Bonus Experience
65 FOLLOWERS
A deeper look at the play experience and the finer details of running and writing tabletop games.
Bonus Experience
7M ago
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
Bonus Experience
8M ago
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
Bonus Experience
10M ago
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
Bonus Experience
1y ago
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
Bonus Experience
1y ago
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
Bonus Experience
1y ago
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