Design Links
About | National Game Design Month Oct 2012
If you have time this November and don't want to crank out a novel, crank out a game instead. NaGaDeMon is on.
Suggest a tag Tags: Community, Design, Inspiration
If you have time this November and don't want to crank out a novel, crank out a game instead. NaGaDeMon is on.
Suggest a tag Tags: Community, Design, Inspiration
Talkin' About Edits and Expectations (Machine Age Productions) Oct 2012
How to set expectations and work smoothly with your editor.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Publishing
How to set expectations and work smoothly with your editor.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Publishing
Armor by Class (Untimately) Oct 2012
Here's a simple system that makes class skill just as important as equipment when wearing armor in OSR games. Thieves can wear Plate, but Fighters will get much more of a benefit from it.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, OSR, Player Character, Tools
Here's a simple system that makes class skill just as important as equipment when wearing armor in OSR games. Thieves can wear Plate, but Fighters will get much more of a benefit from it.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, OSR, Player Character, Tools
Rebuilding Zanzer Tem’s Dungeon… (Daily Encounter) Oct 2012
Follow Adam's journey to build Zanzer Tem's dungeon in 3D plater terrain from the map contained in the Easy To Master D&D Boxed Set featuring Dungeon Cards.
Suggest a tag Tags: Adventure, Design, Maps, Minis
Follow Adam's journey to build Zanzer Tem's dungeon in 3D plater terrain from the map contained in the Easy To Master D&D Boxed Set featuring Dungeon Cards.
Suggest a tag Tags: Adventure, Design, Maps, Minis
Raising the Bar (Room 209 Gaming) Oct 2012
A look at the assumptions around having the party meet in a tavern and how those assumptions limit player choice before the game even begins. Collaborative character creation, such as the system in Infinite Earths, does wonders to avoid this cliche.
Suggest a tag Tags: Campaign/Story Arc, Design, GM Advice
A look at the assumptions around having the party meet in a tavern and how those assumptions limit player choice before the game even begins. Collaborative character creation, such as the system in Infinite Earths, does wonders to avoid this cliche.
Suggest a tag Tags: Campaign/Story Arc, Design, GM Advice
Design Diary: Brian Liberge on the 4th Edition Midgard Bestiary (Kobold Quarterly) Oct 2012
Hear from the designer about working on the 4e Midgard Bestiary. Steer clear of putrid haunts.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Monster, D&D 4E
Hear from the designer about working on the 4e Midgard Bestiary. Steer clear of putrid haunts.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Monster, D&D 4E
Game Crafting: Project Initiation (Loremaster) Sep 2012
A look at process management for game projects and a few things to think about as you start your project.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Publishing
A look at process management for game projects and a few things to think about as you start your project.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Publishing
Making the Game Out of the Game (Everything Will Be All Right) Sep 2012
Thinking of rulebooks as literature instead of rulebooks as technical manuals opens up worlds of interpretation.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Inspiration
Thinking of rulebooks as literature instead of rulebooks as technical manuals opens up worlds of interpretation.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Inspiration
What’s in Development? (Schweig's Game Design Journal) Sep 2012
A preview of upcoming game projects from Peter Schweighofer on the creation of his new blog.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Publishing
A preview of upcoming game projects from Peter Schweighofer on the creation of his new blog.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Publishing
Difficulty Mode (Untimately) Sep 2012
Exploring a system for different lethality levels within a single set of rules. Having a lethality dial you can adjust is an interesting idea, allowing for more flexible rules.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, OSR
Exploring a system for different lethality levels within a single set of rules. Having a lethality dial you can adjust is an interesting idea, allowing for more flexible rules.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, OSR
The Technocratic Union v2.0 (Ryan Macklin) Aug 2012
Ryan has been named as the Mage: the Ascension Technocracy Convention developer, and he shared some details about what that means.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, nWoD
Ryan has been named as the Mage: the Ascension Technocracy Convention developer, and he shared some details about what that means.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, nWoD
The Fragile Foundation of Skills (Some Space to Think) Aug 2012
Rob explores our assumptions with skills and alternate ways to simulate Mad Skillz without fighting the system and failing far too often.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, System
Rob explores our assumptions with skills and alternate ways to simulate Mad Skillz without fighting the system and failing far too often.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, System
RPG Designer’s Reference Library (Wild Musings) Aug 2012
A tour of one designer's reference library across several subject categories. Great stuff in here in inform RPGs of all genres.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Inspiration
A tour of one designer's reference library across several subject categories. Great stuff in here in inform RPGs of all genres.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Inspiration
What Is A Game Designer? at Dinofarm Games Aug 2012
Written for computer games, the ideas are applicable to tabletop game designers as well. A designer isn't just someone with an idea that coerces others to develop products.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design
Written for computer games, the ideas are applicable to tabletop game designers as well. A designer isn't just someone with an idea that coerces others to develop products.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design
MEOW: a way of looking at conflict resolution (Deeper in the Game) Aug 2012
A way to think about conflict in RPG rules, using a four-axis model. Useful for determining if the creative decisionmaking work you and your players want to do fits with the rules.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design
A way to think about conflict in RPG rules, using a four-axis model. Useful for determining if the creative decisionmaking work you and your players want to do fits with the rules.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design
FATE SF: Interview With Sarah Newton, Part I (FATE SF) Aug 2012
A great discussion of old school systems and new rulesets with the designer of Mindjammer.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Interview, System
A great discussion of old school systems and new rulesets with the designer of Mindjammer.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, Interview, System
Experimenting with 4E (Robert J. Schwalb) Aug 2012
This article picks apart the bonus progression in 4e and sees how changing the progresion would change the game.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, D&D 4E
This article picks apart the bonus progression in 4e and sees how changing the progresion would change the game.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, D&D 4E
THAC2, OD&D AC, and Combat Ranks (Untimately) Aug 2012
Sometimes the simple approach makes sense, like sticking with only 3 armor types from OD&D.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, OSR, D&D
Sometimes the simple approach makes sense, like sticking with only 3 armor types from OD&D.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, OSR, D&D
Taking a Bullet in Arkbound (SoogaGames) Aug 2012
Balancing the power of firearms against the survivability of a player character when designing a combat system.
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Balancing the power of firearms against the survivability of a player character when designing a combat system.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design
The Five-Minute Workday (Syntax Error) Aug 2012
A look at potential design changes to avoid the five minute workday phenomenon in D&D Next.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, D&D Next
A look at potential design changes to avoid the five minute workday phenomenon in D&D Next.
Suggest a tag Tags: Design, D&D Next