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Welcome to you heard it here last where we talk about news you’ve already heard.

We are starting this week off with some good news.

https://www.reddit.com/r/traveller/comments/1f2le2u/mongoose_publishing_now_owns_traveller/?share_id=uyOnyDYBcc2twtg2LBUZi&utm_content=1&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&utm_source=share&utm_term=22

Traveller is a 1977 table top roleplaying game that brought science fiction into roleplaying. Building on the success of Dungeon and Dragons introduced in 1974, Traveller dropped onto the scene just before Star Wars hit the big screen, and boy did it make a splash. Today Traveller is considered a seminal work in the world of table top roleplaying. Marc Miller, one of the creative minds behind Traveller recently announced that Mongoose Publishing will be carrying the torch of Traveller if anything might happen to him. This succession plan for the game was important to Marc Miller and even though Traveller has been published by a variety of game companies and publisher, ensuring the future of this beloved franchise was important to him.

And I am very happy to hear this.

Christina, I know that Sci-Fi is one of your jams. What are your thoughts?

[Kick to Christina]

Mike, since I already invoked Star Wars, what do you have to add?

[Kick to Mike]

Next up in news is another little Kickstarter project you might have heard of.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/foundryvtt/ember-rpg?ref=724lwv

Ember by Foundry VTT.

This little project dropped on September 3rd with a goal of 10,000 dollars. In two days, they had already 232,000 dollars. It runs until October 3rd, so this is one to keep an eye on.

What is it.

Well, Foundry VTT has taken all the updates and lessons they have learned running a virtual table top and put all of those bells and whistles into their own virtual table top system. This is a new game setting and rules systems that will allow you to play table top games with your friends in a virtual setting.

And it will work with D&D 5e.

Mike, I know you have been a big fan of Foundry for a while. Why is this different from what they already do?

[Kick to Mike]

Christina, I know you prefer simpler VTT’s, what are your thoughts on this?

[Kick to Christina]

And there you have it, Tune in next time for all the news, you’ve already heard.

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One of the things that I love every year about GenCon is the anticipation. Seeing the vendor hall slowly fill up with stuff, from carpets, to displays, to boxes and boxes of products. Fork lifts making there way down the crowded isles and the constant beeping of heavy machinery backing up.

It’s hot and sweaty and you are praying for the convention center to turn the air on in the hall, but you know that won’t happen until Thursday morning.

As the booths start to come together you start feeling that excitement build. What do we have new? Is this going to be a good space? Is it going to be a good show?

Making your way into the vendor hall Thursday morning is another treat. Walking past the crowds starting to build and line up 2 hours before the hall opens. You make your way inside and it actually looks like GenCon. Of course, there is always those few booths that wait until the last minute to set up. You watch them and wonder if they will be ready when the doors open.

It’s also a great time to make your way around the hall and find you friends from years past. Say hello and maybe take advantage of the exhibitor badge to snag a copy of your must have game before it sells out.

Five minutes before the doors open everyone is ready. You take that deep breath, double check everything and then….

All hell breaks loose.

I think that’s what I love most about GenCon.

In this episode Mike, Christina and I are going to do a little GenCon 2024 Recap. We are going to talk about our events, sales, booth, and all the cool stuff that got us energized for another year.

Mike, Lets start with some quick overall thoughts on GenCon 2024.

https://terragons.com/

https://www.howardandrewjones.com/

https://paizo.com/

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Welcome back to another episode of You Heard it Here Last, where we talk about news you’ve already heard.

We are starting off with some news that was announced at GenCon this year. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have announced a new Trilogy of Dragonlance books titled Dragonlance Legacies with the first entry titled War Wizard.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/new-dragonlance-novels-from-weis-and-hickman-in-2026.706042/

Dragonlance was one of the beloved D&D properties, starting as a campaign setting and then developing into a series of novels with the first novel Dragons of Autmn Twilight being released in 1984. With that much love behind Dragonlance you can understand the excitement from the industry.

Mike, did you ever read the Dragonlance series?

[Kick to Mike]

What about you Christina?

[Kick to Christina]

And now for something completely different (please don’t sue me Monty Python). Dice Dungeon has launched a Kickstarter Campaign for a new D7D 5E supplement titled 80’s Adventure allowing fans of D7D to roleplay in their favorite decade…the 80’s.

https://www.tabletopgamingnews.com/travel-back-to-the-1980s-with-80s-adventures-a-retro-5e-supplement-adventure-module-on-kickstarter-now/

Now the 80s was the decade of my teens and I gotta say, not really sure why so many people think it was such a cool time. Sure, I have some beloved films, songs, and a few memories, but if I am memorializing a decade for my D7D adventures it wouldn’t be the 80s.

Mike, what do you think about this new supplement and if not the 80s which decade would you have chosen?

[Kick to Mike]

Christina, how about you. Is this supplement up your alley or do you have a better decade in mind.

[Kick to Christina]

And there you have it folks, make sure to tune in next time for all the news you’ve already heard.

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I was 15 years old and a buddy of mine who lived down the street owned a video store. Ok, his parents owned a video store. He was 15 just like me. Not only did we have access to a huge array of VHS, but he also had a Laser Disc player.

The Laser Disc was the precursor to the DVD and it was really cool.

In the summer while his parents were working, I would ride my bike to his house and we would fire up the laser disc player and watch all kinds of movies we probably shouldn’t have. Movies like Friday the 13th and the one that scared the shit out of me.

The Exorcist.

To me the Exorcist is one of the perfect and most terrifying horror films ever made. The 1973 film directed by William Freidkin from a novel by William Peter Blatty has been called the scariest movie ever made.

I will never forget the bright summer sun streaming in through the gaps in the curtains while I sat huddled on the couch watching a nightmare unfold in front of me.

I think that’s probably why I find myself trying to bring horror elements into my roleplaying games.

Literary historian J. A. Cuddon, in 1984, defined the horror story as "a piece of fiction in prose of variable length ... which shocks, or even frightens the reader, or perhaps induces a feeling of repulsion or loathing". Horror intends to create an eerie and frightening atmosphere for the reader. Often the central menace of a work of horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for larger fears of a society.

From authors like Edgar Allen Poe, Shirley Jackson, Clive Barker, HP Lovecraft, Richard Matheson, and Steven King to Filmmakers like John Carpenter, James Wan, We Craven, and Guillermo Del Toro Horror is a big part of our lives.

Whether we like it or not.

And that’s what makes Horror such a perfect genre.

Today, Mike, Christina, and I are going to be talking about the Horror Genre, what we like about it and how to incorporate it into your roleplaying, because of all the topics we have discussed so far, horror is the one you have to be careful with.

Christina, what was your first horror movie?

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You Heard it Here Last

Welcome back to You Heard it here last where we talk about news you’ve already heard.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/new-wotc-president-is-world-of-warcrafts-john-hight.705558/

I am sure you have already heard that the new president of Wizards of the Coast is John Hight who previously ran the World of Warcraft Franchise for Blizzard. And like they say, just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water…

So, Mike, what do you make of that?

[kick to Mike]

Christina, thoughts?

[kick to Christina]

https://www.enworld.org/threads/space-1999-coming-from-modiphius.705580/

Now it’s time for me to go all fanboy. Modiphius has announced it is producing a Space 1999 TTRPG. While most of my contemporaries were still in love with all things Star Trek, I dug into this British Masterpiece. As far as role playing games go, Space 1999 is an incredible background to run sci-fi games. To say I am excited is an understatement.

Mike, Christina, are you with me and the other 5 people that are going to love this game?

[Kick to mike and Christina]

And there you have it. Make sure to like, subscribe, and join us again next time for all the news you’ve already heard.

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We sat speechless, staring at the DM.

“That’s a 100-foot fall so after the first 10 feet it’s 1d6 for each 10 feet…9d6…You each take 35 points of damage.”

We were dumbfounded. Our party of 3rd level characters had started across the suspension bridge, and with no warning, perception roles, or saving throws, the DM had announced that the bridge had collapsed dropping all of us into the chasm.

 TPK

My first TPK as a player, and it left a very bad taste in my mouth.

 I didn’t play with that DM again. Well, at least I didn’t play a game they ran ever again. The did turn up as a player in a few of my games, but as far as I could tell no one from that party ever played a game with that DM again.

 Character deaths can have some very long-lasting effects.

Character deaths and total party kills are frequently a source of argument among table top roleplayers. You have the hard-core, old-school gamers who have you make 3 or 4 characters at the beginning of a game because everyone is going to die, often.

 Then you have some of your narrative, story-based gamers who refuse to kill a character, ever.

 And then you have those in between.

On this episode of Epic Adventure Mike, Christina, and I talk about Character Death. Why it’s good, why it’s bad, and how to incorporate and/or remove it from your game.

Christina, do you kill characters? Asking for a friend.

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By now most of you that plan on attending already have your GenCon badges, reservations, and plans. But if you are like me than you are still thumbing through the massive guide looking maximize your weekend. Lucky for you Oddfish Games has a few events that can help round out that GenCon calendar and make sure you get the most out of the greatest gaming weekend in the world.

Christina, this is the first time in a while Oddfish has offered events at GenCon? Why is now the perfect time to jump in and see what Oddfish Games has to offer?

[Kick to Christina]

Let’s walk through the GenCon schedule and give everyone a little preview of what to expect at the events?

BOOTH: 105
 
 Rise And Shine: Sparking Creative Writing For Students
 Wed at 3:00 pm EDT for 1 hr
 JW : 101
 
 Improvisational Horror: Unprepped and Unhinged
 Call of Cthulhu, 7th Edition
 Thu at 10:00 am EDT for 3 hr
 Stadium : Meeting Room 7 : 6
 
 Round Robin Horror: Collaborative GMing
 Call of Cthulhu, 7th Edition
 Thu at 2:00 pm EDT for 3 hr
 Stadium : Meeting Room 7 : 6
 
 Illuminated Campaigns & Adventures
 Thu at 3:00 pm EDT for 1 hr
 Stadium : Meeting Room 12
 
 Create a Custom Scented Locket
 Fri at 12:00 pm EDT for 1 hr
 ICC : 210 : Front
 
 Create a Custom Scent for Your Next Adventure
 Fri at 1:00 pm EDT for 1 hr
 ICC : 210 : Front
 
 Improvisational Adventure: Unprepped and Unconstrained
 Savage Worlds, Adventure Edition
 Sat at 10:00 am EDT for 3 hr
 Stadium : Meeting Room 7 : 3
 
 Round Robin Adventure: Collaborative GMing
 Savage Worlds, Adventure Edition
 Sat at 2:00 pm EDT for 3 hr
 Stadium : Meeting Room 7 : 3

The Oddfish Games booth will be at space 105 next to our friends at Piazo so make sure you stop bye and say hello and pick up some of our fantastic adventure scents as well as copies of Radiance, Luminous, and Shine. There will also likely be some cat plushies to go along with our “How to Roleplay with Your Cat” game. So stop by and say hi.

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You Heard it Here Last

Welcome to You Heard it Here Last where we talk about news you’ve already heard.

Let’s talk business. In 2023 exports from Poland to the US reached the highest levels in history. 2% of all those exports…...was the video game Cyberpunk 2077.

What makes these numbers interesting is that the rollout of Cyberpunk 2077 was a massive failure and the Computer Gaming Industry in Poland took a hit. But today things have changed.

Christina, What’s up with Poland?

[Kick to Christina]

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/marketing/cyberpunk-2077-s-embattled-launch-was-felt-across-poland

https://www.trade.gov.pl/en/extended-topics/polish-gamedev-is-growing-in-strength/

We have more business news, this time in the TTRPG world.

Roll 20 has acquired Demiplane. For those of you not familiar, Roll20 is an online VTT for table top roleplaying, and Demiplane is an online tool that works with virtual table tops to provide rules for a large number of games that don’t start with D&D. That’s pretty interesting in and of itself.

But that's not even the most interesting part of it. Adam Bradford, the driving force behind first D&D Beyond and then Demiplane, opted not to go to Roll 20 and is now heading up development at Fantasy Grounds.

Christina, What’s all this then?

[Kick to Christina]

https://geektyrant.com/news/digital-ttrpg-giant-roll20-acquires-demiplane

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?81600-SmiteWorks-hires-Adam-Bradford-as-Chief-Development-Officer-for-Fantasy-Grounds

Finally let’s talk Ennie Awards. The Ennie Awards are an annual fan-based celebration of excellence in tabletop roleplaying and they are awarded each year at GenCon. This year’s nominees have been announced and there are a lot of interesting stuff on it.

Christina, any of the nominees stand out to you or are there any that you are excited to see on the list of nominees?

[Kick to Christina]

https://ennie-awards.com/

https://ennie-awards.com/2024-nominees/

Well, there you have it, tune in next time for all the news you’ve already heard.

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“Teamwork makes the dream work” was quoted by leadership expert John C. Maxwell in his book by the same name. The actual quote read:

“Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.” 

What does this have to do with adventuring in our table top games?

Well, actually, everything.

A team is a group of individuals working together who collaborate on related tasks to achieve their common goal. Hearkening back to the beginnings of table top roleplaying games the character classes were designed to help build a basic team to solve the adventure.

How many of you have had this conversation

Ok, we’ve got Jerry as our fighter. He can keep the monsters off our back. Susan is playing the Wizard so magic is covered. Gwen is playing a thief to help with locks and traps…so…Steve, it looks like you get to play the cleric.

In this episode Mike, Christina and I are going to talk about teams and specifically building a good team from your players and characters to tell amazing stories.

Christina, have you ever had a bad team in a game?

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Last Week Mike hit us up in a group email about CHAT-GP4 release and how it has basically solved all his solo roleplaying issues.

Christina follows up with expressed excitement and some questions about service plans

I responded with [Insert Raspberry Noise]

A long email thread latter and here we are. An episode on AI Gaming.

I wanted to start by pointing out that Mike is and has been a dabbler in the world of AI roleplaying. From feeding information into the new AIs, to running solo games as a player and a GM with his new AI Overloards.

Christina on the other hand is the dilettante. The idea intrigues here and she is interested in giving it a try, but like a kid at the swimming pool in early June, she is just dipping her toes in the water.

And of course that makes me the grognard. The very idea of my games being run or played by an AI gives me the heeby jeebies. I am already stockpiling my EMP grenades for the inevitable rise of Skynet.

So, with our positions clearly defined, let me turn over the rest of the episode to the dabbler.

Mike, lead us to our ruin.