GamingPerspectives

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 147: In Media Res in RPGs

In Media Res in RPGs is the topic for this episode.  What is  In Media Res?  Saul and Jolene first discuss what it is and where it is commonly seen.  Saul recounts a couple examples of the writing and filming technique he has read in books and seen in movies. 
   From there Saul and Jolene discuss how to apply this to your session of your favorite rpgs.  What are some of the advantages and some of the hurdles that are involved in using In Media Res in your RPG session.  
   As always thank you all for listening and please share our podcast. 
 
  Music by Media450,   song Media450. 
  Available from Tribeofnoise.com 
 
    

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 146: Animal and Anamorphic RPGs

     Saul and Jolene explore RPGs which subject are animals or anamorphic in nature.  Saul talks about his first experience playing an animal rpg called Bunnies and Burrows.  Saul goes into some details about B&B.  Saul recounts the next game being Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which he briefly collected the comic books but didn't get the RPG until the mid 90's after the first TNMT movie had come out by New Line Cinema.   
     Jolene's first encounter with this kind of game was in Gamma World were some of the creatures were mutated animals of which the two most famous mutants were Hoops and Hoppers.  
      Other games mentions and discussed are  Albedo: The RPG, Usagi Yojimbo RPG, Justifiers RPG, Pugmire RPG, The Monarchies of Mau and Historia. 
   
   Music by Kin Kobra, song Little Animal, album 29 and Wasted to the Bone.
  Available from Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 145: Solo RPGs

     Though Saul and Jolene touched on the subject before Saul thought that a whole episode detailing Solo RPGs would be worth while.  
     With the Pandemic still raging across the world, though there is light at the end of the tunnel, some people are not able to play with their normal group and for one reason or another do not want or cannot play RPGs online.  And they want to still get that RPG feel from a table top game.  
     Enter the Solo RPG experience.  Saul and Jolene discuss how today's solo games are remarkably different from the "Choose Your Own Adventure Books" of years past.  Many of today Solo RPGs implement modern RPG ideas into a Solo rpg experience.  
     Saul and Jolene discuss the vast number of Solo RPGs that are available in print and in PDF format.   So you could literally be playing within minutes.  There are also quite a few Solo RPG version of many popular and obscure regular RPGs.  Some require a core book from a regular rpg, for example Alone From the Loop, needs the core book for Tales from the Loop but other are complete solo rpgs.  
     All the games Saul and Jolene discuss are available from Drivethrurpg.  By the way they do not sponsor our show in any way. 
    Some games discussed.  Alone From the Loop
                                                  Ronin
                                                  Ironsworn  and many other.
 
  Music by Captain Stu, song Han Solo, off the album Free Music.
   Available from Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 144: Making a Good RPG Villain

     In this Episode Saul and Jolene talk about making a good RPG Villain.   They discuss only a few tips of many ways you can make a villain in your RPG stand out and not be a cliche.  Saul offers two examples from games that he has run.  One was a convention game which was played in an 8 hour session at a local game con, the other is from a long running home D&D game.
     Each example showcases the tips Saul used in creating a Villain that the players really learned to hate and cheer each time the villain or their machinations are defeated.  
     Warning Saul goes into a couple long stories of a Space Opera game he ran at a game convention years ago and from his long running D&D home campaign, which is still on going but on hiatus as the group has switched to a Shadowrun 5th Edition campaign.
   As always we would like to thank everyone for listening to our small humble rpg podcast.
 
  Music by Amity In Fame,  song The Villain.
  Available from Tribeofnoise.com
 
   

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 143: Damage in RPGs

    In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss how damage is determined in RPGs.  Though there are many implementations of how damage is determined, Saul believes there are really only two ways damage is dealt with in RPGs.  Static and Random.  
    As usual Saul goes meandering off topic but this time Jolene was a bit at fault for his digression.  Saul and Jolene discuss what they like and dislike about the ways damage is determined in RPGs.  
   As Always Thank You for listening.  
 
    Music by Hoffman Sloth, song Damage Done, off the album Hoffman Sloth.
   Available at Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 142 Learning New RPG Rules

  If you play any games you need to learn the rules, and RPGs are no different.  Most likely you play or are interested in a new game that is published and you have to Learn New RPG Rules.  Saul and Jolene in this episode discuss learning the rules of new RPGs, or RPGs that are new to you.
   If you are learning a new, recently published game then, according to Saul, you are in luck since we are in a "Golden Age" of RPGs.  Jolene isn't as convinced about this "golden age" but does admit that some newer rpg games are much better written than old ones.  Jolene mention her attempt to make a character using the Little Black Books of the original Traveller game, and comparing that to making a character in Liminal. Liminal uses the same 2d6 game mechanic as Traveller but that author has almost 50 years of roleplaying games as examples of rpg design.
     As Always, thank you all for listening.
   
    Music by My Heart Your Thunder,  song New Rules.
     Available from Tribeofnoise.com
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Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 141: New Editions of RPGs

    In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about the reasons to look at and buy a new edition of a RPG.   Some reasons for a new edition are fixing errors as simple as typos, rule contradictions, or a reworking of a task resolution system to make the game run smoother are good reasons for a new edition.  Do the rule changes till does it warrant buying a new edition?  Listen and find out what Saul and Jolene think of new editions of roleplaying games. 
    As Always we thank you for listening.  Please share our podcast.
 
   Music by Hansen Chat,  song Play Your Game
   Available at Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode140: Armor in RPGs

     In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss armor in RPGs.  Saul and Jolene discuss the most popular ways armor is represented in RPGs.  From D&D's Armor Class to Traveller's ablative armor.  Each way armor is handled is a mix if how easy one wants to express the use of armor in a RPG against how realistic the game wants to represent armor.
   Games discussed are D&D in all its iterations, Traveller, Liminal, Shadowrun, GURPs, The One Ring.  They each handle the often discussed issue of armor in RPGs in at time extremely different to slightly different ways.  
   As Always thanks for Listening.
 
  Music by Blueprints and Armory,  song Need You.
   Available from Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives With Saul and Jolene Episode 139: Light RPGs

     In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about Light RPGs.  Saul defines what he means by "light" RPGs and gives examples of what he considers light RPGs.  Saul and Jolene discuss RPGs from Tales From the Loop to the one page RPG called Lazers and Feeling.
    As Always Thanks for Listening. All we ask is that you share our podcast.
 
   Music by The Curtains and Their Terrifying Story, song Say Light off the album, Shake My Fire.
  Available from Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 138: Crunchy RPGs

     In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about the term "crunchy" in RPGs.  Saul, again, goes way back to the beginning when he first started playing roleplaying games, and the first game he played was Original D&D.   Saul does this to explain why he thinks the roots of OD&D being where crunch comes from.  How OD&D set the standard of how a RPG should look and who played RPGs back in the late 70's and early 80's. 
    Saul and Jolene talk about the early RPGs from D&D, Traveler,  Space Opera, Aftermath and Shadowrun and how they were pretty complex sets of rules.  
    Saul states though the first players of RPGs came from miniature and wargames back in the 70's and 80's that is not the case today.  
    As Always Thanks for listening and please share our podcast with your friends and family.
   Music by Young Drivers, song The Game.
   Available from Tribeofnoise.com