Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 17 hours ago

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Dr. Ben discusses Schell's book The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses for Design and Gamemastering. (Episode #154). #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #wfrp

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Learn how to diagnose what is actually going wrong at your tabletop RPG table before you try to fix it. In this RPG PHD video, Dr. Ben explores Jesse Schell’s Lens Toolkit as a practical framework for game masters and RPG designers, covering pacing, player choice, complexity, emotion, challenge, feedback, and more. Expect clear diagnostic tools, examples for use at the table, and design insights that can help you build better encounters, better systems, and better play experiences.

rpg phd, dr ben, jesse schell, lens toolkit, art of game design, tabletop rpg, ttrpg, game master advice, gamemaster advice, rpg design, tabletop game design, diagnose rpg problems, rpg pacing, player agency, player choice, cognitive load, game design theory, gm tools, dungeon master tips, running better rpgs, encounter design, rpg analysis, tabletop storytelling, rpg systems, design lenses, feedback in games, challenge in games, player experience, rpg theory, tabletop design

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00:00 Intro
01:32 Diagnosing the Real Problem
07:26 Lens of Experience
10:12 Lens of Choice
12:46 Lens of Time
15:42 Lens of Complexity
18:31 Lens of Goals
20:52 Lens of Rules
23:22 Lens of Feedback
25:57 Lens of Surprise
28:54 Lens of Challenge
31:43 Lens of Skill
34:10 Diagnostic Guide for GMs
38:46 Diagnostic Guide for Designers
43:41 Final Thoughts
47:25 Thoughts?
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Schell, Jesse. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses. CRC Press, multiple editions.
Meadows, Donella H. Thinking in Systems: A Primer. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008.
Sweller, John. “Cognitive Load Theory.” Psychology of Learning and Motivation, vol. 55, Academic Press, 2011.
Norman, Don.The Design of Everyday Things. Revised and Expanded Edition, Basic Books, 2013.
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
Goffman, Erving. Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience. Harvard University Press, 1974.
Turner, Victor. The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Aldine Publishing, 1969.


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