Design Doc

Fatigue

In this episode, we talk fatigue. Is fatigue something to conquer, or is it a warning sign on the way to a physical and emotional crash? Evan is tired, but we’ve got strategies! After years of learning what the burnout cycle looks like while working on a game, we’re eager to intervene before exhaustion gets the best of us. Episode mentions: Ever so briefly, The Witness (2016 video game, Jonathan Blow) Snowpiercer (2013 movie, Bong Joon Ho) Links: Join us on Discord! ⁠ https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz Support our work Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Buy our games online: ⁠⁠https://turtlebun.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: ⁠⁠https://www.ipaghost.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: ⁠⁠https://robabrazado.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/turtleandbun⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com⁠

The Path to a Question

Game design questions can be longer and more complex than their answers. In this episode, we initially set out to do a live-design session tackling an issue from our latest playtest, but discovered that describing the question required revisiting nearly every other part of the game. Join us for a chat about Twilight rules, open-eyed investigations, and escaping a cursed amusement park. Links: We have a Discord! Come talk about Design Doc and Star Trek. ⁠https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Turtlebun on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Our games: ⁠https://turtlebun.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: ⁠https://www.ipaghost.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: ⁠https://robabrazado.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/turtleandbun⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com⁠

Who Designs the Game?

Who designs the game? Is it the players, who make decisions in real time at the table? The GM, who’s at the ready to suggest ideas or dole out consequences? Or the designers, who… well… make the game? In this episode, we talk about when and how to distribute control of the experience between the players, the GM, ourselves as designers, and random rolls of the dice. Links: Join the Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/ApNfNvUk Support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun⁠⁠⁠⁠  Check out our games: https://turtlebun.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: ⁠⁠instagram.com/turtleandbun⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com⁠

A Year of Movies

Hannah watched 51 movies in 2025. Not all of them were helpful for game design, but there was inspiration to be found everywhere—in the form of left-behind robots, edgy existential planets, sci-fi noir, and Mother. Mother? Mother! Follow along and find every movie mentioned in the episode here: https://letterboxd.com/hanbandit/diary/films/for/2025/ Watch movies through your library on Kanopy: https://www.kanopy.com/ More Links: Turtlebun Discord: https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support our work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun⁠⁠⁠⁠  Our games: https://turtlebun.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episodes edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: ⁠⁠instagram.com/turtleandbun⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com⁠

Epiphanies

Sometimes a design problem can't be solved in any straightforward way. You need an epiphany! That can't be forced, but it can be encouraged. Hannah and Evan talk about the epiphanies that shaped their previous games and how to attract those mysterious flashes of insight. Links: We have a Discord! Come talk about Design Doc and Star Trek. https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz⁠⁠⁠⁠ Turtlebun on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun⁠⁠⁠⁠  Our games: https://turtlebun.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Credits: Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: https://www.ipaghost.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: https://robabrazado.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get in touch: Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com Instagram: ⁠⁠instagram.com/turtleandbun⁠⁠⁠ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com⁠