RPPR Episode 59: Bildungsroman
Zombies of the World is now available in print, PDF and Kindle format!
My book, Road Trip, has been nominated for an Ennie!
Synopsis: Bildungsroman is a fancy way of describing the ‘youth to adulthood’ genre – stories like “to Kill a Mockingbird” where the character grows from a child to become an adult or closer to an adult. Role playing games are often like these stories – characters grow from being relatively weak and naive to eventually becoming epic badasses of destiny. However, many game systems do not encourage character growth – advancement is slow, ponderous and mechanically difficult. Furthermore, most campaigns are relatively short – interrupted or abandoned for myriad reasons. If you want players to grow at a faster pace, what should you do? How is mechanical growth different from role playing growth? Tom and I discuss these issues and more. Plus, instead of a letter, Tom and I read an excerpt from the infamous rpg.net review of FATAL. It’s definitely NSFW.
Shout outs
- Attack the Gas Station 1 and 2: Hilariously insane Korean comedies.
- The Eliminators: An action sci-fi movie with ninjas, mandroids, cavemen, robots and time travel. Follows the conventions of RPGs coincidentally enough.
- Ugly Americans: an animated sitcom about monsters and normal people living together.
- Killing Floor: Steampunk/circus summer event going on right now! Monkeys with chainsaws!
- Steam Summer Sale: only a few days left!
- The Man From Nowhere: Intense Korean action/thriller. Do not fuck with the pawnshop owner.
Song: Growing up and Getting out by Adam Boucher.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:08 — 50.3MB)
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RPPR Episode 58: The Games of Tomorrow
Synopsis: Science fiction is an under appreciated genre in role playing games. Fantasy (Dungeons and Dragons) and horror (World of Darkness) dominate RPGs and most of the popular sci-fi games out there aren’t really science fiction or are horribly anachronistic. Tom and I discuss the state of science fiction and how it is different than fantasy or horror. As the literature of ideas, sci-fi should play differently than other genres. Everything from thematic content to the design of the game should be affected. We also have a letter from Tom, shout outs, an anecdote and reader letters.
Shout outs:
- Phenomena: A dreamlike horror fairy tale from Dario Argento.
- Dinosaur Rap: A Whitest Kids You Know comedy sketch
- The Found Footage Festival: The most bizarre and surreal videos of the past. Behold the Clown Ministry and weep
- Unspeakable! A podcast about Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green. Episode 1 is online
- Magicka: Nippon and Marshlands: new DLC for Magicka
- Risking it all: Pakistan – documentary about the risks truck drivers make in the treacherous mountains of Pakistan.
- Black Black Jobs: First scenario anthology for The Laundry RPG
Music: Science Fiction by the Cobra Dukes.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:49:21 — 75.1MB)
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Unspeakable! A new podcast for Call of Cthulhu
I collaborated with Shane Ivey (publisher of Arc Dream) and Toren Atkinson (The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets) to create a new Call of Cthulhu monthly podcast. We will talk about gaming in CoC, Cthulhu mythos related news and review games as well as interview notable designers and writers. We talk to John Tynes, one of the creators of Delta Green, in our first episode. Check it out here!