Tuesday, February 02, 2010

SnoutCast #6: Poor Time Management

We apologize for sucking even more than usual this week. Please send us your ideas for future show topics. We're dying here.

[ Download mp3 - 39 MB ]

00:00 - Disclaimer
01:25 - let's talk about timing!
03:30 - DeeAnn hates maps so much
07:00 - anyway, yeah, timing
09:05 - Clue design: how long should it take to solve a puzzle?
12:34 - don't call it skipping: bonus and emergency clues
13:10 - a must-see clue: the Bat-Blinker (device, action shot)
17:06 - how players experience The Game
20:58 - FoBiK follies
28:42 - event planning: not starting with puzzles
30:52 - how other GCs do it
34:49 - setting expectations through GC identity
36:44 - neither of us only DeeAnn has actually seen Field of Dreams
37:31 - plug for GC Summit 2010 (February 18th)
39:27 - plug for DASH 2 (April 24th)
41:40 - The End

Music: instrumentals from "Code Monkey," "Skullcrusher Mountain," "The Future Soon," "First of May," "Tom Cruise Crazy," "Re: Your Brains," and "My Monkey" by Jonathan Coulton

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CKL DeeAnn


lahosken said...

Not perfect topic ideas, but they oozed into my head during your excellent podcast:

D+D Dungeon-Mastering and Game Control, compare and contrast.

During-the-game activities: Thoughts about, uhm, activities that are, uhm,
intertwined with the game. Like the trading game in Mooncurser's; that
Shinteki when we were supposed to peek at each others' name-badges. Any of
those that you think worked especially well? Y'all ever consider doing something like
this and then decided not to?

Teams who leave "calling cards" at clue sites: Bane or boon?

More generally, are there things that player teams do that boost your morale when you're on GC?

Ever reject a game theme idea because it was too esoteric? Like, say, The Films of John Lithgow? Would you consider running such a game as an internet game so that
the world's John Lithgow fans could participate? But then you'd lose the
"personal touch". Hmm.

Skott said...

As long as you guys keep offering insights and memories re Games in MP3 format and have such fun interplay between you both, I'll keep listening. Ten years of experience provides great insight for those of us inexperienced lot who might one day three years down the road considering running one.

And repeating things? Isn't that how people learn? Mention it once and everyone forgets. Two or three times and then it sinks in.

Greg said...

Heck, you could just talk about D&D and I at least would be intrigued and entertained. I think you said at the beginning that this wouldn't just be about the Game- going back to that would give you a lot more to discuss.

CKL said...

Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

I think we'll delve into D&D on the next podcast. DeeAnn will certainly have a lot to say...

Jeff Allen said...

You danced around the theme of "we're not having fun anymore" in this episode. You've really got to go into that, it's at the core of Snout's philosophy on games, and it's deeply humane, part of what makes Snout games have a broad-based popularity, even if they are technically less difficult than hard core games.

Jeff Allen said...

Oh, also: you should mention, and even read from, talk about the genesis of, etc Curtis' letter to GC's. That's a masterful piece of advice, in a great form.

You made me laugh out loud while cooking dinner. Good stuff.