RPG Design Panelcast

Episode 41 – Designing RPGs for Kids Presented by Amanda Valentine, Tim Rodriguez & Krista White. Designing games intended for younger audiences doesn’t mean dumbing down. What are the additional challenges involved in making products to appeal to the younger set? Episode 41: Designing RPGs for Kids Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (216)

Hacking Apocalypse World Recorded at Metatopia 2014 Presented by Vincent Baker, Misha Bushyager, Marissa Kelly, Mark Richardson & Mark Diaz Truman. Learn about the Apocalypse World engine and why it has become popular amongst indie designers. This will be a panel of veteran *World players and *World game designers, including the designer of Apocalypse World! Episode 40: Hacking Apocalypse World Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (343)

Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition Analysis Presented by Rob Donoghue & Jason Pitre. So, the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons is out. Now it’s time to dig into the design and talk about the rules, procedures and advice that the game brings to the RPG design field. Let’s look at the crunchy bits! The companion reference to this discussion can be found on Rob Donoghue’s blog, where he discusses the Starter Set, the Player’s Handbook and the Monster Manual in detail. Episode 39: Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Analysis [ 55:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (336)

D036 – Accessibility Issues For Game Designers Presented by Russell Collins & Jason Pitre. Games are about imagination and creativity so the print medium shouldn’t be a barrier to entry. Understanding the needs of persons with learning differences and the options that designers have will keep you from excluding people who are eager to enjoy our hobby. This seminar will focus on blindness, low vision, and dyslexia and strategies to present your game content for those with print disabilities in digital and audio media. Episode 38: Accessibility Issues for Game Designers [ 55:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (146)

D015 – Roleplaying Scenario Design Recorded at Metatopia 2013. Presented by Kenneth Hite, Darren Watts, Rob Donoghue, John Stavropoulos & Bill White. Our panel of experts drills down into the specifics of scenario-building for publication, whether it’s showing off the game’s basics with an introductory scenario, or stringing several together for a mini-campaign book. Episode 37: Roleplaying Scenario Design Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (213)

My Game Will Cost What? Presented by Curt Covert & Stephen Buonocore. This panel will seek to explain why games cost what they do. What are the expenses, and what decisions must you as a designer make in order to hit your target price point? Presented at Metatopia 2013. Episode 36: My Game Will Cost What? [ 1:02:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (189)

“Dangerous Mechanics” Presented by Jason Pitre, Kenneth Hite, Rob Donoghue & Will Hindmarch. The panelists will deal with mechanics that look good on the surface but can have unforeseen negative consequences in play. Spending XP, no-effect rules, dice-generated currency – all have hidden dangers. Explore these and other light bulbs that didn’t quite work out.. Episode 35: Dangerous Mechanics [ 54:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (275)

“Gaming As The Other: Race in Our Industry” Presented by John Stavropoulos, Terry Romero, Ajit George & Mark Diaz Truman. As many “geek” activities have expanded over the last ten years, role-playing has often struggled to include the voices of racial and ethnic minorities. Join Ajit George, Mark Diaz Truman, and Terry Romero to discuss what challenges the industry faces including “Others”, why increased diversity is valuable and important to the future of gaming, and what path both designers and players can take toward building a more robust, inclusive community. Episode 34: Race in our Industry [ 54:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (181)

How to Work with Editors This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ. This panel was led by Ryan Macklin, Amanda Valentine, Cam Banks and John Adamus. Everyone needs an editor. How do you hire one? Once you have one, how can you work with her most efficiently? How does somebody become a great game editor themselves? Episode 32: How to Work with Editors [ 54:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (140)

How to be a Good Playtester for Others This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ. This panel was led by Will Hindmarch, Tim Rodriguez and John Adamus. Everyone agrees playtesting is crucial. But what kind of feedback is best for publishers? This panel looks at the necessary skills and mindset for being a good playtester from *this* side of the table. Episode 32: How to be a Good Playtester for Others [ 56:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (226)

The Care and Feeding of Freelancers This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ. This panel was led by John Stavropoulos, Ryan Macklin & Amanda Valentine You’ve reached the point where you’re ready to hire some professional freelancers to help you complete your game, whether as writers, editors, or artists. How do you find freelancers, how do you work with them, and how do you keep them happy to work for you? Episode 31: The Care and Feeding of Freelancers [ 57:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (181)

Reaching Retailers: How To Get Stores Behind You This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ. Presented by Will Hindmarch, Jim Crocker & Brian Dalrymple (+1). Your game is ready for market. Now you’ve got to get it in the hands of players, and the best way to do that is to convince stores to carry and promote it. How do you do that? Our panel of experts fills you in! Episode 30: Reaching Retailers [ 56:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (140)

Legalese: Copyrights, Trademarks and Patents This seminar was originally presented at Metatopia 2013 in Morristown NJ. Presented by Justin Jacobson & Jason Pitre. It’s all about protecting yourself. Where and when do these legal concepts apply, and what do you need to do to make sure you’re covered without spending a fortune unnecessarily? Episode 29: Legalese and Intellectual Property [ 56:09 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (146)

Episode 28 of the RPG Design PanelCast is brought to you thanks to the Metatopia Game Design Festival by Double Exposure. D050: “Electronic Book Publishing 101” presented by Jason Pitre & Joseph Bloch. What are the differences between publishing hard copy books and electronic publishing? This panel will fill you in on everything you need to know, from standards and tools to markets for reaching your audience. Episode 28: Ebooks 101 [ 52:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (146)

This was originally broadcast by Indie+ online convention, led by Mark Diaz Truman , presented by Kyle Simmons, Julia Ellingboe and James Raggi. This is discussion the various ways that games can feel magical, from the everyday kitchen magic to the perilous high magic that could end the world. Episode 27: Making Games Feel Magical [ 57:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (228)

This was originally broadcast by Indie+ online convention, led by Mark Diaz Truman in conversation with Rob Donoghue. It’s a fascinating discussion on how game mechanics can create a feeling of magic during play. Episode 26: Magic Mechanics Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (355)

Is there still room for more Fantasy RPGs? What is fantasy really, anyways? How can you design interesting games within this genre? This was originally broadcast by Indie+ online convention, led by Rich Rogers. The presenters are John Wick, James Raggi, Gilian Fraser, David A. Hill Jr., Brennan Taylor Episode 25: Is Fantasy Dead? [ 53:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (248)

Everyone can design games, and we are here to help show you the way. We will teach you the basics and give you the resources to learning rpg design on your own. We provided attendants with a DVD full of podcast content and panel recordings. You can find much of that information at the link below: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eibuw567kj9px3q/ScnQmP5A58 This was presented by Jason Pitre and Mark Diaz Truman. Episode 24: How to Learn RPG Design [ 53:41 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (409)

No Nos in Game Design A discussion led by Stan!, Jeff Bellinger., Matt Forbeck and Daniel Solis on mistakes they have learned from in their publishing experience. An excellent discussion worth a listen to this panel from GenCon 2011. Episode 23: No Nos of Game Design [ 55:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (283)

Things you think about games An excellent and philosophically rich discussion concerning why games matter. Presented Jeff Tidball and Will Hindmarch from Gameplaywright (http://gameplaywright.net) over at GenCon 2011. Episode 22: Things You Think About Games [ 46:55 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (218)

Game Design is Mind Control: Presented by Luke Crane and Jared Sorensen from way back in 2011. The art of game design is to induce your players to behave in bizarre, irrational ways that they otherwise would not. Join us as we demonstrate how rules make you perform all sorts of ridiculous acts. And if you don’t believe us, you will by the end of the seminar! Episode 21: Game Design is Mind Control.mp3 [ 1:00:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (408)

Kickstarter Roundtable: Presented by Fred Hicks and Brennan Taylor. In this intense workshop, we will explore the ins and outs of using Kickstarter as a crowdsourced fundraising platform. Topics will include best practices for making videos, for customer contacts through updates, etc. Regrets from Cindy Au and Joshua A.C. Newman on account of hurricane. Episode 20: Kickstarter Roundtable [ 1:43:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (202)

LARPs aboard submarines? LARPs about having cancer? Join us for a journey inside the fascinating high-art gaming scene of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. They play in submarines, nuclear reactors, and in custom-built shanty towns. They get government grants to LARP! Welcome to the arty world of Nordic LARP, where intense emotion, minimal mechanics — including safewords — and fabulous scenery rule the day. Join ‘Leaving Mundania’ author Lizzie Stark and game designer and Industry Insider Guest of Honor Jason Morningstar for a journey inside this fascinating high-art gaming scene. Episode 19: Introduction to Nordic Larp Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (233)

Randomness makes games fun, but it can also make them terrible. Our Industry Insider guests give advice on the right way to use randomness in game design. Randomness makes games fun, but it can also make them terrible. If you’re going to use randomness in your games, it’s like using fire in your kitchen. A great tool, but only if you know how to handle it. Our Industry Insider guests will give advice on the right way to use randomness in game design. Presented by James Ernest and Jason Morningstar. Episode 18: Volatility in Game Design [ 59:49 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (267)

There are thriving RPG scenes in outside North America. Come find out from our Industry Insiders on what’s up, what’s innovative, and what’s scandalous. Presented by Jason Morningstar and Dominic McDowall-Thomas. Episode 17: International RPG Scene [ 53:17 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (188)

Join Industry Insider designers and developers as they talk about post mortems of various independently published projects. Presented by Jason Morningstar and James Earnst Episode 16: Indie Cradle to Indie Grave [ 56:10 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (155)

Presented by Jason Morningstar and Kenneth Hite. Stress-Free Historical Roleplaying Description: How to enjoy roleplaying in historical settings – common pitfalls and how to avoid (or ignore) them. Presented at GenCon 2012. Episode15: History Panic [ 52:56 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (183)

A discussion about GM’less games by Jason Morningstar at Metatopia 2012. This was presented to a group of game designers and publishers who ask some advanced questions. Sorry that the introduction doesn’t include the title of the seminar. Episode 14: Advanced GMless Games [ 52:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (210)

A discussion about GM’less games by Jason Morningstar at GenCon 2012. This was presented to a general audience and provides a good foundation on the subject. Episode13: Introduction GMless Games [ 49:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (256)

What kinds of playtests are there? How can you run them or play in them effectively? Learn how iterative testing improves a game Discuss the purpose of playtesting. The three styles of playtesting? Playtesting your own game. Runing someone else’s game. Observing a playtest. Playing in a playtest with panache. Questions and answers Presented by Jason Pitre and Adam Koebel Episode12: Playtesting RPGs [ 49:21 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (236)

“It’s a Hit! Now What? Dealing With Unexpected Success” presented by Fred Hicks & Curt Covert. You’ve made something and people like it and want more. Or your preorder went well – much better than you expected – and you find yourself facing a bigger print run and a bigger shipping effort than you’d planned for. Success can be a tricky thing – the bigger you succeed, the harder you have to work, and sometimes there are pitfalls. Join us and talk about the “now what?” phase. Episode 11: Dealing With Unexpected Success [ 49:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (205)

The Retailers’ View: What Sells, What Doesn’t, and Why presented by Jim Crocker and Brian Dalrymple. This panel will focus on what new games look like from the perspective of the stores that sell them. Our panelists will lead a discussion of recently published games and how they fared once they hit their stores. Episode 10: The Retailers View.mp3 [ 54:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (200)

“Self-Publishing: Production and Fulfillment” presented by Fred Hicks, Darren Watts & Jim Crocker. You’ve decided to print and distribute your product yourself. What do you need in order to do so successfully? Come learn from folks who have done it. Episode 9: Self- Publishing; Production and Fulfillment.mp3 [ 45:23 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (178)

“Licensing Popular Intellectual Property” presented by Amanda Valentine, Fred Hicks & Cam Banks. Three designers with extensive experience in the world of licensing well-known intellectual properties discuss what makes a good property for licensing, how to go about getting a license, and how to keep your licensor happy and yourself protected throughout the process. Episode 8: Licensing Popular Intellectual Properties [ 57:23 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (139)

An overall summary of Indie Game Publishing, including copyright, printing costs and the perils of distribution, by David A. Hill Jr. of Machine Age Productions. Episode 7: Lessons from Indie Publishing [ 1:02:22 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (174)

“Addressing Controversial Topics” presented by John Stavropolous, Bill White & Brennan Taylor. Join our panelists for a discussion on handling delicate and/or controversial topics in your game design. Subjects include political correctness, sexual and romantic interactions and religion. Episode 6: Addressing Controversial Topics [ 59:06 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (268)

“Editing and Organizing Game Text” presented by Amanda Valentine, Fred Hicks, Jason Pitre & John Adamus. Successful game text requires clarity, structure and style. Learn the secrets of this dark art at this roundtable discussion. Episode 5: Editing and Organizing Game Text [ 56:05 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (314)

“The Care and Feeding of Artists” presented by Ed Bell, Jen Christiansen & Fred Hicks. You’re not an artist yourself, but your game needs art! How do you hire artists, and how do you work with them to get what you need? This special panel features Ed Bell and Jen Christiansen, two art directors from Scientific American magazine. Episode 4: Care and Feeding of Artists [ 53:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (201)

“The Graphic Design and Layout Roundtable” presented by Hal Mangold, Nathan Paoletta & Ben Morgan. Discuss the best ways to make your game look exciting, fun, and easily readable with some of the sharpest eyes in the field Episode 3: Graphic Design and Layout Panel [ 1:55:51 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (525)

My Dearest Failure: Games That Didn’t Work and Why” presented by Jason Morningstar, Kenneth Hite & Rob Donoghue. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Join us for a discussion of games that never got made despite the best of intentions, and what lessons we can learn from the wreckage. Episode 2: Beautiful Failures [ 51:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (382)

Episode 1 is: The Coolest Game You Never Heard Of: presented by James Ernest, Kenneth Hite, Jason Morningstar, Cam Banks, Nathan Paoletta, Brennan Taylor & Others. Join our Guests of Honor and several additional talented designers for a discussion about their favorite obscure game that influenced them. What did we learn, why do we love them, and why do they remain obscure? This discussion will address both role playing and board/card games. Here is a partial list! Pitch Blowback (and Nights Black Agents) Bunnies & Burrows Dirty Secrets Inspectres King Arthur Pendragon How We Came to Live Here Grey Ranks! Summerland The Collectors: The Burning House Everway Dream Park Annalise Legends of Alryia Black Fire Clover vs. Monsters Ganakagok Primitive The Quiet Year Ribbon Drive Final Girl Unsung Don’t Walk in Winter Wood Urchin Roanoke Mutant: Undergångens Arvtagare (Mutant: The Inheritors of the Apocalypse) Run Robot Red Dark Space Iron Crown RIFTS Worldbooks (Wormwood and Phase World) Secrets of Ziran JAGS Wonderland Archipelago! Sandman: The Map of Halaal Dune Nine Worlds. Kagematsu The Whispering Vault Heroes of Olympus Weapons of the Gods Spellbound Kingdoms The Future King Danger Patrol Underground Timeship Great Ork Gods Gangbusters Boot Hill Dogs in the Vineyard Top secret Kult Puppetland Wild Strawberries Thou art but a Warrior Call of Cthulhu Over the Edge Fate Alarums and Excursions Delta green Nexus: The Infinite City Feng Shui Risus: The anything RPG The Warp System Where the Cookuu lands Tales from the Floating Vagabond 80s Ghostbusters game Torg The Morrow Project Super Squadron Goblins! (also Gurps Goblins) FASA Trek Icon GURPS Black Ops Hellboy (Gurps) The Coda System Thousand and One Nights Atomic Highway (and supplement for monsters - irradiated freaks) Gamma World Apocalypse world Car Wars Serial Homicide Unit Last Train Out of Warsaw Sweet Agatha Dungeons and Dragons Perfect Unrevised Scarlet Wake Waiting For The Queen Tea At Midnight Baby Wars The Mountain Witch Under the Bed Silver & White Sign in Stranger Legends of the Wulin Lacuna Part 1 Orbit Moldvay Hunters Hunted

I am pleased to announce the launch of a new podcast, dedicated to sharing recordings of RPG related panels and seminars. I hope you enjoy this series. You can subscibe to us here! RSS Feed iTunes Episode 0: Welcome [ 1:19 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (290)