RPG Design Panelcast

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by Mel D'Amato Anyone who makes or sells consumer goods has been watching the news about shipping and logistics in horror. The cost of freight is up. There are no shipping containers to put goods into. Products are sitting on docks in Asia. Full ships can't get to port to unload on this side of the ocean. Our expert, Mel D'Amato from ShipBob, talks to us about what's going on, why everything is terrible, and what we can expect over the next several months.

Designers Jon Lemich, Chance Feldstein, and Alex White discuss the various mechanics and objectives of diceless RPGs, including replacing dice with cards or hidden information wagers, randomness in tabletop gaming, exploring different games, randomization, and journaling games, the evolution of Fate from Amber Diceless, transitioning to live-action role-playing, and personal transformation through game mechanics.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by Joan Moriarity, Darren Watts, Beth Rimmels. Which is better, a game that concludes when somebody wins, or a game that concludes when the story is deemed to be complete? It's a trick question, obviously; both styles have their benefits and drawbacks, but what are those exactly? Why do certain kinds of players tend to gravitate toward one or the other? What can devotees of one type gain from playing the other, and how can we make it more enjoyable to cross that divide?

Recorded at Metatopia 2021 Presented by Eric Whalen. Lawyers secretly know that you do not read the big chunks of standardized text in your contract that have nothing to do with your obligations and how much you are getting paid / paying (called "boilerplate" text). Worse - many lawyers forget to read the boilerplate in their own contracts! Whether you love or hate these reader-unfriendly text walls, join the panelist as he reminds us to intellectually grapple with the important provisions everyone has likely agreed to, but may never have read or fully understood until now. Chatters will be encouraged to link their own boilerplate samples so that panelists may demonstrate how to dissect organic boilerplate specimen live.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by Moe Poplar, Michael Low, J Gurantz. Now kids, stop fighting! RPGs are intensely emotionally engaging, deeply moving experiences - and they're fun! Much attention has been paid, recently, to their application in therapy, helping people navigate complex emotional change. This creates a question - how does the violence often built into the system - and setting - of an RPG affect players, and how can we create games where tension, drama, and struggle don't have to be wedded to destruction?

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by presented by Jack Rosetree, Olivia Montoya, Taylor LaBresh. Perfection is a toxic concept. The pressure to make our games elegant, innovative, replayable, marketable, pitchable, attractive, and trendy can be exhausting. Don't be afraid to make ugly, unmarketable, uncomfortable, or downright bad games. Making trash is liberating, exhilarating, and cathartic.   Full Slide Deck at https://tinyurl.com/htnw669s

Recorded at Metatopia 2021 Presented by Jason Pitre, Rae Nedjadi and Sean Nittner with regrets from Jay Dragon.   Countless brilliant analog game designers are creating innovative games around the world. Unfortunately, creatives from many countries face harsh barriers in terms of crowdfunding access, banking regulations, shipping challenges, or other factors. That is why international co-publishing agreements have come on the scene. In this panel, Filipino Designer/Publisher Jamila Nedjadi joins North American publishing partners to discuss the different business models that have worked for them.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by Jonathan Lavallee, Alastor Guzman, Moe Poplar. Do You Want to Build a Snowman? Printing and Publishing Where You Are.  In this panel we'll be looking at the current state of printing and publishing RPGs from Canada, the US, Europe, and Mexico. Where are there new opportunities for small publishers to produce physical books without breaking the bank?

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by Richard Ruane, Pam Punzalan, Brian Yaksha, Zedeck Siew.   In METATOPIA 2020's "Devil in the Details" panel, we explored microsettings; settings that focus closely on a specific area, region, or location. This year, we'll discuss how microsettings challenge traditional assumptions about game mechanics, focusing on character creation, magic, technology, and GM procedures. How can the concrete specificity of microsettings open up other design opportunities beyond just the setting details?

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by Thomas Manuel, Logan Timmins, Rae Nedjadi, Aaron Lim, momatoes. Asking and answering questions seems really simple but at the same time, it's a powerful tool in the game design process. Watch a group of storygame designers talk about the role of questions in their games and how they can help you get the best out of play at the table.