Podcasts by Design Doc

Will We Ever Finish Questlandia 2? from 2023-10-24T17:18:54

This month marks the sixth anniversary of Design Doc, a podcast that started as a "year-long" project documenting our progress redesigning our first roleplaying game. Six years later, we talk about...

The Liminal Spaces of Six Flags from 2023-09-26T16:55

Hannah and Evan talk about the strange designs and abandoned places of Six Flags New England, the latest of a series of research trips. Join them on a jeep ride in the Jurassic, through the ghost t...

"People Were Shorter Back Then" (Guest ep w/ historical interpreter Enzo!) from 2023-08-24T16:42:15

Former historical interpreter Enzo joins us to talk about interpreting history! A few months ago we visited Old Sturbridge Village, an 1830s rural New England recreation village. We went as naive v...

Old Sturbridge Village from 2023-07-28T09:00

In this episode Hannah and Evan describe their recent trip to Sturbridge Village, an 1800s recreation historical town. They talk about the value of on-the-ground research for creative projects, the...

Founder Energy from 2023-07-05T15:57

We talk about bringing confidence to our own work, including our recent scent-inspired game ideas. We're working on bringing that founder hustle without a toxic founder morality. Plus, we've got tw...

Fish People from 2023-06-06T17:46

In a much-requested episode topic, Hannah and Evan talk about WORLDBUILDING. We narrow in on three worldbuilding faux pas we're trying to be aware of in our own work: Word swapping, "Fish People," ...

Focusing on Focus from 2023-05-10T11:51

Hannah and Evan discuss their personal experiences and struggles with focus. A new kind of work requires long stretches of sustained focus, disrupting old routines and demanding new strategies. The...

We're Writing a Novel from 2023-03-28T20:30:37

Hannah and Evan talk about what it's like to tackle a very different type of creative work—writing a novel! We discuss the fun parts and the challenges of being two people trying to hone in on a si...

Packed With Care (Part 2) from 2023-02-16T15:31:55

Hannah and Evan discuss the trials and tribulations of packing a "deluxe" edition of Questlandia and the ridiculous mishaps that ensued. They chat fancy boxes, missing fonts, and making creative us...

Packed With Care (Part 1) from 2023-01-13T17:49

Hannah and Evan talk about the increasingly complicated logistics of packing and shipping games as small creators. In this episode, we talk all about packing and shipping. Where do you get bubble ...

Packed With Care (Part 1) from 2023-01-13T17:49

Hannah and Evan talk about the increasingly complicated logistics of packing and shipping games as small creators. In this episode, we talk all about packing and shipping. Where do you get bubble ...

What to do when you're sick of your game from 2022-11-10T18:06

Hannah and Evan discuss how to repair their relationship with a game they've spent a year struggling to complete. Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat KingDesign Doc on twitter: twitter.com/designdo...

FLETs (Fiddly Little End Things) from 2022-10-05T16:28

Hannah and Evan talk about the fiddly little end things that make a project go on, and on, and on much longer than you expected. Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat KingDesign Doc on twitter: twit...

FLETs (Fiddly Little End Things) from 2022-10-05T16:28

Hannah and Evan talk about the fiddly little end things that make a project go on, and on, and on much longer than you expected. Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat KingDesign Doc on twitter: twit...

Mosslickers from 2022-02-22T08:57:55.976598

The first playtest that takes us all the way through character creation. Meet beasts of burden, puppeteers, and the queens who inhabit Mosslicker Alley.

Retreat Forward from 2022-02-22T08:57:55.970453

In September we met for a mini Questlandia retreat. We talked about how our intentions for the game have shifted in the current political landscape and introduced an unfolding guidebook that will s...

Games Are Political from 2022-02-22T08:57:55.969686

We talk about acknowledging—and embracing—the inherent politics of game design.

Intro music credit. New Ages 1 from Little Big Dog Ears.

http://opsound.org/artist/littledogbigear...

Burnout from 2022-02-22T08:57:55.957290

In this episode we talk about completing a project that made us our own worst bosses and what it's like coming back from burnout.

How to Compare Roleplaying Games from 2022-02-22T08:57:55.952400

Hannah and Evan talk about the quest to thrive in the shadows of the world's most popular RPGs. An episode about how to compare *every* roleplaying game to the big ones, for the good.

Numbers Hide Everything from 2022-02-22T08:57:55.948260

In this episode Hannah and Evan chat about their honest expectations and secret hopes for the latest Kickstarter campaign. What do the numbers mean and why is it so hard to talk about money?

Kudos Conundrum from 2022-01-24T23:49:10

In this episode, Hannah and Evan talk about the self-consciousness that comes when you grow up and are told you must make things for serious reasons. How does one escape that self-doubt? Enter...ba...

Rekindling the Flame from 2021-12-27T23:38:24

How do you reignite the passion for an old project? Hannah and Evan talk about returning to Starship UltraLux and strain to apply a spaghetti metaphor.

The Episode Before the Kickstarter from 2021-10-19T12:00

We've had seven years to think of a good pitch for our game. Now, we're Kickstarting Questlandia again, and we're finally figuring out the pitch that feels right.

Resist the Urge to Fill Negative Space from 2021-09-24T00:11:39

We haven't had a deadlined project in a minute. But now it's time for a deadlined project again... How do we incorporate that work without letting un-deadlined projects slide?

The Work of Games Is Not Just Making Games from 2021-08-31T16:50:26

We just finished a year-long project, and have a little time to plan our next steps! The work of what happens in-between is just as important as the work of making a new game. We brainstorm about f...

Shootin the shoot from 2021-05-27T10:00

Hannah and Evan shoot the shoot about games, being in the weird middle space of a project almost being done, and launching lucrative YouTube careers.

Deluxe Edition from 2021-03-16T17:58:47

Hannah and Evan discuss the trials and tribulations of offering a "deluxe" version of a game on Kickstarter. How do you balance the quality, the complexity, and the pressure to compete with mass-pr...

Scopeful Optimism from 2021-01-12T15:52:07

We talk about what makes a game's scope big or small, why Q2 has taken so long, and all the projects we've made in the meantime.

Designing a Game Design Workday from 2020-09-28T17:21:22

We talk about how we've redesigned the structure of our workday, because boundaries around work are important even when—and ESPECIALLY when—it's work you love.

The Games You Want to Make, The Life You Want to Live from 2020-07-31T18:55:25

We sit down for an unplanned recording of Design Doc when Evan says something sad.

The Ski Bike from 2020-03-31T19:40:16

Its purpose, the act of creation. Its destiny, unknowable. Today's episode is about a bike on skis.

Breaking up with Character Creation from 2019-12-17T18:24:21

Character creation in Questlandia 1 lasted two hours. Character creation in Questlandia 2 is five minutes. What changed?

When to Add Ghosts to Your Game from 2019-10-22T19:39:07

The junk poets are changing again. This time, maybe in a spoooooky way.

When No One Is the GM, Everyone Is from 2019-08-23T12:56:22

Questlandia 2 is a campaign game with no Game Master. Without a designated person in the GM role, that responsibility must be distributed among all players. We talk about how the Junk Poets can sup...

The UltraLux Bait-and-Switch from 2019-07-24T16:28:31

Questlandia 2 has been delayed. Now, we're releasing an entirely different RPG first. We talk about—and try not to apologize for—how timelines and business have to adapt to design difficulties.

Your Kickstarter Questions (Mostly) Answered from 2019-06-18T13:05

We asked on Twitter what you wanted to know about running a roleplaying game Kickstarter. Now, we're answering your questions. From self-promotion to self-care, what to say when there's nothing to ...

Okay, Let's Redesign Noirlandia from 2019-05-21T01:03

We try redesigning Noirlandia, one of our other roleplaying games, in one hour!

We Still Don't Know Who the Junk Poets Are from 2019-04-16T13:00

Who are the Junk Poets and what do they add to Questlandia? We go over what we know, what's still missing, and how they could make a GMless game easier to play!

Finding the Game's Emotional Core from 2019-03-13T22:40

We've finished the first two playtests of Questlandia and something is still missing. In this episode we talk about how to hone in on the emotional core of the game. What stories does this game wan...

Playtesting Progress Part 2: The Spinning Mountain from 2019-02-21T17:17

After playtesting Questlandia's new kingdom and character creation, it's time to test some scenes! Bartholomew the anxious city planner and Quincy the cast out justice-bringer will have to make som...

Playtesting Progress Part 1: Knotty Business from 2019-01-31T16:01

Welcome to Kingdom Knot, where our people keep vigil over the void at the edge of the world. Something has emerged from that void—a creature for which we have no words, of which we have no memory. ...

Make-Believe History from 2019-01-11T00:18

Alanna Shaffer joins us to talk about how, even when telling made-up stories, we can be aware of biases in the way we talk about history. Whose stories get told? Whose get left behind? And what's o...

Whoops, It's a Dystopia from 2018-12-12T18:41

Why are our worlds turning out horrible? After playtesting at Metatopia, we talk about how the framing for worldbuilding can exaggerate societies to cartoonish levels. Maybe we can learn from the o...

It's Trans Awareness Week (Mini Bonus Ep) from 2018-11-19T16:44

It's Trans Awareness Week. A short bonus episode about trans allyship, education, and creating better gaming spaces.

- Trans Awareness Week: https://www.glaad.org/transweek
- The Trans...

Making Things in Hard Times from 2018-08-17T18:49

How do you keep making things when life throws the unexpected your way? We're learning what that looks like now.

Social Dynamics at the Table from 2018-07-13T17:09

A good GM can step up to manage social dynamics at the table. But in Questlandia 2, there is no GM, so the rules we write need to do that work. How can we keep the excitement and ideas flowing with...

You Can Kill a King, but You Can't Make a Marinara from 2018-06-18T14:22

What happens if a player achieves their big character goal in the very first scene of the game? We found out.

Romancing the Wall from 2018-05-18T20:33

With no GM, players in Questlandia 2 are responsible for framing their own scene types. As a result they animate objects, make holy voyages, and befriend a sentient wall.

The Worst Ideas We've Had so Far from 2018-04-23T20:17

Good games are often built on an avalanche of bad ideas. We talk about the worst ideas we've had so far, and how to turn them into something useful.

Deadline Motivated from 2018-03-23T18:38

We talk about deadlines, and the whooshing noise they make as they go by.

The Symbol Reader from 2018-02-16T21:03

We experiment with a customized alethiometer to explore stories and build new worlds.

Collaboration from 2018-01-25T18:32

The Make Big Things team talks about making games as a cooperative.

The First Playtest from 2017-12-28T19:40

With one playtest down, we talk about what went right, what went wrong, and what we'd like to change.

Preparing the Playtest from 2017-12-16T00:39

We attempt to put theory into practice as we prep for Questlandia's first playtest.

Plumb Bobs from 2017-11-29T17:15

What makes for a good RPG toolkit? We explore dice, cards, dactylomancy, and some of the weirder tactile tools you can bring to the table.

Worldbuilding from 2017-11-14T21:27

How we built worlds in the original Questlandia, and what's to come.

Metaplot from 2017-10-31T20:58

A discussion of worlds within worlds within worlds.

Welcome To Questlandia! from 2017-10-17T15:04

Hannah and Evan embark on a journey to redesign their first roleplaying game. Welcome to Design Doc, our year-long experiment in transparent design!

Social media
https://twitter.com...

Welcome To Questlandia! from 2017-10-17T15:04

Hannah and Evan embark on a journey to redesign their first roleplaying game. Welcome to Design Doc, our year-long experiment in transparent design!

Welcome To Questlandia! from 2017-10-17T15:04

Hannah and Evan embark on a journey to redesign their first roleplaying game. Welcome to Design Doc, our year-long experiment in transparent design! Social mediahttps://twitter.com/designdocpod de...