I talk about over and under "grounding" fiction in role-playing. I also shill two amazing podcast episodes, Daydreaming About Dragons 69 and Spikepit 333.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

Plundergrounds

164 Revisiting Logic in Fantasy

I'm back after a hiatus, partly thanks to a challenge thrown out there by Judd Karlman of Daydreaming About Dragons. I'm rolling a d20 for topics this season. Today is #12, one submitted by (I think) Logan Howard of Swordbreaker: If you were tasked with training players for greatness, what steps would you take? In response I talk about developing self-awareness through a player inventory. (Partly inspired by Rob C's confessional on Down in a Heap.) I then talk about developing a table awareness and finally putting in the hours at the table. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

163 Guide to Player Greatness?

This is a test of the Plundergrounds podcast system --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

Plundergrounds Test

This episode features some great call ins from Judd of Daydreaming About Dragons and Joe of the Hindsightless podcasts. I spend a bit of time talking about engaging with fiction and projecting one's self into fictional worlds. Then Barney of Loco Ludus calls in to talk Kriegsspiel and cultural stereotypes. I mention Playing At the World, an amazing Kriegsspiel table, David Wesley, the Bruanstein game, Strategos. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

161 More on Spell Effects and Kriegsspiel

Part 1: thoughts on adjudicating in-game effects literally or adjusting them to the fiction. Part 2: thoughts on the Free Kriegspiel Revolution. Stuff mentioned: Old School Essentials, The Glatisant.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

160 Spell Effects and Free Kriegspiel

Readings from the foreword to The Best of Science Fiction, an anthology from 1946. Edited by Groff Conklin, published by Crown. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

159 Reading Corner - Best of SF

JJ and I talk about character arcs from generation to transformation. The context is a 12 session campaign of the Marvel Superhero Adventure Game with 1 GM and 4 players. We cover topics like card-based mechanics, "comic book frame narrative," switching gears from physical to digital play, fictional positioning, super hero style transformations, etc. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

158 Tell Me About Your Character w/JJ

I give an overview of Jack Kirby's Eternals as an RPG setting. Kirby's Kids, The Eternals by Jack Kirby, The Eternals by Neil Gaiman, New Gods by Jack Kirby, Chariots of the Gods by Erich Von Daniken. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

157 Jack Kirby's Eternals

The last five words of #RPGaDay2020: Favour, Close, Ride, Portal, Experience. Things mentioned: Old School Essentials, D&D 5e, Marvel Superhero Adventure Game, Rakka's Raiders (in the Plundergrounds Zine bundle), Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Dungeon World.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

156 Ride On #RPGaDay2020

An interesting idea I had, and a kind of fun mini-game, for generating old school D&D stats. Also a bit of life advice about not feeding negativity. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

155 I Can't Drive 55

Stream-of-consciousness riffing on the words Rare, Edge, Humor, Lever, and Strange. Things mentioned: Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Over the Edge, The Great Slow Kings by Roger Zelazny. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

154 Not So Rare #RPGaDay2020

Call-ins from Evil Jeff of Minions and Musings and Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Podcast. Milestone XP in Old School Essentials (episode, spreadsheet). Cultural touchstones; Judd on "knife fights in space." Sorcerers & Sellswords. Tiger and Del. Spikepit, Puddleglum, Innsmouth Look, Mike Myers' Canada. Polaris by Ben Lehman.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

153 Listener Call-ins and Who Decides How the World Works?

The who, what, when, where, and why of framing scenes. Giving dramatic moments space. Finding comfort in rpg prep. Getting past the "meet at the inn" moment. The mythical nature of towers. Clues for investigation shouldn't be subtle, and sometimes it's fun to investigate without purpose. Push was a cool movie and I wrote a game about it that worked on the "loner" character problem. Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came! Librivox - etext.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

152 Framed! #RPGaDay2020

#RPGaDay2020 continues. Sorry about the audio issues! Shade - don't throw it! Light - Safer Fantasy Crafting says 'rules light is both Kindergarten and Ph.D. role-playing.' Want - to not want! Old School Essentials Advanced and Dicey Times. Stack - people like to stack things, designs should give gamers things to stack. Messages - leave your characters meaningful in-world messages! Rest - is unsatisfying if it is simply a reset mechanic. Make them into scenes? Banner - people love to show their allegiances, so characters/NPCs in game worlds should have lots of banners, badges of office, patches, etc. Gygax 75 challenge podcasts and booklet.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

151 Shades of #RPGaDay2020

I'm a big fat cheater when it comes to the #RPGaDay2020 challenge. Though I'm supposed to talk about one word each day, I instead lump them all together for the week. So here are the first seven words. I talk about "Beginning" a lot, and then do quick hits on the other six: change, thread, vision, tribute, forest, couple. Opening clip is from the movie Dune. Games mentioned: Ogre, Melee, Wizard, Death Test, D&D Holmes Basic, Traveller, Oracle, Prime Time Adventures, Microscope. Other stuff: Star Wars: A New Hope, Lord of the Rings, the Science Fiction Book Club, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Dragonriders of Pern, Midnight's Lair (defunct podcast), Merlin, Aladdin's Castle, Alien (movie), TI-994a. My free games are found at rayotus.itch.io.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plundergrounds/message

150 The Beginning of #RPGaDay2020

Ray Otus is a tabletop role-playing gamer, artist, writer, and designer. Plundergrounds is a podcast focused on the RPG hobby and inspiration points for it.

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