Role Playing Public Radio

The Flash is a spectacularly bad movie. Caleb, Spencer, and I got together to discuss exactly WHY it was so bad. I was part of a podcast called The Mixed Six for nearly 6 years. I had a blast making it and I’m proud of the episodes we made. It ended a year ago, but we came back together recently to record a reunion special episode. This is Hot Takes on Ice, a shorter podcast we did on a single take. I’m sharing it here because I think if you missed the Mixed Six when we were making on a...

Duration: 00:30:43

Architectural horror is a subgenre of intention. Novels like House of Leaves, movies like The Shining, the Saw series, and games like Control can all be called architectural horror, but what does that mean? Rob Stith of the Orpheus Protocol and I talk about the genre and my new scenario, The Night Clerk, which is now funding on Backerkit! If you want to know what the three types of architectural horror are, listen to this episode.

Back The Night Clerk on Backerkit!

The Orpheus Protocol RPG is now on DrivethruRPG.

Shout Outs

...

Duration: 01:08:18

A system-less RPG scenario is designed to be able to run in any system for a particular genre. Writing one is just as challenging as writing one for a single system. I’m launching a crowdfunding campaign on Backerkit for The Night Clerk, a system-less modern horror scenario, as a zine. In this episode, Caleb Stokes, author of No Security a collection of system-less scenarios, and I talk about them. I also go a bit into using Backerkit as a creator. We also discuss architectural horror and what that term means.

Sign up on the Backerkit pre-launch pa...

Duration: 01:00:24

Many RPGs use d20s for resolving combat, like D&D, 13th Age, and Lancer. Caleb and I have been playing a lot of d20 games recently and we wanted to talk about the nature of d20 combat. It’s a very swingy system, where every combatant can miss in a single round, resulting in nothing happening. Can this problem be fixed?

News: I am exporting all of RPPR’s back catalogue to Youtube! Listen to older episodes and share them with friends. Subscribe now to help us get more notice on the site.

Caleb is r...

Duration: 01:22:36

We ran a Fate Core campaign called Cointract Island on RPPR Actual Play. Over 16 episodes, a trio of heroes explored an island overrun with genetically engineered and cybernetically enhanced creatures. In this post mortem, Bridget, Fae, Lydia, and I discuss the campaign’s themes, the Fate system, and crypto bro culture.

Bridget as Felicia, cat girl bartender
Lydia as Aava Amaranth, cyborg hacker
Fae as ‘Emily);Drop Table;– (AKA Indy), a scrappy scavenger

Duration: 01:06:26

I talked with Greg Stolze, author of Reign, Termination Shock, co-author of Unknown Armies, and writer on many other books (and my co-host on Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast) about his new Kickstarter for Ships, a supplement for Termination Shock. We talked about the core mechanics for Termination Shock, game design, and crowd funding RPGs.

Back Ships: How to Build and Blast Them on Kickstarter now! Greg has his own Termination Shock actual play podcast, if you want to hear how the game plays.

I’ll be recording RPPR After Hours with Greg for the RPPR Patreon so...

Duration: 01:13:37

Delta Green is a popular horror RPG but it can be hard to understand how to get its tone or its procedural elements. Caleb, Jason, and I discuss some media to look at when trying to ‘get’ the Delta Green vibe. This is a preview episode of our new series on the RPPR Patreon, where we recommend media sources to inspire and inform for a particular genre or game.

Check out the entire Recommendizer series on our Patreon!

Check out Jason’s Warhammer streaming on Twitch!

Caleb is running Delta Green on Dead Channe...

Duration: 01:06:53

Caleb is back discussing his progress on Red Markets. After a recent gaming retreat, Caleb developed a theory he wanted to discuss in this episode, about the obscene and the scene. The scene represents the public, socially acceptable aspects of a given object or activity. The obscene refers to the hidden, taboo aspects. In RPGs, the scene is what we say about our games but the obscene is how we actually engage with them. “I hate this game. I’ve run a hundred sessions of it.” There’s the promised version of a game during its Kickstarter campaign, the version...

Duration: 01:04:32

In this episode, James Wallis, co-host of Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast and author of “Everybody Wins: Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made,” and I talk about what RPG designers can learn from board games. We talked about the history and influence of board games, the challenges of playtesting RPGs, and how incorporating board game mechanics can benefit RPG design. We also have some shout outs.

News: On the RPPR Patreon, on the newest episode of After Hours, we discuss the most horrifying spells in Dungeons and Dragons. On Recommendizer, Thad and I talk about good insp...

Duration: 01:18:30

Wizards of the Coast has stepped on a series of rakes with a series of proposed changes to the Open Gaming License (OGL). What is the OGL and why is WOTC is trying to destroy a popular thing in the industry? Caleb and I discuss what’s going on and what some possible outcomes of this controversy are.

News: Check out the newest episode of RPPR After Hours for a hilarious dive into the lowest rated Call of Cthulhu supplement!

Caleb is running through God’s Teeth with a new player group on Delta Green: Dead...

Duration: 01:11:23

Caleb and I discuss the possibility of creating a second edition of Red Markets and Base Raiders. It’s a major task, so examining the pros and cons is a necessary first step. Updating the mechanics, revising the lore, and improving the information design are all big challenges, not to mention the logistics of getting a game funded by crowdfunding.

Check out Hebanon Games to see Caleb’s latest game design work.

News: I started a new bonus podcast on the RPPR Patreon. Recommendizer is focused on media recommendations. In episode zero, we talk about two...

Duration: 01:00:06

We’re back for one more round with Synnibarr 3ED. Caleb, Thad, Baz, and I dive into the GM (or Fate in the parlance of Synnibarr). We’re all guests in Raven’s house, so find out what his wisdom for running a RPG is. What is the ADDA model? Why are there so many random tables? We’ll try to unravel the mystery that is Synnibarr but we may find ourselves stranded on the Worldship…

Join the RPPR Patreon to listen to the full episode!

Caleb has Delta Green Dead Channels

Baz is on Twit...

Duration: 00:11:23

News: There’s a horror video marathon on the RPPR Patreon Discord on Sunday October 30, starting at 3 pm CDT! Sign up for the RPPR Newsletter and get a FREE Monster PDF!

Synopsis: After watching the first 7 Saw movies in the last week, I realized that game design comes up in a lot in horror films. I got Chris and Aaron to talk about the franchise and other horror movies that intersect with game design topics. We mention Phantasm, Cube, Circle, Tremors, and a lot of other movies. A fun discussion just in time for the spookiest month of...

Duration: 01:24:17

Making a player character for Synnibarr Third Edition is perhaps the most challenging part of the game. Baz, Noah, Thad, and I attempt to make a group of characters for the game and discover that do not perceive reality in the same way that Raven McCracken does. We do learn that you can technically mount a chain gun on a horse though.

Listen to the full episode on the RPPR Patreon. Join today to get more bonus podcasts, RPPR Illustrated, and access to our Discord server! Join at the $10 tier to play in RPG one shots I’m...

Duration: 00:16:48

Designing new monsters for your RPG is a time honored tradition for most GMs. I got Greg Stolze and Caleb Stokes to talk about their approaches to creating new creatures for games. Is the monster a metaphor or just a weird new enemy to fight? Get some tips on becoming Dr. Frankenstein for your next game!

News: Caleb is running Delta Green on Twitch on September 28 at 6 pm CST. Follow the Delta Green Twitch channel to get notified when the game goes live. It should be fun!

Greg started a Patreon for his fiction. Sign...

Duration: 01:05:05

The Worldship is back! There’s a new edition of the Synibarr and we’re diving into it. I got a full round table of RPPR regulars to explore the Ultimate Adventurer’s Guide. Baz, Caleb, Noah, and Thad and I found so many different things, it’s hard to keep track of them all. From bizarre metaphysics to unbalanced spaceships, Synnibarr has it all!

Listen to the full episode on the RPPR Patreon today!

Duration: 00:13:08

Like so many other things, game design has changed in the post-pandemic world. Jeff Barber, author of Blue Planet, and Caleb Stokes, author of Red Markets, and I talk about work and the industry. Jeff’s been hard at work on Blue Planet: Recontact and Caleb talks more about Fae’s Anatomy and other projects he’s working on. We hit on everything from writing, art direction, to graphic design, and work/life balance.

Song: Cmon by 2Mello

Duration: 01:15:43

The Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute (CARI) is an amazing website that categorizes popular aesthetic trends from the last 70 years in pop culture. Baz, Thad, and I browsed through the categories and used them to come up with ideas for new RPGs, campaigns for existing RPGs, D&D source books, and board games.

This is a preview of the full episode now on the RPPR Patreon. If you want to hear about our other game ideas, join today!

Check out Baz on Twitch

Thad on Twitter

Music: A Secret Meeting/Edrics Precience...

Duration: 00:13:30

The Multiverse is back! Films and TV shows featuring the concept of a multiverse are more popular than ever, even though they are old hat in tabletop RPGs. Special guest Patrick from RPX and Tech Diff podcasts and I talk about ways you can implement a multiverse in your RPG and some examples. We also have some shout outs!

News: Don’t forget to check out the RPPR Patreon! Patrons can sign up for RPG consultations with Ross Payton – do you need help with your RPG project? Ross can help! We’re also still running the Ludonarrative Dissid...

Duration: 00:54:36

Many RPGs use cards in their mechanics, from playing cards to Tarot to custom decks of cards. We discuss some of these games, the types of mechanics we’ve seen and the history of card-based games.

If you enjoy this episode, back our Kickstarter for Season 2 of Ludonarrative Dissidents. This podcast is only possible with the help of backers and this time we’ll have a private RSS feed for early access to all episodes, plus other great rewards!

All of Season 1 is now available if you missed it. This episode will be the only one...

Duration: 01:25:24

The Terminator RPG was released as a PDF recently. A special guest, Jacqueline Bryk and I went through the game. It contains a lot of rules, including a dense system for hacking, something I hadn’t seen since Shadowrun and Cyberpunk. What makes a licensed game good or bad? We talk about the highlights and lowlights of the game and other licensed games out there. Plus shout outs!

Shout Outs

God Talker Nobody: A solo journal writing game about becoming a prophet of an obscure god. Mad God: A stop motion horror film of a descent in...

Duration: 01:18:13

News: The RPPR Patreon just finished a six part podcast series on the mega dungeon Castle Greyhawk. It’s a very funny and weird module and we had a lot of reviewing combing through it. Patrons at the $10 level and higher can get one on one RPG design/advice consultations in May and June. If you want Ross to look at your project, here’s your chance! We are also offering remastered actual play episodes of some classic episodes, like Somewhere Lane. Back the Patreon today to get all of these rewards and more!

Synopsis: Outcasts are a co...

Duration: 01:06:47

Castle Greyhawk (module WG7) might be the worst official D&D module of all time. A massive dungeon of 12 levels, each written by a different author, sounds like a great hack and slash module, but Castle Greyhawk has a twist. It’s supposed to be…funny. Puns, pop culture references and other ‘jokes’ populate the pages of this adventure.

Caleb, Rob, and I read the first two chapters to see what this infamous module had to offer. It’s fart-powered rocket monsters, adversarial GMing, and a NPC reaction table you won’t believe. Dare you brave the halls of Cas...

Duration: 01:25:32

The public domain expanded this year and Caleb and I dive into it to find gameable material. Anyone can use these books, images, or music, for whatever project they can imagine. I found a list of characters from pulp fiction magazines with such interesting heroes like the vigilante Crimson Clown, and a group of French boy scouts who explore the hollow earth.

News: We’re doing a weekly livestreams on Twitch and Youtube! The first episode is available publicly here. We’ll be looking at RPGs on DrivethruRPG and other sites for the best and the weirdest. If y...

Duration: 01:22:16

Quake 1 is an incredibly influential video game, not just to other video games, but to tabletop RPGs as well. We played Slipgate: Chokepoint recently. Now that we’ve re-played Quake 1 and a RPG inspired by it, Chris and I discuss the thematic and mechanical differences in translating pixels to a paper game.

(on a personal note – I plan to post more episodes here more frequently. The last few months were extremely hectic but now that the wedding is over, I can focus more on RPPR podcasting. I have a lot of great topics for upcoming episodes so stay...

Duration: 00:48:59

A new crew of smugglers start taking jobs in Duskvol. They call themselves the Blind Eyes and specialize in the weird and the occult. As the gang grows in power, they learn of an invisible war for control over the city between supernatural beings and ruthless factions and an incredibly powerful artifact that can change the course of history.

This episode, the players and I talk about what worked and what didn’t work in our 24 episode campaign of Blades in the Dark, both in game mechanics and the story of this particular game. If you missed an...

Duration: 01:03:14

My friend Chris (the voice of Ab3 in our early radio plays and a cool guy on Twitter) had an idea for a new series on RPPR. Tabletop RPGs have influenced video games since their creation. Video games have influenced tabletop RPGs for a while as well. In Pixel 2 Paper, we will focus on specific video games and their connection to tabletop RPGs. In the first episode, we will look at the video game, then in the second episode, we will do an actual play of a tabletop RPG linked to the video game and in the third episode...

Duration: 01:18:04

A cluster of enclaves in Missouri faces annihilation at the hands of a massive horde of the undead. Their only hope is to prepare for war, a job for their preeminent taker crew, the D4s. The crew uses an armored vehicle to take the largest scores of valuable goods they can find, no matter what gets in their way, whether it’s undead, human, or mother nature. In this episode, Jason B, Aaron, Maddy, David, and I talk about this campaign. How did Jason get the idea for it, how it was run, what we liked and what we...

Duration: 01:29:25

News: Check out Cody’s Kickstarter, Lose Your Own Paradise, a multiple choice adventure novel!

Cody’s back and we’re examining an interesting Ravenloft scenario, The Created. It’s about an evil puppet trying to murder all the adults in a village. Only a group of heroic adventurers can stop it! Cody and I review this scenario and talk through its unusual design.

If you like this episode, check out the RPPR Patreon and get access to many more episodes of RPPR After Hours.

Song: Alive after Death by John Carpenter

 

Duration: 01:13:53

Sponsor: Check out the Chew RPG Kickstarter!

After running a two part game with the new Forged in the Dark RPG, Chew, I wanted to talk to Pete Petrusha about the game. I liked how Chew ran differently than Blades as it focuses on investigating crimes instead of pulling off heists. Chew uses the FitD system but changes quite a few things about the mechanics from the original Blades in the Dark. Pete talks about the development cycle, how certain changes were made, and game design principles.

Duration: 00:54:53

News: Please fill out the RPPR Survey so I can improve the quality of the RPPR Patreon. Thanks!

Synopsis: Thad and I both have ideas for scenarios. I got an idea for an investigative scenario (probably Delta Green) after I watched a series called Fear City. It focuses on the FBI’s prosecution of the mafia in the early 80s and how wiretapping was a key component. So I thought why not build a scenario around wiretapping? Thad recently read a book called Strike about the history of labor organizing and thought that would be an interesting ch...

Duration: 01:27:25

NOTE: This is a preview of our most recent After Hours episode. If you want to listen to the full episode, subscribe to the RPPR Patreon for only $2 a month!

There’s one Palladium RPG we’ve barely mentioned and it’s now time to dissect it. Ninjas and Superspies is a bizarre mix of high tech espionage and martial art mysticism. It supposedly contains 41 unique martial art forms but as Baz, Rob, and I discover, it’s a bit weirder than that.

Rob’s podcast, The Orpheus Protocol is worth checking out.

Follow Baz...

Duration: 00:31:25

News: We’re remastering classic actual play episodes of RPPR! If you want to listen to Lady Gaga 2.0 with improved audio quality, download the episode here. If you want to pick which classic episodes are edited, back the RPPR Patreon before September 6. We’re running a special offer and I’ll be adding more rewards to the offer during this time. If the special offer does well, I’ll start remastering a lot of our episodes, including campaigns like Know Evil. Learn more on our Patreon post.

Listen to a clip of the original podcast with the remaster...

Duration: 01:02:19

We have another preview episode of After Hours from the RPPR Patreon! If you enjoy this episode, consider backing us to help support this podcast. Episodes 70 ,71, and 72 continue our descent into Inferno.

Synopsis: We’re going to Hell! Judge’s Guild put out a module called Inferno in 1980, ostensibly based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s a LOT. Caleb, Rob Stith (from the Orpheus Protocol) and Noah all followed me into this devilish scenario. We have so much to talk about that we are going to make a mini series of this journey as we could only get...

Duration: 01:10:43

News: Check out Arkham Cold Cases on the RPPR Patreon! Episode 4 features Caleb as a guest and it’s quite hilarious. Listen to a sample here. We’ve also picked a regular time for livestreams on the RPPR Patreon Discord – 6 pm CST on Sundays. Come hang out with us by joining the Patreon.

Synopsis: Over the last year, Shaun has become a fan of vtubers, a new type of performer on streaming services like Twitch and Youtube. They use custom face rig animation software to look like cartoon characters while they chat and play various games. Many vtuber...

Duration: 00:48:41

Caleb and I sat down to talk about his new project, Fae’s Anatomy. It parodies the stories found in procedural medical dramas. Think General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy, M.A.S.H, or House. Only insane, because who needs realism? It mixes over the top melodrama role playing with cooperative puzzle solving. Caleb talks about the design process, preparing it for Kickstarter, and using online tools like Discord for development and community management.

It’s currently on Kickstarter so check it out now.

Song: Pain Management by Zephyr Medical Group

Duration: 00:41:48

Ludonarrative Dissidents is a new podcast series from Ross Payton, Greg Stolze, and James Wallis. Check out the Kickstarter to help fund this project and get unique rewards!

In each episode, we plan to focus on a particular RPG, looking at its mechanics, setting, and everything else to see what makes this game tick. In this preview episode, we look at Apocalypse World, the RPG that launched a revolution in the indie RPG scene. We try to answer the following questions:

1) What the game does. 2) How it does it. 3) How people play it. 4) Why people...

Duration: 01:20:04

Jeff Barber recently spoke to me about his new project, Blue Planet Recontact. It’s the new, updated, definitive edition of the classic science fiction roleplaying game set on the wild, frontier waterworld of Poseidon. Blue Planet is a compelling RPG journey into humanity’s precarious future on a distant waterworld where political unrest and a hungry alien ecology threaten the nascent colony effort. ‘

Back Blue Planet Recontact on Kickstarter!

We talked about writing a new edition of the game, planning the Kickstarter, and the kind of work that went into it, from research to findin...

Duration: 00:53:58

The first full Delta Green campaign, Impossible Landscapes, is finally out. I’ve long awaited this book, as I have been fascinated with Carcosa and surreal horror since I first read Night Floors years ago. I caught up with Dennis Detwiller and Shane Ivey of Arc Dream Publishing to learn more about the book.  Read the essay that began it all, the Road to Hali.

Caleb also joined us to talk about his new project, Dead Channel, an upcoming Patreon focused on Delta Green products.

This episode will spoil some of the contents from Impossible Lan...

Duration: 01:05:44

This is Baz’s cat, heard at various points in this episode.

News: RPPR episodes are going to be a bit slower because I want to ensure quality episodes. We should have some game designer workshops this year because Caleb and I are both working on various projects.  Our weekly livestreams (every Sunday!) on the RPPR Patreon Discord are going strong with better quality audio. Join the Patreon to get an invite to the Discord!

Baz has set up a Minecraft realm for fans of his Twitch. Watch a stream to get invite info!

At Nig...

Duration: 01:03:52

News: Be sure to check out Good Brew Bad View’s episode with Caleb as a guest! Also, Maddy is streaming speedruns of Hades on Twitch.

Synopsis: It seems a lot of tabletop RPG Kickstarters are 5E D&D compatible settings or standalone games based on established franchises. Hellboy, Stargate, and Middle Earth all have 5E games. Special guest Max from Good Views Bad Brews Podcast, Aaron, Tom, and I pick some franchises and come up with better game ideas than simply slapping 5E rules on it. We cover everything from Hellblazer to Great British Bakeoff to cl...

Duration: 01:13:32

In this episode, we talk about potential games to make about Rio Olympics, plus part 2 of the Future King review, a review of Glory Hole Dwarven Mine from Judge’s Guild, and Tom brings in Mutazoids. We create a PC, Terry.

Song: IBM Lotus Night by Lindsheaven Virtual Plaza

If you enjoy this, consider supporting RPPR on Patreon. For only $2 a month, you can get an episode of After Hours plus more exclusive content, like art and access to our Discord!

Terry has the following mutations:

Mushroom Shaped Head – with...

Duration: 01:33:31

News: Check out the schedule for our schedule for livestreaming on the RPPR Patreon Discord! Also, we’ve been posting some banger episodes on the Mixed Six, so don’t forget to check that out if you haven’t already!

Synopsis: Caleb and I have recently watched the classic Argento film, Deep Red, and it sparked a discussion on investigative games. It demonstrates the challenge of interpreting clues versus finding clues. It also shows the perils of chasing red herrings. If you’ve struggled to run a good mystery game, especially a Gumshoe Engine game, this episode is for y...

Duration: 01:05:21

Caleb has restarted work on Slingstone, his superhero-slaying RPG. We have some playtests of the first version of Slingstone on RPPR B-Sides volume 5 if you want to hear that. I have an idea for a zine system-free version of Night Clerk, one of our more popular AP episodes. We also talk about creativity in the age of Covid-19.

Music: Private Caller by Saint Pepsi

Duration: 00:48:08

News: If you haven’t listened to Night Clerk Radio in a while, check out our most recent episodes. We’ve fine-tuned our editing, so they’re even better than before! The RPPR Patreon is back on track, after a slight delay last month. Be sure to check out our latest After Hours episode where we playtest a game about making up bad game ideas.

Synopsis: I am running a Blades in the Dark campaign so I got Aaron, Bill and Jeff Barber (who has run his own campaign of Blades in the Dark) to discuss the system...

Duration: 01:22:14

News: My book Zombies of the World is out! Buy it today! Don’t forget to check out Night Clerk Radio as well.

Synopsis: We are preparing for a Blades in the Dark campaign, so Caleb, Birk, and I talk about planning heists as players. Heists are harder for some players to comprehend because force isn’t always an option. Discretion and cunning are harder to learn than murderhoboery, but hopefully this will help!

Shout Outs

Sun Down Motel: A novel about a haunted motel and two women who investigate it Sentient: a comic abou...

Duration: 01:04:06

News: If you like this episode, consider backing the RPPR Patreon to get 4 years of After Hours episodes, plus early access to Actual Plays, and access to our Discord. I am streaming weird videos like my movie Motor Home from Hell!

Also, my book Zombies of the World, is now out!

Synopsis: Our listeners have been sending in some great review fodder, so Caleb reviews Cyberskelter, a scenario anthology for Cyberspace, the same RPG that was responsible for Death Valley Free Prison. I review part of the Future King, a batshit insane RPG/adventure that...

Duration: 01:51:02

News: Zombies of the World is being reprinted in hardcover! Get a copy today! Also, check the BPB Twitter for our Savage Tokusatsu livestream dates. It’s now Sunday May 31 at 6 pm CST (it was moved after we recorded this episode).

Synopsis: Savage Worlds is a popular RPG system and it’s easy to see why. Low price, lots of settings and quick to play. Kyle Carty of Best Pal Brigade and I talk about the system and its strengths and weaknesses.

Shout Outs

Tonight We Riot: A crowd brawler about liberating society from an o...

Duration: 00:58:55

We are adding weekly livestreams to the RPPR Patreon via our Discord! More info is available on the Discord so sign up today. I will be posting classic episodes of After Hours on this feed for the next few months but if you want to binge all of them, you can for only $2 a month.

Synopsis: Did you know some people try to hypnotize themselves into believing they are ponies from My Little Pony? Well, I’m not going to link it. But it’s terrible and real. Aaron, Tom, Shaun, and I discuss better things those peop...

Duration: 01:27:14

News: Night Clerk Radio is now available! Birk and I have created a new music review podcast focusing on vaporwave, dark ambient, and other haunted genres of music. Listen today on your podcasting app of choice or on Youtube.

Synopsis: Running and playing tabletop games online has become extremely popular lately so Birk, Kyle (from Best Pal Brigade featured in our episode art) and I discuss our experiences. There are many platforms to play games but choosing one is not the only challenge. Learning the differences between online and IRL games is essential to having a great...

Duration: 01:02:20

RPPR’s most innovative GM, Bridget, and Fae have released the first chapter of their kinetic novel, Cry. It’s about “a road-tripping story about two cryptid-hunters. Follow the exploits of Lorelei Loveless, destitute witch, as she travels the countryside and comes face-to-face with the weird, the wild, and the forgotten.” I talked to them about how they came up with the idea, the challenges they faced making it, and what they have planned in the future.

Support Cry on Sponsus to get regular updates about its development.

Follow Crynovel on Twitter.

Follow Bridget...

Duration: 00:59:02

News: RPPR B-Sides Volume 5: Gaming Gains is now on sale! Get 20 exclusive actual play episodes featuring a Caleb mini-campaign, Red Markets, Delta Green, and more! Also, check out the trailer for our upcoming new podcast, Night Clerk Radio! Don’t forget to check out Best Pal Brigade as well.

Synopsis: Itch.io is an indie game storefront that has recently expanded to physical games like RPGs and card games. As a competitor to DrivethruRPG, Itch.io has attracted a variety of indie tabletop games, including ones that you can’t find on DrivethruRPG. Kyle from Best Pal Brig...

Duration: 01:17:55

News: We are working on a new podcast called Night Clerk Radio, where we review vaporwave, dark ambient, and other haunted genres of music. Our website is live with a trailer. We plan to launch soon!

Synopsis: Skills in RPGs are an important element but many games don’t get them right. Many games have too many skills while others have no skills at all. Caleb and I talk about good and bad skill systems in RPGs and how it has changed over the years. Caleb also brings up real life skills, like rhetoric, versus their in-game eq...

Duration: 01:06:17

News: The RPPR Patreon has a special offer. Back at the $10 level by February 3 and get RPPR B-Sides Volume 5! This new volume contains 20 actual play episodes featuring Zweihander, Red Markets, Delta Green, and some unique games in development! Learn all the details in this post.

Synopsis: What is a Mega Game? Mega Games are a mash-up of Traditional Roleplaying Games, Board Games, and LARP, with a bit of war-gaming thrown in to spice things up. They are large scale activities played in one session over several hours, involving as few as twenty and as many as hundreds...

Duration: 00:57:16

News: Birk and I are working on a new podcast called Night Clerk Radio. We have a Twitter account set up to make future announcements. We plan to launch it early next year. Stay tuned!

Synopsis: Alien the Role Playing Game is out, based on the long-standing franchise. So how does it stack up? Birk and I have read through the rules and I’ve run a scenario (Chariot of the Gods, soon to be on RPPR Actual Play) so we have some thoughts on it. Find out what we have to say about it and whether it...

Duration: 00:44:49

Many listeners have asked me for advice on running their first game. After the most recent question, I realized we didn’t have an episode explicitly focused on this topic. Special guest Kory Bing, Tom, and I discuss how to prepare for your first game, from session zero, to the social contract, and designing your first adventure. We also talk about Kory’s comic, Skin Deep, and its rich lore.

Shout Outs

Skin Deep: A webcomic about supernatural beings living in human society Sea Salt: Control Dagon’s monster horde to punish the villagers Kory Bing’s store...

Duration: 01:07:04

The SCP Foundation is a subgenre of speculative fiction, covering horror, fantasy, and sci-fi, all contained in a very specialized writing style, meant to reflect the internal documentation of a mysterious organization that secures, contains, and protects weird objects and entities. I talked to a volunteer of the SCP Wiki, Vivax, to discuss how SCP fiction can inspire GMs and players. Check out the following resources on the wiki:

The SCP Canon Hub Groups of Interest SCP 93 – Red Sea Object SCP 2845 – The Deer

Music: The SCP Foundation main theme by Ajoura

Duration: 01:04:24

Red Markets has a whole line of supplements, such as Veblen Goods and Trabajo, an enclave book. Sean Farris, one of the writers behind the Veblen Guide, visited Springfield and talked to Caleb and I about Red Markets. We discussed the challenges writing supplements for an existing game and collaborating with others, among other topics.

Song: Needle and Thread by Kill Matilda

Duration: 00:38:51

News: Check out the latest RPPR After Hours for an in-depth discussion on traps in fantasy RPGs!

Synopsis:Thad and I both recently played Control, a new video game about a secret government agency that tries to protect the world from supernatural forces while also trying to exploit that power for their own ends. Obviously, this is a riff on the SCP Foundation, but even that is part of a larger tradition of giant and usually evil (or at least corrupt) bureaucracies in horror games. Whether they are corporate or governmental, these bureaucracies wield as much power...

Duration: 01:30:07

Three game designers discuss their current projects and answer audience questions at Gen Con 2019. Find out about the new edition of Blue Planet, the latest from Red Markets, and more!

Panelists:

Ross Payton
Jeff Barber – Get the Quickstart guide for Blue Planet: Recontact for free!
Caleb Stokes – Get Trabajo now!

Duration: 00:54:10

More Gen Con coverage continues with Jay B, Renee, and Aaron. We discuss escape rooms, Space Hulk, and a lot more!

Games Discussed below the fold

Song: ??? by ? ? Corp. & t e l e p a t h

Oink Games: Publishes Deep Sea Adventures, Troika, and Dungeons of Mandom Epic Adventure Candles: scented candles with fantasy themes Western Legends: A Western open sandbox adventure board game Atelier: a board game about painting masterpieces Space Hulk: a miniatures Warhammer 40k board game Into the Dragon’s Lair Escape Room: Link goes to the room’s or...

Duration: 01:02:12

We are back from Gen Con and we have a lot to talk about! In fact, we had so much to talk about it, I split the episode into 2 parts. Caleb, Maddy, special guest Sean Farris, and I talk about the games we played and bought and other highlights. In the second segment of this episode, Tom and Greg talk about their experiences.

Games we discuss (in no particular order, below the fold)

Song: 10 years of Vaporwave by EIS

Eclipse Phase Second Edition: A new edition of the transhuman sci-fi horror RPG ...

Duration: 01:28:33

I have attended every Gen Con since 2007 and it has become a very important part of my life. It led to the creation of RPPR, my career in RPG writing, and the start of many deep friendships. Without RPPR, I would have never met Maddy. I have no idea what my life would be without Gen Con, RPPR, and Maddy. Enjoy this very special RPPR Live!

Duration: 01:03:57

News: The RPPR Patreon has a new milestone and if we reach it, we will create new RSS feeds for your favorite classic campaigns, like Know Evil. This will allow you to easily download them with your favorite podcasting app. Learn more details on our Patreon. We have an example RSS feed for the Final Revelation campaign.

Synopsis:Our campaign of Reign, Nagalisitu, is over. We got together to discuss the story, the game mechanics, and what we thought of the Hunting Pack’s journey. Find out where the title word comes from, our favorite moments, and a...

Duration: 01:01:15

News: The RPPR Patreon has a new podcast, Questing for Answers! We’ve posted 2 episodes already and if you’re a patron, your questions can be answered in the next episode.

Synopsis: Origins has come and gone and Birk and I have a blast there. The Shadowrun 6th Edition Beginner Box was released there so we picked up some copies for review. Bridget, our resident Shadowrun GM, joins in to see what’s changed for the new edition. Birk and I discuss a new sci-fi horror RPG, Mothership, as well as the RPGs we played at Origins.

...

Duration: 01:16:36

Caleb is working on a new game! Called Doctor, Witch Doctor, it’s a fun storytelling game about medical melodrama shows and magic. Make up magical cures for weird magical diseases! Get addicted to weird magical drugs! We also talk about outlining larger projects, Red Markets updates, and Upwind: Three Beasts.

Song: Witch Doctor by Erthling

Duration: 00:54:53

Cool villains are hard to pull off in RPGs, mainly because players tend to kill them as soon as possible. Aron, Tom, and I got together to talk about how to make villains more memorable in games. Perhaps they can’t be killed easily or come back after death (thanks raise dead spells!) or killing them won’t stop the plan. I also talk about some ideas for future Base Raiders projects!

Shout Outs

Advanced Death Saves: A comic anthology themed around tabletop RPGs. Spinnortality: A cyberpunk corporation simulator. Buy the planet. Night in the Woods: A br...

Duration: 01:20:01

Many RPG campaigns inevitably have at least one session that’s more about shopping for new items and gear. Some players love it and others hate it. How important are items and associated game mechanics for them? Caleb, Jay B, and I discuss the differing philosophies of items in various RPGs, from Phoenix Command’s detailed rules to Fiasco’s non-existent rules for items. We also discuss an upcoming gear book for Red Markets, plus shout outs and anecdotes.

News: Party Fowl is out! If you haven’t already got a copy of the best duck-themed social gatherin...

Duration: 01:22:30

News: We have a new series on the RPPR Patreon called Mashup Mayhem. We take different things and mash them together to make RPGs. Our latest episode merges the AvP franchise with the Cthulhu mythos.

In tabletop RPG industry news, a game designer, Zak Smith, has been accused of sexual assault and abuse by four women, including his former partner, Mandy Morbid. I believe them. He has been banned from Gen Con. Please do not buy any of his books. Much more information can be found here.

Synopsis: Railroading is a problem for the table...

Duration: 01:06:57

News: I have started using Instagram! Check out my photos and videos of PAX South! Also, Adam Scott Glancy has a campaign of Hollow Earth Expedition on RPPR Tabletop Tales. If you’re looking for exciting pulp action, check it out!

Synopsis: We have been playing Scum and Villainy, a Forged in the Dark system RPG, for several months. Our campaign is going up on extended early access on the RPPR Patreon, but Aaron, Shaun, Tom, and I wanted to talk about the game now. We discuss a bit about our campaign, the game’s rules, and our...

Duration: 01:46:10

In this preview of January’s Patreon bonus podcasts, we look at Netflix’s Bandersnatch and the ramifications of mashing up Dungeons and Dragons with wrestling. If you liked this preview, click on the links below to access the full episodes on Patreon:

RPPR After Hours: Choose Your Own Netflix

Mashup Mayhem: D&D and Wrestling

Duration: 00:09:36