For this episode, we explore the related topics of world-building and NPCs: how we go about conceptualizing campaigns; homebrew versus published settings; NPC use, abuse, and management; plus more! And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group ...
May 12, 2014
It's sort of an Easter special this time, because we're talking about death and resurrection…of characters, of campaigns, of whole systems. Good idea? Bad idea? You'll just have to listen to find out. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus gro...
Apr 29, 2014
In this episode, we take a close look at the Trail of Cthulhu RPG, and use that as a springboard to talk a bit about games that use rules to create a "narrative" play experience. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep...
Apr 15, 2014
We conclude our rambling overview of matching systems to genres. There's so much more we skipped over, and if you've got a favorite genre-system we didn't talk about, please let us know and give us your thoughts! And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Goo...
Apr 01, 2014
We were unable to record a proper session this time around, and so we go instead to our Editorial Department, where David Larkins weighs in with his opinion on actual-play recordings. (Hint: he likes them.) And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Pl...
Mar 18, 2014
This one turned out to be a two-parter, and no wonder! We're discussing matching systems to genres, and providing a quick overview of systems past and present that are particularly associated with certain settings or genres. We...may get a bit off-topic from time to time, as well. Like that's never happened before... And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with question...
Mar 04, 2014
It's the 40th anniversary year for Dungeons & Dragons , so we figured maybe we should get around to talking about the world's most popular role-playing game. As usual for our system spotlights, we discuss D&D's past, present, and future, as well as our personal take on and relationship to the system. Some strongly-held opinions vis a vis specific editions are, of course, expressed, and David S. has his mind blown by the concept of race-as-class. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, ...
Feb 18, 2014
In this episode, we depart from our usual chatter about tabletop RPGs to discuss their cousin, miniatures wargaming. We take a look at the hobby's past, present, and future, and offer some personal suggestions for favorite games and figure lines. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! Thanks for list...
Feb 04, 2014
This episode sees us answering a listener-submitted question about epic campaigns before moving on to our second "System Spotlight" installment, this time focusing on the King Arthur Pendragon RPG. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! Thanks for listening!...
Jan 21, 2014
In this episode, we discuss the different experiences and skillsets inherent to the player experience versus the game master experience. To help us dissect the issue, we bring in special guest Jade, the newest member of our tabletop group, who has both played and run RPGs for the first time over the course of the previous year. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment wi...
Jan 07, 2014
In this episode, we take some time to muse about the role of Kickstarter in the tabletop gaming industry and speculate what role brick-and-mortar stores still might play in the hobby, before moving on to a genre-focused discussion of running fantasy campaigns. We answer listener questions as well. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd li...
Dec 24, 2013
In this episode, we address some listener questions spawned by our previous System Spotlight on Basic Roleplaying (and discuss some games we're currently excited about) before moving on to the main topic of the pros and cons of running published scenarios versus writing your own, and offer some advice for accomplishing the latter. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment...
Dec 10, 2013
In this episode, the first of our intermittent "System Spotlight" series, we focus on Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying system - both the generic core rules as well as touching on its many variations. What do you think? Do you agree with our assessment of the merits of the BRP system? Do you hate the system? Tell us why! And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774) or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! Thanks for liste...
Nov 26, 2013
In this episode, we talk about the issues of finding balance in systems that are not designed to encourage balanced play, and discuss strategies for finding players in your area. We also field our first-ever voice mail question! And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774) or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! Thanks for listening!...
Nov 12, 2013
In this episode, we discuss campaigns that died before their time (and the many causes that can contribute to such a tragedy), before moving on to our main topic: sources of inspiration and how to translate them into your game. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774) or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! Thanks for listening!...
Oct 29, 2013
Our second episode finds us discussing our first experience with the indie FRPG Dungeon World before moving on to discussing the pros and cons of the dreaded piledriver and its much less maligned cousin, the houserule. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774) or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! Thanks for listening!
Oct 15, 2013
In our inaugural episode, we talk a bit about our backgrounds in tabletop gaming and then move on to broadly discussing some tricks and tips for running horror games, and different flavors of horror games. And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774) or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! Thanks for listening!
Oct 01, 2013
