Fear the Boot

* (0:31) Fear the Con’s Kickstarter and Con Planner site. * (1:45) We’d appreciate it if you gave us a review on whatever site or app you use to consume the show! * (4:13) Wayne brings some sample characters for us to interpret on the fly, inspired by his experience with pre-generated characters in a one-shot game. * (9:48) The D&D sheet Dan was reading from. Paring down the sheet to a small number of interesting and actionable items. * (19:09) Expelling and improvising quite a bit more. * (25:31) Reading what isn’t on the sheet. * (30:11) Playing off of each other’s characters. * (38:22) Applying similar ideas to a minimalist sheet. The SoG sheet Dan was reading from. * (44:14) Wayne pulling identity from the average. * (48:16) Being mindful of the other players when looking at the obvious links. * (52:01) Starting from the weaknesses instead of strengths. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:24) Knowing why you’re changing the game, and by extension, whether it’s worth doing. * (6:50) Describing damage. Hit points versus wounds versus shock. * (15:57) Remaking characters in another system, mid-game. * (31:23) Finding an existing system that fits what you’re looking for. * (34:55) RPGs as a spectator sport. Or not. * (40:45) More on the Venn diagram project clock. * (43:14) Fear the Con 2020’s Kickstarter. * (44:44) Congratulating Gamers Table on their successful fundraising. * (47:04) Gaming with Gage and Jon Brazer, because Chad can’t stop plugging stuff. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:28) Fear the Con 2020’s Kickstarter, with added rewards for people that can’t attend. * (3:38) Wayne does something cool, tells Dan about it, gives Dan a poster from it, and then forgets all of it. * (9:38) Hijacking versus homebrewing. “Have to” versus “want to.” * (12:21) Deciding what attributes are important to a story and, by extension, what needs to be reflected in the system. * (17:50) What’s simulated in the game as opposed to simulated in the meta-game. * (22:58) The boon of the number of games available. * (33:54) Getting back to simulating what matters. You can download Chad’s free games here. * (42:31) Don’t homebrew just because something small isn’t working. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) Fear the Con’s Kickstarter! * (6:12) An encounter in the Actual Play that felt inorganic to the flow of the main plot. * (14:25) Being aware of what knits your campaign together. * (19:42) Making a side plot compelling from the outset, even if it doesn’t seem relevant at first. * (29:29) Noting what players care about in the meta-game. * (33:09) Going for the quiet players instead of the loud ones. Getting the right type of buy-in. * (40:02) Evaluating whether a side plot works, with or without tying it back to the main plot. * (43:55) Creating buyer’s remorse. * (48:54) Fear the Boot’s Patreon. Hosts: Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) Fear the Con 2020’s Kickstarter is live! * (4:50) When the party is split, it can make it easier to talk to an NPC. * (8:21) A split party creating a game of telephone. * (13:02) Giving characters their own chance to shine. * (21:55) Team-building and RP in the party’s reunion. * (23:12) The countdown to problems when the party separates. * (29:54) Two approaches for how the GM can resolve the separate actions. * (42:10) Having to remember multiple bookmarks if the game gets paused. * (43:08) How a split party can help the GM get an idea to stick. * (44:29) Avoiding factions in the split. * (47:34) Player-character separation as an inevitability, not a desired outcome. * (50:34) The role of the players in a divided group. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:32) The Kickstarter for Gamers Table’s Season of the Glitch. * (1:16) Fear the Con 2020 on June 18th – 20th, with the Kickstarter coming very soon. You can follow our progress in the Facebook group. The episode where we talked about Pat killing us all. * (5:35) Merging two questions from Facebook to talk about how we build settings with an eye for stories that can be told there. * (7:39) The motivation behind creating the world in the first place. * (24:07) As aside on automats and courtesy. * (29:36) What interests you is likely what you’re already developing. * (33:24) Looking at what the players can and/or care to consume. * (41:21) Where and when you start building the game plot, based on group interests. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:33) Fear the Con 2020 on June 18th – 20th! The Kickstarter is coming very soon. In the meantime, you can follow our progress in the Facebook group. * (2:09) Explaining who Brad is. * (2:59) The Kickstarter for Gamers Table’s Season of the Glitch. * (6:05) Laura decides to run a Halloween game for more experienced players. * (10:47) Intentionally and accidentally difficult players. * (14:21) Ask for help and get people invested in your success. * (17:53) Picking the right system and setting. * (21:38) Why asking for feedback may not be the best idea. * (26:45) Prioritizing the building blocks of the game. * (33:59) Accepting you’re not in control of everything, and notes aren’t always the answer. * (38:16) Advice for the players. Hosts: Brad, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:54) All that matters is the d-o-g. * (3:18) Answering part of Dustin’s question, and why it’s not getting a full answer just yet. * (5:13) Illustrations from No Man’s Sky, Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, and Freelancer. * (13:24) Slowing things down in the game versus the meta-game. * (19:04) Getting what you’ve earned. * (25:16) The slow flow of information in other forms of storytelling. * (32:54) Communicating a plausible, in-story reason for withholding information. * (39:54) Players that are desperate for information or overstuffed with it. * (44:56) NPCs in a guiding role. Extending the Three Clue Rule. * (54:40) Gating discoveries. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan

* (0:23) Chad talks a whole lot about not talking. Also, cattywampus. * (4:32) Wayne is playing Dragon Quest Builders 2. * (7:39) Chad is playing Assassin’s Creed Origins. * (16:31) Dale is playing Medieval II: Total War. * (23:39) Dan is playing No Man’s Sky. * (30:14) Dan is reading War Before Civilization. * (33:30) Wayne is reading They Called Us Enemy. * (35:36) Chad is reading Hardluck Ironclad. * (48:05) Dale is reading Becoming Superman. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne

* (0:28) Jonathan Belina asks about rules for dice. * (4:45) Cocked dice. Not rolling off the floor. * (8:31) Dice must be legible and visible. * (9:36) Don’t “play” with the dice. * (12:42) Dice bowling. * (18:48) Testing your rolls. * (20:41) Tenser’s Floating Disk at work…? * (28:18) An unexpected break in Chad’s Blades in the Dark game. * (36:02) Juxtaposing Chad’s situation against the break in Dan’s Skies of Glass game. * (41:22) Recovering with the onus on the players. * (47:23) Recovering with the onus on the Game Master. Hosts: Chad, Dale, Dan, Wayne