Fear the Boot

* (0:28) Excuse our mess. We're heading to see Pat at the hospital because of medical complications, and a dog is sleeping on the recording table. Things will be back to normal next week. SIDE NOTE: The most recent update on Pat's condition can be found here. * (1:01) Having expectations (or a lack thereof) about death in an RPG. * (5:01) Duty, obligation, and the specter of death in a Star Wars game. * (12:13) Being OK with character death, despite having not contemplated it up to that point. Consequence vs cheating. * (19:43) Time travel within games. Hosts: Dan, Karla, Wayne Guest Host: Gizmo

We made some changes, so be sure to review your Patreon settings before the end of the month!

* (0:29) White whales. * (2:09) What do you want to run but have never had the chance to? * (10:17) What do you want to play but have never had the chance to? * (18:14) What do you want to get published but never have? * (27:07) A big thanks to Chris Torres. * (30:06) How the lack of attention given to Amelie in the Skies of Glass AP led Dan to develop her more. * (43:14) Inverting the formula and letting player non-reactions create content. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:30) The Skies of Glass actual play is now public, and Lookout Radio has gone live. * (1:59) Some restructuring of our Patreon. A live-streaming actual play game is coming soon. * (4:47) Brodeur picks Gunslinger for a gestalt game, gets handed a pre-made. * (13:49) Developing as a Game Master by trying new things. Knowing when to fold 'em. Post-game feedback, and the vital nature of honest communication. * (23:48) Singing! Appealing to other senses and kinds of creativity. * (32:53) Elves and Dwarfs with John. [The Editor violently salivates at the thought of an actual Dwarf Fortress game and violently objects to any characterization of dwarfs inconsistent with Dwarf Fortress.] Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Chris, Dan, John

* (0:33) Chad fired Brodeur, Dan is the head of HR, Broflake pending. * (6:26) Fear the Con X, post-con. Special thanks to Adam, Bob, and Derek. Also thanks to Beth, Julia, our Kickstarter backers, and everyone who attended. Derek's beard. * (10:23) Some gaming advice that Dan learned at FTC: Hiring an agent of chaos. Over the berm, where Pat kills us all. * (17:10) Inspecting the Broflake. Brodeur's reaction to ghosts. * (23:49) Chad's topic: Darkenship. Nobody gets Dan's jokes. * (27:39) Technical expertise and real-world knowledge when running a game. * (32:38) Never weaponize the information. Instead, use it as seasoning. Mr. Robot. For anyone not familiar, PerfMon is performance monitor. * (40:46) Weaving the information into the narrative. * (44:07) Pat getting possessed by Ted Kennedy. * (48:05) A quick round-robin of best games from the con. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (1:03) Brodeur was in a frat. He didn't get paddled, strangely. * (2:51) Ending an ongoing campaign arc. * (8:52) The nature of the ending. What do the players actually want closure on? * (11:48) Pre-planning the beginning and end, even if the middle is unknown. * (23:03) Roleplaying games and the constant feedback loop with its consumer. * (31:03) Querying the players about the type of ending they want. * (35:32) Seek Chad. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Julia

* (0:34) After years of dodging anime, Dan falls in love with One Punch Man. Bill Burr give his take on the show (FAIR WARNING: NSFW language). Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony. * (8:01) Two things that could have messed up the feel of One Punch Man. * (16:47) Putting other anime on the table. * (18:06) Fear the Con X coming up on June 22nd - 24th! * (19:18) We're attempting an actual player series that we're marketing-testing on Patreon. Audience input is currently being taken here. * (25:04) The idiosyncrasies of Fantasy Flight's Star Wars game. * (33:28) Willingness to take on complex games. What's changed and why. * (43:51) A change in the gaming zeitgeist. * (46:14) Adding a third axis to the chart. * (53:56) The Gwent League. Five minutes of Chad's "no index rage" noise. Dan's dance remix of Chad's noise. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

* (0:24) Dan's top three card games in a video game. Chad loses it for Gwent. You can sign up for the Fear the Boot Gwent league on the forums. * (9:28) Entertainment that sounds awful in concept but works well in execution. Persona 5. * (15:00) Gotham. * (22:04) Dredd. * (29:38) Kung Fury. * (29:57) Deconstructing execution of an idea, starting with honesty about what the material is. * (46:51) Trust and open-mindedness when the elevator pitch sounds awful. Hosts: Aisha, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) Brodeur helps organize Geekway to the West. Vast: The Crystal Caverns, Twilight Struggle, and Battlestar Galactica. * (10:00) Fear the Con X. Charlie talks about Secret Hitler. * (11:59) Not caring what people think. Surviving Comic-Con. Pat meets Dr. Who. * (25:22) 'Mechs, lantern rings, symbiotes, and the power-trading agreements among the hosts. * (30:15) The atmosphere of sports events. * (32:32) Keeping the current Skies of Glass game from becoming Star Trek. * (41:27) Defining the obvious trappings of a game and subverting them. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

* (0:40) A bunch of charity updates! Derek’s charity games (low level, mid level, and high level tiers). Pat's GoFundMe page. Manicorn work provided by the Mitch STL salon. * (6:10) Explaining what a perk or bennie represents before it's used. * (8:33) Deconstructing the Red Shirt. Creating emotional ante. * (12:23) Seizing narrative control. The goal: Make it descriptive. Tying it to traits instead of people. * (16:29) Making changes in the narrative to create consistency and plausibility. * (20:49) The Game Master getting a read on the players by watching how they interpret their re-rolls. * (29:29) Turning the named bennies into an in-character economy. * (32:50) Dry-erase table tents and other table props. Who do I have to be? Hosts: Chad, Dan, Wayne