Evil Organizations are a staple of action adventure stories. They’re expansive, multi-headed groups that heroes fight against again and again. The villains are many, the schemes are devious, their reach is long. Today we’ll be MORE
Regardless of the game, players and GMs have a tendency to get hung up on randomizers. The D20, the dice pool, the card flip. You know. The randomizer. They’re important but they’re just one part MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss making the most of using the narrative device of flashbacks in your games. Enjoy the show, and tell us your thoughts on flashbacks at the Misdirected Mark Forums. Announcements and Links MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry return to the Adversary Files to discuss another type of adversary for your games, the Faction. Enjoy the show, and tell us your thoughts on factions at the Misdirected Mark Forums. Announcements MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss giving and receiving feedback, why it’s important in your game, how to give it, and how to receive it. Enjoy the show, and tell us your thoughts on feedback at MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss the bad (and the good!) about “railroading” and linear plot design. Enjoy the show, and tell us your thoughts on railroading at the Misdirected Mark Forums. Announcements and Links Lifted Vol. MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry welcome game designer and head of Gauntlet Publishing Jason Cordova to discuss tips and techniques for running mysteries in games and in particular to examine the design of Jason’s cozy murder MORE
[Content note for this episode: after the intro, Phil brings out his famous soapbox and rants about politics in the Lobby, so if you’re not into it, you can bypass the Lobby and skip to MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss ways to create a table culture for your gaming group. Enjoy the show, and tell us your thoughts on table culture at the Misdirected Mark Forums. Announcements and Links Brindlewood Bay MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss handling rewards in the game for both players and characters. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite game rewards at the Misdirected Mark Forums. Announcements and Links Old Gods MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry continue the discussion on managing game secrets with an examination of handling different kinds of GM secrets. Enjoy the show, and tell us your opinions on GM secrets at the Misdirected Mark MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss managing secrets in your game and the differences between secrets kept by characters and those kept by players. Enjoy the show, and tell us your opinions on in-game secrets at MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss converting games with settings that you like into games with rules that you like just as much. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite old game conversions at MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss ways to take a break from the main campaign storyline and enjoy a side-story or two. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite side quests at the Misdirected Mark MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry talk about what excites them about some of the games that they haven’t yet brought to the table. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your games you have yet to MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss generating player investment and engagement early in the game, both in the early sessions of a campaign or the opening scenes of a one-shot. Enjoy the show, and tell us MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss techniques for GMs and players to manage playing characters more competent than themselves. Enjoy the show, and tell us how your smart characters at the Misdirected Mark Forums. Announcements and Links MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss how GMs and players can get the most out of setting up the components and venue for a new game. Enjoy the show, and tell us how you manage game MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss when players may not enjoy playing their characters, and how to manage those situations both as a player and as a GM. Enjoy the show, and tell us how you MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss game excitement, investment, and energy at the gaming table and how to manage and improve all three. Enjoy the show, and tell us about what keeps your games exciting at MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry start off the new year with a discussion about how to move beyond Session Zero and get the most out of Session 1. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss different ways to approach worldbuilding for your games. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite home-grown worlds at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Links and Announcements Check out Jason Pitre’s MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry return to the Adversary Files to talk about that guest character with awesome powers and a terrible personality: the Cosmic Jerk. Enjoy the show, and let us know your cosmic jerk MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry spend an episode on brief takes on audience-provided questions, taking on topics like troupe play, writer’s block, eating while gaming, and more! Enjoy the show, and get in touch with your MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss tools and techniques for managing the sometimes massive amount of information needed to keep your campaign running smoothly. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite organizational tricks at The MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss what it takes to make and manage an epic campaign framework. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite epic story arcs at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Links and Announcements MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss the Chosen One, both as a character archetype and as a narrative framework, and offer tips on incorporating this idea into your games. Enjoy the show, and tell us about MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry return to the “Background Check” series of character types with a discussion about the Vengeful Hero. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite vengeful heroes at The Misdirected Mark Forums. MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry take on the perennial RPG topic of the fudging of die rolls, both from the GM and player perspectives. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your opinions on fudging at The MORE
Phil, Bob, and Jerry head to the Lab to try out a new segment on player character backgrounds. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite character origins at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time Stamps MORE
