Master Plan

Master Plan #53: Monica Valentinelli, FlamesRising.com, Dos & Don'ts of Horror Design

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:22:00 GMT

This month being the month of all things horror, Ryan gets together with Monica Valentielli of Flames Rising to talk about some basic things to consider when designing a horror game. The folks at Flames Rising really know their horror, so it's no surprise that Monica's full of great insight about mood, theme, player involvement, and pacing. Towards the end of the conversation, they discuss a little bit of the differences between more traditional horror game set-ups and some of the newer, indie/character-focused ones.

After the interview, Ryan reminds you he exists by continuing to talk, this time about the recent The Thing's The Game episode and Jess Hartley's new book, Conventions for the Aspiring Game Professional.

Monica Valentinelli & Flames Rising:

FlamesRising.com
Monica's site
Exquisite Replicas by Abstract Nova Entertainment
Worlds of the Dead by Eden Studios
Obsidian: the Age of Judgment by Apophis Consortium

Other Mentions:

One of the Living by Eden Studios
Little Fears Nightmare Edition by Jason Blair
Don't Rest Your Head by Evil Hat Productions
Don't Lose Your Mind by Evil Hat Productions (yay, Silver ENnie for Best Writing!)
Orpheus by White Wolf
Vampire: The Requiem by White Wolf
Conventions for the Aspiring Game Professional by Jess Hartley
The Game's The Thing, Episode 063: Hijacked at RinCon 2009
RinCon 2009 (and my post & video on it)
This Just In...From GenCon!
The Dresden Files RPG website

Running time: 32:18 / File size: 22.1M

Discuss this episode on the forums

Master Plan #52: Reincorporation

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:25:00 GMT

Ryan talks about reincorporation from a design perspective. And he's going to write proper show notes later, when he's not packing for GenCon.

Master Plan #51: Pacing Mechanics part 2, Campaign Level

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:42:00 GMT

Continuing the series on pacing mechanics, Ryan talks about campaign-level pacing systems. He revisits D&D, as having a loose sense of pacing based on the setting material linked to various character levels. Afterward, he talks at length about Polaris, as a prime example of an individual character-focused pacing mechanic -- with what it means to achieve and how it achieves it. Then he brings up a setting book for Polaris, Thou Art But A Warrior, that introduces a group-focused (or world-focused) pacing alongside the character-focused one. Finally, he talks about Burning Empires as a competitive, GM vs. PCs system. He closes out by bringing up some pitfalls to watch out for in any pacing mechanic you do.

He also shamelessly asks you for you consideration in voting for The Voice of the Revolution at the ENnie Awards.

Games Mentioned:

Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition
Polaris by These Are Our Games
Thou Art But a Warrior by Tasty Bacon Games
Burning Empires by Luke Crane

Other Mentions:

This episode is sponsored by RPGNow.com.

Running time: 31:59 / File size: 21.9M

Discuss this episode on the forums

Master Plan #50: Paul Tevis on Text Presentation, A Penny For My Thoughts

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 1 Jul 2009 02:28:00 GMT

On this fiftieth episode of Master Plan, Ryan talks with Paul Tevis about text production and his new book, A Penny For My Thoughts. Given that Ryan worked with Paul on the game by developing and editing it, itâs not a standard interview -- they talk about it as insiders sharing a bit about creating the project with fans, especially over some of the pitfalls and issues they ran into together. After the interview, a few people wish Ryan well on achieving his fiftieth episode, and he shares his thoughts on the future of the show.

A Penny For My Thoughts:

A Penny For My Thoughts by Paul Tevis
Evil Hat Productions
Paul's Gameslinger Enterprises and his blog
Post on my blog, sharing my experiences working with Paul on Penny
Paul's recent interview on Canon Puncture

This episode is sponsored by RPGNow.com.

Running time: 32:04 / File size: 22.0M

Discuss this episode on the forums

Master Plan #49: Pacing Mechanics part 1, Refresh Scale

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:42:00 GMT

Ryan sits down for another episode, this one kicking off a series about pacing mechanics. To start off, he talked about there being some broad, different types of pacing mechanics, and focuses on one in particular: the "refresh scale" mechanics -- those that happen then resources are expended in order to regain them. This idea traces back to old school D&D, but people have done interesting things with it since -- including the recent edition of D&D and Dirty Secrets. To end, he talks a touch about a pitfall with designing these mechanics that he ran into when working on Mythender and urges others to consider avoiding.

Games Mentioned:

A Penny For My Thoughts by Paul Tevis
Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition
Dirty Secrets by Seth Ben-Ezra
The Shadow of Yesterday by Clinton Nixon
The Solar System by Arkenstone Publishing

Other Mentions:

Who are those Narrative Control guys?

This episode is sponsored by RPGNow.com.

Running time: 25:45 / File size: 17.7M

Discuss this episode on the forums

Master Plan #48: Chad Underkoffler on Setting Design, Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 5 Jun 2009 01:23:00 GMT

On this episode, Ryan sits down with Chad Underkoffler about designing setting (and, in some respects, writing in general) with his latest release, Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies. They touch on how the setting for this setting-rich book was conceived, fleshed out, and trimmed down to aim the right information at the play group. Afterward, Ryan tells you to check out Paul Tevis' A Penny For My Thoughts, because he's frankly damned proud of the work and thinks it makes for a great case study for one school of thought in design.

Chad Underkoffler:

Other Mentions:

A Penny For My Thoughts by Paul Tevis
Open Design Podcast

This episode is sponsored by RPGNow.com.

Running time: 29:59 / File size: 20.6M

Discuss this episode on the forums

Master Plan #47: Tangibility in Mechanics

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:09:00 GMT

After an unintended hiatus, Ryan's back with an episode about something near and dear to his heart -- thinking about the tangible qualities that mechanics have. He talks about how people should be looking at what their mechanics are causing players to do with their hands, because it's in that space where some people are better able to connect with the game. After giving an overview of the idea, he discusses four games and how they use this idea in their mechanical design.

Games Mentioned:

Call of Cthulhu by Chaosium
Polaris by These Are Our Games
Don't Rest Your Head by Evil Hat Productions
Dirty Secrets by Dark Omen Games

This episode is sponsored by RPGNow.com.

Running time: 26:40 / File size: 18.4M

Discuss this episode on the forums

Master Plan #46: Designing Epic-Scale Games with Josh Roby Part 2, and Power of Names

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:15:00 GMT

On this episode, we continue the discussion with Josh Roby about making epic-scale games, with the third of three points: respect, from the point of view of a game respecting its own epic conceit and NPCs respecting epic-scale PCs. Josh also gives an interesting answer to Ryan asking about how his previous master plan is coming along. Afterward, Ryan talks about "the power of names" -- exploring an idea that the names we give terms in our games have a dramatic impact to how well they're understood, illustrated by two counter-examples he's recently come across in other games and one in Mythender.

Josh Roby:

Other mentions:

Mythender
Dogs in the Vineyard
The Shreyas mentioned in the interview is Shreyas Sampat, designer of Mist-Robed Gate
Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition
Dirty Secrets by Dark Omen Games
Actual Play thread by Jesse Burenko for Dirty Secrets

This episode is sponsored by RPGNow.com.

Running time: 21:44 / File size: 15.0M

Discuss this episode on the forums

Master Plan #45: Designing Epic-Scale Games with Josh Roby, Part 1

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:30:00 GMT

This week, Ryan talks with Josh Roby about designing games that support & address epic-scale play -- that is, games that have a grand, dramatic scope as a main part of their premise. The interview ran long, as they covered three points they felt were core by contrasting Josh's new game in playtest, Agora: how shall we live?, with Ryanâs current project, Mythender. In this half, they talk about the scope & pacing of the game, and how their two very different games support their own sense of "epic" with those tools. Afterward, Ryan talks about Daniel Solis's cover creation videos and War Pig Radio. Josh Roby:

Other mentions:

Mythender
Daniel Solis on A Cover is a Promise (Part 1, 1A, 2)
Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple
Liz Hooper
War Pig Radio
Atomic Array
RPG Countdown

This episode is sponsored by RPGNow.com. Running time: 23:44 / File size: 16.4M Discuss this episode on the forums

Master Plan #44: Ryan's Rules of Playtesting

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Sun, 1 Mar 2009 04:49:00 GMT

Still in the post-Dreamation afterglow, Ryan responds to a question asked by friend of the show Remi Treuer, where he asks to hear more about Ryan's playtest process in light of seeing it in action at Dreamation. What he comes up with is something he calls his "Rules of Playtesting" -- things he calls "Rules" because he has to constantly, consciously remember to apply them rather than things that come easy.

The five rules he mentions: The Rule of Consideration, The Rule of Conceit, The Rule of Frontloading, The Rule of the Drawing Board, and The Rule of Keeping My Mouth Shut.

Afterward, Ryan gives you some Sponsor Quote action, with an anectode that will at most amuse five people. Good times.

Remi Treuer:

Durham 3 Podcast
Post about One Bad Egg's The Purifiers, for which Remi did some awesome art
Remi's thoughts about the Mythender playtest he particiapted in

This episode is sponsored by RPGNow.com.

Running time: 24:21 / File size: 16.8M

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://masterplanpodcast.net/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=47

Master Plan #43: Interview with Crafty Games, Part 2

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:55:00 GMT

Right before heading off on a bi-coastal convention adventure, Ryan serves up the second half of the interview with Crafty Games. In this half, they talk about collaborating as a team and their main hurdles in revisiting their system & making Fantasy Craft & Mastercraft -- along with, naturally, their own personal master plans. Afterward, Ryan tells you that he'll be at OrcCon and Dreamation this month, and gives a shameless plea to donate to the show.

Crafty Games:

Running time: 21:29 / File size: 14.8M

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://masterplanpodcast.net/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=46

Master Plan #42: Interview with Crafty Games, Part 1

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:48:00 GMT

Ryan starts 2009 off with the first of a two-part interview with Alex Flagg, Scott Gearin & Patrick Kapera from Crafty Games. They talk about their upcoming product, Fantasy Craft, and how they retooled their award-nominated Spycraft system both for streamlining the rules (for their new Mastercraft base system) and for working with a different genre. After the first part concludes, Ryan talks about a game & a content that has hit his radar, and figures it's worth other people knowing about.

Crafty Games:

Other mentions:

Sexy Deadly
Game Design Company Game Design Challenge (Story-Games.com)

This episode of Master Plan is sponsored by RPGNow.com

Running time: 25:19 / File size: 17.4M

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=45

Master Plan #41: Further Thoughts on Advancement

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:18:00 GMT

To truly close out 2008, Ryan records one last show on Christmas Day. Inspired by a post from Rob Bohl (of the Independent Insurgency podcast), Ryan talks about more thoughts on advancement: as a way to flesh out a character post-creation, as a world-changing element rather than a character-changing one, as a ritual for marking points in time, and as a way to keep the game feeling fresh from a tactile perspective. They're short thoughts on this solo episode, but ones worth noting. Afterwards, he talks about some podcasts he's been on recently, the fact that he's now a part of the Dresden Files RPG team, and the game design book he's working on. Finally, you're treated to a unique sponsor quote. Happy holidays, Masterminds.

Links:

Running time: 21:04 / File size: 14.5M

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=44

Direct download: masterplan_41.mp3

Master Plan #40: Luke Crane on Advancement, Failure & Reward Cycles

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:07:00 GMT

On this year-end episode of Master Plan, Ryan publishes an interview he did with Luke Crane back at GenCon. They talk (or as much as one can talk when it's 8am & ones voice is completely shot) about thoughts on building advancements systems in games. Luke shares his thoughts on the subject with his building of Burning Wheel, and they drift to related topics like Failure & Reward Cycles. Luke, frankly, has a lot of interesting stuff to say, provided you don't mind the profanity & poor audio quality.

Also, it's the second anniversary of Master Plan. It's been two good years. Here's to a third.

Luke Crane:

Running time: 27:25 / File size: 18.9M

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=43

Master Plan #39: Interview with Seth Ben-Ezra part 2, on A Flower For Mara

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 15:13:00 GMT

On this episode, Ryan & Seth finish up their interview on A Flower for Mara and designing an "American Jeepform" game. Due to necessity, Ryan's forced to be brief & only quickly mentions the Endgame 7th Anniversary party he'll be at and quickly congratulates Shaun & Kristin from This Modern Death.

Seth Ben-Ezra:

Other Games::

In a Wicked Age... by Lumpley Games

Other Mentions::

Running time: 18:05 / File size: 12.5M

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=42

Master Plan #38: Interview with Seth Ben-Ezra part 1, on A Flower For Mara

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:47:00 GMT

Ryan talks with Seth Ben-Ezra on his latest game, A Flower For Mara. It's one of a new trend in the independent RPG scene, of taking ideas from the Nordic tradition of Jeepform and merging that with a Forge style. It's the first of a two-part interview, this half focusing on what Jeepform is and how this game came to be. Afterward, Jonathan Walton tells us a little bit about Bleeding Play, and Ryan talks a bit about submitting ideas for future episodes, October's Sponsor Quote, and an article on Kobold Quarterly.

Seth Ben-Ezra:

Other Jeepform:

Jeepform
Doubt
The Upgrade!
Under My Skin by Emily Care-Boss
Knutepunkt (Nodal Point) LARP conference (wikipedia)

Other Mentions:

Bleeding Play
Theory from the Closet
Game design podcasts on RPGPodcasts.com
Canon Puncture
"Passionate about Gaming? Listen to Podcasts" on Kobold Quarterly

Running time: 24:25 / File size: 16.8M

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=41

Master Plan #37: Have Master, Will Plan 2 with Ken Hite

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:15:00 GMT

On a very late, very tired Sunday evening of GenCon, Paul Tevis & Ryan Macklin sit down with the ever-present Ken Hite to talk about the hobby, culture, GenCon, and all that good stuff.

[02:24] The banter has just begun
[04:29] Ken gives a brief on the vibe coming into & at GenCon 2008
[07:30] Talking about the Forge Diaspora, retailer numbers & casual gamer acceptance
[09:40] Throwing yourself into GenCon
[12:09] Ken's pinnacle moments, the ENnies & Where the Deep One's Are
[13:40] Ryan's pinnacle moments, playtesting
[15:45] Welcoming Ken to the extended IPR family
[16:03] Paul's pinnacle moments, Star Wars PTA
[16:50] Seeing people at GenCon & being inspired
[18:29] Paul is back in his wheelhouse
[20:02] Paul asks Ken the traditional "What'd you see?"
[20:23] Ken comments on the Mongoose Traveller
[21:04] ...and on It's Complicated
[22:37] Gamers and the Olympics
[25:15] Ken comments on Hot War
[26:12] ...and Sweet Agatha
[26:47] Tobias Wrigstad, Jeepform & American Jeepform: Under My Skin & A Flower For Mara
[27:44] Vincent Baker's In a Wicked Age... and Poison'd
[28:33] Ken on Don't Lose Your Mind
[28:50] Ryan on meeting Benjamin Baugh
[29:20] Ken on Qin
[30:18] The Atlantean Age for HERO
[30:51] Beating Sturgeon's Law
[31:30] Catalyst, Shadowrun & Classic Battletech
[32:50] Ryan on How to Host a Dungeon
[35:05] Ryan & Paul on This Just In...From GenCon!,Ken on the podcasting medium
[36:35] Ryan on The Continuum
[37:18] Ken further on podcasting as a medium, and on what to look for in RPGs, and the values of books that we might not play
[38:36] Hi, Jerry.
[40:20] Your gracious hosts ask the guest about his recent Tour de Lovecraft
[42:15] The trend of non-fiction gaming books
[47:21] Now, we're done

Links:

Running time: 48:02 / File size: 33.8M

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=40

Master Plan #36: Understanding Play Styles

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Mon, 1 Sep 2008 03:31:00 GMT

On this solo episode, Ryan talks about this thing he calls "Play Style" -- with respect to design, that's how people are interacting together in a particular medium. This idea comes primarily from a conversation he's had with Daniel Solis regarding his game in development, Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple. Ryan talks about the different things people get out of a game that's akin to rehearsing a play versus one that is more akin to telling stories around a campfire. He also shares a pet theory (which means it's probably wrong) about why more roleplaying games take the former approach even though the latter is an older method of storytelling. Finally, Jerry "J-Nasty" Grayson provides us with yet another sponsor quote, forming what might be the first sponsor quote narrative on Master Plan.

Games Mentioned:

Other Mentions:

Running time: 22:17 / File size: 15.4 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=39

Master Plan #35: The Situation Problem

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 03:02:00 GMT

In this last episode before GenCon 2008, Ryan talks about a problem he's recently encountered in his own and other people's projects -- that we spend too much time on mechanics and not enough on situation. He talks about why we likely run into this problem, what "situation" is (opposed to mechanics or setting), and an exercise he did in order to get his head out of mechanics and into situation.

Jared Sorensen's blog post on Game Elements.

Running time: 26:07 / File size: 18.0 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=38

Master Plan #34: Working with Intellectual Property, Chris Birch on Starblazer Adventures & Doctor Who RPG

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 03:11:00 GMT

This week, Ryan talks with Chris Birch of Cubicle 7 Entertainment about two licensed properties they're working with: Starblazer Adventures & the Doctor Who RPG. The two licenses are radically different, and Chris has a background in working with the intellectual property of others due to his clothing company, Joystick Junkies. They talk about some of the issues around and advice with licensing, as well as touch on why he chose to also license a game system as well for Starblazer Adventures. Afterwards, Ryan gushes about how much of a nice guy Chris is, and Jerry "J-Nasty" Grayson provides us with July's Sponsor Quote.

Chris Birch & Cubicle 7 Entertainment:

Starblazer Adventures
Check out the 40-page preview of Starblazer Adventures
Doctor Who RPG (in production)
Joystick Junkies

Jerry Grayson of Khepera Publishing

Running time: 28:51 / File size: 19.8 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=37

Master Plan #33: Unpacking Mechanics 1, Points of Tension

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:07:00 GMT

On this episode (which is my longest yet), Fred Hicks and I kick off the long-awaited series on mechanics with a discussion about "points of tension," relating both to Don't Rest Your Head's Exhaustion mechanic and Mythender's Mortality mechanic. Fred starts with a wacky assertion -- that conflict is underutilized in RPGs -- and goes from there. Afterwards, Ryan brings up three things: the now-in-preorder Don't Lose your Mind (which he's proud to be the editor of), Levi Kornelsen & Amagi Games, and a new podcasting project with Paul Tevis called This Just In From GenCon. This time, he remembers the Design Watch bump.

Specific Mentions:

Don't Lose Your Mind by Evil Hat Productions (pre-order)
Amagi Games
This Just In From GenCon (also available through our sponsor, DriveThruRPG.com)
GenCon 2008 Podcasting Track (Pulp Gamer)

Games & Other Mentions:

Don't Rest Your Head by Evil Hat Productions
Hero's Banner by Tim C Koppang
The Game Master Show episode with Fred Hicks
Requiem Chronicler's Guide by White Wolf
Dresden Files by Evil Hat Productions
Escape or Die! by Fred Hicks
Indie Press Revolution
PDQ by Chad Underkoffler
Mythender (my blog)

Running time: 35:47 / File size: 24.6 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=36

Master Plan #32: Designing from Other Games 4, Clint Krause on Roanoke

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 2 Jul 2008 14:09:00 GMT

On this episode, Ryan talks with Clint Krause of KNRPG Productions about his early game, Roanoke, for the Designing from Other Games series. Clint released this game some time ago, derived from the Wushu system. They talk about issues Clint had to deal with, which given how light the base system is, meant more dealing with establishing tone & genre conventions that systemic hacking. They also talk briefly about thoughts on historical-based games and endgame mechanics. Afterwards, Ryan brings back the Design Watch segment to talk about some things Brennan Taylor has mentioned in the last few days.

Clint Krause, KNRPG Productions:

Brennan Taylor, Galileo Games:

Other Games:

Burning Empires by Luke Crane
Conspiracy of Shadows by Keith Senkowski (Google Books)
Grey Ranks by Bully Pulpit Games
Mutant City Blues by Robin Laws
Wushu by Daniel Bayn

Running time: 26:27 / File size: 18.2 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=35

Master Plan #31: Designing from Other Games 3, Robin Laws on Mutant City Blues

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:56:00 GMT

Ryan talks with gaming luminary Robin Laws about his upcoming game, Mutant City Blues. Mutant City Blues is the latest GUMSHOE game, this one not focused on the horror genre but on police procedurals & super-powers. They talk about designing this game from the original GUMSHOE framework, what was changed to make the game focused on the new premise, and overall the experiences of making this game. Throughout the show, Robin also talks a bit about moments in GUMSHOE's design in general.

Robin Laws & GUMSHOE:

Mutant City Blues (You can get the Quade Diagram here)
The Esoterrorists
Fear Itself
Trail of Cthulhu by Kenneth Hite

Other mentions:

Call of Cthulhu by Chaosium
Campaign Cartographer by ProFantasy Software

Running time: 30:34 / File size: 21.1 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=34

Master Plan #30: Lessons I've Learned 1, On Mythender

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 29 May 2008 03:40:00 GMT

On this episode, Ryan takes a moment from is current interview track to make a dreaded solo episode about some of the lessons he's learned lately as a designer. Specifically, he talks about some things he's been dealing with regarding one of his current projects, Mythender. He talks about some of the inspiration elements and how he re-evaluates them periodically to make sure they're still relevant, about looking closely at the player role in a game as well as the GM role, about having to defend his ideas from critical friends & not letting your friends' desires cause you to make the game you don't want. Then he finishes up with this month's sponsor quote from Fred Hicks.

Running time: 26:04 / File size: 18.0 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=33

Master Plan #29: Designing from Other Games 2, John Wick

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 8 May 2008 23:01:00 GMT

After the beach sabbatical that was Have Master, Will Plan #1, Ryan goes back to his series of designers talking about their experiences working with other games. This week, he talks with John Wick about his now-in-preorder game, Houses of the Blooded. Along with talking about where various parts of the game were inspired, John drops a bit of insight into some other games and shares some stories where he's collaborated with and contributed to other designers. Then Ryan talks briefly about the part he really thinks is cool, which is what John's doing with the Limited Edition of Houses of the Blooded, particularly the Graphics Pack.

John Wick & Houses of the Blooded:

Wicked Dead Brewing Company
Houses of the Blooded (offical site)
Pre-order Houses of the Blooded (Indie Press Revolution)
Pre-order Houses of the Blooded Limited Edition (Indie Press Revolution)
John Wick's blog entries for Houses of the Blooded (LiveJournal)

Running time: 29:29 / File size: 20.3 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=32

Master Plan #28: Have Master, Will Plan 1, part 2

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:02:00 GMT

Have Master, Will Plan #1 with Paul Tevis, part 2

0:34 This episode is the second part of a conversation between Ryan Macklin and Paul Tevis at the second Nerdly Beach Party. Pick up the first half over on Have Games, Will Travel.
1:19 If you like this show, check out RPGPodcasts.com.
1:28 Ryan and Paul talk about Project Cowbell, their attempt to recapture their convention gaming roots, and how that play style differs from what they've been doing recently.
8:10 - Sprigboarding off the idea of making clear what parts of a design are important, Paul and Ryan talk about how they address the issue of modular design in A Penny For My Thoughts.
17:08 - Finally coming around to the original premise for this episode, Paul and Ryan talk about how publication is not the end-point, what they mean by development, and their collaboration style.
29:31 - And that's it from the Nerdly Beach Party 2. A big thanks to Albert, Nancy, and Josh for organizing it!

Running time: 30:50 / File size: 21.2 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=31

Master Plan #27: Designing from Other Games 1, Willow Palecek

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:44:00 GMT

Master Plan #27: Designing from Other Games 1, Willow Palecek Ryan kicks off this new series on designers discussing their experiences designing from other games by talking to new publisher Willow Palecek. She's recently published Awesome Adventures, her derivative of Evil Hat's FATE system. They talk for a bit about why she started with FATE, the reasons behind some of her design choices, and what sort of issues she's faces in playtesting those choices. After that, Ryan mentions a couple other podcasts where you can hear him talk and April's Sponsor Quote.

Willow Palecek & Awesome Adventures:

Awesome Adventures (Lulu.com)
FATE: Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment by Evil Hat Productions
Spirit of the Century by Evil Hat Productions
Open Gaming License (Wikipedia)

Places where Ryan won't shut up:

Other mentions:

Running time: 27:00 / File size: 18.6 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=30

Master Plan #26: Jennifer Rodgers on Working With Artists

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:05:00 GMT

Ryan talks with Jennifer Rodgers, artist & colorist, about what a game designer should expect to know and should expect to find out in talking with an artist such as herself. They get a bit in-depth about her specific process, and she talks about some of the things she's learned over her time working with clients. Afterward, Ryan mentions BoardGamePodcasts.com, follows up on some comments made about episode 25, and thanks his awesome listeners for supporting him, criticizing him and in general being there to listen.

Jennifer Rodgers:

Dictionary of Mu by Judd Karlman
Mortal Coil by Galileo Games
Shadow of Yesterday by CRN Games
Primetime Adventures by Dog-eared Designs
Dresden Files RPG by Evil Hat Productions

Other mentions:

Running time: 29:25 / File size: 20.2 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=29

Master Plan #25: Good Games, Poor Texts

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:53:00 GMT

Ryan takes another solo episode to talk about the part of game books we rarely talk about -- the text of the book separated from the game. He talked about the purposes of a game text, how a game text starts and ends a conversation with the reader, and some examples of games that do and don't do this effectively (even though as they're they aren't poor). Along with the issues, he tries to bring it home with some potential, if broad, solutions. Then Ryan talks about the show's first sponsor.

Mentions:

Don't Rest Your Head by Evil Hat Productions
GURPS by Steve Jackson Games
Dungeons & Dragons by Wizards of the Coast
Burning Empires by Luke Crane
Ashcan Front

Running time: 24:26 / File size: 16.8 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=28

Master Plan #24: Emily Care Boss on Romantic RPGs

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:29:00 GMT

Being Valentine's Day, Ryan sits down with designer Emily Care Boss to talk about her romantic role-playing games Breaking the Ice, Shooting the Moon and the upcoming Under My Skin. While the topic begins with the typical "trials and tribulations" question, this one about designing romantic RPGs, they cover quite a few other insightful topics: discovering what your game is really about through playing it and seeing others play it, being unexpectedly pigeonholed, and her experience with another role-playing culture.

Emily Care Boss:

Black & Green Games
Breaking the Ice
Shooting the Moon
Under My Skin (still in development)
Sign In Stranger (still in development)

Other Mentions:

Durham 3 podcast
InterCon H, where Emily will be running Under My Skin
Jeepform
My journal/design blog
Sex & Sorcery by Ron Edwards
Sons of Kyros podcast
Sorcerer by Ron Edwards

Running time: 28:43 / File size: 19.8 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=27

Master Plan #23: Daniel Solis, Part 2 on "A Cover is a Promise"

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 6 Feb 2008 03:38:00 GMT

Following up on the the last show, Ryan finishes up his interview with Daniel Solis. They talk about something Daniel has said in the past, "A Cover is a Promise." Daniel discusses what that means, what some of the covers he has done seeks to promise to the browser and his method for designing those covers and communicating those promises. Afterwards, Ryan mentions a few RPGs that might be timely to play, given that Valentine's Day is around the corner, and ends the show by talking about the upcoming Los Angeles convention, OrcCon.

Daniel Solis' website

Covers Daniel has worked on:

Reign by Greg Stolze
Lacuna Part I by Jared Sorensen
Wilderness of Mirrors by John Wick (Cover, from danielsolis.com)

Other covered mentioned:

Romantic RPG mentions:

OrcCon website
Games I'm running at OrcCon

Running time: 25:28 / File size: 17.6 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=26

Master Plan #22A: Interview with Daniel Solis, Part 1A on Soft Question Anecdotes

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:25:00 GMT

Hours before leaving home for Dreamation, Ryan puts together a short episode of Master Plan. Daniel Perez from The Gamer Traveler and The Digital Front podcasts mentioned on the Master Plan forum that he wished I had published the anecdotes that Daniel Solis told me. Ask and ye shall receive!

Note: this podcast has been quickly edited and posted up, so it will sound different from most other podcasts.

Running time: 5:50 / File size: 4.1 MB

Master Plan #22: Daniel Solis, Part 1 on Layout Questions

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:28:00 GMT

For his first podcast of 2008, Ryan talks with Daniel Solis, layout designers for such games as Lacuna, Reign, Wilderness of Mirrors and the upcoming Houses of the Blooded. As part one of their interview, they talk about questions a designer should be able to answer or keep in mind when talking to someone about doing layout for their game. Daniel goes into his list of Hard, Firm and Soft Questions, and goes into detail as to how the answers to those questions helps help layout a project.

Daniel Solis' website

Projects Daniel has worked on:

Jared Sorensen's Lacuna
Greg Stozle's Reign
John Wick's Wilderness of Mirrors and Houses of the Blooded (in production)

Other mentions:

Best Friends by Gregor Hutton/Box Ninja
Dreamation 2008
Warhammer 40,000 RPG by Games Workshop/Black Industries

Running time: 28:35 / File size: 19.6 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=25

Master Plan #21: First Drafts

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:05:00 GMT

After making his brief comment about first drafts on Master Plan #19, Ryan decides to unpack his thoughts on the subject by talking about what he has to deal with. He touches on forms of procrastination that feel like work, dealing with judging himself against the finished works of others, "sexy" and "unsexy" writing, some things other writers have said that help him when he's struggling, and embracing intentionally-bad writing.

Mentions:

Running time: 23:24 / File size: 16.2 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=24

Master Plan #20: Scene Framing and Pacing Mechanics with Luke Crane

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 04:58:00 GMT

On this anniversary episode of Master Plan, Ryan puts out an interview with Luke Crane he did at GenCon earlier in the year. They talk about the scene framing and pacing mechanics (or Disposition mechanics) in Burning Empires, partly sparked because Ryan didn't completely understand them when he and his group played it. Luke goes into detail about how he came up with various design goals and elements in that part of Burning Empires and also gives some insight in how to play the game.

Warning: There's a lot of profanity in this episode, and due to technical problems the interview has some severe audio degradations from 21:16 to 28:48.

Luke Crane:

Other Mentions:

My Life With Master by Half-Meme Press
With Great Power by Incarnadine Press
Primetime Adventures by Dog-eared Designs
Polaris by These Are Our Games

Running time: 30:09 / File size: 20.7MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=23

Master Plan #19: Busting GM Assumptions with Ben Lehman

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 03:22:00 GMT

As the first episode in a series about busting assumptions in game design, Ryan talks with Ben Lehman about assumptions regarding game masters (or GMs). Ben has written three games that each deal with GM distribution differently: Polaris, which has no GM; Bliss Stage, which has a typical GM; and The Drifter's Escape, which has many GMs and one PC. Bringing these various experiences to the table, they unpack various assumptions and various design pitfalls. Afterwards, Ryan shares some random bits of advice he's found himself telling people lately.

Ben's Games:

Other Games Mentioned:

Ambe Diceless (Wikipedia article)
Breaking the Ice by Black & Green Games
Capes by Muse of Fire Games
Grey Ranks by Bully Pulpit Games
Nobilis (Wikipedia article)
The Shab-al-Hiri Roach by Bully Pulpit Games
Universalis by Ramshead Publishing

Other Mentions:

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamont (Amazon link)
Story Games

Running time: 28:14 / File size: 19.3 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=22

Master Plan #18: Emergent Play

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 09:40:00 GMT

Ryan returns from nearly a month off to talk about a topic he's very passionate about: Emergent Play (or Emergent Behavior in Play). That is play that emerges from the people engaging and interactive with the text, but isn't a direct result of the instructions of the text. He goes into some examples to illustrate the idea from different vantage points: the board game Diplomacy, Call of Cthulhu, Paul Tevis' A Penny For My Thoughts, his own Know Thyself, and Beast Hunters. While he only scratched the surface, he looks forward to returning to this topic again.

Mentions:

A Penny For My Thoughts by Paul Tevis (link to Master Mines site)
Know Thyself by Ryan Macklin
Beast Hunters by Berengad Games
Call of Cthulhu by Chaosium, Inc.
Diplomacy by Avalon Hill
The Domino Challenge post on Story Games
Endgame
Master Mines
Canon Puncture podcast
The Voice of the Revolution podcast

Running time: 24:58 / File size: 17.1 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=21

Master Plan #17: Joshua BishopRoby on Playtesting

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 03:12:00 GMT

Ryan talks with Joshua BishopRoby of Kallisti Press about beta playtesting -- getting the game your working on playtested by people outside of your table. They talk about his current project that's in beta playtest, Sons of Liberty. Speaking both generally and using Sons of Liberty as an example, Joshua discusses what a "beta playtest" is, the issues in getting people to playtest, what he's looking for in feedback, and other playtesting topics. Ryan then talks about what he sees as the benefits, as a game designer, of playtesting someone else's game.

Sons of Liberty -- Beta Playtest until October 31st, 2007

Contact Ryan about ordering an ashcan copy of Know Thyself: MasterPlan@hmfy.com.

Other Mentions:

Running time: 23:56 / File size: 16.4 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=20

Master Plan #16: Personal Experiences with Card Production on Know Thyself

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:18:00 GMT

Ryan talks about doing the physical card production for his recent ashcan game, Know Thyself. As he ended up doing most of the production himself, he has a lot to say about the various steps in the process. He talks about the process after designing the cards: physically printing the cards, having the cards cut, collating the decks, etc., sharing with everyone the little problems and little successes he had in the process. After discussing that, Joshua BishopRoby pops on briefly to call upon all good patriots to playtest Sons of Liberty.

Know Thyself:

Ashcan page
List of cards
Scans of the actual, physical cards: Six different fronts (JPG, 136K) & two different backs (JPG, 111K)
Single card sheet, including guide lines & what changes I would make to the sheet in the future. (JPG, 212K)

Sons of Liberty:

Other mentions:

Running time: 28:29 / File size: 20.0 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=19

Master Plan #15: Leonard Balsera on the FATE Fractal

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:05:00 GMT

Ryan sits down with Leonard Balsera of Evil Hat Productions and talks about a design concept central to the FATE -- the system used by Spirit of the Century and the upcoming Dresden Files RPG -- called the Fractal. They talk about this concept that treats elements larger and smaller than characters, like planets & possessions, the same way as characters are treated mechanically. Leonard also gives us a bit of an update on the Dresden Files RPG.

FATE & The Fractal:

FATE: Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment
Spirit of the Century
Dresden Files RPG
Fred's post on RPGnet & his blog entry on the Fractal.
FATE Yahoo Group, where you can get Rob's macro-level rules for FATE 2.0
Wikipedia entry on fractals

Jason Morningstar's Sight & Sound Game Design Challenge:

Main contest page
My entry, "Only the Guilty Run" (requires a Story Games login, which is totally free)
Jared Sorensen's entry, "1000 Words" (requires a Story Games login)

Other Games Mentioned:

Birthright, the classic AD&D setting
Burning Empires by Luke Crane
Dogs in the Vineyard by Lumpley Games
GURPS by Steve Jackson Games
Over the Edge by Atlas Games
PDQ by Atomic Sock Monkey Press
The Storytelling System by White Wolf

My blog entry where I ask for any questions about the card production for Know Thyself: http://macklinr.livejournal.com/561019.html

Running time: 27:48 / File size: 19.7 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=18

Master Plan #14: Cool Revisited

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Tue, 4 Sep 2007 19:48:00 GMT

While editing another episode, Ryan gets an audio comment from Paul Tevis about the last episode, The Siren Song of Cool, along with some questions. He takes a stab at addressing those comments and answering those questions, after thanking some of the folks he got to meet at GenCon.

Mentions:

Have Games, Will Travel #100
Theory From The Closet
My interview with Clyde on Theory From The Closet
Ashcan Front
Pulp Gamer
GenCon 2007 Podcaster Panels
Burning Empires
Steal Away Jordan
A Penny For My Thoughts (on the Master Mines design blog)
Dungeons & Dragons

Running time: 23:27 / File size: 16.5 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17

Master Plan #13: The Siren Call of Cool

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 03:59:00 GMT

Ryan tries his new format out with an episode talking about the Siren Call of Cool. He talks about how he's had to deal with problems around cool ideas he's had and thought he had with Know Thyself, and how the sort of problems you might have to deal with when it comes the confidence in your design and dealing with playtesters and people you talk with about your game. He apologizes for the roughness in the editing, but he had to push this out before leaving for GenCon.

Know Thyself

Games Mentioned

Other Mentions

Running time: 27:48 / File size: 20.3 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16

Master Plan #12: Interview with Bully Pulpit Games

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:01:00 GMT

Ryan talks with Jason Morningstar & Steve Segedy of Bully Pulpit Games, about The Shab-al-Hiri Roach and the design & production issues with making a role-playing game that involves a custom deck of cards. Ryan also talks about changes he's planning on making with the format of Master Plan, brings back his Design Watch segment for a brief moment and talks about how to find two things: him at GenCon and other podcasts on the Internet.

Bully Pulpit Games Interview

All these games should be available at GenCon at The Forge Booth/Indie Press Revolution (booth #1739).

Design Watch

Daniel Solis' single-blog-post summary of Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple
All of his blog posts tags as "Do"
Stargate SG-1 (Wikipedia)
Dogs in the Vineyard
Buddhism (Wikipedia)
Dear Abby (Wikipedia)
Avatar: The Last Airbender (Wikipedia)

Other Mentions

RPGPodcasts.com -- A directory of audio and video shows about role-playing games and other games, all freely available on the Internet.
Forum post about finding me at GenCon, which includes some of the podcaster panels, the Ashcan Front, and the Gaming Podcasting Party on Saturday night.
Goblin: The Gaming Broadcast Network
Have Games, Will Travel
The Voice of the Revolution

Running time: 29:37 / File size: 20.3 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=14

Master Plan #11: Master Mines round table #1

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:40:00 GMT

Mike Sugarbaker & Paul Tevis sit down with Ryan at Go Play Northwest on Saturday evening and talk about the design collective they've put together. Paul & Ryan talk about playtesting at the convention, and all three talk about how they've set up the collective and what they've been getting out of it.

Master Mines

Master Mines members podcasts:

Mike Sugarbaker: OgreCave Audio Report
Paul Tevis: (ENnie Award nominated) Have Games, Will Travel & The Voice of the Revolution
Daniel M. Perez: The Gamer Traveler
Jeff Himmelman: Gamer: The Podcasting
Chris Perrin/commondialog: Canon Puncture
and, of course, my own Master Plan

Other design collectives (all on WordPress):

Other mentions:

Running time: 29 minutes, 02 seconds / File size: 27.2 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=13

Master Plan #10: Interview with Ken Hite, Playtesting at Go Play NW

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 03:31:00 GMT

This week, Ryan gets gaming luminary Kenneth Hite on the show. They start by talking about Ken's upcoming book, Adventures Into Darkness, and then go into talking about designers notes, pulling from other games and the continuing evolution of game design. Afterwards, Ryan talks about his experiences playtesting at Go Play NW, helping out with A Penny For My Thoughts & Sea Dracula as well as testing his own game, Know Thyself.

Games mentioned:

Adventures Into Darkness available soon at Ronin Arts
Ken Hite's Dubious Shards
Ken Hite's Tarot of Cthulhu: Major Arcana
d20 by Wizards of the Coast
Dogs in the Vineyard by Lumpley Games
Dungeons & Dragons by Wizards of the Coast
FASERIP
Ghostbusters by West End Games (Wikipedia entry)
GUMSHOE by Robin Laws
Monte Cook Presents: Iron Heroes
The Mountain Witch by Timfire Publishing
Mutants & Masterminds by Green Ronin Publishing
Sorcerer by Adept Press
Spycraft 2.0 by Crafty Games
Star Trek Roleplaying Gameby Dechiper
Thirty by Wicked Dead Brewing Company
Truth & Justice by Atomic Sock Monkey Press
Vampire: The Requiem by White Wolf Publishing
Requiem Chronicler's Guide by White Wolf Publishing
Wild Talents by Arc Dream Publishing
World of Darkness by White Wolf Publishing
Unknown Armies by Atlas Games

Other mentions:

Playtesting at Go Play NW:

Go Play NW
A Penny For My Thoughts by Paul Tevis @ Master Mines
Know Thyself by Ryan Macklin @ Master Mines
Sea Dracula by Jake Richmond & Nick Smith (link to PDF)
Talk about Sea Dracula
Go Play NW aftermath including Sea Dracula talk
Photos of us playing Sea Dracula (I'm the guy in the gray sweatshirt)

Plugs & Bumps:

Running time: 30 minutes, 16 seconds / File size: 21.2 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=12

Master Plan #9: Interview with Ashcan Front

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 02:50:00 GMT

Ryan interviews Matt Snyder and Paul Czege from The Ashcan Front. They talk about what an ashcan is when it comes to a game development, how to better achieve design goals with ashcans, and about what they're trying to accomplish with The Ashcan Front. Afterwards, Ryan talks briefly about his book now available for pre-order, Finis: A Book of Endings to Give People New Beginnings.

The Ashcan Front:

Finis:

Finis: A Book of Endings to Give People New Beginnnings
A PDF of Paul Tevis' story, The Tome (700K PDF)
Pre-order now at Indie Press Revolution
The pre-order includes a signed copy & a PDF. It ends July 18, 2007.

Other Mentions:

Running time: 29 minutes, 24 seconds / File size: 11.7 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=11

Master Plan #8: Game Chef and Game Design Duel

masterplan@hmfy.com — Tue, 29 May 2007 15:15:00 GMT

Ryan comes back from an impromptu hiatus to talk about what he got out of Game Chef and why he thinks others should do such contests. Then he interviews two Game Design Duelists, Adam Rappold and Justin D. Jacobson, about why they decided to duel, how badly the other person will lose, and their response to using musical scale as a mechanic ingredient. Afterwards, he talks about other podcasts talking about game design, theory & publishing.

Game Chef:

Game Design Duel:

Design Watch:

Other Podcasts Mentioned:

Running time: 32 minutes, 00 seconds / File size: 21.9 MB

Discuss this episode on the forums: http://www.hmfy.com/masterplan/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=9

Master Plan #7: Interview with Evil Hat Productions, Shield Bracelet Woes

masterplan@hmfy.com — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 03:55:00 GMT

Rob Donoghue and Fred Hicks come on the show to talk about an issue they're dealing with while working on the Dresden Files RPG -- working with the shield bracelet and how to mesh mechanical modeling and the feel from the fiction. They get pretty into it about what they're dealing with. Then Ryan talks about Chad Underkoffler's latest project, Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies, and talks about some listener email and his upcoming book.

Evil Hat Productions:

Evil Hat Productions
Dresden Files RPG (In production)
Spirit of the Century
Don't Rest Your Head
FATE: Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment

(Incidentally, I really like Evil Hat's new website look. Kudos, from one web developer to another.)

Design Watch:

Blantant Plugs:

My blog entries about Finis: A Book of Endings to Give People New Beginnings
- A sample of Finis that shows off Fred's nigh-divine talents.

Other Mentions:

Running time: 23 minutes, 41 seconds / File size: 21.6 MB

Comment on the episode

Master Plan #6: Interview with Christian Griffen

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 03:42:00 GMT

Ryan interviews Christian Griffen of Berengad Games about his new book, Beast Hunters. They talk about why the game was created, touch on how the game works, then go a bit into how Christian and his wife created it together and some elements that evolved from the original draft. Later, Ryan talk obsessively about Game Chef.

Beast Hunters

Beast Hunters is currently offering a pre-order deal until March 25th, 2007. For more information on the offer, go to:
http://www.berengad.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=31

You can find more information about Beast Hunters, including links to reviews, at:
http://www.berengad.com/

Game Chef

To find out more about Game Chef, you can go to:
http://www.game-chef.com/

Or for some specific links:
The rules of Game Chef: http://www.game-chef.com/rules.shtml
Information on the ingredients: http://www.game-chef.com/workshop/comments.php?DiscussionID=40
Group Epsilon/Barnstormers: http://www.game-chef.com/workshop/?CategoryID=5
You can find my various posts for "Enlightenment" there.

Check it out!

Running time: 22 minutes, 59 seconds / File size: 21.0 MB

- Ryan

Master Plan #5: Interview with Chad Underkoffler -- Wacky Damage in PDQ

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 15:48:00 GMT

Ryan brings the first of many guests on the show. This week, he talks with Chad Underkoffler of Atomic Sock Monkey Press about his Prose Descriptive Qualities (PDQ) system, specifically about the strange way damage is handled and what he went through to create and revise it.

Chad Underkoffler's Games:

Games Mentioned During Interview:

Ars Magica, Fifth Edition by Atlas Games (Later edition than referenced on the show)
Castle Falkenstein by R.Talsorian Games
FUDGE by Grey Ghost Press
Go Fish (Wikipedia entry)
GURPS by Steve Jackson Games
Marvel Super Heroes by TSR (Wikipedia entry)
Over the Edge by Atlas Games
Poker (Wikipedia entry)
Risus: The Anything RPG by S. John Ross
Unknown Armies by Atlas Games

Other Mentions During Interview:

Spider-Man (Wikipedia entry)
World's Finest -- Batman & Superman animated story (Wikipedia entry)

Design Watch:

The BibliOdyssey RPG Design Challenge
Grey Ranks by Bully Pulpit Games
The Voice of the Revolution -- Brennan Taylor's bits on game design

Confession:

Other Games Mentioned:

carry. a game about war. by Hamsterprophet Productions
Mortal Coil by Galileo Games
The Shab-al-Hiri Roach by Bully Pulpit Games

Upcoming Conventions:

Endgame Minicon -- April 7th, 2007 / Oakland, California
Conquest Sacramento -- April 13th-15th, 2007 / Sacramento, California

Podcasts Mentioned:

Miscellaneous Mentions:

iPod by Apple

Running time: 24 minutes, 39 seconds / File size: 22.5 MB

Comment on the episode

- Ryan

Master Plan #4: Questioning Mechanics

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 18:33:00 GMT

Ryan talks about the questions he's come up with to help guide him when designing game mechanics. He talked about the current problem he's having with his game and offers an idea to folks still trying to get their mechanics ideas off the ground.

Games mentioned:

Burning Empires by Luke Crane
Dogs in the Vineyard by Lumpley Games
Don't Rest Your Head by Evil Hat Productions
Dungeons & Dragons by Wizards of the Coast
GURPS by Steve Jackson Games
Hero System by Hero Games
Mortal Coil by Galileo Games

Design Watch:

Other mentions:

Designing Dresden by Rob Donoghue & Fred Hicks
My November 2006 Master Plan Web Column, where I answer the Three Questions
Special thanks to my friends Gregory & Skye for doing some voice work for the show.

Running time: 11 minutes, 24 seconds

- Ryan

Master Plan Audio #3: Designer's Block

RyanMacklin@gmail.com — Tue, 9 Jan 2007 16:46:00 GMT

While both struggling with problems lately writing and designing and helping a friend who is going through the same thing, Ryan decides to talk about writer's block & designer's block. He goes into what being blocked has been for him and the various ways he's dealt with it.

Mentions:

The Butcher Block -- a podcast about all things Jim Butcher
The Show with Ze Frank, 7/11/2006 (Note: video with some explicit language)
Wil Wheaton's Blog, 12/31/2006

Running time: 19 minutes, 21 seconds

- Ryan

Master Plan Audio #2: Playtesting

MasterPlan@hmfy.com — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 23:16:00 GMT

Inspired by some of the comments he received about the first show, Ryan talks about playtesting. He goes into some embarassing moments where he failed as a designer in dealing with playtesters, and talks about a couple general ways of going about playtesting.

Games & Companies mentioned:

Crafty Games
GURPS by Steve Jackson Games
Luke Crane
The Zorceror of Zo by Atomic Sock Monkey Press
My own Damned Anonymous, still in development. You can find out more on the Master Plan web column.

Other mentions:

The Butcher Block -- a podcast about all things Jim Butcher

Remember, only three days left before the pre-order for The Zorcerer of Zo closes, and with that, the free PDF offer!

- Ryan

Master Plan Audio #1: Podcast Intro

MasterPlan@hmfy.com — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 22:57:00 GMT

Ryan introduces himself and the podcast, then moves on to getting peeks into various designers' heads.

Design articles mentioned:

Burning Empires From Inception to Finished Product by Thor Olavsrud
Designing Dresden by Rob Donoghue & Fred Hicks
My own Master Plan web column

Games mentioned:

Burning Empires by Luke Crane
Dogs in the Vineyard by Lumpley Games
The Dresden Files RPG by Evil Hat Productions
FATE: Fantastic Adventures in Tabletop Entertainment by Evil Hat Productions
Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game by Alderac Entertainment Group
Magic: the Gathering by Wizard of the Coast
Memoir '44 by Days of Wonder
Ninja Burger RPG 2nd Edition by aetheral Forge
Questers of the Middle Realms by Silver Branch Games
Spirit of the Century by Evil Hat Productions
Truth & Justice by Atomic Sock Monkey Press
The Zorceror of Zo by Atomic Sock Monkey Press

Other mentions:

I encourage everyone to take a look at The Zorceror of Zo. I mention it on my blog at: http://macklinr.livejournal.com/486134.html

- Ryan