Design Doc
Come along with Hannah and Evan in a living documentation of the game design process, from the first spark of an idea, to every disastrous surprise. It’s not an instruction manual, but a travel guide, with lots of unexpected stops along the way.
Episodes
May 3, 2024 • 49 mins
Public radio icon Ira Glass has a famous quote describing the gap between taste and talent in trying to hone your creative work. When you start out, your tastes are always bigger than your skill. It's a frustrating gap, and one that causes a lot of people to give up.
In this episode we talk about everything that plays a part in the taste-skill gap. From personal energy and health, to money, ability, mood, and your relationship to t...
Mark as Played
April 11, 2024 • 41 mins
Hannah and Evan talk about how to transform a beloved movie, book, or show into a game, using their latest project as an example: An adaptation of a 1779 book of cosmetic chemistry, The Toilet of Flora.
EPISODE LINKS/CREDITS:
Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat King
Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/
Toilet of Flora: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44276
OUR GAMES:
Website: turtlebun.com
Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun
G...
Mark as Played
March 20, 2024 • 44 mins
In a perfect world, we'd make a living just making roleplaying games. But sometimes, duty calls, and you've got to work around another job. In this episode, we talk about rolling with the punches in a moment when the creative work is competing with a new and time-consuming reality—that of a day job.
FOLLOW/CREDITS:
Our games: turtlebun.com
Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun
Join the Turtlebun Discord! https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz
Get ...
Mark as Played
February 21, 2024 • 48 mins
What’s the difference between a “theme” and an “obsession?” Inspired by a classic writing book from the ‘80s, we share our respective obsessions and talk about how they show up in our work, intentionally or otherwise.
EPISODE MENTIONS:
Learn how to play Go: https://online-go.com/learn-to-play-go
Learn how to smell things (Introduction to Perfumery Kit or Perfumery Notes Kit from Perfumer’s Apprentice): https://shop.perfumersappr...
Mark as Played
January 11, 2024 • 51 mins
Kickstarter stretch goals are notorious for getting project creators into trouble. Sometimes, they over promise content. Other times, they create financial strain. Often, it's all of the above. In this episode, we talk about Top Tracks, a stretch goal project we just completed that's so overdue... nobody even remembered it.
CW: This episode contains a discussion of sexual harassment.
EPISODE LINKS/CREDITS:
Top Tracks! https://turtl...
Mark as Played
December 18, 2023 • 29 mins
In this episode, Hannah talks about the art of doing creative work alone. As part of a game design duo that normally does all creative work together, what does it look like to self-motivate on game design solo? From setting small, manageable goals and little rewards in advance to finding companionship in the work itself.
MENTIONED IN EPISODE:
Scavengers Reign (animated mini series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21056886/
Health Mi...
Mark as Played
November 15, 2023 • 43 mins
We love making solo RPGs, but we don't always love playing them. In this episode we brainstorm ideas for a possible one-player version of Questlandia, and what would make us excited to play it.
EPISODE LINKS/CREDITS:
Our games: turtlebun.com
Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun
Join the Turtlebun Discord! https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz
Get in touch! Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com
Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat King
Instagram: inst...
Mark as Played
October 24, 2023 • 47 mins
This month marks the sixth anniversary of Design Doc, a podcast that started as a "year-long" project documenting our progress redesigning our first roleplaying game. Six years later, we talk about the different directions we've taken, and what Questlandia 2 means to us today.
EPISODE LINKS/CREDITS:
Our games: turtlebun.com
Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun
Turtlebun Twitter: twitter.com/turtleandbun
Instagram: instagram.com/turtleand...
Mark as Played
September 26, 2023 • 102 mins
Hannah and Evan talk about the strange designs and abandoned places of Six Flags New England, the latest of a series of research trips. Join them on a jeep ride in the Jurassic, through the ghost town of Crackaxle, and into secret corners filled with claw machines.
SUPPORT OUR VISIT BACK TO SIX FLAGS HERE:
https://ko-fi.com/designdoc
EPISODE LINKS/CREDITS:
Our games: turtlebun.com
Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun
Twitter: twitter.com...
Mark as Played
August 24, 2023 • 66 mins
Former historical interpreter Enzo joins us to talk about interpreting history! A few months ago we visited Old Sturbridge Village, an 1830s rural New England recreation village. We went as naive visitors, only able to guess at how it was run. Our guest today was kind enough to share his memories of working at the museum! We discuss what it was like interacting with pass-holder guests, being the groom in a historic wedding, and sne...
Mark as Played
July 28, 2023 • 53 mins
In this episode Hannah and Evan describe their recent trip to Sturbridge Village, an 1800s recreation historical town. They talk about the value of on-the-ground research for creative projects, the peculiarity of animal habitats in fantasy places, and some dredged-up financial controversies paving the ye olde village streets.
Episode mentions:
Sturbridge Village: https://www.osv.org/
Jenny Nicholson video: https://www.youtube.co...
Mark as Played
July 5, 2023 • 47 mins
We talk about bringing confidence to our own work, including our recent scent-inspired game ideas. We're working on bringing that founder hustle without a toxic founder morality. Plus, we've got two new projects in the works inspired by olfactive poetry!
1:25 - Founder energy
13:58 - Project Gutenberg
32:32 - Pie Girl
Episode Links and Credits
Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat King
Design Doc on twitter: twitter.com/designdocpod
...
Mark as Played
June 6, 2023 • 48 mins
In a much-requested episode topic, Hannah and Evan talk about WORLDBUILDING. We narrow in on three worldbuilding faux pas we're trying to be aware of in our own work: Word swapping, "Fish People," and the dreaded authorial insert.
Episode Mentions:
Lincoln in the Bardo: novel by George Saunders
Upload: comedy-drama series
Episode Links and Credits:
Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat King
Design Doc on twitter: twitter.com/designdo...
Mark as Played
May 10, 2023 • 45 mins
Hannah and Evan discuss their personal experiences and struggles with focus. A new kind of work requires long stretches of sustained focus, disrupting old routines and demanding new strategies. They delve into the challenges and rewards of dodging distractions and shepherding wandering thoughts.
Timestamps:
00:55 - Introduction. The need to transition from sprint focus to something more sustained.
10:10 - Our different styles of fo...
Mark as Played
March 28, 2023 • 54 mins
Hannah and Evan talk about what it's like to tackle a very different type of creative work—writing a novel! We discuss the fun parts and the challenges of being two people trying to hone in on a single narrative voice.
Mentioned in this episode:
3-Act Structure: Abbie Emmons on YouTube
Passing mentions: Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert A. Heinlein, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Over the Garden Wall (Episode 5: Mad Lov...
Mark as Played
February 16, 2023 • 61 mins
Hannah and Evan discuss the trials and tribulations of packing a "deluxe" edition of Questlandia and the ridiculous mishaps that ensued.
They chat fancy boxes, missing fonts, and making creative use of a limited budget.
Episode Links and Credits:
Our Kickstarter for a poster print run of our one-page single-player RPG Public Guest 5 ends tonight, February 16th at 8pm EST. You can support the project here:
https://www.kickstarter.co...
Mark as Played
January 13, 2023 • 48 mins
Hannah and Evan talk about the increasingly complicated logistics of packing and shipping games as small creators.
In this episode, we talk all about packing and shipping. Where do you get bubble wrap when you need more than a roll, but less than a warehouse's-worth? What happens when a printer you've worked with for years really messes up, with no chance to fix it? All this and more in part 1, with part 2 to come.
Episode Links a...
Mark as Played
December 23, 2022 • 52 mins
We made the games, now we have to sell them. Hannah and Evan talk about something they're good at: making new games. And something they're bad at: confidently sharing those games with an audience that might like them.
Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat King
Design Doc on twitter: twitter.com/designdocpod
Turtlebun links
Questlandia 2nd Edition: turtlebun.com/products/questlandia
Our other games: turtlebun.com
Patreon: patreon.com/...
Mark as Played
November 10, 2022 • 49 mins
Hannah and Evan discuss how to repair their relationship with a game they've spent a year struggling to complete.
Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat King
Design Doc on twitter: twitter.com/designdocpod
Mentioned in this episode:
Microscope RPG by Ben Robbins.
Turtlebun links
Our games: turtlebun.com
Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun
Twitter: twitter.com/turtleandbun
Instagram: instagram.com/turtleandbun
Discord: https://discord.gg/XD...
Mark as Played
October 5, 2022 • 52 mins
Hannah and Evan talk about the fiddly little end things that make a project go on, and on, and on much longer than you expected.
Design Doc intro/outro theme by Pat King
Design Doc on twitter: twitter.com/designdocpod
Turtlebun links
Our games: turtlebun.com
Patreon: patreon.com/turtlebun
Twitter: twitter.com/turtleandbun
Instagram: instagram.com/turtleandbun
Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz
Mark as Played
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