Mastering The RPG

Eric, Chris, and Carl chat about the differences and challenges of running Sandbox worlds vs. a Narrative campaign in tabletop RPG games.   00:00 - Introduction 03:40 - Email 08:50 - Cool Stuff Found - https://gladdendesign.com 14:55 - Main Topic     Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

Eric leads Chris and Carl through a discussion on creating lore and world building leveraging ideas from the players.  This idea of “Sourcing the Table” can lead to player buy-in and exciting adventures.   00:00 - Introduction 03:04 - Email 14:55 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

The crew talks about things that make great gifts for the RPG gamers or wish others would give them!   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions!    Some of the items discussed: Unique Dice:   Cardyhedron   Books: D&D Art & Arcana Ben Riggs' Slaying The Dragon Monsters Know What They’re Doing Sly Flourish - Return of the Lazy...

The crew talks about running bases, strongholds, and other places that the players can call their own! 00:00 - Introduction 05:00 - EMail 05:50 - Cool Stuff 08:45 - Main Topic   Contact us at gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com or visit and support at masteringtherpg.com

The crew does a creature corner this week along with a recap of Carl and Chris's time at Gamehole Con.   00:00 - Introduction 03:05 - Creature Corner - Hive Mind 19:15 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

The crew has a casual conversation about running and Game Mastering games at a RPG convention.  Discussion runs the gamut from why do it to best practices.   00:00 - Introduction 02:50 - Email 11:00 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

Eric, Carl, and Chris answer a listener's list of interesting questions on Savage Worlds.  The crew also answered the questions over on the Tabletop Tango ( www.tabletoptango.com ) YouTube channel so this episode has a slightly different format. If you have a question or want some advice on particular topic, send a note gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com   Visit us and support at https://masteringther...

Eric, Carl, and Chris talk about making interesting and engaging factions in tabletop RPGs.  They talk about everything about how to create them to how they would work in your game. 00:00 - Introduction 03:20 - Email 08:14 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions!     

Chris and Carl talk about creating encounters for your tabletop RPG that are interesting and compelling but are not combat related.  They talk about everything from puzzles to traps to social interactions.   00:00 - Introduction 03:55 - Cool Stuff Found   https://www.edge-studio.net/?l=en https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-city-of-arches-a-high-fantasy-5e-rpg-city-sourcebook 07:2...

Chris, Eric, and Carl talk about how to create villains that have interesting backstories, motivations, and mechanical ideas.   00:00 - Introduction 05:10 - Email/Cool Stuff - https://weberdesigngroup.com/ 10:35 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

Eric, Carl and Chris discuss the fun and challenges that are present with gaming with small party sizes (1 or 2).  They give advice on running these kinds of campaigns and offer players advice too!   00:00 - Introduction 03:33 - Creature Corner - NEW! 09:00 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

Eric and Carl welcome our new co-host Chris and talk about using Nemesis NPCs in your RPG games.  These aren't necessarily the big bad evil character but can be someone (or a party) that gets in the player's way, beats them to the punch, or simply is an antagonist that adds interest to the campaign.

In the season finale, Carl and Eric wish James a fond farewell as they go through a number questions posed by listeners and friends of the show.   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

Carl and Eric interview James about being a professional GM.  They talk about everything from how he started to how the business is run.   00:00 - Introduction 05:57 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

The crew deep dives into the tabletop RPG Savage Worlds.  Savage Worlds is a generic game system that is one of the favorites of Carl and Eric.   00:00 - Introduction (Carl’s Music Video: https://youtu.be/pq-FKUDw7ro ) 04:55 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

This week the gang talks about managing unrealistic expectations of both players and GMs in RPGs.  People often talk about the "Mercer Effect" in tabletop RPGs and the crew takes on ideas to lesson it. 00:00 - Introduction 03:22 - Main Topic  Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions!   

Eric walks through all the details of Pathfinder 2e from Paizo. This includes discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the system and what makes it fun for GMs and Players. He has some thoughts on the new remastered version, too.   00:00 - Introduction 06:34 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

The crew talks about the concept of “failing forward” in tabletop RPGs.  This concept includes ideas on continuing the narrative after a failure or allowing for success but at a cost.  The team certainly has different opinions on this topic!   00:00 - Intro 06:27 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

James does a deep dive on the Call of Cthulhu game fro Chaosium.  He details the mechanics, great features, and how he plays the game as a Gamemaster (GM) and player.  Eric drives the conversation with questions that probe everything about this great game.   00:00 - Intro 04:50 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions...

The crew talks about running hex and point crawls in tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) and Savage Worlds.  They go into the differences, advantages of each, and tips for running each kind of overland travel technique.   00:00 - Introduction 05:00 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

The crew takes on how you flavor magic or special abilities in tabletop RPG such as Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) to create a more interesting character concept.   00:00 - Introduction 06:31 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions!

The crew take a look at their physical and virtual RPG bookshelves to talk about the most interesting books and items they have on them.  Some of the items are rare or somewhat unique and some are simply cannot-live-without books.   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for comments and questions! 

The crew answers an email asking about favorite characters and NPCs. Another email asks about how to find and vet players when Looking For Group online.  The main topic discusses ways a GM can be creative and handle curve balls thrown at them from players moving in unanticipated directions during our tabletop RPG sessions.   00:00 - Introduction 02:54 - Email 20:57 - Main Topic   Visit us at https...

James, Eric, and Carl talk about different ways player characters could be introduced to each other at the beginning of a tabletop RPG campaign.  They include the ways players might link backstories and why a tavern isn't such a bad place to meet after all.   00:00 - Introduction 04:29 - Email 12:10 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masteringtherpg.com for...

The crew talks about ideas for bringing a new player into the RPG hobby. They touch on how do you introduce them to rules, character creation, and RPG concepts.  In addition, they also cover bringing a new player into an existing group (both new to hobby or experienced).     00:00 - Introduction 03:50 - Email 10:40 - Main Topic   Visit us at https://masteringtherpg.com and mail gamemaster@masterin...