Total Pebble Knockdown

Total Pebble Knockdown

By Total Pebble KnockdownLeisureGames
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Total Pebble Knockdown episodes

  • 141. The 2024 Advent Calendar, Part 1

    On the show today:

    Welcome to part 1 of our December Advent Calendar. A topic for every day of the month. On this episode, we give you the half. That's right, you get 16 whole conversations in one giant package! Like how Santa has packages...


    1.  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and bad first impressions

    2.  Valve changes Steam’s season pass guidelines – https://www.gamesindustry.biz/valve-updates-guidelines-for-season-passes-on-steam , https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/store/seasonpass , https://screenrant.com/mass-effect-4-andromeda-missing-quarian-ark-dlc/ , https://www.gamesradar.com/games/fps/redfalls-previous-update-will-be-its-last-with-premium-edition-buyers-to-be-refunded-for-the-two-characters-theyll-never-get/

    3.  The Game Awards opens GOTY to DLC (probably for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree) – https://gameranx.com/updates/id/517993/article/the-game-awards-controversial-goty-decision-upsets-numerous-fans-of-spectacular-dlc/

    4.  Doing a prologue to campaigns – https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1gyqeol/prologue_to_campaigns/

    5.  The end of the peasant railgun – https://dungeonsanddragonsfan.com/peasant-railgun-dnd/

    6.  Nathan shows off his 2023 Steam spider graph

    7.  Random game discussion, Round 1 – https://www.ign.com/playlist/suerowned/lists/the-mathematically-determined-500-best-video-games-of-all-time

    8.  Nathan tried and failed to play Project Zomboid

    9.  Monomyth and the burning door

    10.The moment in Inscryption that broke Nathan’s brain

    11.What’s the most basic name? – https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1gycpxx/need_the_most_basic_name/

    12. Making art by superfan committee – https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/star-wars-lord-of-the-rings-bridgerton-toxic-fans-hollywood-response-1236166736/

    13. That time Alex beat Nathan at Magic with his own card

    14. Random game discussion, Round 2 – https://www.ign.com/playlist/suerowned/lists/the-mathematically-determined-500-best-video-games-of-all-time

    15. So you have misheard “mass healing word” – https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/1gy8kxx/player_misheard_mass_healing_word/

    16. The problem with roadmaps & live service models

    2 hr 2 min
  • 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/

    1 hr
  • 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/

    49 min
  • 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.

    1 hr
  • 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

    59 min
  • 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

    1 hr 22 min
  • 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

    59 min
  • 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

    1 hr 11 min
  • 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?

    1 hr 14 min
  • 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

    1 hr 38 min

About Total Pebble Knockdown

From the publisher's feed

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…