Roleplay Rescue

This week I want to revisit a few thoughts on how to make a start in coming back to the roleplaying game table. I also wanted to do something that I believe is a first for Roleplay Rescue - to build an episode almost entirely around the call-ins that I have received following last Saturday’s very popular episode 505, "Never Go Back?"  It seems fitting that we periodically revisit the core questions that come up anytime I am talking to a lapsed gamer about coming back to the gaming table. This time, instead of my somewhat limited viewpoint, I am delighted to be able to share some thoughts from a cool array of podcasters and listeners, all of whom have been generous enough to pick up their phones and make a call. I reckon many of these comments work quite well for newbies to the entire roleplaying game shebang too, so you get a fair bit of bang for your buck. Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Crooked Staff Publishing 2.5D .PDFs: drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/3785/Crooked-Staff-Publishing/subcategory/6576_29751/Print--Paste Crooked Staff Terrain: youtube.com/channel/UC1cnHiqtsuMk9NwJNj8SmpA Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

This episode features about 20 minutes of Friday Night's session in which Andy, Dave, and myself sat down to play a one-off Dungeons of Thaarl game using my cobbled together quick start "Naked GURPS" approach for beginning a dungeon fantasy type game. It's raw and unedited. There's loads of background noises. But, overall, I hope that it gives anyone curious about the stuff I talked about in DM's Diary #8 an insight into that session and approach. Hope it's of value! Game on! Music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Had a couple of really good call-ins this week in response to DM Diary #7 - thank you, sincerely, to those callers! Given that these calls and the replies plus entries over the past two days were enough to (over)fill another episode, I felt it was best to release this one quickly. There's a nice cameo from my wife, Mrs W, in which she shares her commentary on collecting RPGs. Hope you enjoy! Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Keep Off The Borderlands: anchor.fm/free-thrall dPercentile: anchor.fm/dave-aldridge Squarehex Pre-Printed 2.5D Dungeon Tiles: squarehex.myshopify.com/collections/accessories/products/2-5d-dungeon-starter-kit Crooked Staff Publishing 2.5D .PDFs: drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/3785/Crooked-Staff-Publishing/subcategory/6576_29751/Print--Paste Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Why do people give up their hobbies? Should you ever go back? Is trying to recapture the past simply a big mistake? This episode is having a think about the phenomenon of giving up hobbies and the value of reclaiming them years later. As I think I’ve said before, my biggest bugbear is seeing people give up playing tabletop roleplaying games and never quite returning to the table. Is there anything we can do to help?  Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD D&D Basic (free): dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules?x=dnd/basicrules Excerpts included are from episodes 104 (Gavin Norman), 205 (Mike Mason), and 306 (Janet Forbes).  Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Mid-way through the week and I've already racked-up a whole 25 minutes or so of DM's Diary content. I thought I'd better kick it out and share it before tomorrow's work day eats my energy and the weekend looms. As ever, this is my unedited audio diary and the quality varies wildly... not to mention, it's unashamedly personal - you have been warned! Oh, and there's a rather weird tale about my Old School Essentials Black Box too. Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Forced myself to edit together this week's episode. Not feeling good after a very rough work week and missing this last weekend's online game. :-( Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Jason Connerley is the voice behind the Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast podcast and a regular caller to several Anchorite shows, including this one. Jason started gaming around 1983 with the "Dungeon!" board game by David Megarry. His first RPGs were the Mentzer Red Box D&D Basic set and the original TSR Marvel Super Heroes RPG. Hailing from Virginia, USA, he’s a family man and, judging from the background noise during his call-ins, the owner of some awesome dogs who are almost as famous as he is. He’s one of the most self-effacing voices in the pod-o-sphere and I am delighted to be able to have a chat with him today. Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Nerd's RPG Variety Cast: anchor.fm/jason376 The Angry GM, Eight Kinds of Fun: theangrygm.com/gaming-for-fun-part-1-eight-kinds-of-fun MDA Game Theory: cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Remember: Dungeon Master's Diary is my unashamedly personal and raw recorded audio diary entries mashed up to create a rough outline of  what's going on in my gaming head. Listen at your peril! That said, there's some GREAT call-ins in this one... especially the one from Goblin's Henchman! Game on! Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue")

Remember when Frank T called in and suggested we work on our own version of GURPS Ultralite? This is the audio conversation - back and forth - that we had a few weeks back and which led to a whole raft of further writing, thinking, and chatting. Not sure it's of interest to everyone, so I'm sticking it out as a bonus episode. Enjoy! Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Frank T's Liner Notes: anchor.fm/frankt

Diving head first into an experimental approach which seeks to open up discussion around some pretty big questions that relate to our tabletop roleplaying game passion. Today’s question was chosen simply by way of piloting the format. We are hoping that listeners will call in and suggest new and better questions for our panel to answer. What’s that, I hear you ask, a panel? Yes, today I want to begin what we hope will become a once per month episode featuring three different voices answering the same big question. The panel consists of Frank Turfler from Frank T.’s Liner Notes, Paris Conte - formerly of the Wild Die Podcast, and myself. Game on! Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Paris’ Interview on Gaming With Gage: sgadpod.com/gamingwithgage/2019/9/2/paris-conte Frank T's Liner Notes: anchor.fm/frankt The Angry GM, Eight Kinds of Fun: theangrygm.com/gaming-for-fun-part-1-eight-kinds-of-fun Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

My week has been all over the place and this DM's Diary is a little shorter than usual. Hear my initial thoughts on the second session of the Friday Night Game plus a lengthy fessing-up on my beliefs and feelings around magic. I also (rather cheekily) include a recording from a visit to the Royal Armouries in Leeds in which we hear the final confrontation between Dracula and Van Helsing... sort of. As ever, this is my personal Dungeon Mastering Diary and roughly recorded, badly edited, and very raw. You have been warned! Many thanks to Mike and Rich from the Royal Armouries at Leeds: royalarmouries.org Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue")

First of a couple of interviews I've managed to record over the past week or so, this one with Doug Cole of Gaming Ballistic is on the topic of why GURPS is a game worth looking at and what the Dungeon Fantasy RPG offers the curious onlooker. Doug creates licensed products for both the DFRPG and The Fantasy Trip, giving us an excellent insight into the world of gaming with 3d6 that is hard to get from the outside. Many thanks to Doug for coming back for a second chat! Oh, and big thanks to Spencer (aka Free Thrall) for the rather... interesting call-in that leads the episode. Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Douglas Cole's Gaming Ballistic: gamingballistic.com Steve Jackson Games' GURPS: sjgames.com/gurps Dungeon Fantasy RPG: sjgames.com/dungeonfantasy Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue")

It's been a busy week - first week of half-term for me, away from work - and I've been dropping diary entries daily. Some nice call-ins from some good people in here too. Thanks to Frank T, Jason, and ShandyAndy for the messages! Enjoy! Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue")

Bit of a weird one but inspired by Simon Sinek's latest book, "The Infinite Game" (which is totally NOT about gaming), I was feeling inspired. Actually, a call-in from Paul Stoneman nudged this along and I couldn't suppress the topic any longer. Sometimes the thoughts bubble up from my unconscious and scream to be heard. Hope you find it useful. Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Simon Sinek's stuff: simonsinek.com The Secrets of Blackmoor documentary: secretsofblackmoor.com Jon Peterson's "Playing At The World" on Amazon: amazon.co.uk/Playing-World-Simulating-Adventures-Role-Playing/dp/0615642047 Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue")

Two episodes on one week? Yes! The Dungeon Master's Diary returns with a fabulous call-in from Frank T, news on some online gaming, and my initial reaction to listening back to the Friday night session. I've also got a couple of questions for Patrons in there. Oh, and we open with something special from TJ Drennan - could it get any better? (Probably.) Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue")