Class + Reward = Fun?

I have said before that the most interesting things that I read that influence how I Design are being written about video games, thus the name of this Blog.
Classifying player types was all the rage a few years ago and usually creeps into the GM advice section of games that haven't realised that it is pointlessly academic.
Except in the case of video games where monetarisation is the wicked drug that is luring good designers from their safe cubes and out into Indi-armageddon.
This article on Gamasutra is worth a read if you are having a hard time linking Players and Rewards in a way that results in a fun game.

Bandit Country: Design Sources

I am currently pursuing two strains of research to realise my design for Bandit Country.

I read the Guardian and New York Times for all things Snowden. The recent big reveal on the scale of SigInt surveillance is one of the boundaries within Bandit Country that the player characters must contend with. A radar if you like that they will want to stay below. 
I read Foreign Affairs because it is a great 'big picture, little footprint' window into the world of nation states. It also has great interviews with interesting people who have stood in the spotlight (and those who more interestingly, avoided it) such as Stanley McChrystal.
I read AllAfrica and Council on Foreign Relations: Africa for setting information. I want to set the initial AEO of Bandit Country in West Africa, a region on the fringe of the next emerging proxy wars.
Finally, I am reading about Operational Risk Management and systems of Project Management. This is fairly dry going but it is helping me shape up the core mechanics of the game. 
If you know of any sources that could help, please comment.

Before the Flood

QTE is now on the RPG Blog Alliance! I  enthusiastically await the flood of new readers. But seriously, welcome.

Slaying the Demon, Fleeing before the Storm

Did I complete NaGaDeMon?
Yes and no.
I wrote a game and played it.
The game is Bandit Country and it is incomplete. It is also very promising so I will not be posting it at this time.
Bandit Country is shaping up to be something special. I look forward to posting more about it and sharing how the QTE ethic has influenced my design and writing.

Bandit Country: Components, Tools and Apps.

Bandit Country includes four Components, the sections that encompass the rules of the game:

• Character
• Activity
• Recruiting
• Exposure

The Players and GM use two Tools, really just functions of a clock, for resolution, tension and plot development:

• Stopwatch
• Timer

The Players and GM can play Bandit Country with the following smartphone / tablet Apps:

• Notepad
• Clock
• Maps
• Search 

What is Bandit Country?

BANDIT COUNTRY is my RPG for NaGaDeMon.
Bandit Country is the RPG of espionage and covert action for-hire. Players adopt the role of contractors in the shady world of freelance intelligence and special activities. Private enterprise, individuals and governments all have conflicting objectives and sometimes they need things done quickly, quietly and with minimal overhead. These stakeholders often operate complex systems of surveillance and digital intrusion but lack the `soft assets’, the human networks that are the ultimate enabler if the agency ever needs to directly interact `in country’. Your job is to identify a need and set up these networks and franchise them off or better yet, find a commission or patron who will provide tasking and a budget to match.

PILLARS OF DESIGN

• TIME. Time is always counting up and down. Everything that matters is measured by time. Stopwatch and countdown are important tools for resolution and plot progression.
• REAL. These Stories could be real. A Risk economy will be a key component of play.
• MOBILE. The game can be played using the apps on a smartphone. Maps, clock, search. The game will be easily played online so no `components’ required. How does this affect character representation?
• HUMAN. BC is about the human angle. The big players have the sophisticated tools. The contractors have locality, the willingness to adopt risk and specific skill sets.

Busy Times

No posts over the previous few months but some significant successes to make up for it.

The Drakkeil campaign is going really well and I am learning (and remembering) more about the art of moderating and writing content for a game. You have to be your own editor and that is a difficult task if you don't want to slink about on trope crutches. Jeff has continued to refine 5x5 and it remains my goto game for genre emulation.

I decided to get serious about writing and sent in a sample to a line developer of a new game when I discovered an open call for submissions on rpg.net. This lead to a request to submit an idea for an adventure which I did and was then asked to write it up. I did that and after going through several lengthy iterations it is now with the editor. It has been a great learning opportunity and I look forward to being able to blog further about it.

After reading blogs for a long time I decided to actually look around the web and find roleplaying communities beyond the safe and familiar boundaries of rpgbloggers.com. I discovered /r/rpg  and shortly thereafter they hosted their inaugural Weekend RPG Jam competition which I am honored to say I won. I worked hard on my game Flower, I encourage you to check it out and let me know what you think. Over December I am going to teach myself Scribus or some similar layout alchemy and I will prettify and update Flower and release it to the wild. 

And my daughter just turned 8 weeks old.

Today I discovered National Game Design Month. Only 14 days to go but hey, I'm gonna economize, I'm gonna rework a game I have been romancing for years but never really wrote in any coherent form. In less than 2 weeks you will locate my secrets, turn my people and evade my security and while the big Agencies are feeling the political leash in this post Snowden age, the contractors are running wild in Bandit Country.