I get a lot of messages asking me for advice how to learn/get into narrative design, and I'm not able to respond to all of them individually, but I do want to speak about specific advice when I'm able. Today's topic: how to scope down while staying true to your game's vision.

Unless you have unlimited money and time (and even then!), at some point you're going to have to decide which features of your game are "musts", "really shoulds", and "nice to haves". Being honest about a feature's category can be difficult if you're attached to it!

If you consider a feature, you'll immediately see why it's there & what it's doing for your game. Every feature included in your prototype/design doc/etc. is ostensibly because you (or someone) cares about it & thinks it's necessary. (If that's not the case, cut it yesterday.)

Instead, consider what happens if you *removed* that feature. What other systems would take over what it's communicating to your players? Could those be expanded to include what said feature is doing now? Is there another way to get its effects with what you already have?

Also: what other systems are relying on that feature to work well? If you remove it, what falls apart? Do those systems need to be shored up in another way? Even if that feature proves to be essential and you keep it--do you still need to shore up those systems?

It's easy to think about what a feature will add to your game: ostensibly that's why you designed it! But considering what fills the gap in its absence, or what relies on it, will help a lot in considering how essential that feature actually is vs. how cool it seems.

And don't get me wrong: cool is great. But cool on its own, if it's not doing something else important in addition, is not a must. And that's good to know if you're balancing what's possible with your material resources. /fin