GamingPerspectives – Details, episodes & analysis

There was a post on Reddit about how RPGers read rulebooks for new RPGs before they ran a session.  The answers at first were vey like minded.  People stating that they read the rulebook completely.  From reading it once to reading the rulebook from cover to cover multple times.        Saul was a bit shocked at reading these posts since he had never read a RPG Rulebook that way.  As Saul read more he found posts more aligned with his style of reading a rulebook.  If you consider jumping from section to section.   Jolene and Saul discussed this topic and decided it was a good one for an episode.      We are well into the Holiday Season and we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Everyone!  

        Thank you all for Listening      Web Art by Jim Foster      Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones

    Music by Tobin James,  song Rules of the Road     Available from Tribeofnoise.com    Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0     https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

     Saul was reading Reddit posts and came across a post about players playing themselves too much in RPGs.  There was quite a bit of a discussion and most respondents said they didn't play themselves at all because they didn't want to play their boring lives.

     Saul on the other hand thought that he had for most of his RPG life had played himself or an aspect of his personality in the game.  Usually a one dimensional character.  As Saul got older he started to branch out and play characters that were totally different than himself.

       Thank you all for listening as we start to close out 2024 and head into the New Year!

     Web Art by Jim Foster      Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones

    Music by Claudio Souza Mattes, song Adapt Yourself, off the album Rewind      Available from Tribeofnoise.com

     Used Under the Creative Commons License 4.0      https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

     There have been times that a certain player at your table took charge of the table or maybe was the leader at the table.  Heck back in the ole Days, there was a player who was, "the Caller".  It was their job to talk to the GM and tell the GM what the players were doing.  It was a way to speed up game play.  Saul once played in a game where they took this idea to heart and only The Caller would talk to the GM. The Caller could even countermand what the player had told the Caller what they wanted to do.  Needless to say Saul never went back to the game club.         Games these days have become more collaborative, there is more player agency.  There is also the idea of making sure all players get in on the fun.  Making sure all players have input in the game at your table.  This has been called sharing the Spotlight.  Where every player and their character gets a chance to shine.  But what if a player is taking more than their share of the Spotlight.        Saul and Jolene discussed why this happens and what can be done about it after reading a reddit post by a new GM having this problem.  After a lengthy discussion, Saul and Jolene decided to do an episode on Stealing the Spotlight.       

    Thank you all for Listening      Web Art by Jim Foster      Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones

    Music by Tanay Jackson, song In the SpotLight,  off the album Tanay     Available from Tribeofnoise.com     Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0     https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

In this episode, Saul and Jolene finish up the three fantasy rpg alternatives to D&D 5th Edition.  In this third installment is on Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe by Pick Pocket Press.       Like the other two FRPGs discussed Low Fantasy Gaming takes a different path than D&D 5th Edition.   Low Fantasy Gaming is a darker, gritter,  and a lower magic fantasy roleplaying game.        Saul and Jolene discuss how they achieve the goals of being different from D&D.  From lower power levels, less magic, a deadlier game and many other factors that make Low Fantasy Gaming a different experience than D&D 5th edition. Even though this is the most D&D like game it makes substantial changes to the rules that it does not play like D&D but it base rules is very familiar to those that have played any incarnation of D&D since it's inception.       As Always we would like to Thank You all for listening.       Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones    

    Music by Edna Poli, song Fantasy Girl (instrumental)     Available from Tribeofnoise.com

    In this Episode we are fortunate to interview Kuba creator of Touched by the Gods RPG.  Its a fantasy RPG using Free League's Year Zero Engine.       The Art is amazing and Year Zero engine is one of Saul's favorite systems as it can handle such wide variety of genre's and type of RPGs.  From mutant apocalypse to space opera to space horror the Year Zero system is fairly simple and flexible.      Touched by the Gods is being crowd funded on Kickstarter right now.  You can find it by clicking the link below.      Touched by the Gods looks to be an amazing take on Fantasy Roleplaying Games with a unique background using the Year Zero Engine.  

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cosycoven/touched-by-the-gods-role-playing-game

   As Always Thanks for Listening.        Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones

     In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss three games that are good for those new to RPGs.  Jolene noticed a number of things of the games that Saul chose for Beginning RPG players.        First of all they are all six-sided dice based.  Even all the systems are very different they all share the plain ole' D6.  Jolene like most gamers love those polyhedrel dice.         This episode is quite full of digressions from the old style telephone booths to the first in home computers.       Jolene asks why I did not choose D&D 5th edition since it is so popular and many new players might be interested in the most popular RPG in the world.  Saul decided to go against the grain and chose some old, new, and newer rpgs.  

  As Always thanks for listening.  

  Web Art by Jim Foster   Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones

  Music by Simplified, song Shall We Begin, off the album Brighter Days.   Available from Tribeofnoise.com

    In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss why Magic Users are popular in RPGs and what magic systems there are and which ones Saul really likes.

  Web Art by Jim Foster

   Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones

   Music by Deephi Magic, song Magic Ride, from the album Imagination Serie

     Saul and Jolene continue their discussion of Fantasy Role-Playing games that are not D&D.  This week's game is Symbaroum a game by Free League publishing.   Like Warhammer Fantasy, this game is darker and grittier than Dungeon and Dragons 5th Edition.  But unlike Warhammer Fantasy the rules are much lighter and easier to learn and play.          The discussion does cover the idea that because D&D 5th is so extremely popular that Free League has published a D&D 5th edtion of Symbaroum and the One Ring.  Saul and Jolene discuss why they would make 5th edtions of their game.  Thanks For Listening  Web Art by Jim Foster  Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones       Music by Klawie, song Out Pacing the Grim Reaper, from the album About Love and War.

     Saul and Jolene have been asked and seen many posts on social media about alternatives to D&D.  Saul decided to stay in the Fantasy Genre and chose a couple of games that are in the same genre but come at Fantasy from a totally different perspective.        This was supposed to be a single episode discussing a couple of what Saul considers very good examples of being Fantasy RPGs but as far removed from D&D as possible in rules and setting.  The first to be discussed is Warhammer Fantasy RPG.   Saul discusses how Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying game is different from the very popular D&D 5th edition.        From the Grim world setting which is very different from most setting in D&D to the very deadly system which pairs very well with the world of Warhammer.  The rules are not only deadly but a bit more crunchy/complicated than D&D 5th edtion.   The system makes the players play in a different style.  Combat is always brutal should be a last resort and often ends with brutal consequences even for the victor.       This was supposed to be a single episode featuring two alternative Fantasy RPGs to D&D.  Unfortunately we only discussed Warhammer so this must be a two episode topic.     As Always Thank You All for Listening.

   Web page art by Jim Foster    Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones.       Music by Janelle Avery, song Hammer it All, off the album My Songs.     Available from Tribeofnoise.com

     In this episode Saul tries to give advice from a query on FB.  The post asked advice on how to deal with two players in their group of four players that always go beyond the limitations the GM wanted in their RPG campaign.  From using races and classes from books the were not on the GM's list, to porting characters from long dead campaigns from several edition past.        Saul and Jolene give it their best shot at dealing with these players who seem committed to upsetting the GM's concept of their campaign or aloof to the parameters that the GM put in place.      As always thanks for listening and please share our podcast.

   Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones    Web Art by Jim Foster      

Music by Chris Spring, song Limitations, off the album The Universe is Flat  Available from Tribeofnoise.com