-
Who Are the Time Line Protectors?
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 I realised I had spent quite a bit of time talking about timeline anomalies and Protector teams without ever explaining who the Time Line Protectors actually are. The short answer is that they investigate timeline anomalies. The longer answer is that they occupy a rather unusual role. Many games involving time travel cast…
-
First Observations from Playtesting A.R.C.H.
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 One of the reasons I wanted a dedicated Playtest Notes section on this blog is that playtesting rarely unfolds quite the way I expect. I tend not to treat playtesting as a pass-or-fail exercise. Instead, I see it as an opportunity to discover where players naturally make assumptions, where the game communicates effectively…
-
Why I Use AI in My Publishing Workflow
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 Now that I have begun publishing A.R.C.H., one topic I have found myself thinking about more and more is the role of AI in creative work. Partly, this has been prompted by recent marketplace policies surrounding AI-generated content. As someone beginning to publish my first commercial products, I felt it was worth explaining…
-
Introducing A.R.C.H. — Core Operations
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 Over the past few posts, I’ve talked about some of the ideas that shaped A.R.C.H. I’ve written about why I keep gravitating towards investigation games, what I look for when designing timeline anomalies, how I ended up with a system-neutral RPG and the thinking behind the Protector specialisations. Today, I’m pleased to finally…
-
The Four Protector Specialisations
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 One of the earliest structural decisions I made while working on A.R.C.H. was not to anchor the setting to a particular game system. At the time, however, I was not really thinking in terms of RPG mechanics in a formal sense. I was still relatively new to tabletop roleplaying games and was far…
-
How I ended up with a System-Neutral RPG
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 As I work towards publishing A.R.C.H., one of the questions I have found myself thinking about is why I decided to begin with a system-neutral product rather than tie the setting to a specific game system. Looking back, I suspect the answer lies in how I create settings in the first place. Most…
-
What Makes a Good Timeline Anomaly?
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 As I’ve been working on A.R.C.H., I’ve found myself thinking quite a bit about timeline anomalies. Since they form the basis of almost every mission, a surprisingly large amount of the investigation experience depends on how interesting the anomaly is in the first place. While designing missions, there are three things I generally…
-
Why I Keep Designing Investigation Games
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 One thing that readers will probably notice as I publish more of my games is that many of them revolve around investigation. This is perhaps unsurprising given that mystery is one of my favourite genres. While fantasy has always been my primary reading staple, mystery has occupied the second place for many years.…