Role Playing Public Radio

The Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute (CARI) is an amazing website that categorizes popular aesthetic trends from the last 70 years in pop culture. Baz, Thad, and I browsed through the categories and used them to come up with ideas for new RPGs, campaigns for existing RPGs, D&D source books, and board games. This is a preview of the full episode now on the RPPR Patreon. If you want to hear about our other game ideas, join today! Check out Baz on Twitch Thad on Twitter Music: A Secret Meeting/Edrics Precience by L A N D S R A A D

The Multiverse is back! Films and TV shows featuring the concept of a multiverse are more popular than ever, even though they are old hat in tabletop RPGs. Special guest Patrick from RPX and Tech Diff podcasts and I talk about ways you can implement a multiverse in your RPG and some examples. We also have some shout outs! News: Don’t forget to check out the RPPR Patreon! Patrons can sign up for RPG consultations with Ross Payton – do you need help with your RPG project? Ross can help! We’re also still running the Ludonarrative Dissidents Season 2 Kickstarter. Back it today to get some cool rewards and help us make season 2 even better! Shout Outs Closetland: a moving film about a woman imprisoned by an unjust state. Men: A new supernatural horror film from Alex Garland Islands of Abandonment: a book about what happens to abandoned structures and the post-human landscape. My Name: a Korean action series about an undercover cop seeking revenge. Janitor Bleeds: a low poly horror video game set in an abandoned arcade. Frontier Scum: an “Acid Western” OSR style TTRPG. Music: The Honeymoon Suite by Harkins tracks 1-3

Many RPGs use cards in their mechanics, from playing cards to Tarot to custom decks of cards. We discuss some of these games, the types of mechanics we’ve seen and the history of card-based games. If you enjoy this episode, back our Kickstarter for Season 2 of Ludonarrative Dissidents. This podcast is only possible with the help of backers and this time we’ll have a private RSS feed for early access to all episodes, plus other great rewards! All of Season 1 is now available if you missed it. This episode will be the only one posted on the RPPR feed. Some of the games mentioned in this episode Everway The Mystery Creature of Claytonsville Whimsy cards Aces and Eights Savage Worlds Lace and Steel Upwind Best Friends The Beast Conspiracy X Zener cards The Mind

The Terminator RPG was released as a PDF recently. A special guest, Jacqueline Bryk and I went through the game. It contains a lot of rules, including a dense system for hacking, something I hadn’t seen since Shadowrun and Cyberpunk. What makes a licensed game good or bad? We talk about the highlights and lowlights of the game and other licensed games out there. Plus shout outs! Shout Outs God Talker Nobody: A solo journal writing game about becoming a prophet of an obscure god. Mad God: A stop motion horror film of a descent into Hell Chase the H0ll0w: A game stylized after creepy pasta FIST RPG: Freelance Infantry Strike Team – a game of paranormal mercenaries Dreaming the Devil: a LARP about a witch trail in 16th century Italy Dueling Fops of Vindamere: A new game from Greg Stolze about fops who duel, oddly enough. Changeling: A visual novel “about love, reconciliation, and trying to survive in a dangerous supernatural world“ Project Sparrow: Jacqueline’s upcoming online game! Song: Terminator 2 – 02 Terminator 2 theme (short) by CARBON KILLER

News: The RPPR Patreon just finished a six part podcast series on the mega dungeon Castle Greyhawk. It’s a very funny and weird module and we had a lot of reviewing combing through it. Patrons at the $10 level and higher can get one on one RPG design/advice consultations in May and June. If you want Ross to look at your project, here’s your chance! We are also offering remastered actual play episodes of some classic episodes, like Somewhere Lane. Back the Patreon today to get all of these rewards and more! Synopsis: Outcasts are a common theme in many RPGs, but how do you handle them, both as a player and as a GM? Tom and I talk about the various flavors of outcasts, from cosmetic back story to immersive games about being an outcast. We talk about outcasts in D&D, Mutants in the Now, and Vampire, among other game settings. Shout Outs Mutants in the Next: A supplement for Mutants in the Now,Kickstarting now! The Devil’s Candy: A brilliant book on the film making process. Find out how the flop, Bonfire of the Vanities, was made. Watch this video essay for one fascinating anecdote from the book. This Grand Life: A Life simulator video game. Tom approves! Weird Tales of a Bangalorean: A compilation of weird short stories set in Bangalore, India. How to Drink: A Youtube channel about making cocktails and mixed alcoholic drinks. Infernax: A retro side scrolling Metroidvania. Very fun and on Gamepass. Castlevania 2 Redacted: A fan remake of Castlevania 2 for the NES. Trek to Yomi: A black and white side scrolling samurai themed action video game. Atun-Shei Films: A Youtube channel about history and movies. Our Flag Means Death: A comedy show about pirates. Hilarious! The Sadness: An incredibly gory Taiwanese zombie movie inspired by the comic series Crossed. Song: Outcast by AMITWOutcasts are a common theme in many RPGs, but how do you handle them, both as a player and as a GM? Tom and I talk about the various flavors of outcasts, from cosmetic back story to immersive games about being an outcast.  

Castle Greyhawk (module WG7) might be the worst official D&D module of all time. A massive dungeon of 12 levels, each written by a different author, sounds like a great hack and slash module, but Castle Greyhawk has a twist. It’s supposed to be…funny. Puns, pop culture references and other ‘jokes’ populate the pages of this adventure. Caleb, Rob, and I read the first two chapters to see what this infamous module had to offer. It’s fart-powered rocket monsters, adversarial GMing, and a NPC reaction table you won’t believe. Dare you brave the halls of Castle Greyhawk? If you enjoyed this episode, back the RPPR Patreon to listen to more episodes of After Hours! We also have other cool rewards like a community Discord server, early access to podcasts, and online games run by Ross Payton. Follow us on Twitch or Youtube to get notified about our livestreams – every sunday at 6 pm CDT! Watch recordings of older episodes on the RPPR Patreon. Check out Caleb’s projects. Rob’s podcast and game, The Orpheus Protocol Song: He casts a spell by BASIC DUNGEON

The public domain expanded this year and Caleb and I dive into it to find gameable material. Anyone can use these books, images, or music, for whatever project they can imagine. I found a list of characters from pulp fiction magazines with such interesting heroes like the vigilante Crimson Clown, and a group of French boy scouts who explore the hollow earth. News: We’re doing a weekly livestreams on Twitch and Youtube! The first episode is available publicly here. We’ll be looking at RPGs on DrivethruRPG and other sites for the best and the weirdest. If you miss the livestream, the videos will be available for RPPR patrons to watch whenever you want. Check out Caleb’s Dead Channels Patreon for a Delta Green campaign, Insolent Impulse. I’m playing in it! Shout Outs Inscryption: A roguelike deck building and escape room puzzle video game. Berserk: legendary dark fantasy manga series LuLaRIch: A mini series about the MLM company LuLaRoe Sifu: A martial arts action game with amazing combat The Power of the Dog: a movie about outsiders in the West For All Mankind: An alternate historical drama about the Space Race All of Us Are Dead: A Korean zombie teen drama show with Red Markets vibes Raccoon Sky Pirates: a new indie RPG about raccoons with a sky ship pulling off a heist. List of public domain websites Public Domain Day Public Domain Review Jess Nevin’s Twitter Thread on Pulp Characters Mutiny on the Bounty Arrow Collar Man Liberation of Mankind In Barbary The Arcturus Adventure A History of the Ancient World City of the Sacred Well Pulp Magazine Archive song: The World is Waiting for the Sunrise

Quake 1 is an incredibly influential video game, not just to other video games, but to tabletop RPGs as well. We played Slipgate: Chokepoint recently. Now that we’ve re-played Quake 1 and a RPG inspired by it, Chris and I discuss the thematic and mechanical differences in translating pixels to a paper game. (on a personal note – I plan to post more episodes here more frequently. The last few months were extremely hectic but now that the wedding is over, I can focus more on RPPR podcasting. I have a lot of great topics for upcoming episodes so stay tuned!)

A new crew of smugglers start taking jobs in Duskvol. They call themselves the Blind Eyes and specialize in the weird and the occult. As the gang grows in power, they learn of an invisible war for control over the city between supernatural beings and ruthless factions and an incredibly powerful artifact that can change the course of history. This episode, the players and I talk about what worked and what didn’t work in our 24 episode campaign of Blades in the Dark, both in game mechanics and the story of this particular game. If you missed an episode, check our the campaign page to find download links. This group portrait of The Blind Eyes by Patsy McDowell. From left to right: Vimes, Salvage, Salty, Flake, and Audra Baz – Salty / Oberon Matias Declarmont the Spider Birk – Audra the Whisper Aaron – Salvage the Leech Caleb – Flake the Cutter Bill – Vimes/Seth the Slide

My friend Chris (the voice of Ab3 in our early radio plays and a cool guy on Twitter) had an idea for a new series on RPPR. Tabletop RPGs have influenced video games since their creation. Video games have influenced tabletop RPGs for a while as well. In Pixel 2 Paper, we will focus on specific video games and their connection to tabletop RPGs. In the first episode, we will look at the video game, then in the second episode, we will do an actual play of a tabletop RPG linked to the video game and in the third episode, we’ll talk about both. For our first game, we’re looking at Quake 1, the influential FPS from Id Software with Lovecraftian undertones. Its story is barely more complex than its color palette, but its incredible action and innovations changed video games forever. (On another note, I talked about the Quake 1 soundtrack on my other podcast, Night Clerk Radio, so check out that too!) Listen to part 2, our actual play of Slipgate Chokepoint, here.