Reading on the Road

Today, I’m talking about the game design study I’ve been doing while I’m on the road, and breaking down some of my thoughts on the game’s I’ve read so far

Kia ora!

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted an update here, but it’s not for lack of trying! I’m currently working on more game design, and writing a few more articles for the newsletter, but I’ve actually just moved out of my home-base of Wellington! 

I’m currently on the road, taking a trip around the country before I move to Europe later on in the year. While I’m out and about, I’m doing a lot of reflecting on the first season of Wait, Roll That Again!, I’m planning for the year ahead, and, most importantly, I’m reading a whole bunch! 

Reading on the Road

I had a feeling travelling wouldn’t be ideal for game design, as my ability to focus does rely on a bit more stability than travelling affords. I knew I wanted to read lots of RPG and gaming-adjacent material while I was on the road, so I packed my iPad and begun downloading games I’d had an eye on through itch.io. 

Today, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about what I’ve been reading, and some of my key takeaways from each source!

My study habits have been informed by my conversation with Ashley Warren, director of the Storytelling Collective, in Episode Two of Wait, Roll That Again! Check out the episode here to learn about how we can study other games when we’re designing. 

Wyrd Science - Issues 1 and 2

Issues 1 through 3 of Wyrd Science!

Wyrd Science

is the sort of magazine I loved reading as a kid, like Empire and Total Film. It’s got a great focus at its heart, and a chorus of fantastic voices. 

Having read the first two issues, this fantastic magazine was definitely something I should’ve started reading sooner. Like, as soon as I even considered getting into game design. 

That’s not because it’s a how-to guide on how to design games, but instead because it provides an excellent snapshot of the RPG and gaming community. Fantastic interviews with designers like Kieron Gillen, Jay Dragon, Gavriel Quiroga and more fill each issue with heaps of game design knowledge, and delightful deep dives into hobby history paint a picture of the fantastic places RPGs have been, and where they might go! There’s a lot of love for miniature painting here, one of my other hobbies I definitely need to dedicate more time to! 

Instead of trying to summarise my many takeaways from these issues, I’ll shout out a few of my favourite reads: 

• Phantoms of Oppression (Issue 1)

• If You Go Down To The Woods Today (Issue 1) 

• Violence is Easy. Romance is Hard (Issue 2) 

• ‘In Wanderhome, They’ll All Be Okay’ (Issue 2) 

• A Place where We Belong (Issue 2)

PDFs of Wyrd Science are available on their Itch.io store here. 

Void 1680 AM

Designed by Ken Lowery, VOID 1680 AM is a solo-rpg about a solitary radio broadcaster I’ve seen talked about a lot in various game design spaces. I discovered that the game was included in a TTRPGs for Trans Youth bundle running now, and I picked it up to both support the cause and have a read of this game. I feel like I’ll have more to say once I’ve played it, but for now this is what’s stood out: 

• I really love the idea of having an artefact of play left over to enjoy after playing the RPG. A playlist you’ve created, or a even a podcast recording? These seem particularly suited to my own tastes!

• I’m really enjoying reading games that don’t use dice as resolution mechanics. Playing cards that each correspond to specific prompts is a really interesting way to guide a player’s experience that suits this game well. I love that they’re split up into the different phases of the broadcast, further defining the experience.

I’m really really looking forward to running this one. 

VOID 1680 AM is available on the Bannerless Games itch.io here, or as part of this bundle supporting a trans youth group!

Wanderhome

Maybe it’s because I’m on the road, but I wanted to revisit Wanderhome. I’ve read it before, when I was doing my initial explorations into the world of indie RPGS, and more closely when preparing to interview Jay Dragon for episode four of Wait, Roll That Again! This time, I didn’t focus on the character creation mechanics I’d spoken to Jay about, but the rest of the game and its presentation.

Here are my takeaways from this read: 

• Wanderhome’s voice is so strong, and the concept of Voice and authorial input is one I’m really excited to explore in the next season of Wait, Roll That Again! I think the perspective inherent to the book’s writing makes for such a delightful read, elevating the book to be more than just a rule set.

• Tokens are delightful. A really simple way to encourage the players to take up the spotlight and have a moment for themselves, or to engage with the world they’re spinning up. The principles behind this mechanic definitely inspired the “shift triggers” aspect of my game, Fight or Fright. I can imagine a version of that game where the game uses tokens instead. Or maybe I should take more inspiration and create a universal list of ways to get tokens to shape the direction of play a bit more. 

• GMless games sound fantastic and I’m desperate to run one to see how I might write one myself.

Wanderhome is available on the Possum Creek Games store here. 

That’s all I’ve read so far! I’ve got my eye on a few more games to read over the next few weeks, so look out for another reading report in the near future. 

Let me know if there’s a game you think I should check out!