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    Games & Hobbies

    Know Direction Network

    All of Know Direction’s Shows, including Pathfinder and Starfinder News, Reviews, Interviews, and Actual Play podcasts.

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    Latest Episodes:
    Intrepid Heroes 175 – Happy Newspark!Digital Divination 152 –Intrepid Heroes 175 – Happy Newspark! Designing Long Form Adventures Jan 08, 2026
    Show notes

    John and Ron talk designing long form adventures!

    Listen Now!

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    Intrepid Heroes 175 – Happy Newspark!Digital Divination 152 Jan 01, 2026
    Show notes

    In a break from our normal programming, our heroes celebrate Newspark in honor of the coming New Year!

    Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from all of your Intrepid Heroes!

    Cast:
    Jason Keeley – GM
    Alex Speidel – Patsy Van Dyne
    Isis Wozniakowska – Voss Seltee
    Jocelyn Hamilton – Together in Electric Dreams (Dreams)
    John Godek – Xabi Fraglorious
    Rue Dickey – Whose Boughs Are Lit Within (Boughs)
    Tim Nightengale – Dexter Rayne

    Starfinder 2nd Edition Actual Play Podcast

    Listen Now!(mp3)

    Watch Now!(mp4)

    Game Design Unboxed 131: Pandemic Dec 30, 2025
    Show notes

    In episode 131 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with game designer Matt Leacock about his “infamous” game Pandemic.

    Matt explains how his path into game design was shaped by watching his artsy uncle create games as a hobby and by growing up surrounded by “bad” games from the 1970s that he couldn’t help but try to improve. We discuss how overly competitive family game nights pushed him toward cooperative play, and how his first true co-op game inspired him to design experiences where players succeed or fail together. That philosophy, paired with an interest in chain reactions and the cultural relevance of disease in the early 2000s became the foundation of Pandemic.

    We talk about the thought process behind the game’s map, designing with real-world locations, drawing from existing game mechanics, and the value of diverse and remote playtesting. We also discuss working on game expansions, legacy design, teamwork, and how strong design skills support better prototypes and long-term vision.

    Listen Now! (mp3)

    Featuring:

    Matt Leacock – Guest

    Danielle Reynolds – Host

    Upshift 57: Melee Combat In Essence20 Dec 27, 2025
    Show notes

    Put up your dukes, Ryan and Charles are getting scrappy.

    In honour of Boxing Day, Charles wanted to know more about how melee combat works in Essence20. Ryan breaks down the rules, melee’s purpose in the system, some good options for melee builds, and the origin of the melee weapon rules.

    Listen Now! (mp3)

    Video

    Show Notes

    As Indiana Jones demonstrated, if you had a gun, why would you use a sword? What is the importance of melee in a game with guns and lasers?

    Topic: Melee in Essence 20

    The Essence 20 system has a great number of Melee options across all of the worlds that it covers. What does Melee give us?

    Melee In Essence20

    • Might and Finesse.
    • Ranged attacks in melee.
    • Grappling.

    Why is Melee important to have?

    • Every soldier carries a knife.
    • Critical to the settings.
    • More dramatic than guns.
    • A wider range of options for players.
    • Sometimes a sword is better.
    • Ninjas.

    Good examples of Melee focused characters:

    • Power Rangers: Every Power Ranger.
    • G.I. JOE: Storm Shadow, Jinx, Sgt. Slaughter, Big Boa. Rocky?
    • Transformers: Devastator, Bludgeon. The Dinobots.
    • My Little Pony: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Big Mac.
    • Why are they Iconic?

    Melee Roles

    • What makes a good Melee Role?
      • Perks
      • Essence Score Boosts
    • Power Rangers: Black, Green, Red, Yellow, Path of Flame, Purple
    • G.I. JOE: Commando, Renegade, Ranger, Vanguard
    • Transformers: Analyst, Modemaster, Scientist, Warrior
    • My Little Pony: Spirit of Loyalty

    Melee weapons

    • The evolution of melee weapons

    Shout Outs

    • G.I.Joe Headcast: https://www.youtube.com/@G.I.Joe_Headcast The Energon Protocols with Erik Smith
    • Thank you Patrons for keeping our lights on.
    • Thank you Wordburglar for the use of Letters From Snake Eyes part 4.

    Although Ryan works for Renegade Game Studios, this podcast and the network that hosts it are not affiliated with Renegade Game Studios.

    Digital Divination 151 – Holiday Traditions and Holiday Monsters! Dec 25, 2025
    Show notes

    John, Jason, and Ron talk about some of their holiday traditions and then dive into creating a grumpy holiday monster!

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    Intrepid Heroes 174 – The Memorial (Murder in Metal City Session 9) Dec 22, 2025
    Show notes

    Our heroes head to a memorial for these deceased friend, only to be attacked by android terrorists!

    Join our Intrepid Heroes as they solve the mystery of the Murder in Metal City!

    Cast:
    Jason Keeley – GM
    Alex Speidel – Patsy Van Dyne
    Isis Wozniakowska – Voss Seltee
    Jocelyn Hamilton – Together in Electric Dreams (Dreams)
    John Godek – Xabi Fraglorious
    Rue Dickey – Whose Boughs Are Lit Within (Boughs)
    Tim Nightengale – Dexter Rayne

    Starfinder 2nd Edition Actual Play Podcast

    Listen Now!(mp3)

    Watch Now!(mp4)

    Know Direction Beyond 103: Module and Adventure Path Review Dec 17, 2025
    Show notes

    Alex and James give their spoiler-free thoughts on Starfinder 2e’s first published adventures, Murder In Metal City and Guilt of the Grave World.

    Recorded live on Twitch.

    Listen Now! (mp3)

    Game Design Unboxed 130: Three Chapters Dec 16, 2025
    Show notes

    In episode 130 of Game Design Unboxed, we chat with game designer Joe Hout about his fairytale-themed trick-taking game, 3 Chapters, accessibility in gaming, and his design journey.

    Joe shares how his path into game design began by tweaking games he loved and then took off after completing a passion-project game he self-published via Kickstarter. We break apart 3 Chapters and how the creation of the game was a culmination of favorite mechanics and key moments from various games he’s designed over the years.

    This episode covers common barriers to entry in board games, from rule overload to games that are difficult to teach, and why familiar themes like fairytales can make learning feel intuitive. Joe and Danielle discuss how storytelling can help teach and pitch games – especially trick-taking games – which can feel frustrating or intimidating to players who are new to certain mechanics.

    Joe talks about the joy of hearing players say, “let’s play again,” the value of sticky rules that make it easy to return to a game after time away, and why a game’s weight matters less than its intended audience and purpose. We also discuss learning through design podcasts and tools, collaborating with great publishers, and how those relationships open doors across the tabletop industry.

    Listen Now! (mp3)

    Featuring:

    Joe Hout – Guest

    Danielle Reynolds – Host

    Upshift 56: Questions About Essence20 Core Rulebooks Dec 12, 2025
    Show notes

    Listener ‪@jasonsumma1530‬ asked what Ryan would change about the Core Rulebooks if Renegade Game Studios released 2.0 versions. This is NOT an announcement that Essence20 2.0 is a thing, just speculation with the benefit of hindsight on the ideal layout of an Essence20 Core Rulebook.

    Listen Now! (mp3)

    Video

    Show Notes

    This topic was suggested by @jasonsumma1530 on YouTube, who asked:

    “IF you could do a CRB 2.0 for any of the original three, what would you change? Would it be possible to condense it all into one slightly larger book since most of the rules are pretty much the same? Would it be better to do something similar in the line of DnD where you have a GMB (Game Manager Book) and CB (Character Book) with all of the updates in each”

    Topic: The Core Rulebook 2.0

    The Essence 20 system has been learning, maturing, and bringing everything that it has learned into its new products. If Ryan was going to apply everything that he’s learned to developing a CRB 2.0, what changes would he make and how would that improve the GM and Player experience.

    What is a Core Rulebook and what importance does it hold to a gaming system?

    • Set the tone
    • Establish the setting
    • Establish credentials
    • Explain the rules
    • Provide options

    Redesigning the CRB

    • Goals for a redesign
      • What would be your goals for a redesign?
      • One Core Rule book or one for each Property?
    • One chapter at a time
      • Chapter 1: Introduction
        • Foreword
        • Introductory Essay
      • Chapter 2: Essence20 Essentials
        • What Is An RPG
        • Essence20 Essentials
        • Character Creation
      • Chapter 3-5: Influences, Origins, and Roles
        • One chapter for each of the games big three options, in the order that makes the most sense for the setting.
      • Chapter 6: Essences, Defenses, and Skills
        • Include rules for Skills Tests
      • Chapter 7: General Perks
      • Chapter 8: Equipment
      • Chapter 9: Setting Specific Chapter
        • Zords, Converting, Magic, etc. Possibly more than one chapter.
        • Contacts
        • Factions
      • Chapter 10: Conflict
        • Combat
        • Challenges
        • Stress
        • Exploration
        • Size and stuff
      • Chapter 11: For Game Masters
        • What is a scene?
        • Telling a story
      • Chapter 12: Threats
      • Chapter 13: Adventure

    Shout Outs

    • Latest Essential Builds: John Cena
    • Next: You tell Ryan!
      • Eleven (Stranger Things)
      • Benoit Blanc (Knives Out)
      • Klaus (Klaus)
    • Maester Aelix’s Transformers chargen videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MaesterAelix
    • G.I.Joe Headcast: https://www.youtube.com/@G.I.Joe_Headcast The Energon Protocols with Erik Smith
    • Thank you Patrons for keeping our lights on.
    • Thank you Wordburglar for the use of Letters From Snake Eyes part 4.

    Although Ryan works for Renegade Game Studios, this podcast and the network that hosts it are not affiliated with Renegade Game Studios.

    Digital Divination 150 – The Past and Future of Digital Divination Dec 11, 2025
    Show notes

    John, Jason, and Ron reflect on the past and discuss the future of Digital Divination as we achieve our 150th episode

    Listen Now!

    Watch Now!

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