RPPR Episode 52: Holiday Dash
Synopsis: Chase scenes are an underutilized element in many games. A staple of action stories but RPGs focus on social scenes and combat. This is because it’s hard for a GM to make a chase scene actually exciting. Special guest RJ joins us as we discuss ways to make a boring chase scene into an epic one. Tom does not have a letter, but we do have many special holiday shout outs and a few anecdotes.
Forum Shout Outs:
- My Rifts Experiment: Palladium offers a grab bag of random products. I promise to run a game based on what they give me.
- Junk Mail Novel: Spam is like poetry, man.
- Ruins of Lemuria Kickstarter: Learn what kind of games I’ll run over Skype and if you have any questions about the PDF then ask them here.
Holiday Shout Outs below the fold
Song: Chase Scene Through DNA Wormholes by Rubber Band Banjo
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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:13:18 — 50.4MB)
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RPPR Episode 51: Info Dump
Synopsis: In fiction, revealing too much information right away is a sign of bad storytelling. In role playing games, it’s often essential for a good session. Game masters have to realize that what they think the players should know is often not enough for the players to actually understand what’s going on. We discuss the importance of information and how to make sure that everyone know what’s going on. Tom has a letter and we have shout outs and an anecdote.
Shout outs
- Rise Again – a zombie novel with evil mercenaries
- Police Squad – a funny as hell TV comedy
- The Unwritten – A meta-fantasy epic comic from Vertigo
- Gamma World – Gonzo sci fi role playing game
- The Walking Dead – an amazing TV show about surviving a zombie apocalypse
Forum Shout outs
- Order66 Tribute: A very special tribute for a very special forums member
- Pick the Best of RPPR: Help us pick the very best RPPR material for Youtube
- Pirates and Cthulhu: a winning combination!
Music: The Information Age by Anthony Fiaumano
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:51 — 42.5MB)
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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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