , and Alastor Guzman . Much of the dialogue relevant to the tabletop gaming industry and the communities that form around it is centered around the United States of America. Many know that creators from all around the world exist, but few understand just how different their contexts can be from the status quo. This panel seeks to bring multiple voices from beyond America together in order to discuss these differences, a...
Sep 12, 2021•59 min•Ep. 427
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by James Wallis , Cat Tobin , Kieron Gillen , Jacob Jaskov . We all know how certain games feel in play and how they make us feel, but as designers and critics we don't have a set of words to describe it. Do we need an experiential vocabulary of play, and what would one look like?...
Sep 04, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 426
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jacob Segal, Justin Ford, Ian Hart. Systems like Forged in the Dark are designed with mechanics that deliberately support player agency. When paired with external safety tools, these agency-focused mechanics are intended to foster safer play culture and richer experiences. Our panelists will discuss what we mean by "player agency" and what these mechanics look like and how they work....
Aug 28, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 425
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jason Pitre , Zedeck Siew , Sinta Posadas . Non-player characters are vital to tabletop and live action roleplaying games. They provide companionship, contrast, resources, information, and dramatic conflict with the players. They are the avatars of the setting, and the best tools that a GM has at their disposal. In this panel, we discuss how games can be designed using NPCs as a key mechanism of play....
Aug 21, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 424
Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Online Presented by Kitty Stryker , Spider Perry , Avonelle Wing . We will talk about practical actions you can take to be better prepared the next time you have the chance to speak up. It might be addressing a micro-aggression at the game table or shutting down a bully who wants to make somebody feel small in an online setting, for example. These aren't easy things and the skills don't always come naturally. Our panelists will talk about practicing phrases and learnin...
Aug 14, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 423
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Anne Ratchat, Spider Perry , Misha Bushyager , Mids Meinberg , Pamela Punzalan . For all the merits of the genre, it is not an exaggerated statement to say that horror is the least accessible genres in analog gaming. Between mechanics that require physical ability, the habitual use of monsters whose descriptions sound uncomfortably close to home, and the widespread misunderstanding of how mental health and mental illnesses work, a large swath of pla...
Aug 09, 2021•59 min•Ep. 422
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Heather O'Neill, Timothy Grant , Brian Quinones , Jack Berkenstock . This panel of game designers and therapists will discuss their journey to design RPGs for use in therapy as well as the overall benefit of using roleplaying games as a therapeutic tool. What games have they used in the past? What worked, what didn't? How did they modify games for therapy sessions?...
Jul 24, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 421
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jeeyon Shim , Meguey Baker , Jason Morningstar . Understanding the natural world as an active participant in games and design shifts our engagement with environmental justice and enriches every aspect of our work. Join this panel of game designers with backgrounds as adventure guides, outdoor educators, and naturalists as they discuss the various ways integrating the natural world positively impacts their design and community work in games. Attendee...
Jul 18, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 420
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Gabriel de los Angeles , Sen-Foong Lim , Brian Quinones . Using concepts from education theory is a natural and obvious way to improve game design practices. Our panelists will talk about how to apply an understanding of how people learn and engage in play to your design process to create more immersive, satisfying designs....
Jul 11, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 419
Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jason Morningstar , Sungil Kim, Taka'aki Ayukata, Steve Segedy. Asian game markets are booming! Come meet two publishers who are actively licensing and translating English-language properties for their own countries and beyond. Join us for an informal conversation with and between publishers from Japan and Korea.
Jul 03, 2021•57 min•Ep. 418
