Gaming and BS RPG Podcast

Chasing the Spotlight Apr 18, 2023

Brett and Sean meetup during a Saturday LIVE stream to catch up and talk about spotlight hogging, or rather chasing the spotlight.

Join Sean every Saturday at 8am CT LIVE on Youtube

https://youtube.com/how2rpg

Stay in touch with the community, join the Discord.

http://gamingandbs.com/discord

Buy Brett's The Streets of Avalon rpg setting

https://bit.ly/streets_avalon

Surprise 2023 Jan 13, 2023

Streaming on a Saturday morning, the boys got together to talk about some stuff.

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Join Sean on Saturdays at 8am CT: http://how2rpg.com

Discord: http://gamingandbs.com/discord

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seanpkelley

Announcement: BSer Con 2 Nov 19, 2022

BSer Con 2: Electric Boogaloo is happening!

Back by popular demand, we will be holding our virtual online #ttrpg convention in January 2023. Event submission and badge registration is open now. Head over to http://gamingandbs.com/bsercon for badges, dates, and more!

Until We Meet Again Jun 30, 2022

The final episode of the show, we chose to do an AMA format. Thank you for all the questions. Special thanks to John for keeping us on the mics for just a little longer. Thank you to all the BSers! This one is dedicated to you. Random Encounter Voicemail from Jason Hobbs Mirko the Digitalhobbit...

What Have We Learned Jun 15, 2022

We look back and reflect upon things we’ve learned over the last 7+ years. Random Encounter Chris Shorb calls in about Are They Lying? Email from my friend Chris D. Follow up email from Roger Brasslett about hanging it up Audio from Harrigan, friend and moderator of our Discord Die Roll Dwarven Fiasco Covenstead: A...

Are They Lying? Jun 01, 2022

How the hell do you deal with lying in your rpgs? Lying NPCs that is, or lying PCs perhaps – not talking about out of game lying (e.g. “I swear it was Sean that took the last beer!”), but lying in your games. Announcements First episode of GM Mastermind dropped today. Go subscribe Random Encounter...

GBS Finale Trailer May 12, 2022

Gaming and BS trailer leading up to the final episode – #384. Submit your questions for the AMA: https://gamingandbs.com/ama Join us LIVE on June 27th at 8pm CT/1am GMT

RPG Starter Sets May 11, 2022

Is getting a rpg starter set worth purchasing or should you go straight to the core book? Announcements Thank you carlclare for the kind review GM Mastermind! Random Encounter Matt aka mgr comments on the last episode Duet Gaming Forrest comments on Duet Gaming Die Roll Trailhead from Discord: 150 Toothless Skulls in Mexico, Ancient...

Duet RPG Play Apr 26, 2022

Duet gaming, or one game master and one player. Announcements End is near. After 7+ years and what will be 384+ episodes of the show, B and I have decided to retire. Random Encounter DM Cojo voicemail on save or die Die Roll Caught in the Backrooms – a little something by our friend Chad...

Brett GMs, Sean Player Apr 24, 2022

Brett assumes the role as game master as Sean plays two characters in this short adventure. Only this time Brett talks about the decisions he makes and why, and he does it in real-time. Subscribe on iOS or Android so you don’t miss our next episode where we have a big news to share....

Vaesen, An Overview Apr 02, 2022

Vaesen, a nordic horror rpg by Free League Publishing. You will find out why we like this rendition of a curated role-playing game. Fancy talk for what we’re about to divulge. Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb Voicemail from Todd Crapper of Broken Ruler Games Jim F. emails about ep 377 using lore and setting...

Using Lore and Setting to Solve Issues Mar 19, 2022

If you want the Players to engage with your lore/setting/cool stuff – you need to make that stuff part of the solution to their problems. The lore must be relevant to the adventure. If they can solve everything with their character sheet, they don’t need your setting. Unless the player(s) really like learning your lore,...

Story and Drama Mar 04, 2022

Of all of the things that we steal from other art forms (e.g. movies, novels, TV, etc.) for our games, one of the things that would be most helpful would be to understand story structure, drama, and pacing. Developing and tuning our senses for these things will help us not only as GMs, but also...

Motivation, Believability, Immersion Feb 20, 2022

We talk about making a setting/world believable for us/our players – helping to keep the verisimilitude working. But do we know what we need/want? I mean, what does it take for us to believe? What about the other players in the game? Perhaps we need to provide different things to different players to help them?...

RPG, The Rough Draft Jan 28, 2022

One of the things we like to compare RPGs to is to novels, screenplays, etc. One of the things that we need to really understand and appreciate about this is that those products are HEAVILY edited, managed, and modified before they come to us. When we create an rpg adventure, campaign, or even a simple...

X-over Third Floor Wars Jan 14, 2022

A special crossover episode. This week we feature an episode from Craig Shipman’s podcast Third Floor Wars. In this episode Craig interviews Sage LaTorra, co-creator of Dungeon World. Enjoy. Find more Third Floor Wars: Website: https://thirdfloorwars.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThirdFloorWars Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thirdfloorwars Subscribe on iOS or Android so you don’t miss our next episode. GamingandBS.com/Discord GamingandBS.com/Forums GamingandBS.com/Games...

Rival Adventuring Party Jan 08, 2022

Rival adventuring party in your role-playing game, do you use them? How do you use them? It is obvious to the players they are a rival group? Announcements BSer Con event registration opens Jan 10 at noon CT Random Encounter Voicemail from Old School DM Warden sounds off on last episode DnD Success with a...

Random Encounter – 5e Success with Setback Dec 30, 2021

An extended Random Encounter segment as we talk more about 5e success and failure. Announcements Change in release schedule Intro the show – sign up BSer Con Evercon – website Arcadia – website Random Encounter Stephen Dragonspawn phones in a couple – bad dice Edwin emails us about Bad Dice Old School DM comments on...

Multiple NPC’s in the Same Scene Dec 23, 2021

Multiple NPC’s in the same scene can cause the game master to have a conversation with themselves. The players will want to know who is who. Thanks Edwin Nagy for inspiration on this one. Announcements BSer Con – submit your events. Event submission closes Jan 3rd. https://gamingandbs.com/bsercon Random Encounter Eric J comments on Good Dice...

When Good Dice Go Bad Dec 16, 2021

What do we do when the dice turn on us? How to have fun even if the randomizer of choice fails us. Announcements BSer Con – event submission closes Jan 3, 2022 Introsignup Die Roll The Wachterhaus Crypt, dnd5e adventure. Expands on events from St. Andral’s Feast in Curse of Strahd on DMs Guild ...

Confusion Ignorance Discovery Dec 11, 2021

One of the things that can be very frustrating for our players is when they feel confused or ignorant. Sometimes though, being ignorant and working towards clarity is pretty necessary for the game to work. Announcements BSer Con – submit your events. Random Encounter Rory comments on episode 368 Hack Job or No Voicemail from...

RPG Hack Job or No Dec 03, 2021

Do we only want a solid core mechanic and then we lean on outside skills or ideas? In short, how much do we like to tinker/develop mechanics ourselves? We talk about the RPG hack job. Announcements BSer Con – Submit your events! Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb Voicemail from DM Cojo Edwin Nagy writes...

Choose, RPG Setting or System Nov 24, 2021

What makes us interested in a tabletop rpg? Is it the role-playing game setting(s), or is it the rpg system? Announcements BSer Con Random Encounter Gabe comments on ep 366 handling multiple expectations at the table Davy W writes in Laramie comments on Limiting PC Creation Options for Sake of Tone LordBob comments on Limiting...

Multiple Expectations at the RPG Table Nov 12, 2021

What happens when you have more than one set of expectations/desires at the table? Have one person who doesn’t care if their PC dies early or often, another never wants to die, another wants to just have combat encounters, someone else only wants to role-play…. Announcements BSer Con badge registration and event submission open now...

Limiting PC Options to Preserve Tone Nov 05, 2021

Maintaining tone in a #ttrpg is one of the hardest things to maintain – Sometimes creating limits to player character generation options can help enforce and maintain this through the campaign. Announcements BSer Con – submit your events. Random Encounter Matt Bohnhoff emails us on The End is Near Voice mail from Chris Shorb Die...

Save or Die! Oct 29, 2021

Brett is running some AD&D and one of the features (bugs?) in this game is the Save or Die situation. Some folks hate this and others enjoy it. Where are we? Announcements BSer Con is underway with registration and event submission!! Head to gamingandbs.com/bsercon . It’s virtual/online Jan 28-30, 2022. Random Encounter Jim, inspiration for...

How Do We Organize as GM’s Oct 21, 2021

How are Sean and Brett organizing their GM stuff? campaigns, sessions, etc. Anything not working? How much is a matter of having to use the tools and use the tools (practice)? Thanks to patron Jim I. for the inspiration! Announcements IntroSignUp – Thank you Angus, check out Kirby’s Kids Podcast: https://bit.ly/3Gjv6My Project BS: Delta Green...

The End is Near Oct 08, 2021

What are the Up and Down sides to knowing when a campaign is going to end? “Well… this is the last session so…” “We only have X more sessions” Does any of this impact how we plan, play, run? Announcements Project BS Random Encounter Bob L. writes in on episode 361 and Brett’s Dungeon E...

End Goal in Mind Sep 30, 2021

Location Encounters are sometimes a bit of a special beast. How in-depth do we make them? How big? How much time does that party want to spend here? How many game sessions are we ready have in this location? Sean and I got to talking about building and using dungeons and other such locations where...

No Right Answer Sep 23, 2021

One of the key things that make a TTRPG a TTRPG is that there is no “Right Answer” for nearly everything. By that I mean – when you have any encounter, there are quite nearly unlimited options for how you will solve it. No two groups will play through the same adventure the same way....

Don’t Tell Me What Play Sep 18, 2021

How do we nicely discuss the topic of “you should play X game instead of Y game” so that we don’t come across as snobbish assholes? “I want to play X type of game with Y system” is often met with, “Then you shouldn’t play that system, you need this better system.” Announcements Project BS:...

You Meet in a Tavern Sep 11, 2021

It’s a classic rpg trope. You all meet in a tavern, but it doesn’t have to be boring or the same every time you use it. Besides, there are other ways to bring your role-playing game party of characters together. Announcements Project BS: The Delta Green Experiment Sign up for some games Random Encounter Harrigan...

Always Be Prepping Sep 03, 2021

Always be prepping rpg’s. Many people don’t think Brett does any prep for his games, but that’s not necessarily true. Announcements Delta Green Experiment – we’ve chosen Hourglass (print / pdf) as our adventure. Next phase: Pick the dates and times for the game Gameholecon.com Random Encounter Chris Shorb leaves voicemail on dedication vs serious....

Picture This Aug 27, 2021

Using an image to portray the scene. Montage boards, throwing a picture down on the table or simply describing it to the players. Announcements Project BS: The Delta Green Experiment Third Floor Wars hosts Streets of Avalon game with Brett. Friday, Aug 27th at 8pm CT US Random Encounter David B. emails on homework and commitment...

Player Homework RPG’s Aug 21, 2021

Players in rpg’s don’t read the handouts, or read the GM notes about the setting or home rules, how much homework should they do? Announcements Event registration is under way for Gamehole Con Avalon game – Friday, June 27th at 8pm on Twitch Random Encounter Harrigan, Rory, Vece and FeelinGoodLouis comment on Delta Green Initiative...

BS To Run The Same RPG Aug 12, 2021

Sean and I have been talking about running the same game with the same adventure to see who’s better… actually, just to compare notes on how things are going, talk about how we’re approaching things, and see if we can learn from each other.So, let’s see if we can setting on a system and an...

Dedicated vs Serious RPG’ers Aug 07, 2021

Sean and I take this hobby seriously – more seriously than some other folks do. What happens when there are differences in dedication between folks in a group? Should folks like Sean and I cut some slack to those who don’t take it as seriously/dedicated as we do? Announcements Gamehole Con events – 10 under...

RPG Player Feedback Jul 29, 2021

RPG player feedback is not often considered. It is a little different from giving game masters feedback. We talk about it. Announcements Gamehole Con Random Encounter Stephen Dragonspawn emails us on Retcon Deputy Dragonspawn, of the BSPD I believe that you may have forgotten to mention that players often times have the ability to retcon...

Breaking the Fourth Wall Jul 23, 2021

Getting information to our players and to our GMs can be challenging. We want to do it in character, or as a character. Sometimes it’s just easier to break the 4th wall. Announcements Gamehole Con Random Encounter Timothy Stone calls one in Timothy Stone calls one in Edwin emails us on hex crawls Edwin emails...

RPG Retcon Jul 17, 2021

RPG Retcon, revise. A piece of new information that imposes a different interpretation on previously described events. Announcements Sean submitted a game for Gamehole Con Brett has submitted 3 games for Gamehole! Email sent out. You didn’t get it? Sign up here Edwin Nagy is needing BS’er feedback, go here to provide it Random Encounter...

Pull Mechanics In From Other RPG’s Jul 08, 2021

You appreciate the thing that one rpg does but you prefer to run another game. Why not pull in a mechanic from one system into another? Thanks Cojo for the inspiration. Announcements Sean and Brett submitting games to Gamehole Con Email about to go out. Sign up here Random Encounter Timothy Stone calls in about...

The Thing About RPG Editions Jul 01, 2021

Thing about rpg editions is we look back at older editions and find things familiar, that we miss. Newer editions could bring ingenuity, a certain pragmatism or mechanics that make better sense. Announcements Gamehole Con registration opens July 1st! Random Encounter Email from Ty Email from Ty Hey guys I really love the show. As...

Lessons Learned Running an RPG Jun 28, 2021

Brett wonders what kind of lessons did Sean learn when running one his most recent games. A GM’s journey is never over. Announcements Let’s play! Topic on Discord and Forums. Gamehole Con, come have fun! Random Encounter Sky comments on Discord about episode 345 modifying combats on the fly Sky comments on Discord about episode...

Being a Better TTRPG Player Jun 21, 2021

Being a better ttrpg player, it doesn’t have to always fall to the game master to produce a great gaming experience. Announcements Let’s play! Topic on Discord and Forums. Jim Fitzpatrick will be running a Sign Language game at Gamehole Con 2021! Random Encounter Todd Broken Ruler Games comments on modifying encounters on the fly...

Modifying Combat Encounters on the Fly Jun 10, 2021

You plan a combat encounter, but the party walks through it, or it knocks them down too quickly. We talk about modifying encounters on the fly. Thanks to Eric Salzwedel for the inspiration! Announcements Gamehole Con register an event under Gaming and BS. Official plushie is the Blink Dog! Random Encounter Todd Crapper comments on...

Streaming or Recording Actual Play Jun 07, 2021

Streaming or recording rpg actual play takes a different approach to how might run your game. It all depends on why you want to do it. Announcements Get your events into Gamehole Con. Consider running under GBS banner! Random Encounter Email from Mark Tasaka Email from Mark Tasaka Hi Sean, I would like to wish...

Expecting Too Much from RPG’s May 28, 2021

RPG’s, source of joy, friendship, creativity, and much more. But for some of us they can become an obsession and possibly a crutch. We try and find the perfect game. Are we expecting too much? Announcements Let’s play! Topic on Discord and Forums.Submit events to Gamehole Con under GBS banner Random Encounter Voicemail from Timothy...

Changing the RPG Setting May 20, 2021

Jared Rascher broke Brett’s Avalon cosmology by changing the rpg setting! Why isn’t Brett mad about that? Let’s talk about what Jared did, why it’s pretty cool, and what ideas/lessons we can learn from this. Changing the RPG setting can be done. Make it your game. Will the changes make sense? Does it matter? We...

Overview of Symbaroum by Free League Publishing May 12, 2021

Overview of Symbaroum, the dark, gritty, and deadly tabletop rpg by Free League Publishing. We briefly touch on the mechanics and the setting. Announcements Let’s play! Want to try a new game, or play with other members of the BS community? Forbidden Lands – Year Zero Engine on How2RPG youtube channel Random Encounter Jared Rascher...

The Game Master Saying No May 06, 2021

A game master can say no when running a tabletop rpg. It doesn’t always have to be ‘yes and’ or ‘no but’. For the sanctity of the game! Announcements Let’s play! Topic on Discord and Forums. Gamehole Con even submission opened May 1st. Third Floor Wars runs Brett and Sean through Blades in the Dark,...

Horror, Tension, Suspense Apr 29, 2021

Games with horror, tension and suspense are not always easy to run, or play. Setting the tone of these games is not always that easy given that many of us play games outside the genre and for fun. Whereas these games may need a level of seriousness in order to ‘get it right’. Announcements GameholeCon...

The Game Group Apr 23, 2021

The rpg game group, dynamics can make or break your game – be it one shot or long-term campaign. Casual conversation on game groups. ad: The Streets of Avalon Random Encounter Beerleaguer comments on Beyond Your Table Beerleaguer comments on Beyond Your Table Sean and Brett: First off, big thanks for the Podcast and the...

Beyond Your Table Apr 15, 2021

Implementing something new into your home group’s role-playing game may be different than incorporating it into a game somewhere else. Announcements Let’s play! Topic on Discord and Forums. Sean is playing Mork Borg Saturday, April 17th – 9am CT gamingandbs.com/twitch Gamehole Con – start thinking of games you want to run Random Encounter Welcome first...

POWER of the MOOK Apr 08, 2021

Power of the mook in rpg’s. They can be cannon fodder, but let us get creative in how we use mooks in our games. Announcements Gamehole Con – let us know if you’re willing to run a game under our banner. We’ll ensure your game is full, and maybe a token of appreciation. Random Encounter...

World of Darkness Apr 01, 2021

World of Darkness, a tabletop rpg that Brett ran for 15 years. He talks about the setting, the mechanics and why it appeals to some gamers. Announcements Gamehole Con, housing options opens April 1, 2021 Brett’s interview on Third Floor Wars podcast Random Encounter Mark ‘official BS archivist’ Dawson on Why all the Hate Mark ‘official BS...

Why All the Hate, Sean? Mar 25, 2021

Why does Sean hate D&D 5th edition? There has to be a reason for this. Maybe it’s the skills, classes or races. Does he really hate it? Announcements Gamehole Con has ordered posters and plans an in-person convention this fall. Random Encounter Akodoken comments on RPG’s that Influenced Our Play Akodoken comments on RPG’s that...

RPG’s That Changed Our Play Mar 18, 2021

You play D&D, but then you come across that one rpg, or two, or three, that really changes how you play or run a role-playing game. Thanks to Blake Ryan for the inspiration. Random Encounter Tom comments on RPG PURGE Tom comments on RPG PURGE I’ve done this twice. Once when I realized my RPG...

RPG PURGE Mar 12, 2021

The mighty rpg purge. How do you determine what to keep and what to unload? Sometimes it’s easy to decide. Simply look at the role-playing games you haven’t played in a while or have lost it’s luster, sell, trade or donate them. Do you ever have regrets on getting rid of that rpg? Why do...

RPG TOURIST Mar 05, 2021

You are about to play a supers game, but aren’t into comics of movies. That’s just an example. Do you do anything special when you’re about to play in a genre or system unfamiliar to you? Thanks to Jim Fitzpatrick for the topic! Announcements Let’s play! Topic on Discord and Forums. Visit gamingandbs.com/games Arcadia Magazine...

Moving Past the Example in RPG’s Feb 25, 2021

A rpg player gets stuck. GM says “you could do…” The player now hangs on to GM’s example. How do you get the player to move past the example? Announcements Find a game, run a game. Link Brett was a guest on Craig Shipman’s “THIRD FLOOR WARS – Tabletop Talk” – due out in April/May...

Inject Homewbrew into Prepublished Adventures Feb 18, 2021

Using prepublished adventures are handy, but may not facilitate the character development you seek. But you can inject homebrew elements into your prepublished module and make it your own. Announcements Gaming Moot and Roundtable help you find a new game to play and meet other BS’ers. Link. Brett will be a guest on Craig Shipman’s...

Slow Burn vs Hot Start in RPG’s Feb 13, 2021

Slow burn lay out everything up front. Hot start or in media res, getting right into the action. Opening an rpg with either has its benefits. Random Encounter The Warden comments on Deploying Lore The Warden comments on Deploying Lore There are typically two approaches I like to use when it comes to providing setting...

BBS021 Forbidden Lands with Phil Vecchione Feb 06, 2021

Forbidden Lands is a tabletop RPG by Free League Publishing. Sean is about to run a short campaign and taps Phil Vecchione to provide some insight. Phil has been running Forbidden Lands for over a year and the original player characters are still alive. Phil Vecchione is no stranger to Gaming and BS. He’s been...

Plot Coupons Feb 06, 2021

Right? Plot coupon, where you have to go around and collect a plot point from NPC’s before you can move to the next step in an rpg scenario. It’s one of Brett’s favorite things to do in tabletop role-playing game! Random Encounter Voicemail from Kyle on Deploying Lore Voicemail from Kyle on Deploying Lore Email...

Not So Supers Jan 28, 2021

Sean is not a fan of supers rpg’s. Brett is not a fan of the hex crawl. We ask ourselves why and would there be any way to open up our minds.
Random Encounter
- Voicemail from Craig Shipment, and an offer!
- Voicemail from Kyle
- DM Cojo on Playing Pretend
- Deploy the love... email from Stephen Dragonspawn
- Matt H. on pre-written adventures vs homebrew
Die Roll
- Craig’s Youtube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYOGZIpC-07NtWr-xBm8zm9aV3oA4HPM7
- Akodoken’s product – https://adventureaweek.com/shop/5th-edition/5e-fantasy-grounds/5e-mini-dungeon-157-hadrims-maze-2/
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Ways to Deploy Lore Jan 14, 2021

Conveying rpg lore to your players. You can give them the mongo journal you created, but there may be other ways to deploy lore in your tabletop rpg. Thanks to Billarnold on the forums for the inspiration on this one. Random Encounter DM Matt emails us on Brett using different ability for skill checks DM...

Playing Pretend Jan 09, 2021

Playing pretend allowed us to be a cop or robber or doctor or superhero when were kids. Now we play role-playing games and sometimes forget we’re taking on a role. Lets go back and play pretend! Random Encounter Voicemail from DM Cojo Voicemail from DM Cojo Voicemail from Chris Shorb Voicemail from Chris Shorb Email...

Spot Hidden, Perception, Notice Jan 01, 2021

Spott hidden in Call of Cthuhlu, perception in Dungeons and Dragons, maybe it’s notice in other games. Some game masters will find these skills to be a royal pain in the ass. You tell the player that they need to roll the skill to see or hear something. What if they fail the check, and the failure brings the...

Team Spirit Dec 25, 2020

Team spirit, yes we have it, how bout you? Is Dungeons and Dragons a team game? Certainly it is a collaborative rpg. You need to rely on different class abilities in order to overcome obstacles and have your character survive. Little argument there, but what about being an actual team game, with mechanics, or incentives,...

Codified Rules in RPG’s Dec 12, 2020

Some tabletop role-playing games can have a LOT of rules and mechanics. We can often use them or not. Pick what you want, leave what you don’t. But! There may be advantages to codifying rules for your rpg. Announcements New Avalon product on DTRPG – Avalon Trinkets Exploring Eberron giveaway, enter your email here: https://gamingandbs.com/explore-eberron ...

Healing in Table-top RPG’s Dec 03, 2020

Every PC hurts, sometimes. Healing in table-top role-playing games. You can use spells, scrolls, potions, but then there’s the long and short rests. A combat lasts 2-3 minutes. The party is wasted. You hear it come from the players, “we rest!” Are there other ways to handle the 5 minute work day of an adventurer?...

Some Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Nov 27, 2020

Brett throws some Advanced Dungeons & Dragons at his home group and realizes how it is turning his game into something different. This isn’t to talk about the rules of AD&D, but to offer insight into how the game provides a different experience for his game group and how Brett runs the fantasy rpg. Announcements Giving a...

Audio in Tabletop Role-playing Games Nov 13, 2020

Audio in tabletop role-playing games can certainly help with immersion. You can use looping music for background ambiance, or you can use sound effects for things occurring within your game, examples include the crackle of a fire place, sounds of laser guns, battle noises with swords clanging and much more. Does it ever become too...

Game Master Screen Today Nov 06, 2020

Game master screens, we talked about them in the past. Do we use a GM screen or do we not? But times have changed as we start to do more gaming via online – Zoom, Discord, Skype…has the purpose of the GM screen changed with the times? Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb on GM...

Game Master Is Not A Player Oct 29, 2020

Of course the game master is considered a player in a traditional tabletop role-playing game. They just have a different role with different duties and responsibilities. Seriously, being the game master is no joke. You schedule games, maintain order at the table, paint the picture, become well-versed in the rules, create or present the setting....

Cursed Items Oct 22, 2020

Cursed items in tabletop role-playing games can make for some pretty shitty situations for player characters. “OH! Yeah, you’re always at minus two to hit.” That can suck. However, there are other ways to make cursed items quirky, fun, laughable yet not too obnoxious. Thanks Ahzad for the inspiration! Announcements Virtual Gamehole Con event registration...

Losing in RPG’s Oct 16, 2020

Losing in RPG’s, some say it’s not a thing. But aren’t there times when we feel like we lose in tabletop role-playing games? Announcements Virtual Gamehole Con event registration and badges available now. Random Encounter Feedback from the forums on Changing How You GM Idahogamer Great episode gentleman! I enjoyed hearing the ideas on how...

Changing How You Game Master Oct 08, 2020

An introspective episode on how Sean wants to become a better game master. Maybe you’ve considered making a change. What would lead you to change how you game master? What things do you want to eliminate from your style? What aspects would you want to start incorporating more into your role-playing games? Do you have...

Game Mastering on the Fly Oct 03, 2020

Game mastering a role-playing game on the fly is not easy. Familiarity, practice and some brief quiet time certainly helps. Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb Voicemail from Chris Shorb Matt V. comments on GM’ing for Money Matt V. comments on GM’ing for Money Hey guys, hope life finds you well! Keep meaning to write...

Game Mastering for Money Sep 23, 2020

Game mastering for money. Turning your passion for roleplaying games into a profession. How much to charge. What to expect. Thanks to Dayminkaynin for posting it on our forums. Random Encounter Todd Crapper of Broken Ruler Games sends in a voicemail on Descriptions on Demand Todd Crapper of Broken Ruler Games sends in a voicemail...

TRUST Sep 19, 2020

We spend a lot of time talking about dealing with different issues, problems, players, and styles at the rpg table, but we don’t often talk about Trust. How important is it for the group? Let’s talk about it. Announcements Virtual Gamehole Con event registration and badges available now. Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb Voicemail...

Easy Wins in RPG’s Sep 10, 2020

Easy wins are not about killing the big bad. But we do spend a lot of time talking about “The Big Bad” in our games, helping to make those encounters/fights/etc the best they can be. But, how much value do we put on those easy or quick wins in our games? Those times the party...

Descriptions on Demand in RPG’s Sep 04, 2020

Descriptions on Demand in tabletop rpg’s. We’re not always comfortable, especially in a new game, when the GM gives us the talking stick and asks us to make something up on the spot about their game world. Here’s an article that references this approach: https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/44891/roleplaying-games/gm-dont-list-11-description-on-demand So… what do we think about this? From Roger Brasslett...

Making Thieves Interesting Aug 29, 2020

Making thieves in tabletop rpg’s more interesting is going beyond just picking pockets and opening locks. Inspired from a post from Grotonomu. Announcements Virtual Gamehole Con event registration and badges available now. Heroes Save Villages, charity game on August 29th at 4pm cdt on Hobbs665 Twitch channel,staring Jason Hobbs (Hobbs and Friends), Kevin Madison (Dungeon...

Brett Takes D&D Survey Aug 22, 2020

Producers of Dungeons and Dragons, Wizards of the Coast, put out a survey to better understand tabletop gamers and their preferences. Sean thinks it would be interesting to have Brett take the survey. If you have not taken the rpg survey, we encourage you to do so, but feel free to answer the questions out loud...

Why Do Player Characters Wander Off Aug 14, 2020

We talk about this all the time, the idea that player characters like to go off the map, make a choice that sends the GM scrambling for what to do – they want to get off the Sean Train and take a tour of the forested hills “Over there, that spot on the map…” Why...

RPG Campaign Talk Aug 07, 2020

You want to run an rpg campaign. Your players roll up characters and you do a few intro adventures but realize you don’t have anything long-term. Setting up an rpg campaign. Thanks to Tom for bringing this up. Announcements Virtual Gamehole Con event registration and badges available now. Delta Green: Music from a Darkened Room...

Dungeon Crawls Jul 31, 2020

Dungeon crawls. Confined spaces for your rpg player characters to adventure through. The concept Brett comes up with doesn’t mean it has to be a dark, dank, underground structure. Announcements Virtual Gamehole Con event registration and badges available now. Delta Green starts July 30th with session zero, tune in on Twitch.tv/gaming_and_bs at 8pm cdt Random...

Monsters as Monsters Jul 15, 2020

Sometimes, it’s ok to have monsters simply be monsters that need to be fought. Not everything the PCs go up against needs to be fraught with moral dilemmas. There are times when we treat monsters as monsters. Announcements Virtual Gamehole Con event registration and badges available now. Sean won an all inclusive copy of Burn...

Build Your Own RPG System Jul 11, 2020

The topic of GM Style has lead Brett down a potentially dangerous path – the poor bastard is thinking of building his own rpg system! *shudder* So, let’s ask ourselves – why the hell would anyone do such a thing? Announcements Chases coming to How 2 RPG please subscribe. Gamehole Virtual Con moves forward for...

Relying on NPC’s Jul 02, 2020

I’ve been thinking about PCs relying too much on NPCs. In a couple games I’ve been running/playing in, it seems like almost every time a question gets asked or a decision has to be made, the PCs say, “What does the NPC think? Does the NPC know the solution?” Basically, the PCs want to follow...

Game Master Style Jun 26, 2020

Game Master’s style, it’s not about whether a game master is good or bad. It’s about the things they do. One GM may be strict rules-as-written, another may go with the flow at the table. We all have our own style. Random Encounter Mike Watkins sends in voicemail about spell components and resources Mike Watkins...

All About Resources Part 2 Jun 20, 2020

Episode 296 it was all about the resources in tabletop rpg’s. We talked about the idea of tracking gear and food and such as a possible way to help make certain adventures/stories fun. Now let’s see if we can come up with some methods for tracking this stuff so it’s not too much work. Random...

BS’ers Are Smarter Than BS Jun 13, 2020

This episode is full of good feedback on previous topics. It proves BS’ers are smarter than BS.

All About the Resources Jun 06, 2020

Ok, I have 3 torches; rations, iron, 2 weeks; 1 waterskin and 20 arrows. We know the ruins are a week’s journey, one way.
Time passes.
Now you are down to 5 arrows, no water, and the bear ate your food, what do you do?
This is a different type of game, but what challenges does it present to players? What now drives the direction? Instead of taking the road, we should probably travel along the river, but we know what lurks near the river…
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Applying Pressure on PC’s, Part 2 May 30, 2020

In episode 294 we talked about applying pressure to the player characters in order to add a sense of tension. We never outlined how to apply pressure and tension. We make an attempt at doing that in this episode. Next Episode Subscribe on iOS or Android so you don’t miss our next episode. GamingandBS.com/Forums GamingandBS.com/Twitch...

Applying Pressure to PC’s May 22, 2020

Walking through the woods and you come across a “insert creature here”. Fight it, win. But what about applying more pressure to pc’s? “You are in a spaceship, the engines are out, there’s a creature making its way down the corridor and you have been poisoned with the antidote three decks below you.” Keep things...

Skill Piling in Tabletop RPG’s May 14, 2020

Skill piling in tabletop rpg’s, the fail and subsequent “I check” from another player, and another, and another. We list examples, determine if it’s a good idea, and whether it apply to all role-playing games. Announcements Event registration for Gamehole Con is live. Nov 5-8th, 2020 Con of Champions, May 23-25, online. Proceeds go to...

Low Fantasy Gaming the RPG May 09, 2020

Low Fantasy Gaming is the title of an actual role-playing game by Pick Pocket Press. We have Jason Hobbs from Hobbs ‘n Friends podcast to provide us some insight to this cool fantasy rpg. Is this an OSR type of game? System only – no setting? The Midlands, Adventure Frameworks Versions of the game (“standard/original” v....

RPG Campaign Not The Same Across Groups May 02, 2020

“This is something I’ve fallen prey to. If you decide to run a campaign for your group that you’ve previously run for another group…be very careful. Your expectations are going to run along with what the previous group did. I can guarantee you the new group will probably go in a direction you never thought...

Weapon Damage Apr 25, 2020

In D&D 5e, what does a shortbow, spear, javelin, trident and hand crossbow all have in common? That’s right, they do the same amount of damage. Why do we, in certain games, have such “detail” of weapon types that all do the same damage? While we start with weapon damage, we get off that a...

Mothership Sci-Fi Horror RPG Apr 18, 2020

Sean has talked about Mothership before, and is/has run a game for some BS’ers so let’s dig into this game and see what we can learn from Sean. Mothership is a tabletop role-playing game of sci-fi horror published by Tuesday Night Games. If you like John Carpenter’s The Thing, or Alien(s) movies, you’ll appreciate Mothership. Announcements Brett running Streets of...

Changes for Playing Tabletop RPG’s Online Apr 11, 2020

We are going to be running some games for Patrons of the show, and lots of folks are running tabletop rpg’s online, so we wanted to talk about some of the behaviors that gamers need to be aware of, and possibly change, to help make these on-line sessions the most fun they can be. Need...

GM’s Making Die Rolls for Players Apr 04, 2020

Sometimes it may be a better idea for the GM to roll some dice for the players – like those time when your ninja is trying to move silently, or your Street Samurai is trying to hear if anything is behind the door, or maybe your wizard is trying to spot the book that has...

Non-combat Encounters in RPG’s Mar 24, 2020

Non-combat encounters in RPG’s… Don’t make encounters about “combat”. What are our thoughts on that? Asks Sky. Create an encounter, it’s up to the players if they make it combat-based…but not always. We also touch on resolving the encounter, typically social in nature. https://forums.gamingandbs.com/t/286-non-combat-encounter-design/524 Announcements Survey to gauge interest in playing online with Brett, Sean...

Ideal Game Group Mar 20, 2020

The ideal game group for role-playing games is more than just the perfect amount of participants. It encompasses a wide array of things like types of players, the games you play, whether you game master or play, whether you have game masters as players. Of course we don’t want bad players at the table, but...

Innovations in RPG Delivery and Presentation Mar 14, 2020

The year? 2020. The tabletop industry at its core is still books, pen, paper, and dice. PDF’s are just electronic versions of role-playing game books. With all the technical advances in today’s modern era, are there different ways of delivering and presenting rpg’s? Announcements Survey to gauge interest in playing online with Brett, Sean and...

Audio in RPG’s Mar 08, 2020

Brett and Sean had a couple people comment on our forums, here, and here, about the use of audio for your rpg. Whether it is a soundtrack that helps paint the scene or if it’s ambient sound that sets mood…we touch on it. Announcements Brett steps down from Evercon Leadership role. Survey to gauge interest...

Practice Playing RPG’s Mar 01, 2020

Sometimes, there’s no shortcut for experience. We talked with Tim D about this a bit when we had him on to talk AS&SH. We need to try and do and keep trying and doing to get good at something. It’s been said you need 10,000 hours to be proficient at a skill. Does this apply...

Player Character Health Feb 23, 2020

We’ve chatted about player character health before, but Brett thought he’d bring it back up as part of the “things I learned” from his Delta Green game around lethality and tracking damage. When a game is lethal it seems to be logical for GMs and Players to want to know exactly what part of a...

Brett’s New Approach To His Upcoming Role-playing Game Feb 16, 2020

Brett is trying something new with his upcoming home game. We start with talking about campaign length but divert to the aforementioned change in Brett’s rpg. Random Encounter Laramie on Folklore Foes Laramie comments on the forums about Folklore Foes COMMENTS!!! I know I for one don’t really care when the show is recorded or...

Folklore Foes Feb 08, 2020

Folklore Foes – how can we use the aspects of folklore monsters/foes to make our encounters new and fresh? Take a creature and give it different immunities and vulnerabilities. Inspired by Zee Bashew’s video on youtube. Random Encounter Josh Wallace writes in his favorite house rule Hail and well met! I’m a bit behind on...

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea Feb 02, 2020

We talk about Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea role-playing game, by Jeffrey Talanian. But we need some help so we enlist our friend, and big fan of the game, Tim Deschene! From Hyperborea.TV: “Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea is sword-and-sorcery role-playing at its pinnacle. Now in its second edition, AS&SH™ has been expanded to...

Backing an RPG Kickstarter Jan 25, 2020

A lot of role-playing gamers have backed a gaming/rpg product on Kickstarter. What products are available? Why do you choose to back a specific rpg Kickstarter project? Thanks to Peter and Alex for the suggestion! Announcements Avalon Adventures on DTRPG Random Encounter Harrigan writes in to clear up GM intrusions Alright, just to set something straight...

Sean Writes In Jan 19, 2020

Sean realizes just how complicated running an RPG encounter can be for anyone, but especially those new to the hobby. This and Random Encounters! Announcements Avalon Adventures on DTRPG #5 Tabletop RPG Talk Podcast of 2019 on EnWorld Random Encounter Sean comments on the forums Check it here. As I was running the group through this...

Books for Game Masters In Your Toolbox Jan 12, 2020

What system neutral GM aids you keep in your toolbox, to help you craft your games and worlds? Do you have any that you find yourself coming back to time and again? Announcements Avalon Adventures on DTRPG Random Encounter Gabe aka Eirvit on our forums commented on about The Next Game The metaphor I devised for...

The Next Game Jan 01, 2020

“The fallacy that ‘the next game’ is the one that will make you happy. It’s nearly identical to the consumer fallacy that the next thing you buy is the thing that will make you happy. Until you ‘fix’ the game you are in and learn how to have fun NOW, the next game is simply...

Consequences in Role-playing Games Dec 26, 2019

Consequences in role-playing games. We talk a lot about how “If the PC or Player does something ‘stupid’ they should pay the price for it’ – but is one way of doing this better than another? Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have more! Grab a copy...

House Rules Part 2 Dec 22, 2019

Last episode (271) we spoke about house rules in rpg’s. We got some pretty good feedback on the topic. Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have more! Grab a copy of IRON SHOES and BLACKSMITH’S FOLLY written by Bart Bochinski Random Encounter George Sedgwick hit us up...

House Rules in Role-playing Games Dec 14, 2019

House or home rules. What games do you implement your house rules? Do they make the game system better. Are there times that a house rule works across different role-playing games? Thanks to Peter Isaacs for the suggestion. Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have more! Avalon...

How Much Role-Playing Game Prep? Dec 03, 2019

Has tabletop role-playing game prep changed for us over the years? If so, why? It depends on the game. Be it a one shot, a campaign or con event, game prep may be different for each. Thanks James for posing the question. Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great...

Team Player or Lone Wolf Nov 29, 2019

PCs Operating as a Team v. as Individuals Some games seem to promote individual play as much as group play – some players seem to thrive/enjoy doing private adventures in and amongst other groups. What are our experiences with this? Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have...

What Do We Want To See Out of New RPGs Nov 16, 2019

We often talk about mechanics, settings, options, and features of an role-playing game system that we like or don’t like, but is there something that we wish was out there that we’ve not found yet? I mean… what’s the next development in gaming that we’re waiting to have someone build? Announcements Evercon.org – some BSer’s...

Learning from a Con and Book Formats Nov 09, 2019

Not a recap of Gamehole Con, but we learned some things. We also talk about book formats in the rpg hobby. This latter piece inspired by Ray Otus. Announcements Thank you to all the BSer’s Evercon.org – some BSer’s are running games at the con, be great to have more! Avalon Random Encounter Trevor Davis...

Now Hold It Right There Oct 31, 2019

Running a role-playing game for young teenagers presents a certain set of challenges. DM Cojo has a voicemail where he shares his observations. “No, Little Johnny, you can’t be a half-orc barbarian. Ok, little Sally, you can’t just fly”…or can you? Announcements Evercon.org – Robert is running Five Torches, DCC, and AS&SH Avalon KS –...

Tracking Player Character Wealth Oct 24, 2019

Tracking wealth, aka the treasure, of player characters, is it needed? How do you do it? “Tired of tracking coins and individual purchases for player characters in role-playing games, I’ve experimented with several other methods that abstract wealth. It’s more a matter of what standard of living the PCs can afford. Anything appropriate to that...

Description Expectations in RPG’s Oct 19, 2019

Descriptions in rpg’s. How to align the way the game master and players exchange information. An example: “I’m looking for any irregularities in the walls, drafts, breaks in the mortar” versus “I search the room”. Thanks to Matt Seiberlich for the topic suggestion. Announcements Evercon.org Random Encounter From Mike H. – looking for advice Jello...

Sub-Optimal Play in RPG’s Oct 13, 2019

Sub-optimal behavior is core to tabletop role-playing games. Matt Colville mentions this in his Running the Game #56 and I figured we should discuss it Random Encounter Jared Rascher comments on Why So Serious? Steve Orlik has an epiphany and character sheets Goblins Henchmen calls in all serious Chris Schorb calls in about strongholds and his...

Brett’s Delta Green Oct 01, 2019

“I started my Delta Green game”, says Brett. Oooh, that sounds fun. What do you have going on? Announcements Evercon.org – Events, T-shirts, and discounted badges Random Encounter Blake Ryan on RPG Character Sheets Jeff Goad replies to Why So Serious? DM Cojo asks how to help a younger player GM for adults Die Roll...

Why So Serious? Sep 28, 2019

RPGs can be taken very, very seriously. Sometimes, we don’t even understand that someone at our table is taking it as seriously as they are. We share our personal perspectives and we touch on whether you can separate the art from the artist! Random Encounter Laramie Wall on RPG Character Sheets Ian writes in about...

RPG Character Sheets Sep 21, 2019

The mighty role-playing game character sheet. It’s at the core of almost every rpg that has been published. There’s the presentation of the character sheet. Some help you understand the game. We talk about them. Announcements Sean put up an unboxing of Masks of Nyarlathotep Gamer Prop Set on Youtube Random Encounter John M writes...

Sean’s Cthulhu Game – 2 Sep 10, 2019

Brett wanted to check in on Sean’s Call of Cthulhu role-playing game as he continues to get players through the greatest rpg campaign ever written, Masks of Nyarlathotep! Announcements Forums! Evercon.org Gameholecon.com Random Encounter Laramie writes in about cheating at the table Al Evans on the forum had interesting story about a cheater Ray Otus...

Genre Blending in Role-Playing Games Sep 07, 2019

Cojo asked us to talk about Genre Blending in role-playing games: “I wanted to get your opinion on blending genres in your gaming… Personally, I am a huge fan of genre mash-ups. I love games that mix genres such as Rifts, Dungeon Crawl Classics, the Spelljammer campaign setting, or Call of Cthulhu. I am also...

Cheating in Role-Playing Games Aug 31, 2019

Cheating in rpg’s, or as Brett puts it “what the f#$% is wrong with some people?” We talk about different ways people have tried to cheat and how you can approach people you know, not suspect, is cheating. Announcements FORUMS! Are here! Go get your username and introduce yourself. Be sure to check your spam...

Art in Role-Playing Games Aug 24, 2019

Art has has such an impact on the rpg hobby. It not only conveys what the game may be about, but it evokes a feeling. It can be space ships, adventurers, discovering treasure, combat, action, and much, much more. It also ties a brand together. Be sure to look at your podcatcher as you listen...

BS’er Feedback aka Random Encounters Aug 14, 2019

We were set to talk about art in role-playing games, but had to call an audible. Sean got shot at, Brett played some games, and we field some great Random Encounters. Announcements Gameholecon.com Evercon.org Avalon KS Update Random Encounter Comment from Jared of House Rascher on Temple of Elemental Evil episode Comment from Joe T....

Temple of Elemental Evil Aug 09, 2019

Brett wants to talk about one of the few modules he actually runs. It’s the Temple of Elemental Evil. A 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons module by Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer. But like many of our shows the topic morphs a bit into module design. Announcements Gameholecon.com Avalon KS Update Random Encounter Old School...

Terrain in Role-Playing Games Aug 01, 2019

From Peter – Tabletop terrain. I’m not sure if you gents have tackled this topic yet. Referring to maps, Dwarven Forge, 3D printing, Hirst Arts and so on. I’m currently creating 3D terrain using Hirst Arts molds. Extremely slow process but very stunning. So…. How do we deal with terrain in our games? Random Encounter...

Vehicles and Mounts in RPGs Jul 27, 2019

Care and feeding as well as combat – how do we use mounts and vehicles in our role-playing games? Announcements Gameholecon.com Random Encounter John drops us a quick comment on Dragonlance MRM1138 comments on Game Master Metagaming Laramie ‘Brick’ Wall comments on a few episodes Judge of House Brandon emails us a topic suggestion Edwin...

Never Prepared Jul 19, 2019

How prepared are you for your games? Hopefully your better prepared than Brett is for this podcast… but let’s say you need to run an rpg, like right now, and you’ve done no prep. How would you do it? Announcements Gameholecon.com Avalon KS Update Random Encounter Blake of House Ryan writes in about Dragonlance Jared...

Dragonlance Jul 11, 2019

Dragonlance, it was an idea by Tracy and Laura Hickman that became a D&D game at TSR. It ultimately went on to be adventure modules, books and even a movie. Announcements Sean’s content on Patreon Random Encounter Jared of House Rascher comments on GM meta Matt of House of Bohnhoff on Metagaming vs Immersion Blake...

Game Master Meta Terms Jul 05, 2019

Metagaming, we covered it. This is more meta terms the game master may use in a game. An example, “That’s a side quest, it’s not part of the main plot.” Announcements Gameholecon.com Evercon.org – 20th Anniversary! AwesomeDice.com final giveaway Winner for June is Peter. Avalon KS – Hard copy process update: waiting for proofs Ran...

Suspending Belief in Role-Playing Games Jun 29, 2019

“Your PC falls 120′ and suffers 60 points of damage”. No problem, I still have 60 left. Sometimes it’s a small thing that throws us off, and sometimes it’s something bigger. What are the boundaries/levels of “Suspension of Disbelief” that we’ll put up with and where does it break, and ruin a game for us? ...

Con Game Excitement, Bring It Home Jun 19, 2019

A while back Brett brought up the idea of running home games more like convention games – asking why we don’t do that. We’re going to revisit this topic but with a slightly different angle that I think should be more useful: Using the con game magic to bring back the wonder in your home...

Gaming in Small RPG Groups Jun 13, 2019

Ok, so what is a small role-playing game group? What games might be played and what do you have to keep in mind when you’re playing with a small group of players. Announcements Avalon KS AwesomeDice.com GameholeCon Evercon Random Encounter Roman emails us on Hindrances James on meta currencies and inclusivity Bret goes back to...

PC Hindrances Jun 04, 2019

PC Hindrances, some systems you take them in order to gain extra points to be converted to boons, buffs and edges. But what if your players take them, but they don’t end up being a hindrance. Announcements Avalon KS If you backed at a level that grants you a PDF you should have gotten your...

Dark Trails and the Weird West May 28, 2019

Dark Trails is a role-playing game inspired by HP Lovecraft and authored by David Baity. We have him on to talk about his new game and the weird west. Announcements Sign up to receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Gamehole Con! – Run under our banner. Just...

Random Encounters May 26, 2019

All Random Encounters this week. Well to include Die Roll too! Announcements Join our email list – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Gamehole Con! Evercon! Random Encounter Vmail from Chris of house Shorb about meta currencies. Nick of house Hopkins episode 175 and 177 George from House Sedgwick messages us...

Being Inclusive with Paige Leitman May 18, 2019

How can we be better about welcoming everyone that is not like Brett & Sean into the hobby? It can be difficult if you see things through the same lenses every day, so we tapped Paige Leitman to help us gain some perspective. Links Paige Leitman on Twitter Nahual – rpg of Mexican urban...

Meta Currencies May 10, 2019

Meta currencies like bennies in Savage Worlds, momentum in Star Trek Adventures, light and darks side points in FFG’s Start Wars, FATE points…we talk about them. Thanks to Peter Skanes for the topic! Announcements Sign up to receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. James Sweetland, you win for April! Gamehole Con! Event registration opened...

Consuming RPG Setting Material May 01, 2019

Read it all. Skim it. Take notes. How do you consume RPG setting material? Thanks Jim Fitzpatrick for the point of inspiration! Announcements Sign up to our email list, be entered to win set of dice from AwesomeDice.com Gamehole Con! Evercon! Gaming and BS on Instagram Random Encounter Matt of House V. comments on Recovering...

Recovering From A Bad Game Apr 27, 2019

It can be a little bit intimidating and difficult to recover after you run a bad game. How do you engage the players again? Do you discuss issues with the game at that point? Do you just move on? Dow do you approach resolving or improving? Questions posed by Tony Baker, we try and tackle...

Tekumel and Empire of the Petal Throne Apr 21, 2019

Victor Raymond joins Sean to talk about the OSR, MAR Barker – author of Empire of the Petal Throne, and Tekumel! Announcements Sign up to receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Gamehole Con! Event registration opened up April 14th. Consider running a game under our banner! Random Encounter...

Waterborne Adventures Part 2 Apr 13, 2019

Waterborne adventures. Ships! Pirates! Storms! Dragon Turtles! We talked about this a bit back on episode 219, but now we’ve got an expert in such things on hand to help us out! Announcements Sign up to receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Winner of set of...

Puzzles Apr 05, 2019

Puzzles in games. How do we set them up? How do we use them? Announcements Sign up to receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Sean’s raising money for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – click here on ways to help. Deadline June 1st, 2019. Random Encounter Audio...

TEE PEE KAY Mar 30, 2019

TPK or total party kill. Is it ever a good time for a TPK? Announcements Join our email list. Be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com Random Encounter Comment from Matt of House V. Sky of House Slayton emails us T of house Monger writes Cory Welch writes us about Call of...

Sean’s Venture Into Call of Cthulhu Mar 23, 2019

Brett wants to know more about Sean’s venture into Call of Cthulhu roleplaying game by Chaosium. Announcements Join our email list and be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com Random Encounter Email from Judge Brandon Comment from Crimfan Comment from Matt V. Peter Skanes on Zones Voicemail from GM Cojo Die Roll...

Do Players Make Good Game Masters? Mar 16, 2019

We flip the tables this episode, as Brett says, and talk about players becoming rpg game masters. Announcements Sign up to receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Post Gary Con review Sean eats crow, not literally, he doesn’t know how to properly prepare it. Random Encounter...

RPG Campaign Updates Mar 08, 2019

We talk about some recent happenings in our RPG campaigns. Announcements Sign up to receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Gary Con Random Encounter Email from the Monger – GM’s as good players and zones Matt Voegtli comments on playtesting. Matt Martinez emails us – design...

Do GM’s Make Good Players? Mar 01, 2019

Do game masters make good players? Well, do they? Announcements Join our email list, get entered to win from AwesomeDice.com Gary Con Avalon KS Update Random Encounter Email from Laramie Wall: bad endings and things you don’t know Louis H emails us: loose ends, discovery Monger P emails us: Gumshoe? Topic idea Matt Voegtli leaves...

Playtesting RPG’s Feb 20, 2019

Inspired by Aaron C., we talk about playtesting. Announcements Sign up for our newsletter, be entered to win dice from Awesomedice.com or place an order using promo code in the show to get 15% off your order of $10 or more We are still headed to GaryCon. Random Encounter Dan G. emails us to cover...

Things You Cannot Know Feb 15, 2019

The unexplainable. The mysterious. Sometimes there are things your player character in your rpg will just not know. Announcements Sign up to our email list, you will be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Gary Con Avalon KS status update Wishing JR good luck while he’s in the hospital Random Encounter We...

Tactical in RPG’s Redux Feb 07, 2019

We re-address the tactical part of rpg’s since Brett started a new Pathfinder game. Announcements Sign up to receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. January’s winner announced! Gary Con Housing opens up for Gamehole Con 2019 Random Encounter Voicemail from DM Cojo Corey G. emails us...

Random Encounter Catch Up Feb 01, 2019

We had a topic, but we also had a LOT of feedback from role-playing gamers. It’s an extended Random Encounter episode! Announcements Gary Con Avalon KS status update Sign up to join our email list! Random Encounter Vmail from Chris Shorb Michael Drescher clears up his email via Twitter Email from Gabe Dying Matt V....

Two New RPG Campaigns Jan 23, 2019

Both Brett and Sean recently launched role-playing game campaigns. How did it go? Announcements Avalon KS has ended Sign up for our email newsletter on GamingandBS.com and get entered to win free set of dice from AwesomeDice.com Random Encounter Voice mail from DM Cojo, rebooting a campaign Email from Michael Drescher Email from Goblins Henchmen...

Chases in RPG’s Jan 19, 2019

RPG chases. Not rules per se, but well, you know. Announcements Avalon KS has ended Join our email list! Receive updates, insights, deals – be entered to win a set of dice from AwesomeDice.com. Gary Con Web updates to GamingandBS.com Random Encounter Saul Morales emails us Todd Crapper pitches his game in an impressive way....

Reload A Previous Save Jan 14, 2019

Going back – would you ever reboot one of your own rpg campaign-stories but revised with the lessons learned? Why/why not? Would you change role-playing game system or setting or neither? Inspired by Blake Ryan. Announcements Head to GamingandBS.com and sign up for our email list, you’ll be entered to win dice from AwesomeDice.com Avalon...

Detect Evil Jan 03, 2019

A stranger approaches you. I detect evil. GM sighs. Announcements Evercon – Last Call Join our mailing list, be entered to win set of dice from AwesomeDice.com Mark-Antony Benedetti is the winner of the set of Dice for January The Streets of Avalon Kickstarter still going strong Random Encounter Todd Crapper emails us. Offers to...

Getting Info from Players – Pre-session Zero Dec 26, 2018

Soliciting information from your players before session zero can give you some insight into their tabletop role-playing game preferences and play style. It will help you have a successful rpg campaign! What questions do you want to ask and why. Announcements Evercon.org Holy Kickstarter Batman – Streets of Avalon KS Give us your email, be...

Kids on Bike vs Tales from the Loop Dec 20, 2018

Kids on Bikes and Tales from the Loop, two RPG’s that take you back to youth. RPG’s inspired by Stranger Things and The Goonies, we go over traits of each game to include character generation, overall mechanics and nuances that separate the two from each other. Announcements Evercon – You can still get your discounted pre-reg badges Streets...

Organized Play Dec 14, 2018

Organized play, what is it and why would anyone want to explore participating in it. Announcements Avalon Kickstarter is live on December 18th! Evercon – get your events in before the 16th, and get your discounted weekend badges now! Join our email list and get entered to win a free set of dice from Awesome...

Seafaring Adventures in RPGs Dec 07, 2018

Ahoy my maties! We’re talking about getting your sea legs into your RPG play. It’s about seafaring adventures! Announcements Evercon! Avalon KS – on track for mid-Dec go live Gary Con in March, 2019 Patreon change Random Encounter Voice mails from Jason R., his experience with kids at Gamehole Con DM Cojo advice on kids...

OSR Nov 28, 2018

Old School Renaissance. Old School Role-playing. Old Students Rebelling. OSR. Announcements Evercon! Avalon KS – on track for mid-Dec go live Patreon going to monthly vs per episode, starting December! Random Encounter Michael Drescher – running games for kids BS’ers talking about online games Carl Davis Andy Hall Sky Slayton – for character portraits https://www.etsy.com/shop/SilkyNoire Random...

Gaming with Childrens Nov 21, 2018

We believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them play rpg’s. We talk about gaming with children. Announcements Avalon Kickstarter coming in December 2018! Evercon This show brought to you by fans of the show, like you. Support the show. Become a patron! Next Episode Subscribe on iTunes or Android so you don’t miss our next...

Playing Role-playing Games Online Nov 15, 2018

We talk about playing role-playing games online via a virtual tabletop. Announcements Avalon Kickstarter coming in December 2018! Evercon Random Encounter Thank you to everyone from Sean. Email from Abram Nothnagle Die Roll Sean Getting started on DM’s Guild, per the Gnomestew 5 Steps to Writing a Killer PC Backstory, on Geek & Sundry Listeners...

Brett’s Avalon Nov 07, 2018

Brett talks about his Streets of Avalon rpg campaign setting which is targeted for a December 2018 Kickstarter. Announcements Avalon Kickstarter coming in December 2018! (Early/Mid) Gamhole con Evercon Random Encounter Voicemail from DM Cojo Audio from Goblin’s Henchmen Matt V. writes in about MapTools Christopher Grey emails us about Cursed Items Forrest Aguirre continues...

Fear Energy Drain Oct 24, 2018

We talk a bit about undead and how energy drain or similar super damage can really put the fear into players. Announcements Avalon Kickstarter coming in December 2018! (Early/Mid) Gamhole con Evercon Random Encounter Voicemail from DM Cojo about mapping Jason emails us about maps Stephen Dragonspawn points us to another great mapper – see...

Cursed Items in RPG’s Oct 17, 2018

Cursed items in your rpg, they can really throw your players for a loop. But it doesn’t always have to be the typical cursed sword. In memory of Greg Stafford. Announcements Gamhole con Evercon Random Encounter Email from Peter Skanes Die Roll Brett Greg Stafford, founder of Chaosium, involved in Glorantha, RuneQuest, Ghostbusters, and Pendragon...

Maps in RPG’s Oct 10, 2018

Maps, a staple in many tabletop RPG’s. Whether it’s to find treasure or to lay on the table so players can put their miniatures upon it, we talk about maps. Announcements Gamhole con Evercon Random Encounter Comments from G+ Community – Jared, Laramie Mike P. emails us Saul writes in Die Roll Brett Evil Hat Cuts...

Killer Adventures Oct 03, 2018

Tomb of Horrors is one example of what we would call a ‘killer adventure’. These are adventures that are really gunning to kill rpg characters. Announcements Gamhole con Evercon Random Encounter Email from Roman Ted writes us Reply from Hawk Sparrow on Smash Cut Shane Freeman replies to 210 We Greyhawk It/LooT Die Roll Brett...

We Greyhawk It Sep 27, 2018

How much does loot matter in the games we like to play? Do we like finding gear and goodies? Why or why not? You will want stick around until the end when Sean poses an encounter to Brett to see how he would handle it. Announcements Ed Nagy still has openings for Gatsby and the...

Smash Cut Sep 19, 2018

Smash cuts, spotlight moves, scene flips? Keeping the action moving cutting from one situation to the next in your role-playing games. Announcements Gamhole con Evercon Random Encounter Edwin Nagy emails us on Episode 208 Comments on 208 from G+ Die Roll Brett Cave Dwelling Crocs in Gabon Spiders blamed for broken siren playing creepy nursery...

Random Encounter Segment Sep 12, 2018

We discuss emails, feedback and comments from some of our listeners. Announcements Brett brags about QCC Matt Mercer is a special guest at Gamehole Con 2018 Evercon Random Encounter Email from Thomas Hook Email from Bill Durfy Email from Blake Ryan Comments from Brian Ross Tony Baker poses a question Mike P. emails us This...

I Want My PC To Die This Way Sep 05, 2018

Your player character dies. What happens at the table? Thanks to George Sedgwick on this one. Announcements Gamhole con Evercon Random Encounter Jared Rascher and Michael Phillips comment on G+ Die Roll Brett Dry summer in England reveals some hidden archeological sites Sean Svilland campaign setting, free to download demo Burn Byte playtest on Roll20...

Magic and Eberron Aug 29, 2018

Manifest Zone co-hosts Wayne Chang and Kristian Serrano join us to clear up low magic, high magic and touch on Eberron and how it’s NOT high magic. Announcements Gamhole con Evercon QCC Random Encounter Voicemail from Chris Shorb Email from George Sedgwick Die Roll Sean Handbooker Helper, a new show by Critical Role that goes...

What We Stopped Doing In Our RPG Aug 22, 2018

Over time our rpg ame mastering style or the way we play has changed. We talk about some things we stopped doing. Announcements Queen City Conquest – Sept 7, 8, and 9 Gamehole Con! Evercon submissions are open! Random Encounter Vmail from Joe Cwik Thomas from Beholders Horde emails us Crimfan comments on 204 Email...

PC’s Differ via Advancement Aug 15, 2018

Some games allow you choices through advancement, and many of us may confuse that those choices with character optimization. But what if it’s just a way to differentiate your fighter from another fighter? Announcements Queen City Conquest – Sept 7, 8, and 9 Gamehole Con! Evercon submissions are open! Random Encounter Vmail from Blake Ryan...

RPG Campaign Settings Aug 08, 2018

We have skimmed the surface of rpg campaign settings every once in a while. While we don’t go into detail on any one specific setting, like every week, we express our thoughts around this part of role-playing games. Announcements Gamehole Con! Evercon submissions are open! Pemberfoot, get well. Random Encounter Crimfan comments about suboptimal characters...

Less Than Optimal, Stats Aug 01, 2018

Playing characters with low abilities, aka stats for rpg pc’s. Good? Bad? Hopeless? Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Evercon submissions are open! Die Roll Sean Car Wars step aside for Gaslands! By Osprey Games. Read more about it on Geek & Sundry. Manifest Zone, podcast on Eberron, covers Wayfinder’s Guide to...

Low Level Play in RPG’s Jul 25, 2018

Inspired by DM Cojo, we talk about low-level play. Only this time we have someone help us define it and stay on track. Chris Sniezak from Misdirected Mark/Encoded Designs provides some additional insight. Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Evercon submissions are open! Die Roll Sean Dave Hanlon was interested to know what...

Meta Gaming Again Jul 18, 2018

Meta gaming round 2 with Alex. Then it’s Random Encounter, Die Roll and a special thank you. Announcements Evercon submissions are open! Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! New Guests – Check Facebook and Twitter for upcoming announcement Thanks to Derek Pennycuff for the list of destinations for Brett to hit on his way...

Dilly Dilly! Jul 11, 2018

Dilly! Dilly! BS’ers. We tackle a few Random Encounters, but the main topic is pretty thin to nonexistent. Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Evercon submissions are open! Random Encounter Pete Wyeth comments on Facebook on ep 198 Christopher Grey on 198 – Character Evolution Email from Hot Dog the Barbarian regarding episode...

Player Character Evolution Jul 04, 2018

Let’s talk about why it’s important to have a PC change as the campaign happens. The idea of “My character wouldn’t do that” is, IMO, often built on the idea that the character will not learn or change or adjust based on the things they encounter in the world. So, let’s dig into this. Announcements...

Game Like It’s A Convention Game Jun 27, 2018

Game events at gaming conventions often times exude a certain level of excitement. Some people may actually play differently when they’re at a convention. Maybe there’s a way to bring the positive components to our home games. Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Evercon submissions are open! Brett got his Black Cube Avalon...

Run Away or Surrender Jun 20, 2018

There’s a time and a place that’s good for your player character to either run away or surrender in your rpg. Or is there? dot dot dot Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Evercon submissions are open! Free RPG Day Random Encounter Jim Fitzgerald tweets Thomas Hook emails us on Tweaking Monsters Blake...

Making Tweaks To Monsters Jun 13, 2018

We take a couple monsters each and tweak them just a bit. Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Evercon submissions are open! Random Encounter John Steve comments on Brett Feels Crimfan comments on Part-time Gods Email from Thomas @ Beholders Horde Die Roll Brett Chained Grave Sean So you want to run a...

Brett Feels Jun 06, 2018

Brett shares his not-so-good experience with his long-standing game group. Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Evercon submissions are open! Random Encounter Voicemail from DM Cojo Blake Ryan emails us about Cold Shadows Vece Young emails us Ron Bishop leaves us a comment about Cold Shadows Die Roll Sean How Tolkien created Middle...

Cold Shadows Espionage RPG May 30, 2018

We go over the rules of Cold Shadows. An espionage role-playing game by Gallant Knight Games. Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Die Roll Rob Wieland did an article on Cold Shadows over on Geek & Sundry Tabletop Radio Hour podcast did an actual play – spoiler. Gallant Knight Games, publishers of Cold Shadows...

Playing Gods in Your RPG May 23, 2018

Playing gods in your rpg. Who better to help us with such a topic than the person that created Part-Time Gods rpg, Eloy Lasanta! Checkout Eloy’s kickstarter for Part-Time Gods 2nd Edition happening up until June 10, 2018. Third Eye Games New Agenda Publishing Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Evercon event submissions opens on June 1st!...

True Dungeon May 16, 2018

True Dungeon, showing up at major cons in the U.S., and something more than escape room. We talk to the founder and creator of this immersive live-action, walk-through, Dungeons & Dragons adventure set, Jeff Martin! True Dungeon at Origins! True Dungeon – official website Volunteering to work True Dungeon True Dungeon on Youtube True Dungeon...

Dynamic Bad Guys in Your RPG May 09, 2018

Last minute change in topic leads us to talk about dynamic big bad evil guy (BBEG) in your rpg. To make a boss fight ‘interesting’, we talk about pulling punches or buffing them on the fly. Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Queen City Conquest funded! This means Brett is heading to NY...

Brett’s Approach to Building an RPG Encounter May 02, 2018

Brett is going to walk us through how he goes about building an rpg encounter while Sean questions and snipes from the sidelines. Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Queen City Conquest KS Random Encounter Edwin Nagy emails us Todd Crapper is catching up on episodes, posts on G+ Die Roll Brett Arc...

Sean’s RPG Encounter Apr 25, 2018

Sean is going to walk us through how he goes about building an rpg encounter while Brett questions and snipes from the sidelines (don’t worry, roles get reversed next episode). Announcements Gamehole Con submissions for events is open! Support the QCC! Random Encounter Emails from Sky Slayton and Christopher Grey Die Roll Sean GenCon has...

Using Creatures from Other Games Apr 18, 2018

Inspiration from Blake Ryan. Blake poses the question, “have you ever used something from one game setting or system to another. For example using Githyanki/Githzeri/Mind Flayers in Conan or Lankmar? Something not part of the setting but not hard to insert either. Or, vampire clans from vampire the masquerade in D&D or Shadowrun? as pcs or npcs?...

186 Too Many Options in RPG’s Apr 11, 2018

We’ve talked about limits in our games before, but I wanted to focus on this a bit further. I mean, it’s fine to say something like “limiting options is good” but is that all the time? Only during PC generation? How about during gameplay? Let’s discuss Announcements 2018 Listener Survey Will end on 4/15 Gamehole...

185 Can I Make a Check Too? Apr 04, 2018

Skill roll limits in your rpg: Those times when everyone wants to make a Perception check to try and ensure that the group “wins” and gets the information. Announcements 2018 Listener Survey Will end on 4/15 – 77 responses so far compared to 29 the last time we ran it. Gamehole Con registration opened up...

Hex Crawl Mar 28, 2018

Hex crawl! We enlist some help from Eric Hoffman and Jason Hobbs to talk about this type of adventuring in your rpg’s. Announcements 2018 Listener Survey – 77 responses so far compared to 29 the last time we ran it. Eric Hoffman from Stormlord Publishing (on drivethru affiliate link), publisher of Black Powder Black Magic...

Narrative Permission in RPG’s Mar 21, 2018

Inspired by a post by Jared Rascher, we take a look at rolling dice or just succeeding based on the actions of the player character in your rpg. In other words, if you narrate your situation well, should you just succeed? Announcements Congrats to Misdirected Mark for 300 episodes! Listener survey will be going out...

182 Conversion Dilema Mar 14, 2018

Let’s talk about those “old” settings, adventures, and so on – the ones that are for the previous edition of your favorite game, but you want to use them with the newer version. Do you really need to do the work to convert them, can you just use them “as is”, or does it depend...

181 Made for the Player Characters or Not Mar 07, 2018

When we setup a campaign how to we want to deal with the PCs’ actions – We all know the player character’s are the most important people in the game, but is this about the world working around the PCs and their backstories, or about the PCs imposing themselves onto the world? Announcements Gary Con...

180 Adversarial Players in RPG’s Feb 28, 2018

After we talked about Adversarial GMing Andy Hall asked us to chat about Adversarial Players. This may be just as hard to define as Adversarial GMing, but let’s see what we can do with this. Lets talk about adversarial players in rpg’s. Random Encounter Emails from Matt Seiberlich, Vece Young and Abram Nothnagle. Mirko Froehlich...

179 Energy In Our RPG’s Feb 21, 2018

Inspired by Pure Mongrel’s inquire on creating energy in our rpg games, we talk a bit about it. Maybe point out some things that will make you enthusiastic to play. Random Encounter crimfan comments on ep 177 Feedback on 178 Immersion on G+ Pure Mongrel comments on episode 178 too Email from Chris Jeffers Email from DM...

178 Immersion In Our Games Feb 14, 2018

We actually define immersion, thanks dictionary! Then we go into what it means for our role-playing game, and some things you can do to be immersed. Announcements Paladinhood Henry Grady from Heroes & Adventurers. Based out of Nova Scotia, Heroes and Adventurers is a safe and all inclusive recreation program using tabletop roleplaying games to...

177 Adversarial GM’ing Feb 07, 2018

Like many topics we try to define it, adversarial game-mastering in your rpg, but you know how that goes. Random Encounter Crimfan comments on the site re: Sanity Check BS’ers chime in on G+ Robert Nemeth’s Point campaign journal Kyle Winter comments on facebook Emails from James Carruthers, Ed Nagy, and Angela Murray Die Roll...

176 Sanity Check Jan 31, 2018

Sanity. Some games have it, some games don’t. We certainly don’t. We even touch on having some fun as a Keeper, Game Master, DM when you want your player’s character to start losing it. Aside from Call of Cthulhu how do you use sanity in your rpg? Announcements Brett isn’t going to make Origins this year...

175 Hidden Hit Points Jan 24, 2018

Brett references John Wick’s Play Dirty and a concept of not using numbers for hit points but rather describing the damage to reflect the condition of your pc. Cool concept or sheer madness? Random Encounter Erik Frankhouse calls into the show Emails from Cory Winn, Abram Nothnagle and Blake Ryan. Die Roll Brett Birds of Prey Deliberately...

174 What We Want In Our RPG Jan 17, 2018

Consider this a pre session zero where Brett wants to know what we want in our rpg. Announcements GaryCon Paladinhood Lawful Good Gaming (Facebook, Twitter) James Walls (Twitter) Random Encounter Feedback on episode 173 Mooks & Minions to include Jared Rascher, Mirko Froelich, Chris Shorb. Rich Fraser comments on you meet in tavern Die Roll...

173 Mooks and Minions in RPGs Jan 10, 2018

Mooks and minions in your tabletop RPG. They are fun to mow down, but can it be too much? We know Savage Worlds and Fantasy Flight Games Genesys-based system rpg’s have them, but what about using them in games that don’t have mechanics to deal with them? Announcements EverCon :singing voice: Random Encounter Feedback from episode...

172 You Meet in a Tavern Jan 03, 2018

You meet in a tavern and have no connection with other player characters in your role-playing game. But what is your motivation young thespian of rpg’s? Come on, do you really need one? Announcements Happy New Year! Evercon 2018 January 5th, 6th, and 7th! Avalon KS – Quick note Random Encounter From Andy Hall on...

171 Making Exploration Fun! Dec 27, 2017

Thanks go out to Andy Hall, we discuss exploration in rpg’s. We share our thoughts and ideas on how to make it more fun than ‘you travel, you travel, and travel some more’. Announcements Brett pimps Evercon Random Encounter Emails from Michael Drescher, Sky Slayton and Steve Orlik. Crimfan comments on the blog Avi comments chimes...

170 Emergent Character Creation Dec 20, 2017

For character creation you start with your character name and minor details, but build it as you proceed in an adventure. Craziness. Announcements Evercon 2018 January 5th, 6th, and 7th. Discounted Pre-Reg and Event Submissions closed – but you can still buy tickets at the door! Patreon and supporting us Random Encounter Show 168 from...

169 Inside RPG Industry – Rob Wieland Dec 13, 2017

This week we have Rob Wieland, author, blogger, writer and game designer. His credits include Shadowrun, Star Wars Saga Edition and Firefly RPG. Creator of Camelot Trigger, Mafia Century, Encore, Save Game and Girls’ Heist Out. Other projects include other popular titles like Nights Black Agents, 13th Age, CHILL 3rd Ed, Vampire the Masquerade 20th Anniversary. You can find him penning articles...

168 Burning Hands…On Sean Dec 06, 2017

Sean has been dragging feet getting his West Marches-style rpg campaign up and running. Brett has decided to provide some ‘guidance’ and light a fire under Sean. Announcements Evercon 2018 January 5th, 6th, and 7th- Submissions and Pre-Reg still open – Be great to get some BS’ers out there to run and hang out Correction...

167 All in the Family Nov 29, 2017

Brett’s group often keeps family out of character backgrounds. Why? Because he’ll kill them off, torture them, or use them as means to putting pc’s in a difficult predicament. They wonder if they’re alone. We talk about family in role-playing games. Announcements Evercon – Submissions and Pre-Reg Open! Looks like Alex Kamer is going to...

166 Combat Adding to Story Nov 22, 2017

Brett and Sean have a Jason Hobbs from Hobbs and Friends of the OSR podcast to talk about how combat in rpg’s don’t have to be ‘I hit ’em with my sword. Fourteen, did I hit? Take 3 damage’ rinse, repeat. There may be things you can incorporate into combat that actually contributes to your...

165 Like Night and Day Nov 15, 2017

“After Gamehole con I realized something that I could do which should drastically change up and, I hope, improve my Iron Shoes adventure: Changing the Time of Day/Night that it takes place. So I figured I’d talk through that and we’ll see where that leads us.” ~Brett Announcements Evercon – Submissions and Pre-Reg Open! Looks...

164 Post Gamehole – GBS Unplugged Nov 07, 2017

Yes, we recap Gamehole Con 2017, but the conversation isn’t simply a rehash of what we did. We talk about a GM’s experience at the con as well. Announcements Evercon – Submissions and Pre-Reg Open! Looks like Alex Kammer is going to attend to run some games for us! Be great to get some BS’ers...

163 Play By Post RPG Oct 31, 2017

Michael Parker asked us about Play by Post rpg’ing, so we figured we’d dig into this a bit and see what thoughts, ideas, and/or advice we have around it. Announcements Evercon – Submissions and Pre-Reg Open! Looks like Alex Kamer is going to attend to run some games for us! Be great to get some...

162 West Marches RPG Oct 24, 2017

While some may have run games like this since they were children, Ben Robbins fleshed out the nuances of what he eventually called The West Marches. Matt Colville had a great youtube video about it so we wanted to bring it to your attention because it sounds super sexy. That last part was Brett. Announcements...

161 Brett’s Upcoming RPG Oct 17, 2017

Last week we talked about Sean getting a game up and running, this week we talk about Brett’s upcoming RPG. Announcements Evercon – Submissions and Pre-Reg Open! Looks like Alex Kamer is going to attend to run some games for us! Random Encounter Feedback on episode 160 includes… Voicemail from Nick in Houston Comments from Crimfan, Michael...

160 Sean’s Next RPG Oct 10, 2017

In an exercise in futility, Brett decides to put the screws to Sean in order to help(?) him figure out what he’s going to run for his next rpg. Announcements Evercon – Submissions and Pre-Reg Open! #GamerVsHarvey – GBS was able to donate $383, and help from friends tallied up at $895!! Random Encounter Feedback...

159 Re-Energizing Your RPG Oct 03, 2017

The rpg you’re running is starting to get stale. Maybe it’s the same ole tropes, story and routine. Brought on by a conversation Brett had with Tom Flanigan from Knights of the Night and Streets of Avalon, we talk about some things to consider to re-energize your role-playing game. Announcements Evercon – Submissions and Pre-Reg Open! Avalon and Encoded...

158 Writing versus Running an RPG Adventure Sep 26, 2017

Forrest Aguirre brought this topic to our attention via Twitter. What are the differences between Writing and Running an RPG adventure? So, we brought Forrest onto the show to help Sean and I talk through this. Announcements Event registration for Gamehole Con opens Sept 2nd Evercon – Submissions and Pre-Reg Open! Avalon and Encoded –...

157 Wear and Tear on Arms and Armor Sep 19, 2017

For some reason, arms and armor never seem to get “used up” or replaced, unless it’s to get better stuff that we found in a dragon’s horde, pulled off an NPC, or upgraded from the store. Why is that? Is there any reason why we’d want to deal with the bookkeeping for such things? Announcements...

156 Point Buy Tweaking Sep 12, 2017

‘Point buy’ may not be the right words. We talk about buffing a player’s character beyond what is a standard starting point. This works out better in a point-based character progression than a level based one. We’re curious of what you think after hearing this episode. Announcements Event registration for Gamehole Con opens Sept 2nd...

155 Brett’s Recent RPG Mistakes Sep 06, 2017

We all make mistakes in our rpg’s and Brett is not immune. He comes to the table and confronts those mishaps in hopes of becoming a better game master. Meanwhile, Sean lends an open ear and helps console the fragile Brett. Announcements Event registration for Gamehole Con opened – shit is getting real! Evercon –...

154 Player Series – Games With No Classes Aug 29, 2017

How to make a character in a game with no classes. I think this merits a discussion as players new to this style of game often have difficulties forming a concept. Thanks to Tony Baker for the topic. Announcements Sean was at Geekcon in MSN Event registration for Gamehole Con opens Sept 2nd Avalon and...

153 Gaming with the Feels Aug 22, 2017

Gaming with the feels, aka emotional bleed. There are times when the story is deep and rich, the interactions with NPC’s is turned up to eleven and we become immersed in play. Emotions will heighten and inevitably impact the game and the players. We banter about the feels that come with rpg gaming. Announcements Sean...

No New Show, Explanation and Thank You! Aug 17, 2017

No new episode this week?!! Gasp! Well, let me explain while also extend a thank you to all of you. After a brief explanation we’ll be rewinding it back to September 17th, 2014.

152 Getting Back Into The Hobby Aug 08, 2017

We’re glad you’re getting back to rpg’ing. It’s never too late. We try to settle your nerves with words of encouragement…and maybe some advice. Announcements Event registration for Gamehole Con opens Sept 2nd Avalon KS – Looking at Sept/Oct 2017 star Random Encounter Feedback on last episode 151 Back to NPC’s on G+ to include feedback...

151 Back to NPC’s Aug 01, 2017

We go back to NPC’s because we wanted to chat about why it’s important to have non-player characters with personality. Announcements Sponsor: Gamehole Con Avalon Kickstarter still being kicked around. <= see what we did there? Random Encounter Discussion around episode 150 Mega Dungeons includes feedback from Stephen Dragonspawn, Crimfan, On G+ – Jared Rasher, Michael Parker,...

150 Mega Dungeons Jul 25, 2017

Mega dungeons, you know, the big ones. There’s Undermountain, Castle Greyhawk, Barrowmaze and many more. We talk about ’em. Announcements 28 games being run by friends of ours at Gamehole Con. Board and card games are also welcome. More talk about Brett’s Avalon setting. Random Encounter All comments this week are about episode 149 – Time...

149 Lapse Between Game Sessions Jul 18, 2017

More commentary on this one. Some of us have consistent weekly games and some of us play with a group every few months. We share our experiences with how frequent we play. Announcements Sponsor – Gamehole Con Thanks Ray Otis for doing up the Zip Zaps art! Random Encounter Unveiling the Mystery Crimfan writes Peter...

148 Unveiling the Mystery Jul 11, 2017

Mystery, or the unknown, is a good trope to incorporate into your RPG. But, how far do you go before the players hit a brick wall of frustration and don’t know what to do or what path to pursue? Inspired by an email to us from Michael Drescher, we take a stab at providing some...

147 Mass Combat Jul 04, 2017

Mass combat, we’re not talking specific rules or mechanics. More high level than that. We explain our definition and the tie into miniature war games. A topic suggested by Gabe Dybing. Announcements OSR Contest Winners! Random Encounter Blake Ryan, Crimfan, Bill Durfy, Stacie Winters and Steve Orlik emails us about episode 146 on Tactical Combat...

146 Tips for Tactical Combat Jun 27, 2017

Are your players neutralizing your combat encounters in rpg’s quicker than you can say “save or die”? Well our friend Walt has just those players. But fear not, Walt! We’ll give you some tips on how to beef up a tactical encounter so it’s challenging for your players! Announcements Want to run games under our...

145 Pregen or Roll Your Own Jun 20, 2017

Pregens are good for one shots and con games. Roll your own pc is good for campaigns, but what if you flip it? Is there a time when pregens could be used for an rpg campaign? :gasp: How about rolling up characters for a convention game or one shot? Announcements Want to run games under...

144 Character Development Jun 13, 2017

As part of a character concept, we pose different questions you can ask yourself when creating your player character. Inspired by feedback on our player series from Jim Fitzpatrick. Announcements Want to run games under our Banner at Gamehole? Submissions are open! So let us know what you’d like to run Brett in Origins this...

143 Kids Track at Cons Jun 06, 2017

We have Alex Kammer, Director of Gamehole Con, come on so we can ask him about the kids track that they have in place for this year’s event. Announcements Want to run games under our Banner at Gamehole? Submissions are open! So let us know what you’d like to run Brett in Origins What’s the...

142 Supernatural Horror and Mystery May 30, 2017

Chris Lange wrote us: “…my question is, when your players know they are playing a supernatural horror game, what are some ways to rend their understanding of the world, to, hopefully, make them uncomfortable due to lack of understanding the world, much as their characters should be feeling.” Random Encounter Jared Rascher comments on Ep...

141 Super Villains May 23, 2017

Super villains and ultimate baddies in role-playing games can be all full of cliches. Inspired by listener George S., we talk about those trope and maybe give you some ideas on how to make them better. Announcements Want to run games under our Banner at Gamehole? Submissions are open! So let us know what you’d...

140 Player Series – Thieves & Rogues May 16, 2017

We talk about playing thieves and rogues. Be it sneaky sneak thieves, trap detector and disabler, swashbuckler Robin Hood Musketeer type or even scoundrels, it’s all about the sinister class of the thief. Or shall we say rogue? Announcements Want to run games under our Banner at Gamehole? Submissions are open! So let us know what...

139 Building Stuff in RPG’s May 09, 2017

Building, or creating, things in role-playing games. It could be a keep, a kingdom or magic items. Announcements Want to run games under our Banner at Gamehole? Submissions are open! So let us know what you’d like to run Brett in Origins next month Old School Encounter Contest! – Hobbs and Friends of the OSR...

138 Skills Game May 02, 2017

Some rpg systems have skills list for player characters. Examples of these are 3.x and 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons, GURPS, Champions, Basic Role-Playing, and quite a few more. Whereas there are some older games as well as some modern OSR-based games that do not have skills inherently built into the system. Non-skill based systems abstract it...

137 Session Zero Apr 25, 2017

Session zero, we talk about how we handle it for our games. We don’t cover every detail, and you will find ways unique to your games and gaming style. Announcements Want to run games under our Banner at Gamehole? Submissions are open! Brett is going to Origins in June Random Encounter Comments about player facing...

136 Player Facing Die Rolls Apr 18, 2017

Player facing die rolls. Do they fix something that is missing from some tabletop rpg’s? Spurred by listener, Ace’s, email we talk about why we do or don’t like them. We hit a goal on Patreon so you’ll hear Sean show off his accent skills. Announcements Sponsor: Gamehole Con 2017 registration is now open! Thank you...

135 Learning A New Game Apr 11, 2017

Learning a new game, there’s a few ways to approach an rpg. The obvious way is to read the book. There can be other ways, certainly. 00:01:18 Announcements Gamehole Con event submission opens April 16th 2017 for the Nov 2017 show Evercon 2018 dates – Jan 5 – 7 2018 00:04:16 Random Encounter Voice mail...

134 Speaking Cypher System Apr 04, 2017

We invite Darcy and Troy from the Cypher Speak podcast to come on and educate us on, what else, the Cypher System rpg by Monte Cook games! How does it all work? What are the upsides of the system? There’s player facing die rolls, GM intrusions, cyphers and much more. Find more of about our...

133 Dynamics of Game Cons Mar 28, 2017

Recorded at Gary Con 2017, we talk a bit about our experience at the con as well as the dynamics of game conventions. Sorry, not Random Encounter or Die Roll this week.

132 Player Series – Clerics Mar 21, 2017

Another entry into our Player Series, this week we talk about clerics. Strengths, weaknesses, how to play them and how they are servants of a deity or ideal. Announcements Gary Con is upon us Sean is on future episode of Hobbs and Friends of the OSR Random Encounter 3:50 Matt Bohnhoff comments on voices Edwin...

131 Who Runs The RPG? Mar 14, 2017

Spurred by listener Steve Orlik, his original email to us follows Hello BS-ers! I have a question/possible topic for you. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on who really controls the game, the gm or the players. I guess this is geared more towards Brett since we all know Sean has that train thing going...

BBS020 Eloy Lasanta of Third Eye Games Mar 10, 2017

Join us as we talk with rpg designer Eloy Lasanta of Third Eye Games about his latest kickstarter (launched March 7th, 2017) for Pip System Corebook. You can find Eloy online at the following… Third Eye Games Facebook Twitter

130 Adding Voice To Your RPG Mar 07, 2017

We’re not talking about voice as in perspective, but actually tweaking how you speak in first person as your player character or npc. It helps with immersion, but you also have to be conscious of insulting someone at the table by taking a genuine speech impediment and making it a method for comedic stand up....

129 Potions Feb 28, 2017

Potions, brew them, drink them, stick ’em in a bottle. Announcements We’ll be at GaryCon! Random Encounter James Carruthers emails us and calls BS on our Dragons episode. Jason comments on G+ re: Social Encounters Michael Drescher emails us. George takes us back to episode 12! Blake Ryan emails us. Finnulf provides feedback via our website. Die...

128 Player Series – Fighters Feb 21, 2017

First installment of our Player Series, we’re talking about the Fighter. The fighter has a purpose, it’s to smash faces. We also provide some ideas on how to actually role-play the combat intensive fantasy class. It’s not all fun and games, they do have their weaknesses too! Announcements We’ll be at GaryCon Guests of Gamehole...

127 Social Encounters Redux Feb 14, 2017

Someone called BS on us for our original episode that covered social encounters so we’re revisiting the topic. We even give some examples of how we’ve setup a social encounters. Announcements Azrael Arocha our Venezuelan friend living in Canada is launching a podcast, Rolero Casual. BS’ers will be at OrcCon in LA – make sure...

126 Dragons! Feb 07, 2017

Dragons! They are ancient creatures of legend causing fear in player characters throughout the years. Claw, claw, tail, bite attacks. “Save versus breath weapon” and the feeling of impending doom sets in as you pick up the d20, rolling it inside your fist before you close your eyes and toss it upon the gaming table....

125 Wilderness Encounters Jan 31, 2017

Brett goes full on Ranger as we go on to talk about wilderness encounters. You can come across interesting things while walking around in the woods, and the night can make you lose your way. We share some of our own wilderness encounters. Announcements Brett has finally seen Rogue One. Spoilers if you haven’t seen it. Jason...

124 Politics in Role-playing Games Jan 24, 2017

The politics in gaming, the politics ooo feeling good. We touch on law, but tie it into politics and that doesn’t make any sense. Politics is full of intrigue, plotting and scheming. We hit it at a high level, of course. Random Encounter Patron Pure Mongrel comments on G+ Jim Fitzpatrick comments on G+ Crimfan...

123 Social Encounters in RPG’s Jan 17, 2017

Social encounters in role-playing games. There’s the ongoing debate on how to handle a not-so-social player playing a type-A rpg character and how mechanics and/or oratory skills play into the encounter. Announcements Streets of Avalon AP with Chris, Tom, Emily, and Kev Episode 1 Episode 0 Random Encounter Roger F. shares a weather-related scenario. Edwin,...

122 Weather in Role-playing Games Jan 10, 2017

Talking about weather in role-playing games. After all, we live in Wisconsin and every bit of small talk is about the weather. “Oooh, it’s cold outside.” or “Ufda, it sher is humid out.” Many times we gloss over the thing that can really have an impact on the characters, and it’s something they can rarely...

121 What’s in a Player Character’s Name? Jan 03, 2017

Peeneel Testiclees! Yes, we’re talking about what’s in a player character’s name in this episode. How do you handle those players that insist on have a player character with a goofy name? It could be as easy as saying, “seriously? you want to name your character Peeneel Testiclees? No.” Or, you could roll with it...

120 Goals for 2017 Dec 27, 2016

The new year, 2017, is upon us and this is the last show of the year. We talk about what we’d like to accomplish, as it pertains to role-playing games, for 2017. Whether it’s playing new games or GM’ing ones we haven’t received yet, we’re looking forward to some great things. We even share some...

119 Race as Class in RPG’s Dec 20, 2016

Race as class in role-playing games, it goes back to Basic, Expert, Companion, Master’s and Immortal’s (BECMI) sets of Dungeons and Dragons. It is also part of many other rpg’s like Dungeon Crawl Classics, Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and many, many, more. Like two guys sitting at the lunch table, we banter a bit about this...

118 Urban Adventuring Part 2 Dec 13, 2016

We revisit urban adventuring. We had some good feedback on the original episode 116 that we wanted to fill in some blanks. We mention how some city-based prepublished supplements offer tables and encounter charts that may help GM an urban adventure. We talk about the interesting roles NPC’s play and how they can be resources...

117 Creative Spell Casting Dec 06, 2016

Creative spell casting could be a synergy of spells. Casting grease down a hallway and then a flame-based spell to light it on fire. Brett mentions someone casting climb walls to better pick pocket an NPC. These are just a couple examples of how spell casters can get creative with their craft. How creative do...

BBS018 Monte Cook Games at Gamehole Con 2016 Dec 05, 2016

Recorded at Gamehole Con 2016, a tabletop gaming convention held in Madison, Wisconsin, this bonus episode features Monte Cook and Shanna Germain from Monte Cook Games. This is the unedited seminar that they hosted.

116 Urban Fantasy Adventures Nov 29, 2016

What makes for a good urban adventures for our fantasy games? Well, it’s a city, but how does that change the adventure? The surroundings differ, and there are other obstacles to throw at the players. Announcements Evercon is coming up fast! Random Encounter Spenser Clark drops us a line at our G+ community Buckle in...

115 Gods in RPG’s Nov 22, 2016

Gods in rpg’s, what role to they play in your game? Do they interact with the common player? We talk about whether we incorporate them and what effect it has on player characters that have a religious bend to them. You know, like taking powers away from clerics if the cleric falls out of favor...

114 Chain of Command in RPGs Nov 15, 2016

Chain of command in rpg’s, it can allow a single player character to have authority over the rest of the pc’s in the group. It can also create drama and a different type of game. Announcements Evercon.org Patreon levels updated with new goals. Random Encounter Gabe emails us on aging characters. Graham comments on G+ on...

BBS017 Wizards of the Coast at Gamehole Con Nov 12, 2016

Recorded at Gamehole Con 2016, a tabletop gaming convention held in Madison, Wisconsin, this bonus episode features Mike Mearls, Christopher Perkins and Jeremy Crawford from Wizards of the Coast. This is the unedited seminar that they hosted. They discuss Volo’s Guide to Monsters, the differences in settings and the design approach to each one, field Q&A’s from...

BBS016 Marc Miller of Traveller Nov 10, 2016

Recorded at Gamehole Con 2016, this bonus episode features Marc Miller. Marc is the person behind the 40 year old role-playing game Traveller. We want to thank Marc for allowing us to record his seminar. [shadowbox]This show brought to you by fans of the show, like you. Support the show. Become a patron![/shadowbox]

113 Post Gamehole Con 2016 Nov 08, 2016

Brett and Sean attended the popular tabletop gaming convention, Gamehole Con, in Madison, Wisconsin. A gaming convention that occurred the first weekend of November, the year was 2016. We talk about the games we ran and the crazy good fun we had, the best thing was the people we met. Thanks for stopping by the...

112 Player Character Aging in RPG’s Nov 01, 2016

Time passes, and player characters are aging in your role-playing games. Or are they? First edition Dungeons & Dragons had the young be strong and dextrous, but as your pc aged you became weaker, wiser and smarter. How often we do find players role-playing age? Random Encounter Craig Huber comments on G+ James emails us OFTHEHILLPEOPLE corrects...

111 What is Heroic in RPG’s Oct 25, 2016

What does it mean to be heroic in tabletop rpg’s? Aside from sitting as a player in one of Brett’s games, some would argue that having a player character at full strength and rushing into battle is not as heroic as being down to one hit point and entering battle to slay the dragon and...

110 Traps in Role-playing Games Oct 18, 2016

Traps in role-playing games, they’re used for a variety of reasons as a GM, but player characters can also setup traps to ensnare their foes. There is the popular mechanical trap as well as the social trap, “aha! We’ve got you now!” Brett shares a funny story about his son’s, AJ, approach to littering a dungeon with...

109 Organizations in RPG’s Oct 11, 2016

Organizations in RPG’s, inspired by community member Sgt Pemberfoot, we talk about the roles of cults, sects, clubs, fraternities, sacred orders and what you can do with them. Want to build your own? We talk about the elements that make up an organization in fantasy RPG setting. Announcements Evercon.org – Come and run games for...

108 Side Quests Oct 04, 2016

Side quests, how do they fit in to the grand scheme of the story, or does it? What if the party is sent on a side quest, but it doesn’t serve a purpose? Announcements Evercon.org – Come and run games for us! Games on Demand! Gamehole! – you need the G&BS Uber? Rat Patrol Random Encounter...

BBS015 Gabe and Yggdrasill Oct 03, 2016

We asked game masters, that are gracious enough to run games under the Gaming and BS banner at Gamehole Con 2016, to give us some insight into what they’re running. This is a segment of that series. In this bonus episode Gabe D. talks about running Cubicle 7’s Yggdrasill rpg, his first trip to a tabletop gaming convention...

107 Evil Games Sep 27, 2016

Evil games, or allowing your players to play evil characters. According to Sean, all players are evil. Well, to some degree. Many people may say that alignment/good/evil are all relative. Have you ran an evil group of player characters through adventures? What pitfalls or triumphs have you experienced? Maybe you’re vehemently against being involved in...

BBS014 Forrest Aguirre at Gamehole Con Sep 26, 2016

We asked game masters, that are gracious enough to run games under the Gaming and BS banner at Gamehole Con 2016, to give us some insight into what they’re running. This is a segment of that series. In this bonus episode Forrest Aguirre talks about running his mashup of old school games to come up with just the...

106 Magic Items and Player Characters Sep 20, 2016

Magic items, how do you convey the properties of these wondrous items to the player characters? A topic brought up by Kevin Lovecraft, he writes “I wonder how to reveal the properties of such items to players/characters when they discover them. Spout Lore seems like the obvious method, but what are some other ways to justify...

BBS013 Roger Brasslett at Gamehole Con Sep 19, 2016

We asked game masters, that are gracious enough to run games under the Gaming and BS banner at Gamehole Con 2016, to give us some insight into what they’re running. This is a segment of that series. In this bonus episode Roger Brasslett talks about running Warhammer Fantasy Role Playing, 1st edition.

105 PC Safe Zones Sep 13, 2016

PC safe zones, inspired by Ed Nagy. He asks, “Do you allow your PCs somewhere where they can store items without fear, can heal and plot without worry? When do you break that tacit agreement and have robbers hit them at home?” We talk how we have encountered safe zones, either as a pc or game...

BBS012 Jason Raether at Gamehole Con Sep 12, 2016

We asked game masters, that are gracious enough to run games under the Gaming and BS banner at Gamehole Con 2016, to give us some insight into what they’re running. This is a segment of that series. In this bonus episode Jason Raether talks about running Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition, the one edition that has changed the...

104 RPG A Day Sep 06, 2016

RPG a day is an internet meme done by BrigadeCon and Autocratik that outlines a question a day for the month of August that spurs conversation and talk about our favorite hobby, role-playing games. We go through all 31 questions in this episode. Announcements Ongoing, never ending, pimping of EverCon Gamehole Con ride offer from Sean...

103 Steal the Plot Aug 30, 2016

Steal that plot. One of Brett’s favorite GM advice books is Stealing Cthulhu by Graham Walmsley (available at DRPG). Let’s dig into the book’s core idea and see how we can use it to really improve our genre emulation. Announcements Evercon.org – Come and run games for us! Gamehole! – you need the G&BS Uber?...

BBS010 Tim Virning at Gamehole Con Aug 29, 2016

We asked game masters, that are gracious enough to run games under the Gaming and BS banner at Gamehole Con 2016, to give us some insight into what they’re running. This is a segment of that series. In this bonus episode Tim Virning talks about running Fiasco, a role-playing game by Jason Morningstar.

102 Gaming Away From The Table Aug 23, 2016

With the recent Kickstarter from Monte Cook Games where Monte talks about addressing absentee members of the game group yet still facilitate a method of play. We figured we’d want to elaborate on this. Be it a forum where you discuss what your player character does during down-time, or it’s a real life letter from one...

101 At What Cost? Aug 16, 2016

In this episode we field a question posed to us by Pure Mongrel’s G+ post … I have a pondering for you guys in regards to game tempo and quality over quantity… Understanding that each playing group is different, there is a general consensus that combat should be fast, prep time should be minimal and...

100 Why We Game Aug 09, 2016

Why we game. How did we get into gaming? What keeps us in the hobby and why is it important to us? We go into a bit about our motivation for partaking in our favorite hobby – playing role-playing games. We share some personal stories along the way. Announcements Gaming & BS social hour to...

099 Screw the Rules Aug 02, 2016

Screw the rules. We come across rules that we don’t use, but why do we overlook them. Aren’t they part of the roleplaying game? Maybe it’s a complicated rule that slows down play. Perhaps we have a better way of doing things. We discuss the rules we don’t use and why. Announcements G&BS Social Hour...

098 OK To Fail Jul 26, 2016

It’s ok to fail. As a player, we learn from our mistakes. We can admit our shortcomings, well everyone but Sean. We’re working on that. Like many not-so-positive topics we cover, there can be something good on the other side of the die. This is no different. It teaches us valuable lessons. Failure helps us...

097 Imprisoning Player Characters Jul 19, 2016

Imprisoning player characters can take away agency from the players, no question. Game masters can certainly present this to the players, but should be careful not to take it too far. Take it too far and players will get frustrated and ruin a game. Just getting the player characters into a prison situation may be a...

096 Character Building Questions Jul 12, 2016

Character building questions stems from the bonds that rpg Dungeonworld uses to help solidify, or establish, relationships between player characters. It typically starts before kicking off the game and prevents a player character from lacking the motivation for being with the other player characters. We look at this from the player side as well as from the Game Master’s...

095 Campaign Creation Jul 05, 2016

Campaign creation, a topic posed to us by Michael Drescher. We throw in the Fronts from the Dungeonworld rpg as a point of reference and a good way to approach fleshing out your campaign. Our thoughts, or approach, is not the be all end all to creating a campaign. Sean tends to start with prepublished modules but...

094 Random Encounters in RPGs Jun 28, 2016

Random encounters in role-playing games, they were frequently found in many first edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons modules and adventures. We look back at how we used them or they were used against us. It doesn’t have to be rolling on a table to see what is coming down the hall to consume the player...

093 Board and Card Games Jun 21, 2016

Board and card games, Brett and Sean talk about their preferences and some of the games they play when not playing RPG’s. While they’re certainly fun to play, they are certainly a different type of game to play when compared to roleplaying games. Both types of games are certainly more competitive, one of things Sean...

092 Humor in Roleplaying Games Jun 14, 2016

Humor in roleplaying games, there’s a time and place for it. It can bring levity, but how much is too much and what happens when it gets out of control? Is it really worth killing a player…character over it? It can depend on the game you’re playing. Some games like Paranoia can certainly bring humor...

091 Powerful Items in RPGs Jun 07, 2016

Powerful items in rpg’s, game masters give them out from time-to-time. It’s the +5 Holy Avenger or some ancient artifact that can grant Wish or Resurrection spells. You run the risk of breaking your game, or do you? We as Dungeon Masters may regret providing these powerful magic items, but what do you do after one of the members...

090 Keeping Players Engaged May 31, 2016

Keeping players engaged, there are a few things you can do. Often times it’s because they’re bored or not engaged. As a GM you can do a few things. Hell, Brett goes as far as doing one-on-ones. “How are you liking your character? What goals are you trying to achieve?” It’s gotta be his promotion...

089 Interpreting Die Rolls May 24, 2016

Interpreting die rolls, or do you use degrees of success with systems that don’t facilitate such a mechanic? Of course there are role-playing game systems like Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars RPG or Powered by the Apocalypse Dungeon World, and even Savage Worlds all have some type of heightened success or failure. But what about the popular...

088 Collecting Role-playing Games May 17, 2016

Collecting role-playing games, we treasure our beloved tomes of rules, maps and scenarios. We keep things because they can be used as resources. Or maybe it’s nostalgia. But in this episode Brett and I visit Alex Kammer, Director of Gamehole Con [sponsor], at the Gamehole where we talk to him about being an avid collector of TSR’s Dungeons...

087 GM Screens May 10, 2016

GM screens are great for referencing rules without having to page through a thick rpg rule book. Some of us choose not to use them because they can be intrusive and create a physical barrier between the players and the game master. Use them or not, there can be some pretty creative screens out there...

086 Secret Convo in RPGs May 03, 2016

Secret conversations in rpgs. We pass notes. Game Masters pull players aside to talk about something that may not be privy to the in-game situation. Does it matter if the rest of your group hears these conversations? Sometimes this can take attention from others. Like the theater diva of the group seeks attention, so would...

085 Counting Coup in RPGs Apr 26, 2016

Counting coup in rpgs, it stems from an old tradition of the Native Americans. In roleplaying games it can be considered a different way to handle combat. It doesn’t always have to be ‘to the death’! What if a nonplayer character needs the party to do some bidding, yet they still need to convey their...

084 Inclusion in RPG Hobby Apr 19, 2016

Inclusion in the RPG hobby, there are times when we are not doing our best at welcoming others into awesome world of role-playing games. Even when interacting with people of other genders, ethnicity, etc, we can say the wrong thing without even being aware of the fact. Of course there are people that consciously choose...

083 No Shows at RPG Cons Apr 12, 2016

No shows at rpg cons, it happens. Before being perturbed, it is possible that someone had an emergency come up and could not get to to the convention. But what can you do? Well, the con organizers probably have some method of refunding your ticket or getting you into another game if you’re a player...

082 Dedication to System Apr 05, 2016

Dedication to system, or system mastery, is often used in the same context. While it may take ‘dedication to an rpg system’ in order to gain mastery of its rules, it’s not always the case. There are advantages and disadvantages to being dedication to sone system. System mastery is obviously an advantage, but what about...

081 Player versus Player Mar 29, 2016

Player versus player in roleplaying games, without agreement and understanding in advance it can turn out to be a royal fiasco. We specify player versus player and character versus character. Brett talks about how there has been positive gaming experiences when players go back and forth with their characters, but it doesn’t always happen that...

080 Savage Worlds RPG Mar 22, 2016

We talk Savage Worlds RPG, and solicit some help from Kristian Serrano and Ron Blessing from the Savage Bloggers Network. Published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Savage Worlds’ motto is ‘Fast, Furious, and Fun’. We talk about what makes it fast, furious, and fun. Target number four, raises, wild die, bennies, wild cards and extras, and playing cards for initiatives are just some...

079 Latency in RPG Combat Mar 15, 2016

Latency in rpg combat occurs from time to time. Sure there are roleplaying games that have higher rates, or delays, in how combat is resolved. What causes this ‘latency’ we speak of? It could be that many players simply don’t know all the rules. Maybe there are too many rules to remember. How does a...

078 Starting the RPG Campaign Mar 08, 2016

Starting the rpg campaign takes some previous thought. How much depends on a few things, what you’re going to play and how you’ll approach your players are just two thing to consider. There is quite a bit of social contract, knowledge gathering and dissemination of information. Players are going to want to know the type...

077 Opposed Die Rolls in RPGs Mar 01, 2016

We typically use opposed die rolls in rpgs to resolve a contest between player characters or between player character and nonplayer characters. We may use skills – my push to your pull, or more like sense motive to the other’s deception. Some systems could have a different approach, re: Star Wars Edge of the Empire by Fantasy Flight...

076 Monsters and Non Monsters Feb 23, 2016

Monsters and non monsters in roleplaying games. As Game Masters we throw them at the players, but the big bad is typically a humanoid or human. That is not necessary true. Is it? By saying this we are considering monsters as just fillers. They may be the creatures that do the bidding of some more...

075 Gumshoe RPG System Feb 16, 2016

We talk about the Gumshoe RPG system developed by Robin D. Laws and published by Pelgrane Press. Ken Hite, author of Trail of Cthulhu, wrote the game using Gumshoe system because a Call of Cthuhlu game could come to a screeching halt if a player character does not find the clue, or the gamemaster would have to scramble to...

074 Investigative RPG Feb 09, 2016

Roleplaying games are about discovery and some of that includes some type of investigation. Sure, there are games that have mechanics that help facilitate an investigative game, Gumshoe by Pelgrane Press is just one, but what about the games that don’t have investigation at its core? There is the ‘investigation’ skill in D&D 5e, but...

073 Roleplaying Game Classes or No Classes Feb 02, 2016

Roleplaying game classes, there are rpg systems that involve classes for their player characters. Examples include fighter, magic-user, thief, etc. Dungeons and Dragons and respective derivatives are ones that lead the way with player character classes. Other systems, like Basic Roleplaying, GURPS or Savage Worlds are more generic. In those games you typically build your...

072 Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG Part 2 Jan 26, 2016

Part 2 of our coverage of Dungeon Crawl Classics roleplaying game. We didn’t chase off Jen Brinkman from part 1. She joins us again to keep us on track and ensure the info we convey is accurate. In this episode we mention alignment in DCC and skill checks. We continue on with the feel that...

071 Dungeon Crawl Classics Part 1 Jan 19, 2016

This week we talk about the Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) role-playing game by Goodman Games. We ask Jen Brinkman, from Spellburn and Sanctum Secorum podcasts, to help us explain the rules and mechanics of this cool fantasy-based rpg. Inspired by the original Appendix N, DCC is a game that makes it clear that adventuring is dangerous,...

070 Star Wars Edge of the Empire Part 2 Jan 12, 2016

We pick up where we left off in episode 69 as we continue to talk about Star Wars Edge of the Empire roleplaying game by Fantasy Flight Games. Obligation, careers and specializations are just a couple more elements of EotE that we discuss. Of course there is listener feedback via Random Encounter as well as...

069 Star Wars Edge of the Empire Part 1 Jan 05, 2016

Part one of two where we discuss Star Wars Edge of the Empire roleplaying game published by Fantasy Flight Games. We talk about the dice, dice pool and the narrative component of the rpg system. We also touch on the force die, light and dark side points and how those are used within the game....

068 Ending the RPG Campaign Dec 29, 2015

Ending the rpg campaign. There can be a number of situations why you would want to wrap up your roleplaying game. Whether it is GM or player burn out, the game is falling apart – players not getting along, or you’re being tempted by the new shiny, we talk about how and when to end it....

067 Why We Like Dungeons and Dragons Dec 22, 2015

Why we like Dungeons & Dragons. We get asked “you play rpg’s, but why do you like D&D?” We think it’s a good ‘universal’ fantasy rpg system. Most people are aware of how the game works, many have played it at one time or another, and it contains a fair amount of different rpg mechanics –...

066 Critical Hits and Fumbles in RPGs Dec 15, 2015

Critical hits and fumbles in tabletop roleplaying games, how do they enrich your game or can they be just plain silly? Some systems have critical hits and fumbles built into it. Most of us may have taken it upon ourselves to incorporate such a system into our house rules. Dungeon Crawl Classics make critical hits...

065 RPG Styles and Systems Dec 08, 2015

RPG styles and systems, a preference on system and how it may tie into system. It’s hard to explain, but we get there…eventually. We’ve been thinking a lot recently about roleplaying game systems that are designed specifically for certain types of stories v. those systems that try and be generic enough to “do it all” Random...

064 Holidays in Roleplaying Games Dec 01, 2015

Holidays and festivals in roleplaying games, they can bring people together, start plots and story arcs and much more. They also help to enforce seasonal changes and the passage of time. There’s also the real-world holidays and how they effect your game. Tis the holiday season and we want your rpg to be festive! Consider...

063 Treachery in Tabletop Roleplaying Games Nov 24, 2015

Treachery in roleplaying games, how do you handle that and betrayal without having players get upset? After Sean and Chris from MM used each other to cheat on Phil and Me, I figured we’d talk about: Treachery in your RPGs! An early Happy Thanksgiving to all our US listeners! We want to improve our show and...

062 Horses, Hirelings & Living Gear in RPGs Nov 17, 2015

Gear can play a unique role in your rpg. You’re equipped with a horse, to carry your stuff. You hire a pleeb to carry your loot, but how do you really handle these things in your rpg. Inspired by a question posed to The Dungeon Bastard at Gamehole Con 2015, we touch on the subject....

061 Dark and Gritty in Role-playing Games Nov 10, 2015

Dark and gritty in role-playing games. A dark and gritty game is probably one you won’t GM to children due to moral quandaries, adult themes, or violence and mature situations. We wanted to compare it to heroic games, but not sure that came across. Gamehole is Over – Ideas for next year already? Need more...

BBS009 Gamehole Con 2015 Day 2 Recap Nov 08, 2015

Day 2 recap of Gamehole Con 2015. Gamehole Con is a gaming convention held every November in Madison, Wisconsin. We speak with the Director of the con, Alex Kammer. There’s good, bad and improvements to make for 2016’s event. Chad Knight, an organizer of Ever Con, talks about the student-run gaming convention that takes place...

BBS008 Chris Perkins WotC at Gamehole Con 2015 Nov 08, 2015

Chris Perkins from Wizards of the Coast (WotC) spoke at Gamehole Con 2015. We recorded it. We think he’s hinting at potential Ravenloft product. Were we right? Next episode Subscribe on iTunes or Android so you don’t miss our next episode when we do a recap day 2 of Gamehole Con 2015.

BBS007 Dungeon Bastard Gamehole Con 2015 Nov 07, 2015

Bill Cavalier is the Dungeon Bastard. We capture his talk at Gamehole Con 2015.

BBS006 Gamehole Con 2015 Day 1 Recap Nov 07, 2015

Gamehole Con 2015 recap of day 1 of the tabletop gaming convention located in Madison, Wisconsin. Brett and I talk about Gamehole Con 3 starting with Thursday and Friday, who we met, what we did and how things are going.

060 Surprise Bait and Switch in Roleplaying Games Nov 03, 2015

Presenting the unexpected in roleplaying games doesn’t come to your players without an element of surprise. Sean has mentioned wanting to start a game and not tell folks what it’s about so let’s discuss how to introduce a change-up or a surprise to your game (and if it’s a good idea at all). Random Encounter Michael Phillips...

059 Fear and Horror in Roleplaying Games Oct 27, 2015

Fear and horror in roleplaying games, after all tis the season! In this episode we talk about whether you need to scare your players in order to create fear and horror in your rpg. How does mechanics play a role in creating these emotions? There are some games that facilitate fear and horror better than...

058 Player Characters Level Up or Bad Ass Beginner Oct 20, 2015

Player characters level up or bad-ass beginner? Angela Murray inspired us to discuss the topic. Do you start out a wimp where your wizard has 1d4+Con Mod hit points to only die from a pin prick or do you have max hit points and want to be an effective bad ass at first level? There is...

057 RPG Player to Game Master Oct 13, 2015

From rpg player to game master, it can be a leap. How did we Brett and Sean start gaming? Was it running or playing rpg’s? Then how we got into game mastering and what made us do such a foolish thing. Topic inspired by Jeff Rademaker, we share some of the things we learned and...

056 Player Control in Roleplaying Games Oct 06, 2015

Player control in roleplaying games, some may call it ‘player agency’. Brett & Sean run themselves in circles trying to define it. Chits, points, fortune or luck dice can allow a player to change things, is that giving them too much control? Topic inspired by listener Eric Farmer, he got us thinking about the role...

055 Roleplaying for Story Sep 29, 2015

Roleplaying for story, do we do it? First we need to define ‘story’. We, and other like Misdirected Mark, talk about story needs, wants, etc., for our games. If we’re not in it for the story, then what is it? There are dangers in forcing story. Sean Train anyone? Lets face it, story is the end...

054 Player Character Pain in Roleplaying Games Sep 22, 2015

Player character pain in roleplaying games. Sean believes that the physical piece is tied to mechanics while the mental pain is tied to roleplaying. Sometimes there are mechanics that help simulate pain. Maybe it’s the condition track in WotC’s Star Wars Saga Edition rpg, you take damage and move down a condition track and taking...

053 Challenges Killing Player Characters in RPGs Sep 15, 2015

Challenges killing player characters, is it tougher to do with today’s roleplaying games? Episode 53 Show Agenda Reading from Curt Thompson’s G+ Intro Announcements Random Encounter – emails, voice mails, social media from listeners Moe Tousignant re: Weird on G+ Darcy Ross re: Weird on G+ Victor Wyatt comment on G+ Voicemail from Joe Matt...

052 Gear in Roleplaying Games Sep 08, 2015

Gear in roleplaying games may incude a ten foot pole, bag of flower, pouch of marbles and more. How do you handle gear in your rpg. Episode 52 Show Agenda Intro Announcements Gamehole attendees flying in for con. If you give me a heads up AND are flying into Madison, I will try to pick...

051 Weirdness in Roleplaying Games Sep 01, 2015

Weirdness in roleplaying games. How weird is too weird? Guest Alex Kammer of Gamehole Con joins us. Episode 51 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Thank you to everyone for listening to our BS up to episode 50! Shout outs to those that left audio well-wishes. In no particular order: Kevin Knealy, Roger Brasslet,...

050 GBS Five Oh, RPG Players Aug 25, 2015

It’s our 50th episode! We talk about tabletop rpg players, a surprise and listener well wishes. Episode 50 Show Agenda Episode 50 – Good Players Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Patreon has launched!! Consider a kind contribution to the show and be a Complete BS’er! https://www.patreon.com/gamingandbs Sponsor Greyedout Productions – Head over to www.etsy.com/shop/greyedout and...

049 Playing in a Modern World Aug 18, 2015

Playing an rpg that takes place in the modern world but with no spin on it like horror, sci-fi, monsters, etc. Episode 49 Show Agenda Episode 49 – Modern Settings Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Kristian Serrano and +Ron Blessing from the Savage Blogger’s Network said nice things about us in ep 10 – http://www.savagebloggers.net/episode-010/...

048 Realism in Roleplaying Games Aug 11, 2015

Realism in roleplaying games, we talk about falling off a 100 story tower and surviving. Real? Well it is a world of elves and magic. Episode 48 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Apologies to Ben Blanding on G+. He called in N. Phillip Cole to say we started mentioning his game in a...

047 Monster Ecologies in Roleplaying Games Aug 04, 2015

Monster ecologies in roleplaying games. We talk a little synergy and if it matters that it make sense having monsters in your encounter. Should the players notice if it belongs or not? Episode 47 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements G&BS spy network success! Our elite team infiltrated the Misdirected Mark’s Gen Con seminar!...

046 Money in Roleplaying Games Jul 28, 2015

How do you handle money in roleplaying games? There are lots of different ways, we share our thoughts. Episode 46 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Shaintar KS – Brett explains something he thinks is important. Now on Tumblr gamingandbs.tumblr.com Random Encounter – emails, voice mails, social media from listeners From ep 45 https://plus.google.com/b/102903036211520314167/+Gamingandbscom/posts/Jb89rPQeM2L?cfem=1...

045 Travel in Roleplaying Games Jul 21, 2015

Travel in roleplaying games. Is it the destination or the journey? You walk, and walk, and walk some more. How do you handle travel in your game? Episode 45 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Random Encounter – emails, voice mails, social media from listeners Kevthuhlu on our website writes on Ep 005...

044 Fudging Dice Rolls in RPGs Jul 14, 2015

It’s often a topic of debate, mostly for game masters. Do you fudge dice rolls or roll in open and let them land where they may? Episode 44 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Bonus BS! interview with Phil got a bit out of hand… Ed Greenwood – looks like he’s going to make...

BBS005 Phil Vecchione Surprise Jul 08, 2015

Interview with Phil Vecchione co-author of Focal Point, the Complete Game Master’s Guide to Running Extraordinary Sessions and then all hell breaks loose.

043 Taking It To The Table Jul 07, 2015

Advice on running a roleplaying game. We dance around the topic, field listener feedback and cover Die Roll! Episode 43 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Blubrry affiliate. One month for free. Promo code GamingandBS. blubrry.com BonusBS Ep 004, Part 2 of Inside Gaming and BS. Work Flow. Rocker Boys and Vending Machines! –...

BBS004 Inside Gaming & BS Part 2: Work Flow – Bonus BS Jul 02, 2015

Part 2 of Inside Gaming BS series. Sean talks about the work flow and technical process of podcast production of an episode in this Bonus BS. BBS004 Show Agenda Operation work flow Google docs easy to share/collaborate show outline/agenda template easy show notes spreadsheet for sponsors when they were mentioned time – billing Skype or...

042 Taboos in Roleplaying Games Jun 30, 2015

Is there anything you won’t allow in your game if you’re running a roleplaying game? As a player, is there certain situations or subjects that are taboo and off limits in your rpg? It’s our topic of discussion in this episode. Episode 42 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Bonus BS is all up...

BBS003 Inside Gaming & BS Part 1: Planning – Bonus BS Jun 26, 2015

Are you planning a podcast? We have received some inquiries from listeners asking us how we do the show, who do we use for hosting, and what gear do we use. This is a multipart series providing insight into producing Gaming and BS podcast. BBS003 Show Agenda Planning stage Reason for show passion or risk...

041 Improvisation in Roleplaying Games Jun 23, 2015

Do you do any improvisation as a player or game master in your roleplaying games? We talk about it on this episode. Episode 41 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Happy belated Father’s Day to all the gamer dads out there! Sean Rant = Free RPG Day Wil Wheaton – Producer under the bus...

040 Cliches & Tropes in Roleplaying Games Jun 16, 2015

Cliches and tropes in roleplaying games, are they a tiresome plot devices or are they just good old fun? Episode 40 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Darktheatre.net Apps for iPad Our Character Folio 2 is live and it’s only $2.99! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/character-folio-2/id978347562?mt=8 Our Army Folio is price reduced to $1.99 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/army-folio/id892196370?mt=8 Part Time Gods...

BBS002 Bonus BS Events Guy Josh Hoyt of Gamehole Con Jun 13, 2015

Josh Hoyt, Director of Games, making him the events guy at Gamehole Con. Gamehole Con is a yearly tabletop gaming convention held in November in Madison, Wisconsin. This is Gamehole Con’s third year. Their debut event had 200+ events. This year they are already over 500! Sean talks to Josh about his gaming background, what...

039 RPG Game Groups – Consistent or Changing It Up? Jun 09, 2015

We talk about rpg game groups. Is it good to have long-standing relationships with the member? What about switching it up and having new members? Episode 39 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements GaryCon Podcast Seminar – Drink Spin Run, Dead Games Society, GBS Upcoming interview with Joshy Hoyt from Gamehole event coord. Random...

OSR aka Old School Renaissance Jun 02, 2015

OSR What is it? Is this simply the style of play (rulings v rules)? Why should I play a clone if I’ve got access to the original game? A game like DCC – what sets it apart? We talk old school renaissance. You might know it as OSR. We also address listener comments and die roll!...

037 Generating PCs, Collaboratively or Not May 26, 2015

Generating player characters, it can be done together or solo. How do you do it? What makes sense or does it matter? Episode 37 Show Agenda Intro – Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net From the Gamehole! Tom Valley, friend of Gamehole Con is looking for people to help run D&D Adventurers League at Gamehole in November. Contact...

036 Epic Level, High Level Role-playing Games May 19, 2015

Is there a difference between epic level and high level gaming? Of course there is. Maybe. Kind of. Sort of. Episode 36 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Rumors of Sean and Brett being part of a brotherhood of Canadian spies lead may or may not have been true. News from Gamehole! Another Guest...

035 Out of Print Role-playing Games May 12, 2015

Out of print role-playing games, sometimes referred to as ‘dead games’, do you still play them? Do you need to play the latest and greatest? Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Happy late Mother’s Day to all the gaming moms, and moms who let the rest of us game! Reminder to folks about Gamehole Con’s design...

034 Handling Time in Roleplaying Games May 05, 2015

Listener email leads us to the topic of handling time in roleplaying games. Do you track time? How? Do you have it effect the aging of player characters? Lets talk about it. Episode 34 Outline Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Sean’s Forge Midwest experience. Random Encounter – emails, voice mails, social media from listeners Thank you...

033 Espionage Roleplaying Games Apr 28, 2015

Be it fantasy, modern or far future scifi, you can make espionage a big part of your roleplaying game But what about running a game that is catered to the genre? We talk about it in this episode and we’ll throw in some random encounters as well. Episode 33 Show Outline Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Bonus...

BBS001 Bonus BS ENnie Awards Lowdown with Hans Cummings Apr 24, 2015

We get the lowdown on the ENnie Awards from the ENnie Submissions Coordinator and Publisher Relations, Hans Cummings. About Hans He’s the Author/Publisher & tabletop gamer since 1982 He’s recognized as ‘One of Nuvo’s Best Local Authors’ in Indianapolis: http://www.nuvo.net/indianapolis/bestofindy/Page Some of his works include… Fear the Boot’s Sojurn & Sojurn Vol 2 anthology Fantasy...

032 What RPG Do You Want To Run, But Have Not Apr 21, 2015

Some of us have a few roleplaying games. Many of them we have not played or GM’d. What are those games and why haven’t you run or played them? Episode 32 Show Outline Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Update from the Gamehole!! Gamehole Con adds more special guests! Merle Rasmussen, the original author and creator of...

031 Bards Are For Roleplaying Apr 14, 2015

Bards, huh! What are they good for? Absolutely roleplaying. Bards are for roleplaying. We skip the crunch and talk about Bards, listener feedback and Die Roll! Episode 31 Show Outline Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Gamehole Con has it’s exhibitor floor layout complete. Touts biggest exhibit hall second only to GenCon! Random Encounter – emails, voice...

030 Are RPG Campaigns Necessary? Apr 07, 2015

Do you need an rpg campaign that has a cohesive plot line or can one shots do the trick? Episode 30 Show Outline Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Random Encounter – emails, voice mails, social media from listeners Kristian Serrano’s quote from the G&BS post on G+: “Most players I know don’t actively participate in online...

029 Pursuing the Perfect RPG System Mar 31, 2015

Why do gamers keep buying new RPG’s? Sean thinks its the pursuit of the perfect RPG rule system. We talk about it and a GaryCon wrap up. Episode 29 Show Agenda Intro Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements No Gen Con for Brett this year 🙁 Random Encounter – emails, voice mails, social media from listeners Erik...

028 Listener Voicemails, Maps and Character Background Mar 24, 2015

We address listener voicemails that ask how we maps in roleplaying games and comment on player character backgrounds in this role playing game podcast episode. Episode 28 Show Agenda Sponsored by DarkTheatre.net Announcements Working out some colaboration with the Misdirected Mark team (http://misdirectedmark.com/) Random Encounter & Topic of Discussion VM from Chris Hussey – maps...

027 Handling RPG Rules at the Table Mar 17, 2015

We answer our first voice mail from Chris Hussey, how do you handle rpg rules at the table? Update from Gameholecon and Die Roll. Episode 27 Show Agenda Intro including music – DarkTheatre.net Home of the Character Folio Announcements Great Feedback on Episode 26 – love the input! Karl Keesler’s uses Magic Cards and an...

026 Player Character Backgrounds in RPGs Mar 10, 2015

Player character backgrounds in roleplaying games, how do you handle them? Do you incorporate them into your story? Brett and Sean share their thoughts. Episode 26 Show Agenda Intro including music – DarkTheatre.net Home of the Character Folio Announcements Volunteer for ACD’s Games Day. Go here for more details. Greyed Out Dice Bag Ad Random...

025 Break Time and RPG Group Size Mar 03, 2015

Sometimes we need to take a break from gaming and the reasons may vary. It could be GM burn-out or a player that just isn’t into the game. We also talk about Brett’s 10 person gaming group and how a smaller, more intimate, group can be more beneficial. There’s also different ways to handle rpg...

024 Railroading and Sandboxes in Role-playing Games Feb 24, 2015

Railroading and Sandboxes in role-playing games, Brett and Sean broach the often-discussed topic. Many commentary rpg podcasts typically talk about this, here is our take. Episode 24 Show Agenda Random Encounter A couple of recent emails and posts. Shane writes in response to episode 22 RPG Wikis and Dissemination of Info: Thanks again for the...

023 What Have RPGs Done For You? Feb 17, 2015

We touch on the benefits of roleplaying games in our professional lives. Then we get off the beaten path…. Die roll is still included and Sean goes on rant over bad experience registering for events for GaryCon. Episode 23 Show Agenda Intro – Sponsored by Dark Theatre, home of the character folio! Sponsor Topic of...

022 RPG Wikis and Dissemination of Info Feb 10, 2015

We start out talking about how Brett organizes his campaign info using a wiki and then slide into disseminating campaign information using social media. How do you manage getting information to your players? Episode 22 Show Agenda Intro including music – DarkTheatre.net Home of the Character Folio Announcements Gamehole NewsThe Rodneys!The what? Yes, The Rodneys....

021 Gender Mixing, Male Players Playing Female Characters Feb 03, 2015

Males players playing female characters in roleplaying games, that’s the topic. Do you allow it? Is it a big deal? Episode 21 Show Outline Intro including music – DarkTheatre.net Home of the Character Folio Announcements Submitted Gaming and BS to rpggeek.com. Thanks to Moe Tousignant for the suggestion. 10th annual podcast awards at NMX in Vegas....

020 Experience Points & Character Advancement Jan 27, 2015

Incentive for level-based roleplaying game systems is typically experience points. We talk about player character advancement and how pacing goes back to game balance. How do you handle character advancement in level-based systems? Episode 20 Show Outline Intro including music and Darktheatre.net Announcements Gamehole Con, met with director Alex, and we’re sorting out our plans....

019 Homebrew RPG Settings Jan 20, 2015

Brett and Sean talk about homebrew RPG settings versus prepublished ones. Is the mystery lost when players have access to the world atlas and details? What’s your preference? Show outline Advert from Greyed Out Visit their online store and use promo code: GamingandBS to receive 10% off your order. Topics of Discussion – Homebrew RPG Settings...

018 Re-Alignment, In and Out of Game Jan 13, 2015

We circle back to episode 17 where we initially talked about alignment. We address listener feedback and elaborate a bit more on the topic. Episode 18 Show Outline Intro including music Announcements Brett is in news coverage of EverCon: http://www.waow.com/story/27815978/2015/01/09/gamers-come-out-for-evercon Random Encounter – messages from audience via email, G+ community or Twitter Sean – this! is...

017 Alignment In Fantasy RPGs Jan 06, 2015

We talk about alignment, primarily in D&D/fantasy roleplaying games. How do you handle alignment in your game? Intro including music Announcements Sean submitted event for GaryCon.com in March. Running One Minute to Midnight, a Spycraft d20 scenario. Brett will be at EverCon.org next weekend and is all set to go. Random Encounter – messages from...

016 Props in Roleplaying Games Dec 30, 2014

Props in roleplaying games, it may take work but it can add more to your game. Oh! And it doesn’t have to be something the GM offers! Episode 16 Show Outline Intro including music Announcements Hope those out there that celebrated Xmas had a good time with family and friends – and happy upcoming New...

015 Scifi Roleplaying Games Dec 23, 2014

Scifi rpgs, is space handled like Firefly or Star Wars? We talk about the challenges of a scifi game. Hard science and how ‘crazy’ do you get when you offer a scifi rpg to your players? Episode 15 Show Outline Intro Announcements Random Encounter – messages from audience via email, G+ community or Twitter Phil...

014 Tech at the Gaming Table Dec 16, 2014

Technology at the gaming table, what do you allow? Laptops ok or are they a distraction? “Hey man, can you put away your cell phone for a second. It’s your turn.” Episode 14 Show Outline Guest Chad Knight joins us to talk about EverCon.org. tech at the table, Die Roll, and Skill Check! Announcements Poll...

013 It’s How You Use It – Following Rules in RPGs Dec 09, 2014

Brett and Sean discuss playing an rpg, but not necessarily playing by the rules-as-written? Huh, what? Then why play that game? Episode 13 Show Outline Intro Sponsor Greyedout Productions – Dice bags. Promo code: GamingandBS gets you 10% off. http://greyedout.etsy.com Topics of Discussion It’s not what system you choose, it’s how you use it that matters....

012 Game Balance in Roleplaying Games Dec 02, 2014

We talk about game balance, challenge ratings, encounters and throwing a lich up against a party of first level pleebs! Is it necessary? Let us know. Episode 12 Show Outline Intro Announcements DMG released! (that’s 5e folks) Added to Master List of Podcasts on Table Top Podcast Community https://plus.google.com/+MoeTousignant/posts/H5fyeqxtQv3 Thanks Moe! Savage Worlds Bloggers Network...

011 Roleplaying Game Stores Nov 25, 2014

Bad roleplaying game stores get our blood pressure up, but it’s because we want them to thrive. Let us know why your game store rocks via email: gamingandbs@gmail.com or call 929.BIG.DICE and leave us a message! Episode 11 Show Outline Intro Announcements – updates to website, news, events, links, etc Sponsor: Greyed Out Productions. https://www.etsy.com/shop/greyedout Use...

010 Game Master Mistakes in RPGs Nov 18, 2014

Getting impatient with players? Not ‘yes, and’ing? B & S Divulge some of their GM mistakes in roleplaying games. It’s all learning, right? Episode 10 Show Outline Announcements Friends of the show page on the website. Drop us a line.18 Official podcast of Gamehole Con III in 2015! Random Encounter Happy post Canadian Thanksgiving to...

009 RPG Convention Game Prep Nov 11, 2014

RPG Convention game prep: goals of the game, what should players bring, pacing and more. Episode 9 Show Outline Announcements Friends of the show page on the website. Drop us a line. Random Encounter Email from Nick A. Comments from Chad K. Topics of Discussion – Convention Game Prep Game Master Game system known system unknown...

008 Fresh Blood Into RPG Hobby Nov 04, 2014

We talk about getting new people into the tabletop rpg hobby. Be careful of turning-off new players – killing pc’s, ruling with iron fist, and more. Episode 8 Show Outline Announcements VOTE DAMMIT! Topics of Discussion – New Gamers How we got started in RPGs The pitch – what to say to someone to...

007 Interview with Alex from Gamehole Con Oct 28, 2014

Brett is out for this one so Sean interviews the Director of Gamehole Con, Alex Kammer. Episode 7 Show Outline While Brett spends time in the woods of northern Wisconsin Sean flies solo but not without the help of Alex Kammer, Director, of Gamehole Con. Topic of Discussion – Alex Kammer of Gamehole Con Our first...

RPG Settings Oct 20, 2014

RPG Settings (aka Location, Location, Location). Homebrew vs prepublished. Does one take more work than the other? Announcements Gamehole is coming! (https://www.gameholecon.com/) Call the BS line 929.BIG.DICE (929.244.3423) I learned how to pronounce Moe’s last name! (it’s pronounced: 2 Sin O – in English.) And here’s a link to this Windsor Gaming Resoruce page (http://w-g-r.blogspot.ca/) As...

RPG Rule Systems Matter Oct 13, 2014

System matters? A high level overview of whether system matters or not in roleplaying games. Sean’s 5E game kicks off, sort of. Die roll: Brett takes notes! Sean mentions some sci-fi games and settings. Announcements First itunes reviews. Thanks to Zave! and Kevthuhlu! Shout outs to: Chad Knight and Moe Tousignant! Random Encounter Email from...

‘Role’ Play It Again Sam Oct 07, 2014

GMs overusing the same concepts, schticks and being predictable in rpgs. Players playing the same character. How did you get in hobby? – vote! Gumshoe, 5E, and NewGameapalooza. Check out Darktheatre.net/llc. Announcements Darktheatre will be pushing out an update to their Character Folio app at the end of the year (Dec) www.darktheatre.net/llc/ Random Encounter Poll Results!...

Player Character Death in Roleplaying Games Sep 30, 2014

Player character death in rpgs! How do you handle it? Doesn’t it contribute to the story? Leave us review on iTunes. Our first listener email – Thanks Zave! Brett would make a bad dwarf, buys a sword, and preps for new game. Ben Gerber games 24 hrs straight for charity, sponsor his effort. Shout outs...

Metagaming in RPGs Sep 22, 2014

Metagaming in rpgs! We talk about posting on Google+ and how some people seem to spam their info all over the place. Once the banter is over, we get to metagaming, which was originally spurred from our first episode. We define it in our own terms – essentially player knowledge and manipulating the game through...

Pilot: Narrative Control in RPGs Sep 17, 2014

Narrative control is our first ‘main’ topic of discussion. Sean touches on the approach that the Star Wars Edge of the Empire by Fantasy Flight Games takes with narration and how some systems or groups approach narration differently based on the game, or is it how they play? But before that we talk about Warhammer 40k, and why...

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