### The RPG community in Australia (2:20)

### Storybreweres (4:00)

[Storybrewers](https://storybrewersroleplaying.com/)

[The free mini-games](https://storybrewersroleplaying.com/freegames/)

### Game design (9:00)

### Good Society (16:00)

[Buy Good Society!](https://storybrewersroleplaying.com/good-society/)

### Alas For the Awful Sea (34:30)

### Next project? (47:00)

Sports anime! YAY!

### Summary (49:25)

### Taking the Load Off (50:50)

Eran: [Austentatious](http://www.austentatiousimpro.com/)

Vee: [Girl Underground](https://girlunderground.org/)

Hayley: [Alienor](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/145553/Alienor)

Uri: Fate is so amazingly flexible.

### Who's Ed? (1:30)

### Era: lyres (7:30)

[Now on Kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shadesofvengeance/make100-era-lyres-definitive-edition)

[Shades of Vengeance](https://www.shadesofvengeance.com/)

### Era: The Consortium (20:05)

### The Era community (25:20)

[Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/erad10games/)

[Discord server](https://discord.gg/6C4H9Cv)

### Kickstarting (30:45)

### Comics (33:50)

### UK conventions gaming community (40:30)

[Contingency](http://www.con-tingency.uk/)

### Summary (50:20)

What’s coming next for Era?

### Taking the Load off (54:30)

Ed - [Nibiru](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1459616119/nibiru-a-science-fiction-rpg-of-lost-memories)

Uri - [The ABC of D&D](https://www.bookdepository.com/ABCs-D-d-Dungeons-Dragons-Childrens-Book-Ivan-Van-Norman/9780786966660

) and [The 123 of D&D](https://www.bookdepository.com/123s-D-d-Dungeons-Dragons-Childrens-Book-Ivan-Van-Norman/9780786966684)

Eran - Had a chance to read about [Spring-heeled Jack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring-heeled_Jack), thanks to City of Mist

This episode is about creating interesting characters, it is very much relevant to GMs and players alike.

### What’s a villain (2:25)

The difference between “a villain” and “the villain” and when to promote an NPC.

### Character prompts (4:25)

* The villain got to where they are today somehow - how did this happen? Rags to riches? Hard work? The rise and fall? Hubris of the mighty?

* The villain has their own sources of power - what is it? Is it their own abilities? Is it an organization? Is it a magical power? A specific associate? A network of spies?

* The villain has contacts - who are they?

* There are people that believe in them - who are they? Why do they believe in them? How did they earn their trust?

* There are people who are afraid of them- what did they do?

* There are people who hate them - why?

* There are people who love them - who are these people? What do they love about our villain?

* The villain has something that motivates them - what is it? What do they want to achieve? why?

*

[Marshall Rosenberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Rosenberg) - nonviolent communication - behind every statement there is a need.

### Embellishing the villain (14:00)

Now we know who this villain is, let's dress him for the part: clothes based on the answers we provided, his manner of speaking, choice of abode.

Bear in mind that while some villains are not human, they should probably still be [human-like](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostWritersAreHuman).

There are endless examples of archetypes of villains, from the classic James Bond villains to the latest Batman villains.

Making the players hate the villain: have him destroy or corrupt something that they love.

### Utilising the villain (17:30)

Concieve of them as a wide threat.

* Lieutenants

* Various enterprises, a finger in every pie

* Hidden threats, betrayals, surprises

* Fighting on their turf, rigged combat arena

* Still dangerous even when defeated

### Summary (25:50)

### Taking the load off (26:55)

Eran - [Fantasy High](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zZxCVBi7-k), [Adventuring Academy](https://intl.dropout.tv/adventuring-academy) (requires Droptout subscription, there's a free trial)

This episode is about creating interesting characters, it is very much relevant to GMs and players alike.

### What’s a villain (2:25)

The difference between “a villain” and “the villain” and when to promote an NPC.

### Character prompts (4:25)

* The villain got to where they are today somehow - how did this happen? Rags to riches? Hard work? The rise and fall? Hubris of the mighty?

* The villain has their own sources of power - what is it? Is it their own abilities? Is it an organization? Is it a magical power? A specific associate? A network of spies?

* The villain has contacts - who are they?

* There are people that believe in them - who are they? Why do they believe in them? How did they earn their trust?

* There are people who are afraid of them- what did they do?

* There are people who hate them - why?

* There are people who love them - who are these people? What do they love about our villain?

* The villain has something that motivates them - what is it? What do they want to achieve? why?

*

[Marshall Rosenberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Rosenberg) - nonviolent communication - behind every statement there is a need.

### Embellishing the villain (14:00)

Now we know who this villain is, let's dress him for the part: clothes based on the answers we provided, his manner of speaking, choice of abode.

Bear in mind that while some villains are not human, they should probably still be [human-like](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MostWritersAreHuman).

There are endless examples of archetypes of villains, from the classic James Bond villains to the latest Batman villains.

Making the players hate the villain: have him destroy or corrupt something that they love.

### Utilising the villain (17:30)

Concieve of them as a wide threat.

* Lieutenants

* Various enterprises, a finger in every pie

* Hidden threats, betrayals, surprises

* Fighting on their turf, rigged combat arena

* Still dangerous even when defeated

### Summary (25:50)

### Taking the load off (26:55)

Eran - [Fantasy High](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zZxCVBi7-k), [Adventuring Academy](https://intl.dropout.tv/adventuring-academy) (requires Droptout subscription, there's a free trial)

[Class Close-up: Cleric](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/36b2cb69bbed4c/) (episode 43)

### What is a class? (1:50)

A place in the world (a “job”), a role in the party, and mechanics to match.

“Relationship”, the main *connection* that the class is about, what their personal conflicts usually revolve around.

### Classes as relationships (3:30)

> Barbarian: Their own emotions

> Bard: The audience

> Cleric: The divine

> Druid: Nature

> Fighter: Prowess

> Monk: Discipline

> Paladin: Duty

> Ranger: Surviva--- I mean, environment

> Rogue: The situation

> Sorcerer: Their lineage

> Warlock: Their patron

> Wizard: Power

### What can we do with this? (24:00)

It simultaneously lets you see the main focus of a class while at the same time exploring ways to enhance or expand on the basic idea.

* Deepen - Create a more meaningful relationship

* Sideways - Create new relationships, with things that are related to the topic or surround it

* Opposition Create new relationships with opposing topics/concepts

* Severed relationship - Either as a backstory, or an interesting occurrence during your game

### Tools to help you develop this (32:40)

Consider these points:

Is it external/internal? How can you switch this around?

Is it interactive/passive? How can you switch this around?

### Summary (35:35)

### Taking the load off (37:30)

Uri - Swashbuckler is lost.

Eran - Putting some time into CRPGs, increased my involvement with City of Mist.

-----

Email us at [email protected] with questions, topic suggestions, and comments on this episode.

[Our Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwarfpodcast)

[We have a Patreon page](https://www.patreon.com/dwarfcast), in case you'd like to support us in a monetary fashion.

Most links to [DriveThruRPG are affiliate](http://drivethrurpg.com/?affiliate_id=29668), which means we get a bit of money if you buy through them, with no added cost to you.

Intro and outro based on On the Shoulders of Dwarves by the Cliches Duo.

On the Shoulders of Dwarves is shared under [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

### Eran Arbel's email (2:10)

> Dear Dwarves Under the Mountain,

> I thought this could be an interesting topic for an episode: Who is an adventurer?

> RPG narratives, especially D&D and other popular fantasy escapades, follow a troupe of adventurers as they go about... adventuring. They usually detail what the characters did before they decided to embark on a life of "adventure" and what lead to the change in their lifestyle. Sometimes these narratives even reflect other people's attitude towards adventurers, but this is usually left in the background.

> Mostly, adventurers are considered a special lot, a unique breed, and, usually, there will be only one, maybe two active groups in the story as these are our heroes -- and, maybe, their antagonists. So, if adventurers are so special, what drives them? What makes people avoid them? Why most people aren't? Why do adventurers retire? What are the assumptions inherent in an adventuring life? What is an adventurer after they capped their abilities and saved the world?

### Orcs killed my family (4:25)

[Three Suggestions for Motivations for a Character Whose Parents Were Killed by Orcs](https://www.dmsguild.com/product/198330/Three-Suggestions-for-Motivations-for-a-Character-Whose-Parents-Were-Killed-by-Orcs?affiliate_id=29668)

### An adventurer’s role in society (4:55)

In this setting, adventurers are treated as...

Why does one become an adventurer?

Import a social construct from the real world. For example, adventuring parties are treated like startup companies.

### Why is there a need for adventurers? 13:30

[Torchbearer](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/116482/Torchbearer?affiliate_id=29668)

[Earthdawn](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/64050/Earthdawn-Third-Edition-Players-Guide?affiliate_id=29668)

[Shadowrun](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/115985/Shadowrun-Fifth-Edition-Core-Rulebook-Master-Index-Edition?affiliate_id=29668)

[City of Mist](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/241823/City-of-Mist-RPG-Core-Book?affiliate_id=29668) (full disclosure, Eran is the editor)

[DCC RPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/101050/Dungeon-Crawl-Classics-RPG?affiliate_id=29668)

[Mistborn](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/97476/Mistborn-Adventure-Game-Digital-Edition?affiliate_id=29668), [Edge of the Empire](https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/star-wars-edge-of-the-empire/), most [Savage Worlds](https://www.peginc.com/product-category/savage-worlds/) settings

### A detailed example: Agents of Syn (30:00)

Crystal Heart as an example of how I solved this question with setting assumption.

* Adventurers are considered a special lot - Yes, they’re Agents.

* If adventurers are so special, what drives them? - Motivations.

* Why most people aren't? - Removing your heart out is crazy; getting through recruitment is difficult.

* Why do adventurers retire? - They do not.

* What are the assumptions inherent in an adventuring life? - The Agent’s Code. Turning implicit to explicit

* What is an adventurer after they capped their abilities and saved the world? - The series ends.

### Summary (38:10)

### Taking the load off (40:20)

Uri - I love FATE, I can play with the characters as easily as I play with the players.

Eran - Brought some Earthdawn books from Israel, gonna read them and [Demonplague](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/254718/The-Demonplague?affiliate_id=29668), and [Book of Ages](https://site.pelgranepress.com/index.php/the-book-of-ages/). [Microscope](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/91183/Microscope?affiliate_id=29668)

-----

Email us at [email protected] with questions, topic suggestions, and comments on this episode.

[Our Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwarfpodcast)

[We have a Patreon page](https://www.patreon.com/dwarfcast), in case you'd like to support us in a monetary fashion.

Most links to [DriveThruRPG are affiliate](http://drivethrurpg.com/?affi

### Work on your character (3:30)

Here are a dozen development ideas that might help:

1. What is your strongest childhood memory?

2. Describe one event that you're ashamed of.

3. Who was your best friend when you were younger?

4. Describe one feature of the prettiest person you’ve ever seen.

5. Describe the worst failure you’ve had in your field of expertise.

6. Who among the party doesn’t know how you really think about them.

7. Name one attribute about you that your parent really liked.

8. Who is it that you miss the most.

9. What is something that you wish you hadn't forgotten?

10. Who would you want to hold your hand when you die.

11. What is your favourite colour and why?

12. What scares you the most?

### Work on your group (7:40)

Think about improvements you can provide for your game.

### Think of something awesome (12:05)

Something that someone else did during one of your last sessions. Tell them thanks!

-----

Email us at [email protected] with questions, topic suggestions, and comments on this episode.

[Our Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwarfpodcast)

[We have a Patreon page](https://www.patreon.com/dwarfcast), in case you'd like to support us in a monetary fashion.

Most links to [DriveThruRPG are affiliate](http://drivethrurpg.com/?affiliate_id=29668), which means we get a bit of money if you buy through them, with no added cost to you.

Intro and outro based on On the Shoulders of Dwarves by the Cliches Duo.

On the Shoulders of Dwarves is shared under [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

**The second episode of Forging Ahead with Aviv Manoach, a show about tabletop roleplaying games where Aviv discusses the shenanigans of his home group and prepare their next adventures. Aviv and his group are playing Wonders: Heroes of Tomorrow, the Hebrew adaptation for Masks: a New Generation, in a world were superpowered people are a new phenomenon.**

You can join live each week on [twitch.tv/iceldotme](http://www.twitch.tv/iceldotme), or subscribe to the podcast's audio on [dwarfcast.net](http://www.dwarfcast.net).

## Previously on...

Four days later, its Friday night and the team set to the Titania to infiltrate their Wonders fight club, with Amraphel acting as one of the participants.

While Flying Fist and Seabreeze decide to scout the area from the roof, Oron takes a position at the entrance, looking for a weak mind he could connect with to check the club's interior.

Oron spots Hexen, the woman the team encountered earlier on the week, that searches for the Tablet of Anat. He also finds some teenagers that are allowed to enter the club despite it being closed for people under 18. He connects with the mind of a partygoer and can sense what is going on inside.

Amraphel gets to the meeting spot were Oberon introduce this night's participants: the lead fighters, Red Owl and Razor; and the newcomers: Harpy and Echo, alongside Amraphel himself.

Amraphel fights Echo first with the winner facing Harpia. While having a tough start, Amraphel uses the crowd's enthusiasm to negate the Echo's sonic powers, and he beats him.

## City Factions

**The Big Issue**: Tyrannical Authorities through Stupidity (Hanlon's razor)

* The Titania Club: Rave & Oberon.

To keep the city’s stability in order to prosper.

* The Ankh: Jackal & Hexen. To acquire the Tablet of Anat in order to gain power.

* Powerstar. To expose the government conspiracy to abduct wonders.

* Darkness. To sell their services to the highest bidder.

## Team’s Storylines

**Amraphel**: Connected through their friend Alex (a Key Figure) to the Tablet of Anat, Titania tugs tried to blackmail Alex’s mother to get a piece of the tablet.

**Oron**: Although aware of it yet, Oron’s memories were manipulated by Darkness to think that his squadmates and CO were killed in a traffic accident.

**Flying Fist**: Her brother Harel, a powerful Aeromancer, was taken by SERAPH, the international superpowers law enforcement agency.

**Seabreeze**: She’s from a virtual world where everyone is at war between people and monsters.

## The Next Session

Continue the fight club, will Amraphel win against Harpy?

After that, the big match between Red Owl and Razor. Oberon tried to interfere in the fight and Red Owl uses his true powers. Will the team recognise him?

That's our show for today. On the next episode, we'll catch up on what happened with the group in our gaming session and we'll discuss how to proceed.

In the meantime, you can catch me on twitter [@icel](https://twitter.com/Icel), check out more about my games on the [Vanor – Games to Amaze](https://fb.com/Vanor.GamesToAmaze/) page, and can join our the [On the Shoulder of Dwarves](https://fb.com/groups/dwarfpodcast/) community group.

## Video Version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgEOBHVWfNM

The Crystal Heart webcomic can be found [here](http://www.uptofourplayers.com/) ([read from the beginning](https://www.uptofourplayers.com/comic/1-campaign-pitch/))

The Kickstarer is [right here](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1036008825/crystal-heart-a-colourful-setting-for-savage-world).

### How is Crystal Heart different?

### Why Savage Worlds? (10:30)

### How the Sysem supports the gaming experience we're aiming for (13:40)

### Kickstarter reactions and feedback (21:40)

[Our Discord](https://discord.gg/mcU5VdF)

### What was the moment you realised you have something awesome? (30:55)

[Odyssey](https://www.enginepublishing.com/odyssey-the-complete-game-masters-guide-to-campaign-management)

### What we are doing after this (33:35)

### Summary 37:40

[@AvivOr](https://twitter.com/AvivOr), [@nnesk](https://twitter.com/nnesk), [@UriLifshitz](https://twitter.com/UriLifshitz)

-----

Email us at [email protected] with questions, topic suggestions, and comments on this episode.

[Our Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwarfpodcast)

[We have a Patreon page](https://www.patreon.com/dwarfcast), in case you'd like to support us in a monetary fashion.

Most links to [DriveThruRPG are affiliate](http://drivethrurpg.com/?affiliate_id=29668), which means we get a bit of money if you buy through them, with no added cost to you.

Intro and outro based on On the Shoulders of Dwarves by the Cliches Duo.

On the Shoulders of Dwarves is shared under [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

**The first episode of Forging Ahead with Aviv Manoach, a show about tabletop roleplaying games where Aviv discusses the shenanigans of his home group and prepare their next adventures.**

You can join live each week on [twitch.tv/iceldotme](http://www.twitch.tv/iceldotme), or subscribe to the podcast's audio on [dwarfcast.net](http://www.dwarfcast.net).

## Who Am I?

I’m Aviv, you may have heard me before on our main On the Shoulders of Dwarves show, as I’m the technical producer of the website and sometimes guest host.

I've been gaming for about 15 years and for the past decade have been working in media production: internet videos, livestream, podcasts, and of course - tabletop games.

## What Are We Playing?

Wonders! Heroes of Tomorrow, an adaptation and Hebrew translation of Magpie Games' amazing Masks: a New Generation, with some new systems design to allow your group to create cool and interesting urban environments for your heroes.

In the world of Wonders, people with superpowers were not known to the general public until 10 years ago, after the War of Might exposed them.

## Our Heroes

* **Oron**, the Nova (Telekinesis and Telepathy)

* **Amraphel**, the Janus (Supernatural Senses, Impossible Mobility)

* **The Flying Fist**, the Beacon (Martial Arts, Acrobatics)

* **Seabreeze**, the Outsider (Stunning Beauty, Radical Shapeshifting)

## The Big Picture

Our campaign takes place in southern Israel. During the War of Might, an interdimensional fissure erupted near our city, spawning weird creatures. After the war, the area became an international demilitarised zone and a prison facility, The Bore, was built around it.

In the present day, our team of heroes has rescued a high profile Wonder from an abduction attempt, leading them to discover this was not an isolated case.

## The Next Session

There are two story threads we've been following:

1. An underground superpowered fight club, being held weekly a dance club called Titania. The team visited the place and Amraphel got introduced to the club managers, Rave and Oberon.

2. A mysterious archaeological artefact called the Tablet of Anat, which a young woman named Hexen was searching for in the very building housing the Titania.

That's our show for today. On the next episode, we'll catch up on what happened with the group in our gaming session and we'll discuss how to proceed.

In the meantime, you can catch me on twitter [@icel](https://twitter.com/Icel), check out more about my games on the [Vanor – Games to Amaze](https://fb.com/Vanor.GamesToAmaze/) page, and can join our the [On the Shoulder of Dwarves](https://fb.com/groups/dwarfpodcast/) community group.

## Video Version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSIUMyEK-Ds