Master Plan
The People's Podcast About Game Design - From Starting Ideas to the Finished Product
Host: Ryan Macklin
Website: http://masterplanpodcast.net/
Master Plan is a podcast on the subject of game design and the art of ideas, particularly for role playing, card and board games. Hosted by freelance writer Ryan Macklin, the podcast comes out at least once a month. You can expect interviews with game designers -- both professional and amateur -- as well as advice and news about game design.
| Episode Name | Time | Release Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master Plan #33: Unpacking Mechanics 1, Points of Tension | 35:47 | 07/16/2008 | On this episode (which is my longest yet), Fred Hicks and I kick off the long-awaited series on mechanics with a discussion about "points of tension," relating both to Don't Rest Your Head's Exhaustion mechanic and Mythender's Mortality mechanic. Fred starts with a wacky assertion -- that conflict... |
| Master Plan #32: Designing from Other Games 4, Clint Krause on Roanoke | 26:27 | 07/02/2008 | On this episode, Ryan talks with Clint Krause of KNRPG Productions about his early game, Roanoke, for the Designing from Other Games series. Clint released this game some time ago, derived from the Wushu system. They talk about issues Clint had to deal with, which given how light the base system... |
| Master Plan #31: Designing from Other Games 3, Robin Laws on Mutant City Blues | 30:34 | 06/13/2008 | Ryan talks with gaming luminary Robin Laws about his upcoming game, Mutant City Blues. Mutant City Blues is the latest GUMSHOE game, this one not focused on the horror genre but on police procedurals & super-powers. They talk about designing this game from the original GUMSHOE framework, what... |
| Master Plan #30: Lessons I've Learned 1, On Mythender | 26:04 | 05/28/2008 | On this episode, Ryan takes a moment from is current interview track to make a dreaded solo episode about some of the lessons he's learned lately as a designer. Specifically, he talks about some things he's been dealing with regarding one of his current projects, Mythender. He talks about some of... |
| Master Plan #29: Designing from Other Games 2, John Wick | 29:29 | 05/08/2008 | After the beach sabbatical that was Have Master, Will Plan #1, Ryan goes back to his series of designers talking about their experiences working with other games. This week, he talks with John Wick about his now-in-preorder game, Houses of the Blooded. Along with talking about where various parts... |
| Master Plan #28: Have Master, Will Plan 1, part 2 | 30:50 | 04/25/2008 | Have Master, Will Plan #1 with Paul Tevis, part 2 0:34 This episode is the second part of a conversation between Ryan Macklin and Paul Tevis at the second Nerdly Beach Party. Pick up the first half over on Have Games, Will Travel. 1:19 If you like this show, check out RPGPodcasts.com. 1:28... |
| Master Plan #27: Designing from Other Games 1, Willow Palecek | 27:00 | 04/17/2008 | Master Plan #27: Designing from Other Games 1, Willow Palecek Ryan kicks off this new series on designers discussing their experiences designing from other games by talking to new publisher Willow Palecek. She's recently published Awesome Adventures, her derivative of Evil Hat's FATE system. ... |
| Master Plan #26: Jennifer Rodgers on Working With Artists | 29:25 | 03/27/2008 | Ryan talks with Jennifer Rodgers, artist & colorist, about what a game designer should expect to know and should expect to find out in talking with an artist such as herself. They get a bit in-depth about her specific process, and she talks about some of the things she's learned over her time... |
| Master Plan #25: Good Games, Poor Texts | 24:26 | 03/09/2008 | Ryan takes another solo episode to talk about the part of game books we rarely talk about -- the text of the book separated from the game. He talked about the purposes of a game text, how a game text starts and ends a conversation with the reader, and some examples of games that do and don't do... |
| Master Plan #24: Emily Care Boss on Romantic RPGs | 28:43 | 02/14/2008 | Being Valentine's Day, Ryan sits down with designer Emily Care Boss to talk about her romantic role-playing games Breaking the Ice, Shooting the Moon and the upcoming Under My Skin. While the topic begins with the typical "trials and tribulations" question, this one about designing romantic RPGs,... |