Sarah Shipp is a freelance theatre technician, board game designer, and blogger. She designed Deadly Dowagers and (upcoming) Monsters Love Vegas!. Her blog, ShippBoard Games, has received recognition as the best board game design blog of 2022 by Cardboard Edison. In 2021, she presented a talk at the virtual Game Developers Conference on Thematic Resonance. She has also presented at Metatopia Online and Nonepub. In 2023, she became a regular segment contributor to the podcast Ludology. Sarah has an MFA in design and technical production for theatre. She lives in North Texas with her husband, dog, and several dozen mason bees.

Section One Principles of Theme, 1. What is Theme?, 2. Modes of Thematic Expression, 3. Thematically Structuring Games, Section Two Theme-Building, 4. Connecting Story to Gameplay, 5. Narrative Structure, 6. Building Characters, 7. Fleshing Out Characters, 8. Setting, 9. Putting It All Together, Section Three Thematic Design Process, 10. Ideas and Research, 11. Editing for Resonance, 12. Design Reference Guides, 13. Conclusion