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With this, our blood, it is the Hanged King’s. From SCP 701News: Support RPPR by contributing to the Base Raiders Kickstarter.Get at least the PDF and you’ll gain access to 10 preview RPPR Actual Play episodes upon the conclusion of the campaign.

RPPR friend Cody Walker has his own Kickstarter up for Noir City. Help bring his comic to life!

Synopsis: It wouldn’t be October without at least one horror themed episode of RPPR. Tom and I discuss what makes a horror story set in the here and now unique (2012). Isolation is no longer geographic thanks to smartphones with GPS but it is still possible to isolate players in different ways. Furthermore, we have new trends in horror storytelling, like the emergence of the creepypasta subgenre. Marble Hornets and the SCP Wiki are great material for your next horror game. Of course the real horror comes from real life. Aside from isolation, we have a growing panopticon, the ongoing global economic crisis, the rise of fascism, and online stalking/bullying. This makes the year of the Mayan Apocalypse a great place for a horror story. Plus Tom reads a letter and we have shout outs an anecdote.

Read the SCP Wiki. The image on the left is from SCP 701.

Shout outs:

Song: Crush from the Hotline Miami Soundtrack.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:43 — 45.2MB)

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News: No Security, a horror scenario anthology set in the American Great Depression, written by RPPR regular Caleb Stokes, is up on Kickstarter. If you enjoyed Bryson Springs or Lover in the Ice, consider contributing to it.

Synopsis: My recent trip to China got me thinking about complexity. RPGs are often very reductive, very simple worlds, but adding a bit of complexity to a game can greatly enhance it. Of course too much complexity can be awful especially in the wrong areas, but tweaking a specific aspect like a setting detail or a single game mechanic can make an average game into a great one. I also reveal my idea for a new Iron Heroes campaign, plus a letter from Tom, shout outs and an anecdote:

Shout outs

  • Liminal States: A genre-bending novel of immortality and Lovecraftian horrors and highly recommended by Caleb.
  • China Road: A journalist travels across China, seeing the highs and lows of the country.
  • The Weird: A massive anthology of weird fiction from around the world. Over 1000 pages of weirdness!
  • Black Books: A hilarious sitcom starring Dylan Moran.
  • Book of Cthulhu: A great anthology of Cthulhu mythos fiction.
  • Nyarko-San: An insane anime recommended to us by several RPPR listeners. A very unique view of the mythos to say the least.
  • Stealth of Nations: A study of the world’s global informal economy. Great fodder for dystopian and post-apocalyptic games.
  • A Corpse in the Koryo: A brilliant detective/thriller novel about a police inspector in North Korea caught up the machinations of competing security agencies.
  • Wool: A highly reviewed and recommended sci-fi ebook novella. Only 99 cents!

Music: Beautiful Lies by B-Complex

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:32:02 — 63.2MB)

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The Heretic Cycle: Hunted News: I’ve published the first part of my new fantasy serial, The Heretic Cycle. Follow the saga of an immortal villain in a world of dark magic and corrupt mortals! Available on Amazon (for Kindle) and on Smashwords (for all other ebook formats).

Killsplosion: First Edition is out! The ransom model player vs player RPG you supported is now available as a free PDF download here. More content will be coming this year.

I was a guest on the Drunk and Ugly podcast to answer some questions on game design.

Synopsis: Wild Talents is a great One Roll Engine superhero RPG developed by Greg Stolze and we give the game a deep analysis in this episode. Tom and I discuss our experiences with it. Tom compares it to Mutants and Masterminds and learning the system.

I also interviewed the game’s designer, Greg Stolze, about Wild Talents; its origins, running and playing it and the Progenitor setting. We also talk about his fiction and latest ransom projects.Be sure to look at Greg’s fiction and his new ransom project, a short story called Falling.

Tom has a letter, and we have shout outs and an anecdote.

Shout Outs

  • Brick: Great and unique neo-noir film. A must see.
  • The Killing: Kubrick’s first film and a film noir classic.
  • Liminal States: An upcoming sci-fi novel spanning three eras, 1874, 1951 and 2006.
  • Rebuild 2: A new flash zombie apocalypse strategy game.
  • Titanic Adventures Out of Time: An adventure game with some unusual narrative choices.
  • Claybourne: A free sci-fi radio drama from New Zealand. Great production values.

Music: Liminal States Soundtrack from Conelrad.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:34:18 — 106.0MB)

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