The Smart Party: Recent Episodes
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Episode 185 – Cities (aka Fantasy Tripadvisor) After wandering the wilderness and diving down dungeons, plucky adventurers wish to go to an enthralling city. Maybe your entire campaign is based around one location. The lads explore various cities from ttrgps and the merits and flaws thereof! If you dig actual plays played with vim and…
Episode 184 – Hot War, Cold City (with Jon Hodgson and Malcolm Craig) Joining the ‘cast this time, Jon Hodgson of Handiwork Games and RPG author and academic Malcolm Craig. The Cold War period and monster hunting in Berlin come to the fore as the lads dive into Hot War and Cold City among other…
Episode 183 – Unacceptable! (a.k.a. It’s Not You It’s Us) There are a plethora of gaming events to go to these days and you meet all kinds of people and playstyles. Often this is a cause for celebration, a way to pick up new ideas and techniques. Sometimes though, it’s suboptimal. There are still some…
Episode 182 – How To GM with Justin Alexander The lads are delighted to have returning Good Friend of the Show, RPG producer and designer at Atlas Games, Justin Alexander. He’s got a new book coming out, available in all good purveyors of such things, So You Want To Be A Game Master. Join for…
Episode 181 – Gaming in Ukraine with Tasha from idearoll Fresh from The Kraken gaming retreat, the lads have met old friends and made new ones. Chief among those is Tasha from the idearoll youtube channel, who joins them this week to talk about gaming events, the scene in Ukraine and challenges of the current…
Episode 180 – Shadow of the Weird Wizard with Rob Schwalb Returning special guest Rob Schwalb, creator of Shadow of the Demonlord, Punk Apocalyptica, D&D designer and more, returns to the show to tell us all about his design process and work on his new Kickstarter, Shadow of the Weird Wizard. You can jump on…
Episode 179 – Pendragon 6e with David Larkins Returning special guest David Larkins, Line Editor for the King Arthur Pendragon RPG joins the lads to talk about the new edition, it’s starter set and get back to basics on what Pendragon is all about for new players and old hands alike! If you dig actual…
Episode 178 – Starforged With Shawn Tomkin Returning special guest Shawn Tomkin, designer of Ironsworn and of particular interest this time, Starforged. It’s an excellent Sci Fi RPG and well worth digging into, which is exactly what the lads do this time! If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the…
Episode 177 – Wilderness Travel Fancy a trip to the Isle of Dread!? This episode the lads take a look at traveling in the wilderness, how to make it interesting and what tips and trips can improve the journey. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel.…
Episode 176 – Dungeons Not Dragons Whether you’re from the old school days of white-lined maps on blue backgrounds, or newly arrived at the idea of maps, scouring the internet for your Roll20 backgrounds, dungeons have a long and storied history in RPGs. Join the lads as they look back over the years at dungeons,…
Episode 175 – Paragon System with Sean Nittner and Tim Denee If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll know we love AGON, powered by the Paragon system. This time the lads are delighted to be joined by Sean Nittner, the co-author and independent game designer Tim Denee, who’s done some great stuff with the…
Episode 174 – Beyond Dread Portals (a.k.a. Climinal) This time the boys are joined by Good Friend of the Show and returning guest Dr Mitch and Newt from D101 Games to talk about their new project Beyond Dread Portals. A game for those wanting to move slightly away from what D&D has to offer, but…
Episode 173 – Third Floor Wars (a.k.a. Third Party Podcaster) A third podcaster, Craig Shipman from Third Floor Wars joins the lads this time to talk about some of our collective GM experiences at running three different games. From Blades in the Dark to Savage Worlds by way of Call of Cthulhu, this mighty triumvirate…
Episode 172 – OGL OMG (a.k.a. Version Wars) There has been no end of social media frenzy about Hasbro / Wizards of the Coast and their attempt to introduce a new Open Gaming Licence. What is? Why are they doing? What’s everyone upset about? Does it impact your game at the kitchen table? Find out,…
Episode 171 – 2022 Retrospective (a.k.a. A Polite Golf Clap) A look back on the past year, what’s been good for gaming, what can we look forward to and more. A genial fireside chat with your amiable hosts. If you are interested in solo play for Ironsworn as mentioned check out this channel. If you…
Episode 170 – Star Wars (a.k.a. Live Long And Prosper) A chance to reminisce among other things, the lads chatter about bringing Star Wars into your gaming life and what’s good about that. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel. Get in touch, the lads love…
Episode 169 – Mechanics Drive Play (a.k.a. Long Chambery Things) Following on from emergent play in the last episode, the lads go through a cornucopia of games and systems to talk about mechanics which drive different styles of play. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel.…
Episode 168 – Emergent Play (a.k.a. Play To Find Out) From thick books of lore to many-paged character backgrounds, how do you get cool stuff to the table? Do you even bother with all that and play to find out instead? The lads chat about how to get more juiciness from your gaming sessions. If…
Episode 167 – One D&D (a.k.a. There Can Be Only One) The guys are keen for a deep dive into the latest D&Dizzle news, fresh playtest documents, talk of a new approach, a lengthy train in the run up to the most recent evolution of the world’s largest RPG, “One D&D”. If you dig actual…
Episode 166 – Radiant Citadel with Ajit George (a.k.a. A New Hope) The guys are joined by lovely human and creator and project lead of Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, Ajit George. Discover how the project came about, what to expect from the latest D&D offering, how it’s different from what’s gone before and much…
Episode 165 – D&D in the 70s (a.k.a. A Gateway To Wider Experiences) This time Gaz & Baz are reunited to talk about playing D&D back in the day. Joined by D&D designer and Good Friend of the Show, Jonathan Tweet, plus legendary DM Hollis Monroe, the guys talk through early experiences before Greyhawk existed…
Episode 164 – Escape Rooms with Rafael Chandler Another Stunt Baz in the shape of Mat from Steamforged Games, a returning special guest in the splendid form of Good Friend of the Show, Rafael Chandler; what more could you ask for? Rafael has a successful Escape Room business and is (at time of recording) launching…
Episode 163 – New Gaming Tech (a.k.a. Is Verisimilitude a Word?) There’s a foreword this time from Baz to let you know what’s going on in his life, thoughts are with him right now. The episode was recorded before his recent sad news, and after the into message regular Stunt Baz and author of the…
Episode 162 – Zombies with Dirk the Dice (a.k.a. Goldeneye Caused It) The Unknown Stunt Baz, Dirk the Dice off of The Grognard Files podcast joins Gaz this time to talk about zombies in popular media and in particular, games. From their origins to the hugely popular K-Zombie films and TV, how do we get…
Episode 161 – Justin Alexander Interview (a.k.a. Was Dragonlance Railroady?) Armed with “Stunt Baz” Guy Milner off of the Burn After Running blog, this time Gaz interviews RPG producer and designer at Atlas Games, Justin Alexander. The chat covers the excellent RPG resource The Alexandrian, as well as what’s hot at Atlas Games and some…
Episode 160 – Blade Runner (a.k.a. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) One of the most universally recognised IPs in geekdom, Blade Runner is a staple of the lad’s early film experiences. Now Free League are bringing the films (and other media) to life with a new RPG set in futuristic LA. Designer Tomas Härenstam…
Episode 159 – Superheroes (a.k.a. Not All Heroes Wear Capes) With great podcasting, comes great responsibility to listen. Or something. This time the lads go through some Supers RPGs. What are they about? Do they match the genre? Are they any good? All this and more awaits. If you dig actual plays and reviews of…
Episode 158 – Dark Souls (a.k.a. You Wake Up By A Bonfire) So it is, ash seeketh embers… this time the lads are joined by Mat Hart and Rich August from Steamforged Games to talk about the Dark Souls RPG, and go deep diving into game design theory. You can find out more on Dark…
Episode 156 – Campaigns a.k.a. One Scenario After Another What makes a good campaign? This time the lads explore what’s out there in published campaign land and seek to determine what sort of campaigns there are, what makes them good and throw out some top tips and recommendations. If you dig actual plays and reviews…
Episode 156 – Runequest a.k.a. Your Glorantha May Vary The starter set is out for the latest edition of an old classic, Runequest. As Baz plunders this resource and gives his thoughts, Gaz expands in this knowledge with a tour through previous editions and the lads try to answer the core question of any game…
Episode 155 – Review of 2021 a.k.a. Recording at the fag-end New year, new you and new podcast. The lads go over the year that was, 2021, with all its trials, tribulations and great gaming moments. If you dig actual plays and reviews of played modules, check out the new YouTube channel. Get in touch,…
Episode 154 – Subsystems a.k.a. Cut Down Like Ep1 of Squid Game The lads chat through chases, Dramatic Tasks, the funnel, spell duels, grappling and all other manner of subsystems and extra bits. COre mechanics are all very well and good, but how do you do mass battle? Find out in this episode! If you…
Bonus Episode – Writing RPG Scenarios for Publication The lads went down to London Village for Dragonmeet and presented in their usual seminar slot. This time they were joined by special guests Paul Fricker (Call of Cthulhu, Rivers of London) and Mat Hart (Steamforged Games) to talk in a wide-ranging presentation on writing your own…
Episode 153 – Shane Hensley Interview a.k.a Shaken Not Stirred The lads were delighted to have one of their gaming heroes on this time, founder of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Shane Hensley. He’s created the best-selling, award-winning Deadlands, Hell on Earth, Weird Wars, and later Savage Worlds and many of its settings. He’s also written for God’s Own Game…
Episode 152 – Jason Cordova Interview a.k.a Shouting Into The Void Jason Cordova joins the lads to chat about his own podcasting experience on Fear of a Black Dragon, hot indie rpgs like The Between and Brindlewood Bay, game design, streaming and much more! Follow Jason on Twitter. You can find out more about the…
Episode 151 – Into The Odd Remastered a.k.a You Were The First Good friend of the show Chris McDowall has remastered his well-renowned and critically-acclaimed Into the Odd in a new edition, teaming up with more good friends of the show, Free League! The lads go through design choices, graphics, how to write a game…
Episode 150 – Meguey & Vincent Baker Interview a.k.a The Secret Is, They’re Just Subsystems For the 150th episode, the boys needed something special, and what better way to celebrate than chatting to two of the industry’s best and nicest game designers, Vincent and Meg Baker. Between them, authors of Apocalypse World, Dogs in the…
Episode 149 – Advancement a.k.a The Other Sin is 1XP Thanks to a Listener’s Letter, this episode is all about advancement. Of course a lot of the chat is about XP and mechanically improving your character, but the lads also think about what else advancing a character could mean. If you dig actual plays and…
Episode 148 – Nostalgia a.k.a The More You Look At It, The More It Looks Back At You Remember those Hovis adverts from back in the day? No? How about Cyborg Commando? The lads ponder on lost youth and the eternal question of not only can you go back, but should you? Numerous old games…