Total Pebble Knockdown

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Skyrim has released it’s Anniversary Edition to celebrate 10 years of re-releases. And thus, we need to wistfully look back at our first experiences with the epic RPG and how we still play it.

* Of course, when we think about Skyrim, most people start wondering how many versions there have been and we kind of come up with a couple answers on how many there are, depending on how you prefer to count them. Needless to say, there’s a lot.

The Gamer article ranking Skyrims - Every Skyrim Port Ever Released, Ranked From Worst To Best (thegamer.com)

An old Reddit post - There is 11 versions of Skyrim. Remember that.

* There are many ways to be a GM. One big difference comes from how much preparation you put in. On this week’s Discord Discussions, we discuss the how Nathan’s high-prep style and Alex’s low-prep style work in practice. So get ready to either get randomly killed by a boar or listen to the GM act out a conversation between 5 NPCs. Fun.

* If you ever play a game on your PC, you might have encountered that moment when you wonder why there are so many different launchers and (surprisingly) platforms for games on the computer. Where you buy and where you launch games may vary wildly by player, game availability and features. Why do we have to have a console war on the computer and why do we use some more than others? We run down a list of some we haven’t even heard of as well, because the list is extensive.

Best game launchers according to Slant - 11 Best game launchers for PC as of 2021 - Slant

Best game launchers according to Make Use Of - The 7 Best Game Launchers to Launch and Organize PC Games (makeuseof.com)

* While we’re discussing launchers, imagine if we could build one from scratch. What works for us on each of the apps we use and what could we do without? Come with us as we create the Frankenstein’s monster of game launchers, but like a friendly, approachable kind of monster who sends you cat pics.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Rockstar was under some major fire after the release of GTA Trilogy: Definitive Edition with many complaints about bugs, glitches, poor graphics rendering, missing songs, lazy re-skins, the removal of the old games from sale, typos that were not in the originals and (somehow) a return of "Hot Coffee". So... I guess we'll discuss all of that?

GTA Trilogy worst bugs https://www.denofgeek.com/games/gta-trilogy-definitive-edition-problems-bugs-glitches-reactions/

GTA Trilogy Metacritic Score is Bad https://gamingbolt.com/grand-theft-auto-the-trilogy-the-definitive-edition-has-a-collective-metacritic-user-score-of-0-5

GTA classics removed Rockstar Will Remove Classic GTA Games From Sale | Screen Rant

* NDAs, Subscription Services and Copyright Claims, oh my! Games Workshop has been making some questionable decisions lately when it comes to the community around Warhammer and Alex needed to make it clear how these things are not okay and harmful to the community GW should be trying to grow. Are they trying to move away from the Warhammer miniatures and moving towards digital media such as Warhammer+? And why is Warhammer+? Also, did we watch too many Arch videos on the subject?

Arch discusses Warhammer+ Warhammer + Is WORSE Then I Imagined! SOMEHOW! Games Workshop Have Done The Impossible... - YouTube

Arch discusses Copyright Claims Games Workshop Starts Copyright Claiming Warhammer + Reviews! It Wont Stop! - YouTube

* Instead of having the party work together, what about if we split them into two groups and have them work against each other? Yes, we're discussing dueling campaign and how that might work. Like, do we need two GMs? Do they need to fight? Are they undermining each other for fun and profit? That's a lot of questions... time for a Crit Think!

Helicity's Twitter thread on a similar subject https://twitter.com/HelicityBoson/status/1461046800148742148?s=20

* There was Borderlands news this week and Nathan is legally obligated to discuss the series whenever applicable. This time it's about a stand-alone version of Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, the DLC from Borderlands 2, revamped as a Wonderlands one-shot in preparation for next year's installment. Will this be the kind of game we play as a team or possibly as frenemies? Only time will tell...

* Should the GM be in charge of the game world that the PCs inhabit or should the GM facilitate the world built by the PCs' actions? Chances are, you gravitate toward one of these more than the other. But what are the benefits of these models? Which ones have we been part of? How could we rethink our game to try the other thing?

* Since we're on the subject, how about collaborative world building? Imagine if you collectively as GM and players could build out the world you were playing in. How would that work and what options might you have to try it out? We have a few ideas on that subject.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Netflix is dipping their toes in the water of game streaming, but in very shallow water. We look at the initial offerings, which is quite limited, but beg so many fun questions. This shows a much broader trend of cloud gaming and streaming services, so we look at what those sorts of services are and why you might use them.

* Keeping track of your money in RPGs can be tedious, but there are some ways you can have abstract wealth systems that provide work-arounds to the book-keeping. We discuss a couple of them as well as other ways you could accrue your cash in-game.

* One of the things we rarely discuss with PC development is what kind of clothes you wear. The clothes make the PC, at least in the eyes of the other characters in the world you inhabit. So, do we really need a wardrobe in game? What are you wearing to the debutante ball? Can I sleep in my heavy armor? And should we roll for fashion sense?

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Dark Souls is a difficult game and causes a fierce dislike in certain people, such as Nathan. However, we have learned that games based on the Dark Souls formula are far better than the game that spawned them in many ways. We get up on our soapbox and discuss Code Vein, Nioh, The Surge 2 and Jedi Fallen Order to see why some souls-like games succeed by changing the formula.

* There are many new players picking up TTRPGs and some are going to be more reserved and some overly enthusiastic. From the perspective of a GM and player, how do we help introverts and extroverts get acclimated to playing the co-operative activity known as roleplaying? Time to delve deeper into this subject.

* You should be careful not to go too far down the spam folder rabbit hole, or you may pick up a bunny costume. Meet Clara, an interesting character that only exists through spam e-mails we received on our last show. We have so many odd messages that have been sent, leading us to characters that only exist in digital paper. But, okay, let’s look at some of the odder ones.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* It’s that time of year and every news outlet wants to put out a version of the “Top Scary Games” lists and we discuss some of the most common entries on them. What did we play and were they actually scary?

* Hallways with teeth, cannibals, long horse, siren head and all sorts of other odd things. Welcome to the very strange world of Roblox cults, which we had to watch far too much about because our Discord asked about it. If we had only known.

Scariest Roblox Cults from Savantics - Top 5 SCARIEST ROBLOX CULTS - YouTube

The Cult Family - The Cult Family | Myth Community Wiki | Fandom

* Since our dive down Roblox cults featured way too much imagery from modern urban myths, creepypastas and spoopy memes, we lament the lack of scariness in modern horror tropes. From ancient myths and cryptids, what would we consider scarier. Also, why are woods so scary and what wants to eat us when we go to the log cabin.

Lore – Into the Woods - Episode 7: In the Woods — Lore (lorepodcast.com)

* A lot of games that are not horror games will still utilize scary elements to enhance tension. We discuss some examples as well as define the difference between horror games and games with horror elements.

The article from GameInformer - How Horror Can Enhance Non-Horror Games For The Better - Game Informer

* Although not frequent participants in horror games, there are some places we could see scary elements placed in games we are familiar with. Alex gives one example that would help even the odds against your stray wendigo.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Shortly after we released an episode discussion the possibility of a new D&D edition, word came down that we will be getting a new edition of D&D in 2024. Thanks to the folks on our Discord server, we could have a deeper Discord Discussion on that topic. Is this D&D 6E or is it more like 5.5E? What kind of changes could we be looking at? Let's talk about that.

If you want to see the D&D Celebration Live where they announced this, we have a link with the time code available right here - https://youtu.be/sxb8xiDU5Kw?t=29434

Check out the IGN article we sighted as well - "New Version" of D&D Coming in 2024 - IGN

If you are interested in the changes made to the Ranger in Unearthed Arcana we mention, you can find some quick points on it here - dnd 5e - What are the biggest changes between UA Ranger and PHB Ranger? - Role-playing Games Stack Exchange and a more in-depth article here - Analyzing D&D 5E’s Unearthed Arcana Revised Ranger | Mundangerous

* The last time we did a Crit Think, we asked how long we were spending in dungeons, but we did not get to discuss why shopkeepers would set up their businesses in those dungeons. Some of these scenarios might make sense, but others just don't. Perhaps there are actually good reasons to have your shops in a dungeon. Let's think a little bit more critically about that.

* Okay, so does anyone else think it's weird that you can get slashed 15 times with a broadsword and just recover all your hit points by scarfing down a few meatball subs? Yeah, we're still confused about that too, so we're going to talk about that in One More Thing.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Inspiration Points are one of those mechanics that can get overlooked while playing D&D. Similar systems exist in other games as well, but how do we get better engagement with those systems? A suggestion from our Discord server leads us to ask that very question.

* While your party is battling hordes of goblins in a dungeon, do they ever lose track of time? What kind of effects can time have on your party from both a narrative and mechanics standpoint? Is there a way to keep track of time in game? And also, how would YOU build a time system into an RPG? We do a little critical thinking to explore this subject.

* It's such a simple concept, but it conveys so much information. We examine the concept of "tapping" in card games, what it is, how it works and why it solves a problem that could have been MUCH more complicated.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Myst got a full-on re-imagining recently. Alex and Nathan remember when they played the original game that came out... almost 30 years ago!? How old are we!? Myst • Cyan

* Why do we see so many recreations of classic games? Is it related to us being old?

* What is the difference between remasters, remakes and reboots? We give some explanations, examples and recommendations.

* Recently Alex played the Beta for Diablo 2: Resurrected. What category does this fall in and what could they have done differently?

* Tabletop RPG editions can be a tricky concept for the uninitiated. We go over what they are, investigate a timeline of D&D and Warhammer 40K and speculate about what they could do for a theoretical 6th Edition D&D.

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

* Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game recently finished a highly successful Kickstarter. Will this bring Avatar fans into tabletop gaming? Will the TTRPG crowd welcome it as their own? How much air can you realistically bend? Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game by Magpie Games — Kickstarter

* We have occasionally backed some Kickstarters. How long does it usually take for those to fulfill and should we actually grab that alpha key?

* The Angry GM had notes for RPG players and our forum was awash with comments. What makes sense for new players and what did we feel required pushback? The expert and the novice weigh in. Memo to the Players #1: Taking Action | The Angry GM

* Psychonauts 2 came out and, for someone who uses the Twitter handle "Psitanium", that's a big deal.

* What is the difference between streaming and playing games? Why might you decide to avoid certain games? What is the value of immersion? How much work does streaming truly require?

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