There’s a short answer to that which is also a very long one; everyone who’s ever played one of my games or been involved in a tabletop RPG module with me in any way. The list below is not complete but these are the people whose assistance I am most sincerely, endlessly grateful for over …
Remember this? In addition, I keep ridiculously long email threads of ideas and note stuff down whenever something’s to hand. For example, there’s a really odd idea I’ve got for a single page RPG which currently exists only in an email to myself. I’m also teaching myself to back up off site. My computer …
Less than I should, more than I want to, used to be the answer here. While feedback is great, playtests are a profoundly uncomfortable experience. It’s literally people wandering around inside your head, turning stuff over, occasionally setting fire to things and wondering why you went with that shade for the walls. But, in the …
There’s pretty much no way to avoid the next couple of these to just be notebook porn, so let’s run with it. In no particular order, you’re seeing a couple of ‘OH GOD I MUST WRITE THIS DOWN NOW’ books, a storyboarding Moleskine I haven’t got a use for yet, a couple of blank …
As a foundation, these are the games and the lessons I learned from them: -Combat will absolutely kill you. Often in stupid ways. Avoid it where you can. -A game doesn’t, and shouldn’t, have to be entirely focused on combat-related characters. -A well constructed world will almost generate its own adventures. -Rule may help control …
April TTRPG Challenge Day 19: Game That’s Most Essential To Your Design?
Excellent question. The short answer is everything. Designers are writers. Which means we have too many ideas and-OH HEY WHAT’S THAT?! See? And that’s the point. Everything we watch, read, listen to, play, hell even EAT, is going to affect how we design in some way. And yes I do have an idea for a …
…polite? Actually, let’s talk about this through the medium of food. I’ve made this twice this week. it’s the Fairfax sandwich from Eggslut, the restaurant with the least subtle name and the most subtle food. It is a sandwich filled with caramelized onions, lightly scrambled eggs, sriracha mayonaise and love. This thing is extraordinary …
Yep:) And shortly other people too… Plug aside, I’d argue every designer who works in the field has design partners. If you fly solo then it’s the people who playtest, or play, your games. If you’re part of a company it’s the folks who build your covers, lay your books out, edit your work. This is …
For the most part I work in private and, honestly, that bothers me sometimes. I’m a prolific writer; I work as an analyst, columnist and review for tor.com, Barnes & Noble, MYMBuzz and SciFiBulletin with two or three others coming onstream. I own a Hugo Nominated(!!!) podcast and its three sister shows, one of whom …
April TTRPG Challenge Day 15: Do You Design In Public Or Private?
I’ve written for Doctor Who, Primeval and Star Trek. If you wanted to go purely off IP franchises? All I need is to write for Star Wars and my inner 12 year old will never stop jumping up and down on the bed. But honestly, it’s not just about that anymore. Work for hire is …
April TTRPG Challenge Day 14: What Are Yer Dreams and Plans?