Gosh I got goosebumps when Matt said "save the blacksmith's daughter". Felt like such a cool call back as someone who's been watching Running the Game since 2016 :D
Same, dude. Those first videos changed my life, and I STILL learn when I go back and watch through the whole catalogue. I have no idea what this new game will be like, but I always like Matt's ideas and philosophies, so I can't wait to run it and save that proverbial gosh dang blacksmith's daughter!
I feel like this #DesigningTheGame is, purposefully or not, prepping a whole lot of 3rd party designers for working their add-ons onto the MCDM-game-whatever-it's-called. Which I think is going to be awesome. The contribution of 3rd party designers to the success of the game mentioned at 16.08 can not be understated. I love what MCDM is doing here, go yous!
This is a really nice foundation for design in general! I do not have a desire to make my own tabletop game, but I DO aspire to worldbuild. The idea of deciding on *keywords* to be guidance along every step is very appealing. Whether designing a new location, NPC, boss, trap, folktale, tavern, or item, having a few keywords seems helpful to me! I want my world to be dangerous, fantastical, and flexible. Where heroes can do bold things that I don't expect with items that have open-ended effects that could be useful in multiple ways. Love the series already MC.
I'm currently on the design team for an anime-inspired TTRPG being created by a streamer whose community I'm heavily involved in, and up to this point I have only watched Running The Game. Currently I'm binging Designing The Game, and every last word out of your mouth in what I've consumed of both series has glued itself to my neurons for the past couple months that we've been working on this project. It's not gonna be a product, just something for the community to play, but there's certainly no less pressure to make it as fun as possible haha We're getting very close to the end of the design process, and without even having seen this video at the time, our design process used a lot of the same principles you described here. I have no prior experience with game dev, but this process could not have gone more smoothly and I genuinely owe it all to you. Thank you for your everlasting commitment to making game design, TTRPGs, and bringing people together for fun storytelling experiences. This whole thing would probably have taken another 2 years without your help
I’ve been working on little dungeon-crawler RPGs for a few years now in my spare time and I only recently switched from the “write the whole thing before playing it” to the “play little chunks of it as you go” model. I can confirm, much better results (and more fun, too!). Having keywords also helps, mine are all inspired by dark chocolate: “Dark and Intense, Simple yet Rich, Grounded and Earthy.”
frankly, i don't think i've been this excited for a tabletop project in... well, forever! the Inevitable MCDM RPG, from what's been described in Patreon and on streams, sounds like exactly what I'm looking for out of fantasy TTRPG stuff, and knowing it's designed using the philosophies behind action-oriented monsters is the cherry on top. super excited to hear more, and to test the thing when you guys drop something for us to sink our teeth into!
It certainly excites me a hell of a lot more than what Tales of Valiant turned into once they announced it would be 5e but slightly different (which is the same problem One D&D is suffering from).
@@helloMCDM Love me some sci fi, our group runs 5e and so I was hoping to find some d20 sci fi systems, and thoroughly struggled xD Every time I look at anything put out I always end up just wanting to design my own instead as nothing jumps out, so the fuuuuuture mcdm sci fi board game sounds grand
Love the reference to "The 1900s!" My kids, the oldest of whom was born in 2009, often give me crap for having lived during "The 1900s" because I was born in 1980.
Hey, I saw that video about the Blacksmith's Daughter, too! A few years later (and a lot of background UA-cam) and friends call me an expert GM. Excited to see this new content too!
Matt, thank you for looking after the little guys. I'd love to support you guys, but I'm struggling to support myself some days. I love your videos, and I'm grateful for the time and patience to put into all of them. Thanks very much, Matt
One of my long time friends designed his own game for superheroes. We called it Joe's Game. We started with AD&D rules with a bit of RIFTS thrown in. It was a ton of fun. When I was watching this, I thought back to the early stages of developing that game and he pretty much did a lot of what you covered here. Recognizing that about our game is really cool. I can't wait to see the final product of what you all develop. 😊
As someone trying to keep the vibe from 4e and the 4e community alive, this whole project is music to my ears. Those 4 keywords are how I run every 4E D&D game and I can't wait to see what this looks like at the end of the day.
I think, of all the people who went from being 5e 3rd party devs primarily to actually designing a new system, mcdm is the only one I give a shit about. I'm not gonna pretend that I have any love for 5e, I'm *wholeheartedly* a "play other games, and that means *other* games, not just pathfinder", but Matt, James, etc etc have really good ideas about game design so I'm into it. I will say though, I hope everyone seeing this becomes a person that plays lots of games, not just 5e + the mcdm one, I hope you guys are really able to break the mindset that so many people have about only ever playing one game at a time.
We are now in the next phase of MCDM where Matt has inside jokes with us, the audience, referring to his original videos. What a beautiful time to be here
Actually, there is a moment in the battle of Helm's Deep, in the book, where Legolas does say he has to go and look for spent arrows because he used all of his.
Not sure if you did this on purpose, but that tee is perfect for this video!! Considering the fact that you're taking the complex subject of 'Designing the Game' and breaking it down into its component parts!! 😁 Very much like what a prism does with light... Love it, and love the video!! ❤️
Ok this is really funny. I've always been mildly interested in game design, but never really tried making anything big and serious. That was until yesterday, when I started writing up my design for my own dnd mass warfare rules (partially inspired by K&W but alot of my ideas for this came way before that was in production). And funnily enough I independently, having never heard the term or concept before, came up with the idea of Rapid Prototyping. I think not even 10 hours after I started designing it, my friend and I were playing out a battle using the absolute most basic version of my rules, and it was really fun. Afterwards we spent maybe 20 minutes discussing it and the design improved in a way that probably would've taking me months tweaking it by myself. So yeah I can definitely verify that this works even for complete amateurs and I think this series is coming out at the perfect time for me.
Please continue this series. Do not under any circumstances stop this series! I will watch every episode multiple times if I have to. I've been recently considering what I want to do with my life, and game design has been really high up there on the list for a while. I'd love to work for a studio like MCDM one day, and resources like this are integral for getting people involved and interested! As always, love the content, Matt. Rock on!
oh I am designing the game I don't want to play from scratch. And yes, it can be a miserable experience. But rapid prototyping is how I do it... I made a little more though, because I don't have a playtest group of designers. I have a few guys who wants to play every other thursday. So I just just filled in with mechanics from other games for everything I didn't make yet. Then get a a feel for what matches the theme of the game. We are on our second travel system, and the next time I see my players... we will be on our third.
Definitely very interested to see how this continues to develop. I've been wanting to get into TTRPG design for most of my life, and now that I finally have an ADHD diagnosis and ritalin prescription (at 41 years old...) I'm finally starting to do it! Getting insight into others' experiences is utterly invaluable. As much creativity as I've always had, as much as I've spent years breaking down and examining systems, as much as I have so much more drive and focus now, I still have no idea how to *work* because my brain never let me. Just listening to your perspective about the fundamental processes is a big deal for me. 💛
Weirdly enough, I've also only gotten into TTRPG design since getting my own ADHD diagnosis, and much more productively so post prescription. Hope things are going well on your end!
Game Design takes place like 70% in the mind, the approach, the goals (keywords), documentation, collaborative production pipeline. Communication, organization and iteration are what makes it work. Outlines are nice, but more for onboarding and teaching than designing. Getting what you have into the minds of people who know nothing about the game. When you're designing, you have nothing pretty much and like a GM: It isn't real until it hits the players. I love listening to your buisness and game design philosophies. Very inspiring! Can't wait to see what comes in the future.
As some one who works in IT, it's nice to know no-one else keeps their documentation up to date. All jokes aside great vid. Really looking forward to the future of mcdm products!
I adore the use of humor in this! It's so easy to accidently make this dry and boring. But Matt managed to make it fun, and I even chuckled a few times!
This is by far my favorite channel for TTRPG content. I’m a relatively new DM and didn’t really play tabletop games until I was 34. Learning this style of gameplay has been a challenge especially running the game. Matt Colville gives me confidence and great ideas in how to run a simpler more enjoyable game. Thanks for the great content!
This video was exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. I'm building a deck-building board game, not a TTRPG, but the concepts of keywords and rapid prototyping hadn't clicked for me until now. Since watching I've already started working on implementing a rudimentary board and cards in Tabletop Simulator which is way more than what I had done over the past month.
I owe Matt so much. His advice has really helped me become the GM I am today. I watch and re-watch his Running the Game videos all the time, and am literally sitting here watching in an MCDM shirt… And while I’ve subbed to this channel too, and will no doubt continue to watch both this and Matt’s own channel… the more I hear about this game the less I think it’s for me. That said, peeking at how the sausage is made (planned??) is interesting.
I think a better way to explain heroic is that characters are "driven by an ideal" rather than "driven by doing the right thing". Ideals can be flawed and even villainous, but still carries more gravitas than materialistic goals.
Incredibly useful actionable knowledge being shared here. Useful for life as it is for game dev. Have guiding principles, break the problem into chunks as small as you can, then just start doing. So much more is learned in trying and failing and iterating than is learned by planning.
I ran my first playtest of my system over the weekend. It was a dream, parts worked, parts horribly failed in measurable ways. Loved it! Most importantly, the testers had a blast and the core idea held up. My approach (and the one I force on my students) is similar in forcing rapid prototyping. Getting something on the table, no matter how broken it is lets you really vet the squishy ideas floating around in your head. I was able to crystalize a lot more in that one test than the months of bouncing crap in my head.
Yeah I was waiting for him to reference agile vs. waterfall even more explicitly. I think it's actually a very intuitive way to design systems as you come to gaps in the narrative of an adventure or story. Like oh I guess we'll need to solve this problem with non-combat skills, so now that's the next thing we design really quickly, and so on until you're not running into walls so much.
Regardless of what you're talking about - You are one of my absolute favorite people to listen to. You're so incredibly articulate and convey your points in both a succinct and entertaining way. Getting insight into your brain with design philosophies and nerdom in general is a real treat. Thanks Matt. Really excited to see what you guys come up with.
Ohh, I was just listening to the Patreon Q&A too. Lots of fun MCDM listening for me today. Congrats getting the first Designing the Game out! There is a non-zero chance I will try to make a game in the future, and if I ever do I will *absolutely* be drawing from lessons learned from listening to Matt & MCDM peeps.
This video helped me realize what things I care about in the role playing game I am already leading. This was super exciting for me to watch. It was “Yeah! Like that!!”. Thanks for putting language to it for me.
I’m in the process of designing my rpg and this sort of insight it’s been incredibly useful. I keep getting stuck trying to map out everything and writing every single rule that’s needed. This concept of designing just what’s necessary to start and test it right away it’s a game changer! Thanks! Looking forward to the next video
I really like the way Matt talks in videos. It’s fast, well enunciated, and plenty animated. Good stuff. Also obviously the content’s really good, but that goes without saying!
I just watched the Tactician/Shadow video and it got me so excited for this game (every video has, but... I think I finally understand the marriage of tactics and narrative that this game sounds like it's gonna embody) that I'm starting at the beginning of the series to rewatch... and then I'm probably gonna root around in the Patreon archives for more juicy details. Stoked!
as someone who has been trying for over 20 years to get a game out of his ADHD riddled brain and into the world. I am looking forward to this. I'm fascinated by the world of RPG writing, and still at 43 would love to do it for a job. Game mechanics troubleshooting has always got me excited, and led to me endlessly tinkering with every RPG and wargame I have ever played. So thank you for sharing this, and if i can afford it I absolutely will sub to the patreon for the behind the scenes stuff.
YESSSSSS I just found this holy heck I am hype for this series!! The amount of homebrew in our game coupled with the scope makes every session an undertaking in design lol. Very excited to see how you move theough this process & hear how you think in the abstract
Hey Matt! Just wanted to hop in and say I’ve been watching you for years and have loved watching you and your process. It’s least a joy to watch you talk about something you’re interested in. You’re one of my favorite creators on the site. So, thanks!
I shared this video with a previous teacher of mine, who just about a year ago created a class to teach students how to effectively plan and follow through on a project. Many of the core tenets of what he taught me and my friends were expressed in this video. It's so exciting to see that the principles which are now habits for me are used in the real world, by incredibly talented people, to make incredible content. This video was so spot on with what we learned, that my teacher has emailed me back saying he's going to show it to future students. Thanks, MCDM!
Loved that "I could do a whole video on this" at 16:47 :D Pure, unadulterated passion for a topic just came spilling out in that moment. These are great. I enjoy hearing these insights into the process. Thanks for uploading and letting us peek behind the curtain.
I tried designing my own mech wargame from scratch and quickly playtesting has been the best thing for it. Realized the HP numbers were too low when the 4v4 was over in 20 mins lol.
Very cool. I love seeing behind the scenes and into the minds. And of course, game mechanics of all kinds fascinate me. It would be interesting I think to see you to talk with others on your team and get their insights. Good luck with the new game!
Tactical Heroic Cinematic Fantasy are awesome coordinates. I want to see how Cinematic and Tactical work in a game unburden by corporate mandates. Getting excited, Mr. Colville.
Well done. Thank you for the update. I've been watching Dungeon Coach develop his game, and it looks good to me. I'm looking forward to seeing this develop and eventually playing. You four core values/goals is exactly what I'm looking for.
Ever since I started watching your content back in 2017, I've always wanted a more "direct" (since most of what you do is about design) video about your game design process. And now that I study game design in university, I'm simply thrilled that I get to see more of your actual process. Please keep up the great work and I am really looking forward to where this series goes. Thank you so much for the years of content and education you've provided me Matt and everyone else at MCDM!
As someone who has begun the process of creating a randomized table top fantasy dungeon crawl game by myself, i can appreciate this advice. My original idea (and i wont go into too much detail for a youtube comment) came to me and it was such a fun idea (in my opinion) that i spent 20+ hours writing it down on that first night. This was two maybe three months ago and i have since built a crude prototype (and i really mean crude as i dont have professional development capabilities. Everything is written by hand on blank playing cards or drawn on wooden tiles). It is far from completed but i don't care. Minor changes and tweaks have made it easier to play and it is so much fun and i enjoy the hard work in my spare time to take on such a monstrous undertaking. I saw this video and knew i had to speak up when you said in verbatim "make sure it's fun to play for you".
Probably the third time I've watched this video while designing my adventures. Even contained within other game systems, the advice about focusing on the core loop of the game (or adventure, in this case) and making *that* engaging. I really needed to focus more on my central tension, so I think I'm going to rewatch that one next.
I am such a huge fan of Matt’s and to see a new series about specifically design is so good! I run an open sand box, west marches style game that is focused on character choice and freedom. I have worked so long and hard on it, that I am in the process of compiling it so others can take a look at what I have made and hopefully make it better for their table! All this to say, I am an autistic adult going through massive burnout on my other creative projects and Matt’s videos have really helped me find a passion for D&D and just ttrpg game design in general. Excited for the new series!
MATT I AM MAKING MY OWN RPG FROM THE GAME UP! I've played and designed with my brothers for years and we've made some big, some small, and some weird ones, but recently I'm working on my own personal one that I love. I love what you said about the guiding words - I'll definitely be doing that. And about the working with others. This channel will help me as a game designer. Thank you for your wisdom. Truly you are a river to your people.
Your comment on the importance of teamwork is so true. I've done my best work as part of a team and even some of my 'big ego projects' benefited tremendously from the advice and stewardship of others. The whole project sounds awesome, though I do tend to the 'work from the outline' approach more often than not.
I have used table of contents for this sort of thing before for writing an adventure. Glad to know someone as experienced and clever as you has thought of the same thing :)
Extremely excited for this series. Even your standard once-a-week dungeon master can benefit from game design concepts. Can't wait to try the MCDM RPG!
This was a little eerie to watch and I absolutely loved it. I started my own tabletop rpg one summer about 7 years ago because I was bored and thought, "Why not." I started with what I had learned from playing a few different systems and started with just amalgamating my favourite mechanics and learning from what I did not like. It started with barebones rules and a few playtesters among my friends and I have been working on it ever since. It is still a long way from publishing, but what you described is still very similar to how I happened to go about developing it. I would play a bit with my friends, get their thoughts, and continue iterating. I hope to one day publish it and hearing how you guys are working on your game gives me renewed motivation to keep on going. Everytime I think the game is done, I find ways to improve or expand it in a way that feels natural. Best of luck to you guys on your own project, I hope it does really well and people enjoy using it.
I just started working on my own RPG. I don't have a team besides me and the two friends I'm forcing to play it with me. This video was so validating because we basically had just finished the steps in this video last week. I'm so glad I decided to start my idea right in time for MCDM to help guide me. What a good day.
Very helpful discussion on design process, and applicable to much more than RPGs. Outlines/checklists are things managers love to manage - but not the actual goal. Creatives in all manner of fields likely labor under this process…you/your team are wise to have seen deeper, focusing on the game. Thanks so much for sharing the insight!
I've been working on my own TTRPG as a hobby for a couple years now. I legitimately love it. One of my dreams is to make a game that people actually like and play. And I'm so glad you're doing this series because it's gonna help make that a reality. What I've learned from this episode: I gotta test this game more often.
Every time I find myself overwhelmed and stumped as to what the hell I am to do next with prototyping my TTRPG, you without fail provide me invaluable insight as to how to keep trudging forward. Thank you for another boost of confidence, and reassurance that IT IS possible.
Just the title alone makes me so excited. I'm eager for more videos in the Designing the Game category, from Matt, James and all the other crazy talented folks who work with MCDM.
Look at that sneaky little copy of Flee, Mortals! in the corner there...
hype!!
I was looking for this comment when I noticed it!
@@helixxharpellDid you mean to post this as a reply to an unrelated comment? I don’t know how it would be found buried here.
I also just noticed The Talent Power Cards I think are on the left hand top shelf 🤔
It was a short video and then I talked for like 10 more minutes about Rapid Prototyping.
The MCDM Way, truly
Another Matt banger
Just the way we like it.
We love to see it
Truly a river to the people
Gosh I got goosebumps when Matt said "save the blacksmith's daughter". Felt like such a cool call back as someone who's been watching Running the Game since 2016 :D
It hit me, too. So many memories... 🥲
Same! I remember sitting in a Crunch gym, watchign the episode on kindle fire, with headphones, while I did a stationary bike. It's been a fun ride.
Same, dude. Those first videos changed my life, and I STILL learn when I go back and watch through the whole catalogue. I have no idea what this new game will be like, but I always like Matt's ideas and philosophies, so I can't wait to run it and save that proverbial gosh dang blacksmith's daughter!
The transmutation from the main channel to this vid was AMAZING. 10 out of 10. Love to see it!
8 outta 8 m8😁
@@Nathanael_Forlornthe other channel is Matt's personal channel
Clearly some people don't get the reference.
ua-cam.com/video/3XSaN4zfEm0/v-deo.html
That was Jerry! He killed it!
@@nickwilliams8302 LOL, I was thinking maybe Kamen Rider or something.
I love it when an rpg isn't ashamed of the game portion of roleplaying games.
I feel like this #DesigningTheGame is, purposefully or not, prepping a whole lot of 3rd party designers for working their add-ons onto the MCDM-game-whatever-it's-called. Which I think is going to be awesome. The contribution of 3rd party designers to the success of the game mentioned at 16.08 can not be understated.
I love what MCDM is doing here, go yous!
Game's only gonna work if people like it enough to want to create and publish their own stuff for it!
@@helloMCDM Hey Wizards? Take note. This is what a winning mentality looks like.
This is a really nice foundation for design in general! I do not have a desire to make my own tabletop game, but I DO aspire to worldbuild. The idea of deciding on *keywords* to be guidance along every step is very appealing. Whether designing a new location, NPC, boss, trap, folktale, tavern, or item, having a few keywords seems helpful to me! I want my world to be dangerous, fantastical, and flexible. Where heroes can do bold things that I don't expect with items that have open-ended effects that could be useful in multiple ways. Love the series already MC.
I'm currently on the design team for an anime-inspired TTRPG being created by a streamer whose community I'm heavily involved in, and up to this point I have only watched Running The Game. Currently I'm binging Designing The Game, and every last word out of your mouth in what I've consumed of both series has glued itself to my neurons for the past couple months that we've been working on this project. It's not gonna be a product, just something for the community to play, but there's certainly no less pressure to make it as fun as possible haha
We're getting very close to the end of the design process, and without even having seen this video at the time, our design process used a lot of the same principles you described here. I have no prior experience with game dev, but this process could not have gone more smoothly and I genuinely owe it all to you. Thank you for your everlasting commitment to making game design, TTRPGs, and bringing people together for fun storytelling experiences. This whole thing would probably have taken another 2 years without your help
I don’t know if it was intentional, but calling the Game Master “the director” in the introduction, felt right to me
I’ve been working on little dungeon-crawler RPGs for a few years now in my spare time and I only recently switched from the “write the whole thing before playing it” to the “play little chunks of it as you go” model. I can confirm, much better results (and more fun, too!).
Having keywords also helps, mine are all inspired by dark chocolate: “Dark and Intense, Simple yet Rich, Grounded and Earthy.”
And so the designing the game saga commences, I am so excited to how this game starts to shape up.
Us too!
frankly, i don't think i've been this excited for a tabletop project in... well, forever! the Inevitable MCDM RPG, from what's been described in Patreon and on streams, sounds like exactly what I'm looking for out of fantasy TTRPG stuff, and knowing it's designed using the philosophies behind action-oriented monsters is the cherry on top.
super excited to hear more, and to test the thing when you guys drop something for us to sink our teeth into!
Same. I mean, MAYBE I was this excited about second edition Awakening? But I think this beats it by a hair.
Totally agree!
It certainly excites me a hell of a lot more than what Tales of Valiant turned into once they announced it would be 5e but slightly different (which is the same problem One D&D is suffering from).
I loved the transmute transition, never stop injecting stuff like that.
Man, I think I’d love for MCDM to put out a sci-fi game one day.
Bro us too bro. Only reason our Art Director agreed to join this company was the promise of a future A: Sci-fi B: Boardgame!
@@helloMCDM Love me some sci fi, our group runs 5e and so I was hoping to find some d20 sci fi systems, and thoroughly struggled xD
Every time I look at anything put out I always end up just wanting to design my own instead as nothing jumps out, so the fuuuuuture mcdm sci fi board game sounds grand
@@flashbaggins427 D20 Star Wars, leave the Jedi out. And/or D20 Traveller.
Love the reference to "The 1900s!" My kids, the oldest of whom was born in 2009, often give me crap for having lived during "The 1900s" because I was born in 1980.
Hey, I saw that video about the Blacksmith's Daughter, too! A few years later (and a lot of background UA-cam) and friends call me an expert GM. Excited to see this new content too!
"We didn't discuss mechanics" But you did, for one of my favorite games! "Design a ttrpg" is so much fun, more people should play it!
Matt, thank you for looking after the little guys. I'd love to support you guys, but I'm struggling to support myself some days. I love your videos, and I'm grateful for the time and patience to put into all of them. Thanks very much, Matt
One of my long time friends designed his own game for superheroes. We called it Joe's Game. We started with AD&D rules with a bit of RIFTS thrown in. It was a ton of fun.
When I was watching this, I thought back to the early stages of developing that game and he pretty much did a lot of what you covered here.
Recognizing that about our game is really cool.
I can't wait to see the final product of what you all develop. 😊
Carpenter Brut call out was surprising and highly accurate to that moment.
That was the moment I had to pull the video out of full screen and give it a like.
It gave me a big grin on my face 😊
As someone trying to keep the vibe from 4e and the 4e community alive, this whole project is music to my ears. Those 4 keywords are how I run every 4E D&D game and I can't wait to see what this looks like at the end of the day.
looking back, I think i had more fun with 4e than any other edition of D&D. I might have to re-buy the core books from somewhere.
@@barefootwanderer DriveThruRPG
I think, of all the people who went from being 5e 3rd party devs primarily to actually designing a new system, mcdm is the only one I give a shit about. I'm not gonna pretend that I have any love for 5e, I'm *wholeheartedly* a "play other games, and that means *other* games, not just pathfinder", but Matt, James, etc etc have really good ideas about game design so I'm into it.
I will say though, I hope everyone seeing this becomes a person that plays lots of games, not just 5e + the mcdm one, I hope you guys are really able to break the mindset that so many people have about only ever playing one game at a time.
We are now in the next phase of MCDM where Matt has inside jokes with us, the audience, referring to his original videos. What a beautiful time to be here
Actually, there is a moment in the battle of Helm's Deep, in the book, where Legolas does say he has to go and look for spent arrows because he used all of his.
And a moment where he scrounges for arrows after the death of Boromir.
@@jackodonail1980 Yep. And I think those are the only times it's mentioned.
"10 arrows to rule them all!"
Sometimes when I’m having a really hard day I am reminded that MCDM is making a new RPG and it turns my whole day around!
Not sure if you did this on purpose, but that tee is perfect for this video!! Considering the fact that you're taking the complex subject of 'Designing the Game' and breaking it down into its component parts!! 😁 Very much like what a prism does with light... Love it, and love the video!! ❤️
It was NOT on purpose, but it's a great connection you made!
At the same time it's a fun little dig on the "we don't care about the science" statement, in the explanation of why it's fantasy and not scifi
Love Pink Floyd
Ok this is really funny. I've always been mildly interested in game design, but never really tried making anything big and serious. That was until yesterday, when I started writing up my design for my own dnd mass warfare rules (partially inspired by K&W but alot of my ideas for this came way before that was in production). And funnily enough I independently, having never heard the term or concept before, came up with the idea of Rapid Prototyping. I think not even 10 hours after I started designing it, my friend and I were playing out a battle using the absolute most basic version of my rules, and it was really fun. Afterwards we spent maybe 20 minutes discussing it and the design improved in a way that probably would've taking me months tweaking it by myself. So yeah I can definitely verify that this works even for complete amateurs and I think this series is coming out at the perfect time for me.
Please continue this series. Do not under any circumstances stop this series! I will watch every episode multiple times if I have to. I've been recently considering what I want to do with my life, and game design has been really high up there on the list for a while. I'd love to work for a studio like MCDM one day, and resources like this are integral for getting people involved and interested! As always, love the content, Matt. Rock on!
It's always interesting getting to peak behind the curtain. I mean, I've already done so as a patron, but it's awesome in video form too!
pushes up glasses* Actually, after Running The Game....Designing The Game is pretty clever.
Papa Colville never fails to brighten a day
oh I am designing the game I don't want to play from scratch. And yes, it can be a miserable experience.
But rapid prototyping is how I do it... I made a little more though, because I don't have a playtest group of designers. I have a few guys who wants to play every other thursday. So I just just filled in with mechanics from other games for everything I didn't make yet. Then get a a feel for what matches the theme of the game. We are on our second travel system, and the next time I see my players... we will be on our third.
I love how you explain your designs and ideas, and I look forward to what you all come up with.
I really appreciated the brake down of what your keywords ment
this was very enjoyerable i cant wait for more
Definitely very interested to see how this continues to develop. I've been wanting to get into TTRPG design for most of my life, and now that I finally have an ADHD diagnosis and ritalin prescription (at 41 years old...) I'm finally starting to do it! Getting insight into others' experiences is utterly invaluable. As much creativity as I've always had, as much as I've spent years breaking down and examining systems, as much as I have so much more drive and focus now, I still have no idea how to *work* because my brain never let me. Just listening to your perspective about the fundamental processes is a big deal for me. 💛
Weirdly enough, I've also only gotten into TTRPG design since getting my own ADHD diagnosis, and much more productively so post prescription. Hope things are going well on your end!
This is the most hype new series in 2023 for me now. Colville talking passionately about stuff is my favorite youtube genre.
Im so glad I went straight from one video to the other so the transmute was perfect
Most excited about the focus on TEAMWORK!
Game Design takes place like 70% in the mind, the approach, the goals (keywords), documentation, collaborative production pipeline. Communication, organization and iteration are what makes it work.
Outlines are nice, but more for onboarding and teaching than designing. Getting what you have into the minds of people who know nothing about the game. When you're designing, you have nothing pretty much and like a GM: It isn't real until it hits the players.
I love listening to your buisness and game design philosophies. Very inspiring! Can't wait to see what comes in the future.
As some one who works in IT, it's nice to know no-one else keeps their documentation up to date.
All jokes aside great vid. Really looking forward to the future of mcdm products!
I adore the use of humor in this!
It's so easy to accidently make this dry and boring. But Matt managed to make it fun, and I even chuckled a few times!
So I saw this video first and then saw the one on Matt's channel and the intro makes so much more sense now.
Holy shit, the second half of this video, in which Matt starts talking about rapid prototyping, is so good!! Like, really useful!
This is by far my favorite channel for TTRPG content. I’m a relatively new DM and didn’t really play tabletop games until I was 34. Learning this style of gameplay has been a challenge especially running the game. Matt Colville gives me confidence and great ideas in how to run a simpler more enjoyable game. Thanks for the great content!
Super happy to hear we're going to get another regular series for design take with Matt!
This video was exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. I'm building a deck-building board game, not a TTRPG, but the concepts of keywords and rapid prototyping hadn't clicked for me until now. Since watching I've already started working on implementing a rudimentary board and cards in Tabletop Simulator which is way more than what I had done over the past month.
15:10 that dude has a Halo energy sword, I'm So sold already
THE OPERATOR! A Dwarven Magma Diver piloted by YOU!
I owe Matt so much. His advice has really helped me become the GM I am today. I watch and re-watch his Running the Game videos all the time, and am literally sitting here watching in an MCDM shirt…
And while I’ve subbed to this channel too, and will no doubt continue to watch both this and Matt’s own channel… the more I hear about this game the less I think it’s for me.
That said, peeking at how the sausage is made (planned??) is interesting.
I think a better way to explain heroic is that characters are "driven by an ideal" rather than "driven by doing the right thing". Ideals can be flawed and even villainous, but still carries more gravitas than materialistic goals.
Incredibly useful actionable knowledge being shared here. Useful for life as it is for game dev. Have guiding principles, break the problem into chunks as small as you can, then just start doing. So much more is learned in trying and failing and iterating than is learned by planning.
I ran my first playtest of my system over the weekend. It was a dream, parts worked, parts horribly failed in measurable ways. Loved it!
Most importantly, the testers had a blast and the core idea held up.
My approach (and the one I force on my students) is similar in forcing rapid prototyping. Getting something on the table, no matter how broken it is lets you really vet the squishy ideas floating around in your head. I was able to crystalize a lot more in that one test than the months of bouncing crap in my head.
Great video on how to “agile” game design!😂
Super excited to see both the development and the end product.
Yeah I was waiting for him to reference agile vs. waterfall even more explicitly. I think it's actually a very intuitive way to design systems as you come to gaps in the narrative of an adventure or story. Like oh I guess we'll need to solve this problem with non-combat skills, so now that's the next thing we design really quickly, and so on until you're not running into walls so much.
I see MCDM have new content, I start thinking of my campaign and all the tricks and things Matt has taught me.
A wonderful day this is.
Regardless of what you're talking about - You are one of my absolute favorite people to listen to. You're so incredibly articulate and convey your points in both a succinct and entertaining way. Getting insight into your brain with design philosophies and nerdom in general is a real treat. Thanks Matt. Really excited to see what you guys come up with.
Ohh, I was just listening to the Patreon Q&A too. Lots of fun MCDM listening for me today. Congrats getting the first Designing the Game out! There is a non-zero chance I will try to make a game in the future, and if I ever do I will *absolutely* be drawing from lessons learned from listening to Matt & MCDM peeps.
I absolutely can't wait until the next entry in this series. I LOVE hearing about how MCDM approaches design!
This video helped me realize what things I care about in the role playing game I am already leading. This was super exciting for me to watch. It was “Yeah! Like that!!”. Thanks for putting language to it for me.
No matter how big the problem, don't panic. Is just great life advice. Thanks for the video Matt
I’m in the process of designing my rpg and this sort of insight it’s been incredibly useful. I keep getting stuck trying to map out everything and writing every single rule that’s needed. This concept of designing just what’s necessary to start and test it right away it’s a game changer!
Thanks! Looking forward to the next video
I really like the way Matt talks in videos. It’s fast, well enunciated, and plenty animated. Good stuff.
Also obviously the content’s really good, but that goes without saying!
I just watched the Tactician/Shadow video and it got me so excited for this game (every video has, but... I think I finally understand the marriage of tactics and narrative that this game sounds like it's gonna embody) that I'm starting at the beginning of the series to rewatch... and then I'm probably gonna root around in the Patreon archives for more juicy details. Stoked!
as someone who has been trying for over 20 years to get a game out of his ADHD riddled brain and into the world. I am looking forward to this. I'm fascinated by the world of RPG writing, and still at 43 would love to do it for a job. Game mechanics troubleshooting has always got me excited, and led to me endlessly tinkering with every RPG and wargame I have ever played.
So thank you for sharing this, and if i can afford it I absolutely will sub to the patreon for the behind the scenes stuff.
YESSSSSS I just found this holy heck I am hype for this series!! The amount of homebrew in our game coupled with the scope makes every session an undertaking in design lol. Very excited to see how you move theough this process & hear how you think in the abstract
Hey Matt! Just wanted to hop in and say I’ve been watching you for years and have loved watching you and your process. It’s least a joy to watch you talk about something you’re interested in. You’re one of my favorite creators on the site.
So, thanks!
I shared this video with a previous teacher of mine, who just about a year ago created a class to teach students how to effectively plan and follow through on a project. Many of the core tenets of what he taught me and my friends were expressed in this video. It's so exciting to see that the principles which are now habits for me are used in the real world, by incredibly talented people, to make incredible content. This video was so spot on with what we learned, that my teacher has emailed me back saying he's going to show it to future students. Thanks, MCDM!
Loved that "I could do a whole video on this" at 16:47 :D Pure, unadulterated passion for a topic just came spilling out in that moment. These are great. I enjoy hearing these insights into the process. Thanks for uploading and letting us peek behind the curtain.
I tried designing my own mech wargame from scratch and quickly playtesting has been the best thing for it. Realized the HP numbers were too low when the 4v4 was over in 20 mins lol.
Very cool. I love seeing behind the scenes and into the minds. And of course, game mechanics of all kinds fascinate me. It would be interesting I think to see you to talk with others on your team and get their insights. Good luck with the new game!
Tactical Heroic Cinematic Fantasy are awesome coordinates. I want to see how Cinematic and Tactical work in a game unburden by corporate mandates. Getting excited, Mr. Colville.
Well done. Thank you for the update. I've been watching Dungeon Coach develop his game, and it looks good to me.
I'm looking forward to seeing this develop and eventually playing. You four core values/goals is exactly what I'm looking for.
Ever since I started watching your content back in 2017, I've always wanted a more "direct" (since most of what you do is about design) video about your game design process. And now that I study game design in university, I'm simply thrilled that I get to see more of your actual process. Please keep up the great work and I am really looking forward to where this series goes.
Thank you so much for the years of content and education you've provided me Matt and everyone else at MCDM!
I love this kind of insightful discussion of design. Give us more.
As someone who has begun the process of creating a randomized table top fantasy dungeon crawl game by myself, i can appreciate this advice. My original idea (and i wont go into too much detail for a youtube comment) came to me and it was such a fun idea (in my opinion) that i spent 20+ hours writing it down on that first night. This was two maybe three months ago and i have since built a crude prototype (and i really mean crude as i dont have professional development capabilities. Everything is written by hand on blank playing cards or drawn on wooden tiles). It is far from completed but i don't care. Minor changes and tweaks have made it easier to play and it is so much fun and i enjoy the hard work in my spare time to take on such a monstrous undertaking. I saw this video and knew i had to speak up when you said in verbatim "make sure it's fun to play for you".
I love the little bit of the Flee Mortals cover in the background!
Probably the third time I've watched this video while designing my adventures. Even contained within other game systems, the advice about focusing on the core loop of the game (or adventure, in this case) and making *that* engaging. I really needed to focus more on my central tension, so I think I'm going to rewatch that one next.
I am such a huge fan of Matt’s and to see a new series about specifically design is so good! I run an open sand box, west marches style game that is focused on character choice and freedom. I have worked so long and hard on it, that I am in the process of compiling it so others can take a look at what I have made and hopefully make it better for their table! All this to say, I am an autistic adult going through massive burnout on my other creative projects and Matt’s videos have really helped me find a passion for D&D and just ttrpg game design in general. Excited for the new series!
I like the bit about rapid prototyping and the table of contents.
MATT
I AM MAKING MY OWN RPG FROM THE GAME UP!
I've played and designed with my brothers for years and we've made some big, some small, and some weird ones, but recently I'm working on my own personal one that I love. I love what you said about the guiding words - I'll definitely be doing that. And about the working with others. This channel will help me as a game designer. Thank you for your wisdom. Truly you are a river to your people.
Hows the progress going?
Your comment on the importance of teamwork is so true. I've done my best work as part of a team and even some of my 'big ego projects' benefited tremendously from the advice and stewardship of others.
The whole project sounds awesome, though I do tend to the 'work from the outline' approach more often than not.
Much love to MCDM! Looking forward to find out more about the game and the Timescape!
I have used table of contents for this sort of thing before for writing an adventure. Glad to know someone as experienced and clever as you has thought of the same thing :)
I think this will be a great series and a great game.
MCDM Dwarves 🥹
The words “basically short Klingons” live in my head rent free
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
I've always felt Klingons were tall Dwarves ;)
Now that you reminded me of those words though, what will be the MCDM tribble though 🤔
Extremely excited for this series. Even your standard once-a-week dungeon master can benefit from game design concepts.
Can't wait to try the MCDM RPG!
Love the intro. Frist thought: Thunderbirds
Those terms are basically the Pillars of Game Design of your game
been working on my own ttrpg, ive been watching you for years, this playlist is definitely gonna help me, thank you!
This was a little eerie to watch and I absolutely loved it. I started my own tabletop rpg one summer about 7 years ago because I was bored and thought, "Why not." I started with what I had learned from playing a few different systems and started with just amalgamating my favourite mechanics and learning from what I did not like. It started with barebones rules and a few playtesters among my friends and I have been working on it ever since.
It is still a long way from publishing, but what you described is still very similar to how I happened to go about developing it. I would play a bit with my friends, get their thoughts, and continue iterating. I hope to one day publish it and hearing how you guys are working on your game gives me renewed motivation to keep on going.
Everytime I think the game is done, I find ways to improve or expand it in a way that feels natural. Best of luck to you guys on your own project, I hope it does really well and people enjoy using it.
YESSS!!!!! This new series is what I want in my life!!!! Also super pumped for the new release!
I just started working on my own RPG. I don't have a team besides me and the two friends I'm forcing to play it with me. This video was so validating because we basically had just finished the steps in this video last week. I'm so glad I decided to start my idea right in time for MCDM to help guide me. What a good day.
Very helpful discussion on design process, and applicable to much more than RPGs. Outlines/checklists are things managers love to manage - but not the actual goal. Creatives in all manner of fields likely labor under this process…you/your team are wise to have seen deeper, focusing on the game. Thanks so much for sharing the insight!
I've been working on my own TTRPG as a hobby for a couple years now. I legitimately love it. One of my dreams is to make a game that people actually like and play. And I'm so glad you're doing this series because it's gonna help make that a reality.
What I've learned from this episode: I gotta test this game more often.
As someone who is designing his own RPG from scratch, youd be surprised how this video came at a convenient time :P
I may never design my own rpg, but all the homebrew I'll make for D&D and probably the MCDM rpg will likely benefit from this series. Glad to see it!
That brief Gatchaman intro has me so hyped!
Every time I find myself overwhelmed and stumped as to what the hell I am to do next with prototyping my TTRPG, you without fail provide me invaluable insight as to how to keep trudging forward. Thank you for another boost of confidence, and reassurance that IT IS possible.
Just the title alone makes me so excited. I'm eager for more videos in the Designing the Game category, from Matt, James and all the other crazy talented folks who work with MCDM.
I love this! I love being able to see the process of game development in this way.
Cannot wait to see what you guys have for us.
Thank you for sharing the designing journey with us!