Have Games, Will Travel

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Have Games, Will Travel #98 Aug 02, 2007

Show notes

Improv and Gaming Conversation with Remi Treuer, Part 2

0:33 - Today's episode is the second half of my conversation with Remi Treuer of the Durham 3 about improv and roleplaying.
1:27 - This show is a member of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
1:34 - Having talked about how improv and gaming are different, Remi and I dig into improv techniques that can be use effectively in roleplaying, starting with reincorporation and listening.
9:33 - We dig into "Yes, And. . ." and the potential problems surrounding it.
16:42 - I bring up the issue of sharing cool ideas immediately rather than hoarding them.
22:57 - We talk about vastly different role that endowment plays in improv and gaming, and Remi points out a clever twist on how to use it effectively.
30:48 - Remi brings up "I'm going to make you awesome" as a great tool in both improv and roleplaying before we sum up. I then go off on the new improv format my troupe is trying out and how it's a lot like roleplaying.
37:29 - With my conversation with Remi concluded, I disclose my plan for recording episode 100 at GenCon. Ryan Macklin of the Master Plan podcast will be the Master of Ceremonies and Roastmaster. Even if you can't be there, please send along emails and audio clips to havegameswilltravel@gmail.com.
40:59 Speaking of GenCon, next episode will be the pre-GenCon show.

--PaulDiscuss this episode in the HG,WT forum.

Have Games, Will Travel #97 Jul 27, 2007

Show notes

Improv and Gaming Conversation with Remi Treuer, Part 1

0:33 - This is your last chance to vote for the ENnies and potentially impoverish me. Voting closes July 29th.
3:09 - This show is a member of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
3:16 - Remi Treuer, one third of the Durham 3, sits down with me to talk about the relationship between improv and roleplaying. We start off by explaining our improv backgrounds, Remi's with Dirty South Improv and mine with Ventura Area TheatreSports.
10:24 - With that out of the way, we start exploring the ways in which improv isn't roleplaying and vice versa, starting with the idea of the space around the game.
16:38 - We discuss how conflicts and arguments work very differently between improv and roleplaying.
27:20 - And that does it for part one of our conversation. Next episode, we'll discuss what things can be stolen from improv and taken back to gaming.

--PaulDiscuss this episode in the HG,WT forum.

Have Games, Will Travel #96 Jul 23, 2007

Show notes

Engel Matrix Games and the Indie RPG Awards

0:33 - Voting for the ENnies is now open. Before you fill out your ballots, I recommend checking out the Summer Revolution and the ENnies Nominations special episode of Gamer's Haven.
3:18 - Robin Laws gives us his blessing.
3:25 - Engle Matrix Games, from Chris Engle's Hamster Press, provide a unique approach to colloborative story creation. I talk about my experiences with Dracula and Evil Wizard School: The Final Lesson.
16:13 - This show is a member of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
16:22 - John Kim and I discuss the Indie RPG Awards.
29:42 - Mick Bradley flatters me.
29:53 - Before I go, I make a plug for the HG,WT Guild on BoardGameGeek and the next installment in the Strategicon series of conventions.

--Paul Discuss this episode in the HG,WT forum.

Have Games, Will Travel #95 Jul 11, 2007

Show notes

Origins 2007 Round Table with Chris Hanrahan, Fred Hicks, and Kenneth Hite

0:38 - Before talking about Origins, I briefly discuss the ENnies. This show, along with The Sons of Kryos, The Godzilla Gaming Podcast, Yog Radio, and Fear the Boot, has been nominated for Best Podcast.
4:01 - The Sons of Kryos say hi.
4:14 - Chris Hanrahan (of 2d6 Feet In a Random Direction) and I corner Fred Hicks and Kenneth Hite to talk about our time at Origins, starting with our great dinner at the Burgundy Room.
7:25 - With that out of the way, Fred gives us the scoop on the Indie Press Revolution booth, while I talk about the joy of giving Luke Crane his Origins Award for Burning Empires. This led to a discussion of this year's voting procedure for the Origins Award and how important activism was.
12:08 - Ken talks about carry, Aces and Eights, and Witch Hunter.
23:23 - Prompted by Ken, Fred discusses his time at the IPR booth, focusing on Spirit of the Century and Don't Rest You Head. I mention Battlestations in passing, and Ken demands that I put a link to it in the show notes.
25:21 - We get Chris to talk about his love for new Battletech products. Drool is involved.
28:20 - Jerry Corrick of Adventure Retail and the Source gets serious kudos from Ken for his impressive stock of Cthulhiana and Lovecraft books (including The Kalem Klub and The Monster in the Mirror).
32:48 - I talk about playing board games, especially in the Board Room run by the Columbus Area Boardgaming Society. Among them were Zooloretto, Pizza Box Baseball, Lost Valley, and Jenseits von Theben.
37:46 - After a brief digression about the glories of the North Market, Fred talks about playing a few after-hours RPGs with Jared Sorensen, and we talk about what makes Origins a great experience (as Ken and I discussed last year).
42:14 - Chris and I got to shoot things in TerrorWerks. Ken manages to relate this to the Scandinavian gaming scene and how our hobby is able to adapt and sell a highly-individualized experience. (This is why we invite him on the show.) Fred brings in the Ashcan Front as an example. Eventually this comes around to a discussion of the Origins seminar track.
52:48 - Before we go, Chris gives a shout out to the city of Columbus, and we all agree.
57:28 - This show is part of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
57:34 - I have a few final thoughts on Origins before talking about two projects I've worked on recently, Finis and The Story Games Names Project.

--Paul Discuss this episode in the HG,WT forum.

Have Games, Will Travel #94 Jul 07, 2007

Show notes

After Action Report for Primetime Adventures

0:34 - We've just finished up playing a full season of Primetime Adventures, so I thought this would be a good time to talk about it.
1:51 - The illustrious Kenneth Hite greets us.
2:00 - I sit down with Christina, Roy, and Ted to talk extensively about Terroir, our recently concluded game of Primetime Adventures. We start off with introductions.
4:16 - We begin with the pitch session and how we ended up playing Six Feet Under meets Tim Powers' Earthquake Weather meets Six Feet Under
8:08 - We talk about how the conceptual framework of a television show impacted the game.
20:18 - The first element of PTA's mechanics we dig into is fan mail.
28:28 - En route to discussing the conflict system, we explain our biggest stumble in the game.
37:48 - With that out of the way, we finally get to the conflict mechanics, specifically how they drive plot momentum and handle orthogonal stakes.
43:57 - We give some advice for people looking to try PTA for the first time.
56:27 - Finally, we conclude with what we've learning and we're taking away for future games.
1:08:46 - The show is part of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
1:08:56 - I'm off to Origins, and I'll be back next week to talk about the experience.

--Paul Discuss this episode in the HG,WT forum.

Have Games, Will Travel #93 Jun 27, 2007

Show notes

Convention Report from Go Play NW 2007

0:32 - Last weekend was Go Play NW, so today I'm talking about what I played there.
1:09 - Jared Sorensen says hello.
1:16 - At Go Play NW (not PaulCon NW) I played Jungle Speed, Ca$h 'n Gun$, A Penny For My Thoughts (in development over at Master Mines), the forthcoming The Committee for the Exploration of Mysteries, Zombies in the Vineyard (Carl Rigney's hack for Dogs in the Vineyard), and Perfect. You can hear a bit more about Go Play NW on the next episode of The Voice of the Revolution.
17:02 - The show is part of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
17:09 - Origins and GenCon are coming; let me know if you're going to be at either of those. At GenCon, you'll be able to find me at the Ashcan Front booth (#1940), the Podcasters Party, and my Inside The Game Designer's Studio interview with Monte Cook.

--PaulDiscuss this episode in the HG,WT forum

Have Games, Will Travel #92 Jun 21, 2007

Show notes

It Was A Mutual Decision and PaulCon V

0:32 - Last weekend was PaulCon, my annual birthday convention, and I had the chance to play a lot of games.
1:24 - The guys from 2d6 Feet in a Random Direction stop by.
1:40 - It Was A Mutual Decision is a Story Now game about the end of a relationship (with wererats). I'd wanted to play it for quite a while, and I discovered it makes an excellent party game.
12:52 - The show is part of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
13:00 - Throughout PaulCon I played a ton of games, including The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Dogs in the Vineyard, The Shab-al-Hiri Roach, Ca$h 'n Gun$, Lost Cities, Poison, Tongiaki, and BattleLore (but sadly, not Perfect).
22:20 - Go Play Northwest is this weekend, so I'll be back next week to talk about that. Meanwhile, you can check out Master Mines.

--PaulDiscuss this episode in the HG,WT forum

Have Games, Will Travel #91 Jun 15, 2007

Show notes

Notre Dame and War of the Ring

0:32 - I'm back to talk about a pair of board games I was able to play a few weeks ago.
1:15 - This show is part of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
1:23 - Notre Dame is one of my favorite new games. Check out Doug Garrett's overview on episode 71 of Garrett's Games & Geekiness. (The card game I mention in passing is Fairy Tale.)
15:26 - Ryan Macklin from Master Plan says hello.
15:33 - War of the Ring is a thematically-satisfying, hybrid war game.
27:56 - This show was also a part of the (now-defunct) Gaming Podcast Network.
28:05 - PaulCon V is this weekend, so I'll be back soon to talk about the games I played.

--PaulDiscuss this episode in the HG,WT forum

Have Games, Will Travel #90 Jun 01, 2007

Show notes

Interview with Joshua BishopRobyShow notes:

0:32 - In the second episode of a two-part series, I interview Joshua BishopRoby, the designer of Full Light, Full Steam.
1:33 - This show is a member of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
1:41 - We start off talking about our awesome time at Gamex 2007.
6:57 - I start grilling Josh about his steampunk space opera game, Full Light, Full Steam.
17:01 - We move on to talking about Josh's next game, Sons of Liberty (which is Dynasty Warriors meets the American Revolution), and the playtesting process.
26:00 - We take a right turn into theory to talk about what RPG rules bring to social interaction, using 1001 Nights, Polaris, and Heads of State as examples (and forgetting to mention Bacchanal).
33:30 - I pry details out of Josh about the playtesting group he is part of.
37:03 - We ruthlessly pimp NerdSoCal.
41:16 - The show is part of the Gaming Podcast Network.
41:26 - Parting shots: In three weeks I'll be at Go Play Northwest. Don't forget about A Fistful of Games. And thank you so much to everyone who came out to Gamex.

--PaulDiscuss this episode in the HG,WT forum

Have Games, Will Travel #89 May 24, 2007

Show notes

Passages and the Zorcerer of Zo

0:36 - In the first episode of a two-part series, I review two RPGs inspired by 19th century fiction.
1:29 - This show is a member of the Gaming Broadcast Network.
1:36 - Passages, from Blue Devil Games, is Sliders meets The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in a solid D20 reimplementation.
8:51 - Mick Bradley from The House of the Harping Monkey explains his love for the show.
9:02 - The Zorcerer of Zo, from Atomic Sock Monkey Press (who also brought us Truth and Justice), gives us a look inside Chad Underkoffler's head at what he thinks about fairy tales and how his campaign shaped the game's design.
19:02 - This show is part of the Gaming Podcast Network.
19:12 - I'm going to be traveling a lot this summer, bookended with two of the Strategicons. In between I'm really looking forward to Go Play Northwest in Seattle, hanging with Chris Hanrahan at Origins, playing some games with Doug Garrett at the West Coast Meeple Fest, and doing a ton of things (including the podcasting track that Don Dehm has organized and working with the Ashcan Front) at GenCon.
27:20 - I'll be back next week with an interview with Joshua BishopRoby about his game, Full Light, Full Steam.

--PaulDiscuss this episode in the HG,WT forum

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