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Design Diaries have been a long time favorite of mine as they offer a lot of insight into the design process, as well as a behind the scene look at what the designers are trying to accomplish. I was first introduced to the concept through the Game Design: Step by Step column written by Gareth-Michael Skarka on RPGnet. I found it a fascinating read that literally took the game Underworld from concept to press. If you want to check it out, I’ve supplied a link here.

 

Fast forward three years later to Monte Cook’s Design Diary that he used to introduce Unearthed Arcana, or is that Arcana Unearthed? I can never keep those two straight! Anyhow, in a similar vein to Gareth’s column this was also an excellent look into the design process. Monte explained why he did things the way he did, and while there wasn’t as much explanation behind his rule decisions, it was (and still is) a great read if you are interested in game design. If you haven’t seen it yet (and I would be truly shocked if you hadn’t), you can check it out here.

 

Our Design Diary

So why ramble on about other design diaries? Well, cause I think they're great. Seriously though, the above design diaries present a different perspective on what aspect of design they are attempting to focus on with some overlap into other areas. Be it the initial conception of a product, its mechanics, or the setting itself. What we intend to do is provide a mix of all the above perspectives. That way you can see what goes into a products development from all angles.

 

You'll hear about how we approach a project, the areas we intend to cover in writing the game material, how we choose what art we use, and how it all comes together with editing and finally layout. You'll also get a bit on design theory and learn what went into converting Violet Dawn to 4th Edition and what we think of the new system from a designer's perspective.

 

Design Diary History

09.27.08 – In our first Design Diary, we talk about the races of Violet Dawn and show off some of their powers. [Read more]