Endings are hard. The ending of a roleplaying game isn’t just the culmination of the story; it’s also when the themes and purpose of the game become clear. In this episode we talk about designing a conclusion that comes at the right time, conveys the right message, and still leaves room for all the improvisation of roleplaying.
Episode mentions:
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One">Ready Player One</a>—but just a brief mention this time, promise!
<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/mother-2017/">Mother!</a> (2017 film written & directed by Darren Aronofsky)
Other Design Doc episodes mentioned:
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NIij865vz5KkUJrFPxFbf?si=ShT2N7e8T-WWoy_t-iq2ZQ">Epilogues in Games</a> (May 2025)
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6J5PUy9UKldene9I11bOzp?si=UVvcjR-_SPGejBSyASenpA">Finding the Game's Emotional Core</a> (March 2019)
Links:
Join the Turtlebun Discord: <a href="https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz">https://discord.gg/XD4WVDjvbz⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>
Support our work on Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun">https://www.patreon.com/turtlebun⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> 
Buy our games: <a href="https://turtlebun.com/">https://turtlebun.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠</a> 
Credits:
Design Doc intro/outro theme by ipaghost: <a href="https://www.ipaghost.com/">https://www.ipaghost.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>
Episode edited by Rob Abrazado: <a href="https://robabrazado.com/">https://robabrazado.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠</a>
Get in touch:
Designdocpod (at) gmail (dot) com
Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/turtleandbun/">⁠⁠instagram.com/turtleandbun⁠⁠⁠</a>
Bluesky: <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com">https://bsky.app/profile/turtlebun.com⁠</a>

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

You Can’t End the Game Until You Know What It Means

Design Doc

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews