Brett and Sean meetup during a Saturday LIVE stream to catch up and talk about spotlight hogging, or rather chasing the spotlight. Join Sean every Saturday at 8am CT LIVE on Youtube https://youtube.com/how2rpg Stay in touch with the community, join the Discord. http://gamingandbs.com/discord Buy Brett's The Streets of Avalon rpg setting https://bit.ly/streets_avalon...
Apr 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 386
Streaming on a Saturday morning, the boys got together to talk about some stuff. === Join Sean on Saturdays at 8am CT: http://how2rpg.com Discord: http://gamingandbs.com/discord Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seanpkelley
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 45 min•Season 3Ep. 385
BSer Con 2: Electric Boogaloo is happening! Back by popular demand, we will be holding our virtual online #ttrpg convention in January 2023. Event submission and badge registration is open now. Head over to http://gamingandbs.com/bsercon for badges, dates, and more!
Nov 19, 2022•2 min
The final episode of the show, we chose to do an AMA format. Thank you for all the questions. Special thanks to John for keeping us on the mics for just a little longer. Thank you to all the BSers! This one is dedicated to you. Random Encounter Voicemail from Jason Hobbs Mirko the Digitalhobbit...
Jun 30, 2022•2 hr 32 min
We look back and reflect upon things we’ve learned over the last 7+ years. Random Encounter Chris Shorb calls in about Are They Lying? Email from my friend Chris D. Follow up email from Roger Brasslett about hanging it up Audio from Harrigan, friend and moderator of our Discord Die Roll Dwarven Fiasco Covenstead: A...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr 36 min
How the hell do you deal with lying in your rpgs? Lying NPCs that is, or lying PCs perhaps – not talking about out of game lying (e.g. “I swear it was Sean that took the last beer!”), but lying in your games. Announcements First episode of GM Mastermind dropped today. Go subscribe Random Encounter...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Gaming and BS trailer leading up to the final episode – #384. Submit your questions for the AMA: https://gamingandbs.com/ama Join us LIVE on June 27th at 8pm CT/1am GMT
May 12, 2022•1 min
Is getting a rpg starter set worth purchasing or should you go straight to the core book? Announcements Thank you carlclare for the kind review GM Mastermind! Random Encounter Matt aka mgr comments on the last episode Duet Gaming Forrest comments on Duet Gaming Die Roll Trailhead from Discord: 150 Toothless Skulls in Mexico, Ancient...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Duet gaming, or one game master and one player. Announcements End is near. After 7+ years and what will be 384+ episodes of the show, B and I have decided to retire. Random Encounter DM Cojo voicemail on save or die Die Roll Caught in the Backrooms – a little something by our friend Chad...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Brett assumes the role as game master as Sean plays two characters in this short adventure. Only this time Brett talks about the decisions he makes and why, and he does it in real-time. Subscribe on iOS or Android so you don’t miss our next episode where we have a big news to share....
Apr 24, 2022•2 hr 32 min
Vaesen, a nordic horror rpg by Free League Publishing. You will find out why we like this rendition of a curated role-playing game. Fancy talk for what we’re about to divulge. Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb Voicemail from Todd Crapper of Broken Ruler Games Jim F. emails about ep 377 using lore and setting...
Apr 02, 2022•1 hr 45 min
If you want the Players to engage with your lore/setting/cool stuff – you need to make that stuff part of the solution to their problems. The lore must be relevant to the adventure. If they can solve everything with their character sheet, they don’t need your setting. Unless the player(s) really like learning your lore,...
Mar 19, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Of all of the things that we steal from other art forms (e.g. movies, novels, TV, etc.) for our games, one of the things that would be most helpful would be to understand story structure, drama, and pacing. Developing and tuning our senses for these things will help us not only as GMs, but also...
Mar 04, 2022•1 hr 10 min
We talk about making a setting/world believable for us/our players – helping to keep the verisimilitude working. But do we know what we need/want? I mean, what does it take for us to believe? What about the other players in the game? Perhaps we need to provide different things to different players to help them?...
Feb 20, 2022•1 hr 26 min
One of the things we like to compare RPGs to is to novels, screenplays, etc. One of the things that we need to really understand and appreciate about this is that those products are HEAVILY edited, managed, and modified before they come to us. When we create an rpg adventure, campaign, or even a simple...
Jan 28, 2022•1 hr 22 min
A special crossover episode. This week we feature an episode from Craig Shipman’s podcast Third Floor Wars. In this episode Craig interviews Sage LaTorra, co-creator of Dungeon World. Enjoy. Find more Third Floor Wars: Website: https://thirdfloorwars.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThirdFloorWars Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thirdfloorwars Subscribe on iOS or Android so you don’t miss our next episode. GamingandBS.com/Discord GamingandBS.com/Forums GamingandBS.com/Games...
Jan 14, 2022•2 hr 27 min
Rival adventuring party in your role-playing game, do you use them? How do you use them? It is obvious to the players they are a rival group? Announcements BSer Con event registration opens Jan 10 at noon CT Random Encounter Voicemail from Old School DM Warden sounds off on last episode DnD Success with a...
Jan 08, 2022•1 hr 13 min
An extended Random Encounter segment as we talk more about 5e success and failure. Announcements Change in release schedule Intro the show – sign up BSer Con Evercon – website Arcadia – website Random Encounter Stephen Dragonspawn phones in a couple – bad dice Edwin emails us about Bad Dice Old School DM comments on...
Dec 30, 2021•1 hr 40 min
Multiple NPC’s in the same scene can cause the game master to have a conversation with themselves. The players will want to know who is who. Thanks Edwin Nagy for inspiration on this one. Announcements BSer Con – submit your events. Event submission closes Jan 3rd. https://gamingandbs.com/bsercon Random Encounter Eric J comments on Good Dice...
Dec 23, 2021•1 hr 13 min
What do we do when the dice turn on us? How to have fun even if the randomizer of choice fails us. Announcements BSer Con – event submission closes Jan 3, 2022 Introsignup Die Roll The Wachterhaus Crypt, dnd5e adventure. Expands on events from St. Andral’s Feast in Curse of Strahd on DMs Guild ...
Dec 16, 2021•54 min
One of the things that can be very frustrating for our players is when they feel confused or ignorant. Sometimes though, being ignorant and working towards clarity is pretty necessary for the game to work. Announcements BSer Con – submit your events. Random Encounter Rory comments on episode 368 Hack Job or No Voicemail from...
Dec 11, 2021•1 hr 28 min
Do we only want a solid core mechanic and then we lean on outside skills or ideas? In short, how much do we like to tinker/develop mechanics ourselves? We talk about the RPG hack job. Announcements BSer Con – Submit your events! Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb Voicemail from DM Cojo Edwin Nagy writes...
Dec 03, 2021•1 hr 16 min
What makes us interested in a tabletop rpg? Is it the role-playing game setting(s), or is it the rpg system? Announcements BSer Con Random Encounter Gabe comments on ep 366 handling multiple expectations at the table Davy W writes in Laramie comments on Limiting PC Creation Options for Sake of Tone LordBob comments on Limiting...
Nov 24, 2021•1 hr 21 min
What happens when you have more than one set of expectations/desires at the table? Have one person who doesn’t care if their PC dies early or often, another never wants to die, another wants to just have combat encounters, someone else only wants to role-play…. Announcements BSer Con badge registration and event submission open now...
Nov 12, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Maintaining tone in a #ttrpg is one of the hardest things to maintain – Sometimes creating limits to player character generation options can help enforce and maintain this through the campaign. Announcements BSer Con – submit your events. Random Encounter Matt Bohnhoff emails us on The End is Near Voice mail from Chris Shorb Die...
Nov 05, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Brett is running some AD&D and one of the features (bugs?) in this game is the Save or Die situation. Some folks hate this and others enjoy it. Where are we? Announcements BSer Con is underway with registration and event submission!! Head to gamingandbs.com/bsercon . It’s virtual/online Jan 28-30, 2022. Random Encounter Jim, inspiration for...
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 20 min
How are Sean and Brett organizing their GM stuff? campaigns, sessions, etc. Anything not working? How much is a matter of having to use the tools and use the tools (practice)? Thanks to patron Jim I. for the inspiration! Announcements IntroSignUp – Thank you Angus, check out Kirby’s Kids Podcast: https://bit.ly/3Gjv6My Project BS: Delta Green...
Oct 21, 2021•1 hr 23 min
What are the Up and Down sides to knowing when a campaign is going to end? “Well… this is the last session so…” “We only have X more sessions” Does any of this impact how we plan, play, run? Announcements Project BS Random Encounter Bob L. writes in on episode 361 and Brett’s Dungeon E...
Oct 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Location Encounters are sometimes a bit of a special beast. How in-depth do we make them? How big? How much time does that party want to spend here? How many game sessions are we ready have in this location? Sean and I got to talking about building and using dungeons and other such locations where...
Sep 30, 2021•1 hr 41 min
One of the key things that make a TTRPG a TTRPG is that there is no “Right Answer” for nearly everything. By that I mean – when you have any encounter, there are quite nearly unlimited options for how you will solve it. No two groups will play through the same adventure the same way....
Sep 23, 2021•1 hr 16 min