On:
In: Interview
With: 9 Comments

ua-ksCaleb and I talked to Greg Stolze about his latest project, the third edition of Unknown Armies, a post-modern horror role playing game. Urban legends, obsessions, occult conspiracies, and the invisible clergy are all part of a compelling modern game. It is also a profoundly humanist game, where humanity is the center of the universe, not cosmic and unfeeling alien gods beyond our comprehension. Greg talks about changes to the setting, new mechanics for Unknown Armies and game design in general. If you are interested in checking out the game, I recommend backing the Kickstarter so you can read the latest draft of the game now.

Unfortunately, we did have some recording errors, so some of the questions will have an echo. I tried to fix it in post but there’s only so much you can do.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:16 — 31.4MB)

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In: Panel discussion
With: 7 Comments

bite-red-markets

Fun is obviously a byproduct of games, but that’s where the usefulness of the term ends. This seminar presents the case against fun as a design goal, method of criticism, and aesthetic in gaming. Caleb Stokes (No Soul Left Behind/No Security) and Ross Payton (Base Raiders/ Zombies of the World) discuss the negative and positive uses of the word of fun in gaming, along with other critical frameworks by which the word can be understood (such as the 8 types of fun).

This panel was recorded at Gen Con 2015 and I forgot to post it until now! Better late than never, I guess.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:36 — 26.5MB)

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On:
In: Game Designer Workshop
With: 6 Comments

dhqs-bondsNews: The Brutalists campaign is well under way! Check out our actual play podcasts of the Red Markets beta. There’s also a subreddit for Red Markets and Caleb did an AMA on it. Don’t forget to check out Hebanon Game’s blog for more up to date news about Red Market’s development.

Synopsis: Creating a game usually involves more than one person. If it’s your game, you need to learn the esoteric art of project management in order to effectively coordinate the efforts between your team. Good project management can enhance the quality of a game while bad project management can doom it. We talk about contracts, budgets, art direction, and many of the many other challenges a project manager faces in an RPG project. Caleb also mentions working with talented freelancers like Laura B. and Rollplay Studios.

Song: Eastern Wind by Azgard

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:14:33 — 34.3MB)

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