* (0:29) Introducing Vece. You can find the Skies of Glass playtest on our Patreon.
* (1:35) Brodeur continues hurting himself. You can find his podcast here.
* (11:35) What got us thinking about playtesting a roleplaying game. Gage’s playtest survey.
* (14:43) Why you may not know what you need to ask.
* (18:35) Taking feedback seriously, while remembering no one’s opinion is “right”.
* (25:58) Testing obscure facets of a game.
* (31:58) Playtesting the fluff (i.e. setting, introductory text, explaining the RPG hobby).
* (44:16) Deciding the order in which you’ll complete tasks.
* (56:19) Making incremental changes instead of over-correcting.
* (59:42) Testing the minimum viable product and building up from there.
Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Vece, Wayne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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* (0:30) Let the bodies hit the floor!
* (5:24) Defining the “action economy”. The video of three master fencers versus 50 random people can be found here.
* (14:57) Consider not using a lone enemy.
* (17:48) Using objectives instead of enemies.
* (27:37) The erosion of the Game Master’s enjoyment. The idea of “action equity”.
* (37:58) The value of a cooperative table, where the GM and players aren’t trying to one-up each other.
* (46:22) Setting the tone for your table.
Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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* (0:28) Dan’s situation with his Blades in the Dark character.
* (2:21) The “play cycle” of an RPG.
* (6:06) Designing a character that works in the play cycle, but not very well outside of it.
* (24:54) Why not just play another character or revise the existing character traits?
* (32:55) “That’s not what my character would do!”
* (37:28) Adding onto what exists.
* (48:27) An issue of sympathy.
* (50:51) Chris Hussey’s AP for Pinnacle can be found here: part 1 and part 2.
Hosts: Chad, Dan, Wayne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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* (0:33) Brodeur’s ongoing work to blind himself.
* (2:40) Gaming when down a person. Putting some parameters on the discussion.
* (7:53) Avoiding cliffhangers that hinge on a single character.
* (11:58) Subtly reframing the scene to obscure the unknowns.
* (16:31) Get a few what-if tips from the missing player to help you guide the scene.
* (20:33) Being flexible, not just in executing the situation, but also in adjusting the outcome.
* (22:44) Using pacing to avoid the issue completely.
* (40:54) When the player’s absence is felt by the party, even though there was no cliffhanger.
* (47:18) Gatekeeping interactions with the absent character. Owning your choice to create a cliffhanger.
* (53:56) Keeping your perspective straight. You can hear our Actual Plays here.
Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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* (0:24) Maybe combat shouldn’t be played to the point of annihilation. Violence as part of the human experience.
* (5:50) The social contract of a fight. Jason Brick’s Safest Family on the Block show.
* (9:43) Playing the enemies sub-optimally, or managing combat according to your strengths as a GM.
* (21:18) The “soft” rules that different RPGs offer for resolving combat.
* (33:47) The freedom that comes from what’s never seen behind the GM screen.
* (38:54) GMing under the sword of Damocles.
* (44:21) The joy of an un-antagonistic table culture.
Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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* (0:29) Wayne gives a shoutout to Old Man Hussey. (Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a link to the AP he ran.)
* (3:15) Brodeur gets us started on the joys of combat in roleplaying games. How initiative balances the spotlight.
* (7:05) Why fight at all?
* (11:31) Intermixing roleplaying and combat.
* (16:09) Rolling back to spotlight management.
* (23:10) Creating tension in combat through narrative or numbers.
* (32:15) When the game doesn’t allowing for fudging.
Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts |
* (0:52) A love that makes Brodeur and Wayne uncomfortable.
* (4:37) Actor has a seat at Brodeur’s table but doesn’t seem to enjoy it.
* (10:14) The importance of looking for context and motive to understand a behavior.
* (18:50) Someone else’s struggles don’t invalidate your boundaries.
* (26:33) Getting perspective, possibly with the help of a third party. Fault vs responsibility.
* (35:49) Sometimes something has to be broken to create a new opportunity.
* (41:05) The power in just talking to someone.
* (45:08) The healthy and unhealthy act of venting.
Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Phoenix, Wayne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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* (0:27) Where’s Brodeur?
* (2:00) Fear the Con Online, June 25th – 27th. You can create and sign up for games on the website.
* (4:04) Having patience for people, whether in discomfort or just struggling with old habits dying hard.
* (6:42) Neglected gaming spaces and snack stashes.
* (13:01) Change up your gaming traditions.
* (14:54) Have minimal expectations for your first gathering.
* (19:20) People may have fundamentally changed.
* (25:43) Put together all of the gaming supplies that weren’t needed online, but are needed in-person.
* (36:39) Consider adjusting the plot or chasing a side story.
Hosts: Chad, Dan, Julia
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts |
* (0:28) And the cat came back…!
* (1:13) Fear the Con Online, June 25th – 27th. You can create and sign up for games on the website.
* (4:00) As we get close to gaming face-to-face again, we look back at over a year of online gaming.
* (5:43) It’s better than not gaming at all, and there’s no commute.
* (8:38) The self-consciousness that comes from being on camera.
* (16:19) No one has to host the game.
* (22:41) You’re not away from your nest.
* (26:26) Electronic resources are accessible from the same device you use for online gaming.
* (30:06) Better isolated side-talk.
* (33:04) You can game with people drawn from a deeper pool.
* (34:16) The frustration of technical difficulties and missed social cues.
* (39:25) Being home can make you a bit too accessible. The social flow of the game.
* (44:11) You don’t get out of the house.
* (52:48) The loss of tactile objects and environmental ambience, particularly when technology won’t come close to replacing them.
* (58:10) Being stuck to The Chair™.
Hosts: Chad, Dan, Julia, Wayne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts |
* (0:39) Silver milk.
* (7:54) Spotlight vs. validation.
* (12:40) Being a fan of the players.
* (18:27) Evaluating whether the idea is genuinely bad, or you’re just being judgmental.
* (23:39) Asking players why they think their ideas would work.
* (27:25) Picking the hills that are worth dying on.
* (36:36) Not punishing someone’s moment of bravery.
* (41:39) Why is this on the Game Master?
* (46:08) The inherent risk of shooting someone down. Separating success from validation.
Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts |
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