S02:E01 | Creative Chat with Andrew Gillis: Genre Clouds, Magical Girls as Queer Metaphor, and the Practice of Play

Little Oracles

We’re kicking off Season Two in an amazing Creative Chat with game designer (and old pal) Andrew Gillis, creator of Girl by Moonlight, an incredible tabletop roleplaying game all about magical girls, in crowdfund at the time of this airing!

I had an unmitigated blast talking with Andrew about their creator backstory, what magical girls mean to them, what’s inspiring their work right now … and some sneaky-peekies into projects currently bubbling away in their brain. *** SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't seen the Netflix show Russian Doll, skip ahead from ~52:30 to 54:45. ***
Andrew is a treasure, and one of the most warm and thoughtful folks I know; I'm sure you'll enjoy their insights and good humor, too. <3
As always, take care, keep creating, and stay divine!

Resources

• Andrew Gillis on Twitter
• Girl by Moonlight crowdfund on Backerkit
• Blades in the Dark (tabletop RPG)
• The Englishman's Boy (book | Guy Vanderhaege)
• Tampopo (film | Juzo Itami)
• The City and the City (book | China Mieville)
• Ambergris (book series | Jeff Vandermeer)
• The Southern Reach trilogy (book series | Jeff Vandermeer)
• The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (book | Becky Chambers)
• Monk and Robot series (book series | Becky Chambers)
• Russian Doll (TV series | Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland)

IG: @littleoracles

챕터

1. Intro: Welcome Andrew & their creator backstory (00:00:00)

2. Game design & the practice of play (00:04:06)

3. Girl by Moonlight: Why magical girls, Forged in the Dark, & the queering of genre (00:09:10)

4. “I’m a stew-pot creative”: Creative practice, double-mediated gaming, and transformative easter eggs (00:28:47)

5. Games: Invitation & implication (00:40:11)

6. Creative inspiration: What Andrew’s grooving on right now (00:42:57)

7. Hype train: BEING GAY! OR QUEER! And where to find Andrew & Girl by Moonlight (00:49:55)

8. Special sneak peek: What’s next for Andrew’s creative work (00:51:25)

9. Outro: Thank you, Andrew & where to find Little Oracles online (00:57:04)

10. Secret outtake: Gulliver the Cat, sleepy old man (00:57:59)