RPG Reanimators – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we bicker about how to handle realism and verisimilitude vs. explosive pulpiness when we run RPGs, and how this can vary depending on system, scenario, and players. (Spoiler: Communication is still key)

Consultations are free-form topic discussions based on our own GM experiences, preferences, and gaming philosophies. We hope some of this gibbering can be helpful to other GMs dealing with, or considering using, these issues at their table (or at least add new and exciting chattering voices inside listener's heads).

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution-free creative commons licensing.

In this episode, we hack apart another game system, Cthork Borg, with its mad scientist creator Richard Kelly. Cthork Borg is a low-prep cosmic horror RPG set in the gloomy jazz age. As it's name suggests, it's an aberrant mutation from the Mork Borg core ruleset with some interesting changes by Richard that help it feel fresh, wriggling, and fun for GMs and players looking to try something a bit lighter than Call of Cthulhu, but still fully capable of delivering horrors at the table. We also talk about a lot of different games & systems in this interview:

• It's Alive! Cthork Borg APs
• Where to find Richard Kelly: https://kumada1.itch.io/cthork-borg ; https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/382082/cthork-borg
• Stygian, a game of Lovecraftian RPG inspiration: https://store.steampowered.com/app/779290/Stygian_Reign_of_the_Old_Ones/
• Free copy of the Mork Borg Bare Bones edition: https://jnohr.itch.io/mrk-borg-free
• Richard's recommended games to check out:
• Behond the fence, Below the grave - https://t-akw.itch.io/beyond-the-fence-below-the-grave
• Mendicant Spell Vixens (not "Menda Can't Spell 'Vixens', as I have now learned) - https://kumada1.itch.io/mendicant-spell-vixens/purchase
• Hollow Halls - https://rotten-shotgun-games.itch.io/hollow-halls-shallow-grave-edition
• T.H.A.W. - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/477078/thief-healer-arcanist-warrior

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution free creative commons licensing.

In this episode, we dissect and reanimate the Delta Green scenario Music from a Darkened Room written by Dennis Detwiller and available as part of the Night at the Opera collection from Arc Dream Publishing (links below). Lex walks through his tips and advice from his "by the book" and reanimated runs of the scenario, and is also sharing the resources used in the last run via this google drive link (featuring art by Colin Richards!): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lnPU4vOvy6H9DnXZSti8hj8N9J3PZxks?usp=sharing

Reanimation starts around 35:39

Physical: ⁠https://shop.arcdream.com/collections/role-playing-games/products/delta-green-a-night-at-the-opera-hardback

PDF: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/224323/delta-green-music-from-a-darkened-room

If you'd like to join our Discord: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/R8Q6aeyVk8⁠⁠⁠

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution free creative commons licensing.

In this episode, the Reanimators and special guest Intern Tyler Hudak dissect and reanimate the Alien RPG scenario Chariot of the Gods, written by Andrew E. C. Gaska and available as part of the Alien RPG Starter Set from Free League Publishing. Now with remastered audio!

Physical: https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/alien-rpg-2/starter-set/

Standalone PDF: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/293977/alien-rpg-chariot-of-the-gods-scenario

Reanimation starts around 55:40

Tyler's run of Chariot of the Gods for Into the Darkness: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJQ7JbI3-ZhL7O8EWMgEzCptHKHpBoiSc

If you'd like to join the autopsy discussion on our Discord: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/R8Q6aeyVk8⁠⁠⁠

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution free creative commons licensing.

In this episode, we continue our unofficial series on Gateway Scenarios by dissecting and reanimating the Call of Cthulhu scenario The Necropolis written by Leigh Carr and available via the following links as part of the Gateways to Terror collection from Chaosium. Featuring a special guest Jimmy the Intern (RIP...), and now with remastered audio!

Physical: ⁠https://www.chaosium.com/gateways-to-terror/⁠

PDF: ⁠https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/293105/gateways-to-terror⁠

Reanimation starts around 19:54

If you'd like to join our Discord: ⁠⁠⁠https://discord.gg/R8Q6aeyVk8⁠⁠⁠

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution free creative commons licensing.

Now with remastered audio! In this episode, we dissect and reanimate the Call of Cthulhu scenario The Dead Boarder written by Todd Gardiner with Mike Mason and available via the following links as part of the Gateways to Terror collection from Chaosium:

Physical: https://www.chaosium.com/gateways-to-terror/

PDF: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/293105/gateways-to-terror

Reanimation starts around 55:40

If you'd like to join our Discord: ⁠⁠https://discord.gg/R8Q6aeyVk8⁠⁠

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution free creative commons licensing.

In this episode we consult on a serious case of considering Gateway Scenarios to introduce new players to the TTRPG hobby and more experienced players to new systems. We cover some of our favorite examples from across systems as well as what factors we look for when trying to identify new possible gateway scenarios. Now with remastered audio!

Consultations are more free-form topic discussions based on our own GM experiences, preferences, and gaming philosophies. We hope some of this gibbering madness can be helpful to other GMs dealing with, or considering using, these issues at their table (or at least add new and exciting chattering voices inside listener's heads).

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution-free creative commons licensing.

Listen to a live recording of our panel at Chaosium Con 2024 where we discuss obstacles and ideas to help bring classic 1920s-30s Call of Cthulhu scenarios into modern settings, and Reanimate the classic Call of Cthulhu scenario The Haunting by Sandy Petersen as a case example! We've tried to boost the audio for participant questions as much as possible, but they are a bit quiet.

*This also serves as proof that we are in fact capable of walking among the living for short bursts out of direct sunlight, and anything you've heard to the contrary amounts to lies and slander.

Join us again in the Break Room as we decompress from playing and running games from Chaosium Con 2024 and discuss all the awesome people we had the chance to connect with! Now with remastered audio!

These Break Room discussions are meant to be very casual, and a slight break from our ususal TTRPG-related content so that we can seem more human in order to better blend in among the populace... We originally recorded this session in early January shortly after New Years, but alas release schedules got the better of us, so our resolutions may be slightly out of date. We hope you enjoy our chat and movie/book recommendations!

Here are the links for different folks and organizations we discussed in this ep!

https://www.colinrichardsart.com/

https://surrealsun.com/Scenarios/

https://www.prosperopublishing.com/2024/04/22/chaosium-con-iii-the-extended-cut/

https://mjrrpg.com/chaosium-con-2024/

https://www.patreon.com/voidrealmminis

https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/katrindirimart/

https://www.johnsumrow.com/

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution-free creative commons licensing.

In this episode, we discuss dissection and reanimation of the 1980s Call of Cthulhu analog horror scenario scenario Signal to Noise, written by Colin Richards. Now with remastered audio! You can find it on drivethruRPG at the following link:

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/442567/signal-to-noise-a-1980s-analog-horror-scenario

Reanimation starts around 38:55

You can check out more of Colin's work at www.colinrichardsart.com

Our It's Alive! AP of this scenario: https://youtu.be/woGaUzeSrio?si=4AXMhJ9SP2xsYKdV

Some resources including Alex's revised bouts of madness, Lex's updated missing poster, and a list of analog horror media recs mentioned in our Google Drive here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aRvB3lwLh9zcIfVe4mie5-uBgr_24A3f?usp=drive_link

And if you'd like to join the discussion our Discord: ⁠⁠https://discord.gg/R8Q6aeyVk8⁠⁠

All music and sound effects are sourced under attribution free creative commons licensing.