Happy New Years to Everyone. In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss, well mainly Saul does, the most anticipated games for Gaming Perspectives. Not even covering all the RPGs that are slated to be published in 2021, Saul and Jolene discuss over two podcasts the RPGs they are most interested in playing or running. Discussed in this episode are Flames of Freedom Kickstarted in the 2nd half of 2020 will be published in 2021. More info at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/grimandperilous/flames...
Jan 03, 2021•31 min•Ep. 171
In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about the evolution of Experience in RPGs. Saul starts the conversation talking about how Original D&D dolled out the experience. Using D&D as one example of how experience has changed and how it is earned in D&D. Saul and Jolene discuss other games and how they dealt with experience. From old games like Space Opera and Traveller to Shadowrun. Also discussed is newer games and how GMs are almost left out of the equation of giving out or determinin...
Dec 28, 2020•37 min•Ep. 170
In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss roleplaying a character using their stats or attributes as a framework for their RP. Saul and Jolene also discuss how it can be difficult to roleplay a character that is for example, smarter or more charming than the player and what they can do to overcome this obstacle. As always, we would like to thank you for listening and all we ask is that you share our podcast. Music by Franco Pellegrini, Song Historia. Available from Tribeofnoise.com...
Dec 20, 2020•31 min•Ep. 169
With the current pandemic situation the only type of gaming many are facing in online gaming. So Saul and Jolene decided to talk about what they have tried and what else is out there for gamers to get their RPG fix and stay safe. As always thanks for listening and all we ask is that you share our podcast.
Dec 15, 2020•39 min•Ep. 168
In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss the planning a short session adventure. They discuss a short 4 hour 3 session game and the game con favorite the four hour session/adventure. Running a complete adventure in either length game is much different than running a typical long running campaign style game. Saul and Jolene go over elements need in running a short session game to a satisfactory conclusion. If you are used to running long campaigns or most commercial modules those usually are inten...
Dec 06, 2020•36 min•Ep. 167
After playing a few session of Call of Cthulhu games run but a couple different GM's, Saul and Jolene decided to talk about their experiences with CoC. Saul goes to the way back machine to 1980's and how he felt when he first encountered a group of CoC players at the first game con, Pacificon, he and his friends attended. Flash forward to the present where Saul and Jolene played in several games and really had a good time with CoC once they realized certain aspects of roleplaying in a CoC game d...
Nov 29, 2020•31 min•Ep. 166
Sometimes when Saul and Jolene feel extra enthusiastic they record two episodes back to back. Problem, sometimes Saul loses the recorded episode in the hundreds of files he has on his computer for the podcast. So back in October they recorded this episode and Saul found it after Jolene reminded him of the episode. Picking your next RPG for your group to play? Saul and Jolene discuss that they are pretty lucky to be able to play in 4 different groups that meet on 3 different days of the week. Two...
Nov 22, 2020•32 min•Ep. 165
In this Episode Saul and Jolene discuss Dungeon Crawls. They seem to be making a resurgence? What about the Mega Dungeon? Why are they popular and do Saul and Jolene like them. Saul starts the conversation by stating that he doesn't have a lot of experience playing or running Dungeon Crawls. Though he does have recollection of this brother's Tunnels of Terror, but it wasn't the center of his brother's campaign. It was something that was always there if the characters needed something to do or a ...
Nov 15, 2020•37 min•Ep. 164
In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about game that do not try to simulate the real world but he world or the universe of the Cinema. Cinematic RPGs are a fun filled genre of games that value Action over Real World Physics like the movies they try to emulate. Discussed rather heavily is Feng Shui as Saul has run a couple of campaigns of a desperate group of good doers trying to save the world. And actually ran a Feng Shui 2nd Edtion game just a few weeks ago for their Friday Knight Nights group...
Nov 08, 2020•32 min•Ep. 163
How do you plan your adventures. Saul and Jolene discuss this important part of any RPG session and that is how you plan or organize your RPG adventures, whether you play D&D, Conan, Star Wars or CoC. Saul, of course, talks about how he used to brainstorm then then commit to paper his initial ideas about an adventure. Saul also discusses how that really didn't work for him or anybody else since he would come up with stories that he tried to forecast what the players would do. As any GM out t...
Nov 01, 2020•31 min•Ep. 162
In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of and what they liked and what they saw as problematic. For the most part both Saul and Jolene enjoyed the game. Saul Kickstarted the Core Book due to a recommendation by his older brother, who is a total Conan fan. He was also the GM for the game that Saul has played in a few times and lately it was their Friday Knights Game, a group Jolene has joined. This Conan set of rules uses Modiphius' house system called the 2...
Oct 25, 2020•35 min•Ep. 161
In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about Railroads and Player Agency. It would seem the two are diametrically opposed but Railroads don't have to be the GM's draconian story where the players are there just to enjoy the ride and roll some dice. One way for a Railroad type of game to lose sight of the tracks is to have player agency. Where players actions and ideas impact the story. It makes for a more difficult game for the GM to run but the payoff is a more fun for all players of the game. As...
Oct 18, 2020•29 min•Ep. 160
Saul and Jolene talk about PC Backstories. From the pages long ones that creative and very imaginative players make to the two sentences that other players give their poor GMs, Saul and Jolene discuss what to do with what the players give their gm. Saul and Jolene both agree that if a GM gets a good length backstory it gives great insight into what that particular player wants to see in your game. Of course as a GM, one has to be careful what they read into what player's commit to paper or elect...
Oct 11, 2020•36 min•Ep. 159
Jolene and Saul were lucky enough to have back on the microphone, Christoffer Sevaldsen author of the Black Void RPG. Christoffer has a new Kick Starter campaign to further support his "Esoteric Dark Fantasy" rpg called the Black Void. The new project is "Black Void: Under Nebulous Skies- A Voidfarer's Travelogue, Campaign and Sourcebook". Saul and Jolene really enjoyed talking to Christoffer after is first successful Kick Starter campaign to publish the Black Void, they were particularly glad t...
Oct 08, 2020•39 min•Ep. 158
In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss Houserules in rpgs. Saul uses his boyhood rules of Monopoly which were actually heavily houseruled. It wasn't until he played much later as an adult that many of the rules as he knew them were not actually official rules of Monopoly. Saul then moves the conversation to Original D&D and how immediately many people started houseruling this set of rules. Saul and Jolene discuss different types of houserules used in RPGs and if you do use alternate rules o...
Oct 04, 2020•36 min•Ep. 157
The Ideal GM, what is it and why does it exist. Saul and Jolene discuss the idea of having a player compare their GM from their past and comparing them to the current GM usually in a way that conveys that current GM does not measure up. Usually this is a player that has been playing a good amount of years. On the other hand it could be a new player that has seen popular actual plays and wants or expects their games to be just like that! As always thank you all for listening and please share our ...
Sep 27, 2020•33 min•Ep. 156
In this episode Saul and Jolene tackle the idea of playing a Dragon, God or AI. Something that can be so alien to us that it really is incomprehensible to understand, as humans, their motivations. So we humans give these beings human like traits. In roleplaying games, playing some so alien is daunting. Saul and Jolene discuss how they RP their NPC Dragons, Gods, AI and even Aliens, not Xenomorphs cause they just want to eat you. Saul discusses how he has played dragons in D&D and Shadowrun. ...
Sep 20, 2020•30 min•Ep. 155
The Wayward Player, is discussed by Saul and Jolene. The single player that takes their character on their own side quest without discussing it with the other players/characters. Should the GM be stuck with running two separate games or splitting time between one player and the rest of the group? Saul and Jolene talk about what would make a player do this and how to handle this situation. Saul digresses quite a bit on this episode, and Jolene for once, maybe she was tired lets him ramble a bit t...
Sep 13, 2020•36 min•Ep. 154
The Ideal group size is something that has come up in Saul and Jolene's rpg games. As both GM games, Saul a bit more than Jolene, they both tackle this question in their home games and their convention games. To them there are three factors that play into what is the ideal group size. At one point Saul goes into a lengthy digression about classic Traveller, but Jolene brings him back to the subject of the podcast. As Always thanks for listening and please share our podcast. Music by Tobin James ...
Sep 06, 2020•36 min•Ep. 153
Saul and Jolene talk about why groups should make the GM Dad play. GM Dads are the players that are become the leader of the RPG group you play in. Usually this person is the one that GMs, he gets the group together, reminds players of play location(pre C0vid) and time. They call, email and generally keep the group going by herding cats, the players. So why is it important for the GM Dad to play instead of just keep doing the great job of GMing all the time. Saul and Jolene discuss this topic on...
Aug 30, 2020•28 min•Ep. 152
In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about Generic RPGs. Why would one want to buy and use a Generic RPGs like GURPS, Cypher System, Hero, FATE and others. These RPGs are able to handle different genres with relative ease. What are some good selling points and how do they differ from game systems geared or made for a specific genre. As Always, we want to thank you all for listening and please share our podcast on your favorite social media. Music by Counterfeti, song Generic, off the album A Gli...
Aug 22, 2020•38 min•Ep. 151
Game stories, every RPG gamer has one, if you started playing back in the 70's with the "Three Little Books" or last month, you have a gamer story. So what makes a game memorable? Saul and Jolene discuss this topic on this week's episode. For many it is what RPGs are for, telling stories. Others its that nostalgic story of playing when you were a kid, with your friends from school, or your parents who were in the hobby themselves. Saul and Jolene talk about what makes their games memorable. And ...
Aug 16, 2020•34 min•Ep. 150
In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about Solo and One Player RPGs. Saul starts with his first sight of Tunnels and Trolls Solo adventures he saw at a Northern California game convention known as Pacificon. Also Solo adventure rpgs remind Saul of the old "Choose your Own Adventure" series of books. Jolene was asked by a friend to do a Solo adventure in preparation for a CoC game he was going to run, in order to get her into mood of the game. Her solo CoC adventure ended with her not being able ...
Aug 09, 2020•36 min•Ep. 149
In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about Hit Points. What are they, or what do they represent, where do they come from? In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss the beginnings of hit points and how games have handled what they represent in different games. As always, thank you all for listening and please share our podcast. Music by Jim Gaven, song Happy and Healthy off the album All Things Possible. Available at Tribeofnoise.com...
Aug 02, 2020•38 min•Ep. 148
What is the impact of age on a character in RPGs. Saul and Jolene tackle the concept of character age and how that impacts your character in an RPG. From D&D to Call of Cthulu rpgs deal with the concept of character age differently. Some game try to be "realistic" while others completely ignore the subject of character age. Saul and Jolene talk about players and their choices of how old their characters will be. Some games like Traveller and Dark Conspiracy players "choose" the age of the ch...
Jul 26, 2020•32 min•Ep. 147
Tension in RPGs, is it only for Horror and Mystery RPGs? Saul and Jolene talk about how to create tension and how it just not for Horror RPGs anymore. Tension can be a great way to keep players engaged in the game. Also in games where the players feel tension it usually make game memorable. But how do you make games tense? Saul discusses situations where he created tension in games as varied as Space Opera to D&D. Jolene takes to the internet to get how other GMs have used tension to make a ...
Jul 19, 2020•33 min•Ep. 146
Almost every rpg gamer knows the words, "Don't Split the Party". It is a phrase that I have heard for a very long time. An Order of the Stick graphic novel was even titled "Don't Split the Party." Saul and Jolene discuss where this phrase comes from and if it really is good advice for a group of RPG players. Saul, as he tends to do, digresses a bit on the subject but Jolene is always there to gently guide him back to the subject. As always thanks for listening and please share our podcast in you...
Jul 12, 2020•34 min•Ep. 145
In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about the killing of NPCs in your RPGs. Player Characters may at some point kill an Non Player Character in your roleplaying game. What happens when PCs either by accident or on purpose kill an NPC. For Saul, a lot depends on the genre and the circumstances of NPC death. Jolene has an example where a GM was asking about what to do with a PC who accidentally killa an innocent bystander on a train in a game of Deadlands. Saul uses an example of one of his exper...
Jul 05, 2020•35 min•Ep. 144
This week Saul and Jolene discuss ways to bring your RPG character to life. Ways and tips that you as a player can do to make your character seem more real or realistic. Mainly to help new players to the hobby but can be of use to the old grognards that might try something new or different. As always thanks for listening and all we ask is that you share on your favorite social media. Music by Ananstasia Vorotnikova, song Your Life. Available from Tribeofnoise.com...
Jun 28, 2020•34 min•Ep. 143
Saul and Jolene discuss Traps! in your RPG games. Saul discusses how he has never really used traps in his fantasy RPGs. Saul talks about his earliest recollections of playing D&D and how traps had not played a big role in his early games and how that directed him to not include them in his games when he started running games. Jolene tried to keep Saul on topic but allowed him to digress. Jolene as always did a bit of research on using traps and found "Grimtooths books of Traps". Which cause...
Jun 21, 2020•39 min•Ep. 142
