Maelstromic Insight

Writing Plot for “Big” Games

Keeping one’s players entertained seems easy enough when there’s only five of them and they’re walking a linear path through a set of predetermined encounters. First they meet some lost villagers, then some bandits, etc, the classics. They are always interacting with non player…

Game Determinism: The Engines of the World

(aka) The Magical Toe Rings of Power

So, a player did a thing.

What next?

It’s easy to talk about the gameworld in terms of logic, as though it were real…

Tales of Immersion: Chair Cultures and Floor Cultures

I’ve written before on how immersion in games can be seen as a series of trade offs. An example of this is what I’ve long dubbed The Problem with Chair Cultures.

What To Wear: Costuming as Information

Costume Briefs are often associated with games that have exacting and intimidating costume standards, but looking individually stunning is perhaps the least important aspect of a costume from a game design point of view[1].

Five Things about Writing Fictional Cultures

Here are five things I’ve learnt about writings cultures over the years:

1) Cultures are not monolithic.

Ballgowning as Primary Unit of Gameplay: You mean it doesn’t just happen?

So, from the discussions following the post on Immersion, I’ve noticed that players seem to quite like feels[1].