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I couldn’t tell you the date, but I remember sitting in my parent’s basement, my buddy Dave was over and spending the night. We were staying up late, drinking why too much Dr. Pepper and eating all the popcorn we could get our hands on. We were watching late night movies and having a blast like most 10-year-olds.

That’s when we watched what I would later figure out, was my first Post Apocalyptic Film…The Omega Man with Charlen Heston.

It wouldn’t be my last.

The idea of a world where all the people were gone and you could just run around and grab whatever you wanted was pretty cool for a 10 year old. I have to admit it was pretty cool as a 16 year old as well when I watched Night of the Comet.

Since then, I have seen them all…Ok, not all of them. But, from The Last Man on Earth, to A Boy and His Dog, from Death Race 2000, to Road Warrior, and from Escape from New York, to finally Children of Men (which by the way is the best post-apocalyptic movie every)

We could spend hours or maybe even days talking about the post-apocalyptic genre. From Books, to films, to computer games and yes, table top roleplaying games. But Mike, Christina, and I are going to try our best a focus on the genre concepts of the post-apocalyptic scene and how to bring them into your roleplaying games.

Let’s start with you Mike, Do you remember your fist taste of the Post Apocalypse?

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

In 1992 I was working night shift, which meant that on my days off I stayed up all night to keep my body in sync. What did you do to help you stay up all night in the 90’s…well you either drank, or watched movies.

I tended to do both.

But I had a buddy that worked at a movie rental place and he was always hooking me up with the new releases. That’s how I got my hands on an early home video release of John Woo’s “The Killer.”

That started my love and deep dive into GunFu. The Hong Kong Movie Genre of hyper violent and stylistic films focused around heroic bloodshed.

So, when I saw the upcoming Backerkit release of Sisterhood – A Nuns with Guns TTRPG I was hooked.

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/parable-games/sisterhood-a-ttrpg-of-hard-boiled-nuns-exorcism-evil/launch_party?ref=update010325

This thing looks really cool. Mix in a bunch of Nun Horror films with Hong Kong Action, A sprinkle of Constantine, Frank Miller’s Sin City, and of course John Wick, and you get Sisterhood.

This game hit Backerkit on March 13th, so you should still have time to get in and pledge if it interests you. As for me, I pledged the moment I heard the title.

Christina, we have similar tastes in film, but I’m not sure if you love the Hong Kong Action as much as I do, what do you think about this one?

[Kick to Christina]

What about you Mike, are you breaking out the rosery for Sisterhood?

[Kick to Mike]

 Next, we have an interesting article from Mike Tresca of EN World about creators reaching their fans and as he labeled it “The Coming Social Collapse”

https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-evolution-the-coming-social-collapse.711928/

Now I have never been a fan of social media. I watched “The Social Delima” the 2020 Documentary about social media and was properly terrified. My prior job unfortunately exposed me to all the dark and horrible places on the internet, so I always go into these conversations a bit guarded. 

This article focuses on fan engagement and the “For You” push of social media that can be a benefit, but it can also shut you down before you get started. The article says that the key is to cultivate Direct-to-Fan sales models, focusing on Community, and when you use social media be very strategic about its use.

These are all great ideas, but in my experience, they are much easier said than done.

I know this is going to be something Mike and Christina have strong opinions on so lets get started, Mike, Thoughts?

[Kick to Mike]

Christina?

[Kick to Christina]

And there you have it, All the news, you’ve already heard.

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I started roleplaying in the early days. When character sheets could fit on an index card and the only rolls you made were for combat or avoiding traps. The games were one long dungeon crawl, slowly mapping out confusing underground caves with traps around every corner. Every time the space widened up into a 10 by 10 room you had a fight.

For no reason.

I mean, every single thing we came across was an enemy.

So, every single game was combat.

Sometimes it was short combats one right after another, and sometimes they were massive long combats that took hours.

Roleplaying really wasn’t roleplaying. It was about stats on a character sheet and that cool +2 Sword for Smiting you found. If you asked someone to tell them about there character it would sound like this:

“So he is a fighter with an 18 strength and he wears half plate, with a large shield and a + 2 long sword.”

“What’s his name?”

“Oh, I don’t know, I just call him fighter right now.”

Thankfully table top roleplaying games have advanced and the games and game options today are so much better than back in the olden days. Today we have games that focus on mystery and exploration and survival and even social.

They say that roleplaying games need to have three things to be successful;

Combat (or Action), Exploration (or Investigation), and Social.

It’s that last one that people tend to skip and honestly, it’s the last one that’s my favorite.

On this episode Mike, Christina and I are going to talk about the Social Game and give you tips and tricks to help you bring out the best in your players and your game.

I know both of you love the social parts of games, it’s what our own games tend to revolve around. Mike, when did you realize you loved playing the social game?

[Kick to Mike]

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

I am a big fan of James Bond. I remember as a kid watching Dr. No on television and it blew my mind. Starting with Moonraker, I saw every James Bond film in the movie theater until the last one, No Time To Die. And while some were good, some were great, and some were just flat out bad, I didn’t care. I loved them all…well except the last one, that was hot garbage.

I read all the books, and bought and played the James Bond Roleplaying Game.

So, you would think that I would be excited to hear that the Broccoli family has turned over control of the James Bond Franchise to Amazon.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-bond-amazon-mgm-deal-michael-wilson-barbara-broccoli-007/

You would be wrong.

I am terrified. 

Don’t get me wrong. Amazon has put out some solid shows from Man in the High Castle, to Reacher, to the first season of The Boys.

But recently we have had Rings of Power, and Wheel of Time, and yes, the last couple of seasons of The Boys to showcase the absolute shit they are willing to push upon their viewers.

So, I am scared that they are gonna do 007 wrong.

Mike, what do you think?

[Kick to Mike]

We love it when you mix TTRPG games with Computer Games and vice versa.

In recent news Streetlight Studios has announced a new computer roleplaying game “Moondrift Memory; Prologue” and they say it will use the Pathfinder 2E rules set for the game.

https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/02/moondrift-memory-prologue-promises-pathfinder-2e-mechanics-in-a-video-game-setting.html

I like this news because it wasn’t D&D. It is also a little interesting because it doesn’t look to use Pathfinder’s campaign setting Golarian, but seems to be its own thing. 

What do think about this one Mike?

[Kick to Mike]

And there you have it, All the news, you’ve already heard. Make sure you like and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode of You’ve Heard it Here Last.

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Let’s Make a Game

When I first got into this hobby it was all about the game for me. The rules, the books, the miniatures, the dice, and of course the adventure.

Like most people once I settled on my game of choice…GURPS of course. I couldn’t get enough. GURPS 3rd Edition seemed to come out with a new sourcebook every month and my bulging bookshelf can attest to how many of those things I bought. I played the games and I loved the games, but I never thought about making the games.

Then one day I saw on Illuminati Online, Steve Jackson games website, that they were taking submissions for a new source book. GURPS COPS.

Perfect.

Well, I had to throw my hat into the ring.

It was my first attempt at writing and there is a reason you have never read a published book from me. (side note: I have published a fair number of professional articles for books and magazines since then, but that was definitely filled with first timer mistakes).

The process changed me.

Prior to that I never even thought of creating my own thing. But since then, that’s all I do. Homebrew rules, homebrew characters, and homebrew worldbuilding. But I am far from a game designer.

And then I met Christina and Mike. The real game designers.

Between the two of them they have a half dozen published games and based on the conversations I get to overhear there are more on the horizon.

Recently we discussed IPs that should be made into roleplaying games and the more I thought about it the more I thought it would be an interesting look behind the scenes of game design.

So, for this episode Mike, Christina and I are going to design a game. And that game is the Godzilla Roleplaying Game.

In full discloser I didn’t just now surprise Mike and Christina with this topic although I was sorely tempted. I gave them a heads up it was coming last week, so they have had a week to let the idea percolate.

With that said, where do we start Mike?

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

https://www.enworld.org/threads/diamond-comic-distributors-files-bankruptcy-sells-alliance-game-distributors.709593/

Diamond Comic Distributors, the owner of Alliance Game Distributors has filed for bankruptcy. In a message from Chuck Parker the President of Diamond comic Distributors he outlines the necessity for the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy which would allow Diamond Comic Distributors to restructure and meet many of its significant financial obligations. While this could likely be very bad news for an already struggling comic book industry his message does have some good news;

“We have already received a commitment from Universal Distribution to purchase Alliance Game Distributors coupled with a signed letter of intent to purchase Diamond UK, and we remain committed to pursuing offers for all Diamond lines of business.”  Parker said in his statement.

While it’s not likely this news will cause any significant issues or problems with game distribution it is noteworthy that Goodman Games signed an exclusive deal with Diamond in December of 2023.

https://goodman-games.com/blog/2023/12/04/goodman-games-inks-exclusive-distribution-deal-with-diamond-book-distributors/

Nasty business stuff. Mike you are our business guy. What’s all this mean?

[Kick to Mike]

Christina, thoughts?

[Kick to Christina]

Speaking of IPs, or at least we will be speaking of IPs in the near future, stay tuned to our regularly scheduled program for our upcoming episode on Intellectual Properties that should be games we have this bit of news from across the pond.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/qi-mentions-the-diana-jones-awards.709578/

QI is a BBC2 quiz show that called out the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Roleplaying Games on it’s social media accounts. While that is news, it’s not why I bring this up. Reading the “Quiet Interesting” post on Facebook is what made this one interesting.

The Diana Jones Award is named after The Adventures of Indiana Jones Roleplaying Game that was released by TSR in 1984. It is considered one of the least loved and most savaged roleplaying games of all times and eventually every last copy was burned. The trophy itself is a Lucite pyramid made up of the last legible remains from those burned books. All you can read is “diana Jones” 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana_Jones_Award

Mike, Christina, did you guys know this origin story and if you did, why the hell didn’t you tell me?

[Kick to Mike and Christina]

Also, why does Steven Spielberg have such a great track record with moves, but a terrible one when it comes to turning those movies into games. I mean we have this one with Indiana Jones and then we also have the ET Atari Video Game. Both considered the worst ever in their genres? You guys might want to keep that in mind when thinking about the IPs that need to be made into roleplaying games…I’m looking at you Avatar.

[Kick to Mike and Christina]

And there you have it. All the news, you’ve already heard.

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You know the old saying, Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. And of course, if you have an opinion you gotta share that with as many people as possible, it’s the law.

Now that might sound somewhat hypocritically coming from the host of a podcast that is based solely upon sharing our opinions, but you know what, I’m gonna own that shit.

We love to talk about our favorite hobby and of course that means sharing on thoughts, ideas, and opinions. We try to make sure they come from our own experiences and we typically like to throw out the caveat that these things work for us, but might not work for you. We like to think that our ideas and advice are pretty good, but we recognize that we can be a little bias.

Over the years we have gotten some terrible advice. My favorite bad advice came from my drivers ed instructor. He was a bit of a comedian so I am pretty sure he didn’t mean it, but I distinctly remember him saying that driving a car was like dodgeball. Make sure you hit them before they hit you.

And, at the end of the day, that advice is just as bad as some of these other gems we have gotten from those well-meaning, or not so well-meaning friends and self-proclaimed gurus of roleplaying.

In this episode Mike, Christina, and I are going to talk about that bad GM Advice. We are calling this episode Never Split the Party and Other Terrible GM Advice.

I lead with Never Split the Party because that was the one that I was told over and over again, but as soon as I started running my own games, I realized that splitting the party could not only be good, but resulted in some of my most memorable gaming experiences. So, my entire roleplaying style revolves around defying this one simple piece of what I consider bad advice.

Christina, Do you have an example of bad advice that really defines your roleplaying style?

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

https://ennie-awards.com/revised-policy-on-generative-ai-usage/

It seems that the Ennies Awards, an annual fan-based celebration of excellence in tabletop roleplaying, has taken a stand on AI. In 2023 the Awards added some language regarding the use of Generative AI that was a bit confusing. In 2025 they have outlawed Generative AI in any of their award’s categories. That’s right, if your gaming product used generative AI in any of its creation it is no longer eligible for nomination.

I think it’s interesting as AI has become more and more common the Ennies have decided it will not be allowed. We have talked a lot about AI on this podcast so it only seemed reasonable that we do it one more time.

Christina, What’s your take on this?

[kick to Christina]

Mike, our AI guru, thoughts?

[kick to Mike]

Next up is an article from EN World talking about a series of upcoming crowdfunding projects. 

https://www.enworld.org/threads/rpg-crowdfunding-news-%E2%80%93-dinosaur-hunting-cats-the-conspurracy-and-dark-visions.710947/

I typically glance through these looking for something that spikes my interests. A new setting or idea to fire up my imagination. In this article which looks at crowdfunding projects kicking off in February I found so many little gems I just had to talk about the entire article. 

We start with “A Time Traveler’s Guide to Dinosaur Hunting”…yes please. What a great opportunity for a ton of fun, the only problem is that it is a 5e system and well, I just don’t like 5e so I doubt I will buy this one, but I might pick it up for a dinosaur source book. You can never have too many dinosaurs in your campaign.

Next up was Cats! The Conspurracy from Black Book Editions. We love our cats at Oddfish Games. We love them so much we created our own system How to Roleplay with Your Cat. It’s a fantastic little game that lets you bring your feline friends into your roleplaying games with you. This game is different. In Cats! The Conspurracy the players take on the role of Awakened Cats working behind the scenes. Imagine Vampire the Masquerade, but with Cats. To top it all off it will have its own game system, so that’s a bonus. I love this idea.

Then we have Lewd Dungeon Adventures: A Date to The Grand Ball. This is described as an adult TTRPG designed for 2 people in which the player takes on the role of the hero and the GM plays their love interests. It looks as though each scenario is designed to play three different ways based on your mood; Intimate Acts, Drinking, or Party Mode for Groups. This apparent NSFW game won’t be popular with everyone, but the idea is interesting and might be fun under certain, very personal, situations. The game will have its own rules system and be compatible with 5e.

And lastly, we have Dark Visions, a cult and god source book for Shadow Dark, which I have on my bookshelf, but haven’t had a chance to play yet…warning guys, that’s on my short list to break out this year.

Christina, what are your thoughts on some of the crowdfunding games, that are probably out right now?

[kick to Christina]

Mike, are any of these floating your boat?

[kick to Mike]

And there you have it, all the news, you’ve already heard.

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Ok, You’re going to love it. It’s a great game. And, it’s easy to play.

First, Obtain a 20-sided polygonal artifact (hereafter referred to as the Orb of Random Fate), as well as a collection of various other polyhedral trinkets with sides numbering 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. The Orb of Random Fate should be stored in an arcane pouch (or sock) when not in use. If you forget the sock, this is bad luck, and all rolls will be cursed unless you perform a dance of atonement

Next, Select one of the following archetypes: The Sword-Wielder, The Sneaky One, The Magical Zappy Person, The Religious Healer, or The Other One. Name them something overly complicated like “El’thezarion Moonschard IV, Keeper of the Eternal Bagel” or just “Dave.” Roll a 7-sided die (which doesn't exist, so you must approximate this with a 20-sided die divided by π) to determine your alignment, but only if your favorite fruit is a citrus. If not, your alignment is Neutral Chaotic Nocturnal.

The RoE will describe a scenario (probably involving a dragon, a dungeon, or a dragon in a dungeon). Respond in character using only interpretive dance, haikus, or mimed gestures. Verbal speech is allowed but must rhyme. If you fail to rhyme, your character takes existential damage.

And, that’s how you play D&D.

Anyone who has ever decided to play a new game for the first time and has let their friends explain it to them has experienced this. The overly complicated and ridiculous rules description.

And, if you’ve been playing this hobby for long enough your can really relate. Back in the day we didn’t have the internet and Actual Play Podcasts to watch or listen to so that we could understand how this TTRPG thing worked. We had to read a set of rules, that often had pages numbered in the hundreds to try and figure it out.

Seriously. TTRPG rulebooks make IKEA instructions seem easy.

Convincing someone to take a big chunk of their day, sit down, and play a game, with tomes for rulebooks is a hard sell.

So, how do we encourage new players to give this great and wonderful hobby a go? How do we get them excited about the game? How do we get them playing? And, how do we keep them after their first session?

Encouraging new players isn’t easy, but luckily, thanks to the internet we have the perfect introduction to roleplaying.

I give you 4 minutes and 15 seconds of Debrah Ann Woll, the actress from Daredevil and True Blood, teaching John Bernthal, the actor from Walking Dead and Punisher how to play Dungeons and Dragons.

That is what I call perfection and what we are going to be talking about on today’s episode.

https://youtu.be/JpVJZrabMQE?si=Rv_YyLQ1QNa89Pj0

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

While doing a little research for news to talk about, I wandered down a deep rabbit hole.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/evil-genius-games-attempts-to-remove-bad-press.709776/

Evil Genius Games, the publishers of Everyday Heroes and a slew of IP content like Escape From New York, Crow, Highlander, and Pacific Rim have been in and out of the business news for more than a year now about problems at the company. Rumors of broken promises, no employee payroll, and bad management practices have peppered my feeds, but the most recent news about the CEO of Evil Genius Games Dave Scott sending emails asking people to remove links to bad press articles got me interested. That followed up with a deep dive into an article written by Russ Morrissey the owner of EN World. He does a great job of listing, investigating, and discussing the issues that have plagued Evil Genius Games since the summer of 2023.

https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-rise-and-fall-of-evil-genius-games.702617/

https://www.enworld.org/threads/is-evil-genius-games-doubling-down-on-nfts-blockchain.704819/

I wanted to spend some time talking about these issues. I felt that some of them were very concerning, some of them were a little vague or based on “anonymous sources”, and some of them seemed to be a product of just working for a small company in the modern age. But this look behind the curtain of a game company that seemed to go from being a top contributor in the hobby to one step ahead of the bankruptcy lawyers is very interesting.

We can get into the details in a minute, but what were some of your guys first thoughts?

[Kick to Mike and Christina]