Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff

The Gaming Hut follows up a previous pedagogical segment by wondering what a course syllabus for tabletop rpg development and editing might look cover. The Crime Blotter peers at the surprisingly long list of criminal forensics techniques that fail to meet scientific standards. The Stock Character Hut looks at that perennial force for narrative chaos, […]

As you may have heard in our previous episode, a mysterious technical event ate our recording of our live episode at this year’s Dragonmeet. In the face of this tragedy we prevail with a not at all convincing recreation of the in-person event, with better sound quality and much worse applause. The Nerdtrope Deck demands […]

The Gaming Hut wonders what would happen in an F20 world where the smoke from burned magic scrolls produced a potent intoxication? Thanks to the Secret Maps exhibition at the British Library, the Travel Advisory veers into the Cartography Hut. Which means we must be back from London, occasioning our annual UK edition of Ken’s […]

Beloved Patreon backer Ben A. takes the Gaming Hut to New York’s Chinatown in 1973 for tips on a game that mixes triads with the Bruce Lee legacy. Estimable backer Philip Masters gains access to the Tradecraft Hut for an account of a recently busted spy ring run by previous subject Jan Marsalek. How to […]

In the Gaming Hut we look at a core part of the rpg designer’s skill set, table sense, or the ability to predict what players will do with your material. The Mythology Hut tells the story of a historical figure reputed to turn invisible, Qin Dynasty consort Zhongli Chun. The Word Hut hosts a game […]

Beloved Patreon backer Darcy Casselman summons us to the Gaming Hut in search of tips on playing a gestalt or troupe-style leader character, such as a starship captain. The Architecture Hut peers at Sibiu, Transylvania, the town of 7,300 eyes. Try to keep a lid on it as the Stock Character Hut looks at the […]

In the Gaming Hut we examine the principle of design by subtraction. The Crime Blotter investigates the career of thief turned detective Eugène-Francois Vidocq. We wrap up the Cinema Hut Fantasy Film Essentials series with some late-breaking indie titles and a look back at what we learned. Finally the Eliptony Hut tunes into Bernard Kazhinsky’s […]

The Gaming Hut continues its preview of Robin’s new game Page Turners with a demonstration of scene calling choices. The History Hut takes a garden stroll to look at ornamental hermits. A great wasteland is traversed in the Cinema Hut as the Fantasy Film Essentials series shoots from 2011 to nearly the present day. Finally […]

With the print run imminent for Page Turners, Robin’s new game of dramatic interaction for one player and one GM, the Gaming Hut takes it for a spin, with Ken defining the unmet needs of his jazz age protagonist. Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else features Ken’s chat with Matt Orr of Wet Ink […]

The Gaming Hut pays tribute to Halloween by envisioning a game pitting classic monsters against the non-Euclidean horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos. The Cinema Hut Fantasy Film Essentials series rounds out the 1990s. And the loss of Portland bibliophiles is our hero’s gain as Ken’s Bookshelf groans with his recent Powell’s Books purchases. Want to […]

Now that Ken has finally seen it, beloved Patreon backer Justin Mohareb can pitch his Kpop Demon Hunters question to the Gaming Hut: how could it be used as a game, and how would that be a Feng Shui campaign? Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else features a chat with Richard Ruane, designer of […]

The Gaming Hut examines parallels between killer dungeons and horror movie slashers. Impelled by beloved Patreon backer Jurie Horneman, the Tradecraft Hut looks at the career of financial fraudster turned Russian operative Jan Marsalek. The Cinema Hut’s fantasy film essential series continues to bask in the golden era of the 1990s. Finally the Conspiracy Corner […]

The Gaming Hut looks at the peace paradox, in which players successfully negotiate their way out of a conflict and then feel let down by the anti-climactic result. Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else features Lyla Fujiwara, project lead on the Cosmere RPG. The fantasy film essentials series returns to the Cinema Hut for […]

The Gaming Hut becomes a pit stop as beloved Patreon backer Aser Tolentino asks how a tabletop game might reproduce the spectacle of Formula One racing. In the History Hut we ask if Elizabeth Bathory was framed. Robin shares his KARTAS-friendly discoveries from this year’s Robin and Valerie International Film Festival in the Cinema Hut. […]

In the Gaming Hut we wonder what might appear on a tabletop roleplaying design course curriculum. At the behest of beloved Patreon backer Charles Picard the History Hut looks at the Welsh settlement in Patagonia. Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else features Elliot Davis, designer of Rom Com Drama Bomb, and such solo games […]

Recorded live at Gen Con, Ken, special guest co-host Darcy Ross and a cameo from Robin’s disembodied voice, this extra-special episode features the obligatory nerdtrope deck plus meatloaf secrets, Templar channeling points, Indiana’s mythos patron, and onesies for goth infants. Want to pose a question to the show? Get your priority question asking access with […]

In the spirit of the episode number, we kick off a demons and devils special in the Gaming Hut. Robin pitches Ken three ideas for a game with demon PCs; Ken picks one and we flesh it out. In the Mythology Hut we figure out what the big deal is with the number 666 anyway. […]

Clutch your stakes and polish your silver bullets as the Gaming Hut looks at the special vulnerabilities that allow player characters to defeat monsters. In the Stock Character Hut, we look at a key type essentials to Robin’s upcoming game Page Turners, the confidant. The Cinema Hut Fantasy Essentials series returns to solid footing as […]

In the Gaming Hut we look at how the unsatisfying nature of real life persuasion leads to player dissatisfaction with social combat systems. In Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else, Ken sits down the Pat Mooney of Flagbearer Games. The Cinema Hut Fantasy Essentials Series reaches the heartbreaker era of the mid 80s. Finally […]

Beloved Patreon backer Sikander orders and/or bribes the Gaming Hut into a discussion of game mechanics that require players to take in-genre actions versus those that offer rewards for doing so. At the behest of estimable backer David Sowa, the Tradecraft Hut peers into the world of private espionage organizations. Wielding Excaliburs both silly and […]

Ken is back from Gen Con to share his main takeaways from the 2025 show in OUR latest Travel Advisory. The Cinema Hut fantasy film essentials series covers the early 1970s. Speaking of Gen Con, the ENnie Awards just celebrated their 25th anniversary. Organization director Stacy Muth joins Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else […]

In the Gaming Hut we look at ways to run prelude scenes in scenarios, set before its main objective becomes apparent. The Word Hut gets judgmental as we look at archaic, obscure and rarely used words and decide which of them deserves to enter the general lexicon. Our Cinema Hut Fantasy Film Essentials Series covers […]

The episode starts with a retreat to the Gaming Hut as we talk about the importance of a safe headquarters for player characters. The Command Hut looks at Aggressor, Krasnovia, and other fictional geopolitical adversaries used as targets in US military training maneuvers. The Cinema Hut’s Fantasy Film Essentials Series makes its way through the […]

In the Gaming Hut we consider the two meanings of the term roleplaying. Through the joint auspices of Travel Advisory and the Culture Hut we profile surrealist occultist painter Ithell Colquhoun, subject a career retrospective show current at Tate Britain. The power of fantasy becomes the subject as the Cinema Hut’s Fantasy Essential Series turns […]

Beloved Patreon backer Tennant Reed seeks Gaming Hut tips on scenarios where  the player characters discover that they’re not who they think they are. The Crime Blotter profiles Old West cattle rustler and creative evader of consequences Climax Jim Nephew. The Cinema Hut Fantasy Film Essentials series focuses on postwar tales of ghosts, love, and […]