Tabletop Summit Day at GDC

Today is Tabletop Summit day @Official_GDC , and we’ve got a terrific roster of talks! I’ll be live tweeting them throughout the day, and they’ll be available later through the GDC vault.

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

First talk is “Reimagining Historical Settings in Game Design” from @colewehrle at 9:30 PT. Cole is always a thought-provoking speaker and I very much look forward to this. pic.twitter.com/Dsf6RcJely

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Cole getting set for his talk. We got a big room this year! pic.twitter.com/hZxd2gFuWm

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Is a game a creature to be dissected or a conversation to be engaged? pic.twitter.com/bpeQTmJgTt

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Catan grew out of Teuber’s interest in Viking settlement of uninhabited Iceland. When Mayfair moved it to a colonial theme it was engaging with a theme it wasn’t designed for. pic.twitter.com/nmDr1q2qMh

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Concluding thought from Cole:

Don’t find the right setting for your game.

Find the right game for your setting.

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Next up: Rachel Voss talking on disability representation in games.

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Wheelchair representation in film: wheelchair as prison. pic.twitter.com/3QD2Wjk1iq

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

5 Questions to ask yourself about your design. pic.twitter.com/2TqyAA0xvE

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Next up - Carol Mertz (Exploding Kittens), Morgan Baker (Exploding Kittens and EA), and Jesse Martinez (PhD Student at U of Washington) talking about practical ways to implement accessibility.

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

The @ShutUpShow tabletop play area. pic.twitter.com/v9zWhPIx9Y

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Next up - Elizabeth Sampat @twoscooters , author of the insightful-and-very-much-worth-reading Empathy Engines giving a very engaging and deeply personal talk about Deadbolt. pic.twitter.com/etNxCeFbPW

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Really intrigued by this talk: Script Murders, the most popular tabletop in China. pic.twitter.com/RYBLXAZ7xH

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

These started out modeling western murder mystery games, but have expanded to become almost like LARPs.

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

They are about $3 billion in sales in China.

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Next: designing tabletop games to be suitable for live play streaming, from Nox Berf. pic.twitter.com/nxftVzsnkg

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Next: Charlie Macken, designer of Decorum talking about puzzle design. Decorum is a hidden info game about decorating your home where housemates have different desires (i.e. real life).

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

https://t.co/Bp4EZDS8eL

They wanted to be in between no-narrative puzzle games, and full collaborative story telling (like D&D)

"Remember the story as much as the puzzle"

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

How do you encourage emergent narrative?

Willing and able to participate (Theme, Characters)
Scaffold the narrative - give them hooks
Control the tension

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023

Creating an imbalance between players creates tension. pic.twitter.com/NmZNfRokB6

— Geoff Engelstein (@gengelstein) March 20, 2023