Why We Game

Craig Campbell of NerdBurger Games discovered tabletop gaming as a freshman in college. The year? 1991. The place? Milwaukee WI. The game? 2nd Edition AD&D. It was fated. In 1999 he started writing for consumption outside his gaming group. Living Greyhawk needed content for its first year and Craig has been freelancing ever since. (FYI, that gaming group included fellow architecture student, Jason Bulmahn – the creator of Pathfinder). Craig Campbell is an architect, an award-winning RPG designer, freelance writer, and podcaster. He’s also pretty neat guy. nerdburgergames.com @nerdburgercraig on Twitter NerdBruger Games on DriveThruRPG CORRECTION: Cullen Bunn wrote The Damned

Louis Porter Jr. is a freelance writer, designer, and YouTuber. He’s an old school Gen-X gamer who is not shy with his opinions regarding the industry. We cover a lot and Louis is very candid. Topics include: the D20 abortion book, elves are Nazis, his lack of diversity, and the RPG industry’s secret cabal of cool kids. He and I spitball WOTC’s digital subscription model future, and we bond over Babylon 5. Plus, Louis drops atomic level shade on Indy… LPJ Design is the best way to find him in the metaverse.

I got to spend quality time venting to a couple of friends. EB Hunter is a Fear the Boot super fan and a good pal. He and his special lady friend, Justice – whom I like even more – stop by the studio. We talk about: The Slap, WWIII, the impending apocalypse, Intersectional Feminism, and Urban Exploration. Despite D&D 3E being his first RPG, EB failed his Save vs THACO. Justice and I bond over our mutual love of the movie Jersey Girl. EB gives us some of his 75-degree hot takes.

I make three predictions. The last of which I’m only about 30% certain on. https://www.patreon.com/whywegame

This episode I break down my experiences at WashingCon and in the city of DC. I rant about inconsistent and unenforced mask rules, and I marvel at a world that cannot see that social media is almost exclusively our only public forum. My Zombicide Chronicles RPG review link: youtube.com/watch?v=Mcfp4zlIz54

Desiree Vaughn is the founder of Dream Ultra Big LLC and the creator of the card game, Dub This! She was inspired by her passion of music and games to make something anyone who enjoys music can play. Desiree is a former elementary school teacher that advocates for parents to be their child’s first teacher, and who advocates that life is learning. We talk about wanting to do more in life and be haunted by an unfinished creative endeavor. We also talk about GAMA’s diversity initiative, the importance of access and opportunity, and the value of mentorship. She’s an example of why I love gaming and why I support GAMA. She does indeed dream Ultra Big. dubthisgame.com

Joell Palmer of Stronghold LARP Foam cut his teeth on Vampire the Masquerade 1E, and quickly delved into World of Darkness LARPing. From there Joell discovered foam fighting LARPs. He became a forger of foam weapons and a tutor to others. Since Indie’s first GenCon Joell has been there leading and hosting craft seminars centered around LARPing. Not just at GenCon, but conventions all over the Midwest. In fact, he needs volunteers. We talk the politics of LARP, polyamory in LARP, Cancel Culture, and the bullying of group think. Stronghold LARP Foam on Facebook

Pete Petrusha, Creative Director at Imagining Games, is back. We talk about their latest project, the most anticipated RPG of 2022, the foodie crime drama CHEW. Marinated in the Forged in the Dark system, CHEW brings us into a world of cooks, crooks, cannibals, and clairvoyants. Not to mention the occasional mutation that provides a bizarre food-based power. We dig in a bit to what sets it apart from other Forged games and we take a bite out of the CHEWniverse. Pete also teases what’s next for Imagining Games. https://www.imagininggames.com/ It’s not too late to preorder CHEW https://gamefound.com/projects/peteyp/chew-the-roleplaying-game?ref=search

CEO and Co-founder of Flying Leap Games, Molly Zeff designs games for people who enjoy debating ridiculous things and having a good laugh. Think of them as family friendly games that easily become NSFW. Molly recounts some of her experiences as a woman in the industry and discloses that sometimes you have to place your personal values against your professional needs. She’s the kind of person that wants to make it to cool not be a jerk. And she solves cancel culture. @flyingleapgames on Instagram flyingleapgames.com

Alex Yeager has worked in the hobby industry for decades. His resume includes a tenure at Steve Jackson Games, Mayfair Games, and now as COO at Amigo Games. And he’s seen a lot of industry firsts: the organized play team, the demo team, and gaming-related videos as a blend of tutorial and entertainment. We talked about so much. From the Disneyfication of the industry, to manufacturing in the US, and how Kickstarter has had less impact on publishers than one may think. Alex is an O.G. (Original Gamer) for whom I have great respect. And he kicks gamer apathy in the peen.

Episode 22 guest Jason Brick returns to discuss his new book There I Was When Nothing Happened, coming to Kickstarter February 22. The book is about defusing conflict and is filled with real world examples from the experts that lived them. We talk about how we can apply those lessons to gaming, and writing. Plus, we get into his recent Achtung Cthulhu 2D20 adventure release and a potential shift in the Steve Jackson Pyramid Magazine paradigm. Jason’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/SafestFamilyontheBlock There I Was Early Access https://mailchi.mp/safestfamilyontheblock/thereiwas?fbclid=IwAR3FvsfHm1_NYXhEGk_bHe_dyqVtwRJiitRnymd8sOdybo5MclJZP2hSSkA

Former special education instructor, Rico Corazon, preaches the value of tabletop roleplaying games as a therapeutic tool. Initially pitching Dungeons & Dragons as an after-school program, he nurtured many substantial relationships with students. When he left teaching, the kids, and the parents, wanted the game sessions to continue. Rico wanted to keep playing as well. Especially considering he felt he was accomplishing more with gaming as opposed to being in the classroom. But Rico still had to earn a living. Two years later he facilitates D&D professionally ten or more times a week. P.S. Dr. Megan Connell on Twitter     https://twitter.com/meganpsyd Game Board       https://lastgameboard.com/ Start Playing Games        https://startplaying.games/ P.S.S. Apologies for the notification chimes.

We talk forty years of the Fantasy Shop and some hot goss drops. Dave Wallace joins us to espouse the eternal importance of making new gamers. For the health of the hobby and its industry. And he persuades me away from the edge. CLARIFICATIONS / EDITS: We were not actually in public. But other people were around. Derian’s last name is Stennett. He’s been a guest on the show twice previously. Brett is actually dying more so than most.

Jon Cleaves is the CEO and Lead Designer of DGS Games. He was first exposed to the hobby with a classic chit and silhouette game well beyond his ken, Avalon Hill’s Panzer Blitz. Though Jon really cut his teeth on White Box D&D and En Garde! We reminisce about the early days of Kickstarter when it was used for its intended purpose, and lament when playtesting is overruled by production schedules. We also discuss play-tester bias and the future of concierge gaming. Check out Freeblades and the world of Faelon at https://dgsgames.com/ You can shop at https://shop.tabletopgameandhobby.com/

Jim Pinto is a twenty-year veteran of the gaming industry. He served several years as Art Director at Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) simultaneously overseeing collectible card games Doomtown, 7th Sea, and Legend of the Five Rings, in addition to their roleplaying games. Jim highlights the laborious nature of DMing and how it has increased relative with D&D’s evolution, and how tangible tools have been replaced by vague bullshit. He advocates giving players agency in greater measure than power. Jim may know where some bodies are buried.

John Perks, buyer and holistic manager of the Fantasy Shop Inc., is back. We talk supply chain impacts in gaming. Are they in the past or are we waiting for the other shoe? And we do a deep dive into the new moving parts in comic book distribution. Fair warning: we meander and we get sappy.

Alex Kammer does a lot. From writing legal documents, to freelance RPG writing, to being an owner of True Dungeon, and running muddy obstacle courses. He’s also one of the minds behind Gamehole Con, arguably the best kept secret in tabletop gaming. We talk D&D Adventure League, Red Wizards, and Alex enlightens me about the variety of things and places to explore in Thay. Also, we dabble at the intersection of gaming and IP law, and discuss how, like cocaine, nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

Morgan Weeks is a writer, a developer, and an editor, but his passion lies in design. Specifically, how a game’s mechanics are essential to communicating what that game is about. Morgan touches on Kickstarter psychology for setting stretch goals. Having backed over 700 projects personally, and contributed to many professionally, we get a peek behind the curtain obscuring stretch goals. He loves D&D 4E, cares little for 5E, and has a healthy distaste for New England. Plus, Masshole: Vehicular Death Cult.

Seppy Yoon is the chief game designer at Fight in a Box. They create titles that celebrate rambunctious fun. Seppy believes the purpose of games is bringing people together. He’s bright and charming, and our conversation goes all over the road. From the value of TikTok, to optimizing our remaining time on this earth, and eating platypus. That’s not a euphemism. I have to be honest, I kind of crushed on him.

This episode provides some cursory coverage of GameHole Con VIII. Admittedly I spent more time attending seminars than getting sound bites, so this episode is a little different than my previous convention content. I promise no singing. But there is a juicy toot.