House rules! You know you have them. You know some games don't work without them. Here are some of ours! Presumably. I wasn't on this one, and there are no show notes, so who knows what the hell this episode is actually about. A regular feature on Flail Forward by now.

Concepts > mechanics > numbers

Start with basic concepts of what you want the game to be about.

Mechanics then describe these concepts in a way that they can actually be used and interacted with.

The numbers are the specific, fine details of exactly how the mechanics work.

Most major problems happen at the conceptual level, or mechanics that don't work towards that concept, or not having a concept really at all. The numbers are basically the last thing you worry about, basic placeholders are fine, don't try to balance your game first pass, just get the concepts down solid and try to build basic mechanics that enact those concepts.

Kavoir suggested we try to show this in practice and... well, we decided to make up a stupid game on the spot, and it actually didn't come out too bad as an idea. Go figure.

Game about a podcast! Why? To gather together conspiracy theorists to form a cult!

I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE AND I BRING YOU FIRE IN RPGS

Lenny Balsera joins us to talk about how games that seek to do more than 'fun'. What's that mean in this case? Listen and find out at the same time we do!

We discuss GM agency. Is there a correct amount? What does it mean for certain games to constrain it? How?

Tonight we talk about games we don't like but things about them we do like! ...Yeah it's gonna be neurotic. It does go better than last week, though, so we got that going for us. Of course you'd only know that if you listened to it. Which really, I don't think it's fair to subject yourself to that but maybe you feel guilty about something and want to punish yourself so I dunno, go ahead and listen if that's what you're into.

Tonight we talk about games we don't like but things about them we do like! ...Yeah it's gonna be neurotic. It does go better than last week, though, so we got that going for us.

Of course you'd only know that if you listened to it.

Which really, I don't think it's fair to subject yourself to that but maybe you feel guilty about something and want to punish yourself so I dunno, go ahead and listen if that's what you're into.

April Fools special! by Flail Forward

How meta does our meta currency talk get? Find out or don't because you can't because it's too meta to be understood within it's own delineated context, so there's no point to listening. Enjoy.

Short episode about pacing in ttrpgs! This is also a half episode because the recording bot, the back-up, and the back-up back-up all shit the bed in the same episode.