#80: Sandwich Theory

I. Dear Reader,

Half-a-newsletter this week as I’m on the road all weekend. It’s nice to get away but I also now miss my Legacy 2e game! We’re building wonders and (respectfully) killing each other’s characters so it’s bad time to miss a session but that’s how it goes.

Wishing you a happy Sunday,

Thomas

II. Listen of the Week

Alex Roberts, designer of Starcrossed and For the Queen, talks about her sandwich theory of game design – which is the best name for a design theory I have ever heard.

Plus some oldies that I missed:

• Matt Colville has Jasmine Bhullar on his channel talking about why people should try Blades in the Dark.

• Plus One Exp speaks to Ian Yusem about crowdfunding basics.

III. Links of the Week

• More ZineQuest coverage from Cannibal Halfling and Dicebreaker!

• Sebastian Yue shines the spotlight on nine Canadian indie RPG designers for CBC.

• Sean Patrick Cain, designer of Long Haul 1983, collated responses from a wide variety of people recommending good “starter RPGs” for new players. Huge variation on this list – which is fine because there’s a huge variation among people!

• Liber Ludorum is creating a “typology of TTRPG consumers”.

  • This article also connects to this lovely thread I read on twitter:

    

    The Eponymous Jonny @jonnywaistcoat

    I sometimes see people talk sadly of bookshelves stuffed with TTRPGs they’re ‘never going to play’, as if this is a failure. That the fact they can’t give them a full campaign means that having these games is a waste. But I think there are many valid ways to enjoy a good RPG.

    1:21 AM ∙ Feb 17, 2022

    ---

    636Likes126Retweets

• Chaosium dabbled in “digital collectibles”/NFTs and now they’ve walked that back, announcing they’re not doing anymore – for now at least.

• While I think I’ve shared it before, IGDN has finalized their professional standards for TTRPG publishers. Some well-known publishers have signed it already.

IV. Small Ads

All links in the newsletter are completely based on my own interest. But to help support my work, this section contains sponsored links and advertisements. If you’d like your products to appear here, read the submission form.

• ABOMINATIONS is out now! A tactile, GM-less ttrpg for 2-6 players in which you use d10s and a set of letter tiles to create and battle one-of-a-kind lab-grown monsters.

• ratti incantati is offering free US and Canada fulfillment to 5 first-time creators who successfully fund their project during #ZiMo. Details in the link.

• Feathered Adventures is a freeform TTRPG where you play anthropomorphic going on light pulp adventures, trying to overcome their flaws to come out on top!

• What if the Marvel Universe was real? SuperSerious616 is news/analysis/commentary from IN-UNIVERSE. Often used as a “prop” for super rpgs but also just fun and unique!

• Goblin Errands is a zany no-prep game about goblins trying to help their community and struggling with a world not built for small folk like them. It’s on Kickstarter RIGHT NOW as part of #ZIMO

This newsletter is currently sponsored by the all-new, fan-supported Fate-SRD.com. Built to be fast, attractive, and accessible, check out the site for rules, downloads, actual plays, and community.

Hello, dear readers. This newsletter is written by me, Thomas Manuel. I’m half-man, half-beast, half-journalist, half-game designer.

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