Synopsis: Every gamer has their own expectations at the gaming table. Most of the time, everyone has similar enough expectations that they can all enjoy the same game but this isn’t always the case. How do you deal with people who seem to have mutually exclusive expectations of a RPG? Ultra realism or cinematic action? High fantasy or hard sci fi? We discuss how to collaborate and compromise so that the game can reach a suitable middle ground. We discuss the five hot spots where expectations are frequently violated: genre, style, violence level, maturity level and consistency in the game. Plus, a letter from Tom to Splynncryth the alien intelligence from Rifts, anecdotes and shout outs:

Shout outs:

  • Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The classic regency romance novel, with new scenes of zombie mayhem. Can Mr. Darcy find love in a zombie apocalypse?
  • Root of All Evil: A Lewis Black Comedy Central series about pop culture and evil.
  • Armored Trains: A book about the use of armored trains in war, especially WW1 and WW2, with lots of great pictures. What’s not to like?
  • Look Around You: A BBC parody of educational TV. The Water and Sulfur episodes are hilarious.
  • Lovecraft is Missing: A horror/pulp webcomic about H.P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos.

Music: Wagering Lights by Venn & Euler.

4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons
The New World Campaign- NSFW!

GM: Ross Payton

Players: Tom, Cody, Jason and Dan

Synopsis: The adventurers have gained some new friends, a tribe of grippli. They’ve also made some new enemies, the thieves guild.  Furthermore, a horde of goblins has arrived in the new world, their massive hulk anchored in the bay. The goblins seem content to work as laborers for the colony but who knows how long that will last? The party starts their new business as water barons selling precious H20 to the settlers. They also decide to try to sign a peace treaty with the Black Raven tribe. Oh and there’s a giant lobster monster named Pinchy, a dwarven cartographer, snotty noblewoman, Cordelia and a goblin ambush. Plus all four players are together for the first time in the campaign!  Oh and this is still very not safe for work.

The New World
a 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Campaign
Session 2

Players: Tom, Cody and Dan

IMPORTANT NOTE: This game is full of profanity, even by our standards. This is very much NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

Synopsis: The kingdoms of the old world have discovered a vast new continent across the ocean. Brave settlers have started the first colony in the net world. Among them, a small band of adventurers eager to earn glory and gold. In the first session, the characters ventured into the wilderness to find a source of fresh water. Upon finding a river, they came across a band of natives part of the The Black Raven tribe who fought them. After capturing one of the tribal warriors, the players learn of an ongoing tribal war and decide to talk to the other tribe, known as the Gray Fangs. The Gray Fangs tell them that a powerful water spirit can teach them a ritual that will conjure enough fresh water to supply the colony. However, after the characters ask for the spirit’s help, the spirit sends them to a dungeon in order to see if they are worthy.

The characters must find a way out of the dungeon in order to learn the ritual. Two groups stand in their way: a band of thieves and a tribe of primitive frog people. In this session, I called them tasloi, but in proper D&D lore they are called the Grippli. This mistake is corrected in the next session.

Due to a technical snafu on my part, the first session recording is gone. However all other sessions are backed up so this will not happen again.