Hello Bonus Babies, Rai returns for a finale. We sort of talk about games, but mostly we just talk.  Here’s some stuff we talk about:  Monica’s computer Rai’s life Music of the 90s Monica’s book Onyx Path shop talk A better alternative to the “no fascists” rule Rai’s son and the Progress Pride Flag Fabula Ultima Dungeon Meishi Gay Final Fantasy You can find even more nonsense in the extended cut. And here’s some links for things referenced:  “Dragostea Din Tei” by O-Zone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnopHCL1Jk8 2018 Progress Pride Flag (Danial Quasar): https://en.wikipedi ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, I am so sorry for the huge delay – when it rains it pours. But here we are with the penultimate episode of Season Six!  Today Monica gets together with Heather (her wife) to discuss one of their mutually shared core principles of game design: participation makes the game. If you remove players from play, you are denying them the chance to experience your game. We break down what this means as well as provide good and bad examples of designing for character creation, incapacitation, elimination, and replacement. We also discuss constructive self-entertainment vs. disrup ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, Today I’m joined by friend and colleague Alex Guerrero to discuss how video games utilize narrative and setting design to create a sense of wonder and mystery – and how you can bring that to the table in your own tabletop RPGs! We discuss: Good writing and pacing of lore Creating and fostering mystery while running games Supporting an action-RPG feel at the table Using techniques from GMless gaming Integrating social influence into games Building lore for your game using other games Also discussed in the extended cut:  Monica’s favorite GM slight-of-hand and the judic ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, Today Monica sits down with friend and colleague Hiromi Cota to discuss how you can improve the accessibility of your tabletop RPG. We talk about making things accessible to folks with physical issues, but mental ones as well. We also talk about math a lot. In the extended cut: More coping strategies for ADHD Monica’s style guide opinions Being ready to teach dice pools You can find Hiromi and their work here: https://hiromicota.com/ https://www.tumblr.com/hiromicota ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, Today Monica is joined by the hosts of the Malifaux podcast, Steampowered Scoundrels, to have a lively discussion about being small content creators in a niche field, being the microest of micro celebrities, having relationships with tabletop game designers, and a lot, and I really mean a lot, of talk about Malifaux.  Don’t worry I also bring up Exalted at least once. Also discussed in the extended cut: bad times at work and the Condescension Special; the authenticity of background noise and where to get the good misophonia; the story of Trixibelle’s lemon; war crimina ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, Today Monica is joined by Exalted developer, Elliott Freeman, to break down their favorite (and least favorite) characters sheets: what works, what doesn’t, what they like to see, and so on. Favorites include Agon and Blades in the Dark, and the least favorites include some real stinkers. You can find Mr Gone’s work here and here Also discussed in the extended cut: Sleep and work schedules More details about Blades in the Dark Play aids as character sheets ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, Today Monica is joined by freelance author and designer, MJ Monleon, to discuss the ins, outs, and pitfalls of designing a competitive game. We focus mostly on traditional games like tabletop RPGs and card or board games and then wander off into the weeds of some of our favorite video games.  We start off strong, then get very distracted. Expect the full strength ADHD experience: hand clapping, table slapping, chair squeaking and my inability to hold still and speak directly into the mic. If any of that is a deal breaker for you, skip this one.  Also discussed in ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, Monica joins Terry on Mage the Podcast to workshop the design concept of individual magic(k) merits, as well as temporary merits and experience rewards in Mage 20th. Join us for an interesting discussion on in-character benefits and experience design, plus all the weird stuff you’ve come to expect from Monica and Terry having a conversation ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, Today Monica invites her friend, Jacqueline Bryk, to join her and discuss something she considers a blank spot in her traditional game literacy: LARP. We discuss what makes a LARP and LARP design principles as Jax gives a detailed 101 crash course. We also kick around designing our own together, for a bit.  Also discussed in the extended cut:  Jax at MAGFest and Monica’s day job the implications of torture in games and the meddlesome Victorians headcanons for the Scarlet Empress and the Ebon Dragon online RPG discourse ..read more

Hello Bonus Babies, Welcome to Season Six! Rai is retiring from permanent co-host duty so you’re all stuck with me (Monica) and a rotating door of our friends. Fear not, Rai will still join us from time to time. And don’t worry – we remain two queer people speaking with authority about games, and we absolutely will still swear (die mad about it).  In today’s episode D and Monica sit down to get into the ins and outs of designing good resource management games. We talk about what you need to consider as a designer and break down how you can avoid common pitfalls. We also cite a handful of ..read more