IMG_20160129_172624532I recorded some panels while I attended PAX South this year. The first one I recorded goes over some GMing tips and tricks. Have you been running an amazing RPG campaign for years but still have a few problems that keep coming up? Have you always wanted to run a game but felt afraid to get started? The Art of the Table and its fine crew of experienced game masters is here to have a look under the hood of your home game and install whatever’s needed to send your campaign roaring off towards legendary status. Hosted by Danielle Harper [Veteran GM, The Art of the Table], Adam Koebel [Game Designer, Sage Kobold Productions], Randy Scheunemann [Retail Specialist, Steve Jackson Games], Ryan Coogan [Director, Dystopia Rising Lone Star], and Steven Lumpkin [Veteran GM, The Art of the Table].

SHE-SAID-SWITCH-TO-OPTICSSponsor: 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.

evilmeterHow do you build a character with staunch ethical principles without stopping a game dead with the dreaded my-character-wouldn’t-do-that problem? Do RPG systems imply ethical philosophies? Should they? Caleb Stokes (No Soul Left Behind), Ross Payton (Base Raiders), Andreas Walters (Baby Bestiary), and Shoshana Kessock (Living Game Conference) discuss ethical concepts in characters, in game worlds, and at the level of design. Bring your questions and curiosity. This was recorded at Gen Con 2015.