Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 9 minutes ago
Dr. Ben discusses Dieter Rams' industrial design and applies it to TTRPGs, Full lecture. (Episode #159). #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #wfrp
Website rpgphd.com
Discord discord.gg/STFdne3PbU
RPG PHD swag!!! rpg-phd.myspreadshop.com
Facebook facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089593636905
Instagram instagram.com/rpg_phd
Bluesky @rpg-phd.bsky.social
Patreon patreon.com/user?u=87730462&view_as=patron
Special thanks to Evelina for the thumbnail template, much appreciated!! 😊
What can Dieter Rams teach us about tabletop RPG design? In this video, I explore how Rams’ Ten Principles of Good Design apply to RPG mechanics, usability, clarity, pacing, and long-term system design. If you want better tabletop RPG design, smoother mechanics, and practical tools for building cleaner, more effective game systems, this video will give you ideas you can use right away.
dieter rams, tabletop rpg, ttrpg, rpg design, game design, tabletop game design, gm advice, rpg advice, ttrpg design, rpg mechanics, good design, ten principles of good design, rpg system design, mechanic design, rules design, game mechanics, elegant game design, usable rpg design, rpg usability, design philosophy, rpg design theory, tabletop game theory, donald norman rpg, design of everyday things rpg, mechanics and usability, clean game design, minimalist design rpg, pacing in rpgs, cognitive load in rpgs, better rpg mechanics, rpg phd, dr ben, tabletop storytelling, ttrpg analysis, how to design an rpg, better rpg design, indie rpg design, roleplaying game design, tabletop roleplaying games, rpg homebrew design
---------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
01:14 Core Philosophy
03:16 Good Design is Innovative
05:49 Good Design is Useful
08:38 Good Design is Aesthetic
11:08 Good Design is Understandable
13:36 Good Design is Unobtrusive
15:05 Good Design is Honest
18:13 Good Design is Long Lasting
20:35 Good Design is Thorough
22:19 Good Design is Environmentally Friendly
24:17 As Little Design as Possible
26:36 Step by Step Guide
31:50 A Quick Workflow
32:25 Design Walkthrough
40:08 Final Thoughts
40:40 Thoughts?
--------------------------------------------
Bogost, Ian. Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. MIT Press, 2007.
Hunicke, Robin, Marc LeBlanc, and Robert Zubek. “MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research.” Proceedings of the AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI, 2004.
Lovell, Sophie. Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible. Phaidon Press, 2011.
Norman, Donald A. The Design of Everyday Things. Revised and Expanded Edition, Basic Books, 2013.
Rams, Dieter. “Ten Principles for Good Design.” Vitsœ, vitsoe.com/us/about/good-design
Tufte, Edward R. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. 2nd ed., Graphics Press, 2001.
Music and Sounds:
epidemicsound.com/track/Erdns8jA3D
epidemicsound.com/track/MRyCi54t7M
epidemicsound.com/track/AQBpWzOsID
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/bWHPOsoaql
epidemicsound.com/track/uDAHxg3lIS
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/2dLRmfzdA5
epidemicsound.com/track/jrNZjxJQqZ
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/tracks/8c51eca6-dbb5-4925-b4ec-7ee51630322e
Dr. Ben discusses Dieter Rams' industrial design and applies it to TTRPGs, Full lecture. (Episode #159). #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #wfrp
Website rpgphd.com
Discord discord.gg/STFdne3PbU
RPG PHD swag!!! rpg-phd.myspreadshop.com
Facebook facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089593636905
Instagram instagram.com/rpg_phd
Bluesky @rpg-phd.bsky.social
Patreon patreon.com/user?u=87730462&view_as=patron
Special thanks to Evelina for the thumbnail template, much appreciated!! 😊
What can Dieter Rams teach us about tabletop RPG design? In this video, I explore how Rams’ Ten Principles of Good Design apply to RPG mechanics, usability, clarity, pacing, and long-term system design. If you want better tabletop RPG design, smoother mechanics, and practical tools for building cleaner, more effective game systems, this video will give you ideas you can use right away.
dieter rams, tabletop rpg, ttrpg, rpg design, game design, tabletop game design, gm advice, rpg advice, ttrpg design, rpg mechanics, good design, ten principles of good design, rpg system design, mechanic design, rules design, game mechanics, elegant game design, usable rpg design, rpg usability, design philosophy, rpg design theory, tabletop game theory, donald norman rpg, design of everyday things rpg, mechanics and usability, clean game design, minimalist design rpg, pacing in rpgs, cognitive load in rpgs, better rpg mechanics, rpg phd, dr ben, tabletop storytelling, ttrpg analysis, how to design an rpg, better rpg design, indie rpg design, roleplaying game design, tabletop roleplaying games, rpg homebrew design
---------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
01:14 Core Philosophy
03:16 Good Design is Innovative
05:49 Good Design is Useful
08:38 Good Design is Aesthetic
11:08 Good Design is Understandable
13:36 Good Design is Unobtrusive
15:05 Good Design is Honest
18:13 Good Design is Long Lasting
20:35 Good Design is Thorough
22:19 Good Design is Environmentally Friendly
24:17 As Little Design as Possible
26:36 Step by Step Guide
31:50 A Quick Workflow
32:25 Design Walkthrough
40:08 Final Thoughts
40:40 Thoughts?
--------------------------------------------
Bogost, Ian. Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. MIT Press, 2007.
Hunicke, Robin, Marc LeBlanc, and Robert Zubek. “MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research.” Proceedings of the AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI, 2004.
Lovell, Sophie. Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible. Phaidon Press, 2011.
Norman, Donald A. The Design of Everyday Things. Revised and Expanded Edition, Basic Books, 2013.
Rams, Dieter. “Ten Principles for Good Design.” Vitsœ, vitsoe.com/us/about/good-design
Tufte, Edward R. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. 2nd ed., Graphics Press, 2001.
Music and Sounds:
epidemicsound.com/track/Erdns8jA3D
epidemicsound.com/track/MRyCi54t7M
epidemicsound.com/track/AQBpWzOsID
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/bWHPOsoaql
epidemicsound.com/track/uDAHxg3lIS
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/2dLRmfzdA5
epidemicsound.com/track/jrNZjxJQqZ
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/tracks/8c51eca6-dbb5-4925-b4ec-7ee51630322e
