Fine Blueprints

Today we've got sneak peak of the first episode of DICE EXPLODER, a new show on the fiction first network.
Each week on Dice Exploder, Sam will have on a new cohost, and they'll bring one RPG mechanic that we'll break down as far as we can. It's gonna be a real nuts and bolts show about design and getting the most out of games. The first season premieres on May 25th.
Subscribe to Dice Exploder on your fa...

We're back with another episode before Sam takes over for a bit. Today, Ted joins us to talk about his upcoming game, The Last Caravan, kickstarting very soon! Ted and Ray discuss travel mechanics and converting the phase structure of Blades while running away from aliens.

Bookmark the kickstarter here! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theodoreinthevalley/the-last-caravan-a-cars-and-aliens-tabletop-rpg
And dow...

We're finally back with a hilarious episode! Long-time Fiction First Network contributor Sam hosts Healed and Skelpie to talk about their games, Most Trusted Advisors and That's Right, I Did It!

We talk about how to allow the players to create humor in their games, what goes into a humorous setting, and what purpose mechanics serve in comedic games, with plenty of laughs along the way!

You can find Most ...

Today, we talk with members of the Desperate Attune actual play podcast about their adaptation of the U'Dudasha setting, an aspect of the Special Edition of Blades in the Dark. Tree and Prince talk about setting aspects they've added, excitement and critiques of the setting as written, and so on, as well as how they develop the limited setting into greater detail for their show.

You can find the show's twitt...

We're joined today by Jex to talk about their game, Bump in the Dark, and how using the cinematic techniques of film and TV can help add vibrancy to your game and bring players into the writer's room of story telling. We talk about some of the tools and terms of this style of story telling, including some of the downsides as well.

You can find Bump in the Dark here: https://jexjthomas.itch.io/bump-in-the-dark

Today we're joined by Ray of Mythopoeia to talk about TTRPG publishing, including the risks brought about by the pandemic and economy. Ray also talks about how he teamed up with TTRPG author Fenix to publish The Wildsea, and where he's going next with Mythopoeia.

You can find Mythopoeia's games and comics at https://www.mythopoeia.us/store/c1/myth-store
Ray's Tiktok is @mythopoeians: https://www.tik...

Today, Sam joins us to talk about his Blades in the Dark supplement, Doskvol Breaths, a series of vignettes to replace downtime actions. We also talk about designing Downtime in your game, even if your game doesn't formalize it like Blades does, as well as how to incorporate Firebrands-style vignettes into your game (for downtime or otherwise). Sam also turns the tables on hosts Justin and Adam to ask how Adam's game, Ent...

We are joined today by none other than one of the Fiction First network's members, Riley, to talk about their game, As The Sun Forever Sets, a game of survival against Martian invaders in Victorian England, inspired by War of the Worlds. We also talk about the themes of Survival and how Riley's changes to the rules emphasize the tone. It's a game with a lot of hype on the discord, so give it a look!

Also, Ri...

Today, Justin and Nychelle are joined by Danielle to talk about their Animorphs game, Idiot Teenagers With A Deathwish. She talks about what inspired her to make a game based on the Animorphs series, and how she shapes the core themes and powers into the Forged in the Dark system. We also discuss adapting your favorite media property to RPGs with some great tips and anecdotes.

You can find the game on itch here: https://re...

We're back, with a new name and a new network!

Welcome to Fine Blueprints, a part of the Fiction First network. We all wanted to re-introduce ourselves!

Follow our new Twitter! https://twitter.com/FictionfirstNet

Nychelle: https://mistletoe-kiss.itch.io/ | https://www.voidalspace.com/
Adam: https://boocherry.itch.io/ | https://twitter.com/AdamBucceri
Justin: https://moth-lands.itch.io/ | http...

In the first episode of Fine Blueprints, we change things up already!

Today, host Justin is joined by two designers: Cass of Undead Awakening and Yuri of Glamour of our Youth. Both are very different games about the similar themes of monstrous and chaotic protagonists: Zombies and Teens. We talk about how similar inspirations and goals can cause two unique games.

Undead Awakening is kickstarting now! Check them ou...

Today, Mark and  new host Erik are joined by Karl, author of Mountain Home, a forged in the dark game about dwarves establishing a new home in the mountains. We talk about how emergent narrative in the inspiration, Dwarf Fortress, evokes the narrative EXPLORATION of TTRPGs, and what it means to get into character as a dwarf. We also DELVE into how entanglements drive the narrative tone and challenges, and DIG deep into a number of ...

Today, Nychelle is joined by Michael Low from Luck of Legends, an educational creative writing and story game camp, about the first chapters of his new game project, Stories RPG. We talk about running and designing games for kids, and how they can be amazing educational tools for topics ranging from conflict resolution to science! Michael describes some of the game design aspects inspired by his students, as well as his methods for...

Today, Justin returns as a guest to talk about his current project, CHEW, an official spinoff forged in the dark game based on the best-selling CHEW comics by Image. Justin and Mark talk about incorporating humor into the typically more gritty forged in the dark system, as well as how he has incorporated the established world and, especially, the tone of the comics into a game.

The CHEW Kickstarter is ending in 3 days! Che...

Today, Mark is joined by Cohan and Garrett of Poor Students to talk about their one-page  game Subconscious_Routine, submitted as part of the Applied Hope game jam. They discuss how they limit both the overall rules and the players' available actions to convey the tone and setting of robots searching for free will, as well as their use of other media to convey the hopeful post-post-apocalyptic setting.

Stick around to the ...

Today, Umbra joins hosts Jacob and Nychelle to talk about his game Future.Shock, as well as how resolution mechanics (dice, cards, etc.) affect the tone and fantasy of your game. He describes his transhumanist game, but also discusses how to tell if your dice mechanics will work out, and gives examples of when the dice mechanics accidentally told a different story than what the designer intended.

You can follow Umbra on tw...