Guangzhou: 1980s Cyberpunk Dystopia today!News: Caleb and I will be at Fear the Con this year! We will both be running games and attending events there. I will be at PAX East this year, as part of Pixelscopic, showing off their new game, Delver’s Drop. (Have I mentioned I’m working on it? I totally am!) Also, check out No Security, Caleb’s new book. I’ve also released 2 new short PDFs for Base Raiders: The Hedge Wizard and Agent Grayson.  Also, I’m back from China. You can check the RPPR Tumblr for photos (scroll down).

Synopsis: After reading the Angry DM’s article on the 8 types of fun, I thought it would be interesting to discuss our philosophies towards running games and what kind of fun we get out of it. We each give our own unique perspectives on the topic, including our GM bucket lists. We also have shout outs and an anecdote or two.

Shout Outs

  • Snakehead: A fascinating book about the complexities of human smuggling from China to the United States.
  • True Detective: This. Fucking. Show.
  • The Massive: A post-apocalyptic naval adventure and mystery. A group of environmental activists search for their missing comrades in a world falling apart.
  • Black Mirror: The Twilight Zone meets the Internet and social media.
  • Eco-comics: Economic analysis of superhero tropes. I’ve linked to a good post from the blog.
  • Sojourn: New sci-fi anthology featuring authors like Matt Forbeck and Dan Repperger
  • Shock Doctrine: A controversial expose of global politics and economics.
  • Illustrated Guide to Criminal Law: Want to learn about the law? Like comics? ‘Nuff said!
  • One Punch Man: This. Fucking. Manga.
  • Dragonfall: An incredible campaign for Shadowrun Returns.

Song: Load Bearing Fungus by Salkovich.

News: No Security, a horror scenario anthology set in the American Great Depression, written by RPPR regular Caleb Stokes, is up on Kickstarter. If you enjoyed Bryson Springs or Lover in the Ice, consider contributing to it.

Synopsis: My recent trip to China got me thinking about complexity. RPGs are often very reductive, very simple worlds, but adding a bit of complexity to a game can greatly enhance it. Of course too much complexity can be awful especially in the wrong areas, but tweaking a specific aspect like a setting detail or a single game mechanic can make an average game into a great one. I also reveal my idea for a new Iron Heroes campaign, plus a letter from Tom, shout outs and an anecdote:

Shout outs

  • Liminal States: A genre-bending novel of immortality and Lovecraftian horrors and highly recommended by Caleb.
  • China Road: A journalist travels across China, seeing the highs and lows of the country.
  • The Weird: A massive anthology of weird fiction from around the world. Over 1000 pages of weirdness!
  • Black Books: A hilarious sitcom starring Dylan Moran.
  • Book of Cthulhu: A great anthology of Cthulhu mythos fiction.
  • Nyarko-San: An insane anime recommended to us by several RPPR listeners. A very unique view of the mythos to say the least.
  • Stealth of Nations: A study of the world’s global informal economy. Great fodder for dystopian and post-apocalyptic games.
  • A Corpse in the Koryo: A brilliant detective/thriller novel about a police inspector in North Korea caught up the machinations of competing security agencies.
  • Wool: A highly reviewed and recommended sci-fi ebook novella. Only 99 cents!

Music: Beautiful Lies by B-Complex