Brett and Sean meetup during a Saturday LIVE stream to catch up and talk about spotlight hogging, or rather chasing the spotlight. 

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Streaming on a Saturday morning, the boys got together to talk about some stuff.

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Join Sean on Saturdays at 8am CT: http://how2rpg.com

Discord: http://gamingandbs.com/discord

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seanpkelley

Vaesen, a nordic horror rpg by Free League Publishing. You will find out why we like this rendition of a curated role-playing game. Fancy talk for what we’re about to divulge. Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb Voicemail from Todd Crapper of Broken Ruler Games Jim F. emails about ep 377 using lore and setting...

In D&D 5e, what does a shortbow, spear, javelin, trident and hand crossbow all have in common? That’s right, they do the same amount of damage. Why do we, in certain games,  have such “detail” of weapon types that all do the same damage? While we start with weapon damage, we get off that a...

Sean has talked about Mothership before, and is/has run a game for some BS’ers so let’s dig into this game and see what we can learn from Sean. Mothership is a tabletop role-playing game of sci-fi horror published by Tuesday Night Games. If you like John Carpenter’s The Thing, or Alien(s) movies, you’ll appreciate Mothership. Announcements Brett running Streets of...

We are going to be running some games for Patrons of the show, and lots of folks are running tabletop rpg’s online, so we wanted to talk about some of the behaviors that gamers need to be aware of, and possibly change, to help make these on-line sessions the most fun they can be. Need...

Sometimes it may be a better idea for the GM to roll some dice for the players – like those time when your ninja is trying to move silently, or your Street Samurai is trying to hear if anything is behind the door, or maybe your wizard is trying to spot the book that has...

Non-combat encounters in RPG’s… Don’t make encounters about “combat”. What are our thoughts on that? Asks Sky. Create an encounter, it’s up to the players if they make it combat-based…but not always. We also touch on resolving the encounter, typically social in nature. https://forums.gamingandbs.com/t/286-non-combat-encounter-design/524 Announcements Survey to gauge interest in playing online with Brett, Sean...

The ideal game group for role-playing games is more than just the perfect amount of participants. It encompasses a wide array of things like types of players, the games you play, whether you game master or play, whether you have game masters as players. Of course we don’t want bad players at the table, but...

The year? 2020. The tabletop industry at its core is still books, pen, paper, and dice. PDF’s are just electronic versions of role-playing game books. With all the technical advances in today’s modern era, are there different ways of delivering and presenting rpg’s? Announcements Survey to gauge interest in playing online with Brett, Sean and...

Brett and Sean had a couple people comment on our forums, here, and here, about the use of audio for your rpg. Whether it is a soundtrack that helps paint the scene or if it’s ambient sound that sets mood…we touch on it. Announcements Brett steps down from Evercon Leadership role. Survey to gauge interest...

Sometimes, there’s no shortcut for experience. We talked with Tim D about this a bit when we had him on to talk AS&SH.  We need to try and do and keep trying and doing to get good at something. It’s been said you need 10,000 hours to be proficient at a skill.  Does this apply...

We’ve chatted about player character health before, but Brett thought he’d bring it back up as part of the “things I learned” from his Delta Green game around lethality and tracking damage. When a game is lethal it seems to be logical for GMs and Players to want to know exactly what part of a...

If you want the Players to engage with your lore/setting/cool stuff – you need to make that stuff part of the solution to their problems. The lore must be relevant to the adventure. If they can solve everything with their character sheet, they don’t need your setting. Unless the player(s) really like learning your lore,...

Brett is trying something new with his upcoming home game. We start with talking about campaign length but divert to the aforementioned change in Brett’s rpg. Random Encounter Laramie on Folklore Foes Laramie comments on the forums about Folklore Foes COMMENTS!!! I know I for one don’t really care when the show is recorded or...

Folklore Foes – how can we use the aspects of folklore monsters/foes to make our encounters new and fresh? Take a creature and give it different immunities and vulnerabilities. Inspired by Zee Bashew’s video on youtube. Random Encounter Josh Wallace writes in his favorite house rule Hail and well met! I’m a bit behind on...

We talk about Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea role-playing game, by Jeffrey Talanian. But we need some help so we enlist our friend, and big fan of the game, Tim Deschene! From Hyperborea.TV: “Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea is sword-and-sorcery role-playing at its pinnacle. Now in its second edition, AS&SH™ has been expanded to...

A lot of role-playing gamers have backed a gaming/rpg product on Kickstarter. What products are available? Why do you choose to back a specific rpg Kickstarter project? Thanks to Peter and Alex for the suggestion! Announcements Avalon Adventures on DTRPG Random Encounter Harrigan writes in to clear up GM intrusions Alright, just to set something straight...

Sean realizes just how complicated running an RPG encounter can be for anyone, but especially those new to the hobby. This and Random Encounters! Announcements Avalon Adventures on DTRPG #5 Tabletop RPG Talk Podcast of 2019 on EnWorld Random Encounter Sean comments on the forums Check it here. As I was running the group through this...

What system neutral GM aids you keep in your toolbox, to help you craft your games and worlds?  Do you have any that you find yourself coming back to time and again? Announcements Avalon Adventures on DTRPG Random Encounter Gabe aka Eirvit on our forums commented on about The Next Game The metaphor I devised for...

“The fallacy that ‘the next game’ is the one that will make you happy. It’s nearly identical to the consumer fallacy that the next thing you buy is the thing that will make you happy. Until you ‘fix’ the game you are in and learn how to have fun NOW, the next game is simply...

Consequences in role-playing games. We talk a lot about how “If the PC or Player does something ‘stupid’ they should pay the price for it’ – but is one way of doing this better than another? Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have more! Grab a copy...

Last episode (271) we spoke about house rules in rpg’s. We got some pretty good feedback on the topic. Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have more! Grab a copy of IRON SHOES and BLACKSMITH’S FOLLY written by Bart Bochinski Random Encounter George Sedgwick hit us up...

House or home rules. What games do you implement your house rules? Do they make the game system better. Are there times that a house rule works across different role-playing games? Thanks to Peter Isaacs for the suggestion. Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have more! Avalon...

Of all of the things that we steal from other art forms (e.g. movies, novels, TV, etc.) for our games, one of the things that would be most helpful would be to understand story structure, drama, and pacing. Developing and tuning our senses for these things will help us not only as GMs, but also...

Has tabletop role-playing game prep changed for us over the years? If so, why? It depends on the game. Be it a one shot, a campaign or con event, game prep may be different for each. Thanks James for posing the question. Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great...

PCs Operating as a Team v. as Individuals Some games seem to promote individual play as much as group play – some players seem to thrive/enjoy doing private adventures in and amongst other groups.  What are our experiences with this? Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have...

We often talk about mechanics, settings, options, and features of an role-playing game system that we like or don’t like, but is there something that we wish was out there that we’ve not found yet? I mean… what’s the next development in gaming that we’re waiting to have someone build? Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s...

Not a recap of Gamehole Con, but we learned some things. We also talk about book formats in the rpg hobby. This latter piece inspired by Ray Otus. Announcements Thank you to all the BSer’s Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have more! Avalon Random Encounter Trevor Davis...

Running a role-playing game for young teenagers presents a certain set of challenges. DM Cojo has a voicemail where he shares his observations. “No, Little Johnny, you can’t be a half-orc barbarian. Ok, little Sally, you can’t just fly”…or can you? Announcements Evercon.org – Robert is running Five Torches, DCC, and AS&SH Avalon KS –...

Tracking wealth, aka the treasure, of player characters, is it needed? How do you do it? “Tired of tracking coins and individual purchases for player characters in role-playing games, I’ve experimented with several other methods that abstract wealth. It’s more a matter of what standard of living the PCs can afford. Anything appropriate to that...

Descriptions in rpg’s. How to align the way the game master and players exchange information. An example: “I’m looking for any irregularities in the walls, drafts, breaks in the mortar” versus “I search the room”. Thanks to Matt Seiberlich for the topic suggestion. Announcements Evercon.org Random Encounter From Mike H. – looking for advice Jello...

Sub-optimal behavior is core to tabletop role-playing games. Matt Colville mentions this in his Running the Game #56 and I figured we should discuss it Random Encounter Jared Rascher comments on Why So Serious? Steve Orlik has an epiphany and character sheets Goblins Henchmen calls in all serious Chris Schorb calls in about strongholds and his...

“I started my Delta Green game”, says Brett. Oooh, that sounds fun. What do you have going on? Announcements Evercon.org – Events, T-shirts, and discounted badges Random Encounter Blake Ryan on RPG Character Sheets Jeff Goad replies to Why So Serious? DM Cojo asks how to help a younger player GM for adults Die Roll...

RPGs can be taken very, very seriously.  Sometimes, we don’t even understand that someone at our table is taking it as seriously as they are. We share our personal perspectives and we touch on whether you can separate the art from the artist!  Random Encounter Laramie Wall on RPG Character Sheets Ian writes in about...

We talk about making a setting/world believable for us/our players – helping to keep the verisimilitude working. But do we know what we need/want? I mean, what does it take for us to believe? What about the other players in the game? Perhaps we need to provide different things to different players to help them?...

The mighty role-playing game character sheet. It’s at the core of almost every rpg that has been published. There’s the presentation of the character sheet. Some help you understand the game. We talk about them. Announcements Sean put up an unboxing of Masks of Nyarlathotep Gamer Prop Set on Youtube Random Encounter John M writes...

Brett wanted to check in on Sean’s Call of Cthulhu role-playing game as he continues to get players through the greatest rpg campaign ever written, Masks of Nyarlathotep! Announcements Forums! Evercon.org Gameholecon.com Random Encounter Laramie writes in about cheating at the table Al Evans on the forum had interesting story about a cheater Ray Otus...

Cojo asked us to talk about Genre Blending in role-playing games: “I wanted to get your opinion on blending genres in your gaming… Personally, I am a huge fan of genre mash-ups. I love games that mix genres such as Rifts, Dungeon Crawl Classics, the Spelljammer campaign setting, or Call of Cthulhu. I am also...

Cheating in rpg’s, or as Brett puts it “what the f#$% is wrong with some people?” We talk about different ways people have tried to cheat and how you can approach people you know, not suspect, is cheating. Announcements FORUMS! Are here! Go get your username and introduce yourself. Be sure to check your spam...

Art has has such an impact on the rpg hobby. It not only conveys what the game may be about, but it evokes a feeling. It can be space ships, adventurers, discovering treasure, combat, action, and much, much more. It also ties a brand together. Be sure to look at your podcatcher as you listen...

We were set to talk about art in role-playing games, but had to call an audible. Sean got shot at, Brett played some games, and we field some great Random Encounters. Announcements Gameholecon.com Evercon.org Avalon KS Update Random Encounter Comment from Jared of House Rascher on Temple of Elemental Evil episode Comment from Joe T....

Brett wants to talk about one of the few modules he actually runs. It’s the Temple of Elemental Evil. A 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons module by Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer. But like many of our shows the topic morphs a bit into module design. Announcements Gameholecon.com Avalon KS Update Random Encounter Old School...

From Peter – Tabletop terrain. I’m not sure if you gents have tackled this topic yet. Referring to maps, Dwarven Forge, 3D printing, Hirst Arts and so on. I’m currently creating 3D terrain using Hirst Arts molds. Extremely slow process but very stunning. So…. How do we deal with terrain in our games? Random Encounter...

Care and feeding as well as combat – how do we use mounts and vehicles in our role-playing games? Announcements Gameholecon.com Random Encounter John drops us a quick comment on Dragonlance MRM1138 comments on Game Master Metagaming Laramie ‘Brick’ Wall comments on a few episodes Judge of House Brandon emails us a topic suggestion Edwin...

How prepared are you for your games? Hopefully your better prepared than Brett is for this podcast… but let’s say you need to run an rpg, like right now, and you’ve done no prep.  How would you do it? Announcements Gameholecon.com Avalon KS Update Random Encounter Blake of House Ryan  writes in about Dragonlance Jared...

One of the things we like to compare RPGs to is to novels, screenplays, etc. One of the things that we need to really understand and appreciate about this is that those products are HEAVILY edited, managed, and modified before they come to us. When we create an rpg adventure, campaign, or even a simple...

Dragonlance, it was an idea by Tracy and Laura Hickman that became a D&D game at TSR. It ultimately went on to be adventure modules, books and even a movie. Announcements Sean’s content on Patreon Random Encounter Jared of House Rascher comments on GM meta Matt of House of Bohnhoff on Metagaming vs Immersion Blake...

Metagaming, we covered it. This is more meta terms the game master may use in a game. An example, “That’s a side quest, it’s not part of the main plot.” Announcements Gameholecon.com Evercon.org – 20th Anniversary! AwesomeDice.com final giveaway Winner for June is Peter. Avalon KS –  Hard copy process update: waiting for proofs Ran...

“Your PC falls 120′ and suffers 60 points of damage”. No problem, I still have 60 left. Sometimes it’s a small thing that throws us off, and sometimes it’s something bigger. What are the boundaries/levels of “Suspension of Disbelief” that we’ll put up with and where does it break, and ruin a game for us? ...