Fear the Boot

* (0:28) Brodeur’s , Wayne’s , and Fear the Boot’s . * (3:49) Looking at an updated view of the effect COVID is having on tabletop gaming. Setting some parameters on the discussion. * (8:47) The impact it’s had on our own games and gaming groups. * (20:32) How COVID is affecting the podcast. * (24:41) How COVID is affecting game creators, publishers, and retailers. Dan and Brodeur’s prior predictions . * (30:50) An aside on miniature wargames and Gnarl versus Unicron. * (34:28) The effect on manufacturing and distribution. * (41:42) Will COVID have a positive, negative, or neutral effect on gaming? * (53:04) The possible loss of talent from the industry. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:30) Nagging Brodeur to do an episode of . Brodeur’s . * (7:21) Revisiting command structures in a game. Waiting to set roles until after you’ve had a chance to play your character. * (14:28) Your character isn’t their job. * (21:44) Not having a group structure at all, juxtaposed with the inevitability of interpersonal organization. * (31:39) Micromanagers in leadership roles. * (35:28) Putting some focus on whether non-command personnel are right for their roles. * (48:33) Unplanned shifts in role that occur during the story. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:28) Developing a GMing style. * (2:38) Defining “GMing style,” as it will be used in this show. * (9:19) Laura, as a GM who is running her formative games. * (12:10) Picking up helpful ideas from other GMs without losing your own style. Sticking with it. * (18:43) Struggling with a sense of detachment from the game, due to the number of things a GM has to keep track of. * (35:12) The influence of experienced GMs. Ignoring absolute advice, and how “Show, Don’t Tell” . * (45:00) After running about 10 games, what has Laura found didn’t work? Hosts: Chad, Dan, Laura

* (0:28) How this topic may tie into the next campaign in our . * (7:47) The particular struggle over captain, as opposed to any other position on the bridge. * (9:21) The attractive folly of choosing a reluctant leader. * (17:00) The difference between trying to shoehorn in the wrong player versus the wrong character. * (26:03) Getting the right player and the right character. * (30:40) “A captain makes my participation pointless.” * (31:08) What a good captain looks like. . The power of a title. * (40:17) A trio of real-world examples. (That was supposed to be True Dungeon, not Real Dungeon.) * (59:42) . * (1:02:26) Letting people find their roles naturally, during the course of the game. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:28) Have a game! And an online calendar. * (3:09) When one player asks for a very specific game. * (9:08) Determining exactly what they want from this game. Yes, Chad, Green Squadron . * (11:18) Does the rest of the group want to participate in this game? * (12:40) An intentionally difficult example with . Restraining yourself as the subject-matter expert. * (18:32) Asking the requester to give spotlight to the other players while limiting their own. * (29:54) Now you have to sell it! * (31:17) Switching back to Green Squadron, which presents a different set of problems and opportunities. * (36:53) The value of a beloved but unremarkable character. * (40:47) Not abusing meta-game knowledge. * (50:13) Be prepared to concede as much as you’re asking for. Self-inflicted insignificance. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:24) Introducing Zylo and reintroducing Chris. * (0:49) A brief history of Fear the Conline. * (3:42) The dual novelty of running a con game and online game. * (7:10) Position the screen below the camera. * (9:02) Allowing for early communication between the GMs and players. * (11:52) The  Zylo made. Allowing time to setup the expected game-play tools. * (19:07) The degree to which an online con feels like a regular con. * (27:58) The length of game slots. * (33:27) Issues with communication and coordination. Timezones. * (42:10) Panels, seminars, and streaming events. * (46:00) A roundup of final thoughts. Fear the Boot’s . Hosts: Chris, Dale, Laura, Wayne, Zylo

* (0:29) Are there TWO soulless gingers on the show!? * (4:03) Minnesotans and their grey ducks. * (6:03) Lura explains her tarot deck and witchery. * (14:37) A reading for Gnarl. The . * (26:22) A reading to give Wayne game advice.  * (39:30) A reading on Dan’s love life. The . Hosts: Chad, Dan, Laura, Wayne

* (0:29) Bad Brodeur gets bashful. Lura and finding God’s love in F7. * (8:13) Dan prepares to run a West Marches game. You can find our prior episodes on West Marches  and . * (11:02) The fresh perspective children and new gamers bring to the table. * (21:31) Working player-to-GM collaboration into a setting-driven game. Worldographer by . * (29:05) Growing your GMing skills by limiting your rating. * (46:26) Collaborating with parents to build the boundaries of the game. * (51:54) West Marches: After Dark. Maintaining continuity after a more adult session. * (55:47) Increasing the disconnect between the game and real-life horrors. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Laura

* (0:37) Wayne has to rather abruptly put his Dresden Files game on hold. * (10:46) The added difficulty of an ending you couldn’t plan for. * (11:47) Remembering where you left off. Taking a record of what both the GM and players remember and care about. * (24:13) Using audio instead of written notes. * (27:03) Finding game-oriented activities you can do in the interim. * (31:05) Using game-related prose. * (38:20) Time jump? Or pick up where the last game left off? * (44:30) Pacing yourself and picking the best ideeas. * (49:55) Fear the Con Online, coming up on June 19th – 20th. The promo video  and the signup site . Hosts: Chad, Dan, Laura, Wayne

* (0:29) Unplugged cables and the ever-moving studio. * (4:20) The cost of a press pass. * (6:10) The hardest thing to do in a horror game. * (10:35) The lack of . When Pat was . * (23:01) Cutting away reality to nurture a new kind of fear. * (26:17) Displacing tension into the place of fear. Keith Curtis’ alien puppet. * (33:32) Starting with control of the gaming environment. * (37:10) Not taking this as license to terrorize or traumatize the non-consenting. * (38:31) Misdirecting so the familiar feels unfamiliar. * (43:49) Keeping the pacing up and downtime down. * (49:59) Fear the Con Online, coming up on June 19th – 20th. The promo video  and the signup site . Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Laura, Wayne