GamingPerspectives

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 109: Tension in RPGs

     Tension in RPGs, is it only for Horror and Mystery RPGs?  Saul and Jolene talk about how to create tension and how it just not for Horror RPGs anymore.  Tension can be a great way to keep players engaged in the game.  Also in games where the players feel tension it usually make game memorable.  But how do you make games tense?
     Saul discusses situations where he created tension in games as varied as Space Opera to D&D.  Jolene takes to the internet to get how other GMs have used tension to make a better RPG experience.
    As Always thank you all for listening and please share our podcast on your social media.
 
   Music by Rud Vych, song Tension.
   Available from Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives With Saul and Jolene Episode 108: Don't Split the Party?

      Almost every rpg gamer knows the words, "Don't Split the Party".  It is a phrase that I have heard for a very long time.  An Order of the Stick graphic novel was even titled "Don't Split the Party."   Saul and Jolene discuss where this phrase comes from and if it really is good advice for a group of RPG players.
      Saul, as he tends to do, digresses a bit on the subject but Jolene is always there to gently guide him back to the subject.  
    As always thanks for listening and please share our podcast in your social media circles.  Also leave a review where you use to listen to our podcast.
 
     Music by Serge Ray, song Split
   Available from Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives With Saul and Jolene Episode 107: Killing NPCs

    In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about the killing of NPCs in your RPGs.  Player Characters may at some point kill an Non Player Character in your roleplaying game.  What happens when PCs either by accident or on purpose kill an NPC.  For Saul, a lot depends on the genre and the circumstances of NPC death. 
      Jolene has an example where a GM was asking about what to do with a PC who accidentally killa an innocent bystander on a train in a game of Deadlands.  Saul uses an example of one of his experiences when a PC killed a member of the town guard.  Two very different situations that could be handled very differently.  Ultimately it is a question of consequences of the PC's actions.
    As always thanks for listening and all we ask is that you share our podcast on your favorite social media.
 
   Music by Mitchell Emmen, song Character Select.
   Available on Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 106: Bringing Your Character to Life

      This week Saul and Jolene discuss ways to bring your RPG character to life.  Ways and tips that you as a player can do to make your character seem more real or realistic.  Mainly to help new players to the hobby but can be of use to the old grognards that might try something new or different.  
     As always thanks for listening and all we ask is that you share on your favorite social media.
 
   Music by Ananstasia Vorotnikova, song Your Life.
   Available from Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 105: Traps

      Saul and Jolene discuss Traps! in your RPG games.  Saul discusses how he has never really used traps in his fantasy RPGs.   Saul talks about his earliest recollections of playing D&D and how traps had not played a big role in his early games and how that directed him to not include them in his games when he started running games.  
     Jolene tried to keep Saul on topic but allowed him to digress.  Jolene as always did a bit of research on using traps and found "Grimtooths books of Traps".   Which causes Saul to talk about an old story about seeing Grimtooth's Books at the first con he attended.
     As always, thank you all for listening and please share our podcast on your favorite social media networks.
   Here is where you can get reprints of the famous Grimtooth Traps book.
    https://goodman-games.com/grimtooth/
 
   Music by Anna Wang, song Trapped.
   Available at Tribeofnoise.com
    

Gaming Perspectives With Saul and Jolene Episode 104: Technology at the Gaming Table.

     Technology has greatly advanced since the introduction of RPGs in the mid 1970s.  Saul and Jolene discuss the pros and cons of having today's tech at the gaming table.  For the most part the discussion is positive about technology at the table.   From laptops, cell phones, tablets and HD TVs technology at the game table can really help in running an RPG.  Things such as PDFs of the rules, music and sound effects, pictures and movie clips can really spice up your experience at the RPG table.  
    But of course technology can also be a problem. 
    As always thank you all for listening and all we ask is that you share our podcast on your favorite social media.
  Music by Stock XL,   song Technology Background
   Available at Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 103: Canon in RPGs

     Saul and Jolene talk about sticking to canon in RPGs.   Saul usually tries to be a rebel but feels sticking to official "canon" of a setting or IP is important.  It may not be really important to Saul as a fan of a genre, but when he runs RPGs, he feels that staying close to canon is important.  One of the  reasons it is important is because when you list or describe your game being set in a certain setting, from Star Wars to Star Trek to Forgotten Realms, the players coming to sit at your table come to expect certain elements when you describe your game as such.  If you describe your game as a Lord of the Rings game, well there shouldn't be light sabers or the Prime Directive.  If you change too much then you might alienate your players.  
     Jolene mostly agrees with Saul's position and is one of the reasons Saul thinks its important to stay as close to canon as possible.   Not for the first time Saul recites the dreaded "Shuttle Shields" incident.   Where Saul running a Star Trek  Adventures game got something so wrong it caused great consternation with three of his players at the game table.  
     As Always thank you all for listening and all we ask is that your "Share" our podcast in your social media networks.  
 
  Music by the Real Knative,  song Crowd Official, off the album "Northern Nevada Dreams".
   Available at Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 102: Backtracking in RPGs

     Saul and Jolene talk about "Backtracking" in your RPG, also known as RetConning.  Jolene read about a GM asking about advice on a situation where a two player game resulted in a TPK and one of the players wanted a do over.  
     Jolene was surprisingly harsh and was against the idea and Saul was open to the idea.  As the discussion progressed, Jolene was able to convince that allowing the do over was not a good idea.  
     As always thank you all for listening and all we ask is that you share our podcast in your social media networks.
   
   Music by Jackal and James,  song  Image of Our Lives(Backtrack)
  Available from Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 101: The Druid

     The classic Druid class in D&D is discussed by Saul and Jolene in this episode.  Though not a favorite of Saul or Jolene they have had a number of players in their groups who played druids.  From Saul's  the cavalier childhood friend to the critical thinker druid played by the son of a friend.  Each character were was played very differently due to how each player interpreted what a druid was.
       Of course Saul digresses with an old, Jolene would say very OLD, tale of Saul's friend which luckily for the listener Jolene bring Saul back to the topic. 
     The Druid is a very versatile character class.  Not a front line fighter or tank, not the medic of the group, and not the Wizard or Sorcerer with massive firepower spells, the druid is a class of their very own.  
   As always thanks for listening and please share our podcast in all your social media platforms.
 
  Music by Damiano Baldoni, song Celtic Warrior off the album Lost Destiny.
    Available at Tribeofnoise.com

Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene Episode 100: Paranoia the RPG

     This is our 100th Episode which means we are only four weeks away from 2 years of podcasting which is a pretty good milestone in podcasting. People like the big round numbers so this is 100 weekly episode, which does not include interview or recordings from gaming conventions.  
    Paranoia is this crazy, wild game of a "Humorously Dark Future."  Saul bought the box set one summer in 1984, that year is oddly familiar, when Saul was staying over the summer with his sister who lived in the big city of San Jose California. 
    Saul convinced his friends to play it a few times but it never really was more than a game that he ran when taking a break from the regular D&D game.   Years later Saul bought Paranoia XP, but has yet to run it. 
    Listen as Saul reminisces about the past and his experiences with Paranoia and when he finally got to play with a great Paranoia GM.
    Thanks to all of you that listen to our podcast.  We only ask that you share our podcast with friends and family via social media. Its the only advertising within our budget.  Thanks again and stay safe everyone.