Discussion 32: Tone

Posted in Discussions, Non-Actual Play, RPG Only on July 5th, 2011 by Kevin Weiser

CJ, Troll, and Kevin attempt (with some difficulty) to define tone, how it affects play at the table, and different systems that use a variety of tricks to reinforce their tone.

Relevant Links

Crunchy Bits!

  • Intro and Outro music by 

Podcast: |

Tags: , , Arcanum, Ars Magica, Baldur's Gate, , , China Mielville, Dogs in the Vineyard, Don't Rest Your Head, Dread, , Dudes of Legend, Dungeon World, FATAL, Fiasco, Grey Ranks, Hackmaster, HOL, Houses of the Blooded, , John Wick, Joss, Kill Puppies for Satan, Lady Blackbird, Luke Crane, Millennium's End, Paranoia, , , Rolemaster, RPG.net, , Shock: Human Contact, SSI, The Podgecast, ,

22 Comments »

Discussion 28: The Same Page Tool

Posted in Discussions, Non-Actual Play, RPG Only on April 12th, 2011 by Kevin Weiser

A while ago Kevin stumbled across Chris Chinn’s “Deeper in the Game” blog and quickly became a fan. Chris discusses a lot of interesting topics and puts a lot of thought into each post. One entry in particular caught his attention: The Same Page Tool. This was a tool RPG gamers can use before playing a game to make sure everyone is on the same page for what they expect out of this game, with these people. Kevin, Jen, and Troll had just been in a Mutants and Masterminds game with a new GM, and it became very obvious after just one session that we were not all on the same page. We go through the Same Page Tool question by question and discuss the implications of each question, using the aborted M&M game as an example of how it could help.

Relevant Links

Crunchy Bits

  • Intro and Outro music by 

Podcast: |

Tags: , , , , , , D&D, , Deckard Cain, Deeper in the Game, Gary Gygax, , , , Mouse Guard, , Neverwinter Nights, Paranoia, Progress Quest, , tom Moldvey, , , , , Zombie Cinema

10 Comments »

Interview 16: Ron Edwards on The Forge’s Winter Phase

Posted in Interview, Non-Actual Play, RPG Only on November 22nd, 2010 by Kevin Weiser

When Ron Edwards announced posted on The Forge that the site would be entering it’s “winter phase” there was a bit of a hullabaloo about just what exactly that would mean for the site. I quickly shot Ron an email asking if he’d like to take some time to discuss what this all meant, and the general perception of The Forge on the internet as a whole. What followed was a fascinating conversation about identity politics, the economics of small-press gaming, and the difficulties of communication on the Internet. Enjoy!

Relevant Links

Crunchy Bits!

  • Intro and Outro music provided by 

Podcast: |

Tags: 3rd Coast Games, Action Castle, , Battletech, Bliss Stage, Brennan Taylor, , , Champions, Chicagoland Games, , Des Moines Social Club, Diana Jones Awards, Dogs in the Vineyard, FAFSA, games Workshop, GNS, Greg Stolze, , Hero System, Houses of the Blooded, Indie Press Revolution, Irish Charity Auctions, Iron Tyrants, , Jonathan Tweet, , Kevin Siembieda, Legend of the Five Rings, Lion Rampant, Metagaming Concepts, Naked Went the Gamer, Origins Award, Over the Edge, Pendragon, Peter Atkinson, , Robin D. Laws, , RPG.net, Ryan Dancey, , Steve Jackson, Story-games, The Forge, The Gaming Outpost, The Meese Comission, The Podgecast, Universalis, , Wizard

5 Comments »

Dresden Files Actual Play Session 1

Posted in Dresden Files RPG, Play Sessions, RPG Only on September 4th, 2010 by Kevin Weiser

After a month and a half of cons, vacations, natural disasters and technical difficulties, we finally get a chance to sit down and play us some Dresden Files RPG by Evil Hat. This first session is our second try at city creation. The first time we decided on Anchorage, AK, and this time around we go a very different direction with Washington, D.C. A few changes have happened since our last run though a game. We got Jen back on the show as a regular, we lost Dan due to Real Life (aka. work schedule conflicts, but he’ll still be doing the Comics Cast) and for this game we’ve got the return of Troll, whom you may remember from our Dread Halloween Special.

Relevant Links

Crunchy Bits

Podcast: |

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

7 Comments »