Mon, 6 May 2013
On this episode, I talk with the ever-talented Amanda Valentine, freelance editor who has worked on a number of award-winning RPGs. We decided to have a conversation about editing from the perspective of language: why to choose different words, what that means, how does that impact understanding, etc. And then she becomes the Scarlet Owlbear. Links: 43:52 / 21.5M Thanks again to Jason Pitre for his help with post-production. - Ryan
Direct download: MasterPlan58_Valentine_EditingAndLangauge.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:00 PM |
Tue, 12 February 2013
At Gen Con 2012, I was on an Industry Insider Guest of Honor panel with Michelle Lyons-McFarland called “Editing and Indie Games.” The description from last year:
Michelle and I talk about various aspects of editing and producing a functional text, focused on the small, underfunded shops. We have different takes and different opinions, talk about the differences in various scopes of editing, a bit about working with editors, and so on. You can find out about Michelle’s company, Play Attention Games, at playattentiongames.com. 50:18 / 23.6MB |
Wed, 1 August 2012
The second & final basement tape episodes comes from September 2009: Ryan sat down with Keith Baker, creator of Eberron, to talk about setting design. They discuss various principles, ways to diverge from classic fantasy setups, working in lore, and so on. In particular, it’s interesting because of a setting design constraint: using monster and dungeon lore from Dungeons & Dragons as a core requirement of the setting, while still bringing something new to that subject. Links:
Shout-out:
- Ryan 31:11 / 14.4M |
Mon, 2 August 2010
After 10 months of podfading, Ryan Macklin is back with a new episode of Master Plan! This is the first of his "basement tapes" episodes -- interviews recorded back in 2009 that until now were out of the can. He talked with Kenneth Hite back in early September 2009 after setting creation and Day After Ragnarok. In honor of Day After Ragnarok's ENnie nomination for Best Setting, Ryan's kicking off his basement tapes episodes with this interview. Naturally, Ken has many, many good things to say on setting creation. You can read more in a post of his from a few months back that compliments what he said in the interview. Correction: The IPR booth this year is at 2339, not 2334 or 2335. Clearly I should have hit pause and found out like a civilized person. Running time: 28:50 / File size: 19.9M [Note: at the moment my forums are down]
Direct download: MasterPlan54_KennethHite_SettingCreation.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:26 PM |
Fri, 23 October 2009
This month being the month of all things horror, Ryan gets together with Monica Valentielli of Flames Rising to talk about some basic things to consider when designing a horror game. The folks at Flames Rising really know their horror, so it's no surprise that Monica's full of great insight about mood, theme, player involvement, and pacing. Towards the end of the conversation, they discuss a little bit of the differences between more traditional horror game set-ups and some of the newer, indie/character-focused ones.
After the interview, Ryan reminds you he exists by continuing to talk, this time about the recent The Thing's The Game episode and Jess Hartley's new book, Conventions for the Aspiring Game Professional. Monica Valentinelli & Flames Rising:
Discuss this episode on the forums |
Wed, 12 August 2009
Ryan talks about reincorporation from a design perspective. And he's going to write proper show notes later, when he's not packing for GenCon.
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Wed, 22 July 2009
Continuing the series on pacing mechanics, Ryan talks about campaign-level pacing systems. He revisits D&D, as having a loose sense of pacing based on the setting material linked to various character levels. Afterward, he talks at length about Polaris, as a prime example of an individual character-focused pacing mechanic -- with what it means to achieve and how it achieves it. Then he brings up a setting book for Polaris, Thou Art But A Warrior, that introduces a group-focused (or world-focused) pacing alongside the character-focused one. Finally, he talks about Burning Empires as a competitive, GM vs. PCs system. He closes out by bringing up some pitfalls to watch out for in any pacing mechanic you do.
He also shamelessly asks you for you consideration in voting for The Voice of the Revolution at the ENnie Awards. Games Mentioned:
Running time: 31:59 / File size: 21.9M Discuss this episode on the forums |
Wed, 1 July 2009
On this fiftieth episode of Master Plan, Ryan talks with Paul Tevis about text production and his new book, A Penny For My Thoughts. Given that Ryan worked with Paul on the game by developing and editing it, it’s not a standard interview -- they talk about it as insiders sharing a bit about creating the project with fans, especially over some of the pitfalls and issues they ran into together. After the interview, a few people wish Ryan well on achieving his fiftieth episode, and he shares his thoughts on the future of the show.
A Penny For My Thoughts:
Running time: 32:04 / File size: 22.0M Discuss this episode on the forums |
Fri, 19 June 2009
Ryan sits down for another episode, this one kicking off a series about pacing mechanics. To start off, he talked about there being some broad, different types of pacing mechanics, and focuses on one in particular: the "refresh scale" mechanics -- those that happen then resources are expended in order to regain them. This idea traces back to old school D&D, but people have done interesting things with it since -- including the recent edition of D&D and Dirty Secrets. To end, he talks a touch about a pitfall with designing these mechanics that he ran into when working on Mythender and urges others to consider avoiding.
Games Mentioned:
Running time: 25:45 / File size: 17.7M Discuss this episode on the forums |
Fri, 5 June 2009
On this episode, Ryan sits down with Chad Underkoffler about designing setting (and, in some respects, writing in general) with his latest release, Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies. They touch on how the setting for this setting-rich book was conceived, fleshed out, and trimmed down to aim the right information at the play group. Afterward, Ryan tells you to check out Paul Tevis' A Penny For My Thoughts, because he's frankly damned proud of the work and thinks it makes for a great case study for one school of thought in design.
Chad Underkoffler: Other Mentions:
Running time: 29:59 / File size: 20.6M Discuss this episode on the forums |
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Master Plan (podcasts) The People's Podcast About Game Design
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