Gnoll Country for Old Men: Recent Episodes
Gnoll Country
Amazons. Joan of Arc. Xena, warrior princess. One of the Star Trek races, probably. Fiction has always been full of badass warrior ladies. We look at some of them, their depictions, and how they show up in tabletop wargames, roleplaying games, and the like.
Go-go Godzilla. It's time to talk about giant monsters! Typically Japanese, often radioactive, and occasionally an allegory for real world events, Kaiju are both monster for games and a genre unto themselves. They range from straightforward (King Kong) to scary weird (Shin Godzilla) to biblically accurate (Evangelion). And sometimes you get giant robots to fight them!
It's time to get real 80's up in here, and discuss one of the longest running and wildest franchises in wargaming - Battletech! It doesn't matter if you know it from the many books, video games, card game, or the short lived and hilariously bad 90s cartoon, it has been a staple of the gaming community for almost 40 years.
We've talked about the monsters from Greek Mythology, so let's look at another area - the British Isles! But mostly Ireland and Scotland, so the cool bits. We're talking about the monsters drawn from Gaelic and Celtic mythology - dullahans, banshees, selkies, and formorians. Fun stuff!
It's time to talk about one of my favorite indie sci-fi TTRPGs with a mecha twist - LANCER! For when you want to play as the Federation from Star Trek, but kicking down the door and taking names with giant robots. Listen to us go on and on about the lore and all the fun robots you can pilot. Then, go pick up a copy of the (FREE) player rules!
What do you get when you cross a devil and a human, and then wait a few generations? That's right, it's Tiefling time! Everyone's favorite hellspawn player character race, with options ranging from pale skin to purple, and always lurking in the shadows to be the edgy anti-heroes we deserve.
Happy pride month, everybody! This one goes out to all the LGBTQIA+ folks (and allies) out there. And to all the representative members of that demographic making appearances in board games, tabletop games, and even the occasional wargame.
Elves! Perhaps the most common fantasy race in modern games and literature, and certainly one of the most well-known. But what are elves? We dig deep into the elvish mystery, and what we uncover may shock you. But probably not.
The Elder Scrolls are a classic series of RPG computer games. We decided to talk about them, and not just because they have a tabletop miniatures game attached as well. Mostly just because we both enjoy Morrowind, and want to chat about how cool that part of the setting is.
It's lizard time! From ancient mythology to pulp sword and sorcery, lizard people have been an element of fantastical stories. And now they're used in a whole lot of modern fantasy and science fiction games. But how are they presented in Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer, Star Wars, and other franchises? And why do some people draw them with tits?
We play a lot of games, and watch a lot of media. And sometimes, we wonder why a particular franchise that seems ripe for a game has NOTHING. And of course, there are the perfectly good games that have fallen into obscurity and could use a reboot. So let's talk about some of them- from Crimson Skies and AT-43 to Pokémon and Stargate, Grand Theft Auto and Dinotopia.
In this episode we do a little trolling. About trolls. A staple of fantasy, and derived from Scandinavian mythology and folklore, there's a lot to be said about trolls. So we talk about them for a while.
The Dungeons and Dragons movie just came out. It's good! But it wasn't the first film to bear the title. If you've ever wondered about the D&D movie from 2000, here's your chance to learn about it without having to sit though some god-awful fantasy schlock.
Sing muse, of the monsters of Greek mythology! From the deadly minotaur to the poisonous hydra, we look at classic Greek monsters who have been translated into Dungeons and Dragons.
Imperial troops have entered the podcast! Imperial troops have entered the -gzrk!Today we're talking about the tabletop wargame, Star Wars Legion, published by Fantasy Flight Games and then Atomic Mass Games. If you want a fun, mechanically competent tabletop game with solid miniatures, and you like Star Wars, you're probably already playing this.
Episode 69. Nice.We use the special number as an excuse to talk about Succubus and Incubus, the folklore demons of sexy-times, and how they have been presented and used in modern roleplaying games and wargames. It's not a great look for games, honestly.
Great Scott! This episode appears to have traveled forward in time! Perhaps it's because we're talking about time travel, and how everyone's favorite way of causing paradoxes has been implemented in TTRPGs, board games, and very occasionally wargames.
It's slime time! Join us as we discuss slimes from the delicious sounding but terrible tasting black pudding to the equally foul tasting ochre jelly and the Gelatinous Cube, the cube that eats you!(TM).
Chess! En Passant! Checkmate! Castling! Horsies! It's time to talk about chess, the classic abstract strategy game. Originally from India, but adapted heavily into what we know today. Also we really don't play enough chess to be experts in the game, but when has that ever stopped us! Execute order 66!
The king of the undead! It's time to talk about liches, the classic wizard turned evil dead monster. With their phylactery, forbidden magical knowledge, insane paranoia, and all the other goodies, they provide an important high level foe for classic dungeons and dragons players. Also, they are going to eat your soul.
Blood Bowl is a game of fantasy football. Emphasis on the "Fantasy" We talk about the best sports based miniatures game ever made, and one of the longest lasting, best supported, and all around most fun games you can play. Also, there's a video game version, if you don't feel like painting up minis.
Kobolds, everyone's favorite low level draconic themed lizard guys! But they weren't always like this. In this episode, we talk about the folklore, game history, and general lore of Kobolds, both for dungeons and dragons and the wider fantasy gaming community at large. Also there's a mechsuit called the Kobold that we talk about too.
In the grim darkness of the far fantasy, there is only war... hammer. Join the gnolls as we discuss Warhammer Fantasy, a classic game of miniature mass combat, where brave dwarves, humans, and elves find themselves at the mercies of chaos, undead, and dark elves. Also Skaven, the best faction.
Behold! This week we're talking about the paranoid, xenophobic, floating mess of eyes and magical powers known as beholders. A staple of Dungeons and Dragons from the very beginning, they are still not as iconic as some of the other big monsters, and certainly don't have the same level of recognition and lore.
This is a nerdy podcast. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It menaces with spikes of humor. The podcast is decorated with an image of dwarves. The dwarves are laughing.In this episode we discuss Dwarf Fortress, a game that has been in development for around 20 years and is still only considered half-done by its creator.
Mind Flayers! Ancient beings of arcane and psionic power that want to eat your brains! A classic monster of dungeons and dragons, the humble Ilithid has been around since the earliest editions of the game, and is a favorite of dungeon masters looking for a way to humble their players.
How does magic work in a game? How is it presented in a fantasy setting? Is Pokemon a fantasy setting? These are some of the questions we try to answer on this episode of Gnoll Country for Old Men.
Has the podcast delved too greedily, and too deep? If so we may have just stumbled onto the subterranean home of the dwarves, everyone's favorite hard working, hard drinking, hard bearded underground folk. But where do dwarves come from? (mountains) What do dwarves want? (treasure) And why are dwarves so cool? We just don't know.
3D printing: because sometime you need to spend a lot of time and effort to make a very specific model for your wargame. But where did the technology come from, and will it make all other manufacturing obsolete? (no).
A staple of fantasy worlds since the days of Tolkien, orcs are a classic monster for a reason. But what is that reason? And why are orcs the way they are? And what makes the orcs of different settings interesting and unique?
It's the end of the (TTRPG) world as we know it, and I feel fine. This week we're talking about one of the powerhouses of the indie tabletop roleplaying scene, Powered by the Apocalypse! This 2d6 based narrative heavy system is a player favorite, and has been used for games ranging from superheroes to dungeon crawls and so much more!
Welcome to season 2 of Gnoll Country for Old Men! We're celebrating Gnollvember by doing an episode dedicated to that mis-understood hyena demonspawn monster, the Gnoll! From its origins in early fantasy fiction, to the decision to make them hyena themed, to ideas for how to run space gnolls, we talk about it all.
The formalized version of sitting around a campfire telling scary stories, Horror TTRPGs have been around for a long time. We discuss some of the most interesting games out there, and learn what each of them is good for.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the gamestore... Spooky season continues, as we discuss Slasher films, their influence on tabletop games, and what you can play if you're looking to get a horrifically good game for Halloween!
Cosmic horror! The awakening of ancient elder gods, the alienation of man in an uncaring universe, the discovery of sanity melting forgotten civilizations... and also a lot of board games. The works of HP Lovecraft have influenced a lot of games, and we're going to talk about them.
As we enter spooky season, it's time to talk about one of the classic horror monsters and how they fit into tabletop games, board games, and RPGs. That's right, zombies! They eat your brains, they shuffle around aimlessly, and they provide social commentary on the nature of man.
Think tabletop miniatures games look cool, but don't know how to start playing them? Want to learn about options beyond just dropping an entire paycheck on a Warhammer army? Feel like painting all the models and rolling all the dice? Then this is the episode you've been waiting for!
We're talking about Eberron! Our favorite modern DnD setting, a rip-roaring land of pulp adventures, noir intrigue, magic slinging robots, and lightning trains!
In this educational episode, our hosts delve into the world of miniatures! Learn how to get started cultivating your collection of tiny figures for fantasy games, science fictions games, and anything else. With tips on painting, where to buy figures, and much, much more.
It's time to talk about a classic and beloved setting: Planescape! Journey across the outlands, visit the outer planes, the inner planes, and Sigil, the City of Doors! We love this setting. Wizards of the Coast better not mess it up when they do a re-release.
This Labor Day, we're taking some time off working to discuss games where you decide how and where people work! Worker placement games have been a fast growing type of modern board games. But what are they? What makes them interesting? Which ones do we like? Learn all this and more on this episode of Gnoll Country for Old Men.
Well, Spelljammer came out for 5th edition DnD. It's not what we were hoping for. This podcast is mostly just complaining about the lack of new features and lore, and pointed references to what could have been.
What makes a science fiction setting (or franchise) good? What makes a universe good for playing games, either RPGs or wargames? What's that noise at the airlock? We discuss, and take the opportunity to talk about some of our favorite science fiction worlds.
What if Mad Max were a DnD setting? Welcome to the world of Dark Sun, a dying-Earth apocalyptical wasteland abandoned by the gods and ruled by ruthless sorcerer-kings. A great place for adventurers, although maybe not a great place if you want metal armor.
Perhaps the most popular wargame setting, it's World War 2! We're talking about all the games set during the 20th century's most destructive conflict. Also, why we prefer alternate history if you want to do a "historical" RPG.
It's fantasy, in space! Spelljammer, the classic DnD setting where you sail between the crystal shells and pilot your ship to distant worlds, with strange new life and new civilizations! Also, there are miniature giant space hamsters.
We've talked about bad game mechanics, but what about good game mechanics? There are things that we like to see in board games, war games, and RPGs. So game designers, if you're listening, do more with these sorts of things.
They're not as forgotten as you might think! The Forgotten Realms is one of the most details and beloved settings in the Dungeons and Dragons game. We talk about it, and probably don't do it justice.
Happy 4th of July! We interrupt the scheduled discussion of DnD settings to take a look at some of the fearsome beasts, legendary monsters, and cryptids in American folklore. From the Wendigo to Mothman, we look at classics and forgotten favorites and determine how they might be used in a TTRPG.
It's time to talk about the oldest board game that is still being played competitively! Go! From it's origins in China more than 2000 years ago, to the recent developments in AI that can beat humans, to how nice it would be to own one of the fancy expensive board for the game, we get into many of the game's details.
It's got dragons, it's got lances, it's got elves and dwarves and kender? It must be Dragonlance time! Join us as we talk about the most standard 80s fantasy setting in all of Dungeons and Dragons history. A land where even the wizards are color coded for your convenience.
Happy pride month! We're talking about LGBTQIA+ experinces and RPGs - what's good in them, what can be improved, and how they can be more inclusive.
It's spooky setting time! We're talking about Ravenloft, the dungeons and dragons setting of gothic horror! It's got vampires, it's got werewolves, it's got cosmic horrors and folksy unsettling horrors! And it's also got a 5e setting book, which is a first for the worlds we've been talking about.
What makes a game good? What makes a game bad? Why are some parts of games not fun to play? We take a look at some bad game mechanics, and how you might go about fixing them.
Mystara, the Known World, the Savage Coast, the Hollow World... classic DnD settings that we're going to talk about! You can do classic fantasy, you can do cursed pirates, and you can do crazy hollow earth dinosaur stories in one place!
What were board games like back in the USSR? We discuss how the Soviet Union made board games, why they made board games, and if there are any that we really want to play. Also, we talk about chess, which was super popular.
Delve into the first published dungeons and dragons setting, the world of Greyhawk! Featuring such exotic locals as: The Grand Dutchy of Geoff, the Empire of Iuz, and the Free City of Greyhawk! Learn who your favorite spells are named after! Discover where all those classic adventures you've heard of (but maybe not played) are set!
Join Gnoll Country as we talk about Rangers of Shadow Deep, a tabletop wargame where you don't need an opponent to have fun! We venture into the darkness of the evil forests and fight the fierce giant spiders to answer all sorts of questions about the game.
Science and magic and making stuff! It's all about the artificer, the Dungeons and Dragons class the puts the "magic" into "magic item". Where do artificers come from? How do they work? Why are they one of our favorite classes? All these questions and more will be asked.
Join Gnoll Country as we discuss the age old question: are video games better than tabletop RPGs? (The answer is "no", by the way). We talk about the linked origins of computer RPGs, what you can learn from them, and what we like about various games.
The classic arcane magic user from dungeons and dragons, the wizard! Join us as we cast magic missile, fireball, and the occasional tasha's hideous laughter. We answer all your burning (hands) questions about the wizard, where they came from, and how they work in Dungeons and Dragons 5e.
Hello there! Ever wanted to play an RPG in the Star Wars universe? Wanted to know which of the many systems is the best for you? Gnoll Country for Old Men answers these questions, and more! Join us as we talk about lightsabers, bounty hunters, rebels, and a whole hive of scum and villainy.
We've gazed into the abyss and made deals with nameless horrors, offering up our souls and getting in return... a 1d10 cantrip? This week Gnoll Country is talking about the warlock from D&D, the class with the eldritch blast! Join us as we cover where they came from, what they do, and why we think they're fun.
We're going into full wargame territory with this one! It's time to talk about Advanced Squad Leader, the simulationist game of World War 2 combat, featuring everyone's favorite things, hexes, tokens, and 500 page rulebooks!
The Sorcerer - for when you want to cast spells, but reading is boring! We go into detail about the 5th edition dungeons and dragons class, what we like about it, and how you can get the most out of it. A magical time is had by all!
Time to conquer alien planets like it's 1999. We're talking about Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, a classic video game and also a GURPS module for tabletop role playing games. Why should you play this game? Why should you use this setting for your next sci-fi adventure? What the hell are mind worms? We answer all these questions and more.
This week we're talking about the sneaky class with the edgy backstory- that's right, it's rogues! When you need an orphan to go stab someone in the back and take their coinpurse, the rogue is who you call. From it's inspirations in fantasy novels to the various styles available in 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons, we talk about it all.
This week we're talking about Keyforge, the unique deck collectible card game from Fantasy Flight Games and Richard Garfield. Come join us and a special guest as we reap, fight, and forge keys in a game we all very much enjoy.
It's time to go out in the woods and do ranger things! Follow in the footsteps of Robin Hood Aragorn, and any cool wilderness explorer archetype as we talk about rangers, and why we like them. We're gonna shoot some bows, dual wield some swords, companion some beasts, and have a good time.
It's time for some Frostgrave! Join us as we talk about the best indie skirmish wargame. Pick a wizard, hire some mercenaries, delve into the frozen city of Felstad, and start casting wall everywhere. Don't worry about the monsters or the rival warbands, or the unstable magical ruins everywhere. Great fun will be had by all!
When you need smiting, accept no substitute! This week Gnoll Country for Old Men is talking about the Paladin, everyone's favorite holy warrior, chivalric knight, and lawful stupid pal. From the classes thematic origins in the Song of Roland to the different oaths available to the class in dungeons and dragons 5e, we cover the class the same way platemail covers a character.
Set your s-foils to attack position and pick up your visual scanning, because this week we're talking about X-wing! Not the book series or the video games, but the popular tabletop wargame. We go into detail about how it works, why we like it, and where the game seems to be going!
Bonus board game content: The Pit, a party card game first published in 1904?
When you need something punched, accept no substitutes. Today we're talking about the Monk class for dungeons and dragons. Where did it come from? How does it work? Is everyone really kung-fu fighting? All these questions and more are answered on this episode of the Gnoll Country for Old Men podcast.
Psst- hey kid, wanna buy some cardboard? This week Gnoll Country for Old Men is talking about Collectible Card Games or CCGs. From Magic: the Gathering to Keyforge, Pokémon to Hearthstone, with reminisces about Battletech, Star Wars, and Yu-gi-oh, we cover the genre. Learn more than you ever wanted to know about where card games came from!
Gnoll Country For Old Men Episode 10! It's fight night. We discuss the classic D&D character, the Fighting-Man, and how it became the fighter that we recognize today. There is also some discussion about metal miniatures, new Star Wars lore, Warhammer 40k, and a board game that we seriously enjoy.
Gnoll Country For Old Men Episode 9! Math rocks go clickity-clackity. We talk about dice- their history, their use in RPGs and wargames, the superstitions gamers have about them, and why we keep buying new sets. If you've ever wondered about how a person becomes a dice goblin, this is the podcast for you.
Gnoll Country For Old Men Episode 8! What are druids, exactly? Where do they come from? Why should you play as one? Who first created the class for Dungeons and Dragons? All of these are questions we will answer on the Podcast. And if we don't answer a question, then the podcast is free!
Gnoll Country For Old Men Episode 7! VROOM VROOM! We're talking about Gaslands, the excellent post-apocalyptic game of vehicular mayhem! This is one of our all-time favorite indie wargames. Put on your seatbelts and grab your molotov cocktails, because we're about to shift into (roll dice) fourth gear!
Gnoll Country For Old Men Episode 6! We're talking about that standard of the support classes, the original healer and dealer, the caster of buffs and weilder of maces, the Cleric! The third class created for dungeons and dragons back in the day, and still among the most popular and useful in the modern game.
Gnoll Country For Old Men Episode 5! We're talking about some of our favorite "weird" Dungeons and Dragons monsters. From the orgins of the displacer beast to the things you can do with a roving mauler, we have ideas for how you can use some more unusual creatures in your own game.
Gnoll Country For Old Men Episode 4! We're talking about the Bard, one of the classic Dungeons and Dragons classes. Where do they come from? What makes them special? Why do we like them so much?
And in the boardgame segment, we're discussing Dark Souls (the board game, not the video game)
We're discussing MacGuffins, Plot Devices, and magic items. What are the differences? What makes them memorable? Why do people expect to see them in a D&D campaign? We answer some, but not all, of those questions.
We're talking about the Barbarian! A classic Dungeons and Dragons class- but where did it come from? when did it make it into D&D? And what are the options for playing one? Listen to Gnoll Country for Old Men episode 2 to find out.
Episode 1 - GNS theory! We talk about what gamism, narrativism, and simulationism mean, and what they tell us about the games we play and why we like to play them.
(Also, we know that the mic quality is bad. We're working on it for future episodes)