Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Tom Lommel, aka Bill Cavalier the Dungeon Bastard! No Announcements, on with the show! Do be warned though that this episodes runs a bit longer than most. It was hard to try and edit down the awesome time Tom and I had discussing gaming, I hope you enjoy it too.

Topics 

The World’s Worst Dungeon Crawl

We talk about Tom’s Kickstarter going on right now for the Dungeon Bastard, the show itself, and lots of general gaming nerdiness.

Weighing In On Print vs. PDF

Tom and I talk about a recent article on Stargazers World about print vs. PDF and which we prefer and for what reasons. We’d love to hear your two cents on it too.

Torchbearer

Another really great looking Kickstarter going on right now is one for a game called Torchbearer. From the makers of Burning Wheel and Mouse Guard, how does this “love letter” RPG look so far? We also talk a bit about “love letters”.

Tip Corner

Tom gives us a general gaming tip this week, and it’s from the heart!

Twitter Questions

We bring Bill Cavalier on the show to answer a few twitter questions from twitter in true Dungeon Bastard style!

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Thank you all so much for your unwavering support during our Kickstarter, we definitely achieved ‘wildest dreams’ territory and are honored to be part of such a great community. Thank you all, so very, very much!

Topics 

Talking To Yourself

Anyone who listens to the show regularly knows that Micah just loves to talk to himself. Recently Robin D. Laws was talking precisely about that on the Pelgrane Press blog. What to do when you find yourself with NPCs doling out dialogue to one another and how to avoid it in the future.

Giant List of Magic Styles

A cool little piece over on the Hipster Games blog goes over nearly every magic system/origin imaginable. Really great stuff for inspiration for GMs and players if you ask us. Micah and I discuss some of the strange ones.

Goodbye Marvel Heroic RPG

Margaret Weis productions recently announced that the next supplement for MHRPG won’t be coming and that the game is being pulled. Micah and I discuss the issues that may have led to its demise, among other things.

Tip Corner

If you’re a Kickstarter backer, keep your eyes out for your survey asking for info like username and t-shirt size…and respond quickly and accurately so you can get your schwag!

Twitter Poll

@RJonesEsquire (Russel Jones) asks: What RPG, any RPG, would you use today to teach someone who’s never played one before?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by freelance game designer Rob Schwalb and game designer Stephen Radney McFarland of Paizo Publishing to discuss this weeks RPG news and murmurs. Enjoy!

WARNING: Today’s episode is more NSFW than normal and contains the occasional censored swear word. Game Designers…what are you gonna do with them?

Topics 

World’s Worst Dungeon Crawl

The Dungeon Bastard has a Kickstarter going on to create the “world’s worst dungeon crawl” entitled Flaming Deathpits of the Minotaur Mage: Descent Into Doomfire. He’s taking it to Gencon and doing it to prove that DM’ing is easy! We get all philosophical about DM’ing and discuss how easy it really is!

3 Things Dungeon World Does

Gnomestew has a great piece up talking about 3 things that Dungeon World does that you need to put into your game. The article is a good one and basically boils down to “don’t make your game boring and/or suck”. We discuss open ended elements and improvisation in gaming, how we lose sight of it, and what we can do to keep things fun.

Earliest Version of D&D Discovered?

A recent article on Geekdad begs the question “has the earliest ever version of D&D been discovered?”, referred to as the Dalluhn Manuscript, it currently on display at a museum as part of an exhibit called Game Time! The truth is that this article really gives more questions than answers, we’re intrigued but we’d like to know more. Do you know more? Let us know!

Tip Corner

Don’t listen to anything Pat Robertson says about Dungeons & Dragons! D&D doesn’t destroy lives, just look at these two fine gents on the show tonight!

Twitter Poll

@Kilogex asks: If you could have any D&D monster as a pet, which one would it be and why?

@Forbestay asks: If you could live in any setting what would it be?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Freelance Writer Steve Townshend to talk to him about all of his recent projects – including Pathfinder Ultimate Campaign, Steamscapes, 13th Age Bestiary, and Owlbear Run. Also, one of our fellow portallers has released a book that was created from a world he started right here on Obsidian Portal! So be sure to check out G. Derek Adams’s Spell/Sword!

Today’s episode is slightly longer than normal (40 min) and I apologize for going over our usual length.

Topics 

Photo credit: Greg Inda

Ultimate Campaign, Steamscapes, 13th Age Bestiary

Steve and I discuss his recent writing projects and what they are all about, they include the Pathfinder Ultimate Campaign book, Steamscapes for Savage Worlds, and the upcoming 13th Age Bestiary. We also talk about his most recent D&D adventure “Owlbear Run“, which sounds like it’s quite a blast. All of these things have one thing in common too – lots of focus on roleplaying!

How Can We Make Published Adventures More Readable?

Our second topic is one relating to a blog post that’s yet to be published but I figured it would be a good topic to discuss with someone who writes them for a living. Steve and I discuss the flow of information in published adventures and how we could possibly improve them. Have you got any suggestions or great examples? Tell us!

Tip Corner

Twitter Poll

@Bagheer asks: When you fail at the delivery of the opening of the game or session what do you do to recover?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Freelance Writer of many things, Mr. Ben McFarland to talk to him about his dream for an awesome virtual Gen Con experience provided via Google Glass. Also want to make quick mention of a great little lite RPG called Folklore, created by one of our listeners Seth Zaloudek go check it out!

Topics 

Experience Gencon Through Google Glass

Ben and I talk about his crowdfunded project that is going to allow him to provide a fun, first-person perspective of the entirety of GenCon this year. He’s been selected to pilot Google Glass and he’s taking it to the show, let’s find out how we can live vicariously through him!

“What If Hasbro Accidentally Remembered they Owned D&D?”

A recent article over on Battlegrip.com has stirred up a lot of discussion in the RPG community, some of whimsical hope for  second golden age of D&D, and some saying this is a pipe dream. Ben and I discuss the article, we’d love your two cents too.

Open Gaming Monthly by d20PFSRD

While we probably won’t ever stop lamenting the end of Kobold Quarterly, at least some solid gaming magazines have sprung up in attempts to fill the gap. Open Gaming Monthly is another new gaming mag focused on open licensed games and is done very, very well. A large focus on Pathfinder, but still useful to most everyone. Ben and I discuss!

Tip Corner

Twitter Poll

@Forbestay asks: If you could cast any one spell, what would it be?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Joanna Gaskell and Rob Hunt of the popular web series Standard Action to talk to them about their Kickstarter for season 3 of Standard Action, among many other things including their Starlit Citadel board game reviews! We had a blast so tune in now so you can too!

Topics 

Standard Action Season 3 Kickstarter! 

I interview Rob and Joanna about their current season of Standard Action as well as the upcoming Season 3 to be funded via Kickstarter. I bug them about their Pathfinder characters, among lots of other fun stuff. Make sure to get out and support their great show, if you’re not familiar with it you should go and fix that right after listening to the show!

Dwarven Forge Kickstarter Madness

It looks like the Dwarven Forge Kickstarter is taking on steam quickly, I’m going to put it right up there in the crazy levels of the Reaper Miniatures kickstarter. If you’ve always wanted to get some of this awesome dungeon terrain, now is the time! The prices on their Kickstarter definitely beat their typical prices and it looks like there are lots of extra goodies involved too. Rob, Joanna, and I talk about fun nerd toys like dungeon terrain!

Freeport for Pathfinder

We did a segment on the Freeport Pathfinder supplement that was going on on Kickstarter and while editing I realized the campaign would be over before the show aired. That being said I did omit it from the show. You can still check out the Kickstarter and begin anticipating the book’s release early next year! Congrats to Green Ronin & Fiery Dragon on their successful funding!

Tip Corner

Twitter Poll

@Stormchaser_d20 asks: If you could pick any one method for determining character stats what would it be and why?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Micah is on the latest episode of Role Players Public Radio with Ross Payton, talking about our Kickstarter and the general nature of Kickstarter in the RPG industry. RPPR won the Golden Ennie for best podcast last year and it’s a good podcast, so go check it out!

Topics 

Obsidian Portal Reforged Kickstarter!

By the time you listen to this show, it may have already launched. We’ve got lots of backer levels lined up and a very special one for you listeners – the Hasted Ascendant! Run and grab that one as fast as you can, there’s more levels of course including ones where you’ll be able to beta test the new site and even come on the show as a co-host. There’s lots more surprises coming too!

UPDATE: The Kickstarter is live!

Dictionary of Victorian Slang

This book full of victorian slang was getting passed around online a lot last week, seems like an awesome resource for anyone who wants to spice up their campaign’s dialogue. Especially for those running Steampunk, Planescape, or other genre’s with victorian influence. Micah and I rattle off some of our favorite ones and you get to hear one of Micah’s many silly voices.

Inter-Party Strife, Is It Worth It?

Some discussion on reddit has prompted us to talk about those times when inter-party dynamics are a little on the rough side. Some people say they really improve their games, making them the best, others disagree that it doesn’t work out well. Should a party of RPG characters always be buddies? We discuss but we’d also love your thoughts in the comments!

Tip Corner

Twitter Poll

@TALlama asks: Our 4E campaign has been steadily turning into a parade of combats, no RP. How to bring it up with our DM and other players?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

This week we’re happy to finally have an announcement, and it’s a big one! We’re preparing to launch a Kickstarter! There were some details posted on the blog prior to this show but we’re talking about it as our third topic today so stay tuned for details.

Topics 

Ultimate RPG Playlist

Over on Reddit, someone has posted an amazingly big and comprehensive playlist of music for use in your games. Nearly everything imaginable is covered, hand picked, and sorted into playlists by genre, mood, and more. Definitely check this out and bookmark it. Also here’s the link to that bluetooth music cube we mentioned.

Micah’s Shadowrun First Impressions ( and he’s playing an elf!)

After lots of jokes about Shadworun and hating on elves, Micah has decided to get into a game of Shadowrun, playing an elf! Not exactly industry news but we figured our listeners might get a kick out of his first impressions of the game.

Kickstarter Details

With last week’s announcement about our upcoming Kickstarter we decided to shed a little more light on the project. Micah discusses the project and I chime in when necessary  What do you guys think? Are you excited?

Tip Corner

Twitter Poll

@Angille asks: You’ve both talked about how your game groups are pretty well divorced from online gaming culture. How realistic do you think the online community’s expectations/conceptions are of the “average” group that plays w/o outside influence?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

This week we’re joined by Brian Liberge, Game Designer, Writer, and man of many more hats who’s currently released his new game Pulp! No big announcements this week but stay tuned and we’ll have some soon!

Topics 

Pulp!

I talk to Brian about his new game Pulp, and he gives us the lowdown of what it’s all about and what it’s capable of and what he’d like to see for the future. The game uses a single d6 and the core rules can be captured within just 2 pages. Awe-some!

Paratime Design Dungeon Maps

Check out these great dungeon maps released for free under the Creative Commons license. They can be used for quick one shots or whatever your dungeon map needs might be, they have an old school aesthetic and a distinct style we all can appreciate.

Martial Healing in D&D (Next)

There was recently an intriguing blog post put up in response to something said on the most recent official D&D podcast by Mike Mearls. Regarding Warlords healing in D&D, and the discussion of martial healing as a whole was brought up in this blog post. Brian and I discuss the issue at length!

Tip Corner

Use one shots seamlessly within your existing campaign! Whether it’s via bard, campfire stories, or an NPC recanting a legendary tale – use it to transport your characters into the story within the story, there’s lots of possibility here!

Twitter Poll

@KenPutski asks: Character in my game blew fort save vs lycanthropy. 3 weeks until the full moon. Party is on the way to the capitol city temple. What do I do?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

This week we’re joined by Shane Tyree, lead artist for Albino Dragon Games! No big announcements this week but stay tuned and we’ll have some soon!

Topics 

Tabletop Day

Thanks to Geek & Sundry’s successful web series “Tabletop” with Wil Wheaton, we’ve got yet another excuse to spread gaming far and wide with the newly created Tabletop Day! Be sure to celebrate and try and get into some gaming with friends, and most importantly get some new blood in there too! Be sure to hashtag your exploits with #TableTopDay and share them with the internet!

Pathfinder Card Game

Paizo has announced yet another game under the Pathfinder umberella, as an Adventure Card Game. We’re not entirely sure what an adventure card game is but we’re pretty excited to find out. Do you know? Let us know!

GM’s Day

Monday, March 4th is international GM’s Day! Be sure to participate in whatever way you can and let your GM know that they are appreciated! Do they want fancy dice? Probably not, at least that’s not what Micah and I want. Also be sure to check the big sale going on at DriveThruRPG for GMs Day before it’s too late!

Tip Corner

Don’t stall. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a lot of stuff planned for the game, don’t stall and hem and haw before starting your game. Better to finish early and move on than drag it out and then potentially find that you have more prepared than you thought.

Twitter Poll

@Hzurr asks: In my long-running 4e campaign, one of the PCs central to the plot has dropped. How do I re-orient plot after 3 yrs/21 lvls?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

This week we’re joined by Shane Tyree, lead artist for Albino Dragon Games! No big announcements this week but stay tuned and we’ll have some soon!

Topics 

Dragon Whisperer

We sit down and talk to Shane about his current kickstarter for Dragon Whisperer and what the game is all about, what backers can get, and what Albino Dragon is doing next!

Firefly RPG

Big announcement recently about the forthcoming Firefly RPG from Margaret Weis Productions, get the info here and then feverishly await spring of 2013 with your fellow browncoats!

Interface Zero, Cyberpunk RPG

There’s only a little bit of time left on this Kickstarter but rest assured that 2013 is going to be a really good year for cyberpunk fans. Shane and I discuss the game and its many many points of schwag available to those who decided to back it.

Tip Corner

Tip: If you’re looking to collaborate more with your players, consider making a survey for them online and having them fill it out. Post the link on your campaign wiki!

Twitter Poll

@JediSoth asks: What is your favorite campaign setting feature of all time? Any setting, any game system.  I don’t mean a feature of the game, but a feature of the actual world.

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

None this week, on with the show!

Topics 

“Criminals” (Psychological Party Game)

There’s a fun new reprinting of Criminals, originally released in 2007 from the guys at Critcal Hits Studios. The game sounds like a lot of fun, the rules are free and you can get the cards for it printed up via DriveThruCards, which is another cool new thing that we didn’t know about. This topic is a double whammy!

Blasphemous Cocktails

A collection of drink recipes with a Cthulu-oriented twist, what a great idea! Some are classic drinks with a twist and a rename, but many of them are completely original. Rules for drinking during your games are included as well. Would be great for game night or even just a themed party. This Kickstarter has a little bit of time left on it so be sure to jump in if you get a chance. The PDF copy of the book is just 5$, and the print one is only $15.

Older Gamers Wanting To Segregate Themselves (via Reddit)

A reddit thread sparked some great conversation while setting up to record so we decided to make it a topic. Old gamers feeling out of place and debating creating older gamer communities, does this sound like a good idea? We discuss, but we want your opinion too.

Tip Corner

Tip: Don’t deliver your cool dramatic dialog in your own madeup language. It will NOT go as great as you think!

Twitter Poll

@raislin_87 (Jason B) asks: Should evil PCs always be off the table? When might they be allowed? Can they be played well in traditional fantasy?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Be sure to check out the awesome L5R Campaign Changing History for February’s Campaign of the Month!

Topics 

Using Taxes In Your Campaign

There’s a great piece up over at Kobold Quarterly about using Taxes in your game. It even includes a d10 chart of names to help you randomize the name of some taxes in your game, it’s fun stuff. Micah and I discuss the awesome possibilities herein.

WotC Reprints Unearthed Arcana, More

Recently unveiled, a special edition version of Unearthed Arcana with gilded pages and a fancy bookmark ala their previous 1e reprints. Also they’re announcing a “Dungeons of Dread” book along the same physical printing style that will include some of the deathtrap dungeons of yore. I’m excited, Micah is a bit reluctant, how about you?

Games Workshop Trademark Bullying

Buzz around the internet about Games Workshop last week bullying a small press author and having Amazon take thier book down from being sold on their website. The book, titled “Spot the Space Marine” was said to be infringing on their trademark of the term “Space Marine”. Since this podcast was recorded, the EFF has stepped in and helped the book get put back up for sale on Amazon.

Tip Corner

Not today!

Twitter Poll

@KiloGex asks - If you could wake up with any D&D item by your bedside, which would it be?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

None. It’s showtime!

Topics 

Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding

There’s a new “Kobold Guide to…” in town, and rest assured it’s of the same quality and caliber as the rest of the Kobold Guides. The Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding is a great tool for anyone who’s creating their own worlds, whether for public or private consumption. Check it out because it’s a really useful tool for GM’s and writers everywhere.

Roll20 Acquires Tabletop Forge

The team over at Roll20.net has teamed up with Tabletop Forge in bringing all of its users over and consolidating into one all encompassing online solution for gaming online. They also have some cool news about being the official online tabletop of the newly reformed “TSR Games”.

Tabletop: Dragon Age

The most recent episode of Wil Wheaton’s Tabletop featured Chris Pramas of Green Ronin GM’ing a game of Dragon Age for some celebs including Wil himself. It was a pretty entertaining episode and a realistic glimpse into the world of Tabletop role playing games (sans professional actors, of course), we recommend checking it out!

Tip Corner

Take note of “The Quote of the Night” when someone says something hilarious, either in character or out. Put it in your adventure log, somewhere near the top, or called out with a header. Then, you can review your old adventure logs and get a laugh over all the funny moments.

Twitter Poll

@forbestay asks – With a ton of old DnD adventures now available in PDF and DnD next easy to run with the old. Is it a good investment?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Dustin Snyder of Baldman Games, who recently aided putting on a great little con called Winter Fantasy, formerly DDXP. Tune in as we talk about the con and a whole lot more!

Topics 

Winter Fantasy Wrap Up & Look At Next Year

With new additions like a board game library and Pathfinder, Winter Fantasy brought about some great new features to its lineup this year. We talk with Dustin about what its like to run a con, what went on this year, and what to expect for next year. We should note that Winter Fantasy also brought about an event worthy of marking your calendars, the first ever female 5 star Pathfinder GM!

Jason Morningstar’s Sirai Playtest

First play tested at Metatopia, this was the second time Sirai had been playtested out in the wild this year at Winter Fantasy. The game is a combo LARP / Board game but not really, it’s very hard to describe. Very free flowing and open like most of the stuff Jason Morningstar does, listen to Dustin and I’s first impressions and tell us what you’ve heard about the game or your thoughts on it!

D&D Classics

WotC finally dropped the digital back catalog bomb on us and shocked a lot of people by using Drive Thru RPG. Dustin and I discuss some of the great stuff you can find on there, including freebies – but most of all we want to hear your opinion on this new endeavor of WotC’s!

Tip Corner

GM’s: Collaborate! This one is a no brainer and we may have said it before but be sure to not make all of your games a one person show. Let your players work for you, let them help build and shape your world. Everyone will be more invested and you get to work less!

Twitter Poll

@Mandarific & @JffDougan ask: “What are some good RPGs for kids / how can we make RPGS more accessible for kids?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

We hope to see you at Winter Fantasy this weekend! Now, on with the show!

Topics 

Pathfinder Kickstarter Afterthoughts

Micah and I discuss our afterthoughts on the extremely well run, down to the wire Kickstarter campaign ran by the Goblinworks folks. We’d love your thoughts too.

Gnome Stew New Year New Game Contest

The guys over at Gnome Stew have a great contest going on and there’s still time to enter. Tell them what game you want to run this year, why, what system, and what challenges you might encounter. You could win a Drive Thru RPG gift card, as well as ebooks of all of their publicaionts like Masks, and a few others!

Character Death & Creation by Rob Schwalb

Mr. Schwalb has a great piece up on his blog about character death in the 1e game he’s been running for a while now. He discusses the barrier to entry with how long character creation takes in contrast to lethality and some other really great thoughts on the topic. Micah and I argue discuss. Tell us your thoughts!

Tip Corner

Did you know you can embed a video onto a wiki page? Just click the little video button on the toolbar and give the link to a video on Youtube. Try pulling together some epic images, epic music, and little text, and you can make a sweet intro or trailer.

Twitter Poll

@Forbestay asks: Should you require paper character sheets?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Stay tuned to the blog for an upcoming caption contest! Now, on with the show!

Topics 

Monsters by Email

A really cool service that provides high res artwork of monsters for your game, publishing, and more. It’s fairly cheap and pretty hard to pass up. Check it out!

2013: Year of Shadowrun

With the new year here there sure is a lot to look forward to for Shadowrun fans, despite what you might think based on Micah and I said about the game last episode we are pretty excited to see all of this stuff coming this year. Also, we’re both pretty into games called Crossfire.

New Torment Game Set In Numenera Universe

We discuss the announcement of the upcoming sequel to Planescape: Torment that will be set in Monte Cook’s “Numenera” world, which was a recently funded Kickstarter RPG forthcoming RPG project.

Tip Corner

Use the good stuff! If you’ve got a dragon, or a beholder, or some other big monster or set piece you want to use for your game, just use it! If you wait forever to use it you might never get the chance to!

Twitter Poll

@Dudecool03 asks: when playing in a campaign do you lean towards fighting or solving a confrontation with non violence?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Congrats to GM RRouillard on his game Legacy of the Realms winning 2012′s Campaign of the Year. Also congrats to Wolvensense on winning the December caption contest!

Topics 

Dice Shield

We stumbled across a really cool tool for tabletop gamers who don’t want their dice interfering with their game boards, pieces, and miniatures. The Dice Shield solves this problem, and a few others. After all no one likes those clattering cubes messing up their games right? The question for us though is, is it worth 50$? What do you think?

D&D Tools.EU

This website is a vast online compendium of books, spells, rules, feats, and a lot more – but is it even legal? How does it compare to other SRD’s? Seems like a great resource regardless of any of the legal stipulations. Tune in as we discuss!

Gaming Resolutions for 2013

We decided to broadcast our gaming resolutions for the coming year. Do any of ours sound like yours? Any advice for us? Let us know what you are going to do differently this year!

• Jerry
  • Speak up when problems start to arise at the gaming table instead of being passive aggressive about it
  • Venture far outside of my comfort zone of genre/game systems and run a Deep Space Sci Fi, or Modern Fantasy type game (dresden, warhammer 40k, savage worlds)
  • Create something of my own, a kids game, a board game, something. Not counting my NaGaDeMon project.

• Micah
  • Play Eclipse Phase at least once – the damn thing is free!
  • Give DnDNext playtest a try
  • It’s a secret…let’s just say “unleash” the PCs in my dark heresy campaign.

Tip Corner

Use the character quick selector when writing blog posts. Just click the little person-in-folder icon above the text area and you’ll get a list of all your characters. You can filter by name or tag, just start typing and it filters the list.

Twitter Poll

@Bartoneus asks: How do you like mixing Sci-Fi and Fantasy?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

A cool little app that was brough to our attention RPG Ambience is definitely worth checking out, so be sure to do that! Also, don’t forget that there’s a new Caption Contest with lots of prizes this time just for the holidays, don’t miss out on your chance to win them!

Topics 

ENWorld Hacked

It appears that recently one of the biggest RPG websites out there has been hacked. ENWorld has stated so on their front page and are looking to rebuild things piece by piece but it seems like it’s going to be quite a task. Apparently code was lost, and lots of data as well. Micah and I give our condolences and talk about silver linings here. Here’s to a brighter, more secure future for ENWorld!

Saga of Dragon Star & the N.R.G. Core Rules

The Gamesmith LLC guys have a kickstarter up for their N.R.G. Core rules along with a Fantasy Western setting entitled “Saga of Dragon Star” up as a double-whammy kickstarter. The project looks really great and has a focus on tactical and strategic combat, if you are into that we suggest you go check it out as they don’t have much time left!

Salvaging A Campaign

The guys over at Gnome Stew have a great little article up about salvaging a campaign, retcon’ing and a lot more matters dealing with the demise of an epic story. How do you avoid or revive games when these things happen? We discuss!

Tip Corner

Have an in-game forum, and a meta-game forum to keep those two worlds separated. It helps!

Twitter Question

@KiloGex (Jesse) asks: What D&D race/class combination would you NEVER want to play, even under torture?

Listen to find out! 

Music Credits | Intro: “Christmas Remix” | Outro: “Christmas Remix” | by Plastic3 |

Announcements

There’s a new Caption Contest with lots of prizes this time just for the holidays, don’t miss out on your chance to win them!

Topics 

Saving You The Pain

Chris Pramas, head of Green Ronin publishing, creator of the Dragon Age RPG, 2e Warhammer Fantasy, among many other things has started up a tumblr entitled “Saving You The Pain“. At first we thought it would just be a gag website but he’s actually posting to it regularly with some really insightful stuff. The tumblr focuses on MMO’s and game design in general and his believe that we should be dumping a million dollars into tabletop games instead of MMO’s. Be sure to check it out, and toss us your 2 cents in the comments!

Note: Chris contacted us and said that he didn’t start the tumblr as a response to Paizo in particular, but that it was something he’s been thinking about for a long time.

Wearable Dice Rings

Do you hate dice? Like rings? Novelties? Just cool new gaming stuff? If any of those things apply you’ll want to check out and possibly back this Kickstarter. The novelty seems like it may wear thin with some, but we think they are cool. How long do you think these will hold up against the wear & tear of regular gaming? Talk to us!

Christmas Gifts for Gamers

We did this last year so we’re going to make it a tradition. Micah and I discuss our hot top 3 gamer gifts we want for Christmas this year. We discuss gateway gifts and practical gamer stocking stuffers. What did we miss? Do we have horrible taste? What do YOU want?

Micah

• Eclipse Phase PDF and/or hardcover – Free (or not)
• Fiasco basic rules
• Movie Soundtracks on iTunes/Amazon/Whatever – Tron, Dark Knight, Inception, Borderlands, other movies
• Honorable Mention - Battlegraph Dry Erase Board

Jerry

• Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition
• Iron Kingdoms: Urban Adventure
• Dungeon World
• Runner Up – Savage Worlds In Print

Tip Corner

Use Obsidian Portal to set up pre-game or pre-campaign guidelines to help speed things along before you actually sit down at the table. Don’t overload players with every decision, but give them a few to think about before they show up.

Twitter Question

Michael (@OnlineDM1) asks: What are your go-to board games or other fun options when an RPG session falls through or is delayed?

Listen to find out! (Hint: Not Apples To Apples because Micah despises it.)

Music Credits | Intro: “Christmas Remix” | Outro: “Christmas Remix” | by Plastic3 |

Announcements

None! Time for topics!

Topics 

Pathfinder Online Kickstarter, Take 2

There is yet another Kickstarter up to fund more of the Pathfinder Online MMO that is coming from Paizo/Goblinworks. The previous Kickstarter was to fund a tech demo and this one is for the actual game. Micah and I talk extensively about it and I try and explain my apprehensiveness to the best of my ability.

Gygax Magazine

A newly announced magazine that is already mired in drama called “Gygax Magazine” has been quite the topic of discussion on the internet lately. We’ve obtained some info from Jayson Elliot’s (one of the people behind Gygax Magazine) podcast regarding what the magazine will be about as well as when we should expect it and a bunch more. There’s a lot of speculation at this point but we’ll know more soon!

Stan! Leaves WotC

In a very candid series of blog posts, the multifaceted nerd that Stan! is has detailed his decision to leave Wizards of the Coast, mainly for creative reasons. Much of this sounds akin to what happened a few months ago with Monte Cook leaving  WotC and the D&DNext design team. Be sure to all three parts of his blog post and give us your two cents on the whole situation if you feel so inclined.

Tip Corner

Quick tip! At the start of next session, make sure everyone has everyone else’s cell phone number. No sense in playing Chinese telephone with your group, have everyone’s contact info from day 1!

Twitter Poll

Brian Patterson / (@d20monkey) asks – One of the iconic core races is removed from D&D forever. Which is it and why?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Wolfgang Baur, a man with so many titles it would be unfair to only call him by one (which is exactly what I did in the intro, shame on me) to talk about Kobold Press’s new campaign setting: Midgard! Also, the Roleplayers Chronicle has a great hurricane relief bundle package going on, it ends on the 10th though so if you want to help out you better do it quickly!

Topics 

Midgard Campaign Setting

We talked about Midgard a little last week, but this week we have Wolfgang Baur himself in the house and we talk about all things Midgard including why you might want to play in Midgard instead of say… Golarion, or the Forgotten Realms. That’s right folks, we went there! (Really, Micah did so blame him).

Also here’s the link to that preview up on Kobold Quartery (as well another preview at DriveThruRPG) so you can check out some of the great flavor Midgard has to offer for free!

The Pepperoni if the Damned

Last week Matt Dukes from Critical Hits was talking about a gaming night gone all wrong, we discuss these situations each on a personal level. We talk about backup plans and lots more, there are good ideas to be scraped from this discussion so listen up!

Tip Corner

We’re all gamers, and most of us have a huge long list of games we want to try and run but we often only have time for one or two. To break up monotony of your campaign ask your players if they’d like to run a one shot of a new system every X number of sessions just to keep things fresh. Variety is the spice of life after all!

Twitter Poll

I’m stealing Wolfgang for a game design question as part of an ongoing series on Obsidian Portal’s blog that I’m starting for NaGaDeMon: “If you were designing a game where character death might occur at a regular rate, is there anything you’d do with character creation, combat, or otherwise that would ensure the game could remain fun?”

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Micah and I have firmed up some of our “Sipstarter” ideas and will have more info for you guys in the week(s) to come. Now, onto the topics!

Topics 

d20Monkey First Edition Kickstarter

We sit down and talk about Brian’s d20Monkey Kickstarter and what you can expect from it, as well as backer rewards and plans for the future of hard copies of the comic. If you’re a fan of Brian’s comic or even just our comic caption contests (done by Brian) consider pitching in!

NaGa DeMon

Are you a game designer, or at least wan’t to be one? Naga Demon may be just the thing for you. You see, “Naga Demon” is a quirky abbreviation for “National Game Design Month” which is an exercise for all of us aspiring game creators to help us put our dice where our mouth is. Not to mention the name puts the more popularly known NaNoWriMo to shame because it sounds at least 5x more awesome. Brian and I discuss how these things benefit us personally, and as a community.

Midgard Campaign Setting

That’s right folks, the long awaited Midgard campaign setting for Pathfinder from Kobold Press has finally arrived. Around 300 pages of beautiful artwork and a truly unique world for you to run games in. New classes, races, spells, and entire schools of magic, and a ton more. This book is oozing coolness from every single page and we highly suggest you check it out.

The book is for Pathfinder but is very crunch light and would work for most any fantasy game system you’d like to use. Brian and I discuss some of the awesomeness within its pages and more. Did we mention there is a Beer domain for clerics? As if that isn’t reason enough to check this out, there’s also a preview up on Kobold Quartery (as well another preview at DriveThruRPG) so you can check out some of the great flavor Midgard has to offer before making your decision.

Tip Corner

Don’t procrastinate! Set aside 15 to 30 minutes to bang out that adventure log after each session before you forget or just keep putting it off until next session rolls around and you’re unprepared. Get it up on OP as soon as you can and get it out of the way, you’ll thank yourself later and your players will too.

Twitter Poll

@ForbesTay asks: “Currently started next game with two new players. What are good hooks to get them into it with out over loading them?”

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Anja and ZP Keister of d20Burlesque! Also, Micah and I are still kicking around ideas for our “Sipstarter” fundraiser and we’d love to get some more feedback from our listeners so be sure to listen to our last episode for details on what we’d like to do and let us know what you think would be some good rewards for those who pitch in. Lastly, we’re going to be headed to Winter Fantasy this January to cover the convention, check out the blog post for the details and stay tuned for more!

Also d20Monkey has a Kickstarter going on for his comic, be sure to check it out!

Topics 

d20 Burlesque

We interview Anja and ZP about their burlesque show and inquire about the sheer nerdyness of the whole endeavor. What is burlesque, who should and shouldn’t come to their shows, and what to expect while there. Tune in as we chit chat about the art of geeky strip tease.

Female Friendly Gaming

We continue talking to Anja and ZP about aspects of female gaming, gaming communities and more.

Tip Corner

It’s great to have the main page of your campaign decked out for the whole world to see, but is that what your players really need? Try updating the main page of your wiki with an image or excerpt from your most recent session to immediately jog their memories and get them excited about picking back up next time. Maybe even bait them with some sort of cryptic hint or clue.

Twitter Poll

@ForbesTay asks: “The pace of the Dark Heresy game I’m in is brain numbingly slow. How do I inform the GM without sounding like a jerk?”

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

No announcements, onward to the show!

Topics 

The Kickback Machine

As all of you know, we cover a lot of Kickstarter stuff. Kickstarter might seem like a magic crowd funding bullet that everyone is so eager jump on board with, but what about the ones that fail? If you’re looking to do a kickstarter of your own, or just want to research what might make or not make one, be sure to check out the Kickback Machine.

Multiclassing in D&D Next

Recently Mike Mearls posted a piece about how they are exploring multiclassing in D&D Next, it’s obviously a big deal to a lot of folks – the comments are 46 pages long. Micah and I weigh in (and argue with each other) on the topic, what’s your stance?

Sipstarter Charity Fund Drive (Idea)

We’ve been thinking about our own fundraiser here at Obsidian Portal, but we’re not selling widgets – we want to help provide clean drinking water to those who need it. Micah and I have been throwing around ideas for a while, we’d appreciate yours as well in this endeavor. Tell us what you think!

Tip Corner

Make a TODO list at the bottom of your adventure log post for the night. Keep a running list as you’re playing of things that you want to table but look into later. If you make it public on your wiki, your players will hold you to it too!

Twitter Poll

@JssSandals asks: The DM has an NPC accompanying the party. What are interesting ways for that character to be there without the DM rolling dice against himself all night?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Privateer Press Community Manager and Staff Writer Simon Berman, and we’re going to be talking in depth about this week’s Iron Kingdoms RPG release! Join us as I grill Simon about IKRPG, among other things. Keep your eyes peeled for a new contest soon!

Due to this show running a bit longer than our normal show, I’ve provided a short minute/second mark guide so you can skip around if need be:

 

• Iron Kingdoms RPG – 1:00
• “Their First Expedition” – 15:39
• Story Realms Kickstarter – 22:32
• Tip – 25:27
• Twitter Question/Poll – 26:33

Topics 

Iron Kingdoms RPG Launch!

I sit down with Simon and ask one too many questions about the Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy RPG that launches this Wednesday (19th). We go over what’s included in the first book, what is coming up for the game, and some insight into the game’s design ethos and the history of Privateer Press.

“Their First Expedition”

Steve Winter has yet another great piece up on Kobold Quarterly about a player’s first RPG session ever. How to make them memorable, competing with video games and a metric ton of wisdom in one short blog post. Simon and I discuss good starts for new players and give a few tips of our own.

Story Realms

This looks to be a great gateway for kids who have an interest in gaming, Story Realms is a hybrid of board game, rpg, choose your own adventure style books and perhaps a few other things. Aiming to land somewhere in the middle between highly granular RPG rules and improv acting indie story game, it looks like they have something cool going on. Their Kickstarter has a bit of time left in it, and 20$ will get you the core book.

Tip Corner

Do you switch around your locale when you play on game night? If it’s possible, give it a try. A change of scenery is always nice, even if it’s just from one dining room to the next, but sometimes people get worn out on playing host/hostess. Every now and everyone needs a break from conducting the hospitality train!

Twitter Poll

A week or so ago we posted a link to a study on GameScience dice vs “regular” dice and asked what people thought about it. We asked which type of dice they preferred and why, our restuls overwhelmingly leaned toward “regular” dice to no surprise. The most common answer was that dice are supposed to be random and that it wasn’t that big of a deal to them, cost was also a big factor as well. What are your thoughts?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Eric Ausley from the GamersTable podcast, check them out at gamerstable.com a roundtable topical podcast on all things gaming. You can also follow them on twitter: @GamersTable. Our d20Monkey caption contest for August is over, congrats to our winner Robert!

Topics 

Iron Kingdoms Release Date Moves Up!

Sounds like Gencon was a good time for the folks at Privateer Press this year, as it has resulted in them bumping up the release date for the Iron Kingdoms RPG! We know we’re a little nuts for IKRPG, but that’s okay – you will be too soon enough. (We also briefly mentioned Level 7 Escape, which will be OP’s Board Game Corner feature this month, you can check out our unboxing of it here.)

13th Age Expansion Kickstarter

There’s an expansion in the works for 13th Age called “13 True Ways”, the ever-emerging RPG by Jonathan Tweet & Rob Heinsoo. This expansion is full of new stuff for both players and GM’s meant to really show off what the system is capable of. We’re definitely interested.

Stuff For The Travelling DM

An article over at Stargazer’s World pointed us toward this cool little device that should be useful to any of us who use technology at our tables – a bluetooth audio cube by Verbatim. Looks like it has multiple options for powering it and playing music through it, personally I (Jerry) want to buy one immediately.

Tip Corner

I’ve got a non-OP tip for you this evening because I felt the need to share some recently acquired wisdom. When starting a new campaign, try and come up with a story arc that has an end. Yeah. If you’re like me and you just imagine the campaign lasting years and years and no one ever getting bored you’re probably wrong. A 3 act story structure will help your game prep immensely.

Twitter Question(s)

Last week we took a little twitter survey, I’m going to relay some of the best responses we got instead of a question tonight. Our question was “We want to know: what is the absolute dumbest thing you’ve seen a GM or player do in-game?”

• A couple breaking up during a gaming session in front of everyone.
• A GM instructing his group to take a short break, and then disappearing.
• A GM trying to “create drama” by jumping up on his chair, breaking it, and slamming face first into the table sending minis flying everywhere.

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

We’re back from Gencon, and we won 2 ENnies! Thank you all so much for this incredible honor, we couldn’t do any of this without any of you! Speaking of you guys, there’s still a comic to caption, so get on it before it’s too late! (Pssst, we’re throwing dice in this time.)

Topics 

D&D Documentary

There’s a new D&D documentary on the horizon and it’s looking really good, they have a kickstarter up to help fund the project too (surprise!?). Micah and I aren’t exactly sure why they need one though, so tune in and tell us how wrong we are!

Fantasy Flight Does New Star Wars RPG

Another big announcement from gencon was that there was going to be a new 3 part Star Wars RPG from Fantasy Flight. Each game will focus on a different area of the world and take place during the original 3 films. You can buy a printed copy of the beta rules right now, and there are also some rumors that there will not be a PDF available due to some conflicts with Lucas Arts.

D&D Digital Products Return

During the first ever Keynote Address this year at Gencon, Wizards of the Coast had many announcements, probably the most exciting one being that all of their back catalog will return digitally sometime ‘next year’. This should encompass basically everything ever pubslished for D&D by TSR/WotC. Micah and I speculate a bit but mostly rejoice, what are your thoughts? Leave us a comment!

Tip Corner

When you’re using custom CSS for your campaigns and loading up your own custom background images (or any image for your campaign really), try and be sure to optimize the images for the web. You can do this with photoshop and other various programs by performing a web optimized save. It will help your campaign page load faster!

Twitter Question(s)

@Forbestay asks: with the playtest going on and my group bored with 4e should i try to start a campaign or do one shots?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

New caption comic is up, get on it! Our finalists for the Excellence In Innovation Award are: Masterplan, Roll20, Character Distiller, Fantasy Grounds, Lost Tools, Dark Theatre’s Character Folio, and Tabletop Forge. Come to our panel this year for some conversation and to find out who wins the award. We hope to see you at gencon!

Topics 

Dragon’s Game Board

Yet another virtual tabletop emerges into the arena to vie for our attention and dollars, Dragon’s Game Board seems like a cool concept. A bit of a twist from the usual virtual setup that incorporates your smart phone into the mix, tune in ans Michah and I pontificate!

Dragon’s Bard

Not to be confused with the above project, Dragon’s Bard is a slick looking new fantasy board game set in the world of Dragonlance and is up on Kickstarter. We’re not sure exactly how the game goes down but we know it sure is pretty, and that you guys might like it. Check it out!

Gencon Tips

The Illuminerdy, Critical Hits, The Dread Gazebo, and quite a few other blogs are giving out their best tips for Gencon this year. These tips mostly apply to every con you might attend so take heed and absorb what you can whether this is going to be your first con or your five hundredth! Micah and I also give you a tip or two of our own.

Tip Corner

Last session kind of a drag? Make something explode at the start of the next one! Your players want excitement and they will overlook the blatantly obvious “you just made that up” moment when the session starts.

Twitter Question(s)

@TheUniverseGM – What do you do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

ENnie voting has wrapped up so thanks for voting for us if you did, we hope to report back from the winners circle in a few weeks, we’re keeping our fingers crossed! We’ve also got a seminar going on at gencon this year with Matt Morton of d20Pro, Gary Teter of Paizo, and John Ryan Lone Wolf software so be sure to check out all the details and drop on by if you can! Otherwise we’ll be recording it all for you to see afterwards!

Topics 

New Set of Pathfinder Minis!

This is Paizo’s 2nd big run of monster minis, this time for the Shattered Star adventure path which is due out this gencon. The post up on their site details the entire set, we’re really looking forward to them. What do you guys think about the pathfinder minis?

Monte Cook’s New Game

So after Monte left the D&DNext design team he’s obviously been a pretty busy guy, as he’s recently announced creating a brand new RPG. The “science fantasy” game is said to be easier than 3.5 yet still robust and will not be d20/Pathfinder compatible.

Dungeon A Day Kickstarter

Remember when we talked about DungeonADay.com closing it’s doors? Well this kickstarter is attempting to ressurect this site from the dead by allowing backers to pay for the site’s costs while opening up some opportunities and unique materials for them as well. Listen in as we try and figure out what this is, and what it isn’t.

Tip Corner

We’ve got a new feature – custom CSS! You can find it in your global settings for your campaign, check out some of the cool stuff people are doing with it already.

Twitter Question(s)

@BrianLiBerge asks: How do we find you at #GenCon!?!

@Angille How often do you mix/match your RPG systems? Eg: DnD w/Cortex Plot Points, Fiasco connections, WW nature/demeanor.

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

The ENnies voting has begun, be sure to vote for Obsidian Portal as well as the Haste podcast of course! We’ve also got a seminar going on at gencon this year all about how tech is chaning RPG’s and well also be handing out our Excellence In Innovation Award too!

Topics 

Gencon Cometh! ENnies Award Changes for 2013

Less than a month till Gencon, next year to nominate something for an ENnie there will be no 5$ fee. You can also start voting for next years judges already too. Also, the ENnies voting booth is open, and will close on July 29 so hurry up and vote! There’s a ton of great stuff up there, including quite a few friends to the podcast including Masks, Unhallowed Metropolis, and great Open Design stuff from Kobold Quarterly like Streets of Zobeck and the Kobold Guide to Board Game Design. Be sure to give these products an extra look when you’re casting your ballot!

Dungeon Slayers 4th Edition Released

The next iteration of Dungeon Slayers was released recently, a straight and to the point hack and slash RPG. Dungeon Slayers is completely free and there’s a decent bit of community out there creating content, there’s also plenty of ready to go dungeons for a quick and dirty dungeon crawl experience. Check it out!

Best “Free Product”?

Speaking of free RPG’s…all of the products nominated for this year’s ENnie award category of “Best Free Product” are in fact free, but free supplements for non-free games. In a sense these are more of advertisements for those games than an actual free product, of course this is all debatable. However Micah and I side with guys like Justin Halliday, creator of Heroes Against Darkness – an actual 100% free RPG, who are a little soured by this. Tune in as we discuss.

Tip Corner

Don’t know fancy wiki tricks? Use the image alignment dropdown when inserting images into your campaign logs, change it up and shift the images around for a bit more variety.

Twitter Question

@Shammond42 asks: As a game matures and players get more options do you put restrictions on what they be? For balance? Thematic?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

We are extending the nomination time for the Excellence In Innovation Award until the end of this week, the deadline is July 13th so hurry up and nominate while you still can! Also congrats to DL the DM for winning June’s caption contest!

Topics 

Paizo Announces “Game Space”

Paizocon brought a slough of announcements for Pathfinder and RPG fans around the world this year but one of the most interesting bit was probably the announcement of their virtual table. It’s web based, cross platform, and free although there will be some paid options too. Hit up the link for screenshots and more!

Dungeon Command Release

WotC’s new minis skirmish game is out on July 17th, retailing at 40$ for a “warband” to start. The game has pieces usable in the D&D board games and focuses on card based gameplay, with a focus on strategy and low randomness. There is a preview series going on the D&D site you can check out the game piece by piece.

D&D Virtual Table Cancelled

Just two days after Paizo’s announcement of their virtual table, WotC has sent out via email stating that the D&D virtual table is being put to rest effective July 30th. We discuss, though there is no real official link as of right now

Update: Game Table Online, the creators of the virtual table has said that they will be carrying the VT over to their site where players can continue to play their campaigns. More details to come!

Tip Corner

Use your campaign forum to send greetings to your gaming group. When something cool happens (holiday, get a new job, baby is born, etc) remember that your gaming group wants to know, so drop a note in your campaign forum to let everyone know.

Twitter Question

@forbestay asks: How difficult should puzzles be? Should hints be automatic or earned?

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by game designer Brian Liberge, he’s here to talk to us about the Midgard Bestiary! First, though I should mention that we are extending the nomination time for the Excellence In Innovation Awarduntil July 13th, so hurry up and nominate while you still can!

Topics 

Midgard Bestiary for 4e D&D

I talk with Brian about all of the awesomeness that is going into the Midgard Bestiary for 4e. The Kickstarter is still going strong and it’s a pretty sweet deal for $10 (PDF) for all of these monsters. If you’re a monster fanatic, a fan of Midgard, or just appreciate top notch monster design you guys should really be checking this one out!

D&D 3.5 “Special Edition” Reprints

Wizards of the Coast has announced yet another batch of retroactive D&D reprints, these time: the 3.5 core rule books due out this September. They are “special edition” releases but as far as we can tell that only means new cover art and updated errata. We discuss, and perhaps speculate a bit, tell us what you think!

Project Ninja Panda Taco

With a name just as ridiculous as its game play promises to be (still unsure where the ninjas, pandas, and tacos fit in) Project Ninja Panda Taco is getting kickstarted and you should check it out! Why? Because a ton of talented people are behind it and unless you hate fun, you’re probably going to like it! According to Brian, the game sounds like it plays out similar to the plot of Despicable Me. Be sure to check it out, let us know what you think!

Tip Corner

Check out the new home page (www.ObsidianPortal.com), tell us what you think!

Twitter Question

@Alphastream asks: How do you guys balance being creative vs keeping monster simple? Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Excellence In Innovation Award nominee Steve Hammond, creator of Lost Tools, an array of utilities for use with your Obsidian Portal campaigns. Very cool stuff here, before we jump in let’s say congrats to Ian on winning that pound o’ dice and also to be sure and hop over to our d20Monkey comic for this month and get funny on!

Topics 

Lost Tools

A brief interview with Steve tells us that he’s got big plans an no intent on quitting anytime soon, his campaign calendar allows you to create in-game calendars for your campaigns and his chronicle tool allows you to turn your adventure logs into an epub to read on your kindle or other e-reader device.  Steve also blogs over at LostPapyrus.com, so be sure to check him out there as well. Tune in for all the details!

Traveller 5 Kickstarter

As the granddaddy of science fiction RPG’s Traveller is setting out to make it’s 5th and “ultimate” edition. This edition of the game has player feedback figured in, 13 careers (all the originals & new ones), a bunch of races, and a ton of more stuff we can’t go on forever naming. It’s also being created by Marc Miller who is the game’s original creator so that’s always good. We think the timing is right on a this one and you guys still have time to back this project if you haven’t already, be sure to check it out!

“Never Unprepared” Preorders Available Now

Remember a while back when we talked about Never Unprepared from Gnome Stew? Well it’s finally available for preorder! For 20$ you score the paperback and immediate access to the PDF, later in the summer you’ll be able to grab just the PDF for 10$. There’s also a 16 page preview up on their blog so that you can get a good sampling of what the book is all about.

Tip Corner

Random maps! Hit up the home page and surf to the bottom to find a random map, use it to your advantage and draw inspiration from it when you’re in need or just want to peruse a bunch of cool cartography.

Twitter Question

@BandOfMisfits asks: What is your one GenCon “must do” event and/or what are we most excited about this year?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Thanks to AwesomeDice.com you still have about a week left for your chance to win a pound o’ dice. You’ve also got about 2 weeks left to get your caption on in our new d20Monkey comic caption contest! Lastly, check out Crimson Skies, our Campaign of the Month for June!

Topics 

“The Future of Tabletop RPG’s”

An ambitiously named kickstarter here with a lot of potential for any tabletop gamer, these portables are pretty awesome. Check out the kickstarter and tell us what you guys think. We’re teetering on backing this project!

Bounded Accuracy

Possibly the biggest change coming to D&D within D&DNext since the creation of the game, Micah and I discuss the pro’s and cons. There aren’t many cons. Be sure to read the whole article on the subject and tell us what you think.

FreeRPG Day!

It’s that time of year again, time for a ton of free RPG stuff if you’ve got a local participating game shop. FreeRPGDay has got what you need from a bunch of big names in the industry, drop by and grab up a system you’ve never tried before!

Tip Corner

Obsidian Portal has finally been moved over to Ruby on Rails 3.0, Micah explains the process and we thank you for bearing with us through this process. You should notice the site is considerably faster now too!

Twitter Question

@revenganceful asks: What was your best gaming ‘flop’? Have you ever tried something new and have it backfire (good or bad)?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Nolan and Riley the co-creators of Roll20, one of the nominees for the Excellence In Innovation Award this year. A quick congrats to “DreamDrake” and “Robert U” on winning our RPGStack Exchange contest! Also be sure to check out our new d20Monkey comic caption contest, and Crimson Skies, our Campaign of the Month for June. Lastly, thanks to AwesomeDice.com you also have a chance to win a pound o’ dice this month! Shoo, that’s a lot! Now, on with the show!

Topics 

Roll20

Roll20 (www.Roll20.net) is a new virtual tabletop that runs solely within your web browser, is built on HTML5, is full of awesome, and is currently in open beta.  It focuses less on mechanics and more on camraderie than other tables. But don’t take my word for it, listen up as I mini-interview its creators! You can also stalk them online via twitter @Roll20App and also on Google+.

D&DNext Online Playtest Ban

Note: This topic became irrelevant midway through the show as WotC has even updated the FAQ regarding the playtest. Listen to us complain anyway!

What Classes Should Be In D&D?

A very interesting article by Bartoneus over at Critical Hits on the topic of what classes should be in D&D? The relationships that each classes have with one another, and how they all blend together, how much is too much? We discuss classes, and shardminds of course.

Tip Corner

See what’s going on on your favorite campaigns! Did you know once you’ve favorited a campaign on Obsidian Portal, you can just check your own profile page for a feed of all of it’s updates? Keep up to date on your favorite community member’s games and steal ALL THE IDEAS.

Twitter Question

@DrinkingQuest asks: What’s your go-to RPG beverage?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Andy Aiken, creator of Masterplan 4e. Masterplan is one of the nominees for our Excellence In Innovation Award this year so Andy is here to answer some questions about it and talk RPG’s with us! RPG Stack exchange contest is over, and the winners will be announced this Wednesday May 23rd, so stay tuned!

Topics 

Masterplan

I talk with Andy about master plan, give him a bit of a mini-interview and ask him some questions that were sent in from twitter. Dying to know the next phase of Masterplan’s evolution? Listen up!

D&DNext Open Playtest Begins This Week

The open playtest for D&DNext begins this week, if you’re not signed up you better sign up for it asap! We discuss the contents of the playtest packet so you can be ready to see what’s going to be headed your way and discuss some design elements of the game as well, enthusiastically!

RoleplayingTips Combat Descriptors

Roleplayingtips.com has a free PDF up on their website full of ready to used canned flavor text for combat interactions during your games. Melee, spells, ranged, hits, misses, you name it, it’s in here. Andy and I discuss how useful stuff like this is and suggest a tweak or two to the overall setup.

Tip Corner

The campaign search feature, use it to look through a single campaign for that time when the fighter lost his sword inside the gelatinous cube! It beats picking through adventure logs one at a time!

Twitter Question

@AlanHStewart asks: Premade modules, pros and cons?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Jonathan Tweet, one of two lead designers on the upcoming RPG 13th Age. Jon will be answering some questions and telling us a bit about the game later on in the show. In the meantime, you’ve still got 4 days to enter our RPG Stack Exchange contest! Also, don’t forget to nominate worthy folks of our Excellence In Innovation Award!

Topics 

Fancy Dice / Lucky Dice

There’s a great article up on Stargazer’s world about fancy dice, do we stray away from games with fancy dice? What about ones with odd shapes or pictures on the faces? This also brings up the topic of lucky dice, do you believe in them? Why or why not? Jon and I discuss our love for the d20!

Pathfinder Online Tech Demo Kickstarter

So, Goblinworks (Paizo’s MMO team) has put together a kickstarter for the Pathfinder Online MMO. This kickstarter is to fund a tech demo instead of the actual game itself, which seems a bit strange to some – including myself. Though Paizo is a reputable company and I’m sure all of the dollars toward this project are more than well pledged. Jon and I discuss candidly.

13th Age Role Playing Game

I mini-interview Jon about 13th Age and what it brings to the table, he’s very open and honest about the game and that’s refreshing. We discuss what it’s about, why it’s different, when will we see it and if they really did create it just to compete with 5e D&D aka “D&DNext”. Tune in to find out!

Tip Corner

Our tip tonight isn’t very OP specific but a good one none the less. Need advice on your game? Or have a tough rules question? Try hitting up RPG Stack exchange, while you’re at it you could win our contest and score 75$ worth of whatever gaming stuff you want! Got an OP specific issue, hit up our forums, the community there is amazingly helpful and we appreciate all of their hard work!

Twitter Question

@d20Monkey asks: Who is the most iconic wizard in D&D for you and why?

Miscellaneous Links

• 13th Age on Google+
• Jonathan Tweet on Google+
• Story Bricks

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Winner for best ‘How I Got Into RPG’s’ contest is Tallyrand with his story of transformation from the uncool jock into the super-cool uber gamer. Here it is:

I was a jock in high school, so needless to say I was teased mercilessly by the ‘cool’ kids in the gaming club. That is until the GM of the local group made a bet that he could get the coolest girl in school (Gary Gygax was her uncle) to ask me out. He taught me the slang, helped me pick out some nerdy tee-shirts, and ran me through drill after drill of dungeon mastering until finally he let me DM The Temple of Elemental Evil the week before prom. When her character was the only one to survive the 1st room she fell for me and asked me right there at the table. I realized then then I was cool all along, I just needed to believe in myself.

Also be sure to check out our contest with RPG Stack Exchange, you could win 75$ of whatever gaming goodies you want!

Topics 

Obsidian Portal Excellence In Innovation Award

We’re looking for those doing cool stuff in the RPG tech space! We want to know who and what is innovating our industry! There are a lot of awards for best art, or best mechanics but we feel tech is kind of left out in the cold. Listen in as we explain how the award works and get to nominating who you think deserves the award!

D&D Next Class Design Goals

There’s been a slew of Legends & Lore articles posted on class design recently, and while they are making very broad statements about what each class’s goals they are very interesting. Great reads on the Rogue, Fighter, and Cleric so far. Do you agree with Micah and I? Perhaps not? Let us know in the comments!

Monstrous Character Flaws

Gnome Stew has a great article up on character flaws. We often focus on just how great and awesome our characters are, but what about their faults? Flaws are what make characters unique and depending on what system you play, may often be an overlooked part of character creation and development. Tune in and theorize with Micah and I and be sure to stop by Gnome Stew to check out the writeup.

Tip Corner

Add your off-the-cuff characters to your Obsidian Portal campaign as you’re playing. Keep your laptop open and just add them right there along with a quick description of who they are and a tag with their location. You’ll be glad you did later on when suddenly that character is the most important one

Twitter Question

@alanhstewart asks: what are good critical hit/fail type tables, products etc… looking for some hilarity.

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

We are working on some very important backend stuff on the website, we haven’t forgotten about adding cool new features or innovating. Lots of behind the scenes stuff is going on, Micah wrote a blog post about it. Check it out! Also, we’ve got a winner for the caption contest!

Monte Cook Leaves WotC

Leaving very little details as to why, Monte Cook recently announced on his blog that he had left the WotC design team for 5th editions D&D. Monte’s post was minimal and devoid of drama, since the rest of the internet is speculating about why – Micah and I set the record straight and tell you all the truth.

D&D 5e Public Playtest – May 24th

Perhaps as an act of subterfuge, our next two topics were also very prevalent topics of discussion a midst the industry this week. Monte didn’t quit guys, look over here! In all seriousness, we’re happy to say that the public playtest for 5e D&D starts on may 24th. We give some helpful tips on being a playtester and providing feedback.

The Healing Surge Debacle

Do healing surges change the entire feel of the game? We think so, and so does everyone on the internet. A recent post by Bruce Cordell explores some ideas. We weigh in on the healing surge debate with our own ideas, what do you think? Let us know!

Tip Corner

Tag your characters with the place they are from, whether it’s a planet, town, country, or whatever. That way, you can quickly filter the character list to find all the characters from a particular place. Very handy when you have tons of characters and the players want to find one person in particular.

Twitter Question

@celestian_gc asks: What do you do when someone invites you to a game you don’t want to play. Friend or fellow player. Running a game I don’t really care for.

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

• A God Rebuilt, our Campaign of the Month – check it out!
• The d20Monkey caption contest for April – there’s still time!
• We’re sponsoring the One Page Dungeon Contest – check it out!

Paizo to Reddit: “Ask Us Anything!”

Recently, brave, brave Paizo put themselves out there on Reddit to answer questions about Pathfinder. This is nice and very transparent of them, we think everyone in the industry should do stuff like this. Micah and I discuss some of the questions, both the good one and the silly ones.

Roll20 Virtual Tabletop

A new virtual tabletop is making its way into our d20 shaped hearts with ambitions of focusing on the story and good times that go along with roleplaying, not the crunch. Roll20 is currently in kickstarter-phase and is worth checking out. Micah and I discuss the “industry” and some skepticism on these sorts of things, are we dead wrong? Tell us!

Building The Halls of Undermountain

Despite our previous mention of WotC not being very transparent, it does appear they are attempting to change that as of late. A good article on the WotC site explains how a product like The Halls of Undermountain went from a grab bag of minis, tokens, and other goodies – to a simple book and some poster maps. Everyone has to make money in this industry, looks like it’s even tough for WotC sometimes. Be sure to check this one out!

Tip Corner

Use our integration with Pen and Paper games to start recruiting your next player. Edit your campaign to set it toLFP and also give it a location. Then you can look for potential players from the Edit Members screen. Consider yourself to always be recruiting, even if you have no open slots. You never know when a player will suddenly stop coming to sessions, and it’s always good to know that there are other people out there.

Twitter Question

@d20monkey asks: “If you could choose only 1 secondary class (bard, ranger, etc) for dndnext, which would it be?”

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Jeff Quick of Alderac Entertainment Group, he’s the lead guy for Thunderstone Advance and he’s been in the industry for 15 years now. He’s probably had his hands in at least one game you’ve played in some capacity! Jeff’s computer set up was not cooperating very well, and of course there’s always good old Skype issues so please excuse the roughness of the audio in this episode as I promise Jeff is entertaining qualities are well worth the listen!

There’s also a new comic up so be sure to caption the hell out of it! Also we’re now proud sponsors of the One Page Dungeon Contest, one of the lucky winners will score a year of ascendant time and a bundle of OP schwag!

Thunderstone Advance

AEG has recently put out new rendition (and expansion) of the deck building dungeon crawl game Thunderstone. Thunderstone Advance serves as a great entry point to the game as well as giving a huge overhaul to the mechanics and clarity of the game. Its a really cool game and hey what do you know, Jeff is our guest host!? I talk with Jeff about the game, and he gives some insight and details on upcoming cool stuff for the game. You can also check out my full review of both games if you’d like to as well.

Dungeon Crawl Classics Pre-Order

If you remember a while back we talked about Goodman Games’ Dungeon Crawl Classics when it was still in beta. Well the time has come for the game to get ready for launch, you can nab it up on pre-order on their website for $40 as a hardback. Jeff and I argue back and forth as to whether the game is a retro clone or not, I concede early in the argument. DCC is a unique game with retro trappings but does indeed stand on its own two spike-trap-maimed feet.

The Legend of Grimrock

Yeah, another video game topic. Don’t worry we aren’t turning into a video gaming podcast but Legend of Grimrock is another good exception to the rule. How long has it been since a game encouraged you to use graph paper and map out your explorations as you played? Yeah, this game is in the old school vein of classic dungeon crawlers with some very pretty graphics, hear all about it and grab yourself a copy if you’re so inclined, it’s only 15$.

Tip Corner

Use maps! Everyone likes pictures and doodles, perhaps something you scrawled out last session? Scan it in so the players visual memory can help them recall the session, it may do you better than a whole adventure log sometimes!

Twitter Question

Ralph from Facebook asks: “What board games have you been playing lately and what are some of your favorites?”

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

The d20Monkey caption from March has wrapped up, congrats to our winner Andrew B! There’s a new comic up so be sure to check it out! Speaking of checking things out, be sure to take some time to check out Stitcher Radio, where you can now listen to Haste right on your mobile device without any downloading or syncing!

Roleplayers Chronicle

There’s a new news aggregator for the RPG community, much in the opposite fashion of Haste but there’s enough information here to sink a ship! The Roleplayers Chronicle pulls in from over 450 websites and blogs and dumps it all into one place for your perusal. Does your life demand boatloads more tabletop RPG info? Of course it does! Now go have a look and report back to us with the juciest stuff you can find.

Legends & Lore Polls / D&DNext Updates

Two recent Legends & Lore polls on the WotC site have asked us “How long until you’re ready to leave your character behind and start over?” and about how long should it take to reach level 10? Micah and I discuss these things and more, it almost seems as if some of the poll answers are false choices. There’s also been a ton of new coverage for D&DNext with PAX East just having wrapped up, check out the video from the seminar if you’re interested.

Shadowrun Returns & Wasteland 2 Kickstarters

Two very legendary games are getting another chance at achieving awesomeness via kickstarter. Yes these are video games but at least Shadowrun has its roots in tabletop RPG’s and I’m pretty sure that Wasteland, which inspired Fallout is a game most anyone can at least give a nod of respect. These games are far beyond their goals and will be made by some great teams and great communities, so jump on board if they sound good. After all 15$ for an RPG crafted by those who appreciate the golden age of gaming is a steal.

Tip Corner

Be lazy if that’s what it takes for your game to be fun. Both Jerry and I have been slacking off on using Obsidian Portal for our games…but they’re still fun, so we’re obviously doing it right. Don’t burn yourselves out!

Twitter Question

@onlinedm1 asks: “Do you have any memorable stories of players using vehicles or mounts in-game in a creative fashion?”

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

The d20Monkey caption contest as well as Micah and I’s demands for you to lie to us have come to an end. Winners will be announced soon!

DMDJ iPhone App

We recently got to check out a pretty cool iPhone app to add a really slick touch of high-definition audio ambiance to your games. DMDJ is an iOS app that is definitely worth your 3$ and has a ton of features, Micah and I discuss the greatness that it beholds!

Sneak Attack & Backstab in D&DNext

Sneak attacks, and backstabbing was a hot button issue this week as D&DNext discussion as designers proposed an idea to allow all characters to partake in the rogue sacrosanct that is “Backstab”. Micah and I discuss, and wholeheartedly disagree with this idea.

One Page Dungeon Contest

A contest started way back by Phil “The Chatty DM” Menard is still going strong, this years contest wraps up at the end of April. Draw up any dungeon your heart desires and fit it onto one page, and you can win some pretty sweet prizes (including some OP Ascendant time) so be sure to check it out!

Tip Corner

No matter how you choose to structure your adventure log posts, a summary or short-version is always a good idea. Even if you want the full prose story, when you’re skimming to remember what happened the previous few sessions, having a summary really helps.

Twitter Question

Catherine on Facebook: PCs managed to kill the campaign nemesis, perhaps too early. Which is better: turn him into a puppet of a greater power, or bring him back to life somehow as a more powerful villain?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

The d20Monkey caption contest is about to end, but it still demands you pour some sugar on it, as do Micah and I demand you tell us outrageous lies about how you got into gaming!

Gnome Stew’s ‘Never Unprepared’

The folks over at gnome stew are releasing another great tool for GM’s this summer with Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep. It will be over 100 pages complete w/ artwork, published as a 6×9 softcover, pdf, and various other electronic formats. It should be ready this June/July, stay tuned and we’ll be sure to re-visit the book on the podcast once it’s out.

Dungeon Generator Poster

With the re-release of the 1e D&D books by WotC, this kickstarter is meant to be a complimentary 3′x2′ poster that allows you to generate random dungeons. Done in full artwork in a very old school D&D style makes for a very cool collectors item, if not just a really neat conversation piece for your game room. Stretch goals are already completed, so grab one of these before it’s too late!

These Are Not the Rules You’re Looking For

In a recent Legends & Lore column, Mike Mearls discusses things like character “roles” in D&DNext as well as guidelines like the XP budget and treasure charts. He says he wants us to ignore some of the rules in the upcoming edition of D&D. Are these things everyone needs for their game, only useful for new players? Tell us how you feel about all of this in the comments.

Tip Corner

Use characters to their fullest on your wiki, hit up the textile tutorial if you’re not familiar. Really fill out the cunch and fluff blocks, you wont regret it the first time your folder full of character sheets gets lost or soaked in the rain!

Twitter Question

@d20Monkey asks: You’re trapped on an island with cool gamers and you can only have 1 game that ISN’T dnd. what do you have to play?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

The d20Monkey caption contest demands you to pour some sugar on it this week, as do Micah and I demand you tell us outrageous lies!

Lords of Waterdeep

The newest D&D board game being offered by WotC is a departure from their previous dungeon crawl and territory domination style games. Lords of Waterdeep is a euro style game for 2-5 players and it is dead simple, quick to play, a lot of fun and the cheapest of all the D&D board games. Micah and I discuss! Be sure to check out my review & unboxing of the game too!

Dysfunctional and Co-Dependency 

Steve Winter has written a really great piece over on his blog The Howling Tower about big name games like D&D and the caveats that come along with them. Steve discusses the nature of the game itself and touches on some really good topics, you should read his blog on the regular! Micah and I discuss the cyclic nature of the game and more!

Baldur’s Gate “Enhanced Edition” Announced

After much teasing and toying the Baldur’s Gate website has finally revealed that an “enhanced” edition of Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 will be released this summer. Updated graphics and UI, new content from the original creators for the game but beyond that we don’t know much. Listen in as I insult the very fabric of Micah’s geek credibility!

Tip Corner

Keep a loot log for your sessions. Players often forget the stuff they looted, assign someone to keep a log of all items looted during your sessions and it should avoid confusions and argument later on down the road. Maybe toss them some kind of benny for keeping track too!

Twitter Question

@JssSandals asks: What don’t you want to see in DnDNext?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by Sersa Victory of Save Versus Death who has recently released the Fourthcore Alphabet and re-released the Fourthcore Armory among many other great projects!

Don’t forget that Micah and I are still asking you to tell us fabulous lies about how you got into gaming. Also, you need to get to captioning the latest d20Monkey comic strip, the fate of the goblin strip club depends on it!

CDistiller One Page 4e Character Sheet

CDistiller is an online character sheet tool for 4e D&D, it manages to cram everything you need onto a single page and acts as a fully functional, interactive character sheet. It’s a pretty awesome tool, but did it come a little too late?

“What is an RPG” Sections?

It seems like almost every RPG rulebook you pick up has a section devoted to “What is a Role Playing Game?”. Are these nescessary? A blog post over at Stargazers World asks, Sersa and I discuss the good and the bad of these segments.

Lethality in D&D / D&DNext

The D&D internet scene was all astir last week with the discussion of character death, save or die mechanics and other buzz regarding lethality in the next iteration of the game. This is a hot button for a lot of people, we weigh in on the topics. How do you feel about save or die and/or character death?

Tip Corner

Be wary of how you name your characters, we wrote a short blog post as sort of an OP community PSA. Check it out and let us know if you’ve got any tips or tricks we didn’t cover.

Twitter Question

@cdistiller asks: How far in advance do you plot story? Do you 5×5 your villains as you go, or have a novel prepared?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

We’ve got a brand spanking new d20Monkey comic caption contest and of course Solstice, the hottest and freshest campaign of the month ready for your enjoyment so be sure to check them out! Now, on with the show!

Marvel RPG Launches

The new Marvel Heroic Roleplaying has finally launched and boy is everyone giving it some great praise. Normal price is 20$ for the softcover 13$ for the PDF (if you’re quick, DriveThruRPG might still have it on sale for 9$ for the GM’s day Sale) and comes with everything you need to play – characters, an adventure, and rules for making up your own superhero as well. Some really great people contributed to this game, so be sure to check it out!

V20 Deluxe Kickstarter

White Wolf is doing a kickstarter for a very prestigious Vampire: The Masquerade Companion, it’s leather bound, silver gilt edged and topped off with a red silk bookmark. It will cost you 50$ to score one of these but it seems like it’s well worth it for any dedicated Vampire fan, be sure to give it a look.

Boring “How You Got Into Gaming” Stories

Why do people always ask this? Does anyone actually have a non-typical ‘how I got into gaming’ story? Should we all start making up fabulous lies? Yes! We should, so why don’t you guys make some up and put them in the comments below? Winner gets a month of Ascendant time, and a T-shirt! (Please, keep the stories under 200 words.)

Tip Corner

Check out our new versioning feature for wiki pages, adventure logs, characters, items. View, compare, and restore old versions of your documents. It’s a rewind button for your campaign!

Twitter Question

Twitter poll results: 3rd person vs 1st person role playing.

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

We’re joined to night by game designer and artist Jeff Dee. He’s got lots going on between  Cavemaster, Villains & Vigilantes, and recreating his lost TSR artwork. Jeff introduces himself and talks a bit about what he’s got going on, and before we jump into topics I urge you to check out this month’s d20Monkey caption contest while you still can!

Sex at the Gaming Table

Nevermet Press had a blog post up recently about sex at your gaming table and the awkwardness it may bring, Jeff and I discuss our experiences and would love to hear yours as well.

Dragon Age Set 3 Open Playtest

Looks like Green Ronin has started open playtesting their upcoming Dragon Age set 3, fans of the AGE system should eat this up! Includes lots of stuff like higher levels, new talents, specializations, spells, and monsters. The Dragon Age RPG has really gotten quite a following, if you’ve not had a chance to check it out, perhaps now is the time?

School Daze Kickstarter

Did high school suck? Did it need more pizazz like it always has in the movies, was it also lacking zombies, aliens, and/or vampires? A really cool school based RPG has recently launched (and, as of now been funded) on Kickstarter. School Daze is a narrative driven, mechanics light RPG by Tracy Barnett (a school teacher himself) that allows you to live out high school the way it should have been: awesome. Buffy the Vampire slayer, The Breakfast Club, The Faculty and basically anything else you can imagine can be pulled off easily with School Daze.

Be sure to check out the video, and the comic d20Monkey did about the game while you’re at it. If the next funding level is reached, backers are going to get custom dice by Chessex & dice bags by Dragon Chow Dice Bags!

Tip Corner

Use our forums! We’ve got a ton of great people in our community that are always willing to give advice and tips for your game, or help out if you have any gaming related questions, wiki questions, and a lot more!

Twitter Question

@OnlineDM1 asks: What advice do you have for GMs who will be running games at a convention for the first time?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stande Alone” | by LukHash |

Announcements

Our character contest has just wrapped up, congrats to our winning characters Shank and Miner! We’ve also got a fresh d20Monkey caption contest up, so go check it out!

Story Forge Kickstarter

There’s a really cool kickstarter up for a writers utility called Story Forge, they basically appear to work like Tarot cards for writers. These could be used by DM’s, novelists, or basically writers of any kind. 25$ is the entry level to score a deck if the kickstarter succeeds. Micah and I discuss!

ENWorld Presents

Short weekly casts are all the rage! ENWorld is bringing you RPG news in about 5 minutes or less in video format with host Matt James. Micah and I discuss and hope for more episodes in the near future.

Iron Kingdoms RPG News!

Privateer press has finally given us some more tasty tidbits about the upcoming Iron Kingdoms RPG on their blog. They discuss the feel of the game mechanics as well as outline the first 3 books coming down the pipe. The rules are very familiar to hordes/warmachines so far, good thing or bad?

Tip Corner

Don’t just use OP to track games you’ve already started, there’s a reason why campaigns have the “In planning” option. Use it to organize your thoughts on your game and collaborate with your players before you ever even sit down to roll dice or make characters!

Twitter Question

@SaveVersusDeath asks: What do you feel the role of bloggers and podcasters is/should be in this transition period for D&D?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

Our character and comic contests just wrapped up, winners will be announced shortly, and be sure to check out Legacy of the Realms – February’s Campaign of the Month! Also, Kobold Quarterly is giving away a free issue so go and snatch it up before you wind up broken hearted (offer ends Feb 14th).

Monster Stand Ins

Like minis but not into how expensive/random they are? Check out Monster Stand Ins, a huge assortment of plastic stand ups for use in your games. You also get a printable PDF of the stand ups so you can print your own as well. Need 50 kobolds? No problem! This kickstarter is going to end shortly so if you’d like to get in on the awesomeness you better act fast! Update: The stand ins have been cancelled but there is a new project that is just as good!

A Lesson In Kickstarter

Speaking of Kickstarter, Daniel Solis (Writers Dice, Do: Pilgrims of the flying temple) has a great post up on his blog about some of the financial ins and outs of funding kickstarter projects. There’s also some good wisdom in the comments as well, definitely worth checking out for any of you entrepreneurs out there!

FLGS Deaths Self Inflicted?

Stargazers world has a post up about FLGS’s closing down, is it always the economy? Poor customer service and downright unprofessional staff seem to plague some game shops. Micah and I discuss how this may be true, but there is also a much bigger picture affecting local game shops (and other niche businesses) these days aside from just poor customer service.

Tip Corner

Got a new player coming? Update your campaign homepage with a basic runthrough of your campaign. Don’t expect them to read each and every adventure log and wiki page, but maybe they’ll read the basics of the campaign.

Twitter Question

@Toperatl asks: Tips to get players re-engaged with a long running campaign?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

None today other than yelling at you all to hit up the d20Monkey caption contest! I’m joined by Matt Dukes (@DireFlail) and Tracy (@Rolling20s) and we’re getting straight to business here!

An Edition for All Editions

We explore the first seminar that talks about the 3 pillars of D&D: Combat, Exploration, and Roleplaying. We also talk about what this upcoming edition means in terms of modularity and where exactly it is in terms of completion. Hint: Pre-Alpha

Class Design 

Baseline complexity, Vancian magic, modularity and a ton of other elements were discussed during this seminar. We all discuss, be sure to check out our video of this seminar if you get a chance.

Future D&D Products

The future products seminar was full of goodies for all walks of D&D fans it seems, we talk about the upcoming board game Lords of Waterdeep (pic), Ed Greenwood’s Forgotten Realms, Dungeon Command, and more. Be sure to check the video of the product seminar for all the nitty gritty!

But Wait, There’s More!

After our recording there was still one more seminar to go: Reimagining Skills & Ability Scores for D&DNExt. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t yet. Not only was it the best recording of the bunch, but some of the most stimulating of the bunch regarding game design.

Hope you enjoyed all of our DDXP coverage and our very D&D specific, exclusive podcast straight from the convention. Next week we’re back to our regularly scheduled non-D&D saturated audio-only podcast. See you then!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we’re joined by GM Steve Wollet, winner of January’s Campaign of the Month acting as co-host. He gives us some cool tidbits from his game and discusses lots more with us. Also be sure to hit up our Tell Us About Your Character contest, as well as the d20Monkey caption contest! We’re also going to DDXP this week so be sure to tell us what you’d like to see while we’re there!

WotC Reprints AD&D Books For Charity

Yes, this is true. It looks as if the AD&D PHP, MM, and DMG will be reprinted by WotC to benefit the Gygax Memorial fund. With D&DNext approaching WotC is touting 1e playstyle to be possible once again, so perhaps these may serve a bit more than just nostalic purposes? These high quality hardbacks will have limited availability and new artwork so be sure to keep an eye on them if this interests you!

Cavemaster RPG Kickstarter

Cavemaster is an RPG being created by Jeff Dee (ex TSR artist, among many other credits) which is actually an rpg that cave men would have played. It is a Stonepunk style game set in an alternate history and looks very, very cool. Go check it out and be sure to watch the video if you get a chance, lots of cool goodies for backers too!

Recompiling Digital D&D

Matt Dukes (aka @Direflail / Vanir) over at Critical-Hits talks about the next iteration of D&D and how to get the digital tools for the game right this time around. Explains the parallels of modular D&D and the modular software that should accompany it. Bringing suggestions of new platforms to build upon in order to insure that all types of devices and OS’s are able to access and use the content, and to allow the community to interface more directly this time around.

Tip Corner

Don’t just use OP (and especially the campaign forum) just for in-game stuff, use it for campaign meta-game discussion, talk about what you can do to make your game more fun. Heck use it to help decide what food to order, remember OP is here to make your game better in any way we possibly can!

Twitter Question

@DelayedSession asks: tokens vs. plastic miniatures?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

Tonight we are joined by Dave “The Game” Chalker, editor-in-chief of Critical Hits.com and freelancer of many, many facets. Dave has been doing some work on the Marvel heroes RPG with Margaret Weis Productions recently, among many other things including writing DDI articles and being one of the first to play test the next form of D&D. We’ve also got a fresh Caption Contest and Campaign of the Month, so be sure to check them out!

New Dungeons & Dragons Announced

After much speculation and rumor, the next iteration of D&D has finally been formally announced as being in development. Wizards is committing to taking a lot of play test feedback with this next edition as well as touting modularity and a version of D&D for those who love all editions of the game. Dave and I discuss what this means for the industry, and ourselves personally, among many other things.

Evil Hat Announces Atomic Robo RPG

A recent announcement by Evil Hat has got the internet all abuzz with joy regarding the Atomic Robo RPG. Based on an indie press comic about a robot built by Tesla himself, the game is sure to be a hit. If the awards for Dresden Files don’t speak enough for themselves, the people at Evil Hat know how to do a license and the game’s atmosphere will lend well to the FATE system they are so notorious for. Scheduled release is looking like 2013.

Pathfinder Battles Launches!

Another way for all of us to get our plastic crack has finally come to fruition, January 11th marks the launch of Pathfinder Battles. Mini’s come in a variety of packages including the most recently announced single pack. Dave and I discuss mini’s for a bit and remark on the extremely high quality Wizkids and Paizo are putting out here.

Tip Corner

Do you write really long adventure logs like me but you don’t want them clogging up your adventure log page? Use the <!–more–> tag on your posts to allow people to click to read the rest and keep your front page nice and tidy!

Twitter Question

@RJonesEsquire asks: What is the most controversial sacred cow WOTC SHOULD get rid of going into #dndnext?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

Check out the newest Campaign of the Month and first one of 2012, Star Trek Late Night! Also, we’ve got a winner for December and a new caption for the new year, ready for you guys to start cracking wise upon this month. Go forth and jest, fellow portallers!

The Real Year In Review of D&D

A piece published on critical hits serves to do its own justice of summing up D&D as a counter to the recent escapist pieces we covered last episode on D&D’s past, present & future. While the article doesn’t directly counter any statements made, it does give another (good) perspective on the state of the game. Ryan Dancey also wrote a small novella on the subject as a follow up, over at ENworld.

Pathfinder Comic Book

Paizo has announced that there will be a Pathfinder comic book coming in 2012. They are working with dynamite entertainment to produce the comic, adding yet another Pathfinder goodie to the list of schwag they have recently been kicking out!

Skill Challenges, Ignore them or Simplify Them

Rob Schwalb, D&D freelancer and author of many, many books recently wrote a few pieces on skill challenges and how to handle them, or to simply ignore them. Some great insight is provided here, Micah and I discuss thoroughly.

Tip Corner

Use the calendar and make events and collect RSVPs, but don’t stop there. On the day of the game, hit everyone up with a text message, email, call, facebook message, whatever. Just make sure to get some kind of final confirmation that they will be there!

Twitter Question

Justin Mason (via Facebook) asks: What are your thoughts on ambient music during gaming?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

Congratulations to DungeonMasterLoki and The Spelljoined for winning the 2011 Campaign of the Year! Also a huge congrats to all of the runner ups, everyone did a great job!

D&D Past, Present, & Future Articles

Recently, TheEscapist ran a series of articles about D&D, the most recent and final piece regarding the Future of D&D has been quite the talk of the internet, we strongly encourage you all to read the serires and share your opinions with us, Micah and I discuss in depth.

Gaming Resolutions for 2012

Micah and I take turns going back and forth discussing each of our three gaming resolutions for 2012 and ask you guys for yours. Tell us what yours are and we’d like to feature/talk about them on the next podcast, but remember we can’t do that without you guys actually chiming in!

RPG Stack Exchange

Recently we stumbled across a great resource for RPG players & GM’s alike, even for people who are just inquiring about RPG’s in general. Over at the RPG section of the Stack Exchange website you’ll find a great community ready to answer all your questions and more. Micah & I discuss our experiences with the site.

Tip Corner

Sharing on Twitter and Facebook is a whole lot better now. You can edit what it says and make the posted shared message much more personalized. Check the share on Twitter/Facebook checkbox and see how it works.

Twitter Question

@Oldbie asks: How do we get back to the table after the holidays without a lot of catch-up?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

Campaign of the year voting starts now! Be sure to toss in some of your very own brand of funny on the holiday caption contest while you’re poking around the blog too! Topics

Wizards of the Coast Layoffs

Recently Rich Baker and Steve Winter were let go from Wizards of the Coast, both of them having been with the company since the TSR days. A thread at ENWorld is attempting to track who is currently still on staff at WotC. This seems like an almost systematic occurrence every year at WotC, Micah and I speculate and give well wishes to the recently departed. Also, on a related note Stephen Radney McFarland has wrote his final ‘Save My Game’ column for WotC as well. It seems more big changes are coming to D&D, perhaps we’ll find out more at DDXP this year – Jerry will be there with coverage!

Paizo’s RPG Superstar

The Paizo RPG Superstar contest for 2011 have started, and its a really cool way to usher in new blood to the tabletop world. The contest starts with a basic entry of “create a wondrous item” and from there 32 winners will be chosen to go on to various other challenges until only one remains! It seems like a good way to get your foot in the door of the RPG design industry, check it out!

The Escapist’s RPG Info Sheets

The Escapist has some pretty cool fact sheets for RPG’s covering topics from the occult stigma, stereotypes, and what playing tabletop role playing games is actually like and how they originated. There are two pieces: The RPG Fact Checker, and The 5 W’s of RPG’s. Check them out, they may not be of practical use for some, but I sure wish I had them when I was 15 and being accused of summoning the Beelzebubs in my bedroom.

Tip Corner

Did you know you can edit map markers once they are placed? Need to add something to one like an adventure log or other links, change colors? You can do it easily by just clicking the pin and hitting the edit icon. The map features have greatly improved so if you haven’t used them a while, definitely check them out now!

Twitter Question

@Raddu76 asks:What needs to change to play D&D without a gridded map? I want to use terrain, like warhammer 40k, or other tabletop minis

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

New campaign of the month is here, and a new comic so check them out! Also, be sure to send us any topics you’d like to see us cover – get them in front of us any way you want and we’ll try and cover them!

Topics

Dungeon A Day Closes Down

Recently, some more bad tidings have come to the land of RPG’s. Hate to follow up bad news from last week (HERO), with more bad news this week but there it is. Sounds like Monte Cook handed the site over to Super Genius games back in 2010, but financially it’s not working out so they have to abandon ship. Keep in mind this is just for Dungeon A Day and not Super Genius games entirely. Sit will remain up until at least April of 2012.

Penny Arcade Switches to Pathfinder

So in case you haven’t heard, the guys at Penny Arcade have switched to Pathfinder. Dedicating a series of blog posts, and 7 comics to the topic so this is huge, not only for Paizo but WotC as well. They explain that the game was fun but as it goes on it becomes mechanically dysfunctional and they also found that their players were focusing far too much on the power cards instead of interacting with each other and the world around them.

Premise Concealment and the Overvaluation of Secrecy

Robin Laws gives us a short blog post about the roots of Secrecy in tabletop gaming that of course, tie all the way back to D&D. Micah and I discuss secret doors and more, and does everything in gaming need to be so secret?

Tip Corner

Keep all the XP for the various players on a single wiki page. Every time XP is awarded, update the page. Make sure you track the following:

• XP for each player
• The last time the page was updated (ie. ‘this is up-to-date as of Dec 12’)
• If you’re diligent, it can become the de-facto XP listing. If your players have a discrepancy on their sheet, unless they have a good excuse then what is on the XP page is the law.

Twitter Question

@SupersaijinKyle asks: Do you prefer creating your own world for a game or would you rather take a campaign setting and carve your own niche in it?

Listen to find out!

Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” ~ LukHash | Outro: “Stande Alone” ~ LukHash |

Announcements

New campaign of the month is here, and a new comic so check them out!

Topics

Paizo Announces Pathfinder MMO

A big announcement over at Paizo recently shocked the RPG masses with their announcement of creating a Pathfinder MMORPG. The project is very early in development and appears to be by a company by the name of Goblinworks which is also headed by Paizo folk as well. No release date yet, so check the FAQ. Micah and I discuss and keep our fingers crossed for them!

HERO System Layoffs

Some sad news has come from the home front of HERO games, in that the three guys who have made up the company for the past 30 years are leaving the company. While they did not say it was certianly the end, it does sound like it. Their game system is known far and wide, this is a sad thing to see happen. We wish them the best.

The Fourthcore Alphabet

A really cool gaming aide for any game master called the Fourthcore Alphabet has recently been released, it was created by fourthcore founder Sersa Victory with artwork by Brian Patterson. Its a great tool for any GM, not just those who play 4e D&D, it isvery mechanically light and almost completely system neutral. The book is a goldmine for evocative and dark content generation for your games, it can be picked up in PDF or print at lulu.com and comes highly recommended by the OP crew.

Tip Corner

You can “gift” a character to another player (as the GM). This way, if you have a player who just refuses to put their character on the site, you can create it yourself and then give it to them. Just go to the edit character screen and scroll all the way to the bottom. From there you can choose who to give it to.

Twitter Question

@Poorly_Designed How often do you take story and encounter ideas and suggestions from your players?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

Today we’re joined by Joanna Gaskell and Rob Hunt of the very awesome, D&D inspired Standard Action web series. We take some time out to talk about the show and conduct a mini-interview. If you’ve not checked out standard action we highly suggest you do, they are currently raising funds to get their second season off the ground. So show them some love and they’ll show you some right back!

We’d also like to remind you that the d20Monkey caption contest is just begging to be captioned with all of your witty holiday-cheer infused charm.

Topics

Holiday Hiatus Guide

Just an episode or two ago Micah and I discussed coping with the holiday hiatus that your game is going to inevitably go through. The Learning DM has a great article up on the topic with some really great bits of advice, so check it out. What are your holiday hiatus remedies and/or horror stories?

Heroes of the Feywild is Here!

We’ve mentioned it a while back but the book is finally here, it’s all you need to inject a heavy dose of fey magic and a bit of whimsy into your 4e D&D campaign. I got the chance to interview author Steve Townshend about his work on the title, he shares some really great insight on the process involved in making these books as well as a lot of other great stuff about D&D, movies, edition wars and more. We discuss a bit about the book!

Teach Your Kids To Game Week

Recently, DriveThruRPG has started a tradition with “Teach Your Kids To Game Week” wherein they offer a bunch of kid-oriented RPG’s at discount prices and encourage all of us far and wide to spread the hobby to younger generations. This is a very cool idea and is a great movement, we discuss in depth!

Tip Corner

Did you know you can get a RSS feed update for any campaign? Just click the orange RSS icon on the page!

Twitter Question

@Revengeanceful As a GM, what’s your best trick to pick up the pacing on a story?

Listen to find out!

PS: Here’s that pic of Renaldo we promised!

Announcements

Today we’re joined by cartoonist and illustrator James Stowe whom you probably know from his awesome D&D For Dads custom character illustrations/sheets we talked about a while back. He’s got some cool stuff going on including working with Daniel Solis and doing some custom character designs for JourneyQuest!

We’d also like to remind you that the d20Monkey caption contest is just begging to be captioned with all of your witty holiday-cheer infused charm. You can also win a copy of Scott Fitzgerald Gray’s new book “A Prayer for Dead Kings and Other Tales“

Topics

Cthulhu Wrapping Paper

What better way to share the magic of the holidays than with Cthulhu wrapping paper? Every gift is like a relic of the dead god himself, waiting to sap the sanity from all those wide eyed gift openers who dare unlock his secrets! Eric Bauer of gaming paper has a kickstarter up to do just that, check it out!

D&D Dragon Mini Collector Set

There’s another set of minis on the horizon from WotC, this time: Dragons. Similar to the Beholder collectors box of mini’s this one features a series of dragons, some of the molds are new as well. These kinds of things have a limited run so if you want your chance, grab em’ before they’re gone!

The At-Will Blog Closes It’s Doors

In recent, rather unfortunate news, a very predominant 4e D&D blog has decided to call it quits. Quinn Murphy of the At-Will blog let us all know that he was done, and seeking new endeavors. His post was quickly followed up by a “4e is Dead” by Ryven Cedrylle. James and I discuss.

Tip Corner

Did you know you can download backups of your campaigns? Just go to the campaign, click “edit settings” and jump all the way to the bottom of the page.

Twitter Question

@Drubskin asks:  What are your guys favorite iPad/iPhone apps that help with your games?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

We’ve got a brand new thanksgiving themed d20Monkey comic contest for you all to enjoy, so get out there and get on those one-liners for your chance to win some awesome OP prizes. We’ve also got a fresh Campaign of the Month for November - Avatar: Conquest of the Imperial Order, be sure to check out our interview (and the campaign) when you’re done listening to the podcast! We’ve also got an interview and giveaway with Wizards of the Coast Writer/Editor Scott Fitzgerald Gray about his new collection of sword & sorcery stories A Prayer for Dead Kings and Other Tales.

Now, onto the topics!

Topics

Three Questions to Start A Campaign

There’s a pretty good article over at Gnomestew about the three questions you’ve gotta ask when starting a new campaign. We delve into the questions and present our own anecdotes regarding the ins and outs of running games.

Will Hindmarch & Fred Hicks New Game: Revengers

Announced on Halloween, Revengers will be a game where you play as a ghost who solves or avenges crimes. According to the site, the game is still in very early stages of development and has no solid release date yet, it will use a heavily modified version of the gumshoe rules.

Geek Seekers

Monte Cook & Jen Page are putting together a new web series called Geek Seekers. It is a webseries that will debut in 2012 featuring them investigating aspects of the paranormal—ghosts, UFOs, bigfoot, etc. Episodes will be 10-15 minutes long, we’re not sure what to expect so stay tuned to find out more.

Tip Corner

The holidays are coming. Your game will be inevitably postponed for an undetermined amount of time. Micah provides some quick tips on surviving this state of holiday gaming hibernation.

Twitter Question

@DarkPatu asks: How do you work around spell components and what benefits do you provide for good roleplay?

Listen to find out!

Please note that this recording was intended for last week. I had thought I lost my recording after suffering a power outage immediately after recording haste. Luckily the file was recoverable so please ignore the announcement, as a winner has already been selected for the caption contest and we’ll have November’s up shortly. Thanks!

Topics

D&D Coloring Book

A Dungeons and Dragons coloring book published in 1979 has recently been resurrected over at the MONSTER BRAINS blog. It is the full work, available in high res images or as pre-compiled PDF’s for your printing pleasure. Hurry and snag it up before some copyright holder decides he needs to take it down! Micah and I revel in its awesomeness. (Artwork probably not small child appropriate)

Layoffs at CCP/White Wolf

Recently there were a lot of layoffs at CCP, which is White Wolf Publishing’s parent company. Micah elaborates a little and we learn that the World of Darkness MMO’s development team will be ‘significantly reduced’ but still operational.

Wired’s Top 9 Geek Books

Wired recently put out an article detailing the top 9 geek books we all need to have read, while the list is a pretty good one, we ask are these really must read items or have your geek card revoked? What are your thoughts, and should the 1e DMG really be put on a list next to a bunch of novels? Chime in in the comments, on twitter, facebook, or wherever you’d like to reach us.

Tip Corner

Did you know that you can broadcast your OP updates and adventure logs to facebook and twitter? You can, it’s easy!

Twitter Question

@jjafuller asks: how have house rules affected your games in unexpected ways?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

None! Onto the topics!

Topics

Shadowrun Video Game Announced

That’s right, a new Shadowrun game has been announced, and as a browser game at that! The studio behind the game also had something to do with Jagged Alliance online, the Jagged Alliance series was notorious for being quite good so here’s to hoping this new Shadowrun title is.

Pathfinder Beginner Box Has Arrived!

The Pathfinder Beginner Box arrives this month, it’s got everything you need to start playing 15 minutes out of the box and will take characters all the way up to level 5. Comes with a paizo flipmat, minis, cardboard stand ups, full color books and a ton of more awesome stuff. Probably not a product for most Haste listeners (RPG adept) but will make a great intro into gaming for a lot of folks. Very cool, check out the unboxing video while you’re at it too!

Live Together, Die Alone

Monte Cook’s Legends & Lore article sparked some good debate earlier regarding character classes. Should they be self sufficient and able to stand individually, or thought of as puzzle pieces that make the sum of a groups parts greater than the whole? What about “must have” classes that are looked at as ‘mandatory’ in some games? Tune in as we discuss!

Tip Corner

Having trouble formatting your wiki? Did you know there’s a quick reference for textile markup on almost every page? Just click the “Textile” link above your text input box for a quick guide on how to use it.

Twitter Question

@Poorly_Designed asks: My group is getting together again after a 6 week break. Any thoughts on a good way to get them back into a gaming mood?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

We’ve got a fresh d20Monkey caption contest up as well as a brand spanking new Campaign of the Month for October. Both are full of awesome and wackiness, go check them out!

Topics

Advanced Race Guide Playtest

Paizo recently unleashed the Advanced Race Guide playtest for Pathfinder unto the world! They’ve noted that getting these sorts of things right is pretty tough and a delicate process, especially regarding game balance so this playtest is hoped to help all of that. Sounds really cool, wishing more games did this. Micah and I discuss what races we’d build, as well as our deep appreciation for goblins.

Red Eye of Azathoth

Kobold Quarterly has a great Cthulhu module out for this Halloween season: The Red Eye of Azathoth is a 5 part adventure for Call of Cthulhu (Chaosium) that takes place through the ages. Complete with handouts, new monsters and pre-generated investigators from a wide array of time periods, this episodic adventure is a sure way to do a Halloween campaign right! They also have a ton of other products available through open design, including Dark Roads & Golden Hells which I’m a patron on myself, check them out!

Brian Patterson of d20Monkey makes CNN Geekout!

As we’re sure many of you know Brian Patterson from d20Monkey as we tell you of his fantastic exploits on the regular, however now he’s managed to reach the CNN Geekout blog! It’s great to see members of the RPG community get out there on popular sites and put on a good face for our little corner of the internet. Micah and I discuss his favorite quote from the interview as well.

Tip Corner

Did you know that you can easily track your PC’s loot using the items tab? Just create an item entitled “Playername’s Loot Bag” and have them keep track of all their characters belongings there. Much easier than re-writing it all every time a new character sheet is created!

Twitter Question

@Revenganceful asks: at what point do you consider a rules system too complicated? Too simple?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

Tonight I’m joined by the lovely Angela LeNeave aka @Momanatrix on twitter, full-time D&D-Mom and part-time blogger who will be discussing a recent article of hers which stirred up some great discussion amidst the D&D/RPG community. Also, we’ve just wrapped up our contests for September, but stay tuned to the blog for more to come early next month!

Topics

Monte Cook Rejoins WotC

Famous game designer Monte Cook has rejoined Wizards of the Coast as a member of their R&D team for Dungeons and Dragons and the news has been causing quite a stir. There are some interesting notions being discussed as to what this may mean for the future of the game, and much like everything else in the RPG community – the topic seems rather polarizing. Have a listen as we do a little theorycrafting of our own.

The Grand Masquerade

White Wolf’s Grand Masquerade has taken place recently and the coverage coming back from the event is pretty great. Lots of new products are on the horizon for white wolf, they talk candidly about publishing and divulge some very cool tidbits about the upcoming World of Darkness MMO. Angela and I take our handful of years playing MMO’s into consideration as we discuss what a massively multiplayer world of darkness may be like.

Player Choice

I think there are quite a few folks who are with me when it comes to my ideas on how wotc goes about picking playable races for D&D, but there are just as many who disagree. One being @momanatrix with her recent article entitled “Don’t Tell Me I Can’t Be A Fairy Damnit!” We discuss player choice, bias, and analysis paralysis that plays into the mire of options for 4e D&D

Tip Corner

Did you that you can organize your campaign forums into sub categories to better organize your game? You can also sticky forum posts so they stay at the top of the thread list, give it a try!

Twitter Question

@EdenSky asks: What are some ideas on how to manage gear at the table?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

Tonight I’m joined by Enrique Bertran aka @NewbieDM from the ENnie nomiated blog  newbiedm.com and creator of RPG Kids! He’s celebrating the one year anniversary of RPGKids and so it’s on sale right now at RPGnow for 99 cents, if you have little one’s and you’ve not done so already now is the time to pick it up! Also, we’ve got a chance for you guys to win a copy of Unhallowed Metropolis going on, that ends this Thursday and also the d20Monkey caption contest ends this Sunday – so get cracking, we really want you to win some free stuff!

Topics

Tome of Horrors

Correction: Paizo Publishing is not publishing Tome of Horrors Complete. It is published by Frog God Games, Paizo is merely a distributor.

Paizo has recently announced (and sold out of pre-orders almost instantly) a resurrection of the Tome of Horrors called Tome of Horrors Complete, this time for the Pathfinder RPG. The book will be over 800 pages and contain monsters from the original edition of the game and new, templates, appendices on various things and a truckload of sample encounters as well as lairs.

D&D Miniatures Skirmish Playtest

The upcoming D&D miniatures skirmish battle game has entered the open playtest that was talked about at gencon this year. Anyone can gain access to the rules PDF by simply joining the playtesting group on the wizards community site. The rules seem to be a mix of magic and D&D as was somewhat touched upon in the Conquest of Nerath board game. Enrique and I discuss and make note that WotC seems to have taken a page from Paizo’s playbook on this one.

Group Implosion

Earlier in the week, there was a lot of talk about group implosion going on, particularly after I had announced mine falling apart. A rash and unbridled blog post I had written very much upset one of my core players putting our game into a limbo status as of this writing. Pending a more level headed rebuttal due soon, Enrique and I discuss group fallout – remedies and pitfalls to avoid. From a DM point of view: the mindset of running our game, should always supercede running my game.

Tip Corner

Did you know about our new map markers? Place them anywhere on your campaign maps and fill them with whatever content you want!

Twitter Question

@ArcaneSpringBrd asks: What do you guys think of Mordankainen’s Magnificent Emporium?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

Tonight I’m joined by Thadeous Cooper of many RPG related internet venues, however his current project: Geek Cred is currently the flagship of his nerdy endeavors. He tells us what’s new and exciting, and we do ask you to root for him to land his dream job a time or two. I also point out that our d20Monkey caption contest has only a little bit of time left and there’s also some pretty great Unhallowed Metropolis stuff you should be checking out on the blog!

Topics

RPG Blogger “Tiers”

A recent article on the OnlineDM’s blog about becoming part of the community started quite a discussion about RPG bloggers and grouping them into “Tiers”. I don’t think the author meant to incite such chaos but there is much to be discussed here. What makes people “top tier”? We discuss!

The World’s Greatest GM Screen

Stumbled across this awesome GM screen by Hammerdog recently, allowing for up to 8 custom inserts and it comes in multiple colors. You could put whatever you wanted in this baby, artwork, charts, notes, maps, etc. At $30 it’s not bad especially if you’re lazy like me!

James Stowe’s D&D Kids Character Sheets

Illustrator James Stowe has received an outpouring of support and enthusiasm regarding his custom made D&D character sheets that he put together for his son’s 8th birthday. His son convinced him to run a D&D game for a bunch of second graders. Turns out they all had a blast, we discuss how great these sheets look and how well they might turn people towards RPG gaming, child or not! UPDATE: Hit up James Stowe’s Facebook fan page for more goods, he’s doing some female versions too!

Tip Corner

Did you know about the Trash Bin? Obsidian Portal has a way for you to retrieve wiki entries that you’ve deleted, just hit up the trash bin button on the right side of your campaign to dig them out!

Twitter Question

@GeeksDreamGirl asks: Have any positive reinforcement techniques to reward ONLY the players that are paying attention at the table?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

New forum features for your campaigns are out, go check them out. Also be sure to stop by the d20Monkey caption contest and get your funny on, deadline for the comic is Friday Sept 16th!

Topics

Drama Cards

A neat idea similar to the D&D 4e fortune cards came across our radar recently, and they were even created by an OP user. These Drama Cards are used to spice up your game via random boons available to PC’s. Micah discusses some of his favorites, and I shoot them down because 4e PC’s get coddled like a newborn baby made of glass. (Forthcoming better link to actual files for use in your game)

Unhallowed Metropolis

Upcoming steampunk/horror RPG Unhallowed Metropolis Revised is about to drop (9/14). We talk a bit about the game and an interview we had with Nicole Vega at gencon this year. We’ll have an exclusive interview and contest to go along with the game’s launch next week!

Dungeon Painter

Dungeon painter is a swift and easy to use flash application for mapping out dungeon and other environments right in your web browser. Easily export your finished work to JPG or PNG with no photoshop prowess required. Great for OP’s map feature!

Tip Corner

A new quick feature we’ve added to the podcast, a listener suggestion for those who may not know variable little bits and pieces of the site. So we give a quick tip about plugging in characters into wiki entries with ease!

Twitter Question

@VentureSix asks: What movie franchise would you love to see turned into an RPG system?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

In this episode I give Micah a well deserved day off and hang out with the very cool Carl Bussler, of the exquisite (and ENnie nominated) Flagons & Dragons podcast. After listening to Haste, immediately go listen to one of their shows – these guys know gaming and they know beer too! Carl tells us what’s coming up on their podcast, including Zombie Month: wherein misadventures in hacking up pumpkins with ZombieTools and much more shall ensue all month long! In other news I should remind you that the Fiasco contest ends TOMORROW (8/30)!

Topics

Sandy Petersen Reviews his own game (Call of Cthulhu)

Sandy Petersen has recently taken time out over at RPGGeek to review Call of Cthulhu, his own game. The piece is very candid and a bit eye-opening, it’s definitely worth a read even if you’re not a Cthulhu fan/player because hey, who can’t appreciate a guy who retroactively reviews his own game? More game designers need to be doing this.

D&D Is Rubbish 

So, recently a grumpy British guy by the name of Nikolas Lloyd made a series of videos detailing all of his dissent with  D&D over the years. While he does touch on perhaps a good point or two, we kind of think his opinion is also rubbish and that D&D probably just isn’t his game. Why keep buying it if you don’t like it?

GM Merit Badges

Stuart Robertson, author of the Weird West RPG has created a series of GM merit badges to display various styles/aspects of the way you run your game. These are a really cool idea, not only for sites like Obsidian Portal but also to perhaps have as buttons or printouts for conventions so that players know what style of game they are getting into before playing. Carl and I theorize all the wondrous uses for them, and label ourselves with a few badges as well.

Twitter Question

@OnlineDM1 asks: How do you decide what treasure to hand out to your players?

Listen to find out!

Announcements

The Fiasco contest still has about a week left, so go check it out and earn your chance to win an awesome game and talk directly with the guys from Bully Pulpit who are regularly checking the comments and responding!

Topics

Chris Perkins Problem Player Advice

On the wizards blog a while back “Killer DM” / “DM to the Stars” Chris Perkins wrote an editorial about addressing problem players. Micah and I discuss death by monologue and how actually reading this letter aloud wouldn’t work at most people’s game tables.

Converting your “muggle” Spouse

An multi-part article over on Stargazer’s World entitled “Converting the Spouse” explores one mans journey into attempting to convert his “muggle” wife. Micah and I discuss our own exploits down the same avenue full of minor victories and complete failures.

Game Night Bloggers

The guys over at Roving Band of Misfits have started a “Game Night” movment involving bloggers from all around the geek-o-sphere to chip in a non-D&D related article on the last Tuesday of every month. Mostly board games, card games and more but great reviews of good games to play on those off nights when not enough people show up or your just need a break from the usual. Great stuff here, check it out!

Twitter Question

@SorcSciFi asks: what is the consensus on the length of in game descriptions? I like long intros and short area descriptions.

Listen to find out!

Announcements

In case you haven’t heard, we won the golden ENnie for Best Website! We’d like to say thanks to everyone who voted and also congratulate the Pathfinder PFSRD crew on their silver ENnie! We’d also like to congratulate all our friends over at Critical-Hits and Gnome Stew awards as well. We’d also like to apologize for not podcasting at the con, as it turns out, we may have bored you all to death anyway.

Topics

Gary Gygax Biography Film

According to information published on the examiner that has now made its way all the way to the Wired Geekdad blog. There is a Gary Gygax biography film in the making, it is to be part biopic, part action. The film is rumored to have a “huge start” playing Gary and a $150 million dollar budget. Micah and I skeptically discuss.

D&D Miniatures Return!

Dungeons and Dragons miniatures are to return some time next year in the form of non-randomized themed packs/boxes to be used as part of a new ‘battle game’. The game is said to focus more on skill than luck by utilizing an action card system instead of dice. The game will undergo rigorous playtesting to achieve the best rules possible via open/closed beta testing (Source). Paizo has also announced more minis, but theirs will be random and part of an upcoming battle/skirmish game as well.

Top Product Picks from Gencon

We talk about the best take homes from gencon if we could have anything we wanted, with what little roaming of the exhibition hall and gaming we actually got to do these are the choices we came up with. Tune in to find out why!

Micah: Masks PDF, Fiasco

Jerry: Neverwinter Campaign Setting, Crappy Birthday, Dragon Age Set 2

Twitter Question

No one user them self is responsible for this question but we commonly are asked “Why use textile formatting?” Micah Answers.

Listen to find out!

Level 1 Podcasting Newbie Note: I (Jerry) have a new mic, can you tell a difference in the recording, how are the sound levels, have I leveled up to Apprentice podcaster yet? Let me know in the comments!

Announcements

Gencon is in 3 days! We hope to see you there! Be sure to check out both of our panels if you have time and stay tuned to our facebook and twitter for updates and surprises! Let us know what you’d like to see as giveaways!

Topics

Mordenkainen’s Magical Emporium

WotC has placed Mordenkainan’s Magical Emporium back on the print que, after some extended playtesting. They plan on only releasing it in hobby/gaming stores and not in the big box retail stores. Micah and I ponder why this is, and talk about how much fun ‘giant book-o-magic items products are.

Cartographer’s Corner

A regular segment on the RPG Labyrinth blog entitled “Cartographer’s Corner” provides readers with some very high quality and mostly blank maps for use in their RPG games. These maps are perfect for OP’s map feature, we discuss and I reminisce about WotC’s old “map-a-week” feature.

Gygax Memorial Fund Updates & Book 

The Gygax Memorial Fund is now an official 501(c)(3) non-profit and will be selling a new book entitled “Cheers, Gary” at Gencon this year. The book contains some of the best Q&A from Gary over the years as well as some Erol Otus artwork. They also plan to begin a kickstarter with a goal of $500k. We discuss, in depth!

Twitter Question

@AnExtendedRest asks: tell us about a time your players did something that made you go, “wow…okay.”

Listen to find out!

Announcements

We kick it off by introducing our guest hosts Brian Patterson of d20Monkey and Randall Walker of the Dungeon Masters Round Table. Obsidian Portal is sponsoring the DMRT panel at gencon this year so be sure to stop on by!

Topics

Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan 4e Conversion

The old tournament module The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan is getting a 4e conversion similar to what WotC previously did with The Tomb of Horrors. We talk about these conversions, the exclusivity involved in obtaining this particular one and deadly dungeon delving.

Killing Characters

A recent article on Critial-Hits discusses character death and the implications behind it. We talk character death in RPGs and whether it’s merely a play style component or a very critical core element to an RPG experience. We talk new school/old school and more.

Road to Gencon Blog

A guy by the name of James Payne aka @Gencon4James on twitter, has a blog dedicated to all things gencon. He highlights all of the must visit places in Indy – pubs, restaurants and other hot spots as well as gives a really good low down on what the city of Indianapolis itself is like. We discuss his blog and give out our best tips for geoncon-goers whether it’s your first year or your 20th.

Sorry no twitter question this week, it will return as normal in the next episode.

We have detected the source of our echo problems and they should disappear after this episode, please bear with us in the meantime.

Announcements

The blog has been redesigned a bit, should be easier to read and quite a bit prettier now so check it out. Also, ENnies voting is live and we’d love for you to cast your vote our direction for Best Website. So go slap a big fat 1 next to Obsidian Portal in the ballot box and let’s make this year a threepeat! VOTE NOW!

Topics

Masks – 1000 NPCs by Gnome Stew

Recently published “Masks” book of 1,000 ready to use NPC’s  written by the fine folks at Gnome Stew gets some air time as Micah gushes about it being the book he’s always wanted. We were lucky to get a review copy of this book and can confirm it is wholly awesome and mega useful for both inspiration, and whipping up NPC’s on the spot!

DDI Report Card

A user thread in the WotC forums was started by someone “grading” their DDI offerings in a report card style. Many followed suit and the page has gained the attention of some WotC-folk and the thread continues to grow. I give out my own DDI credit card! Listen up!

Deities Album Kickstarter

A musician by the name of Chris Littler has a kickstarter project up to fund an album called “Deities“, a collection of songs inspired by D&D. Micah and I talk D&D music and kickstarter projects in general. Without giving too much away I’ll say it’s very candid.

Twitter Question

@Supersaijinkyle asks: “I’ve had problems with people drinking too much at RPG sessions, at what point do you ban alcohol at games?”

Listen to find out!

Go And Vote!!!

By the time this podcast goes live, so will the ENnies voting booth! So get over there and vote for us! It’s easy – just markObsidian Portal as 1 in under the Best Website category, fill in the rest of your ballot if you so choose and hit the cast your vote button at the bottom!

Announcements

We’ve been nominated for an ENnie for Best Website, (see above) and we’d love to have your top vote! Also we’ve got some updates regarding our “Tech in RPGs” panel at Gencon – we’ll be joined by Eddy Webb of White Wolf and Brad Talton of Level99 Games. We also have a 3rd guest pending so stay tuned!

Headlines

Kill an NPC! (George R.R. Martin’s Dance of Dragons)

In honor of the latest book (and the Game of Thrones HBO series), we encourage you to get out there and kill some characters. Not necessarily PCs, but take a central NPC and off them. Watch your players’ eyes bug out when the kindly old mentor NPC gets killed by an assassin. Have the PC’s set out to kill a major NPC even, all that matter is that you kill someone! Shake things up!

Google Plus and Gaming

There’s been a lot of talk about Google+ recently, Micah and Myself even managed to make it onto a top 20 list of gamers to follow. We’re definitely flattered about being cast amidst so many people much cooler than us, that’s for certain. However all this talk lately brings about many questions for gamers, “How can we game here?” and lots of other questions about whether G+ will become a useful/relevant gaming resource or not. Listen to our brief discussion and chime in, in the comments section and tell us what YOU think!

Book of Vile Darkness

WotC has announced a 4e rendition of The Book of Vile Darkness. It fits a lot of their thematically dark releases as of late, do you remember the 3e version? We talk about the book and an evil baby slaying NPC!

Twitter Question

@gamercow asks “How would you deal with joining an existing high level group as an outsider?”

Listen to find out!

Announcements

The campaign calendar has gotten some updates, including a much smoother creating and editing process as well as improved notifications and updates. It also has been tweaked for better web calendar integration and more. Micah gives us the low down!

Headlines

Beyond The Stat Block

We discuss a community effort to put a splash of flavor into 4e D&D’s otherwise very mechanical monster stat blocks. A website called “Beyond The Stat Block” is attempting to change all of that by crowdsourcing flavor text for monster abilities. Is it going to work out? Listen up and check it out.

Crapping On Your Freelance Writing Dreams

Recently Robert Schwalb (Freelancer to WotC, Green Ronin, many others) basically laid out his personal experiences in the freelancing industry entitled “Crapping On Your Dream: Freelancing 101” with a very sobering stance on what it is like from the inside. We discuss in-depth.

The Death of Fourthcore

Something very near and dear to me (Jerry) has come to an end, Micah allows me to lament and further explain the expiration of the Fourthcore D&D movement. Please also see the original post detailing its demise as well as the follow up, which provides a much more in-depth explanation as well as an announcement for the future of the genre, it’s fans and contributors. If you’re not sure what fourthcore was, enlighten yourself!

Twitter Question

@Raddu76 asks “How do you manage combat? Online tools like power2ool or incombat4e?” Listen to find out!

That’s a Wrap!

We hope you’re enjoying the podcast so far. You can now add Haste to your feed via Feedburner for maximum ease, and also don’t forget to rate us on iTunes. Enjoy!

Announcements

We’ve just returned from origins, be sure to check our facebook page for some photos from the convention and also drop by the blog to submit your caption for July’s caption contest! The blog also has some great product reviews on it lately so be sure to check them out as well!

Headlines

New Iron Kingdoms RPG coming in 2012

Privateer Press have announced they are creating an entirely new Iron Kingdoms RPG that will be released during Gencon 2012. The system will be proprietary unlike the last iteration and it will be set within their awesome universe that blends both steel and magic into something worth gushing about!

Gary Gygax Memorial Site Approved

The Gary Gygax memorial has finally received a green light and has been approved for space inside Donian Park in Gary’s hometown of Lake Geneva, WI. We discuss what is perhaps a nod towards Gary and D&D itself within the commissioners statements and we each our propose our ideal “Gygax Memorial”.

Rob Donoghue’s Underpants Gnome Adventure Design

Rob Donoghue of Evil Hat recently posted about the underpants gnome theory of adventure design, it’s a great short read and gives us a lot to think and talk about regarding building our worlds and avoiding rigid plot arcs.

Twitter Question

@RenaissanceDork asks: “Do you see the future of table-top games trending towards the virtual table-top? Or will there still be a want for face-to-face?”

Listen to discover perhaps a very surprising set of answers from folks who are involved in sailing the ship that is Obsidian Portal!

Now With 100% More Subscribability!

We hope you’re enjoying the podcast so far. You can now add Haste to your feed via Feedburner for maximum ease, and also don’t forget to rate us on iTunes. Enjoy!

Announcements

The d20Monkey caption contest for may has a winner! Be sure to check out d20Monkey for the fully captioned goodness and keep your eyes on your inbox for another one very soon! Also the mobile site is live so if you use a smart phone or a tablet on a regular basis be sure to check it out and give us some feedback.

Headlines

Open Design with Ben McFarland

Last week we spoke a bit about the open design patronage model over at Kobold Quarterly. This week we’re visited by Ben McFarland who is a veteran of the model and is here to set us straight about what it is, and what it isn’t.

Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classics

So last week there was some talk about Goodman Games’ Dungeon Crawl Classics beta rules. They were released free to the public and caused quite a stink across various venues of RPG communication. What’s all the fuss about? Listen as we discuss how it came off and talk about our own personal opinions of the release. Download them yourself to form your own opinion, or if you just love free stuff!

Twitter Question

@SupersaijinKyle asks: ” If every D&D and fantasy RPG was removed from the planet tomorrow, what RPG or genre would you pick up instead?”

Listen to discover our grim preferences in non fantasy RPG’s!

Don’t Forget To Subscribe!

We hope you’re enjoying the podcast so far, and remember that you can now add Haste to your feed via Feedburner and subscribe iTunes. Don’t forget to give us 5 stars, Enjoy!

Announcements

It’s been officially confirmed that Dave Chalker will be joining us for our wiki panel at GenCon this year. Also I (Jerry) will be attending Origins on the 23 & 24th this year so if you’re going be sure to find me and we’ll talk wiki’s and you might even walk away with some nice Obsidian Portal schwag!

Headlines

Obsidian Portal Mobile Site

No, we’re not building an smartphone app, but we are launching our mobile friendly version of the site! Micah talks about building the mobile site and what you can expect, should be launched right around the time you hear this podcast. The mobile site is for all OP users, Ascendant and non!

RPG Chatrooms & Twitter Discussion

Twitter, Facebook, Forums, Blogs. If you don’t have enough ways to chat with people about RPG’s, D&D and other tabletop geekery as is – we’re going to give you some more! We discuss the new “4eDnD” irc chat channel run by Gamefiend of the At-Will blog, as well as the #RPGchat hashtag on twitter.

Lost City Release

Logan Bonner has just released the Lost City adventure via Kobold Quarterly’s open design model. Micah and I discuss the open design patronage model briefly, only after Micah explains that the first time he met Logan they had to sleep in the same bed together! The Lost City adventure is a paragon tier sandbox adventure for 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons that runs about $10, definitely check it out if you get a chance!

Twitter Question

@RenaissanceDork asks: “When world-building, do you build first and fit the characters in, or build a world around the characters as you go?”

Listen to to find out!

Really hope you’re enjoying the podcast so far, this episode has been our clearest yet and also allowed me to finally flex some audio editing muscle. Thanks for all of the great feedback so far everyone, and keep it coming! Don’t forget you can now add Haste to your feed via Feedburner and subscribe & rate us on iTunes!

OP Newsbite: There’s a good chance that Dave Chalker (critical-hits.com) will be joining our Wiki panel at GenCon this year as long as his schedule allows, so be sure to pester him about it and tell him his schedule is open!

UPDATE: Dave has confirmed that he will be attending our panel! He will be speaking alongside us and taking questions from the audience as well. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

Headlines

Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale

The new (and first) 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons video game “Daggerdale” has been getting a lot of Lukewarm reviews, I give my thoughts and we openly discuss the tabletop-to-videogame conversion idea as a whole.

The RPG Bloggers Alliance

Popular RPG blog Stargazer’s World has recently announced the formation of a new community entitled the RPG Bloggers Alliance (RPGBA). Keep in mind this is not to be confused with the RPGBN, which for lack of better words has seemed to diminish in activity/engagement in the past few years. Micah and I discuss what this may or may not mean for the RPG blogger community with our hopes held high.

Dungeon Moms & Dads

It seems like playing RPGs with kids is always a hot topic. Whether it’s a heated debate or light hearted chatter, we discuss the ladder of the two with a recent article on Boing Boing entitled “Tips for Dungeonmaster Mommies & Daddies” as our jumping off point. We go on to discuss personal strategies, experiences and give some tips. We also touch on video games influencing the imaginations of young ones as well as a pretty spot on ice cream analogy from Micah. Yes you read that correctly – ice cream, it makes perfect sense.

Twitter Question

@Starmitehokie asks: “What are some creative ways you’ve had your adventurer’s meet each other?”

Listen to to find out!

Wrapup

We hope you’re enjoying the podcast so far and working to make the audio more crisp and clear with each episode! You can now add Haste to your feed via Feedburner for maximum ease, and also don’t forget to rate us on iTunes. Enjoy!

Announcements

A little PSA before the headlines, Obsidian Portal is getting prepped and ready for GenCon this year with our first ever set of seminars and more that’s yet to be revealed! Stay tuned to our Official GenCon 11′ blog post for up to the minute developments of all our GenCon attractions!

Headlines

Pathfinder “Beginner Box” Coming Soon

Paizo has announced an introductory product for their Pathfinder RPG with the upcoming Pathfinder Beginner Box which should serve as a great introduction to the game. It comes packed with a bunch of good stuff, one of Paizo’s famous flip maps, tokens, books and everything else you need to get started playing their award winning RPG!

DriveThruRPG Contest – Describe your character, win a tablet!

DTRPG is holding a contest to describe your favorite character. The winner gets a tablet PC! There are some pretty famous judges involved in the contest and the contest runs until Friday, June 3rd so hurry up and get your entries in for a chance to win! Imagine having a nice tablet at your gaming table to pass around and have everyone update their stuff on Obsidian Portal!

Paizo Announces Pre-Painted Miniatures

Paizo Publishing has announced an official Pathfinder pre-painted miniatures line in partner with WizKids, (Mage Knight, Hero Clix). The set will be non random and contain miniatures to compliment their upcoming Beginner Box mentioned earlier in the podcast. Micah and I weigh in on miniatures in general, randomization and more!

User Question, Answered!

@BrentNewhall from twitter asks “What one thing can be done with OP that’s very hard to do/impossible without it?”

Listen to the podcast to hear our answers! Also, be sure to rate us 5 stars on iTunes and keep tuning in every week for the latest and greatest in the RPG industry. Follow us on Twitter and fan us on Facebook for daily updates and discussion!

On a personal note, please bear with us (Micah & I) as we get through our first steps as podcasters, we are aware there is a slight hiss and some volume leveling issues at times and are working diligently to use a more articulate method for recording. The upcoming episode 2 for next week should sound considerably more professional. Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Haste!

Obsidian Portal is experimenting with running a podcast, and this is our first episode. We call it Haste because we know you are all busy people and don’t have time to listen to a group of podcasters drone on and on. The goal of the show is to get you some of the latest news in the RPG industry and get you on your way.

Listen now! Intro: Mombasa – Hans Zimmer
Outro: Black Electric- AFI

The format is as follows:

Headlines – A quick discussion of a few things going on in the RPG industry or blogosphere. We won’t bore you to death, just give you a taste and a link in the show notes.

Listener Question – We’ll take one of your questions and answer it. We love questions about Obsidian Portal specifically, but we like talking about RPGs in general, too.

That’s it! An entire podcast in less time than it takes to get set up for combat.

Send us your ideas!

If you have a question or a tip, tweet it to us, drop a comment, or email Jerry. Tell us what’s going on in the RPG world so we can tell everyone else.

Headlines Summary

Twitter Poll: RP Gender Bending

Jerry and his wife recently joined a new gaming group, where they ran into something that was pretty new to them – a guy RP’ing a female character. Curious as to see just how common or uncommon this might actually be, he ran a poll on Twitter to try and get a feel for just exactly how often people actually did play characters of the opposite sex.

The mixed bag of responses gave us no solid answers but it seemed about 1/3 of people said it was commonplace at their tables, where as another 1/3 of answers said it was rather uncommon. A handful of folks said it was either a 50/50 chance or completely rare and awkward for them. We decided to weigh in with some anecdotal experiences and general advice on the topic. While discussing this, Jerry mentioned an article he’d read earlier in the day that pertained to the topic of treading cautiously when RP’ing the opposite sex, especially in the presence of gamers who’s gender you might be portraying through said role play.

Related Article: Player Alignment Shift: Being Chaotic Good At The Gaming Table by @GeekyLyndsay of DragonChow Dice Bags

Fourthcore

Jerry has been working with Sersa V and a handful of other dedicated folks for a while now, carving a new niche in the D&D scene called “Fourthcore“. Sersa V, being the father of this 4th edition D&D sub-genre, is heading up their 2 newest projects: the “Fourthcore Armory” supplement and “Saturday Night Delves #2″ release entitled “Fane of the Heresiarch“.

“Fane of the Heresiarch” is the second in the series of Saturday Night Delves – a series of 1 shot dungeon crawls complete with pregenerated characters, maps, handouts, cards and more. The goal of Saturday Night Delves (and the Fourthcore genre as a whole) is to provide a thrilling, evocative, over the top, high risk – high reward experiences within the 4th edtion Dungeons and Dragons rulset. Fourthcore games involve meta elements like puzzle solving and riddles, coupled with devestating tricks, traps and indomitable foes.

The Fourthcore Armory supplement is a book full of extraordinary weapons, items and other rewards DM’s can use to reward PC’s with over the top loot for their courageous efforts and survival within the fourthcore playscape. The cover and item illustrations are all exquisitely drawn by Brian Patterson of d20Monkey. You can pick it up for free this Saturday, May 21st at www.SaveVersusDeath.com.

Loot!

Ed Healy of the Gamerati has a new project out called Loot! It’s a daily deal similar to Woot! or Groupon – only it’s aimed directly at the hearts and penny pinching wallets of gamers! The premise is pretty simple: Every day, they have a new deal for something gaming related at a massive discount. Discounts only come by once though so be sure to keep your eyes peeled, bookmark the site or sign up for the daily email notifications to make sure you don’t miss out on some awesome gaming deals!

Listener Question

@RichtheFatality asks: “What was your inspiration to start the site and did you expect it to take off as well as it has?”

Listen to the podcast to hear the answer!