Fear the Boot

* (0:18) after this episode was recorded but before it was released. * (1:14) Fear the Con Online, coming up on June 19th – 20th. The promo video  and the signup site . * (2:35) Brodeur got some inside info regarding Gen Con. The article he wrote prior to getting this info . * (4:46) The letter from Gen Con to key vendors. * (8:02) Fear the Boot makes the call! * (16:40) Critiquing the questions that were asked. * (22:10) Defending the questions that were asked. The artist we were partnered with for Wizard World can be found . WARNING: The art displayed on his Facebook page is technically SFW, but it’s very risque. * (37:39) The general vacuum of information in the RPG industry. * (39:48) Juxtaposing how the  handled a similar situation. * (52:41) Cats, weed, and the moral dimension of COVID. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Laura

* (0:29) Fear the Con Online, coming up on June 19th – 20th. The promo video  and the signup site . * (7:41) Fear the Con 2021 has been locked in for June 25th – 26th, 2021. * (9:39) A question about henchmen, courtesy of Jesse Sierke. Setting some boundaries on the discussion. * (12:56) How many is too many, particularly if you’re not trying to run an empire-building or administrative game? * (15:35) Making it the burden of the player that brought in all of the NPCs. * (18:58) When players treat the NPCs as a valueless resource. Abstracting a group of NPCs into a single, collective unit. * (28:42) Tracking social transactions. * (37:17) Making the players explain why they need hirelings to begin with. * (41:03) The role of the party should always eclipse the role of the henchmen. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Laura, Wayne

* (1:05) A message from Matt about some issues with a GM. * (2:21) Player creativity can spook the GM into responding in frustrating ways. * (13:35) Reasons why GMs find themselves in this situation. * (21:47) The role of player empathy in fixing the problem. * (30:10) Buying time to rethink instead of immediately reacting. * (34:28) Outsourcing the solution by asking players for more input. * (39:46) The value of being honest. * (44:56) Throwing a different curve-ball than the one you’d initially planned. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:36) Adapting the show to current realities. * (1:52) The history of West Marches and the context of the advice we gave. Ben’s  on his game. Another contribution of his to the hobby: . * (11:17) More information on the Skies of Glass play-test document, slated for release  on April 21st. * (14:28) The mental and social impact of COVID, including what you can do for yourself and others. The relevant . Hosts: Dan

* (0:46) Repeating  regarding Fear the Con 2020. * (2:14) New content and general improvements . * (7:10) Explaining what a West Marches style game is. The West Marches game through GamersTable can be found  in the Star Trek Adventures area. * (17:08) The nature of character relationships in an ever-shifting party. * (19:06) Sharing information between the participants. * (22:18) A different style for different people. Cameo appearances. * (29:46) Some random thoughts on maps and technology to aid a campaign. * (34:36) Keeping everyone on the same page regarding game events, creative boundaries, and such. * (49:08) The origin of the name, West Marches, and the idea’s history . Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:41) Some unfortunate news about Fear the Con 2020. A blog post with some more information is coming soon. * (4:14) Brodeur’s new endeavor  (as of this episode, the site is still very heavily under construction). * (7:55) Dan and Brodeur go to GAMA Expo! The usual relationship between tabletop games and conventions. * (14:57) Why the con-to-game relationship seems to be breaking down this year, and what that may mean for our hobby. * (27:04) The potential impact on retail. * (31:11) Answering some of the questions the listeners asked us to look into. * (41:18) How all of this affects the end consumer. * (47:36) The misuse and abuse of Kickstarter. * (57:03) The resilience of the tabletop gaming hobby. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan

* (0:24) Betrayal to the . * (4:40) Why Wayne abuses utility powers. * (6:19) Chad passes judgment. It might be easier to say, “no,” upfront than to have the fight later. * (13:02) Fear of the unknown. Wayne’s confessional mini-show, now available . * (16:53) Getting Dale’s perspective as a publisher of game supplements. You can find . * (24:25) Dale’s advice for the splat-averse. * (32:34) How Dale can attract people to his products. Splat certification? Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:24) Putting Dale in the hotseat as a Game Master. * (10:01) Pitching the same idea to Chad and Wayne as theoretical players. * (17:13) Judging the regularity of and motivation for playing unusual characters. * (23:52) Kicking the pitch back to Dale again. * (32:46) The unique problems of playing from splat you wrote. * (38:17) Flipping the script and using splat to empower other characters.  * (43:52) Dan’s trouble with trust. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:24) Why Chad doesn’t have a strong opinion on splat. Getting to the player’s real reason for the request. Allowing unusual requests as a form of collaborative world-building. * (4:20) Why Chad’s games more easily accommodate weird ideas. * (7:22) Re-skinning existing content instead of creating new content. Abusing splat. * (8:17) Not trusting the players to self-moderate. * (19:54) Why Dale, as a player, likes splat. * (27:49) Putting Dale in the hotseat as a player. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:28) Our history with podcasts and…iPods…? * (4:44) Fear the Con  is ready to go. Fear the Boot . Getting some old hosts back and relocating the recording studio. * (12:42) A disagreement over splat books creates a show. * (19:41) Around the table, asking who thinks what about splat books. * (21:26) Knowing the content or at least trusting its creators. * (25:04) Splat as a relief from burnout. * (28:04) How publishers break their own games. * (31:49) Trying to solve the problem after the game has been broken. * (35:58) The FCD pitch versus genuinely contributing to the game. Doing your own homework and balancing. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne