#302 Wildermyth with Nate Austin

Dirk and David are joined by Nate Austin, co-creator of myth-making tactical RPG Wildermyth. In this entry in the series on worldbuilding, Nate describes the origins of Wildermyth, and how he and his partners grew the game into a true success. The trio also discuss how Wildermyth’s mechanics lead to a character focused over plot focused story, as well as how the game approach death and character progression. Other topics include using different styles of game writing, how systems change, and the perceived conflict between market appeal to story players and more complex mechanics.

Episode Outline

0:00 Beginning of Show

1:16 End of Intro

1:22 What is Wildermyth

2:45 Process of Building Wildermyth

5:41 Moving from Side to Full Project

11:59 Writing Different

18:48 How Much Work is Invisible?

20:11 How did Systems Change?

21:46 Death System

23:31 Balancing Powerful Options

27:02 Mass Market Story vs. Mechanics

34:02 Iterative Process of Creating Experiences

41:49 Focusing on Character vs. Plot

44:57 Being an Indie Success

47:41 What did the Community Like?

49:55 Advice for Listeners

50:37 Outro

51:42 End of Show

In this Episode

Nate Austin - Wildermyth.com
David V. Heron - @davidvheron
Dirk Knemeyer - @DKnemeyer