Role Playing Public Radio

Caleb and I discuss the possibility of creating a second edition of Red Markets and Base Raiders. It’s a major task, so examining the pros and cons is a necessary first step. Updating the mechanics, revising the lore, and improving the information design are all big challenges, not to mention the logistics of getting a game funded by crowdfunding. Check out Hebanon Games to see Caleb’s latest game design work. News: I started a new bonus podcast on the RPPR Patreon. Recommendizer is focused on media recommendations. In episode zero, we talk about two new horror video games, Signalis and Scorn and some underwater horror movies. Song: Dotlights – Come In And Stay on Chillhop Essentials Winter 2022

We’re back for one more round with Synnibarr 3ED. Caleb, Thad, Baz, and I dive into the GM (or Fate in the parlance of Synnibarr). We’re all guests in Raven’s house, so find out what his wisdom for running a RPG is. What is the ADDA model? Why are there so many random tables? We’ll try to unravel the mystery that is Synnibarr but we may find ourselves stranded on the Worldship… Join the RPPR Patreon to listen to the full episode! Caleb has Delta Green Dead Channels Baz is on Twitch as FutureWolfington

News: There’s a horror video marathon on the RPPR Patreon Discord on Sunday October 30, starting at 3 pm CDT! Sign up for the RPPR Newsletter and get a FREE Monster PDF! Synopsis: After watching the first 7 Saw movies in the last week, I realized that game design comes up in a lot in horror films. I got Chris and Aaron to talk about the franchise and other horror movies that intersect with game design topics. We mention Phantasm, Cube, Circle, Tremors, and a lot of other movies. A fun discussion just in time for the spookiest month of the year! Shout Outs * Saloum: An African horror thriller film currently on Shudder. Beautiful, intriguing, and unforgettable * Scorn: A horror adventure video game with a biomechanical aesthetic. * Three Thousand Years of Longing: A fantasy film about a writer and a genie, from director George Miller * Forgive Me Father: A Lovecraftian FPS with an old school design. Mow down hordes of cultists with a tommy gun. What’s not to love? * Shining the Holy Ark: A Sega Saturn RPG with some unique features. * Happy Endings: An autobiography of Bella Green, a comedian and sex worker. * Disney Dreamlight Valley: Animal Crossing but with Disney characters. * Floodlight: A drum and bass album where all proceeds go to disaster relief for flooding in Pakistan. * Quantum Leap: It’s a reboot of the 1980s show. Music: Floodlight DnB Aid for Flooding in Pakistan

Making a player character for Synnibarr Third Edition is perhaps the most challenging part of the game. Baz, Noah, Thad, and I attempt to make a group of characters for the game and discover that do not perceive reality in the same way that Raven McCracken does. We do learn that you can technically mount a chain gun on a horse though. Listen to the full episode on the RPPR Patreon. Join today to get more bonus podcasts, RPPR Illustrated, and access to our Discord server! Join at the $10 tier to play in RPG one shots I’m running. Check out Noah’s podcast, Thinking Too Hard About Anime! Baz streams a lot of cool games on Twitch!

Designing new monsters for your RPG is a time honored tradition for most GMs. I got Greg Stolze and Caleb Stokes to talk about their approaches to creating new creatures for games. Is the monster a metaphor or just a weird new enemy to fight? Get some tips on becoming Dr. Frankenstein for your next game! News: Caleb is running Delta Green on Twitch on September 28 at 6 pm CST. Follow the Delta Green Twitch channel to get notified when the game goes live. It should be fun! Greg started a Patreon for his fiction. Sign up to get his latest works. I’m starting a newsletter with original content, links, and updates for all my projects. Sign up below and get a free PDF of the Death Stratum, a new monster usable for any horror or fantasy RPG. [convertkit form=3624176] Shout Outs * Fashion Police Squad: a new FPS with cool game mechanics and fun to play * Death’s End: the final novel in the Three Body Problem trilogy * Abby Howard: a cartoonist behind The Last Halloween and Crossroads at Midnight * Cult of the Lamb: A hybrid base building/rogue-like dungeon crawling game * Ravenous Dusk: Sequel to Radiant Dawn, a very Delta Green horror novel with lots of body horror. * Visual Signals issue 7: I wrote an article for this vaporwave zine. Check it out. Music: The Devil’s Eyes by White Bat Audio

The Worldship is back! There’s a new edition of the Synibarr and we’re diving into it. I got a full round table of RPPR regulars to explore the Ultimate Adventurer’s Guide. Baz, Caleb, Noah, and Thad and I found so many different things, it’s hard to keep track of them all. From bizarre metaphysics to unbalanced spaceships, Synnibarr has it all! Listen to the full episode on the RPPR Patreon today!

Like so many other things, game design has changed in the post-pandemic world. Jeff Barber, author of Blue Planet, and Caleb Stokes, author of Red Markets, and I talk about work and the industry. Jeff’s been hard at work on Blue Planet: Recontact and Caleb talks more about Fae’s Anatomy and other projects he’s working on. We hit on everything from writing, art direction, to graphic design, and work/life balance. Song: Cmon by 2Mello

The Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute (CARI) is an amazing website that categorizes popular aesthetic trends from the last 70 years in pop culture. Baz, Thad, and I browsed through the categories and used them to come up with ideas for new RPGs, campaigns for existing RPGs, D&D source books, and board games. This is a preview of the full episode now on the RPPR Patreon. If you want to hear about our other game ideas, join today! Check out Baz on Twitch Thad on Twitter Music: A Secret Meeting/Edrics Precience by L A N D S R A A D

The Multiverse is back! Films and TV shows featuring the concept of a multiverse are more popular than ever, even though they are old hat in tabletop RPGs. Special guest Patrick from RPX and Tech Diff podcasts and I talk about ways you can implement a multiverse in your RPG and some examples. We also have some shout outs! News: Don’t forget to check out the RPPR Patreon! Patrons can sign up for RPG consultations with Ross Payton – do you need help with your RPG project? Ross can help! We’re also still running the Ludonarrative Dissidents Season 2 Kickstarter. Back it today to get some cool rewards and help us make season 2 even better! Shout Outs * Closetland: a moving film about a woman imprisoned by an unjust state. * Men: A new supernatural horror film from Alex Garland * Islands of Abandonment: a book about what happens to abandoned structures and the post-human landscape. * My Name: a Korean action series about an undercover cop seeking revenge. * Janitor Bleeds: a low poly horror video game set in an abandoned arcade. * Frontier Scum: an “Acid Western” OSR style TTRPG. Music: The Honeymoon Suite by Harkins tracks 1-3

Many RPGs use cards in their mechanics, from playing cards to Tarot to custom decks of cards. We discuss some of these games, the types of mechanics we’ve seen and the history of card-based games. If you enjoy this episode, back our Kickstarter for Season 2 of Ludonarrative Dissidents. This podcast is only possible with the help of backers and this time we’ll have a private RSS feed for early access to all episodes, plus other great rewards! All of Season 1 is now available if you missed it. This episode will be the only one posted on the RPPR feed. Some of the games mentioned in this episode Everway * The Mystery Creature of Claytonsville * Whimsy cards * Aces and Eights * Savage Worlds * Lace and Steel * Upwind * Best Friends * The Beast * Conspiracy X Zener cards * The Mind

The Terminator RPG was released as a PDF recently. A special guest, Jacqueline Bryk and I went through the game. It contains a lot of rules, including a dense system for hacking, something I hadn’t seen since Shadowrun and Cyberpunk. What makes a licensed game good or bad? We talk about the highlights and lowlights of the game and other licensed games out there. Plus shout outs! Shout Outs * God Talker Nobody: A solo journal writing game about becoming a prophet of an obscure god. * Mad God: A stop motion horror film of a descent into Hell * Chase the H0ll0w: A game stylized after creepy pasta * FIST RPG: Freelance Infantry Strike Team – a game of paranormal mercenaries * Dreaming the Devil: a LARP about a witch trail in 16th century Italy * Dueling Fops of Vindamere: A new game from Greg Stolze about fops who duel, oddly enough. * Changeling: A visual novel “about love, reconciliation, and trying to survive in a dangerous supernatural world“ * Project Sparrow: Jacqueline’s upcoming online game! Song: Terminator 2 – 02 Terminator 2 theme (short) by CARBON KILLER

News: The RPPR Patreon just finished a six part podcast series on the mega dungeon Castle Greyhawk. It’s a very funny and weird module and we had a lot of reviewing combing through it. Patrons at the $10 level and higher can get one on one RPG design/advice consultations in May and June. If you want Ross to look at your project, here’s your chance! We are also offering remastered actual play episodes of some classic episodes, like Somewhere Lane. Back the Patreon today to get all of these rewards and more! Synopsis: Outcasts are a common theme in many RPGs, but how do you handle them, both as a player and as a GM? Tom and I talk about the various flavors of outcasts, from cosmetic back story to immersive games about being an outcast. We talk about outcasts in D&D, Mutants in the Now, and Vampire, among other game settings. Shout Outs * Mutants in the Next: A supplement for Mutants in the Now,Kickstarting now! * The Devil’s Candy: A brilliant book on the film making process. Find out how the flop, Bonfire of the Vanities, was made. Watch this video essay for one fascinating anecdote from the book. * This Grand Life: A Life simulator video game. Tom approves! * Weird Tales of a Bangalorean: A compilation of weird short stories set in Bangalore, India. * How to Drink: A Youtube channel about making cocktails and mixed alcoholic drinks. * Infernax: A retro side scrolling Metroidvania. Very fun and on Gamepass. * Castlevania 2 Redacted: A fan remake of Castlevania 2 for the NES. * Trek to Yomi: A black and white side scrolling samurai themed action video game. * Atun-Shei Films: A Youtube channel about history and movies. * Our Flag Means Death: A comedy show about pirates. Hilarious! * The Sadness: An incredibly gory Taiwanese zombie movie inspired by the comic series Crossed. Song: Outcast by AMITWOutcasts are a common theme in many RPGs, but how do you handle them, both as a player and as a GM? Tom and I talk about the various flavors of outcasts, from cosmetic back story to immersive games about being an outcast.  

Castle Greyhawk (module WG7) might be the worst official D&D module of all time. A massive dungeon of 12 levels, each written by a different author, sounds like a great hack and slash module, but Castle Greyhawk has a twist. It’s supposed to be…funny. Puns, pop culture references and other ‘jokes’ populate the pages of this adventure. Caleb, Rob, and I read the first two chapters to see what this infamous module had to offer. It’s fart-powered rocket monsters, adversarial GMing, and a NPC reaction table you won’t believe. Dare you brave the halls of Castle Greyhawk? If you enjoyed this episode, back the RPPR Patreon to listen to more episodes of After Hours! We also have other cool rewards like a community Discord server, early access to podcasts, and online games run by Ross Payton. Follow us on Twitch or Youtube to get notified about our livestreams – every sunday at 6 pm CDT! Watch recordings of older episodes on the RPPR Patreon. Check out Caleb’s projects. Rob’s podcast and game, The Orpheus Protocol Song: He casts a spell by BASIC DUNGEON

The public domain expanded this year and Caleb and I dive into it to find gameable material. Anyone can use these books, images, or music, for whatever project they can imagine. I found a list of characters from pulp fiction magazines with such interesting heroes like the vigilante Crimson Clown, and a group of French boy scouts who explore the hollow earth. News: We’re doing a weekly livestreams on Twitch and Youtube! The first episode is available publicly here. We’ll be looking at RPGs on DrivethruRPG and other sites for the best and the weirdest. If you miss the livestream, the videos will be available for RPPR patrons to watch whenever you want. Check out Caleb’s Dead Channels Patreon for a Delta Green campaign, Insolent Impulse. I’m playing in it! Shout Outs * Inscryption: A roguelike deck building and escape room puzzle video game. * Berserk: legendary dark fantasy manga series * LuLaRIch: A mini series about the MLM company LuLaRoe * Sifu: A martial arts action game with amazing combat * The Power of the Dog: a movie about outsiders in the West * For All Mankind: An alternate historical drama about the Space Race * All of Us Are Dead: A Korean zombie teen drama show with Red Markets vibes * Raccoon Sky Pirates: a new indie RPG about raccoons with a sky ship pulling off a heist. List of public domain websites * Public Domain Day * Public Domain Review * Jess Nevin’s Twitter Thread on Pulp Characters * Mutiny on the Bounty * Arrow Collar Man * Liberation of Mankind * In Barbary * The Arcturus Adventure * A History of the Ancient World * City of the Sacred Well * Pulp Magazine Archive song: The World is Waiting for the Sunrise

Quake 1 is an incredibly influential video game, not just to other video games, but to tabletop RPGs as well. We played Slipgate: Chokepoint recently. Now that we’ve re-played Quake 1 and a RPG inspired by it, Chris and I discuss the thematic and mechanical differences in translating pixels to a paper game. (on a personal note – I plan to post more episodes here more frequently. The last few months were extremely hectic but now that the wedding is over, I can focus more on RPPR podcasting. I have a lot of great topics for upcoming episodes so stay tuned!)