tabletoptales-logo-mediumNews: A new companion website for our Patreon, RPPR After Hours, is now live. Find all the podcasts and other content without digging through the Patreon archives. Speaking of the Patreon, we have a new milestone: a new weekly podcast featuring campaign actual play. If we get to $1800 a month, RPPR Tabletop Tales will become a weekly free podcast for everyone!

Synopsis: Caleb, Dan, and I discuss scenario design as we workshop a scenario idea I developed after running a few different games for both the RPPR group and the Patreon. We focus on player engagement – the idea that the players have as much agency as possible in the game. We want to avoid ‘cut scenes’ and railroading, among other problems. Plus, there are shout outs and anecdotes.

Shout Outs

  • Delta Green: Need to Know – a free quick start PDF rulebook.
  • Layers of Fear: An architecturally-themed horror video game. Beautiful and scary.
  • Lisa: An indie video game RPG inspired by Earthbound.
  • Populuxe: A history of the unique 1950s style we associate with the Fallout video game series.
  • Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits: A sci-fi novel from the writer of John Dies at the End.
  • Knee Deep: an adventure game about a murder mystery in Florida. Looks quite cool!
  • Gurgamoth: A couch co-op game about various deities trying to kill each other.

Song: Imperial Thought by aliceffekt

joelNews: Boiling Point is out! Get it on DrivethruRPG or through the Base Raiders store. Tom is attending Go Play NW and might be showing up at Fear the Con. I will not be at either con, sadly, due to work.

Synopsis: After running online games for Patreon backers, I’ve started to rethink my approach about designing scenarios, especially online games. Listen to Eclipse Phase: The Evac for an example online game. I talk through what I’m thinking about with Tom and hash out some new ideas for adventures. Tom also has a review of the movie San Andreas instead of a letter, plus shout outs and anecdotes.

Shout Outs

  • Iron Edda: In the grimdark heavy metal album cover past, there are only giant Viking robots and skeletons fighting each other.
  • Kung Fury: It’s out and you should watch it.
  • Flip the Table: A humorous podcast reviewing terrible board games.
  • Fallen London: A browser game set in an alternate Victorian London.
  • How Did This Get Made?: The episodes Deep Blue Sea, Face/Off, and The Island of Dr. Moreau are hilarious.
  • Endless Legend: A science fantasy turn based strategy game.
  • Mitch Murder: If you like Synthwave music, you’ll like Mitch.

Song: Mirage by Mitch Murder.

Our Kickstarter for Boiling Point is still going on and we could use your support! hound-webIt occurred to me that no one has heard from the actual author of Boiling Point, Peter Nielsen. He’s a first time author and I’m a first time publisher (of another person’s work) so I thought talking about it would make for a good episode. In this, we talk about how Boiling Point came to be, how Peter wrote the first drafts, Kickstarter, the Base Raiders setting, and how playtesting comes into the process. Once Boiling Point is done we will try for a followup interview to talk about the process after the Kickstarter is done.