CW: 36:40-37:10 Single reference to rape and sexual coercion in the context of the Vampire trope. Philippa Mort joins me to talk about the varied and wonderful topic of aesthetic. The discussion starts around the different approaches to TTRPG and campaign design; a different perspective to the typical top down/bottom up paradigm. How does one approach "visual design", and how does it differ from "mechanical design"? Philippa shares her experience in designing from visual prompts, and we talk through the various pros and cons when compared to my own meticulous, detail-centric process. A solid campaign aesthetic not only aids world building and provides a strong identify, but it can also help guide players through character creation. 01:10 - Aesthetic Design Process 08:16 - Mechanical Design Process 13:15 - How to Design for a Specific Aesthetic 21:13 - How Clear Theming Supports Character Creation 25:36 - Two Sessions Zeroes 33:12 - Safely Leveraging Tropes 40:16 - Catharsis, not Therapy 49:19 - Flavouring your Table Find Philippa (@MortPhilippa) on: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/PhilippaMort Twitter: https://twitter.com/MortPhilippa DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Philippa%20Mort&page=1&sort=4a?affiliate_id=2197041 DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/18041/Philippa-Mort?affiliate_id=2197041 itch.io: https://philippa-mort.itch.io Find me on: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkCritDnD Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD References: 'Romance' episode of Thinking Critically The Crystal Maze Uncaged Anthology Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod