Daniel Solis

[UPDATE: Writer's Dice are now available!] Oh, you know, just an idea. Partly inspired by Mathematicians' Dice , Rory's Story Cubes, and this lesson on plots from Trey Parker and Matt Stone. In that lesson, they talk about arranging the beats of a story. They emphatically recommend that you not join any beats with the words "and then." Instead use conjunctions like "therefore." These force you to explain consequences and examine motivations that enrich a story. Just watch the video, I'm not doing it justice. But here's a humble proposal for you writers out there. A simple six-sided die with interesting clauses and conjunctions to help you figure out the plot of your story. When Protagonist A finds out Antagonist B is his father, roll a die to lead you to the next beat. This die can easily fit into any storytelling game, too. Heck, the pips let you use them as regular dice. I've looked at Koplow's catalog (which really ought to ...

Here's a fun game for groups at a restaurant, especially if the players have been imbibing a little bit before the game starts. Stuff You Need 3 or more players at a restaurant or bar. A pen and two pieces of paper for each player. Leave the first sheet of paper blank. On your second sheet, write each other player's name. A 30sec timer. How to Play All players do these steps together at the same time. 1. On the blank piece of paper, write the name of a food served at this restaurant. Write the food as cryptically and phonetically as you can, in all capitals. This can be a basic ingredient, like fruits and vegetables; or more complex foods, like appetizers, entrees, or side dishes. For example, "lettuce" could be "LAYDUS." "Sweet potato" could be "SWOT PERDERDER." "Chicken noodle soup" could be "CHALKING OODLE SAP." 2. When everyone is done writing, hold your paper up so everyone can see it. You should...

Sounds like Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple is making inroads into France, too! » Radio Roliste : "It's a kind of Windpunk setting reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon and the Little Prince ." » Antoine Bauza : "No longer engaged in role play... I try to keep up and listen to the podcast Radio Roliste . It is an episode of the podcast that made ​​me buy the digital version of Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple (and its supplement)." Merci pour la traduction, Philippe A. Ménard !

Experimenting with more commercial-style title graphics. One thing I've noticed is that they have lots and lots of outlines. Layer upon layer upon layer. I don't quite have the hang of it yet. Partly, it's a matter of starting with a hand-drawn letterform instead of a standard font. You get more character out of the title and more control over the entire personality. Starting from a basic typeface isn't a bad start, though. Elapsed time: 1 Hour » Music CC-BY-SA: Popof – "Friandise"

When I design a strategy game, my primary goal is to create emergent complexity . That is, a game easy to learn, but soon branches into multiple options, deep tactics, and long-term replay value. That's great for a strategy game, especially an abstract strategy game. If your game has a strong theme, your mind starts filling in that abstraction with aesthetic details. This topic came up in a conversation with Sage LaTorra about For the Fleet . He looked over the alpha draft and had the following comments: "I feel like the game I was hoping for had more narrative than FtF currently does. FtF is pretty much a pushing your luck game with some extra cool dimensions of how and where you push that luck, which I dig. I just like the Zap Brannigan feel so much that I wanted more." Eventually this settled into the notion of a Mission for each ship. Essentially, each ship gets a mission with three thematically related objectives. Each objective offers additional glory for you...

You might recall the last time Leo Lalande made physical sets of Procession as wedding favors. He's been hard at work again, making more durable versions of the game. Check out more pics and details here.

Brent at The New Haul is playing 50 games in 50 weeks. This week, he played Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple ! "After a few rounds, it becomes clear that the pilgrims are regularly getting into trouble, and each player must, while storyteller, balance helping her friends and moving the story along towards its goal... The book’s cover claims that it’s aimed at players 12 or older, but I think it’s ideal for kids as young as 8. It’s basically Avatar: The Last Airbender , without the heavy long-term story arc." » Read more at The New Haul