Tag: A.R.C.H.
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Why I Built a GM Training Kit
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 When I first showed A.R.C.H. — Core Operations to my gaming table and asked for feedback, one of the players mentioned something that stuck with me. They had run a time-travel game before, and they said one of the hardest parts was figuring out all the variables of what would logically happen if…
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How Much Historical Accuracy Matters in 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 A.R.C.H. is a game about investigating historical anomalies. So, naturally, one question that comes up when I talk about the setting is: how historically accurate are the missions? The short answer is: I care about historical accuracy, but probably not in the way you might expect. Historical accuracy isn’t the selling point of…
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How System-Neutral Design Shapes A.R.C.H. Missions
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 decisions I made relatively early in developing A.R.C.H. was that I wanted the setting to be system-neutral. I’ve written before about how I ended up making that choice. But choosing to make A.R.C.H. system-neutral has consequences beyond simply leaving out game mechanics. It also affects how I design the missions…
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Why A.R.C.H. missions don’t have one right answer
中文版本（繁體中文)：按此閱讀 中文版本（简体中文)：按此阅读 With Starter Operations about to be released early next week, I thought this would be a good time to talk about one of the principles that shapes how I design A.R.C.H. missions. They don’t have one predetermined solution. That doesn’t mean the missions have no answers. The historical anomaly is real. The events…
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How I Choose Historical Events for 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 aspect of A.R.C.H. that has remained remarkably consistent since the setting was first conceived is its mission structure. Although many parts of the setting have evolved over the years, the four core mission types have remained largely unchanged. That means I rarely begin by asking: Which historical event would make a good…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…