Game Talk: Designing for Emergent Narritve
I’ve been honoured to host a talk at the University of Bayreuth back in December of 2022. In the talk I spoke about the importance of including game mechanics that might seem arduous at first glance. Mechanics like inventory management or resource tracking often get overlooked in favour of a more streamlined experience, leaving behind the dramatic impact they might have if implemented properly. I will argue that it’s sometimes worth it to burden your players for the benefit of the story you want to tell.
The RPG Action Map
The Action Map is a tool to clarify relative (fictional) positioning for generally smaller encounters. Breaking out an entire battle map for a simple random encounter can take more effort to set up than to play out, so this is a perfect moment to use the Action Map! Save that effort for the important boss battles and campaign altering encounters!
The Many Faces of Chult
Make exploration through the treacherous wilds of Chult or any other jungle more exiting by showing the true danger of mother nature.