The Corner of Story and Game

By Gerald Ford

Stop in at The Corner of Story and Game to listen in on conversations by worldbuilders - gamers and writers. Join us at a cozy table in the corner, surrounded by planeswalkers like yourself, as they s... more

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FAQs about The Corner of Story and Game:

How many episodes does The Corner of Story and Game have?

The podcast currently has 133 episodes available.

The Corner of Story and Game episodes:

July 05, 2023Paul Reed on Finding Character Voices
Paul Reed joins us this week to let us peek into his mind and learn from his journey. Paul is a writer and game designer that started out as a Nintendo Game Counsellor, and has worked his way up from there. He has worked at studios like Retro Studios and Sony Online Entertainment - and today he is working at Cryptic Studios.
In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things:
Breaking into the video game industry, why it is so difficult, and what we could do to the education system to help,

The application of screenwriting skills in video game writing,

What he learned from creating Shadow Madness,

Finding the voices of the characters and letting them be heard,

Working on Star Trek Online and DC Universe Online,

Tomatoes in Hobbiton?,

Making a world memorable through characterization of settings, and

The importance of finding and telling authentic stories.

Give it a listen

Paul's Links:
-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Star Trek Online
-> Spectaculars
-> Sentinels of the Multiverse

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠
-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
-> ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠
-> Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
38min
June 15, 2023Doug Levandowski on Tricking People Into Being Creative
Doug Levandowski takes a chair at the table this week, discussing all sorts of game design and writing topics. Doug is a board game and tabletop roleplaying game designer/writer (as well as an English teacher). He is best known for his work on Kids On Bikes, Kids on Brooms, Kids in Spaces, and currently is working on Kids In Capes.
In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things:
Giving people the tools to tell stories with their friends,

How Doug found his way into game design,

Where Kids on Bikes came from,

Hard-earned advice for younger designers (hint: don't be an asshole),

Choosing what is important in order to maintain work-life balance,

Measuring success,

Creating mechanics that support story development at the table,

Why story is important to Doug, and

Tricking people into being as wildly creative as they actually are!

Give it a listen

You can find Doug at:
-> ⁠Twitter⁠
-> ⁠Facebook
-> ⁠Kids On Bikes Facebook⁠
-> ⁠Kids On Bikes Website

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠
-> ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
-> ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠
-> Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
53min
May 25, 2023Shanna Germain on Quieting the Mind Goblins
Shanna Germain joins us this week to discuss a wide range of topics! Shanna is an award-winning author, editor, and game designer. She is one of the co-founders of Monte Cook Games and was the Lead Designer on No Thank You, Evil! and has contributed to dozens of other game products, including the upcoming Old Gods of Appalachia RPG.
In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things:
The choices we make on our journey as creatives,

Finish the thing! Just finish it,

Her number one creativity tip - embrace the mess,

Being a designer and writer at the same time,

Worldbuilding as a designer versus as a writer,

Remember, as a designer you are not the storyteller, the GM is,

Making space for the under-represented, and

The key to great worldbuilding!

*(Oh, and the movie that Shanna can't remember is Children of Men. And the four people she lists in the quickfire question round are Mary Oliver, Amy Bloom, Junot Díaz, and Pedro Pascal.)
Give it a listen

You can find Shanna at:
-> Monte Cook Games
-> Shanna's Website
-> Shanna's Patreon

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠
-> ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
-> ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠
-> Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
47min
May 19, 2023Winter Mullenix on Responsible Storytelling
Winter Mullenix joins us this week to chat about writing for video games, her time as a model and a musician, and, as always, the importance of storytelling. Winter is an experienced writer and narrative professional with a whole swath of credentials - currently working as Narrative Director at Cryptic Studios.
In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things:
Her time as a model and musician,

Moving into video games,

The Ladder of Abstraction as a tool for crafting stories,

Writing powerful dialogue,

Responsible storytelling,

Getting more diverse voices in the video game industry,

Creating memorable and cohesive game worlds,

Working with R.A. and Geno Salvatore,

Working with voice actors, and

How being a transgender youth influenced her development as a storyteller.

Give it a listen!

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> ⁠Facebook⁠
-> ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
-> ⁠Twitter⁠
-> Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
53min
May 04, 2023Chris Pramas on the Ups and Downs of Publishing
Chris Pramas joins us this week to discuss the challenges of publishing in the game design, and many of the things he has learned along the way. Chris is a game designer and writer who is best known as the founder of Green Ronin Publishing and the designer of the Dragon Age RPG. He has worked on a lot of different games, including Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Freeport: The City of Adventure.
In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things:
The story of how Chris started out as a freelancer, moved into TSR, and eventually started his own company.

Breaking in as a writer to the game industry.

Advice for writers or designers looking to get in, as well as for those thinking of starting a company.

The frustrations of the failed Chainmail game.

Dragon Fist and creating a Wuxia game.

Freeport and the timing around d20's emergence.

Finding balance as a driven creative.

What he is playing these days.

Give it a listen!

Chris can be found:
-> Green Ronin Publishing
-> Twitter⁠⁠
-> LinkedIn
-> Facebook

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> Facebook
-> Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠
-> Twitter
-> Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
45min
April 27, 2023Jonathan Gilmour on Storytelling in Board Games
This week I am joined by Jonathan Gilmour at The Corner of Story and Game. Jonathan has been working on board games for almost a decade now, but in those short 10 years, he has amassed credits on almost 60 games! He is likely best known for the acclaimed board game Dead of Winter, but he has well-known for his design work on the tabletop role-playing game Kids on Bikes.
In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things:
The tale of Jonathan's journey into the board game industry from his previous career in industrial robotics,

Where the design for Dead of Winter came from,

The role of stories in board games,

The secret origin behind the characters in Dead of Winter (Jonathan says this is the first time he's told this story!)

A bit of advice for up-and-coming board game designers,

Adapting video games to board games,

What he is up to now at Maestro Media,

Why stories and games are important in general, and

The power of experiencing a story.

Jonathan also shares the games he playing right now and the books he is reading (he's a big comic book fan!)

Give it a listen!

Jonathan can be found:
-> Board Game Geek: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/12679/jonathan-gilmour
-> Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/JonGilmour⁠
-> LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-gilmour-96160b1a/
-> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.gilmour.18

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/storyandgame⁠⁠⁠
-> Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thecornerofstoryandgame/⁠⁠⁠
-> Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/StoryAndGame⁠⁠⁠
-> Email: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
49min
April 13, 2023Cam Baity on Weaving Stories in Multiple Medium
Cam Baity is an Emmy-winning writer who has worked as an animator, animation director, and novelist. He has been a writer at Disney Television Animation, Warner Bros. Animation, Nickelodeon Animation, Hasbro, DreamWorks Animation, and more! Recently he made the leap from writing for the screen into video game writing, first at OnceLost Games working on "Wayward Realms" and now as a Senior Writer at System Era Softworks.
In this episode, we dig into, amongst other things:
Cam's career journey, and what he has learned along the way,

What it was like working on Guillermo del Toro's Pinnochio,

Lessons learned from working on television and movies that are applicable to video game writing,

Breaking into the video game industry and dealing with gatekeepers,

The importance of putting yourself out there and meeting people in the industry,

Showing up, doing good work, and not being a turd,

His experience writing a novel trilogy with a long-time writing partner,

And then we go really deep into the importance of stories and the place story creators have in today's world.

Give it a listen!

Cam can be found:
-> Website: ⁠⁠https://www.cambaity.com
-> Twitter: https://twitter.com/cambaity
-> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cam-baity/

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/storyandgame⁠⁠
-> Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thecornerofstoryandgame/⁠⁠
-> Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/StoryAndGame⁠⁠
-> Email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
1h 2min
March 30, 2023Bruce Nesmith on Crafting Villains
Who better to dig into creating villains with than Bruce Nesmith - the man behind the Ravenloft Boxed Set?
For those who don't know, Bruce started out in tabletop RPG design at TSR. He worked on MANY different products, but most notable (to me anyway) was his early involvement in the Ravenloft setting. In 1995 he made the switch to computer games by joining ⁠Bethesda Game Studios⁠ to work on Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. He remained with Bethesda until recently, working on Oblivion, The Shivering Isles, and being the lead designer on Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Most recently, he has ventured into novel writing, with his trilogy Loki Redeemed. The final book, Ymir's Return, is released this week!

In this episode we dig into, amongst other things:
Bruce's starting point when creating a villain,

Motivations and making believable villains,

Do you need a great villain for a great story,

The differences between novel and game villains,

Bruce's favourite Elder Scrolls Online villain,

Ravenloft (we talk about Ravenloft a lot) villains, settings, and the great Castle itself,

And we wrap it all up with Bruce Nesmith's Six Keys to a Great Villain!

Bruce can be found:
-> Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065304827763⁠
-> Amazon: ⁠https://www.amazon.ca/Bruce-Nesmith/e/B08YKG3DM4⁠
And his newest novel can be found at ⁠https://a.co/d/fZJKu8f (Canada) | https://a.co/d/iH4Kk8o (USA)

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/storyandgame⁠
-> Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thecornerofstoryandgame/⁠
-> Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/StoryAndGame⁠
-> Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.

Some of the things that are talked about or recommended in our discussion include:
Boardgame Arena

Gamma World

Eclipse Phase

and of course, everything Ravenloft!
...more
43min
March 16, 2023 Matt Forbeck on Worldbuilding for Games versus Fiction
This week's guest at The Corner of Story and Game is once again Matt Forbeck, a talented writer who is equally at home writing fiction as he is designing game systems! He is an award-winning author and game designer, working not only with novels and tabletop RPGs, but also with pick-a-path books, board games, video games, comic books, and screenplays. His list of credits is far too long to list, but he has created content for properties such as Halo, Dungeons and Dragons, Star Wars, and dozens more.
Matt returns to the show to share some of his insights on the differences between worldbuilding for games versus worldbuilding for stories - but we do end up exploring flow state, his recent work on the Marvel Multiverse RPG, and even the new systems being worked on in the aftermath of the OGL issue that happened earlier this year.

Matt can be found:
-> Website: https://www.forbeck.com
-> Twitter: https://twitter.com/mforbeck
-> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forbeck

Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storyandgame
-> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecornerofstoryandgame/
-> Twitter: https://twitter.com/StoryAndGame
-> Email: [email protected]

If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
40min
March 02, 2023 Jeff Gardiner on Creating a New Game World
This week's guest at The Corner of Story and Game is Jeff Gardiner, the CEO and Founder of Something Wicked Games. Jeff has been producing video games for over 20 years, with credits on such major games as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. Like many of the other video game creators we have talked to, Jeff's roots start in Dungeons & Dragons - which is one of the first topics we discuss.
We also explore areas relating to working as a creative and the challenges, but mostly focus on what it is like starting a brand new studio and a brand new IP - and what that means as far as writing and worldbuilding. While he doesn't share too many secrets behind their new game, Wyrdsong, he does give some very informative insights into how they came up with the core concepts and where it is leading.
Jeff can be found:
-> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeff.gardiner
-> Twitter: https://twitter.com/jg93
-> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jrg993/
-> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefferygardiner/
SWG can be found:
-> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SomethingWickedGames
-> Twitter: https://twitter.com/SomeWickedGame
-> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somethingwickedgames/
-> LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/something-wicked-games/
-> YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@somethingwickedgames6414
Find The Corner of Story and Game:
-> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storyandgame
-> Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecornerofstoryandgame/
-> Twitter: https://twitter.com/StoryAndGame
-> Email: [email protected]
If you have any questions or comments on this, or any other, episode, please let me know. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with professionals in the video game, tabletop game, and fiction industries.
...more
55min

FAQs about The Corner of Story and Game:

How many episodes does The Corner of Story and Game have?

The podcast currently has 133 episodes available.