The Game Design Round Table

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#68: Transparency Feb 24, 2014

Show notes

Soren joins Jon and Dirk to discuss transparency: what a game does and does not reveal to players. The discussion ranges from unpredictability in deckbuilders like 'Dominion' and 'Ascension', to fog of war in 'Civilization', 'At the Gates' and 'War Stories', to the need to memorize past actions in games like 'El Grande'. They wrap up with a lengthy discussion about the transparency problems Dirk and Soren have with the baseball sim 'Out of the Park' and why Jon still loves it all the same.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comSoren Johnson - @SorenJohnson, www.Designer-Notes.com, www.MohawkGames.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:00:24 - What IS Transparency?0:13:50 - Deckbuilders0:18:02 - Fog of War0:26:12 - Dirk's Games0:31:15 - Replayability0:38:18 - Memory0:45:35 - The Designer's Preference0:50:04 - Out of the Park Baseball1:12:00 - Designing Our Baseball Sim

#67: Game Phases & Pivots Feb 17, 2014

Show notes

Rob joins Jon and Dirk to discuss phases (the early game, the late game, etc.) and 'pivot points', which are moments when focus shifts from one aspect of a game (such as economic engine building) to another (scoring points). Some of the titles brought up during the conversation include Chess, Monopoly, Dominion, Lords of Waterdeep and Zimbabwe, the game that got Rob thinking about this topic.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comRob Daviau - @RobDaviauGamer, Rob.Daviau@IronWallGames.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:00:22 - Pivot Points0:15:00 - Pacing Point of No Return0:21:20 - Chess0:27:14 - The Designer's Perspective0:34:35 - Game Phases0:42:00 - Pivots in Mechanics

#66: Diplomacy in At the Gates Feb 11, 2014

Show notes

Jon and Dirk cover many a topic in this episode, but the main discussion revolves around Jon's plans for diplomacy in 'At the Gates', how they've changed, and why. Also covered are game structure in Starbound, the business of games and a brief update on Dirk's projects.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:00:56 - Games we've played recently0:08:08 - Diplomacy in AtG0:31:30 - Asymmetry in diplomacy0:45:10 - Planning fatigue0:51:50 - Dirk's projects1:01:34 - Business stuff

#65: Real-Time. With Geoff Engelstein Feb 03, 2014

Show notes

Dirk and Jon are joined by Geoff Engelstein to talk about his work, design philosophies and podcast. How do you create a real-time tabletop game? What makes inspirations special? How important is theme compared with mechanics?---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comGeoff Engelstein - @GEngelstein, www.ludology.net, geoff@ludology.net---------------------------Episode Outline0:03:30 - Real-time tabletop games0:12:29 - Inspirations0:16:22 - Wargames0:24:52 - User experience0:29:59 - The road to tabletop0:33:22 - Designing with your kids0:43:58 - Future projects0:49:31 - Theme & learning1:01:46 - Kickstarter

#64: Conflict Jan 27, 2014

Show notes

Jon and Dirk are joined by Soren Johnson once again, this time to discuss conflict in games. Topics covered include: What is a conflict? Why is its representation in games nearly always violent? What other types of conflict are there, and how can designers best utilize them?---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comSoren Johnson - @SorenJohnson, www.Designer-Notes.com, www.MohawkGames.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:00:58 - What IS a 'conflict'?0:09:18 - Asymmetric conflicts0:32:18 - Duels VS Multiplayer0:41:05 - Lopsided conflicts0:46:35 - Why are most game conflicts violent?0:47:30 - Conflict in Soren's game 'Mars'1:01:02 - Eurogames1:05:49 - Politics

#63: Theme Jan 20, 2014

Show notes

Rob Daviau pays a visit for a discussion about theme. How much theme is enough? How much is TOO much? How do you actually translate theme into gameplay mechanics. And heck, what IS a 'theme', anyways?---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comRob Daviau - @RobDaviauGamer, Rob.Daviau@IronWallGames.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:00:58 - How much theme is enough?0:06:42 - Translating theme into gameplay0:18:40 - Steering the theme0:22:25 - Bad themes0:27:37 - Choosing your themes0:35:48 - Shared themes0:42:00 - Themes in games we've played0:55:22 - What IS a theme?

#62: Cheating Jan 13, 2014

Show notes

Why do people cheat? What can designers do about it? SHOULD they do anything about it in non-competitive single-player games?---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comDavid Heron - @DavidVHeron---------------------------Episode Outline0:02:00 - Competitive games0:10:50 - Cheating & technology0:18:25 - Non-competitive cheating0:32:01 - Reloading & defeat0:42:30 - Protecting players from themselves0:52:55 - Taking back moves1:04:52 - Allowed cheating

#61: Don't Starve. With Kevin Forbes Jan 09, 2014

Show notes

Jon and Dirk are joined by Kevin Forbes of Klei Entertainment to talk about Don't Starve. Topics covered include environmental cycles, crafting, and the unique challenges and perks of developing a systems-based game.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comKevin Forbes - @TheKRF---------------------------Episode Outline0:00:27 - Kevin's design background0:03:06 - What is Don't Starve?0:05:56 - Environmental cycles0:08:33 - Balancing & playtesting0:13:39 - Crafting0:28:55 - Death & resurrection0:31:35 - Sanity0:34:02 - Audience0:36:30 - Klei0:38:56 - Developing a procedural game0:53:43 - Advice for designers

#60: End-of-Year Spectacular 2013 Dec 30, 2013

Show notes

Jon and Dirk hand out awards for the mechanics and games they played in 2013 that stood out - for better and worse.---------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.com---------------------------Episode Outline0:02:19 - Best Light Game0:12:02 - Best Integration of Theme0:22:31 - Best Mechanic0:28:32 - Most Elegant0:37:41 - Most Innovative0:42:30 - Best Feature in a Disappointing Game0:51:15 - Most Fun1:01:05 - Most Disappointing1:11:10 - Game of the Year

#59: Race for the Galaxy. With Tom Lehmann Dec 23, 2013

Show notes

Board game designer Tom Lehmann joins Jon and Dirk to talk about Race for the Galaxy, co-designing on existing games, and his design methodology.--------------------------Contact InformationJon Shafer - @JonShaferDesign, www.JonShaferOnDesign.com, Jon.Shafer@ConiferGames.comDirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer, www.artana.com, Dirk@Knemeyer.comTom Lehmann - http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/150/thomas-lehmann--------------------------Episode Outline0:00:46 - Building on an existing design0:05:29 - Race for the Galaxy0:09:16 - Cards as resources0:17:20 - Economics & strategy0:26:26 - Victory points0:31:00 - Iconography & learning0:36:49 - Tom's design background0:39:22 - Tom's design approach

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