Chris shares the experience of watching his young daughter and her friends play D&D for the first time. What can jaded adult GMs learn from watching kids hack their way through a D&D adventure? And in what is becoming our regular book discussion segment, Chris and Andy discuss the gaming appeal of Stephen King’s The …
Episode 170 - How Do You Run a One-shot for Non-gamers?
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Andy seeks advice about an upcoming game for a group of newbie players. But not before our hosts talk books, Andy excitedly describes his first trip to a swamp, and Chris reveals that his young daughter is about to make her first foray into TTRPGs.
Andy and Chris are both about to go on trips so they freewheel a conversation about buying a suit and changing the system for a currently running campaign.
Episode 168 - Do You Replay TTRPG Scenes That Go Wrong?
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Would you ever call for a “re-do” of a scene or encounter that didn’t go as planned? In what situations might that make sense? And are there better ways to “roll with” an unwelcome development in the game? Chris and Andy discuss, along with talk about game pacing and Andy’s million-dollar idea for a mystery …
Episode 167 - How Do You Use Weather in Your TTRPGs?
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Does it matter in your D&D game if the weather outside is bright and balmy or cold and rainy? Are there ways to incorporate changing weather into a TTRPG that don’t just boil down to the occasional die roll penalty? Chris and Andy discuss, and Chris describes his experience with Bully Pulpit Games’ The Skeletons.
Episode 166 - Do your characters have lives outside of the adventure?
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Andy and Chris talk about the lives our PCs lead outside of the adventuring life. They also inadvertently pitch a very fun sounding game where you play a bunch of teachers.
Episode 165 - How Do You Handle Character Aging and Age Differences?
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Have you played in games where your character’s age had a big impact, mechanically or narratively? Chris and Andy discuss why it matters if your D&D character is 18 or 65 years old, and how exploring those nuances might make your game more interesting.
Episode 164 - How Do You Handle Player Mounts and Horses?
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What do you do when one of your players comes to the table with a PC that has a horse, mount, or another game feature that radically changes tactical situations? Chris and Andy discuss ways you can approach mounts in a way that doesn’t cheat the player of their mount, but which also doesn’t hurt …
Episode 162 - How Do You Run Wilderness Survival Games?
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What elements go into a good game focused on wilderness survival and exploration? Chris and Andy discuss, but not before a few detours to talk about Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and The Wizard of Oz.