In his graphic design manifesto, Frank Chimero throws down some essential design knowledge by saying “Take things away until you cry.” Antoine de Saint Exupéry, known for creating the Little Prince, declares “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”...
Read more →Media is a heavy inspiration for my gaming ideas. Any new movie, video, comic, or whatnot that comes out I analyze as potential seeds for plot, character, pacing, and drama. Zero Dark Thirty is paving the way for female heroes in its portrayal of an American hero who is also a woman. Spoilers and...
Read more →I believe that there are games that bring totally new setting, systems and experiences that are entirely new and based on nothing else but perhaps genre. I’m not currently writing any of those games. I’m writing a genre emulator for a pre existing system. And what’s more? I am SHAMELESSLY plundering fan fiction, fandom...
Read more →Let’s talk about props. In this article I use ”props” to mean not just funny hats, but music, pictures, maps and even food. Something outside the game mechanics that adds to the content or mood of the game. Why use props? Have you ever tasted something and suddenly half-forgotten memories flooded your mind? Listened...
Read more →This dad is awesome for making The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker into a game that had pronouns appropriate to his daughter’s preference. This guest post at Skepchick from a mother addressing bullying talks a lot about tolerance, and I think it’s something that applies to far more than just bullying of children –...
Read more →(I’m writing this knowing that it might be a little triggery for you if you’ve got issues with harmed or injured (or worse) kids in your stories. I know I do. So fair warning.) It’s that time again! Time for horror and scares and shiver in your boots movies and stories to inspire...
Read more →Lucia (Lucy) Maria Ramirez (October 6, 1987 – November 5, 2011) This is a true character arc that I went through in NWoD Geist. It was a deeply emotional journey up through death with a character that I became very attached to by the end. I couldn’t have done it without a wonderful Storyteller...
Read more →In honor of the scariest time of year! WOO! Here’s an addition to my Women’s Stories series. The Last Girl! Straight outta horror and right into your game. Months back; a good friend and game designer asked me what a woman’s power fantasy was, since we see examples of gaming of male power fantasy...
Read more →My husband John is, and has been, the primary GM for most tabletop game groups in which I have participated. I have, thanks to my unique girlfriend-to-wife relationship been able to see his work both behind-the-scenes and in-scene. I say what I say not because I’m his wife, but because it’s true: He is...
Read more →There’s almost too much for me to love about the Mad About the Boy LARP that I’m going to be playing this weekend. Organized by author of Leaving Mundania Lizzie Stark and the Norwegian creators of the game, this event is strictly for women identified players, takes place in the post apocalypse, and is...
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