RPGFan's Random Encounter

We decided to get one more leisurely episode in before the craziness of the fourth quarter starts to take over. Dave leads off with some final thoughts on The Secret World, Rob fends off the zombie apocalypse (TM) while talking about the first two episodes of The Walking Dead, and John throws down with Persona 4: Arena. Dave also pulls double duty as our podcast economist and tries to make sense of all the stuff going on with The Old Republic and Zynga. Finally, we've got an interview with game designer Mike Zadorojny from ArenaNet about the final development stages and future of Guild Wars 2. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Dave Yeager and Stephen Meyerink Special Guest: Mike Zadorojny, Game Designer at ArenaNet Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

The podcast crew continues to fight back the record setting drought with a focus on great gaming experience. Rob and John spent some time in The Secret World, and John also pulled double duty by partaking in some Rainbow Moon with resident gaming lover Stephen. Meanwhile, some relatively minor news accompanies a major rumor on a supposedly troubled project. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll and Stephen Meyerink Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

The summer heat has kicked in, but that just means more time to stay in the air conditioning and play some great RPGs. Stephen comes armed after a harrowing experience with the Japanese beta of Phantasy Star Online 2 (keep in mind we didn't know about the US release when we recorded), while John brings the critters of Pokemon Conquest to destroy the armies of feudal Japan. Meanwhile, Rob's been playing some Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (way to stay current), and, of course, Zack brings the news, including the release announcement of Guild Wars 2. Featuring: Robert Steinman, Stephen Meyerink, John McCarroll, and Zachary Pintchik Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Another year, another E3 come and gone in the gaming world. While it may not have seemed like there were a lot of RPGs on display, our intrepid reporters scoured the show floor to bring you all of the latest info. From the first Skyrim expansion to a game in which a young child tries to kill people (seriously!), this year's expo had a wide range of titles to choose from. Join the regular crew and various special guests as we do our best to talk about all of the E3 insanity! Featuring: Robert Steinman, Stephen Meyerink, Neal Chandran, Kyle E. Miller, John McCarroll and Dave Yeager Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Join RPGFan Editor-in-Chief John McCarroll as he talks Gungnir with Richard Rodrigues and Aram Jabbari of Atlus. Note: This is the same interview available at the end of Random Encounter Episode 45. We've added a separate download option for your listening convenience. Featuring: John McCarroll, Richard Rodrigues (QA Lead, Atlus), Aram Jabbari (PR Manager, Atlus) Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Looks like Hell has finally frozen over. Blizzard unleashed Diablo 3 a little over two weeks ago, and the podcast crew has been tearing through the armies of the Burning Hells with reckless abandon. What do they think about all of the connection issues? What about the auction house? Is the game even good? After that, the crew wades into a title that Rob can't pronounce or spell with Gungnir, and there's certainly some sad news to talk about following the closing of 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. Stay tuned after the regular show for an interview with Atlus' QA Lead Richard Rodrigues and PR Manager Aram Jabbari as they talk more about Gungnir with Editor-in-Chief John McCarroll. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Zachary Pintchik Special Guests: Richard Rodrigues and Aram Jabbari Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

As part of the ArenaNet studio visit that took place one month ago, Rob was able to participate in two roundtable interviews on the upcoming Guild Wars 2. Unfortunately, we were unable to get you the interviews due to technical difficulties... until now! The first interview is with Lead Content Designer Colin Johanson and Lead Game Designer Eric Flannum, and is followed by an interview with ArenaNet President Mike O'Brien and Producer Chris Whiteside. There's a lot of interesting discussion in here, so grab a seat and listen up! Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Ya know what's a good idea? Let's send the biggest MMO-hater on the site out to Seattle to check out Guild Wars 2. It may sound like a recipe for disaster, but Rob came back with a huge smile on his face and a desire to play more of the innovative title due out later this year. In addition, John found a surprising amount of quality listener mail, giving us the oppourtunity to hold our very first Q and A session! How freakin' sweet is that?! Zack brings it all home with his usual news roundup, including a special piece that's sure to make both Rob and Stephen very happy... Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Derek Heemsbergen and Ashton Liu Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

It's spring time and allergy season has hit the podcast crew like a ton of bricks, but that won't stop us from talking about some great JRPG releases! We finally have Xenoblade in America as well as Tales of Graces f to satiate us during these sneeze filled months. There's also a lot of Kickstarter stuff to talk about in news, leading to the revival of some well loved franchises (yay for Shadowrun!). Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Derek Heemsbergen and Ashton Liu Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

The release of Mass Effect 3 sure has sent some shockwaves through the industry, and the podcast gang is no exception. Join the crew of Random Encounter as they talk about the crew of the Normandy and the finale to BioWare's epic. We delve into spoilers from about the 37 minute mark until 1 hour 20 minutes in, so avoid that if you're worried about spoilers. But do come back! After John's journey through news, Atlus representatives Aram Jabbari and Scott Williams join us to talk about the soon to be released Game of Thrones RPG based on the works of George RR Martin. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Liz Maas and Ashton Liu Special Guests: Aram Jabbari and Scott Williams of Atlus Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com