Displaying items 1-10 of 16 in total of Unwritten Earths Symposium with the tag "game design".
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The Aesthetics Episode
August 26th, 2026 | Season 2 | 1 hr 1 min
game design
In this episode we get fancy and talk about the aesthetics of truly-true game mechanics. The same probabilistic outcomes and mechanical functions can be served by many different styles of rule. We talk about different ways to appreciate the form of a game mechanic as well as think about how the expression or description of rules can be a fruitful design space.
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The Fun Episode
August 12th, 2026 | Season 2 | 1 hr 1 min
game design
It's finally time for us to seriously address the elephant in the room for truly-true roleplaying games: fun. We talk about how hard it is to describe fun, what elements of gameplay (can) lead to or combine to create fun, and why "make it fun" isn't a very fruitful design goal. Look, we're game designers, we have to treat fun with the gravitas it deserves!
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The Diction Episode
July 29th, 2026 | Season 2 | 50 mins 29 secs
game design, words
In this episode, we carefully consider our words in order discuss the different purposes served by creating abstractions with your game rules, and how word choices can both result from and drive game design. Remember, 90% of game design is naming things!
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The Small Changes Episode
July 15th, 2026 | Season 2 | 54 mins 10 secs
game design
In this episode, we talk about being at the top of the truly-true Design Ziggurat where small changes have big effects. Specifically, one of the signs that a game is close to done is when enough of the design is settled that an insight that leads to a significant change is just a small thing that doesn't require significant playtesting or changing of anything else. It's not a departure, it's a product of the experience you have with the design.
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The Origins 2026 Interviews Episode
June 24th, 2026 | Season 2 | 2 hrs 46 mins
convention, game design, interviews
We went to Origins Game Fair! It was a great time, and we were lucky enough to catch up with old friends and chat with new ones for the show. This episode consists of 6 in-person interview/conversations with game designers, GMs and publishers about Origins, Games on Demand, boothing, and game design theory and practice. We felt extremely fortunate to have the chance to chat with all of these incredible folks, and hope you enjoy the conversations!
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The Works In Progress Episode
April 29th, 2026 | Season 2 | 1 hr 5 mins
game design, homework
Nathan and Eppy finally turn in their spring semester homework, discussing where they are at with The Marian and Robin Roleplaying Party Game (and spinners!), and Fair Winds and Following Seas (and music!), respectively. Informed by both formal exploration and input from Scholars over at our Discord, both of these games are starting to get somewhere.
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The Hacks Episode
March 4th, 2026 | Season 2 | 1 hr 55 secs
game design, homework
In this episode, Nathan and Eppy report back about their "do this with that" homework assignment. Eppy debuts The Marion and Robin Party Roleplaying Game, and Nathan outlines how Remember Tomorrow reconfigures Fair Winds and Following Seas. Then, we reflect on how using other games as the basis of new work (hacks, if you will) can be a really helpful part of the game design process.
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The Mind-Blown Episode
February 18th, 2026 | Season 2 | 56 mins 33 secs
game design, homework
Nathan and Eppy assigned homework off-mic, to discuss some games that showcase thinking about games in a way we never would have, or that made such an impression on us that we've made them part of our toolkits. We discuss what we mean by our minds being blown, then go over our lists. Then, we assign homework for next episode: to sketch out what one of our works-in-progress would look like, if we used one of our mind-blowing influences as a model! We're still aiming to make new games this season, and this was a really productive conversation to help us both along.
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The Survey Episode
February 4th, 2026 | Season 2 | 53 mins 7 secs
game design, listener feedback
In this episode, Nathan and Eppy respond to listener feedback, talk about a recent play experience, and then go through some of the projects we're each working on or thinking about that are not the One Without Master. It's a high-level survey of where we're at, game-design-wise, going into 2026!
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The Constraints Episode
December 17th, 2025 | Season 2 | 1 hr 4 mins
game design, train of thought
In this episode, Eppy brings a discussion of where the "technological" creative constraints in game design come from. We talk about what this means in the context of tabletop, how constraints surface through the design, and how we handle them as designers. This builds a little on our conversation about design surfaces, and is ultimately another part of a long-term conversation about, well, game design! We also do our final homework for 2025, bringing some holidays from different projects in our back catalogue to celebrate the season.