GamingPerspectives

     In this episode Saul and Jolene discuss the idea of Game Balance in RPGs.  What does it mean, how is it employed and does it matter?  Saul, as always, talks about his early RPG experiences and how game balance just kind of happened organically.  As always Jolene reigns in Saul's trip down memory lane and bring his back to the topic.  

    Thank you for listening and all we ask is that you share our podcast with your family and friends.

    No music as freemusicarchive was acquired by another company.

      A mistake in an email sent by Modiphius announcing a newly published RPG called The Black Void, leads to Saul running a "One-Shot" of the new rpg with a call by the players to keep playing in that game.   Saul and Jolene decided to talk about and give a quick overview of The Black Void rpg.

The Black Void is self described as an esoteric fantasy RPG by Christoffer Sevaldsen.  The book itself is very well written with great art throughout the entire book.  It was Kick Started in 2017 and Modiphius is distributing the rpg.  

    Listen as Saul and Jolene describe the system and setting of the Black Void and how it was received by their game group which ages run from 15 to 62 years of age.

    As always thanks for listening and please share our podcast with family and friends.

     You can order you physical book you get the PDF for free.  You can get a physical copy here:

    https://www.modiphius.net/collections/black-void

   You can get the PDF from Drivethrurpg here:

    https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/285707/Black-Void-Core-Book

      The Dream of many a gamer is that of Getting Paid to Play.  Well at least in this case getting paid to GM a game.  Saul always considered this kind of a pipe dream and not very possible.  Then Saul read an article about a GM in San Francisco that gets paid over 500 dollars a session.  Saul was reminded, by Jolene, about Becky Thomas of The Roleplay Workshop who has been making a living of GMing for over 25 years.  Saul and Jolene decided to take the conversion to the microphones and share it with you as an episode of Gaming Perspectives with Saul and Jolene.

    As always, thank you all for listening and all we ask is for you to share our podcast in your social media to get our podcast to as many listeners as possible.

   Becky Thomas' link to her website is : https://roleplayworkshop.com/

   Here is the articles about being paid to GM:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-07-08/how-to-be-a-professional-dungeons-dragons-master-hosting-games

https://www.wired.com/story/its-a-living-meet-one-of-new-yorks-best-professional-dandd-dungeon-masters/

   Music by Falco and Monashee, song Money off the album Fools.

   Available from FreeMusicArchive.com

     In this bonus episode Saul and Jolene recorded this episode of Gaming Perspectives at Pacificon on August 31,2019.  In our second day we were joined by Gabriel Vega the producer of the show and we have a very candid talk with "Mondo" about his life running the show and outside the Pacificon Game Expo.  We also get a treat as he sings his song about attending cons.  

     We were also lucky to talk to Aldo G.  who owned Impressions a game distribution company.  Aldo tells us about in his words the typical gamer story, one of starting with Axis and Allies and D&D and of the games that lead him to be a gamer and how that led him to have a full time 20 year career in the gaming business.   

     All in all a very good convention for Saul and Jolene.

   Thanks for listening and please share with your family and friends.

     Saul and Jolene talk about their interest in Live Action Role Playing games.  Over the years Saul's ideas and feeling toward LARPs has changed from thinking it a strange and weird offshoot of Roleplaying games.  Over the years with Jolene's insight, Saul realizes that he has indeed played in three of his friend's home brewed LARP.  Dressing up as become part of the fun.  The last hurdle would be to LARP with strangers.  Maybe at the next Game Con!  

   As always, thanks for listening, and please share our podcast with family and friends.

    Music by The New Mystical Troubadours, song Owed to Old Poets, Our Role in the Play

           off the album Jungle Love Revisited.

    Available from FreeMusicArchive.com

      We are at Pacificon a Labor Day weekend gaming convention in Santa Clara California.  We were asked by Gabriel "Mondo" Vega to record our podcast from Pacificon and we gladly agreed.  As with all our bonus "live" episodes this one was not edited.  There is a lot of background noise due to the nature of recording in the middle of the convention.  Still they are a lot of fun to do and we will be back tomorrow with another episode.  

     As always thanks for listening and please share our podcast with your friends and family.

         Dresden Files is a favorite book series in Saul and Jolene's home.  There happens to be two RPGs using the Fate system to run your very own Dresden Files game.  In this episode, Saul and Jolene geek the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher and the Urban Fantasy genre in general.

      Saul discusses the many times he as run his own version of Dresden he dubs, Monterey Dresden since he uses Monterey Bay as the setting for his games.  Saul has made 3 separate adventures and run each one at least 3 times or more at cons and at home games.   So if you have read any urban fantasy books or Dresden Files and want or thought about running a RPG in that kind of setting, this episode is for you.  

    Music by Miles Kurosky, song She Was My Dresden off the album  Miles Kurosky Live @KEXP

   Available at FreeMusicArchive