Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Kate Bullock, Kelvin Ortega, Jennifer Graham-Macht. Our panelists talk about how to be good playtesters. Learn how to hear the questions being asked and answer with useful feedback. We all want to give helpful criticism; learn more about how to do that.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Brandon Leon-Gambetta, Miguel Angel Espinoza, Mark Diaz Truman, Alejandro Guzman Vendrell, Jennifer Gutterman. Join us for a celebration of Latinidad and an opportunity to come together as a Latinx community. This panel of Latinx game designers come together to discuss what it is like to write, play in, and run games while Latinx.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Sam Saltiel, Elsa Henry, Avonelle Wing, Eli Eaton. Queer Erasure: Queerness is not a monolith. Queer game design is not immune to erasure, and by examining the state of currently available and celebrated games (and games) that address queerness, we can explore ways to expand our narratives to include the entire glorious rainbow.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Brian Neff, Darren Watts, Cat Tobin.  There are a lot of people who will say that full-time jobs don't exist in the Gaming Industry. That is wrong. There are tons of ways to make a career out of making games. It involves working long hours and probably being underpaid, but they exist. Here's how to look for them, and how to prepare for them.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Jack Parra, Lissanne Lake, Scott Bowmanchester How To Work With Artists: This panel will touch on the process of how to find and approach artists, negotiate the contract, and then successfully work together. It's important that publishers get an artist's-eye-view of things so they can better understand what we do, the process, and the time involved and plan projects accordingly.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Melissa Lewis-Gentry, Beth Rimmels, Christopher Tang. Marketing Is More Than Social Media. While social media is an important tool for marketers to use, many companies confuse it for the whole breadth of a marketing. Hear expert marketing professionals talk about what marketing departments should be doing for game publishing companies.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by presented by Rach Shelkey, Jacqueline Bryk. Honobono games. Heartwarming games. Pastoral games. Roleplaying games that focus on finding excitement in mundane situations and reinforcing positive emotion spaces go by several different labels. How do you design for uplifting gameplay? What impact do these games have on players? Our panelists will explore RPGs and mechanics that help players explore those warm fuzzy feelings.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Randy Lubin. A Stage Gate Approach to Game Development:  A stage gate approach involves developing multiple ideas in parallel, starting with one sentence pitches. Each round of the design process advances to a higher fidelity pitch, rule set, or playtest and each round you cull a subset of the potential games. It's a highly effective method for generating a breadth of ideas, overcoming design anxiety, and developing with confidence

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Christopher Tang "Getting Started With DriveThruRPG". Let's talk about how to interact with DriveThruRPG, some of the nitty gritty process but also the general principles to bear in mind and some of the things many people do not know like the details of the OGL, basic copyright law, the availability of Community Content programs, etc. Also taking audience questions liberally since I expect there will be those. We will also cover some of the ways the site has changed in the last year (mostly GDPR changes).

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Juliet Meyer, Raymond Bruels Marketing 201: Creating Content around Your Brand/Product. You've got a brand/product and you've got all the social media channels and a website. Great. Now what? Learn how to create consistent content for your brand/product that will resonate with your audience. This class covers Twitch streaming, social post scheduling/generation, as well as some ideas for rich media creation, and how to go about creating content for your brand/product using tools you already have! Bring your phone to this seminar

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Juliet Meyer, Raymond Bruels Marketing 101: Creating a Basic Marketing Plan. This is a basic course in marketing your brand and/or your product and helping you know the difference between the two in terms of tone and voice. Which social media platform is best for you? How should you measure success? Do I need a website/Facebook/Instagram/Telegram Channel/Sub-Reddit and what are those things? What are the different ways to market? What is my target demographic? How can you build an audience for your brand/product?

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Julia Ellingboe and Brand Robins. Approaching Allyship from a Genuinely Intersectional Perspective. There's no formal roadmap to being a "good" ally. It's easy to scratch the surface and stop moving, because you've challenged your own paradigm. That's not enough. Let's brainstorm tools and tactics for guiding allies towards functional engagement.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Mabel Harper, Avonelle Wing, Misha Bushyager, and Eli Eaton. A discussion about why some people, specifically members of minority groups, might feel drawn to darker games and survival narratives, and how fiction of this nature both describes reality and can also provide answers, empowerment, and revolutionary verve in a world that is hostile to racial, sexual, ethnic, and gender minorities

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Chandler Copenhaver, Steve Segedy and Christopher Batarlis. Kickstarter today is a different animal than it was a year or five years ago. Let's talk about the things you need to know if you're launching a campaign next year.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Kristen Roberts and Jennifer Gutterman Eat, Drink & Be Merry: Developing Cultural Touchstones for Immersive World Building".  Building dynamic worlds for your game is not just about swords, guns and magic. Much of what gives our world it's depth and richness is rooted in environment and evolving cultural traditions. Using examples like native cuisines, holidays, and slang terminology, this workshop will focus on how to develop setting-specific cultural touchstones that are relatable for your audience without being derivative or anachronistic. Incorporating these details into your game design not only creates a more immersive environment for your players, but also helps to build community and bring people together in real life. Join our workshop, bring your setting concepts, and learn about how to add and emphasize these important socio-cultural concepts in your world building and game design

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Anne Ratchat, Misha Bushyager, James Mendez Hodes, Eli Eaton & Jonaya Kemper with moderation by Jason Pitre Knowing how to support people is always difficult. When considering different backgrounds and identities, good intentions can backfire. This panel will introduce what to consider when being an ally and some ways to assist in a productive manner. EDITOR's NOTE: The audio recorder stopped recording 2/3rds of the way into this panel, but the content here is still quite valuable. Enjoy!

Recorded at Breakout 2019 Presented by Daniel Kwan, Agatha Cheng, Amar, Kienna S. and James Mendez Hodes with moderation by Daniel Kwan. How do we make our games and tables more inclusive? How do we make our stories more interesting and diverse? Join the Asians Represent! podcast crew as they discuss and answer these questions.

Recorded at Breakout 2019 Presented by Nicole Winchester, Mo Turkington, Misha Bushyager, Sharang Biswas & Jonaya Kemper with moderation by Jason Pitre Different individuals, communities, countries, and cultures have different ideas about what LARPs and roleplaying games should and should not address, and as gaming communities interact on and offline these ideas often come into conflict. What is acceptable in a game, and who gets to make that decision? How do we have productive and compassionate conversations about these issues? Are there things that games are not equipped to address, or are we limiting games by limiting their subjects?

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Tracy Gibbons, James D'Amato, Bianca Zelda, Daniel Kwan with moderation by Victoria Rogers You don't need to prep for hours to run a fun game that everyone will enjoy. GMing doesn't have to be a daunting experience. This panel will talk about ways to let go of the reins and give everyone at the table a chance to collaborate and create the story together.

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Chris Spivey, Robin Laws, James Mendez Hodes, with moderation by Corey Reid Bring your thorniest GMing problems to our doughty panel, in a Q & A event focused on practical solutions to dilemmas both classic and new

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Stephanie Bryant, Harlan Guthrie, Jo Fallak with moderation by Jennifer Adcock An overview and discussion of virtual tabletops for playing tabletop games online, remotely as well as with an at-table device. Features to expect, different playstyles, etc.

Recorded at Breakout 2019 Presented by Camdon Wright, Angela Murray and Chris Spivey, with moderation by Senda Linaugh Let’s face it, some games are just better for cons than others! This panel of experts will discuss what makes a game a good pick for a con. What kind of mechanics work best? What kind of stories? How do you stay on time? How do you invest your players quickly in your game? All this and your questions!

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Anne Ratchet Nicole Winchester, Moyra Turkington and Jonaya Kemper Have you always wanted to play LARPs at Breakout or out in the ‘real world’? Or are you wary of LARP and want your questions answered about this embodied form of play? Come on by to learn more about the different kinds of LARP, how to decide if a LARP is for you, how to tell if a LARP is safer space and more! We’ll also discuss our experiences with LARP as creators and players, offer examples of LARP from ‘black-box’ indie larps to rustic boffer campaigns to elaborate ‘blockbuster’ adventures, and talk about some LARPs you can play (or buy) at Breakout! 

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Emily Griggs, Camdon Wright, Sharang Biswas, & Cat Ramen Most great stories start with great characters, and the stories told around a game table are no exception. A discussion about creating player characters that will engage everyone in the table, and help tell amazing stories that everyone will enjoy. Panelists: Emily Griggs, Camdon Wright, Sharang Biswas, Cat Ramen Moderator: Emily Griggs

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by James Mendez Hodes, Sharang Biswas, Agatha Cheng. Moderated by Daniel Kwan  Regrets from Banana Chan  Are you interested in how Asian cultures can inspire games and game design? Are you curious about Asian portrayal in games? Join us for a panel discussion about these topics as experienced Asian TTRPG, LARP, and board game designers discuss cultural and historical themes. We will talk through examples that we’ve seen, the differences between Asian American and overseas Asian perspectives, and the impact of thoughtful representation and why it matters.

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Shel Khan & Emily Griggs, with moderation by Jonathan Lavallee A breakdown of how the art you include in your RPG book contributes to your RPG as a marketing technique, as education and information for your GM, and as permission and inspiration for players.

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Allysha Tulk, Nikki Valens, Shannon McDowell and moderated by Daryl Andrews Common practices and workflow when designing games, including the basic expectations, and the basic assumptions of design work. Notes, playtesting, knowing your audience and art will all be discussed as we walk through what it is like to build a Boardgame.

Recorded at BreakoutCon 2019 Presented by Todd Crapper, Tim Rodriguez, Cheyenne Grimes with moderation by Bronwyn Friesen Not everyone has access to thousands of dollars or the benefit of a successful Kickstarter under their belt. Many indie publishers start off with financial difficulties, including poverty, but are driven to create new and exciting games. This panel looks to provide some "tips and tricks" for creating games on a tight budget or with no funds at all.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Anne Ratchat, Kenneth Hite, Elsa Henry, Julia Ellingboe, Jabari Weathers.  Horror Mechanics (For More Than Just Horror)"In the genre of horror, game designers and writers have developed an arsenal of tools specifically to disempower the characters in their worlds. These mechanics are assumed one-trick ponies but can also serve as useful mechanics for empowering play as well when understood. The goal of this panel is to break down why specific horror mechanics work and how to use them effectively, regardless of genre.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Anne Ratchat, Rob Donoghue In each game, players make choices starting character design/assignment. How does a designer balance creating meaningful decisions while balancing choice paralysis? How does the feel of the game change by increasing and decreasing choices available?

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Nicole Perry, Peter Hayward. When turning your board game idea into a board game company, the first step is sorting out the logistics. Unless you have a burning desire to deal with accountants, spreadsheets, corporate structures, and The Joy of Taxes, you need a business partner. Nicole Perry and Peter Hayward are business partners; listen to them discuss how they split tasks, make sure that everything is covered, and the unexpected benefits of working closely with a partner. 

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Philip Vecchione, Senda Linaugh, Monica Speca. Podcasting is the new blogging. Fame, fortune, influence. Or...software glitches, audience-building, busy cohosts. Let's talk about the complications and joys of being a podcaster in a roundtable format.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by: Beth Rimmels, Mike Roberts & Mandy Perry. Learn the answers to your specific marketing & promotion questions from the experts. Beth Rimmels & Mike Roberts work for a digital marketing agency and are experts in social media marketing and SEO (how people find you on Google). Mandy Perry is an expert in tumblr marketing who just wrapped their first highly successful Kickstarter. This interactive workshop will also include live analysis of web sites as time allows. Bring your questions and learn how to get the word out about your product and establish a professional presence online. 

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Kate Beaman-Martinez and Jonaya Kemper "Love Like A Bomb". We're going to examine some evolving wisdom about balanced, healthy intimate relationships and apply it to group dynamics. In this case, we're going to talk about how the concept of "love bombing" applies to gaming communities.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Julia Ellingboe, Moyra Turkington, Jonaya Kemper, and Misha Bushyager. "Intersectional Feminism: Game Design That Tackles Topics that Matter". Designing historical games is complicated, especially when we're telling the stories of people who are often forgotten. How do we handle those stories without accidentally perpetuating or compounding existing damage?

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Jason Pitre, Mark Diaz Truman, Kate Bullock Games are art, and can explore challenging subject material. It can often be useful to use fictional metaphors to recontextualize these difficult topics and make them easier to to examine with a layer of emotional distance. On this panel, the speakers will explore how and when to use metaphors in your game design, and the pitfalls to avoid.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Nicole Perry, Peter Hayward, & Curt Covert. Every publisher is looking for the next big hit. Every time they sit down with you, they want your game to be that hit. Here are some simple tips to making games that publishers are excited to sign.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Jay Treat, Mark Richardson. How much do you change your game between tests? Which way do you change it? How do you evaluate playtester feedback and suggestions against your design goals? When do you stop tweaking or abandon a path? Iteration is the key to success not just in a single project but in your design career. Let's talk about how, how to do that better, and what not to do.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by DC Participate in a discussion about expanding the narrative fantasies applied to tabletop RPGs. The standard "set" of explored backgrounds and settings are not only old, but also fundamentally structured around a singular perspective. Inspecting the foundation of our fiction allows us to better understand the values or pitfalls of those choices, and how they may affect who decides to, or not to, join us at our table

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Isaac Shalev, Gil Hova, Jennifer Graham-Macht. Join us for a roundtable conversation about how to get the best data from your time at the playtesting table. We'll discuss our experiences running playtests, and talk about common mistakes and how to avoid them

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Kiva Fecteau, David Beever, Jim Dagg , Kate Beaman-Martinez, Beth Rimmels. Congratulations. You screwed up the courage and got yourself to METATOPIA! Prepare to panic... or not. Talk with fellow participants in small groups to identify your fears and where they come from. You'll probably discover a lot of commonalities. Our workshop leaders have begun to overcome their own fears, and have seen success at METATOPIA. They'll share tips and techniques to help you stay afloat during the weekend.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Bradley Hausman. A brief overview of SEC and some state regulations regarding crowdfunding, and other forms of raising capital, and registering your campaign. In this roundtable, feel free to discuss your experiences and how others can learn from them

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by Sam Saltiel, Brand Robins, Camdon Wright, Eli Eaton Good consent practice requires that consent is enthusiastic and informed. Let's talk about how to encourage a higher level of consent. We will discuss tools you can add at the table, but then we'll explore ways to integrate consent into the foundations of your design.

Recorded at Metatopia 2018 Presented by James D'Amato and Senda Linaugh. Being a guest on podcasts is a fantastic way to promote your game and build your brand. Our moderators will talk about how this might work and things you should know in advance to be a good guest. This will be run as a roundtable discussion.

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Joshua Yearsley, Hannah Shaffer and Mark Richardson. Being competent at something just means you've already made all the mistakes, so come learn from ours! We'll discuss some of our own juiciest mistakes and setbacks from our years of games work - maybe even some from projects we've worked on together? - and explore how we used those experiences to grow, improve our craft, and do better the next time.

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Brendan Conway and Kevin Kulp. When you're designing a game, you often start by picking a kind of genre, or even a particular work, that you'd love to experience as an RPG. But many of the strongest games out there take it beyond just replicating a particular story; they say something new or different. How do you do that, and why should you spend the time to make sure you do?

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Peter Hayward. Every game has a shape. Beginning, middle, end, turn structure, round structure, end-game condition, victory condition. Learn about common shapes, the direction that games are evolving, and how to make sure that YOUR game has an appealing and suitable shape for the modern board gamer.

Recorded at Metatopia 2017 Presented by Curt Covert. There are may approaches to game design. Come learn about one specific style focused on stirring the emotions during play as the core design thrust. How does this design style contrast to other approaches? What is its benefit? How can you apply these principles to your own designs? Curt Covert of Smirk & Dagger / Smirk & Laughter discusses.