Robbie Goodrich on writing games about difficult topics Reacting to the Podcast

The Reacting community has had many discussions about playing and running games involving controversial or difficult content.  Inevitably,  after a break in the conversation, someone will say "But what about the Weimar game?"

Today's guest is Robbie Goodrich, professor of History at Northern Michigan University and author of said Weimar game.  He and I had a fascinating discussion about how the game came about, how it has changed over time, and why the label "the Weimar game" is really important.  

If you are going to run Weimar, I would suggest you view this interview as an extention of the Instructor's Guide. It will give you a better sense of how to imagine the game and to respond to student concerns.  But even if you won't ever play this particular game, Robbie has great things to say about the process of working with the Editorial Board and about thinking through hard questions as you write or run a game.  And, in a world in which the bookshelves at Barnes and Nobles are filled with titles about the rise of authoritarianism, thinking about a game about how democracies work, and don't, is a good in itself.