Recorded at Metatopia 2024 Presented by Samphire Savage & Meguey Baker Sexy role play has likely existed as long as we have been getting it on. So what makes a game a sex game, and why write them? We willl explore common themes and design concepts in existing sex/sexy games, common pitfalls and risks in sex game design, and ways sex themes can supp…

Presented at Metatopia 2024 Hosted by Amanda Valentine, Lisa Padol You’ve probably heard that you should hire an editor for your game project, but why? What can an editor do for you? How do you hire one and how do you work with one? Bring all of your questions to this AMA and our experts will be happy to talk with you.…

Recorded at Metatopia 2024 Hosted by Jim Dagg, Misha Bushyager, Whitney Delaglio & Amanda Valentine Game design is art. And play. And craft. So what about when you just want to hone your craft and find joy in something, but don't want to make it a second-job? In an industry where success is defined by quitting your day job or running a $1M crowdfun…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Hosted by Whitney Delaglio Hand-Holdy content means it has the support of the content its holding hands with to help inform the reader on how to play and avoids lonely content that doesn't add to the gameplay as much as it could. It also makes it easier for the designer to create a game that tells the story/d…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Sean Jaffe, Joshua Jaffe, Casey Edison, and Jason Pitre The brothers behind Rememorex, Commandroids, and other titles talk about the ins-and -outs of layout. Making a TTRPG is a challenge to a layout artist, who must juggle aesthetics and theme with readability and ease of use. A valuable resource for anyone …

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Taylor Hubler and Nicholas Ambrose Join our experts for a conversation looking at how to physically design, package, and ship games. We want to make sure that every copy that is printed makes it into the hands of a player, but games can get damaged in transit, or be passed up by game stores due to a physical …

Recorded at Metatopia 2024 Presented by Avonelle Wing and Nicholas Ambrose So, what is "the three-tier system"? What's a consolidator? Hobby? Mass-market? Specialty? Once you have a design that seems viable, there are a lot of steps between here and retail success. Bring your questions, and we'll try to answer them after a brief overview of possibl…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Avonelle Wing, Curt Covert, and Alex Cutler You've read game design blogs and Facebook groups. You've delved into conventional wisdom. You did your homework. A game should be replayable. You should set your funding goal as 1/5 of your overall costs to fund fast. A prototype should be a single sheet of paper a…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Meguey Baker, Vincent Baker An introduction to PbtA from a designer's point of view. How and why Apocalypse World works the way it does, what your game can take from it, and how and why your own game should work differently. Highlighting PbtA's conversation model, with an emphasis on consent and communication…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Cam Banks and Amanda Valentine Licensed RPGs are a minefield of conflicting interests, stakeholders, and opinions. With the assumption that you've done the hardest part of securing a license, actually designing, developing, and producing the game is often much harder than expected. We'll talk about the proces…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Sydney Engelstein and Geoffrey Engelstein Sydney has taken close to a thousand pitches for Indie Game Studios. Geoff has taught game design and helped designers improve their prototypes for over a decade. Between them they see the same issues with designs over and over again, particularly with newer designers…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Meguey Baker and Vincent Baker We've been creating and publishing our own games for almost 25 years. How, why, and what does it take? Why self-publish instead of shopping your work around? How do you plot your own course, build your own audience, and measure your own success? This is about being you, the desi…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Jason Pitre Producing books is a challenge at the best of times, and the printing landscape has changed radically since the pandemic. The panel speakers will explain the process for finding companies to work with you, choosing your print specifications, and other secrets of the trade.…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Cam Banks and Amanda Valentine You've had a successful Kickstarter, you've been hired by a game publisher, you've released your work on Itch or DriveThru. You've done it! But now what? We're here to discuss the aftermath, the fallout, and how to survive that and stay doing what you love to do.…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Bill White and Avery Rosen This panel discusses the theoretical, pedagogical, and practical implications of trying to teach people to run tabletop RPGs as GMs. We're interested in understanding the best practices, the pitfalls, and the contexts in which "teaching people to GM" in any kind of formal way is eve…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Jay Dragon and Amanda Valentine Every game has a voice, from the biggest trad book to an indie zine, and this narrative voice helps a game teach itself and stand on its own. In this round table held by award-winning game designer Jay Dragon we'll talk through a number of examples of games that utilize narrati…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Tristan Zimmerman, Meghan Jaffe, Sean Jaffe The Indie Game Developer Network (IGDN) is an all-volunteer trade association for tabletop publishers, designers, and freelancers. We offer booth space at conventions, share knowledge, and work to improve the industry. Come ask questions and learn whether the IGDN m…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Jack Parra, Lissane Lake, Nicole Amato Getting high-quality art is key to making a product look professional. Our panel makes with the tips and tricks to controlling costs and Funding the Project.By Jason Pitre

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Jack Parra and Lissane Lake The panelists will touch on the process of how to find and approach artists, negotiate the contract, and then successfully work together. It's important that publishers get an artist's-eye-view of things so they can better understand what we do, the process, and the time involved a…

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Nicole Amato Join Kickstarter's Games Outreach Lead, Nicole Amato, as they discuss best practices for running a crowdfunding campaign. There will also be plenty of time for a Q&A for any questions you might have.By Jason Pitre

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Melissa Lewis-Gentry and Curt Covert. Receiving feedback is hard. Running a successful playtest is even more complicated. Our experts will share their tools for getting the most out of a playtesting table.By Jason Pitre

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Kat Millar and Curt Covert Giving good feedback is a skill. Come learn more about how to provide feedback to game designers in useful, productive ways.By Jason Pitre

Presented by Jason Pitre, Ash Kreider, Vivian Young, Eric Whalen, Tristan Zimmerman AI is a hot topic. Authors are suing over their content being used to "train" AI without their consent. Platforms and publishers are taking hard anti-AI positions. Or coming out publicly to declare that they are using AI and nobody can stop them. People who want to …

Recorded at Metatopia 2023 Presented by Jason Pitre, Jenn Adcock, Brennan Taylor, Olivia Montoya Larpwrights and tabletop game designers have long relied on the power of complex relationship webs to drive dramatic play. Crafting effective characters and their interconnections allows for a living, breathing, and often conflicted world. The panel spe…

Recorded at Metatopia Online 2021 Presented by Jon Cole, Oscar Biffi, Katherine Shane, Misha B, Olivia Montoya, Chiara Locatelli. Some small game projects are created by an auteur, who controls every aspect of production. These panelists rejected that approach to create projects working with a team on behalf of their community. How did they balance…