Comments on: The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: Thinking About Design Can Make You a Better GM http://www.gnomestew.com/spotlight/the-kobold-guide-to-game-design-volume-iii-thinking-about-design-can-make-you-a-better-gm The Game Mastering Blog Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Take a Look at The Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design « Kobold Quarterly http://www.gnomestew.com/spotlight/the-kobold-guide-to-game-design-volume-iii-thinking-about-design-can-make-you-a-better-gm/comment-page-1#comment-15147 Take a Look at The Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design « Kobold Quarterly Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:03:10 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=6963#comment-15147 [...] Ralya from Gnome Stew about The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: “If you’re interested in game design, [...]<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('15147','Take a Look at The Complete Kobold Guide to Game Design « Kobold Quarterly'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> [...] Ralya from Gnome Stew about The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: “If you’re interested in game design, [...]
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]]> By: RPG Review: The Kobold Guide to Game Design – Volume III: Tools & Techniques by Wolfgang Baur, Monte Cook, Ed Greenwood, Rob Heinsoo, and Colin McComb | Moebius Adventures http://www.gnomestew.com/spotlight/the-kobold-guide-to-game-design-volume-iii-thinking-about-design-can-make-you-a-better-gm/comment-page-1#comment-9928 RPG Review: The Kobold Guide to Game Design – Volume III: Tools & Techniques by Wolfgang Baur, Monte Cook, Ed Greenwood, Rob Heinsoo, and Colin McComb | Moebius Adventures Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:40:30 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=6963#comment-9928 [...] The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: Thinking About Design Can Make You a Better GM (gnomestew.com) [...]<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('9928','RPG Review: The Kobold Guide to Game Design – Volume III: Tools & Techniques by Wolfgang Baur, Monte Cook, Ed Greenwood, Rob Heinsoo, and Colin McComb | Moebius Adventures'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> [...] The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: Thinking About Design Can Make You a Better GM (gnomestew.com) [...]
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]]> By: Kurt "Telas" Schneider http://www.gnomestew.com/spotlight/the-kobold-guide-to-game-design-volume-iii-thinking-about-design-can-make-you-a-better-gm/comment-page-1#comment-9829 Kurt "Telas" Schneider Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:04:34 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=6963#comment-9829 The more I read of their stuff, the more I think these Kobolds are on to something. They're still stinky, nasty, little dog-lizard-things, however.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('9829','Kurt \"Telas\" Schneider'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> The more I read of their stuff, the more I think these Kobolds are on to something.

They’re still stinky, nasty, little dog-lizard-things, however.

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]]> By: Rafe http://www.gnomestew.com/spotlight/the-kobold-guide-to-game-design-volume-iii-thinking-about-design-can-make-you-a-better-gm/comment-page-1#comment-9825 Rafe Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:32:00 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=6963#comment-9825 I actually love the idea of game [world] design and creation, but I never do it. Games are so much more fun when you know nothing about the world. Case in point: In my Burning Wheel game, the players were coming up on City X which straddled the only known pass through the mountains they had to cross to get to Nation Y. "What kind of city is it?" one asked. I shrugged and smiled. "Okay, I'm rolling City-wise to determine that it's friendly with Nation Y where we're trying to go to rally military support." Failure... what do you know? They've been in a trade dispute with that nation and things are fairly tense. Good luck bringing Nation Y's troops through the mountain pass and through City X without some wrangling or clever thinking. Over the course of a few rolls (a failed Circles test and a failed Rule of Law test), they found out that the city determined a good number of legal affairs (and affairs of honour) via duels and that the son of the lord of where they wanted to go was held hostage by the lord of the city (and the lord's son was a hostage in that nation in a good ol' fashion hostage exchange). I couldn't possibly have come up with all the little nuances of what they determined in 3 rolls (and more that came out over the course of the session). Of course... Burning Wheel makes this possible, to a large extent. All that said, I'd be interested simply because the authors know their stuff, and compilation works like this are so much better than single-author guides, especially when the subject is so... well... subjective!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('9825','Rafe'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I actually love the idea of game [world] design and creation, but I never do it. Games are so much more fun when you know nothing about the world. Case in point: In my Burning Wheel game, the players were coming up on City X which straddled the only known pass through the mountains they had to cross to get to Nation Y.

“What kind of city is it?” one asked. I shrugged and smiled. “Okay, I’m rolling City-wise to determine that it’s friendly with Nation Y where we’re trying to go to rally military support.” Failure… what do you know? They’ve been in a trade dispute with that nation and things are fairly tense. Good luck bringing Nation Y’s troops through the mountain pass and through City X without some wrangling or clever thinking.

Over the course of a few rolls (a failed Circles test and a failed Rule of Law test), they found out that the city determined a good number of legal affairs (and affairs of honour) via duels and that the son of the lord of where they wanted to go was held hostage by the lord of the city (and the lord’s son was a hostage in that nation in a good ol’ fashion hostage exchange).

I couldn’t possibly have come up with all the little nuances of what they determined in 3 rolls (and more that came out over the course of the session). Of course… Burning Wheel makes this possible, to a large extent.

All that said, I’d be interested simply because the authors know their stuff, and compilation works like this are so much better than single-author guides, especially when the subject is so… well… subjective!

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]]> By: Scott Martin http://www.gnomestew.com/spotlight/the-kobold-guide-to-game-design-volume-iii-thinking-about-design-can-make-you-a-better-gm/comment-page-1#comment-9820 Scott Martin Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:00:59 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=6963#comment-9820 I tried my hand at game design several times, just as an expansion of what I'd been doing as a GM. I've come to realize that I'd rather play other people's well designed games that subject my friends to lots of playtesting... but I think designing your own game is something many GMs have thought about or tried. To the people I subjected to my incomplete thoughts: sorry! It sounds like there's a good tool out there if you want to do it right.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('9820','Scott Martin'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> I tried my hand at game design several times, just as an expansion of what I’d been doing as a GM. I’ve come to realize that I’d rather play other people’s well designed games that subject my friends to lots of playtesting… but I think designing your own game is something many GMs have thought about or tried.

To the people I subjected to my incomplete thoughts: sorry! It sounds like there’s a good tool out there if you want to do it right.

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]]> By: The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: Thinking About Design … | Social Games Developer http://www.gnomestew.com/spotlight/the-kobold-guide-to-game-design-volume-iii-thinking-about-design-can-make-you-a-better-gm/comment-page-1#comment-9818 The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: Thinking About Design … | Social Games Developer Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:01:19 +0000 http://www.gnomestew.com/?p=6963#comment-9818 [...] Read this article: The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: Thinking About Design … [...]<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('9818','The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: Thinking About Design … | Social Games Developer'); return false;">Reply</a> </div> [...] Read this article: The Kobold Guide to Game Design, Volume III: Thinking About Design … [...]
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