Dungeon Musings

In this episode, I discuss the topic of bookkeeping in emergent play or sandbox games and provide a state of play with respect to my AD&D 2e and Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea campaigns.

In this episode, I discuss strategies to circumvent ludonarrative dissonance by making compromises in each of the dissonant parts. I also talk about some future games I would like to run, once the current crisis is over.

In this episode, I give an update on the state of play on the Dungeon Musings YouTube channel, including the two AD&D 2nd edition games we have on the go, and discuss my recent obsession with Six More Vodka's mind-blowing Degenesis RPG.

In this episode, I discuss how the mechanics of different games, particularly the pace with which a character recovers resources, has a consequence on the time that passes in the game, and how that impacts the story developing therein.

In this episode, I discuss some recent games I have run, including AD&D 2nd edition, Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea, Masks: A New Generation, Kult: Divinity Lost, and City of Mist. I also discuss gaming strategies for the housebound.

In this episode of the podcast, I focus on the games I have been running and those soon to come.

In this episode, I discuss strategies for using setting elements in a sandbox RPG campaign to reinforce a wider story. I also get caught up with this week's games in my State of Play segment.

The last few episodes of this podcast have been a bit more negative than normal, so here is my discussion of some of the RPGs that I am or will be running that have me VERY excited. :)

In this episode, I discuss the consequences of linking all aspects of game play in tabletop RPGs to character level.

In this episode, I discuss my recent experiences with using homebrew rules to support a specific type of play experience, and how that approach might be applied in other games. I also provide a debrief of our recent Zweihander experience.

In this episode, I discuss my approach to designing an RPG one-shot based on Netflix's October Faction tv series, and how I came up with a custom set of rules for the session tailored to the sensibilities of the show.

In this episode, I discuss the strategies I use to manage my ongoing campaigns and provide an update on the state of play on the Dungeon Musings YouTube channel.

In this episode, I discuss the topic of adventure design and how it relates to choice of game. I also give an example of adventure design, using the upcoming October Faction one-shot I will be running as an example. Warning: SPOILERS for October Faction (the series) and my one shot are in segments 3 and 4, so skip those if you want to avoid spoilers.

In this episode, I discuss a flashback technique I use in my RPG campaigns and provide an assessment of the state of play of my ongoing campaigns.

In this episode, I discuss the games run, and lessons learned, in 2019.

In this episode, I discuss how the game mechanics of tabletop RPGs determine the overall experience of ongoing campaigns.

In this episode, I share some recent experiences I had with Cubicle7's terrific The One Ring RPG and provide my thoughts on same.

In this episode, I discuss some lessons I feel I drew from my first successful effort at running a Story-focused or Narrative-focused game, in this case Son of Oak Game Studios' awesome City of Mist RPG.

In this episode, I discuss the games I have run in the past month and what I have planned for the final quarter of 2019.

In this episode, I chat about my ongoing campaign running Paizo Publishing's awesome science fantasy RPG, Starfinder

In this episode, I discuss how choices in setting/story can have a structural effect on character ethics, and how that relates to RPG campaigns.

In this episode, I discuss the approach I am taking on my second effort at running a Pathfinder 2nd Edition campaign set in Greg Gillespie's awesome megadungeon adventure, Barrowmaze Complete.

In this episode, I take some call-ins and then share some thoughts on negative online interactions and strategies for dealing with same.

In this episode, I tackle the issue of Player Character mortality in RPGs, how campaign design affects the impact of PC death, and how systems can influence how death is presented in the games.

In this episode, I talk about the slate of games I am currently running, some of the games coming soon to the Dungeon Musings YouTube channel, and my love for the ugly stepchild that is the Mechwarrior 3rd edition RPG (aka the Classic Battletech RPG).

In this episode, I discuss one of my current ongoing campaigns, Beneath the Boneyard, which is played using a heavily houseruled version of Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea to play a Gothic Mystery Pathfinder adventure.

In this episode, I discuss the lessons that can be learned from Chuck Jones' Roadrunner Rules and how they can be applied to RPG campaign design, using one example from my own list of "to do" games.

In this episode, I talk about some of the lessons learned from the past year's exploration of the OSR movement and how they have impacted on my plans for the next six months of gaming.

In this episode, I talk about the importance of running games in a manner that is authentic to your personality and preferences.

In this short episode, I share some lessons I feel can be drawn from the new Doom Patrol TV series, currently on DC's streaming service.

Pretty much says it all in the title. :)

In this episode, I talk about the positive experience I recently had returning to Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu after more than two decades away and I give an update on my upcoming Gaming Marathon, and what I have decided to do with my Platinum Edition Waterdeep: Dragon Heist boxed set.

In this episode I chat about the One Ring RPG, published by Cubicle 7, the new Runequest Glorantha edition, the narrative constraints of milestone leveling, and my plans for a month dedicated to fiction-emulating games, like the One Ring, the 2d20 Conan RPG, and the Song of Ice and Fire RPG, which I am calling Appendix August. I also tall about my upcoming annual gaming marathon.

In this episode, I steal a page from Kurt Vonnegut and offer ten rules for making strong one-shot RPG sessions.

Note: There is a brief period of silence, from the 59 minute mark to the 1 hour 2 minute mark, because I cannot push buttons. In this episode, I look at ways to reward your players and incentivize certain types of play, and how those ideas apply to a new campaign I am planning.

And I am here to talk about the marathon of gaming that has been my first six weeks of 2019!

I roll a nat "1" trying to remember a caller's name, and then share some thoughts about using factions and cantrips in old school roleplaying games.

In this episode, I talk about the gaming prep that has been chewing up my time, explain where the viewer mail episode went, and talk about plans for actual play podcasts.

In this episode, I share how the sausage is made by walking you through my gaming plans for 2019, and how I came to them.

In this episode, I consider the interplay of involved character generation and tactical combat systems in RPG.

In this episode, I examine the relationship between Iron Crown Enterprise's classic Rolemaster RPG and Terry Amthor's Jaiman: Land of Twilight (both of which were staples of my childhood).

In today's episode, I tackle some serious questions about my canine companion, megadungeon random tables, and the first "Boss" fight we have had in our Barrowmaze campaign since making the switch to Scarlet Heroes.

In today's episode, I answer two questions about my Scarlet Heroes Barrowmaze campaign and about strategies to attract 5e and Pathfinder players to an OSR game.

On this episode, I dive into the mailbag and then examine my troubling history of saving great gaming content for the "perfect" time. I also give an update on the Barrowmaze campaign, but be warned...it involved skygnomes and giant space hamsters.

A few quick thoughts on scripted sessions in RPGs and how they compare to sandbox sessions.

This episode, I answer a question posed on my YouTube channel about introducing reluctant new players to RPGs

I answer a listener question about whether complexity in combat is a characteristic of modern D&D, and then dive into the topic of using mechanics to manage dramatic pacing in tactical combat encounters in tabletop RPGs.

In the inaugural episode of the Dungeon Musings Anchor podcast, I chat about system, setting, and ludonarrative dissonance in my Barrowmaze Complete campaign.