RPPR Episode 50: Danse Macabre 2: Electric Boogaloo
Halloween is right around the corner so we are once again talking about running terrifying games. RPGs can’t really provide shocks like film or TV, but it’s still possible to run a truly scary game by keeping a few principles in mind. Specifically, a GM should focus on presenting ambigious information, giving players some but not total control and characterizing NPCs and monsters well. Tom finally has a letter and some shout outs and a reader letter.
Shout outs:
- Night of the Hunter: A brilliant and terrifying film blending film noir and fairy tales. Robert Mitchum’s preacher is legendary as the villain.
- Virus: A 1980 Japanese post apocalyptic sci-fi film. Sonny Chiba’s in it! Hard to find though.
- Four Dragons: A new Stargate novel written by Diana Botsford.
- Smother Brothers’ Comedy Hour: Comedy in an era of censorship. Funny stuff.
- Salvage: A British horror film with great acting and very gameable material.
- Ghost Stories: a horror-comedy anime series.
Music: Danse Macabre by David Kempers
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:26:58 — 59.7MB)
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RPPR Episode 49: Morality Role Play
Morality and alignment are two of the trickiest issues in tabletop RPGs. Every player has their own perspective, beliefs and biases and they frequently come out during play. How do you deal with conflicts over moral dilemmas? We go over several possible reasons why this occurs and how to resolve it. Tom forgot his letter at work, but we do have several shout outs and anecdotes:
- Minecraft: A highly addicting computer game of building and violent death, still in alpha but worth the $13
- The Daily Show: Earth. A book about Earth by the writers of the Daily Show. It’s funny, I am guessing.
- A Dirty World: Excellent film noir inspired RPG by Greg Stolze.
- Brian Regan: Epitome of Hyperbole. A comedy DVD from the stand up comic.
- Rififi: A film noir classic. A jewel heist goes awry in Paris and someone must pay the price.
- Citizen Cohn: A film about McCarthy’s lawyer, played by James Wood.
- E.S. Posthumus – Makara: Cinematic music that is perfect for gaming.
- Point of Order: A documentary about the McCarthy trials.
- Ean Moody and Violet Kirk: two great artists available for commissions.
Song: Fuck Your Morals by Nothing in Return
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:14 — 41.4MB)
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RPPR Episode 48: Under A Dark Sun
- My campaign for Monsters & Other Childish Things, Road Trip is out! Buy your copy now.
- Cody has a new blog, Popgun Chaos. Read his reviews and essays about comics and bask in his glory.
- The Get Aaron to Gencon Kickstarter was a success! Listen to Aaron’s game. If you contributed enough to get a button or DVD, bug Aaron about it.
Episode Synopsis: The newest campaign setting for Dungeons and Dragons, Dark Sun, is out and we’ve already started the new RPPR campaign. Cody reviews the book and we discuss the book’s new rules and background information. We also talk about some of the other new games we picked up at Gencon this year. Plus, a new letter from Tom, anecdotes and shout outs:
Shout Outs
- Operation Endgame: The Office meets Battle Royale. Hilarious and violent, a winning combination!
- Childrens Hospital: A funny new show on Adult Swim
- Rubicon: A great conspiracy show on AMC. Brand new so catch up with it now.
- I, Zombie: A new zombie comic published by Vertigo. Great art and writing so far.
- Emerald Warriors: Green Lanterns fight crime. Cosmically. Or something.
- Visions of Suffering: a heart warming tale of gore and fear. Also, Russian.
- Talking with the Gods: documentary about crazy man and comic writer Grant Morrison.
- Wednesday Comics: Retro themed comics from the best writers and artists.
Music: Dark Sun by The Curtains and Their Terrifying Story
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:41 — 44.4MB)
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