Author Archives: Quirkworthy

World-Building: A Vast Zooniverse

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Quirkworthy

As Douglas Adams tells us in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road … Continue reading →

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Illustration: Chicken Scratches

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Over the last few weeks I’ve been getting back into drawing. Unsurprisingly, this plan, like all others, has needed modifying when it confronted reality. In this case, it’s the digital aspect. I thought that I’d be able to focus mostly … Continue reading →

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Game Design: A Load of Chit

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Quirkworthy

When I started work on the Old Skool Skirmish (OSS) system, the main challenge was to make it feel like it belonged in the 80s. At the heart of my approach was to focus on old mechanics, and I soon … Continue reading →

Posted in Game Design Theory | 3 Comments

World-Building: Be Consistent

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Quirkworthy

This is the first article of a several-part series on different aspects of a core world-building topic: consistency. The basic message is very simple: your world must be internally consistent. Doesn’t matter if it’s science fiction or fantasy, and it … Continue reading →

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Illustration: Blasted Art

Posted on February 29, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Earlier, I said I was after a specific style of art for Blast ’Em! What I have in mind is the loose and sketchy sort of black and white, pen and ink illustrations that were common in the early 80s. … Continue reading →

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Game Design: Challenge Yourself

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Quirkworthy

As I mentioned on Monday, I’m swapping out Project Shuriken for the moment while I polish my drawing skills a bit more. The replacement is a tabletop SF skirmish game called Blast ’Em! This is the first outing of what … Continue reading →

Posted in Game Design Theory | 4 Comments

World-Building: What Not To Tell Them

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Today I’ve got a couple of things to talk about. The first is a change in the two projects I’m focussing on at the moment. I’m putting Project Shuriken to one side for a little while. This is simply a … Continue reading →

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World Pangolin Day

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Quirkworthy

It’s today. The reason this is relevant on Quirkworthy.com will take a long time to wriggle out from under other projects, but trust me when I say that pangolins make sense. Plus, they’re really weird and intriguing beasties anyway, so … Continue reading →

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Game Design: Where Do Ideas Come From Anyway?

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Quirkworthy

Over the years I’ve often been asked where I get my ideas from. It’s a standard question that is often posed to any writer or designer. There are several ways to reply. The most honest answer is to admit that … Continue reading →

Posted in Game Design Theory | 2 Comments

World-Building: It’s the Little Things

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Quirkworthy

One of the things that varies between the Primary and Secondary World-Building (PWB/SWB) tasks I described earlier is the importance of details. This is due to the way in which we experience reality ourselves: in those details. You absolutely do … Continue reading →

Posted in World-Building | 4 Comments