* (2:28) Chris meets a person and is impressed by the event.

* (8:38) Telling a story at varying levels of epic-ness.  What it means for a story to be epic.  The importance of the small stories, even when told in the context of larger events.  Keeping the players connected to the characters and not just the plot arc.  You can find the Dark Dungeons tract here.  And, finally, the Crest Kids versus the Cavity Creeps.

Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat

* (2:03) A discussion about why Tex and Dan used to hate Chris leads into some insight on the work Chris did for FASA and the rejection letter he got for a Shadowrun adventure about Mars.  Yes, you read that right.

* (13:11) The distinction between writing a module and writing an adventure.

* (24:22) Player-characters getting taken into captivity.  Giving it the right context.  The opportunities it presents.  The stories that occur while people are in captivity.  Planning a plausible escape.  Data rapping about his cat to Dr. Dre’s The Next Episode.  Dan in the bad-GM corner so the group can do a double-blind plan.

Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (0:57) Issues of responsibility.   Within a roleplaying group, who buys the books?  How do you fairly divide materials and labor?  Whether hosting the event or running the game should count toward those social obligations.

* (36:48) Handling mass combat in a game while still making the players feel like their characters are an important part of it.  Allowing them the most important tasks or a higher level of power.  Giving military context or emotional value to the smaller objectives of war.  Chad gave me two pictures from the D&D city battle we did.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, John, Wayne

* (12:04) The matrix and its way of breaking up the party.  The steps Catalyst is taking to make deckers a bigger part of the primary story instead of an isolated side game.

* (25:09) The organization of the team creating 5th edition.

* (27:06) The things coming up for Shadowrun, starting with an introductory box set.

* (29:17) A unified portal for Shadowrun, which you can find here.  Also Shadowrun Returns and  Shadowrun Online.

* (39:39) Mark will be running a Shadowrun game at FRAG Con.

Hosts: Dan, John, Julia, Wayne

Guests: Mark Dynna

* (1:43) You can find information on Fear the Con 6′s official charities here.

* (4:18) Introducing our guest, Mark Dynna.

* (5:54) What Shadowrun’s PACs are and why we love them.

* (8:26) Shadowrun 5th edition as a case study on how large and mid-sized game companies develop their flagship products.

* (10:55) How Mark got started in game development.

* (169:44) The motivation behind a new edition.

* (28:32) How the artwork of a game can help reveal or misrepresent a game’s intentions.  You can find the new cover here.

* (31:44) Planning the feel for 5th edition.  Immediate and measurable consequence for choices made in character creation.  Looking back to prior editions for inspiration.

Hosts: Dan, John, Julia, Wayne

Guests: Mark Dynna

* (2:38) The Kickstarter for Hyperreality.

* (6:05) Dan versus Grey Goose.  Dan wins.

* (9:38) Chris versus audio.  Nobody wins.

* (11:51) Giving players really advanced notice of a game session.

* (15:27) Chris invites someone to a game in all the wrong ways.

* (24:40) The surprising number of non-nerds in IT.

* (27:35) Colossus: The Forbin Project, Deus Ex, and Watch Dogs.

* (35:26) A question about standing in line in a video game leads to a discussion of the positive and negative impacts of video game achievements.

Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, John, Julia

* (1:29) Thoughts and prayers for Jake and his brother, Erick.  You can send wishes to his forum account, Pinofski.  (You’ll need to be logged in to our forums for that link to work.)

* (2:26) Registration for Fear the Con is still up and running.  Also Iron Man 3 and the Sober Driver Brigade.

* (7:17) The two kinds of failure in a roleplaying game: mechanical failure and story failure.

* (10:01) Handling mechanical failure.  Identifying whether the problem is a poor understanding of the game or just crappy luck.

* (14:30) The importance of perception.  How buy-in can make failure in an RPG so much harder to accept than failure in books or movies.  The degree of IC/OOC separation.

* (31:39) The role of the GM in mitigating feelings of defeat.

* (40:51) Games with an intentionally unhappy ending or multiple endings.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, Johann, Pat

* (9:14) A shout-out to the guys who have put out a Matrix RPG.

* (10:40) Sign-up for our own convention, Fear the Con, is still running.

* (10:49) If you’re interested in a convention on the east coast, be sure to check out 1d4Con in Winchester, Virginia, Friday, April 26th to Sunday, April 28th.

* (11:51) And it goes back there again.  The Ryan versus Chad sock puppet pony conversation can be found here.

* (13:19) If you’re interested in writing, stop by Fear the Boot’s own writers’ guild.  Their next online meetup is on Saturday, March 16th.  Check the forum area or send a PM to Sion for more information.

* (15:37) Why Dan can’t do his own game session reviews.

* (17:13) An object lesson on “forced success”, drawing from our most recent game.

* (21:16) Giving success to your characters as a way of keeping the game intact and the plot moving forward.  Balancing the value of internal consistency versus player enjoyment.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, John, Wayne

* (1:44) Introducing the one question personality tests.

* (4:32) People that don’t own TVs.

* (6:10) Red, green, or blue?

* (8:52) Protoss, Terran, or Zerg?

* (10:05) Dwarf, human, or elf?

* (12:15) Zombie apocalypse or alien invasion?

* (13:22) Summer or winter?

* (16:47) Fighter, wizard, cleric, or thief?

* (18:20) Fantasy, steampunk, or sci-fi?  Our Monsters Are Different.

* (23:50) Star Trek or Star Wars?

* (28:53) Elvis or Beatles?

* (31:09) MMO or single player?

* (33:27) Zombie, vampire, or werewolf?

* (39:33) In video games, male or female characters?

* (43:53) Rich or famous?

* (46:44) PVP or PVE?

* (51:08) Basketball, baseball, or football?

* (55:54) Sleek or clunky robots?

Hosts: Dan, John, Julia, Wayne

* (3:35) An update on the postcard contest.

* (4:17) Fear the Con is coming up.  If you’re arriving early for the tourism, please send an email to Dan with your contact information, arrival time, and method of travel, so we can keep you in the loop.  Failing that, we’ll also be updating our Twitter feed with event information as we migrate about the area.

* (7:57) Playing a character with a disability.  The motivations for playing such a character.  Handling it with dignity and sensitivity.  When it’s probably best to avoid the topic completely.

Hosts: Dan, John, Julia, Wayne

* (9:32) Choosing traditional publication versus self-publication.

* (18:08) Name placement on a list or bookstore shelf.

* (20:17) The importance of marketing your book and yourself as an author.  How name recognition led to the creation of Fear the Boot.

* (42:38) A few quick notes on Kickstarter and other methods of fundraising.  Monte Cooke’s book, Kicking It.  Joel and Tristan’s first interview with Postcards from the Dungeon.  (As of this release, the follow-up has not yet been posted, but be sure to keep watching their site!)

* (44:18) A wrap-up of what everyone is doing and where you can find their work.

Hosts: Chuck, Dan, Joel, John, Tristan

Chuck Wills’ Chronicles of Spire in ebook or print.

Joel Dalenberg and Tristan Zimmerman’s The GM’s Real World Reference on DriveThru.  You can also find Tristan over at Dragonlance Canticle.

John Grana’s Bloodmoon Goblins on DriveThru and Paizo.

* (11:18) What motivated each author to get started.

* (17:18) Tips for seeing a project through to completion.  Collaboration, accountability to an audience, and the danger of relying on a “future self”.  The importance of small, realistic milestones.

* (28:45) The closest they came to failure and what kept it from happening.

* (41:14) Setting a reasonable view of success.

* (49:08) Editing non-fiction.  The relationship between legends, history, and the cultural context of both.

Hosts: Chuck, Dan, Joel, John, Tristan

The discussion continues in part 2!  In the meantime, you can find the work of these fine folks at the following links.

Chuck Wills’ Chronicles of Spire in ebook or print.

Joel Dalenberg and Tristan Zimmerman’s The GM’s Real World Reference on DriveThru.  You can also find Tristan over at Dragonlance Canticle.

John Grana’s Bloodmoon Goblins on DriveThru and Paizo.

* (5:49) Fear the Fruit.

* (6:38) Boots the Pegasus t-shirt orders.

* (7:38) Signup for Fear the Con 6 rolls on, and tickets are now available for purchase!

* (9:45) The death of a bard.  Just how much a Game Master should warn a player about the risks they’re taking.

* (19:36) Why Pat should play Skyrim: naked mods.

* (21:09) Why cyberpunk isn’t as accessible as it used to be, and how Shadowrun bridges that by swapping out certain themes.

* (31:49) The persistence of roleplaying games when compared to other forms of entertainment.  Whether an RPG can feel too dated in its premise or setting to be playable.

Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Julia, Pat

* (0:57) John makes a Shadowrun character.

* (7:26) The various models roleplaying games use for representing damage to your character.  Shaken, stunned, and otherwise losing control of your character.

* (11:49) What damage actually represents: injuries versus the loss of will to fight.

* (13:53) The relationship between damage, the duration of combat, and the feel of the game.

* (18:13) Accumulating wounds instead of losing health.

* (20:42) How a setting can make less descriptive damage more helpful to the feeling and flow of a game.

* (26:25) The models we each prefer and the reasons why.

* (35:10) How healers affect the way we view injuries.

* (41:01) Swapping out the combat system of a particular game.

Hosts: Dan, John, Pat, Wayne

* (5:37) Chad takes umbrage with Wayne’s comments about spelling errors in his games.  If you want to check out his free one-shotters, you can grab them right here.

* (8:55) The movies of 2013.  Django.  Trying to see movies when you have young kids.  Pacific Rim.  Oblivion.  All Superheroes Must Die.  Man of Steel.

* (28:05) Getting too into a character.  The baggage brought to a table, and the blurry line between character and player.  Compartmentalizing who you associate with.

* (54:55) Soap baby, round three.  Fight.

Hosts: Chad, Johann, Pat, Wayne

* (1:37) Gaming New Years resolutions for 2013.

* (22:01) The various approaches to personal wealth and the broader economy of a roleplaying game.

* (25:44) A quick update on the new things we’ve learned about soap baby.

* (27:14) Back to your regularly schedule episode…

* (29:17) The methods for determining a character’s starting cash and gear.

* (46:32) Wealth and economy during the course of play.

* (54:53) Character wealth from the standpoint of the GM.

Hosts: Chris, Dan, John, Julia, Pat

* (1:23) You can find Chad’s free games through Morning Skye Studio.

* (2:29) Dan guest hosted on two other shows: Dragonlance Canticle and MasterCast.

* (3:17) Julia gets pantsed.

* (5:26) Dan goes to first grade with Dawn.  The many nations of Missouri and the misspelled town of Rolla.

* (9:22) Dan almost gets pantsed.

* (12:34) John and Pat go bowling.

* (16:38) Wayne and the bingo wand.

* (20:32) Wayne and the soap baby.

* (27:08) What an actual non-crush looks like.

* (30:39) The Hamburglar ring and an actual robbery.

* (35:28) Wayne ups the ante.

* (38:19) Julia loves America.  Pat attributes it to…something else.

* (40:40) The playoffs + Action Nerds: Go! + Dan’s house = damage to Dan’s house?  Aggression, sports, and the intersection thereof.  You can find Dungeon Crawl Classics here.

Hosts: Dan, Julia, Pat, Wayne

* (0:20) John’s Bloodmoon Goblins Pathfinder supplement is now available for sale as a PDF, with print soon to follow.

* (2:22) The  ecology and agenda of monsters in Pathfinder Online.

* (3:42) The nature of existing (and eventually expanded) “theme park” content as opposed to the “sandbox” content.

* (6:08) The reason we need to ask hard questions about this MMO.

* (8:06) Does the gaming world really need another fantasy MMO?  The historical context for Pathfinder Online’s creation.

* (16:29) The cash model for the game.  The points at which it will likely be subscription-based versus “freemium” or completely free-to-play.

* (18:02) Given the market climate — and Paizo’s obvious claim to fame — why not focus the resources into a high-end virtual tabletop instead of an MMO?

* (19:26) The graphical enhancements planned between the tech demo and actual game.

* (21:15) The purpose of the second Kickstarter, particularly in light of investor funding.

* (31:53) How is player feedback going to be gathered and used to alter the game world during the design process?  How is Paizo involved in the game’s development?

* (35:52) Balancing the influence of project backers when comparing the number of people on one side against the depth of pocketbooks on the other.

* (37:27) How Goblinworks is defining the game’s “beta” and why there’s a subscription attached to it.  Whether there’s intended to be any character-resource resets or similar setbacks during the beta.

* (45:58) Mark’s interest in seeing large-scale combat look more like authentic, Medieval warfare.

* (48:45) A round-up of the relevant links.  You can checkout the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter right here.  If you want to visit Mark’s blog, that would be here.  And finally, our postcards contest is up for voting over here.

Hosts: Dan, Johann, John, Pat

Guests: Mark Kalmes

If you’re interested in backing the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter, you can do so here.

* (0:43) The postcards contest is ready for your vote to pick the grand prize winner!  Get your votes in here!

* (1:08) Some breaking news on the Pathfinder MMO: Mark tells us about the upcoming “Guild Land Rush”.

* (5:26) Introducing Mark Kalmes.  City of Heroes (and Villains), the Mastermind, and the game’s shutdown.  Asheron’s Call and Meridian.

* (11:49) Mark’s work in robotics.

* (14:12) The relationship between Goblinworks and Paizo.

* (15:58) How close will the MMO stick to the Pathfinder tabletop rules?  The nature of a class-less, skill-based system.  How characters advance, how they’re capped, and how new players can enter a world alongside well-established ones.

* (32:51) Player-versus-player combat in Pathfinder Online.  The reasoning behind the lack of PVE (or purely consensual PVP) options.  The role of NPC hirelings.  A player-based economy and the importance of inter-player relationships.

* (46:37) Breaking into an established world.  Finding a role for your character and a piece of land for your house.

* (51:09) The consequences of character death.

* (53:36) The relationship between the in-game and real-world economies.  We also talk about active subscriptions versus playing on a lapsed subscription.  The story of Second Life and the IRS.

* (58:41) The number and structure of servers, and the number of accounts per server.  Hurdles put in place to keep one guild from dominating the game world.

* (1:02:17) How the casual and solo players fit into the order of things.

Hosts: Dan, Johann, John, Pat

Guests: Mark Kalmes

* (1:50) You can find the details on Fear the Fruit here.

* (2:27) Voting on the postcard grand prize winner will begin soon!  I’m just waiting on one more show to get me their winning card.

* (3:28) Derpy Hooves, Bruticus, Orson Welles and the green peaness, the Pros and Cons podcast, the Dinosaurs boardgame, disgusting sodas, and a canoe.

* (22:12) Getting and maintaining a group’s focus in a game.  Allowing for reasonable outbursts of humor and socialization, without letting it disrupt play.  I couldn’t find a video for “the clown is down”, but I at least found the longer quote it’s from.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (2:32) The existence or absence of critical miss rules in various systems, and whether they’re needed to add parity to critical hits.

* (20:18) Why GMs should not make obfuscation and frustration their go-to method of building a plot.  Times we’ve encountered this in the past.  Whether improv GMs are more prone to this particular mistake and some suggestions on a better way to structure even a “single-objective” plot.

* (45:39) Apparently game companies think Christmas is in March this year.  You can find Karla’s wish list site here.

Hosts: Dan, John, Julia, Pat

As a side note, while Pros & Cons has a similar “no politics, no religion” policy to our own, Saving the Game is a Christian podcast.  It’s not aggressive toward other worldviews, but consider this fair warning that it does carry an overtly religious perspective.

* (0:05) Chris demands the bonus episode disclaimer.  Johann delivers!

* (1:19) The premise (and ditched titled) for the episode.

* (1:33) The problem with Chris.

* (4:10) Back to the prior topic!  What Dan wants gone: the “traitor” mechanic.

* (7:33) What Johann wants gone: cursed items.

* (15:53) What Chris wants gone: a lack of time and rules lawyers.

* (26:29) What John wants gone: not being a kid, anymore.

* (29:03) Playing across the gender aisle.

* (32:58) Real-life versus your gaming life.

* (34:25) The one piece of equipment your characters always have.  Plus encumbrance, belladonna, and garlic.

* (42:29) Casting times, damage type versus armor type, and negative pressure.

Hosts: Chris, Dan, Johann, John, Pat

* (9:49) An update from Fear the Boot’s Election Center.

* (11:03) The second pitch.

* (19:58) Another update from the Election Center.

* (20:27) The third pitch.

* (23:56) Results just came from Iowa, and CNN is calling it for…

* (25:40) The fourth pitch.

* (29:06) Another few states reporting in!

* (31:45) The fifth pitch.

* (37:13) And back to the Election Center!

* (37:55) The sixth pitch.

* (43:35) A quick check of the ticker…

* (45:50) The seventh pitch.

* (51:01) A final check with our news desk.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, John

* (3:17) The details of military rank structure and the protocol for addressing other soldiers.   The importance of how you got your rank, and the subcultures that creates.  A survey of military ranks, histories, etymologies, etc, can be found here (there’s a show/hide link next to it — just click “show”).

* (21:36) The reasons people join the military.

* (35:21) The dehumanization of the enemy, and how it makes combat both easier and more difficult.  You can read up on the Christmas Truce here.

* (40:39) The conversations that occur between moments of action.  When and where people have their most honest moments, and the form they take.

* (47:51) The camaraderie shared by military veterans as a result of their shared experiences.  The similar (albeit less significant) camaraderie that forms among roleplayers for similar reasons.

Hosts: Cape, Dan, (Sgt.) Dan, Ryan, Wayne

Miscellaneous links…

The two blogs Cape contributes to are Geek Life and Roleplayers Chronicle.

In an email exchange, Ryan also suggest a book, entitled What It Is Like To Go To War.

* (8:13) Fear the Boot salutes everyone wearing the real boots.  Also, a special shout-out to Sgt. Rose and the 82nd Airborne.

* (10:20) A final reminder that you have until November 10th to get your postcards in for the contest.  The complete rules can be found here.

* (10:57) Playing tabletop games while in the military.

* (14:27) The complex relationship between escapism, realism, and PTSD.  For additional reading, you can look up articles on EMDR and Audie Murphy.

* (27:06) The logistics of carrying and playing games while deployed.  You can find Cape Rust’s articles here and here.  The documentary Cape mentions during the show is Restrepo.

* (32:26) Playing games that are set in the military.  Identifying the major RP hurdles and searching for some character commonalities to help address them.

* (38:31) The XCOM Saga as a bridge to military RPGs.

* (45:24) Finding the starting point for a military character.

* (51:24) How our panelists feel about people roleplaying military personnel.

* (56:12) Understanding the basics of military rank.

Hosts: Cape, Dan, (Sgt.) Dan, Ryan, Wayne

* (3:26) The absolute horror of the Sesame Street aliens and singing statue.

* (7:54) Introducing Greg Christopher.  You can find his Google+ feed here.

* (10:57) The reason we brought Greg on the show: to shed some light on the virtues of online games and how to make them work better than we’ve traditionally done.

* (14:16) The advantages of remote play when compared to face-to-face play.

* (23:44) The growing number and sophistication of online play tools.  See the bottom of the post for a list of links.

* (29:14) The degree and frequency of meta-gaming in remote games.

* (35:46) Overcoming the common problems of online play, including poor player reliability, social pressure to skip games, and readily-available distractions.

* (53:28) Setting expectations for an online game.  You can find Stuart Robertson’s GM Merit Badges here.

* (57:41) Getting started in online play.

Hosts: Dan, Greg, John, Julia, Wayne

MapTool - http://www.rptools.net/index.php?page=maptool

Myth Weavers - http://www.myth-weavers.com

Obsidian Portal - http://www.obsidianportal.com

Roll20 - http://roll20.net

Tabletop Forge - http://tabletopforge.com

Wikia - http://www.wikia.com

* (8:13) Rearranging the hosts’ paychecks.  Also, hair dye and care tips.

* (14:59) When a group template can backfire, creating a fence that makes it harder to integrate new characters.  How the group can work together to integrate a new character and make sure they have a meaningful place in the setting and plot.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (1:08) Shock websites and the other horrors of the internet Chad intentionally seeks out.

* (12:44) Real-life shame (or the lack thereof) and how that impacts the way we approach roleplaying games.  The “Cerebus rant” can be found here.  FAIR WARNING: The material contained within will likely be offensive to the vast majority of people.

* (32:21) What happened to the campaign pitches our listeners sent it.

* (33:25) A thread on My Little Pony gives birth to an artistic rendering of Boots and Unicrorn.

* (39:22) What to do when one or more people are unhappy with the current game.  How that displeasure can get confused with genuine, interpersonal issues.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, John, Julia

* (1:13) Pitching campaign ideas as a practice exercise, and then grading the pitches.

* (1:49) Chris’ pitch.

* (12:17) Pat’s non-pitch, which turns into further deconstruction of Chris’ approach.

* (19:54) Dan’s pitch.

* (31:49) Julia’s pitch.

* (40:25) Chad’s pitch.

Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Julia, Pat

* (0:53) Chris gives a shout-out for a rather unusual gift.

* (4:45) What we each feel is missing in our current gaming groups or would like to see in a new player.

* (21:07) The art of selling a game idea to your players.  Reading into their questions.  Digging until you find the real objection.  Reshaping the game idea or “sales pitch” to fit your audience.  Making the pitch as immersive as the game.

Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Johann, Wayne

* (2:45) The postcards contest is still awaiting your entry!

* (4:57) Batman, Superman, Iron Man, a dinosaur, and Toy War 2.  You can see the fight that started it all here.

* (18:45) Getting a new Game Master started in the art of running RPGs.  The experiences of Adam, Beth, and Wayne as they each ran their first games.  The lessons they wish they’d known going into it.  What they have to say to anyone ready to take the plunge.

Hosts: Adam, Beth, Dan, Wayne

* (1:03) The origin and cogency of evil within real people, and why that makes it hard for some of us to play dark characters.  Why it’s easier to play a dark NPC than PC.  The Joker’s boner (link is SFW despite the name).

* (17:34) Picking “acceptable evils” to help you find a dark character you’d be willing to play.

* (30:37) Dark characters we’ve played in the past and how we made them work.

* (46:28) Our postcard contest is still just getting started!  You can find the complete rules here.

Hosts: Adam, Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (1:35) Announcing our first cross-show promotion with Kicked in the Dicebags, Postcards from the Dungeon, and THE ESTABLiSHED FACTS.  You can find the complete rules and mailing address right here.

* (6:39) Adam drags us down by his mere presence.

* (8:43) Defining a dark character and offering reasons you might want to play one.

* (16:16) Playing the dark character in a group that isn’t.  Handling the moral conflicts that can divide the party.

Hosts: Adam, Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne

NOTE: Because of the length of this recording, we cut it up.  The rest of the conversation will be released next week!

* (2:37) The expiration date on spoilers.

* (16:28) As a Game Master, knowing what you truly want out of a game.  Trying to get what you want while still taking into account the players’ wants and needs.  (EDITOR’S NOTE: Around 34:50, Pat makes a comment about being able to do what you want, just like Spider-Man.  That’s an inside joke referring to this video.  FYI, it contains strong language.)

* (39:00) Identifying what you want as a player and getting that from a game without being uncompromising.

Hosts: Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (1:53) Wayne falls in love with the idea of games that have a story self-contained story arcs.

* (4:30) Music and other in-character distractions from the game.  Roleplaying in sidebars.

* (21:16) Blah, blah, blah, InSpectres.  You can see the three confessionals here, here, and here.

* (29:01) Using another game system — or even another instance of the same game — to further explore your plot and setting.  Taking a break or changing tone through related games.

* (43:57) Switching Game Masters when moving in and out of sub-games.

Hosts: Chad, John, Julia, Pat, Wayne

* (2:50) Johann must ask the hard-hitting questions.

* (6:02) The degree of freedom RPG fiction writers have in shaping their own work.  The distinction between good prose and good game writing.

* (10:50) Writing shared world fiction.  The joy of working in collaboration with other people, while suffering a loss of ownership and control.

* (14:29) Zeb Cook’s robots.

* (16:04) Creator rights in roleplaying games.

* (27:03) Is gaming fiction typically worse than other forms of fiction?  And if so, why?

* (35:54) The book Jim just finished editing, Beyond the Wall, and how it illustrates his view of an editor’s role.

* (41:15) What Jim has coming up, including some script work on the Hack/Slash comic book.  You can also follow his work via his website.  While not mentioned during the episode, Jim was a puppeteer for the comedy musical, Misfit Heights.

* (42:48) Comparing San Diego Comic-Con to Gen Con, in terms of size, scope, purpose, and culture.

Hosts: Dan, Johann, Pat, Wayne

Guests: James Lowder

* (2:01) The origin of Eberron and how its publication impacted Keith’s career.

* (9:49) Traveling around the world, staying with other gamers, and running the same game 54 times.  What he would like to run and play within his own group.

* (19:54) Maintaining mystery in a game setting.  The relationship between the game and its supporting fiction, particularly when trying to show deference to the way Game Masters have developed the setting for their own group.

* (28:19) The surprisingly delightful card game, Gloom, in which you attempt to destroy your own family.  Why Dan wants to see an expansion for the Lemp family.  Finding an emergent story in otherwise story-less games.

* (40:12) Cthulhu Fluxx and how it both captures the feel of a Lovecraft story and stands apart from the other Fluxx games.

* (46:18) The projects Keith has coming up.  If you want to follow his work, you can do so on his website or on Twitter.

* (48:31) Keith’s contribution to Fear the Boot’s diversity initiative.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, Julia, Pat

Guests: Keith Baker

* (5:16) Why improv at all?

* (6:50) Asking the right questions to get things started.  In the broadest sense, what sort of game experience do the players want to have?  Setting boundaries and building initial, internal consistency.

* (13:15) Using character-based questions to narrow everything down and draw out ideas for the game.

* (20:58) How far ahead of the players you need to be.  Sources of inspiration for setting the scene.  The power of, “Yes, but…”

* (31:03) Employing all of these ideas in a practice exercise.

* (39:54) John’s approach to running improv games.  How introducing a formalized rules system impacts the process.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, John, Julia, Pat, Wayne

* (23:17) Characters that don’t quite fit in.  While this could come from clashes of personality or power level, we focus on those that don’t fit because of the accompanying mythos or setting presumptions needed for them to exist.

Hosts: Dan, John, Julia, Wayne

* (0:46) One of our Twitter users correctly observes what makes this show work.

* (2:56) Wayne does a brilliant transition that fails, losing out to Trendy Top, shorts with writing on them, and Chad’s hat.

* (8:28) Being dressed by your parents.

* (10:31) Dan’s praise for Duluth Trading Co.

* (12:57) The child abuse known as “hand-me-downs”, and the spousal abuse known as “shopping”.  Wayne carves out his own clothing phases.

* (23:49) The worst piece of clothing foisted upon us while growing up.

* (27:47) Toe shoes.

* (33:15) Pat in black, and Dan in combat boots.

* (43:25) Batman, Spider-Man, and Wayne in a poncho.

* (49:02) Our favorite pieces of clothing.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (1:46) John is a bad, bad man.  Adding romance to a game while also dealing with its consequences.

* (16:18) Stepping back when you’re too busy to GM.  Our temporary switch from Battletech to Dresden.  Non-consensual changes to character — crossing the “golden box”.

* (30:40) Questions to contemplate prior to the game.  Making sure there’s a common understanding about certain elements such as lethality, plot direction, and the usefulness of various archetypes.

Hosts: Beth, Dan, John, Julia

* (5:17) Some love for the Darker Days podcast.

* (6:13) Free RPG Day coming up on this Saturday, June 16th.

* (8:53) The lessons learned from a nearly-dead online game.  Setup time, scheduling, and social awkwardness.

* (24:30) Some shout-outs from Fear the Con V.

* (27:55) Allowing your PCs — or the enemies — to quit the field during a roleplaying game, whether through retreat, surrender, capture, or truce.  Why it so rarely happens.  How to make it feel like an option, and the depth it can add to a game when handled properly.

Hosts: Chris, Johann, Karla, Pat, Wayne

* (0:30) Welcoming guest hosts, Chris Mais and Julia.  Julia’s struggles as a gaming girl.  Chris Mais proves he can out…whatever…Chris Hussey.  A discussion about cosplay, including the costumes Julia has done and the one Dan wants to do.

* (17:53) Gaming with a very large group of players.  The largest group we’ve each been in and how they were formed.

* (22:28) The problems large groups can create for the Game Master, including a large audience to entertain, numerous interactions to work out, and the amount of data to track.

* (28:01) The problems players have to contend with.  Too many leaders, cliques, character overlap, and simple boredom.  The diminishing role of NPCs.

* (43:40) Possible solutions to make an unwieldy gaming group work.

Hosts: Chris M., Dan, John, Julia, Pat

* (8:36) The culture of TSR during its “bloat” and decline.  How the focus of management affected what was being written.

* (11:40) Dan suddenly understands where Ptolus came from.

* (13:27) Monte’s transition from TSR to Wizards of the Coast to Malhavoc Press.  Along the way he also published a non-fiction book, The Skeptic’s Guide to Conspiracies.  The Bilderberg Group becomes the Harbor Group, and how to work conspiracies into your own game!

* (16:51) Monte’s take on the OGL and the sorts of books it’s produced.

* (20:26) His own gaming group and what they run.  House-ruling his own material.  Starting games inside the companies that made those very titles.

* (29:06) How to reference D&D without violating copyright or trademark law.

* (31:17) Monte’s thoughts on the development of Pathfinder and how its rules were shaped.

* (34:16) The projects he’s working on now, the future of Malhavoc, and the brand power of his own name.

* (39:09) DriveThruRPG, DRM, and Fear the Boot versus Wikipedia.  Oofty Goofty climbing the Dark Tower, and Monte Cook inventing the clementine orange.

* (44:50) What’s the best class in 3e?  (Editor’s Note: I can’t believe we went there, even tongue in cheek.)  The viability of bards.  The lost d12 and how it led to the barbarian.

* (51:32) Monte settles a bet for one of our Twitter followers.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, Johann, John

Guests: Monte Cook

* (2:07) May 5th?  Wow, I’m behind on getting these episodes out.  But for those of you that didn’t make it, welcome to Fear the Con V!  We start by introducing the podcasts represented on this episode.

* (2:55) The winner of the Power 16 III!

* (4:39) The art of storytelling in an RPG, as inspired by an article about running games for a blind gamer (which can be found here).  Adding vivid appeal in a small number of words.  The importance of all five senses in the description of setting, dialog, and action.  Holding the other people at your table accountable for contributing to the scene.

* (41:33) Stopping just shy of entrapment, Chris Ings gives Johann something a Juggalo would surely love.  We also get a gift from Japan, which went entirely to Chad.

Hosts: Action Nerds: GO!, Dice + Food + Lodging, The Established Facts, Fear the Boot, Kicked in the Dicebags, Monster Chest, Postcards from the Dungeon

* (2:00) Stuart’s participation in the one-page dungeon design competition.  The mental exercise of paring content down to just what’s really needed.  The virtue of succinctness in the face of bloated games.

* (7:36) A case study on micro-RPGs, using Weird West as our example.  Knights of Cydonia.

* (10:18) Craft time on Fear the Boot!  You can follow along by looking at the online folding guide or viewing a video of Dan making one.

* (15:45) Capturing a character in just ten traits, taking up an area smaller than a standard playing card.

* (19:38) The choice to exclude a detailed setting and an explanation of what an RPG is.  The increasing exposure people have to the concepts of RPGs.  The use of implied setting to make the game bigger than the text itself.

* (29:33) The business aspects of selling a small book for a low price.  The advantages of being your own artist.  The IndieGoGo campaign for Stuart’s Weird West minis.

* (35:13) What Stuart’s playing apart from the games he’s written.

* (41:41) A micro-RPG in the hands of a brand new player or GM.

* (43:31) What the phrase “old school” means to Stuart and why he feels it applies to his game.  The G.I. Joe old school PSA parody (fair warning: there’s some strong language).  Discussion about the usefulness of vernacular labels.

Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, John, Wayne

Guests: Stuart Robertson

Information on the forums: http://www.feartheboot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=15442

Gamers Outreach: http://gamersoutreach.org/

If people want to write their own letter, please address it to “Dear Soldier” and place it in an unsealed blank envelope. I have to request an address at the time of sending the letters, so I have no idea who it will go to right now. People can also use the website to send packages as well.

(From much hunt and peck) – simplified instructions:

1. Read the information here: http://anysoldier.com/HowToSend.cfm

2. Read the information here: http://anysoldier.com/faq.cfm

3. Go to this page and select someone from the left (The capital letters designate branch) and read their requests: http://anysoldier.com/WhereToSend/

4. Once you find someone who you wish to donate to, click the link on the main side of the page to request the address.

5. Use the info from steps 1 and 2 to put together a package of requested items or send a letter.

They have suggestions about where to find things the soldiers want on this page (http://anysoldier.com/WhatToSend.cfm), however the person putting together the package really needs to read the requests first. One request I read said basically – no more jerky please!

* (1:54) Much love for Anime Eggroll!  If you’re in the St. Louis area and looking for a good anime shop, we give them our highest recommendation.

* (2:29) An upcoming crossover show and what it doesn’t mean.

* (3:16) The frightening disease known as Chris’ Revenge.

* (5:51) The results of the Power 16 III semi-finals.  The last round has now commenced.  Results will be read during our Fear the Con recording, so get your votes in now!

* (11:42) Offering a new player the right amount of help to get them into a roleplaying game without overwhelming, intimidating, or annoying them.  Allowing changes along the way.  How long to hold back before you let them suffer the same consequences as an experienced character.

Hosts: Dan, Karla, Pat, Wayne

* (2:49) An update from John on the status of Bloodmoon Goblins.

* (3:43) The more obscure movies we’re interested in seeing during 2012.  We mentioned several things during the episode which you can find here: Dark Shadows, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Snow White and the Huntsman, and finally Vanilla and Shovel Face.  The other movie Chad mentioned was Django Unchained, which only has fan-made trailers at this point.

* (18:48) Movie ratings.  Why so many movies end up PG-13 and our wish it wasn’t so.

* (27:33) A call to get your gas on at Chris’ expense!

* (34:05) Adapting an existing intellectual property (video game, TV show, movie, novel, etc) into a roleplaying game.  Discerning what the game would be about, without trying to act out the story the IP already told.  When the players don’t know the IP.  Building or adapting a rules system.  The episode of Dr. Who Dan refers to is Snakedance.

Hosts: Chad, Dan, John, Pat