Designing Problems

In our penultimate encore episode, Tracy and Kristian explore the prospects of life after crowdfunding. How to keep momentum going, How to sell product on-hand, and specifically, some of the thinking both large and small that might apply to your product's future--all through the lens of Tracy's personal experience with and future plans for Han Cluster.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

In our next extra long encore episode, we talk about the many facets of crowdfunding fulfillment, looking through the lens of Han Cluster. From digital delivery of product through DriveThruRPG to the physical shipping and all the logistics that go along with it, Tracy shares her experience after Han Cluster arrived from overseas.Order Han Cluster: https://hancluster.com

Kristian and Tracy are back for a few encore episodes due to requests from the community!  It's only temporary, but we thought we'd record a couple more to go more in depth about the crowdfunding and publishing process. This episode is about offset printing. What is it, why you might want to do it, and how the process of getting it done works.  It's a long episode, but we think its an informative one.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

In our FINAL, extra-long episode, Kristian and Tracy are joined by community member and SWAG author, John Doom, to talk about letting go of your projects once you finish them, and then we answer some questions people had from our discord server. Goodbye everyone! And thanks for listening!  The discord server will remain open, so come join us!Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

On our penultimate episode, Kristian and Tracy tackle the topic of feedback and criticism. How to seek it, how to take it, and how to give it.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Kristian and Tracy meander through the topic of genre, but more specifically, how to facilitate creating the stories you want to tell. Though we use genre as a medium to do that, we also use other tropes, mechanics, and even expectations (whether we meet them or subvert them) to not just tell, but SHOW our players and their heroes what our game is all about. Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Kristian and Tracy invite virtual table top guru, developer, and overall awesome guy, Chris Valentine to talk about the promise and perils of virtual table tops. The discussion ranges from what's out there, what's possible, what's doable, and what perhaps is too much. We talk about VTTs from a designer's perspective, and what we need to do to get our work into module format, how they get developed for the various platforms, pricing, and more.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Kristian and Tracy are joined by the amazing Karl Keesler. Karl is a graphic designer by trade, and has been the designer for several PInnacle Entertainment books for Savage Worlds, including Pinebox Middle School, Lost Colony, Holler, Deadlands, the companions and many more. He also created the trade dress for Han Cluster, and for Kristian and Jen's upcoming Campaign Cartomancy. We talk to Karl about the purpose and importance of creating a cohesive look for your product, how to approach and communicate with a graphic designer, and a few other tricks and tidbits.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Darrell Hayhurst joins Kristian and Tracy once again, this time to talk about creating archetypes for your setting. Who are the characters who inhabit and accomplish things in your setting? How do they do it? And why? Archetypes can jumpstart a player's immersion into your world, and doing it well takes a number of sometimes conflicting factors into account.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

Kristian and Tracy are joined by Darrell Hayhurst in what will be two sister episodes. This week we talk about tailoring your rules to your setting. How to make them work together, compliment each other, and reinforce the intent and theme of the game. The rules of the setting can make a GMs life easier, while also immersing players into a particular world simply by interacting with what the rules of the world encourage them to do. Most of all, we talk about how to make them fun. Next week we'll continue the discussion as we explore the creation of archetypes.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

Tracy and Kristian tackle the daunting problem of getting your project to the finish line. Executing that last 10% is many ways harder than the first 90%, and this is just as true in game production as it is in project management or engineering. After discussing the problem in depth, Tracy and Kristian have some valuable tips you can employ that can help make that final 10% easier. Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week Kristian takes center stage as he and Tracy talk about creating a web presence for your brand. Tracy admits all her failings in this regard, and Kristian gets on his soapbox about not using social media as your company's primary residence on the web. We offer some tips and action items to provide focus to your efforts and maybe make this difficult endeavor a TAD less daunting... but no promises!

This week, Kristian an Tracy follow on from last episode and talk about playtesting your game. When do you start? What does "fail faster" mean? What is most and least valuable about the process, when is it best to participate yourself, and when should you just shut up and watch? Everyone does it differently, but this is a look at the subject with no assumptions and fresh eyes as we try to justify our answers with real-world experience.

This week, Kristian and Tracy discuss the sometimes (but not always) contradictory goals of creating a game that we think will sell, versus creating the game we want to play. It's a nuanced topic and in our weird industry of creating "experiences," trying to find a balance between these two goals sometimes leads to difficult and risky decisions.The Han Cluster PreOrder Store! - https://han-cluster.backerkit.com/hosted_preordersJoin our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJ The Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.com Immaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Tracy and Kristian deep dive into the seemingly endless decisions leading up to and during crowdfunding. Tracy discusses the Han Cluster BackerKit campaign in terms of everything from choosing the platform, to deciding on the offering, to setting funding goals, to creating pledge tiers, and much more.  There's multiple reasons behind EVERY decision, and this is just an introduction to some of them.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJ The Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.com Immaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Tracy and Kristian Tracy talk about what SHE experienced BEHIND THE SCENES leading up to and during her crowdfunding campaign for Han Cluster, including the breaking out of a full-blown trade war in the middle of the funding period. We pull back the curtain completely on some of the most difficult and stressful aspects of bringing a design project to the marketplace. This is the moment when time, money, sweat and tears all come together in a culmination of discovery: Do we have viable product or don't we? There is no easy way to go through this, especially as a new creator, and since this podcast aims be honest and inform, we wanted to give a fair warning about how difficult this can become so that you can go in with your eyes wide open. At the same time, since we want to inspire as well, we also want to impress that there IS a payoff to all this, you just have to take the leap to get to it.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

Tracy and Kristian finally get into some of the nitty gritty of laying out your book and other products for an audience to consume. Though this is primarily a high level overview of how layout programs (like InDeisgn and Affinity) work and "think," it's also a dense exploration of everything from basic concepts to best-practices as you move from the word-processor or note-taking ecosystem into the the brave new world of product layout (or you just start there, like Tracy, cuz she's "crazy!"). This is an episode you might revisit multiple times as you level up your game, and we'll definitely revisit the topic in the future.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Kristian and Tracy explore some of the roadblocks that can get in the way of our creative selves. These may include the world around us, external pressures, or our own inner demons. We have an honest discussion about what we do to keep going, how our creations themselves can be our voices for change and a advocating for a better world, and the little tricks and tips we've learned to keep our minds healthy and our work productive without killing ourselves.The Han Cluster on BackerKit! - https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/ede-sol-games/han-cluster-optimistic-sci-fi-rpg?ref=podcast-linkJoin our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Tracy and Kristian talk about the strategies and challenges of building your audience, not only for your game, but for you as its creator. We cover some of our own anecdotal experience navigating these tricky waters, emphasizing not the marketing and hype of it, but the benefit of nurturing genuine relationships when you're able. We talk about both being authentic to yourself and ways to protect yourself. And we even talk about cultivating that small group of engaged people around you who can help widen your net to a much larger audience with their enthusiasm.

This week, Tracy and Kristian take some time to decompress. With Han Cluster's crowdfunding and all the anxiety and excitement that comes with it in full swing, we look back on our big projects with an informal discussion of how they started, how we solved certain problems, and ultimately how they turned into run-away freight trains we could no longer control. In all seriousness, this episode tangentially explores topics of creativity, motivation, perseverance, the struggle against those who want to tear you down, and both the rewards these things can bestow, and the toll they can take on those of us who can't help ourselves. We hope that maybe you'll see a little of your own experiences in ours, and maybe that shared connection is enough to keep us all going.The Han Cluster on BackerKit! - https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/ede-sol-games/han-cluster-optimistic-sci-fi-rpg?ref=podcast-linkJoin our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week Tracy and Kristian are joined by Jodi Black, President of Carolina Game Tables and lead editor at Pinnacle Entertainment. We dive into the complex but rewarding world of running your own business (particularly as it applies in the US, since that's what we're familiar with). We talk about the different business entity types from Sole Proprietorships to C-Corps, what might be right for you, and how you can start small and think big. We dive into the benefits that setting up a proper business entity offers, and even touch on the challenge of collecting and paying sales and use taxes for products. This is a dense episode with a lot of information, but it's okay to start small and grow.  DISCLAIMER: We are not accountants, lawyers, or tax professionals and none of what's said in this podcast should be considered professional advice. We encourage you to form your own team for this purpose. As your business grows they become invaluable.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Carolina Game Tables: https://carolinagametables.com/Small Business Administration: https://www.sba.gov/

This week, Tracy and Kristian are joined by Darrell Hayhurst, creative director at Pinnacle Entertainment, to talk about a fascinating problem in RPG design. How much can you change your world-state during the course of your adventures or campaign? Can it evolve? Or should it remain static. The answer, as always, is, "it depends." There are advantages and disadvantages of each, and it's not an either-or choice. It's a continuum. Regardless, It's a problem that's worth contemplating both from the designer's perspective and the player's.The Han Cluster on BackerKit! - https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/1fa4354f-a958-4f84-94b5-4431314573a2/landingJoin our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

In this episode we cover one of our most requested topics. Tracy and Kristian are joined by Jenn Ellis of Twogether Studios to demystify the art of art direction. We cover a number of different aspects, including how to find artists and get them onboard with your project, the different ways of communicating with them, the options you have when contracting with them, the revision process, and how to minimize the damage when the art you get back doesn't align with your vision for the project. Finally, it's important to remember that commissioning original art for your project can be the most thrilling and exciting part of the process. It can inspire you when you're at your lowest, and the artists you work with are partners that can take your project to new heights, both commercially, and emotionally (also, by "Palette, Tracy meant "Canvas"... duh!).Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Twogether Studios: https://www.twogetherstudios.com/

https://hancluster.comThis week, Tracy and Kristian tackle the daunting topic of organization. First we dive into the challenges of organizing your initial thoughts and ideas about a setting including what to work on first, and how to bounce between different aspects as you develop your world and the the rules that govern it. After that is where the rubber meets the road. How do you organize your book? What comes first? What comes last, and how do the organizational decisions you make affect understanding, familiarity, and clarity for the GM and players. Finally, we lightly touch on how organization of content affects crowdfunding and marketing. Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Kristian and Tracy talk about the process of defining the setting and the creation of a "setting bible" whatever that may look like for you. Tracy talks about the concept of the "Axes of Conflict" and how they can help you define what's most important about your setting for PCs to engage with. We also touch on this problem in terms of defining the setting's in-game goals. What do you reward your PCs for doing in the world, and what are the variety of ways they can accomplish them? All this helps create a congruent, coherent universe that has something to say and makes players excited to engage with your creation.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Tracy and Kristian are joined by Tracy's spouse and the other half of Ede Sol Games, Boof Sizemore to talk about one of the most insidious problems you may encounter in doing creative work: doubt (and more specifically, Imposter Syndrome). We're not qualified to approach this therapeutically, so instead we share some very personal stories about our own experiences with this monster from a game design perspective. In seeing that other people are affected by it, and the strategies they employ to overcome it, we hope we can provide some comfort and inspiration to those who also run into these roadblocks. Special thanks: to our friend and professional life coach Carly Flagg for consultation and additional notes for this episode.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Carly Flagg Life Coaching Website: https://handsatheart.com

Kristian and Tracy are joined by Dot Moore, writer and producer of the Bite Sized Tales podcast, as well as player and producer of the Resting Glitch Face actual play podcast. In this episode we talk about creating compelling NPCs from the perspective of the RPG designer. How do you write and express characters for your adventures in a way that helps the GM make them engaging, useful, and irresistible (both as friends and foes) to the players. We get into a deep discussion about various philosophies surrounding this surprisingly complex subject, along with multiple ways you can present your NPCs based on what's important to YOU. As usual, the bottom line is, "it depends..."Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Resting Glitch Face Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/restingglitchfacepod/Bite Sized Tales Podcast: https://sites.libsyn.com/436095/site

This week, Kristian and Tracy talk about the benefits of surrounding yourself with people who can support you in realizing your creative vision, a brain trust.  Brain trusts can provide creative support, but they can also provide emotional support, and even financial support when considering the outlay and risks associated with creating and marketing games for publication. We try to provide ideas of how to cultivate this inner circle for yourself, even if you're just starting out and are all by yourself.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJ The Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.com Immaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week Kristian and Tracy are joined by Chris Hussey, a prolific RPG podcaster, writer, and media producer to discuss the balance between the freedom of sandbox play, and the satisfaction of completing a more guided story. This problem is a deceptively challenging one from the designer's perspective, and we explore it from different angles while citing some of the ways different game systems, settings, and adventures handle it.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Bite Sized Tales Podcast: https://sites.libsyn.com/436095/siteAdventures of Young and Holt AP: http://ap.feartheboot.com/index.php/archives/76

This week, Tracy and Kristian discuss the impossible-to-define goal of what makes a creative work "interesting." Sometimes we can get lost in the "rules," or fixated on inspirations we want to duplicate, or we even get too wrapped up in what we think our audience wants, and in doing so we make choices that favor the safe road, only to find what we've created uncompelling--even boring. In trying to give ourselves guidance on this esoteric topic, we explore playing the "what if" game, recount some metaphorical anecdotes from Tracy's theatrical lighting design career, and even cite the works and advice of one of the world's most interesting creative artists, the recently passed David Lynch. RIP.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/David Lynch on creativity:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJSr6yUnKYkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2RFMCmfRmc

Kristian and Tracy are joined by the creative director of Pinnacle Entertainment (Savage Worlds), Darrell Hayhurst, as we discuss the "precious" nature of ideas, and trying to break through the "logjam" in our minds that prevent us from coming up with more. We talk about ways to tap into a broader pool of solutions to problems, different concepts, and fresh perspectives as a creator. We also talk about how to identify the ideas we have that are worth pursuing, when to cut our losses, take breaks, and how sometimes pursuing something else entirely can bring passion and focus back to projects you thought were long dead.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Pinnacle Entertainmanet: https://peginc.com/

In this episode, Kristian and Tracy talk about both the need for, and the techniques surrounding creating a "quest engine" for your RPG game or setting--or the reasons the heroes are there in the first place. This includes discussion of "quest-giving" organizations and people, creating and utilizing meaningful elements that drive the story forward, and the effective creation of compelling NPCs to help guide the adventure. There's also a discussion about how to effectively integrate these elements in your game--creating immersion so the players don't even realize they're there.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week, Kristian and Tracy welcome back guest Brandon Verhalen of Star Anvil Studios to talk about the value of commissioning art for your project. Whether you use it to help visualize your world and inspire you in the concept phase, or to communicate the look, feel, actions, and even mechanics of your setting to your audience, art can play a valuable and fundamental role in the creative process. Check out our discord, Where Brandon and Tracy plan to share some art pieces (from rough to final) and discuss how they both inspired their creations and help communicate them to others.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Star Anvil Studios: https://staranvilstudios.com/

This week, Kristian and Tracy go on an in depth exploration of what compels us to create the things we do, why we share them, and how and why we keep going when things get difficult. For many, these are very personal questions. We talk about the sense of accomplishment, the compulsion to inspire others, craftsmanship, our vulnerability as creators, and how we handle failure when it inevitably crops up (including a discussion about the concept of "failing faster")! As our beloved Mister Rogers said, "You've got to do it!"Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Mister Rogers - "You've Got to Do it" - https://www.misterrogers.org/videos/youve-got-to-do-it/

This week, Tracy and Kristian welcome Brandon Verhalen of Star Anvil Studios to talk about the sticky wicket of licensing existing IPs for your role playing game. Brandon is the publisher of the Secret World RPG, based on the video game by Funcom, and he has a wealth of wisdom and advice, including the benefits of licensing, how to pursue license-holders, what kinds of things to ask for, and some of the  pitfalls and gotchas to avoid.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJ The Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.com Immaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/Star Anvil Studios: https://staranvilstudios.com/

This week Tracy and Kristian delve into the dense subject of RPG game systems, how a system can fundamentally affect the feeling of a setting, choosing one that's right for your game, and even touching on the challenges of creating your own. We also explore some of the ins and outs of licensing different game systems for your project. See the notes below for info on licensing some of the more popular systems.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJ  The Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.com  Immaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/A FEW GAME LICENSE LINKS: Savage Worlds: https://savageuniverse.com/get_involved.html Powered by the Apocalypse: http://apocalypse-world.com/pbta/policy FATE system : https://fate-srd.com/official-licensing-fate Blades in the Dark: https://bladesinthedark.com/licensing Monte Cook Games - Cypher System Open License: https://csol.montecookgames.com/ Free League - Year Zero Engine Licensing: https://freeleaguepublishing.com/community-content/free-tabletop-licenses/ Modiphius World Builders: https://modiphius.net/en-us/pages/2d20worldbuilders?srsltid=AfmBOor7fHL59AA5DGP0SQ0wA4q-IbZQDjypSkT4hcRAXtlEN37TZY9L D&D 5E: https://www.dndbeyond.com/resources/1781-systems-reference-document-srd?srsltid=AfmBOoox_uIBrCZ5dp4kqkl4eYnV-TUjP-tk4WCFhhYVM56M1NEeZP_8 DTRPG Community Content Programs: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/community_content.php

In this episode, Kristian and Tracy are joined by Jennifer Sutcliffe, Kristian's partner and the other half of the Immaterial Plane, to talk about a fascinating problem inherent to RPGs: the unlikely marriage of technical and creative writing. What are the differences? Why do we need both, and how can they compliment each other and meld together in the creation of your games, settings and adventures?Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

In this episode Kristian and Tracy talk about finding inspiration for your game, setting, adventures, characters and themes. More importantly though, where do you find inspiration for yourSELF? How do you get past the roadblocks and setbacks you encounter in the creative process and inspire yourself to keep trying and moving ahead? Finally, how do you pay that all forward and provide inspiration to others, both within and outside your game?Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

In this episode, Kristian and Tracy tackle one of the trickiest questions the designer of a new setting must answer: What do the PCs DO? Establishing what the "iconic adventure" is for your setting informs almost every choice you make in the world's development, and it can mean the difference between a game people are inspired to pick up and play and one that just sits on the shelf. Come join us to explore exactly why this is such a critical (and difficult) question.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJThe Han Cluster® Role Playing Game Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

This week we talk about where to start with the creative process. The difference between writing for yourself or your group, writing for other people to run, and writing for established publishers. We relate our own experiences and challenges at all three levels, and hope to give some encouragement to people along the way.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJDTRPG Community Content Hub: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/cc/0/defaultHan Cluster / Ede Sol Games Website: https://hancluster.comImmaterial Plane: https://immaterialplane.com/

In this first episode of Designing Problems, we talk about who we are, what we've done, and what the Designing Problems podcast is all about. We also touch on some of the challenges of the creative and production process, especially in the RPG space.Join our discord!: https://discord.gg/Bc9dvuzZYJ