#243 Rob Daviau Minimizes Ongoing Negative Effects
Design AxiomsSeries
Rob Daviau returns to the show to talk with Dirk and David about his design axiom: minimize ongoing negative effects for players to remember. They discuss why party games and heavier games might get away with these ongoing negative effects while other games get bogged down by them. Rob mostly uses his own work as examples, discussing Mountains of Madness, Betrayal Legacy, and Seafall.
Episode Outline
01:09 Understanding what Rob means when he says ongoing negative effects
06:55 When and how Rob developed this insight
09:44 The “reverse bell curve” of game genres that get away with ignoring this axiom
14:07 Discussing older games that have tricky mechanics to remember
24:30 How games can mitigate the effects of breaking this axiom, or even benefit from it
30:26 Some examples and stories from some of Rob’s own games about breaking this axiom
39:16 Discussion on legacy games, including Seafall, Betrayal Legacy, and Pandemic Legacy
53:21 Advice on designing board games at this point in time
In this Episode
Rob Daviau - @robdaviau, robdaviau.com
David V. Heron - @davidvheron
Dirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer