Tag Archives: Advice

Dungeons Not Dragons



Episode 176 – Dungeons Not Dragons

Whether you’re from the old school days of white-lined maps on blue backgrounds, or newly arrived at the idea of maps, scouring the internet for your Roll20 backgrounds, dungeons have a long and storied history in RPGs. Join the lads as they look back over the years at dungeons, what makes them good and how they can be used better.

Continue reading Dungeons Not Dragons


Third Floor Wars



Episode 173 – Third Floor Wars (a.k.a. Third Party Podcaster)

A third podcaster, Craig Shipman from Third Floor Wars joins the lads this time to talk about some of our collective GM experiences at running three different games. From Blades in the Dark to Savage Worlds by way of Call of Cthulhu, this mighty triumvirate of gaming tells you what’s hot and what’s not, with tips, tricks and experiences of running these popular RPGs.

Continue reading Third Floor Wars


Mechanics Drive Play



Episode 169 – Mechanics Drive Play (a.k.a. Long Chambery Things)

Following on from emergent play in the last episode, the lads go through a cornucopia of games and systems to talk about mechanics which drive different styles of play.

Continue reading Mechanics Drive Play


Emergent Play



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.

Continue reading Emergent Play


New Gaming Tech



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? Level up your RPG sessions with these top tips.

Continue reading New Gaming Tech


Subsystems



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!

Continue reading Subsystems


Advancement



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.

Continue reading Advancement


Investigation RPGs



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!

Continue reading Investigation RPGs


Mike Shea Interview – Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master



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.

Continue reading Mike Shea Interview – Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master