Slow and steady wins the race... but does it work in a one-session RPG? From what we've seen in Escape from Wonderland, not quite. In this episode, we discuss pacing in roleplaying games: from the moment players arrive at the table to leaving everyone feeling satisfied with the story's twists and turns. We dig into the challenge of building uncanny horror—where a slow burn creates the best dread—and whether it's possible to communicate that in a single sitting. Mentioned in this episode: Visioneers (2008 film) Links/Credits: Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Website: turtlebun.com Design Doc intr ..read more

Sometimes a secret is worth more than gold. But how do you make concrete rules for something intangible? Hannah and Evan talk about the secrets of Wonderland and what to do when the rules are out of step with the story. Links/Credits: Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Website: turtlebun.com Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/designdoc Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz Instagram: instagram.com/tu ..read more

Even when things are going wrong for your characters, you as a player might feel rewarded by narrative twists and turns. In this episode, Hannah and Evan discuss the ways that games can reward both players and characters, and do some live game design about claw machine prizes... Links/Credits: Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Website: turtlebun.com Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/designdoc Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Turtlebun Discor ..read more

When people decide what art is worth looking at, they look for the very best. In a world that demands creative endeavors be perfect, how do we find the confidence to make and share our own art? Episode mentions: Olga Smirnova / Dutch National Ballet: https://www.operaballet.nl/en/dancers/olga-smirnova Toki Pona: https://tokipona.org/ A Mathematician's Lament by Paul Lockhart (essay): https://worrydream.com/refs/Lockhart_2002_-_A_Mathematician's_Lament.pdf The Jewish Wedding by Jovan Obican (lithograph): https://rogallery.com/artists/jovan-obican/jewish-wedding-2/ Links/Credits: Patreon: patreo ..read more

Is playtesting more of a science, or more art? How prepared should you be for a playtest if you're testing rules that might change on the fly, never to be seen again? In this episode we talk about playtesting our newest game, Escape from Wonderland, and how that went! Links/Credits: Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Website: turtlebun.com Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/designdoc Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Turtlebun Discord: https ..read more

Our newest game, Escape from Wonderland, began as a hack of Questlandia. But what happens when the mechanics of an old game don't work with the story you want to tell? In this episode we talk about hacking games to do what we want them to do. Links: Support Design Doc on Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Find our games at: turtlebun.com Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz instagram.com/turtleandbun Suppor ..read more

Our newest game Escape from Wonderland began as a hack of Questlandia. But what happens when the mechanics of an old game don't work with the story you want to tell? In this episode we talk about hacking games to do what we want them to do. Links: Support Design Doc on Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Find our games at: turtlebun.com Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz instagram.com/turtleandbun Support ..read more

We often ask ourselves, "Do we need a mechanic for that?" In our newest game, Escape from Wonderland, we want to encourage players to travel across a haunted amusement park. How can the rules create meaningful choices about the places they should and shouldn't go? And when is it better to lose that choice, and end up somewhere randomized or predetermined? Join us as we navigate these questions and arrive in unexpected places! Links/Credits: Website: turtlebun.com Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: h ..read more

We're taking a week off to recharge! We'll see you back in two weeks with a new episode of Design Doc. Rest easy. Sincerely, Hannah and Evan Links/Credits: Website: turtlebun.com Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/designdoc Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz instagram.com/turtleandbun ..read more

We recently realized that we’ve drifted apart not just from our games community, but from our community at large. Now, in a world where the future feels uncertain and dire, we're asking ourselves: how do we reconnect? Escape from Wonderland has just one week left on Kickstarter. You can read more and back the project here. Links/Credits: Website: turtlebun.com Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/ Support Design Doc on Patreon: Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun Support Design Doc with a coffee: https://ko-fi.co ..read more