Independent game design from beyond the grave

Fans

Aug
03
Posted by Jared Sorensen at 12:00 am

Dirty Secrets of Game Design – SEM1120296
Learn five dirty secrets that the game industry doesn’t want you to know. Use them to make your games better. Designers Luke and Jared share their jaded, sometimes humorous view, of the world of game design. Jared will do this entire seminar in a character voice!
Thu 4pm – 1 Hr – Marriott Indiana C

Game Design Is Mind Control – SEM1120297
Games compel people to make irrational decisions that they would not otherwise undertake. Come and watch Luke and Jared make fools of themselves as they try to prove this point. We promise; we will control your minds!
Fri 2pm – 1 Hr – Marriott Indiana B

Action Castle – SEM1120298
Relive the days of yore when the command line was king! GO WEST and LIGHT LAMP in a live-action text adventure with a few hundred of your closest friends.
Fri 3pm – 1 Hr – Marriott Indiana E

InSpectres The Movie: Behind the Scenes – FLM1127763
We will be talking about the process of making InSpectres and showing a short sneak peak from the film. Yes, it’s real.
Fri 6pm – 1 Hr – Westin Capitol III

Return to Action Castle – SEM1120299
Return to a land of action, a land of castles, RETURN TO…ACTION CASTLE! Many years have passed since a new king was crowned…find out what happens next in this massively multiplayer live action text adventure game!
Sat 2PM – 1 Hr – Marriott Indiana E

Jul
25
Posted by Jared Sorensen at 5:26 pm
I asked the author if I could reprint this and he said sure, so…

Hey Jared,

A friend of mine introduced me to your Parsely Adventures last summer and suggested I write you about my experiences…

(more…)

Jun
09
Posted by Jared Sorensen at 3:05 pm

In 1995 I “published” my first game-related material online. From 1997-2001 I created and distributed gaming material on the web via Memento Mori Theatricks. But Summer 2001 was a milestone: I published SCHISM, a setting sourcebook/supplement for Ron Edward’s Sorcerer, a seminal RPG.

I did not know what I was doing and it shows.

Still, I think there’s some good stuff in there and it’s got some classic Sorensen-style game design decisions within its scant pages. The Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy) used to have a magazine and they did a review of the game and gave it an A-. Not bad.

Anyway, long story short. 10 years is a long fucking time to be doing this. So as a “thank you” to my fans and supporters, I’m doing this

[ Download SCHISM PDF — 756K ]

Mar
25
Posted by Jared Sorensen at 11:50 am

It’s official! Sorensen/Crane will be in Denmark this April as guests at Fastaval.

We’re also planning to visit Gothenberg and Stockholm so let us know if you want us to stop by your friendly neighborhood game store!

Mar
14
Posted by Jared Sorensen at 11:57 am

It was a great convention. People were coming up to me to thank me for running games and writing them, so I felt pretty great by the end of the show (albeit incredibly tired). Sorry for the gamers I turned away from demos on Saturday afternoon — my voice needed a rest!

The PAX Enforcers are amazing, helpful and friendly. Kudos to all of them!

The Burning Wheel/Memento Mori/SorenCrane booth

 

I ran ACTION CASTLE for 470 people on Friday. Also did some pick up games with people waiting in the many lines at the show.

Luke and I had to turn away a hundred or so for Game Design is Mind Control. We made around $7 by the panel’s end.

Running FreeMarket for some gamers on Saturday. “Can I summon a jaguar spirit?” “Umm…no, but you can print a pet jaguar!”

Mar
07
Posted by Jared Sorensen at 2:51 pm

Friday, March 11 at 3:30 PM
Location: Merman Theatre
Description: “You are in a cottage. There is a fishing pole here. Exits are: Out.” With these words, a gaming phenomenon was born! Travel back in time to 1985 when Marty McFly was driving a Delorean and I was hammering out two-word commands on an Apple II version of Wishbringer. This is a live-action text adventure game in the Parsely series. No experience necessary… everyone who comes to the game gets to play!

Sign up HERE for a chance to win all six Parsely games at the convention!