This week we have a discussion that starts out at the GM being a player too, and ends up with a bit of a talk about paid GMing and 'pay to play' games, and our thoughts around such! d20 Network Spotlight: The Forge -- https://forgegenesys.com/ Game of the Week Steve S: The Terminator RPG -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/398327/The-Terminator-RPG?affiliate_id=2018399 Steve G: Oops! All GMs -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/287564/Oops-All-GMs?affiliate_id=2018399 Also, the Steves wil...
Jun 21, 2022•59 min•Ep. 97
Prompted by one of our wonderful Discord community members, this week we have a conversation around the never-ending debate of "what the rules say" vs "what's fun". Also, a little talk about bringing homebrew to the table as a player! d20 Network Spotlight: Order 66 -- http://feeds.feedburner.com/Order66 Game of the Week: Steve G: Dungeon Local 001 -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/397688/Dungeon-Local-001?affiliate_id=2018399 Steve S: No Day to Die -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/...
Jun 14, 2022•56 min•Ep. 96
This week we have a couple hot-takes, and the subsequent rambling. From thoughts on Kickstarters, and the new MARVEL rpg, to some thoughts on game design and terminology, and even a power outage, we Steves give some opinions on some things. d20 Network Spotlight: The d20 Network blog -- https://www.d20radio.com/main/ Game of the Week Steve G: Orbital Blues -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/365815/Orbital-Blues-A-Space-Western-RPG?affiliate_id=2018399 Steve S: Diesel -- https://www.drivethr...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 95
This week we've still got 2 Steves, but not both the normal ones! One Steve is on vacation, but the other Steve is joined by Steve Dee of Tin Star Games to talk about his current project, a game called "Partners". Along the way we have some interesting conversation about game design, and why system matters in games. It's a cool game, and some good, thought-provoking conversation. Links for Tin Star Games: Website -- https://www.tinstargames.com/ Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/tinstargames ...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 94
We intended to have a talk about house rules, and we did, sorta, at times. Our brains got the best of us, and we went off down some deep tangents, but if you listen to us at all, you know, that's probably what we do best! Anyway, listen, and enjoy! d20 Network Spotlight: The Story Told -- https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/ Game of the Week: Steve S: Mashed -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/199282/MASHED-A-Korean-War-MASH-RPG?affiliate_id=2018399 Steve G: Agent Purrvocateur -- https://www.dri...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 93
We all know it, those jitters, that uncertainty if we did a good enough job running the game, did everyone have enough fun? Oh, yeah, and the things we get wrong, what if they know? Anxiety over GMing is real, and I think, normal, but to talk about it, and maybe help us all deal with it a little bit, we're joined by Amber (@Rocketorca) from Geekspective, who does a lot in our little gaming world, from podcasting to graphic design, and al kinds of other cool stuff! So join us for a cool and fun c...
May 17, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 92
Lighter topic this week! The Steves ask each other gaming related questions and riff off that. Some opinions, some self-discovery, and lots of "-ish"! d20 Network Spotlight: The Staggering Dragon -- https://thestaggeringdragon.com/category/stagdrag-podcast/ The Steves will also be appearing in public! Join us October 1 & 2 at the Monroeville Convention Center in Monroeville PA (just outside Pittsburgh) for gaming of all kinds, along with vendors, bands, cosplay, and all kinds of fun! Find ou...
May 10, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 91
This week the Steves have a little chat about what it is that drives us to purchase games, and more games, and... Nothing too heavy, but we made ourselves think a little bit. d20 Network Spotlight: The Genesys Archives -- https://anchor.fm/thegenesysarchives Game of the Week: Steve G: Pistol Dust -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/393309/Pistol-Dust?affiliate_id=2018399 Steve S: Knave -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/250888/Knave?affiliate_id=2018399 *We have an affiliate link with D...
May 03, 2022•48 min•Ep. 90
This week we're rejoined by previous guests Opti and Cliff from Fragging Unicorns Games ( Episode 20 )! But this time they're talking about the game that they've currently got on Kickstarter. It's a refresh/update of Robert Bohl's "Misspent Youth". A game about youthful people banding together to stand up to corrupt authority and see what they can accomplish without selling out their principals! Their version brings some small rules changes, along with some settings in which to play the game, so...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 89
Who doesn't love big, giant, stompy robots? This week we're joined by Brett and Phil from Studio 404 Games to talk about mecha, mecha anime, mecha gaming, and most importantly, their fabulous Genesys supplement "Mechasys". A good time is had by all, and there's lots of talk about all the fun you can have with mecha in you games! Studio 404 Games links: Website: https://www.studio404games.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Studio404Games/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/studio404games Drive-Thr...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 88
This week we're doing a little more exploring of adventure/campaign writing, but we're specifically talking about developing the adversaries for your player characters. We lean into Steve G's writing experience to try and help Steve S, and the rest of you to just do things better and easier! d20 Network Spotlight: Werewolf the Podcast -- https://keepontheheathlands.podbean.com/ Game of the Week Steve S: Tenra Bancho Zero -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/111713/Tenra-Bansho-Zero-Heaven-and...
Apr 12, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 87
The Steves have a chat about their recent experience playtesting the upcoming Anarchy in Dragon City with Brett from Studio 404 ( https://www.studio404games.com/ ). This leads to thoughts about the how and why playtesting is done, along with a couple other tangents about assorted things! d20 Network Spotlight: The Forge -- https://forgegenesys.com/ Game of the Week: Steve G: Punk Fu -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/390986/Punk-Fu?affiliate_id=2018399 Steve S: Goblin Gangsters -- https://w...
Apr 05, 2022•48 min•Ep. 86
We have a chat around some of our processes for planning and prepping for running campaigns, story arcs, and sessions. So have a listen, and join in the conversation on the discord ( https://discord.gg/5wWNcYW ) because I'm sure we can all learn from each other! d20 Network Spotlight: Order 66 -- http://feeds.feedburner.com/Order66 Game of the Week: Steve S: King of Dust -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/389142/King-of-Dust?affiliate_id=2018399 Steve G: Murder Most Foul -- https://www.driv...
Mar 29, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 85
Lead Rules Design on Gamma World 4e, Lead Writer for the 2e Ravenloft box set, plus worked on Fallout 3,4, & 76, a number of the Elder Scrolls games, including Lead Designer for Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Usually I have some clever title or something, but this week, I think the above says enough! Any one of those credits are significant, but the whole list, plus more??!!?? We have a chat with game designer (now turned author) Bruce Nesmith about the twists and turns that a career in game desig...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 84
This one's a thought-provoking little chat inspired by our Discord users! We have a chat about "weird genre-mixing games", and just follow the rabbit-hole! d20 Network Spotlight: Squad Tactica -- https://open.spotify.com/show/4jJs4hS87TLPJlwzd3uw5w Game of the Week: Steve G: Cyberpulp Daydreams -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/385335/Cyberpulp-Daydreams?affiliate_id=2018399 Steve S: Warpstar! -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/330123/Warpstar?affiliate_id=2018399 We greatly appreciat...
Mar 15, 2022•43 min•Ep. 83
This week we're getting the down-low on a game we initially discovered via our 'Game of the Week' segment! This week the Steves are joined by Wade Dyer, the creator of Fragged Empire, and the rest of the Fragged line of RPGs to talk about his games, and the recently launched Kickstarter campaign for the second edition of his "flagship" game, Fragged Empire. At the time of recording, the campaign was roughly 200% funded, and frankly, it's just a beautiful world and setting that you really ought t...
Mar 08, 2022•54 min•Ep. 82
Crowdfunding is a HUGE part of the RPG industry right now, and this week, the Steves are joined by freelance writer Egg Embry (d20 Network blog, EN-World, Ghostfire Gaming, Knights of the Dinner Table) to talk about this very thing! You can find Egg at: Twitter: https://twitter.com/EggEmbry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/egg.embry d20 Network blog -- http://www.d20radio.com/main/author/eggembry/ EN World -- https://www.enworld.org/ewr-porta/authors/egg-embry.6808965/ Ghostfire Gaming -- http...
Mar 01, 2022•59 min•Ep. 81
This week we welcome back previous guest Miguel Colon ( Episode 39: Cloudsea ) to talk about his new project on Kickstarter, Malpractice! It's a fun, lite solo game, where you play a fresh-from-med-school doctor, who goes to work for the Mob to try and pay down those terrifying student loans! You can find that here --> https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mcolon/malpractice-a-card-based-rpg Also, Miguel shares a little with us about his history, and his goals for the future in RPG design. And...
Feb 22, 2022•58 min•Ep. 80
It occurred to us that we've never done an episode talking about combat in games! And we all know that's a HUGE part of what happens at many tables. So here's a conversation about some of our thoughts surrounding combat in RPGs, and maybe some ways to make it more interesting for everyone! d20 Network Spotlight: Tabletop Tales -- https://anchor.fm/whatcomesafter Game of the Week: Steve S: Magical Kitties Save the Day(2e) -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/345604/Magical-Kitties-Save-the-Day...
Feb 15, 2022•55 min•Ep. 79
This week we're chatting with Dustin from The Staggering Dragon podcast about those curveballs that get thrown around the gaming table. Given that his table seems to trade fairly heavily in them, it seemed like a good topic to get his insight on. Plus it was just a really fun gaming-centric conversation, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did! d20 Network Spotlight: The Staggering Dragon -- https://thestaggeringdragon.com/ Game of the Week: Dustin: Munchkin: Marvel Edition -- https://munchki...
Feb 08, 2022•56 min•Ep. 78
Way back in September we did a Q&A episode, and we got a number of questions surrounding the topic of "player engagement". So we promised to do a show about just that. So, here it is! Reference links: Robin's Laws of Good Game-Mastering -- http://www.sjgames.com/robinslaws/ The Player-Type quiz -- https://captainjoy.chunkyboy.com/RPGs/PlayerQuiz.html Explanation of those types -- http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/theory/models/robinslaws.html Character Creation Cast's "8 Kinds of Fun" episo...
Feb 01, 2022•46 min•Ep. 77
Sometimes we all just need to remember that no matter how seriously we take our games, they are after all just games, and we're doing it to have fun. So we have a little talk about that. Also, on the news front, Me and Steve have launched our Patreon site, for any of those of you who might want to give us a little something to help out with hosting, and other production costs. We're not putting anything you already get behind a paywall, or anything like that, but there are a few things you'll ge...
Jan 25, 2022•41 min•Ep. 76
We all know that feeling. You're running a game, and it's just not matching up with the time you want it to take. But how do you fix that? That's why we're having a conversation with Justin Ecock, from the Terrible Warriors podcast. He's had lots of experience making games fit into the amount of time slotted, both for his podcast, as well as conventions, and even doing events at restaurants! Se we have a talk around different tricks and tips he's learned over the years to help make his games com...
Jan 18, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 75
We're ringing in the New Year with a chat with independent RPG creator Gavriel Quiroga. He currently has a game called Hell Night on Kickstarter (ends Jan 22, 7AM US Eastern time), as well as having written both Neurocity, and Warpland. We talk a bit about his previous two projects, as well as what we can expect from Hell Night, and he even lets us in on what he's moving on to next! And you really should go check these games out, they're excellent! Links: Hell Night Kickstarter: https://www.kick...
Jan 11, 2022•48 min•Ep. 74
This week, we Steves are taking a little break, but still bringing you something fresh to listen to! We had the opportunity to do an "episode swap" with the Justin, and his wonderful crew from the Terrible Warriors podcast! Both of us have listened to numerous actual plays that the Terrible Warriors have recorded, and this is one of their latest! This is "At the Foot of the Titans", episode 1 of their 12-part Symbaroum campaign. **all recording, editing, music, and missing for the actual-play se...
Jan 04, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 73
It's time once again for our little update episode for between Christmas and New Years. It's just us saying a "Thank You" to all you listeners for sharing your time with us, and also us trying to let you know what our intentions are going forward with the show for the next year. d20 Network Podcast of the Week: The Story Told -- https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/ As always folks, have fun, be kind to each other , and go play some rpgs! You can reach us at meandsteverpg@gmail.com On Facebook as Me ...
Dec 28, 2021•34 min•Ep. 72
This week we welcome back our Aussie friend GM Hooly (of The Forge podcast) to have a talk that was suppose to be about playing and running IP based RPGs. We actually did talk a bit about that, but in true Me and Steve fashion, we diverge all over the place, but still stay (sorta) on-topic-ish. We chat a bit about some of the famous properties that have been made into games, some of which have worked very well, and others that have not. For everyone's benefit, the Wiki article we mention during ...
Dec 21, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 71
The old saying goes "A rolling stone gathers no moss." And that's as good a description on this conversation as I have! From Steve unsettling himself writing an adventure, to cavemen rolling rocks down hills, to creative pressures, to taking a step back, this one meanders a little bit of everywhere! d20 Network Podcast of the Week: Genesys Archives -- https://anchor.fm/thegenesysarchives Game of the Week: Steve S: Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4329/Modiphius/su...
Dec 14, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 70
This week we're getting under the hood, and looking a little bit at the "nuts & bolts" of games. And to assist in this we're joined by Jay Little, who was the system designer for (among other things) Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Ed, FFG Star Wars/Genesys, and also, the 2d20 system for Modiphious, as well as X-Wing miniatures 1ed, and numerous other games. As always, it's a bit of a rambling discussion, but I hope you all have as much fun listening in, as we did recording! For more info on ...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 69
This week the Steves are joined by fellow d20 Network host Tom B (of the Shared Sagas Podcast) to have a talk around tricks and tips for something we all do, and probably all struggle with. Running those pesky pre-written adventures and modules! d20 Network Podcast of the Week: Shared Sagas -- https://sharedsagas.podbean.com/ or on Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/Shared.Sagas/ Game of the Week: Tom B: Relics: a Game of Angels -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/305834/Relics-A-Game-of...
Nov 30, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 68
