The Game Design Round Table

Jon and Dirk are paid a return visit by first-ever TGDRT guest Rob Daviau to talk about 'SeaFall', his new exploration legacy tabletop game, Rob's company 'IronWall Games', and his hopes for further innovation in the genre he helped create.--------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comRob Daviau - @RobDaviauGamer, Rob.Daviau@IronWallGames.com--------------------------Episode Outline0:01:00 - Balancing Risk: Legacy0:06:06 - SeaFall0:11:44 - Core mechanics0:15:30 - Victory & legacy0:27:24 - Balancing legacy VS individual playthroughs0:35:19 - Exploration0:40:36 - How do you design a legacy game?0:52:55 - Inspirations behind SeaFall1:03:50 - Rob's company: IronWall Games

Jon, Dirk and David share design concepts they find interesting and hope to incorporate into future (or simply hypothetical) projects. The group also digs into why developers are sometimes reluctant to share and discuss design ideas.--------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comDavid Heron - @DavidVHeron--------------------------Episode Outline0:00:57 - Tabletop game physicality0:10:18 - Pitching game design ideas0:14:20 - Legacy and variable tabletop games0:17:20 - Riffing off of other ideas0:24:17 - Licensed games0:29:15 - Living worlds0:34:25 - Making magic interesting0:39:50 - Procedural content0:45:16 - Design pipe dreams0:53:30 - Secrecy in game design

Jon and Dirk meet up to play several tabletop games and discuss what works and what doesn't. Included in the discussion are Ploy, Race for the Galaxy, and Hansa Teutonica.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:00:30 - Ploy0:18:58 - Race for the Galaxy0:36:04 - Hansa Teutonica

Jon and Dirk are paid a visit by regular guest Soren Johnson, who stops by to talk about his brand-new studio 'Mohawk Games' and their first project, 'Mars', an economic RTS built out of the legacy of Dani Bunten's venerable M.U.L.E. They discuss the challenges of and goals behind Soren setting up his own shop, and what he hopes the unique game will achieve. Soren also reveals the first game to ever make him cry. And trust us, it's fitting.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comSoren Johnson - @SorenJohnson, www.Designer-Notes.com, www.MohawkGames.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:01:00 - The story behind Mohawk0:08:12 - 'Core' strategy games0:14:50 - Kickstarter & Steam Early Access0:35:44 - Mohawk's first game: 'Mars'0:48:40 - The ups and downs of economic competition0:54:22 - Real-time VS turn-based1:02:48 - M.U.L.E.1:14:50 - The tech behind strategy games1:22:20 - Past lessons applied1:27:05 - The first game to make Soren cry

Jon and Dirk are joined by David for the special 1-year anniversary show. They point the magnifying glass back at themselves in this episode and share their design processes, challenges they've overcome, the tools they use and how to build a good team. They wrap things up by talking about ways the show has given back and made them better game designers and developers.Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comDavid Heron - @DavidVHeronEpisode Outline0:03:57 - Serial VS parallel design0:13:15 - Life as a designer/producer0:17:20 - Dirk's crazy schedule0:23:40 - Google Docs & Software0:38:10 - Playtesting0:45:10 - Building a good team0:56:24 - How has the podcast changed our hosts?

Jon and Dirk are joined by Brian Reynolds, designer of 'Civilization 2', 'Alpha Centauri', 'Rise of Nations' and more. They discuss Brian's career as a designer, his approach and what makes 'Alpha Centauri' stand up so many years later.

Jon and Dirk are joined by Jamey Stegmaier, co-founder of Stonemaier Games and designer of 'Viticulture' and 'Euphoria'. They discuss Stonemaier's first two titles, giving back to the development community and have a lengthy conversation on the state and future of Kickstarter.

Jon, Dirk and David delve into the most effective ways of teaching both tabletop and digital games. What role do out-of-game video tutorials have to play? Can quick, throw-away demo games work? When is it okay NOT to teach features? And what is the perfect (possibly unattainable) approach for digital games?

Jon and Dirk are joined by Julian Gollop, designer of X-COM: UFO Defense (aka UFO: Enemy Unknown) and a game development veteran with 30 years of experience. They discuss Julian's distinguished career, how the design discipline is special and what made X-COM stand above so many games over the decades.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comJulian Gollop - @Julian_Gollop, www.GollopGames.com, ---------------------------Episode Outline0:00:50 - Julian's early career0:09:50 - The history of X-COM0:23:00 - Life after X-COM0:34:16 - Julian's evolution as a designer0:42:20 - What makes a designer?0:48:38 - Choosing a development platform0:53:06 - What makes X-COM special?1:01:30 - Julian's 'favorite child'

Our hosts discuss Dirk's recent experience playtesting 'At the Gates', dive deep into what makes 'Agricola' great, and lament the loneliness of the skill curve in 'Go'. They also touch upon the simple-but-effective worldbuilding in 'The Last of Us', and the enjoyable gameplay but still-questionable monetization of 'World of Tanks'.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:01:01 - Agricola0:23:12 - Go0:36:12 - The Last of Us0:44:11 - World of Tanks0:52:16 - AtG Development Update0:55:44 - Dirk Development Update1:04:00 - AtG Playtest Report