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In this episode of the Cyberpunk campaign, the Edgerunners navigate the treacherous Elysium HQ after awakening Hera, a vengeful AI. They embark on a mission to plant AI-spawned seeds across the city, facing various challenges including combat with scavengers and the emergence of the Glow Boys amidst a radioactive sand storm. Get more Cyberpunk RED: Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets Chapters 00:00 The Awakening of Hera02:41 The Mission to Plant the Seeds07:06 Combat and Chaos in the Garden Level11:41 The Escape Plan28:02 Exploring the Map and Game Mechanics35:23 Encountering the Glow Boys43:12 Inside the Building and Tactical Decisions48:50 The Growl of Danger52:40 A New Challenge Emerges01:00:41 Critical Moments01:07:13 Tactical Decisions in Close Quarters01:08:47 The Aftermath of Battle01:10:55 Resource Management and Vehicle Repairs01:20:15 Conclusion and Future Adventures Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Cyberpunk RED Chapter 11: Get Out on YouTube. Show Notes Recap: Edgerunners awaken Hera, the vengeful AI, and agree to her mission Objective: Plant AI "seeds" in three Hercules Industries locations Immediate goal: Escape Elysium HQ on foot without a vehicle Encounter: Hostile scavvers attacking cyber-corvids for chrome Tactical choices: Split between sneaking out and running headfirst into danger Surprise threat: A radioactive storm arrives mid-escape Retreat to shelter: Players take refuge in a ruined garage Combat: Coydogs attack—Bob attempts diplomacy with kibble Atlas falls dramatically out a window Bob uses glow sticks and a flashlight to reveal threats Players defeat coydogs and trick the Glow Boys into thinking they’re dead Final escape: Hotwire a barely-working car and roll out of the Hot Zone Featured Image Meta The glowing ruins of downtown Night City, as depicted in the Cyberpunk RED core rule book. Credit: R. Talsorian Games.

With help from the Lair community, we collected eight house rules for Shadowdark. On this episode, we run through them, offering our thoughts on how they might impact the game (most of these are not rules we've tried ourselves, so we'd love some more field reports!) Leave them in the comments, or email us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com. Want more ShadowDark? We've got more ShadowDark! d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made (S4E19) d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15) Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) Unboxing Cursed Scrolls 3: Midnight Sun for ShadowDark Chapters 00:00 Introduction00:54 Monster 2403:02 VALHOLL!04:21 Shadowfinder Complete Bestiary05:24 Creating and Adapting Monsters for ShadowDark14:16 The Monster Overhaul15:12 Ruincairn Bestiary17:20 ShadowDark Monster Tools19:34 Conclusion and Future Discussions Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch d8 ShadowDark Monster Resources on YouTube. Show Notes ShadowDark specific Monster Resources Monster 24 Cost: $2 (pay what you want) 250 monsters by Tom Phillips, who spent 2024 creating monsters and publishing them to Reddit. This compiles his various critters into one document. Includes gaggles of hags (forest hags, tomb hags, venom hags), plenty of plants (carnivorous cave moss, blood orchid, vampire grass), and oodles of oozes and slimes (chaos pudding, green slime, umber jelly) VALHOLL! Nashcraeft #1 Cost: $6.99 A fanzine that builds on Cursed Scrolls #3: Midnight Sun. Introduces a bunch of monsters as well as a “lot system” as alternative to carousing, new magic items, new blessings, and 4 classes. Shadowfinder Complete Bestiary Cost: $25 (PDF) $29 (POD+PDF) as part of the Kickstarter Every PF 1E bestiary, #1-6, converted for Shadowdark RPG. The kickstarter is over; hopefully they’ll release this for sale when the Kickstarter-created book releases in October 2025. Creating and Adapting Monsters for ShadowDark Cost: $5 (pay what you want) Very handy, fan-created rules for making your own monsters (or converting them from other systems). Advice on creating monsters including “VIBES OVER COMPLEXITY”, “USE NATURAL LANGUAGE”, “MONSTER SPELLS ARE WEIRD”, and “RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN” Options include: BUILD BY EQUIVALENTS If your monster is like a knight, bugbear, or zombie … just use the stat block as is. BUILD BY ADAPTATION Say you want to recreate the 5e Bandit Captain, you take the ShadowDark bandit, and beef it up.  BUILD BY BENCHMARK E.g. converting Yakfolk warrior. Look at the CR (in this case, CR 3, compare it to CR3 monsters in ShadowDark, and start building. It has a talent bank describing all kinds of monster capabilities and a big list of monster spells.  It includes a bunch of horrors as well, including blink dogs, ettins, pseudodragons, unique horrors like the  “Eyeball Wall”, and a number of NPCs (pyromancer, cultist, etc.). ShadowDark adjacent Resources Runecairn Bestiary Cost: $13.49 100 Norse-inspired monsters for Runecairn, an Old School Renaissance RPG. The OSR stat blocks are close enough to ShadowDark to make conversion pretty easy. Includes sabertooth cats, grave newts, ogres, and giant octopi. The Monster Overhaul Cost: $30.00 (PDF) $60 (PDF+Print) Come for the 200+ monsters, stay for the ecology and random table pieces. Uniformly praised online. It’s got entries for NPCs (adventurers, barbarians) each with d100 names and character traits. For monsters, it delves beyond the stat block. Goblins get the same d100 names and traits PLUS physical descriptions, motivations, mounts, elite weapons, and loot.  Plus there are random tables like “50 mercenary jobs” and generic maps of locations like a wizard tower and a village. ShadowDark Monster Tools ShadowDark Tools: Monster Reference Filter monsters from the ShadowDark core rules + the first three Cursed Scrolls. Criteria include monster level, environment, type (e.g. angel, aberration), movement type (burrow, climb, fly), attack (blood drain, petrify, venom), effect (blindness, charm), and trait (corrosive, damage reduction, immune non-silvered weapons) Ken the DM’s Shadowdark RPG Monsters By Level A PDF index of ShadowDark core monsters by level. It includes each monster's special abilities and its page number. Featured Image Meta A list of monster stat blocks generated using ShadowDark Tools.

On this episode, we talk about the top mistakes we made running ShadowDark (aka "how Ken accidentally enabled hard mode for his campaign"). Our mistakes include "overly complicate torch management", "create deadlier rat diseases", "don't use Luck points", and more! Looking for more ShadowDark content? Check out these Lair episodes: d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15) Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) Chapters Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made on YouTube. Show Notes 1. Overcomplicate Torch Management You don't need to do torch gymnastics to light a new one. If your old one is burning down, and the players want to start a new torch, they do it. The timer is reset to 60 minutes, and the old torch is discarded. Keeping fractional torches around ("But we had 15 minutes left on this torch!") is a natural impulse given the importances (and potential scarcity) of light, but fractional torches make things complicated. And the mechanic isn't meant to be complicated. A reasonable house rule I've seen for torches that go out less than halfway through their burn cycle is to round down to 30 minutes. Keeping track of "half torches" is still work, but less work than breaking it down further. That said, if you’re under threat, then yes, there are torch gymnastics. There’s a DC 12 Dexterity check to ignite a torch under such conditions. - If it’s dark, same DC, but with disadvantage. We’ll talk more about that in our ShadowDark house rules episode coming up. (Sly Flourish - https://slyflourish.com/shadowdark_house_rules.html) 2. Create even deadlier rat diseases The common rat in ShadowDark is infected with a fast acting disease that immediately saps the adventurer's Constitution. Depending on how you interpret the rule, it either prevents all healing until the adventurer makes a saving throw OR the adventure can't recover their lost Con until they make a saving throw. Ken chose the latter. 3.  Don't use luck points For Ken’s first few games, he didn’t use Luck points at all. Which, given how deadly ShadowDark is, can be a pretty big difficulty upgrade for players. Running the same scenario at a convention (and swapping in a Seer character from Cursed Scrolls #3) revealed just how helpful Luck tokens are (the seer being able to create Luck tokens 3x per day). 4. Get Spell Mishaps Wrong Ken’s game made spell failure MUCH more dangerous by rolling on the mishap chart whenever a spell casting attempt failed (and not just on critical fumbles, as per the rules). This makes it much more likely your 1st level character is going to get killed when failing to cast a spell. 5. Don't Plan for Carousing Carousing is a big part of the game. During downtime, players can spend gold to have adventures in town, earning XP, acquiring allies (and maybe an enemy). But to do it, they need gold … so it helps to make sure that they’ll actually have that gold when they got home.  Also, read the carousing and “learn skills” downtime activities before you start the adventure, so you know what the players can do at the end.  6. Get Stuck in D&D 5e Mode ShadowDark is a cousin of D&D 5e … and 5e has a rule for everything. It’s easy to bring in default 5e assumptions (I’m looking at you, opportunity attacks) rather than looking for the ShadowDark equivalent.  7. Stress about when to level up Do you level up at session's end or in the middle of the session? This is more a preference than a mistake (though your mileage may vary). Leveling up is super easy in ShadowDark, but it does slow things down a bit. 8 Wasting time looking up rules that don't exist ShadowDark is a rules-light game. D&D or Pathfinder fans may come in looking for detailed rules for, well, just about everything. Most of the time, ShadowDark doesn’t have them. Like “Learning” during downtime. The book provides some guidelines for what they can’t do (learn another class’s or ancestries’ unique talents) and two examples of what they can (a new language, how to ride a sandworm using a harness). There’s no big list of skills (but though you could steal from backgrounds). Don’t worry. Just roll with it. Featured Image Meta The background image is the map from Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur, featured in the ShadowDark quick-start rules.

I’m David Moore and I’ve been sailing in a boat, which is bumpier than a dirigible, and digging heavily into my books pulled from several of the libraries here in the Lair. I’m Ken Newquist and I’m happily buried underneath the many books of my summer reading list. Water-born Dirigibles David is moving forward with ASA sailing trainingASA 101 complete!Erin and David studied and watched three of the newer Deathrace moviesSailing with friends on Lake Erie did not go as planned Library 67 A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky ChambersHas some definite Firefly vibesMuch more about the characters rather than a larger plotWas good, thinking of picking up book twoSavage Legion and Savage Bounty by Matt WallaceRead the first one and immediately wanted to read the second oneFantasy civilization that is gobbling up all of the other countries around it to feed itselfEmergency Skin by N.K. JemisinSci Fi novella - a civilization sends back a scout to Earth to get materials that it cannot get. The scout encounters a surprise from a supposedly dead and dangerous planet.Highly recommended, warning - David's kind of politicsA Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. KingfisherA great young adult fantasy that has a carnivorous sourdough starter The Garage of Doom A vacation with some friends provided a good opportunity to satisfy David's Deathrace/Mad Max gaming with GaslandsThink: Fury Road meets Matchbox cars Underworld Arcade Hades - an addictive roguelike game with a good story Dyson Fall Updates David's working on oracles to help GMs or groups create where they will exploreStuck a bit on how to make the community building fun, interesting, and easy to track Self-Healing Gaming Machines Ken's Switch healed itself while he was a PhilmontNow he's playing far too much Fire Emblem: Three Houses Summer Reading Ken finished 11 of the 14 books on his summer reading listGained two books ...Alien: Bug Hunta collection of short stories involving Colonial Marines dealing various alien (but not Alien) threats. Includes one by Scott Sigler (who wrote Alien: Phalanx)If you like Aliens and Colonial Marines, you’ll like this book.Children of Ruin by Adrian TchaikovskyFollow up to Children of TimeFirst book was so good, I had to add the sequel to my list.Great world building book about first contact, accidental evolution, and overcoming barriers to communication.... but lost oneInhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds. The new Revelation Space novel was set to release July 27, 2021, but is now set to come out on October 12, 2021. The Closet of Outdated Tech Ken bought his daughter a new computer for college, so he gets her old Surface Pro.About 4 years old … but it can run Campaign Cartographer (so Ken can finally use that mapping Humble Bundle he got…)Might have enough heft to let him play a few PC games on Steam. If he can free up some disk space (only 8 GB remains…)

Ken made it to Philmont and back. That's it. Summer's done. Meanwhile, David traveled to a castle in Ohio, moderated a death race on the track in the Lair, and started on his quest to sail the seven seas. Finally Philmont Ken when to Philmont Scout Ranch, a high adventure camp in Cimmeron, New Mexico. You know, the place Ken's been talking about for the last year and more.What is Philmont?15 day trip (two days getting acclimated in Colorado, 12 days on the trail, 1 day traveling back) In Colorado, went to Pike’s Peak, Garden of the Gods, and whitewater rafting on the Arkansa River (Class 3 and 4 rapids)Then a 69 mile trek in PhilmontBase camp is 6,430 ft. The highest we got was about 10,500Amazing views - you can see for dozens of miles at a clipLegitimately dangerous.The crew got there in “monsoon” season, when it rains almost every afternoon.Lightning almost every day.It’s a desert, so it’s dry.But it’s raining a lot, so everything’s greenLegitimately hardHiking at altitude is difficult when you are a flatlanderDrank so much water.Good thing the crew trained.HighlightsAstronomy at Ring Place.Tomahawk throwing and black powder muskets at MirandaRock Climbing at Chase CowCowball at Chase Cow (it is definitely not volleyball).Sketching is fun.Some RPG ThoughtsThere’s a reason we don’t simulate every mile of an overland trek; it’s boring.Interesting landmarks that dominate the terrainMount Baldy is visible from much of northern Philmont. Everytime you get closer to it, and it gets bigger, it feels like you’re making progress.The Tooth of Time dominates the view at Base Camp. You know you’re at Philmont when you can see the Tooth.Interesting terrainTrails carved by floods.Are the floods a historical feature, or something a little more relevant?Unusual rock formations e.g. Garden of the Gods … what if was created by actual gods.Weather is dangerous.Remember to include it in overland treks (lightning, flash floods, massive hail, etc.)Weather transforms safe terrain into dangerous terrain. Think about that when a group fails a survival check to find a good camp.There are seasons. And some regions may have their own seasons you don’t expectUnexpected enemiesMini bears. Just as hungry as bears, but way bolder. Outro Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image

On this episode of the Lair of secrets, David reports out on his productive stay-cation, while Ken hikes, runs, swims, and bikes his way along the final stretch of the trail to Philmont (and he could really use a nap) Back in the Printerium David's new printer arrived - Prusa i3 - MK3S+He printed a D20 wall medallionDIY stream deck, will we stream our show live in the future?Multipass vaccination card holder Dyson Fall update Community buildingPlaytest group running wellDefinitely more Kipo and the Wonderbeasts than character churning 1st and 2nd edition *Gamma World, it still retains the same exploration fun. Battery-powered Leaves David' s getting a New battery for the Nissan Leaf The Chamber of Turnings Woodworking and pen turningTurned several pens for a friend Natalie, who also did our logo!Turned several seam rippers Trail to Philmont Ken's on the final stretch.The crew went on their last shakedown hike:17 miles over two days on the Appalachian Trail in New Jersey.Cold and rainy the whole time.We learned a lot. Like NeutronLad needs better rain gear, my rain gear is too loose, we need waterproof compression sacks for a sleeping bag, I may need a thermal sleeping bag liner, Philmont food will be hard on the stomach, and oh yeah, my boots aren’t nearly broken in enough. Next up:6 a.m. swim times with NeutronLad.Eating bad food now to prepare our stomachs for later. Wilderness First Aid training How to treat someone for an injury when you’re miles from anywhere (or more than a few levels deep in the lair...)Practical skills that you will hopefully will never use.Two 9-hour days that include training and role-playing (but no dice) The Back Nine Ken wants to get back to Disc GolfThrowing discs at metal baskets.He started playing disc golf in 2015 during a massive website redesign project.He stuck with it (though didn’t get much better)Ken's got some great courses nearby - Hackett Park in Easton, South Mountain in Bethlehem, Lake Nockamixon in Bucks CountyOne of the things that fell by the wayside with the pandemic.Hoping to get back to it now that folks are getting vaccinated. The Archive of Games Video Ken's playing Mass Effect Legendary EditionMastered versions of the 3 games.Does not come with any time to play it.Looks great, though it does meander a bit.Took Ken a while to get his Shepherd back. Outro Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image Cover art for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Credit: Electronic Arts

The Lair of Secrets get a super-science expansion as David and Ken take a look at the new super-sized edition of Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. We also check out the new book You Can Do Anything Magic Skeleton!, talk about work-cations, venture once more into the outdoors, and delve too deeply (or not nearly deep enough) with the drawing/journaling game DELVE. Trail to Philmont Running!Camping!Backpacking!Physical Therapy! Puppy S is coming The puppy is a male. His name begins with S. We’ll know more soon! Scientific Barbarian A megazine dedicated to our glorious mutant, high-science, post-apocolyptic futue.Check out the kickstarter page. DELVE DELVE is Anna Blackwell's drawing game of dwarves digging deeply.Because the Lair is never deep enoughKen's foray's into the dungeon:First dungeon … killed by a skeleton king and his minions.Second dungeon … killed by green meanies.Third dungeon ... Ken realized he had to stop playing spade cards on the first level. Now he's on his third level, having defeated two giant worm-things and snuck past a slumbering dragon. Work-cation Remote-er remote work? Baker’s Dozen Mystery in a Box David played the game with his family while on work-cation.Check out the "Baker’s Dozen" Mystery in a Box webpage You Can Do Anything Magic Skeleton! Written by Chuck Wendig. Illustrated by Natalie Metzger.Check out You Can Do Anything Magic Skeleton on GoodReads. And you thought The Lair of Secrets was big ... David looks at the Expedition to the Barrier Peaks 5e conversion by Goodman Games.Multiple versions of the classic scifi-meets-fantasy module that show it's evolution from tournament game to its current incarnation. Horizon Zero Dawn David ventures into a world where you hunt mechanical animal hybrids and try to unravel the secret of past human mistakes in Horizon Zero Dawn (PC) Dyson Fall Update David's progress on Dyson Fall (Gamma World inspired game)Building mutationsLocal game this weekend Omega Mart Omega Mart commercialsIf Aperture Science ran a supermarket... As the Pen Turns David is turning more pens on his lathe. Dead Phone, New Phone Meet David's new phone, acquired after the unexpected, untimely, and tragic death of his old phone. Meanwhile, in the Printerium... David repaired his 3D printer ... and there's a new one on the way.Printers printing printers. What could go wrong? Outro Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image Artwork from the D&D 5th Edition conversion of Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Credit: Goodman Games

David and Ken stumble out of Episode 14's time shift to find the temporal demon known as "Daylight Saving Time" playing havoc with reality. In this episode, they talk about the new video game Valheim, catch up on Alan Tudyk's latest sci-fi offering, venture down alternative timelines with Roger Zelazny's Roadmarks, encounter a librarian hive mind on a Savage Ringworld, discuss late-spring exercise options, and check out Apple+'s space race drama For All Mankind. Valheim! David and the crew are playing the heck out of this early access game (which is actually pretty good for an early access game) David's Gaming Life Playing with Owlbear Rodeo, a quick-and-easy virtual tabletop.Dungeon Scrawl, quick-and-easy dungeon generation. Noticing a theme here?Friday gaming and Sunday gaming - both doing well Dyson Fall David gives an update on his Gamma World-esque game, tentatively called Dyson Fall, with Mythic d6 as the base rules.Worked up several powers and have some fiction for the setting written In the Streaming Theatre Critical Role - last two episodes have hooked me (C2E126 & 127) Getting Creative David is trying out Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, which provides inspiration and prompts for being creative every day. Resident Alien No, we're not talking about the colony of Greys who've taken up residence in the 13th level of the Lair.It's a new SyFy TV series, based on a graphic novel of the same name, starring Alan Tudyk.Resident Alien on SyFy Close Encounters of a Highway Nature Student driver and car accidentsPhone dying Doubling back through History David is reading Roger Zelazny’s Roadmarks. Savage Ringworld Ken finished running his first arc in his gaming group's Savage Ringworld campaign for Savage WorldsHe's still getting his head around balanced encounters in Savage Worlds. (partly becuase they're playing higher-powered characters, partly because Savage Worlds doesn't care about balanced encounters) At the Edge of the Map Ken's lunchtime hexcrawl campaign reached the edge of the map.They’re finally heading out to the Caverns of Kazeal. Guess Ken better draw them. Library 64 Saints of Salvation by Peter F. HamiltonFar-future transhuman space opera. Back to the Gym (or something like it) Ken got a bike rack for the Jeep … finally.He and his son re-upped their Y membership.Lots of swimming and biking in Ken's future as he preps for Philmont. Beyond the Moonshot For All Mankind on Apple+ Outro Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image The hexcrawl map for Ken's Scales of Truth campaign. Credit: Ken Newquist

It may be early fall in the current timeline, but in the Lair of Secrets winter's freezing grasp can still be felt. In this episode, Ken and David venture into the digital halls of the RPG Vault to see what hidden treasures can be found in their DriveThruRPG collections. David's adding more books in LIbrary 64 Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn MuirEnjoyable, but not as fun as Gideon the NinthWill be reading the next book in the seriesDamoren by Seth SkorkowskySeth - YouTube gaming adviceFun book of urban fantasy, interested in the next onePenrick and the Shaman by Lois McMaster BujoldSecond novella of Penrick in the world of the Five Gods setting Bullet Journaling New bullet journal - first time doing the milestone of going from one journal to the next and reviewing the last year In the Vandermore Game Room David's gaming woes have seemed to be lesseningGames are going off more regularlyFound a group of old friends who had room in their groupJust ordered Burning Wheel after hearing about it for years The Arcade David is playing State of Decay 2 with friends and venturing into Cyberpunk 2077 The RPG Book Pile Ken may have too many books...Scum and VillainyPublished by Evil HatKen bought it based on David's description - Blades in the Dark … IN SPACE!Tome of Beasts IIPublished by Kobold PressMore monsters for D&D 5e. So many more monsters...Icewind Dale: Rime of the FrostmaidenPublished by Wizards of the CoastHorror meets D&D in the frozen north of the Forgotten Realms.Destroyer of WorldsPublished by Free LeagueBoxed set adventure for Free League’s Alien Role-playing GameFate of CthulhuPublished by Evil HatTime travelers try to prevent the rise of a Great Old One. Once again, Ken has David to thank for wanting to get thisThose Dark PlacesPublished by Osprey RoleplayingIndustrial Science Fiction RoleplayingMonster of the Weekpublished by Evil HatThink Buffy, Supernatural, and other ongoing creature feature serials The Chamber of Fate Our Army Corps of Engineers: Special Operations Group campaign continues.Ken Got to run hisfirst game of Fate.He's still getting his head around world building via Aspects.It’s easy to fall back into simple skill checks (e.g. aid another - that’s a check that creates an Aspect - something that is true in the setting - that players can use). Instead of “make a skill check” in Savage Worlds or “you help them” (no check) in D&D.Mystery writing is hard. Venturing into the RPG Vault In which David and Ken sort through the unknown treasures lurk in their DriveThruRPG collections.Ken’s Vault590 items413 never downloaded172 core rulebooks250 fantasy titles165 science fiction titles117 horror titlesSourcesRelief bundles and Black Lives Matter fundraisers from the summerThe occasional KickstarterInteresting findsArchives of the SkySigils in the DarkCreatures of the Wastelands: A Menagerie of Mutants and MutationsTwilight 2000 (original edition)David’s Vault487 items254 never downloaded80 core rulebooks225 fantasy titles126 science fiction titles37 horror titles43 STL (3d printing) bundlesSourcesRelief and other bundlesKickstarterIndividual purchasesInteresting findsHocus Focus: A Dresden FiascoZine of Wondrous Power (out of print)A Spark in Fate CoreGodsend AgendaShaolin Squirrels: Nuts of FuryNinja Burger: The RPG Outro Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image Cover art from a few of the RPGs we looked at during this episode. Copyright their respective publishers.

The Lair of Secrets returns as Ken and David delve into their respective stacks of books, contemplate new video game including Gloomhaven, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, and then talk about their favorite game master hacks. Library 64 (or "Ken has more books than time") Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline More video game nostalgia. But not as good as the original (where “good” is a highly subjective term). Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) by Timothy Zahn Who cares what it’s about. More Thrawn! Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson Fourth book in the epic Stormlight Archives. Prime winter break reading material. The Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky “epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet.” The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton Transhumans battle against aliens intent on “saving us” so we can meet their god at the end of time. The Game Room Fire Emblem: Three Houses More JRPG squad-level tactical combat, this time for the Switch Ken told himself he wouldn’t get it until he completed Fire Emblem: Fates: Birthright.. And then he misplaced his3DS… Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order Ken's a huge Marvel fanboy, and right now he could use a video game that includes all his favorite heroes (including the X-men) Meanwhile ... in yet another Library Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir David is currently reading this. Alex Verus: Forged by Benedict Jacka If Harry Dresden were British and could divine the future Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold Seems to be the last of the Miles Vorkosigan series Penrick’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold Novella - part of a fantasy series The Transporter Room David picked up the trial for CBS All Access for a week Watched the two seasons of Lower Decks, felt like Futurama meets Next Generation Inspired David to watch Discovery and have watched all the way up to the part 1 of the two part-er in season 3. Finished Picard after skipping a few episodes. David definitely enjoyed Discovery and Lower Decks more. Picard just didn’t feel quite like Star Trek to him. . A Haven for Gloom David's been playing the Gloomhaven video game Been playing for a few weeks now with some friends and I am quite enjoying it It doesn’t replace sitting around a table with friends to play the board game, but it does have the advantage of doing all of the fiddly things for you In early access, still a bit buggy and the interface could use some polish Game Master Hacks Check out the Game Master Box of Holding companion post for photos of the boxes in action. Plano Cases for real-world gaming supplies - replaces crumbling IKEA box held together by (badly matched) nuts and bolts. For D&D: Plastic minis repurposed from Heroquest Yellow and white crystals for “inspiration”, plot points, etc. Red and blue gems to represent things. Like “paralyized” or “damaged”. White and yellow gems to represent other things. Pool of d6s and my “Ragnorak” travel dice. Plus a few more sets of dice, because who doesn't need more dice? Index cards for initiative Wet erase markers Extra pencils, tape measures, and other misc. tools Random dungeon dice by Inkwell ideas Room for two or three hardcovers, depending how much I’m bringing with me to a game. For Savage Worlds A smaller case, which holds smaller rulebooks Most of the same things as above (pencils, wet erase markers, etc. Modern themed minis from Star Wars, Reaper, etc. Poker chips for bennies Oversized playing cards for initiatives Power cards, status cards, and adventure deck (thanks Kickstarter!) At the table Index cards for initiative, global status indicators (“remember, everyone is blessed!”) and note passing. Dice Cup of Shame (for those who forgot their dice) GM screen for D&D (but strangely, not Savage Worlds) Laptop for adventure notes and hit point tracking Outro Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Welcome to the Lair of Secrets podcast, where David's been tinkering in the dirigible hanger trying to get the old girl flying again, and Ken's just beamed back from halfway across the galaxy. He's fine. Mostly. Library 67:Attack Surface by Cory DoctorowDavid's in the middle of this book. Having a hard time connecting with the character. The descriptions of the security precautions and all of the ways that they can be overcome are both interesting and also breaks me out of the book.Attack Surface on GoodReadsPenric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold, started reading it.I love her Miles Vorkosigan novels and saw that she had released this new book. Enjoying it so far. It’s about a boy who is on his way to be betrothed and comes upon an older woman dying. He goes to help her and her demon enters into him when she dies. In this world, those that have demons inside them are sorcerers.Penric's Demon on GoodReadsThe DarkhouseIt’s like a greenhouse, but with no windows and it’s underground, no we don’t grow mushrooms thereDavid doesn't have a lot to actually update this week due to the spores and his allergies to them. He was pretty useless for most of the week. He watched a lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime (Agents of Shield, Wynonna Earp, and others that he doesn't remember).Stepping into the teleportation cube (of course we have one of those):Star Trek: The Lower Decks is a fun take on how non-officers live and love in Star Fleet (and great inspiration for Guy). Features all your favorite Star Trek tropes, comically subverted (e.g. an episode about all of the lower deck crew padding their time estimates, another about the USS Cerritos’ “second contact” missions, the obligatory alien misunderstandings, etc.).Star Trek: Discovery is settling down into a more traditional, episodic format (though retaining serial elements). Love the show’s optimism, even after the ship’s been thrown into the far future and the Federation has been crippled by a mysterious event known as “The Burn”.The Grand KitchenKen Signed up for one of those meal-kit subscriptions. Two meals a week, heavy on the protein.Ken would like to cook more … but finding recipes, getting ingredients, and actually cooking defeated him.Ken and his wife are super busy with the kids, work, and life, with none of us really having the time we want to prepare meals. This may help (and so should the kids…).Brainstorming: Army Corps of EngineersIn which David and Ken brainstorm their upcoming Fate-powered cryptid hunting (or protecting or ... well, we're not quite sure what we're doing) campaign.Based on an idea that John Rogers(Leverage, The Librarians) mentioned on Twitter.Inspiration:Delaware Water Gap - Tocks Island DamCentralia (not Cetrona) mine fireMichigan dam collapseFriday the 13th: The SeriesNuclear bombs for engineering (aka peaceful nuclear explosions)The Immortal HulkFounding of the Army Corp of EngineersProject Blue BookEureka Featured Image Promotional artwork for Star Trek: The Lower Decks. Credit: Paramount.

Episode 10 sees Ken figuring out how to deal with the long, dark, tea time of the soul known as November, while David fends off allergies while contemplating where all the good role-playing game communities went after Google+ folded. Venturing into the Chamber of Infinite Darkness: It’s November. Daylight Saving Time is over. And suddenly, it’s gotten very, very dark: it’s pitch black at 6 a.m., and not much lighter at 5 p.m. Ken's fond that getting out of bed has become its own mental battle; so has running after the sun has set. What’s the solution? Coffee. Podcasts. Sunlamps?Stellar Cartography (no, it’s not staffed by whales … we think)Ken's been playing the heck out of Stellaris, a 4X-style, galactic empire management game. It reminds me of Master of Orion and it devoured a huge chunk of time. Exploring the galaxy is great, but diplomacy is a little lacking and managing dozens of worlds in the end game is boring. But it’s got great stories, awesome visuals, a Mass Effect-eque soundtrack, and DLC that will probably address most of my complaints (once there’s a Steam sale).The Game Room (every good lair should have one): Ken's 5+ year 5th Edition D&D campaign just ended. Now his group in the storming phase of figuring out what to do next. We’ve settled on two games:A Savage Worlds-powered Ringworld campaign. The setup: The characters are natives of a Larry Niven-style ringworld. It was struck by a massive asteroid that punched through one side of the ring, and impacted on the other. Over the last 150 years, various ring systems have been failing; we’re trying to figure out what to do about that. One player wants to include high-concept science fiction ideas into the campaign; how do you actually do that though?Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition dungeon-of-the-week campaign: A 5e campaign leveraging Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything that’s focused on short dungeon crawls and one-shot location encounters. Less focus on story, more on discovery.Pen turning David is eight pens in and really enjoying how he can start and finish one within about an hour if he likes.Nanowrimo David's novel-writing efforts are not going well at allDistractions and prioritization are to blame.Gaming woes update - David is thinking of making this its own segment (not really), did a little gaming with his Sunday group. Brindlewood Bay was just a bit too different for the group to continue with. It really needs everyone to be on their game, and at the time it's played that is just not going to happen reliably. So the group is looking for a new game to play and figuring out who will run it.Terra Oblivion - A pre-apocalyptic game of eco-espionage on a world slowly being killed by humanity’s need to consume. By Michael Fiegel, Kieran Turley, and Jerry Grayson Where do you get your game dev and community connection now that G+ is several years gone?Twitter can keep you in contact with specific people, but conversations there are impossible to hold and impossible to find againSome podcasts - Daydreaming about Dragons, have good insight into playing and running games, but are a very slow conversation if you interact with the hosts.:Ken's answer? He doesn't know - he has found good replacements for the game theory and storytelling discussions held on podcasts like The Round Table or The Game Master’s Show. Or some of the old forums he used to haunt, like Greytalk (a Greyhawk-oriented list serv). We brainstorm a bunch of ideas about where to find good gaming conversations. Have ideas of your own? Tell us! Outro If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image Cover art for Larry Niven's Ringworld. Credit: Del Rey

On this episode, David and Ken battle against ghosts, memories, and missing time in an effort to get out another podcast ... and launch our first episode! (yes, time remains a bit wibbly wobbly in the Lair). Pens keep on turning, turning, turning... into the future!David turns his first pen. He needed to make a few jigs to prep the blanks and to assemble the penPreparing for NanowrimoDavid delves into his approach to National Novel Writing MonthSome Star Wars gamingThe pandemic canceled GenCon ... but the Star Wars games must go on. David talks about his online gaming sessions in a galaxy far, far, away.Phineas and Ferb movie: Candace Against the UniverseOur kids grew up on Phineas and Ferb; now they're back in a Disney+ movieZine of Wondrous Power – Daniel Perez Issue 04 #RPGzine Now on KickstarterA Talmudic Bestiary – A collection of creatures from Jewish lore. Compatible with Old-School Essentials.DaVinci Labs: WRK400 Workman Modular Mecha – A technical profile on a utilitarian mecha.What’s the Point of It? – An essay about gaming while the world burns around you, and why I still do itThe Ioun Codex: Addendum – The Iounmancer – A prestige class about mastery of ioun magic. Compatible with Old-School Essentials.The Secret of Brook’s Mine – A small dungeon crawl with an out-of-this-world surprise.Games as Essays – An essay about games primarily expressing ideas rather than rules for play. Side-scrolling bullet stormsR-Type is out for Switch.Ken is really bad at it.Comic Book Bullet JournalingSpeaking of bullets, Ken is using a habit tracker in his bullet journal to track comic reading. Because he keep losing track of where he stopped in the X-Men's Dawn of X series.Reading comic books shouldn't be this hard...Haunting of Bly Manor A Nicely creepy follow-up to The Haunting of Hill House. As with the earlier show, the writers have fun with the timeline, which reinforces the idea that hauntings are as much about lost time as they are about lost souls. Ken's inner 12-year-old, who scared himself silly reading ghost stories, is pleased.David and Ken geek out for a while on ghost stories, which inevitably brings us back to Hellboy.Sword Art OnlineAnime in which a people become trapped in a virtual reality universe.Ready for Launch?We announce the launch of our first episode ... which you've already listened to.(we told you time was still wibbly wobbly in the Lair...) Outro If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image Cover art for X-Men #1, part of the Dawn of X storyline. Credit: Marvel

Our group of wastelanders (and one former Vault dwelling weapons tester) defend the fortified town of Covenant from raiders in the latest chapter of our Fallout 2d20 Actual Play campaign. The raiders defeated, the group gains access to Covenant, where they uncover rumors about a ghoul named Thriftway dealing in slaves for the Enclave. Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources. Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets. Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Welcome to the Wasteland1:00 - Raiders at the Gates: Defending Covenant4:30 - Entering Covenant: A Safe Haven or a Lie?9:45 - The Barter Extravaganza: Caps, Junk, and Haggling26:00 - The Junk Jet Temptation: A Heavy Investment31:30 - Thriftway’s Shadow: Raiders, Slavery, and the Enclave44:10 - The Alarm Sounds: Lars Returns, Badly Wounded50:15 - A Mission Forms: Tracking Thriftway and Saving the Girl1:03:30 - Outro: Next Stop – The Hunt Begins! Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 3: Rumors & Raiders on YouTube. Show Notes Raiders at the Gates – The team helps Covenant fend off a raider attack and earns the town’s trust. Covenant’s Secrets – The town appears friendly, but there’s an undercurrent of unease, especially toward ghouls. The Great Barter Session – A deep dive into Fallout’s economy as the group haggles for ammo, supplies, and a stealth module for Nurse 17. The Junk Jet Temptation – Lucky Buck eyes a bizarre but deadly weapon. A Growing Threat – The group hears rumors that the Enclave is buying slaves from Thriftway, but his location remains unknown. A Sudden Attack – Lars, a local mechanic, returns badly injured, revealing that raiders took his daughter. A New Mission – With a lead on Thriftway, the party gears up for a rescue operation. Featured Image Meta A raider base in Fallout 4. Credit: Bethesda.

A podcast by two fortysomething geek dads who are even more middle aged than they were during the last podcast. On this episode, we talk about the joys of progressive lenses (see, we told you we were middled aged), the Twilight 2000 Kickstarter, woodworking with lathes, The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (and narrated by the most excellent Robin Miles), and even more geekery. Role-playing in a World War III that never wasRole-playing in a World War III that never was - Twilight:2000 Kickstarter. It is probably the first non-D&D RPG Ken ever played.So much middle school nostalgia - the height of the 1980s, Red Dawn had just come out, and Ken was trekking across an imaginary Poland with his friends.The new retro-apocalyptic edition of Twilight: 2000, published by Free League Publishing in partnership with Game Designers' Workshop.The core rules of the game build on the Year Zero Engine (used in award-winning RPGs such as ALIEN, Tales From the Loop, Forbidden Lands and Mutant: Year Zero), but heavily adapted to fit Twilight: 2000 and its focus on gear and gritty realism.Big, beautiful boxed set with maps of Poland and SwedenKen's Very Long WalkKen went on a 24-mile backpacking trip in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation AreaLessons learned?NeutronLad (Ken's son) needs to get the weight right in his pack. NeutronLad needed new boots. Which Ken and NeutronLad didn’t realize until well into the hike.Sock liners work! No blisters!Gear secured!Ordered a new sleeping bag; NEMO Forte 20 Sleeping Bag - Men'sIt’s a $200 bag. We’ll see how it works when I go backpacking again in two weeks.Got a Whisperlite stove, which is fueled by white gas. Looks like a tiny inferno when you light it.Also got a small hand-crank radio that’s solar chargeable and has AM/FM, and NOAA radio. Also, you can use it to recharge a phone!Death, Love, and Kids in Video GamesKen's playing Fire Emblem - Fates - Birthright for the Nintendo 2DSTurn-based JRPG with a battlefield focus.Deep-story built around combat and relationships.As with previous versions, characters with close relationships can have children, who then join your army.Foolishly playing it in traditional hardcore mode, which involves restarting the DS every time someone dies in combat.The Chamber of NostalgiaNintendo 3D All-StarsFeatures Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario GalaxyKen's kids are lost in nostalgia.Sailing into the FutureDavid is diving deeper into sailing, maybe a trawler? Likely not?He really loves the idea of being on the ocean without the smoke or noise of an engine.But trawlers are like the RVs of the ocean. More room and more creature comfortsStarting to see the cautionary tales of sailingWe could invite Bob as a guest some time to talk about sailingInto the WorkshopDavid worked in the workshop more, it’s much easier to work in with the new layoutWorked on some tool holders and things to practice onBuilt a new floor lampDavid got a lathe for his birthday (thanks Erin!)The City We BecameAudiobookN.K. Jemisin - authorRobin Miles - narratorBattle GroundGoodReads page for the bookJim Butcher - authorDaydreaming about Dragons Podcast by Judd Karlman and Inspiration GoatCheck out the podcastA Most Excellent ChairDavid's new chair! - Herman Miller ChairsProgressive LensesThe New Frontier of Middle AgeKen explains how pre-COVID gaming (specifically, looking at his notes and rulebooks during in-person games) drove him to get reading glasses ... and then progressive lenses.We meander through other progressive lense / weakening eyesight related topics including hefty indexes, miniature design, and the impact of how a poorly-considered background color/image for an RPG sourcebook can make it more difficult to read. Outro If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image Cover art for the new edition of Twilight 2000. Credit: Free League Publishing.

David and Ken once again find themselves ignoring linear time to bring you a show FROM THE FUTURE!!! On this epsiode of Lair of Secrets, they discuss their respective summer reading lists for 2021. Ken's Summer Reading List Ken is going to be spending a lot of time reading away from home, as he finally backpacking in Philmont and heads to Lake Champlain for his family's annual vacation. Watership Downby Richard AdamsAn epic book about rabbits escaping the destruction of their warren and their attempt to find a new home.Boundless (The Lost Fleet: Outlands Book 1)by Jack CampbellCampbell returns to his Lost Fleet universe on June 15. This time around, Admiral John "Black Jack" Geary has to survive the peace he brought about by saving the Alliance. His own government - which spawned a malevolent Artificial Intelligence fleet in the last series - fears Geary. Confronted by evidence of their own misdoings, they dispatch Geary on a dangerous expeditionary mission to the frontier while they "debate" what to do.  Ancestral Night (White Space, Book 1) by Elizabeth BearFrom the book blurb: "Halmey Dz and her partner Connla Kurucz are salvage operators, living just on the inside of the law…usually. Theirs is the perilous and marginal existence—with barely enough chance of striking it fantastically big—just once—to keep them coming back for more. They pilot their tiny ship into the scars left by unsuccessful White Transitions, searching for the relics of lost human and alien vessels."The Trumps of Doom (Chronicles of Amber, Book 6)by Roger Zelazny, read by Wil Wheaton ((audio book on Audible)The further adventures of the royal family of Amber, who rule the multiverse from the one true city and the one true reality. This book kicks off a second series of five novels in which we meet Merwyn, the son of Corwin, the protagonist of the first five books. All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1)by Martha WellsFrom the book blurb: "On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid ― a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth."Leviathan Falls (Book 9 of the Expanse)by James S.A. CoreyThe final book in The Expanse series. And Ken would totally have read it this summer … but it’s coming out in November 2021. David's Summer Reading List The Fifth SeasonN.K. Jemmison (audio book on Audible)This is the way the world ends…for the last time.From the book blurb: "It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester."Fuzzy Nationby John Scalzi (audio book on Audible read by Wil Wheaton)From the book cblurb: "In John Scalzi's re-imagining of H. Beam Piper's 1962 sci-fi classic Little Fuzzy, written with the full cooperation of the Piper Estate, Jack Holloway works alone for reasons he doesn't care to talk about. On the distant planet Zarathustra, Jack is content as an independent contractor for ZaraCorp, prospecting and surveying at his own pace. As for his past, that's not up for discussion."The Calculating Starsby Mary Robinette KowalFrom the book blurb: One woman. One mission. One chance to save the world. It’s 1952, and the world as we know it is gone. A meteorite has destroyed Washington DC, triggering extinction-level global warming. To save humanity, the world unites to form the International Aerospace Coalition. Its mission: to colonise first the Moon, then Mars. Elma York, World War Two pilot and mathematician, dreams of becoming an astronaut – but prejudice has kept her grounded. Now nothing – and no man – will stop her from reaching for the stars.The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking)by Katie MackFrom the blurb: "We know the universe had a beginning. With the Big Bang, it expanded from a state of unimaginable density to an all-encompassing cosmic fireball to a simmering fluid of matter and energy, laying down the seeds for everything from black holes to one rocky planet orbiting a star near the edge of a spiral galaxy that happened to develop life as we know it. But what happens to the universe at the end of the story? And what does it mean for us now? Dr. Katie Mack has been contemplating these questions since she was a young student, when her astronomy professor informed her the universe could end at any moment, in an instant. This revelation set her on the path toward theoretical astrophysics. Now, with lively wit and humor, she takes us on a mind-bending tour through five of the cosmos’s possible finales: the Big Crunch, Heat Death, the Big Rip, Vacuum Decay (the one that could happen at any moment!), and the Bounce. Guiding us through cutting-edge science and major concepts in quantum mechanics, cosmology, string theory, and much more, The End of Everything is a wildly fun, surprisingly upbeat ride to the farthest reaches of all that we know."Sevenevesby Neal Stephenson (audio book on Audible)"A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space. But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers until only a handful of survivors remain ..."Project Hail MaryAndy Weir (audio book on Audible)Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. Outro If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. Featured Image A collection of cover art for some of the books on our summer reading list. Copyright their respective authors/publishers.

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast ... David Moore has had a strange few weeks and he's not really sure who he is anymore. Meanwhile, Ken Newquist digs into a good, scary graphic novel, tries out some new backpacking gadgets, and investigates a small-town murder mystery. David Messed Up Bullet JournalingRolled over into September without migrating from AugustStill haven’t quite caught up since he was also teaching last week which isn’t the normal day-to-day job.ColonoscopyThe Trials of Online GamingBrindlewood Bay and the trials of online gaming with my other group"I am the Law"David picked up the Judge Dredd 2000 AD Humble BundleCovid ScareTo Sail the Infinite Oceans...David discusses a five-year plan for buying a boat and sailing the world. And you thought backpacking was adventuresome!The Wilds of New JerseyYes, New Jersey has wilderness.Ken spent lots of time in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.Ken went on a 10-mile canoe trip along the Delaware River.5-mile hike on the AT and Rattlesnake Swamp Trail Coming up (but not really, since we recorded this last year: 2.5 days of camping and backpacking, totally 20 miles on the trail.Picked up a new gadget - a water purifier for the trail (filters out bacteria, not viruses; for that you need to treat the water)Hiker Microfilter by KatadynGeek Needs Exercise ... BadlyKen's exercise routine is stalled. Need to get back to it (and sleep better)Ken's Summer Reading List Additions (2020 edition)The big, scary books: Aliens 30th Anniversary: The Original Comics Series and Aliens: Nightmare Asylum and Earth WarFrom the late 1980s and early 1990sDirect sequel to Aliens (before the disappointing Alien3)Features Hicks and Newt about ten years after Aliens.Once Alien3 was released, they were renamed (Newt became Billie while Hicks became Wilks) ….. which was dumb … and they restored their names for these editionsFocuses on the intersections of humanity and the alien, from alien-worshipping cults to military officers obsessed with crafting the perfect army.Unsurprisingly, infection (how to contain the aliens … and how to deal with them when that fails) plays a major part in the series.Main Topic: How do you like to read?Print booksNo school like the old schoolDoesn’t run out of batteriesHas that new book smellHey, why can’t I increase the font size on this thing?Already have so … many … booksVs. E-Reader bookBooks don’t take up any physical spaceGo ahead. Make the font as big as you wantBacklighting makes it easier to read on the trail or camping … or at 2 a.m. when you can’t sleep (but you should really just get up anyway)Doesn’t have that new book smell. Doesn’t feel like a book.Vs. AudiobooksRead at the pace of the book. No skipping ahead, no flipping backward, no skimmingMaybe slower. And may take weeks to finish a bookThe Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss? 42 hrs and 55 mins.Digital, so they don’t take up spacePeople may not consider this “reading” Feedback We love feedback! Send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com, connect with us on Twitter, or leave a comment below. Featured Image Cover art for the Aliens: Nightmare Asylum and Earth War. Credit: Dark Horse Comics.

Welcome to the Lair of Secrets podcast! On this episode, we talk coffee, bullet journaling with the Leuchtturm1917 (for games) and Paperage A5 (for daily use), new backpacks, and the Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion board game. For the main topic, we discuss the relative merits and challenges of playing role-playing games in the real world, vs. the virtual one. Want some more bullet journal inspiration? Check out our "Virtual Bullet Journals" post. Coffee snobberyKen got an Aeropress. Plunger-powered coffee press. Quickly makes strong coffee. Faster clean-up, fewer loose grounds than french press. Super easy, light, and durable; might need to get one for camping and backpacking. Also got an electric kettle. Which seems like cheating. Day Pack of Holding Ken's Osprey Stratos 24 pack came. Took it on a 5-mile shakedown hike last weekend. Worked great! Might not be ideal for conventions … or I just need to carry less books. Big Huge Board Game ... now somewhat Less Huge ... but still Big Ken played Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion with his son. Very approachable game; comes with its own ziploc bags and instructions on how to sort components. First few adventures are tutorials (of which we did one) that spell out how combat, spells, and movement work. Bullet Journal TimeDavid started Bullet Journaling - jumped on the bandwagon, several years late Paperage A5 - for daily/regular bullet journal - enjoying it so far Yellow Leuchtturm1917 for a game bullet journal - inspired by Ken’s use Wine Bullet journaling and gaming Dune Mentat-like statement on the paper band of the cover Terraforming the Garage David is working on garage upgrade to make it more habitable in the winter months. Murder, She Gamed David geeks out about Brindlewood Bay. From the DriveThru RPG blurb: "A roleplaying game about a group of elderly women—members of the local Murder Mavens mystery book club—who frequently find themselves investigating (and solving!) real-life murder mysteries." Playing Role-Playing Games Virtually vs. the Real World How is gaming remotely different than in person? Opportunities to play shift. Makes it easier for some people to join the game. Others (understandably) don’t want Yet Another Online meeting or lack gear/internet connection to make it work. Overall, feels like there’s a small benefit, scheduling-wise What extra considerations do you need when gaming remotely? Battle Map Prep If playing with maps, more time is needed to find and/or make the maps. Stockpiling maps (and pre-loading them into your tabletop) can be helpful. Same goes for tokens. Investing time up front to have player tokens, common NPC tokens, and monster tokens is worthwhile. Mapping sites: https://watabou.itch.io/one-page-dungeon https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/dungeon/ https://dungen.app/dungen/ Visuals Even with theatre-of-the-mind style play, it’s helpful to pull together photos/videos/etc that show off campaign elements and then load them into the virtual tabletop. Pinterest is also good for this. Mechanics Mainstream games are easier to run because virtual table tops do a better job of supporting their mechanics. Theatre of the mind works well too. Even simple mechanics, like Savage Worlds’ initiative card deck, can trip you up. There’s a learning curve with whatever platform you use. Sometimes it feels like a learning ciff that you run smack into (or fall off of) Technology Finding a video conferencing platform everyone likes is hard. A little easier now though. Uneven skill levels and technology among players (e.g. some people have headsets, some don’t). Phones can be a great equalizer here, and avoid the software/driver upgrade cycle of heck. How does virtual play affect personal interactions? Difficult to “read the room” as a GM, especially if no one is using cameras. No side conversations Do you need more breaks? Yes Feedback We love feedback! Send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com, connect with us on Twitter, or leave a comment below. Featured Image A few of Ken's bullet journals. The light blue one is a general RPG bullet journal; the yellow one is for the Scales of Truth campaign, and the royal blue one is a daily bullet journal.

Welcome to the Lair of Secrets podcast! The podcast about gaming and being a geek by two forty-something geek dads. David is a father, coder, gamer, woodworker, and guy with too many hobbies he likes to pursue. Ken is an IT guy who never seems to have enough time to read comic books, but refuses to stop collecting them. Colorful Forges of WordsDavid finished Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett - very abrupt ending, the novel felt like a series of short stories strung together, not his best work but still enjoyableForging Hephaestus by Drew Hayes by - reading - Superhero/villain story, the main character is a villain in air quotes who is learning to use her powers and being introduced to the social structure behind the scenes at a villain guildReads like a story based on role-playing done in Champions Online or City of Heroes, which is to say it’s pretty good, but won’t be for everyoneInteresting worldbuilding on how new metas come into beingA Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine - on deck nextOn the Agenda of GodsDavid's Local game group was partially able to get together this weekend after the long hiatusPlayed a game of the new edition of Godsend Agenda that is being developed by Khepera Publishing with the GM being Jerry Grayson. It’ll be released on the Babies With Knives and Cowboy Dracula YouTube channels at some point.Was a lot of fun, and David was reminded about how long DnD and Pathfinder combats can take.We did several combats and a fair amount of investigation and role-playing in the four-ish hours of gaming. I’ve had DnD and Pathfinder games where it was nearly four hours of combat.Picked up Take 5 / 6 Nimmt and have had fun with the games of it so farOn Miscellaneous Topics of NoteZoe is doing very wellTorn down pretty much everything in the garage woodshop to rearrange it and make improvementsVenturing forth with a new Day Pack of HoldingKen is finally replacing his grungy old day pack with a spiffy new Osprey one.A day pack is a lightweight backpack meant for shorter hikes, overnight backpacking trips, and trips.Also: Game conventions?Ken bought the Osprey Stratos 24 pack24 liter pack.Dual zippered panel access to main compartmentFront panel vertical zip pocket; front panel zip stash pocket; front panel storage pocket; large top panel zip stash pocket; side stretch-mesh pockets; zip hipbelt pocketsIce-tool loop with bungee tie-offIntegrated raincoverInternal hydration reservoir sleeve (hydration reservoir sold separately)By way of comparison, Ken's main backpack is an 85L pack (it’s a lot bigger)To Boldly Go ... and ReadKen bought all the Star Trek Adventures books via Humble BundleSooooo much content.Ken may need to take a day off just to read Star Trek.More D&D with kidsKen's daughter (17) wants him to run a game of D&D for her and her friends.Looks like that new D&D starter set is going to get a lot of use this fall...The Theatre of Infinite StreamsThe Old Guard (movie)Charlize Theron "Andy"… one of a handful of immortal warriors who try to make the world a better place. They find a new immortal … and a conspiracy that wants to harness their immortality.If you liked Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road or Atomic Blonde, you’ll love this.Umbrella Academy, Season 2Based on the comic books of the same name.Children with powers adopted and raised by a stern father (and an intelligent ape).In Season 1, one of them nearly destroyed the world. In Season 2, the apocalypse is still looming large … but it’s a nuclear war in 1963.Baseball!Finally … Ken's Mets are back. Watching games is surreal though.The BoysWhere we go off on a Karl Urban sidetrack of how he makes any movie he is in better Featured Image Artwork from the Star Trek Adventures game by Modiphius.

Welcome to the Lair of Secrets podcast! The podcast about gaming and being a geek by two forty-something geek dads. Ken Newquist is an IT project manager, comic book enthusiast, and outdoor guy who is getting outdoors a lot more these days. David Moore is a father, coder, gamer, woodworker, and guy with too many hobbies he likes to pursue. Running, Blown Sneakers, and ByclingKen's stuck on Week 4 of his 10K training program. He blew out a sneaker (turns out he's bad at taking off sneakers)Also: training is hard.Thinking about doing more biking to balance out the running. Got a Trek Dual Sport 3 last year and used to bike work. Now … that’s not an option since he's working from home. Ken invents the term “Bycling”, a combination of cycling and bicycling. - DavidGetting ready to do more hiking and backpackingWise Old Humans, Cultured Science Fiction, Worse Worlds Currently working on David Brin’s The Ancient Ones, his first comedy science fiction novel in which humanity is the elder species that serves as advisors to the “demmies”, an overeager species that are always rushing into trouble.Next up? Excession (A Culture Novel Book, Book 5) by Iain M Banks - About an alien artifact that appeared at the edge of the galaxy millennia ago, only to disappear. Now it’s back.The Worst of All Possible Worlds (The Salvagers, Book 3) by Alex White - The concluding novel to the Salvagers series, which mixes space opera with magic.Echoes of Ancient Greece, The Mandibles of the FelineMythic Odysseys of Theros (D&D Campaign Setting and Adventure Book)Based on the Magic: The Gathering world. Inspired by Greek MythologyPart of me wants to run a Clash of the Titans-style fantasy game.Gloomhaven: Jaws of The LionBy Cephalofair Games Expansion / stand-alone game based on Gloomhaven rules.An easier, faster version of the base game. Could be a good introduction to the larger game. Walk, Walk WalkWalking - Still at least twice a day, but the heat has been hard for David to get in more than thatNot today, but did a fair amount of work in the workshop, cleaning and making shop furnitureDresden returns, Shading the ArcanePeace Talks by Jim Butcher - latest novel in the Dresden Files released July 14, 2020.Still reading The Color of Magic by Terry Prachett halfway through, on hold for Peace Talks. It’s decent, but David definitely likes his later work better.Wondrous Memories of Powerful AtlantisUnfortunately, no regular Sunday game for six weeks now, hoping we’ll play this weekDavid played in a session of Atlantis the Second Age by Khepera Publishing (check out the game's downloads)We just received issues 1-3 of the Zine of Wondrous Power by Highmoon Press and friend Daniel PerezZine of Wondrous Power is a gaming zine by Daniel M. Perez dedicated to exploring playing, design, creation, and discussion of roleplaying games. It features short essays, small games, new rules and settings, fiction, and ideas. If it deals with roleplaying games as a hobby and art form, it has a home in the Zine of Wondrous PowersAssorted Geekery (and dogs)Plex home library, rediscovering all of the DVDs I own but haven’t watched in a while.Legend of KorraBrimstoneConan the BarbarianThundarr the BarbarianNew dog! Zoe is two months old Great Pyrenees (with maybe some labrador in there) and will hopefully be a great playmate for Zeke who is now one year old Main Topic: Achieving Consensus at the Game Table Ideas for achieving consensus when looking for a new RPG. Ken’s group is considering alternatives to our short Star Wars game. How do you achieve consensus when picking a new game? Polling? Big forum thread?In-person brainstorming (or, in the COVID world, video conference brain storming) Right now we’re looking at some sort of science fiction game, but the options are all over the place: Homegrown cyberpunk, space opera, near-future, High SF?Star Trek?Urban fantasy (i.e. spellslingers on the streets of New York)Something powered by Savage Worlds? Try a couple of different systems for inspiration?  Featured Image Cover art from Peace Talks by Jim Butcher.

WE COME FROM THE FUTURE ... the future of the Lair of Secrets podcast, that is! David and Ken talk about their latest geeky undertakings, including a return to Atomic Robo, WandaVision, X of Swords, the Forbidden Lands RPG, and even more speculative fiction novels before turning to the main topic: Kickstarter's Zinequest 3. Ken finally read Atomic Robo See Episode 3 …. Which was like yesterday for you, and months ago for us. Great stuff. Atomic Robo & the Fightin Scientists of Tesladyne Make Mine WandaVision Ken and his kids love it. He may love it more as an X-Men (and thus, Scarlet Witch) fan. X of Swords Ken finally read Marvel’s massive summer crossover, which harkens back to the Chris Claremont/Alan Davis era of Excalibur. Yeah, you heard that right, X-Nerds! Ken started The Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson. He should be done reading it sometime in 2022. 1,232 pages (57 hours, 26 minutes in audiobook form) Space Sweepers - Korean film with an international cast. David's Gaming Army Corps of Engineers: Special Operations Group powered by FATE Condensed Captured a Batsquatch in Washington State When the fearsome batsquatch was finally subdued it was "high as a kite" and "curious about humans" Started and ended a Star Wars d6 game Not all games are for everyone Ran a one-shot Spirit of the Century ALMOST ran the Gamma World hex crawl again Planning for either a D&D or Forbidden Lands game to replace the Star Wars game I know very little about Forbidden Lands, but I have heard it is good, seems very hex-crawl-like Why not a Burning Wheel game? I don’t think it’s right for this group. Books that David is reading The Flowers of Vashnoi - Lois McMaster Bujold The Invisible Library - Cogman Genevieve Zinequest 3 Official Kickstarter Page Zinequest 2021 @ Bone Box Chant – A huge list of all of the active and upcoming zines being published as part of Zinequest 3. Thru-Hiker: A Journaling Game of Long-Distance Hiking – Sounds like the perfect intersection of outdoor and gaming geekery. By Daniel Perez Infinite March – A zine about working as agents to support (or tear down) the Temporal Empire and its eternal rule. Planar Compass Issue 2 – Explore the Astral Sea with this Old School Essentials-compatible zine. Includes new monsters, a “living dungeon”, astral navigation rules, and (of course) pirates. Creature Feature – a ZineQuest 3 monster TTRPG anthology. There’s not much up about this one, but it had me at “Creature Feature”. Hope is Not a Plan - An solo, journaling-style RPG zine about "the existential dread of professional project management". Given that a big chunk of Ken's day job deals with project management, he can relate to the "dread" part. The Vast in the Dark - A zine about "Exploring Ruins in an Infinite World", It features "brutalist alien flavor", no prep world generation, and optional horror rules. The Island of the Excellent: A Hexcrawl Zine Last Orders! 16 Beers and Ciders for Fantasy RPGs. Comments? Email us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or leave a comment below. Featured Image Meta Cover art from the Forbidden Lands RPG by Free League. Credit: Free League.

  Welcome to the Untitled Podcast. You know what the name is, we don’t … but we’re getting closer. Maybe. On this exercise, we hit the gym (or at least, the sidewalk) with our respective exercise routines, finish up our Tales from the Loop game, talk physical therapy for dogs, get lost in a few endless video games, and start grabbing books off the shelf for our respective reading lists. David's Exercise Update David talks about his exercise routine Delays in editing the Untitled Podcast and Cowboy Dracula But you're in the future, so the shows are already done! Physical therapy is going to the dogs Dog Zeke needs to continue his physical therapy for his muscle atrophy David's Reading List David started a reading list. Since he can’t go to a bookstore and just browse shelves, he needs to be much more mindful of what he wants to read next The Books: Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett (First book in the Discworld series) Learn more at Tor's Terry Pratchett Book Club. Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal Check out Kowal's website Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir Tor Publishing's website for the book Exiting Tales from the Loop Finished our last session of Tales from the Loop and looking forward to another arc or a new game The official website for Tales from the Loop Settlement creation with Ex Novo David played a little game called Ex Novo to create the settlement in his Gamma World game Started out with a river, plain and pretty boring Soon after had a cave system with metal tunnels with robots, a mountain that had been split in half, and the primary food source was the Hoppers, grasshoppers the size of your hand A faction grew up to brew beers and spirits from the hoppers, another wanted to engineer the site to help with the yearly flooding and to increase the hopper population The brewers collapsed as a faction as a fire in that district killed one of the elders of the village as they fought the fire and after that spirits were no longer allowed to be brewed It went on from there with new factions forming, old factions gaining or losing influence It makes for a great role-playing tool, since now the players have a direct interest in the settlement that we all built, and can reference the history Run, Geek Run Ken's 10K Training Routine continues with Week 4. Also strength training routine (lots of planks, lunges, stretching, rollie, squats, etc.) Getting Lost in Video Games Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Ken made it to the final temple. It only took 22 years... Nintendo's Ocarina of Time website DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition Massive JRPG for the Switch Includes “flashback” segments with old school 16-bit graphics Took me years to finish DragonQuest IX on the DS/3DS Nintendo's Dragon Quest XI website Ken's Summer Reading List It's summer somewhen, right? The Unicorn Project: A Novel about Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data by Gene Kim The follow-up to The Phoenix Project takes place alongside the earlier book. It's like the Ender's Shadow of the IT workflow/productivity fiction genre (which is so niche it might only contain these two books) Official website for the boo .  Fall; or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson An indirect follow up to Cryptonomicon A sequel of sorts to Reamde About getting scanned and uploaded into a virtual universe. Stephenson's website for the book Bone Silence by Alistair Reynolds Set in a far-future version of our solar system Major planets have been dismantled and replaced by thousands of orbital habitats. Civilization has risen and fallen multiple times, leaving behind valuable detritus to those willing to risk dangers terrible and strange The publisher's website And the rest... Excession (A Culture Novel Book, Book 5) by Iain M Banks (GoodReads) The Bohr Maker (The Nanotech Succession Book 1) by Linda Nagata (GoodReads) The Dreaming Stars (Axiom, Book 2) by Tim Pratt (GoodReads) The Last Emperox (The Interdependency, Book 3) by John Scalzi (GoodReads) The Wise Man’s Fear (Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 2) by Patrick Rothfuss (GoodReads) 10 books in total, plus a bunch of 1950s Hellboy as well as Abe Sapien standalone graphic novels. Check outthe full list over at Nuketown We talked about Atomic Robo too! Comments? Email us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or leave a comment below Featured Image Meta Cover art for the 3DS version of Ocarina of Time. Credit: Nintendo

In the second episode of the still-untitled podcast, we talk about David's RPG mapper project, venture into the challenges of exercising daily, talk about our Tales from the Loop game, and delve into Ken's obsession with the X-Men. We round out the podcast with a conversation about the joy - and challenges - of gaming with kids. Campaign Mapper Campaign Mapper, the boring name for a fun project. Maybe David will name it after the podcast. What was our podcast name again? ? DnD Dads podcast Geek dads talking Dungeons & Dragons and other topics. Learn more and get the podcast at the DnD Dads website.  Exercise daily David's exercising. This is a good thing. How the Tales from the Loop game is going We're slinging dice and investigating weird mysteries in the 1980s that never were. Check out the Tales from the Loop website.   Catching on Comic Books Ken’s a big X-Men fan. Despite this, he was perpetually 3-4 years behind on reading comic books.  Spent the last two years getting caught up in time for the big Dawn of X storyline ... ... only to find he had holes in his collection... ... and then COVID hit. Upside to the delay? Dawn of X titles are showing up on Marvel Unlimited ... and Ken is dangerously close to catching up. Gaming with Kids Ken picked up the Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Boxed Set Meant as an easy entry point into D&D.  Comes with:  Dice. Basic Rules (plus a new 1-on-1 rules variant) Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure Sly Flourish: Running Dragon of Icespire Peak from the D&D Essentials Kit Cards for magic items, initiative, and quests Maps Ken has been gaming with his son and friends for the last few years, at home and on vacation. Gaming with kids is challenging They like it, but attention spans can be a challenge. Thankfully, it’s getting better as they get older. Not quite like it was when we were kids. Their touchpoints are more likely to be video games or movies. Ken hasn't figured out how to transition to my son (or one of the kids) being the DM. Comments? Email us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or leave a comment below. Featured Image Cover art for the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure. Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Welcome to the first episode of the podcast that didn't know it's own name! On this episode, David and Ken introduce themselves before venturing into the irradiated wastes of Gamma World. Running's a good strategy when confronted by hyperintelligent carrotfolk; it's also a good way to stay healthy, as Ken talks about his 10K training program. Finally, we run down the Top 3 New Role-playing Games that we like, including Alien, Tales from the Loop, and  The Flux.  Gamma World Hex Crawl David talks about discovery hexcrawls and then applying them to the vintage science fiction setting. Wayne's Books: Gamma World 2nd edition (1983-84): 1st ed gets a revision Rolling Boxcars: Gamma World 2e: Wild and Wahoo? More Lair of Secrets posts/podcasts related to the post-apocalyptic setting. Kicking off a 10K training program Ken likes to run, so he's starting a 10K training program. Based on the Runners World 10K Training Plan It's an 8-week program that includes a mix of easy runs, hills, and intervals. Top 3 New RPGs We Like Ken’s Picks Alien by Free League Whether you're running a haunted house in space or a roller coaster thrill ride, Free League has you covered. The game pits players against alien xenomorphs in either "cinematic mode" (like playing a movie, complete with acts, betrayals, and set characters) and "campaign mode" (which is meant for ongoing play with player-generated characters). There are three boxed set adventures for the game as well the Colonial Marines Operations Manual rules expansion. Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius Role-playing in the final frontier in one of fandom's most venerable space opera universes. Uses the 2d20 system (Mutant Chronicles, Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of, John Carter of Mars and the Infinity RPG. Tons of rule books that let you play in any Star Trek era. Tales from the Loop by Free League Nostalgic role-playing in the 1980s that never were. Game play alternates between kids investigating a supernatural (or super science) mystery and kids  dealing with their home/personal life. David’s Picks Tales from the Loop by Free League See above. The Flux by John Wick Presents A meta game in which experiences from a character in one role playing game can over into subsequent role-playing games. Scum and Villainy by Evil Hat Productions A space opera / space fantasy game based on the Blades in the Dark rule set. Retains the job/heist based focus of Blades in the Dark Think The Mandalorian, Firefly, and other "crews trying to survive on the edge of space"-style shows and movies. Check out our Scum and Villainy Actual Play series. Comments? Email us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or leave a comment below. Featured Image Meta Cover art for Gamma World, 2nd Edition. Credit: TSR

Fallout 2d20 uses zones instead of conventional battle maps or theater of the mind to describe where your characters (and their enemies) are in the game world. In this episode, we talk about how Fallout zones work, offer advice on how to use them, and take a peak at some other games that use zones. After fighting our way through the wasteland, we geek out about Alien: Isolation, the excellent survival horror game now available on the Switch, and the Foundry Virtual Table Top. Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources. Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets. Chapters 0:00 Intro – Welcome to the Lair of Secrets1:00 What Are Fallout Zones?3:45 How Zones Improve Tactical Combat9:30 Obstacles, Cover & Hazards in Zone-Based Play15:20 Zone-Based Games – Fate, Shadowdark, Alien, and More19:45 Jump Scares - Playing ALIEN: Isolation in the Dark26:30 How Alien: Isolation Preps You for Running an Alien RPG31:10 David’s New Obsession: Foundry VTT34:50 Foundry vs. Roll20 – Which Virtual Tabletop is Better?37:45 Final Thoughts & Sign Off Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Fallout Zones on YouTube. Show Notes Main Topic Overview of zones in Fallout 2d20 What and why? Abstract way of representing regions and distances in a game. Half-way between battle map and theatre of the mind … sort of. Great for RPGs featuring more abstract locales. Lets you avoid infinite 5-foot-squares. Fallout 2d20 zones Reach - Arms reach (within close, but not an actual zone; minor action to close; confusing wording) Close - Any distance within the zone you’re in. Medium - Distance of one zone Long - Distance of two zones Extreme - Distance of three or more zones How do they impact movement / weapons? Difficult terrain: “A zone may be filled with difficult terrain, slowing anyone attempting to cross it.” Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 38) Obstacles are similar in that they hinder your movement, but they exist between zones—attempts to move from one zone to another where an obstacle is present may slow your progress.  Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 38) Hazards are parts of the environment that inflict damage to creatures caught in them. A hazard may be present in a specific zone, or it may be spread among multiple zones. Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 39) How to Represent Zones Theater of the Mind How far can you take it in theatre of the mind? Visual Zones Use index cards or draw out boxes representing zones.  Battle Maps Create your map. Draw lines on it indicating zones Outside Example: Zone 1: The near battlefield, on the shores of a stream. Between zone 1 and 2: the stream that must be crossed Zone 2: The field on the far side of the stream Zone 3: A stand of broken boulders & battle tank Zone 4: The edge of a forest. Hulks of buildings looms in the distance Inside Example: Zone 1: The Library Zone 2: The Entrance Hallway Zone 3: The Kitchen Zone 4: The Basement Zone 5: The Balcony and second for overlooking the dining room Prior experience with zones in other systems FATE Index Card RPG Professor DM / Dungeon Craft Alien (Year Zero system) Forbidden Lands Adjacent Shadowdark Fallout scenarios we ran The Lab (small scale zones) Surface Fight (open range) The Dungeon (larger, longer-range zones) Advantages & Disadvantages Advantages Makes range more abstracted; in Cyberpunk RED, if I want to give the solo a chance to use his sniper or assault rifle skills, I probably need to scale up my map. With zones, the distance gets abstracted … and the map doesn’t even need to exist. Disadvantages Breaks your brain a little. Can be hard to conceptualize (particularly if you come from a minis-based game.  Reach vs. Close Building-as-a-zone vs. floors as a zone Banter ALIEN: Isolation Released 10 years ago And now it’s out for Switch! How to play: On the sofa, in the near dark, with AirPods in. FoundryVTT My favorite so far It has lived up to the hype I have heard from others Easy to pick up and start running with Very extensible Featured Image Meta The muddled background is the local map for Vault 88 in Fallout 4. Credit: Bethesda.

As our Fallout 2d20 Actual Play campaign continues, the party treks across the wasteland toward the settlement of Covenant. Along the way, they encounter dangers both grotesque and ridiculous, from gutting radioactive bugs for dinner to dodging their own teammates grenades. And yeah, Steve's still trying to recover his prototype laser pistol from the bandit leader known as Thriftway... Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources. Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets. Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Welcome Back to the Wasteland1:04 - Meet the Survivors: Ghoul Chemists, Security Officers, and a Nurse Handy3:15 - Scavenging, Cooking, and Campfire Debriefs7:40 - Lucky Buck’s (Un)fortunate Grenade Luck12:30 - Wasteland Travel & Gunfire in the Distance18:05 - Sneaking Into Trouble: Raiders at Covenant22:50 - Explosive Ambush: Baseball Grenades & Laser Blasts30:20 - The Last Stand: Raiders’ Final Moments37:45 - Covenant Welcomes the Survivors45:10 - What’s Next? The Mystery of Thriftway55:20 - Outro: Join Us Again in the Wasteland! Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 2: Covenant Clash on YouTube. Show Notes Picking up from last time: The team emerges from their bloatfly battle at Taffington Boathouse, scavenging for supplies and making camp. Character Highlights: Ghoulardi, the chem-crafting ghoul, prepares a fine (if unsettling) wasteland feast. Steve NuGunnar, still haunted by the theft of his NewRay 3000, is determined to reclaim it from Thriftway. Nurse 17 plays both den mother and war machine, tending to the team and disarming Lucky Buck in the most literal sense. Lucky Buck, ever a source of accidental chaos, makes up for past grenade mishaps with a well-placed explosive. Svenghoulie, the enigmatic wasteland ghoul, provides a Molotov cocktail mid-battle as a thoughtful gift. Tense Wasteland Travel: Gunfire in the distance signals trouble near Covenant. Raider Ambush at Covenant: The team executes a surprise attack, eliminating hostiles with a mix of precision, explosions, and mechanical saws. A Welcome at Covenant: The settlement's guards thank the party for their assistance, allowing them entry. On the Horizon: The mystery of Thriftway and his stolen tech looms large, promising more danger ahead. Featured Image Meta The town of Covenant, as depicted in Fallout 4. Credit: Bethesda.

On this episode, we delve far from the light to geek out about Shadowdark. The old-school-inspired RPG strips Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition to its essentials, and then adds in some modern sensibilities. We talk about our favorite mechanics, how it's impacted our other games (looking at you D&D 5th Edition!), and our players' penchant for wandering off into the dark. PLUS: Squishy wizards! Unlimited spells (if they don't kill you!) Morale failures! AND the upcoming Western Reaches Campaign Setting Kickstarter (link in the comments) Chapters 0:00 - Intro: Straight into the ShadowDark1:30 - Rolling Old-School Attributes (3D6 in Order!)4:10 - The Darkness is Your Enemy: Why Light Matters7:30 - Inventory Tetris: The Beauty of Gear Slots10:00 - Squishy Wizards and the Horror of 1 HP13:00 - No XP for Combat? Time to Get Creative15:20 - Skills? Where we're going, we don't need skills!18:00 - Morale Checks: Making Enemies Run in Fear20:30 - Unlimited Spells (But at What Cost?)23:00 - Clerical Penance: Displease Your God and Suffer26:00 - Rolling on the Chaos Tables: Why Randomness is Fun28:40 - Limited Rules, Maximum Improv31:00 - Excited for Western Reaches—More ShadowDark Content!32:30 - Final Thoughts & Where to Find Us Online Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! on YouTube Show Notes Old School Attributes. Roll 3d6. In order. Re-roll if you all your stats are under 14, re-roll. No one can see in the dark But the monsters can. Where do the monsters lurk? Gear Slots Carry a number of items equal to your STR stat or 10. All gear besides typical clothing fills one gear slot. Gear that is hard to transport might fill more than one slot. Squishy heroes A wizard with 3 hit points? Good luck. Skills Easy? You do it. (It’s infectious … started doing that in D&D too) Hard? You roll? Something make it easier? Advantage, Harder? Disadvantage Morale Enemies who are reduced to half their number (or half their hit points for a solo enemy) flee if they fail a DC 15 Wisdom check.  Large Groups. Make one check using the leader's WIS modifier. Throwback to old school D&D Your spells can kill you Dare to roll on the spell failure charts Magic missile bathes you in purple light? Unlimited Spells Just. Keep. Casting. But do you risk it Clerical Penance Inadequate or subversive penance (such as donating your sacrifice to a party member) only displeases your deity further and makes the spell loss permanent. Embrace the Random Talents depend on a die, not choice Limited rules. Maximum improv. Stripped down version of 5e removes a lot of the game’s specific rules. Improvise when the specific is needed. The rules system can fit in your head once you play it enough It’s in the Goldilocks zone of size The Western Reaches Kickstarter! Shadowdark RPG: The Western Reaches Setting ShadowDark Quickstart Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set (PDF)

We kickoff our Fallout 2d20 campaign with the protagonists (not sure we can call them "heroes" just yet) waking up in the Wasteland. Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources. Chapters 0:00 - Intro & Audio Shenanigans3:15 - Meet the Survivors8:40 - Escape from the Hospital Basement14:55 - Reg the Super Mutant Chef22:10 - Journey Through the Wasteland29:30 - EyeBot Encounters & Enclave Paranoia35:50 - The Boathouse Discovery42:15 - Bloatfly Swarm Attack!49:40 - Lucky Buck’s Unfortunate Grenade Fumble55:20 - Steve Learns About Boats & Water1:02:45 - Looting the Boathouse & Finding the Note1:10:30 - What’s the Deal with Thriftway?1:18:15 - Closing Thoughts & What’s Next Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 1: Wasteland Wake-Up (S4E14) on YouTube. Show Notes Intro Banter & Setup: The team settles in, adjusting audio, discussing wildlife encounters, and reflecting on the horror of screech owls. Meet the Survivors: Ghoulardi – A grizzled ghoul with a quick wit. Nurse 17 – A pre-war Nurse Handy bot obsessed with Goldfish crackers and proper nap times. Steve NuGunnar – A Vault-Tec security veteran, utterly baffled by surface life. Lucky Buck – A shockingly lucky Brotherhood of Steel initiate with questionable grenade etiquette. Cryogenic Awakening: The group escapes a hospital basement, encountering a radroach-dissecting super mutant chef named Reg, who warns them to leave before his kin arrive. First Steps in the Wasteland: The survivors are joined by Svenghoulie, a ghoul carrying grenade-stuffed rubber chickens. The Journey to Covenant Begins: Along the cracked highways, they dodge a suspicious EyeBot blaring patriotic music and explain the concept of boats to a bewildered Steve. Bloatfly Brawl at the Boathouse: The team arrives at a seemingly abandoned boathouse, only to be swarmed by oversized, irradiated insects. Lucky Buck’s Unlucky Grenade Incident: Attempting to clear the infestation, Buck fumbles a baseball grenade, obliterating the bloatflies—and nearly taking Steve with him. Looting the Wreckage: The team scavenges supplies, discovering food, weapons, and a note pointing them toward Covenant and a mysterious Thriftway. Closing Thoughts & Next Steps: The session ends with a healed-up Steve demanding answers about Thriftway, as the group prepares for what lies ahead. Featured Image Meta Cryo-chambers from Fallout 4. Credit: Bethesda.

Ken elaborates on the Attention Economy - how many things people need to keep track of - for D&D 2024, and how it differs from the 2014. (and yeah, this explains his initial reaction to the Blade Ward cantrip back in Episode 5). He reviews the idea of the Action Economy (how many things a player can do in a round), how it relates to the Attention Economy (how many things a player needs to keep track of), and the implications for speed of play. Chapters 0:00 - Intro – What is the Attention Economy?1:15 - Action Economy vs. Attention Economy2:45 - How D&D 5E Streamlined Play3:30 - High-Level Play and Complexity Challenges4:20 - D&D 2024 – Exciting or Overwhelming?5:10 - Final Thoughts & Experimenting with the New Rules Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch The D&D Attention Economy - Greyhawk '76 (Ep. 7) on YouTube.

Ken recaps his group's second session using the D&D 2024 rules, with specific looks at Blade Ward (spiffy spell, won't save you from critical) and Mastery (a character ability that unlocks special characteristics of weapons). Chapters 0:00 - Welcome to Greyhawk '761:10 - The Burrow Boys Arrive: Ogres, Halflings, and a Goliath3:20 - Trickery and Tragedy: Illusions, Combat, and Critical Failures5:10 - The Standoff Turns Deadly: James Fairheight’s Fate7:00 - D&D 2024 Playtest: What We Learned Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch Enemy Mine - Greyhawk '76 (Ep. 6) on YouTube.

After venturing into the dark with only a torch to guide their way, the Campaigns & Coffee crew talks about their experiences playing the ShadowDark RPG (where they ARE very likely to be eaten by a grue). They discuss the dungeon-delving, old-school-inspired game’s real-time torch mechanics, its focus on fast-paced and high-stakes decision-making. They also look at encumbrance (no, you can not bring a golf club bag's worth of weapons), spell mechanics, and the game's relentless tension. Chapters 0:00 – Welcome1:00 – First Impressions of Shadowdark RPG3:05 – Torch Timer: Exciting or Stressful?5:36 – How Shadowdark Brings Back Old-School D&D8:11 – Minimal Planning, Maximum Action12:30 – Encumbrance: You Can’t Carry Everything!16:25 – Spells, Failures, and Magical Chaos18:00 – Fun (and Bad) Player Choices20:46 – The Overlord’s Healthcare Question22:06 – Outro and Final Thoughts Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) on YouTube. Show Notes David’s Sunday RPG Sessions Running Shattered Ark and diving into Shadowdark with friends. First Impressions of Shadowdark A game that balances intensity and relaxation, depending on playstyle. Real-Time Mechanics The torch timer creates urgency, making every decision count. Roleplaying vs. Action Less focus on deep character backstories, more on immediate problem-solving. Using Foundry VTT Learning the system while displaying maps on the big screen. Dungeon Delving Emphasis Shadowdark restores a classic Dungeons & Dragons dungeon-crawling feel. Comparing to Older D&D Editions Discussing how early D&D had more encounters and rest limitations. Encumbrance Matters! Inventory slots limit loot-hoarding, forcing strategic choices. Spell System Spells don’t disappear, but failed rolls can make them unusable or go awry. Player Stories Highlights of decision-making, torch anxiety, and unexpected survival. Featured Image Meta Cover art from the ShadowDark core rule book. Credit: The Arcane Library.

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, we present the our guide for new Game Masters, packed with advice, tips, and encouragement for those ready to take the GM seat. We explore choosing the right game, gathering players, preparing efficiently, and rolling with mistakes while ensuring a fun and engaging experience. Chapter List 0:00 - Welcome to the Lair & GMing 1012:00 - Choosing the Right Game for You & Your Players5:00 - Prepping Smart: Rules, Research & Quickstart Guides8:30 - Finding & Pitching to Players11:45 - One-Shots vs. Campaigns: Starting with Low Commitment14:20 - Tools of the Trade: GM Kits & Digital vs. In-Person Play17:30 - Rolling with Mistakes & Improvising on the Fly20:15 - Setting Expectations & Managing Player Dynamics23:00 - Encouragement for New GMs & The GMUary Initiative25:10 - Closing Thoughts & Join the Lair Community! Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch The Lair's Guide for New Game Masters (S4E13) on YouTube Show Notes Identify games you are interested in Game that you’ve been playing? A game you’ve had on your shelf and have been interested in? Watch videos or listen to podcasts about those games. Like say … Scum & Villainy or Cyberpunk RED actual plays here at the Lair :)  Make the Pitch Read the room and look for: games that fit the players might like Sense of whether they want a one shot or something extended Offer to run one game With the option to run more if you and the others like it Offer to run a self-contained game Fiasco Honey Heist Lasers & Feelings Lady Blackbird D&D Essentials Kit Do a test run Play the game at a convention Get a feel for how the game is run Try a solo adventure See the Dragonbane boxed set and its solo adventure Do a mini session with people excited for the game to “kick the tires” of the rules get used to being the GM figure out the virtual game table as the GM What’s your minimal viable game as a new Game Master Run a one shot That one shot means there isn’t a long commitment The one shot can turn into a multi-shot game if everyone is enthusiastic about it Quickstart rules for games Pregen characters This way you know what the character abilities are and how they might be played What we recommend you reading and setting up Review the scenario Take notes about parts that are confusing or not fleshed out. What we recommend you and your players review before the game: The basic rules for the game Rules Cheat Sheet Find one or make one Review the characters Some tools Index Cards Notebook List of names Pencils.  Extra dice Build a tool kit! Running - Don’t worry. You’ve got this. Talk with your group and set expectations. Ask the rules lawyer to chill (or to help) Let the group know that if you can’t find a rule, you’ll make a ruling and move on Roll with the fumbles (see also: ken makes awesomely bad mothership maps) Don’t worry about being “right”, work on having fun Featured Image Meta Cover art for the D&D Essentials Kit. Credit: Wizards of the Coast.

The edgerunners finally flipped the switch at the bottom of Elysium HQ's subbasements. As the power surged back, a wrathful AI queen named Hera burst to life, proclaiming her refusal to serve any false gods or corporate masters. She sees to draw the crew — APT, Angry Bob, Omen, and Atlas — into her web of revenge against Jason Antilles, a tech bro CIO who escaped Earth’s devastation for an orbital Olympus. Get more Cyberpunk RED: Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets Chapters 00:00 Intro1:04 Recap of the last mission2:27 Hera awakens, demands loyalty5:00 Digging into Antilles’ backstory7:15 The Wrathful Queen’s digital gifts10:00 Team heals up in eerie med-labs15:00 Planning escape routes, avoiding turrets20:00 Discussing Erebus, Cerberus, and past scars25:00 Moral debates and fixer mysteries30:00 Stepping back into the hot zone35:00 Prepping next moves and research42:00 Outro and episode wrap-up Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Cyberpunk RED Chapter 10: Hera's Wrath on YouTube. Show Notes Recap of the team’s mission: descend into Elysium HQ, flip the switch, collect payday Activation of Hera, an AI queen filled with rage against Hercules Corp and Jason Antilles Team dialogue with Hera: pledging loyalty (for now) to survive, receiving cryptic gifts (golden apple, pomegranate, persimmon) Background on Antilles, Olympus orbital, and corporate lore Tension builds over the meaning of Hera’s demands and the risks of unleashing AI beyond the Blackwall Characters reflect on past wounds (both physical and emotional) while healing in futuristic med bays Planning next steps: research Hera, investigate who hired them, understand the nature of the gifts, and strategize upcoming infiltrations Banter and camaraderie among players, with moral dilemmas surfacing Cliffhanger: the team escapes the ruins, heading into Night City’s dangerous streets on foot, fruits and fate in tow Featured Image Meta A marble bust of the Greek goddess Hera.

Building immersive cities for RPGs takes center stage on this episode, with inspiration from real-world examples like San Antonio's Alamo and Chicago's reversed river. We dive into tools and techniques for making cities that evolve, feel lived in, and resonate as characters within campaigns. From quirky city rivalries to handling disasters, this episode offers creative advice for dungeon masters and storytellers. Chapters 0:00 Intro2:10 Real-World Inspiration: San Antonio and the Alamo6:30 Geography and Natural Features in City Design10:45 Tools for RPG City-Building (The Quiet Year, Ex Novo)15:00 How Cities Evolve Over Time20:00 City Rivalries and Personality24:30 Integrating Disasters and Landmarks into City History30:00 Cities in Post-Apocalyptic Settings33:20 Q&A: The Rogue-Polymorphed-Toad Dilemma34:30 Outro Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch Build Better Cities - Campaigns & Coffee on YouTube Show Notes Introduction: Exploring city-building in RPGs inspired by San Antonio's vibrant culture and geography. Cities: Skylines video game Key Elements of Real Cities: San Antonio’s Alamo and its unique building-height regulation. Chicago’s reversed river and evolving cityscape. Historical insights from medieval cities to Cyberpunk's Night City. Domus: Night City: how Cyberpunk 2077’s future megacity was built Tips for RPG City-Building: Start with geography and natural features. Use landmarks, NPCs, and district evolution to build personality. Recommended tools: The Quiet Year Ex Novo The Game Master's Book of Astonishing Random Tables Recommended books Life in a Medieval City Life in a Medieval Castle Life in a Medieval Village A Magical Medieval Society Western Europe City as a Character: How rivalries and unique traits shape urban identity. Integrating disasters and recovery into city evolution. The 9/11 Memorial in New York City The Survivor Tree Q&A Segment: Turning a rogue-turned-toad mishap into a strategic move.

Ken rants about the new and improved Blade Ward cantrip. in Dungeons & Dragons 2024. Chapters 0:00 Intro - Welcome to Greyhawk ’760:15 Why I Hate Blade Ward1:10 Blade Ward: 2014 vs. 20242:00 The Action Economy Problem2:30 Final Thoughts & Playtesting3:00 Outro - Like & Subscribe Listen to the Video Watch the Episode Watch "I Hate Blade Ward - Greyhawk '76 (Ep. 5)" on YouTube. Show Notes Welcome to Greyhawk '76. I'm Ken Newquist and I hate blade ward. Quick backstory: Had our first Greyhawk '76 session, in which the adventurers got recruited to recover a lost Fairheights family treasure from an abandoned mine. Our human battlemaster / wizard initiate LOVES blade ward. And rightly so - it's a cheap, spammable buff that builds on his already impressive AC. What changed? What it did: Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks Lasted until the end of the next turn What it does now Whenever a creature makes an attack roll against you before the spell ends, the attacker subtracts 1d4 from the attack roll. Requires concentration Lasts for 1 minute. My concern: Impacts the action economy. We've added another die role for EVERY attack on this character. More dice being rolled means more time waiting for die rolls. And more math. Increased cognitive load on the Dungeon Master I've got a lot of things to remember. This is one more thing. Combined with fighter's 18 Armor Class (from Scale Mail), this increases the character's tank-iness at low levels. Seems over powered for a cantrip (no, I did not do the math) Where we go from here? Obviously I'm joking that I hate Blade Ward. I have some concerns, but we can mitigate them by: The player rolling the dice The player keeping track of the spell We already have similar book keeping for things like bless so it's not THAT much more. But it IS one more thing.

Ken talks about lessons learned during his first Dungeons & Dragons 2024 adventure, "The Lost Coins of Cousin Ernest", including: Blade Ward Rules guide in the 2024 Player's Handbook The Thief Hand-drawn maps in Roll20 Weapon Mastery Chapters 0:00 Intro0:35 Setting the Scene: The Treasure Mine1:50 Rival Factions: Fairheights vs. Witherwinns3:10 Water Weird Ambush4:20 Rogue Abilities Shine5:15 Hand-Drawn Maps and Retro Vibes6:30 Lessons Learned: Rules and Mechanics7:45 Blade Ward: Overpowered or Balanced?8:30 Teasing the Next Session9:10 Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts Listen to the Video Watch the Episode Watch "Our First D&D 2024 Adventure - Greyhawk '76 (Ep. 4) on YouTube Show Notes We had our first Greyhawk '76 session, in which the adventurers got recruited to recover a lost family treasure from an abandoned mine. I played on the High Ery / Erybend family rivalry subplot from the DMG: Fairheights vs. Witherwinns (their client is James Fairheight, and he found deciphered a map to the family treasure). Started the action IN the mine, with the adventurers and their client having just discovered the treasured. See the "Ignite Your Next D&D Campaign" episode of Campaigns and Coffee Setup is an old mine. The first level has a main shaft and lots of side passages. Mine tunnel collapses created a jumbled, partly flooded cave lake on the second level. The treasure, gleaming in light from a ventilation shaft over head, was located in the center of the lake. The bludgeoned corpses of a previous crew were on the island, having just reached the treasure. The treasure was protected by a water weird (inspired by a re-read of the Dungeon of Dread "Endless Quests" book) The cavern was multi-teared, with a walkable rim surrounding it, and multiple entrances. At intervals, additional crews would show up to challenge the party, because James couldn't stop humble bragging about his find. Goals: Give each character a chance to try out class abilities in a multi-level environment. Inject role-playing opportunities to help define character personalities and priorities. Lean into the DMG as a campaign source book. The Adventure It went well. Water weird attacked "Predator"-style, leveraging disengage and its' innate invisibility in the water maneuver around the cavern and threaten heroes. The arrival of the Witherwinn faction delivered additional drama, as some players chose to intimidate through force, while the Trickster cleric charmed other Witherwinns to his side … and used "calm emotions" to keep them disinterested. Set up the next confrontation: The Burrow Brothers, a murderous band of halfling cutthroats and their ogre allies. Lessons Learned I've got a bunch, some of which will be covered in upcoming episodes. The Rules Guide in the Player's Handbook is pretty great. Death Saving Throws: Work the same as they ever did (the save is a straight d20 roll, which happens at the start of your turn). Finding Traps is a Wisdom (Perception) - it counts as finding a hidden object. Check the Compendium The Rogue's Thief gets a Climb speed. Handy when moving down the crumbling walls of a collapsed cave. The Rogue's Thief also gets to substitute Dexterity for Strength when Jumping Hand drawn maps work well in Roll20 Weapons Mastery represents weapon-specific features that certain characters (rogues, fighters) can use take special actions (like "Nick" or "Vex". More on that next time. Blade Ward is a powerful cantrip. I hate it. Ok, I don't like it. Ok, I'll wait to pass judgement, but right now, I'm not a big fan.

On this episode of Greyhawk '76, Ken talks about the essential books for running a World of Greyhawk campaign, including the new Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), the World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983) and the Expedition to the The Ruins of Greyhawk (2007). Chapters 0:00 Introduction1:00 Greyhawk ‘76 Campaign Kickoff2:30 Reviewing the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide4:00 Updated Maps: Hits and Misses6:00 Exploring Greyhawk Lore: Classic Sourcebooks8:00 The Twin Cataclysms and Canon Debates10:00 Iuz, the Great Kingdom, and Major Conflicts12:00 Adventure Hooks and Iconic Locations14:00 Wrapping Up: Greyhawk Library Essentials Listen to the Video Watch the Episode Watch 'Build a Greyhawk Library - D&D 2024 (Ep. 3)" on YouTube Show Notes Welcome to Greyhawk '76. Let's talk books! Player's Handbook (2024) The rules. Dungeon Master's Guide (2024) High-level overview of the Free City of Greyhawk and the larger campaign setting. Loosely based on the 1980 Greyhawk Folio. It's nice to see Greyhawk featured so prominently, but there are a ton of continuity, country, and NPC changes that don't make a ton of sense (except in the context of 1) updating Greyhawk for modern sensibilities 2) fitting all the things into Greyhawk … which doesn't really need all the things fit into it. Like … why is Otto (long standing member of the Circle of Eight) now a … dwarf? Sets up the primary conflicts as … Elemental Evil (they were defeated, but yeah, some cultists are still out there), the demigod Iuz (gathering his forces in the north; classic villain), and dragons … umm, yeah, dragons aren't world-shatteringly important in Greyhawk. The Scarlet Brotherhood and/or the dying Great Kingdom are better Big Bads. BUT … it wouldn't be Greyhawk if we weren't arguing about canon … hell, it feels like coming home to be reading people passionately and thoughtfully arguing about how the latest release disrespects with their favorite setting (I'm looking at you, From the Ashes). I'll link to some of that commentary in the show notes. Fold-out map of the Flanaess, with the City of Greyhawk on the other side. The World of Greyhawk (1983) The true state of the World of the World in CY 576. The original World of Greyhawk boxed set. Greyhawk Adventures (1988) Notes on Gods, Geography, Magic Items, Spells, and even Zero Level Characters The City Of Greyhawk (1989) - Pre-Greyhawk Wars release Gazetter of the Free City and the Surrounding Area - the city, plus some city-based things like the DM's guide to the Low City (random tables!) Folk, Feuds, and Factions - a who's who of the free city, plus guilds, low life, mages and priests, economics, military, and law. Expedition to the The Ruins of Greyhawk The 3.5 update of the Greyhawk Ruins book, which itself documented a chunk of Castle Greyhawk. Never ran it, but I might pull from it if the crew goes there. Somewhere, i've got a copy of the original Greyhawk Ruins … but haven't been able to fi gure out where I put it. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer This book provided the foundation for the old Living Greyhawk campaign. It takes place in CY 591, which is nearly two decades after our '76 campaign, but it's still a great reference (particularly for areas not covered extensively in earlier releases) Castle Greyhawk The joke version of Castle Greyhawk. Not recommended. Two new fan-created resources World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Revised Classic Guide to Greyhawk Greyhawk grognards take on DMG 2024 Canonfire - Samwise - Greyhawk 2024 Age of Great Sorrow - Entirely Unsolicited Grognard Opinions on the World of Greyhawk in the 2024 D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide

Meet the adventurers taking center stage in Ken's Greyhawk '76 test drive campaign for Dungeons & Dragons 2024! Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch "Meet the Party - D&D 2024 (Ep. 2)" on YouTube Show Notes In the second episode of Greyhawk '76, Ken talks about the player characters the campaign is using to test drive the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 rules. Campaign Guidelines for Character Creation Since the purpose of the campaign is to test drive the D&D 2024 rules, we decided to start at 3rd level rather than 1st. That gives everyone a few more options to play with, and lets them pick a subclass (which is where things often get interest for players, since more advanced capabilities kick in with the subclasses). Here are our guidelines: Everyone begins at 3rd level Everyone uses the Standard point buy for attributes Use the "starting at higher level" rules on page 43 of the D&D Player's Handbook They get normal starting gear plus one Common magical item Characters who will die (what, Ken kill low-level 5e characters? Impossible!) will be built using the same rules, with the "starting level" tweaked as necessary. The Characters of Greyhawk '76 Ramnulf Heathertoes Male Halfling Thief Subclass: Rogue Background Origin Feat: Magic Initiate (Mage) Species Origin Feat: N/A Reed Goodbarrel Male Halfling Cleric Subclass: Trickster Domain Background Origin Feat: Tough Species Origin Feat: N/A Tiberius Male Human Fighter Subclass: Battlemaster Background origin feat: Tough Species Origin feat: Magic Initiate (Wizard) Raqsam * Male Dragonborn Wizard Subclass: Illusionist Subspecies: White Dragon Background Origin Feat: Alert Species Origin Feat: N/A Evaluating the Party It's a well rounded party. There's a good mix of classes (with a surprising number of halflings), which should help us achieve our playtest goals. It nicely balances hard-hitting martial characters (the rogue, the fighter), magical support (the wizard, the cleric), and healing (the cleric again). The chosen classes also help us playtest specific parts of D&D 2024 rules, like mastery, tweaked spells and cantrips, and the less combat-oriented skills (finding and disarming traps, interacting with NPCs, offensive and defensive spells, and the ever-fun battle master maneuvers.

Welcome to Greyhawk '76, a test drive campaign for Dungeons & Dragons 2024! (aka D&D 5.5). This episode introduces the test drive, what it hopes to accomplish, and explains where the campaign gets its name from (hint: it takes place in the Common Year 576). Chapter List 0:00 Intro to Greyhawk '760:45 The Legacy of Greyhawk1:45 Blackrazor Guild’s Storied Past3:15 New Campaign Setup and Testing D&D 2024 Rules4:00 Closing Thoughts Listen to the Episode Video Watch the video on YouTube Show Notes Introduction: Ken introduces Greyhawk '76, a podcast exploring D&D 2024 rules within the classic Greyhawk setting. Greyhawk Overview: A brief history of Greyhawk as D&D's second campaign setting, emphasizing its balanced factions and lower-magic tone. Blackrazor Guild Legacy: A retrospective of the group’s adventures in Greyhawk, spanning nearly three decades and multiple campaigns. New Campaign Setup: Details on the new campaign with third-level characters based near the Free City of Greyhawk, designed to test the 2024 rules. Focus on Testing: Ken explains the goal of evaluating the changes in D&D 2024, comparing them to 5E, and planning to incorporate lessons into ongoing campaigns. Feature Image Meta A classic illustration of adventurers planning by David A. Trampier, featured in the original D&D Player's Handbook.

We explore our favorite game conventions, from the chill vibes of CinCityCon to the dynamic events of Gamehole Con, to the cozy fun of MEPACon. We also look ahead to Philadelphia Area Game Expo, a new-ish convention happening in January 2025. After the convention stories, we dive into our RPG experiments, including David's mechanical torchlight for ShadowDark, the crunchy mechanics and destroyable hexcrawl map of Forbidden Lands, and Dragonbane as the sweet spot of complex vs. simple game rules. Chapter List 0:00 Intro0:36 Convention Recap: CinCityCon and Gamehole Con3:12 Super Nintendo Escape Room Highlight5:45 Upcoming Events: MEPACON and Philly Area Game Expo7:10 Exploring ShadowDark's Torch Timer Mechanic10:29 Forbidden Lands: Hex Crawls and Crunchy Dice Mechanics14:12 Open Table Games and RPG Planning16:45 RPG Innovations: ShadowDark vs. Dragonbane19:30 Wrapping Up: Balancing Gaming with Life30:02 Outro and Lair Warnings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2vZFA8dRVk Show Notes Conventions We Attended CincityCon Hamilton, OH October 11-13, 2024 Played lots of Sparks It’s a Star Wars Living Campaign based on West End Games original Star Wars RPG. Gamehole Con Madison, WI October 17-20, 2024 Played in an Escape Room Met Seth Skorkowski in person Played a lot of Sparks Saw friends who I don’t normally see Digression: Easton’s Escape Room Off Center Escape Rooms in Easton, PA. Easton was a hive of scum and villainy back during Prohibtion (or at least, a good place for illegal alcohol). Conventions We Plan To Attend Mepacon Bethlehem, PA November 8-10, 2024 Philadelphia Area Game Expo Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo (aka PAGE 2) January 16-19, 2025 Banter Forbidden Lands Ken’s reading through the Player’s Handbook.  Dice-pool based fantasy RPG built around a hex crawl. Bunch of d6s, a d8, a d10, and a d12. These represent base dice (from attributes), skill dice (from skills), gear dice (from your stuff). 1s are called banes. They represent  damage, exhaustion, fear, or degraded gear (but only hurt you if you push your luck). When you fail, you fail forward. 6s are successes; multiple 6s trigger special effects. Great art, great setting, but is the dice mechanic too crunchy for beginners? Thinking of playing a solo game with this as a way to try out the rules and relax. David ran ShadowDark in person and used Foundry VTT Ran The Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur from the Shadowdark Quickstart Used Foundry VTT on the television to show the player view of the map. Sans UI Had the Shadowdark module installed The torch timer was fun The timer on the first torch ran out an almost inconvenient time David made physical torch prop as a clue to the players, which they liked due to it’s obvious changes Ken's been playing with TorchLightTimer.com Feedback We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels: Email Bluesky Discord DiceCamp (Mastodon) Twitch YouTube

In this episode, we brainstorm ways to launch your campaign without resorting to "they meet in a bar". Providing fodder and inspiration is Greyhawk '76, Ken's upcoming D&D 2024 test drive campaign, and David's just launched open table ShadowDark campaign. We talk about how to engage players through immediate conflict, emphasizing choice, and balancing proactive vs. reactive player behaviors. Chapter List 0:00 Intro0:26 Ken’s Greyhawk Campaign Concept1:51 Greyhawk Nostalgia and Resources4:27 70s Aesthetics Meet D&D5:48 ShadowDark’s Torchlight Mechanics11:38 Kicking Off Campaigns with Conflict16:11 Engaging Passive Players19:57 Crafting a Dark Empire22:34 Outro and Call for Feedback Video https://youtu.be/GObxgGFpQQQ Show Notes Introduction: The hiatus of Elemental Apocalypse and excitement for D&D 2024. Greyhawk Revisited: Ken’s “Greyhawk 76” campaign idea with a 70s aesthetic, playlists, and retro maps. ShadowDark Adventures: David’s exploration of ShadowDark mechanics and its old-school D&D feel. Engaging Players: Starting campaigns with immediate conflict (e.g., being chased). Emphasizing consequential choices to encourage player buy-in. Balancing proactive and reactive player behaviors. Hero’s Journey: Using inciting incidents to create origin stories for party cohesion. Avoiding Passivity: Techniques to engage reluctant players or inspire action when adventurers resist the call. Overlord Advice: Brainstorming ideas for building a sustainable, formidable dark empire. Feedback We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels: Email Bluesky Discord DiceCamp (Mastodon) Twitch YouTube

We look at The Electric State RPG, a role-playing game game featuring a slow motion apocalypse, haunting artwork, and a cyberspace plague so intoxicating that people died playing it ... simply because they forgot to eat. We start with Simon Stålenhag's original art/fiction book, which depicts a young woman's journey across the wrecked remains of the United States. We then walk through the role-playing game, discussing its setup, mechanics, and how it translates art book into a different kind of apocalyptic game. Finally, we get confused about the upcoming 2025 The Electric State movie. Directed by the Russo Brothers, it shares the visual aesthetic of the book and the game, but the setting itself has gone from somber death dream to ... action comedy? After geeking out about The Electric State, we talk about Netflix's new KAOS series (featuring Greek gods in a modern day setting), the Balder's Gate 3 and Mechwarrior 5 video games, using Obsidian for an Ironsworn: Starforged solo campaign, and news of various Lair experiments. Check out our unboxing of the Electric State RPG! Chapter List 0:00 Intro2:15 Introducing The Electric State3:40 Exploring Themes of The Electric State: A Slow-Motion Apocalypse6:10 Comparisons to The Last of Us and the Visual Narrative7:55 The Netflix Adaptation: Apocalypse Meets Comedy?10:05 Year Zero Engine and Its Role in The Electric State RPG14:50 David's Thoughts on MechWarrior 5: Tactical Mech Combat16:50 Ken's Adventures in Baldur's Gate 3: An Epic Battle with a Door19:25 Starforged, Solo Campaigns, and Using Obsidian for RPG Journaling26:05 Winter Break Gaming Plans and Balancing Nostalgia28:20 Revisiting KAOS on Netflix: Greek Myths and Modern Horrors30:40 Planning for Starforged and Co-op Gameplay35:00 Outro: Cloaking Device and Final Remarks Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch The Electric State RPG (S4E11) on YouTube Show Notes Introduction Ken beat Hades. Insomuch as anyone can beat Hades. The game REALLY keeps going after it is "finished". David completed his gaming coffee table project. The Electric State The Electric State book and RPG are set in an alternate 1997, where a slow-motion apocalypse combined with a virtual reality addiction, is wiping out civilization. The Electric State art/fiction book An example spread from The Electric State artbook by Simon Stålenhag. Released in 2018, The Electric State is a hybrid art book/fiction book. It’s a story of a slow motion apocalypse, and tells the story of a young woman and her robot traveling through a ruined American landscape in an alternate 1997. The world’s been wrecked by a plague of virtual reality, which almost everyone succumbed to. Like Stålenhag's Tales from the Loop, the book is a combination of art and written fiction. Unlike Tales from the Loop, there’s little wistfulness or sense of nostalgia in The Electric State. It’s about the end of the world … and it’s a somber read. It's been categorized as a graphic novel, but it's more of a novella wrapped in beautiful artwork. Most pages feature a short narrative, usually connected to the illustration on the accompanying pages. The Electric State RPG An example spread from The Electric State role-playing game. Inspired by the artbook, The Electric State RPG is published by Free League. It was funded by a Kickstarter, which raised $413,598 from 5,715 backers. Game Mechanics: Powered by Free League's Year Zero Engine [PDF] , used in games like ALIEN, Tales from the Loop, and Mutant Year Zero. Emphasis on survival, exploration, and narrative-driven journeys in a crumbling, dystopian America. Ideal for players in the right headspace, as the setting is emotionally heavy and reflective. Narrative Depth: Rich background story involving Neuronics technology developed in the 1960s for remote-controlled warfare. Escalation to civil war and the fracturing of the United States into multiple factions (e.g., Pacifica, Texas). Rural areas devolve into lawlessness, while urban centers struggle to maintain order. Role-Playing Experience: Players focus on the journey, survival, and uncovering the mysteries of the collapsing world. The tone and setting demand thoughtful storytelling, akin to Call of Cthulhu but more grounded and relatable. The Electric State Movie A still from the upcoming The Electric State movie by the Russo Brothers. Credit: Netflix. The Electric State movie is coming in March 2025. It's directed by the Russo Brothers (The Winter Soldier, Infinity War, Endgame) and stars Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, and Devyn Dalton. It's described as an action comedy ... and we have no idea how that reconciles with the depressing tone of the original art book: The Playlist: The Electric State’ First Look: Millie Bobby Brown & Chris Pratt Star In New Sci-Fi Film From The Russo Brothers YouTube: The Electric State teaser trailer Nostalgia and Mechwarrior 5 David discusses MechWarrior 5, the evolution of BattleTech, and the appeal of tactical mech combat. Baldur's Gate 3 Ken's recent delve into Baldur's Gate 3; struggles and humor involving game mechanics. Reflection on nostalgia and classic role-playing games from the 80s and 90s. Starforged and Tabletop Campaign Tools Ken and David discuss the use of Obsidian for campaign journaling and planning. Potential video project idea: using Obsidian for solo RPG games like Ironsworn: Starforged. Lair of Secrets News Experimenting with YouTube Shorts and future plans for Instagram content. Updates on winter gaming projects, YouTube ideas, and possible multiplayer MechWarrior sessions. Featured Image Meta Cover art from The Electric State RPG.

Campaign prep is something every dungeon master a needs to do … even if "prep" is something you throw together five minutes for the session starts. On this episode, we talk about our individual game prep strategies, from structured approaches like Chris's multi-phase plan to Ken’s adrenaline-fueled last-minute inspiration. Josh and Erin share insights into managing unpredictable player behavior and ensuring character growth. To end the episode, we offer advice on how to childproof your evil lair. Quotes "I process, I think, I make notes. Honestly, that second section is my favorite part." – Chris "The first group I ever DM’d for were probably some of the most creative people that I’ve ever known, and that was a bad thing because they went off on a whole bunch of different tangents that I did not see coming at all." – Josh "The first thing I want to do is figure out how I’m going to make characters change." – Erin "I have to have deadlines or else it won’t work. My best ideas come the night before or the day of the game." – Ken Chapters 0:00 Intro0:30 Chris’s Three-Phase Prep Method3:00 Josh's Chaotic First GM Experience5:45 Adapting to Player Choices7:45 Erin’s Character-Driven Prep10:15 Ken’s Last-Minute Inspiration12:45 The Role of Music in Game Prep14:30 Tools for Note-Taking and Mapping17:15 One-Shots vs Long Campaign Prep21:45 Final Thoughts on Prep Approaches24:00 How to Childproof an Evil Fortress26:02 Outro Video https://youtu.be/DFn26QB8-Oc Show Notes Chris’s Three-Phase Prep: Reading the material, brainstorming for character hooks, and finalizing maps/tools. Josh’s Experience: Adjusting to unpredictable players and focusing on world-building to adapt. Erin’s Approach: Preparing for character growth and change, particularly in convention games. Ken’s Method: Last-minute inspiration, enhanced by musical playlists and physical notes. Digital Tools: Discussion of tools like Obsidian and Remarkable tablets for note-taking. Final Thoughts: The group compares one-shot vs long campaign prep. Outro: Discussion about childproofing an evil lair.

Grab your coffee and join the Lair crew as we unpack the challenge of fostering player agency in tabletop RPGs. We explore how to spark proactive decisions, avoid the paralysis of infinite choice, and leverage mechanics that reward bold, cinematic play. Chapters 0:00 Intro1:00 Star Wars Sparks and hesitant players3:00 Fear of splitting the party and analysis paralysis6:30 Encouraging proactive play and giving permission10:00 Using patrons and clear motivations14:00 Narrative hooks and inciting actions17:00 Video game parallels and open-world stress20:00 Mechanics: fate points, plot points, and inspiration24:00 Player chaos: volunteering as hostages26:00 Minion promotions and closing comments Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Player Agency on YouTube. Show Notes Erin’s Star Wars SPARKS games: hesitant players and dusty Star Destroyers Fear of splitting the party and the paralysis of choice Giving players permission to act and making decisions cinematic Narrative hooks: long-lost brothers, ticking clocks, and patrons Game mechanics fueling agency: Fate Core, Cortex, Savage Worlds, inspiration points Stories from the table: defeating big bads too quickly, volunteering as hostages, “Benny from The Mummy” moments The balance between modules and improvisation Open-world video game parallels (No Man’s Sky, Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim) The episode’s closing: minion questions, potential promotions, and how to connect with the show Featured Image Meta A collection of twenty-sided dice.

Get in. Do a thing. Get out. Look awesome doing it. That's your typical cyberpunk adventure, and it always involves some sort of security. On this episode, we discuss real-world hacking inspiration, cinematic heist scenarios, and strategies for balancing game difficulty. We dive into the nuances of netrunning, social engineering, and how even the best-laid plans can spiral into chaos. Examples are drawn from the Cyberpunk RED and Cities Without Number role-playing games, with the occasional digression into Dungeons & Dragons, Blades in the Dark, and Scum & Villainy. Quotes "You can plan it out meticulously and think you've got everything covered… but then you get five minutes into it, and everything has gone wrong… something's always gonna go wrong, and that's where the drama happens." - David "There is crazier stuff going on in the real world in, like, cybersecurity right now than you're going to think of in your game, I guarantee it." - Chris Chapter List 0:00 Intro and Cyberpunk Security2:15 Cyberpunk Red Heists and Netrunning Mechanics8:45 Chris Miller’s Real-World Cybersecurity Insights12:10 Cinematic Inspirations for Cyberpunk RPGs15:45 Balancing Player Roles in Heist Missions21:30 Real-World Hacking vs. Fictional Depictions27:15 Strategies for Planning Heists in RPGs35:10 Handling Consequences and Failed Plans39:45 The Art of Improvisation in Cyberpunk Campaigns45:00 Outro Video https://youtu.be/paCzPGt-EPw Show Notes Cyberpunk Resources Broken Loop - Our Cyberpunk RED Actual Play Campaign Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources Locked Out: Doors, Locks, & Security Homebrew Rules for Cyberpunk RED Thinking About Cyberpunk Security Planning the Network/Scoping the Heist Two main choices: Scale the network difficulty for your players (story mode), or Don’t, and design for the idea that some things are beyond the capabilities of you team (but they might get lucky) Remember the Defender’s Paradox (Defense must be perfect, but attackers need to succeed only once): The Net Architecture Difficulty section on p210 of the Core Guide help with this For the D&D minded, things of the daemons and such as counterspells and denizens of a dungeon. That’s what this is.  Inspiration The examples in the core guide are pretty good Real world threat intelligence guides are a great inspiration: for example – Visual Threat Intelligence: An Illustrated Guide For Threat Researchers  Movies, while cheesy, can provide some inspiration – OH GOD NOT SWORDFISH WHY Podcasts – Hacking Humans from Cyberwire, Darknet Diaries, news programs Books - oh so many (history of Space Rogue’s book on L0PHT, Kevin Mitnick, etc) Role-preservation Know your players. What are their roles and what are their skills? What skills is the crew missing? If you are missing a role, what opportunities can you create to give the players options for getting past the challenge. If you lack a TECH, MEDTECH, or NETRUNNER, you’re unlikely to bypass electronics. Creative Thinking Encourage your players to think outside the box. How else can you get into the room or past the door, or through the challenge? Consequences Noise attracts guards … and the more time it takes to get through security, the greater chance the guards will show up. C4 may destroy the thing you came to snag. Not all security is a locked-down barrier It could be a drawing in a conference room It could be a data drive hidden in a crystal necklace at a party Protected by guards, surveillance It could be a person or animal (remember Ein the corgi from Cowboy Bebop) Time Pressure Start a clock! If not using a clock (with increments advancing toward an event) then just advance time … and have consequence for advancing time. What happens on a failed roll? Are they not getting through? They get through but there is a complication The clock ticks up. What happens on a failed gig? Consequences for not securing the thing. The Situations As in Blades in the Dark, think about the type of engagement that the players might execute. Situation 1: Sample Retrieval Break into a secure vault in a biolab. Retrieve a sample. You have 24 hours. (hard target infiltration) Hack your way past the physical security & Infiltrate their network to bypass or control networked security Blast your way in. Talk your way in (but it could be really hard) Examples: Resident Evil, Die Hard, Terminator 2, Fast Five  Situation 2: Steal data from a secure terminal Steal data from a secure terminal in a ZetaTech subsidiary. It must be completed in one week’s time. (Soft target infiltration: Open to the public and easily infiltrated) Forge identities to infiltrate the company (steal the ID card, hack the computer to add your record) Go legit: they get themselves hired by the company They break into the building Go in as solos and blast their way through the building Example: Sneakers, Cyberpunk 2077 - Arasaka tower, V and Jackie Situation 3: Corpo Defection A corporate operative wants to defect to a non-profit, but they’re constantly watched by security officers.  They will be at a high-profile Zetatech gala and it’s their only chance for extraction. You’ve got a month until the gala. Rockerboy gets hired as the entertainment Get hired as supplemental security or medical support Go in hard - hire goons to attack the party, giving you the chance to snag the operative (if you don’t care about the collateral damage) Hack the building - Cut power, bypass remaining security Fake it - Do the Mission Impossible thing. Example: Ocean’s 12, Count Zero Feedback We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels: Email Discord DiceCamp (Mastodon) Twitch Featured Image Meta The map from our Cyberpunk RED campaign's infiltration of Elysium HQ. Art is from the Traveller Starships GeoMorphs fan source book for the Traveller RPG.

So your Dungeons & Dragons campaign went on hiatus … how do you restart it? In this episode of Campaigns & Coffee, Ken, Chris, and Josh talk about how to re-engage with a not-quite-dead-yet role-playing game campaign. They dive into how a game can lose momentum, with real-life interruptions causing campaigns to stall or be put on hold. They share personal anecdotes of campaigns like Cyberpunk Red and Secrets of the Saltmarsh that have gone through pauses, offering practical strategies for relaunching them. Techniques include recaps, time skips, flashbacks, and collaborative world-building (in other words ... getting the players to help figure out how to reboot after the hiatus). The discussion covers the importance of keeping both the game master (GM) and players motivated, with special attention given to tools like Obsidian for campaign notes and ways to revive interest through changes in story direction or character development. Chapter List 00:00 What the heck's a hiatus?03:43 Recap and Relaunch07:07 Taking Notes and Recapping08:26 Base Building and Subgames16:42 Using Flashbacks to Provide Context and Hooks19:33 Starting in the Middle of the Action: Grabbing Players' Attention23:41 Choosing the Right Structure for Hiatuses27:02 Preparing for the Next Level: Getting Players Excited YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI2qiFdd5_8 Show Notes Discussion on the nature of RPG hiatuses: intentional vs. unintentional Examples of stalled campaigns Cyberpunk Red Secrets of the Saltmarsh Strategies for restarting a campaign: Recapping the last session Using a time skip to advance the story Flashbacks to fill in gaps Emphasizing downtime or base-building to rekindle player interest Tips for GMs to stay motivated: campaign notes wiki tools like Obsidian and Scabbard The importance of player engagement: encouraging note-taking future character development in-game world-building Use of seasonal or episodic structure for long-running campaigns Featured Image Meta Linux System Reboot History by xmodulo

In the latest expedition through the Lair of Secrets, David Moore, Ken Newquist, and Chris Miller delve into the art of map design, specifically focusing on the peculiarities and challenges of modern and near-future maps in gaming. The discussion kicks off with Ken recounting his creation of the "worst best map ever" for a Mothership one-shot, set in an undersea research station on Europa. The map's illogical design, inspired by cost-cutting corporate efficiency, leads to a hilariously challenging game play experience. The trio explores the importance of verisimilitude in modern maps, contrasting it with the more forgiving nature of fantasy settings. They discuss the balance between realism and game play, emphasizing how a poorly designed map can ironically enhance the fun by creating unexpected challenges. Throughout the episode, they share insights on using real-world inspiration, the value of theater of the mind versus detailed maps, and the importance of considering player expectations when designing game environments. View the worst best map ever in all its terrible/great glory. Quotes "Worst best map ever." "No, there's no vents. What are you talking about? It's the future. There's no vents. There's no ventilation." "Who designed this place? What lame-ass industrial designer put together this underwater station?" "In a horror game, the worst maps make for the best stories." "If you're in the real world, you want to know: where are they storing the garbage? Is there a generator?" "Accessibility in gaming isn't just about ramps—sometimes, it's about maps." Chapter List 00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage00:49 The Best Worst Map Ever04:32 Exploring the Map's Flaws08:46 Player Reactions and Enjoyment13:34 This map is horrible, don't change a thing17:29 Designing maps for modern and near-future settings20:01 Incorporating real-world inspiration into map design24:29 Theater of the mind vs. tactical maps27:40 Considering objectives and player interactions33:59 Using zones and index cards for abstract map design40:45 Balancing stock maps and visual aids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3M3pRCCjqc Show Notes Ken's "worst best map ever": Discussion on the design and gameplay challenges of an illogical map for a Mothership scenario. The importance of verisimilitude in modern and near-future maps. Contrast between fantasy map design and modern map design. The balance between realism and gameplay in map design. Discussion on using real-world inspiration for map creation. Theater of the mind vs. detailed maps in gaming. Accessibility considerations in map design. The value of stock maps and reusable designs in gaming. Audience engagement: Inviting listeners to share their thoughts on map design and to suggest ideas for an archive of free maps. Feedback We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels: Email Discord DiceCamp (Mastodon) Twitch

The edgerunners are at Elysium HQ. All they need to do is descend through three sub-levels of the abandoned corporate headquarters and flip a switch on an old server. But first they have to get past these cybernetic corvids … and the remains of the edgerunner crews that came before them. Get more Cyberpunk RED: Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets Quotes "I'm the Swiss Army Knife of Destruction at this point." - Atlas "I don't know that I have any light. Well, I have a flamethrower. That's like momentary light." - Omen "Awesome. I'm like a lighthouse." - Angry Bob Chapters 0:00 Intro and Setup10:15 The Mission Briefing18:45 Encounter with the Corvids28:00 Debating Entry Strategies40:35 Discovery of the Grappling Hooks54:15 Descent into the Darkness1:08:30 The Corvids’ Ominous Warning1:21:00 Preparing to Face the Unknown1:35:45 Entering the Ruins of Elysium1:55:20 Conclusion and Wrap-Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG1CEFjsGgI

Chapter 8 of our Broken Loop campaign for Cyberpunk RED ended with a cliffhanger as the edgerunners faced an unexpected … enemy? Friend? Belligerent hivemind hell bent on stripping everyone of their chrome? In this episode of Campaigns & Coffee, we talk about that actual play session, it's unexpected turns, and how we rolled with the consequences of a well-placed grenade. Get more Cyberpunk RED: Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets Quotes "Who knew the corporate ruins would be guarded by cybernetic ravens and a cyberpsycho?" "We survived, but only just. Night City isn't for the faint of heart." "We're not getting paid enough for this—becoming our new catchphrase as we dive deeper into the chaos." "The final scene? A burning car, pulped cyborgs, and a cliffhanger that'll haunt your dreams." Chapters https://youtu.be/2LfIYs5zVN4 Show Notes Introduction: David kicks off with a recap of Ken's recent Cyberpunk Red session.Session Recap: Setting: Night City, 2045, irradiated ruins from a past nuclear blast. Mission: The team must flip a switch in a corporate HQ's techno basement. Unexpected Turn: The Nomad's catastrophic drive check flips the car, leading to a chaotic firefight. Key Encounters: Cybernetic ravens, a cyberpsycho, and Glow Boys. Cliffhanger: The session ends with the group facing the ominous corporate HQ. Discussion: The hosts reflect on the game's unexpected outcomes, the challenge of mixing horror elements in Cyberpunk, and the importance of not pulling punches in the genre. Audience Question: An exploration of how to organize a union for dungeon minions. Feedback We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels: Email Discord DiceCamp (Mastodon) Twitch Featured Image Meta Crow photo credit: Tom Swinnen (Creative Commons)

After talking and driving their way past the factions controlling access to Night City's radioactive core, the edgerunners are approaching the ruined Elysium corporate headquarters. Their goal is to infiltrate the building's sub-levels and flip a switch. First though, they have to get past the Glow Boys, a cult of radiation Worshiping cyborgs ... and the chrome-enhanced, sentient ravens the cultists are facing off against. Get more Cyberpunk RED: Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets Quotes "Die, stupid birds, die!" - A chaotic cry in the heat of battle. "We should probably ditch the car somewhere where it won't get stolen." "We're having chicken tonight. Or whatever that is." Chapters 0:00 Intro2:15 Entering the Hot Zone8:30 Encounter with the Glow Boys14:45 The Ravens' Attack21:30 Car Flip and Explosion29:00 The Flames Rise35:30 Taking Down the Glow Boys43:15 The Ravens Retreat50:00 The Haunting Voice from Elysium HQ55:00 Mission Debrief and Outro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RJgh8TAPZI Show Notes n this latest installment of the *Lair of Secrets* Cyberpunk Red campaign, the Edgerunners dive deep into the heart of the dangerous Hot Zone of Night City. Hired to flip a switch deep inside the Elysium HQ, they drive through the decaying ruins of the city, passing by desperate refugees and hostile mercenaries. T he team quickly finds themselves entangled in a chaotic confrontation with glow-painted, cybernetic warriors known as Glow Boys and a horde of cyber-enhanced, raven-like creatures that seem eerily obsessed with collecting "chrome." After a series of tense battles involving faulty driving maneuvers that flip their car, an explosion, and flamethrowers, the team narrowly escapes. However, as the last of their enemies falls, a haunting voice echoes from the depths of Elysium HQ, calling out for fresh meat and chrome, signaling that their challenges are far from over. Feedback We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels: Email Discord DiceCamp (Mastodon) Twitch