Achtung! Cthulhu, the great #2d20 #ttrpg from  @Modiphius  , doesn't get enough love, we think, and so today we have the adventure designer of "Rendezvous at Rouen," a follow-up to the free quickstart, on to talk about the module, adventure design, and some of the challenges of writing for someone else. Get the adventure from DriveThruRPG: https://tinyurl.com/2da7jx2k Get the free quickstart rules and adventure: https://tinyurl.com/2sparyzr Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod Subscribe to our email list: https://forms.gle/VaFtxXjkzRSqwFi39

Do you do anything to mark the Christmas season with your gaming group? Consider using it as an opportunity to run something different! Herein we discuss ideas for doing exactly that, and the benefits you and your group can have in doing so.

Check out Chris's Christmas Amazon Music Playlist: https://tinyurl.com/44k2b5cj Chris's Outgunned Session Notes: https://tinyurl.com/bddk2thc Chris's Notes for Santa's Helpers: https://tinyurl.com/yeyu9xae

Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX

Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod

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What's all the controversy? How can you mine Outlaws for #ttrpg ideas? How #Starwars does it feel? Cut through the nonsense with our quick review of this new game.#outlaws #tatooine Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod

Chris and I discuss the first few releases for the new community publishing program...two of which come from us.

Go here to take a look.

Herein we discuss the details of the WB program from Modiphius and discuss some of the early possibilities and our hopes and expectations for the program. In part 2 we'll talk in detail about our plans.

Herein we discuss, with as much restraint and reliance of evidence as possible, the supposed changes to WOTC's OGL. Probably the first in a series. Join the discussion on our Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX

For further reading:

• DnD Beyond's 21 DEC 22 OGL post
• Gizmodo/i09 OGL Article
• ENWorld's 10 JAN Post from OGL Publishers

We discuss what we accomplished and thought about 2022, and what we've got planned, personally and for the show, for 2023.

Chris has an interesting and ambitious idea for a 5e campaign which will require considerable world building and possibly some house rules. In this episode we discuss his idea, kick around some ways to get him started, and promise to return in a few weeks to discuss his progress.

You saw the movie, or the show, or read the book, or got sucked in by the cover art...and you now have a shiny new game that you really want your players to try. How do you get them to willingly do so, if they are predisposed to sticking with a safe known? Herein we discuss the challenges and possible solutions to this common problem for GMs.

And join our Discord!

Herein we discuss the Supporting Characters subsystem in Star Trek Adventures, Dune, and Homeworld - how does it work and why is it so special? We also talk about how such a model could be 'ported into other 2d20 games and perhaps even other systems entirely.

Join the conversation on our Discord.

Kyle, GM from Bastard Quest, joins us to discuss his two episodes in which he ran "The Judas Priest," an adventure we wrote for him for the 2d20 Conan RPG. We talk about the adventure, how it went for him and his players, and some changes we've made to it. 

19 JAN 23 update: I have significantly revised the adventure and decided that, given the inclusion of copyrighted material, to remove access to it.

We shine our game spotlight on the pulpy, action-oriented setting and system of John Carter of Mars, based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novels.

Herein we kick around the idea of using XP - however it's gained, whatever it's called in a given system - to buy/do things other than just buffing a character.

Join our Discord at https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX

Players can get pretty steamed when their character dies...and it's worse when they die for reasons of the dice alone, or in ways that do not fit within the story. In this episode we discuss the moments when this issue comes up, and how to handle them gracefully. And thanks to Professor Dungeon Master @DUNGEONCRAFT1 for a very clever, simple way of handling this issue. #tabletoprpg #characterdeath Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod Subscribe to our email list: https://forms.gle/VaFtxXjkzRSqwFi39

A Fluff n Crunch-written adventure will be run on two upcoming Bastard Quest AP episodes, on 24 NOV and 1 DEC, for the 2d20 Conan RPG. Track them down on your podcast app of choice and listen to their treatment of this short, savage tale.

Our interview with John Houlihan, the leader designer for Modiphius' Achtung! Cthulhu 2d20 RPG. We discuss the game, the system, the setting, upcoming products, and some other interesting things, too. Join our Discord at https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX

...our discussion of the sorcery system in Conan, and the Book of Skelos expansion for the 2d20 game line.

Join our conversation on our Discord at https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX

I think the title should do the trick. And here's the link to join our Discord.

Hither came a discussion of formal downtime systems, a thing not often found in RPGs; and in detail we chronicle the exploits of the Carousing system in Modiphius' Conan RPG.

Continue the discussion on our Discord right here.

And if you're interested in a one-page cheat sheet for Carousing, you can download it here.

Virtually all RPGs have systems by which "experience" is gained and spent, and, beneath the hood, they're almost all the same, offering only variations on the same theme. We discuss this aspect of gaming, and offer some ideas about how to approach the issue differently.

Our discussion about and survey of the system and setting for Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of, and our thoughts on what sorts of stories you could run with it. We also discuss how the mechanics of this game are different from more recent Modiphius products...and yet, appropriate to Conan.

Check out Modiphius' two free Conan quickstarts here.

What's the optimal party size? How have party size expectations, rules, and norms changed over time? We discuss this and offer some ideas about managing big and small parties.

Infinity, based off a miniatures skirmish game, debuted in 2017 as a result of a Kickstarter. Very much on the crunchy end of the system spectrum, it overlaps mechanically a great deal with both Conan and Mutant Chronicles in its presentation of a transhuman/cyberpunk future. You can read Chris's actual play summaries, which we mentioned in the episode, here, and see the full line of Modiphius products here.

Or airplane rides, or trains, or whatever...this is Chris's hack of pieces and parts of various systems to use as a simple ruleset for roadtrips with his family. You can look at the rough draft of the rules here.

Sometimes campaigns end; sometimes they're resolved; sometimes they die...quickly. My Castles & Crusades campaign, at about 9 months, died suddenly and we've replaced it, happily, with Traveller...a game no one else at my table has played. In this episode I discuss our Session Zero character creation, which in Traveller presents story and character background possibilities that simply do not come up in most other games. #traveller #travellerrpg #sessionzero #castlesandcrusades C&C Overview episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/HgH1Gizh2Lb Traveller Overview: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/eTIWYDMh2Lb Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod Subscribe to our email list: https://forms.gle/VaFtxXjkzRSqwFi39

An overview of the setting, system particulars, and our take on story ideas for the grand daddy of 2d20 games, the Diesel Punk Mutant Chronicles. And if you want to pick up the massive MC PDF bundle (from which we get zero kickbacks), check it out here.

This is the permanent Discord link (and so is this: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX). Join us at our troll-free server where we discuss the sorts of things we talk about on the show, trade ideas, and don't give in to the darker impulses of social media and Internet relations.

We've seen plenty of RPG properties mined for various kinds of video games, and we've seen the latter used as fodder for movies, books, and other media...so how about turning a video game, of some sort, into a TTRPG? It's been tried, and with the 2d20 SRD out, and the ever-ready GM who wants to create something new for the table, we decided to dig into this topic. When is it worth the work, and what challenges should you expect to meet along the way?

Also, here's the link to that meeples game I mentioned, Holotype - it was a lot of fun; the creators were great guys; and so I endorse it. The Kickstarter is accepting late pledges.

Herein we discuss the high points of 2d20 - what we really like about it. If you're considering trying the system listen to this. If you want evidence and ideas for getting your non-compliant friends to get onboard, listen to this.

Herein we discuss those systems - at least some of the systems - that claim to be applicable to and useful in any genre of play.

Herein Chris and Jeremy discuss their ideas for projects they'd like to begin using the new SRD, and commit to producing some content for the community.

What is this thing called "balance" and why do so many game systems attempt to ensure it in character and encounter design? We pick at this issue and offer our thoughts.

Herein Chris and Jeremy review and reflect on the newly-released SRD and the good things it can provide players and GMs (especially GMs).

SRD via DriveThruRPG

Herein Chris and Jeremy present their review of the new Homeworld RPG from Modiphius, discussing the system, setting, and story possibilities presented in this 340-some page book. There's been a lot of discussion on the official Discord about errors, typos, and inconsistencies in this book; however, we do not address these...if you want those lists, go to the Discord and prepare to read.

Herein we discuss our ideas for using 2d20 for a Supers game, with most of this episode focused on powers and how to account for them mechanically. We'll have a linked document of our notes ready within the next few weeks and will discuss it in a future episode.

Here's the link to our shabby notes - we'll flesh these out more over the next few weeks.

What's the new #startrekadventures #rpg like? How are the rules different from the first edition, and are they better? Is it worth the purchase?  @Modiphius  was kind enough to provide us with PDF copies to review, and here's our honest commentary on the updated version of a great game. #starktrek #finalfrontier #tabletop #hesdeadjim Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod Subscribe to our email list: https://forms.gle/VaFtxXjkzRSqwFi39

Chris has decided to go back to his college roots and run Vampire, and after wrestling with the decision over which version to run, he has settled on 5th edition. Herein we discuss a little of the history of Vampire as a setting and system, compare changes to the rules and settings over the last 30 years, and focus on some of the particulars of 5th ed as he begins his campaign set in Las Vegas.

Herein we discuss the Homeworld Quickstart/Free RPG Day materials, including the rules, adventure, and what seem like the direction of this game.

Chris and I met over a year ago, and started recording FnC shortly thereafter, and upon reaching this, our 50th episode, we decided to look back on what we've done, what we think of it, and what we'd like to do over the next 50+ episodes.

It might include some rambling and reminiscing, so be warned. 

Chris and Jeremy frame the basic needs of a Supers mod for 2d20, discussing stats, skills, and starting to discuss powers. Part Two will follow within the next few weeks.

Chris is nearly done running CoS, and I ran it when it first came out. Herein we discuss the story and how it interacts with the current 5e rules and DnD player norms. If you've not listened to our episode on running investigation-heavy stories, we call back to some of those ideas, by implication, in this episode. Our older episode on running published adventures is also implied.

I (Jeremy) am going run the Dracula Dossier for my group, but I'm not hip on Gumshoe as a system after having run it a decent amount. The challenge, then, is whether or not 2d20 can be modified to emulate the necessary tropes for Jason Bourne meets Dracula. Can it? Let's see.

In Chris' first solo episode, he works through a list of well-known and lesser-known Supers RPGs from over the years, addressing some of their strengths and shortcomings, and then foreshadows future commentary on the new Marvel RPG, and expresses some hope for the future of Supers games.

We had the pleasure of talking with Nathan Dowdell, the 2d20 System Manager for Modiphius Entertainment. Our discussion ranged from how he and his team have modified the core system to fit various existing properties, to some talk about the upcoming SRD, to other ideas related to 2d20 and gaming in general.

Kickstarted in 2015 and fulfilled in 2020, the Cortex Prime toolkit hardback presents the Cortex system and myriad options for how you might use it in your games. Chris and I discuss what we think of the core mechanic and, more importantly, what else is in the book, how it might be used, and for whom this might be an interesting purchase.

Since Chris was sick this week, I decided to offer short reviews of several of Modiphius' published A!C adventures, with commentary and suggestions for GMs who might want to run them.

What do you, as a GM, do when your players fail? How do you handle the story, the game, and the people around you when the dice don't play nicely? We discuss some of the issues with player failure and offer some ideas on how to deal with it both from the table and interpersonal management side of things, and the game/mechanical side. #ttrpg #gamemaster #playerfailure #characterfailure Note: the episode content begins at the 5-minute mark Timestamps 5:00 Episode content begins Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod Subscribe to our email list: https://forms.gle/VaFtxXjkzRSqwFi39

In this one I interview Chris about the new Marvel supers game, and I get an earful. Below are links to his blog, wherein you can see examples of the infamous Archetype Tables, and read about his suggestions for improving the game (that is, making it playable).

• Post 1: Overview
• Post 2: Comparisons and Conclusions

Herein I seek feedback on a very rough draft of a more traditional fantasy magic system for use with 2d20. It's rough, and I think I'm coming away with some good ideas to improve it.

As GMs, we draw inspiration for ideas - and life ideas whole-cloth - from books, movies, tv, and mythology. I propose another valid source: the lyrics and album covers of many Metal bands. Below are linked some of those mentioned in the episode, and a few others.

Lyrics

• Iron Maiden, "Sun and Steel"
• Iron Maiden, "The Wicker Man"
• Iron Maiden, "The Duellists"
• Iron Maiden, "The Prophecy"
• Judas Priest, "Tyrant"
• Judas Priest, "Bloodstone"
• Judas Priest, "The Sentinel"
• Type O Negative, "Wolf Moon"
• Rainbow, "Man on the Silver Mountain"
• Bolt Thrower, "Granite Wall"

Album Covers

• Iron Maiden, Somewhere in Time
• Iron Maiden, Brave New World
• Iron Maiden, Powerslave
• Bolt Thrower - various wallpapers