Stay ConnectedBen Byrne, Dael Kingsmill, Shawn Merwin, and Todd Kenreck bring you the latest tabletop hobby news, discussions on roleplaying game design, ideas for players and GMs, and share their passion for tabletop roleplaying games and the community!
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The crew continue our Christmas themed adventure, playing FATE: Accelerated by Evil Hat Productions. Gripped by terror one year more, is the entirety of Landhaus who have all locked their doors... which is likely wise with Kallos, Brillo and Eleanor running amok!
The Tale Continued:
00:00 - Intro
01:32 - When we last left our heroes...
06:15 - Eleanor making enemies
21:19 - Confronting The Giver
38:35 - Combat commences (sort of)
43:31 - Eleanor making friends
55:22 - The FATE of Mr. Muscle Good Sir
On this very special episode of The Eldritch Lorecast, we're taking some time off from game design to play FATE: Accelerated, from Evil Hat Productions. 'Tis all winter solstice and silent in the city of Landhaus... until our heroes incite a riot and start breaking into homes in search of a mysterious gift giving monster!
The Tale:
00:00 - Intro
01:57 - FATE: Accelerated rules
04:05 - Our story begins...
06:20 - Character introductions
12:49 - The angry villagers
33:03 - Following a lead
50:12 - Breaking and entering
58:37 - Finally inside the house
This week's Lorecast asks the big questions about whether you NEED to expand your TTRPG repertoire or 5th Edition D&D can cover every genre? James gets excited about Fables: Citadel of the Unseen Sun and Dael introduces us to The Gentleman.
Download the first chapter of Fables FREE: https://ghostfiregaming.com/fables/
Topics:
00:00 - Intro
00:12 - Favorite Christmas gifts
07:00 - Fables Chapter 1
08:19 - Designing traps that engage players
16:31 - James' final words on Fables
18:56 - D&D 5e and genres of Fantasy
38:56 - How would you hack 5e to fit another genre?
49:44 - Christmas live-play teaser
This episode is all about the arcane, eldritch, and magical as we anticipate the release of Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos. Dael makes controversial claims about Counterspell, Ben is mad at Suggestion, Shawn warns against the dangers of not cleaning up after a ritual, and James
enjoys the mutual destruction of fireball. An email sparks a debate about whether bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage is magical if caused by a spell.
Topics:
00:00 - Intro
06:13 - Strixhaven Release!
15:18 - The Cat saga
15:36 - Monsters in Strixhaven
18:02 - Rating spells for WotC's survey
30:59 - Magic & Spellcasting
46:17 - Describing spells & magic
54:01 - Is piercing damage from a spell magical damage?
The Dungeon Dude's drop by to take us on a tour of their dark fantasy adventure module, the Dungeons of Drakkenheim! Monty contaminates the world of Drakkenheim with new spells and magic items, Kelly has regrets about the monsters he's created, Ben mutates into Colbert momentarily, and Dael wants us to follow the rabbit of happiness!
Topics:
00:00 - Intro
01:17 - What fictitious world would you escape into?
04:47 - Dungeons of Drakkenheim
13:53 - Contamination and Mutation mechanics
26:14 - Factions of Drakkenheim
37:29 - How to start World Building
Ben and Dael get recklessly empathetic for their new D&D characters while Shawn onboards new players by limiting their options. James get critical about the result of rolling a natural 20... or a natural 1.
Topics:
00:00 - Intro
02:31 - Character creation
23:38 - Using pre-generated characters
29:24 - Onboarding new players & Session 0's
37:00 - Having 'Reckless Empathy' for your character
40:59 - Scoring a Natural 20 and a Natural 1
46:40 - Designing rules for rolling criticals
Shawn and James break down their approaches to designing monsters for 5th Edition D&D, Dael explains building in a "Death Star Exhaust Port" to her monsters, and Ben is surprised by how virtuous everyone's player-characters are. We delve into the merits of running "An Evil Campaign" *cue lightning* and how each of us would approach such a dastardly game.
Ask us a question for the latest episode: podcast@ghostfiregaming.com
Topics:
00:00 - Intro
02:50 - 5e Monster Design
18:10 - Monster's with "Death Star Exhaust Ports"
25:48 - Monsters Inspired by real world critters
29:43 - Monster Hunts and Investigations
37:19 - Running an Evil Campaign
53:30 - D&D Inspiration from Video Games
James reveals all about Fables: Citadel of the Unseen Sun! This first ever Grim Hollow adventure module releases in instalments, starting in January 2022. The crew also discuss how digital tools such as Pathfinder Nexus and D&D Beyond have evolved alongside TTRPGs, and where they might be going. What is the scent of delusion? Are hit points meat?
Topics:
00:00 - Intro
02:48 - Fables - What? When? How?
16:52 - Fables - Character Levels
25:28 - Citadel of the Unseen Sun - Adventure design
31:56 - Digital tools used in TTRPGs
50:16 - Games Workshop scented candles
55:14 - Conceptualizing hit points and damage
Fables: Citadel of the Unseen Sun
https://ghostfiregaming.com/fables/
Sign up now to get each instalment at $9.99 as they release.
In Episode #05 we take a break from the news cycle to ask each other what we love most about playing tabletop roleplaying games like D&D 5e? How do you get started if you've never played before? Do complex game mechanics tell a better story than simple ones? Ben has strong feelings about whether you should turn your passion for TTRPGs into your job while Dael sees into the future and talks briefly about candy.
Topics:
02:37 - Why Play TTRPGs?
23:24 - Evolution of D&D through the Editions
36:35 - Crunchy game mechanics vs simple mechanics?
40:43 - Is 5th Edition the ultimate malleable RPG?
45:49 - How to get started playing TTRPGs?
Episode #04 features Logan from Runesmith taking us on tavern crawl through "The Seeker's Guide to Twisted Taverns", and we hotly debate the function of passive perception over a brew. As the night goes on we get philosophical about the alignment chart and the nature of morality, before diving into myths and morality tales. No birds were harmed in the making of this podcast.
Topics:
00:02:01 - "You all meet in a Tavern" adventures
00:11:09 - The Seeker's Guide To Twisted Taverns
00:21:10 - Passive Perception debate
00:31:47 - The Alignment Chart
00:47:43 - The Bird saga
00:48:43 - More Alignment Chat
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