Game Designer Workshop Episode 20: Doctor, Witch Doctor and Outlining
Caleb is working on a new game! Called Doctor, Witch Doctor, it’s a fun storytelling game about medical melodrama shows and magic. Make up magical cures for weird magical diseases! Get addicted to weird magical drugs! We also talk about outlining larger projects, Red Markets updates, and Upwind: Three Beasts.
Song: Witch Doctor by Erthling
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:53 — 37.9MB)
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RPPR Episode 166: Cool Villain Ideas
Cool villains are hard to pull off in RPGs, mainly because players tend to kill them as soon as possible. Aron, Tom, and I got together to talk about how to make villains more memorable in games. Perhaps they can’t be killed easily or come back after death (thanks raise dead spells!) or killing them won’t stop the plan. I also talk about some ideas for future Base Raiders projects!
Shout Outs
- Advanced Death Saves: A comic anthology themed around tabletop RPGs.
- Spinnortality: A cyberpunk corporation simulator. Buy the planet.
- Night in the Woods: A brilliant game about life, friendship, and existential dread. Great soundtrack too!
- The Messenger: A retro homage to Ninja Gaiden.
- Behind the Curve: A Netflix documentary about the Flat Earth movement.
Music: Boss Fight, Title, and End from Night in the Woods OST Volume 3
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:20:01 — 55.2MB)
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RPPR Episode 165: The Importance of Gear in RPGs
Many RPG campaigns inevitably have at least one session that’s more about shopping for new items and gear. Some players love it and others hate it. How important are items and associated game mechanics for them? Caleb, Jay B, and I discuss the differing philosophies of items in various RPGs, from Phoenix Command’s detailed rules to Fiasco’s non-existent rules for items. We also discuss an upcoming gear book for Red Markets, plus shout outs and anecdotes.
News: Party Fowl is out! If you haven’t already got a copy of the best duck-themed social gathering board game of 2019, then get yours today! Also, I am going to Australia next month, but RPPR will still be going strong. I will be posting about my trip on Twitter and Instagram.
Shout Outs
- Kingdom: A show about a zombie outbreak in medieval Korea.
- The Order: A show about secret society of mages fight werewolves on a college campus.
- The Umbrella Academy: A show based on the comic. Wes Anderson meets the X-Men.
- Devotion: A great horror video game about a family in Taiwan in the 80s.
- The BSA Red Markets campaign: Playtesting mass combat rules for Red Markets.
- Call to Adventure: a new board game by Brotherwise Games. Review forthcoming!
- Velvet Buzzsaw and Blurred Lines: A movie and a documentary about the art world.
Music: Automated Refrains by Dan Terminus
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22:30 — 56.9MB)
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