RPPR Episode 105: I love it when a plan is agreed upon
News:Our newest Kickstarter is up. Boiling Point is an adventure for Base Raiders. It mixes investigation with dungeon crawling for a perfect blend of excitement and fun. If it does well, we’ll have Caleb write about death traps. Check it out!
Synopsis: Planning is a part of playing RPGs, not just for the GM, but for the players too. But the players usually must plan during the game and sometimes planning becomes dithering. Dithering leads to wasted time, which leads to the game falling apart. Tom and I discuss how to move players along when they plan, how much help GMs should offer, and our experiences as players. Plus, Tom has a letter, not to mention shout outs and anecdotes.
Shout Outs
- Storm of Steel: Excellent memoir of a German infantry officer in World War 1.
- Coffee and Cigarettes: People talking over coffee and cigarettes. Plus, Bill Fucking Murray.
- Five Nights at Freddy’s: Animatronic robots weren’t scary enough, until now. Now, way too scary.
- Pac: An artist Tom recommends for your commissioned art needs.
- Shadows of Yog-Sothoth: The first Call of Cthulhu campaign and still useful today!
- Payday 2 Hotline Miami DLC: GUYS DO YOU LIKE HURTING OTHER PEOPLE?
- Horrors of War: This is also a baller Kickstarter. If you want the best written Call of Cthulhu scenarios, you should back this project.
Song: Best Laid Plans by Swampland.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:56 — 49.4MB)
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Money is the Root of all Fun: Economics in Games: panel at Gen Con 2014
Rob Boyle (Eclipse Phase), Ross Payton (Baseraiders), and Caleb Stokes (No Security) discuss using the basics of economic theory to make RPG settings more unique, immersive, and fun for your players.
Designers can talk forever about economies of narrative control and the finances of the RPG industry, but what about the economic structure of your setting? Most RPGs largely ignore the topic, but the basic tenets of economic theory are a great way to immerse players in a story and create conflict. A materialist outlook can make any setting unique and generate numerous plot hooks. This panel is here to show you how. Rob Boyle (lead designer for Eclipse Phase), Ross Payton (author of BaseRaiders: Superpowered Dungeon Crawling), and Caleb Stokes (author of No Security: Horror Scenarios in the Great Depression) will discuss using economics to engage players.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:28 — 28.6MB)
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Campaign Doctors panel at Gen Con 2014
Game designers Luke Crane, Jack Graham, Tracy Hurley, Caleb Stokes, & Amanda Valentine solve your home campaign woes. Bring your questions; the Campaign Doctors will tell you the awful truth! This panel was recorded at Gen Con 2014.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:53 — 25.6MB)
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