Designing Problems

This week, Tracy and Kristian are joined by Tracy's spouse and the other half of Ede Sol Games, Boof Sizemore to talk about one of the most insidious problems you may encounter in doing creative work: doubt (and more specifically, Imposter Syndrome). We're not qualified to approach this therapeutically, so instead we share some very personal stories about our own experiences with this monster from...

Kristian and Tracy are joined by Dot Moore, writer and producer of the Bite Sized Tales podcast, as well as player and producer of the Resting Glitch Face actual play podcast. In this episode we talk about creating compelling NPCs from the perspective of the RPG designer. How do you write and express characters for your adventures in a way that helps the GM make them engaging, useful, and irresist...

This week, Kristian and Tracy talk about the benefits of surrounding yourself with people who can support you in realizing your creative vision, a brain trust.  Brain trusts can provide creative support, but they can also provide emotional support, and even financial support when considering the outlay and risks associated with creating and marketing games for publication. We try to provide i...

This week Kristian and Tracy are joined by Chris Hussey, a prolific RPG podcaster, writer, and media producer to discuss the balance between the freedom of sandbox play, and the satisfaction of completing a more guided story. This problem is a deceptively challenging one from the designer's perspective, and we explore it from different angles while citing some of the ways different game systems, s...

This week, Tracy and Kristian discuss the impossible-to-define goal of what makes a creative work "interesting." Sometimes we can get lost in the "rules," or fixated on inspirations we want to duplicate, or we even get too wrapped up in what we think our audience wants , and in doing so we make choices that favor the safe road, only to find what we've created uncompelling--even boring. In trying t...

Kristian and Tracy are joined by the creative director of Pinnacle Entertainment (Savage Worlds), Darrell Hayhurst, as we discuss the "precious" nature of ideas, and trying to break through the "logjam" in our minds that prevent us from coming up with more. We talk about ways to tap into a broader pool of solutions to problems, different concepts, and fresh perspectives as a creator. We also talk...

In this episode, Kristian and Tracy talk about both the need for, and the techniques surrounding creating a "quest engine" for your RPG game or setting--or the reasons the heroes are there in the first place. This includes discussion of "quest-giving" organizations and people, creating and utilizing meaningful elements that drive the story forward, and the effective creation of compelling NPCs to...

This week, Kristian and Tracy welcome back guest Brandon Verhalen of Star Anvil Studios to talk about the value of commissioning art for your project. Whether you use it to help visualize your world and inspire you in the concept phase, or to communicate the look, feel, actions, and even mechanics of your setting to your audience, art can play a valuable and fundamental role in the creative proces...

This week, Kristian and Tracy go on an in depth exploration of what compels us to create the things we do, why we share them, and how and why we keep going when things get difficult. For many, these are very personal questions. We talk about the sense of accomplishment, the compulsion to inspire others, craftsmanship, our vulnerability as creators, and how we handle failure when it inevitably crop...

This week, Tracy and Kristian welcome Brandon Verhalen of Star Anvil Studios to talk about the sticky wicket of licensing existing IPs for your role playing game. Brandon is the publisher of the Secret World RPG, based on the video game by Funcom, and he has a wealth of wisdom and advice, including the benefits of licensing, how to pursue license-holders, what kinds of things to ask for, and some...

This week Tracy and Kristian delve into the dense subject of RPG game systems, how a system can fundamentally affect the feeling of a setting, choosing one that's right for your game, and even touching on the challenges of creating your own. We also explore some of the ins and outs of licensing different game systems for your project. See the notes below for info on licensing some of the more popu...

In this episode, Kristian and Tracy are joined by Jennifer Sutcliffe, Kristian's partner and the other half of the Immaterial Plane, to talk about a fascinating problem inherent to RPGs: the unlikely marriage of technical and creative writing. What are the differences? Why do we need both, and how can they compliment each other and meld together in the creation of your games, settings and adventur...

In this episode Kristian and Tracy talk about finding inspiration for your game, setting, adventures, characters and themes. More importantly though, where do you find inspiration for yourSELF? How do you get past the roadblocks and setbacks you encounter in the creative process and inspire yourself to keep trying and moving ahead? Finally, how do you pay that all forward and provide inspiration t...

In this episode, Kristian and Tracy tackle one of the trickiest questions the designer of a new setting must answer: What do the PCs DO? Establishing what the "iconic adventure" is for your setting informs almost every choice you make in the world's development, and it can mean the difference between a game people are inspired to pick up and play and one that just sits on the shelf. Come join us t...

This week we talk about where to start with the creative process. The difference between writing for yourself or your group, writing for other people to run, and writing for established publishers. We relate our own experiences and challenges at all three levels, and hope to give some encouragement to people along the way. Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJ DTRPG Community Content Hu...

In this first episode of Designing Problems, we talk about who we are, what we've done, and what the Designing Problems podcast is all about. We also touch on some of the challenges of the creative and production process, especially in the RPG space. Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJ