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Explore every episode of the podcast Unwritten Earths Symposium

Dive into the complete episode list for Unwritten Earths Symposium. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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TitlePub. DateDuration
Plus Expenses #8119 Nov 202400:43:53

In this Plus Expenses we talk about: It’s the official “crossover” Plus Expenses, James Garner handing off a baton to a wizard, feelings about ending Two Hundred a Day (but Two Hundred a Day will remain!), actually ending a thing, starting a new podcast: Unwritten Earths Symposium, how Plus Expenses will fit into the new show, the early days of Dread, building our new Discord so it’s a place where people play each others games, the experience of playing THAT game, learning new podcast skills, learning from The Rockford Files, goals for Unwritten Earths, future Two Hundred a Day eps, THANK YOU Two Hundred a Day listeners, hello new Unwritten Earths listeners, the Unwritten Earths Patreon, and pitching the Adventure & Hobbyist Annual.

If this sounds good to you, come into the Symposium and let’s teach and learn from each other!
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Enter the Symposium19 Nov 202401:00:57

Welcome to the Unwritten Earths Symposium Podcast! On Episode 0, game designers Nathan D. Paoletta and Epidiah Ravachol introduce themselves, talk about the Symposium, and then uncover some arcane games from their game discovery homework. Have we designed a game yet?

In this episode, we mentioned:

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Mounts, Death and Music04 Dec 202401:07:18

Show Notes:

  • Horse Armor (from Elder Scrolls, not World of Warcraft)
  • The box that turns itself off is also called a useless machine
  • Eppy tried to calculate the number of deck shuffle possibilies in The Shrike but it was too many

Games We Talked About:

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The White Whale Episode28 May 202500:50:41

In this episode we talk about our "white whale" game design projects, both those we're currently in pursuit of and those we managed, at long last, to catch.

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Hidden Information Episode14 May 202501:05:53

In this episode we give a production update on the Annual 2025 before measuring our shelves for game discovery. Our homework happened to have a shared theme of hidden information, and we end up discussing the idea of "sleight of hand" to create moments of magic in play.

Games Discussed:

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The Purple and Yellow Episode22 Jan 202501:08:18

In this episode we do our color-guided homework, explore the realm of rpg fiction written by people who haven't played rpgs (?), and talk about Epidiah "The Night Writer" Ravachol's handwriting strategy.

Show Notes:

Games We Talked About:

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The Coffee & Game Design Episode08 Jan 202501:10:04

In this episode we lay out the template for Coffee & Game Design, assign some homework, delve into the archives for some Arcane Gems, share a war story and field a listener question about promoting our games.

Show Notes:

Game We Talked About:

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The Cursed Episode18 Dec 202401:13:44

In this Cursed Episode, despite being interrupted by a power outage we talk about some juicy Arcane Gems within our game discovery homework, and talk about our current works in progress.

Show Notes:

Games We Talked About:

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The Trends Episode30 Apr 202501:01:53

In this episode we come back from game discovery sabbatical to talk about some esoteric picks from our itch.io libraries, and then discuss how we approach and interact with trends in the larger ttrpg industry, in game design, and in how those intersect for us.

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Ritual Episode16 Apr 202500:57:11

In this episode we talk about building rituals in and for play, follow a train of thought about building in "blessings" for each other into gameplay, discuss the joy of dice, and come back from sabbatical to assign game discovery homework.

Reminder: The Adventurer & Hobbyist Annual 2025 Kickstarter is live through the end of April!

Show Notes:

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The Annual 2025 Episode02 Apr 202500:57:27

Welcome to the Adventurer & Hobbyist Annual 2025! In this episode, we discuss the scenarios in our inaugural Unwritten Earths Symposium publication, design considerations for making these "system-adventurous" scenarios, and the origins of the project. Check out the show notes for a link to the Kickstarter, and thanks for all your support so far!

Back the Annual on Kickstarter (live through the end of April, 2025)
Check out the preview scenario One Night Only at the Veteran's Lodge.

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The Eras Episode19 Mar 202501:20:01

Oops, all Game Discovery! In this episode we do a brief overview of the history of TTRPGS (truly-true roleplaying games), each picking a game to highlight from our birth years in each decade from the 1970s to the 2020s. We delve into some 2010s highlights for Arcane Gems, but this is a good framework for us to talk about our personal game histories as well as chart high-level changes in game design since the beginning.

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Convention Slot Episode05 Mar 202501:07:28

No, it's not a 4-hour episode! After talking about our game discovery homework guided by games we'd be excited to play at a convention (or elsewhere), we dive into how our experiences going to conventions and playing games in specific time slots has shaped our game design.

Out inaugural project, the Adventurer & Hobbyist Annual 2025 set of time-spanning game scenarios, is coming to Kickstarter soon. Click here to get notified on launch!

Show Notes:

Games Discussed:

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Plus Expenses #8726 Feb 202500:50:36

In this Plus Expenses we talk about:Articulating the Unwritten Earths Symposium and how it gives us productive constraints, repetition is the brevity of the soul, Voyagers!, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, King Con by Stephen J. Cannell, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Samurai Champloo, coming full circle on physical media, preserving obscure media, pulp fiction literally pulping, the Rockford Files is a good show, we’re trying out Ellipsus, setting up stuff outside of free tools and avoiding AI, game publishing is a lot of skills, a thought on another WWWRPG Promotion, some thoughts on a Swords/WWW mashup, shout out to Zine Month, and stay strong out there!.

Plus Expenses is a second biweekly show that is normally for our patrons.

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The Constraints Episode19 Feb 202501:14:52

In this episode we discuss the arcane gems found within games we would play with our moms, give some updates on what's happening in the discord, and field a great question about productive constraints in design and play.

Show Notes:

Games We Talked About:

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The Groundhog Day Episode05 Feb 202500:52:50

In this episode we talk about a Groundhog Day-inspired convention concept, some thoughts on setting design, where we're at with tricking each other into designing a game, and we field some listener questions about where to stay on top of TTRPG happenings and constraints on the design process (more of which we'll be talking about next time).

Listeners, where do you find games? Get in touch and let us know!

Show Notes:

Games We Talked About:

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The Ludography Episode13 Aug 202500:54:51

In this episode we do our game design homework of looking through game ludographies to chase down a chain of influence. It's a fun journey and we end up in very different places for our arcane gems! We also give an update on the Adventurer & Hobbyist Annual 2025, coming out soon!

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Sailing Episode30 Jul 202500:55:02

In this episode we talk about handling multiple ongoing projects as full-time working creative people, and then Nathan brings a game idea for discussion: a game that creates or invokes the simultaneous closed-in-ness and open-ness of sailing. We have some fun ideas for creating slow-burn drama with constrained resources. Have we.... made a game yet?

Show Notes:

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The Spiralbound Episode16 Jul 202501:03:59

In this episode we go to the copyshop to dig up spiralbound games for our game discovery homework, and get deep into the weeds on both format and substance of our picks.

Games Mentioned:

Show Notes:

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The Podcation Episode25 Jun 202500:57:38

In this laid-back episode we chat about greeting cards and inspiration from non-games for game formats, follow a train of thought about using Valentine's Day exchange as a game mechanic, and check in with each other about how ideas and inspiration from previous episodes are coming together for new game projects.

Games Mentioned:

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The Nat Barmore Episode11 Jun 202501:21:14

In this episode, we welcome Dread co-creator Nat Barmore to the show, try to surprise each other with Arcane Gems from deep cuts in our collections, and talk about Nat's current projects. We talk about Dread, keeping horror campaigns going in long-term play, and approaching real-world cultural conflicts in game design. Thanks for joining us, Nat!

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Episode Without Master08 Oct 202500:59:20

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:

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The TBR Pile Episode17 Sep 202501:03:14

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:

Games Mentioned:

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The Playtesting Episode03 Sep 202500:51:56

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 - 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 Community site still exists, for posterity!

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The Hacks Episode04 Mar 202601:00:55

In this episode, Nathan and Eppy report back about their "do this with that" homework assignment. Eppy debuts The Marion and Robin Party Roleplaying Game, and Nathan outlines how Remember Tomorrow reconfigures Fair Winds and Following Seas. Then, we reflect on how using other games as the basis of new work (hacks, if you will) can be a really helpful part of the game design process.

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Mind-Blown Episode18 Feb 202600:56:33

Nathan and Eppy assigned homework off-mic, to discuss some games that showcase thinking about games in a way we never would have, or that made such an impression on us that we've made them part of our toolkits. We discuss what we mean by our minds being blown, then go over our lists. Then, we assign homework for next episode: to sketch out what one of our works-in-progress would look like, if we used one of our mind-blowing influences as a model! We're still aiming to make new games this season, and this was a really productive conversation to help us both along.

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Survey Episode04 Feb 202600:53:07

In this episode, Nathan and Eppy respond to listener feedback, talk about a recent play experience, and then go through some of the projects we're each working on or thinking about that are not the One Without Master. It's a high-level survey of where we're at, game-design-wise, going into 2026!

Check out Soapbox Game Mechanics! It's from All My Friends Are Stories (Patreon), they have some of the games for sale here, and here's the youtube channel. Eppy's episode hasn't been posted at the time of recording, but should be up eventually!

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Shel Kahn Episode21 Jan 202601:13:48

In this episode, we sit down with friend, artist, game designer and art director for Swords Without Master Shel Kahn to talk about... all of those things! We touch on the different roles of art in game design, working with abstract imagery, refining your taste as a chooser-of-images even if commissioning original art isn't realistic, and the ways artwork and visual design elements help out the game design endeavor. Art... it's good!

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Constraints Episode17 Dec 202501:04:02

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:

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The Reflection Episode03 Dec 202501:01:30

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:

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The Surfaces Episode19 Nov 202501:00:21

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!

Show Notes:

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The Card Concepts Episode05 Nov 202501:03:57

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 for a post that includes the images of the cards we describe in this episode (no subscription required!)

Games Mentioned:

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The Season Two Premiere Episode22 Oct 202500:45:00

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, coming early 2026.

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The Wisdom Episode01 Apr 202600:50:36

As is tradition on this first day of April, we're going through some of the wisdom we've accumulated as self-publishers over the years, in hopes it'll help out those who are starting their game design journey. We try to address some of the basic questions that you might not know you should be asking, and talk about the core work of finding an audience, benefits and drawbacks of different kinds of conventions, designing your business like it's a game, and starting small in order to give yourself the space to learn and grow. If there's any fools today it's going to be us, but hopefully this is helpful - and if raises further questions, please get in touch so we can continue this conversation!

Show Notes:

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The (First) Mailroom Episode18 Mar 202600:53:21

In this episode, we visit the mailroom to field some listener questions! We discuss design rituals that we each have, the experience of having games or mechanics fall flat for us in play, and some potential homework for future episodes. The conversation includes digressions into spinner design, playtesting our way out of mechanics that don't work, and how we approach disappointing experiences as something to learn from. Thanks for all the mail!

Shoutouts to: Playtest Tuesday, The Imaginauts, and Paul Czege

Games Mentioned:

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The Works In Progress Episode29 Apr 202601:05:49

Nathan and Eppy finally turn in their spring semester homework, discussing where they are at with The Marian and Robin Roleplaying Party Game (and spinners!), and Fair Winds and Following Seas (and music!), respectively. Informed by both formal exploration and input from Scholars over at our Discord, both of these games are starting to get somewhere.

Show Notes:

Games Mentioned:

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The Haters Episode15 Apr 202600:59:01

No, this isn't about games we don't like; following up on a question from our Wisdom Episode, we talk about the parts of making games that are not fun, from merely boring all the way to actively hate. This turns into a conversation about how we get through those periods, how the unique nature of truly true roleplaying games makes perfection impossible, and harnessing the hate that flows through you for good. We balance that out with an update on something we're loving right now, the incoming artwork for Swords Without Master!

Nathan's game Mortal Skein is out! Here's the playtest materials on itch.

Show Notes:

Swords Artists:

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