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

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:

• Eric Burns' review of The Zorcerer of Zo
• Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novel series
• Pyramid Magazine
• Paul Tevis' Have Games, Will Travel

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