RPG Design Panelcast

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by A.C., Jay Dragon, and Viditya Voleti. Being a GM is hard; like, really hard. Having nobody willing to fill that role has been the downfall of many a game group. But there is an alternative! GM-less roleplaying games are getting more and more popular, and this panel is here to discuss why.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Maria Mison, Casey Johnson, Jay Dragon. What are Lyric Games exactly? And why are they deemed an important body of work, both in a personal and game scene level? What makes a game 'Lyric'? Additionally, our panelists share tips on how to go about the process of creating and sharing such games - fever dreams, love letters, rituals and treatise calling to be born. The panel will also have a segment for questions. 

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Daryl Andrews, Jessie Edwards, Omari Akil, Bruce Harlick.  Join us for a roundtable conversation about how to get the best data from your time at the playtesting table. We'll discuss our experiences running playtests, and talk about common mistakes and how to avoid them

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Alex Cutler, Matt Forbeck, Kenneth Hite. You made a game! Congratulations! Now explain your incredible game in one sentence. That isn’t as easy as it sounds. You want people to buy into your game as players, as investors, or as retailers. You will only have one chance to make that first impression. It needs to have impact. If you want to see your game successful on a crowdfunding site, or sold by your local game store, then you need to know what kind of pitch types and styles to maximize both what you say and target the right audience.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Gerrit Reininghaus, Tara Clapper, Acata Felton, and Kate Hill. Live Action Online Games (LAOG)s, also known as online LARPs, have reached unthinkable dimensions of attention due to the pandemic. This is a design framework with a completely new set of possibilities and requirements. We are not only talking about technology as a design surface but also questions around accessibility, safety and environmental awareness. Where do LAOGs come from? What were the driving forces? What has happened in 2020? How to become a LAOG designer? Where to find all the games and the community?

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Tara Clapper, Olivia Montoya, Joie Martin. Running a digital LARP (or LAOG - live action online game) can be a simple impromptu effort or a multi-session experience requiring significant organization. Let's talk about how to run a digital live action experience while keeping in mind safety and participants' needs.

Presented at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Tam Myaing, David Gordon, Chris Backe, Kevin Dunkelberger. When the COVID lockdowns began, the NYC Playtest Group was one of the first to move to online playtesting. Since then we have run over 50 sessions since mid April, and have also helped other gaming conventions with running games virtually. In this panel we will discuss with moderators from other groups around the world, on the the lessons we've learned in the trenches in running a successful virtual playtest group. 

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Chris O'Neill, Stephanie Bryant, Warren Morrison, Walt Ciechanowski. Roll20 provides players and GMs with a popular virtual tabletop for games. How can you best take advantage of it as a player, a designer or a publisher? Our experts and power-users will bring you up to speed on the service.

Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Online Presented by Dan DiLorenzo, Frank DiLorenzo, Kira Peavley, Curt Covert, Shari Spiro, Ben Harkins. You have a great board/card game and you're ready to start shopping for a Publisher. What are they looking for these days? Our panelists will explain what excites them, and talk about how they look for key elements that they can extend into sellable games.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by Bryan Dalrymple, Patrick Day. Any board or card game being published in 2021 needs to take into account the likelihood that in-person demos and shopping will be limited. Our panelists will talk about what the design implications of this are, and how you can adjust to make your board or card game more viable as a physical commercial product.