I’m Leon Barillaro (they/them)
I’m a storyteller for playful mediums. I’ve done narrative and game design for video games, tabletop role-playing games, and immersive theater. Let’s find the fun together!
About Me
Adventure / Quest Design
I love building experiences that delight players and challenge them to make meaningful choices. My work was featured in Forbes and played at BroadwayCon.
7+ Years of Game Design Experience
I’ve shipped 3 video games, designed 4 immersive shows, worked for over 15 clients and companies, and written on over 50 tabletop RPG products.
Production & Project Management
I’ve led creative team brainstorms, directed immersive theatrical productions, and produced everything from crowdfunding spotlight events to video games.
Prototyping & Iteration
My technical background helps me pick up new tools and start making something playable. Narrative tools like Ren’Py, Twine, and ArcWeave are my specialty.
Blog
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This is a blog post about player motivation. But first, I want to talk about project management. When I was in college for computer science, I had to take a project management course. I don’t know why. I don’t remember much of it, but I do remember the unit on motivation. We talked about a…
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I’ve been thinking a lot about the shapes of stories, especially as IF and video game narrative designers have been mapping them for years. What does good narrative design look like in a tabletop adventure? Here are some qualities I look for: Unlike a video game, a TTRPG is an open system, not a closed…
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Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest video game stories ever told. This is why every few years, I try to play its sequel, Chrono Cross. I never get very far. Maybe it’s unfair to try and compare the two. They’re very different games that try to accomplish very different things. Chrono Trigger is a…