Total Pebble Knockdown

By Total Pebble Knockdown

In weekly discussions that result in absolutely no clear answers, Nathan and Alex delve into the endless choices that make up games. What can we learn from video games, storytelling, and the real worl... more

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FAQs about Total Pebble Knockdown:

How many episodes does Total Pebble Knockdown have?

The podcast currently has 141 episodes available.

Total Pebble Knockdown episodes:

November 19, 2024 140. DMV, Please
On the show today:
Nathan returns to Palworld. Nearly a year ago, the game rocked the video game industry with record sales. But we haven't really played it since February. So, what is it like now?
Lucas Pope is a talented game designer with unique ideas. Papers, Please and Return of the Obra Dinn are critically acclaimed games with accolades aplenty from gamers. However, today Nathan has a criticism sandwich for Pope and it has everything to do with game interface and UI.
Could you play your character's child? One Reddit question asks this very thing and frankly, we have some modifications to that formula. Perhaps we spend too much time asking if you could that we forget to ask if we should.
https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1gl5h56/would_it_be_weird_to_play_my_last_characters_child/
...more
1h
November 16, 2024 139. Owning Our Mixtapes
On the show today:
It's the 10-year anniversary of the "Too Much Water" meme from IGN's Pokemon review. Sometimes a bullet point of game analysis misses the context you need. And sometimes the point is not warranted. Let's discuss which one this was.
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/too-much-water
Can you play D&D by yourself? Also, should you? One Quora answer explains how you could theoretically make it happen, but whether it seems fun or interesting is worth exploring further.
https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-play-D-D-by-myself
Congratulations on overthrowing the tax collector. Your players are now set to get a massive windfall from his earnings, but that seems game breaking. So, how could you create a story where the tax collector actually had lost all the money?
https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1gkvcbd/i_need_a_fast_way_to_waste_a_lot_of_money/
...more
49min
October 29, 2024 138. Rob Moss
On the show today:
Survival crafting and horror sound like a match made in spooky heaven but after Nathan tried the demo for upcoming Project Mist, he started asking if these two should ever be near each other. We discuss why the mechanics of these genres has trouble meshing.
Jump scares are just not as scary as horror can be by building atmosphere. We talk about the idea of tension and release and some games that prove to be scary without relying on jump scares.
Mascot horror has probably showed up many times on your Steam discovery queue but frankly, Nathan doesn't understand the appeal. Surely there are reasons they keep getting made and also what people get out of them. Also, we think about mascot horror ideas we would create.
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1h
October 22, 2024 137. Bob Slenderman
On the show today:
Urban legends are sometimes rooted in truth, but sometimes they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Take the case of the Goat Man of Pope Lick Creek. A monster that is said to lead people to their death by crossing a trestle bridge may not be real, but the consequences of that story are just as bad.
USA Today – https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/05/16/pope-lick-monster-dangers/84444718/
Mr. Ballen – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLPGMZvqxV8&t=62s
Atlas Obscura – https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pope-lick-trestle-bridge
In 2016, residents of L.A.'s Cecil Hotel complained about a strange taste in the water. Some said it came out of the faucets black when first turned on. What the staff found in the water supply would answer one question and beg so many others. What happens when your party investigates an urban legend and uncovers the truth?
The Corpse in the Water – https://www.cnn.com/2013/02/21/us/california-hotel-water-corpse/index.html
Elisa Lam autopsy report– https://heavy.com/entertainment/elisa-lam-cause-of-death-autopsy-cecil-hotel/
The Bizarre Death of Elisa Lam – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48jBi86ih5Q
Centralia underground fires – https://www.treehugger.com/the-centralia-fire-has-been-burning-underground-for-over-50-years-5204217
Around 150 towns across the U.S. have been flooded to make lakes, dams and reservoirs. Many of these places have a long and tragic history that exists under the water, away from the prying eyes of your average tourist. But what if we venture to the most unassuming places and discover that something is hidden just beneath the surface.
Amber Ruffin – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3D4hSQcWbk
Bailey Sarian – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTYW8HFHQC8
Flagstaff, Maine – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NazGRy9WToM
Flooded towns list – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_flooded_towns_in_the_United_States
...more
59min
October 15, 2024 136. Pain the Floof
On the show today:
Alex has played over 70 hours of Warhammer: Space Marine 2. Having already been familiar with Space Marine back in 2011, Alex wanted to discuss how the new game follows up with the story and mechanics of the first, so he's going to do that.
Dredge has an interesting mechanic called Panic, which accrues when you stay up too late at night. Suddenly you see things that aren't there and get attacked by monsters that don't exist. This is similar to sanity meters in other games and works well in the context of a Lovecraftian game such as this. Let's discuss how it works.
There are stairs in the woods and they lead to nowhere. Your party has just stumbled upon them and has some questions. We discuss the phenomenon/urban legend of stairs in the woods and how you could use them as a creepy encounter for an RPG party.
Wendigoon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOQ8tQXGLbg
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1h 22min
October 08, 2024 135. I'm Scorchin' It
On the show today:

WikiHow can theoretically teach you things, but can it help you avoid a TPK? We look at the article and ask if we can learn anything from the article.
Avoiding a TPK – https://www.wikihow.com/Tpk-Dnd

Card mechanics have been used in many ways in video games. Sometimes you construct a deck to use against other decks. Sometimes the decks are constructed to do battle or are built over the course of a run in rogue-likes. However, I was a Teenage Exocolonist uses it in a very different way and Nathan would like to discuss how.

We have a Reddit question about adapting to player stupidity. Log in your predictions for what this scenario is right now, because we'll have some thoughts on whether the GM is justified or not.
Adapting to player stupidity – https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1efmbwt/my_dm_wont_adapt_to_our_stupidity
...more
59min
September 24, 2024 134. When the Question Hit My Head
On the show today:
Dave the Diver was an indie darling last year and Nathan got to play it on stream this month. Having continued to play it far after our monthly stream, he found that many of the advances hinted at the beginning get paid off far later and entice players to keep moving forward. Let's discuss how Dave the Diver incentivizes players from the beginning.
Deep Diving with Dave - https://youtube.com/live/KaD_UjScZ6w?feature=share

Is it okay to be a bad DM? One Reddit question asks this very thing. But the question probably should be, what constitutes a bad DM and should it even matter?
https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1fe9gvo/is_it_okay_to_be_a_bad_dm

Someone on Twitter asked gamers what game they thought everyone should play once. Nathan and Alex have some thoughts on that.
peachjars² on X: "What do you feel like is THE game everyone has to play once in their lifetime? for me personally: sly cooper" / X
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1h 11min
September 17, 2024 133. Steampunk Gerbil Ball
On the show today:
Elon Musk took issue with the Fallout slogan "War Never Changes" back in May. Instead of simply complaining, we take a moment to look at how players can see the same information in different ways and how to better inform players to the themes of the game.
https://futurism.com/elon-musk-fallout-tweet
https://x.com/girldrawsghosts/status/1815417466509463757
Josh Sawyer (of Black Isle and Obsidian fame) had a video talking about breaking game balance in Fallout: New Vegas. There are different ways of approaching open world games when it comes to how truly open the world is to players at the start. We discuss what we enjoy between balanced and imbalanced game worlds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnR1Y3GlTqs
If you have a game set in a nuclear post-apocalypse, you probably have radiation mechanics. We discuss some of the games we played that have these mechanics, which ones were fairly basic and ones that were more complicated. Also, what new ways could we use this mechanic in tabletop games?
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1h 14min
September 03, 2024 132. A Stream Needs a Flow w/ DC Lasair
On the show today:
DC Lasair is here to explain how he runs tabletop game streams, the tech he uses, the way he structures games and how to move story along when you are playing live. How long can you hold an audience's attention? What do you have to go over with your cast ahead of time? How much prep do you need?
DC has run many charity livestreams. How do you set those up? What resources are available? What kind of incentives can you give for donations? Also, there is a cold cut beard involved.
We remember the 1980s. Maybe more the '90s when we start discussing it. But there are many cartoons, games and other media from our childhood that has influenced our games today. We discuss which of those stuck with us the most. Also, which classic cartoon would make a great RPG character?
DC's website: https://www.dclasair.com/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dclasair
Electrum Chef: https://youtube.com/live/0jhWZimC9mU
Charity Stream playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi8OQBTRM60x6yth1kdudrCRQWCyxnCSJ
...more
1h 38min
August 26, 2024 131. Deer Mimicry Skills
On the show today:
Oh Deer asks you to act like an NPC in a video game lest you get shot by an increasingly unhinged hunter. The TPK crew played this to hunt each other for sport and came away with a sense that it was unlike other gaming experiences because of it's structure. What does it feel like when you have to act like you are not playing a game?
Getting a player acclimated to a new game can be a daunting task. Tutorials and training can become too overbearing or sparse for players to engage. So, what would we want to see from player orientation when we boot up the latest banger?
Oh no, your players have become archfey and now your D&D campaign has to become a political thriller. We've all been there. How would we handle this situation? Is there a way to implement social combat?
Reddit question on archfey - https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/1etb41t/all_my_players_became_archfey/
Our episode on Bastions in D&D - https://youtu.be/ATZhEunOM30
...more
1h 13min

FAQs about Total Pebble Knockdown:

How many episodes does Total Pebble Knockdown have?

The podcast currently has 141 episodes available.