Game Design

Articles about my experiences, philosophy, and methodology in game design.

Fate Issues: Complex Resolution Mechanic

  • #tabletop-rpgs
  • #blog
  • #fate-core
  • #game-design

A continuing series on the #CommonComplaints of #FateCore Now this is a hard one, because it can be true.

Fate Core Common Complaints

  • #blog
  • #tabletop-rpgs
  • #fate-core
  • #game-design

Fate gets a lot of hate on social media. Some people hate it, some people love it. As a designer, I want to know what the issues are, so that I can avoid them in systems I design, and patch them in games that I write using Fate.

Is Crunch Required for Long-Running Games?

  • #blog
  • #tabletop-rpgs
  • #game-design

I seem to write a lot of stuff phrased as a question when I intend to give a specific answer.

Why I Design Games When I'm Sick

  • #blog
  • #game-design
  • #tabletop-rpgs

Short one today. Topical though, since I’m still feeling like shit. As the saying goes, I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Why I Love Analytical Game Design

  • #blog
  • #tabletop-rpgs
  • #game-design

And why I don’t get to use it often. Buckle in, this is going to be a long one.

Learning to Love Document Generation

  • #game-design
  • #tabletop-rpgs
  • #blog
  • #software

Hi. I’m Joe, and this is now my blog. For my sketchblog that was previously on write.