GamingPerspectives

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

Gaming Perspectives With Saul and Jolene Episode 137: Liminal RPG

      In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss the Liminal RPG by Paul Mitchener.  It is a modern urban fantasy RPG set in England.  Saul received a free PDF from Modiphius and it garnered enough of an interest that Saul bought a physical copy of the rules.  Saul ran the game twice in two days over a weekend and the game was well liked by the players in two different groups.
      Saul and Jolene cover the rules, the setting content and how what they liked about the game.  Of course Saul digresses a couple of times but Jolene is there to get him back on track.
     The creator of the game, Paul Mitchener has another RPG on Kickstarter, a post apocalyptic game called Out of the Ashes, with a 11 days left at the time of publishing this episode.  It uses a similar simple system used in Liminal but instead of 2d6 die mechanic, Paul switches to a 2D10 die mechanic.  The RPG is funded and now is just unlocking stretch goals.  Check it out.
    As Always thanks for listening and all we ask is the you share our podcast. 
     Music by David Cohen, song Hidden in Plain Sight.
   Available from Tribeofnoise.com 

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 136: GMing Styles

     In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about GMing Styles.  Saul and Jolene discuss how your GMing style impacts the games that you run from type of adventure to actual the RPG that you like to run.  Your GMing style not only determines the adventures and RPG game you run but the players that you run games for.  
    Some players may not want to play in certain types of games and your GMing Style should coincide with your players.  If it does not then either the GM or the players will not find the game very engaging or fun.
   Saul and Jolene discuss how you can mitigate any problems that arise from your GM Style and players desires. 
  As Always Thank you all for listening and please share our podcast with friends and family.
 
  Music by L-xir,  song Crush Style.
   Available from Tribeofnoise.com
    

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 135: Playing More Than One Character

      In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss playing more than one character in a RPG.  Saul begins the discussion with playing back in the ole days of D&D where people would "play" a character of a player that could not make the session.  Saul admits they really didn't RP those characters but just went through the mechanics of playing the missing players character.  
      From there Saul talks about friends playing with more than one character due to not being able to attend games on a regular basis and would instead play with his brother, a GM and one player.  Saul discussed how playing like that made it necessary for the player to play more than one character.
     The discussion moves to reasons why player today might want to play more than one character from not wanting to have any down time, to completing a "balanced" party.  
     As Always thank you all for listening and please share our podcast with family and friends.
 
   Music by Jim Gaven, song More For You and Me,  from the album Gift of Love