

Design Doc
Hannah Shaffer and Evan Rowland
Come along with Hannah and Evan in a living documentation of the game design process, from the first spark of an idea, to every disastrous surprise. It’s not an instruction manual, but a travel guide, with lots of unexpected stops along the way.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 27, 2021 • 44min
Rekindling the Flame
How do you reignite the passion for an old project? Hannah and Evan talk about returning to Starship UltraLux and strain to apply a spaghetti metaphor.Check out our 2021 retrospective on Patreon! Happy New Year! :)Intro/outro music: Pat King

Dec 2, 2021 • 44min
A Cat in the Lap and Other Good Things
It's easy to overlook the little things that are going well when there's no big exciting game or runaway success to chase. Hannah and Evan talk about appreciating small victories, daily routines, and high gravity days.Some games: https://turtlebun.com/collections/all-productsSome nano games: https://turtlebun.com/collections/all-products/products/nano-game-bundleEpisode intro/outro music by Pat King

Nov 8, 2021 • 52min
Numbers Hide Everything
In this episode Hannah and Evan chat about their honest expectations and secret hopes for the latest Kickstarter campaign. What do the numbers mean and why is it so hard to talk about money?Intro/Outro theme: by Pat KingThe Questlandia Kickstarter campaign ends November 18th. Link here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/turtlebun/questlandia-updated-and-expanded

Oct 19, 2021 • 46min
The Episode Before the Kickstarter
We've had seven years to think of a good pitch for our game. Now, we're Kickstarting Questlandia again, and we're finally figuring out the pitch that feels right. In this episode we talk about the approaching Kickstarter for a new edition of Questlandia, and just how hard it is to find a genuine voice when speaking to an online void.The Questlandia updated and expanded edition Kickstarter launches October 20th. Sign up to be notified when the campaign goes live here.

Sep 24, 2021 • 45min
Resist the Urge to Fill Negative Space
We haven't had a deadlined project in a minute. But now it's time for a deadlined project again... How do we incorporate that work without letting un-deadlined projects slide? How does anyone not just fill the negative space?Intro/outro music: Pat KingJoin the Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/9umUykHVAQOur Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun

Aug 31, 2021 • 56min
The Work of Games Is Not Just Making Games
We just finished a year-long project, and have a little time to plan our next steps! The work of what happens in-between is just as important as the work of making a new game. We brainstorm about future projects, how to sell the books we've already made, and making a new company and new website.
Design Doc Intro/Outro theme: Pat King
Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz

May 27, 2021 • 42min
Shootin the shoot
Hannah and Evan shoot the shoot about games, being in the weird middle space of a project almost being done, and launching lucrative YouTube careers.

Apr 6, 2021 • 46min
How to Compare Roleplaying Games
Hannah and Evan talk about the quest to thrive in the shadows of the world's most popular RPGs. An episode about how to compare every roleplaying game to the big ones, for the good.https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun
Intro/Outro theme by Pat King
Addtl music: New Ages 1 by Little Dog Big Ears

Mar 16, 2021 • 1h 6min
Deluxe Edition
Hannah and Evan discuss the trials and tribulations of offering a "deluxe" version of a game on Kickstarter. How do you balance the quality, the complexity, and the pressure to compete with mass-produced games?Theme song by Pat KingEditing by Jeff Stormer of Party of One Podcast

Feb 2, 2021 • 46min
Everything Old Is New Again
We sold out of Questlandias, and have decided to revamp it for the next print run! We talk about returning to our first game with both appreciation for what it is, and an intention to improve it.Theme song by Pat KingEditing by Jeff Stormer of Party of One Podcast


