Fear the Boot

* (0:49) Life problems interfering with our recording schedule. * (1:47) Chad's latest garage sale find, and why Brodeur is banned from garage sales. * (4:57) The first D&D video game Chad bought, Shadow Sorcerer. * (9:12) A quick history of the relationship between tabletop roleplaying games and video games. The second D&D video game Chad grabbed, Secret of the Silver Blades. * (15:31) The third video game, Curse of the Azure Bonds. The original novel, Azure Bonds, and its subsequent module, also called Curse of the Azure Bonds. * (18:43) The puzzle wheels and game aids used as copy protection on the games. * (23:21) The not-so-new idea of transferring your characters between a video game and its sequel. The segregation of software stores. * (27:23) Parts of the Forgotten Realms they said they'd never develop...and then did. Keef the Thief. * (33:36) Bringing Alias to a new generation. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:35) Hiccups in the release schedule. * (1:14) Enigma, Transcendentalism, and living in the moment. Or having sex in High School. Finding social and psychological freedom in a roleplaying game. * (7:37) Progression that has only limited impact on game mechanics. * (18:47) An illustration from Left 4 Dead 2. * (23:11) Finding the best of both worlds. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:30) Brodeur's psychiatrist. Unfiltered Brodeur at the negative level. * (4:04) Sacrifice in a roleplaying game. Giving up something you want to make the game better. The D&D Actual Play. * (12:16) What constitutes sacrifice. * (18:00) Sacrifice versus beneficial trade-off. The story of Wesley Autrey. * (34:59) The confusingly mixed bag of altruism. "That's not love; it's commerce." * (39:17) Game Masters making sacrifice hurt. * (47:43) Some people try to save a cat from the Matrix. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:29) Episode 9 of the Skies of Glass Actual Play. * (1:06) Murder versus killing. * (14:03) The power of a personal reaction apart from a character reaction. * (16:45) Doing something in-character that sets back the party but adds to the quality of the game. * (27:17) Setting up Chad's character, the lies, and coming clean. * (32:07) How coming clean hurt the character but helped the group's enjoyment of the game. * (46:51) Playing for the enjoyment of the players, not the characters. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:30) Welcoming George to the show. * (0:52) Fear the Boot's Actual Plays are now on YouTube. * (2:26) An overview and history of Gen Con. True Dungeon. * (12:46) Spectacle and socialization over product. How Gen Con compares to San Diego Comic Con. * (18:16) How growth is changing things. * (25:48) The ten-year cycles of RPGs, and the role of products at the con. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, George, John, Wayne

* (0:29) Robots having ghosts and facial hair. Brodeur threw GoBots at people. * (9:16) Thanks to Stephen Brown for giving us the name of the show with plant brains driving vehicles: Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. The toy Dan owned was K.O. Kruiser. * (10:53) The Autobot Matrix of Leadership gets around. * (14:11) Predictions about the McGregor-Mayweather fight, recorded before the event, that turned out to be entirely wrong. * (15:50) Observation of the eclipse, noticing the things other people don't, and how that helps scene-setting in an RPG. * (27:15) Giving setting personality. * (42:09) Grabbing too many—or the wrong—details. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) Welcoming Ryan to the show. His Fear the Con game based on Happy Birthday, Robot. * (3:25) Reading the table for emotional effect. * (10:29) Empty space with context. * (18:45) Plot hooks for the PCs, created by the GM instead of the player. * (27:42) Creating hooks through new items, NPCs, and meaning. * (30:25) Along came a spider. * (44:31) Ryan's GMing advice in four sentences. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Julia, Ryan

* (0:28) Lighter rules keeping players from second-guessing their choices. * (12:16) Passing notes during an RPG. Its capacity to rob mature players of part of the game. * (16:07) Third person omniscience to set things right. * (24:38) Revealing the notes at the end of the session. * (29:06) The truth always comes out, anyway. Separating player reaction from character reaction. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne

WARNING: The discussion in the early part of this show is rather crass. If you don't want to hear that, skip to 7:08. * (0:32) Why we're on a second take. * (1:23) The pre-recorded Actual Play is now on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or via its raw RSS feed. * (3:35) Dan fixed the Patreon episode prices. * (4:52) Brodeur goes off the ranch. * (7:08) Maintaining the tension when the players know the outcome of a game plot. The streaming AP on our Twitch feed. Metal Gear Solid as a metaphor for our tabletop roleplaying game. * (12:31) Serial fiction and pen names. * (19:06) Taking these concepts back to a D&D game with known gives. * (22:34) Who's responsible for keeping up the tension? * (27:39) Focusing on the facts the players don't know and the choices they haven't made. The importance of well-developed elements in the setting. * (34:43) Not abusing known information in the meta-game. The players' burden. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:28) The Skies of Glass AP is out. * (2:36) Our other AP on Twitch. * (5:46) Brodeur's new coworker. * (9:19) Timing the ending moment of the game. An unintended murder. * (17:16) The opposite extreme: letting a scene overstay its welcome. * (22:40) The difference between a cliffhanger and an abrupt ending. Advice on recovering the momentum. * (36:29) Envisioning a more satisfying ending and why one may not exist. * (39:28) Distilling advice. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:28) Excuse our mess. We're heading to see Pat at the hospital because of medical complications, and a dog is sleeping on the recording table. Things will be back to normal next week. SIDE NOTE: The most recent update on Pat's condition can be found here. * (1:01) Having expectations (or a lack thereof) about death in an RPG. * (5:01) Duty, obligation, and the specter of death in a Star Wars game. * (12:13) Being OK with character death, despite having not contemplated it up to that point. Consequence vs cheating. * (19:43) Time travel within games. Hosts: Dan, Karla, Wayne Guest Host: Gizmo

We made some changes, so be sure to review your Patreon settings before the end of the month!

* (0:29) White whales. * (2:09) What do you want to run but have never had the chance to? * (10:17) What do you want to play but have never had the chance to? * (18:14) What do you want to get published but never have? * (27:07) A big thanks to Chris Torres. * (30:06) How the lack of attention given to Amelie in the Skies of Glass AP led Dan to develop her more. * (43:14) Inverting the formula and letting player non-reactions create content. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:30) The Skies of Glass actual play is now public, and Lookout Radio has gone live. * (1:59) Some restructuring of our Patreon. A live-streaming actual play game is coming soon. * (4:47) Brodeur picks Gunslinger for a gestalt game, gets handed a pre-made. * (13:49) Developing as a Game Master by trying new things. Knowing when to fold 'em. Post-game feedback, and the vital nature of honest communication. * (23:48) Singing! Appealing to other senses and kinds of creativity. * (32:53) Elves and Dwarfs with John. [The Editor violently salivates at the thought of an actual Dwarf Fortress game and violently objects to any characterization of dwarfs inconsistent with Dwarf Fortress.] Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Chris, Dan, John

* (0:33) Chad fired Brodeur, Dan is the head of HR, Broflake pending. * (6:26) Fear the Con X, post-con. Special thanks to Adam, Bob, and Derek. Also thanks to Beth, Julia, our Kickstarter backers, and everyone who attended. Derek's beard. * (10:23) Some gaming advice that Dan learned at FTC: Hiring an agent of chaos. Over the berm, where Pat kills us all. * (17:10) Inspecting the Broflake. Brodeur's reaction to ghosts. * (23:49) Chad's topic: Darkenship. Nobody gets Dan's jokes. * (27:39) Technical expertise and real-world knowledge when running a game. * (32:38) Never weaponize the information. Instead, use it as seasoning. Mr. Robot. For anyone not familiar, PerfMon is performance monitor. * (40:46) Weaving the information into the narrative. * (44:07) Pat getting possessed by Ted Kennedy. * (48:05) A quick round-robin of best games from the con. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (1:03) Brodeur was in a frat. He didn't get paddled, strangely. * (2:51) Ending an ongoing campaign arc. * (8:52) The nature of the ending. What do the players actually want closure on? * (11:48) Pre-planning the beginning and end, even if the middle is unknown. * (23:03) Roleplaying games and the constant feedback loop with its consumer. * (31:03) Querying the players about the type of ending they want. * (35:32) Seek Chad. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Julia

* (0:34) After years of dodging anime, Dan falls in love with One Punch Man. Bill Burr give his take on the show (FAIR WARNING: NSFW language). Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony. * (8:01) Two things that could have messed up the feel of One Punch Man. * (16:47) Putting other anime on the table. * (18:06) Fear the Con X coming up on June 22nd - 24th! * (19:18) We're attempting an actual player series that we're marketing-testing on Patreon. Audience input is currently being taken here. * (25:04) The idiosyncrasies of Fantasy Flight's Star Wars game. * (33:28) Willingness to take on complex games. What's changed and why. * (43:51) A change in the gaming zeitgeist. * (46:14) Adding a third axis to the chart. * (53:56) The Gwent League. Five minutes of Chad's "no index rage" noise. Dan's dance remix of Chad's noise. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:24) Dan's top three card games in a video game. Chad loses it for Gwent. You can sign up for the Fear the Boot Gwent league on the forums. * (9:28) Entertainment that sounds awful in concept but works well in execution. Persona 5. * (15:00) Gotham. * (22:04) Dredd. * (29:38) Kung Fury. * (29:57) Deconstructing execution of an idea, starting with honesty about what the material is. * (46:51) Trust and open-mindedness when the elevator pitch sounds awful. Hosts: Aisha, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) Brodeur helps organize Geekway to the West. Vast: The Crystal Caverns, Twilight Struggle, and Battlestar Galactica. * (10:00) Fear the Con X. Charlie talks about Secret Hitler. * (11:59) Not caring what people think. Surviving Comic-Con. Pat meets Dr. Who. * (25:22) 'Mechs, lantern rings, symbiotes, and the power-trading agreements among the hosts. * (30:15) The atmosphere of sports events. * (32:32) Keeping the current Skies of Glass game from becoming Star Trek. * (41:27) Defining the obvious trappings of a game and subverting them. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:40) A bunch of charity updates! Derek’s charity games (low level, mid level, and high level tiers). Pat's GoFundMe page. Manicorn work provided by the Mitch STL salon. * (6:10) Explaining what a perk or bennie represents before it's used. * (8:33) Deconstructing the Red Shirt. Creating emotional ante. * (12:23) Seizing narrative control. The goal: Make it descriptive. Tying it to traits instead of people. * (16:29) Making changes in the narrative to create consistency and plausibility. * (20:49) The Game Master getting a read on the players by watching how they interpret their re-rolls. * (29:29) Turning the named bennies into an in-character economy. * (32:50) Dry-erase table tents and other table props. Who do I have to be? Hosts: Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:28) Chad and Wayne are AWOL. * (1:20) Dan learns a whole lot about Fritz Tornow and Hitler's dogs. * (4:03) Following up on Brodeur's lack of combat in his game. * (5:53) Brodeur does everything wrong, but it works. * (9:22) Starting with the party asleep and fully divided. * (13:44) Mid-scene cliffhangers and spotlight bouncing for about two-and-a-half hours. * (21:14) The pacing of the game versus the dosing of the campaign. * (26:54) Let's talk about that Bard-Warlock-Paladin. * (32:08) The epilogue and what Brodeur took away from it all. * (36:27) Players that are excited about each other's characters as much as their own. * (39:25) The more you put into your character, the more you get out of the game. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan

* (0:27) Catching up on episodes and experimenting with a Skies of Glass actual play. * (2:51) A listener, Steve, asks about keeping characters engaged when their specialty isn't of any use in a particular scene. * (7:06) Asking how the characters got in this position. * (10:11) Game Master tweaking of the player characters to give them some options. * (12:18) Adjusting the rules so people can contribute when they normally couldn't. * (14:50) Not letting a scene linger too long. * (16:02) Complicating the scenario to give everyone something to do. * (19:32) Checking your planned scenes to make sure all of the characters can get involved. Hosts: Dan

* (0:23) Some more details on Derek’s charity games (low level, mid level, and high level tiers). * (3:04) Time to go bonus episode! The FAST test for stroke. * (5:10) Customers beat down Brodeur, illustrating the reason Dan became a programmer. * (11:26) Chad loves the customers. Or at least doesn't hate them. Dan and Wayne just don't generally get angry. * (22:56) A reality that doesn't work for anyone involved. Wayne puts himself in high pressure sales vs Dan's tactic for coping with them. Elmo's work ethic. * (31:59) Chad gets threatened over a stranger's girlfriend. * (45:29) Bottle it up for later. * (49:30) The GoFundMe page to help Pat and Beth with medical costs. His status updates on Caring Bridge. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) Why Brodeur is scared of Aisha. * (2:49) Some new information on Fear the Con X. Derek's charity game (low level, mid level, and high level tiers). Booters and Shooters. Email Adam Gottfried if you're interested in pre-con tourism. * (10:17) Chad's anger. * (13:00) Games with too much RP and not enough combat. * (15:52) Combat that makes sense within the context of the game. * (20:37) Reasons combat can be important to the catharsis of an RPG. * (26:18) The tyranny of choice by which players opt out of combat they ostensibly want. The tyranny of moral complexity by which Game Masters strip combat of its catharsis. * (33:48) Zombie stories as an example of moral simplicity. * (38:38) Ma Carver as a counter-example. * (45:56) Why Brodeur's players opt not to fight. The limiting factor of time. The three round limit. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (1:43) Introducing our topic from Lars-Hendrik: Groups that have been abused by their GM. * (4:10) Knowing about the problems prior to the first game versus finding out when the game is in progress. * (8:00) Mending trust through transparency, patience, and consistency. * (12:22) Intentionally making mistakes. Rolling above the board. * (16:12) The bad behaviors we learn when coping with negative people. * (22:57) Eric's road to recovery. Realigning your view of the game. Cheating for the players and making deals. * (35:04) Picking the right game for a battered group. * (38:23) Handing off the GM seat. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Eric

* (0:28) Welcoming Zach. * (0:47) Brodeur gets on Facebook and buys a cell phone. * (17:55) Brodeur talks to the kids in a class about game design. After an introduction, they break up into small groups to play some RPGs. * (20:47) How far society has come in its acceptance of roleplaying games. * (26:54) Kids running games for other kids and adults. * (30:45) The variety of games the students had been exposed to. Aisha's Emerald City Comic Con coverage. * (44:47) Tearable by Third Act, Ten Candles by Cavalry Games, and other RPGs being played at the school. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Zach

* (0:29) Welcoming Eric. What attracted Karla to Dan. * (3:28) Tabletop roleplaying games as a spectator sport. The showmanship of the Game Master. * (10:59) The most interesting games as a distraction. * (13:00) The attributes of a good GM that also make for a good public performance. * (19:20) Turning a spectator into a part of the game. * (21:40) Actual Play recordings and the two extreme editing models. * (29:36) How running an AP affected Eric's regular gaming. The self-awareness created by self-editing. * (34:21) A regular gamer recording their own games. * (46:32) Feedback from an Actual Play, walk-on music, and essay writing classes. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Eric, Karla

* (0:36) A second take, and why Brodeur's wife just might be OK with bigamy. Star wipe. * (4:07) Pat's new refrigerator. Dan's plan to conquer Narnia and install Beth as queen. * (8:23) Today's Topic: Terrible segues. Brodeur's seat just might be up for the taking. * (10:29) Controlling your players via consequences. The concern that the logical consequence may derail the game or distress the player. * (13:27) Games that specifically accommodate consequences, whether through setting or rules. * (16:31) Strategy 1: Managing expectations before the game starts or as a particular action is being declared. * (19:51) Strategy 2: Backing off to calm down when emotional investment has gotten too high. * (23:38) Strategy 3: Preparing a mechanism for when it all goes wrong. * (28:08) Strategy 4: Let's make a deal. * (30:54) Strategy 5: Handle it at the plot level, apart from the players. * (38:58) Strategy 6: Roleplaying the consequence in a way that involves all of the players. * (43:45) Fear the Con X signup rolls on! You can PM Adam here and Derek here. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:27) Just Dan and Karla! Well, and the pets. * (1:04) Big Bang Theory. The clip Dan mentioned (WARNING: Yelling and NSFW language.) * (4:57) Celebrity gossip. The names Dan was looking for are Paul Blackthorne (Quentin Lance), Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen / Green Arrow), and John Barrowman (Malcolm Merlyn). * (8:50) The increased representation of women in the gaming demographic, but the enduring presence of the reluctant gamers we'd like to bring into the hobby. * (14:20) Karla's first impression of gaming, and what got her to try it. Roleplaying as a spectator sport. Finite choices to avoid overwhelming someone with choice. * (21:08) The difference between knowing what to do and how to do it. The value of familiarity with the source material. Assistance with character creation. * (31:32) Recognizing personality traits that may make the potential gamer reluctant. Hosts: Dan, Karla

* (0:35) Introducing James McClure of the Talking Tabletop podcast. You can find his two-part interview with Dan here and here, and his episodes with Chris here and here. * (5:16) The Satanic Panic Kickstarter. The Dark Dungeons tract. A quick look at the game's mechanic and the intended danger of being too successful. * (11:10) The "four spoke" mechanic. * (16:03) Why Jim chose to make a game about this particular topic. Steve Jackson Games got raided by the Secret Service and then got taken to court. * (24:27) What's in this book? * (28:15) What Jim would like to contribute to the roleplaying hobby. * (35:31) The Satanic Panic actual play recordings. * (37:47) Why the book doesn't include any real history of these events. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Chris, Wayne Guests: James McClure

* (1:45) Reviewing the situation with Sara's self-actualized character. * (6:29) How Wayne handled the situation by finding what Sara cares about instead of just looking at what the character cares about. Comparing it to what bothers an actor versus the character they're playing. * (22:13) Finding the point between the character and player, and using that to add emotion to the game. * (24:26) Keeping the momentum. * (28:20) The importance of giving rough bits of story an upbeat. * (39:24) Observing the player for clues about how to handle a character. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:27) Chad sits up. John is the youngest old man. * (3:45) Fear the Boot's early episode on RPG predictions. Mad milk and other inanities. * (10:35) What will roleplaying look like in a generation? Harold Camping and taking a knee. * (18:02) First prediction: Gatekeepers of quality, whether brand or editorial. * (27:17) Second prediction: The changing role of technology in storytelling. * (35:40) Third prediction: D&D will have a changing place in the hobby. Dan also hates Shakespeare. * (54:49) In closing: What do you think? * (55:23) Fear the Con X! Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:30) Brodeur's perspective on Valentine's Day. The value of unexpected gifts. * (12:39) Some perspective on failure, but also why it's not today's topic. * (16:16) The value of playing a character that has social needs. An example from a Dresden game. * (29:17) How imperfections contribute to the social bonds of most higher animals, including humans. How the lack of such connections affects a game. * (44:38) Game Masters not taking advantages of these needs or not even touching them at all. * (51:39) A call for GMs at Fear the Con X! Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:31) Welcoming back Chris, Julia, and Pat. * (1:32) Thanking John Ely for Pugmire and Chris Ings for an outstanding coloring book. The coming war between Corgi and Pug owners. * (8:19) Movie scenes that disturbed us as children. Sharing a Coke with the princess from Neverending Story. * (17:48) People stepping on each other's toes in Julia's game. Keeping to your role. * (24:15) Whether Pathfinder may be the wrong game for this particular group. * (26:30) Picking a good first game for new roleplayers. * (31:53) Back to whether this group is even playing the right game. * (34:31) Throwing tons of dice as a way of breaking the spirit of a system. * (42:38) Sending a message through sabotage. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Julie, Pat

* (0:29) Gnarl's commentary on a sourcebook for gnolls in 5th edition D&D gets taken a bit too seriously. * (8:41) Dan's house, Chad's faux passport, a Twitter poll about homebrewing, roleplaying about roleplaying, and the creativity of gamers. * (18:23) The revenge of the gamification of gaming. The original episode on the topic. Duolingo and Habitica. * (25:53) Explaining what it means to gamify a game. Rare Elements Foundry (which was mistakenly called Rare Earth in the show) and Oriental Trading. * (32:59) When positive incentive is preferable to negative confrontation. * (46:13) Boiling down the advice and annoyance. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (1:03) A shout-out to Richard Thomas and Aaron Sturgill. Fear the Con X, AcadeCon, and a total breakdown in communication. * (4:27) Brodeur gets jealous and Dan throws shade at Gamerstable. * (12:27) Brodeur gets on Facebook, and Dan starts the Doomsday Clock. * (25:49) Pete's start in RPGs, condescension from RIFTS, and a GM on the railroad. * (37:52) Wayne's go-to generic game. * (38:51) The therapeutic value of roleplaying games. The Bodhana Group. Dreamchaser's dream mechanic as a metaphor for approaching life goals (Kickstarter link, Imagining Games site). * (52:46) Developing a character's past, present, and future. The Logan trailer as an exercise in game arc design. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Pete, Wayne

* (0:33) A natural first question presents itself. Magic by Mick Smiley. The story of Pete and Brodeur's love. * (8:44) Imagining Games and the Dreamchaser Kickstarter. Pete was previously mentioned in Episode 418. * (9:30) The end as the beginning. The dream and milestone mechanic in Dreamchaser. * (16:12) A sample dream and set of milestones to demonstrate how they work. * (20:33) The value of focusing on story before setting. * (24:45) What has Pete learned from running this? What does this book give us? What's the game system like? * (31:18) The duration of a Dreamchaser game. * (37:53) The belief mechanic and how it relates to dreams and milestones. * (47:25) Designing a game's story like a movie trailer. * (50:20) Some examples from games that have been run during the play test. * (59:56) How strangely well Dreamchaser would work for Mystery Men. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne Guests: Pete

* (0:47) An update on Pat. The GoFundMe page to help him and Beth with medical costs. You can follow his status on Caring Bridge. * (4:05) Sugar-free candy, bloopers, and Wayne's butt...? * (13:45) Prophecy and otherwise letting PCs see the future. * (17:22) Letting the prediction be only a possible future. * (21:00) Keeping the predictions vague. * (22:16) The "problem" of player agency. * (25:12) Removing the PCs from the equation. * (26:35) Sensing present situations instead of future events. * (28:53) Scaling the time between prediction and fulfillment. * (37:53) The consequences of trying to change the future. * (43:35) Deferring to the GM so they can play to things they control. * (48:08) Leaving the prediction neither fulfilled nor contradicted. * (56:10) Fulfilling the prediction "in medias res". Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:35) False alarm on Dan's interview on Talking Tabletop, but it's out now (part 1 and part 2). * (2:06) Chad's unexpected take on Alien: Covenant. The increasing social ubiquity of science fiction. The Fault in Our Mars. Laurell K. Hamilton plugs Fear the Con X. * (17:19) A Thai-rade and the importance of ordering spiciness correctly. White people mild. * (25:29) Adapting existing roleplaying games to things they were never meant to accommodate. Blades in the Dark to Rogue One or Star Wars Rebels. Dresden Files RPG to a far-future homebrew. * (32:34) Not getting lost in the weeds. Recognizing the broad-strokes that fit your needs. * (39:24) Recognizing what a game wasn't meant to illustrate. Hosts: Chad, Dan

* (0:27) The German-language podcast, Eskapodcast. * (2:17) Dan's idea about "cabinet GMing" that Brodeur, Scott, and the Germans are trying to steal. Having other GMs handle the actions of major NPCs to keep their actions independent and unpredictable. * (12:27) Today's topic: VaMinion steals Dan's idea, which was stolen from Wayne, which was stolen from Scott. Shielding a character from certain risks by virtue of who or what they are. The prior discussion on the X card can be found on this episode and across several pages of the accompanying forum discussion. * (18:47) Why the group template may not help you dodge this issue. * (24:10) Laundering real social issues through fictional elements. * (27:17) Does the dog die? * (31:14) Some approaches for dealing with this. Pregame conversation. Dry-run scenes. Simply not allowing it. * (42:37) The zero session, and surviving the cemetery gates. Life changes during the game. Hosts: Broduer, Dan, Wayne

* (0:22) Warning: Content is out of order, like Witcher novels or Firefly. * (1:12) Magic button of Annihilation: What Christmas song would you obliterate? * (7:18) Brodeur hates Trans Siberian Orchestra. Dan's ghetto heart isn't satisfied. * (10:20) Dan's exotic pets: An otter! * (13:40) Dan's defense of broadening the definition of "pet animals", but first some important caveats. * (19:43) The difference between tame and domesticated animals. A lion showing affection to its rescuer. Dogs seeking help from humans when wolves don't (experiment 1, experiment 2). * (27:47) The value of interaction with exotic animals. Dan's pet spider, Hermine (nee Herman). Click beetles. * (41:32) Brodeur goes too far. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne

* (0:18) Dan and Chad were quoting Still Talkin (NSFW language warning). * (2:19) Music you listen to at the most formative moments of your life. Jidenna's Long Live the Chief and Method Man's Bulletproof Love. * (9:29) Del the Funky Homosapien. Alex Trebek's comments on nerdcore and the response song, Who is Alex Trebek? * (17:48) Dan and Chad pick their top three. Afrika Bambaataa. DJ Kool's Let Me Clear My Throat. Alphabet Aerobics and Chemical Calisthenics. * (26:08) Brodeur makes his picks. Pop Goes the Weasel by 3rd Bass. * (30:34) The use of personae and backstory in hip-hop. Hosts: Broduer, Chad, Dan

* (0:47) I lied about part 2, but part 1 of my interview with Jim McClure is out! * (2:50) XCOM 2 gets us thinking about setting the level of challenge in a tabletop roleplaying game. * (9:59) Games that get easier versus games that get harder. * (13:18) The kinds of challenge. Combat encounters, roleplaying, puzzles, mystery, etc. * (20:07) Identifying the type of narrative experience the players and GM are trying to get out of the game. * (23: 06) Why start the challenge low for veteran players? Ebbs and flows. Difficulty as a path instead of a moment. * (33:16) Always having a way forward. Richard Pryor scared for no reason. * (39:34) The importance of downbeats in the story. The right type of failure. The Heisman Trophy and the Ghetto Heisman. * (52:33) Knowing the reason for the specific challenge. Avoiding banal struggles. Bambi vs Godzilla. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:28) Much ado about butts. Thanks, Patreon supporters! * (3:35) Was this section even legal to air? * (5:58) Fish Donuts and the foxy Ms. Candida. * (9:15) What happened with the cell phones? Dan's +Jews! charger. * (20:19) Attention as a precious commodity. * (31:30) The things you just don't allow in your games. First example: Math heavy abilities and powers that take away the uniqueness of other characters. * (37:32) Softening the limits but restricting the books. Conceding aspects of powers to make them less annoying to the GM. * (43:55) Child prodigies, half-orcs, and monks. * (52:34) Not disrupting the fun for the players or the GM. * (55:12) Brodeur is a dictator. Player handouts, and knowing why you don't want something. * (57:31) What don't you allow, and why? What did you not used to allow, but now will, with what caveats? What changed your mind? Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (1:07) Fear the Boot's Secret Santa, run by Noob13. You can find details on the forums. * (2:15) Dan's interview on Talking Tabletop with Jim McClure. Fear the Boot's Twitter and Facebook links. * (3:59) A cross-town move forces Dan to look through his possessions and contemplate life. The Battletech warchest system. * (9:06) Changing taste in games perhaps tied to a diminishing ability to focus on crunch. Our episode on getting started with Battletech. * (16:09) A question to the listeners: How has time changed your taste in games? Hosts: Dan

* (0:35) Dan moves, and the studio moves with him. * (1:47) Fear the Con X's Kickstarter is in its last week. * (2:32) A big thanks to our Patreon backers for the new chairs. * (3:21) Our homebrew Transformers RPG. Along with a recent episode on Wayne's game, I discuss the nuts and bolts of creating an RPG from an existing IP. * (7:34) Numerically modeling a Transformer, using their stat cards as a starting point. The example of Onslaught. * (23:43) Testing the results through mass character creation and playing the game. Hosts: Dan

* (0:46) Fear the Con X's Kickstarter is live and needs your support. * (1:55) Support the Strays on No Shave November. Also, much love to Matt who joined the team after this show was recorded, which is why he doesn't get mentioned in the audio. * (9:45) The finite resources of governance, The Rules for Rulers, The Dictator's Handbook, and how it all relates to RPGs. * (20:29) Dan's Story: Contractor Competition. People want each other's resources for the same objectives. * (25:32) Techniques for designing the power structure. Political Order and Political Decay. * (49:44) So we were playing Riven... Hosts: Chad, Dan, John, Wayne

* (0:28) Picking up where we left off from the prior episode. * (3:10) Research and essays, particularly The Pulling Report, countering the satanic panic. * (4:53) The CBN pamphlet on D&D as an example of what was being said about RPGs during the panic. * (11:34) The disappearance of James Egbert. * (20:43) Comparing Egbert's story to Mazes and Monsters. William Dear's The Dungeon Master. * (22:04) It's human nature to need someone to blame. Back to the pamphlet. * (26:29) Some quotes about, "What is D&D?" * (33:56) Don't talk to my XP or my son's XP ever again. * (37:00) The authorized Dark Dungeons movie. * (37:44) Patricia Pulling and the suicide of Irving Lee Pulling. * (45:18) The importance of not minimizing the tragedy, even if you deal with the absurdity with dark humor. The anonymous text service for people needing crisis intervention. * (49:37) The police leaflet on RPGs. The many criteria for knowing when your teenager is in a cult, including, "They're a teenager". Fighting the Zombie. "All I wanted was a Pepsi," from Institutionalized and sampled in How I Could Just Kill a Man. * (59:50) Leaflet's section on what we can do. Dan reads off the list and narrowly avoids having a stroke. * (1:08:35) Conclusions, and the legacy of RPGs. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) Happy Jack's fishy music-crafting. * (3:24) Today's topic requires a disclaimer of sorts: Satanic Panic. Jack Chick and, "What's a tract?" * (8:11) Why Chick is relevant: Dark Dungeons. What this episode is and is not about. * (11:12) Why Wayne wasn't affected by the panic. * (12:35) Discussing Jack Chick, himself, and satanic ritual abuse. * (15:20) A tour through the era of panic. How modern people can relate to what occurred. Other moral panics. Though exaggerated, malicious tampering with Halloween candy has happened. * (24:20) The fact that you know it's a d30, Dan, is damning evidence in its own right. * (31:14) Before we get to the documents: A slice of life. Experiences are shared. * (42:43) The FBI, and more experience sharing. * (46:01) Conclusions, and going out on a positive note. * (47:50) Definitely for the quote database: "SUCK A D4, PIG!" Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

An important update on one of our hosts. You can stay posted on the Caring Bridge site. Please send any well wishes to [email protected].