From the very beginning I have been trying to persuade people to start playing. Whether you are a lapsed gamer who has started to miss the good times you used to enjoy with roleplaying games, or if you are a total novice who’s simply curious, or even if you are an old Grognard who’s not currently playing - spending more time reading and thinking than actually doing - I think that inertia is the greatest challenge you face. This episode bubbled up one evening and demanded me to record it. In hind...
Sep 14, 2019•29 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Last week's episode seems to have provoked quite a few comments on the topic of sleep deprivation in RPGs. I received something like 15 call-ins across the week, many of them on this topic alone. Thus, I've drawn the threads on sleep deprivation into a separate section - and I invite further comment if you're interested - and then run the rest of the Journal as usual, interspersed with call-ins from various listeners. Big thank you to everyone who called in! You guys make the podcast so much ric...
Sep 11, 2019•46 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Colin Green is the voice behind Spikepit, an OSR Anchorite podcast which many would say lies at the heart of a lively network and community. Colin’s show features call-ins from across the spectrum of gamers and champions forthright consideration of a range of useful ideas. He is as likely to ask a question from the community as he is to give a personal view, a trait which earns him deep affection from a strong base of listeners. This week, we hopped online and had a throughly engaging chat. We c...
Sep 07, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 12
It's time for another rambling collection of my personal Game Master Journal entries. What makes the episode are the call-ins from Jason and Free Thrall - thanks, chaps! Hope you find something of interest in among the ups and downs of my week. One word of warning: it is, as ever, a raw and largely unedited mash of audio burblings. Make of it what you will! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe Page: mewe.com/page/5c077833bce33a3fe7dd7f04 (or...
Sep 04, 2019•30 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Following on from "Delving Deeper Solo", I got a bunch of call-ins and a set of very specific questions from Frank T. In response, the only reasonable thing to do was to record a follow-up episode. This week, I delve into the Mythic Roleplaying rulebook and do a review of the stuff you'll find inside. You also get my candid thoughts on various elements and why most people will probably prefer to grab the Mythic GM Emulator instead. I hope you find it useful! Here’s a link to the Word Mill Games ...
Aug 31, 2019•41 min•Season 4Ep. 10
A month ago, I hopped onto MeWe and asked Gabriel Roark if he'd be up for organising another interview to discuss the ten things we'd import from Arduin into our own campaigns. Gabriel is someone who plays in Arduin and is seeking to rediscover the realm created by the legendary David Hargrave. We had a two-hour chat using Anchor and, unfortunately, the recording was a) patchy, and b) cut off too early, mid-sentence. Nonetheless, the conversation was highly productive for me and I wanted to shar...
Aug 30, 2019•1 hr 31 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Having spent most of the week away on holiday with Deb, this episode is cut down in length from recent efforts. Some great call-ins and a big moment in the Roleplay Rescue story. I also wax thoughtful about wilderness adventuring and share a bit of what I've been doing in prep for the forthcoming fantasy campaign. Enjoy! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe Page: mewe.com/page/5c077833bce33a3fe7dd7f04 (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook P...
Aug 28, 2019•25 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Over the months since I released "Getting Started Solo" (Ep204), I've been getting questions about it and the most repeated request has been for a worked example. I guess that by “worked example” people mean me sitting down and recording myself running a solo session while talking you guys through what I’m doing. Honestly, I’ve not been too sure how best to approach this but today I’m going to start what I rather suspect will end up being a series of episodes on gaming alone. Here's hoping it pr...
Aug 24, 2019•36 min•Season 4Ep. 8
With around 15 minutes of call-ins and replies, this episode has grown much longer than I expected. There's a ropey section in the middle, and which I almost cut, where I was recording myself developing some solo play ideas using the Story Forge deck. Left it in because I am trying to resist the self-editing, highly-judgemental part of my personality so that my subconsciousness feels less inhibited. More lucid thoughts later in the episode, I felt. Nonetheless, here it is... warts 'n' all. Game ...
Aug 21, 2019•48 min•Season 4Ep. 7
This episode was totally inspired by a call-in from the mighty Pure Mongrel this morning. Picture the scene: You wake up at 4.45am, get yourself a cuppa, and then you notice that there’s a message from one of your Patrons. And, wow, it’s a doozy of a message. This started out as a recorded reply but I ditched that pretty quickly as the whole thing escalated. I hope that the episode is more than a reply and more of a general take on the big question of how to set expectations at the table. Enjoy!...
Aug 17, 2019•32 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Here's another Journal episode! Complaints about the noise have led to a re-editing of the opening theme. There's a bucket load of call-ins from the coolest listeners anyone could have, as well as a bundle of journal entries largely recorded while I visited my parent's home in Norwich. As ever, I hope it has something of interest to you and thanks again for taking the time to listen. Game on! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe Page: mewe.c...
Aug 14, 2019•37 min•Season 4Ep. 5
A few weeks ago, I started listening to Dave's dpercentile podcast - albeit I was VERY late to the party - and in episode 3, he spoke about the value of GMs using random table to prep. Inspired by this episode, I contacted Dave and arranged to chat more about this topic and explore the value of random tables for the returning gamer. Although there were technical problems, we managed to have a fascinating conversation that I couldn't resist sharing with you all. Enjoy! Contact Details: Voice Mess...
Aug 10, 2019•46 min•Season 4Ep. 4
It's that time of the week when I release the mumbled Journal logs from the week before. With call-ins from Tim Shorts of Gothridge Manor and the enigmatic RFED, this is a generally upbeat and active episode. As ever, it's recorded here and there on my iPhone, all of it is off-the-cuff, and it's pretty candid stuff. Listen at your peril! Game on! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe Page: mewe.com/page/5c077833bce33a3fe7dd7f04 (or search "Ro...
Aug 07, 2019•41 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Here's the first Saturday release episode of the 4th Season! Hear me ramble on about what I've learned over the past 6 months, ever since the release of the original, "Curse of The Flaky GM" episode in late January. This one's a tour of the key learning points along the way. I also touch on how much the podcast has influenced my thought and why your support means the world to me. Here goes for another Season of Roleplay Rescue! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: h...
Aug 03, 2019•28 min•Season 4Ep. 2
First of the Season 4 entries to the Game Master's Journal. This one has some upbeat moments but there is a dark ending that I am not so proud of... I really allowed my irritation and moodiness to get the better of me this week. Sorry about that. Still, you did want the warts and all, right? Game on!Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/messageEmail: hello@rpgrescue.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 31, 2019•45 min•Season 4Ep. 1
This is a catch-up bonus for those who enjoy the GM's Journal and missed the episodes I released to Patrons during the weeks between Season 3 and Season 4. This one's an excellent demonstration of how flaky I can be as a GM. I threw in the call-ins I'd received too - thank you to everyone who did that - but as this is a rush job, I didn't get a chance to respond on air. Suffice it to say the calls were much appreciated and speak for themselves. Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: h...
Jul 30, 2019•31 min
This is a catch-up bonus for those who enjoy the GM's Journal and missed the episodes I released to Patrons during the weeks between Season 3 and Season 4. If you're following the Journal, this one's important because it brings you through some of the largest moments of my roleplaying experience in recent years. Hopefully you'll enjoy it! Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 29, 2019•24 min
Well, the summer holiday break from school has arrived and I have decided to get back behind the mic - despite the 35C temperatures that have left me totally sleep-deprived for two days!This is a warm-up trailer in which I re-introduce the show to new listeners, outline some small changes to the show format, lay out the rough plan for Season Four, and thank the three newest Patrons! Show Contact Details:Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/messageEmail: hello@rpgrescue.comMeWe Page: mewe.com/page/...
Jul 27, 2019•11 min
Today I want to take a look at the stories we tell ourselves and the dialogue we have with others. I want to explore whether its possible to overcome the general sense that I frequently have of being just a little bit crap at gaming. To help, we’re going to take a dive into the psychology of experience and see how many points we can pick up. In this final episode of Season 3 we're going off on one about positive psychology! Show Contact Details: Voice Message Me: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Emai...
Jul 13, 2019•33 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Hello and welcome to this Roleplay Rescue special bonus episode on the topic of gaming with teenagers. This episode is brought to you by the generous support of the Roleplay Rescue Patrons over on Patreon.com/rpgrescue . We recently hit another Patreon goal and this bonus episode is being made by way of a thank you. It’s very much a conversation aimed at adults, so I’d like to apologise up front to any actual young adults listening to the podcast whom I accidentally end up offending. Hosted on A...
Jul 11, 2019•29 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Following the first official complaint, I've decided this is to be the last GM's Journal for a while. I've compiled this week's ramblings as usual but, well... you know the drill. It's raw, rough, and all pretty much a mess of random thoughts. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 10, 2019•28 min•Season 3Ep. 11
I don’t know why I keep collecting RPGs but I think it’s probably something that most gamers indulge in. Even if you’re not gaming, owning and reading gorgeous books is a big part of the hobby. Other than Dungeons & Dragons, what other great adventure games should we consider playing? In Season 2, I did an episode asking that same question and shared my thoughts on five games that have had a big impact on me over the last 35 or so years. As that went down quite well, I’ve decided to share my...
Jul 06, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Another mash-up of personal Gamemastering journal entries and awesome call-ins from across the community. This has been one of the hardest weeks of the year so far but also one in which I think I got the most gaming. As ever, it's raw and rough stuff so you have been warned! If you want to read the solo game report from Sunday, find it here: ubiquitousrat.net/?p=5047 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 03, 2019•25 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Today’s episode builds on my earlier discussions about building a dungeon adventure and generally about getting started as a GM. To keep things simple, I’m going to assume we are building a fantasy roleplaying experience - largely because that’s the most popular genre out there. Along the way, I hope to begin to touch on how building a sandbox goes a long way towards pulling together all the theory on game structures and how to make life easy as a GM long-term. Useful Links: Alexander Macris, “A...
Jun 29, 2019•33 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Witterings, call-ins and replies, and more ramblings from my addled GM brain. As ever, it's another selection of audio journal entries from my own gaming experience. Listen at your peril! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 26, 2019•48 min•Season 3Ep. 9
I talked about Savage Worlds back in Season 2, Episode 6 when I spoke about Five Games that I’d recommend everyone at least take a good look at. With my recent focus on creating a multi-genre campaign, something which I believe Savage Worlds would excel at delivering, I decided to talk to someone whose been not just using the game but also writing for it. Frank Turfler been playing tabletop RPGs for at least 35 years and is the voice behind Frank T’s Liner Notes, an Anchor podcast in which he sh...
Jun 22, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 9
This is the second instalment of GM's Journal this week in which I dribble on about Arcana Gravitas, get a couple more call-ins, and then begin to work out how to get started with writing that genre-bending multi-setting campaign idea. Following advice from Evil Jeff, I figure out which generic and universal roleplaying game I'd like to use and set to. There's even a little bit of self-play going on... if that doesn't sound too dodgy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 19, 2019•35 min•Season 3Ep. 8
This one's a bonus bonus episode, so to speak. I rambled on quite a bit over the past few days and was afraid that the next Journal would end up being too long. Given that I was racking up a few good call-ins too, I decided to throw together the next instalment of the Journal early. With luck, you'll enjoy the content and I'll still have enough for a regular episode later in the week too. Game on! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jun 16, 2019•31 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In Season 1 we explored two major game structures that have stood the test of time: the Dungeoncrawl and the Hexcrawl. Ever since the release of The Chaosium’s “Call of Cthulhu” roleplaying game in 1981, there entered a third major game structure into the annuls of RPG play. Today, I want to have a look at this third structure and outline how you can incorporate Mystery into your games. Useful Links: The Call of Cthulhu RPG: chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-rpg The Alexandrian Gamemastery 101 series...
Jun 15, 2019•28 min•Season 3Ep. 8
What a turbulent week! Full of challenges and essentially draining both mine and my wife's energy. I don't know how I've made it but here I am. Still breathing and very grateful for the journey. Not sure what you'll make of my sparse journal entries this week but maybe there's something of value hidden in there. As always, bear in mind this is raw and stitched together quick clips from throughout my week rather than a polished episode. Game on! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
Jun 12, 2019•29 min•Season 3Ep. 7
