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Buy Their Book! Buy Their Book!News: Transhuman, a sourcebook for players in Eclipse Phase is out! Caleb and I both wrote for it, so check it out. In other news, Base Raiders is rapidly nearing completion and in playtesting. More importantly, Gencon draws near! Tom, Aaron, Caleb and I will be there. The RPPR Meetup will be 6 pm on Friday the 16th at the Hyatt Lobby. See you there.

Synopsis: Describing things is the primary job of the gamemaster, but many times, something gets lost. Players misunderstand what is being said or the gamemaster forgets an important detail. What do you do when players make a mistake? Whose fault is it? Tom, special guest Bill, and I talk about our approaches as gamemasters when it comes to describing scenes and dealing with player interpretations. Plus, Tom has a letter, shout outs and anecdotes!

Shout Outs

Music: Eliezer’s Waltz by Disparition

Promo: The UnderDiscussion Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:28:21 — 60.7MB)

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Level 1 of the Zombie Factory from the upcoming Base Raiders RPGNews: Fallout Without End, a new scenario of the No Security ransom pack from Hebanon Games is now available! We’re still cranking out videos at Raillery. The map is part of the Zombie Factory, a chapter in the upcoming Base Raiders RPG.

Synopsis: Travel and exploration is adventurous in real life but not in role playing games. Someone like Marco Polo is a major figure in history, yet in Dungeons and Dragons, his accomplishments would be minor compared to the average 10th level fighter. Tom and I try to tackle why exploration in games fails to capture the sense of adventure it does in reality and how it can be made to do so. We even tackle random encounter tables, sense of place, and other tangentially connected topics. Instead of a letter, Tom discusses his trip to Seattle and of course shout outs and an anecdote or two.

Shout outs

  • Ship Breaker: Good YA dystopian sci-fi novel about a kid living as a salvager of old oil tankers – bleak but well written. Great setting too.
  • Nemesis: A totally insane cyberpunk action film with more gunfire than the Matrix. For reals. Also, check out this gif.
  • Great White Space: An interesting if flawed Lovecraftian horror novel about a doomed expedition.
  • Apocalypse World: An indie post-apocalyptic RPG that’s all the rage with the Seattle scene apparently.
  • The Upper Berth: A ghost story with the best framing device ever. More cigars and champagne!
  • The Devil’s Rock: A New Zealand made WW2 horror film. I did Nazi that coming. Okay I’ll go now.
  • Speed Tribes: A book about the different subcultures of the younger generations in Tokyo. A bit dated, but still a great read.
  • McBain: A Rifftrax where Christopher Walken sleepwalks through an action film that makes literally no sense. Highly entertaining! Aaron recommends it.
  • Todd and The Book of Pure Evil: A 2 season comedy horror TV show on Netflix about high school, cults, and heavy metal. What’s not to love?

Music: Ghost Maps by The Minor Leagues.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:57:03 — 80.4MB)

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News: Base Raiders, the new RPPR Kickstarter is nearing completion. Help us meet a few more stretch goals!  Contribute now!

Learn more at the Base Raiders website.

Synopsis: Combat is the heart and soul of many RPGs but running exciting combat is harder to pull of than it seems. It often descends into tedious “I hit you you” dice rolling contests or incoherent arguments over stunting and other combat rules. How do you balance those extremes? Tom and I discuss how we keep fights interesting in a game and what players can do their part.

Instead of a letter from Tom, we read two listener letters, plus shout outs and an anecdote!

Shout outs:

  • Hotline Miami: Brutal, fast-paced combat and great music. Game of the Year 2012!
  • The Curse and Curse 2: Crazy 1980s horror movies with good special effects
  • Miami Connection: The best movie of the 198s0. Cocaine ninjas and Dragon Sound!
  • Drive: Brilliant neo-noir thriller about a driver who makes some poor life decisions.
  • Kicking It: Want to run a successful Kickstarter? Monte Cook has some good advice.
  • Godzilla the Half Century War: a Godzilla story about the poor saps in the tanks shooting at Godzilla.
  • Invasive Procedures: You’ve listened to the actual play. Now run it for your group!
  • Zombie Cinema: Fun little storytelling game of player conflicts and zombies.

Music: Le Combat by David Cyr

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:39:13 — 68.2MB)

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