Jessica Hancock

um my process has always been to start with a blank page start typing something will come out and then just go from there and i doubt very much that that's the same as everybody else's process i think everybody has their own processes that's mine it's very much a sort of like just start doing something see what comes out and then and then go and then go from there

I don't, you know, like, I don't kind of like start with an oval structure and fill it, you know, the skeleton or anything like that. That's not, that's definitely not my way of doing it. It's like start at the beginning and start moving forward. So I think that may, it's probably not the best way to do it, to be honest. But that's not what I asked.

I don't, you know, like, I don't kind of like start with an oval structure and fill it, you know, the skeleton or anything like that. That's not, that's definitely not my way of doing it. It's like start at the beginning and start moving forward. So I think that may, it's probably not the best way to do it, to be honest. But that's not what I asked.

I think I'm the opposite. I think I'm mechanics-led. I'm not that worried about the story because I want to write the mechanics to allow the GMs and players to tell their story.

I think I'm the opposite. I think I'm mechanics-led. I'm not that worried about the story because I want to write the mechanics to allow the GMs and players to tell their story.

all the games i've written they've never they've never really had a setting in them or they've always been kind of setting yeah if you look at yeah toolkits in a way so yeah so yeah that's definitely a difference in but that said i would argue a bit that a certain mechanics lead you into a certain type of storytelling like there are certain stories yeah so i might say this is kind of like a space opera genre i'm trying to do star trekky star warsy stuff

all the games i've written they've never they've never really had a setting in them or they've always been kind of setting yeah if you look at yeah toolkits in a way so yeah so yeah that's definitely a difference in but that said i would argue a bit that a certain mechanics lead you into a certain type of storytelling like there are certain stories yeah so i might say this is kind of like a space opera genre i'm trying to do star trekky star warsy stuff

Yeah. But in that case, I'm really just borrowing a story, aren't I? I'm borrowing a genre that exists and then trying to write mechanics that work with that genre. I'm not making a story there. At least I don't feel like I am.

Yeah. But in that case, I'm really just borrowing a story, aren't I? I'm borrowing a genre that exists and then trying to write mechanics that work with that genre. I'm not making a story there. At least I don't feel like I am.

Yeah. When you're designing a board game, or in this case a card game or whatever, there are definitely overlaps and similarities. But what would you say the primary differences are in the process of doing one as opposed to the other?

Yeah. When you're designing a board game, or in this case a card game or whatever, there are definitely overlaps and similarities. But what would you say the primary differences are in the process of doing one as opposed to the other?

Yeah, I mean, you can easily make that game without any of that stuff and just say, you're trying to get these points. Yes. Yeah. It's like the story shapes it, I guess.

Yeah, I mean, you can easily make that game without any of that stuff and just say, you're trying to get these points. Yes. Yeah. It's like the story shapes it, I guess.

yeah yeah well i think in a board game you've got issues of fairness that come in there don't you so if you've got various you know four different players playing against each other it has to be fair yeah whereas in an rpg to an extent it does but not not so much because because you're not playing against each other so if one one one's a little more powerful than another doesn't really matter all that much because they're not they're not you know in conflict with each other

yeah yeah well i think in a board game you've got issues of fairness that come in there don't you so if you've got various you know four different players playing against each other it has to be fair yeah whereas in an rpg to an extent it does but not not so much because because you're not playing against each other so if one one one's a little more powerful than another doesn't really matter all that much because they're not they're not you know in conflict with each other

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

I think there's an element of experience and being able to eyeball stuff helps.

I think there's an element of experience and being able to eyeball stuff helps.

You need to have a basic sense of intuition about probabilities and how something's going to play out just because you've seen it so many times before when playing or designing or just reading games. So, I mean, that helps. RPGs usually aren't quite, I mean, not always, as mechanically complex as, say, board games. I mean, some of them are very mechanically complex.