This week I experienced the moment when game design feels like a real chore. While fun at first, I realized it was not something that could simply be completed in 3 months. The writing and designing and planning are all fun, of course, but the real slog comes when you have to figure out the math behind everything. Moving back and forth between percentage charts, item lists, and playtest notes can feel insanely tedious. And turns out I get lost easily when moving from my story (as a player) to my design notes (as a game designer). Wait, what round was it? Am I attacking or did I just attack?  What website had those Year Zero percentages? Why is Chat GPT being a butt head?

So I have tried to find tools to help with the hard tasks that fry my brain and grate on my nerves.

And what are those tools I have been using for game design?  Some but not all include:

• Game design blogs
• Chat GPT
• Reference charts for percentages by dice size and pool
• Articles on math, productivity and outside-the-box thinking
• Friends who understand systems
• Reading through other zines and rulebooks
• etc

Turns out a lot of people have run into the same problems as I have before and made their solutions available online. That has been a huge help and made game design much more manageable.

Retooling Key-Lock UI

I feel like the functional design portion of the Key-Lock scenarios is coming together and evolving well, but the actual format irritates me a bit. It feels... scattered? Unpolished? Whatever it is, it isn't where it needs to be. A bit more organization could help it a TON. So off to google to research layouts and design. And of course, in addition to story problems, design and layout and two things that don't come naturally to me. But, as I have found with running or eating vegetables, just because something does not come naturally doesn't mean I can't build them into my schedule and benefit from them. 

Do something enough and it will begin to come more naturally and proficiently. At least, that's what the internet told me.

My Oracle

I retooled my quick and dirty oracle I use for playtesting the Key-Lock scenarios. A combination of Mythic and One Page that uses d10's, the document is for more seasoned soloers who need a fast answer that doesnt take them out of the story for too long. Ill be releasing it in all future issues as well as by itself sometimes this month for download.