Notes on Play

John Drexler
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A game development log where I share the hardest game design problems, and share thoughts on the games I'm playing. My name is John Rudolph Drexler and you can find my games at catacombian.com

  1. 25: I made my dream game, but something was wrong

    3 NGÀY TRƯỚC

    25: I made my dream game, but something was wrong

    Canticle came to life, and to my exact specifications. But my exact specifications were wrong. Fixing it led to an explosion of great ideas.

    15 phút

  2. 14 THG 4

    24: Where do good ideas come from?

    Mark Brown made a great video about finding great ideas. And it made me wonder: where did my best ideas come from, and how do I set myself up to have more?

    9 phút
  3. 23: Is Catacombian a designer, a publisher, or both?

    8 THG 4

    23: Is Catacombian a designer, a publisher, or both?

    Brian Bornmeuller's talk at NYU Game Center helped me finally articulate a question I've been wrestling with: what is Catacombian Games, exactly? In this episode I map out the five layers of the board game industry — design, publishing, manufacturing, distribution, and retail — and share how I'm approaching 2026 like a product manager: setting clear experiments, defining success criteria, and actually measuring results.

    14 phút
  4. 22: Steel vs. Soft

    20 THG 3

    22: Steel vs. Soft

    A framework for deciding what needs to change next in a game prototype that I developed with my friend Walter Somerville. I used this recently to make some huge improvements to Canticle.

    11 phút
  5. 21: Why are there so many medieval games?

    13 THG 3

    21: Why are there so many medieval games?

    Games feel immersive and grounded when they are familiar and legible -- even from a distance.

    12 phút

  6. 27 THG 2

    20: Player experience is the guiding light

    How do you give the emperor a sense of epiphany? How do you give the board a feeling of organic ideas-based growth? I picked the experience first, and designed around that.

    11 phút
  7. 19: The best game idea I've ever had

    13 THG 2

    19: The best game idea I've ever had

    This is a game that takes place in the past and the present. And I've never been so excited to work on something. Many more updates to follow on future episodes.

    10 phút
  8. 18: Every prototype I made in 2025

    23 THG 1

    18: Every prototype I made in 2025

    2025 was a creative explosion for me. Now it's time to focus up, and pick which prototype I will try to take to the finish line.

    15 phút
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Giới Thiệu

A game development log where I share the hardest game design problems, and share thoughts on the games I'm playing. My name is John Rudolph Drexler and you can find my games at catacombian.com

Thông Tin

  • Nhà sáng tạo
    John Drexler
  • Năm hoạt động
    2025 - 2026
  • Tập
    26
  • Xếp hạng
    Sạch
  • Bản quyền
    © 2026 John Drexler
  • Trang web chương trình
    Notes on Play