March 22, April 19, May 17 1PM – 3PM EST
Twenty Sided Store, 280 Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211
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In this in-person, three-session workshop taught by Nat Mesnard, we'll take inspiration from "weird" story games and other innovative indie titles to playstorm new game concepts, systems, and mechanics for narrative tabletop games.
Each session will involve an expansive game-studies discussion that investigates one or more contemporary TTRPGs. We'll delve into zines, pass around tactile components, and identify key pillars of design.
Then, either solo or in small groups, participants will be invited to hack or otherwise play with elements of the game(s) we've discussed—developing a piece of a larger tabletop game, or inventing an entirely new one. You will leave each session with a new design.
All experience levels are welcome! Attend to design your first story game, or renew your already-developed practice. Come for the full series, or drop in for one session.
Instructor Bio
Nat Mesnard is a game designer based in NYC. They write TTRPGs, fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and have taught creative writing, game design, and interactive fiction for the last 14 years—currently at Columbia University and for the literary magazine One Story. Nat’s first person narrative mystery game Banned Together, co-designed with Elana Bell Bogdan, is a recipient of funding from the NYU Game Center Incubator in 2024-25, and their tabletop roleplaying games have won multiple ENNIE Awards.
Sessions
Session 1: March 22, 1PM – 3PM
Legos & Space Goblins!
We'll investigate Viditya Voleti's Space Goblins!, a zine that creates immersion and collaborative "world building" through the use of legos to co-create a goblin spaceship. What mischievous feelings, memories, and design potentials lurk within interlocking building blocks?
Session 2: April 19, 1PM – 3PM
Dominoes & The Details of Our Escape
We'll investigate The Details of Our Escape, a collaborative zine by Tyler Crumrine, Linnea Sterte, and Renee Gladman that uses dominoes to tell the story of a massive, 2000-strong Caravan. How is collective travel brought to life by numbered, two-sided rectangular tiles?
Session 3: May 17, 1PM – 3PM
Scrabble Tiles & Spell: The RPG
We'll investigate Spell: The RPG by Taylor Curreysmith, a zine that outlines an evocative magic system whereby players draw random letter tiles to spell out magic abilities. How can spelling-game mechanics invoke experiences of arcane weaving?