Casting Shadows

We take a call from Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast on Episode 3.19 On Multiple GMs and then describe the launch of a new campaign using Corporia by Brabblemark Press, intended to be mainly run on Discord with some side journeys into Zoom. Casting Shadows Episode 3.19 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/wxSEDYmnFvb Nerd's RPG Variety Cast Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor Corporia on DriveThruRPG Corporia RPG - Brabblemark Press | Corporia | DriveThruRPG.com

Using an example from the Halloween Cerebrevore episode, we briefly suggest some ideas about playing for character experience and playing a role in a story~ Nerd's RPG Variety Cast Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor Cerebrevore: On Serious Horror RPG play https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1E15-Running-Serious-Horror-TTRPGs-e1pgt0t/a-a8bvo5r Contact me by leaving an anchor voice message: Casting Shadows • A podcast on Anchor Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com   CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast

Episode 3.19 broaches another huge topic for potential discussion, touching on a few techniques, perspectives, and organizational principles of sharing the role of GM in a group. BJ Boyd of the Arcane Alienist podcast left us a message about episode 3.18 (Time Travel Techniques) and the new Star Trek series. The episode finishes with an exploration of what the OSR means to me as an outsider, and where I hope its many strengths can take it.  Links mentioned in the episode: (1) One Campaign, Multiple GMs - YouTube https://youtu.be/tt1_k_EN35M THE GM OF MANY PARTS blogpost from February 2011 on https://castingshadowsblog.com The GM of Many Parts | Casting Shadows (castingshadowsblog.com) https://castingshadowsblog.com/2011/02/08/the-gm-of-many-parts/ All for One: Regime Diabolique "Lights in Darkness" campaign Actual Play videos playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZfuKgeD5fl5WyrYbJodpTB9UDYqj3NNH Lights in Darkness Recaps and Reflections playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZfuKgeD5fl41fP1mumHJO8pioQc_pFNt Contact me by leaving an anchor voice message: Casting Shadows • A podcast on Anchor Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast

Spinning off from an episode of the Cerebrevore Podcast on the topic of time travel in RPGs wherein I was a panel guest, this episode looks at the notion of metagaming, player skill, and messing with the presentation of time - without resorting to brute force techniques such as the railroad or the quantum ogre. If you would like to reach out to me on this topic or others, you can find me at the following places: Runeslinger (@Runeslinger) / Twitter Runeslinger#7592 on Discord https://castingshadowsblog.com https://youtube.com/runeslinger https://anchor.fm/runeslinger LINKS for this episode! Cerebrevore - Time Travel in RPGs Parts 1 to 4 1)   https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1B12-Concepts-of-Time-Part-1-republished-e1mv02g/a-a8bvo5r 2)   https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1B13-Concepts-of-Time-2-republished-e1n1d2c/a-a8bvo5r 3)   https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1B14-Time-Travel-methods-in-RPGs-republished-e1njopd/a-a8bvo5r 4)   https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1E11-Time-Travel-in-RPGs-Panel-Discussion-e1npl6d Phantom Thoughts 1)    https://anchor.fm/the-pink-phantom/episodes/009-Call-ins-Player-Skill-Metagaming-System-Mastery-e1n80l0/a-a8factk 2)   https://anchor.fm/the-pink-phantom/episodes/010-Call-ins-and-More-on-Metagaming-e1nhbu7/a-a8gavui

An on location report and editorial from the RoK about the dreaded end to easy voice messaging options on Anchor.

This is a compiled post for #RPGaDay2022. You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on Runeslinger, my YouTube channel. Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year. Links mentioned in the episode: - Down in a Heap • A podcast on Anchor

Following on from the previous episode on (My) relationship with Call of Cthulhu, we take two short listener calls from Menion (aka Rob) of the Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi podcast, who is currently diving deeply into Runequest: Glorantha, and Jason (aka the other Jason) of the Nerd's RPG Variety cast, who continues doubling down on the variety these days with his refreshing breadth of gamer-relevant topics, and stretch them out for almost an hour. Can you survive this gauntlet of game talk?  LINKS: The Previous Episode: https://anchor.fm/runeslinger/episodes/Episode-3-16-On-My-Call-of-Cthulhu-e1mth21/a-a8e5cq2 Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi • A podcast on Anchor Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor Bandit’s Keep • A podcast on Anchor Interview on Substandard Roleplaying: https://youtu.be/M1mKft2QrOA GM Mastermind Episode - Story? Story. Story!: Blubrry PowerPress Player (gmmastermind.com)

This is a compiled post for #RPGaDay2022. You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on Runeslinger, my YouTube channel. Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year. Links mentioned in the episode: - Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor  - Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor - Spikepit • A podcast on Anchor - Down in a Heap • A podcast on Anchor

In response to a great series of episodes and call-ins on the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast and Bandit's Keep podcast, I have labored to produce this "brief" episode on my relationship with Call of Cthulhu and some of what I have seen of its use in my own groups and out there in the cold, cold world.  Links: Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor Bandit’s Keep • A podcast on Anchor - - 380 In Defense of Call of Cthulhu by Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast (anchor.fm) Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor Call of Cthulhu (chaosium.com)

This is a compiled post for #RPGaDay2022. You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on Runeslinger, my YouTube channel. Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year. Links mentioned in the episode: - Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor  - https://anchor.fm/jason376 - Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor - The Arcane Alienist • A podcast on Anchor

A week of #RPGaDay2022 posts about character from the perspective of the GM. For a different take, check out my Week 4 post on YouTube and the written blog~

This is a compiled post for #RPGaDay2022. You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on Runeslinger, my YouTube channel.  Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year.   Links mentioned in the episode:   - Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor  - https://anchor.fm/jason376 - Spikepit • A podcast on Anchor - Plundergrounds • A podcast on Anchor

#RPGaDay2022 - Day 7: Share a cool part of a system you love You can read daily posts on these questions at https://castingshadowsblog.com with lots of extras and more context (precious context!)  Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.    #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year.   Links mentioned in the episode:   - Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor  - https://anchor.fm/jason376 - GM Mastermind - RPG Podcast Helping GMs Hone Their Craft - https://gmmastermind.com - Jewels From NZ • A podcast on Anchor

Question responses for days two through six:  1. Who would you like to introduce to RPGs?  2. What is a great introductory game?   3. When were you introduced to RPGs?   4. Where would you host this first game?   5. Why will they like it?   6. How will you introduce it to more people?    You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on YouTube: #RPGaDay2022 - Day 2 through 6 - YouTube Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year. Links mentioned in the episode: - Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor  - https://anchor.fm/jason376 - GM Mastermind - RPG Podcast Helping GMs Hone Their Craft - https://gmmastermind.com - The Arcane Alienist • A podcast on Anchor - Keep off the Borderlands • A podcast on Anchor - Spikepit • A podcast on Anchor - Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor - Plundergrounds • A podcast on Anchor

Question for Day One: Who would you like to introduce to RPGs? You can read a version of this at https://castingshadowsblog.com Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.  #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year. 

#RPGaDay is an annual event in August which runs all 31 days of this important month for gaming and gamers. The event is intended to increase the signal of positive posts about the hobby and help strengthen awareness of great games, great gamers, and great gaming ideas. Post in whatever form you like, wherever you congregate socially online and tag those posts with #RPGaDay2022. Don't forget to share cool posts that you see from others, too. The video version of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/AmTkYoCLoBU You can get the infographic from: http://facebook.com/RPGaDay http://autocratik.com or http://castingshadowsblog.com We look forward to seeing what you share! #RPGaDay2022

With specific examples from and focus on Mythras, Ubiquity, and FFG Star Wars, this episode goes into some justifications for Mook rules in RPGs. What are they for? How can they differ from game to game? Why do some gamers dislike them?   This topic was released simultaneously on the Casting Shadows YouTube channel where it is a part of three ongoing series on playing the three systems in question, as well as continuing the general theme of in-character as-character play, particularly with regard to preparation for improvisation. We hear from Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast in this episode. You can find his show at the link below. Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor https://anchor.fm/jason376 If you prefer to watch this as a video instead, the link is below.  In Defense of the Mook, Minion, and Fodder for Cannons (Pulp RPGs) https://youtu.be/VAPekOR41D0

Featuring calls from Menion aka Rob from Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi, Joe Richter of Hindsightless, and Jason of the Nerds RPG Variety Cast, we expand the conversation about pulps and pulp games to address the questions of how some example systems can affect pulp play, group size for fun and pulpiness, and PCs of unequal capabilities. I hope you will join in on the discussion as despite the length of this episode there is still more to dig into~ Links You can reach Runeslinger at gmail via runescastshadows Menion's podcast can be found at the link below: Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi • A podcast on Anchor https://anchor.fm/menion Joe's podcast can be found at the link below: Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor https://anchor.fm/joe-richter9 Jason's central and supportive podcast can be found at the link below: Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor https://anchor.fm/jason376 Blog Articles Referenced in this Post or Relevant to it: Imbalance Principle The Imbalance Principle | Casting Shadows (castingshadowsblog.com) https://castingshadowsblog.com/2010/09/15/imbalance-and-you/ Snap, Crackle, and Pulp | Casting Shadows (castingshadowsblog.com) https://castingshadowsblog.com/2011/04/05/snap-crackle-and-pulp/ The 2-Hour Fuse: How NOT to run Pulp Adventures | Casting Shadows (castingshadowsblog.com) https://castingshadowsblog.com/2011/03/23/the-2-hour-fuse-how-not-to-run-pulp-adventures/

Inspired initially by discussions in the Saturday Alternators Book Club for RPG players, then finally and fruitfully inspired into actual production by Menion aka Rob of Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi and his callers and guests, this episode explores thoughts on pulp heroic characters and explores some of my connections with these stories in life and gaming. What pulps were "my" pulps? Aren't pulps problematic? Aren't pulp characters set and unchanging (and by extension unrelatable, uninteresting, and unbelievable)? Can such characters be presented in RPG terms? What is the point of playing such characters? Sound interesting? Then please strap in: this turned out to be a long one... go figure. You can find Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi at the link below: Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi • A podcast on Anchor https://anchor.fm/menion https://anchor.fm/menion

Please join me as I navigate three very different topics with the help of some kind callers. This episode features calls from hosts of The GMologist Presents, Hindsightless, Spikepit, and Nerd's RPG Variety Cast podcasts. Karl, Joe, Colin, and Jason were kind enough to listen to one or more episodes of this podcast and have called in to give depth and meaning to the conversation. Links to those shows are below. Topic One: Difference between Cinematic and Campaign Modes in Free League's Alien RPG  Topic Two: RPGaDay Call-ins  Topic Three: Immersion, call-ins, and commentary  LINKS: Casting Shadows blog   -  https://castingshadowsblog.com Runeslinger on YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/runeslinger PODCASTS mentioned or calling in to this episode: Spikepit  - https://anchor.fm/spikepit Hindsightless  -  https://anchor.fm/joe-richter9 Nerd's RPG Variety Cast   -   https://anchor.fm/jason376 The GMologist Presents   -   https://anchor.fm/karl-rodriguez

Sections include notes on my appearance on Roundtable Roulette ( https://youtu.be/3PlkIWaajKs ) with Craig Shipman and Seth Skorkowsky, thoughts about the next RPGaDay, more on our ongoing but sometimes interrupted Alien Campaign, and a special focus on the once-again recent and always interesting topic: immersion thanks to an interesting series of observations and call-ins appearing on the Nerds' RPG Variety Cast. Alien Playlist: Alien Actual Play: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZfuKgeD5fl48SdwKEP0m0mbv-BLiQsgd

Joe of Hindsightless and Karl of the GMologist Presents were kind enough to leave voice messages to which I could respond in part of this episode and then seque into talk about two favorite techniques for RPGs: troupes of characters and games spanning generations of such characters~

Bonus Content - This is a more detailed description of how Queensryche's concept album Operation Mindcrime informed the play of a Mage: The Ascension chronicle in the mid-nineties called Broken Homes. 

Music can be a useful tool when playing an RPG, but in my experience, I have found it to be even more useful in preparation for play. in this episode I survey some of the ways I have found to aid my preparation for improvisation with music and playlists. We also touch on, thanks to the interest of The GMologist Presents and Hindsightless podcasts, the use of the incredible Operation: Mindcrime in these pursuits~  Part 1 - Context of using music for Improvisation and Example 1: character playlists  Part 2 - Example 2: Using Operation: Mindcrime by Queensryche on the metalevel for preparation and reference in play  Part 3 - Using variations, covers, and remakes and Example 3: Tom Waits songs to inspire an NPC  Further Example Playlists:  Tom Waits: Delta Green - tRUST    https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4HxiFwdUhC86M8EmakmAh0?si=4b43a704eba44fa1 Icecream Man - God's Away on Business - Murder in the Red Barn - What's he Building? - 16 shells from a 30.06  Tragically Hip  Delta Green - Seasons of Deepening Dismay  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gEBc1EfGYcNpgsFxsGfEA?si=c211bcdb03324daa She Didn't Know - 38 Years Old -  Little Bones -  Locked in the Trunk of a Car -  Nautical Disaster -   Various Artists (re: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds)  Dimensional Shambles Red Right Hand covers, variations, and remakes https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mlggy3RMWhJlJ1WmdAtA6?si=fde0cf8cf5da4c22

The blame for this episode rests squarely on the shoulders of Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast. If you have not yet given him your thoughts on this matter, please do so now: Contest Links Nerd's RPG Variety Cast Voice Mail link to Nerd's RPG Variety Cast Links from this Episode: System 1   System Details     Campaign Recap       Actual Play Series System 2  System Details      Numerous Actual Play Series (some with annotations) System 3   Actual Play Series (with annotations) The Written Blog:  Casting Shadows         The tie-in post for this episode: Three Favored Systems? A Contest~ The YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

Alienating the Alien. What are some of the elements of Free League's Alien RPG that I find most useful? This episode looks at three: Abstract processing for Detailed outcomes, Conversational Gamespeak, and Layered Consequences. As always, if you would like to communicate with me about the Alien series or any of the other episodes of past seasons of the podcast, you can leave a voice message on Anchor or try runescastshadows at the intersection of g and mail. For a text version (more or less) of this installment, please click here. For the YouTube of playlist of the campaign, tutorials, unboxing, and commentary for Alien, please click here.

In this installment of the preparation for improvisation series using Free League's Alien RPG, we give a brief overview of the campaign so far and look at the process of ongoing assessment and analysis of play which makes it easier to shift and react to how play is really going, rather than how we might want it to go.  Blog Version

This is a partial interlude in the Alien RPG series on horror and improvisation in that it is a different example of the use of improvisation toward a specific genre and player-experience goal for atmosphere and context, but unlike Alien, is high adventure pulp heroics in an implausible setting of super-science and derring-do. Some of the techniques are similar, some are identical, and some are divergent from what we have discussed in the series so far.  This session uses one of our favorite systems (Ubiquity) to support a setting of my own invention. I hope that you enjoy it~ If you would like to watch this on YouTube rather than just listen to it the link is provided below: Sky Riders and the Silent Outpost If you would like the watch the original session: Sky Riders and the Mist Pirates of Venus If you would like to listen to the podcast version with its commentary on the session, that is Episode 1.6 of this podcast. Episode 1.6 [Actual Play] Sky Riders and the Mist Pirates of Venus

Part 5: Playing the Alien...  On our first session, spontaneous improvisation within an understood framework of in-game and meta goals, and getting going even if not feeling 100% ready. This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.     Links:  Alien the Roleplaying Game - Rules and Actual Play              The Casting Shadows Blog

Part 4: Framing the Alien...  On conceptualizing the process of preparation in the context of who the characters are, what the approach to play is, and how those things intersect with the setting and its genre. This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.   Links: Alien the Roleplaying Game - Rules and Actual Play 

Part 3: Hearing the Alien...   On description and how it can be approached as a skill for horror gaming. This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.       Links:   Choice of Voice Where I can be found: Casting Shadows Blog  YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

Part 2: Feeding the Alien - On character and the two modes to enjoy them with in this game. This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.     Links:   Discomfort, Fear, Terror, and Vast Cosmic Horror, on a dime a day~ On Genre Being Rule Zero Where I can be found: Casting Shadows Blog YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

Part 1: Embracing the Alien - on the choice of a horror game and how to implement it. This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines. Links: 1. Tabletop Talk: Interview with Andrew E.C. Gaska 2. Conscience in Gaming 3. Conscientious Gamers Where I can be found: Casting Shadows Blog YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Thank. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: Thanks for the character of Nightsky Whispers

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Mention. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example:  Telling Other Peoples' Tales

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is System. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: 1. Thorough Review of FFG Star Wars Roleplaying 2. Unboxing of the Fallout 2d20 RPG by Modiphius

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Dream. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: Leagues of Cthulhu - Summons to Alcatraz; part 2  (Triple Ace Games, Ubiquity Roleplaying System)

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Fraction. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: Below is a recent and still ongoing chain of video responses proceeding from one observation of play and spreading from there~ Original Video - Prompting RPG Reactions Response 1 - Coherence of Genre and Tone in RPGs Response 2 - On Genre/Tone Coherence Response 3 - Coherency and Prompts Response 4 - Roleplaying Prompts, Coherence with Genre and Tone Response 5 - TTRPG Thoughts  (Immersion)   Response 6 - On Immersion 

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Theory. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: Star Trek Adventures: To Know the Unknown - Recap of Episode 2 - Siege Perilous

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Tradition. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: All for One - Lights in Darkness Campaign Recaps and Reflections

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Solve. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example 1:  A Friend in Need (A mystery where the characters solve things in time!) Example 2: Death, Where Is They Sting? (A mystery where they do not~)

For #RPGaDay2021: A memory and a note to remember a game about memories and being memorable. #RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Memory. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: The Beginning of Light, or Darkness?

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Substitute. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: Broken Compass Part 2 of 3: Ravagers of the Frost Giants' Tomb

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Challenge.  READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.   Example: The Veil: Cold is the New Warm - Session 7 (Annotated; PbtA, Cyberpunk)

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Ally. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example:  Homecoming - A Tale of Revenge; Session 3 (Mythras)

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Duel. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example:   Star Trek Adventures Recaps of the Diplomatic Mission of the USS Crow to the Beta Quadrant

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Duel. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: All for One - Regime Diabolique (Ubiquity, Triple Ace Games) -Measure of a Man

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Nemesis. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: All for One - Regime Diabolique (Ubiquity, Triple Ace Games) - Margot

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Move. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example:  Circle of Hands - Venture 2: Oaths and Oathbreakers

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Supplement. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: Mythras Combat Cards!

Please accept my apologies for the reduced audio quality of this installment. Ironically, scheduling had me in situations where I had even less control than usual over my surroundings. #RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Limits. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: Legacy of Destruction Part 1: Forgotten Son (FFG Star Wars Roleplaying, Annotated and Abridged version)

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is DOOM. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: The Veil - Cold is the New Hot Campaign with rotating GMs (PbtA, Session 2)

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Consensus. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: All for One - Regime Diabolique - Lights in Darkness Campaign with rotating GMs (Ubiquity, playlist)

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Heavy. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Examples: Toward Heavy:  Homecoming Playlist (Mythras, d100) Toward Light: Cold is the New Hot - The Veil Playlist (PbtA)

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Conscience. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Examples: Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Medium. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Examples: The Porkchop Express and the Convoy of Liberty

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Stream. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Examples: Seeking a Dao of Play [Playlist of 4 videos]

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is SMALL. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Examples: 1. Leagues of Cthulhu (Triple Ace Games) - A Summons to Alcatraz 2. Small Stories - It's story time from the World of Darkness with your host~

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is chase. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: The Mystique of Call of Cthulhu 4th Edition

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is gamble.   READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.   Examples of Play: Leagues of Adventure: The Sky Is No Limit - How the Might Have...

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Weapon. READ this entry (with bonus material?) on the Casting Shadows Blog Actual Play Example: Edge of the Empire - The Seeds of Reckoning, pt 14

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Image.   READ the response on the Casting Shadows Blog instead Example of Play:  1. Mythras:  Homecoming - A Tale of Revenge

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Plan. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Examples of Play: 1. Age of Rebellion 2. Broken Compass

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Scenario. Read this entry (with bonus material?) on the Casting Shadows Blog: https://wp.me/pTI80-2ZV Actual Play Example 1: https://youtu.be/axkQfwoiwKE      Podcast Version: https://anchor.fm/runeslinger/episodes/Episode-6-Sky-Riders-and-the-Mist-Pirates---A-Venus-Chronicles-Serial-ekp4b9 Actual Play Example 2: https://youtu.be/TOmTRhik7wA

Using Star Trek Adventures as a point of reference, this episode looks at stepping a way from the skill of making judgement calls without oversight (using fiat) and toward the enjoyment which arises from the use of tools which challenge how and when you can interact with the objective truths of the campaign~

Building on a blog post from 2011, this episode looks at three barriers that can be overcome to clear the road for more proactive play. 

What does it mean to participate in a roleplaying game? Is it 'to play a character?' or 'to tell a story?' or is it 'to play a character in a story?' Something else? This episode looks at that word 'story' and poses some questions on play, our intentions, and how our actions - intentional or not - shape the outcomes and limit what outcomes are even possible~

Based loosely on a blog post from November of 2010 called Corruption - the other white meat, this episode explores notions of character change, largely through the example of moral corruption. The concept is connected to games like Pendragon, the old World of Darkness series (particularly Vampire and Wraith), and to Leagues of Gothic Horror and its meaner cousin Leagues of Cthulhu. This episode builds on notions expressed in the preceding two episodes (Episode 7: On Facilitating Fear and Episode 8: Can I Play SANs Madness...?) UPDATE: August 3, 2021 - A voice message and my response has been added to this episode as a special bonus!

Not all games choose to reinforce frightening or horrific elements with mechanisms of play. In some games, to do so would interfere with the smooth operation of both system and player imagination of the characters appropriate to the fiction such games produce. Some games, however, can be enhanced with the inclusion, from a roleplaying perspective, of such fears and how the characters face them. With a brief look at Leagues of Gothic Horror and Leagues of Cthulhu for contrast, this 8th episode of the Casting Shadows podcast takes a deep look at the characters of Triple Ace Games' All for One: Regime Diabolique and the role fear and horror can have on play~

Broaching the subject of rhttps://anchor.fm/runeslinger/episodes/Episode-3-1---Alien-RPG-series--part-1-e16obdpoleplaying games focused on emotional reactions of self-protection, we take some broad examples such as Call of Cthulhu and FFG's Star Wars Roleplaying to get things going. We look at two shades of this disquieting emotion: Horror and Fear. We look at how our two example games invoke it mechanically, and what we as players can do to facilitate more than a hat tip to the reaction the character is experiencing. This episode covers a lot of ground, digs up a few graves, kicks in a few doors, and perhaps opens some old books that should stay closed, but all of that is being done in the spirit of sharing how we actually play~ For more on the subject of fear, horror, and improvisation in conjunction with horror RPGs, check out the series in Season 3 of the Casting Shadows Podcast where we use learning to play Alien: The Roleplaying Game from Free League as our base example.  Episode 3.1: Embracing the Alien

Have you ever been suddenly contacted in the middle of your night to play a game? My friends have grown to expect such things. What follows in this episode is an Actual Play recording from June of 2019 where I thrust two trusting and clever players into the toxic mists of an alien world in the role of Venusian Lancers - bearers of the Lancers' Lightning Blades and famed Riders in the Sky! Come with me now to an age of danger, betrayal, and high-flying adventure, in a Venus that never was, but should have been~

Like the previous episodes so far, this was drawn from thoughts from the distant past, but which have not been shared widely and publicly until now. That's right, the release date of both the article and podcast are the same - October 7th 2020 - but reaching back in time to the mid-eighties and a small town where playing an RPG was pretty much the only good thing. 

This practical post of three specific tips for villains in an RPG was originally posted in response to a blog Carnival prompt on 'How to think like a villain.' Using examples from Actual Play which are accessible on the written blog, this post lays out simple means of getting into the heads of characters in your setting and seeing where that takes you in terms of villainy~

This post relates an idea which appeared in written and video form in 2013, as an expression of earlier and less specific ideas. Genre is Rule 0 is a set of posts which have proven to be of more use and be more relevant to my RPG conversations than almost anything else. As such, I think it is a good idea to include in the introductory posts of this podcast. Also, taking a cue from Ron Edwards, I reclaim some preferred jargon from the discard pile and reconnect this functional piece of theory with an ambiguous but possibly helpful term: idiom. I still feel that it will confuse some, but it will help others, and that is ultimately what matters to me. 

This is the second of five introductory episodes. On a notion put forward in 2011 on the written blog, this episode examines both the post and the idea of character poisoning. This is a look at a potential source of dissatisfaction in play, rooted in unintentional conflict between system, setting, fellow players, and/or the character concept~

In this first of five introductory episodes to this podcast, 2010 meets 2020 as an early but somewhat important post from the written blog is shared with commentary. The post deals generally with culture of play and the difference between rules and procedure, while going into specifics on an effect of going against a necessary order of operations in play, and an influence on our imagination~