Design Doc

Story endings are hard! The epilogue of a game not only has to logically wrap up the story and tie up any loose ends—it’s also the moment to reflect on how your character has grown over many sessions, and a moment for you as the player to feel like the time spent playing was worthwhile. In this episode, we talk about what makes roleplaying game epilogues special, and how we're approaching epilogue design in Escape from Wonderland. Episode Mentions: Return to Oz (1985 film) Fortunately (1964 illustrated book, Remy Charlip) Something Wicked this Way Comes (1962 novel, Ray Bradbury) Tuiti and R2D2 at Dakin Animal Shelter Links: Join the Turtlebun Discord:⁠ https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz⁠ Support our work on Patreon:⁠ https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun⁠  Buy our games:⁠ https://turtlebun.com/⁠  Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost:⁠ https://www.ipaghost.com/⁠ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado:⁠ https://robabrazado.com/⁠ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: instagram.com/turtleandbun Bluesky:⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com

This week, we talk about the unpredictable mechanical swings that can happen between different versions of a game. Small tweaks to mechanics can trigger a cascade of unintended effects, causing the game design pendulum to swing from too many choices to too few and back again. We talk through examples of how we've managed these swings in Escape from Wonderland, and discuss our ongoing efforts to find the right balance. Links: Join the Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz Support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun  Buy our games: https://turtlebun.com/  Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: instagram.com/turtleandbun Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com

We’re introducing a new dynamic to our latest roleplaying game! You all came to this amusement park as friends, but one of you started serving the park’s demonic forces. And things are about to get mean.How can characters become enemies while players remain friends? When the rules ask you to clash with you peers, care and consideration needs to be given to keeping the antagonism fun.Links:Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbzSupport Design Doc monthly on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun Where to buy our games: https://turtlebun.com/ Credits:Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/Get in touch:Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) comInstagram: instagram.com/turtleandbunBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com

Hannah had to get a full time office job. Since then, finding the time and energy for creative work has been an uphill battle. In this episode, Hannah sits down with close friend and fellow game designer Joshua A.C. Newman to talk about life, art, and staying true to your values in trying times.Support Joshua’s work!https://www.patreon.com/joshuahttps://www.patreon.com/PunkPedagogyLinks:Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbzPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun Website: https://turtlebun.com/ Credits:Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/Get in touch:Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) comInstagram: instagram.com/turtleandbunBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com

Hannah and Evan discuss Wonderland's first four-player playtest. When a playtest goes wrong, it can be tricky to diagnose the cause. How much is due to the rules, and what's connected to the more subtle influence of mood and flow?Links:Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbzPatreon: patreon.com/turtlebunWebsite: turtlebun.comCredits:Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/Get in touch:Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) comInstagram: instagram.com/turtleandbunBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com

Slow and steady wins the race... but does it work in a one-session RPG? From what we've seen in Escape from Wonderland, not quite. In this episode, we discuss pacing in roleplaying games: from the moment players arrive at the table to leaving everyone feeling satisfied with the story's twists and turns. We dig into the challenge of building uncanny horror—where a slow burn creates the best dread—and whether it's possible to communicate that in a single sitting.Mentioned in this episode:Visioneers (2008 film)Links/Credits:Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebunWebsite: turtlebun.comDesign Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/Get in touch:Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) comTurtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbzInstagram: instagram.com/turtleandbunBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com

Sometimes a secret is worth more than gold. But how do you make concrete rules for something intangible? Hannah and Evan talk about the secrets of Wonderland and what to do when the rules are out of step with the story.Links/Credits:Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebunWebsite: turtlebun.comDesign Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/designdocGet in touch:Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) comTurtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbzInstagram: instagram.com/turtleandbunWe're now on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com

Even when things are going wrong for your characters, you as a player might feel rewarded by narrative twists and turns. In this episode, Hannah and Evan discuss the ways that games can reward both players and characters, and do some live game design about claw machine prizes...Links/Credits:Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebunWebsite: turtlebun.comDesign Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/designdocGet in touch:Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) comTurtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbzinstagram.com/turtleandbun

When people decide what art is worth looking at, they look for the very best. In a world that demands creative endeavors be perfect, how do we find the confidence to make and share our own art?Episode mentions:Olga Smirnova / Dutch National Ballet:https://www.operaballet.nl/en/dancers/olga-smirnovaToki Pona:https://tokipona.org/A Mathematician's Lament by Paul Lockhart (essay):https://worrydream.com/refs/Lockhart_2002_-_A_Mathematician's_Lament.pdf The Jewish Wedding by Jovan Obican (lithograph):https://rogallery.com/artists/jovan-obican/jewish-wedding-2/Links/Credits:Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebunWebsite: turtlebun.comDesign Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/designdocGet in touch:Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) comTurtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbzinstagram.com/turtleandbun

Is playtesting more of a science, or more art? How prepared should you be for a playtest if you're testing rules that might change on the fly, never to be seen again? In this episode we talk about playtesting our newest game, Escape from Wonderland, and how that went!Links/Credits:Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebunWebsite: turtlebun.comDesign Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/designdocGet in touch:Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) comTurtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbzinstagram.com/turtleandbun