Haste - The Official Obsidian Portal Podcast

| Episode 84 | Announcements The reforging beta forums are open! If you were a Tinkerer Ascendant backer or higher, be sure to get in there and get some discussions going. Topics  Memorial Day In Your Game We discuss what Memorial Day means in your game, opportunities for adventures hooks, morally gray conundrums, and goblin barbecue! Player Expectations What should players really be responsible for? Honestly, what is the bare minimum to expect from people? Micah and I discuss this article from Gnome Stew and throw our tow cents in. Numenera Pre-Order We talk about the Numenera pre-order over at DTRPG, which is actually 1c cheaper than the KS backers got it for. Is this fair? Talk to us! Tip Corner Speaking of player responsibility, if players have a thing that they excel at or enjoy doing (keeping notes, making maps, etc.) don't force them into some rotational schedule, just let them do it every game. No need to micromanage. Twitter Poll @Mudbunny74 asks: What us the best way to run a lunchtime (45 minutes per session) campaign? Listen to find out! Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 83 | Announcements Tonight we're joined by Tom Lommel, aka Bill Cavalier the Dungeon Bastard! No Announcements, on with the show! Do be warned though that this episodes runs a bit longer than most. It was hard to try and edit down the awesome time Tom and I had discussing gaming, I hope you enjoy it too. Topics  The World's Worst Dungeon Crawl We talk about Tom's Kickstarter going on right now for the Dungeon Bastard, the show itself, and lots of general gaming nerdiness. Weighing In On Print vs. PDF Tom and I talk about a recent article on Stargazers World about print vs. PDF and which we prefer and for what reasons. We'd love to hear your two cents on it too. Torchbearer Another really great looking Kickstarter going on right now is one for a game called Torchbearer. From the makers of Burning Wheel and Mouse Guard, how does this "love letter" RPG look so far? We also talk a bit about "love letters". Tip Corner Tom gives us a general gaming tip this week, and it's from the heart! Twitter Questions We bring Bill Cavalier on the show to answer a few twitter questions from twitter in true Dungeon Bastard style! Listen to find out! Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 82 | Announcements Thank you all so much for your unwavering support during our Kickstarter, we definitely achieved 'wildest dreams' territory and are honored to be part of such a great community. Thank you all, so very, very much! Topics  Talking To Yourself Anyone who listens to the show regularly knows that Micah just loves to talk to himself. Recently Robin D. Laws was talking precisely about that on the Pelgrane Press blog. What to do when you find yourself with NPCs doling out dialogue to one another and how to avoid it in the future. Giant List of Magic Styles A cool little piece over on the Hipster Games blog goes over nearly every magic system/origin imaginable. Really great stuff for inspiration for GMs and players if you ask us. Micah and I discuss some of the strange ones. Goodbye Marvel Heroic RPG Margaret Weis productions recently announced that the next supplement for MHRPG won't be coming and that the game is being pulled. Micah and I discuss the issues that may have led to its demise, among other things. Tip Corner If you’re a Kickstarter backer, keep your eyes out for your survey asking for info like username and t-shirt size...and respond quickly and accurately so you can get your schwag! Twitter Poll @RJonesEsquire (Russel Jones) asks: What RPG, any RPG, would you use today to teach someone who's never played one before? Listen to find out! Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 81 | Announcements Tonight we're joined by freelance game designer Rob Schwalb and game designer Stephen Radney McFarland of Paizo Publishing to discuss this weeks RPG news and murmurs. Enjoy! WARNING: Today's episode is more NSFW than normal and contains the occasional censored swear word. Game Designers...what are you gonna do with them? Topics  World's Worst Dungeon Crawl The Dungeon Bastard has a Kickstarter going on to create the "world's worst dungeon crawl" entitled Flaming Deathpits of the Minotaur Mage: Descent Into Doomfire. He's taking it to Gencon and doing it to prove that DM'ing is easy! We get all philosophical about DM'ing and discuss how easy it really is! 3 Things Dungeon World Does Gnomestew has a great piece up talking about 3 things that Dungeon World does that you need to put into your game. The article is a good one and basically boils down to "don't make your game boring and/or suck". We discuss open ended elements and improvisation in gaming, how we lose sight of it, and what we can do to keep things fun. Earliest Version of D&D Discovered? A recent article on Geekdad begs the question "has the earliest ever version of D&D been discovered?", referred to as the Dalluhn Manuscript, it currently on display at a museum as part of an exhibit called Game Time! The truth is that this article really gives more questions than answers, we're intrigued but we'd like to know more. Do you know more? Let us know! Tip Corner Don't listen to anything Pat Robertson says about Dungeons & Dragons! D&D doesn't destroy lives, just look at these two fine gents on the show tonight! Twitter Poll @Kilogex asks: If you could have any D&D monster as a pet, which one would it be and why? @Forbestay asks: If you could live in any setting what would it be? Listen to find out! Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 80 | Announcements Tonight we're joined by Freelance Writer Steve Townshend to talk to him about all of his recent projects - including Pathfinder Ultimate Campaign, Steamscapes, 13th Age Bestiary, and Owlbear Run. Also, one of our fellow portallers has released a book that was created from a world he started right here on Obsidian Portal! So be sure to check out G. Derek Adams's Spell/Sword! Today's episode is slightly longer than normal (40 min) and I apologize for going over our usual length. Topics  Ultimate Campaign, Steamscapes, 13th Age Bestiary Steve and I discuss his recent writing projects and what they are all about, they include the Pathfinder Ultimate Campaign book, Steamscapes for Savage Worlds, and the upcoming 13th Age Bestiary. We also talk about his most recent D&D adventure "Owlbear Run", which sounds like it's quite a blast. All of these things have one thing in common too - lots of focus on roleplaying! How Can We Make Published Adventures More Readable? Our second topic is one relating to a blog post that's yet to be published but I figured it would be a good topic to discuss with someone who writes them for a living. Steve and I discuss the flow of information in published adventures and how we could possibly improve them. Have you got any suggestions or great examples? Tell us! Tip Corner Steve gives us a great tip about how to run combat using theater of the mind successfully, in hopes of avoiding all those debates of "no I was standing over there!" when minis aren't being used at the table. Twitter Poll @Bagheer asks: When you fail at the delivery of the opening of the game or session what do you do to recover? Listen to find out! Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 79 | Announcements Tonight we're joined by Freelance Writer of many things, Mr. Ben McFarland to talk to him about his dream for an awesome virtual Gen Con experience provided via Google Glass. Also want to make quick mention of a great little lite RPG called Folklore, created by one of our listeners Seth Zaloudek go check it out! Topics  Experience Gencon Through Google Glass Ben and I talk about his crowdfunded project that is going to allow him to provide a fun, first-person perspective of the entirety of GenCon this year. He's been selected to pilot Google Glass and he's taking it to the show, let's find out how we can live vicariously through him! "What If Hasbro Accidentally Remembered they Owned D&D?" A recent article over on Battlegrip.com has stirred up a lot of discussion in the RPG community, some of whimsical hope for  second golden age of D&D, and some saying this is a pipe dream. Ben and I discuss the article, we'd love your two cents too. Open Gaming Monthly by d20PFSRD While we probably won't ever stop lamenting the end of Kobold Quarterly, at least some solid gaming magazines have sprung up in attempts to fill the gap. Open Gaming Monthly is another new gaming mag focused on open licensed games and is done very, very well. A large focus on Pathfinder, but still useful to most everyone. Ben and I discuss! Tip Corner I am a shill, I'm sorry. My tip is to go and back the Obsidian Portal Kickstarter. Honestly! There's only 2 weeks left, get it while it's hot! Twitter Poll @Forbestay asks: If you could cast any one spell, what would it be? Listen to find out! Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 78 | Announcements Tonight we're joined by Joanna Gaskell and Rob Hunt of the popular web series Standard Action to talk to them about their Kickstarter for season 3 of Standard Action, among many other things including their Starlit Citadel board game reviews! We had a blast so tune in now so you can too! Topics  Standard Action Season 3 Kickstarter!  I interview Rob and Joanna about their current season of Standard Action as well as the upcoming Season 3 to be funded via Kickstarter. I bug them about their Pathfinder characters, among lots of other fun stuff. Make sure to get out and support their great show, if you're not familiar with it you should go and fix that right after listening to the show! Dwarven Forge Kickstarter Madness It looks like the Dwarven Forge Kickstarter is taking on steam quickly, I'm going to put it right up there in the crazy levels of the Reaper Miniatures kickstarter. If you've always wanted to get some of this awesome dungeon terrain, now is the time! The prices on their Kickstarter definitely beat their typical prices and it looks like there are lots of extra goodies involved too. Rob, Joanna, and I talk about fun nerd toys like dungeon terrain! Freeport for Pathfinder We did a segment on the Freeport Pathfinder supplement that was going on on Kickstarter and while editing I realized the campaign would be over before the show aired. That being said I did omit it from the show. You can still check out the Kickstarter and begin anticipating the book's release early next year! Congrats to Green Ronin & Fiery Dragon on their successful funding! Tip Corner Tonight's tip comes from Rob Hunt of Standard Action, he says to use pipe cleaners as cool terrain and spell bits for your minis. Evard's Black Tentacles has never been so evocative on your gaming table! Twitter Poll @Stormchaser_d20 asks: If you could pick any one method for determining character stats what would it be and why? Listen to find out! Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 77 | Announcements Micah is on the latest episode of Role Players Public Radio with Ross Payton, talking about our Kickstarter and the general nature of Kickstarter in the RPG industry. RPPR won the Golden Ennie for best podcast last year and it’s a good podcast, so go check it out! Topics  Obsidian Portal Reforged Kickstarter! By the time you listen to this show, it may have already launched. We've got lots of backer levels lined up and a very special one for you listeners - the Hasted Ascendant! Run and grab that one as fast as you can, there's more levels of course including ones where you'll be able to beta test the new site and even come on the show as a co-host. There's lots more surprises coming too! UPDATE: The Kickstarter is live! Dictionary of Victorian Slang This book full of victorian slang was getting passed around online a lot last week, seems like an awesome resource for anyone who wants to spice up their campaign's dialogue. Especially for those running Steampunk, Planescape, or other genre's with victorian influence. Micah and I rattle off some of our favorite ones and you get to hear one of Micah's many silly voices. Inter-Party Strife, Is It Worth It? Some discussion on reddit has prompted us to talk about those times when inter-party dynamics are a little on the rough side. Some people say they really improve their games, making them the best, others disagree that it doesn't work out well. Should a party of RPG characters always be buddies? We discuss but we'd also love your thoughts in the comments! Tip Corner Back at the Hasted Ascendant level! We made that a special level just for Haste listeners, and we’re only mentioning it here. Once the KS goes live it will be there for anyone, but you’ll know the best value to grab and won’t have to think about it. Twitter Poll @TALlama asks: Our 4E campaign has been steadily turning into a parade of combats, no RP. How to bring it up with our DM and other players? Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 76 | Announcements This week we're happy to finally have an announcement, and it's a big one! We're preparing to launch a Kickstarter! There were some details posted on the blog prior to this show but we're talking about it as our third topic today so stay tuned for details. Topics  Ultimate RPG Playlist Over on Reddit, someone has posted an amazingly big and comprehensive playlist of music for use in your games. Nearly everything imaginable is covered, hand picked, and sorted into playlists by genre, mood, and more. Definitely check this out and bookmark it. Also here's the link to that bluetooth music cube we mentioned. Micah's Shadowrun First Impressions ( and he's playing an elf!) After lots of jokes about Shadworun and hating on elves, Micah has decided to get into a game of Shadowrun, playing an elf! Not exactly industry news but we figured our listeners might get a kick out of his first impressions of the game. Kickstarter Details With last week's announcement about our upcoming Kickstarter we decided to shed a little more light on the project. Micah discusses the project and I chime in when necessary  What do you guys think? Are you excited? Tip Corner No tip this episode, we talked too much! Twitter Poll @Angille asks: You've both talked about how your game groups are pretty well divorced from online gaming culture. How realistic do you think the online community's expectations/conceptions are of the "average" group that plays w/o outside influence? Listen to find out! Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 75 | Announcements This week we're joined by Brian Liberge, Game Designer, Writer, and man of many more hats who's currently released his new game Pulp! No big announcements this week but stay tuned and we'll have some soon! Topics  Pulp! I talk to Brian about his new game Pulp, and he gives us the lowdown of what it's all about and what it's capable of and what he'd like to see for the future. The game uses a single d6 and the core rules can be captured within just 2 pages. Awe-some! Paratime Design Dungeon Maps Check out these great dungeon maps released for free under the Creative Commons license. They can be used for quick one shots or whatever your dungeon map needs might be, they have an old school aesthetic and a distinct style we all can appreciate. Martial Healing in D&D (Next) There was recently an intriguing blog post put up in response to something said on the most recent official D&D podcast by Mike Mearls. Regarding Warlords healing in D&D, and the discussion of martial healing as a whole was brought up in this blog post. Brian and I discuss the issue at length! Tip Corner Use one shots seamlessly within your existing campaign! Whether it's via bard, campfire stories, or an NPC recanting a legendary tale - use it to transport your characters into the story within the story, there's lots of possibility here! Twitter Poll @KenPutski asks: Character in my game blew fort save vs lycanthropy. 3 weeks until the full moon. Party is on the way to the capitol city temple. What do I do? Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 74 | Announcements This week we're joined by Shane Tyree, lead artist for Albino Dragon Games! No big announcements this week but stay tuned and we'll have some soon! Topics  Tabletop Day Thanks to Geek & Sundry's successful web series "Tabletop" with Wil Wheaton, we've got yet another excuse to spread gaming far and wide with the newly created Tabletop Day! Be sure to celebrate and try and get into some gaming with friends, and most importantly get some new blood in there too! Be sure to hashtag your exploits with #TableTopDay and share them with the internet! Pathfinder Card Game Paizo has announced yet another game under the Pathfinder umberella, as an Adventure Card Game. We're not entirely sure what an adventure card game is but we're pretty excited to find out. Do you know? Let us know! GM's Day Monday, March 4th is international GM's Day! Be sure to participate in whatever way you can and let your GM know that they are appreciated! Do they want fancy dice? Probably not, at least that's not what Micah and I want. Also be sure to check the big sale going on at DriveThruRPG for GMs Day before it's too late! Tip Corner Don’t stall. It doesn't matter if you don’t have a lot of stuff planned for the game, don’t stall and hem and haw before starting your game. Better to finish early and move on than drag it out and then potentially find that you have more prepared than you thought. Twitter Poll @Hzurr asks: In my long-running 4e campaign, one of the PCs central to the plot has dropped. How do I re-orient plot after 3 yrs/21 lvls? Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 73 | Announcements This week we're joined by Shane Tyree, lead artist for Albino Dragon Games! No big announcements this week but stay tuned and we'll have some soon! Topics  Dragon Whisperer We sit down and talk to Shane about his current kickstarter for Dragon Whisperer and what the game is all about, what backers can get, and what Albino Dragon is doing next! Firefly RPG Big announcement recently about the forthcoming Firefly RPG from Margaret Weis Productions, get the info here and then feverishly await spring of 2013 with your fellow browncoats! Interface Zero, Cyberpunk RPG There's only a little bit of time left on this Kickstarter but rest assured that 2013 is going to be a really good year for cyberpunk fans. Shane and I discuss the game and its many many points of schwag available to those who decided to back it. Tip Corner Tip: If you're looking to collaborate more with your players, consider making a survey for them online and having them fill it out. Post the link on your campaign wiki! Twitter Poll @JediSoth asks: What is your favorite campaign setting feature of all time? Any setting, any game system.  I don't mean a feature of the game, but a feature of the actual world. Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 72 | Announcements None this week, on with the show! Topics  "Criminals" (Psychological Party Game) There's a fun new reprinting of Criminals, originally released in 2007 from the guys at Critcal Hits Studios. The game sounds like a lot of fun, the rules are free and you can get the cards for it printed up via DriveThruCards, which is another cool new thing that we didn't know about. This topic is a double whammy! Blasphemous Cocktails A collection of drink recipes with a Cthulu-oriented twist, what a great idea! Some are classic drinks with a twist and a rename, but many of them are completely original. Rules for drinking during your games are included as well. Would be great for game night or even just a themed party. This Kickstarter has a little bit of time left on it so be sure to jump in if you get a chance. The PDF copy of the book is just 5$, and the print one is only $15. Older Gamers Wanting To Segregate Themselves (via Reddit) A reddit thread sparked some great conversation while setting up to record so we decided to make it a topic. Old gamers feeling out of place and debating creating older gamer communities, does this sound like a good idea? We discuss, but we want your opinion too. Tip Corner Tip: Don’t deliver your cool dramatic dialog in your own madeup language. It will NOT go as great as you think! Twitter Poll @raislin_87 (Jason B) asks: Should evil PCs always be off the table? When might they be allowed? Can they be played well in traditional fantasy? Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 71 | Announcements Be sure to check out the awesome L5R Campaign Changing History for February's Campaign of the Month! Topics  Using Taxes In Your Campaign There's a great piece up over at Kobold Quarterly about using Taxes in your game. It even includes a d10 chart of names to help you randomize the name of some taxes in your game, it's fun stuff. Micah and I discuss the awesome possibilities herein. WotC Reprints Unearthed Arcana, More Recently unveiled, a special edition version of Unearthed Arcana with gilded pages and a fancy bookmark ala their previous 1e reprints. Also they're announcing a "Dungeons of Dread" book along the same physical printing style that will include some of the deathtrap dungeons of yore. I'm excited, Micah is a bit reluctant, how about you? Games Workshop Trademark Bullying Buzz around the internet about Games Workshop last week bullying a small press author and having Amazon take thier book down from being sold on their website. The book, titled "Spot the Space Marine" was said to be infringing on their trademark of the term "Space Marine". Since this podcast was recorded, the EFF has stepped in and helped the book get put back up for sale on Amazon. Tip Corner Not today! Twitter Poll @KiloGex asks - If you could wake up with any D&D item by your bedside, which would it be? Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |

| Episode 70 | Announcements None. It's showtime! Topics  Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding There's a new "Kobold Guide to..." in town, and rest assured it's of the same quality and caliber as the rest of the Kobold Guides. The Kobold Guide to Worldbuilding is a great tool for anyone who's creating their own worlds, whether for public or private consumption. Check it out because it's a really useful tool for GM's and writers everywhere. Roll20 Acquires Tabletop Forge The team over at Roll20.net has teamed up with Tabletop Forge in bringing all of its users over and consolidating into one all encompassing online solution for gaming online. They also have some cool news about being the official online tabletop of the newly reformed "TSR Games". Tabletop: Dragon Age The most recent episode of Wil Wheaton's Tabletop featured Chris Pramas of Green Ronin GM'ing a game of Dragon Age for some celebs including Wil himself. It was a pretty entertaining episode and a realistic glimpse into the world of Tabletop role playing games (sans professional actors, of course), we recommend checking it out! Tip Corner Take note of “The Quote of the Night” when someone says something hilarious, either in character or out. Put it in your adventure log, somewhere near the top, or called out with a header. Then, you can review your old adventure logs and get a laugh over all the funny moments. Twitter Poll @forbestay asks - With a ton of old DnD adventures now available in PDF and DnD next easy to run with the old. Is it a good investment? Music Credits | Intro: "Prelude" | Outro: "Stande Alone" | by LukHash |