Episode 168 - Emergent Play (a.k.a. Play To Find Out) From thick books of lore to many-paged character backgrounds, how do you get cool stuff to the table? Do you even bother with all that and play to find out instead? The lads chat about how to get more juiciness from your gaming sessions. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you!Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: [email protected] K...
Sep 22, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Episode 167 - One D&D (a.k.a. There Can Be Only One) The guys are keen for a deep dive into the latest D&Dizzle news, fresh playtest documents, talk of a new approach, a lengthy train in the run up to the most recent evolution of the world's largest RPG, "One D&D". If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you!Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: [email protected] Ko-Fi: ko-fi.co...
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Episode 166 - Radiant Citadel with Ajit George (a.k.a. A New Hope) The guys are joined by lovely human and creator and project lead of Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel , Ajit George. Discover how the project came about, what to expect from the latest D&D offering, how it's different from what's gone before and much more! You can find Ajit on Twitter , or check out his website for more of his great work. Want more lore? As mentioned in the episode, Journeys Through Radiant Citadel is a DM...
Jul 28, 2022•59 min
Episode 165 - D&D in the 70s (a.k.a. A Gateway To Wider Experiences) This time Gaz & Baz are reunited to talk about playing D&D back in the day. Joined by D&D designer and Good Friend of the Show, Jonathan Tweet, plus legendary DM Hollis Monroe, the guys talk through early experiences before Greyhawk existed and you had to make your own worlds of wondrous adventure. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads l...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Episode 164 - Escape Rooms with Rafael Chandler Another Stunt Baz in the shape of Mat from Steamforged Games , a returning special guest in the splendid form of Good Friend of the Show, Rafael Chandler ; what more could you ask for? Rafael has a successful Escape Room business and is (at time of recording) launching a Kickstarter for a 100+ puzzle escape room in a box which becomes a roleplaying game. The guys chat about puzzles in your games, how to come up with them, what makes them interestin...
Jun 29, 2022•58 min
Episode 163 - New Gaming Tech (a.k.a. Is Verisimilitude a Word?) There's a foreword this time from Baz to let you know what's going on in his life, thoughts are with him right now. The episode was recorded before his recent sad news, and after the into message regular Stunt Baz and author of the Burn After Running blog joins Gaz to talk about new gaming tech. What developments have their been in RPG techniques and how can they be leveraged for use in any game, including more traditional ones? Le...
Jun 16, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Episode 162 - Zombies with Dirk the Dice (a.k.a. Goldeneye Caused It) The Unknown Stunt Baz, Dirk the Dice off of The Grognard Files podcast joins Gaz this time to talk about zombies in popular media and in particular, games. From their origins to the hugely popular K-Zombie films and TV, how do we get more shambly bois in our games? You can chat to Dirk on the Twitters here . If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love t...
Jun 04, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Episode 161 - Justin Alexander Interview (a.k.a. Was Dragonlance Railroady?) Armed with "Stunt Baz" Guy Milner off of the Burn After Running blog , this time Gaz interviews RPG producer and designer at Atlas Games, Justin Alexander. The chat covers the excellent RPG resource The Alexandrian , as well as what's hot at Atlas Games and some great game design discussion. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear fro...
May 22, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Episode 160 - Blade Runner (a.k.a. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) One of the most universally recognised IPs in geekdom, Blade Runner is a staple of the lad's early film experiences. Now Free League are bringing the films (and other media) to life with a new RPG set in futuristic LA. Designer Tomas Härenstam guests to explain more about this highly anticipated game! If you want to hop on board with the exciting Blade Runner Kickstarter click the link! If you dig actual plays and reviews o...
May 10, 2022•59 min
Episode 159 - Superheroes (a.k.a. Not All Heroes Wear Capes) With great podcasting, comes great responsibility to listen. Or something. This time the lads go through some Supers RPGs. What are they about? Do they match the genre? Are they any good? All this and more awaits. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you!Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: [email protected] Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/t...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Episode 158 - Dark Souls (a.k.a. You Wake Up By A Bonfire) So it is, ash seeketh embers… this time the lads are joined by Mat Hart and Rich August from Steamforged Games to talk about the Dark Souls RPG, and go deep diving into game design theory. You can find out more on Dark Souls and other Steamforged goodies at the Steamforged website . If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you!Twitters: twitter.com...
Mar 15, 2022•1 hr 10 min
Episode 156 - Campaigns a.k.a. One Scenario After Another What makes a good campaign? This time the lads explore what's out there in published campaign land and seek to determine what sort of campaigns there are, what makes them good and throw out some top tips and recommendations. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you!Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: [email protected] Ko-Fi: ko-...
Feb 22, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Episode 156 - Runequest a.k.a. Your Glorantha May Vary The starter set is out for the latest edition of an old classic, Runequest. As Baz plunders this resource and gives his thoughts, Gaz expands in this knowledge with a tour through previous editions and the lads try to answer the core question of any game - what's cool about it? If you want to hear more about Runequest, Baz's side project going through the starter set is here: Runequest Year Zero If you dig actual plays and reviews of played ...
Jan 22, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Episode 155 - Review of 2021 a.k.a. Recording at the fag-end New year, new you and new podcast. The lads go over the year that was, 2021, with all its trials, tribulations and great gaming moments. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you!Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: [email protected] Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty We always welcome lovely rev...
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Episode 154 - Subsystems a.k.a. Cut Down Like Ep1 of Squid Game The lads chat through chases, Dramatic Tasks, the funnel, spell duels, grappling and all other manner of subsystems and extra bits. Core mechanics are all very well and good, but how do you do mass battle? Find out in this episode! If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you!Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: [email protected]...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Bonus Episode - Writing RPG Scenarios for Publication The lads went down to London Village for Dragonmeet and presented in their usual seminar slot. This time they were joined by special guests Paul Fricker (Call of Cthulhu, Rivers of London) and Mat Hart (Steamforged Games) to talk in a wide-ranging presentation on writing your own content for RPGs and getting it out there. Topics included what to write, how to get started, writing for companies or yourself, Kickstarter and more. Enjoy! You can...
Dec 10, 2021•51 min
Episode 153 - Shane Hensley Interview a.k.a Shaken Not Stirred The lads were delighted to have one of their gaming heroes on this time, founder of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Shane Hensley. He's created the best-selling, award-winning Deadlands, Hell on Earth, Weird Wars, and later Savage Worlds and many of its settings. He's also written for God's Own Game Earthdawn, TORG, and many other things, plus worked on computer games such as City of Villains. Chat covers everything from his classic ga...
Nov 27, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Episode 152 - Jason Cordova Interview a.k.a Shouting Into The Void Jason Cordova joins the lads to chat about his own podcasting experience on Fear of a Black Dragon, hot indie rpgs like The Between and Brindlewood Bay, game design, streaming and much more! Follow Jason on Twitter . You can find out more about the Gauntlet and cool techniques and games on his website . Get your earballs around the excellent Fear of a Black Dragon here ! Get yourselves a copy of The Between on Drivethru You can g...
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 7 min
Episode 151 - Into The Odd Remastered a.k.a You Were The First Good friend of the show Chris McDowall has remastered his well-renowned and critically-acclaimed Into the Odd in a new edition, teaming up with more good friends of the show, Free League! The lads go through design choices, graphics, how to write a game and much more in this busy episode! You can find out more about all Chris' stuff at his website . Jump on the Kickstarter here ! If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules,...
Sep 26, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Episode 150 - Meguey & Vincent Baker Interview a.k.a The Secret Is, They're Just Subsystems For the 150th episode, the boys needed something special, and what better way to celebrate than chatting to two of the industry's best and nicest game designers, Vincent and Meg Baker. Between them, authors of Apocalypse World, Dogs in the Vineyard, Psi*Run, Murderous Ghosts and more! A proper after-hours con type discussion occurs getting into the weeds of game design and how to be a better roleplaye...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Episode 149 - Advancement a.k.a The Other Sin is 1XP Thanks to a Listener's Letter, this episode is all about advancement. Of course a lot of the chat is about XP and mechanically improving your character, but the lads also think about what else advancing a character could mean. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you!Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: [email protected] Ko-Fi: ko-fi....
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 5 min
Episode 148 - Nostalgia a.k.a The More You Look At It, The More It Looks Back At You Remember those Hovis adverts from back in the day? No? How about Cyborg Commando? The lads ponder on lost youth and the eternal question of not only can you go back, but should you? Numerous old games get a mention and the guys go through reboots and reskins and lots of other topics in a wide-ranging chat. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, th...
Aug 15, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Episode 147 - Investigation RPGs a.k.a The Problem That Doesn't Exist Have you passed your Spot Hidden check? Then you will note that Baz is on holidays, so Gaz is joined by the effable Stunt Baz, Guy Milner off of the Burn After Running blog to talk about investigative RPGs. What are the common pitfalls? What makes a good investigation? Which are the key games out there on the market? All this and more awaits keen-eyed investigators in this episode! Visit the Burn After Running blog for a pleth...
Jul 31, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Mike Shea Interview a.k.a Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master It's the Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master, or first time on the show for Mike Shea, also know as Sly Flourish on the Twitters. Mike's books about how to get the most out of the game prep and spend less time doing it have been an inspiration to many hard-pressed GMs, and the lads take a dive into his secrets and tease out details on how you can be smarter about your downtime activities while making your games at the table more awesome. ...
Jul 02, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Episode 144 - Games You Should Have Too In a continuation of last episode, the lads go through a veritable cornucopia of games that you should consider looking at, to round out your roleplaying chops. If you're looking for inspiration or fancy broadening your horizons, get your earballs round this episode covering settings, GM advice, adventure support, art & layout and much more! Johan Egerkrans is the Vaesen artist who went shamefully unnamed due to a memory lapse during recording! Be sure...
Jun 15, 2021•1 hr 12 min
Episode 144 - Games You Should Have The lads have been listening to other podcasts and hearing their thoughts on systems, creating a Frankenstein's monster of a game etc. and reminded of all the sections they have done on particular parts of games. It seemed about time to draw some of this together and go through a variety of games people should have in their collections for a more well rounded view of the gaming world. So, get ready to draw up a shopping list as The Smart Party rattle through a...
May 31, 2021•1 hr 19 min
Episode 143 - Shawn Tomkin Interview The lads get yet another special guest, Shawn Tomkin, creator of Ironsworn, who is currently in the process of bringing out his new Sci Fi game, Starforged. As usual, the boys get the inside scoop on design decisions and drill more into the solo play aspect, the dark art that is the Oracles and much more! Get more on Starforged at the Kickstarter page. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel . Get in touch, the...
May 13, 2021•1 hr
Episode 142 - Mattias Lilja Interview The lads get another special guest this time, Mattias Lilja, co-creator and game writer for Ruins of Symbaroum 5E from Free League. They talk about the difference between the original game and 5e version, and what effect that has on design. Also, a discussion on probabilities in gaming and does everyone understand the statistics behind them? Find out more on Ruins of Symbaroum for 5E at the Kickstarter page. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modu...
Apr 26, 2021•55 min
Episode 141 - Dennis Detwiller Returns (aka McReady From The Thing Drinking Scotch) The lads are delighted to invite back Arc Dream's Dennis Detwiller to talk about his latest project, Impossible Landscapes, helping out new RPG creators after reviewing 200+ products and hot new gossip about what's happening with Smart Party favourite GODLIKE, superhero roleplaying in World War II. Find out more on Delta Green at Arc Dream If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new Y...
Apr 16, 2021•1 hr 11 min
Episode 140 - Influential Games (aka Chained Lightning) There are many games that influence the way we play. Some have become almost lifelong companions; some deliver a great idea to be stolen and used elsewhere. Baz and Gaz got through some of the influential games that shaped their gaming and talk about others that perhaps defined parts of the roleplaying zeitgeist. Settle in for a classic episode discussing a good old fashioned RPG muse. Maybe pour yourself an Old Fashioned to go with it? If ...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr 7 min
