Role Playing Public Radio

While most of our shows so far have focused on running a great game, we thought we would give some advice for the other side of the GM Screen. In other words, the players. Of course, we talk about D&D 4th Edition, the death of Erick Wujcik, recent games we played, Raillery, my awesome new comedy video podcast and more. Tom was too lazy to write a letter, so instead we review The Happening and Machine Girl and tell a few anecdotes. I have a brand spanking new anecdote from playing D&D 4E and listener Eternal Green sent in a few. Don’t forget to check out our new forums! Shout Outs: Colonial Gothic: A new horror RPG set in colonial America. Great research into the period and it’s a fresh idea for a horror setting. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, anyone? Let’s Play: An archive of playthroughs of video games, both old and new. This video from the Darkseed 2 is all you need to understand how great this is. Iron Age Sourcebook for Mutants and Masterminds: In the 80s and 90s, superheroes fought crime to the MAXX and by Maxx I meant that they murdered their enemies. It was pretty cool although Rob Liefield can’t draw a human body worth a shit. Hosted by Ross Payton and Tom Church Music: A new song from Vitamins and Minerals of Death that I will use in the next Raillery video.

Ethan Haas was right, at least according to David Carter, Earl Fischl and Tom McLaughlin, the team behind Alpha Omega the new post apocalyptic science fantasy RPG from Mind Storm Labs. In the future, the world is ravaged by war and disasters while alien races wage war. Of course, dumb old humanity mistook these aliens for angels and demons thousands of years ago. Plus, there are robots. What more could you want in a game? Magic? There’s that. Mutants? But of course. Ninjas? The ninjas are so sneaky in this game, they aren’t even mentioned. But they’re there. And they will kill you in the night if you doubt their existence. That’s how bad ass they are. In the interview, we discuss how Alpha Omega was created, the Ethan Haas Alternate Reality Game viral marketing campaign and its connection to Cloverfield, upcoming products for the game, the art of Alpha Omega, game design and more. Be sure to check out the New World Science and Engineering Commission site, mentioned in the interview.

Based loosely on Kinji Fukusaku’s Battle Without Honor or Humanity film series and the Akira Kurosawa film Stray Dog, this game takes placed in Hiroshima Japan, 1946. The players are members of the Yamagata Yakuza clan, the newest and smallest family in the city, vulnerable to foreign gangs and larger Yakuza families. A confrontation with a rival gang turns deadly and an American .45 automatic is the key to a deadly mystery… GM: Ross Payton System: GURPS 4th edition, 50 point characters. Players: Tom Church and Jason Ariciu

Just like the Scooby Doo gang, players tend to split up during a game and ike it or not and unless you know what to do, your game can suffer. Most players get bored when they have nothing to do, a divided game can mean the end of your campaign. We discuss how to deal with a split game and keep everything running smooth. There’s also a letter from Tom and of course, shout outs. Cave Story: A freeware side scrolling adventure PC game that is a blast to play. Shadowcaster: An old school PC RPG that has something to do with casting shadows. Which is dumb, because everyone casts a shadow. But, whatever. Music: Scooby Doo by Baron Von Lichtenstein.

Tarn Adams Interviewer: Ross Payton Synopsis: Dwarf Fortress is a one of a kind computer game. Part roguelike, part RTS, part fantasy world simulator, this game has to be played to be believed. With no graphics (everything is represented by ASCII symbols), the player is charged with building a mighty fortress with only seven dwarves and a wagon load of supplies. Murderous monsters and animals, temperamental workers and countless other challenges stand in your way. And you will lose. But that’s okay, because losing is fun.  I talk with DF’s programmer and creator, Tarn Adams about his experience with role playing games, game design philosophy, beards on dwarves and other pertinent topics.

Music: Can’t Judge a Book by Robin Sylar Promos: Bearswarm Podcast, Nuketown Radio and the Game Traveler Hosted by Ross Payton and Tom Church New: RPPR Donations We now accept donations to cover the cost of hosting and equipment for our podcast. If you’re a fan of RPPR, contribute. You can set up a $2 monthly subscription fee or donate a one time fee. Contact us if you’re interested in sponsoring an episode of RPPR. [donation] Synopsis: Gamers should broaden their horizons on occasion. To that end, we each picked five books or types of printed media that can do just that and we discuss how to implement each title’s content. These apply to both player and GM, as a clever player can get great character concept ideas or tactics for the game while GMs get a treasure trove of game material. ‘ Tom has updated the classic poem “Casey at Bat” with the Palladium RPG, Rifts, in mind. Plus, shout outs and an anecdote. Find out the conclusion of an 8 month WW2 GURPS campaign where I was a player for once! My Top Five Storyteller by Kate Wilhelm Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales Mythologies by Roland Barthes How to Make War by James Dunnigan / Howdunit by Lee Lofland / Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch Tom’s Top Five Newspapers Punisher Comics – current MAX run by Garth Ennis City Tour Guides Zoology Books Janes Military Guides Shout Outs Mount & Blade: An excellent indie PC game of medieval combat and adventure. Players create an adventurer, raise an army of soldiers and rampage across the country side, battling whatever foes stand in your way. Virtually no plot, minimal RPG character development, but great action and it’s tremendously fun to run down dozens of peasants with a heavily armed knight on horseback. Wrongside: A comic of politics, intrigue, genocide, and fashion right out of the Final Fantasy school of design. Also, furries. Dwarf Fortress: An ASCII graphic strategy/simulation game that puts you in control of seven dwarves and a wagon in a randomly generated world. The object being of course, to build a fortress. Of course, dwarves are strange little creatures and subject to strange whims and bad luck. That and Dwarf Fortress is a staggeringly complex game that keeps track of every dwarf’s emotional state, fluid mechanics and erosion, among other things. It is in fact, INSANE. Play it…if you dare. BOATMURDERED: The saga of a Dwarf Fortress run by a succession of emperors. Marvel at the cleverness of Project DOOM (it involves channeling magma), tremble at the exploits of murderous legendary elephants and weep at the sad fate that befalls the inhabitants of BOATMURDERED. BOATMURDERED is, was and ever shall be the most brutal of all fortresses in all of fantasy. F-117 Flight Simulator: A DOS era flight simulator. Tom really really really hates Saddam era Iraq and likes to blow it up. So, uh, there you go. Oh and Iron Man. The movie. I’m not going to link it. Fuck that noise. It’s a fun movie but come on. It’s got like a 50 million dollar advertising budget. Read below the fold for Tom’s entire Casey at Bat It looked extremely rocky for the Darkened Basement Five The Splugorth Slaver had left only three of the group still alive And after Dave the Dragon failed to get in his licks The survivors moaned and said “We’re in a dreadful fix.” Steve the Headhunter, who was one of the two who died Looked at Bob the Dog Boy and both groaned and sighed They held a last hope, an optimistic dream That Casey the Glitter Boy could save the stricken team But the rolling of initiative had not been kind The Slaver went first, as did the Warrior Women who were blind Lewis the Psi Stalker’s shot had gone far and wide And Eric the City Rat used his 98% Prowl to run and hide But the Slaver did not roll all that well The feared attack had completely failed to sell And when the Warrior Women let loose their deadly fire Not one other character was added to the pyre And from the Darkened Basement there rose a mighty cheer It rattled the cardtable and scattered pretzels and beer A feeling of excitement buzzed like an electric hum For Casey the Glitter Boy’s initiative had finally come There was ease in his manner as Casey reached for the dice The faded black Metallica shirt he wore still looked quite nice The Slaver had already used up each and every attack So Casey had three uninterrupted melees back to back to back All eyes were upon him, the tension mounted and grew Casey blew on the dice, a technique tested and true A hint of a smile lit up Casey’s normally somber face As he announced his suit’s stabilizer pylons had locked into place And now the twenty-sided plastic piece sailed through the air As his suit’s mighty boom gun laid the targets bare No high number was needed, as all the players knew But when the die landed, the number came up 2. From the gathered players, there rose an angry shout It rattled the stereo and shook the anime wall scrolls throughout “Fag!  Fagball Dice!” Steve shouted, his rage growing hot And it’s likely to have escalated, had Casey not said “Fag dice, these are not.” His words calmed the group, his charisma quite plain He reminded them all that two attacks were yet to remain Casey picked up the die, and it clattered to the table graceful as could be And when the number came up, it showed a 3 “Fuck!” cried the maddened group.  “Fuck, fuckity Dorkballs!” The angry cry echoed across the basement and rattled the walls Casey glared at the die as if it had committed a crime His cold stare said “You have failed me for the last time.” The smile gone from his face, Casey screws a Marlboro between his teeth He blew a smoke ring that hung like a ghostly wreath He grabbed the die a final time, the air as cold as his soul And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s roll. Oh, somewhere out there in the land, GM’s weave tales of excitement and wonder Game groups are following graph paper maps, and swords swing and sunder And somewhere heroes are receiving rewards that such deeds are bound to have entailed But there is no joy in the Darkened Basement, for Casey the Glitter Boy has critically failed.

Song: Just Like Bruce Campbell Did by Joe Hero Promo: Sinister Adventures Hosted by Ross Payton and Tom Church Special Guest: Aaron Carsten Check out our new Forums and Twitter Feed! Synopsis: After discussing some listener feedback, with a special defense of the Sluggy Freelance web comic by Aaron Carstein, we decided to challenge each other’s game design skills with a 24 hour contest, similar to Game Chef. Each of us came up with 7 game elements that the other host would have to come up with a game or scenario that would incorporate all seven elements. As our game ‘ingredients’ ranged from the Ural Mountains to pacifism, we both came up with some twisted stuff. Take a listen and voice your opinion on the superior creation with our brand new forums! No letter from Tom this week due to a hard drive failure but we got a good anecdote and of course, shout outs. Shout Outs: Darken: A D&D web comic of a group of evil adventurers being, well, evil. Not stereotypical ‘I am going to tie this woman to the railroad tracks’ but more of a ‘I am a selfish bastard who really only cares about himself and I will do whatever it takes to survive.’ A breath of fresh air when compared to the typical goody-good heroic adventures that populate D&D themed works. Minus: A brilliant fantasy web comic of a little girl with godlike powers who uses them for her own amusement. A modern day Little Nemo in Wonderland with a touch of the Twilight Zone. Wonderella: Superhero themed comedy doesn’t get much better than Wonderella. The Secret Life of Elevators: A man gets stuck in an elevator for 41 hours. No, it’s not a joke. It’s an essay on elevators, life, and the existential dread that hangs over our heads. A great read. F-22 Raptor: A flight sim where you can drop a nuclear bomb on a city. This is a good thing. Lichcraft: An Oblivion mod adding new adventures and the ability to become a lich. If you play Oblivion on the PC, you should get it. Pyramid Head: Another Oblivion mod. Put Pyramid Head in the game. Because you know, those other demons and monsters in the game? Total pussies. You want Pyramid Head. You NEED Pyramid Head.

Guests: Jaime Paglia – Creator/Executive Producers of Eureka Bruce Miller – Co-Executive Producer of Eureka Eric Wallace – Staff writer Nick Wauters – Staff writer Hosted and moderated by Diana Botsford Synopsis: I was lucky enough to attend a special voice chat interview with several of the minds behind the sci-fi TV show Eureka. My screenwriting professor, Diana Botsford moderated the interview but many of her students asked questions about the show, screenwriting and the creative process, breaking into the entertainment industry and new media, among other things. The audio quality isn’t perfect, but everyone is audible. If you’re interested in how a television show is written or how writers get their start, find out here. Read more about the guests below the fold. JAIME PAGLIA Creator/ Executive Producer http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1958727/ Jaime Paglia began his career at MGM Pictures in feature film publicity. He became director of development for a studio-based producer before shifting to screenwriting and producing full-time. He sold his first spec script, Bombshell, (written with David Draffin) to Team Todd at New Line Cinema. Working with writing/producing partner Andrew Cosby, he sold the feature film pitch Kringle to Oscar-winning screenwriter/producer Akiva Goldsman and producer Mark Canton. Paglia and Cosby went on to co-create Eureka for the SCI FI Channel and NBC Universal Television Studio. They also adapted the feature film Damn Nation for MTV Films and Paramount Pictures. Paglia is currently developing other feature film and television projects including several with his original writing partner, Kristen Greer-Paglia. Paglia grew up in the quintessential Pacific Northwest coastal town of Warrenton, Oregon, population 2200. BRUCE MILLER Co-Executive Producer http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1332883/ “ER” “The 4400” “Men In Trees” “Medium” “Everwood” ERIC WALLACE Staff Writer http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908630/ Eric Wallace began his Hollywood career working as a grip and electric for Roger Corman Productions, as well as on numerous music videos and independent films. Next came a stint as a writer/producer in reality cable shows, including Food 911, Awesome Interiors, and Biography. The spec sale of his horror script Bloody Mary to Mindfire Entertainment marked Eric’s transition into fictional work. This was soon followed by a position as head writer on the Japanese anime TV series, Duel Masters. Hes currently in his second year on the writing staff of Eureka, the Sci-Fi Channel’s top series. He also recently wrote and produced the Eureka webisode series, Hide & Seek. An Army brat, Eric was born in Hampton, Virginia and attended the University of Texas in Austin where he received a Bachelor of Science in Communications (Radio, Television, and Film). NICK WAUTERS Staff Writer http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0915316/ A native of Belgium, Nick Wauters spent the first few years of his entertainment career working as an editor/producer on various documentaries and reality shows for Lifetime, Food Network, HGTV, Discovery, and NBC among others. In addition to directing an adaptation of Stephen King’s short story “Rainy Season,” Wauters wrote and directed the award-winning short film “Ryan’s Life” which is being developed into a series by the LGBT network “Here!TV.” Wauters wrote for the shows Medium and The 4400 before joining the writing staff of Eureka for its third season.

Opening music: I’m Dungeons You’re Dragons by the Alligators Hosted by Ross Payton and Tom Church Promos: Rpgpodcasts.com and The Tome Podcast Brand new: Join the RPPR Facebook group! Synopsis: Sooner or later, your favorite game is going to become old and tired. The players will read every sourcebook, the GM will run every written adventure for it and what was once new and exciting becomes cliched and tired. How do you make an old game that everyone knows new? We discuss several ways to freshen things up and what to avoid when remixing the game. Shout Outs: Viking Fighting: A viking martial arts school. Tactical warhammer classes, anyone? The Abominable Charles Christopher: A brilliantly drawn and written web comic following the adventures of a simple minded yeti and the other inhabitants of the forest. A must read. Sluggy Freelance: A mediocre web comic with generic art, below average writing, static characters that haven’t changed in over 10 years and an overly convoluted plot that requires reading the entire 10 year backstory to make sense. Click below to see Tom meeting Henry Rollins From left to right: Tom, Henry and Aaron.

Hosted by Ross Payton and Tom Church Music: A tribute to Mozart by Steffe Coonan Promo: The Escapist Podcast Synopsis: Gary Gygax passed away on March 4 2008. His legacy is the foundation of role playing games as we know them. While we are not old school players who were there in the golden age of D&D, we both felt Mr. Gygax’s hand in our games. The adversarial competition between DM and the players, the ‘kick the doors down and slit their throats’ style of dungeon crawling. We talk about the generational differences in gamers and Gary’s many contributions to popular culture. You can see his influence in video games, new media and much more. This is not a solemn tribute as we both thought that Gary would want a lively upbeat discussion. Shout outs: Neverwinter Nights 2: An excellent 3rd edition D&D computer game with more features and gameplay than you can shake a dead orc at. Dieselboy’s Dungeon Master Guide: An incredible drum & bass album, perfect for fast paced battles when running your own D&D game. Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup: A sadistic computer game. Described perfectly in this thread: Like Nethack, Dungeon Crawl as an ASCII (text based) Roguelike game. The player controls a single character (represented by an @) who ventures deep into a subterranean cave complex in order to find the fabled (in this case the Orb of Zot). A defining feature of Dungeon Crawl is the huge range of possible character combinations. There are 26 races (such as Ogre, Ghoul, Demigod, and Naga) and 28 classes (like Berserker, Warper, Stalker, or Ice Elementalist) and about a dozen different gods to worship. Your choice in each will matter greatly; an Ogre Berserker will play very differently than a Human Berserker, and a High Elf Conjurer who worships Sif Muna, God of Arcane Knowledge will play very differently than a High Elf Conjurer who worships Vehumet, God of Magical Destruction. There’s a lot of strategy to pore over, and many different viable playstyles. The religion system is refreshing. You don’t simply sacrifice corpses on an altar until you get an artifact. Each god has likes and dislikes – actions and objects that will anger them or please them. Please your god enough and you’ll be granted powers like Haste, Might, or the ability to raise the dead. The item system is kind of similar to Diablo’s. You might find a sword that does ice damage and raises your intelligence, or you might find an axe that raises your strength and gives you fire resistance. The magic items aren’t like Nethack; these are randomly generated, although there are some set unique artifacts to find. The combat in this game is intense. Make no mistake about it: this game is challenging. In other roguelikes, “power-up” items like potions, scrolls and wands are emergency items. In Dungeon Crawl, you’ll have to make use of these items frequently, and with intelligence, in order to survive. There are lots of weird, interesting things in the game: real pet classes, a detailed mutation system that can give you significant abilities and disadvantages, unique spells (such as turning into a venomous spider, or blowing up the dungeon architecture), weird artifacts, different dungeon types, etc. I haven’t found a better pure, strategic hack’n’slash game yet. As in all Roguelikes, there is no saving, and no loading your game. When you’re dead, you’re dead. If you want to win, you’ll have to use your head.