Author: Paul Czege

Paul Czege (say-ga) is 38, and a gamer since 1978. He is the creator of Nicotine Girls and The Valedictorian's Death, and author/publisher of Bacchanal and My Life with Master, which won the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming in 2004. Online at The Forge , he's also known for coining the term deprotagonize, to describe a mechanical event or player action that damages the architecture of a player character's protagonism. Ask him how to design a notable game, and he'll suggest that after a couple of powerful, satisfying play experiences with solid, well-designed RPGs, you actually learn more as a designer not by playing other strong, solid games, but instead by seeking out unplaytested games with mechanics and subject matter that pique your interest, and playing them. You learn best how to solve your own design issues by solving the kinds of design issues your brain is inclined to create.