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Reacting Editorial Board (REB)
The mission of the Reacting Editorial Board is to assist game designers and to maintain standards of quality for the Reacting series as a whole. They evaluate games under review and provide feedback to game designers to assist in the process of the academic publication of Reacting Games.
The game development process is solely handled by the REB. For more information and for inquries, please visit the REB page or contact the chair of the REB, Kelly McFall.
Reacting Editorial Board Constitution (November 2021)
Reacting Editorial Board Policies (June 2024)
The Game Development Conference Committee is in charge of planning and executing the annual Game Development Conference (GDC), which is held at a different host institution each July. The current members of the committee are:
- Jay Diehl, Long Island University
- Rebecca Faulkner, Princeton University
- Jeff Fortney, Dallas College
- Jim Getz, Temple University
- Jonathan Lawrence, Canisius College
- Mary Beth Looney, Independent Scholar
- Cynthia Metcalf, Dominican University
- Alex Rolnick, MICDS
- Allen White, Rose-Hulman Instititute of Technology
Guidelines
Controversial Issue Guidelines for Game Authors (Summer 2016) Letter to New Authors (November 2021) |
Books
Carnes, Mark. Minds on Fire: How Role-Immersion Games Transform College (2018)
The essential exploration of RTTP’s history and impact, as well as how role-immersion pedagogies in general can transform classrooms.
Clancy, Kelly. Playing with Reality: How Games Have Shaped Our World (2024)
An overview by a neuroscientist and physicist of the cultural and practical significance of games throughout human history, especially in the present moment of technological paradigm shifts.
Engelstein, Geoffrey. Gametek: The Math and Science of Gaming (2017)
The mathematical concepts and scientific applications of game design and play.
Engelstein, Geoffrey & Isaac Shalev. Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: An Encyclopedia of Mechanisms (2022)
The most comprehensive encyclopedia of mechanisms and design principles in the sphere of tabletop board gaming (including applications to RPGs).
Harrigan, Pat & Matthew Kirschenbaum (eds.). Zones of Control: Perspectives on Wargaming (2023)
One of the finest collection of essays on wargames, including their history, design, implementation, and reception; includes thoughtful articles from a diverse host of practitioners and scholars.
Harrigan, Pat & Noah Wardrip-Fruin (eds.). Third Person: Authoring and Exploring Vast Narratives (2017)
A compelling collection of essays on the power of expansive (and ever-expanding) narratives across media and modalities; highlights the improvisational and collaborative nature of postmodern storytelling.
Huizinga, Johan. Homo Ludens: A Study of the Play Element in Culture (2014)
Written on the eve of WWII, still the foundational text for taking meaningful play seriously as a cultural phenomenon and civilizational force.
Hergenrader, Trent. Collaborative Worldbuilding for Writers and Gamers (2018)
With reflections on everything from the digital space to the tabletop, this book delves into and leverages the essentially communal and collaborative nature of grand storytelling.
Johnson, Steven. Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World (2017)
A serious reflection on the history of play in the forging of modernity, with a broader canvas that includes games as well as a host of other popular entertainments and diversions.
Suckling, Maurice. Paper Time Machines: Critical Game Design and Historical Board Games (2024)
A scholarly yet accessible take on the design principles and challenges of historical board game development with a focus on best practices alongside interpretive and historiographical implications.
Tekinbas, Katie & Eric Zimmerman. Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals (2003)
This foundational text in the field of game design offers a comprehensive theoretical framework that explores games as systems of meaning.
Zimmerman, Eric. The Rules We Break: Lessons in Play, Thinking, and Design (2003)
This is a delightful collection of short game design exercises that escalate in complexity.
Websites
Analog Game Studies
This is an open-access journal dedicated to the critical study of analog games—including tabletop RPGs, board games, and live-action role-playing. Articles, which are drawn from across the globe, usefully address issues like inclusivity, ethics, and embodiment.
Nordic LARP
The Nordic LARP community has long pushed the boundaries of live-action role-play, emphasizing immersion, emotional depth, and collaborative storytelling. This site offers a rich array of essays and design reflections that are relevant for Reacting. If you want to know more about player consent, safety, and bleed, this is where you should go.
Templates
Templates for Game Book, IM, Role Sheets, Handouts (December 2021)
Boilerplates
Updated Gamebook Boilerplate (2021)
Gamebook Boilerplate (2020)
Short Games and Microgames
Short Game Framework (2022)
Short Game Templates (2024)
Please contact the chair of the Short Games Subcommittee, Bill Offutt, with questions about short games at: billoffutt@aol.comMicrogame Framework (2022)
Microgame Instructor Manual Template (2023)
Microgame Role Sheet Template (2023)
Please contact Raymond Kimball with questions about microgames at: ray@42ed.games
Short Game and Microgame Working Group Report to the REB (2022)
*This report is only a reference to help game authors understand the updated guidelines and changes to short games and microgames.
Submit Game and Prototype to BLORG
Submit your Reacting Concepts and Prototypes using this Google Form. Each submission is reviewed by members of our Editorial Board. Successful submissions will receive additional materials and information concerning game development.
This Big List of Reacting Games (or the BLORG) contains all of the known Reacting games, prototypes, and concepts. It also includes the names of the authors and the development editor.
- Level 5 games have been reviewed and published; instructor materials are available on this site but student manuals must be purchased from the publisher.
- Level 4 games have completed review by the Editorial Board but are unpublished. All game materials for them should be available on this site.
- Level 3 games are currently under review by the Editorial Board. All game materials for them should be available on this site.
- Level 2 games are not yet under review but some materials may be available by contacting the game author.
- Level 1 games do not yet have sufficient materials such that the game can be played by anyone other than the game author.
Copyright and Publication
Game authors should keep copyright and permissions in mind when incorporating written sources, images, and translations into their gamebooks. While this is most important for published games, keeping track of these works can help authors at all levels game authors can contact the RTTP Publications Director for help securing rights and if they have any questions about copyright.
The Publications Director is Jace Weaver. Jace has published 18 books himself, and he served as director of Reacting Consortium Press, which was RTTP’s second line when it was publishing with W.W. Norton and Company. He is also an attorney well-versed in copyright law. As Publications Director, Jace acts as RTTP’s liaison with the University of North Carolina Press. He also can assist authors with getting permissions and understanding their contracts. He also has model letters for requesting permissions, which he can provide to authors.
RTTP Copyright and Permissions Tipsheet (July 2023)
Submit Files to Website
Once your game is at level 3 you can submit your files to the website where it can be used by Reacting Consortium members!
This Google Form can be used to send files for New Games, Updated Files for an Existing Game, and Community-Made Files.
Please read the File Submission Protocol to ensure that your files are ready to be posted on the website and prevent any delays due to formatting issues.
UNC Press Author Toolkit
*For games that are approved to be published
Author Toolkit (October 2022)