RPG Design Panelcast

  Recorded at BreakoutCon 2018 Presented by: Sen-Foong Lim, Rob Daviau, Allysha Tulk, Nicole Hoye Moderator: Daryl Andrews Have you ever wanted to be a boardgame designer? Join our wonderful panel of guests to discuss what it takes to get started down this path!

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2018 Presented by: Robin Laws, Daniel Kwan, Emily Care Boss, and Michelle Lyons-McFarland Moderator: Corey Reid Learn how the best GMs run the best games. No matter what system or play style you love, this panel will have tips and tricks to help you level up your game.

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2018 Presented by: Mark Richardson, Anna Kreider, Emily Griggs, Misha Bushyagar Moderator: Jonathan Lavallee The wondrous journey from beginning to end of working on your first game. It's a highlight reel of the big process parts and what to keep track of to make your first game as successful as possible.

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2018 Presented by Sarah Richardson, Michelle Lyons-McFarland, Jaym Gates Moderator: Brand Robbins Jaym Gates (BLUE ROSE 2nd Ed., TIANXIA: Blood, Silk, and Jade,), Michelle Lyons-McFarland (Chill, A Tragedy in Five Acts), and Sarah Richardson (Bluebeard’s Bride, Velvet Glove) as they discuss how diverse viewpoints bring new life to tired horror tropes. Topics may include feminine horror, setting the right tone, disrupting player assumptions, plus tips and tricks for running horror in trad, OSR, and story games. Make sure to bring questions of your own!

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Shoshana Kessock, Neall Price, Susanne Vejdemo, Joshua A. C. Newman. Art is and has always been political, and game design is no different. In this panel, we'll talk about developing games with political agendas not only wholly in mind, but front and center. We'll tackle discussions about the hard topics that come up in political games, whether or not you design for unity or for controversy, how to use game design to create the political message of your games, and how to design games with political messages in the current charged political world.

Dive into the intricate relationship between storytelling and gameplay! Discover how story differs from theme and how designers can create immersive narratives. Explore player agency through mechanics that build tension and pacing, enhancing emotional engagement. Unpack the impact of hidden traitors and bluffing mechanics that spark intense table talk. With expert insights, this discussion reveals how to craft memorable stories in board games, inviting designers to push the boundaries of creativity.

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Gil Hova, Jonathan Gilmour. From Jones Theory to "this game fired that game", hierarchical thinking - comparing one thing to another in a way that ranks one as better than the other - is very popular in the gaming world. How useful is it? Are there situations where it hurts us? We will talk about the pros and cons of hierarchical thinking, and dive into why it's so appealing to us game fans.

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Bill White, Brennan Taylor, Lisa Padol, Evan Torner, and more.  Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Forge (But Were Afraid To Ask). The Forge (www.indie-rpgs.com) was an online discussion site for indie TRPG design, publication, and play that was active from 2001 to 2012. Across tens of thousands of discussion threads, Forge participants hashed out new ways of understanding the dynamics of tabletop RPG play, and developed a new conceptual language for talking about game design, as part of a larger project of promulgating the "indie RPG" message that anyone can design and publish the game they want. This larger mission largely accomplished by 2010, according to its founders, the Forge closed its forums in 2012. But the ideas it offered still have value, and so five years after the closing of the Forge we look back and assess its insights, its accomplishments, and its imbroglios. Presented by Bill White, game designer and game studies scholar currently working on a book about the Forge, along with several regular posters from that era

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Tam Myaing, Heather Wilson. Games by their nature are learning tools. When we play games, we are, at a minimum, learning the mechanics and the boundaries of the game space. Can we use this 'learning mechanic' to design better games, and better players? The panel will explore the mechanics of learning in games and their potential to reach beyond the game space. 

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Darren Watts, Christopher O'Neill, Roberta Taylor. You've got a board game, card game, RPG or LARP in your head, but something's stopping you from settling down and doing the work to get it done and out there in the world. What is it? Let's get into your head and smack down the voices telling you it can't be done.