Base-Raiders-Avalons-Ideal-drivethruSponsor: Arc Dream is sponsoring this episode of Game Designer’s Workshop. Check out the Delta Green Kickstarter.

News:I have released a new Base Raiders PDF called Avalon’s Ideal, written by Kyle Carty.

Synopsis: The beta for Red Markets has been out for a while, so Caleb now has to deal with feedback and resisting the urge to change the game during the beta. Dealing with a community playing an incomplete game leads to unique challenges for the game designer, which we discuss in detail. Be sure to check the RPPR forums for threads like this about Red Markets.

Music: All Your Things from Admiral of the Red

evilmeterHow do you build a character with staunch ethical principles without stopping a game dead with the dreaded my-character-wouldn’t-do-that problem? Do RPG systems imply ethical philosophies? Should they? Caleb Stokes (No Soul Left Behind), Ross Payton (Base Raiders), Andreas Walters (Baby Bestiary), and Shoshana Kessock (Living Game Conference) discuss ethical concepts in characters, in game worlds, and at the level of design. Bring your questions and curiosity. This was recorded at Gen Con 2015.

rimwardNews: No Soul Left Behind is out! BUY CALEB’S BOOK! If you backed Boiling Point, check the Kickstarter to read the text for Sparkles the Unicorn.

Synopsis: Duality, a Rimward and gatecrashing focused Eclipse Phase campaign recently wrapped up on the Actual Play site. You can browse the entire list of episodes here if you need to catch up. Caleb, Tom, Aaron, and I discuss the campaign and what we liked and didn’t like about it. It took a long time to play and run and we did learn a little about ourselves and our favored play styles by doing so.

Shout Outs

  • The Annihilation Score: The latest in the Laundry novel series. An occult violinist battles demons, both personal and external.
  • Margin Call: a movie about the 2008 financial crisis and who caused it.
  • Exile: An extremely Lovecraftian horror film with some rather terrifying body horror.
  • Concept: A board game about figuring out phrases from common symbols.
  • Sonic Dream Collection: It’s like Deviant Art manifested itself.
  • Last Week Tonight – Televangelists: John Oliver examines how televangelists can make money without taxation because religion.

Song: D a n c e O f C a t s by Datasette