7th Level Bardcast

Mikel and Jason talk about the importance of coming back to a game after taking a break for various reasons. They cover concepts like recording your sessions, taking good notes, and keeping your players in anticipation for the next chapter.

Player Agency takes center stage as the Team asks guest host, Jarvis, for his thoughts on the topic. The topic is defined and peeled apart until it is true that more discussion is needed.

**ATTENTION**

Anyone that downloaded this episode prior to 4/26/2021 2:30PM MST please be aware that you downloaded the Pushing Boundaries episode instead of the Player Agency episode. The mistake has been corrected and is now the right episode. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Railroading is the act of intentionally directing your players down the path you wish your story to unfold without allowing them the freedom of choice. It is possible to direct players along a general path without actually making any of their decisions for them, or giving them no as an answer until they choose the path you wish.

The Team talk over the ideas and methods behind the topic of pushing boundaries at the table. How to push outside the comfort zone of game systems, styles, and genre goes beyond the standard discussion.

Host Mikel speaks with Scott about the idea of starting a game with a character that doesn't have a background story. The discussion focuses on how a player can build a background inside the session or campaign.

Explore the technique known as Theater of the Mind with the team. This week, the hosts give it a try to explain what it is and how they each use it.

Mikel invites an old friend, Mike, on for a further discussion about session prep. It is a different take on how to set up the story elements that can lead further into a long campaign.

With our guest host, Beckie, the crew debates the ideas and definitions of metagaming in the current gaming community. It becomes a lively debate with some surprising twists and turns.

Jason sits down with Jaryd and guest Gary to ask them questions about how they feel about the statement “rules are just guidelines”.

Retcon, or retroactive continuity, is a term used in gaming to describe a situation in which gameplay needs to be rewound in order to fix a problem that has occurred. Retcon is mainly used by the GM but can be used by players as well. Retcons can be both helpful and hurtful to gameplay depending on how they are used.