"Backstory" Backlog

9. Kathryn Hymes

April 28th, 2016

Game designer and computational linguist Kathryn Hymes shares her love of locksmithing, larpspotting, and the incredible power of play. Is this the golden age of gaming? We certainly think so.


8. Glenn Given

April 14th, 2016

Game designer Glenn Given joins Alex to talk about the theater, philosophy, taxonomy, loving analog games in a digital world, and the curious gratification found in following the rules. Want to hear Alex call Wittgenstein a dirty word? You should hear what she says about Hegel. This episode comes with a content warning for brief discussion of self-harm. Take care, heroes.


7. Shanna Germain

March 31st, 2016

Shanna Germain, co-founder and Creative Director of Monte Cook games, joins Alex for a deep dive into her creative process and bevy of current projects. We chat about everything from the challenges and rewards of designing games for kids to the interesting parallels between the role-playing and kink communities. What could be more intriguing than that?


6. Sarah Richardson

March 19th, 2016

This episode we’re joined by game designer, graphic designer, illustrator, and Director of Marketing at Magpie Games: Sarah Richardson! She chats with Alex about designing, GMing, and what is really at the heart of the OSR movement. Plus: two very special announcements about two very special events!


5. Sarah Lynne-Bowman

March 3rd, 2016

Sarah Lynne-Bowman, PhD, sits down with Alex to chat about educational larps, transformational larps, and what place words like “fun” and “self” can have in role-playing discourse. We also take a moment to defend that Lightning Bolt guy. See you at Living Games, heroes.


4. Laura Simpson

February 18th, 2016

Designer and artist Laura Simpson chats with Alex about too many things to list! Highlights include her upcoming game Companion’s Tale, designing in community, and pretending to be a vampire on the internet. If you remember what a MUSH is, you’re in luck.


3. Hannah Shaffer

February 5th, 2016

Tabletop game deigner Hannah Shaffer chats with Alex about collaborative design, collaborative worldbuilding, and finding one’s place in the roleplaying game community. We also briefly attempt to define the word “game,” but thankfully give up quickly.


Lizzie Stark

January 21st, 2016

It’s a very larpy episode with author, journalist, and larpwright Lizzie Stark. She shares her experiences and insights from long-form boffer campaigns, experimental Nordic larps, and much more.


Jason Morningstar

January 5th, 2016

For our inaugural episode, Alex chats with Fiasco creator Jason Morningstar. We discuss his early forays into game design, his philosophy of play, and exciting happenings in the world of larp. Have you gone to Ghost Court? You will.