Save for Half podcast

Save for Half podcast episodes:

• 03.23.2024

  Found in the Ruins episode #2: “Pulp Apocalypse Review”

  The 1970s and 80s were a time of apocalyptic fears, and what better way to promote them than through cheap paperbacks? That’s right, your favorite Wastelanders Boom Mike and Doc Benny discuss this time as reflected in the book Pulp...

  
• 03.06.2024

  Episode 53: Star Wars D6 from West End Games

  A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away… Ok, 37 years ago and not so far away the Star Wars RPG was first published by West End Games. We consider the game itself, the idea of dice pools,...

  
• 02.20.2024

  Found in the Ruins episode #1: “What is a Post-Apocalypse?”

  What’s this, you ask? It’s a side project podcast that covers Post-Apocalyptic books, games, movies, and what not. Hosts Boom Mike and Doc Benny take this first episode to introduce themselves and tell you their interpretations of the Post-Apocalypse. What...

  
• 02.06.2024

  Episode 52.5: Star Wars, 1977 Edition

  Get ready True Believers for a first…a Prequel Save for Half! We’ll be reviewing the West End Games Star Wars D6 RPG in episode 53, but first we invite the Curmudgeon in the Cellar himself Tim Kask on to talk...

  
• 01.06.2024

  Episode 52: I6 Ravenloft by Tracy & Laura Hickman

  You’ve heard of Christmas in July? Well, welcome to Halloween in January! Your Fab-lings start the new year with a ‘Bleh!’ with everyone’s favorite vampire Strahd in the original AD&D module I6: Ravenloft by Tracy and Laura Hickman. Thrills, chills,...

  
• 12.07.2023

  Episode 51.5: Emails & 2023 Retrospective

  It’s December, which means it’s time for the patented Save for Half year-end retrospective and email hot tub time machine! Well, DM Liz reads some emails anyway. Forgive our delay in getting to some of these emails, but we kept...

  
• 11.08.2023

  Episode 51: Gamma World 4E by TSR

  What’s this? Your Fab Four covering Gamma World again? Keep patient True Believers, because this isn’t the Gamma World you remember from the late 1970s. This is the 1992 revamp of our favorite game of mutations and murderbots! New rules...

  
• 10.06.2023

  Episode 50.5: Skeeter Green and his Productions!

  A show literally months in the making! Your Fab Four Halflings sit down with Skeeter Green to discuss his RPG company Skeeter Green Productions, the Independent Publisher’s Union (#notaunion), and of course…new classes? We discuss all these topics as well...

  
• 08.20.2023

  Episode 50: RuneQuest by Chaosium

  What’s this? A game of Bronze-Age fantasy that mixes ancient cultures from Sumeria to the Celts? A unique world steeped in legend named Glorantha? Guest host Game Master Ed to explain the actual play of this game? Madness! Yet your...

  
• 07.15.2023

  Episode 49: The Dare-Luck Club by Dandyline Games

  Get ready to gird your Oomph and Marbles, as the kids in the Halfling Clubhouse lead you on a delve into 70s and 80s kids’ shows, both real and imaginary! This show we’re looking at Dare-Luck Club, published by Lou...

  
• 06.10.2023

  Episode 48.5: Luau Lou vs. DM Corbett!

  Grab your sombreros and get ready for a hijacked episode of Save For Half. This episode DM Corbett has taken over and brought in everyone’s favorite wacky sitcom next door neighbors, Luau Lou! What happened to the rest of the hosts, you...

  
• 05.06.2023

  Episode 48: “D&D Honor Among Thieves” and NTRPG Con

  Yes, we took the plunge so you don’t have to! The Fab Four watched the D&D: HAT movie and give our opinions; the good, the bad, and the Satanic! That’s right, Satan (AKA Mike Badolato) joins us to give his...

  
• 04.07.2023

  Episode 47.5: GOZR CharGen Extravaganza!

  Normally we do up our character generation sessions as extras for the Patreon supporters, but this one was so much fun we decided to make a Sideshow out of it and release it to the entire community! Not only are...

  
• 03.05.2023

  Episode 47: Killer by Steve Jackson Games

  Sometimes we cover games that are truly artifacts of their time. This is one of those! Killer by Steve Jackson Games might be considered by some a proto-LARP, others would see it as “Cops & Robbers” for adults, and most...

  
• 02.10.2023

  Episode 46: Jolly Blackburn Interview

  This episode the Save For Halflings are honored to interview Knights of the Dinner Table author Jolly Blackburn! Jolly doesn’t do many interviews, so this is a rare opportunity to get the inside dope from the gifted storyteller who recently...

  
• 01.07.2023

  Episode 45.5: 2022 End of Year Retrospective

  It’s another end of year show, with emails and voice mails to answer. Many questions, many answers…and some even make sense! Take a listen and find out once and for all the answer to the burning question of, ‘Why did...

  
• 12.18.2022

  Episode 45: GOZR Sci-Fantasy by Random Order Creations

  When it comes to modern games inspired by the OSR, there is ’70s Gonzo, and there’s ’70s GONZO. Welcome to GOZR, the Sci-Fi/Fantasy RPG where characters called Gooz learn about a world reshaped by catastrophe and sorcerous science. Danger, exploration,...

  
• 10.29.2022

  Episode 44: Vampire the Masquerade by White Wolf

  You all knew it was coming, sooner or later. Like a undead wraith itself, Vampire: The Masquerade rises from the grave (the 2nd edition anyway) for your Fab Four to review. We cover what’s good, what’s not-so-good, and what sucks...

  
• 10.03.2022

  Episode 43: The Fantasy Trip by Steve Jackson Games

  Before the age of the OGL, there was a time undreamt of, the time of second generation FRPGS! Join us back in the late 1970s as we cover “The Fantasy Trip” by first Metagaming, then reprinted by Steve Jackson Games....

  
• 08.30.2022

  Episode 42: Original Dungeons & Dragons, Edited by Greyharp

  One of the biggest complaints about Original (little brown book) D&D is that it’s difficult to understand because of layout and order. Not to mention it frequently refers to stuff in Chainmail—sold separately! Never fear, Greyharp has come to the...

  
• 07.29.2022

  Episode 41.5: North Texas RPG Con 2022

  It’s that time of year, what you’ve all been waiting for. That’s right, we’ve got BadMike himself from North Texas RPG Con to discuss what we did this year at the best Old School con in the world! We laughed,...

  
• 06.11.2022

  Episode 41: Dallas The Television Role-Playing Game by SPI

  What else need be said? Schemes, treachery, retconning entire seasons…it’s all here in this…erm…RPG (?) game about the hit TV show of the decade, Dallas. Who shot J.R.? Who didn’t shoot J.R.? And did anyone check his colon for gems?...

  
• 05.07.2022

  Episode 40: East Texas University by Pinnacle Entertainment Group

  It’s finals time at the Halfling Hideaway, and we’d probably do well if we weren’t so busy fighting supernatural evil. Yes, it’s cool hijinks and eldritch horror combined in the Savage World supplement East Texas University by 12 to Midnight,...

  
• 04.09.2022

  Episode 39.5: Email Hot Tub Time Machine

  Yes, it’s the senses-blasting return of that (in)famous Halfling tradition…the Email Hot Tub Time Machine!™ Guest starring DM Cojo! Well, not exactly…but he has so many emails here you’d think he was in the room! No emails were harmed in...

  
• 03.06.2022

  Episode 39: The Morrow Project by Timeline Ltd.

  It’s happened to us all at one time or another. You get hired by a company, given survival training, then stuck in a freeze tube for 200 years. Then when you get out, you find you’ve misplaced your streaming accounts....

  
• 02.07.2022

  Episode 38: Game Wizards with Jon Peterson

  Friend of the Show Jon Peterson, noted author of the RPG industry and all around celebrity joins the Halflings to discuss his most recent work, “Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons”, by MIT Press. The book discusses...

  
• 01.01.2022

  Episode 37.5: Retrospective 2021

  Don’t worry, this isn’t like those old TV shows where you get a “new” episode and it’s just the cast reminiscing and replaying clips from the previous year to fill out a show. This is all new, off the cuff...

  
• 12.06.2021

  Episode 37: Star Frontiers by TSR

  It’s not a Trek, nor Wars…it’s TSR’s 1982 Sci-Fi game Star Frontiers! Your Halflings delve into this box set of space opera goodies with enough counters to warm any wargamer’s (or DM Mike’s) heart. Laser pistols, bizarre creatures, and Sonic...

  
• 10.30.2021

  Episode 36: Meddling Kids by Pandahead Productions

  Jinkies! It’s time to pile into the van with your fave talking creature and go solve groovy mysteries with your cool clique of friends in this RPG that pays homage to various cartoons of the 60s, 70s and 80s. The...

  
• 10.02.2021

  Episode 35: Blake’s 7 RPG by Horizon

  It’s time to review an RPG on one of our favorite BBC Sci-Fi TV shows of the 1970s; Blakes7 by Terry Nation. A show gritty and dark for its time, it was notorious for anti-heroes, rebels losing to the evil...

  
• 09.06.2021

  Episode 34: AD&D Players Handbook by TSR

  What’s this? Your Fab Four Halflings are covering that venerable book of 1st edition RPG goodness? That’s right, this episode we dive into the foundational rules of that newfangled (for 1978) Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. What did we like? Hate?...

  
• 07.28.2021

  Episode 33: Mutant Future by Goblinoid Games

  It’s the future — with mutants! That’s right, the Fab Foursome are covering the game Mutant Future by Goblinoid Games, and it’s a world with more Gamma than you can shake a Death Machine at! Based on the Labyrinth Lord...

  
• 06.27.2021

  Episode 32: En Garde by Game Designers’ Workshop

  It’s time to get your rapier and swing from a chandelier, because the Halflings take a look this episode at the Game Designers’ Workshop edition of En Garde by Darryl Haney and Frank Chadwick (1975). There are all sort of...

  
• 05.17.2021

  Episode 31: Marvel Super Heroes by TSR

  Excelsior, True Believers! The Fab Four Halflings take a dive into that first licensed Superhero RPG of the 1980s, the Marvel Super Heroes Roleplaying Game box set by TSR. Published in 1984, it took a few directions that Supers RPGs...

  
• 04.30.2021

  Episode 30.5: North Texas RPG Con 2021

  Normalcy is usually overrated, but not this time. The 13th North Texas RPG Con is happening June 3-6, 2021 and the goal is a return to normal con-gaming. As ever, BadMike/Satan is here to regale us with details: the food...

  
• 04.10.2021

  Episode 30: Alma Mater by Oracle Games

  School’s out…of its mind? It sure seems that way as your Four Halflings take a dive into one of the oddest RPGs from the early 1980s; that of Alma Mater. Classes, teachers, social cliques, and other hazards for your freshman...

  
• 03.03.2021

  Episode 29.5: The Elusive Shift with Jon Peterson

  Friend of the show (and author) Jon Peterson joins the Halflings in a wide-ranging discussion of fanzines, RPG theory, and…oh yeah, his new book from MIT Press called The Elusive Shift. When did Dungeons & Dragons stop being a fantasy...

  
• 12.18.2020

  Episode 29: Cosmic Encounter by Eon Productions

  No, it’s not a Spielberg movie. It’s the board game sensation of the 1970s adventure gaming industry, Cosmic Encounter by Eon Productions. A simple yet innovative system lets each of the alien races a player chooses change powers and goals...

  
• 11.16.2020

  Episode 28: Space Patrol by Gamescience

  Space, the final frontier — or the first, as far as RPG space gaming went. Gamescience’s Space Patrol beat Traveller to the punch in 1977, but was lost in the shuffle of its better known rival’s little black books. But...

  
• 10.08.2020

  Episode 27: Dresden Files by Evil Hat Productions

  It’s time for your Fab Four Halflings to accept their fates…FATE Core, that is! We sit down and cover our first FATE game in the guise of The Dresden Files RPG, based on the bestselling book series by Jim Butcher....

  
• 08.26.2020

  Episode 26.5: North Texas RPG Con with Chris Holmes

  Yes there was in fact a North Texas RPG Con this year; both virtual and live tracks. Your Halflings read some emails and then discuss their time at the con. Chris Holmes, son of J. Eric Holmes, was the only...

  
• 07.15.2020

  Episode 26: Timeship by Yaquinto Publications

  Timeship has, let’s say, a checkered reputation in the RPG community. This episode your intrepid Halflings delve into a game that mandates a player play themselves, travel back in time, and (among other things) kill Hitler. What’s not to like?...

  
• 06.13.2020

  Episode 25: Awful Green Things from Outer Space by SJG

  What more can we say about episode 25 of Save for Half? Only they’re awful, they’re green…and they’re from outer space! Yes, it’s that quirky Tom Wham boardgame first published in Dragon magazine #28, and was in its 8th edition...

  
• 04.26.2020

  Episode 24.5: Alarums & Excursions with Jon Peterson

  Save for Half is back with another sideshow, this time featuring the return of the Arch-RPG Historian himself Jon Peterson! He joins the Halflings for a discussion of the seminal D&D fanzine Alarums & Excursions, and we discuss the first...

  
• 03.23.2020

  Episode 24: Empire of the Petal Throne by TSR

  It’s a legend in the RPG community, M.A.R. Barker’s famous Tekumel is brought to you by the halfling horde’s inimitable wit! Well, half of it anyway… The Empire of the Petal Throne is arguably the first D&D variant world to...

  
• 02.12.2020

  Episode 23:The Hero’s Journey 2E by Gallant Knight Games

  What’s this? —said in our best Batman ’66 announcer voice — A review of a game that has only just finished its Kickstarter? Your Fab Four Halflings come through again with a review of The Hero’s Journey, 2E! We discuss...

  
• 01.17.2020

  Episode 22.5: James Michael Spahn and The Hero’s Journey 2E

  Welcome to the New Year! Your Halflings are joined by noted game designer James Spahn to talk about his new update of The Hero’s Journey Fantasy RPG, Kickstarting this month. We discuss his game philosophies, new innovations that make The...

  
• 01.03.2020

  Episode 22: Aftermath! by FGU

  It’s the Post-Apocalypse, and you are a lone survivor battling the radioactive wastes with a pistol, sneakers, and all the armor that hit location #12 can hold! That’s right, it’s Aftermath by Fantasy Games Unlimited, and your Halflings delve into...

  
• 11.25.2019

  Episode 21: Manual of the Planes by TSR

  What do you do with that 20th level character in AD&D? Start adventuring in the various planes of existence, naturally! Your four halflings take a dive into 1987’s Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb and the TSR Bullpen. Soaring...

  
• 10.07.2019

  Episode 20: Flash Gordon & The Warriors of Mongo by FGU

  It’s Flash! He’ll save—for Half—every one of us! In this latest episode of Save for Half, your Fab Four take a deep dive into 1977’s Flash Gordon and the Warriors of Mongo, a…RPG? written by Lin Carter and Scott...