GamingPerspectives

Episode 288: Where to Start Your Adventure, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

A popular way to start out an adventure or campaign is "in media res".   Though most RPG games start off with a common scene of the Tavern or Pub.   This in the beginning type of start is what most gamers know.  Another way is to put the characters in a stressfull situcation from the beginning.  One common way of doing this is the "your all in prison" beginning.        Now this beginning can be very displeasing to most players.  Especially if the players do not know that this is the way the game is going to start.  This may turn off players getting into the game.   Saul has been in a number of games where the GM starts the game with character in prison or in bondage.  Saul uses a couple of examples of this happening and how the games went.      Jolene is much more suspicious of GMs starting their games in this manner.  Saul agrees that this requires a lot of trust in the players of their GMs.  
    Thank you all for Listening     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
    Music by Keith Hiemericks, song Folsom Prison Blues.    Available from Tribeofnoise.com    Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0       https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Episode 287: Cursed Items, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

       The idea of cursed items comes from the very beginnings of RPGs.  Even the Original D&D had a list of cursed items that you could give away to the characters in their treasure loot.   The question is why would a character ever take something that is cursed.  From simple to powerful items many players are willing to risk the chances of touching or using a cursed item because of some perceived benefit for their character.      Saul and Jolene discuss cursed items from the games they played and ones he read about on the internet.  And how cursed items are not only for fantasy games.       Thank you all for Listening     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
    Music by Chris Munro, song The Curse    Available from Tribeofnoise.com   
Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
 

Episode 286: Controlling the RPG Table, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

       Saul and Jolene were talking about when at a RPG table session, sometimes the group goes off the rails.  Not in game but at the actual game table.  Non game side discussions, players looking at their phones, players joking around out of character and many other things that players can do to disrupt a RPG session.     If you GM for any length of time this will probably happen to you as a GM or even see this as a player.  You might even be the player causing the table disruption.   Saul and Jolene discussed why this happens and what the GM can do to mitigate this from happening at your RPG table.     Saul and Jolene remember how excited kids(Saul's son and his friends ages 10-13) ,  adults joking around out of game egging each other on disrupting the flow and breaking immersion at the game table.  Saul and Jolene discuss these situations and others and how the GM and even a player stepped up and stopped this from continuing.    These things can happen and it is usually up the the GM to Control the RPG Table.   It was a lively discussion so Saul and Jolene decided to do an episode on the subject.   
    Thank you all for Listening     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
 
    Music by Candy Ace, song, He's in Control   Available from Tribeofnoise.com   Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0       https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
 

Episode 285: Initiative in RPGs, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

          Saul and Jolene were thinking about the rules about who goes first in RPGs.  It was a lively discussion where we talked about several different games and how they dealt with initiative.   Saul and Jolene talked about it at length and decided it was a good topic for an episode the podcast.          Saul and Jolene discuss initiative system from the ole Dungeons and Dragons to Feng Shui, to Champions, Dark Conspiracy and others.  All of them handling the subject differently and Saul and Jolene discuss why RPG creators develop unique systems to see who acts first in their RPG.    
   As always,   Thank you all for Listening   
     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
    Music by Mo Body, song First Step,  off the album 2 Step    Available from Tribeofnoise.com Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Episode 284: Traveling Mechanic, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

          In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about traveling mechanics.  Many RPGs have rules on how to deal with traveling in their games.   Some games have very detailed rules while some might not even cover traveling in their games.  Fifth Edition D&D have some rules but they seem more like guidelines than actual rules.  These ideas are covered in the Gamemasters Guild.         Another fantasy rpg that has a bit more detailed rules is Dragonbane.   Exploring and searching are a big part of the Dragonbane and because of this the ruleset has specific rules on how it should be handled.   They even have charts which if you have listened to this podcast she loves charts(sarcasm)         In another fantasy RPG, The One Ring traveling has very detailed and specific rules for traveling in the world of Middle-Earth.  This is where the Journey is just as important as the Destination.   Due to the world of Middle-Earth's  being touched by Evil, traveling is very dangerous.  Which is why the traveling mechanic of The One Ring is so detailed.    Other games discussed are Shadowrun, Feng Shui, Liminal, Star Wars and Star Trek.    Thank you all for Listening     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
    Music by Ed Napoli, song Traveling Through Large Mountains    Available from Tribeofnoise.com    Used Under the Creative Commons License 4.0    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Episode 283: Player Vs Character Knowledge, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

    In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss the difference and problems that arise from the difference between Player and Character knowledge.  Depending on the genre and the player ,  players are going to push the limit of what a character can know.  But there are times when a character will have be more knowledgable than the player does.      Saul and Jolene cite several examples on how a player espoused their character's knowledge on certain subjects.  In one example the character was successful and play continued in another an argument followed and the game session ended early.    Saul and Jolene also discuss what to do when these issues come up as a player and as a GM. 
    Thank you all for Listening     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
    Music by Samson, song Towers of Knowledge    Available from Tribeofnoise.comUsed Under the Creative Commons License 4.0  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Episode 282: Connections Between Characters, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

       In this Episode Saul and Jolene discuss making connections between characters.  Saul remembers the ole days when the only connection you needed or wanted was the love of killing monsters and taking their stuff.   Things have progressed to tell more meaningful stories than when Saul was a kid.  A way of doing that is to have connections between players that gives them a more meaningful reason for characters, of any genre, to go adventuring.     How do you make these "Connections" between players.   An increasing number of new RPGs  rules during character creation where connections between characters are made.  There are various ways of making connections between player's charactes. Saul and Jolene discuss how connections impact the games you play at your rpg table.       Thank you all for Listening     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
    Music by Rad Hat Thomas, song Connections,  off the album I Only Have Eyes For You    Available from Tribeofnoise.com   Used Under the Creative Commons License 4.0   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Episode 281: Overpowered Talents, Skills, Feats, etc, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

         In this Episode Saul and Jolene discuss overpowered or broken elements of a RPG.  Sometimes its a skill, a spell, a feat, a rule or a myrid of different things that can be either be misinterpreted or written too vague or not written well.      Saul and Jolene both recount experiences read from online posts and personal experiences when players and GMs might have made an error when reading or creating a character or item.      When this happens it can unbalance the party, lead to boredom and generally some people not having fun at the game table.  Saul and Jolene then discuss what players and GMs can do to remedy the situation.    Thank you all for Listening     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
    Music by P. Bailey, song What's it Going to Be,  off the album The Singles Disc 2    Available from Tribeofnoise.com Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Episode 280: What RPGs Aren't Good At, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

         Saul was thinking what were some themes or genres that RPGs have a hard time capturing the feeling or thrill of playing.  Jolene had a difficult time wondering what Saul was even talking about but after a while she realized the concept Saul was trying to explain.  One example was Sports.  A Sports themed  RPG  that wasn't  a  miniature game or boardgame desguised as a RPG.      That discussion is what lead to this episode.  So is there anything subject, theme or genre that RPGs are not good at?     If you have any comments, questions or topics you would like Saul and Jolene to discuss please email them at Gamingperspectives.com@gmail.com     Thank you all for Listening     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
    Music by Alazarin, song Sports Model,  off the album It's Music Jim, Just Not as We Know It.    Available from Tribeofnoise.com    Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0    https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Episode 279: Backtracking in RPGs, Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene

Saul and Jolene were  talking about how people "backtrack" or take their turn over in boardgames, they take their turn and then change their minds and redo their turn.   Saul and Jolene discused  how it seems like a bad idea.   This act of "backtracking" can frustrate other players but what about in an RPGs?            The idea of backtracking an action or a scene in a RPG is usually contemplated by a GM who feels bad or remorse about how things worked out.  So they "backtrack" the play.  Why would a GM do this and what are some of the pitfall for the GM and their players when this happens?    Thank you all for listening.
     Web Art by Jim Foster     Episode Art by Michael Shean-Jones
 
    Music by Deus King, song Back Again,  off the album There's Nothing Impossible    Available from Tribeofnoise.com    Used Under the Creative Commons License 3.0        https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/