Following @Pandatheist's thoughtful thread on #APOF, I want to talk about another book that deals with the City and how it deals with some of the problems that we tried to tackle. Let's dig into Electric Bastionland by one of my favorite people, @bastionland (nice handle doofus).

The very first thing you need to know about this game is that there are muppets. My own take on cities tends to be about the crushing weight of them. I would've never taken this turn but it absolutely works.

The City is full of contradictions. It's crowded and lonely, a place of great opportunity but overwhelmingly filled with loss. "There are muppets" seems to sum this up for me in the quickest punchiest way. Chris chooses to be a Game Distiller rather than Game Designer. Huge plus.

The Designer holds back here, which doesn't get enough credit. Most of the book is the amazing art by @Oddsbod. Bastionland isn't described, it is shown. Textured and blank. Empty and full. You can't talk about Bastionland without talking about Alec's incredible visions.

Bastionland is like the memory of a city once you've left. Scattershot images. Half remembered details. Sketches on napkins. Receipts from restaurants where you had "the best meal of your life" whose name you can't recall.

Bastionland is one of the few games where the Designer is On Your Side. It's approachable and encouraging. Not in a faux-corporate way, but more like a letter from a friend. "Dear Sean, I went to Bastionland and thought of you. Here's how you get there should you want to visit."

More designers should do this. The game isn't about you. You're the last person that matters. Approach your players with some humility that what they're going to do is much harder than what you had to do. Bastionland knows this and accommodates. Go and do likewise.

If you listened to me whip Chris's ass at Chess yesterday on twitch, you'll hear me talk about how I'd like to see more of Bastionland. I don't want the gaps filled in exactly, but I'd like more lamps in the fog.

Bastionland is ripe for third party creators. Give us a neighborhood, a landmark, a statue, a shop, a sight or a sound. The game invites you, it practically begs you. If you're just starting out in design, this is a great starting place. Help build Bastionland. Add to the noise.

Come to Bastion and tell us what you saw.