Episodes

  • The Constraints Episode

    The Constraints Episode
    Dec 17 2025
    In this episode, Eppy brings a discussion of "technological" creative constraints in game design. We talk about what this means in the context of tabletop, how constraints surface through the design, and how we handle them as designers. This builds on our recent episode about design surfaces, and is ultimately another part of a long-term conversation about, well, game design! We also do our final homework for 2025, bringing some holidays from different projects in our back catalogue to celebrate the season. This is our last episode of the year, and we'll be taking a few weeks off over the holidays. See you in 2026, Scholars! Show Notes: * Missile Command Box Cover (https://www.thecoverproject.net/view.php?game_id=3666) * Yar’s Revenge (and many other similar cover + gameplay images) (https://retrosecret.com/best-games-for-atari-2600/) * Sorcerer: An Intense Roleplaying Game (https://payhip.com/b/JDT8) by Ron Edwards * The Shrike (https://sadpress.itch.io/the-shrike) * Vampire: the Requiem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire:_The_Requiem) * Trial & Terror: Supernatural Victims Unit (free download! (https://dig1000holes.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/trial-and-terror-svu-free-edition-v2.pdf)) * Fantasy World (https://fantasyworldrpg.com) * The City of Fire & Coin (https://unwrittenearths.itch.io/the-city-of-fire-coin) And there's more: * Unwritten Earths Symposium (http://unwrittenearths.com) * Our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) * Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) * Nathan's games (https://www.ndpdesign.com) * Eppy's games (https://www.dig1000holes.com) * Music by Will Jobst (https://willjobst.carrd.co)
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • The Reflection Episode

    The Reflection Episode
    Dec 3 2025
    In this episode, Nathan and Eppy reflect on the first year of this podcast, talk about how things change in the doing, and discuss how creating a community is part of the overall endeavor. This leads into a survey of feedback tools and frameworks that can be used to reflect on your game sessions and playtests. Thanks so much for joining us! With one year of the show in the books, we're excited for the next. Show Notes: * Two Hundred a Day (https://twohundredaday.fireside.fm) (A Rockford Files Podcast) * Clojure/Conj2025 (https://www.2025.clojure-conj.org) * Lovecraftesque (https://blackarmada.com/product-category/lovecraftesque/) * Wreck This Deck (https://blackarmada.com/product/wreck-this-deck/) * Roses and Thorns (https://gnomestew.com/roses-thorns-and-buds/) * Stars and Wishes (https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/blog/stars-and-wishes) * Brief/Debrief (https://aryl-ether.itch.io/debrief) * EARS Debrief (https://blackarmada.com/tools-to-use-after-play/) And there's more: * Unwritten Earths Symposium (http://unwrittenearths.com) * Our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) * Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) * Nathan's games (https://www.ndpdesign.com) * Eppy's games (https://www.dig1000holes.com) * Music by Will Jobst (https://willjobst.carrd.co)
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • The Surfaces Episode

    The Surfaces Episode
    Nov 19 2025
    In this episode, Nathan and Eppy report back on their recent work on PET CRIMES, centering on making digital tools for play. This leads into a discussion of the concept of designing the "surfaces" of your game - what are the things (physical, relational, temporal) that you need to design in order to enable someone to play? This is just the start of this conversation, but it feels like a useful framework as we continue to make games in this season of the podcast! Patrons are getting access to PET CRIMES and it's associated digital tools as we develop them. Join them for just $3/month over at our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths)! Show Notes: * One More Thing online playspace (https://tinyurl.com/OMTplayspace) (Google Sheet) * Eppy's game Vast and Starlit (https://epidiah.itch.io/vast-starlit) * Jason Morningstar's The Skeletons (https://bullypulpitgames.com/products/the-skeletons) And there's more: * Unwritten Earths Symposium (http://unwrittenearths.com) * Our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) * Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) * Nathan's games (https://www.ndpdesign.com) * Eppy's games (https://www.dig1000holes.com) * Music by Will Jobst (https://willjobst.carrd.co)
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    1 hr
  • The Card Concepts Episode

    The Card Concepts Episode
    Nov 5 2025
    In this all-homework episode, we each bring an initial sketch of the cards that could drive each of our card-based game concepts. Nathan's "Big Lore" game explores using card decks to reveal things about the game world and guide character progression, while Eppy's "Exploration Legacy" game uses cards to map out geography as well as encounter types for a game that becomes more unique the more its played. This is early-stage concept stuff, so listen in to hear how the vegan sausage is made! Check out our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) for a post that includes the images of the cards we describe in this episode (no subscription required!) Games Mentioned: * Search for the Emperor's Treasure (http://www.tomwham.com/search.html), by Tom Wham * Minion Hunter (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/679/minion-hunter)from GDW Games * The Best of Dragon Magazine Games (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/5811/the-best-of-dragon-magazine-games) And there's more: * Unwritten Earths Symposium (http://unwrittenearths.com) * Our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) * Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) * Nathan's games (https://www.ndpdesign.com) * Eppy's games (https://www.dig1000holes.com) * Music by Will Jobst (https://willjobst.carrd.co)
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • The Season Two Premiere Episode

    The Season Two Premiere Episode
    Oct 22 2025
    We're moving into the next season of our podcast! In this one, Nathan and Eppy talk about how we're turning from the scholarly side of our project to the instructional side, and how our show homework is changing to match. What this means for our listeners is that you'll be hearing more about new game designs and works in progress, and less research and hunting out arcane gems from other games. Thanks for listening, Scholars! Remember to sign up for the Swords Without Master fixup campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unwrittenearths/swords-without-master?ref=9uxdgk), coming early 2026. And there's more: * Unwritten Earths Symposium (http://unwrittenearths.com) * Our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) * Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) * Nathan's games (https://www.ndpdesign.com) * Eppy's games (https://www.dig1000holes.com) * Music by Will Jobst (https://willjobst.carrd.co)
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    45 mins
  • The Episode Without Master

    The Episode Without Master
    Oct 8 2025
    The Season of Swords is upon us! Nathan and Eppy talk about Eppy's sword & sorcery classic Swords Without Master, how it came to be, how it works, and what's next for the game: a full standalone release, coming early 2026! Show Notes: * Swords Without Master is in Worlds Without Master, Issue 3 (https://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/bazaar/worlds-without-master-issue-3) (for now...) * We're pumped to welcome Shel Kahn (https://www.portablecity.net/art-direction/) as our Art Director for the project. And there's more: * Unwritten Earths Symposium (http://unwrittenearths.com) * Our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) * Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) * Nathan's games (https://www.ndpdesign.com) * Eppy's games (https://www.dig1000holes.com) * Music by Will Jobst (https://willjobst.carrd.co)
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    59 mins
  • The TBR Pile Episode

    The TBR Pile Episode
    Sep 17 2025
    In this episode we tackle our to-be-read piles of recent game acquisitions for our homework, highlighting more recent work that we've both been digging and finding some common themes across different genres and types of game. We then talk about "instructional" and "non-instructional" text in games, what that divide even means, and pursue some questions that that brings up for our own work. Show Notes: * Check out the Adventure & Hobbyist Annual 2025 (https://unwrittenearths.itch.io/annual-2025) * The latest Possible Worlds Games Kickstarter funding 3 new games (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crum/cckhcc?ref=creator_tab) runs through Friday, 9/26 Games Mentioned: * Knight Forlorn (https://blackfiskpub.itch.io/knight-forlorn) (Blackfisk Publishing) * Usagi Yojimbo (2nd Edition) (https://rpggeek.com/rpg/60813/usagi-yojimbo-role-playing-game-sanguine-2nd-editi)(Sanguine Productions - it looks like it's no longer available for purchase) * The Price of Coal (https://jen-adcock15.itch.io/the-price-of-coal) (Jennifer Adcock) * The Crawling Chaos (https://planetsmashergames.itch.io/the-crawling-chaos) (Plant Smasher Games) * Tacklebox (https://possible-worlds-games.itch.io/tacklebox)/Better Strangers (https://possible-worlds-games.itch.io/better-strangers) (Possible Worlds Games) * 5-Star Match (https://leafydragongames.wpcomstaging.com/shop/) (Leafy Dragon Games) * Growing Thylacine (https://pidj.itch.io/growing-thylacine) (Pidg Sorensen) * Necronautilus (https://www.worldchamp.io/store/necronautilus-hardcover-book) (World Champ Game Co) * Brinkwood: The Blood of Tyrants (https://brinkwood.net)(from the Far Horizons Co-Op) * Tide Breaker (https://www.tidebreakerrpg.com) (Nick Butler) * God's Gonna Cut You Down (https://kstetson.itch.io/gods-gonna-cut-you-down) (Keith Stetson) And there's more: * Unwritten Earths Symposium (http://unwrittenearths.com) * Our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) * Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) * Nathan's games (https://www.ndpdesign.com) * Eppy's games (https://www.dig1000holes.com) * Music by Will Jobst (https://willjobst.carrd.co)
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • The Playtesting Episode

    The Playtesting Episode
    Sep 3 2025
    In this episode Eppy leads off with a hot take about playtesting, leading us to a discussion of the multiple purposes of playtests, playstorming, techniques for effective playtests, and an introduction of a new feature of the Unwritten Earths Symposium Discord: Playtest Tuesdays! Show Notes: * Playtest Tuesdays are on the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) - you do not need to be a Patreon member to join, and we're aiming at short bursts of targeted play for anyone who would find that helpful. * The JiffyCon (https://jiffycon.blogspot.com) Community site still exists, for posterity! And there's more: * Unwritten Earths Symposium (http://unwrittenearths.com) * Our Patreon (https://patreon.com/UnwrittenEarths) * Join the Discord (https://discord.gg/cgJa5hWcVq) * Nathan's games (https://www.ndpdesign.com) * Eppy's games (https://www.dig1000holes.com) * Music by Will Jobst (https://willjobst.carrd.co)
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    52 mins