Total Pebble Knockdown

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

For more details on the deal to buy D&D Beyond - D&D Beyond comes under the wing of Wizards of the Coast in $146 million deal | TechCrunch

For the story behind the game and it’s development, check out the Internet Historian video here - The Engoodening of No Man's Sky - YouTube

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* So, Bethesda is letting it's game launcher go. Fly free little launcher! What happens to everyone's data, their save games, their libraries, their friends lists? And the question on everyone's mind: What about Fallout 76!? Also, a few old Bethesda games become available for free on Steam on the heels of this news. Coincidence? Maybe!

Bethesda Launcher we hardly knew ye - https://www.pcgamer.com/bethesda-is-dropping-its-launcher-in-favor-of-a-return-to-steam/

Your burning Fallout 76 questions answered - https://fallout.bethesda.net/en/article/FfWIVEmUL8vXXpAtkYnCT/farewell-bethesda-net-launcher-fallout-76-faq

Free games - https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/some-of-bethesdas-classic-elder-scrolls-rpgs-are-now-free-on-steam/

* Alex and Craeve went to PAX East in a somewhat unexpected fashion while they were in Boston over the weekend. Nathan is not at all familiar with PAX and asks some questions about what it is and why he should care. Were there games? Did they play any? What news do they bring? Did they just wander aimlessly with no real mission but to see what all the fuss is about? Find out!

* Technology can be very useful to augment our tabletop experiences. One of the new ideas is holographic game tables. What is the best use for them? Will we ever be able to afford them? Do the logistics make it more trouble than it's worth? And, let's face it, will a new technology replace it before it becomes widely available to the general public? Let's discuss that.

Holograms - https://vrscout.com/news/holographic-tabletop-games-on-the-way-from-catan-creators/

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Launched on April 12, two TTRPG Kickstarters hit the $1 Million mark in mere days of release. So, on this Weekly Muse, we talk a bit about that. Should we make monsters more interesting in Flee, Mortals! from MCDM? Should we bow down and worship the Old Gods of Appalachia from Monte Cook Games? Why isn't there an RPG set in a mall? Why has Alex not gotten his '90s themed Scholastic Book Fair game? What's the real difference between zombies and mindflayers? So many questions that we fail to answer...

"Flee, Mortals!" - The MCDM Monster Book for 5e by Matt Colville — Kickstarter

Old Gods of Appalachia Roleplaying Game by Monte Cook Games — Kickstarter

* Since we brought up Kickstarter, a problem seems to be arising regarding crowdfunding. Namely, how do small or independent projects going to fund when so much attention is getting placed on large projects like the ones above? In this week's Crit Think, we ask what the small developer can do to get exposure and funding for their projects in a landscape that is increasingly becoming built for established brands. Is there still a place for games that are not based on D&D 5E? Should we make a game based around D5s? What exactly is Pebblecore? So many more questions that we fail to answer...

* So, Nathan was still playing Rage for reasons we don't understand and came across another interesting wrinkle. This time on Mechanically Speaking, we are discussing the card game inside the game and how it interacts with everything else. Does your ability to play cards with random strangers actually improve your experience with other characters or situations? How integral should it be? How much time should it take? And in terms of tabletop RPGs, should we actually be playing a card game during the session and collect cards as part of the game? We also discuss Gwent, Pazaak and Caravan, just to cover all the made-up card games in video gaming. And no, we are not good at them.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* After hearing about the horror that is the false hydra, Nathan started thinking about rectifying player knowledge versus character knowledge. If you know how to combat a monster that is imperceivable by normal means as a player, should your character prepare to fight it accordingly? Should I pick Silence as a spell knowing what I know? How much of this becomes meta-gaming and does that affect the campaign? A whole lot of questions, which means we have to do a Crit Think.

* On a merry jaunt through Rage (yes, the original game, not the recent sequel) Nathan came down with a fever and the only cure was a Soapbox. On this episode, we have a little rant about “Decorative Door Syndrome” where we as players are presented with what looks like interactive doors only to have our hopes dashed by the fact they are but facades placed there by developers. Why is this so frustrating and could we please address this in the future?

* On a round-up of games we’ve played recently, Nathan has many thoughts about the recently released Weird West. Does it really earn the label of “immersive sim”? Is it even fun to play? How weird are we talking?

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Well, we had a weird one on the last episode, which pretty much sets up the whole premise of this episode. To start things off, we're going to have a Crit Think asking if games can be so bad they are good? Some examples are given and personal experiences are relayed. Perhaps the whole thing is subjective. But also, Nathan played Kattastik, so...

* Sometimes a bug, flaw, coding error or technical limitation has unexpected consequences. In some cases this leads to features that become iconic to game series and might even spawn a new series altogether. In this week's Delving Deeper (for real this time) we give some examples of games that took their mistakes and made them into features due to their popularity. From speedy aliens to aggro Ghandi to explosive pranksters, we discuss what glorious problems were actually wonderful new mechanics.

7 Glitches That Became Beloved Features - YouTube

15 Gameplay Glitches That Actually Became Features In Video Games - YouTube

10 Video Game Bugs That Became Features - YouTube

* It is inevitable that games will have bugs, but to what level are we willing to overlook them? Can you work around them and should you? On this One More Thing we talk about the bugs that broke us, the ones that became unacceptable and the ones that we just kind of ignore.

On this episode of Delve:

* Once upon a time we discussed the "good" party and the "bad" party, but we never discussed the "morally ambiguous" party. You know, the neutral party that really doesn't have a stake in affairs of the state or society, but just has a job to do and wants to get paid for their services. Basically witchers, but with less personal investment. What do you do when your party of personified shrugs enters a world full of intrigue to which they have no interest in getting involved? We walk the line of the gray jedi in this Delving Deep.

* You've fought them. You've befriended them. You've asked them for more ale. But did you ever ask what they do in their free time? Fictitious worlds are chock full of non-playable characters lining their streets and countryside, but their lives rarely get fleshed out if they are not directly part of the players' story. However, after watching Free Guy, Nathan started wondering if it's worth getting more "NPC on the street" perspectives to the world around the players. Perhaps they are worth talking to, even if they do not have a quest? We explore this subject in this week's Delving Deeper.

* Did the Monopoly man have a monocle? What color was C-3PO? Did Sinbad play a genie in the 90s? Question everything about your memory as we dive into the Mandela Effect, a collective misremembering of information. Alex has a quiz for you on this Delving Deepest. Then, we discuss how this attention to detail and altering of information could be utilized in your games as a fun layer of character design or world building.

A list of prime Mandela Effect examples - What Is the Mandela Effect? 50 Examples That Will Blow Your Mind

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Somewhere in Nebraska, video game enthusiasts uncovered a treasure trove of cartridges from the Genesis and SNES era and lost their collective minds. Early estimates suggest that it could be worth millions with most of the cartridges still factory sealed. Does this sound like an over-estimate? What other digital antiques could be worth money? What should we have kept around? Also, Ninja Turtles and Pokemon Cards.

Local news shows plastic cartridges - https://www.klkntv.com/rare-video-game-collection-found-in-nebraska-could-be-worth-millions/

The full Gameroom video showing the collection - Video Game Store Closes mid 90s Inventory Found Years Later Factory Sealed SNES Sega Genesis Saturn

* Yet another souls title, yet another time round of this discussion. So, Elden Ring has posed the question once more "Should Games Have an Easy Mode". Okay, so let's do a Soapbox about the problem with calling for easy modes and the "git gud" mentality. Yes, we are going to talk about this so we hopefully never have to do so again.

* Nathan went back to the kingdoms of Amalur in Re-Reckoning on a mission to explore what has changed and if it still holds up. How hard is it to skip most of the side quests so you can get through the main quest line? This might apply to Skyrim and Fallout in this context as well. Also, what other dead game series would we like to discuss and could we see them return?

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* It might not be well-known, but Alex and Nathan have been playing... oh, what is it called... Dungeons & Dragons. Alex has been running a module and Nathan is playing a bard, so this is a new experience for both of us. We discuss what it's like running a module compared to making your own campaign and how you can still make it your own. We also think about what backstory will make Nathan's character more realistic, but in the terms of a fantasy roleplaying game.

* The concept of ludonarrative dissonance may be a foreign one to many people, but we can explain. Basically, imagine if the story and the action in a game contradict each other. Now imagine how that makes some games very odd when you look at them closely. Think about your gallant hero on a quest to save the world and also killing hundreds of people along the way. Think about taking down a dictator while leaving villages in ruin. Welcome to the divide. We'll discuss it on this episode.

The original article that spawned the term. https://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html

A more recent article discussing Uncharted I’m a Nice Guy, Just Ignore the Bodies | by Benji Tigg | SUPERJUMP (superjumpmagazine.com)

* After traversing a linear road, you come upon a set of great doors that open up to reveal this world in all it's glory... WELCOME TO JURASSIC PARK! Yes, on this One More Thing, we are discussing that moment in games when you finally see the scope of it all and how games have done this for better or worse. Will your players be awed by the landscape in front of them or will they simply shrug and say "okay"?

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Nintendo came under some fire for shutting down their WiiU and 3DS game stores without offering another option to enjoy a ton of classic games once that happens. Besides spawning a clear response from academics and the Video Game History Foundation, this brings up a serious issue about the preservation of video games in the digital age. Also, why can't Nathan find Oni anymore and what are we supposed to do to avoid losing old games to the ether?

Articles on the e-shop closures - https://kotaku.com/nintendo-wii-u-3ds-classic-games-mario-zelda-eshop-shop-1848544931 https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-3ds-wii-eshop-discontinued

The VGHF response on Twitter - https://twitter.com/gamehistoryorg

The difficulty of video game preservation - https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/01/12/video-game-preservation-emulation/

* Now that he's played Lost Ark for around 80 hours, Alex wanted to take the opportunity to explain what makes it different than other MMORPGs. Or rather, what makes it very similar. Is this the kind of game that would appeal to Nathan or does it involve other people? Do we ride a ladybug? Do we one of the million chosen ones? Let's discuss the new hotness that has hit American shores.

* Whether you play survival games, RPGs, adventure games or even Dungeons and Dragons, you may have encountered a problem with carrying capacity. Recently, Nathan encountered one of the more egregious cases he has ever seen with Windbound, having to start engaging with inventory management before even building a boat. So, how do you factor weight and space into a game's mechanics without it overwhelming the game?  And, do we even want to have inventory limits in the first place?