Join Hannah and Evan on a journey in analog game design as they set out to redesign their first roleplaying game, Questlandia. Are you a junk poet or a world weaver? Can you Kickstart a roleplaying game in a three-ring binder? It’s as close to live game design as it gets, and we’re inviting you along for the ride!
Hannah grew up on point-and-click adventures games and purple-aquamarine ‘90s tracksuits, and never really grew out of it. She designs games around themes of queerness, empathy, and optimistic nihilism. You can find more of her work at makebigthings.com, where she creates board and roleplaying games as part of the Make Big Things co-op.
Evan is an avid player and creator of both tabletop and coimputer games. He’s worked previously on Questlandia, 14 Days, Noirlandia, and is developing the upcoming video game Goblin Diplomat. His favorite game is Go. If you ask, he will definitely play Go with you.
44. A Cat in the Lap and Other Good Things
It’s easy to overlook the little things that are going well when there’s no big exciting game or runaway success to chase. Hannah and Evan talk about appreciating small victories, daily routines, and high gravity days. Some games: https://turtlebun.com/collections/all-products Some nano games: https://turtlebun.com/collections/all-products/products/nano-game-bundle Episode intro/outro music by Pat King
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43. Numbers Hide Everything
In this episode Hannah and Evan chat about their honest expectations and secret hopes for the latest Kickstarter campaign. What do the numbers mean, and why is it so hard to talk about money?
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42. The Episode Before the Kickstarter
We’ve had seven years to think of a good pitch for our game. Now, we’re Kickstarting Questlandia again and we’re finally figuring out the pitch that feels right. In this episode we talk about the impending Kickstarter for a new edition of Questlandia, and just how hard it is to find a genuine voice when...
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41. Resist the Urge to Fill Negative Space
We haven’t had a deadlined project in a minute, but now it’s time for a deadlined project again. How do we incorporate that work without letting un-deadlined projects slide? How does anyone not just fill the negative space? Intro/outro music: Pat King Join the Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/9umUykHVAQ Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun
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40. The Work of Games Is Not Just Making Games
We just finished a year-long project, and have a little time to plan our next steps! The work of what happens in-between is just as important as the work of making a new game.
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39. Shootin the shoot
Hannah and Evan shoot the shoot about games, being in the weird middle space of a project almost being done, and launching lucrative YouTube careers.
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38. How to Compare Roleplaying Games
Hannah and Evan talk about the quest to thrive in the shadows of the world’s most popular RPGs. An episode about how to compare your games to the big ones, for the good.
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37. Deluxe Edition
Hannah and Evan discuss the trials and tribulations of offering a “deluxe” version of a game on Kickstarter.
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36. Everything Old Is New Again
We sold out of Questlandias, and have decided to revamp it for the next print run! In this episode we talk about returning to our first game.
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35. Scopeful Optimism
We talk about what makes a game’s scope big or small, why Q2 has taken so long, and all the projects we’ve made in the meantime.
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