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In this episode, Tom and I review 2009 in terms of gaming. The most memorable moments, games we played, games we wished we played and more. We also go over some of what we have planned for 2010 and Toms has some ‘anti-resolutions’ for New Years in his letter.

Shout Outs

Song: New Year’s Resolution by Bill DeRome.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:36:52 — 95.9MB)

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If you are a fan of our Actual Play episodes, head over to the brand new RPPR Actual Play Podcast. It will feature a new AP episode every single week! We’ve already got over 11 hours of Call of Cthulhu ready for download. Don’t forget to comment on the episodes or post about them in our forums if you enjoy them.

As you might have realized, it’s been a while since we’ve done an episode. I’ve had to move, get the Goblin Hulk PDF out and set up the new podcast feed. Fortunately, the Goblin Hulk has already gotten some good reviews, so if you haven’t, be sure to check it out.  But all is now well so we can go back to the basics: gaming advice, shout outs and Tom bitching about the announcer voice. In this episode, we focus on improving a game by talking about NPCs who aren’t enemies or quest-givers. Many GMs forget to include this type of NPC, thinking of only the bare essentials in their game, but a great game needs NPCs who just do their own thing.  I also go over some game design advice as described by Jordan Mechner which relates to the discussion. We also have several anecdotes, a rant about the POS movie 2012 and more!

Shout outs:

Music: The Quest by David Cyr
Promo: Swing and A Miss Podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22:01 — 75.1MB)

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Pacing is vital to form of storytelling, yet it seems to be overlooked in role playing games. After running a dozen games at Gencon and Dragoncon this year, I realized how important a proper pace is for a RPG. Tom and I discuss the importance of pacing, how to improve pacing in a game and what kind of mistakes a GM should avoid when running a game. Plus, a new letter from Tom, anecdotes and a favorite forum thread.

If you’re a fan of RPPR’s Actual Plays, please consider donating to the AP Feed ransom. 🙂

Please note that the Goblin Hulk is being delayed but it will come out. Check out a preview of the cover in this RPPR forums thread. Also check out the best question ever asked in our forums.

Shout-Outs

  • Alpha-Omega: The Encountered – crazy post-apocalyptic monsters. Great art and plenty of adventure fodder for sci-fi and horror games.
  • The Devil’s Tomb: a bad horror movie, a shameful path. Also: Henry Rollins.
  • Kerberos Club and This Favored Land – Awesome historical superhero campaign settings for Wild Talents but enough material for use with any superhero games.
  • Dead Man’s Shoes: UK thriller about a former SAS soldier terrorizing small town drug dealers. Fairly grim.
  • Shark Tank: A reality TV show about haggling and bargaining. Watch it to better roleplay your next negotiation scene.
  • Hoarders: This is the true face of insanity. Tragic, creepy and horrifying

Music: War Against the Robots by Ben Base.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:30 — 58.2MB)

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