* (0:18) Gen Con was cancelled 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 can be found here and the signup site can be found here.

* (2:35) Brodeur got some inside info regarding Gen Con. The article he wrote prior to getting this info can be found here.

* (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 on Facebook here. 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 Opera Theatre St. Louis 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 can be found here and the signup site can be found here.

* (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 blog on his game. Another contribution of his to the hobby: Microscope.

* (11:17) More information on the Skies of Glass play-test document, slated for release on Patreon on April 21st.

* (14:28) The mental and social impact of COVID, including what you can do for yourself and others. The relevant Reuters article.

Hosts: Dan

* (0:46) Repeating the announcement regarding Fear the Con 2020.

* (2:14) New content and general improvements for our Patreon.

* (7:10) Explaining what a West Marches style game is. The West Marches game through GamersTable can be found on their Discord 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 can be found here.

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 can be found here (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 keys to power.

* (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 on Patreon.

* (16:53) Getting Dale’s perspective as a publisher of game supplements. You can find his online shop here.

* (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. But it did get worse.

* (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 player and GM signup is ready to go. Fear the Boot new Patreon levels. 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