Big Bad Breakdown
A few weeks ago Big Bad Online 2022 happened, and it was a blast! It was my second time to take part in the online con and it was even more fun this time around. It was an amazing event: 24 hours of fantastic panels and a vibrant discord server! It was also my first time volunteering as a panel moderator and twitch mod, and I hope I get to do it again next time.
Online conventions are such a huge boon to folks like me from the global south. The TTRPG events I’ve been too in Manila are mini-conventions at best. Taking part as an international community really helps expand the TTRPG space and lays the groundwork for true inclusion and global support.
We still have a ways to go before the TTRPG space feels truly global, and we all need to keep centering and supporting diverse voices. But Big Bad is definitely putting in the work!
I’m really happy and proud to be part of two panels: Breaking Systems and Capturing Inspiration with the amazing Josh Hittie, as well as Creating and Publishing Your First TTRPG with the effervescent Kristin Devine.
I honestly think Josh doesn’t get enough credit for the amazing writing and design he’s doing in the TTRPG space, and I implore you to check out the two games he mentions in the panel, Vibe Check and DEATH GRIND!! MEGASTRUCTURE. Josh had a lot of great insight to share, including the open question of how does one translate something like movement in video games to a TTRPG framework. Thomas Manuel had a fascinating response, but I’m too literal a designer to completely agree with his take hah!
Kristin is a powerhouse of skill and talent, and I appreciated her strong guidance and nurturing energy through out the whole panel. People like Kristin bring so much to the TTRPG space and I’m glad I slightly kinda totally forced my way into being part of this panel! There were a lot of superb questions from chat and it was lovely to engage with folks.
I was also stoked to moderate the stunningly good panel of From Fledgling to Established: Breaking a Niche TTRPG Community into an International Space. As a Filipino game designer in the Philippines, there was so much I could strongly relate to as the panelists described their growing TTRPG space in India. But it was also fascinating to see the many differences! It was great to see how far they’ve come and what they hope for!
While I encourage you to watch every single panel, here are a few more I really enjoyed:
Localizing RPGs in Portuguese was a stellar panel of professionals, and some of the challenges and opportunities in Brazil really surprised me! Maria do Carmo Zanini’s stories and insights into translation were really enlightening.
GRWU and Coffee Talk felt like a good and chill time spent with friends who had amazing things to say about TTRPGs and the community. It was a welcoming space and each speaker had a chance to really shine.
Building Tabletop Playgrounds: Two Approaches made the design/mechanical nerd me in whoop for joy. Seeing designers generously share their perspective through the metaphor and framework of a playground was remarkable.
Congratulations to the Big Bad Online team for putting together an amazing online event like this one, and making it free for everyone to access! I was overwhelmed by gratitude and joy by the end of the con, and it feels so special to be part of the TTRPG space of designers, players, and creatives.
I could never have imagined taking part in something like this, in all my years of playing TTRPGs. It makes me wonder about what other lovely surprises the future holds.
