jburneko

Spotlight on In Dark Alleys

In Dark Alleys is a difficult game to write about in part because it’s a very dense game. It’s the kind of game where what your character does for a living chan...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 15: Design in Public or Private.

I guess mostly in private in that I don't tend to "work out" design problems publicly. As noted in previous posts I do make all drafts of my games publicly avai...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 14: Dreams and Plans.

I'm a day behind! So I want to build Bloodthorn Press into... something. I don't want to be "big". Evil Hat is already at level I never want to be. I'd like to ...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 13: Biggest influences?

RPGs: Sorcerer & Dirty Secrets. Video Games: Silent Hill 2 Books: A Series of Unfortunate Events & The Black Dahlia Movies: Franklyn Theory: Baker's Clouds & Bo...

AprilTTRPGMaker day 12 - How do you get your work out there?

So, when I write a first draft of a game I actually make a pretty conscious effort to make sure it's written in a way that I think others could play it even fro...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 11: What’s yer brand?

Uh... local nicknames include, "Baron Ravenloft" "The Dark Lord of BarCon" and "The Enemy of Fun." And when asked what I think my strength is as a GM I respond,...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 10: Favorite game to relax with.

I don't like relaxing games. Sorcerer, Burning Wheel, Torchbearer. These are tough emotionally and mechanically demanding games. I even pitch my D&D opposition ...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 9: Describe your process

Don't have routine but process I got... mostly. So, I'm kind of "lightning" designer. Either the whole game comes to me all at once or... nothing. I got games t...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 8: Your routine.

I'm a moody person and so routine doesn't work real well for me. If I'm not feeling it, it's not happening. Deadlines and the fear of letting other people down ...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 7: Your workplace.

I live in a house that features: a legit secret door in the back of a closet, a small nailed shut door in the back of another closet, a hallway that goes nowher...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 6: Favorite game mechanic?

Sorcerer's complex conflict system. It works like this: 1) Everyone declares their action, freely and openly. 2) Dice are rolled and everyone goes from highest ...

AprilTTRPGMaker 5: Favorite game you’ve worked on.

I apparently angered some bot for using the IntroduceYourself tag too many times even though this a a slow 30 day method of introducing oneself. But I'll stop u...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 4: Describe Your Work.

Well, professionally, I make video games. For many years that meant console games. Early works included an X-Files and an E.R. game. The middle part of my caree...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 3: How did you start creating TTRPGs?

I see a lot of people answering this question with stories from when they were kids. But my instincts were never to "fix" or "make" game. I was all about wantin...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 2: Where ya at?

Geographically: Long Beach, CA Professionally: I’ve been at the same company for 13 years. Probably a record for video games Gaming: I run 2 D&D games at work a...

AprilTTRPGMaker Day 1: Who are you?

I might as well bring these here as well. Because why not? I’m Jesse Burneko. I work professionally as a video game programmer for Kung Fu Factory. We just rele...

Spotlights Project Q1 Report

The Spotlights Project is what I am using this site for. I write about RPGs that I think have been overlooked and underrated. I launched a Patreon in January to...

Spotlight on RavenDeath

RavenDeath by Iacopo Frigerio is a role-playing game about revenge. It takes its primary inspiration from The Crow, as evidenced by its title, but also Kill Bil...

A review of “The Tragedy of GJ237b”: Is it a story? Is it a game?

The self-styled tabletop role-playing game for no players The Tragedy of GJ237b by Caitlynn Belle and Ben Lehman came to my attention a few days ago via social ...

Spotlight on Pickets and Blinds

Pickets and Blinds by Kevin Allen Jr. is a crime drama game about murder in small American towns. All the players are characters who are about to commit a murde...