Radio Grognard KING SIZE

I talk about recording the GM's after-session notes and plans for next session (featuring - once again - the bullet journal).

I talk about how I deal with making and using maps in sessions.

I talk about running gags and callbacks in games plus wondering what purpose I serve in the OSR. WARNING: introspection and navel-gazing in the 2nd half.

I talk about things I as a GM do regardless of system like initiative, XP and race-as-class.

I talk about some of my favorite "supplemental" monster books to punch up a scenario (with a minor rant about said books).

I talk about the 36 Dramatic Situations and how they help to create adventures.

I talk about certain rules in RPGs you hate or cannot understand.

I talk about the journey vs. the destination in RPG games.

I talk about my favorite terrains and landscapes and how they inspire me.

This time I reflect on a 2-year D&D campaign that recently ended, one of the best I've ever played in and a model campaign.

I talk about how to use pre-generated characters and where to get them.

I talk about using the PC's shopping trips in town as a place to hang plot hooks.

I talk about finding a good intro adventure for neophyte gamers.

I talk about random encounter tables and how the AD&D 1E Monster Manual II is the best for rolling your own.

This, the 100th episode, I talk more about the state of RPG publishing after being spurred on by a couple of voicemails and an email. Then it's thank to you folks out there who listen to an ol' grog ramble. I'm grateful.

I rant about too much production value in RPG material. BTW, no game publishers were hurt in this episode.

I talk about loose cannon NPCs, how they can spice up your game and keep the PCs on their toes.

I talk about the fact that maybe I plan too simple a scenario.

In a followup from the last time, in this double-size episode I go through a way to prep a game in about an hour.

I talk about how fast a GM can come up with a scenario from scratch.

I talk about generally leading a group to adventure by giving them what their characters want.

I talk about how I take and use notes and my recent discovery of bullet journals.

I talk about how dungeons should be logical and plausible.

I talk about deities books and how they're of limited use to me.

I ponder Erik Tenkar's question of how much fantasy is in my games and give my inscrutably peculiar answer.

I talk about the venerable Secondary Skills Table in the 1E DMG and (with a little help from Mike Stewart) how I get it to work for me as a skill system.

I talk about times to be quiet as a GM and (thanks to Jason Hobbs) my take on indy campaigns and when you can (and can't) integrate them into your game.

I talk about character attachment.

I talk about using the brute-type monsters such as gnolls and bugbears as something more than just a mob by combining stronger, smarter monsters to whip 'em into shape.

I talk about the use of undead (particularly low-level undead) in RPGs.

I talk about a couple of plots that will work with the right group or system and a little finesse.

I talk about pointcrawls vs. hexcrawls when mapping.

I have the dreaded, inevitable psionics talk and recommend alternatives to AD&D's system.

I talk about punching up your adventure and the value of having another look at it.

I talk about how difficult it is to write adventures for certain genres.

I talk about laying styles over RPG genres using the Film Noir style.

I talk about the flow of information between the GM and players.

I talk about rules additions, new classes and anything else GMs and/or players want to bring into the campaign.

I talk about "back pocket scenarios" for impromptu game sessions and campaign arcs that are easy to break up/modify.

I talk about equipment for the PCs and how Adventurer's Packs can be very handy.

I talk about adjusting the levels in a campaign and also about rules light vs. rules heavy RPGs and how players can (or can't) adapt to the ruleset.

I talk about cutting down higher-level adventures for lower-level (or undermanned) groups of PCs.

Prompted by a voicemail, I talk about my Rosy Sandbox technique.

I talk about beats in an adventure and how they change at the table.

I talk about linear plots and how to loosen up the beats of the story for player agency.

I talk about distractions, paying attention and electronics at the table.

I talk about how to find hooks in published material and how to create your own.

I talk about names for PCs and NPCs.

I talk about how I use my sketchbook to generate ideas for my game sessions.

I talk about how kidnappings and rescues can work for your game.