RPPR News: We have a mirror of all of our episodes on archive.org. Catch up with our older episodes or send the link to a friend to introduce them to us.  I’ve also updated the Zombies of the World blog going behind the scenes on how I created it.

Synopsis: Running a game in a timely manner is a daunting task. Many convention games fail to finish in 4 hours and a lot of players think that 6-12 hours for a single session is normal. We here at RPPR get shit done and want to help you also get shit done. How can you keep a game running without wasting a lot of time? Tom has a letter, shout outs and an anecdote from Tom’s latest Call of Cthulhu game.

Shout outs:

Music: Airbrushed by Anamaguchi

Preorder my new book Zombies of the World and get a free poster and shipping!

The RPPR Forums now support the iPhone and Android app Tapatalk. Post wherever and whenever you want. Go nuts!

Synopsis: Every once in a while in a campaign, you need to shake things up with a big event – an epic boss fight or jaw dropping action scene that ties up a campaign or story arc. Of course, in order to make things memorable, you need to up your game as a GM. But how do you go above and beyond? Tom and I discuss ways to psyche the players up, prep for a big event and run it. Plus Tom has a letter, shout outs and anecdotes.

Shout outs

Music: My Skateboard will go on by Anamanaguchi

Immersion is a tricky element of tabletop RPGs. In order to achieve it, a GM must first design a good scenario. In this episode, Tom, special guest Caleb and I discuss how we design adventures and other related topics. The effects of a game system on immersion and how to deal with players that lose immersion in a game. Tom also has a letter and of course shout outs and anecdotes.

Shout outs

Podcast Promo: Redline Theatre – radio theater podcast

Song: Immersed by Allison Crowe

Jolly Blackburn is the creator of the comic Knights of the Dinner Table and one of the principal game designers behind Hackmaster and Aces & Eight. He was at Visioncon 2011 and I got to sit down with him to discuss what’s new with Kenzer Company, the tabletop rpg industry, the Old School Renaissance and of course, KODT.

Thank you RPPR listeners! The Ruins of Lemuria PDF Ransom was a success! We are hard at work behind the scenes creating many cool things for you and running games over Skype for the ransom contributors.

Synopsis: Rhetoric is a divisive issue in tabletop games. Where do you draw the line between a player’s skill in speech and the PC’s ability? Tom and I discuss how rhetoric touches on game design, running a game and player vs. player conflicts. I’ve also started a superheroes campaign, using Wild Talents for the rules, and this time around we have seven players. A large group presents quite a few interesting challenges so we discuss how to run a game with a huge number of players.

Shout outs

Music: I can be persuaded by Mars

CONTRIBUTE  TO THE RUINS OF LEMURIA KICKSTARTER TO GET 10 PREVIEW AP EPISODES OR A SEAT A SKYPE GAME RUN BY ROSS PAYTON!

Synopsis: Chase scenes are an underutilized element in many games. A staple of action stories but RPGs focus on social scenes and combat. This is because it’s hard for a GM to make a chase scene actually exciting. Special guest RJ joins us as we discuss ways to make a boring chase scene into an epic one. Tom does not have a letter, but we do have many special holiday shout outs and a few anecdotes.

Forum Shout Outs:

Holiday Shout Outs below the fold

Song: Chase Scene Through DNA Wormholes by Rubber Band Banjo

Synopsis: In fiction, revealing too much information right away is a sign of bad storytelling. In role playing games, it’s often essential for a good session. Game masters have to realize that what they think the players should know is often not enough for the players to actually understand what’s going on. We discuss the importance of information and how to make sure that everyone know what’s going on. Tom has a letter and we have shout outs and an anecdote.

Shout outs

Forum Shout outs

Music: The Information Age by Anthony Fiaumano

Halloween is right around the corner so we are once again talking about running terrifying games. RPGs can’t really provide shocks like film or TV, but it’s still possible to run a truly scary game by keeping a few principles in mind. Specifically, a GM should focus on presenting ambigious information, giving players some but not total control and characterizing NPCs and monsters well. Tom finally has a letter and some shout outs and a reader letter.

Shout outs:

Music: Danse Macabre by David Kempers

Morality and alignment are two of the trickiest issues in tabletop RPGs. Every player has their own perspective, beliefs and biases and they frequently come out during play. How do you deal with conflicts over moral dilemmas? We go over several possible reasons why this occurs and how to resolve it. Tom forgot his letter at work, but we do have several shout outs and anecdotes:

Song: Fuck Your Morals by Nothing in Return

Episode Synopsis: The newest campaign setting for Dungeons and Dragons, Dark Sun, is out and we’ve already started the new RPPR campaign. Cody reviews the book and we discuss the book’s new rules and background information. We also talk about some of the other new games we picked up at Gencon this year. Plus, a new letter from Tom, anecdotes and shout outs:

Shout Outs

Music: Dark Sun by The Curtains and Their Terrifying Story