The articles in Thinking Virtually are broken into topical sections, here called "Seasons", running from 5 to 25 articles in length each.

Season One. Introduction to Design - Introducing the column, the idea of MCRPGs, and how to design a game, starting with the story elements. Columns #1-10.

Season Two. The Elements of Good Design - Expanding upon the design concepts of the first season, rounding out all the most important considerations in designing a game. Columns #11-20.

Season Three. The Elements of Good Plot - Discussing the question of developing plot, vastly expanding the initial discussion of #6, "Plot Strategies". Columns #21-30.

Season Four. The Top Five Engineering Problems - Talking about the five biggest problems that impact programmers of MCRPGs. Columns #31-55.

Season Five. Designing Strategy - A turn toward tabletop board games (and their web brethren). Columns #56-70.

Following column #70, Thinking Virtually is now on hiatus, but read Shannon's other, still continuing column, Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities.

Last updated: November 18, 2005

Season One: Introduction to Design

The first ten-part series for Thinking Virtually at RPGnet, introducing the column, the idea of MCRPGs, and how to design a game, starting with the story elements.

Part One: Introducing the Column

The first few columns introduce myself, MCRPGs and Tabletop RPGs (RPGs).

#1. Twenty-First Century Roleplaying: An Introduction (2/26/01) - Who am I? What is that column? What are MCRPGs and TRPGs?

#2. Coca-Cola or Pepsi? (3/5/01) - What are the benefits of MCRPGs vs. TRPGs?

Part Two: The Elements of Good Storytelling

A discussion of one of the most basic aspects of design: the elements of good storytelling which are important in any type of fiction.

#3. The Elements of Good StoryTelling (3/12/01) - What elements are crucial to any type of story?
A reprint of The Elements of Good StoryTelling #1 by Kimberly Appelcline.

#4. Creating Vivid Characters (3/20/01) - Making characters in fiction truly three-dimensional.
A reprint of The Elements of Good StoryTelling #2 by Kimberly Appelcline.

#5. Writing Dynamic Settings (3/26/01) - Causing settings to come alive in fiction.
A reprint of The Elements of Good StoryTelling #3 by Kimberly Appelcline.

#6. Plot Strategies (4/2/01) - Laying out different ways to structure plots in fiction.
A reprint of The Elements of Good StoryTelling #4 by Kimberly Appelcline.

#7. Imagining Backstory (4/9/01) - Setting up backstory in your fiction.
A reprint of The Elements of Good StoryTelling #5 by Kimberly Appelcline.

#8. StoryTelling in RPGs, Part One (4/16/01) - Applying the rules of setting and characters to roleplaying games.

#9. StoryTelling in RPGs, Part Two (4/23/01) - Applying the rules of plot and backstory to roleplaying games.

Part Three: Introducing the Column (Redux)

This last column lays out the three focuses of the column: design, development, and engineering.

#10. DEaD Again: A Statement of Purpose (4/30/01) - An overview of the column to come.

Season Two: The Elements of Good Design

The second ten-part series in Thinking Virtually expands upon the design concepts of the first season, rounding out all the most important considerations in designing a game.

Part One: Laying the Virtual Groundwork

An expansion of some of the ideas presented in "The Elements of Good StoryTelling", describing the design process, from the basic ideas onward.

#11. Ideas (5/7/01) - Discussing where ideas come from.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #1 by Travis Casey.

#12. Development (5/14/01) - Tracking an idea, through design, into development.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #2 by Travis Casey.

#13. Cliche Patterns (5/21/01) - Describing cliches, and how you should avoid them in design.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #5 by Travis Casey.

Part Two: Defining MCRPGs

Discussions of what MCRPGs are, how they've been built to date, and how they differ from other mediums. Expanding on some of the ideas in "Introducing the Column".

#14. Thirty-one Flavors? (5/28/01) - Models for roleplaying via computer in the past and future.

#15. The State of the Art (6/4/01) - Realities for roleplaying via computer in the present.

#16. The Thing in Itself, Part One (6/11/01) - Comparing MCRPGs and tabletop RPGs.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #3 by Travis Casey.

#17. The Thing in Itself, Part Two (6/18/01) - Comparing MCRPGs and single-person text adventures.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #4 by Travis Casey.

Part Three: Final Elements of Design

Conclusive thoughts on design, discussing a number of important topics to think about when you're putting together a game.

#18. The Game Is what the Game Is (7/23/01) - Designing game systems to encourage game play.
A parallel article to Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #38 by Shannon Appelcline.

#19. Mass Hysteria (7/3-/01) - Choosing your market carefully.
A reprint of Biting the Hand v11n1 by Jessica Mulligan.

#20. From Design to Development: An Epilogue (8/6/01) - A hyperlinked summary of discussions of design, from #1 to #19.

Season Three: The Elements of Good Plot

The third ten-part Thinking Virtually series moves on to the question of developing plot, vastly expanding the initial discussion of #6, "Plot Strategies".

Part One: Movies--A Structure for Plot

Initial thoughts about how plots should be structured, using movies as an example.

#21. Movies: A Structure for Plot, Part One (8/13/01) - A description of the movie plot structure.
An expansion of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #22 by Shannon Appelcline.

#22. Movies: A Structure for Plot, Part Two (8/20/01) - Using a movie plot structure for an online game.
An expansion of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #23 by Shannon Appelcline.

#23. Movies: A Structure for Plot, Part Three (8/27/01) - How movie plot structure should be adapted for online games.
A rewrite of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #24 by Shannon Appelcline.

Part Two: Episodic Plots

Expanging ideas about plot into episodic mediums, building toward an understanding of plot in MCRPGs.

#24. Episodic Plots, Part One: Television (9/10/01) - Looking at how television shows use character and plot arcs.

#25. Episodic Plots, Part Two: Comic Books (9/17/01) - Expanding on character and plots arcs in the comic book medium.

#26. Episodic Plots, Part Three: RPGs (9/24/01) - Campaign settings and evolving worlds.

#27. Episodic Plots, Part Four: MCRPGs (10/1/01) - Missing mediums and a summary of lessons learned.

Part Three: Multiplayer Interactive Plots

The MCRPG medium has some unique issues because it is multiplayer and interactive. These articles discuss some of them.

#28. Many Users, Many Plots (10/15/01) - How do you support multiple users with multiple gamemasters?

#29. Changing Stories, Changing Plots (10/22/01) - How do you support an episodic medium? You change things.
A rewrite of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #21 by Shannon Appelcline.

#30. Revising Stories, Deriding Plots (10/29/01) - How do you revise and why are plots bad?

Season Four: The Top Five Engineering Problems

This fourth Thinking Virtually series provides a broad overview of five of the biggest problems that impact MCRPG engineers, offering plenty of alternative views on the subjects.

Part One: An Introduction to Engineering

Overviewing both engineering and the top five problems.

#31. Engineering MCRPGs: An Introduction (11/12/01) - What does engineering mean, anyway?

#32. Five Things I Hate About You: Engineering Problems (11/19/01) - Outlining the five biggest issues in engineering MCRPGs.

Part Two: The Fun Factor

The first engineering problem: How do you create a game people will enjoy?

#33. The Fun Factor (11/26/01) - Why are some games fun and others boring?

#34. The Psychology of Rewards (12/3/01) - What rewards can you offer players and how should you do so?

#35. Just Give me a Game, Please (12/10/01) - How ideas about art may overshadow the fun of a game.
A reprint of Biting the Hand v11n7 by Jessica Mulligan.

#36. What's Entertainment? (12/17/01) - Defining art and entertainment.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #15 by Travis S. Casey.

#37. The Case for Art (12/24/01) - Another rebuttal for art, by Raph Koster.
A reprint of Biting the Hand v11n9 by Jessica Mulligan.

Part Three: The Realism Rathole

The second engineering problem: how do you balance a game that's realistic with one that's enjoyable?

#38. The Realism Rathole (1/7/02) - How realistic should a game be?

#39. Dirty Words: Keepin' It Real (1/14/02) - Definitions of realism and when to use them.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #18 by Travis S. Casey.

#40. Consistent Lines (1/21/02) - The power of consistency and different realities.
A reprint of MetaStatic #18 and MetaStatic #15 by Sam Witt.

Part Four: The Competition Conundrum

The third engineering problem: how do you support competition without angering players?

#41. The Competition Conundrum (1/28/02) - An overview of competition, from PKing to leveling.

#42. Measuring Hate (2/4/02) - The questions of competition and player villainry.
A reprint of MetaStatic #24 and MetaStatic #4 by Sam Witt.

#43. Dirty Words: PK, Part One (2/11/02) - Defining PK, and looking at solutions to date.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #19 by Travis S. Casey.

#44. That Darned PvP Stuaff Again (2/18/02) - Discussing the myths of PVP.
A reprint of Biting the Hand v11n12 by Jessica Mulligan.

#45. Dirty Words: PK, Part Two (2/25/02) - Grief players and PKing.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #20 by Travis S. Casey.

Part Five: The Balance Bother

The fourth engineering problem: how do you balance different players in a fair way?

#46. The Balance Bother (3/4/02) - An overview of balance, nerfing, and the different needs of different games.

#47. The Digital Ceiling (3/11/02) - How to do away with the experience treadmill.
A reprint of MetaStatic #9 by Sam Witt.

#48. The The Myth of Balance (3/18/02) - Why characters don't need to be balanced in an MCRPG.
A reprint of MetaStatic #8 by Sam Witt.

#49. Dirty Words: Balance (3/25/02) - Looking at what all can be balanced.
A reprint of Building Stories, Telling Games #22 by Travis S. Casey.

Interlude: Humor in Gaming

An April 1st interlude on the topic at hand.

#50. If I Ran the Zoo: An Interlude (5/1/02) - So, how should really resolve online game problems?

Part Six: The Dynamic Dilemma

The fifth engineering problem: how do you keep a perpetual game fresh and new?

#51. The Dynamic Dilemma, Part One (5/15/02) - Outlining the problem of dynamism.
A minor rewrite of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #26 by Shannon Appelcline.

#52. The Dynamic Dilemma, Part Two (5/22/02) - Dynamism through object recreation.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #28 by Shannon Appelcline.

#53. The Dynamic Dilemma, Part Three (5/29/02) - Dynamism through new object creation.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #29 by Shannon Appelcline.

#54. Finite Games, Finite Characters (5/6/02) - Creating dynamism by making things finite.
A reprint of MetaStatic #20 and MetaStatic #21 by Sam Witt.

Part Seven: A Conclusion to Engineering

A summing up of what has come before

#55. Five Things I Love About You: Solving Engineering Problems (5/13/02) - Summarizing solutions from the previous 25 articles.

Season Five: Designing Strategy

This fifth Thinking Virtually leaves behind roleplaying discussions and instead turns to strategy games. It was entirely a reprint of relevant topics from TT&T.

Part One: Strategic Introductions

Providing an overview of the toic, including both tabletop and web games.

#56. Strategic Introductions: Tabletop Games (1/10/03) - An overview of tabletop games.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #101 by Shannon Appelcline.

#57. Designing Strategy: The Components (1/17/03) - Environments, tokens, and markers.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #102 by Shannon Appelcline.

#58. Designing Strategy: The Gameplay (1/24/03) - How component interaction ultimately creates gameplay.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #103 by Shannon Appelcline.

#59. Strategic Introductions: Web Games (1/31/03) - Comparing web games to their tabletop brethren.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #104 by Shannon Appelcline.

Part Two: Designing Strategy

The core articles of this series step through the elements that make up a strategy game.

#60. Designing Strategy: Decision Sets (2/7/03) - How options forming decisions sets can make or break games.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #105 by Shannon Appelcline.

#61. Designing Strategy: The Random Factor (2/14/03) - Types of randomness in games, and why to use them.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #106 by Shannon Appelcline.

#62. Anatomy of a Game: The Settlers of Catan (2/21/03) - Components, gameplay, decisions, and randomness in Catan.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #107 by Shannon Appelcline.

#63. Designing Strategy: Activity & Timing (2/28/03) - Gameplay activities & evolutionary design.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #108 by Shannon Appelcline.

#64. Designing Strategy: Victory & Balance (3/7/03) - Balancing games & winning them.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #109 by Shannon Appelcline.

#65. Designing Strategy: Hidden Information (3/21/03) - Why and how to hide information in tradtional strategy games.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #112 by Shannon Appelcline.

#66. Designing Strategy: A Conclusion (4/11/03) - Summarizing everything to date.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #113 by Shannon Appelcline.

Part Three: Strategic Codas

Some final thoughts about strategy & some more specific insights into categories of gameplay.

#67. Strategic Insights: Trading Games (4/25/03) - Trades and auctions in strategy games.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #116 by Shannon Appelcline.

#68. Strategic Insights: Card Games (5/09/03) - Different types of card games.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #117 by Shannon Appelcline.

#69. Strategic Coda: The RPG Connection (5/23/03) - How strategy design can help RPGs.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #119 by Shannon Appelcline.

#70. Strategic Coda: The Web Connection (6/06/03) - Unique problems in web-based strategy games.
A reprint of Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #121 by Shannon Appelcline.

Part Four: Uncollected Articles

The following TT&T articles cover the same topics as season five of Thinking Virtually but were never republished there because the RPGnet column was put on hiatus.

Designing Strategy: Expansions & Variations - How to produce a variation of a strategy game.
Printed in Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #127 by Shannon Appelcline.

Strategic Insights: Auction Games - A look at auctions separate from trade games.
Printed in Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #144 by Shannon Appelcline.

Strategy & Tactics - Defining different types of decisions.
Printed in Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #150 by Shannon Appelcline.

Strategic Insights: Connection Games - Categorizing trains & other connections.
Printed in Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #154 by Shannon Appelcline.

Strategic Insights: Bluffing Games - Bluffing about victory & actions.
Printed in Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #155 by Shannon Appelcline.

Designing Strategy: The Auction Grand Unification Theory - All your games belong to auction.
Printed in Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #161 by Shannon Appelcline.

Strategic Insights: Majority Control Games - A different type of area control.
Printed in Trials, Triumphs & Trivialities #162 by Shannon Appelcline.

It's likely that these articles will at some point be revised and reprinted in Shannon's other other series, Gone Gaming or in a published book.

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