Designing a single gameplay system is a meaningful challenge by itself, but it’s also only the first step in the design of modern games. Today’s games are built not around the single threads of individual systems, but rather around complex tapestries: multitudes of gameplay systems that overlap with and influence one other in a profusion of different ways. Economies, level progressions, social systems—even “simple” modern games involve surprisingly intricate inter-system connections. How does one approach designing these kinds of complex interdependencies? On Episode 44 of Vertical Slice we’re exploring the unique challenge of overlapping system design, and looking for the principles that can help steer the way to meaningful and fun system interactions.