* (0:29) Fear the Con appears to have catering, but we could still use more GMs!

* (5:21) Laundering identities.

* (7:03) Game Masters getting fixated on things that aren’t important to the game they’re running.

* (12:00) A lack of flexibility. The three clue rule.

* (19:36) GM distress when the party solves something too quickly.

* (26:32) Let’s get passive-aggressive and make the GM solve their own problem! Obstructionist Game Masters.

* (33:39) Problems should have purpose.

* (43:24) Difficulty that’s out of place.

Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Julia, Wayne

* (0:29) A new show type on the horizon: phone the Boot, or something similarly clever.

* (2:04) Kids’ games at Fear the Con. Our episode on gaming with children can be found here.

* (4:15) Brodeur goes on Safest Family on the Block and My 10th Level Paladin.

* (6:17) Brodeur gets invited to crash someone else’s game as a guest GM.

* (10:02) The whole situation is awkward, starting with the style of game.

* (16:59) The gut-punch of unintentionally outshining the person that invited you.

* (18:51) Or, maybe outshining the other person isn’t such a bad thing.

* (25:42) Expect the players to keep doing whatever you allow to work.

* (33:10) The right kind of consultant.

Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Julia, Tex

* (0:29) A shoutout and thanks to WashingCon!

* (1:09) Fear the Con is coming up in mid-June.

* (2:25) Wayne annihilates his player-characters in a Legion of Liberty game, and they love it. Our episode on action economy.

* (10:22) The perspective that comes from getting your butt kicked.

* (13:52) The difference between the party getting defeated, the party getting cheated, and the party getting destroyed.

* (19:44) Rewinding as opposed to setting up round two.

* (27:35) Consequences don’t have to be applied directly to the player-characters.

* (33:35) Allowing players to choose the form of their defeat.

* (36:44) Brodeur terrorizes his staff.

Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Julia, Wayne

* (0:29) June 16th, 17th, and 18th for Fear the Con! You can see Mikey Mason’s material on BandCamp.

* (2:40) Reviewing the idea of horizontal and vertical creativity.

* (4:56) Horizontal creativity doesn’t mean the player has to get lazy. In fact, it may mean the GM is getting lazy.

* (12:35) How horizontal creativity can add complexity to the story.

* (16:22) Understanding why a GM is limiting something.

* (20:56) Players taking ownership for how far off the ranch they’ve gone.

* (31:59) Learning more about the game through player experimentation.

* (36:27) It’s OK to just let players have their fun.

Hosts: Brodeur, Caleb, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) – Bordeur, Dan, and Julia will be at Washingcon this weekend: March 26th and 27th, 2022.

* (2:23) – Defining how we’ll be using “vertical” and “horizontal” creativity over the next two shows.

* (5:45) – The laziness that often accompanies horizontal thinking.

* (8:08) – Creativity within seemingly narrow (i.e. “vertical”) ideas.

* (11:10) – Playing within the GM’s parameters and rules.

* (19:16) – What is it about the player that refuses to conform?

* (28:27) – How horizontal creativity forces the GM to tell a story they may not have wanted to tell.

* (31:08) – Why is it so hard to compromise a bit?

Hosts: Brodeur, Caleb, Dan, Wayne

* (0:44) Get signed up for Fear the Con!

* (1:02) Brodeur is now on TikTok for some reason. Here’s the link. Do what you will.

* (5:45) Welcoming Jason back to the show.

* (6:31) There I Was…When Nothing Happened. The Kickstarter can be found here.

* (11:26) Why “winning the fight” may not be a winning strategy.

* (17:24) Seeing another way out.

* (22:16) The five stages of avoiding violence.

* (31:33) The relationship between anger and fear. Understanding your own psychology.

* (38:55) Designing encounters with a clear understanding of your NPC’s motivations.

Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Jason, Julia

* (0:28) The teeth on the dog go click, click, click.

* (1:30) Brodeur discovers New Game+ mode in video games.

* (10:23) Weather and environmental effects in an RPG.

* (13:09) Weather as a reflection of some other truth in the setting.

* (14:53) Setting the mood and adding immersion.

* (19:21) Does the environment not come up more often because it’s not in the rules?

* (25:02) The storytelling side effects of being inside when we game.

* (26:53) Using the environment to control the flow of the game.

* (35:05) Integrating environment into your rules and narrative.

* (39:09) Don’t forget to sign up for Fear the Con!

Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne

* (0:18) Time to set the mood for bedtime.

* (5:06) Wayne, Boxman, and the latex room.

* (14:32) Watching sports for all the wrong reasons. Brodeur joins TikTok. God forgive us all.

* (16:57) Wayne pulls a plane, and Brodeur brings the pain.

* (26:22) Kids versus bikes. Bikes win.

* (28:54) Kids versus cars. Cars win.

* (32:39) On blowing up toilets and toys.

* (38:07) Waynezilla. Meanwhile, Phoenix gets really crazy and burns…a candle.

* (44:23) Oh, the places you’ll go.

Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Phoenix, Wayne

* (0:28) The site for Fear the Con is now live!

* (2:07) Monday Morning Quarterbacking your own games (the definition for anyone that doesn’t know that phrase).

* (3:36) Getting past being your own worst critic.

* (8:17) Speech disfluency and filler words.

* (12:57) Using game recordings to prepare for the next session.

* (17:01) Approaching your recording with the right mindset, goals, and expectations.

* (25:20) Using game audio to exonerate yourself in your own mind.

* (29:53) The freedom to no longer take notes during the game.

Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne

* (0:29) A fond farewell to Chad.

* (4:50) Keeping the perspective that we all started somewhere.

* (7:34) The amount of good advice every human being ignores; sometimes experience is the only effective teacher.

* (12:49) The less you’re willing to step up, the more you ought to be patient.

* (16:24) Don’t confuse personal style with absolute right and wrong.

* (21:40) Determining whether you should stick around or just find another use for your time.

* (24:04) When you’re the only one loving or hating the game.

Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne