Alex MacDonald
Game/Level Designer
Fallout TTRPG Campaign
Project Type
Virtual Tabletop Project
Date
June 2024 - Present
Role
Game Designer / Level Designer
Link
Links/Contents Below
This project has been many things for me. It has been a passion project, a brand-new experience, a new community, a way to connect with my friends, and a way to flex my designer muscles.
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This project is a narrative campaign in a brand new TTRPG (Tabletop Roleplaying Game) set in the Fallout universe, an IP created by Bethesda Softworks. I write the story, design the levels/maps, build/script behaviours in the online system, and design my own game systems for the game.
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I am also privileged to be able to have my hand in the development of the Foundry system itself in different ways.​ I do plenty of testing with my players and provide feedback to the developer of the Foundry system.
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Below are some examples of my work on this project. It has been in-progress and ongoing since June of 2023.
Designing a Settlement add-on.
In this system, there is no current way in the rules to create and use settlements. I have had requests from players looking to found a settlement and roleplay within them. I got to work creating a custom system to do just that and more. Below is a link to the in-progress system document for this add-on.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BQDWUTp9NoDYgRL6uLg6iyXwEWkL4tb--VEgqyeuyPg/edit?usp=sharing
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For this system, I have to consider the various things players are hoping to get out of it. I have determined that creating and building up a settlement, interacting/roleplaying with NPCs, fighting alongside the NPCs, and levelling it up are all going to be core to the experience based on player feedback. I plan to iterate on the design based on playtest data as well as community feedback through the documents comment features.
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What sort of work goes into this?
Game Design
At the core of this sort of project is Game Design. From the game systems to the player experience, every bit of work is poured towards creating a more enjoyable game experience for the players.​
As a designer, I have to consider what my players want, and how I can provide it. Finding a way to weed through the random chance and player-driven narrative to instill a gameplay loop in the essence of it all is what will keep players coming back session after session.
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I am glad you asked!
Level Design
Almost every single location and map the players will encounter has been designed, built, implemented in-engine, and ran by me. With a variety of playstyles, both combat-wise and roleplay-wise, present in the system, I have to take great care to maintain balance when designing my maps.
I have currently hand-made over 20 maps including bustling marketplaces, monster-infested caves, underground vaults, abandoned research facilities, and more! See a few of them below!
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Systems Design
As the game system expands, so do it's internal mechanics and systems. Alongside the custom settlement system I am developing (linked above), I have also done different systems work here and there, such as creating roll tables for different tiers of items and loot, tweaking system mechanics for better balance, and creating custom systems for mini-games.
