In the Gaming Hut we consider the genre all tabletop roleplaying games bend toward. Spoiler: it has to do with the players. Our ongoing Mythos Hut process of creating a new Lovecraftian god reaches the stage where we outline a story to introduce her. What will Qotha-Nhur’rin, the Destruction at the Heart of Creation, get herself up to? The Narrative Hut attempts to sort out the various sub-genres of fantasy. Finally, the Conspiracy Corner takes a break from Eurocentric crackpot historical revisi...
Jan 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 481
The Gaming Hut attempts to pin down a much-used bit of tabletop terminology as beloved Patreon backer Ludovic Chabant asks what we mean when we say that a game breaks. Esteemed Patreon backers Jeromy French and Bryce Perry weave into the Food Hut , hungry and wanting to know more about archetypal drunk food, and why Canada doesn’t seem to have one. Our Mythos Hut series on creating a new Lovecraftian deity reaches the stage where we have identified our concept, the forbidden or forgotten thought...
Jan 21, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 480
Get ready for twists and Gaming Hut turns as beloved Patreon backer Terry Robinson asks for advice on genre shifts on the tabletop. The Tradecraft Hut finds intrigue behind an old-timey Canadian historical footnote with a profile on Thomas Miller Beach, infiltrator of the Fenians. In part two of our Mythos Hut series on creating a new Lovecraftian deity, we survey the canonical gods of cosmic indifference to see what unoccupied slot we might profitably fill. Finally Ken’s Time Machine goes to th...
Jan 14, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 479
We open up the Gaming Hut for another year and find a strangely folded missive from beloved Patreon backer Stephen Dosman, who wants us to incorporate the practice of letter-locking into historical games. A new series begins in the Mythos Hut , as we construct a Lovecraftian deity, starting with a look at the common qualities of the existing ones. In How to Write Good we look at the process of deciding how smart your various fictional antagonists are. Finally estimable backer Michael David Jr. e...
Jan 07, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 478
Nestle your rattling dice and thumping miniatures with care for our final episode of 2021. In the Gaming Hut beloved Patreon backer Bob Grider seeks the connection between the King in Yellow and locally celebrated fast food chain White Castle. The History Hut goes nautical once more as formidable backer Dave Munro requests the rundown on the Metallic Lord himself, Sir Thomas Cochrane. A cozy shiver pervades the Horror Hut as we answer estimable backer Matthew Preston’s real question about the di...
Dec 24, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 477
In the Gaming Hut we find ways to design scenarios that highlight the cool and unique features of a location. It’s that most wonderful time of the year as the Horror Hut contemplates Christmas ghost stories. The Mythology Hut takes a look, get it, look, at the oddball Greek mythological figure Argus Panoptes. Due to Omicron travel restrictions, Ken unfortunately had to cancel his Dragonmeet trip along with the rest of the inbound Pelgranes. Fortunately he did use the time machine’s bookstore-fin...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 476
Hey look it’s another all-request episode! Beloved Patreon backer Kieron Gillen opens the Gaming Hut , which we hope isn’t a portal into a hellish otherrealm, to ask how designers screen out their skill as GMs during in-house playtests. Erudite backer Bruce Miller infiltrates the Book Hut to ask about Richard Marsh’s The Beetle , a horror novel that for twenty years out-sold Dracula. In Ask Ken and Robin , estimable backer Martin Rundkvist asks how Robin, and by extension Ken, goes about choosin...
Dec 10, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 475
In the Gaming Hut we look for ways to design F20 encounters that players don’t want to skip. The Architecture Hut reaches unprecedented heights as beloved Patreon backer Philip Masters seeks the esoteric secrets of the London Eye. The Cinema Hut takes a bash at that laziest of storytelling devices, the dream sequence. Finally well-measured Patreon backer bt revs up Ken’s Time Machine hoping to peer into the alternate reality where America’s adoption of the metric system was not thwarted by pirat...
Dec 03, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 474
In the Gaming Hut we take on a classic horror scenario design issue. When the menace stems from ambient weirdness, how do you build fresh ways for the player characters to conclude the story? Beloved Patreon backer Joshua Hillerup wafts salt air into the Culture Hut as he requests a nerdrtoping of Stan Rogers’ classic neo-shanty Barrett’s Privateers. Among My Many Hats celebrates the digital release of Darker Hue Studios’ Haunted West . As part of its roster of stellar contributors, Ken talks ab...
Nov 26, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 473
An all-request episode kicks off with a Gaming Hut question from beloved backer Tom Abella, who wants to know if, when playtesting, there is such a thing as too good a GM. Estimable backer Elias Helfer climbs all the way to the summit of the Tradecraft Hut to seek knowledge of Hassan-i Sabbah. In Ask Ken and Robin , sagacious backer Michael David Jr. seeks guidance on a Mutant City Blues / Yellow King mash-up. Finally, sleek and wily backer Ross Ireland inquires after a staple of the Eliptony Hu...
Nov 20, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 472
An all-request episode kicks off with a Gaming Hut question from beloved backer Tom Abella, who wants to know if, when playtesting, there is such a thing as too good a GM. Estimable backer Elias Helfer climbs all the way to the summit of the Tradecraft Hut to seek knowledge of Hassan-i Sabbah. In Ask Ken and Robin , sagacious backer Michael David Jr. seeks guidance on a Mutant City Blues / Yellow King mash-up. Finally, sleek and wily backer Ross Ireland inquires after a staple of the Eliptony Hu...
Nov 19, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 472
Our Gaming Hut series on the axes of tabletop RPG design concludes, we think and hope, with an opposition separately suggested by beloved Patreon backers Nicola Wilson and Lauberfen: Randomness vs. Choice. Crime Blotter goes old-timey with a profile of con artists Tim Oakes and Larry Summerfield, inventors of the wire game. The Monster Hut delves deep into the World of Below to find the Peruvian mining goblin known as the muki. Finally Conspiracy Corner takes us to Elbert County, GA, for the exp...
Nov 12, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 471
The Gaming Hut axes of RPG design series turns toward setting for its next opposition, Canon vs. Open. Ken is back from the Chicago Film Festival to report on his findings in the Cinema Hut . In Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else, Tristan Zimmerman of the Molten Sulfur Blog talks up his game, Shanty Hunter, on Kickstarter from November 2nd . Finally we rev up Ken’s Time Machine to tackle, possibly once again, a perennial question: what does the world look like if Franz Ferdinand escapes assas...
Nov 05, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 470
Axes keep showing up at the Gaming Hut , and this week we look at the Abstract vs Emotional slider in roleplaying game design. Inspired by the passing of one of its prime exponents, Owen Luder, the Architecture Hut gazes at the brutalist style and its influence on science fiction. Then our resident bibliomane continues to make up for lost time, triggering an Ohio-based installment of Ken’s Bookshelf . Want to pose a question to the show? Get your priority question asking access with your support...
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 469
Our Gaming Hut look at the axes of roleplaying game design continues with the previously teased Ease versus Mastery. In Ask Ken and Robin beloved Patreon backer Joe Webb takes the bait and requests the previously teased adventures of T. E. Lawrence and Robert Graves. The Culture Hut looks at the changing moods of SF illustration from the 30s to today. Finally estimable Patreon backer P. O’Neil seeks the Consulting Occultist’s files on a Theosophist retirement community in Ojai, California. Want ...
Oct 22, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 468
Our Gaming Hut series on axes of roleplaying design continues with Robin’s handling cost opposition, Harmonica versus Violin. In the Architecture Hut , beloved Patreon backer Anders Gabrielsson seeks the truth about Chicago’s Midway Gardens. Robin picks up a foreshadowed Cinema Hut thread on the changing face of international film, from access to style. Finally estimable Patreon backer Ben Vincent wants to know what Ken’s Time Machine might have had to do with a report of a WWII Japanese A-bomb ...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 467
Our Gaming Hut series on the axes of RPG design takes a turn as Robin looks at the trade-offs he thinks about while working on games, starting with Simulation vs Emulation. Fun With Science goes deep to contemplate the abundance of mesopelagic fish. The Horror Hut gets connubial at the behest of beloved Patreon backer Toonspew, who wants to know if there’s a Queen in Yellow. Finally we cover up our luminous watches and enter the Eliptony Hut to confront the dread mystery of the Brazilian vampire...
Oct 08, 2021•59 min•Ep. 466
If it’s September, it must be, uh, Gen Con? Ken kicks off with a Travel Advisory on how the in-person side of the event went. Speaking of unusual versions of long running events, Robin opens up the Cinema Hut to provide highlights of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, and to make a stunning announcement. Our Gaming Hut series on principles and axes of tabletop design looks at Applicability, and whatever the positive opposite of that turns out to be. Finally, in Ask Ken and Robin , ...
Oct 01, 2021•57 min
Our continuing Gaming Hut survey of tabletop RPG design principles tackles Power. That sounds like something we always want. Does it belong at one end of a spectrum, or does it corrupt absolutely? Beloved Patreon backer the Molten Sulfur Blog makes a Tell Me More request that opens up the History Hut to profile Edwardian socialite and taboo-smasher Lady Idina Sackville. In Ask Ken and Robin , estimable backer Stefanie McClelland asks us to quickly bounce off the gruesome career of narcosatánico ...
Sep 24, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 464
In the Gaming Hut we continue our series on axes of tabletop RPG design with an examination of Resilience and Robustness. At the behest of beloved Patreon backer Allen Wilkins, Ripped from the Headlines finds the real truth behind the November incident in which a crashing commuter train was saved by polyester whale tails. In the Horror Hut we ask ourselves how to write folk horror scenarios without once again repeating the ending of Wicker Man . Finally the Consulting Occultist profiles the myst...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 463
The Gaming Hut kicks off a series looking at the axes of RPG design, so appropriately enough we start with elegance. In the Architecture Hut beloved Patreon backer Nicola Wilson seeks the truth scoop on the Trylon and Perisphere, noted features of the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Fun With Science fields a question from stargazing backer Peter McAveney, who needs to know why Betelgeuse was getting dimmer and what Aldebaran might have had to do with that. And finally we rev up Ken’s Time Machine to...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 6 min
In the Gaming Hut beloved Patreon backer JP Moral asks for steps to take when homebrew adventures don’t feel right in play. Estimable backer Bryan takes the History Hut to 1970 for a look at Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes and the Kent State shootings, with an eye toward portraying them in Fall of DELTA GREEN . Incroyable backer Jake B invokes his Ask Ken and Robin powers to inquire into the choices behind the four sequences of The Yellow King Roleplaying Game . Finally enigmatic backer Mysterious Musi...
Sep 03, 2021
In the Gaming Hut beloved Patreon backer V. R. Weather asks for a 101 on playtesting. Surprised that we have not directly tackled this basic topic before, we immediately comply. The Tradecraft Hut profiles the peripatetic career of OSS and CIA operative Louise Page Morris. In How to Write Good estimable Patreon backer Benjamin Rawls wants to know when it’s okay to lengthen your novel. Finally the Conspiracy Corner maintains a six-foot distance from its latest subject matter, germ theory denialis...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 460
The T-Shirt Justification Hut gets scaly and doomy with a look at the connection between dragons and apocalypses. In the Money Hut , we reveal high-frequency trading as yet another Carcosan front operation. Then we fulfill a past promise with part two of Ken’s Bookshelf New England haul. Want to pose a question to the show? Get your priority question asking access with your support for the KARTAS Patreon ! Our Patreon-backed Letterboxd list of all films mentioned on the show is now up and runnin...
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 459
In the Gaming Hut we provide tips on GMing for a loose cannon character. Surely not a loose cannon player. None of us have ever had that experience. Beloved Patreon backer Travis Johnson summons the power of Ask Ken and Robin to ask how to include the Bush Wars in The Fall of DELTA GREEN . Estimable Patreon backer Keelan O’Hea turns the temperature in the History Hut down to zero Centigrade as he seeks a tour of the Belle Époque Paris morgue. Finally the Consulting Occultist confronts a head-scr...
Aug 13, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 458
In the Gaming Hut , we look at game balance. What is it, and when do we care about it? We try not to step on any skulls in the Archaeology Hut as Beloved Patreon backers Liz & Siskey seek the scoop on Roman gravesite in Cambridgeshire containing a surprising number of beheaded remains. In the Horror Hut , estimable Patreon backer Elias Helfer asks us for cosmic horror without any Lovecraft in it. And finally Ken’s Time Machine makes the intervention that will lead the earlier widespread adop...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 457
Hey, it’s an all-request episode! Count the syllables and jot down the allusions as an anonymous Patreon backer beckons us into the Gaming Hut to ask how to do spontaneous poetry duels in roleplaying sessions. Then pseudonymous Patreon backer Polydamas meets us in the Architecture Hut for the secret history behind Columbia University’s New York City real estate empire. Beloved Patreon backer Bob Grider wants to know what else to do with sphinxes other than have them tell annoying riddles, and fo...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 456
The Gaming Hut hits the streets, many of them, for a look at designing scenarios to introduce a city. We find the Crime Blotter is covered in ancient leather and animal glue, our cue to find the gaming in the fake Biblical scrolls purchased by the Museum of the Bible. In Ask Ken and Robin , Louis Sylvester asks for a rundown of generational issues found in fiction and movies. Then numerology takes on a TikTok twist as the Consulting Occultist examines Grabovoi numbers. Want to pose a question to...
Jul 23, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 455
Make sure anyone else in the room is really them as the Gaming Hut looks at fox spirits, doppelgangers, and other foes who disguise themselves as human. The Tradecraft Hut profiles CIA operative, author, and coup arranger Miles Axe Copeland, Jr. How to Write Good serves up tips on the revision process, from break taking to change tracking. Finally beloved Patreon backer Steve Dempsey engages Ken’s Time Machine for a peek at the timeline where Oliver Cromwell picks his competent son as successor....
Jul 16, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 454
Don’t forget you’re in the Gaming Hut as beloved Patreon backer Lauberfen asks for tips on finding the fun in amnesia and similar player character flaws. In Ripped from the Headlines , estimable Patreon backer Robert Wolfe seeks the true truth on the clones of the strong-willed pig. Finally, as normalcy, or at least retail sales, returns to the vaccinated zones of the USA, a triumphant return. Ken’s Bookshelf heaves with a haul of titles gleaned from the eager shops of New England. Want to pose ...
Jul 09, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 453
