RPG Design Panelcast

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Kathleen Mercury and Julie Ahern. Any adult who's worked closely with kids as a teacher, caretaker, or mentor has a cache of stories about times they learned true humility at the hands of a child. This late night panel presents the argument that the youngest generation is our greatest asset. Join panelists as they break down (through real life, hilariously humiliating examples) how every aspect of games, from design to execution, is bettered for the presence and involvement of kids, and what we can do to make our spaces more welcoming to young people. 

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Cat Tobin, Becky Annison, Sharang Biswas. How to Design !More! !Drama! into your RPG! Some of the most satisfying role playing experiences come from the dramatic outcomes of emotional connections between player characters. We look at ways for tabletop and LARP writers to design for deeper character relationships and dynamics, to provide a structure for GMs to bring more of the good kind of drama to their RPGs

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Kyle Ott & Riley Parks. This panel will focus on tips targeted to those who are beginning their design careers. The presentation will include advice on how to approach a publisher and conduct publisher research. Our panelists will give new designers advice on how to get unstuck and resources to help them with their first designs.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Whitney Delaglio, Camdon Wright, Avraham Yosef Baez. People are told to tell their own stories when making games, but biracial folk are often forced into an unreasonable process of justifying their marginalization regardless of their life experiences. We'll also talk about the racist foundation of not allowing designers to speak about living in, growing up around, and often excluded from more than one community. Also about how our backgrounds influence the games and artwork we design.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Roberta Taylor, Paul Saxberg, Kimberley Lam, Shoshana Kessock. How do you keep a creative spark alive when everything is coming to pieces around you? This panel will discuss some practical ways to nurture your creative self when you feel like you can't possibly make anything.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Sarah Shipp, Kathleen Mercury, Eric Slauson. How do designers get their themes to reverberate across the hobby? By adding depth, shape, and clarity to their themes. Let's talk about how to avoid muddy themes and create games that sing.

Recorded at Metatopia 2020 Presented by Misha Bushyager, Elsa Sjunneson, Kristen Roberts Explicitly feminist world-building will consider all the ways that traditionally domestic tasks and arts enrich your setting and shape your characters. From textiles to food, child-rearing to death rituals, considering the ways these details fit together will make for deeper, richer game experiences. These principles apply across all game forms

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Chance Feldstein, Erika Skirpan, Jessica Comstock, Jon Cole. Generally, "transformative" games teach skills, facilitate personal insights or shadow work, or otherwise have a significant impact on your non-gaming life. What makes a LARP game transformative without sacrificing fun and other important elements?

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Jason Pitre, Fiona Geist, Darren Watts, Viditya Voleti. Indie game publishing is a strange craft and the design communities approach the process differently. In this panel, we will explore the similarities and divergences in publishing approaches from a Story Game, Sworddream, Trad and OSR perspectives. Let's share our knowledge and get weird.

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2020 Presented by Graham Walmsley, Christopher McGlothlin, Darren Watts, Lynne Hardy, Alex Helms. It's almost a truism that it's very hard to make RPG adventures, scenarios and modules that will sell unless you're talking about the very biggest games. Is that really true? Let's share some tricks and tips on this panel!