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RPPR Episode 122: It Takes a Village to Carry My Inventory

On: November 23, 2015

News: Please get your Red Markets playtest reports in by December 20. Thanks for supporting the game!

Synopsis: The new Fallout game has a settlement leadership feature that allows the player to design and run small communities. It’s impressive but tabletop RPGs can capture more complexity and sophisticated narratives than any video game. Games about community leadership should be different than the standard murderhobo dungeon crawl/investigation campaign model. Tom, Aaron, Caleb, and I discuss how they should be different and what players and GMs can do to make them more interesting. Tom also has a letter, plus shout outs and anecdotes!

Shout Outs and Reviews:

She Walks in Shadows: A Cthulhu mythos fiction anthology of talented women writers. Highly recommended!
HC SVNT Dracones: Transhuman talking animal peope. In Spaaacce!
R23X – SOUND_TRACK ~ [MP3?]?.?torrent. A vaporwave album inspired by video game music. Very chill and has a great music video!
Spotlight: a brilliant film about the Catholic church sex scandal and the reporters who uncovered it.
Bone Tomahawk: A weird western film starring Kurt Russell, Kurt Russelling the shit out of things. Great if you can stand extreme gore.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans: Just what space opera anime needs, child soldiers!
Ash Vs. Evil Dead: A cinematic murderhobo of legend is now on TV. Hail to the King baby.
Spectrum: Look at all that pretty art.

Music: Various tracks from SOUND_TRACK ~ [MP3?]?.?torrent by R23X

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:27:39 — 60.4MB)

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Game Designer Workshop Episode 10: Game Changers

On: November 17, 2015

In: Game Designer Workshop

With: 14 Comments

Even though Fallout 4 is out, Caleb is still hard at work on Red Markets. Playtest feedback is trickling in, so the next step is deciding how to change the game based on this feedback. Some changes will be easier than others, but not every bit of feedback will be used to make these changes. After all, not all feedback is equal. Giving and receiving feedback is a crucial skill for a game designer, yet it is often an undeveloped skill. Fred Hicks about his experiences at Metatopia about feedback skills and is mentioned during out discussion.

Even after receiving valuable feedback, changing the game will not be easy. Caleb discusses some of the changes he is considering and I provide some analysis of Red Markets in its current state.

Music: Footbeats by Admiral of the Red.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:16:07 — 52.4MB)

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RPPR Panel: Scary Parrots: Weird Horror in RPGs at Gen Con 2015

On: October 21, 2015

In: Panel discussion

With: 11 Comments

Sponsor: Arc Dream is sponsoring this panel. Check out the Delta Green Kickstarter. New reward levels have been released so backers can get everything in print and PDF.

Synopsis: Horror gaming can go beyond Lovecraft and tentacles. Sometimes the most frightening moments in RPGs can come from obscure references and mundane moments. Surprise your players from a new direction! The panel will include Caleb Stokes (No Soul Left Behind, No Security), Ross Payton (Base Raiders, Zombies of the World), John Kennedy (Demonworld), and Jack Graham (Eclipse Phase). The title “Scary Parrots” refers to an RPPR game in which the players completely forgot about the plot and focused on a parrot THAT COULD NOT BE. Rather than dismiss the moment as a one-off, this panel will explore the unexpected places that the GM can exploit for terror. Between other writers of The Weird, discoveries in neuroscience, and philosophical thought experiments, this panel will provide a ton of original plot hooks and little disquieting scares to throw at your players.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:04 — 31.7MB)

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