Podcasts – Fear the Boot, RPG Podcast: Recent Episodes
FearTheBoot.com
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(0:29) The bucket list of games we want to run.
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(1:31) Doug’s long-term campaign.
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(3:10) Wayne’s Fallout: St. Louis game.
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(7:03) Dan’s Battletech: Silver Scorpions game. A Fabian war.
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(9:37) Mary’s Castle Ravenloft / Curse of Strahd game.
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(12:41) Doug’s western game.
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(14:58) Wayne’s campaign based on The Quiet Year. Decuma and Home.
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(18:57) Dan’s Hunter game. Dayshift, watchable on Netflix. Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation.
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(22:39) Mary’s Mummy game. Spirit of the Century.
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(25:40) Doug’s Midgard campaign.
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(26:51) Whatever Wayne backed last on Kickstarter. Right now, that’s Planet of the Apes.
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(29:47) Dan’s Battletech: Solaris VII game.
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(33:36) Mary’s Oregon Trail (with dragons).
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
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(0:30) An old Apple //c computer and early computer RPGs.
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(4:16) Transitioning from video games into tabletop RPGs.
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(9:44) The expectations players bring from a video game to pen-and-paper games.
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(12:41) The tyranny of choice brought on by a lack of a character-driven path.
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(18:05) A lack of clear and connected outcomes.
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(19:50) Mixing new and veteran players.
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(26:13) Expanding intra-party roleplaying.
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(28:39) Asking why someone wanted to make the jump.
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(35:06) Trying to translate one medium into another.
Hosts: Caleb, Dan, Doug, Mary
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(0:29) What is your goal for the first session of a game?
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(2:10) Who are these characters really?
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(6:08) When the person you wanted to be isn’t who you became.
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(11:34) A buffet of NPCs.
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(16:14) Keeping the first session low pressure and shorter length.
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(20:33) The social leader of the group.
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(25:30) The flexibility in session one. Using the first game as a test of session zero.
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(33:43) Testing the waters as the Game Master.
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(37:09) Using rules and rolls a bit more than you otherwise would.
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
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(0:23) Prompts and prepositions. The clockwork circus is coming to town!
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(1:40) Wayne’s circus in space.
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(4:13) Mary’s circus on the frontier.
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(7:53) Doug’s carnival of nightmares.
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(8:41) Dan’s carnival of hope.
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(13:10) Celestial crystals that grant power.
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(14:05) Mary’s crystal preppers.
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(16:08) Dan’s crystal entanglement.
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(19:45) Wayne’s crystal invasion.
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(24:57) Doug’s crystal gift.
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(27:05) A whole lot of tests, quandaries, and Faustian deals.
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
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(0:29) Fear the Con has funded and the sign-up site is live! We hope to see you Thursday, June 20th to Saturday, June 22nd.
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(1:58) Getting back to what you love, inspired by Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing.
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(5:16) The tyranny of compromise.
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(9:54) Wanting the GM to build the world instead of “yes-and” player input.
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(15:43) Why Wayne discarded some ideas he was excited about.
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(19:06) The passion for sharing stories.
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(22:06) Watching players engage with obstacles and NPCs.
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(26:06) Hopeful or despondent?
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
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(0:29) Wayne has a problem: the Wardens from Dresden Files. Coming up with too many excuses for why powerful organizations don’t care about the characters’ problems.
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(7:14) Session Zero can help…or maybe not.
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(10:29) There’s always someone bigger, and maybe your allies lack what you need.
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(14:42) What if the characters are the backup? Or maybe they’re starting to get a reputation.
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(17:41) Not letting it become a chip on the GM’s shoulder. Players that hamstring themselves.
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(23:45) The assistance not being what the players expected.
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(27:54) Falling back to the mature answer.
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
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(0:30) What steps do we take to bring a character to life?
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(1:49) Ask what’s important.
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(6:53) Seeing the good and bad in a single trait.
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(8:06) Doug’s personality triangle model.
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(10:54) Demonstrating character quirks.
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(16:34) Making characters that both have and express personal growth.
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(18:57) Taking a hobby, off-topic skill, or development path. Keeping your character in continuity.
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(23:11) Practicing a character.
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(29:43) Developing your idea in other creative media, but consider leaving a gap before the game begins.
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(35:35) The last few days of the Fear the Con 2024 Kickstarter!
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
Today’s ingredient: The dead are consuming the living. Why and how? Let’s find out!
Fear the Con 2024’s Kickstarter can be found here.
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
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(0:29) In defense of technology at the gaming table. Caleb’s setup with Owlbear Rodeo.
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(5:13) Dan’s Lion King sing-a-long and Wayne’s Ghostbusters game.
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(6:27) The deeper pool of online players, including AIs. Remoting in a missing player for an in-person game.
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(14:04) Working distance and distraction into the game.
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(17:54) Digital storage and organization. The wonder of CTRL-F.
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(25:21) Minimalization of the gaming experience.
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(30:01) Dodging some issues by allowing only one person to have technology. The visual obstruction created by laptops and such.
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(41:01) Getting digital audio to work for you.
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(45:00) Balancing it all out. Advantages, disadvantages, familiarity, and the passage of time.
Hosts: Caleb, Dan, Mary, Wayne
I decided to skip over the Iron GM and go for a Tungsten GM. The ingredient? All broadcasts cease because something won’t let them get through. What’s the game plot?
Also, the Fear the Con 2024 Kickstarter is now live here!
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
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(0:30) Dan runs a game a bit too literally.
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(4:12) The intersection of technology and roleplaying in a way that isn’t required by the game.
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(7:32) Why multimedia doesn’t pay-off the way it does in other forms of storytelling.
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(13:36) The prep time technology adds, and the stability it takes away.
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(15:59) The time spent digging up the right asset on-the-spot.
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(20:52) The physical space taken up by technology. Playing “follow the leader” at a subconscious level.
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
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(0:29) Why talk about intelligence? The Why Files episode about Cicada 3301.
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(9:24) A game takes an unhelpfully long break, only to be replaced by another RPG.
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(12:44) The lack of a bottomless “buffet of ideas” in a closed setting.
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(14:24) Use minimal starting information to give you room to work.
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(18:12) How to run a school (everyone go play Persona 5).
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(24:48) Create a wide variety of NPCs and give them their own lives.
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(30:38) Keeping the party together, even if it doesn’t quite make sense.
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(31:57) PC-specific NPCs, so you know the players are bought it.
Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne
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(0:22) Picking out the point we became curmudgeons and what exactly that means.
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(4:48) Being too set in our ways.
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(11:19) The self-destruction that comes with stagnation.
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(21:32) Wii have a solution.
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(24:32) Ducking new games while at a convention. Playing The Quiet Year on an airplane.
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(32:57) The role of pragmatism. Why expand your horizons when no one lets you go there, anyway?
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(38:43) There’s always going to be something wrong.
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(41:09) A lesson learned from The Why Files.
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Wayne
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(0:29) Reintroducing Julia’s husband, Mike.
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(2:24) Lowered expectations, inspired by a post-pandemic world.
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(7:25) Being a bit more experimental.
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(13:18) Playing online instead of returning to the table.
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(19:18) Returning to the table instead of playing online.
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(23:58) The commonality of not being able to find an active gaming group.
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(31:54) Not lower expectations—just different ones.
Hosts: Dan, Mary, Mike, Wayne
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(0:29) Thanks to Eric Van Note for Swole Mole!
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(3:15) The value of terrible GMing.
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(8:42) Everyone is their own most inept critic. Sojourn Volume 2.
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(15:28) The worst possible outcome: something being forgettable.
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(22:20) Asking Doug to grade his own game.
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(25:35) The value of creating art, simply for the act of creation.
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(37:04) A few too many contacts in someone’s eyes.
Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne
- (0:29) Dan prefers affiliated groups, Wayne does not. * (2:15) Cohesion, identity, and help. * (9:35) Affiliations you start with as opposed to those you pick up along the way. * (11:56) The party’s direction and motivation. Affiliating with an ideal. * (20:23) Affiliations create an obvious pool of NPC relationships. * (25:40) External […]
- (0:28) An update on the Actual Play. * (4:48) The InSpectres RPG (at least temporarily back in print!) and our AP interlude using its rules. * (8:09) Why play InSpectres as an interlude to the main campaign? Apparently only Dan has heard of Michelle Jenneke. * (12:58) Plus an extra player. * (16:10) The, […]
- (0:28) Things are getting set for Fear the Con! An intro to RPGs game is available for newcomers. * (2:03) A shared Minecraft server. You can find more information on Discord. * (5:52) Realigning your game with a mid-campaign session zero. Special thanks to Gaming with Gage. * (8:46) Making the case to have one. * (12:59) […]
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(0:29) Julia ruins everything.
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(1:35) Things are getting set for Fear the Con! An intro to RPGs game is available for newcomers. You can also announce your games on Discord.
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(9:03) Coming out of a period of deep fatigue. How one game still never missed a week.
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(16:18) Spoons and other finite resources.
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(20:06) Why it might be best to bite off a bit less. You may not be gaming as much as you think, anyway.
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(26:41) Does gaming with strangers help the problem?
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(31:37) Kids, you’re already in the real world.
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(34:32) Strange schedules and cascading cancellations.
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(37:42) Gambling with the eleventh dollar.
Hosts: Dan, Julia, Mary, Wayne
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(0:28) Running a game when someone else knows the setting a whole lot better than you do.
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(2:07) The lack of pronunciation guides in most games.
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(3:16) Narrowing down the task by asking what’s important about the setting to the players.
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(7:59) Getting the essence or feel of the setting right. We need a Thug Notes recap of BattleTech lore.
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(12:53) Start small and work outward, learning just what you need for each step along the way.
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(21:15) Tell your players you only know some canon and therefore will only use some canon.
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(24:01) Setting an ending to the canon so you can tell your own story. Breaking continuity early to get it over with.
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(28:35) Keeping a chunk of authentic setting. Otherwise, why run it at all?
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(33:56) Asking your setting experts to give you limited homework.
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(35:09) We look forward to seeing you at Fear the Con!
Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne
Show links…
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StartPlaying Games
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Bite Size Tales
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Gaming with Gage
Hosts: Chris, DJ, Josh, Wayne
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(0:29) The Kickstarter for Fear the Con 2023 is live for one more week!
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(1:56) The wonderful confusion new players and GMs bring to a roleplaying game.
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(16:59) An imagined internal-consistency is sometimes more fun than an intended one.
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(22:17) The burden of your own expectations.
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(28:29) When contradictions aren’t actually contradictions. The Law of Non-Contradiction.
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(35:16) The emotion of Muscle March.
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(36:22) The ideas that mistakes allow us to explore.
Hosts: Dan, Julia, Mary, Wayne
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(0:31) The Kickstarter for Fear the Con 2023 is live!
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(1:04) The new fiction podcast, Bite Size Tales.
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(3:09) Game mechanics we’re particularly fond of.
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(4:54) Rerolls and other roll-modifying mechanics.
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(10:13) A close relationship between skills and attributes.
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(15:46) Life paths in character creation.
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(24:48) Using all the dice.
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(30:12) Injury instead of a simple health pool.
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(38:08) Lots of randomness.
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(40:31) Building something bigger than your character.
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(44:13) Double-edged character traits.
Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne
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(0:28) The Kickstarter for Fear the Con 2023 is live!
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(1:12) Things a Game Master has done to make a world seem a little more alive (with credit to JoshB for the topic).
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(5:46) Plot hooks, substories, and unanswered questions about my character.
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(9:16) Allowing characters to have goals, ambitions, and projects.
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(13:32) Giving me things I can trust that won’t betray me or become a vulnerability.
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(19:52) Investing the players in world-building that matters.
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(29:25) Don’t constantly veto your players.
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(31:55) Digging through enough specifics may reveal a general truth you can use.
Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne
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(0:28) The new fiction podcast, Bite Size Tales.
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(1:43) Dan re-reads the D&D 2nd Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide. Wayne watches Secrets of Blackmoor. The inspiration D&D’s creators drew from Strategos.
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(6:38) The rather disjointed rules of early RPGs.
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(8:23) The heavy crunch of early RPGs that might be as much unearned reputation as reality.
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(13:02) Why an early RPG may have needed to describe concepts that would be misinterpreted as immutable rules.
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(16:06) Narrative examples of play.
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(19:17) Separating old games from OSR games. Conveyed interpretation and social tradition.
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(27:07) The shortcuts around setting building, and how rules may have gotten caught up in those.
Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne
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(0:36) An odd tangent on names.
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(3:39) A conversation about AI art. Some parameters we’re putting on this episode. AI art wins a fine arts competition.
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(8:08) An admittedly non-technical overview of how AI generally creates its work. Syntax versus semantics.
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(17:43) AI creations as a starting point instead of the final product. Why the lack of semantics may distinguish what inspires humans as opposed to AIs.
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(29:32) The positive impact of AI creativity, contrasted with the intellectual property and monetary concerns.
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(37:02) The human-seeded meta-thought used by AI, and the inevitability of its adoption across multiple industries.
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(47:26) After taking jobs, technology may also improve lives and push humanity forward. Automating simple tasks or “shifting them left”.
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(54:45) The financial incentive to use AI art versus the status incentive to use human art.
Hosts: Dan, Julia, Mary, Wayne
Some of the sample AI art Dan made while playing around with an app…
A man with two beards that’s holding a third beard (stupid beard hog), Jesus with hot dogs for fingers, and…OH NO! Its mini-Jesus off the ropes!
What’s that Lassie? Jesus is here? And he thinks our dogs are gnolls? And Gabriel is also a dog?
OK, so now we’ve got gnolls with underbites, some random people in the background, Jesus with John Wick levels of determination, and…what the hell is that thing in the lower-right!?
What the AI thought Gnarl should look like. I’m totally going to stat this out and use it in a fantasy game.
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(0:30) Giving a remote episode a try. We have a fix for Dan’s audio that should improve the quality on our next remote show.
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(1:42) Catching up with Brodeur and DJ, who was on episode 466 to talk about BuJoRPG.
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(4:43) Putting some parameters on the topic.
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(9:42) Does Wizards of the Coast hate you? Envy other publishers? Or just not understand the market?
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(16:36) Why people went along with the OGL to begin with. A genuine belief that some people in the mix have the best of intentions.
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(24:47) Why care at all?
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(29:23) The silent majority that may neither know nor care this is all happening.
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(36:21) Why this might be a good thing. The episode on Dan’s resentment of what D&D represents, despite his enjoyment of the game.
Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, DJ, Wayne
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(0:44) Friday night chit-chat on Discord each week, starting at 8pm Central.
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(2:18) Fear the Con 2023 dates have been reserved with the hotel for June 16th and 17th of 2023, with the Wing Night on June 15th.
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(3:37) Wayne preps his players for a Savage Worlds: Alpha Flight game.
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(8:18) Learning through trial-and-error by running homebrews and setting-dense games.
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(10:42) Give your players a little homework.
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(15:04) Where will the game begin?
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(20:37) What the characters need or want.
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(24:53) Trickling out more information as the game goes on.
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(31:31) Pay careful attention to the questions your players ask.
Hosts: Dan, Julia, Mary, Wayne
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(0:22) The villain as the dark inverse of the hero.
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(9:20) A big CGI fight at the end that seems visually out of continuity.
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(16:06) Zombies and Lovecraft.
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(20:37) The freedom to like or dislike, and how little that says about you as a person.
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(23:33) Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, and Disney.
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(26:59) Let’s not be too reductive.
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(34:26) Maybe we’ve just been around too long and seen too many stories.
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(37:15) Elves with short hair.
Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne
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(0:24) Brodeur recommends a manicure and pedicure to Dan.
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(5:58) Dan, Wayne, and their muscle tension.
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(11:24) A straight-razor shave and the thrill of death.
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(15:56) Fandoms that (at least temporarily) put people off from the product they love.
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(28:08) On anime.
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(31:37) The need to be inviting within gaming, since it’s a social hobby.
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(37:56) Gratuitous violence and opinion as identity.
Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Julia, Wayne
- (0:28) Brodeur flees to Oregon. * (4:08) Failure comes to East Texas University. * (7:26) Dividing the blame between the players and Game Master. * (11:40) Player silence and passivity. * (17:30) Things lost for lack of time. * (19:34) Substance use, depression, and the option of just narrating the ending. * (26:32) Was […]
- (0:33) Wayne gives a shoutout to Gaming with Gage + Friends (but not Brodeur). * (1:53) Wayne ends a D&D campaign without a boss fight. * (3:11) The mutual theft of ideas between video games and tabletop roleplaying games. * (8:00) Considering all the ways a story can end. * (13:18) Another example from […]
- (0:29) Brodeur’s post-Gen-Con review. (I know, we’re right on top of the latest news.) A shoutout to Imagining Games, Acheron Books, and RogueOperative. * (8:02) Customizing modules for your players and characters. * (11:48) Modules as a framework, not a full script. * (18:26) Know the module well enough that you can deconstruct it […]
- (0:29) A listener, James, gets us talking about integrating player-character backstories into your game. It starts with the players giving you something to work with. * (3:01) Sitting for too long on too much information, or mining the backstory abusively. * (7:43) Finding the possible connections between backstories. * (11:08) Let’s do it live! […]
- (0:29) How awful can a few years be? (Spoilers: Multiple things got worse since this recording!) * (3:49) An experiment in unequal levels of preparation and participation. * (8:34) Not all players will bring the same level of contribution, nor do all games encourage it. * (14:32) Pattern versus incidence. * (18:52) Reasons to […]
- (0:24) Releasing episodes out of order. * (1:24) The little convention that could, despite how hard life tried to stop it. * (6:59) All of the hurdles that weren’t COVID. * (14:00) The obstacles that came up during the convention. * (24:24) In spite of everything arrayed against it, the con went really well. […]
- (0:29) Interrogating Mary on her gaming history. * (1:33) The last few days before Fear the Con! * (4:54) The distinct moral perspective of a child. * (7:39) Leif responds to our show on vertical creativity. * (13:58) A thought exercise on who should win the 51/49 preference: players or GMs. * (15:41) Wayne […]
- (0:29) A difficult GM learns a lesson from an Uno game. * (4:10) Navigating the internal conflict between “roleplaying” and “game”. * (11:20) The need for control that ultimately comes from fear. * (16:45) Giving the players their wins. * (23:34) The ugly math about how many people aren’t that good at a given […]
- (0:29) Fear the Con appears to have catering, but we could still use more GMs! * (5:21) Laundering identities. * (7:03) Game Masters getting fixated on things that aren’t important to the game they’re running. * (12:00) A lack of flexibility. The three clue rule. * (19:36) GM distress when the party solves something […]
- (0:29) A new show type on the horizon: phone the Boot, or something similarly clever. * (2:04) Kids’ games at Fear the Con. Our episode on gaming with children can be found here. * (4:15) Brodeur goes on Safest Family on the Block and My 10th Level Paladin. * (6:17) Brodeur gets invited to […]
- (0:29) A shoutout and thanks to WashingCon! * (1:09) Fear the Con is coming up in mid-June. * (2:25) Wayne annihilates his player-characters in a Legion of Liberty game, and they love it. Our episode on action economy. * (10:22) The perspective that comes from getting your butt kicked. * (13:52) The difference between […]
- (0:29) June 16th, 17th, and 18th for Fear the Con! You can see Mikey Mason’s material on BandCamp. * (2:40) Reviewing the idea of horizontal and vertical creativity. * (4:56) Horizontal creativity doesn’t mean the player has to get lazy. In fact, it may mean the GM is getting lazy. * (12:35) How horizontal […]
- (0:29) – Bordeur, Dan, and Julia will be at Washingcon this weekend: March 26th and 27th, 2022. * (2:23) – Defining how we’ll be using “vertical” and “horizontal” creativity over the next two shows. * (5:45) – The laziness that often accompanies horizontal thinking. * (8:08) – Creativity within seemingly narrow (i.e. “vertical”) ideas. […]
- (0:44) Get signed up for Fear the Con! * (1:02) Brodeur is now on TikTok for some reason. Here’s the link. Do what you will. * (5:45) Welcoming Jason back to the show. * (6:31) There I Was…When Nothing Happened. The Kickstarter can be found here. * (11:26) Why “winning the fight” may not be […]
- (0:28) The teeth on the dog go click, click, click. * (1:30) Brodeur discovers New Game+ mode in video games. * (10:23) Weather and environmental effects in an RPG. * (13:09) Weather as a reflection of some other truth in the setting. * (14:53) Setting the mood and adding immersion. * (19:21) Does the […]
- (0:18) Time to set the mood for bedtime. * (5:06) Wayne, Boxman, and the latex room. * (14:32) Watching sports for all the wrong reasons. Brodeur joins TikTok. God forgive us all. * (16:57) Wayne pulls a plane, and Brodeur brings the pain. * (26:22) Kids versus bikes. Bikes win. * (28:54) Kids versus […]
- (0:28) The site for Fear the Con is now live! * (2:07) Monday Morning Quarterbacking your own games (the definition for anyone that doesn’t know that phrase). * (3:36) Getting past being your own worst critic. * (8:17) Speech disfluency and filler words. * (12:57) Using game recordings to prepare for the next session. […]
- (0:29) A fond farewell to Chad. * (4:50) Keeping the perspective that we all started somewhere. * (7:34) The amount of good advice every human being ignores; sometimes experience is the only effective teacher. * (12:49) The less you’re willing to step up, the more you ought to be patient. * (16:24) Don’t confuse […]
- (0:29) Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, and archery in schools. * (8:51) Starting up new games as old ones end. Fear the Boot’s Patreon. * (14:34) East Texas University. Preliminary questions and contagious enthusiasm. * (20:56) Wayne passes the GMing torch to Chad. * (28:12) Building a game around a set of […]
- (0:23) Brodeur’s interview of Jim Pinto. * (4:10) The Fairview RPG. * (7:29) A descriptive and contextual character sheet. * (15:35) The game’s replayability. * (19:01) The art book. * (23:09) WashingCon on March 26th – 27th, 2022. * (25:07) Fear the Con on June 16th – 18th, 2022. The room block number is […]
- (0:35) Brodeur’s syphi-list. * (3:48) Continuing a game after mass-character-death by playing in the afterlife. * (16:43) What happens to the characters that didn’t die? * (20:15) When a player can’t attend their own afterlife. * (26:17) Alternate options for science fiction games. * (29:00) The price of coming back. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne
- (0:36) Press or entertainment? The Influence Foundation. * (2:41) Asmodee, Embracer Group, and Miniature Market. * (9:57) The consolidation of our hobby. * (16:30) Shareholder vs stakeholder economy. * (21:48) An important disclaimer. * (23:03) Some possible bad news for the current iteration of OGL products. * (27:48) The disparity between RPGs and everything […]
- (0:28) The scheduling crush of Christmas, and some love for Pete Petrusha. * (7:06) The many stories you can get from a single game idea, as demonstrated by For the Queen. * (11:14) The greater number of outcomes possible in story versus crunch. The Quiet Year. * (12:54) How prompts give you the framework […]
- (0:28) Brodeur starts off a game session with a cutscene, which becomes its own pun. * (5:02) Other media as a metaphor for how you structure your storytelling. * (6:50) Not withholding player agency for too long. * (13:26) Having to roleplay with yourself. * (16:11) Revealing information to the players. * (22:31) Read […]
- (0:44) When only the shell of a character gets made, for lack of knowledge about the world. The episode where we previously discussed this can be found here. * (13:19) Using an opportunity in the present to expand the character’s past. The influence of other players on the process. * (17:01) The person with […]
- (0:33) Brodeur went to Gamehole Con, and Dan can’t take other people’s money. * (8:08) How age changes what you care about. * (10:02) The end-of-year blackhole that consumes our schedules (and, by extension, our games). * (11:23) Brodeur loses his motivation to GM. * (15:28) Player satisfaction does not necessarily equate to GM […]
- (0:32) Fear the Con’s room block number is 2413940. You can place your room reservations at this link, which should prepopulate the con dates. * (1:08) Brodeur’s second product pick from the con circuit: Never Going Home. * (6:13) The “World of Darkness” problem, when games sit too close to real-world ideas people hold […]
- (0:28) Dan is the new Brodeur. * (4:51) Fear the Con coming up June 16th – 18th, 2022. * (5:52) Brodeur hits a few conventions. We start by talking attendance numbers. * (15:33) The companies that were conspicuously absent, and those that filled the void. * (18:45) Was the change for the better? * […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con coming up June 16th – 18th, 2022. * (2:54) Making a plot that’s personal to the characters, without falling back to cheap shots. * (9:42) If you don’t want purely violent responses, don’t rely on purely violent hooks. * (15:43) An example about a Firbolg. Our two episodes on West […]
- (0:29) Introducing Vece. You can find the Skies of Glass playtest on our Patreon. * (1:35) Brodeur continues hurting himself. You can find his podcast here. * (11:35) What got us thinking about playtesting a roleplaying game. Gage’s playtest survey. * (14:43) Why you may not know what you need to ask. * (18:35) […]
- (0:30) Let the bodies hit the floor! * (5:24) Defining the “action economy”. The video of three master fencers versus 50 random people can be found here. * (14:57) Consider not using a lone enemy. * (17:48) Using objectives instead of enemies. * (27:37) The erosion of the Game Master’s enjoyment. The idea of […]
- (0:28) Dan’s situation with his Blades in the Dark character. * (2:21) The “play cycle” of an RPG. * (6:06) Designing a character that works in the play cycle, but not very well outside of it. * (24:54) Why not just play another character or revise the existing character traits? * (32:55) “That’s not […]
- (0:33) Brodeur’s ongoing work to blind himself. * (2:40) Gaming when down a person. Putting some parameters on the discussion. * (7:53) Avoiding cliffhangers that hinge on a single character. * (11:58) Subtly reframing the scene to obscure the unknowns. * (16:31) Get a few what-if tips from the missing player to help you […]
- (0:24) Maybe combat shouldn’t be played to the point of annihilation. Violence as part of the human experience. * (5:50) The social contract of a fight. Jason Brick’s Safest Family on the Block show. * (9:43) Playing the enemies sub-optimally, or managing combat according to your strengths as a GM. * (21:18) The “soft” […]
- (0:29) Wayne gives a shoutout to Old Man Hussey. (Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a link to the AP he ran.) * (3:15) Brodeur gets us started on the joys of combat in roleplaying games. How initiative balances the spotlight. * (7:05) Why fight at all? * (11:31) Intermixing roleplaying and combat. * […]
- (0:52) A love that makes Brodeur and Wayne uncomfortable. * (4:37) Actor has a seat at Brodeur’s table but doesn’t seem to enjoy it. * (10:14) The importance of looking for context and motive to understand a behavior. * (18:50) Someone else’s struggles don’t invalidate your boundaries. * (26:33) Getting perspective, possibly with the […]
- (0:27) Where’s Brodeur? * (2:00) Fear the Con Online, June 25th – 27th. You can create and sign up for games on the website. * (4:04) Having patience for people, whether in discomfort or just struggling with old habits dying hard. * (6:42) Neglected gaming spaces and snack stashes. * (13:01) Change up your gaming […]
- (0:28) And the cat came back…! * (1:13) Fear the Con Online, June 25th – 27th. You can create and sign up for games on the website. * (4:00) As we get close to gaming face-to-face again, we look back at over a year of online gaming. * (5:43) It’s better than not gaming […]
- (0:39) Silver milk. * (7:54) Spotlight vs. validation. * (12:40) Being a fan of the players. * (18:27) Evaluating whether the idea is genuinely bad, or you’re just being judgmental. * (23:39) Asking players why they think their ideas would work. * (27:25) Picking the hills that are worth dying on. * (36:36) Not […]
- (0:40) Delusions of Reference (or not) in a Mexican restaurant. * (21:16) Wayne’s weird skill of making eating interesting. * (23:45) A Dresden game gets a bit depressing, but not all entertainment needs the same tone to succeed. * (30:47) An engaging story, that’s true to your creative vision, is worth more than cheap […]
- (0:22) Hating on Zoom, and welcoming Tex and Old Man Hussey. * (1:48) Welcoming author and former Assistant BattleTech Line Developer Ben Rome, and other/new Tex from Tex Talks BattleTech (his recommended episodes for BattleTech veterans and the one for non-players). * (6:21) BattleTech in the 80s, including the greatest piece of art it […]
- (0:24) Blades in the Dark as a Charles Dickens’ book, rewritten by H.P. Lovecraft. Fallen London as a genre. Richard Trager from Outlast. * (8:06) Where Dan’s plans for his character diverge from what our game can reasonably handle. * (15:42) Balancing resources a player wants for their character. * (27:36) Not doing the […]
- (0:29) Sharing space with other GMs and three kids. * (7:40) XP and loot in a West Marches game. * (11:57) And a child shall lead them… * (19:22) Lifelines to sanity. Wayne’s blog and fiction fragments. * (21:16) Player negotiation with the Game Master. Seven questions to help develop characters. * (29:17) When […]
- (0:29) Brodeur’s slamdemic, language choices, and current game. * (6:13) The beginning of Brodeur’s problems with Actor. * (13:18) Cue Ball returns with some insight. * (17:20) Why this might have been the wrong solution for Brodeur and/or a misunderstanding of Actor. * (23:42) Understanding where Actor is coming from. Why was Brodeur the […]
- (0:23) Who is Amy? * (1:07) Why do we tolerate so much bad behavior at our gaming tables? Separating this topic from what one might encounter during public games (e.g. conventions, organized play). * (8:41) Friendships aren’t transitive. Also, perhaps we put up with the bad because it’s less than the good the same […]
- (0:28) In a world where… * (1:29) Laura is Lura, and now Dawn is Don? * (3:50) Explaining Masks and Powered by the Apocalypse. * (7:32) Transitioning the same characters from Masks to Necessary Evil. * (12:44) The implicit model of every RPG system. * (17:17) Rebuilding the character instead of trying to directly […]
- (0:29) Lura struggles with her own name, but we’re there to help! * (3:39) The flash fiction anthology, Worth 1,000 Words, is still available for purchase. * (7:43) Laura is starting a game for minority and marginalized people. You can contact her to learn more on her TikTok account, email (Laura@FearTheBoot.com), or by PMing her […]
- (0:24) A literal F-bomb. * (1:27) The fishbowl of gaming in a game shop. * (16:22) The desired safety—yet expected vulnerability—of a public gaming space. Missing context. * (21:49) An allegory of pets. * (27:32) Please not just D&D. * (29:03) An update on Fear the Con 2021. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne
- (0:30) The flash fiction anthology, Worth 1,000 Words, is now out! * (3:35) Love for Johnny Lawrence that no child of the 80s should have. * (17:43) Wayne runs The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men with a family audience. * (24:37) How an audience impacts execution of the game. * (29:18) Tailoring to audiences […]
- (0:24) Enjoying roleplaying as an artform. * (1:44) When desires collide. * (11:37) The opportunity to express or explore controversial ideas. * (16:54) Indulging a power fantasy. * (23:20) Stress relief. * (30:28) Interacting with a particular world. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne
- (0:29) Brodeur gets back on the ladder again. * (1:13) Dan plays doctor, which gets us wondering what makes people want to roleplay anything at all. * (5:59) Why it’s good to know what motivates someone to roleplay. * (10:07) Structured social interactions. * (15:13) Exploration of self. * (18:28) Exploration of others. * […]
- (0:29) General Bootspital. * (7:19) More observations from roleplaying in an MMO. Not using freakshow characters to make yourself stand out. * (11:46) The great, unoccupied average. Distinguishing your character by who they are, not what they are. * (27:35) How collaborative game-building can keep characters from being freakshows to begin with. The praise-worthy […]
- (0:29) Fear the Boot: Quarantine Edition. Plus, Brodeur versus Ladder. Ladder wins. NOTE: Brodeur has not actually lost an arm or eye. I meant to say he’d lost use of them. * (3:57) Roleplaying in an MMO, and why I never thought I’d do it. * (5:29) My history with MMOs. * (7:09) Comparing […]
- (0:24) Bringing everything together into a single ending. Remembering that the GM should get their say as well. * (8:05) The collaborative building of a world with conflict. The natural concern for one’s own creation. * (19:40) Differentiating the ending and epilogue of the game. * (34:50) Knowing where to let go. * (42:56) […]
- (0:30) Never humor Brodeur. * (1:17) Jason Brick is launching a new flash fiction anthology, with several Fear the Boot hosts contributing. You can find the Kickstarter here. * (4:23) The fine folks at Modiphius Entertainment feed Dan’s Enclave addiction, and he repays them by referring to Wasteland Warfare as Wasteland Warriors. * (8:32) […]
- (0:24) Brodeur’s response to our critiques. Settling disputes in online games. * (3:12) Minis are just cool to create and use. * (6:32) A form of art and inspiration. * (11:40) The value to visual thinkers and visual learners. * (21:40) Estimating the percentage of groups that use minis. * (27:29) Minis as commemorative […]
- (0:29) Models, minis, figs, and toy soldiers. Brodeur proposes Frostgrave. Why Chad is wrong about the Enclave being fully defeated. * (4:02) Minis in an RPG. Enriching or distracting? Brodeur’s blog post on the matter. * (15:36) What miniatures bring to and take away from the typical roleplaying game. Distaste for collectibles and blind […]
- (0:28) Brodeur’s site, Wayne’s site, and Fear the Boot’s Patreon. * (3:49) Looking at an updated view of the effect COVID is having on tabletop gaming. Setting some parameters on the discussion. * (8:47) The impact it’s had on our own games and gaming groups. * (20:32) How COVID is affecting the podcast. * […]
- (0:30) Nagging Brodeur to do an episode of Game Notes. Brodeur’s own show. * (7:21) Revisiting command structures in a game. Waiting to set roles until after you’ve had a chance to play your character. * (14:28) Your character isn’t their job. * (21:44) Not having a group structure at all, juxtaposed with the […]
- (0:28) Developing a GMing style. * (2:38) Defining “GMing style,” as it will be used in this show. * (9:19) Laura, as a GM who is running her formative games. * (12:10) Picking up helpful ideas from other GMs without losing your own style. Sticking with it. * (18:43) Struggling with a sense of […]
- (0:28) How this topic may tie into the next campaign in our actual play. * (7:47) The particular struggle over captain, as opposed to any other position on the bridge. * (9:21) The attractive folly of choosing a reluctant leader. * (17:00) The difference between trying to shoehorn in the wrong player versus the […]
- (0:28) Have a game! And an online calendar. * (3:09) When one player asks for a very specific game. * (9:08) Determining exactly what they want from this game. Yes, Chad, Green Squadron really does exist. * (11:18) Does the rest of the group want to participate in this game? * (12:40) An intentionally […]
- (0:24) Introducing Zylo and reintroducing Chris. * (0:49) A brief history of Fear the Conline. * (3:42) The dual novelty of running a con game and online game. * (7:10) Position the screen below the camera. * (9:02) Allowing for early communication between the GMs and players. * (11:52) The promotional video Zylo made. […]
- (0:29) Are there TWO soulless gingers on the show!? * (4:03) Minnesotans and their grey ducks. * (6:03) Lura explains her tarot deck and witchery. * (14:37) A reading for Gnarl. The Shadowscapes deck. * (26:22) A reading to give Wayne game advice. When are the pancakes coming in the mail? * (39:30) A […]
- (0:29) Bad Brodeur gets bashful. Lura and finding God’s love in F7. * (8:13) Dan prepares to run a West Marches game. You can find our prior episodes on West Marches here and here. * (11:02) The fresh perspective children and new gamers bring to the table. * (21:31) Working player-to-GM collaboration into a […]
- (0:37) Wayne has to rather abruptly put his Dresden Files game on hold. * (10:46) The added difficulty of an ending you couldn’t plan for. * (11:47) Remembering where you left off. Taking a record of what both the GM and players remember and care about. * (24:13) Using audio instead of written notes. […]
- (0:29) Unplugged cables and the ever-moving studio. * (4:20) The cost of a press pass. * (6:10) The hardest thing to do in a horror game. * (10:35) The lack of numinous fear. When Pat was prepared to kill us all. * (23:01) Cutting away reality to nurture a new kind of fear. * […]
- (0:18) Gen Con was cancelled after this episode was recorded but before it was released. * (1:14) Fear the Con Online, coming up on June 19th – 20th. The promo video can be found here and the signup site can be found here. * (2:35) Brodeur got some inside info regarding Gen Con. The article he wrote […]
- (0:29) Fear the Con Online, coming up on June 19th – 20th. The promo video can be found here and the signup site can be found here. * (7:41) Fear the Con 2021 has been locked in for June 25th – 26th, 2021. * (9:39) A question about henchmen, courtesy of Jesse Sierke. Setting […]
- (1:05) A message from Matt about some issues with a GM. * (2:21) Player creativity can spook the GM into responding in frustrating ways. * (13:35) Reasons why GMs find themselves in this situation. * (21:47) The role of player empathy in fixing the problem. * (30:10) Buying time to rethink instead of immediately […]
- (0:36) Adapting the show to current realities. * (1:52) The history of West Marches and the context of the advice we gave. Ben’s blog on his game. Another contribution of his to the hobby: Microscope. * (11:17) More information on the Skies of Glass play-test document, slated for release on Patreon on April 21st. […]
- (0:46) Repeating the announcement regarding Fear the Con 2020. * (2:14) New content and general improvements for our Patreon. * (7:10) Explaining what a West Marches style game is. The West Marches game through GamersTable can be found on their Discord in the Star Trek Adventures area. * (17:08) The nature of character relationships […]
- (0:41) Some unfortunate news about Fear the Con 2020. A blog post with some more information is coming soon. * (4:14) Brodeur’s new endeavor can be found here (as of this episode, the site is still very heavily under construction). * (7:55) Dan and Brodeur go to GAMA Expo! The usual relationship between tabletop […]
- (0:24) Betrayal to the keys to power. * (4:40) Why Wayne abuses utility powers. * (6:19) Chad passes judgment. It might be easier to say, “no,” upfront than to have the fight later. * (13:02) Fear of the unknown. Wayne’s confessional mini-show, now available on Patreon. * (16:53) Getting Dale’s perspective as a publisher […]
- (0:24) Putting Dale in the hotseat as a Game Master. * (10:01) Pitching the same idea to Chad and Wayne as theoretical players. * (17:13) Judging the regularity of and motivation for playing unusual characters. * (23:52) Kicking the pitch back to Dale again. * (32:46) The unique problems of playing from splat you […]
- (0:24) Why Chad doesn’t have a strong opinion on splat. Getting to the player’s real reason for the request. Allowing unusual requests as a form of collaborative world-building. * (4:20) Why Chad’s games more easily accommodate weird ideas. * (7:22) Re-skinning existing content instead of creating new content. Abusing splat. * (8:17) Not trusting […]
- (0:28) Our history with podcasts and…iPods…? * (4:44) Fear the Con player and GM signup is ready to go. Fear the Boot new Patreon levels. Getting some old hosts back and relocating the recording studio. * (12:42) A disagreement over splat books creates a show. * (19:41) Around the table, asking who thinks what […]
- (0:25) Introducing Kimi from Happy Jacks, The Mary Sues, and Golden Lasso Girl (Twitter, Instagram). * (7:07) The Decuma Kickstarter, which can be found here. * (11:03) What Decuma is meant to do, and how it plays. * (16:20) Establishing characters and a setting so we can do a live demo. * (20:41) Playing […]
- (0:29) Laura in Chad’s shoes. Dogs in the hood. * (8:18) Fear the Con’s planning site is available and ready for your games! * (12:10) Wayne is in the process of improving our Patreon. * (17:01) Why there are certain games we won’t run or won’t play. * (18:06) Why Wayne won’t run Battletech, […]
- (0:22) A very important number. * (8:45) Lura, Chad, Stacy, Cathy, and Karen. * (15:38) Why Lura isn’t allowed on Fear the Boot anymore. * (22:25) Why Julia is still allowed on Fear the Boot. * (31:58) Fear the Con’s shifting demographics. You can sign-up to attend Fear the Con 2020 here. * (36:42) […]
- (0:28) The joys of having a host rotation again. * (3:10) Errata in tabletop games, and why we’re grateful when companies release them. * (9:34) How publishers can do errata wrong. * (17:39) Chad’s Dresden character makes him realize things he ought to know to accurately portray his character’s life experiences. The Trench Monkeys […]
- (0:28) Dan goes bye-bye! * (0:49) Fear the Boot is now on Pandora. * (2:18) Wayne and Old Man Hussey play Savage Worlds with Gage. You can find the audio of that game here. * (6:00) Wayne reports on his game pitches. You can find his sample templates here: Dresden sample, D&D sample, blank […]
- (0:25) Holiday postmortem of our games. Wayne wastes money on nasty food. * (2:49) The case for and against soup, and the dark gluttony of Palladium books. * (9:21) Chad’s preferred cookbook for soups and stews. * (17:13) The Fallout cookbook and old-time cooking. * (20:24) Reporting on a bit of holiday loot. * […]
- (0:29) The holidays came in like a wrecking ball! * (2:01) Wayne’s Family Feud survey is still up for answers! * (3:24) Gnarl is here to save your Christmas! Available on Amazon and Audible. * (5:54) Chad’s opinions save the show! * (7:26) No one likes distractions. * (10:10) Why Chad doesn’t like basements. * […]
- (0:23) Wayne’s Family Feud survey. * (3:09) Love for D&D and its sister games. * (5:24) A conversation with Chris Hussey about the strata of podcasts. * (10:46) What D&D has come to represent within the hobby. Gamers Table’s weekly Big 20 show (previous episodes here). * (19:31) Gaming as an aspect of a person’s identity. […]
- (0:29) The Audacity that can end the show! * (1:30) A topic from Jesse, with two parameters from Dan. * (5:42) Watch out for any real-world impact between the players. * (18:28) Managing your own reaction to the bully character. * (19:25) The attitude behind, “That’s what my character would do.” * (21:57) The […]
- (0:28) A big THANK YOU to everyone that backed Fear the Con! * (2:43) Gamers Table’s weekly Big 20 show (previous episodes here). * (5:22) Blades in the Dark gives way to a Traveller game. Working through Traveller’s character creation system. * (16:10) Finding the patterns—and inventing the story—created by the random rolls. * […]
- (0:29) Introducing Laura. The episode where we first setup this topic. * (1:24) Fear the Con has funded! Start getting your games listed! * (2:18) Chris Hussey’s Savage Worlds setting book, The Wolverines Take the Highway to the Danger Zone. * (9:21) Why Laura GMed, and how she felt about the prospect of running […]
- (0:31) Fear the Con’s Kickstarter and Con Planner site. * (1:45) We’d appreciate it if you gave us a review on whatever site or app you use to consume the show! * (4:13) Wayne brings some sample characters for us to interpret on the fly, inspired by his experience with pre-generated characters in a […]
- (0:24) Knowing why you’re changing the game, and by extension, whether it’s worth doing. * (6:50) Describing damage. Hit points versus wounds versus shock. * (15:57) Remaking characters in another system, mid-game. * (31:23) Finding an existing system that fits what you’re looking for. * (34:55) RPGs as a spectator sport. Or not. * […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con 2020’s Kickstarter, with added rewards for people that can’t attend. * (3:38) Wayne does something cool, tells Dan about it, gives Dan a poster from it, and then forgets all of it. * (9:38) Hijacking versus homebrewing. “Have to” versus “want to.” * (12:21) Deciding what attributes are important to a […]
- (0:29) Fear the Con’s Kickstarter! * (6:12) An encounter in the Actual Play that felt inorganic to the flow of the main plot. * (14:25) Being aware of what knits your campaign together. * (19:42) Making a side plot compelling from the outset, even if it doesn’t seem relevant at first. * (29:29) Noting […]
- (0:29) Fear the Con 2020’s Kickstarter is live! * (4:50) When the party is split, it can make it easier to talk to an NPC. * (8:21) A split party creating a game of telephone. * (13:02) Giving characters their own chance to shine. * (21:55) Team-building and RP in the party’s reunion. * […]
- (0:32) The Kickstarter for Gamers Table’s Season of the Glitch. * (1:16) Fear the Con 2020 on June 18th – 20th, with the Kickstarter coming very soon. You can follow our progress in the Facebook group. The episode where we talked about Pat killing us all. * (5:35) Merging two questions from Facebook to talk about […]
- (0:33) Fear the Con 2020 on June 18th – 20th! The Kickstarter is coming very soon. In the meantime, you can follow our progress in the Facebook group. * (2:09) Explaining who Brad is. * (2:59) The Kickstarter for Gamers Table’s Season of the Glitch. * (6:05) Laura decides to run a Halloween game […]
- (0:54) All that matters is the d-o-g. * (3:18) Answering part of Dustin’s question, and why it’s not getting a full answer just yet. * (5:13) Illustrations from No Man’s Sky, Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, and Freelancer. * (13:24) Slowing things down in the game versus the meta-game. * (19:04) Getting what you’ve earned. […]
- (0:23) Chad talks a whole lot about not talking. Also, cattywampus. * (4:32) Wayne is playing Dragon Quest Builders 2. * (7:39) Chad is playing Assassin’s Creed Origins. * (16:31) Dale is playing Medieval II: Total War. * (23:39) Dan is playing No Man’s Sky. * (30:14) Dan is reading War Before Civilization. * […]
- (0:28) Jonathan Belina asks about rules for dice. * (4:45) Cocked dice. Not rolling off the floor. * (8:31) Dice must be legible and visible. * (9:36) Don’t “play” with the dice. * (12:42) Dice bowling. * (18:48) Testing your rolls. * (20:41) Tenser’s Floating Disk at work…? * (28:18) An unexpected break in […]
- (0:28) Dan’s voice. A look back at older episodes. * (2:54) The double-standard of how social skills are handled versus any other check. * (8:00) When players cheat around their dump stats. * (12:47) The plausibility of counterfactuals. * (32:04) Having no awareness of the game you’re in. * (37:42) Holding me responsible for […]
- (0:30) Introducing Dale of Jon Brazer Enterprises. * (7:11) The story of Jon Brazer, the character. * (9:07) How the degree of crunch changes your options for creating material. The OGL and similar licenses. * (24:26) Half of your money?! * (33:09) Revisiting the relationship between crunch (or the lack thereof) and what that […]
- (0:32) Dan is having throat issues. * (1:01) A huge “thank you” to Zylo for doing so much for Fear the Con-Line! * (2:18) Wayne created a template to help with game pitches. You can find a blank version here. * (5:26) A sample for D&D 5th Edition. * (8:24) Every game starts somewhere. […]
- (0:28) This studio is hot. * (2:55) The conundrum of character suicide. How Frankenstein’s monster was actually made. * (16:10) Not being a victim of your own creations. * (31:28) Explaining the idea of a swan song and how it manifests in an RPG. * (39:17) Deconstructing a swan song that occurred in one […]
Excuse the intro. I’ve lost my voice, so that was the best I could do. * (0:28) We are living in the future. We’re at the threshold of hell. * (12:39) An after-action report on bringing in a pair of new players. Planning versus problem-solving. * (32:52) Constant pressure squeezing out roleplaying. * (37:02) Failing […]
- (0:28) Charlie goes on a rampage. A tangent on Cluster-B personality disorders. * (6:51) Incorporating new people into the social context of your group. * (11:16) Revising our advice on how to meet someone. * (13:36) Using the pregame questionnaire as a loose guide. Dale’s publishing website. * (19:28) Observing and adjusting during session zero. […]
- (0:28) Play and life skills in higher animals. * (3:25) Vote for Reading Radio in the Columbus Podcast Awards. They’re listed in both the art category and podcast of the year. * (6:28) Introducing new concepts to established roleplayers. * (9:43) Limited material for character creation and game play. * (21:32) Making characters together. […]
- (0:42) Dan’s phone betrays him. Spoilers and thpoilerth. * (14:10) Chopin makes you a superior person. * (14:52) Premises that are meant for one character but invite storytelling for many characters. * (18:17) Wayne tries one-to-many, and it doesn’t quite work out. * (22:15) Distilling a premise down to what really matters. * (27:03) […]
- (1:07) The glory and horror of self-insert. * (3:37) Dan does Shadowrun. * (16:45) Wayne does D&D. * (26:43) Chad does Star Wars. Sort of. * (40:31) Julia does Narnia. * (48:17) Dan does Battletech. * (56:42) A bit of gaming advice. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Julia, Wayne
- (0:31) Brodeur and the broken finger. * (2:57) Fear the Conline is set for June 21st and 22nd. You can sign up for games here and ask questions on Discord here. * (6:55) Explaining what B-plots are. * (10:00) How B-plots spread the spotlight, build investment, and strengthen the game. * (15:00) Building the […]
- (0:30) The distinction between GM exposition and NPC voice. * (7:12) Confusion borne from seeing the same person say everything. * (11:14) Distinguishing the source and type of information. * (12:51) All parties being flexible. * (15:57) The nuance of truthful—but misleading—communication. * (25:20) When the player disbelieves. * (33:07) Earning the right to […]
- (0:28) Dan’s chewing monster. * (0:51) Making a lot of money on motion sickness medications. * (11:11) Creating a world where order remains in spite of the players being agents of chaos. Dan’s magic trick. * (20:01) An example of competing freedoms. * (27:33) Counterfactuals as a tool in RPGs. * (35:22) Soft concepts […]
- (0:28) A possible online convention in place of this year’s Fear the Con. You can place your vote and find out more on Discord. * (1:04) Cell phone jammers. * (4:13) Accept creative solutions. * (12:36) Control the table. * (20:53) Don’t confuse delay with plot. * (23:02) Don’t always make the players roll. […]
- (0:54) A possible online convention in place of this year’s Fear the Con. You can place your vote and find out more on Discord. * (5:07) An episode of Gamers Table inspires a topic (special thanks to Gaming with Gage). * (15:17) Whether to keep an NPC or remove them. * (20:35) Keeping the […]
- (0:28) Secretary Chad brings a glorious gift. * (3:50) Give a backstory the GM can use. * (5:47) Be open to the GM’s input on your character. * (12:06) Learn something about the rules. * (17:18) Bring something to the table. * (22:30) Put away your electronics and don’t make me repeat myself. * […]
- (0:29) Wayne learns object permanence. * (2:14) A player gets voted off the island. * (9:12) Not invested in the game or not invested in the group? * (12:16) Picking the kicker. * (22:40) Evaluating how the person responds to getting kicked. * (35:29) Along came an X-card. * (58:07) Final judgment. Hosts: Brodeur, […]
- (0:28) The Itty Bitty Writing Space Kickstarter. * (3:47) A topic from Wendell on our Discord server. * (4:49) Playing to genre, themes, and moods. * (12:59) Hijacking the experience everyone signed up for. * (18:54) The distinction between assenting to a social contract and losing agency. The Richard Pryor game. * (23:26) Why […]
- (0:22) Catching up with how Chad’s campaign ended. * (1:43) The steps taken to set the mood. * (11:08) Pacing of the game. * (15:36) Resolving the prophecies. * (19:37) How the players helped the Game Master. * (24:32) The things that went wrong. What Dan called “anticlimax” is more accurately “dénouement.” * (31:33) […]
- (0:28) Let’s hear it for Devastator! * (1:23) An update on Fear the Con. * (3:30) Game scheduling falls apart one session before the finale. * (12:35) Recovering the game by bringing immediate intensity. * (17:12) Shaping the real-world environment to set a mood. * (22:46) Playing side content. * (36:43) Controlling the recap. […]
- (0:28) Finally all the way home! * (0:48) The Actual Play actor’s studio. * (3:33) Dan’s PCs are becoming more like NPCs. * (11:34) Not giving up your own enjoyment. Misreading the situation. * (17:27) Being a codependent player. * (21:09) Strategies for helping the GM with your PC. Reading the GM. * (30:39) […]
- (0:28) Right place, wrong room. * (1:23) Playing the hatred between two player-characters. * (6:18) You aren’t a victim of your character. * (10:04) Enemy Mine and Hell in the Pacific. * (14:34) Programming a path to peace. * (20:01) Giving the conflict boundaries without erasing its relevance. * (31:36) Not all wounds have […]
- (0:28) Recording at Julia’s. * (1:36) Fear the Boot and Gamers Table Destiny 2 clan. * (2:58) A fond farewell to Don Dehm of Pulp Gamer. * (4:23) Wemic shoes, doo doo doo doo doo doo. * (11:02) Dividing the hobby in an implausible way. * (13:18) The value to the Game Master of […]
- (0:33) A bottle of bourbon and a letter from the Hellhounds. * (8:11) Brodeur wants to blossom, plus something about Jenna von Oÿ. * (9:13) Discord and the things we won’t do for you. A big shout-out to David for joining the hobby. starting a group, and then starting his own podcast, Next Generation Game Masters. * […]
- (0:28) Reaching a milestone episode. A topic picked by our Patreon backers. * (2:59) How the podcast started. Its first hosts and logo. The deep well of storytelling topics. * (14:57) The show’s first major crisis. How the ebb and flow of our lives affects the quality of the show. A history of its […]
- (0:29) A topic inspired by a game of Bang. What it will take to make Dan stab someone in the back in a board game. The distinction between factions and a traitor mechanic. * (10:29) Hiding your intentions as a Game Master. * (15:54) The Simpsons, Family Guy, mailing pancakes, Russian manti, grilled cheese, Raddish Kids, […]
- (0:28) Fear the boot is now on iHeartRadio. You can get the regular show here and the actual play here. * (3:02) A player’s response to an unintentional Game Master error. An example with a dragon. * (10:50) Some quick advice to Game Masters: consider a ret-con and be prepared to own your mistake. […]
- (0:22) The trailer for Bumblebee. * (4:09) The two extremes of product placement. * (8:21) Resizing a robot. Or not. * (12:07) The evolution of an idea when someone can tell you, “No.” * (17:34) Nostalgia in the hands of the wrong person. * (22:17) Nostalgia versus new creations. * (26:07) The sliding window […]
- (0:28) Dan was a guest on Gaming with Gage. You can find the episode here. * (1:22) Explaining game explainers. An example from a Dresden game. * (10:24) Describing options and risks without dictating an action. Helping the player achieve what they want. * (14:09) Teaching concepts. Don’t play the character for them or […]
- (1:00) Playing robots in a game, focusing on RP, not the stats. * (4:44) Who built you, why, and with what philosophical presuppositions? * (9:05) Some thought exercises to unpack a robot’s mind. The Theory of Mind. * (14:27) Separating emotion, physiology, and mind. Emergent properties. * (20:44) Anthropopathism and assuming mind where it doesn’t […]
- (0:23) Finding Caleb. Finding gaming. * (17:18) The historical inevitability of RPGs. * (22:15) The unusual mechanics of certain weapons. Khopesh. * (32:12) Distinguishing armor. * (36:12) Knowing the crunch. Counting references per action. * (40:26) The brand new player. Hosts: Caleb, Chad, Dan, Wayne
- (0:28) Fear the Boot is everywhere! The actual play site, Discord, Facebook, our forums, Patreon, and a whole lot of podcast aggregators. * (3:30) Handling player-characters that are being kept out of the action. * (7:56) Let some time pass. * (10:05) Play a different character. * (18:32) Hand-wave whatever is benching the character. […]
- (0:28) Creating life from lifelessness. Rapidly replacing a player-character that’s died. * (10:35) Making a character that’s already tied to the party. * (13:05) An introduction that helps the moment. * (14:28) Accepting the unanswered questions. * (18:48) Helping nurture the character concept into the game. * (21:19) Adjusting the plot to make the […]
- (0:47) Derek Knutsen’s Kickstarter for Flower of Heaven. * (0:57) The Kickstarter for GamersTable, Season 2. * (1:25) Explaining what we mean and don’t mean by “recycling.” * (5:51) Reasons not to recycle. * (9:17) How the What’s Really Going On document helps. Separating the game from the experience. * (15:13) Embracing the passage […]
- (0:41) Derek Knutsen’s Kickstarter for Flower of Heaven. * (1:27) The Kickstarter for GamersTable, Season 2. * (2:51) Defining C.A.R. NPCs with a few examples. * (11:42) Why GMs accept unacceptable behavior. * (21:34) Minding how an NPC is setup and used. * (27:35) Advice for players. * (35:24) Advice for GMs. * (45:39) […]
- (0:27) Never old news! A club eats a mammoth. Or not. * (3:13) Unintentionally scaring your players out of a course of action. * (8:50) Players scaring themselves. * (20:23) The distinction between railroading and GM expectations. * (22:33) Determining why the players are reticent and addressing that. * (36:13) Motivation to overcome fear. […]
- (0:28) The wonderful, illusory door. * (5:21) A warning to stop here. Hijacking Lasers and Feelings. * (10:50) Dark improv on a minimal pitch. * (15:20) The role of the alternates. * (18:39) The start of the game. * (25:02) Hijacking the party and hijacking the game. * (39:06) An NPC becomes the real […]
- (0:17) Thanking the people that made the convention happen. * (3:35) Mikey Mason’s performance can be picked up here. * (4:37) Our thanks to St. Charles Nissan. * (5:29) Heather Phillips does an awesome job on a Masakari for Dan (pic 1, pic 2, pic 3). You can find her portfolio and contact info […]
- (0:30) Setting a boundary on the topic. * (2:16) Keeping an NPC fair. * (6:07) Tactical vs compassionate vs in-character. * (14:01) Enemy fear and greed. * (33:30) When the enemy’s reality changes. The shock of success. * (40:24) Playing favorites. Hosts: Aisha, Chad, Dan, Wayne
- (0:29) Fear the Boot’s Patreon site. * (2:05) Dan’s dream comes true! * (4:49) Relationships between characters. Some examples to set it up. * (10:07) The difficulty of engineering relationships. * (17:51) Build common ground. Remember what really matters. Accept reality. * (23:59) Experiencing the backgrounds—not just writing them. * (26:05) The relevance of […]
- (0:28) Welcoming Stu and Kimi from Happy Jack’s family of podcasts. * (0:49) Fear the Boot tries to pick out a sponsor. * (3:03) Playing yourself in a roleplaying game. Stu did it in college. * (8:22) The “show me” test and its relationship to the dice. * (16:01) Creating the character stats. Overestimating […]
- (0:23) A love letter to an under-served demographic. * (1:43) Surviving without a gaming group. * (11:59) What if podcasting had existed earlier? * (16:39) Wayne and his apes. Monkeys in outer space. * (22:33) Things we never needed to know about Star Trek. * (29:19) Back to the love letter. Sorta. Nope, we’re […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con and its Con Planner site. * (1:08) A D&D game gets us talking about pets. * (3:45) How animals affect storytelling and group dynamics. * (9:02) Pets as PCs versus NPCs. Picking two thematic traits. * (21:19) Passing the pet to the right. * (31:19) Adding a third trait. * (36:10) The animal […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con and its Con Planner site. The mixer is on June 21st, with the con itself on June 22nd and 23rd. * (1:12) Chad is running a D&D 5th Edition game. The shorthand version of spell components. * (6:46) Introducing a new player to RPGs. * (13:39) The group template (and its longer form) versus […]
- (0:52) Google searches on some podcasts, and a prank with Brandi that didn’t happen. * (3:26) Letting players develop parts of the setting mid-game, including the NPCs. * (8:04) Fat Tony and Lovin’. * (16:59) How players can decide when it’s appropriate to mess with something. * (24:30) Letting player investment drive truth. Tommy […]
- (0:52) Wayne visits Brodeur at Miniature Market (their Facebook page). * (5:21) Prologue games. Taking them seriously while recognizing their disposability. * (15:20) A shared history that’s played instead of just written. * (18:57) How a prologue identifies issues, and what to do when one is found. * (24:46) The value of the missing […]
- (0:29) There and Back Again Kickstarter. * (0:51) Simplification of Fear the Boot’s Patreon. * (5:17) How can a wonderful dream become a nightmare? * (9:57) What We Do in the Shadows. * (12:49) Players that pad a a situation. * (16:41) Allowing for deliberation. Power-gaming through roleplay. * (25:14) Strategies for discouraging trap […]
- (0:29) Welcoming Jason Brick to the show. Baby Shoes, Flash, Sojourn 1, and Sojourn 2. * (3:04) Setting up today’s topic. Jason’s Kickstarter for There and Back Again. * (5:41) Harkening back to The Gamer Traveler. Daniel Perez’ current website. * (8:36) How real experiences affect your roleplaying games. Some examples from security work […]
- (0:41) Welcoming Eric from GamersTable. Almost crashing Brodeur’s place of work. * (1:23) GM Impostor Syndrome. The Dunning-Kruger Effect. * (6:35) Some help with that feeling of intimidation. * (10:02) How we suck. Failing fast. * (21:57) Effectively communicating criticism. * (32:53) To thine own self be true. * (44:52) Nobody’s perfect. Hosts: Chad, […]
- (0:27) What we’re looking forward to in 2018. * (1:02) Roleplaying games and related material. * (8:08) Video games. We somehow failed to mention the upcoming Battletech game. * (29:36) Upcoming movies. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Wayne
- (0:50) Wayne takes his entire party prisoner in a Necessary Evil game. * (2:03) Setting some boundaries on the discussion. Giving the concept of “agency” a clear definition. * (8:19) Keeping it fair and purposeful. * (14:16) Understanding the subconscious, social transaction. * (24:02) The relationship between failure, agency, and story. * (35:31) Gnarl […]
This was a short episode I cut a while back when life got in the way of our regularly-scheduled recordings. I’ve got a full-length one we did a bit later, which I’ll be releasing immediately after this one—meaning, in a matter of minutes or hours. * (1:06) Backing off my own ideas to let truths […]
- (0:28) 1d4Con on April 13th – 15th, 2018. * (2:16) Brodeur GTFO. * (4:42) Some comments on Salt in Wounds. Fear the Boot’s Discord server. * (9:43) Keeping a game fresh during someone’s hiatus, without moving the game forward or leaving it on pause. * (18:02) Converging story-lines. * (20:03) Exploring the same story […]
- (0:49) Fear the Con and its Con Planner site. All our love to Fred. * (2:47) The Salt in Wounds game setting, and why it intrigues Brodeur. * (14:40) Unpacking the human psychology of why we like dark things, starting with some examples from Dan’s life. Resident Evil VII and Alien Isolation. Revenge stories. * […]
- (0:41) A look back at the Big Board. * (3:37) Lesson prep for a church and how it demonstrates a social concept that applies to gaming. * (7:17) Performance by one versus content by all. * (15:14) Recognizing what’s important to another person. * (25:01) Whose benefit is the game for? Setting the right […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con’s site is ready. * (1:13) Our emails have been fixed, including the confirmation for forum signup. * (8:56) The planned ending for a session of the Actual Play goes awry. * (14:59) Being fair to your players. The song that inspired the intended scene. * (21:23) Reinventing the end. * […]
- (0:37) Non-player characters that can be used to guide the party. * (2:04) Tying the NPC to the group while avoiding them becoming a GMPC. * (8:14) Needing them all the time is a sign something has gone wrong. Keeping them within their own character limits. * (15:36) The ways to avoid overshadowing the […]
- (1:16) Thanks to Sgt. Dan and Mumswear for the shirts. * (2:33) Thanks to Mark Larson for the Crown Royal bags. * (5:19) A shout-out to Andrew Martin. * (7:33) Brodeur’s two episodes on running a game store can be found here and here. Miniature Market’s website. * (12:49) A non-gamer opens a game […]
- (0:29) Brodeur thanks John Wells, Mark Lawson, and Sgt. Dan for help with Crown Royal bags. * (2:33) Dan gets a copy of Battletech’s Alpha Strike rules. * (4:25) A shift—or new fad—in tabletop roleplaying games: consuming play instead of participating in it. * (12:32) New technologies allowing a new market, misinterpreted as a […]
- (0:18) The Caring Bridge site for Pat. * (1:50) An update on Pat. (As of the episode release, the information is a bit outdated. Pat is now home on hospice care.) * (2:47) Whether to continue a game when a player passes. * (7:31) Keeping mementos from those we’ve lost. * (13:10) Moving on […]
- (0:28) The father-daughter podcast, Reading Radio. * (1:57) Brodeur beats the negative association with reading. * (8:35) Wayne doesn’t have access to a computer and decides to go retro. * (12:31) The lingering value of the old way of doing things. * (22:11) The flexibility of a three-ring binder. * (24:18) Plot powerful. * […]
- (0:28) Event signup for Fear the Con 11 is now open. Additional shots at the stretch goals will be coming up in the next few months. * (2:13) Brodeur’s love for minis. The Toy Soldiers video game. Jim McClure’s Satanic Panic. The Army Painter Quickshade dip. * (10:21) Drawing inspiration from visual sources, tropes, […]
- (0:36) Chad’s patience. * (1:33) This show will reference episode 13 of the Skies of Glass Actual Play. * (2:41) Characters finding hope in hopelessness. * (6:34) The mixed morality of a group of player-characters. * (15:14) Joe’s innocence and the loss of it. * (29:19) The moment it all changed, and the unexpected […]
- (0:29) Dan was a guest on The Greatest Show. You can see the video here or grab an audio version here. * (0:53) Dan was also a guest on the Connections radio show, talking about RPG culture. You can find that episode here. We hope you’ll listen to the whole thing, but if you just want to hear Dan’s […]
- (0:29) Brodeur turns a negative episode into a regular one. * (4:52) An end to a long-running D&D campaign. * (6:34) An unexpected finish. Microscope. * (10:20) Balancing player agency against story coherence. * (17:04) Confinement forcing creativity. * (21:30) The signs it was a successful ending. * (25:59) How Brodeur will end the […]
- (0:23) Introducing Beth and Adam. * (1:27) Dan will be on the Connections radio show on Wednesday, November 8th, from 10:30pm – 11:00pm Eastern time. You can find how to tune-in here. * (4:00) Whatever this con is called, it’s occurring on June 22nd and 23rd, 2018. If the Wing Night funds, that will […]
- (0:28) Charles has too little British for Brodeur and too little beef for Wayne. * (3:34) The flash fiction anthology, FLASH!, which you can grab from Amazon. * (4:54) The Lairdbalor. * (6:22) More properly introducing Charles. * (9:38) Corsana: The Phalanx Syndicate. * (12:43) Using an RPG to play-test a story. * (16:47) […]
- (1:02) FLASH!, an anthology that includes Dan and several booters. You can get a copy on Amazon. * (2:20) Dan was a guest on The Greatest Show. You can see the video here or grab an audio version here. * (3:32) Playing characters that suck at their jobs. * (16:20) Portraying inter-factional politics in […]
- (0:32) Making up reasons for why Wayne couldn’t make it. * (1:45) Brodeur and the Marilith: A Dramatic Reading, coming soon. * (3:29) Trying to win over the group when you have a different plan. Just charge in! * (8:32) Playing the social dynamics around the table. * (19:24) Handling the issue character-to-character, whether […]
- (0:29) Wayne goes to Washington D.C. * (1:48) Monotonal cities. The public service of preempting nerd rage. * (4:59) The setting has its own story. The Delmar Divide. * (16:47) Whether a city was planned, and how. Heavy zoning versus integrated spaces. * (24:30) The role of geography, trade, and time. * (39:11) Brodeur […]
- (0:49) Life problems interfering with our recording schedule. * (1:47) Chad’s latest garage sale find, and why Brodeur is banned from garage sales. * (4:57) The first D&D video game Chad bought, Shadow Sorcerer. * (9:12) A quick history of the relationship between tabletop roleplaying games and video games. The second D&D video game […]
- (0:35) Hiccups in the release schedule. * (1:14) Enigma, Transcendentalism, and living in the moment. Or having sex in High School. Finding social and psychological freedom in a roleplaying game. * (7:37) Progression that has only limited impact on game mechanics. * (18:47) An illustration from Left 4 Dead 2. * (23:11) Finding the […]
- (0:30) Brodeur’s psychiatrist. Unfiltered Brodeur at the negative level. * (4:04) Sacrifice in a roleplaying game. Giving up something you want to make the game better. The D&D Actual Play. * (12:16) What constitutes sacrifice. * (18:00) Sacrifice versus beneficial trade-off. The story of Wesley Autrey. * (34:59) The confusingly mixed bag of altruism. […]
- (0:29) Episode 9 of the Skies of Glass Actual Play. * (1:06) Murder versus killing. * (14:03) The power of a personal reaction apart from a character reaction. * (16:45) Doing something in-character that sets back the party but adds to the quality of the game. * (27:17) Setting up Chad’s character, the lies, […]
- (0:30) Welcoming George to the show. * (0:52) Fear the Boot’s Actual Plays are now on YouTube. * (2:26) An overview and history of Gen Con. True Dungeon. * (12:46) Spectacle and socialization over product. How Gen Con compares to San Diego Comic Con. * (18:16) How growth is changing things. * (25:48) The […]
- (0:29) Robots having ghosts and facial hair. Brodeur threw GoBots at people. * (9:16) Thanks to Stephen Brown for giving us the name of the show with plant brains driving vehicles: Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. The toy Dan owned was K.O. Kruiser. * (10:53) The Autobot Matrix of Leadership gets around. * (14:11) Predictions […]
- (0:29) Welcoming Ryan to the show. His Fear the Con game based on Happy Birthday, Robot. * (3:25) Reading the table for emotional effect. * (10:29) Empty space with context. * (18:45) Plot hooks for the PCs, created by the GM instead of the player. * (27:42) Creating hooks through new items, NPCs, and […]
- (0:28) Lighter rules keeping players from second-guessing their choices. * (12:16) Passing notes during an RPG. Its capacity to rob mature players of part of the game. * (16:07) Third person omniscience to set things right. * (24:38) Revealing the notes at the end of the session. * (29:06) The truth always comes out, […]
WARNING: The discussion in the early part of this show is rather crass. If you don’t want to hear that, skip to 7:08. * (0:32) Why we’re on a second take. * (1:23) The pre-recorded Actual Play is now on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or via its raw RSS feed. * (3:35) Dan fixed the […]
- (0:28) The Skies of Glass AP is out. * (2:36) Our other AP on Twitch. * (5:46) Brodeur’s new coworker. * (9:19) Timing the ending moment of the game. An unintended murder. * (17:16) The opposite extreme: letting a scene overstay its welcome. * (22:40) The difference between a cliffhanger and an abrupt ending. […]
- (0:28) Excuse our mess. We’re heading to see Pat at the hospital because of medical complications, and a dog is sleeping on the recording table. Things will be back to normal next week. SIDE NOTE: The most recent update on Pat’s condition can be found here. * (1:01) Having expectations (or a lack thereof) […]
We made some changes, so be sure to review your Patreon settings before the end of the month!
- (0:29) White whales. * (2:09) What do you want to run but have never had the chance to? * (10:17) What do you want to play but have never had the chance to? * (18:14) What do you want to get published but never have? * (27:07) A big thanks to Chris Torres. * […]
- (0:30) The Skies of Glass actual play is now public, and Lookout Radio has gone live. * (1:59) Some restructuring of our Patreon. A live-streaming actual play game is coming soon. * (4:47) Brodeur picks Gunslinger for a gestalt game, gets handed a pre-made. * (13:49) Developing as a Game Master by trying new things. Knowing […]
- (0:33) Chad fired Brodeur, Dan is the head of HR, Broflake pending. * (6:26) Fear the Con X, post-con. Special thanks to Adam, Bob, and Derek. Also thanks to Beth, Julia, our Kickstarter backers, and everyone who attended. Derek’s beard. * (10:23) Some gaming advice that Dan learned at FTC: Hiring an agent of […]
- (1:03) Brodeur was in a frat. He didn’t get paddled, strangely. * (2:51) Ending an ongoing campaign arc. * (8:52) The nature of the ending. What do the players actually want closure on? * (11:48) Pre-planning the beginning and end, even if the middle is unknown. * (23:03) Roleplaying games and the constant feedback […]
- (0:34) After years of dodging anime, Dan falls in love with One Punch Man. Bill Burr give his take on the show (FAIR WARNING: NSFW language). Antonin Dvorak’s New World Symphony. * (8:01) Two things that could have messed up the feel of One Punch Man. * (16:47) Putting other anime on the table. […]
- (0:24) Dan’s top three card games in a video game. Chad loses it for Gwent. You can sign up for the Fear the Boot Gwent league on the forums. * (9:28) Entertainment that sounds awful in concept but works well in execution. Persona 5. * (15:00) Gotham. * (22:04) Dredd. * (29:38) Kung Fury. * (29:57) Deconstructing […]
- (0:29) Brodeur helps organize Geekway to the West. Vast: The Crystal Caverns, Twilight Struggle, and Battlestar Galactica. * (10:00) Fear the Con X. Charlie talks about Secret Hitler. * (11:59) Not caring what people think. Surviving Comic-Con. Pat meets Dr. Who. * (25:22) ‘Mechs, lantern rings, symbiotes, and the power-trading agreements among the hosts. * (30:15) The […]
- (0:40) A bunch of charity updates! Derek’s charity games (low level, mid level, and high level tiers). Pat’s GoFundMe page. Manicorn work provided by the Mitch STL salon. * (6:10) Explaining what a perk or bennie represents before it’s used. * (8:33) Deconstructing the Red Shirt. Creating emotional ante. * (12:23) Seizing narrative control. The […]
- (0:28) Chad and Wayne are AWOL. * (1:20) Dan learns a whole lot about Fritz Tornow and Hitler’s dogs. * (4:03) Following up on Brodeur’s lack of combat in his game. * (5:53) Brodeur does everything wrong, but it works. * (9:22) Starting with the party asleep and fully divided. * (13:44) Mid-scene cliffhangers and spotlight bouncing for […]
- (0:27) Catching up on episodes and experimenting with a Skies of Glass actual play. * (2:51) A listener, Steve, asks about keeping characters engaged when their specialty isn’t of any use in a particular scene. * (7:06) Asking how the characters got in this position. * (10:11) Game Master tweaking of the player characters to […]
- (0:23) Some more details on Derek’s charity games (low level, mid level, and high level tiers). * (3:04) Time to go bonus episode! The FAST test for stroke. * (5:10) Customers beat down Brodeur, illustrating the reason Dan became a programmer. * (11:26) Chad loves the customers. Or at least doesn’t hate them. Dan and […]
- (0:29) Why Brodeur is scared of Aisha. * (2:49) Some new information on Fear the Con X. Derek’s charity game (low level, mid level, and high level tiers). Booters and Shooters. Email Adam Gottfried if you’re interested in pre-con tourism. * (10:17) Chad’s anger. * (13:00) Games with too much RP and not enough combat. * […]
- (1:43) Introducing our topic from Lars-Hendrik: Groups that have been abused by their GM. * (4:10) Knowing about the problems prior to the first game versus finding out when the game is in progress. * (8:00) Mending trust through transparency, patience, and consistency. * (12:22) Intentionally making mistakes. Rolling above the board. * (16:12) The bad behaviors […]
- (0:28) Welcoming Zach. * (0:47) Brodeur gets on Facebook and buys a cell phone. * (17:55) Brodeur talks to the kids in a class about game design. After an introduction, they break up into small groups to play some RPGs. * (20:47) How far society has come in its acceptance of roleplaying games. * (26:54) […]
- (0:29) Welcoming Eric. What attracted Karla to Dan. * (3:28) Tabletop roleplaying games as a spectator sport. The showmanship of the Game Master. * (10:59) The most interesting games as a distraction. * (13:00) The attributes of a good GM that also make for a good public performance. * (19:20) Turning a spectator into a part of […]
- (0:36) A second take, and why Brodeur’s wife just might be OK with bigamy. Star wipe. * (4:07) Pat’s new refrigerator. Dan’s plan to conquer Narnia and install Beth as queen. * (8:23) Today’s Topic: Terrible segues. Brodeur’s seat just might be up for the taking. * (10:29) Controlling your players via consequences. The concern that […]
- (0:27) Just Dan and Karla! Well, and the pets. * (1:04) Big Bang Theory. The clip Dan mentioned (WARNING: Yelling and NSFW language.) * (4:57) Celebrity gossip. The names Dan was looking for are Paul Blackthorne (Quentin Lance), Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen / Green Arrow), and John Barrowman (Malcolm Merlyn). * (8:50) The increased representation of women […]
- (0:35) Introducing James McClure of the Talking Tabletop podcast. You can find his two-part interview with Dan here and here, and his episodes with Chris here and here. * (5:16) The Satanic Panic Kickstarter. The Dark Dungeons tract. A quick look at the game’s mechanic and the intended danger of being too successful. * (11:10) […]
- (1:45) Reviewing the situation with Sara’s self-actualized character. * (6:29) How Wayne handled the situation by finding what Sara cares about instead of just looking at what the character cares about. Comparing it to what bothers an actor versus the character they’re playing. * (22:13) Finding the point between the character and player, and […]
- (0:27) Chad sits up. John is the youngest old man. * (3:45) Fear the Boot’s early episode on RPG predictions. Mad milk and other inanities. * (10:35) What will roleplaying look like in a generation? Harold Camping and taking a knee. * (18:02) First prediction: Gatekeepers of quality, whether brand or editorial. * (27:17) Second prediction: The […]
- (0:30) Brodeur’s perspective on Valentine’s Day. The value of unexpected gifts. * (12:39) Some perspective on failure, but also why it’s not today’s topic. * (16:16) The value of playing a character that has social needs. An example from a Dresden game. * (29:17) How imperfections contribute to the social bonds of most higher animals, including […]
- (0:31) Welcoming back Chris, Julia, and Pat. * (1:32) Thanking John Ely for Pugmire and Chris Ings for an outstanding coloring book. The coming war between Corgi and Pug owners. * (8:19) Movie scenes that disturbed us as children. Sharing a Coke with the princess from Neverending Story. * (17:48) People stepping on each […]
- (0:29) Gnarl’s commentary on a sourcebook for gnolls in 5th edition D&D gets taken a bit too seriously. * (8:41) Dan’s house, Chad’s faux passport, a Twitter poll about homebrewing, roleplaying about roleplaying, and the creativity of gamers. * (18:23) The revenge of the gamification of gaming. The original episode on the topic. Duolingo and […]
- (1:03) A shout-out to Richard Thomas and Aaron Sturgill. Fear the Con X, AcadeCon, and a total breakdown in communication. * (4:27) Brodeur gets jealous and Dan throws shade at Gamerstable. * (12:27) Brodeur gets on Facebook, and Dan starts the Doomsday Clock. * (25:49) Pete’s start in RPGs, condescension from RIFTS, and a […]
- (0:33) A natural first question presents itself. Magic by Mick Smiley. The story of Pete and Brodeur’s love. * (8:44) Imagining Games and the Dreamchaser Kickstarter. Pete was previously mentioned in Episode 418. * (9:30) The end as the beginning. The dream and milestone mechanic in Dreamchaser. * (16:12) A sample dream and set of milestones […]
- (0:47) An update on Pat. The GoFundMe page to help him and Beth with medical costs. You can follow his status on Caring Bridge. * (4:05) Sugar-free candy, bloopers, and Wayne’s butt…? * (13:45) Prophecy and otherwise letting PCs see the future. * (17:22) Letting the prediction be only a possible future. * (21:00) Keeping the […]
- (0:35) False alarm on Dan’s interview on Talking Tabletop, but it’s out now (part 1 and part 2). * (2:06) Chad’s unexpected take on Alien: Covenant. The increasing social ubiquity of science fiction. The Fault in Our Mars. Laurell K. Hamilton plugs Fear the Con X. * (17:19) A Thai-rade and the importance of ordering spiciness correctly. White […]
- (0:27) The German-language podcast, Eskapodcast. * (2:17) Dan’s idea about “cabinet GMing” that Brodeur, Scott, and the Germans are trying to steal. Having other GMs handle the actions of major NPCs to keep their actions independent and unpredictable. * (12:27) Today’s topic: VaMinion steals Dan’s idea, which was stolen from Wayne, which was stolen from Scott. Shielding a character […]
- (0:22) Warning: Content is out of order, like Witcher novels or Firefly. * (1:12) Magic button of Annihilation: What Christmas song would you obliterate? * (7:18) Brodeur hates Trans Siberian Orchestra. Dan’s ghetto heart isn’t satisfied. * (10:20) Dan’s exotic pets: An otter! * (13:40) Dan’s defense of broadening the definition of “pet animals”, but […]
- (0:18) Dan and Chad were quoting Still Talkin (NSFW language warning). * (2:19) Music you listen to at the most formative moments of your life. Jidenna’s Long Live the Chief and Method Man’s Bulletproof Love. * (9:29) Del the Funky Homosapien. Alex Trebek’s comments on nerdcore and the response song, Who is Alex Trebek? * (17:48) Dan and Chad pick […]
- (0:47) I lied about part 2, but part 1 of my interview with Jim McClure is out! * (2:50) XCOM 2 gets us thinking about setting the level of challenge in a tabletop roleplaying game. * (9:59) Games that get easier versus games that get harder. * (13:18) The kinds of challenge. Combat encounters, roleplaying, […]
- (0:28) Much ado about butts. Thanks, Patreon supporters! * (3:35) Was this section even legal to air? * (5:58) Fish Donuts and the foxy Ms. Candida. * (9:15) What happened with the cell phones? Dan’s +Jews! charger. * (20:19) Attention as a precious commodity. * (31:30) The things you just don’t allow in your games. First example: Math […]
- (1:07) Fear the Boot’s Secret Santa, run by Noob13. You can find details on the forums. * (2:15) Dan’s interview on Talking Tabletop with Jim McClure. Fear the Boot’s Twitter and Facebook links. * (3:59) A cross-town move forces Dan to look through his possessions and contemplate life. The Battletech warchest system. * (9:06) Changing taste […]
- (0:35) Dan moves, and the studio moves with him. * (1:47) Fear the Con X’s Kickstarter is in its last week. * (2:32) A big thanks to our Patreon backers for the new chairs. * (3:21) Our homebrew Transformers RPG. Along with a recent episode on Wayne’s game, I discuss the nuts and bolts […]
- (0:46) Fear the Con X’s Kickstarter is live and needs your support. * (1:55) Support the Strays on No Shave November. Also, much love to Matt who joined the team after this show was recorded, which is why he doesn’t get mentioned in the audio. * (9:45) The finite resources of governance, The Rules […]
- (0:28) Picking up where we left off from the prior episode. * (3:10) Research and essays, particularly The Pulling Report, countering the satanic panic. * (4:53) The CBN pamphlet on D&D as an example of what was being said about RPGs during the panic. * (11:34) The disappearance of James Egbert. * (20:43) Comparing Egbert’s story to […]
- (0:29) Happy Jack’s fishy music-crafting. * (3:24) Today’s topic requires a disclaimer of sorts: Satanic Panic. Jack Chick and, “What’s a tract?” * (8:11) Why Chick is relevant: Dark Dungeons. What this episode is and is not about. * (11:12) Why Wayne wasn’t affected by the panic. * (12:35) Discussing Jack Chick, himself, and […]
An important update on one of our hosts. You can stay posted on the Caring Bridge site. Please send any well wishes to nevertellmetheodds99@gmail.com.
- (0:40) Arch-nemeses of today and times gone by. The crazy stuff people do in their sleep. * (15:20) Chad’s gaming topic: Character defining moments. Dan presents a large example. * (25:35) Brodeur does not top that. What can a GM do? Dan presents a counter-example. * (34:40) Tale of woe and reform aside, Dan answers the […]
- (0:31) A big thanks to our Patreon backers. * (1:32) NPC AI. Having non-player characters make decisions according to predetermined parameters. Our episode on quitting the field. * (5:43) Why this isn’t just “deciding”. * (6:41) The mechanical or rules-based approach. * (7:38) The parameterized or character-based approach. * (21:06) The psychology of fear, and […]
- (0:39) Fear the Con 10, June 22-24, 2017. Fear the Con 9 is lost, probably will be found-footage later. * (4:30) Brodeur goes to Archon for the aftermath of the cosplay. * (6:38) Pete introduces Brodeur to a new game, Dreamchaser. Dan comes up with “Four Hours at IKEA”. * (19:24) Setting hard and soft goals for […]
- (0:30) Pat is going to kill us all. * (17:03) The horror of the unknown. * (19:25) How Pat surpassed R. Lee Ermey. * (21:43) Creating expectation and setting a mood. * (23:47) Comedy = Expectation + Subversion. The human ability to cope with the known. * (26:56) The escape room: An objective-based, time-limited, puzzle game. * […]
- (0:18) It’s just Dan and Chad today. Whatever happened to Julia? * (3:38) Behaviors tolerated and untolerated. Organization psychology. The book, Zapp! * (5:20) The four styles of leadership, as applied to roleplaying. Situational Leadership (with pictures or on Wikipedia or on the official site). * (9:48) Let it be written that here, on this date, Chad said in […]
- (0:24) The Mic-er Conspiracy, and editing what people say. * (2:26) Dan has a story! * (10:12) How Dan’s story ties into gaming. The Facebook thread on the topic. Chekhov’s Gun. * (15:24) The difference in how we search for meaning in life versus how we do so in an RPG. * (19:21) A tangent about Tarantino […]
NOTE: This episode is the second half of a recording that began with the prior episode. * (0:24) Spiders of my Mind, a game about psychotic murderers and an insane asylum. The day and night cycle. * (18:01) Brodeur asks: What attracted you to this setting? Pat is creepy and was super into a cat. * (25:14) Chad […]
NOTE: The raw recording was enough for two shows, but the topic change left for rather uneven times. This is the first portion, and it’s rather short. The upcoming second portion changes topics and is much longer. * (0:31) Why Wayne isn’t on the mics. * (1:09) Dan runs the register. Automats. * (4:52) Dan […]
- (0:29) Getting Chris to St. Louis. Lovecraft stories and Easter Eggs in Fallout. * (6:24) The seven intelligences. * (9:43) Presenting information in the right way to a particular person. Examples from movies and RPGs. * (13:00) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Path of Exile is superior to Diablo 3. * (15:35) Pat as an analytical player. […]
- (0:28) Andy Warhol gets trolled by Dennis Hopper through Strasbergian emotional memory. * (4:30) Dropped glasses become art, perhaps because of Yoko Ono’s famous picture? * (5:41) Chad has an idea to pitch. * (9:20) Telling good stories without alienating the people they’re about. Catching Pat in his refractory period. * (17:11) Chad owns MorningSkye.com and can’t seem to […]
- (0:24) Dan will record, anyway. The Pimp’s Prayer (NSFW). Brodeur can’t cry. Tyromancy, the cheese magic. * (6:39) The lowest form of horror. The 1979 movie, Zombie. The silent film, Un Chien Andalou. Hobo with a Shotgun. * (17:32) A time jump in Brodeur’s RPG. * (21:32) Geoff Johns uses physics to make Aquaman a […]
- (0:27) The Facebook post explaining our site difficulties. * (1:32) The Inkwell Ideas’ Kickstarter for Hexographer 2. * (3:14) The cognitive dissonance of many gamers regarding fairness and success. Hosts: Dan
- (0:28) Fear the Boot’s crossover with Dead Games Society. Gaming resources that are not sourcebooks. * (3:43) A sad farewell and all our love to Mark. * (4:39) Everyone begs for new chairs. Brodeur plans to steal from Good Will. * (6:10) Game-relevant table talk. Meta-gaming and immersion. * (17:41) When can a character […]
- (0:29) A loose sound card, Patreon, falling pants, and attack chairs. * (3:42) The TSA, full-body scanners, and having to take your belt off. Wave of babies. * (8:14) RPG people tricks, starting with Dan trolling. * (10:46) Wayne getting the feel of a game. * (12:16) Brodeur interviews himself. * (14:04) Dan CAN […]
- (0:22) Horrible things you can do with Pokémon GO. * (1:04) Augmented Reality and Alternate Reality Games. Drug addiction. * (7:34) Wayne’s wrestling efed. Gnarl’s adventures on Twitter. * (17:53) Wayne’s wrestler’s name. * (26:18) The psychology of roleplaying. The freedom that a mask grants, particularly when it’s a fully articulated gnoll mask. * (32:30) What […]
- (0:33) Moon, Dredd, and Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition. * (8:25) Dan comes up with one nice thing to say about the movie, Battleship. Also, they’re voxels, not pixels. * (12:58) Chad recommends The Seventh Seal. * (14:15) Dan’s Gnollsona days are to be in their peak soon. * (15:30) All the things worse than […]
- (0:31) The end of Brodeur’s honeymoon with 5th edition D&D and his endless honeymoon with a Marilith. * (4:32) Brodeur denies, as all subs do, that he wants to bang the Marilith. * (14:21) When the whole thing needs to go. * (16:08) Topic of this episode: Sound and music. MyNoise. * (23:17) Issues with sound. Blending soundscapes […]
- (1:19) The requisite disclaimers. * (1:57) How mental health affects gaming, as the person with the condition. * (2:26) Attendance issues. * (5:15) Accepting that some issues can’t be dealt with or accommodated in the context of gaming. * (7:02) Some ideas for accommodating attendance issues when you can. * (10:53) Beating yourself up […]
- (0:39) Mental health as a topic, why we’re talking about it, and some important disclaimers. * (8:49) Why this relates so closely to gaming. * (13:47) Dan’s history and issues. * (18:41) The uniqueness of the conditions when compared to “normal” thoughts. The courage of getting treatment. * (26:04) The anatomy of a panic attack. * […]
- (0:40) Pulp Gamer isn’t gone—just the network. * (1:30) Drucon. Special thanks to Adam, Bob, and Derek. * (2:43) Introducing Aisha and thanks to our Patreon backers. Her history with roleplaying games and video games. * (15:32) How some hosts are hard to edit. * (19:58) Our main topic: Old school ideas that still have value. […]
- (0:31) With Pulp Gamer closing their network, Fear the Boot is now a proud member of the RPG Academy network of shows. * (1:20) TsunamiCon in Wichita, KS, from October 7th to 9th. You can find their page here and support their Kickstarter here. * (4:07) Where’s Dan? Wayne went to a shibari event once… Also, […]
- (2:29) Chad’s garage sale find. You can find the relevant images here. * (10:46) On the formation of “The White Box”, the first complete D&D set. * (14:46) Dan reads the sample roleplaying text in his bedroom voice. * (17:40) A touching foreword from Tom Moldvay. * (20:08) A page of Inspirational Reading. * (21:35) […]
- (1:24) Patreon milestones coming up, including a live-stream Shadowrun AP. * (2:36) Dan played D&D 5E, and he liked it. Pat thinks it should feel wrong, but it feels so right, instead. * (14:48) Improving games by using the Stoplight. * (18:11) Removing the red lights to preserve feelings. * (20:25) Pat’s take on the […]
- (0:29) Fear the Boot is now 10 years old! * (4:39) The three promises of Fear the Boot: no ads in the show, no politics or religion, and never putting primary content behind a pay wall. * (9:35) Ways we want to improve the show over the next 10 years. * (12:40) If you want to […]
- (0:54) Revisiting side games. * (1:39) How we deviated from our prior advice. * (3:47) Chad loses InSpectres and switches to Wilderness of Mirrors. * (6:13) On the activities of the players and their gang. * (9:18) Objective 1: Kill James Waite. * (11:28) Not keeping the side game and main game related. * (12:32) Could players that […]
- (0:32) Running a game in a very short time slot. A possible Skies of Glass show series and Wayne’s lunch game. * (2:33) Keeping this a fully-developed game instead of using a specialized system or one-off approach. * (3:20) Limiting the time spent on social interactions. * (4:05) The value of proactivity. Moving some discussions […]
- (0:30) Pat’s messed up sound levels and a really strange rant remind Dan that you can now get Fear the Boot on Google Play. * (4:35) Running smaller, lower-prep games—that are related to your main campaign—to save the game from dying during downtime. * (15:21) Some ground rules for making games like this work. * […]
- (0:29) Welcoming back James from The One Shot Podcast. Our prior interview with them can be found here. The Pulp Gamer accent CDs can still be purchased as audiobooks. * (4:08) The Kickstarter for Noisy Person Cards. * (8:35) The value of using alternate voices in a roleplaying game. * (13:09) Adding emotion to the […]
- (0:32) Fear the Boot’s Warframe clan, Fear the Ninja, is active again. You can download the game here and find details on the clan here. * (4:21) Get your votes in for what game you’d like to hear us play with the folks from One Shot Podcast. * (6:50) A big thanks to the people recommending […]
DISCLAIMER: While profanities were censored from this episode, the subject matter is more crass than what Fear the Boot normally covers. Personal discretion is advised. * (0:40) Welcoming Stu and Stork from Happy Jack’s podcast. You can find the latest episode Dan and Wayne guest hosted here. * (0:57) Rosebud. * (5:52) The origin of […]
- (0:29) Dan can’t operate a mixer. * (2:21) 1d4Con in Martisburg, WV from April 15th – 17th. * (4:07) Upcoming crossovers with Happy Jacks. * (4:29) Noah the Destroyer. * (11:00) A Twitter poll we ran about whether it’s best for game designers (or GMs running a game) to err on the side of too […]
- (0:41) Chris’ short film, It Figures. * (6:30) Wayne takes a turn at moderating the show. * (7:18) Leaving a gaming group. Wayne sets some ground rules for the discussion. * (14:26) The parallels between breaking up with a gaming group and breaking up with a significant other. Getting out of a game by […]
- (0:26) Introducing Bob and offering a fair warning. * (2:24) Eva Amurri, the nanny incident, and Dan’s cynicism. * (5:21) Bob sets the record straight on the drywall incident. * (8:35) Green bean casserole. * (16:51) Bob saves Brodeur from drowning. * (20:00) How Bob got into gaming. * (29:33) How Bob got Brodeur into gaming. * […]
- (0:36) The new XCOM Saga has started. You can watch it on Twitch here or keep up with the RP and after-action reports here. The next stream will be on Wednesday, February 10th, at 7:00pm Central time. * (3:20) Some more information on DruCon. You can find out more on the Facebook group and […]
- (1:09) Pat and the nuclear football can be found in Bedtime Stories 5. * (1:34) Giving life to a location. Making it feel like more than just a stopping-off point in the plot. Our episodes on dungeon building (part 1 and part 2). * (7:07) Reasons to avoid getting too caught up in the minutiae of […]
- (0:35) Preparing a fallback game for one that has yet to die. * (4:36) Brodeur is asked to pass his game notes off to another GM who wants to continue his campaign. * (10:42) The positive reasons to share your game notes. Dan’s sample game notes (explained in episode 209) can be found here, here, […]
- (0:29) The Battletech contest is complete! You can find the list of winning game ideas here. I’ll be emailing the winners within the next week to get their mailing addresses. * (1:51) Blades in the Dark, digital edition early access with upgrade support through the finished product. You can grab your copy here. * […]
- (0:28) A pregnant pause. Dan hates Skype. Dan hates Norton even more. * (1:11) Voting for the science fiction plot hooks is ending on Sunday, January 10th, at 11:59:59pm Central Time. You can get your votes in here. * (2:07) Brodeur the Elder wants to hear about ABBA. That hate for disco. N-Trace’s hip hop […]
- (0:28) The amount of bleeping in the prior episode. * (2:13) Voting for the science fiction plot hooks is still going on. You can get your votes in here. * (3:32) The flooding in Missouri. * (8:08) Natural disasters in roleplaying games. The eruption of Krakatoa. The radioactive fire at the West Lake Landfill. * (12:13) The […]
- (0:23) Voting for the science fiction plot hooks has begun. You can get your votes in here. * (1:38) Wayne has creative block while trying to make a character for an online game of Wield. * (5:55) Generic-Man to the rescue! Pat is always rich. * (14:55) Welcome to Fanfiction.net! (and Wattpad). * (16:26) […]
- (0:30) Why it’s not “still” Chris or Brodeur. * (3:12) Chad’s audio, visual, and computer setup for running Blades in the Dark. Google Drive and Myth Weavers. * (5:01) How Blades in the Dark handles conflict. Devil’s lettuce. The Doomsday Clock. Building tension. * (13:33) Details on Chad’s setup and how he uses it to improve […]
- (0:29) This is the last week to enter for the metal Battletech dice. You can enter by leaving your plot idea for Battletech (or generic science fiction) on this website. * (1:55) Chad’s Blades in the Dark game. You can BitD’s Google group here. The video game, Dishonored. * (9:24) Playbooks. * (12:46) Uptime, downtime, and […]
- (0:44) Down a few for Thanksgiving. * (1:14) Hamlet’s Hit Points by Robin Laws. Tracking the story beats of an RPG. * (3:37) How much game advice can actually be internalized and used. * (8:58) An analogy from art theory about how the human mind compresses information into a usable form. * (13:08) What Brodeur is internalizing for […]
- (1:54) John observes an uptick of socially competitive games at Gen Con. Are You a Werewolf. Junta. Coup. * (7:15) Undertale and how it changed John’s mind on merciless gaming. * (10:05) Why Dan can’t betray people, even when it’s the intended mechanic of a game. * (17:27) What Undertale did for John’s empathy […]
- (0:27) When Fear the Boot turns into AM radio. * (2:42) Giving away some metal Battletech dice. You can enter by leaving your plot idea for Battletech (or generic science fiction) on this website. * (3:32) The Library Land Podcast. * (4:44) The value in offering players finite options. Infocom games. Hosts: Dan
- (0:42) The value of simplicity, flat math, and limited modifiers. * (5:10) The intentional lack of specificity in the 5th edition rules. The history of Anti-Magic Shell. * (11:22) Are there any plans for setting material and the like? * (17:22) Beast form and martial arts attacks. Sage Advice on Twitter. * (19:34) Was […]
- (0:35) Introducing Vince of Venture Land Games and The Narrative Game System. * (4:44) Questions we collected from social media. In case you don’t have the links you can find us at: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ (fan club or news feed), and our forums. * (5:06) Vince’s favorite ‘Mech and his take on the Clans. The Black Knight. Fortunetelling by […]
- (1:31) DruCon: the fan convention on June 3rd and 4th of 2016. You can find the Facebook group here and back the funding campaign here. * (2:28) Using a well-established NPC in your game. * (6:30) Why is the character there at all? * (7:44) Know the character as a whole person. * (8:49) Throw canon out […]
- (0:39) Welcoming Dr. Bob Arens to the show. * (0:58) DruCon: the fan convention on June 3rd and 4th of 2016. You can find the Facebook group here and back the funding campaign here. * (3:20) The episode we did with Bob about artificial intelligence in game. The Time Cube website (FAIR WARNING: very strong language). […]
- (0:29) We don’t win ’em all. * (1:07) Character pictures and why Wayne hates them. People that benefit from a visual element in the game. The concept art for the Star League throne. The legend of the collapsible cup. * (12:16) The over-sexualization of female imagery. * (17:08) The supposed link between gaming and […]
- (0:28) Chad vs Pat’s phone. * (5:34) Brodeur hates train games. * (11:09) Dan’s gaming whale gets a certificate of authenticity. * (15:00) Fortune-telling with gnoll coins. * (16:34) There’s no shame in a job. * (19:46) Brodeur grows up poor. * (34:15) Who did and didn’t get TPed. * (37:18) Dan’s hood. Hosts: Brodeur, […]
- (0:29) Chris is still doing the giveaways on Twitter and Facebook. * (0:47) Wayne gets his first exposure to play-by-post games. You can find the Fear the Boot forum section for them here. * (11:18) Jobbies, Research in Motion, and FIHAGs. * (12:57) The player that challenges the GM on everything. * (15:04) The […]
- (0:32) Chris is doing the video game giveaways on Twitter. * (1:42) Welcoming Joe Wetzel and Keith Curtis. Dan gets a contest entry from a spam bot…? * (7:00) An overview of Inkwell Ideas. * (11:46) Using outside products to help with game prep and those moments when the GM is caught flatfooted. * […]
- (0:39) Brodeur becomes a host. * (1:07) Follow Fear the Boot on Twitter for Chris’ upcoming giveaway of PC and XBOX 360 games. * (3:10) Dan gets a bunch of Battletech dice that he’ll be giving away soon. * (4:04) D&D 5th edition and Dan’s inability to name an episode right. * (6:51) The […]
- (0:28) Please let us know if you’re not receiving your Fear the Con 8 Kickstarter rewards. It appears they’re getting blocked as spam. * (2:23) Our experience at a D&D trivia night for Tim Meehan. You can still donate here. What it felt like being the middle child of the roleplaying hobby. * (10:13) […]
- (0:44) Being a fan for a second time. * (2:24) What’s missing in American politics. * (4:26) The winners of the Battletech drawing. More giveaways are coming very soon, so keep up with Fear the Boot’s Twitter feed. You can find Chris’ Twitter feed here and Dan’s here. * (5:34) The Baby Shoes flash fiction anthology. * (6:01) […]
- (0:32) Medieval torture chairs. * (1:20) Battletech box set giveaway. All you need to do is follow us on Twitter and tweet #GenCon2015 along with the name of a ‘Mech you like. Don’t know the ‘Mechs? Just tell us that, or you can find some here. * (1:50) Additional giveaways at the whim of Chris. […]
- (1:00) Battletech box set giveaway. All you need to do is follow us on Twitter and tweet #GenCon2015 along with the name of a ‘Mech you like. Don’t know the ‘Mechs? Just tell us that, or you can find some here. * (1:28) The D&D trivia night for Tim Meehan at the Fantasy Shop. […]
- (1:02) Asheville Scarefest in Asheville, North Carolina on October 23 – 25. You can find them at their website or on Facebook. * (1:44) Fear the Boot is now available on SoundCloud! * (2:30) Battletech box set giveaway. All you need to do is follow us on Twitter and tweet #GenCon2015 along with the […]
- (1:09) Comics and roleplaying games. Early Garfield and Garfield Minus Garfield. * (14:10) Our dearth of comic book and superhero games. * (26:50) Superhero games we’ve played recently. * (42:15) Guilty pleasures. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne
- (0:23) Why Brodeur is still on the show. The card game, Poop. * (9:49) Dan versus his Dad. * (13:43) Brodeur versus the city of Valley Park. * (20:14) Chad versus the purse snatcher. * (28:55) Dan versus his dogs. * (32:13) Chad versus a car door. * (35:29) Wayne’s Mom versus some off-brand non-SUV. […]
- (1:03) Sojourn Volume 3 is accepting submissions. You can find the details here. * (2:03) Collaborative game building on our forums, run by Gyro LC. * (7:46) Being the group dad (or mom) and organizing events when no one else will. * (22:31) Wallflowers. People that want to be at a game but simply […]
- (0:35) A thank you note for our community’s donations to The Women’s Safe House. * (3:05) Charity fundraiser for Tim Meehan. You can donate online, or join the D&D trivia night and silent auction at the St. Charles Fantasy Shop, on August 22nd at 6:00pm. Tables are up to 8 people, costing $20 per […]
- (1:45) Setting up the topic and defining some terms. Project Rho. * (8:06) Chapter 1: The nature of space combat. The X-Wing and acceleration. * (23:40) Chapter 2: Weapons, distance, and targeting. * (36:44) Chapter 3: Fighting on the broadside. * (48:35) Chapter 4: Submarines and battleships. Finding an enemy ship in the vastness […]
- (0:31) Introducing James and Kat from One Shot Podcast. * (5:14) The history and structure of the show. * (9:05) The value of an actual-play for introducing people to games. * (15:03) Production and editing. * (21:42) Distilling a game into an hour of recording. * (31:23) One game on a desert island. Orson Welles and […]
- (0:32) Welcoming Erik Carl from Metagamers Anonymous. * (2:52) TsunamiCon in Wichita, Kansas, this October. You can support its Kickstarter here! * (8:02) Judge Dan. * (16:20) The difficulty of mixing different fandoms within a single convention, particularly when people take the geek hierarchy a bit too seriously. * (34:36) Things from our roleplaying […]
- (1:38) Introducing Derek Knutsen from THE ESTABLiSHED FACTS and Universal Storytelling System. * (3:28) Fear the Fruit. You can make donations here. Please also consider donating toiletries and non-perishable food. * (7:39) Fear the Con’s official charities this year: Little Red Door and the Ferguson Public Library. You can find more information and make donations here. * […]
- (0:31) Brodeur learns about Chris’ age. * (1:26) Fear the Con 8. * (5:43) What Brodeur would have done in Chad’s failed trip to a game shop. What he would want someone to do if that happened in his own shops. * (17:16) What is the role of a game shop, anymore? Brodeur takes […]
- (0:48) Sojourn Volume 2. * (1:55) Gnarl on Twitter. * (4:04) Pat vs Warmachine. * (12:22) The consumer side of war games. * (21:33) Mordheim and Necromunda. * (26:34) New editions and serious fun. * (39:14) Battletech and other games. * (49:33) The importance of the right win/loss ration. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat
- (0:29) Fear the Con 8 has successfully funded! You can create and sign up for games here. * (1:45) Chris’ audio comedy, Gamers Behaving Badly, is attempting to fund a second season. You can support that here. * (2:51) Our expectations of what a game shop should be like. How that differs from our […]
- (0:37) The surprising efficacy of ThunderShirts. * (1:58) Fear the Con 8’s Kickstarter is still up and running. * (4:01) A remote-play Battletech game using MapTool, TokenTool, Hexographer, HeavyMetal, and some assets from MegaMek. * (12:24) The five werewolves. * (16:54) Our first Gen Con. Then our second Gen Con, where we formed a […]
- (1:29) Need to kill a bug or a baby? Grab Sojourn 2! * (5:35) Getting superheroes right. * (8:36) The kinds of superheroes. * (12:10) Not designing the character around the powers. * (17:22) The importance of aesthetics. * (18:49) Sidekicks. * (23:44) Schedules suck. Protecting your time. Game creep. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Pat, Wayne
DISCLAIMER: While profanities were censored from this episode, the subject matter is still a bit more crass than what Fear the Boot normally covers. Personal discretion is advised. * (0:52) Julia takes on belching and tampons. * (5:04) Julia takes on Japanese tights. * (10:45) Wayne and the Christmas thong. * (16:47) Hentai, hourly bars, […]
- (0:29) The episode’s line-up. * (2:10) Wayne runs Silent Memories for Chad, which leads to a discussion about Jenga, cats playing Jenga, Pandorum, and furry porn. * (8:22) Games that are primarily driven by discovery versus those that are driven by collaboration. * (12:19) The relationship between conflict and discovery. * (13:54) The difference in priority […]
- (1:48) Chris’ comedy series, Gamers Behaving Badly. (It can also be found on YouTube.) * (6:19) Chris finds himself in unexpected conflict when another player pulls out a surprise. * (23:44) Pat’s advice to the other person. * (33:37) When sudden conflict occurs in a game’s finale. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- (0:29) Fear the Con 8, June 11th – 13th, 2015! * (2:34) Pick up a copy of Sojourn Volume 2. * (3:29) Chad versus Monsterhearts. Large Marge from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. * (11:48) The value in sticking with a game you don’t think you’ll enjoy. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- (0:53) Thanks to Ruben for the Christmas gifts! * (2:25) Sojourn Volume 2 — a collection of short stories written by Fear the Boots hosts, fans, and friends in the RPG industry — is now on sale. You can get a copy from Amazon or other retailers. * (3:12) Gnarl takes to Twitter. * […]
- (0:29) Remembering Tobias Parks. * (1:15) Shel Silverstein and our fundraiser for the American Heart Association. * (2:54) Using Method One rolling as a way of challenging yourself in roleplaying. * (15:32) Fixing a game after something has been declared that later is discovered to not have been correct. Adapting the game to fit […]
- (1:12) John and MortarGate. The old anime, Ulysses 31. * (25:24) The bogeyman of TPKing GMs that may not be all that rule, and the more immediate concern about softball games. Evaluating and conducting a game arc with a mind for future, unrelated arcs. * (56:45) You can find the charity drive for the […]
- (0:30) Chris is sad it’s not Hotdish Hursday. * (2:23) The weekly #RPGChat on Twitter, conducted everything Thursday at 2:00pm Central and 9:00pm Central. * (8:21) Fear the Boot’s Bloodbowl League is starting up again. You can find details on the forum. * (10:19) Running games outside of continuity to bridge gaps in play or […]
- (0:29) Wayne causes metaphysical problems for the podcast. Casey Kasem loses it over a death dedication (NSFW language). * (2:24) This Christmas, Fear the Boot is supporting the American Heart Association in a competitive charity drive. You can see the charity’s rating here and make your donations here. * (4:40) A big thanks to […]
- (0:29) John and the definition of “stealing”. * (1:41) How GMs can inadvertently train their players to view the game world in certain ways. The importance of players separating the NPC from the GM. * (23:27) The Three Clue Rule, pointed out to us by forum user, Concise Locket, for keeping PCs from missing […]
- (0:24) Checking up on Brodeur’s homework. * (1:24) I am Russian man! * (4:37) Grey beard…? * (11:45) If you could go back in time, what gaming advice would you give yourself? * (20:37) Given the platform, what would you tell any person(s) in the RPG industry? Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, John, Pat
- (0:26) Episode 354, take 2! * (1:09) Chad and Dan will be on Twitch tomorrow, continuing their Rome 2 campaign. * (1:30) What really separates America from England (HINT: it’s not the Atlantic). John Oliver explains FIFA. * (3:05) The Gameable Disney Podcast asks what Disney characters we’d play in an RPG. * (5:58) […]
- (0:29) Work clothes. Being mistaken for employees of various places. * (4:57) The 1950s milkshake machine. The other Mixmaster. * (11:30) Giving the players rolls they deserve without breaking immersion — or giving out meta-game information — by the very act of requesting the rolls. * (15:35) Solution 1: Noting the relevant character skills […]
- (0:29) Dan is totally like Slash. * (1:45) An insult that only works with a British accent. * (3:08) How Enterovirus got Dan thinking about roleplaying a character with a persistent infirmity or impairment. * (7:27) Understanding the condition, whether through research, collaboration, or GM explanation. * (10:47) Pacing the manifestations of the impairment’s effects. […]
Fair warning: There are a lot of strange things going on in this episode. It was recorded during a thunderstorm. I was losing my voice (and completely lost it thereafter, so Karla had to do the intro). And some of the jokes get rather off-color. * (0:29) Dan’s Enterovirus, Brodeur’s Herpes, and…yeah…this doesn’t end up anywhere […]
- (0:29) Dan gets hosts back, thanks the fans, and lets Chris now what episode this is. * (2:08) The movie bracket voting on our forums. * (3:48) GM self-perception. The fear of creating a frustrating NPC or plot point. * (10:04) Dan’s frustration with player trust. * (15:38) Reading the table and getting player feedback […]
- (0:31) Why Dan is all alone. * (2:04) Just a few words on Ferguson. You can find local news at KSDK, KMOV, KMOX, KTVI, and STL Today. * (5:48) The Third XCOM Saga is underway. We’ve also made some changes to the site to make it easier for users to find the content they […]
- (0:40) If you’re playing Pathfinder Online and looking for a guild, Fear the Boot has aligned itself with Kabal. We also have an upcoming event with Goblinworks that will take place in-game. Keep your eye on the show for details, including how you can grab an alpha code to join us. * (1:56) Introducing […]
- (0:55) “Yes, but…” GMing. The honest movie trailer for Frozen. The adult version (NSFW language). And the parody version. * (10:53) When a character’s description falls well below the power level described on the sheet. For example, a party of 1st level characters where one person insists they’re a seasoned veteran. What happens when three […]
With a repaired internet connection, we try again at getting John on an episode! After talking about the social difficulties of constraining group size (or removing problem players), we dig into making characters during the course of a game. Since many people are either burnt out on character creation or just don’t understand their character until […]
When a Game Master repeatedly uses a character’s weaknesses to reduce them to uselessness. We discuss whether it’s a fair tactic or just a quick way to wreck that player’s fun. * (1:10) Congratulating Julia on getting married. * (2:48) A reminder about Fear the Boot’s Twitch channel. * (4:20) Save or suck: when failing […]
- (0:59) “Shnotes” and other words that annoy us. * (3:42) Chad introduces us to Rory’s Story Cubes, and we try some RP experiments with them. We discuss the value of random words and images in helping to break creative block or get out of ruts. * (25:59) Alternate ways of creating the same (or similar) story […]
In this episode we discuss handling a game after realizing you were wrong about an important rule or bit of setting, and correcting that mistake will alter the course of the game. * (0:29) TsunamiCon in Wichita, KS on November 7th – 9th. * (2:04) Mic-dropping on games. Walking away from a game, whether as […]
In this episode we talk about players that overstep their bounds, going beyond helping the GM to apparently trying to help run the game. We talk about why this might happen and ways to address it. * (0:29) Some thanks to the other podcasts at Fear the Con! Action Nerds: GO! Beer Powered Time Machine […]
In this episode, we talk about Chris’ trip home from the con and the misadventures he has with a cop on a fishing expedition and a gas station attendant telling rather implausible war stories. * (0:23) Please leave reviews for Sojourn on Barnes & Noble to help us get it stocked in stores! If you’re still looking to […]
- (0:29) Reign of the Descended for the Mecha RPG (free quickstart, full version). * (2:02) Fear the Con 7! Information on the pre-con tourism. Take care of the people that take care of you. * (4:49) Chad’s family night turns into a family RPG. We talk about the steps he went through (and avoided) to […]
- (0:28) Dan and Julia’s Halloween costumes. Cobra Crimson Guard. * (4:40) The Star Wars expanded universe. Yes, there really was a Star Wars movie with Wilford Brimley. * (9:57) The 1812 Overture, Lichtenstein, and other stuff on music. * (14:09) Deadzones in RPGs created by a lack of RP. Why it happens and can be […]
- (0:39) The buffalo sentence. * (2:00) Chad and Dan are really, really famous. Or at least random people seem to think so. * (7:15) A forbidden episode has been released on the forums. You can find it here. * (9:34) People that look only to their character sheets for answers to everything in a […]
- (0:30) Granite and truth (though Dan got the phrase slightly wrong). * (2:28) Handling characters of faith that don’t follow any particular god or goddess. The role of game balance. Why such characters have been fairly rare in our experience. * (20:57) What goes into making a deep, plausible, and religious character? Hosts: Chad, Chris, […]
- (0:22) Introducing Derek from the THE ESTABLiSHED FACTS. * (2:20) Derek’s charity for Fear the Con 7. * (9:36) Derek’s overnight dungeon marathon. * (12:01) Pat’s Cinco de Mayo leads into a conversation about demystifying alcohol to children. * (16:54) How the heck did we get on this topic? * (21:35) Demystifying roleplaying both […]
- (0:43) Solo plots in the context of a group-centered roleplaying game. * (6:51) Handling the plots without boring the rest of the group. * (13:11) What characters can reap from these events. * (15:29) What characters shouldn’t reap from these events. * (27:45) Pat and a hockey stick. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Wayne
- (1:09) The Sojourn series now has its own website. * (2:07) Fear the Con on June 12th – 14th. * (4:47) One of our Twitch games is now on a schedule. You can join us from 7:00pm – 11:00pm Central time on Thursdays. The Twitch channel is here, and you can find our local […]
- (0:28) Welcoming back Stu from Happy Jacks. His involvement with the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, CA. * (2:16) Working through the second half of the responses to a GM survey posted by yourfriendlane on Reddit. This time we talk about what GMs enjoy least about their role. * (3:06) Player behavior. * (7:10) Finding inspiration. […]
- (0:28) Welcoming Stu and Kimi from Happy Jacks. You can find the episode Wayne and Dan just did on their show right here. * (2:00) Cape Rust wrote a very kind review of Sojourn which you can find on Pop Cults. * (3:13) We hope you’ll consider supporting Jason Brick’s fundraiser for HERO Housing. […]
- (0:27) Johann isn’t dead. * (0:57) Chad’s chosen way of collecting signatures on his copy of Sojourn. * (2:33) The launch of Fear the Boot’s Twitch TV channel. We’ll post the game schedule after Dan comes back from vacation. * (10:23) Pacing at the very beginning of a campaign. The two extreme solutions: starting in […]
- (0:29) Grab a copy of Fear the Boot’s anthology, Sojourn! * (1:25) A patent troll takes on the sum of podcasting. You can make a donation to the legal defense fund here. * (4:23) Player secrets. As we’re introducing the topic, Wayne throws out the idea of different angles — regarding the same secret […]
- (0:29) Announcing Sojourn, an anthology of fiction by Fear the Boot hosts, community members, and industry professionals. You can find all of the places it’s available right here. * (3:22) Differentiating the two types of GMPCs. * (8:59) The problems that can accompany playing the second kind of GMPC: a character that’s balanced but […]
- (0:18) Foreman selection. * (1:27) Jury deliberations. * (14:59) Reading of the verdict. * (17:34) Post-trial commentary. * (20:49) A big thanks to Trampas for being such a good sport. You can find his awesome Dragonlance resources on their legacy website, their new website, and their podcast. Hosts: Chris, Dan, John, Julia, Pat, Trampas, […]
- (0:55) Introducing the trial. * (2:35) Presentation of the case. * (4:54) Plaintiff opening argument. * (6:32) Defense opening argument. * (7:43) Plaintiff case in proper and defense cross-examination. (In case you’re curious, Brandenberg v. Ohio was a real case.) * (21:33) Defense case in proper and plaintiff cross-examination. * (35:55) Closing arguments. * […]
- (0:29) Welcoming back Trampas from the Dragonlance Canticle and Dragonlance Nexus. The Nexus website is undergoing redevelopment, so you can find its current website here and the new one here. * (2:28) Explaining the gist of the group template and how it’s meant to be used. * (8:51) Creating an example group using the […]
- (0:29) Welcoming Stu and CADave from Happy Jacks RPG Podcast. The show Julia and Dan recorded for their feed can be found here. * (1:36) Fear the Con 7. The online convention, Jacker Con 2014 (forum discussion here, Google group here). * (8:16) Switching your character in the middle of a game. * (9:23) Reasons people switch […]
- (0:32) If you have any dealer requests for Fear the Con 7, you can post them here. * (1:14) You can find the details on Fear the Fruit here. * (1:48) Chad is running a knowledge-sharing and AMA area on the Fear the Boot forums. * (9:54) A ring of wishes gets us thinking […]
- (0:30) Fear the Con 7 sign-up is in full swing! * (3:22) John explains “datedar”. * (17:17) Knowing when it’s time to kill a game. The story of the dwarf game that never was. * (28:33) Killing games too quickly. Keeping them from dying at all. * (34:43) GM burnout. * (37:53) Wanting to […]
- (0:51) Chris’ showing of The Gamers: Hands of Fate on January 23rd. Click here for more information. * (1:47) Setting up the scenario: an actual play podcast we’re working on with Master Geek Theater. * (2:52) How to handle a character — both from the perspective of a GM and a fellow player — that […]
- (0:51) Explaining what “local” means in the suburban sprawl of the St. Louis metro area, which has roughly 1/4th the population of the Los Angeles metro area, but covers almost twice as much land. * (1:20) The Fear the Boot Blood Bowl leagues are forming! You can find all of the information you need on […]
- (0:23) Never do True Dungeon with a PUG. * (2:22) John needs helping making and playing an effective rogue in Pathfinder. * (11:29) A groundbreaking and productive topic: What is the most powerful class at first level? * (15:15) The thread to help John min-max a Pathfinder rogue can be found here. * (17:07) […]
- (1:05) If you have any extra money this Christmas, please consider a contribution to Operation Underground Railroad, which is working to free children from sex trafficking. (I realize O.U.R. has gotten verbal and financial support from Glenn Beck, but to the best of my understanding, this is not his charity. It operates under the broader charity, […]
- (0:59) What players owe their Game Master. * (21:10) What players owe their fellow players. Hosts: Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- (0:29) Fear the Con 7! * (2:38) You can drop us a vote for the Stitcher Awards. * (3:00) The explicit and implicit social contracts that exist within a gaming group. * (4:04) What a Game Master owes his or her players. * (27:40) What a Game Master does not owe his or her […]
- (1:16) Why Pat won’t GM. The difficulty of GM self-evaluation. * (3:54) The factors that motivate someone to GM. * (11:52) Helping Pat get a start on his setting and campaign. * (14:38) The comfort of crunch. * (20:40) Puzzles, immersion, and managing people that play on their phones. Hosts: Beth, Chad, John, Pat
- (0:29) Welcoming guest hosts Brodeur from The Fantasy Shop and Mike from Action Nerds: GO! podcast. This degrades into a raucous tangent on George R.R. Martin. * (3:29) The article by Jason Brick posted on American Express OPEN Forum can be found here. * (4:00) Be sure to get out and back the podcaster charity drive […]
- (1:39) The Urwin Subversion. Lowering a character’s BAUS level as a way of making him or her stand out even more. * (8:42) Deconstructing the differences by comparing Dan’s Dresden character to Chad’s. * (16:13) The baggage that can accompany a BAUS level. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- (0:38) Fear the Con 7 sign-ups are live! * (0:45) Mikey Mason has dropped a new comedy album, Dangerous Gifts, which you can get digitally or on disc. * (2:30) March 7th – 9th, 2014, Coast Con will be running in Biloxi, Mississippi. You can find their website here. * (2:59) The levels of […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con 7 will be on June 12th – 14th, 2014. The website will be live this Friday, November 8th. * (4:04) Almost introducing the topic. * (4:48) Everyone gets confused by the new mic guards. * (6:20) Actually introducing the topic: playing a BAUS (beautiful and unique snowflake), meaning a character […]
- (0:30) An update on the show length and Dan’s throat problem. * (1:56) What to do when the players remain IC and active, but are taking the mood of a game in a direction you don’t want it to go. * (5:01) Is this even a problem? Reasons to let it go and ways […]
- (0:30) Making it rain for a Diabetes charity. * (3:46) When relationships outside of a game spill over into a game. How games of Diplomacy and Succession Wars got us thinking about this. * (10:58) Getting OOC/IC relationships back where they belong. * (17:32) When the OOC/IC blurring is about values and not just […]
- (0:30) Welcoming back Stu and Stork from Happy Jacks RPG Podcast. * (0:41) The dangers in lifting the veil. * (3:24) Playing the good guys. Many players think they’re being good, even though their actions may not reflect that. The draw of shortcuts when getting to a goal. * (6:57) The moral distance a game […]
- (0:30) Welcoming Stu and Stork from Happy Jacks RPG Podcast. * (2:17) Giving GMs effective feedback. Wayne gives Chad some feedback from their most recent game. Dan helps Chad with active listening. * (5:27) Dealing with negative feedback and the impulse to get defensive. * (8:42) The value of actively soliciting input. * (11:11) […]
- (0:27) Welcoming Bill Cavalier, the Dungeon Bastard, here to help Fear the Boot with its gaming problems. * (1:08) Dan’s problem: campaign pitches. * (4:30) Wayne’s problem: bards. * (8:29) Chad’s problem: too much story. * (12:27) Pat’s problem: discovery. * (15:02) Chris’ problem: detail. * (17:20) Chad’s problem: people wanting to play dragons. […]
- (0:33) Welcoming back Tom Lommel (aka Bill Cavalier, the Dungeon Bastard) as a guest host. * (1:44) Gaming outside of genres or sub-genres you’re familiar with. Dealing with problems both as a player and Game Master. Taking it slow. The importance of group support. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Tom, Wayne
- (0:30) A gamer meetup will be happening on November 16th at the Holiday Inn in Forth Washington, Pennsylvania. You can find the details here. * (0:49) A trip to the Japanese festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. * (4:29) Adding believable culture to the people and places of your game. How to avoid overstating […]
- (0:30) A booter meetup will be occurring at Guardian Games in Portland, Oregon at 12:00pm on Sunday, September 29th. You can find the forum discussion here. * (1:53) Designing pre-generated characters for a con game or a longer campaign. The importance of keeping it simple and open to interpretation, while still giving enough to […]
- (1:00) Illustrating the idea of a proactive player with an analogy from World of Warcraft. * (6:02) Your fun versus my fun. * (7:45) The blessing and curse proactive players present to the Game Master. * (10:49) The effect the proactive player has on the other players. How such players can draw people in […]
- (0:33) A medical condition will require temporarily changing up the show’s format. * (2:51) Preparing to take a hiatus from a game. * (5:25) Whether it’s easier to setup a hiatus earlier or later in a campaign. * (10:29) How to prepare your group if you have a session or two before the hiatus […]
- (0:44) Congratulating Chad for bringing home an ENnie award for Silent Memories! Weather dice, mood dice, and other such oddities. * (5:27) Chris’ Kickstarter for Table Tales is still running, so stop by and show him some love. * (5:50) Tabletop games we expected to hate but were surprised by how much we enjoyed. […]
- (1:49) Is an intellectual property only as good as its ending? The four types of people in an argument. Bunker from Sentinels of the Multiverse becomes today’s secret word. Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome. The Battlestar Galactica episode Dan references is The Hand of God. * (25:46) The diversity of story endings available without […]
- (0:30) When combat works out a little too well. A variety of suggestions for tweaking fights on the fly to get the results you want. * (27:28) The advantages and disadvantages of varying campaign lengths. One-shots, chapters, epics, and genuinely unending stories. A defense of playing really long campaigns, even knowing they’re likely to […]
- (0:27) Introducing KC Wayland, the writer and director of We’re Alive. * (1:20) How the production got started and where KC found his inspiration. * (4:23) Where the series got its initial funding. * (5:25) Hitting the time mark for each episode. The importance of a release schedule that balances consistency with breaks for […]
- (0:24) Managing stretch goals that add to the primary product. * (3:58) Setting the rewards at various backer levels. * (7:29) Seeking outside ideas when shaping a reward scheme. Setting realistic goals and keeping the focus on marketing. * (14:52) Building a pitch video. * (16:56) How much to say about how the money […]
I’d like to congratulate Chad for having his RPG, Silent Memories, nominated for “Best Free Game” in the 2013 ENnies! I hope you’ll take a moment to stop by and show him your love with a vote.
- (0:36) Introducing our four guest hosts and setting up the show’s premise. * (2:59) Welcoming Joanna Gaskell of Standard Action and Starlit Citadel Reviews. * (4:33) Welcoming Matt Forbeck. You can find his personal website here. * (6:05) Welcoming Ryan Dancey, currently with Goblinworks. * (7:05) Welcoming Tom Lommel, aka Bill Cavalier the Dungeon Bastard. […]
- (0:20) The biggest myth Mike would like to dispel about his job. * (5:07) The role and importance (or lack thereof) in available play space. * (12:58) Whether it’s necessary to hire people that are already into the hobby. * (25:36) Why do so many stores fail? The Specialty Retailer’s Handbook by Dave Wallace. […]
- (0:25) Mike unlocked the “Local Guest” achievement. * (1:25) Derek Knutsen’s Kickstarter for the Universal Storytelling System. * (3:19) Odyssey: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Campaign Management, written by Phil Vecchione and Walt Ciechanowski and based on advice from impeccable sources. * (4:59) Introducing Mike Brodeur from The Fantasy Shop chain of game and comic […]
- (0:29) How movies once made songs famous, but now seem to generally select songs that are already famous. You’re The Best by Joe Esposito. * (2:50) Thrift Shop, Pat, a stripper, and his son. * (6:43) The gamification of an RPG. What the term means in business or learning, and how it can be […]
- (0:28) Introducing Greg Stolze. * (2:38) An introduction to Better Angels. An explanation of its premise and the balance between pure and corrupted traits. You can find the game in print or in an electronic version. * (14:29) How Better Angels handles the exploration of evil. The relationship between comedy and horror. The Gambler’s […]
- (0:28) How Chris perceives time. * (3:42) Chris resurrects a dead campaign. How meta-game techniques can give players a sense of freedom about how well (or poorly) they remember the game. Helping everyone recall concepts and get back into the flow after being gone for so long. * (24:35) Re-purposing old campaign ideas. The […]
- (1:19) St. Louis food trucks. The real name of Panera Bread. An upcoming food truck rally at Laumeier Sculpture Park. * (8:11) Chad’s coyote character radically alters the course of a game. The courtesy of handling such shifts in light of plans made by the Game Master or other players. * (21:34) Rolling with such […]
- (0:40) The Nazi Occult by Ken Hite. * (3:13) Fear the Minicon: East. It will be hosted in Raleigh, NC on August 10th at Game Theory. You can find the details and get signed up here. * (4:20) Fear the Con 7 will most likely be June 12th – 14th of 2014. * (8:17) […]
- (0:50) A big thanks to Nick for the bonus episode intro music! * (1:15) If you can’t get Happy Jacks, you probably need to update your feed. You can find more info here. * (1:55) A big congrats to Jake and Erick! * (2:50) Postcard winners, you have not been forgotten. * (4:46) Wayne […]
- (0:24) Chad forgets how to podcast. * (2:28) Chris meets a person and is impressed by the event. * (8:38) Telling a story at varying levels of epic-ness. What it means for a story to be epic. The importance of the small stories, even when told in the context of larger events. Keeping the […]
- (0:30) Fear the Con 6! Sign up for the games you want to run or play. Also, be sure to get your ticket ordered so we can give you a badge on Wing Night and skip the lines on Friday morning. * (2:03) A discussion about why Tex and Dan used to hate Chris […]
- (0:28) You can find Fear the Con 6 t-shirts and other items on our CafePress store. * (0:57) Issues of responsibility. Within a roleplaying group, who buys the books? How do you fairly divide materials and labor? Whether hosting the event or running the game should count toward those social obligations. * (36:48) […]
- (0:20) How Shadowrun 5th edition is adapting to the shifting relevance of cyberpunk’s central themes. The personal information site I mentioned is Radaris. * (12:04) The matrix and its way of breaking up the party. The steps Catalyst is taking to make deckers a bigger part of the primary story instead of an isolated […]
- (0:40) A toast to Spc. David Tyler Proctor. * (1:43) You can find information on Fear the Con 6’s official charities here. * (4:18) Introducing our guest, Mark Dynna. * (5:54) What Shadowrun’s PACs are and why we love them. * (8:26) Shadowrun 5th edition as a case study on how large and mid-sized game companies […]
- (0:43) Dan was a guest host over at The Established Facts. You can find that episode here. * (2:38) The Kickstarter for Hyperreality. * (6:05) Dan versus Grey Goose. Dan wins. * (9:38) Chris versus audio. Nobody wins. * (11:51) Giving players really advanced notice of a game session. * (15:27) Chris invites someone […]
- (0:30) The Orson Welles recordings. You can find the original here and the surprisingly similar parody here. * (1:29) Thoughts and prayers for Jake and his brother, Erick. You can send wishes to his forum account, Pinofski. (You’ll need to be logged in to our forums for that link to work.) * (2:26) Registration […]
- (0:28) I don’t even know how to describe this. Even Wayne was at a loss for words. * (9:14) A shout-out to the guys who have put out a Matrix RPG. * (10:40) Sign-up for our own convention, Fear the Con, is still running. * (10:49) If you’re interested in a convention on the […]
- (0:17) Dan doesn’t know his own show. * (1:44) Introducing the one question personality tests. * (4:32) People that don’t own TVs. * (6:10) Red, green, or blue? * (8:52) Protoss, Terran, or Zerg? * (10:05) Dwarf, human, or elf? * (12:15) Zombie apocalypse or alien invasion? * (13:22) Summer or winter? * (16:47) […]
- (0:29) Nut up and GM! * (3:35) An update on the postcard contest. * (4:17) Fear the Con is coming up. If you’re arriving early for the tourism, please send an email to Dan with your contact information, arrival time, and method of travel, so we can keep you in the loop. Failing that, […]
- (0:24) The traits to expect from a good editor. Determining the kinds of edits you’re looking for. Separating style and other subjective choices from genuine problems with the writing. * (9:32) Choosing traditional publication versus self-publication. * (18:08) Name placement on a list or bookstore shelf. * (20:17) The importance of marketing your book […]
- (0:27) Introducing our guests and setting up the discussion. You can find the relevant links at the bottom of this post. * (11:18) What motivated each author to get started. * (17:18) Tips for seeing a project through to completion. Collaboration, accountability to an audience, and the danger of relying on a “future self”. […]
- (1:05) Dan blames Chris for the burpee. Jackie Joyner-Kersee and fartleks. * (5:49) Fear the Fruit. * (6:38) Boots the Pegasus t-shirt orders. * (7:38) Signup for Fear the Con 6 rolls on, and tickets are now available for purchase! * (9:45) The death of a bard. Just how much a Game Master should […]
- (0:28) Registration is running for Fear the Con 6. * (0:57) John makes a Shadowrun character. * (7:26) The various models roleplaying games use for representing damage to your character. Shaken, stunned, and otherwise losing control of your character. * (11:49) What damage actually represents: injuries versus the loss of will to fight. * […]
- (0:51) Sign-up is open for Fear the Con 6! There are some changes to the scheduling this year, which are detailed in the podcast. Ticket sales will be available soon. * (5:37) Chad takes umbrage with Wayne’s comments about spelling errors in his games. If you want to check out his free one-shotters, you […]
- (1:15) Voting for the postcards contest rolls on! Be sure to get your votes in here. * (1:37) Gaming New Years resolutions for 2013. * (22:01) The various approaches to personal wealth and the broader economy of a roleplaying game. * (25:44) A quick update on the new things we’ve learned about soap baby. […]
- (0:05) This was originally going to be the next Bedtime Stories before Wayne happened. Regardless, we start with Julia’s misunderstanding of what we mean by “bedtime stories”. * (1:23) You can find Chad’s free games through Morning Skye Studio. * (2:29) Dan guest hosted on two other shows: Dragonlance Canticle and MasterCast. * (3:17) […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! * (0:20) John’s Bloodmoon Goblins Pathfinder supplement is now available for sale as a PDF, with print soon to follow. * (2:22) The ecology and agenda of monsters in Pathfinder Online. * (3:42) The nature of existing (and eventually expanded) “theme park” content as opposed to the “sandbox” content. […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! If you’re interested in backing the Pathfinder Online Kickstarter, you can do so here. * (0:43) The postcards contest is ready for your vote to pick the grand prize winner! Get your votes in here! * (1:08) Some breaking news on the Pathfinder MMO: Mark tells us […]
- (0:28) If you want to ask Maniah about a Boots the Pegasus t-shirt, you can find that information on our forums. * (1:50) You can find the details on Fear the Fruit here. * (2:27) Voting on the postcard grand prize winner will begin soon! I’m just waiting on one more show to get […]
- (0:28) Announcing our pick for the Postcards from the Dungeon contest! You’ll be able to see the postcard we picked when the poll goes live later this week. * (2:32) The existence or absence of critical miss rules in various systems, and whether they’re needed to add parity to critical hits. * (20:18) Why […]
If you need an extra dose of Fear the Boot this week, Dan was a guest on two other podcasts. First, he appeared on Saving the Game to talk about the moral dimension of folklore and re-imagining tabletop fantasy in a monotheistic paradigm. Second, he appeared on Pros & Cons to talk about the nitty […]
- (2:12) The first pitch. * (9:49) An update from Fear the Boot’s Election Center. * (11:03) The second pitch. * (19:58) Another update from the Election Center. * (20:27) The third pitch. * (23:56) Results just came from Iowa, and CNN is calling it for… * (25:40) The fourth pitch. * (29:06) Another few […]
- (0:24) Maintaining and expressing individuality while in a command structure. The story of Roy Benavidez. * (3:17) The details of military rank structure and the protocol for addressing other soldiers. The importance of how you got your rank, and the subcultures that creates. A survey of military ranks, histories, etymologies, etc, can be found […]
- (0:33) Introducing our guests: Cape, Dan, and Ryan. * (8:13) Fear the Boot salutes everyone wearing the real boots. Also, a special shout-out to Sgt. Rose and the 82nd Airborne. * (10:20) A final reminder that you have until November 10th to get your postcards in for the contest. The complete rules can be […]
- (0:40) Two new prizes have been added to the postcard contest (a copy of Ultimate Toolbox and World’s Largest Dungeon). The deadline has also been pushed back to November 10th. You can find the complete rules on the forums. * (3:26) The absolute horror of the Sesame Street aliens and singing statue. * (7:54) […]
- (0:35) Whether women can accurately predict who men will find attractive. * (8:13) Rearranging the hosts’ paychecks. Also, hair dye and care tips. * (14:59) When a group template can backfire, creating a fence that makes it harder to integrate new characters. How the group can work together to integrate a new character and […]
- (0:36) Postcards! Postcards! Send in your postcards and win free stuff! * (1:08) Shock websites and the other horrors of the internet Chad intentionally seeks out. * (12:44) Real-life shame (or the lack thereof) and how that impacts the way we approach roleplaying games. The “Cerebus rant” can be found here. FAIR WARNING: The […]
- (0:28) The video that explains the intro. * (1:13) Pitching campaign ideas as a practice exercise, and then grading the pitches. * (1:49) Chris’ pitch. * (12:17) Pat’s non-pitch, which turns into further deconstruction of Chris’ approach. * (19:54) Dan’s pitch. * (31:49) Julia’s pitch. * (40:25) Chad’s pitch. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Julia, […]
- (0:37) Be sure to get your postcards in for our contest! * (0:53) Chris gives a shout-out for a rather unusual gift. * (4:45) What we each feel is missing in our current gaming groups or would like to see in a new player. * (21:07) The art of selling a game idea to […]
- (0:28) Introducing yet another Adam. * (2:45) The postcards contest is still awaiting your entry! * (4:57) Batman, Superman, Iron Man, a dinosaur, and Toy War 2. You can see the fight that started it all here. * (18:45) Getting a new Game Master started in the art of running RPGs. The experiences of […]
- (0:24) Earth tones! * (1:03) The origin and cogency of evil within real people, and why that makes it hard for some of us to play dark characters. Why it’s easier to play a dark NPC than PC. The Joker’s boner (link is SFW despite the name). * (17:34) Picking “acceptable evils” to help you find […]
- (0:29) Welcoming Adam from Kicked in the Dicebags: Player’s Edition. * (1:35) Announcing our first cross-show promotion with Kicked in the Dicebags, Postcards from the Dungeon, and THE ESTABLiSHED FACTS. You can find the complete rules and mailing address right here. * (6:39) Adam drags us down by his mere presence. * (8:43) Defining […]
- (1:19) An upcoming, cross-show contest. * (2:37) The expiration date on spoilers. * (16:28) As a Game Master, knowing what you truly want out of a game. Trying to get what you want while still taking into account the players’ wants and needs. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Around 34:50, Pat makes a comment about being able […]
- (0:47) Fear the Boot vs Fear the Boot. The ENnies weren’t even in the room! * (1:53) Wayne falls in love with the idea of games that have a story self-contained story arcs. * (4:30) Music and other in-character distractions from the game. Roleplaying in sidebars. * (21:16) Blah, blah, blah, InSpectres. You can see […]
- (0:28) Introducing James. How little we used to know about the names associated with the games we played. * (2:50) Johann must ask the hard-hitting questions. * (6:02) The degree of freedom RPG fiction writers have in shaping their own work. The distinction between good prose and good game writing. * (10:50) Writing shared […]
- (0:29) Introducing Keith Baker. * (2:01) The origin of Eberron and how its publication impacted Keith’s career. * (9:49) Traveling around the world, staying with other gamers, and running the same game 54 times. What he would like to run and play within his own group. * (19:54) Maintaining mystery in a game setting. […]
- (0:50) Tips and techniques for running a fully improvised game. We start by setting the boundaries for the discussion. * (5:16) Why improv at all? * (6:50) Asking the right questions to get things started. In the broadest sense, what sort of game experience do the players want to have? Setting boundaries and building […]
- (0:35) Handling interrogation in a roleplaying game. Allowing the PCs (or NPCs) to get the information they want without degrading into senselessly graphic scenes. Passing off misinformation or allowing the target of interrogation to manipulate the situation. * (23:17) Characters that don’t quite fit in. While this could come from clashes of personality or power level, we […]
- (0:04) 4th of July comes early! * (0:46) One of our Twitter users correctly observes what makes this show work. * (2:56) Wayne does a brilliant transition that fails, losing out to Trendy Top, shorts with writing on them, and Chad’s hat. * (8:28) Being dressed by your parents. * (10:31) Dan’s praise for […]
- (1:08) This year we’ll be attending San Diego Comic Con instead of Gen Con. However, there may still be some FtB community-sponsored events at Gen Con. Expect details on the activities at both conventions soon! * (1:46) John is a bad, bad man. Adding romance to a game while also dealing with its consequences. […]
- (0:30) Fear the Boot sans Dan. Pat makes me proud by his treatment of Chris. * (5:17) Some love for the Darker Days podcast. * (6:13) Free RPG Day coming up on this Saturday, June 16th. * (8:53) The lessons learned from a nearly-dead online game. Setup time, scheduling, and social awkwardness. * (24:30) […]
FAIR WARNING: The first part of this episode is a bit crass. If you’re offended by that sort of thing, just skip forward to the 18 minute mark and begin listening there. * (0:30) Welcoming guest hosts, Chris Mais and Julia. Julia’s struggles as a gaming girl. Chris Mais proves he can out…whatever…Chris Hussey. A […]
- (0:40) Welcoming Monte Cook. His first RPG book and the story of how he broke into the industry 24 years ago. How he made it to D&D and what happened to the Marvel stuff he wrote along the way. * (8:36) The culture of TSR during its “bloat” and decline. How the focus of […]
- (0:00) Don’t worry. We’ll stick with podcasting. * (2:07) May 5th? Wow, I’m behind on getting these episodes out. But for those of you that didn’t make it, welcome to Fear the Con V! We start by introducing the podcasts represented on this episode. * (2:55) The winner of the Power 16 III! * […]
It is indeed the long awaited, much anticipated, frequently masturbated, and now antiquated Episode 200. Promised well over a year ago, this episode is doing everything it is able to do to not live up to the hype that has been created around its existence or non-existence. Enjoy. Or not. Either way, leave Chris alone […]
- (0:30) Who Stuart is and what he’s been up to lately. His blog, Strange Magic, and his micro-RPG, Weird West. His Deviant Art profile can be found here. * (2:00) Stuart’s participation in the one-page dungeon design competition. The mental exercise of paring content down to just what’s really needed. The virtue of succinctness […]
Fear the Boot is joining up with Kicked in the Dicebags to promote some great charities Derek is running at Fear the Con this year. All the links you need are below! Information on the forums: http://www.feartheboot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=15442 Gamers Outreach: http://gamersoutreach.org/ If people want to write their own letter, please address it to “Dear Soldier” and place it […]
- (0:40) If you’re coming to Fear the Con V, please note the wandering nature of the street the con center is on. * (1:54) Much love for Anime Eggroll! If you’re in the St. Louis area and looking for a good anime shop, we give them our highest recommendation. * (2:29) An upcoming crossover […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con V‘s tourism events will begin the evening of Sunday, April 29th. If you’d like to join the communication hub, please send your name, cell phone number, and arrival time (if applicable) to TOFtBCH@feartheboot.com. * (2:49) An update from John on the status of Bloodmoon Goblins. * (3:43) The more obscure movies […]
- (0:43) Three charities at Fear the Con V for Gamers Outreach. There will be a raffle for an iPad, letters to the troops, and a Pathfinder Society tournament. You can find more details or ask questions in this thread. * (4:30) Second round results from the Power 16 III. You can vote on the third […]
- (0:05) Caribbean or Caribbean? Dan’s dream of killing a legally protected cryptid. * (3:45) We try to start talking about video games that horribly disappointed us, but somehow end up talking about Juggalos. How do they work? * (12:25) Video games that went horribly off the ranch via plot, character development, or setting. While […]
- (0:29) First round results from the Power 16 III. You can vote on the second round here. Second round voting ends at 6:00pm Central time on Tuesday, April 3rd. * (6:32) A (hopefully unnecessary) disclaimer. * (7:06) Dan’s impeccable moral clarity regarding urban fantasy. I’ll let you guess who writes these show notes! * […]
- (0:33) Fear the Con V! * (1:25) The Power 16 III is still up and running! You can vote here. Round one will end at 6:00pm Central time on March 20th. * (2:02) We’re delaying the discussion on faith until Wayne and Chris are both on the mics. This obviously requires a test to make sure Wayne […]
- (0:30) Dan got his copy of Impotent Nerd Rage by Mikey Mason. * (1:40) The Power 16 III is now up and running! You can vote here. Round one will end at 6:00pm Central time on March 20th. * (3:54) We’re proud to announce the release of the Narratavius app — written by Michael […]
- (1:04) The hosts versus social media. * (7:51) Fear the Con V is still on its way and looking good! If you’re a GM, we could use your help. If you’re a player, then just be sure to grab the good games before they’re gone. * (11:33) A discussion about fantasy fiction, mostly focusing […]
- (0:05) Dan falls victim to the flu. If you need a visual of how bad it is in our area, check out this map from the CDC! * (2:02) Fear the Con V could use some more Game Masters, if you’re willing to run a game. A flyer is also available if you’re interested in […]
- (0:24) Managing different player styles as a Game Master through such approaches as simultaneous solutions, varying your approach to the game, and setting forth expectations about how the game will go. Check yo self before ya wreck yo self, by understanding your character’s likely impact on the group. * (40:29) When the GM walks […]
- (0:44) It feels good to be back, though Chris is sorry for calling Chad names. * (3:25) A big thanks to Wizards of the Coast columnist, Tracy Hurley, for mentioning us in an article on Gamer Resolutions! * (4:56) At Fear the Con V, Chris Ings will be running a Bloodname tournament for the […]
- (0:48) Fear the Boot + Pat – (Dan + Dan’s job) = episode 256 * (1:36) Wayne will be posting his first game for Fear the Con V this Friday. If you’re interested in passing out flyers or hanging them up in your local game store, you can download them here. * (6:21) Our […]
- (0:12) Johann is an audio freak of nature. * (1:17) Introducing our new game, Naughty or Nice to Chris. We setup the background topic, explain the rules, and have an tangent on “sentient” versus “sapient”. * (7:42) Chris restarts the episode. I’m not sure why, but he’s in control. * (9:12) We discuss player […]
- (0:31) A big thanks to Luna for the Secret Santa gift! You can see a scan of it here and her online gallery here. We also talk about some original Battletech art we have. * (4:44) Handling the logistics of a PC death. We don’t debate whether characters ought to die but instead how […]
I apologize in advance for this episode. It was a bonus show recorded on New Years Eve, and nature pretty much just took its course. I have another (regular) episode in the hopper, which I will release later this week to make up for missing last week completely and then off-loading this on you today. […]
- (1:52) Wayne tries to one-up John by rolling a method 0.25 character. * (3:52) Dan offers Chris some unsolicited PR advice. * (5:10) Following a suggestion from forum user, Concise Locket, we discuss going outside of the game-provided mechanics to resolve actions within a game. How other metaphors can enhance or distract from the […]
- (0:29) You, me, them, us, and other difficult pronouns. * (1:10) Fear the Con 5 registration is still up and running quite nicely. * (1:32) An invitation to our Old Republic guild. * (2:18) Method 0.5 character creation meets John’s bard. * (4:02) Pat goes for Husband of the Year with his (properly placed) […]
- (0:29) What jim’s been up to since we last talked with him. You can find his current blog at Post World Games. * (3:34) jim must defend his name, Y, and W. * (6:05) Pat goes for Father of the Year by taking a break from World of Warcraft to devastate his kid in […]
- (0:30) Dan’s first two games for Fear the Con V have been posted. Be sure to create or sign up for anything that interests you! * (1:39) Chad and Pat’s horrifying idea for episode 300. * (7:04) Yet again, a “minor” topic unexpectedly dominates the show! Wayne’s opportunity to defend his bard against the […]
- (0:31) If you’re interested in playing the Old Republic MMO, Fear the Boot has a guild forming on the official game site. You can see details and sign up to run with us here! * (3:12) Chris is writing Skies of Glass serial fiction. * (4:37) We give Pat a chance to prep for […]
- (0:47) The website for Fear the Con 5 is up and ready for you to start creating and joining games! If you’re looking to split a ride or room, be sure to check the thread on our forums where people are working out those arrangements. * (1:27) Fear the Boot is co-sponsoring a cruise through Gamer Adventures on March 24 through April […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! * (0:59) An extremely deep, philosophical, scholarly debate over the hottest chick on Star Trek. * (13:07) Using Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings as a jumping off point for a discussion on “upward” versus “downward” fantasy and which trope more accurately describes the average […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! * (2:09) The website for Fear the Con 5 is up and ready for you to start creating and joining games! If you’re looking to split a ride or room, be sure to check the thread on our forums where people are working out those arrangements. * (7:44) Zingers. […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! * (0:24) Introducing guest host, Willie. * (0:49) Introducing Erik Mona. * (1:34) The size, state, and explosive growth of the Pathfinder game and Pathfinder Society. * (3:23) Erik’s more thorough introduction, including his resume in the gaming industry. * (6:35) We ask Erik to explain exactly […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! * (0:30) Welcoming Adam from Kicked in the Dicebags. * (1:40) The March of Dimes charity auction — with prizes sponsored by Gnome Stew — is still in progress. Be sure to get in your bids! * (2:03) Show transcripts are still being made for our episodes. […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! * (0:35) Wayne tries to hijack the show to talk about Superman. You know what that means: we talk about Batman instead! The blog post on the hosting arrangement can be found here. * (3:07) Alex (aka Lizard Farmer) is creating transcripts of the show. Check the […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! * (0:37) Introducing Ken Hite. * (1:39) Contrary to what I said in the episode, This Just In…From Gen Con! is still editing the show I guested on. I’ll post a link here as soon as it’s ready to go. * (1:54) Our video game giveaway is […]
You can find a transcript of this show here! * (0:30) Happy birthday to Chris! * (1:38) John announces the closing of Bloodmoon Goblins’ fundraiser and explains where things are headed next. * (2:21) Quick updates on GAME convention and Fear the Con 5. * (2:39) FlatCon is coming up on October 21-23, 2011 in […]
DISCLAIMER: While profanities were censored from this episode, the subject matter is still a bit more crass than what Fear the Boot normally covers. Personal discretion is advised. * (0:00) A bonus episode disclaimer, followed by an explanation of why they don’t really work. * (2:23) Explaining the so-called crimson (or scarlet) pumpkin. You can […]
- (0:30) John provides an update on the still-running Bloodmoon Goblins Kickstarter. * (2:05) Fear the Boot still plans on attending the GAME Convention in Springfield, Missouri, October 7 – 9, 2011. * (2:42) If you’re interested in playing the Old Republic MMO, Fear the Boot has a guild already forming on the official game […]
- (0:24) Imagining an insufficient universe. * (3:22) Pat has a gift for Wayne’s birthday. This leads to a conversation about comic collections, older comic storylines, and related tangents. * (7:41) John’s Bloodmoon Goblins Kickstarter is still going strong and accepting donations, pre-orders, and other reward purchases! * (8:35) With Wayne’s story concluded, Chris has […]
- (0:36) John’s Bloodmoon Goblins Kickstarter is still up and running. John has also expressed his willingness to stay up and run games for people in timezones different than our own. * (1:55) Introducing (or reintroducing) Ryan Dancey. * (7:16) Ryan has been writing a series of columns for EN World. The links are provided […]
- (0:52) On October 7 -9, 2011, Fear the Boot will be attending the GAME convention in Springfield, MO. We hope some of you can join us! This leads to reminiscing about Gorf and Logo. * (7:28) If you’re playing Champions Online, consider joining the Fear the Boot guild, Awkward Confessors. You can find out […]
DISCLAIMER: While profanities were censored from this episode, the subject matter is still a bit more crass than what Fear the Boot normally covers. Personal discretion is advised. * (0:47) Why we’re doing a bonus episode, and Pat’s favorite (non-existent) Care Bears. * (1:34) Introducing Bloodmoon Goblins, a Pathfinder supplement John is creating. He needs […]
- (0:44) Some details on the progress and release schedule for Mikey Mason’s new album, Impotent Nerd Rage. * (4:48) Integrating a comedic character in a serious campaign, without that character disrupting the flow and feel of the game. The actual play Wayne’s involved in is Knights of Reignsborough. * (17:59) Kyle sends in a […]
- (1:13) Fear the Boot is co-sponsoring a cruise through Gamer Adventures on March 24 through April 1, 2012, and we hope you’ll join us. * (3:03) Do geeks have an unusual habit of raging against the things they love the most, simply out of perfectionist zeal? * (14:11) Being involved in multiple campaigns at […]
- (1:26) Congratulating Atomic Array and Kicked in the Dicebags on their ENnie nominations. This leads into a question about the role awards play in consumer decision-making versus content producers simply enjoying the recognition. * (11:43) The guests pay more attention to the outline than the regular hosts do. * (12:53) Art, layout, and page […]
- (0:29) Introducing our guest hosts, Derek and Ed. * (2:52) Chris gives a shoutout to his nephew who’s landed the leading role in Highlander: The Musical. If you’re interested in learning more, you can check out their website. The reason Split Second needs a musical (some NSFW language). * (9:26) With Gen Con coming […]
- (0:31) Welcoming our guest host, Michael, to Fear the Boot! * (1:06) Fear the Boot will be sponsoring This Just In…From Gen Con! during the 2011 convention. Be sure to catch that show for some excellent convention coverage. * (1:30) The Con Planner site is now ready to go for our activities at Gen […]
- (0:30) Pointless trivia about Wayne’s introduction on each episode and Chris’ struggles with Left for Dead 2. * (5:27) Fear the Boot will be at Gen Con 2011 with more events organized through our illustrious TOFTBCH network. Expect details to follow in the next episode! We’re also sponsoring This Just In…From Gen Con! which […]
- (0:28) Straightening out our seating arrangement. * (3:00) The upcoming reset and renumbering of DC comics. Why we individually think it’s a good idea, bad idea, or mixed bag. * (14:10) Rewarding the player characters in your RPG. We start by exploring the various ways of rewarding them such as roleplaying opportunities, personal goals, […]
- (0:55) Fear the Boot and female hosts. * (2:49) Dan’s first awkward confession, plus Unicron, Arcee, and a seven-inch Voltron. * (6:51) Pat rages against 3D movies, and the rest of us pretty much agree. * (12:51) After a brilliant segue, Pat gives his take on the movie incarnations of Mystique. * (16:47) Gaming […]
- (0:30) Battletech, the map case, and why we’re hesitant to let certain people play characters of another gender. * (5:24) The start of the next March of Dimes charity auction. You have 10 days to bid on a complete Dresden Files set with a GM book, several player books, and plenty of Fudge dice. […]
- (0:30) The first auction is over! The second auction will be for a collection of Dresden File books, signed by Fred Hicks, Rob Donoghue, and the FtB cast. It will start when episode 234 drops next week. * (5:10) Free RPG Day is coming up on June 18th. Chris offers a bring-a-friend idea to […]
- (0:41) The first March of Dimes charity auction is still in progress. You have a few days left to get your bid in! * (1:35) Using narration instead of rules to resolve combat. Being fair without dice to serve as an arbiter. How to make it work without the players feeling cheated by the […]
- (0:37) Bubba mows his lawn in the middle of the night. We won’t call him, but we contemplate calling the D&D help hotline. In case you’ve never heard of it, here are some highlights from the Butterball turkey hotline. * (4:18) Kicking off the March of Dimes charity auction with a chance to set […]
A mix of gaming stories, best characters, and worst characters, drawn from the collective history of the hosts in attendance. FAIR WARNING: While all of the outright profanities are bleeped out, some of the content in this episode is a bit more coarse than our usual fare. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Mikey, Pat, Wayne
- (1:10) Chris asks what we each want from the grocery store, which turns into an illustration on roleplaying styles. * (5:50) When a game, movie, novel, or TV show is taking a long time to get good, how long do you stick with it before giving up? * (22:24) Deception at the gaming table. […]
- (0:25) Less Dan and more Pat! * (0:57) Welcoming Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings. Discussion about his history with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and MMOs. You can find his own band, Tripping Icarus, on their Facebook page. * (13:34) Chris’ experience with roleplaying games. Power-gaming and over-planning characters. How tabletop gaming is affected […]
- (0:30) The March of Dimes charity auction is still in the works. Post your suggestions on the blog or the forums. * (1:23) Mikey Mason needs your help to get his geek comedy album finished. You can make a donation and collect a bounty of prizes from his Kickstarter site. Just be sure to […]
- (0:30) Chad and Dan finish off a bottle of Pannepot donated by Danger Brewery. * (1:19) A coupon code good for 15% off any Arc Dream product purchased through their online store. This code is good until May 1st. Simply enter “feartheboot” (without any quotes) to get your discount! * (3:08) Wayne encounters the […]
- (0:30) A big thanks to Chris Ings for the Fear the Boot themed ‘Mechs! * (2:41) Some love for the many podcasts that came out to support Fear the Con through promotion, attendance, and on-site coverage! Be sure to check their feeds for actual play recordings and other goodies. Dice + Food + Lodging […]
UPDATE: Shane has provided our listeners with a discount code good for 15% off anything at the www.arcdream.com online store until May 1. The coupon code is “feartheboot” (without the quotes). So if you’re interested in trying out any of their products, here’s your chance to get them a bit cheaper! * (0:30) The St. […]
- (1:50) An important announcement regarding Fear the Con 5. * (2:28) Welcoming the podcasts that joined us for the live recording: Kicked in the Dicebags, Role Playing Public Radio, Postcards from the Dungeon, Gaming Asylum, and Good Beer Show. * (3:58) Introducing Bob Arens, our expert on artificial intelligence. An AI he created was […]
Wayne recorded his thoughts on Fear the Con 4 while driving there. After getting home, he got a few comments from his wife on the Wing Night. This is only a few minutes long and a regular episode is still coming out tomorrow. Also, if you took any pics or video at the con, please […]
- (0:33) Wayne thanks Lunar for his get-well gift. We also think back to the monstrosity Chris got as a dice bag at Fear the Con 3. * (3:28) Chad clarifies his views on character death. This was recorded before the previous episode dropped, so this clarification is only in light of what he said […]
- (1:27) Fear the Con 4 shirts are now available for order. A big thanks to Ruben for the design and many other people for getting the project moving again! Trying to figure out who created an alternate store leads into a discussion about Wayne’s health and medical malpractice. * (8:48) A listener email announces […]
- (0:34) Pat comes up with a good idea for dinner. * (3:06) A minor change to the forum rules. Starting soon, any account that has never made a single post and also not logged in within the past 60 days will be pruned. If you do at least one of those two things, your […]
- (0:33) We welcome back Jeff while Chad welcomes Cee Lo Green. Be sure to check out Jeff’s podcast, Gaming Asylum via their website or iTunes page. This leads into anecdotes about picking domain names. * (6:49) Raina’s Wings charity auction. Post your ideas here or on the forums. * (11:01) We begin talking about […]
- (0:31) Chad makes his first guest appearance on another podcast, sitting in with the rebooted (excuse the pun) Kicked in the Dicebags. * (1:45) Chris wishes a happy birthday to…St. Louis…? And Wayne celebrates with a surprise gift for Dan. * (3:25) Dan gets shutdown by being recognized too quickly. * (4:56) Realizing we […]
- (0:29) Fear the Boot raises a glass to Willie. * (3:07) RPG tropes we individually find annoying or overused. Plus counterpoints on why each one may not be so bad. * (27:59) Jumping into an NPC as a way of staying involved and adding color to a scene. We focus on the implicit player-GM […]
- (0:37) Chad asks a mammoth question, and somehow that leads into a discussion on soundboards. * (6:44) Fear the Froot is back for Fear the Con 4! You can find details on where to send donations on our forums. * (8:14) Pre-con tourism and social events will begin the afternoon of Sunday, March 13th, […]
- (0:27) Chad questions Dan’s dice hoodoo and is proven wrong. Pat also brings even more ice to the table. * (2:26) The early numbers for Fear the Con 4 are shaping up quite nicely. Dan is still trying to decide what he’ll run for his fourth game. We still look forward to seeing all […]
- (0:30) Chris makes introductions hard for Pat. Meanwhile, the podcast is doing better than our games! We also learn that Chad and Johann are not mutually exclusive realities. * (2:59) Introducing Boots, the Pegasus I got from my Secret Santa on our forums. * (5:43) Several Fear the Boot hosts have been guests on […]
After years of poking fun at the subculture, we figured it was time to let a furry come on the show and have his say! We talk about what it means to be a furry, how people pursue the hobby, and the sort of social derision they receive. Hosts: Chris, Dan, Johann, John, Pat, Wayne […]
- (0:27) Dan has a problem, but that doesn’t mean dice magic isn’t real. Also a tangent on facial hair. * (5:10) How we each got our start in roleplaying games. What attracted us to the hobby and which titles we played first. In case you’re curious, here are the rules to four-card golf. * […]
- (0:29) Chad is making a science fiction game of some kind for Fear the Con 4. * (2:07) If you’re interested in helping promote Fear the Con 4 around your town, we have two different fliers available here and here. * (2:54) Fear the Con 4 will be the site for a regional tournament […]
- (0:38) Chad enjoys a 4th edition dungeon run! Unfortunately, he did not get to play a level one thief named Boba Fett. The great group he played with and restraining the urge to RP. * (21:07) How to keep players caught up on a campaign when they have to miss some games. Whether that’s […]
- (0:45) The JCPenney’s catalog, red box D&D, old radio shows, and meeting famous people. * (4:40) Be sure to get signed up for Fear the Con 4! We look forward to seeing you all there. * (5:09 If you’re looking to rejoin World of Warcraft as Cataclysm drops, you might want to check out […]
- (1:09) Chris puts out a request for short audio and video clips for use in episode 200. Please send submissions to feartheboot@gmail.com by December 10th. * (3:48) RPG Toolkit for the iPhone has just received a significant series of improvements and upgrades. If you’re interested in checking that out, visit the app’s site for […]
- (0:34) Welcoming back Tracy Hickman. Also, Dan asks about an urban legend that apparently only he has heard. * (5:18) Tracy makes an announcement about an unexpected work-in-progress. I won’t spoil it for you, but it has nothing to do with dragons. If you’re interested in Pat’s tangential comment, you can find a relevant […]
Looks like we do have something to release this week! Chad and Wayne just sent me another Fear en Route, which is a sort of blog they do during the car ride to the weekly recordings. This one they did with audio only, so I can release it on our normal podcast feed. If you […]
- (0:49) Don’t forget to sign up for Fear the Con 4, on March 18th and 19th, 2011 (Wing Night will be on March 17th)! * (2:11) A decent chance Chris will be returning to the show in the near future. * (2:57) Chris Mais is looking for new hosts to help with a rebirthing […]
FAIR WARNING: This episode was recorded just prior to Halloween, so those sorts of subjects were on our mind. However, even for a bonus episode, this show wanders into some strange places we don’t normally go. I struggled for a few days on whether to even release it or not, but in the end I […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con 4 sign-up is now running. You can find the forum area for ride and room sharing here. If there was a race, Runester’s already won. * (2:22) Separating a character from the player. Why it’s natural — and sometimes correct — to draw your impressions about a person from the […]
- (0:55) Journey Quest, a web series from Matt Vancil and the other creators of The Gamers. * (1:45) Wayne has passed the 20,000 word mark on his serial fiction over on the Skies of Glass site. * (3:05) Providing examples of Dan’s GMing notes. Check the Resources page for samples of the What’s Really […]
- (0:33) We’d like to thank RPG Geek for nominating us for a Golden Geek award. If you’re a member of that community, we hope you’ll go vote on all of the award categories! * (2:12) If you want to test your GMing mettle, check out the Iron GM competition at Neon Con in Las […]
- (0:30) Why Chris is becoming our new monthly visitor. * (2:39) Using game mechanics as the basis for a plot, encounter, or player character. How rules can serve as a great inspiration for many aspects of your game. * (19:51) Gaming with kids. We start by setting some boundaries on the conversation regarding the […]
- (0:28) Fear the Con 4 will be on March 18th and 19th of 2011. Wing Night will be the night before on March 17th. Tourism and social events will be held the Sunday through Wednesday beforehand. The website and ticketing information will be released soon. * (2:42) New roleplayers and their lack of baggage. […]
- (0:24) Game titles that are popular in Ireland, Israel, and Sweden. The consumption of local games versus those produced in America. * (5:46) The ubiquity of English in entertainment and how that affects RPGs. Whether language can serve as a barrier to getting into the hobby. Titles published in other languages that English speakers […]
- (0:59) Introducing the panel: Itamar from Israel, Jenny from Sweden, and Shane from Ireland. * (4:24) A discussion about LARPing in Europe quickly shifts into a conversation about gaming organizations, governmental support for hobbies, and the diverse levels of trust regarding such things. You can find pictures of the Russian Fallout LARP here. You […]
- (0:29) September 15th is the deadline for Tracy Hickman’s Dragon’s Bard offer. If you want to join in, be sure to get the discount code here and enter it here. As mentioned in the show, alternate pricing options can be found here. We also talk a bit about why the interview took us all […]
- (0:57) Fear the Con 4 dates have been set! The convention will be on March 18th and 19th of 2011. Wing Night will be the night before on March 17th. Both will be held at the same location as last year: Memorial Hall for the con and Syberg’s for the Wing Night. * (1:40) […]
- (0:19) The role of online communities in finding, building, and sustaining an audience. If you’re interested in Dragonlance, be sure to check out the Dragonlance Nexus. * (3:44) The value of art, entertainment, and ideas on the internet. Why free may not always be the best price. Tracy’s plan for nurturing new authors in […]
- (0:32) Who Tracy Hickman is and where you probably know him from. * (3:41) The story of how Tracy’s wife and a missed ride got him into gaming. * (8:25) The current trend in complexity and execution of roleplaying games. Be sure to check out both X-treme Dungeon Mastery and Killer Breakfast. * (27:41) […]
- (0:30) Johann gets a new, rating-friendly nickname, and Chris learns about numbers. * (1:48) Gen Con coverage is available on our blog. Quite a few videos are already out, and more are still being prepped for release over the coming days. * (2:29) Dealing with unexpected player actions that aren’t covered by the rules. […]
- (0:44) The TOFTBCH network is still accepting sign-ups. Be sure to join us for all the social and gaming events we’ll be setting up during Gen Con. They’ve also gotten reservations for a pre-con wing night, 8:00pm on Wednesday at Scotty’s Brewhouse. * (1:53) Canadian police cracking down on G20 protesters bust an Amtgard […]
- (0:55) Our planned Gen Con coverage. * (1:11) The TOFTBCH network is still open for sign-ups and available for anyone with some free time during the con. * (2:49) Getting Pat to talk. * (8:38) Pat on GM favoritism. * (18:15) Adaptions into roleplaying games. * (31:00) Getting cheated out of results. * (41:34) […]
- (0:28) The TOFTBCH network continues to prep and grow. Be sure to get signed up! * (1:11) Wayne’s Skies of Glass fiction. * (5:06) There’s no point without progress? * (22:20) Revitalizing your old ideas. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- (1:28) We’re not proud Chris’ daughter is reading. * (5:49) Where’s my support group? * (11:21) Gen Con 2010 draws near. Be sure to get signed up for the TOFTBCH network and join in on the fun! * (14:00) Cigars and the Kellums that send them. * (15:47) Class-based versus class-less RPG systems. * […]
- (0:29) The passing of a friend. * (1:47) A big thanks to the companies that supported Raina’s Wings with prizes. You can find the list of those folks here. * (3:08) Hat day on Fear the Boot…? * (5:05) Chris finds a gaming group using a flyer and a website. * (20:33) Representing characters […]
- (1:14) Raina’s Wings charity drive results. * (1:42) Using models on the cheap. * (4:55) RPGs make failure fun! * (12:31) The difficulty of telling a good gaming story. * (22:39) An exercise in applying our own advice by adapting characters to keep the party together. Dave’s picture summary can be found here. * […]
- (0:38) John Grana, DA. * (1:16) Wayne visits the Superman festival. * (6:25) Adventure Week, as brought to you by Dice, Food, and Lodging. * (12:12) This versus that. * (13:53) The benefits and problems of remote gaming. You can find the tools we mentioned here: MapTool, Skype, Ventrilo. The play-by-post section of our […]
- (0:29) Pat causes confusion. * (1:48) The FtB: Night of Carnage. * (6:54) Planning for Gen Con 2010. If you want to join the TOFTBCH network, be sure to sign up here. * (9:30) Chad was using what…? * (11:42) Setting your game up for success. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne
This episode was originally intended to be 193. However, we never quite got to the RPG topic, so we’re releasing it as a bonus episode instead. * (0:07) Chad’s dad and 24. * (12:16) The TOFTBCH network is back for Gen Con 2010! If you want to be involved (and believe me, you do) be […]
- (0:28) We’re in the last few days of the contest with Raina’s Wings, with prize support provided by Arc Dream, DriveThru, and Polymancer. Make your donations here, and be sure to either leave a comment with your donation or let Necronomitron know who you are. * (1:18) Some minor changes to our website. * […]
- (0:49) Raina’s Wings continues with prize support provided by Arc Dream, DriveThru, and Polymancer. Make your donations here, and be sure to either leave a comment with your donation or let Necronomitron know who you are. * (1:21) Innovation vs evolution, growing the hobby, and trying new things. The article mentioned is located here. […]
- (0:29) Johann, Descent, and Star Trek. * (4:10) Raina’s Wings is still going on with prize support provided by Arc Dream, DriveThru, and Polymancer. Make your donations here, and be sure to either leave a comment with your donation or let Necronomitron know who you are. * (5:20) Last call on the Blood Bowl […]
- (0:29) Chad’s monthly board game meet-up and Chris’ memory. * (9:00) We’re delaying the start of the Blood Bowl league by two weeks. You can still get signed up here. * (9:35) Fear the Boot is teaming up with Postcards from the Dungeon. * (11:45) Chris vs the sprinkler. * (17:35) TOFTBCHes will be […]
In this interview we talk with Fred Hicks from Evil Hat Productions about being a transparent game company, keeping that “small company” feel, his background as a gamer, and of course the Dresden Files RPG. You can follow Fred Hicks on his blog or his podcast, That’s How We Roll. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, […]
- (0:35) Pat’s confession and the other nonsense on our Twitter feed. * (3:15) Raina’s Wings is continuing as a contest with prize support provided by Arc Dream, DriveThru, and Polymancer. Make your donations here, and be sure to either leave a comment with your donation or let Necronomitron know who you are. * (4:24) […]
In this interview we talk with Eddy Webb from White Wolf about new media in gaming, piracy, and living the dream. The new media episode I mentioned was indeed 136. Eddy’s website can be found here. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne Guest: Eddy Webb
- (0:45) Raina’s Wings is now a contest with prize support provided by Arc Dream, DriveThru, and Polymancer. Make your donations here, and be sure to either leave a comment with your donation or let Necronomitron know who you are. * (3:39) If you’re interested in joining our Blood Bowl leagues, you can find details […]
- (0:31) Future predictions about Fear the Con 3. The joys of being ahead a few episodes, I suppose. * (3:48) You can still donate to Raina’s Wings! * (4:37) Decorating your ultimate geek house. You can see the mentioned dungeon house here. * (19:04) Building meaningful PC romance and other relationships in an RPG. […]
While the recording quality is better than the show from Fear the Con 2, it’s still not perfect. Also, there was a hardware glitch that got fixed right around the 10 minute mark. All of that aside, it was an incredible experience that we wanted to share with anyone that couldn’t make it to the […]
I want to thank Dave Dankel from Iron Agenda for taking my seat on the show this week and letting the guys record with his setup. I desperately needed the time to work on Fear the Con stuff, and the free night helped out quite a bit. If you’re at all interested in WarMachine, be […]
- (0:29) Revisiting Raina’s Wings. You can make your donation here. * (4:18) If you’re coming in on the Wednesday before Fear the Con, we’ll be having an impromptu social gathering at Maryland Yards at 7:00pm, just down the street from the hotel. * (6:30) Chris and the scooter store. * (7:22) Keeping emotions in […]
- (0:29) Fear the Con 3 now has t-shirts you can order. * (4:04) The new emotion: Muscle March. * (7:14) Fear the Fruit is still going strong. * (9:22) The sorts of dice you own and how you carry them. * (30:13) Doom has been wrought upon our household. * (31:13) Character creation tips […]
In this interview we talk with Matt Vancil from Dead Gentlemen, writer and director of The Gamers and The Gamers: Dorkness Rising. We talk about the making of his previous films, the prospect of RPG properties getting turned into movies, gamer stereotypes, and what new stuff he has on the horizon. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, […]
- (0:30) A screwed up intro and how editing affects the show. * (2:13) When passing notes during the game goes too far. * (12:44) Controlling the temptation to eat. * (23:40) Fear the Fruit reminder! * (23:57) Losing weight when you already exercise and can’t control what food is around. * (36:31) Portion control […]
- (0:31) Fear the Con 3 just got a trivia game show. Fear the Con 3 items are also now available for sale in our CafePress store. * (2:17) Ira Glass on overcoming creative perfectionism. * (5:06) Keeping dice in the roleplaying continuity. * (9:21) Pat’s pickled pigs feet…? * (10:44) Health advice disclaimer. You […]
- (0:45) The man that really keeps Pat down. * (1:35) Get your health questions to Chris for episode 180! * (2:09) A big thanks to Totten for the pizza. * (3:10) DriveThruRPG is running a charity through Doctors Without Borders for medical relief in Haiti. You can make the donation here and see what […]
- (0:35) Dan makes a confession. * (4:07) Fear the Con 3! * (4:43) Soliciting questions for the upcoming episode on gamer health. * (7:05) How Chad keeps his incidental GM decisions straight without notes. * (17:08) Preparing the right amount of notes. * (18:12) Notes and improv for a game’s opening scene. * (24:02) […]
- (0:29) Pat gets a local port. * (1:15) Dan’s rant on impassible terrain. * (7:13) How Pat made Chad and Dan proud with his first MMO. * (9:19) The GM and player toolbox. * (11:29) The moment of zen. * (15:56) Taking a week off. * (17:47) Useful lists. * (19:50) The double-edged sword […]
- (0:00) Dan’s favorite part of Fear the Con. * (1:56) Why you don’t want to miss the Wing Night beforehand. * (2:40) Some highlights for people that aren’t going to the con. If you want to help promote the con, you can find a Fear the Con 3 flyer here. * (5:08) Sign-up and […]
- (0:29) Fear the Con 3 sign-up has begun! * (1:44) Thanking our secret Santas. Legos, Confessions of a Part-time Sorceress, Master of the Game, and SPANC. * (8:40) Swapping games to expose people to new material. * (10:53) The original Fear the Boot logo. * (11:36) Setting up this episode and the next one. […]
- (0:38) Congratulating Chris. * (2:22) Fear the Boot made it to 175. * (3:19) Fear the Con 3 online ticketing and sign-up will be live on January 1st. * (6:06) Chad has a sexy voice? * (7:16) John’s current gaming situation. You can find MapTools here. * (9:48) Why John hates player characters. * […]
I was hoping to run a regular episode this week, but Christmas happened. Since I couldn’t get enough hosts, I dug into the archive of unreleased stuff and pulled out a bonus episode we did with Mikey Mason.
- (0:32) How a person’s real skills can affect game play. * (4:57) The additional costs associated with LARP. * (8:27) Setting and time periods. * (12:08) Where someone looking to join the hobby should start. * (21:55) LARP as an educational tool. * (22:40) Rule 7. * (24:03) Trying new systems and more thoughts […]
- (1:09) Fear the Boot, now with timestamps! * (1:45) Fear the Con 3 sign-up is coming very soon. * (2:20) Introducing our guests. * (5:05) What separates LARP from tabletop RPGs? * (10:32) The negative image of LARPers. The infamous Lightningt Bolt video. * (17:07) The seemingly insular nature of the LARP community. * […]
- (0:55) Wayne’s surprise gift for Dan. * (2:13) A childhood full of toys. * (11:51) The limited release of The Road. * (14:36) Predictions on the future of media distribution. * (28:55) Picking the right resources for a brand new GM and gaming group. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- Welcoming comedian Mikey Mason. * Dan is answering his Fear the Boot email account again. Let’s see how long that lasts. * Fear the Fruit is back at Fear the Con 3. You can find information on how to make a donation here. * Revisiting old campaigns. * Mikey Mason’s beer sites are Good […]
- Some basic information on Fear the Con 3 is up. More details — and ticketing — will follow soon! * Checking in on how Wayne’s Mutants & Masterminds game went. * Getting your players unstuck. * Bickering about bards. If you don’t have a 3.5 rulebook handy, you can follow along here. If you’re […]
- The top 10 reasons we miss having Chris on Fear the Boot. * Chad makes a special presentation. You can find the RPG swap thread on our forum. Be sure to check out Atomic Robo! The story of Steve Jackson getting in trouble with the government can be read here. * Running a roleplaying […]
- Bitter beer. You can find the beer podcast Mikey Mason is on here. * Keeping your players focused on the game and stopping the table talk. * Getting your players to be more proactive about roleplaying. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- Fear the Boot is looking for LARPers! See the forums for details. * Our struggles with miniature war games. * Keeping roleplaying alive in combat. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- Reviewing reviews. The website we mentioned is Spill. * The odd obscurity of (or at least our ignorance regarding) LARPing rulebooks. You can find the Fallout LARP pictures here. * The effect of minis on tabletop roleplaying games. In case you’re not familiar with the annoying Wilhelm Scream, here’s a compilation of them. Hosts: […]
- Chris is off to take his PT exam. * Fear the Con 3 has dates! March 11, 2010 for Wing Night, March 12 – 13 for the con, March 14 – 17 for additional social events. * The City of Villains supergroup on Pinnacle server is still going strong. Free account reactivation and double […]
- Fear the Boot just finished its first election…? * Why the website has been coming and going. * Fear the Con 3. After recording this episode, we got the location reserved and dates locked down. * The history and meaning of names. * Video game length. * Superstition and mythology in fantasy roleplaying games. […]
In this interview we talk with Jim Pinto from Alderac Entertainment Group. You can find his gaming blog here and portfolio here. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Wayne Guests: Jim Pinto
- I hate Skype. * Happy birthday to Chris! * Pat finds Devil Cremes. * Sherlock Holmes, the upcoming movie, and reimagining popular stories. * Old games that we miss…!? * The creep of roleplaying elements into non-roleplaying games. * Failures of outreach in geekdom. * Bringing roleplaying games into the mainstream. Hosts: Chad, Chris, […]
- Sister-kisser redux. * Nerd d**k waving. * The soda map. * Chad’s Fear the Con 3 blog. * Bookstores and bookstoring. * Character advancement and atrophy. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- Welcoming Wayne as a host. * What is your favorite word? Super Troopers meow clip. * This is Chris’ 50th episode! * Pocket gaming books. * One-shot roleplaying games. * Special thanks to Zircher for the Baron’s reply tagged at the end of the episode! Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne
- Chad is out sick. * Comic books, trade paperbacks, and graphic novels. Wayne provided links to The Boys and an online “pull” service. * An apology to Rhiannon. * Acclimating a new player to the roleplaying hobby. * Julie Hussey’s Power 16 II acceptance speech. Hosts: Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne
A final look back at Gen Con 2009, a few shout-outs, and some things we want to do differently next year.
Since I was stuck at home, Chris Hussey took my place on an episode of This Just In…From Gen Con.
Wednesday was the day Chad, John and I arrived in Indianapolis for Gen Con. They beat me there, and headed over to a different hotel for a hastily assembled “Pot Luck & Beer Tasting” event. By the time I showed, there were about a dozen Booters present. We dined on chili concocted by Martian Bob […]
- Power 16 II has ended! We’ll announce the bracket and contest winners in the first post-Gencon show. * Gencon is upon us! If you haven’t already, get signed up for the guerrilla events. * Be sure to subscribe to the Fear the Boot and TOFtBCH Twitter feeds. * Rolling dice versus roleplaying social skills. […]
- Power 16 II final battle this week! * Battletech’s 25th anniversary and the unseen ‘Mechs. * Sign-up continues for our Gencon guerrilla event network! * A big thanks to Kellum. * Midnight RPG movie. * The Ghostbusters video game and never-made movie sequel. * Overall balance in a roleplaying game. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, […]
- Where’s Pat? * Power 16 II final battle this week! * Numbering churches and banks. (Note from Dan: I checked the ending credits of Contra and realized I had games mixed up. It was from the credits of Mega Man 3. It’s around 2:20 on that clip.) * Urban legends. * City of Villains […]
- iTunes and WordPress are both against us! * The new Mechwarrior game. After watching the trailer, seeing the restored “unseen” ‘Mechs and flavor they’re going for, Dan retracts his initial disdain. * Our hope for a new Crimson Skies video game. * Deciding what’s worth tracking in a roleplaying game. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, […]
- Yes, both cities are real places. * This week, the Power 16 II enters the finals for the Denny’s League. * If you’ve enjoyed Skullossus’ bracketology art, check out his comic, The Princess Planet. * Sign-up continues for our Gencon guerrilla event network! * Chris wins an Edward R. Murrow award! You can watch […]
- Power 16 II continues! This week is the final round of the Shadowrun League. * Be sure to get signed up for our Gencon guerilla event list. * Chad’s random aside on industrial music. * Five upcoming movies we’re looking forward to: Surrogates, 9, District 9, Zombieland, Where the Wild Things Are. * Epic […]
- Learning a little more about Pat. * Power 16 II rolls on! This week is the second round of the Denny’s League. * Can’t Stop the Serenity charity. * Some mathematical facts about 153. * Reverse picture-preview episode. The 10 pictures forum users submitted to inspire this episode can be found here. Hosts: Chad, […]
- You can find Chad’s Twitter feed here. * Power 16 II, round 2 of the Shadowrun League. Get your votes in! You can find the on-going bracketology thread here. * When is it too soon? * Handling failure as a Game Master. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, John, Pat
- Power 16 II continues! It’s time to vote on the first round of the Denny’s League. You can find the bracketology thread here. * Wii Fit. * Chad gets screwed by another video game. * Breaking the fourth wall of electronic games. You can see Project NATAL here and Milo here. * Player Character […]
- Star Trek Bridge Commander and other Star Trek video games. * The Power 16 2 begins today! The first round of competition within the Shadowrun League will run for a week or two. Get your votes in here! Remember that we’re giving away Catalyst gift cards, so if you want to enter for those, […]
- Chad’s personalized mug. * Fear the Boot TOFtBCHes at Gencon! If you want to be a part of the action, get signed up! * Power 16 II, starting next episode! * Television ratings, cancellations, and DVRs. * Adding depth to your player character. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat
- Is it fair to prejudge a movie based on its trailers? * Fear the Boot float trip and camping trip June 5th – 7th. You can find the Facebook event page here and forum thread here. * Fear the Boot TOFtBCHes at Gencon! If you want to be a part of the action, get […]
- “Dan’s not quite long enough” has concluded. However, this cause still goes on, so if you want to make a donation, please do so here. You can now see Chad bald and Dan with short hair. * If you register for the forums and don’t get your confirmation email, send a message to the […]
- If you register for the forums and don’t get your confirmation email, send a message to the General Mailbox with your forum user name. * “Dan’s not quite long enough” is in its last week! To make your donation to March of Dimes’ Raina’s Wings charity, do so here. You can see Chad bald […]
- “Dan’s not quite long enough” continues! To make your donation to March of Dimes’ Raina’s Wings charity, do so here. * Skies of Glass comic artist search! The character document is here. Send submissions or questions to skiesofglass@gmail.com. * Concepts we all understand but can’t quite define. * Broadening Dan’s horizons. * How to […]
- “Dan’s not quite long enough” has started! To make your donation to March of Dimes’ Raina’s Wings charity, do so here. * Fear the Boot community’s Neverwinter Nights mod. * We discuss a commentary by Isaac Asimov on whether “true” science fiction can ever sell in a mass market. * Why Dan struggles constructing […]
- A big thanks to the guys at The Core gaming shop in Cedar Falls, Iowa. * Things that wouldn’t work as roleplaying games. Apparently clips of The Letter People aren’t hard to find. * Playing animals or anthropomorphic animals in a roleplaying game. You can see a picture of the guy that inspired this […]
- Dan’s not quite long enough. * Chris introduces his son’s friends to D&D. * We ponder why video games aren’t held to the same product standards common to every other industry. * Roleplaying with your kids. The toy company Pat mentions is Schleich (WARNING: this site plays music when you open it). The roleplaying […]
- This show was recorded while on a Gamer Adventures trip. * Fear the Boot will soon be joining the Pulp Gamer network. * Introducing Darren Lacoste, winner of Mayfair’s Catan tournament. * Gamers as an underserved demographic. * Expanding the appeal of gaming. * Areas we’d like to see focus on the gaming demographic, […]
In this interview we talk with Trampas Whiteman from Dragonlance Nexus. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat Guests: Trampas Whiteman
- Jeffcon at Just For Fun in Peoria, IL. * Playing villainous characters. * Adding cults to your roleplaying game. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat
- You can see the trunk monkey videos here. * Preparing a con game. Really good advice, presented with really questionable sound quality. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, John, Pat…and a whole lot of con attendees
- You can still pre-register and pre-pay for a few more days on the convention website. * You can find addresses and maps for the convention center, wing night location, hotel, and (I hope) Watchmen theater in this DOC or PDF. * If you’re looking for rides, car pooling, or hotel roommates, go here. * […]
- Raina’s Wings. You can donate here and read the full story behind this charity on our forums. * Remembering the importance of player contribution to an RPG’s unfolding story. * Fear the Con! You can see Dave’s account of the pirate ship building on his blog. * Getting over the GM jitters. * Handling […]
- Pat hasn’t played Oregon Trail…? If you want to play around with Logo, there are some modern adaptations in Flash. * RPGs in a bad economy. * Shepherding your off-topic players. * Know when it’s time to end your campaign. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat
- Making Ed’s kids gamers. * The real reason we play MMOs and the lack of innovation in the industry. * Media companies don’t realize what year it is. * Are RPG companies adapating to meet changing consumption patterns? * War Pig Radio. You can find the update on its status here. * RPG Countdown. […]
- A viewing of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 leads to a broader discussion of anime. The anime Chad recommends is Planetes and Last Exile. * Heroes of Lesser Earth. * Fear the Boot’s Twitter feed can be found here. * Game Master handouts and other visual aids for players. * Tangible goodies that sometimes ship […]
- Funny names, Johnny Cash, and the Gamer Adventures cruise. * Some events going on outside of Fear the Con: a wing night on Thursday, March 5th and a Watchmen viewing on Friday, March 6th. * A possible Rifts movie? If you want to join the letter campaign, you can find details here. If you […]
- Direct-to-video, low budget, art house, and “scam” movies. And, yes, Snakes on a Train is a real movie. * What the small RPG publishers have (and don’t have) in common with small movie studios. * What art form are RPGs most like to you? * Getting your players to roleplay. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, […]
- Pat turns 35, and how our perceptions of age change with age. * Pirates of the Cursed Sea. I found some pictures of a play area similar to the one I saw at Gencon. * Fear the Con 2. You can buy your ticket, see the games, and sign up to play on the […]
- The things we do for this hobby. * Fear the Con 2! You can find more information on the forum or the con’s website. * Getting more in-character and how it helps or hurts a game. You can find the movie of James Earl Jones counting to 10 here. * People you would love […]
In this episode, we have a very candid discussion about violent crime and morality in roleplaying games. We felt it was important to cover this topic, but some of the content may be unsettling to some listeners. If you are sensitive to such issues, or listen to the show around people that are, please use […]
- Welcoming back Ed Healy of Atomic Array. * Fear the Con’s hotel block is now ready for reservations. You can find details on the con’s website. If you’re looking to share rooms or rides, you can find classifieds on our forum. We’re also pleased to welcome comedian Mikey Mason as an addition to this […]
- Sign up for Fear the Con! And if you’re interested in running a game, be sure to contact Chad. * If you’re interested in playing Warhammer Online, join us on the Order side, Monolith server. You can find more information on the forums. * Tuning your GameDAR to find your fellow nerds. The song […]
Listen along as Chris reads the Battletech love letters he wrote his wife back when they were dating!
- The awesome result of our Cattletech charity drive. * Voting on the GM profile entries has ended. Congratulations to Keith for winning! * Fear the Con 2 is ready for your sign-up! * Some tips for cheating the game, which leads into a discussion about how we would each deal with such antics at […]
- Embarrass Chris and feed a village! You just can’t lose with this charity. We’re collecting money to purchase livestock for struggling communities around the world. Each animal purchased will not only provide much needed labor, wool, or sustenance to these people, but it will also ransom out one of Chris’ Battletech love letters for […]
- The Fear the Con site is now up for registration. If you want to run a game, sign up first and then contact Chad, telling him about the game you’re running (title, description, system, desired timeframe, and number of player slots). * Introducicng our guest hosts, Andy and Arthur. If you can’t remember their […]
- This episode was recorded in Seattle, so I was away from my normal equipment. Tex and I were joined by Ed Healy from Atomic Array. * Kobold Quarterly’s place among gaming magazines. * Game days versus major cons. You can find information on the Emerald City Game Fest here. * A shout-out to Heath […]
- If you haven’t already, be sure to visit the blog! You can find Dragonlance Canticle here. * Chris and his photon torpedo. * John’s confession. * Tom Bombadil and other things regarding Lord of the Rings. * Chris gets a gaming date. * Playing music while you game. * Player-characters as adversaries. You can […]
We put out the call for listener-submitted GM profiles, and we got some excellent entries! Check out the show and then head over to the forum to vote for the profiles you thought were the best. A big thanks to Brian, Chris, Geoff, John, Keith, Nicholas, and Sam for their entries!
- Last call on World Wide Wing Night 5! The podcast we mention is Game On. * You can find the thread on the forum card game here. * If you send us email from a Yahoo address, be sure to watch your Bulk folder! * Chris Engler’s show, Wapcaplets, can be found here. * […]
- An online Diplomacy game is starting! If you’d like to join, click here for more information. * World Wide Wing Night 5! You can find information about the St. Louis and other locations here! * Fear the Con 2 information can be found at http://www.fearthecon.com or http://www.warhorn.net/fearthecon. If you’re looking for a ride to […]
- World Wide Wing Night 5 on November 8th! You can find the details for the St. Louis location here. If you’re not in St. Louis, you can find a list of gatherings in other cities here. * Fear the Con 2 on March 6th and 7th! What details we have can be found on […]
- Murphy’s Law strikes again! * The Warhammer Online guild is going strong. You can find the details here. * World Wide Wing Night 5. You can find details here. * Email addresses for all hosts are back. * This is the last week for the GM profiles! Be sure to get yours in! * […]
- World Wide Wing Night 5 on Saturday, November 8th is coming up soon. You can find details here. * The Seinfeld/Microsoft commercials. * Our Warhammer Online guild is doing unexpectedly well! Join us on the Order side of the Thorgrim server. More information can be found here. * Character, role, and personality archetypes. * […]
- The episode 115 tutorials are NOT available on CD. We’re having problems getting CafePress to process the sound files properly. However, if you want to create your own CD, we’ve compiled the MP3 files in a CD-ready format (intro music removed, etc) in a zip file that you can download here. * World Wide […]
- Chris is old! * Will we outgrow roleplaying games? * The episode 115 tutorials are NOT available on CD. We’re having problems getting CafePress to process the sound files properly. However, if you want to create your own CD, we’ve compiled the MP3 files in a CD-ready format (intro music removed, etc) in a […]
If you’re willing to give roleplaying games a try, where should you start? We explain what you’ll need and where you can find it.
An introduction to the series. We explain who we are and why we’re putting these shows together.
We’re doing something a little unusual with our “new gamer” and “non-gamer” episodes, so we wanted to explain what you can expect.
- World Wide Wing Night 5! You can find details here. * GM profile for Chris. * Introducing non-gamers to the RPG hobby. The FAQ we mention for dealing with religious objections to roleplaying games can be found here. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat
- If you want to join the Fantasy Football game Dan built, you can find a participating location at http://www.fschallenge.com. * A big thanks to our Gencon TOFTBCHes! * GM profile for Pat. * Send us your GM profile! If you need to convert your recording format, you can do it here. * Upcoming episodes […]
- Chris’ blog of Gencon can be found here. * What we’ll do differently next year. You can find information on True Dungeon here. * We answer audience questions live. Questions came from… Ethan Itamar from Hamishakia Andrew Andy from Amorphous Blob Bill from Dragonlance Canticle Dave from The 2 Half-Squads Dick (?) (I couldn’t […]
Don’t forget to keep checking our forum for changes and more details. I’d also like to give a big thanks to ZeikeCopperEyes for all of his hard work in making this happen!
- The death of Gleemax. * Shout-outs to Cigar_smkr and Jlhburnett of Hex Games. * Check out the new forums here. * One last time: here’s our schedule for Gencon 2008! And our social gathering details have been fixed here. * The page Chris will be using to blog his Gencon experience is this one. […]
- Fear the Boot welcomes guest hosts, Rob and Matt, from the Bear Swarm podcast. * Our events at Gencon. You can still find the link for the FtB social gathering here and the general list of all podcasting events here. * Why a horse swarm is far scarier than a bear swarm. * GM […]
- The Gamer Adventures site can be found here. * Back Seat Producers can be found here. Hosts: Dan, John, Luke, Matt
- Fear the Boot’s Age of Conan guild has migrated to the PvE server, Set. * We’ll be doing several panels and a live recording at Gencon. Be sure to check out the schedule here. * We’re still planning our social gathering for the Thursday of Gencon. Details here. * A brief introduction of Pat. […]
- The new portal will be uploaded shortly. If you actually have a recipe for gamer muffins, feel free to post it before the old forums get shut down! * Don’t forget to let us know if you’ll be stopping by our gathering at Gencon! * A copy of Earthshaker! gets us talking about anachronism […]
- Fear the Boot moves…upstairs. * The new portal is still on its way and should be up soon. * If you’re going to be at Gencon, there’s a get-together for FtB listeners being planned. Be sure to stop by the forum thread and be counted so we can get a venue of the appropriate […]
- Chris’ Battletech romance of his wife…?! * The dark history of Dan, Tex, and Chris. * Crappy Kahlua and high quality water. * If you’re playing Age of Conan, stop by and check out our guild! You can find details here. * A big thanks to forum user, CigarSmoker, for the cigars he’s been […]
- Chris tries to blame Dan for his flatulence. * A shout-out to Halbert for giving Dan a code for an item in Age of Conan! * How our review show won’t be a review show. If you want to start getting ready for that show, the first two topics we’ll be discussing are Frank […]
- Phil’s wisdom on packaging. * Join Phil in developing his sci-fi setting, Red Earth Saga. * An in-depth explanation of Fear the Boot’s future. * BATMAN! * Dan and the great Lord of the Rings movie marathon escape. * Incorporating side games into a roleplaying game. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, John, Phil
- Here’s your chance to support a gamer-driven charity for a women’s shelter! Click here for more information. * Some changes coming to Fear the Boot. * John’s first brush with D&D 4th edition. You can find the Reaper Mini site Dan mentioned here. * Roleplaying games that are old, obscure, or simply never played. […]
- How not to get the ladies to join your roleplaying game. * “Choose your own adventure” books that play like RPGs. * The rational place for gamer shame. (For anyone that’s confused by Chad’s use of the word, “hoosier,” it’s local slang that has nothing to do with Indiana University athletics.) * If you’re […]
- An update on episode 100. * Fear the Boot has started an Age of Conan guild, House Nachash, on the Stormrage server. You can find more information here. * This episode brought to you by Gorkamorka! The forum user, that is, not the game. * Can you change power-gamers into roleplayers? * What we […]
In this interview we talk with Luke Crane from The Burning Wheel. Hosts: Dan, John, Luke, Matt Guests: Luke Crane
In this interview we talk with Luke Crane from The Burning Wheel. Hosts: Dan, John, Luke, Matt Guests: Luke Crane WARNING: This version of the interview contains uncensored language. If you wish to get a “clean” version of the interview, it is available on the feed.
- Episode 100 is coming up next. If you have any questions for that show, please send them quickly to Dan or Luke. Also, there may be only a bonus episode since, since 100 will take two weeks to prepare. * Don’t forget Diecon, particularly if you’re into Warmachine. * The end of Living Greyhawk […]
- Chris is finally on the podcast, despite being a host for several months. * A big thanks to James, Christopher, and all the folks at I-Con! Also, congratulations to Christopher for his impending fatherhood. * Converting Adam into the gaming fold, and what kept him from trying out gaming sooner. * A shout-out from […]
- For episode 100, we’ll be taking your questions about our views, hosts, or anything else you want to talk about. So please send your questions to Luke or Dan! * If you’re in the St. Louis area or interested in Warmachine, don’t miss Diecon at the end of May! * This past week, Dan […]
In this interview we talk with Erik Mona from Paizo Publishing. Hosts: Dan, Luke, Matt Guests: Erik Mona
- Host absence and…murder…? * Dan and John will be in New York this weekend for I-Con 27! While there, Fear the Boot will be receiving the Robin D. Laws Award for Excellence in Gaming. * If you’re in the St. Louis area or a big WarMachine fan, please stop by Diecon in late May. […]
- John and Dan will be I-CON 27 in New York, April 4 – 6. We’ve also found out we’re to be awarded the Robin D. Laws Award for Excellence in Gaming while there! * If you sent Dan any emails between March 17th and March 20th, please send them again. * If you’d like […]
- John and Dan will be I-CON 27 in New York, April 4 – 6. * Kerrigan, Conan, and Luke’s crappy gaming PC. You can find Tara Strong’s credits on IMDB. * Do people take gaming too seriously? * A more detailed look at board games. You can find more info on Atomic Earth here. […]
- John and Dan will be I-CON 27 in New York, April 4 – 6. * Skies of Glass, Tier 1, will be released as a PDF document when the next episode drops. * Ah, the Dragonlance episode. Be sure to check out Trampas’ podcast, Dragonlance Canticle. * We would like to thank the following […]
- Fear the Con on March 8th! Don’t forget World Wide Wing Night at Side Pockets the Friday before, eye exams from Luke the Sunday after, and Fear the Froot during the event. * An FtB commentary track you can play along with Dragonlance: Dragons of the Autumn Twilight.
- Dan’s taking a trip to Miami while failing to organize his trip to Gencon. * Fear the Con on March 8th! Don’t forget World Wide Wing Night at Side Pockets the Friday before, eye exams from Luke the Sunday after, and Fear the Froot during the event. * D&D isn’t an RPG…? * Yet […]
WARNING: The content of this episode is a little more coarse than usual. * BJ’s Liquo store…? * How Valentine’s Day has destroyed this episode. * Fear the Con on March 8th! Don’t forget World Wide Wing Night at Side Pockets the Friday before, eye exams from Luke the Sunday after, and Fear the Froot […]
WARNING: The content of this episode is a little more coarse than usual. * Contrary to what Luke thinks, Furreals are not sexual. * Fear the Boot PSA #2. Here is the relevant link. * Join us for Fear the Con on March 8th! Don’t forget to donate to Tony Mast’s Fear the Froot. And […]
- Matt’s brief introduction. * Skyrocket reminds us of a major perk of the FLGS: the dice bin. * Is it possible to cheat in dice rolling with pure physics? * Fear the Con is still coming up on March 8th, and don’t forget Tony Mast’s Fear the Froot effort! Please send an email to […]
Since we’re releasing a bonus episode in place of the regular episode this week, I’ll at least give the show notes in the usual format. Also, we’ll be back to a regular episode next week! * Skiing. * Luke’s musical aspirations. * Fear the Con. * Fear the Froot, sponsored by Tony Mast. * Cartoons. […]
- Fear the Con on March 8th! Warmachine tournament and the Watchmen debate. * D&D 4th edition modules. * Historical accuracy in gaming. * Dialog in your roleplaying game. The accent CDs from Pulp Gamer can be found here and here. Hosts: Chad, Dan, John, Luke, Tex
- Fear the Con and World Wide Wing Night 4! * If you want a Fear the Boot hoodie, you can find them here. Be sure to type “feartheboot” (without the quotes) in the coupon field. This offer may be for a limited time only, so if you want it, get it fast! * Luke’s […]
- An introduction of the hosts and their geek interests. * Who the girls love in the sci-fi/fantasy world. * Conventions, Renaissance Fairs, etc. * Ice-O-Hedron gaming con in Toronto. * Fear the Con‘s masquerade. * Movies they’d love to see made. Hosts: Becky, Katie, Karla, Melina…and Phil
- The joy of Jelly Bellies. * Dan’s New Years resolution. * Christmas stories. * Animals, familiars, and mounts in a roleplaying game. * Designing and running factions in your RPG. * Phil’s podcast at http://www.insert-coinlive.com. Hosts: Adam, Dan, John, Luke
- Oboe Cops’ generic holiday greetings. * Adam loses his World of Warcraft account. * A Fear the Con update. * December is out to destroy your games. * Running a holiday-themed game. And, sadly, I found the Christmas in the Stars song John alluded to. After that, go listen to Chewbacca sing Silent Night. […]
- A shout-out to Khan Durian and Craig Pierce. * Fear the Con. * When Game Masters try to cover subject areas they don’t know much about. * Designing roleplaying game modules for use at a convention. Hosts: Adam, Dan, Joe, Luke
Information on the upcoming convention, Fear the Con. Details and registration can be found at: http://www.warhorn.net/fearthecon
- We welcome Keith Curtis as a guest host. You can view his website at http://www.kacurtis.com. The song website he mentioned can be found here. * Fear the Con now has an official website at http://www.warhorn.net/fearthecon. * Gaming in distracting environments. * Designing maps for your roleplaying game. Hosts: Adam, Dan, John, Keith, Luke
- There really is a game called The Hunters Hunted! * The Summoning convention coming up for anyone in the Florida area. * Reserve March 8th, 2008 for Fear the Con! Details can be found here. * What the heck is wrong with the Kessel Run? * Karla’s newbie gaming experiences. * Explaining the roleplaying […]
- The TV shows getting passed around. * A shout-out to Phil’s podcast, Insert Coin Live, and a look forward to our joint Conan MMO guild. * Dan’s bad gaming experiences. * Introducing new players to roleplaying games. Hosts: Adam, Dan, Luke
- W3N3 stories. If you missed the pictures, you can find them here and here. * A shout-out to Shawn Willet, the drunk wookie trucker! * Luke’s reviews: Colonial Gothic and Eschalon: Book I. * Weapons, axes, etc. Flight of the Conchords Lord of the Rings video can be found here. * Games gone horribly […]
- World Wide Wing Night 3 pictures can be found in various threads. The writers’ strike post by Shamus Young can be found here. * Skies of Glass play-test results. The “developers” thing John was talking about can be found here. * Players finishing the campaign too quickly, with a tangent on computer adventure games. […]
- World Wide Wing Night 3. The St. Louis group will be meeting at the Syberg’s on Dorsett. * Fear the Boot sponsored convention on March 8th, 2008. * See Luke for your eye care needs! * Luke asks Dan about why Battletech’s flavor doesn’t come out well in many of its sourcebooks. * The […]
- The podcast spoof contest is over! Stick around after the show to hear the winners. * World Wide Wing Night 3. The St. Louis group will be meeting at the Syberg’s on Dorsett. * Donating your old game books to your local library. * Luke gets outed. * Dan’s view on capital ship combat! […]
In this interview we talk with Shane Hensley from Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Hosts: Dan, John, Luke Guests: Shane Hensley
- Not Fear the Boot Con. * Congratulations to Tony Mast on the birth of his daughter! * Fear the Boot spoof contest. * World Wide Wing Night 3! St. Louis now has a reserved location at Sybergs. * Bringing a campaign to a proper end. Hosts: Adam, Dan, John, Luke
- World Wide Wing Night 3! * Fear the Boot EVE guild. * Spoof Fear the Boot podcast contest. * Tex’s dating update. * A review of Catalyst Game’s new Battletech products. * Festivuscon recap. * Campaign rules. Hosts: Adam, Dan, Luke, Tex
- World Wide Wing Night 3 on November 10th. * Our EVE guild is thriving. We hope you’ll join us! * Spoof Fear the Boot podcast contest. * The relationship between the number of modules and the success of an RPG. * Ryan and Tim offer a rebuttal to episode 67 in which they defend […]
- An announcement about announcements. * Keeping track of your GM notes. * Roleplaying game modules. * Our favorite RPG game mechanics. Hosts: Adam, Dan, John, Luke
- How beer has affected this episode. * Spoof contest reminder. * World Wide Wing Night 3 on Saturday, November 10th. * Gaming pet peeves. * Dan’s Ennies speech on YouTube. * Drinking and gaming. * Dealing with the loss of a “hub” character. Hosts: Dan, John, Luke
- A Fear the Boot EVE guild? * A possible St. Louis con early in 2008, sponsored by Fear the Boot. * Spoof Fear the Boot podcast contest. * The disappearance of FASA Studios. * Making good villains for your roleplaying game. * Designing urban settings for an RPG. Hosts: Dan, John, Luke
- Spoof FtB podcast contest. * Shout-out to Carpe GM and Theory From the Closet podcasts. * See Adam as a furry! * How do you stop your players from over-planning how to handle a plot point? * At what point should a PC become an NPC? * Immediately drawing the players into a first […]
With DM of the Rings coming to a close, Fear the Boot is proud to announce Chainmail Bikini, a new RPG-oriented web comic coming to our site, developed by Shamus Young and Shawn Gaston!
- A quick thanks to Zac at the Groovecast. * Flatcon October 5th – 7th in Bloomington, IL. * The revival of the Fear the Boot World of Warcraft guild. Sort of. * D&D 4th edition. * CDs to help Americans learn accents, courtesy of Pulp Gamer. * GNS theory. * Introducing players to new, […]
- Atomic Squash game night on October 6th. * Where did Tex get his nickname? * What makes a roleplaying game “mature”? * Organized/persistent/living/etc RPG events. * Sleeping arrangements and other nonsense at Gencon. Hosts: Dan, Dan, Daniel, Eric, John, Scott, Tex, Tony (no, that isn’t a typo)
- Why Dan isn’t on the show. * Light liquor versus dark liquor. * Our tour of the dealer room, including our hands-on with Conan. * Returning to gaming after a long hiatus. Or why people take long breaks in the first place. * Etiquette for gaming at a con. * Phil arrives to talk […]
- Recording with a broken air conditioner. * A shout-out to Accidental Survivors and Gamer Traveler podcasts. * Why we’re a bit slow in responding to email right now. * Gencon podcasting meet and greet reminder. * Festivus Con. * Starcraft Night of Carnage. * What’s up with Spirit of the Century? * Running a […]
Like all Fear the Boot bonus episodes, this show is neither edited nor on our usual subject. So if this is your first time here, we recommend checking out a regular episode first. Also, excuse the jingling in the background. Two of my dogs were wrestling throughout the entire episode. As for the episode, the […]
- A brief request to treat the ENnie staff with courtesy, even if you disagree with them. * We spent the weekend at Archon, so we record a round-up of the con. Excuse the sound quality as we’re in a hotel meeting room, and Dan is losing his voice from speaking so much at panels. […]
- Welcoming Tex and Luke as our new hosts! * Clearing Tex’s name. * Power 16 update. Vote here and check the bracket here. * A call for commission artists that will do custom art (for pay) in a realistic style. Please send emails with samples, etc, to feartheboot(at)gmail.com. * Favorite video game based on […]
- A correction on who actually made the flying train picture. * You can find Angstboy’s site at http://www.daddymonkeylives.com. * Don’t forget to vote for us in the ENnie Awards if you haven’t already! And if you already have, pass it on to your friends or family members. Voting ends on July 29th. * Determining […]
In this interview we talk with Jess Hartley, an author working for White Wolf who’s had a big hand in shaping the new Changeling book. Her website: http://www.jesshartley.com/ Hosts: Adam, Dan, John, Mike Guests: Jess Hartley
The Phil praise episode! We try as hard as we can to be nice to Phil. Also, don’t forget to vote in the ENnie Awards! And if you voted early on Monday, they had to reset the votes, so be sure to vote again.
- John’s cougar. * Fear the Boot has been nominated for an ENnie Award! Don’t forget to vote here! * Power 16 update. You can see the current bracket here and vote for the next round here. * Selecting the game your group is going to play. * The psychological effects of playing a roleplaying […]
- Fear the Boot nominated for an ENnie award! Don’t forget to vote for us from July 16th to July 29th. You can find the ENnie site here. * Some changes at Fear the Boot. * Using electronic aids to help with voluntary player isolation. * Nazi Zombie Bugbear contest is over! The song by […]
- The Beatles version of Lord of the Rings?! Also, here’s the song with Leonard Nimoy singing about Bilbo. * Power 16 update. You can see the bracket here. And be sure to vote on the next round here. * Fictional religions in a roleplaying game. * Real religions in a roleplaying game. * Religion […]
- The Phil Challenge! * Finding a new gaming group. * Gamer desperation when you can’t find a group. The online play community we mentioned can be found here. * Knowing when it’s time to quit the RPG hobby. * Voluntary player isolation. Hosts: Adam, Chad, Dan, John, Mike
- Power 16 update. You can find the current bracket here. And don’t forget to vote here! * Star Wars Saga Edition. * Fog of war at the gaming table. * The best RPG purchases we’ve made. Hosts: Adam, Chad, Dan, John
- What’s the difference between playing a hack n’ slash video game and a hack n’ slash tabletop RPG? * How can you integrate roleplaying into combat? * Gencon event reminders. * Using random encounter charts. For the Nazi Zombie Bugbear contest, enter your theme songs here and your pictures here! * Dealing with involuntary […]
- We’re still messing with the compressor, so hopefully the sound quality is getting a little better. * Fear the Boot’s Power 16! See the candidates, brackets, and voting both here. * Embarrassing RPG purchases. * Bringing your gaming group back after a long hiatus. * Customizing the gaming experience to suit the players. Hosts: […]
- Changes to the way the show is recorded and produced. * The results of World Wide Wing Night 2 and planning for World Wide Wing Night 3. * Scourge of Worlds, redux. The website we’re talking about at one point is Despair.com. * Using the Power 19 to help you create your RPG. The […]
- A report on the Ziggurat Con donation drive. You can find more details on the forums here. * Fear the Boot will be attending a general reception for the gaming podcasters and listeners at Gencon on Saturday, August 18th, from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. * An update on the World of Warcraft and Everquest II […]
Like all Fear the Boot bonus episodes, this show is neither edited nor on our usual subject. So if this is your first time here, we recommend checking out a regular episode first. This episode is a review of Anime Central, which was attended by Adam and Melina. Adam also put together a short film, […]
- The D&D play-by-DVD game, Scourge of Worlds. Pictures of the woman that voice-acted Lidda can be found here. * The Rifts challenge. * World Wide Wing Night 2, final reminder. * Supporting your local gaming shop. * Should Game Masters cheat? * Answering Andrew’s email on how to handle enemies in an RPG. * […]
- Why Dan hates Woodson Terrace, Missouri. The “350” clip referred to can be found here. * The final reminder for Ziggurat Con donations. This Saturday is the cut-off for donations. * World Wide Wing Night 2 is still coming up on Friday, May 18th. * Dragon and Dungeon magazines shutting down, redux. The voice […]
In this interview we talk with Shamus Young, author of the web comic, DM of the Rings, a parody of Lord of the Rings, presented as if the movie was the plot of an RPG. His website: http://www.shamusyoung.com His comic: http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?cat=14 During the show, we mention an episode we recorded 30 minutes ago. That show […]
Though we’ve gotten out of the habit, we want to do something different every 10th episode. Since episode 50 falls pretty close to our one-year anniversary, we spend this show looking back on the first year of the show. I assure you this is not a highlight reel of clips from previous shows, nor do […]
- Contacting Fear the Boot. * A reminder on Ziggurat con. The 60-second promo is located here. * Chad and Dan, revisit their favorite RPGs, this time sticking to store-bought products. * Dragon and Dungeon magazine shutting down. The future of RPG media. * Building affinity between your players and an NPC. * Running a […]
- Though it will have minimal impact on the show, we’ve changed our recording date from Saturday to Monday. Release will still be on Wednesdays. * We’re accepting donations to prepare gaming kits that will be sent down to Ziggurat Con, a gaming convention for soldiers in Iraq. You can donate using the “Make a […]
- A discussion of 300. We promise, there are no spoilers. * Picking a Star Wars fighter. * A conversation about costuming leads into an ode to the Brotherhood of Nod. * DuckTales. Yes, you read that right. * Running a sci-fi roleplaying game. Hosts: Adam, Chad, Dan, John
- Chris Engler is joining a charity bowling contest that will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. If RPG podcast listeners will pledge enough money, several companies (including Highmoon Media and Sword’s Edge) have pledged to give away a ton of RPG-related prizes. You can find the details on his website or in our forums. * […]
- Chad: The Travesty contest reminder. * Gaming groups through local libraries, redux. * The editions of D&D. * Using maps for combat in an RPG. * Running a horror game. Hosts: Adam, Chad, Dan, John, Mike
- The Brownsburg Library D&D group and using your library to promote RPG play. * A big “thank you” to the community for the donations for Skye. * Gamer Traveler podcast. * Chad: The Travesty contest reminder. * SciFi Smackdown podcast. * Fear the Boot’s EQ2 and WoW guilds. * The fandom surrounding modern TV […]
- Chad and Dawn’s baby * Chad: The Travesty contest. Enter here! * Whether rolling dice is unfair to unlucky players. * The future of Fear the Boot. * Designing expansions for your roleplaying game. * Copyright protection. * Skies of Glass Q&A Hosts: Adam, Dan, Mike, John
- Who wants a body massage? * Do Adam and John sound too much alike? * Boardgaming. * Chad calls 911. * BBS games. The instance of Legend of the Green Dragon I signed up with can be found here. * John’s three criteria for a good movie. * Handling wounds, healing, and death in […]
In the second interview episode, we talk with Mike West from Lionhead Studios. Mike contributed to script development for Fable and is currently the lead script developer for Fable 2. Our conversation focuses on storytelling in video games, but also includes discussion of the relationship between video games and tabletop games, the future of the […]
- Hurting yourself while playing video games. * Fear the Boot would like to thank… Accidental Survivors Dragons Landing Inn Harping Monkey Pulp Gamer Fanboy Smackdown Geeklabel * The timing and purpose of resource documents. * Bringing FTB up to date on current games. * The new World of Darkness. * Why people more readily […]
- Fear the Boot store update. * A preview of the upcoming interviews. * The backlog of resource documents. * Gaming comics. * Players and GMs make the game. * Designing character advancement for your new roleplaying game. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Mike
The resource document for this episode will be rather extensive, so it won’t be up along with this episode, but it should be posted by the end of the week. * John’s date report. * Chad’s comments on gaming in the window of a shop in the mall. * Why Mike hasn’t GM-ed in years, […]
Since starting this podcast, Fear the Boot has made contact with quite a few professionals in the gaming market. Rather than let these opportunities go to waste, we decided to start a new interview series. For our kick-off show, we chat with Ryan Dancey about his experience working for Wizards of the Coast, the data […]
During the show, we make a few jokes about an “oooooh” noise. During the show I said I would link the video that comes from, so here it is. Please be aware it includes foul language. * Katie, I can’t understand the email address in your voicemail. * A writer’s critique group is running on our […]
Like all Fear the Boot bonus episodes, this show is neither edited nor on our usual subject. So if this is your first time here, we recommend checking out a regular episode first. This particular episode is primarily about “gamer shame”, meaning the embarrassment most gamers feel about their chosen hobby. However, before we get […]
* A review of World Wide Wing Night. * Our take on Wizards of the Coast’s D&D club sponsorship program. You can find the article we’re discussing here. * Based on some feedback we’ve gotten, we return to the subject of RPG art. The RPG publishers we mention are Highmoon Media and Sword’s Edge Publishing. * We […]
This episode was intended to be a warm-up for Mike, a new host we’re bringing on at FTB to help out with several new efforts we’re preparing to launch. However, true to form, we spend most of the show chasing tangents, the largest of which is a discussion on pipes and cigars. Mike was a […]
For this episode, we welcome guest host, Chris Hussey, an author that used to work for FASA. * Character advancement: why is it emotionally integral to the RPG experience? * A reminder about World Wide Wing Night. Details can be found here. * Designing the basic model for characters in a new roleplaying game. Hosts: […]
Before I get to the show notes, a listener asked us to mention an upcoming gaming con. I didn’t get the note in time for the recording, so I’ll mention it here instead. The con is Chattacon in Chattanooga, Tennessee, January 26 – 28. You can find more information at Chattacon.org. With that done, on […]
WARNING: This episode of Fear the Boot deals with handling sensitive subjects in your role-playing game. While it maintains the usual rating of a Fear the Boot episode, it includes candid discussions of social issues such as race, religion, politics, and violence. If you are bothered by such discussions or playing this show in the presence […]
The resource document for this show will be posted either Wednesday or Thursday. Until then, enjoy the recording! * Stories from gaming stores, good and bad. * Is it easier to be negative than positive? * Designing micro setting for a role-playing game. * Skies of Glass Q&A Hosts: Adam, Chad, Dan, John
- A reminder that some domains stuff our emails into your spam folder. * Giving back to the boot. * Based on a voice mail from a listener, we ponder whether our game plots change to reflect our current position in life. * Building martial accuracy in your RPG. * Designing marco setting for a role-playing […]
To save myself the weekly struggle of presenting our show notes in prose form, I’m going to start using a more traditional, bulleted format. This episode continues our series on RPG design. * A big thanks to our listeners for their support during the episode 30 problems. * Guilty gaming habits. * The best character […]
To follow-up on our open letter in the previous episode, we’re happy to announce the show is back on track and doing well! However, based on the suggestion of several listeners, FTB will now be released on Wednesdays instead of Mondays. Continuing our game design series, we spend most of this episode talking about the […]
One of our forum users, Crafterofcode, sent us a box of Australian candies. We spend this bonus episode sampling the candy and discussing international food. We also bring Tex back via Skype, since he spent several years living in Europe. This was a great opportunity for us to test recording with Skype, which is something […]
Our Xbox Live contest continues for another week. Don’t forget to enter again, using the “Contest Entry Form” link at the top of our site. Also, we forgot to mention it during the episode, but we’ve made a slight change to the rules. We realize Christmas time is drawing near, so if you don’t have […]
Since Tex was in town, we decided to do a bonus episode on video games. In this show, we talk about storytelling and artificial intelligence. If this is your first time here, we suggest checking out a regular episode first! Bonus episodes are neither on the same subject as our regular shows nor edited the […]
Congratulations to Keith Curtis, winner of our Baron von Bad Ass art contest! Thanks again to all of you that entered. We were really impressed by the quality of the entries. During this show, we kick off our Xbox Live contest. The prizes and rules are explained in the episode. You can find the entry […]
We recorded this episode immediately after watching the two Dungeons & Dragons movies. We spend the first half of the episode reviewing those two films before we broaden the topic to talk about RPG movies in general. We toss out some games we’d like to see made into movies and theorize about why there haven’t […]
We start this episode with a bad player habit that we missed in our previous two shows. After that, we take on a series of topics related to character creation: unlisted perks and penalties, restricting races and classes, obscure supplements that can wreck games, and player illustrations. Also, don’t forget the Baron von Badass art […]
This is normally a pretty light-hearted show, however, not everything in life is a joke. Heart disease is the number one killer in the developed world, and we at FTB want to do our part to help. We would like to release the following PSA that has a simple — yet important — test you […]
This bonus episode is a round-up of unrelated stories from the hosts. As with all bonus episodes, this is both unedited and off topic. If this is your first time here, we suggest checking out a regular episode first!
Before digging into the episode, we mention two art-related things. First, there’s an art contest for drawing Baron von Badass. If you want to enter, you can find the relevant information here: http://feartheboot.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1004. Second, I mention that I’m looking for artists for character portrait commissions. It’s something I’m doing over the longterm due to cost, […]
As a follow-up to our previous episode on GM mistakes, we spend this episode talking about bad player habits. We had too many points to cover, so this is part 1 of 2. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Dawn
We kick off the episode with a story about our trip to a hibachi restaurant. When it’s time to discuss roleplaying games, we begin with a look at what sort of person wants to be a GM. We then work through a list of common GMing mistakes and how to avoid them. Hosts: Adam, Chad, […]
We recorded this episode live in the gaming area of the Archon sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming convention. If this is your first time listening, this episode is not recorded or presented in the way we normally do a show. You may want to check out a normal recording (like episode 21) first. We devoted this […]
We’d like to remind everyone FTB will be at Archon this Thursday – Sunday, so if you’re going to be near the St. Louis area, please stop by and say, “hi!” In addition to our panels and guest interviews, our FTB ladies will be running a HAFU event to protest the Zombie Squad’s treatment of […]
You should quickly realize this episode isn’t quite right. This is part of a promotion that’s being done between a dozen gaming podcasts. One week in September, each show will be run by the hosts of a different show. The strangers you’re hearing on Fear the Boot are Mick and Rae from Misfit Brew. In […]
Before every show, we go through a dysfunctional routine which we describe at the start of this episode. We also talk about the market penetration of podcasts in the gaming community and one of the few fixtures of gaming life we haven’t yet discussed: junk food! Our main topic is evil characters and evil parties, […]
Just as I promised on the forums, here’s a bonus episode to go hand-in-hand with episode 18! We intended to make this bonus episode about our take on where Battletech went wrong. However, we ended up on so many tangents that the show is really more about where creative endeavors in general go wrong. As […]
In this show we cover some fond memories of FASA product catalogs, name the winner of our “freak show” character contest, offer our thoughts on card games, kick around some settings we wish had their own roleplaying games, and offer our thoughts on the use of electronic devices to aid your games. Hosts: Chad, Dan, […]
I want to remind everyone of the contest we’re running right now. You can find details in this episode, the show notes for episode 16, or our forums. Continuing a topic we started in bonus episode 7, we spend some time talking about spaceship combat in roleplaying games. Then we offer some insight and advice […]
We’re probably just as opinionated about video games as we are roleplaying games, but the former just isn’t what this podcast is about. However, for this bonus episode, we decided to talk only about video games. You guys know the drill. These bonus episodes are not edited or formatted, so the quality of our normal […]
We start this episode with several announcements. I’ll post those here along with relevant links. First, we’ll be at Archon from October 5th – 8th. * http://archonstl.org/30/index2.html Second, our World of Warcraft guild is really taking off. If you play WoW, we hope you’ll stop by and join us. * http://www.feartheboot.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=18 Third, we’re starting a […]
At the start of this episode, we mention a WoW guild Fear the Boot listeners and hosts have started. If you’re interested in joining, you can find details at: http://www.feartheboot.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=18 After that, we give our follow-up on Gencon, some response to the discussions our “freak show” commentary in episode 13 started, and offer advice for […]
Our Gencon experience was short and fruitless. We start off the episode by explaining what happened and then offer some advice on allowing players to run multiple characters during the same game. This episode was recorded in an unusual way, so the bells and whistles of our main episodes aren’t there. In fact, it seems closer […]
This episode was supposed to be our farewell to John, who’s leaving for Rome soon. However, it quickly degrades into tangents about travel, foreign beer, and international family. WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! This show is far edgier than anything we have ever done before. We poke fun at some very serious issues, but please keep in […]
Episode 13 indeed! We found ourselves down a host and had several other problems getting this show ready. But we made it through nonetheless. In this episode, we talk about how our roleplaying games have changed as we got older, RPG novels, and the art and science of playing non-humanoids. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Dawn UPDATE: […]
This episode is all about the roleplaying environment, both inside and outside of the game. We talk about the best sort of room to game in, eating while gaming, using mood music, and we offer advice to Game Masters on creating a good setting. It’s also worth mentioning that within the first minute or two, […]
This is quite possibly the most pointless and meandering show we have ever recorded. So why are we releasing it? Because these bonus episodes never come with a quality guarantee! This show is primarily our follow-up to the ladies podcast (episode 10), but we also talk about our ideas for future “special” episodes.
In this bonus episode, we talk about how and why we love Battletech. As always, this bonus show is unscripted and unedited.
Since several people have asked about the cons we’ll be attending, we start episode 11 with our convention schedule. We then pause to talk about our first two episodes which seem to have offended a few first-time listeners. While we won’t take them down, we do suggest you start listening at later episodes instead. Chris […]
The third bonus episode — and the final one on this topic, at least for now — is a discussion of the internet-related tasks that go into making a podcast. We talk about posting the show online, getting listed in podcast directories, and so on. This episode was recorded several weeks ago, but I was […]
Episode 10 is an anomaly for our show. For this one episode, we turn over the mics to our wives. They give us a woman’s perspective on gaming and what it’s like to be a non-gamer married to a gaming dork. If this is your first time with Fear the Boot, please be aware that […]
We were down a host for this episode, and a bit more serious than normal, but we still covered a lot of good information. The episode starts with a discussion of the overuse of setting in some campaigns, followed by our musings about D&D alignment, character behavior, and real-life violence around the gaming table. We […]
We start this show by discussing various character- and player-related problems that can occur during a roleplaying game. Topics include Adam’s difficulty naming his characters, deciding between 1st and 3rd person RP, ridiculous inventories, and dealing with “setting lawyers”. The last half of the show is spent discussing the design and exceution of combat encounters, […]
Episode 7 begins with us trying to figure out how to pronounce Aram’s name. He regales us with his single, tragic experience with D&D, the details of which get us thinking about how roleplayers tend to insert RPG elements into other areas of their lives. We take some time to thank the other podcasts that […]
Our second bonus episode covers the hardware (mics, mixer, etc) we use to make the podcast. I want to remind everyone the bonus episodes — unlike our regular shows — are completely unedited. There’s no intro music and our mistakes are all left in.
Episode 6 begins with a discussion on using the Monstrous Manual as a campaign setting and plotline! Please don’t ever do that. We then pause to remind everyone about the ways you can get in touch with us, such as Odeo, email, and our new forums. Since several people have been asking where the name […]
This is the first in a series of bonus episodes we want to release. These shows are 10 – 20 minutes long and cover topics that don’t fit in the scope of our normal podcasts. They’re completely unedited, so there’s no intro music and our flubs have been left in. We won’t have a bonus […]
Before I get into the content of episode 5, I want to draw your attention to something. At the time we recorded this episode, we had not yet gotten in touch with the folks at GOBLIN. That has changed since the podcast was recorded, so we no longer need any help with that. With that […]
Why exactly do we play roleplaying games? Episode 4 starts with that question getting kicked around. As we try to answer it, we also think back to a GURPs “trip to the lake” game we saw being played at a gaming con. Tim brings in some material on the new realm, Ptolus, which we review. […]
We kick this show off with an explanation of how making a podcast is like running a roleplaying game. The hosts are introduced, and then John and Chad tell us their tongue-in-cheek (?) vision of a roleplaying game with just one character stat. The product we review this show is very close to home: our […]
For the next several episodes, we’ll be using a mock Shadowrun game to walk you through the do’s and don’ts of roleplaying games. In this podcast, we talk about the first step a group should take when starting a game: creating a group template. We explain what group templates are, why to build one, and […]
After a conversation about why roleplaying game stories are so terrible to listen to, we move on to the types of gaming groups and a debate about resolving situations where players have a social wit their characters lack (and vice versa). Hosts: Chad, Dan, Kevin
This podcast is an introduction to our show, explaining what we’ll talk about: tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs), product reviews, industry news, and related topics. Hosts: Dan