Fear the Boot

* (1:43) Introducing our topic from Lars-Hendrik: Groups that have been abused by their GM. * (4:10) Knowing about the problems prior to the first game versus finding out when the game is in progress. * (8:00) Mending trust through transparency, patience, and consistency. * (12:22) Intentionally making mistakes. Rolling above the board. * (16:12) The bad behaviors we learn when coping with negativ...

* (0:28) Welcoming Zach. * (0:47) Brodeur gets on Facebook and buys a cell phone. * (17:55) Brodeur talks to the kids in a class about game design. After an introduction, they break up into small groups to play some RPGs. * (20:47) How far society has come in its acceptance of roleplaying games. * (26:54) Kids running games for other kids and adults. * (30:45) The variety of games the students had...

* (0:29) Welcoming Eric. What attracted Karla to Dan. * (3:28) Tabletop roleplaying games as a spectator sport. The showmanship of the Game Master. * (10:59) The most interesting games as a distraction. * (13:00) The attributes of a good GM that also make for a good public performance. * (19:20) Turning a spectator into a part of the game. * (21:40) Actual Play recordings and the two extreme editi...

* (0:36) A second take, and why Brodeur's wife just might be OK with bigamy. Star wipe . * (4:07) Pat's new refrigerator. Dan's plan to conquer Narnia and install Beth as queen. * (8:23) Today's Topic: Terrible segues. Brodeur's seat just might be up for the taking. * (10:29) Controlling your players via consequences. The concern that the logical consequence may derail the game or distress the pla...

* (0:27) Just Dan and Karla! Well, and the pets. * (1:04) Big Bang Theory. The clip Dan mentioned (WARNING: Yelling and NSFW language.) * (4:57) Celebrity gossip. The names Dan was looking for are Paul Blackthorne (Quentin Lance), Stephen Amell (Oliver Queen / Green Arrow), and John Barrowman (Malcolm Merlyn). * (8:50) The increased representation of women in the gaming demographic, but the enduri...

* (0:35) Introducing James McClure of the Talking Tabletop podcast . You can find his two-part interview with Dan here and here , and his episodes with Chris here and  here . * (5:16) The Satanic Panic Kickstarter . The Dark Dungeons tract. A quick look at the game's mechanic and the intended danger of being too successful. * (11:10) The "four spoke" mechanic. * (16:03) Why Jim chose to make a gam...

* (1:45) Reviewing the situation with Sara's self-actualized character. * (6:29) How Wayne handled the situation by finding what Sara cares about instead of just looking at what the character cares about. Comparing it to what bothers an actor versus the character they're playing. * (22:13) Finding the point between the character and player, and using that to add emotion to the game. * (24:26) Keep...

* (0:27) Chad sits up. John is the youngest old man. * (3:45) Fear the Boot's early episode on RPG predictions. Mad milk and other inanities. * (10:35) What will roleplaying look like in a generation? Harold Camping and taking a knee . * (18:02) First prediction: Gatekeepers of quality, whether brand or editorial. * (27:17) Second prediction: The changing role of technology in storytelling. * (35:...

* (0:30) Brodeur's perspective on Valentine's Day. The value of unexpected gifts. * (12:39) Some perspective on failure, but also why it's not today's topic. * (16:16) The value of playing a character that has social needs. An example from a Dresden game. * (29:17) How imperfections contribute to the social bonds of most higher animals, including humans. How the lack of such connections affects a...

* (0:31) Welcoming back Chris, Julia, and Pat. * (1:32) Thanking John Ely for Pugmire and Chris Ings for an outstanding coloring book. The coming war between Corgi and Pug owners. * (8:19) Movie scenes that disturbed us as children. Sharing a Coke with the princess from Neverending Story. * (17:48) People stepping on each other's toes in Julia's game. Keeping to your role. * (24:15) Whether Pathfi...

* (0:29) Gnarl's commentary on a sourcebook for gnolls in 5th edition D&D gets taken a bit too seriously. * (8:41) Dan's house, Chad's faux passport, a Twitter poll about homebrewing, roleplaying about roleplaying, and the creativity of gamers. * (18:23) The revenge of the gamification of gaming. The original episode on the topic. Duolingo  and Habitica . * (25:53) Explaining what it means to gami...

* (1:03) A shout-out to Richard Thomas and Aaron Sturgill. Fear the Con X , AcadeCon , and a total breakdown in communication. * (4:27) Brodeur gets jealous and Dan throws shade at Gamerstable . * (12:27) Brodeur gets on Facebook, and Dan starts the Doomsday Clock. * (25:49) Pete's start in RPGs, condescension from RIFTS, and a GM on the railroad. * (37:52) Wayne's go-to generic game. * (38:51) Th...

* (0:33) A natural first question presents itself. Magic by Mick Smiley. The story of Pete and Brodeur's love. * (8:44)  Imagining Games and the Dreamchaser Kickstarter . Pete was previously mentioned in Episode 418 . * (9:30) The end as the beginning. The dream and milestone mechanic in Dreamchaser. * (16:12) A sample dream and set of milestones to demonstrate how they work. * (20:33) The value o...

* (0:47) An update on Pat. The GoFundMe page to help him and Beth with medical costs. You can follow his status on Caring Bridge . * (4:05) Sugar-free candy, bloopers, and Wayne's butt...? * (13:45) Prophecy and otherwise letting PCs see the future. * (17:22) Letting the prediction be only a possible future. * (21:00) Keeping the predictions vague. * (22:16) The "problem" of player agency. * (25:1...

* (0:35) False alarm on Dan's interview on Talking Tabletop , but it's out now ( part 1 and part 2 ). * (2:06) Chad's unexpected take on Alien: Covenant . The increasing social ubiquity of science fiction. The Fault in Our Mars . Laurell K. Hamilton plugs Fear the Con X . * (17:19) A Thai-rade and the importance of ordering spiciness correctly. White people mild . * (25:29) Adapting existing rolep...

* (0:27) The German-language podcast, Eskapodcast . * (2:17) Dan's idea about "cabinet GMing" that Brodeur, Scott, and the Germans are trying to steal. Having other GMs handle the actions of major NPCs to keep their actions independent and unpredictable. * (12:27) Today's topic: VaMinion steals Dan's idea, which was stolen from Wayne, which was stolen from Scott. Shielding a character from certain...

* (0:22) Warning: Content is out of order, like Witcher novels or Firefly. * (1:12) Magic button of Annihilation: What Christmas song would you obliterate? * (7:18) Brodeur hates Trans Siberian Orchestra. Dan's ghetto heart isn't satisfied. * (10:20) Dan's exotic pets: An otter! * (13:40) Dan's defense of broadening the definition of "pet animals", but first some important caveats. * (19:43) The d...

* (0:18) Dan and Chad were quoting  Still Talkin (NSFW language warning). * (2:19) Music you listen to at the most formative moments of your life. Jidenna's Long Live the Chief and Method Man's Bulletproof Love . * (9:29) Del the Funky Homosapien . Alex Trebek's comments on nerdcore  and the response song,  Who is Alex Trebek? * (17:48) Dan and Chad pick their top three. Afrika Bambaataa . DJ Kool...

* (0:47) I lied about part 2, but part 1 of my interview with Jim McClure is out ! * (2:50) XCOM 2 gets us thinking about setting the level of challenge in a tabletop roleplaying game. * (9:59) Games that get easier versus games that get harder. * (13:18) The kinds of challenge. Combat encounters, roleplaying, puzzles, mystery, etc. * (20:07) Identifying the type of narrative experience the player...

* (0:28) Much ado about butts. Thanks, Patreon supporters ! * (3:35) Was this section even legal to air? * (5:58) Fish Donuts and the foxy Ms. Candida. * (9:15) What happened with the cell phones? Dan's +Jews! charger . * (20:19) Attention as a precious commodity. * (31:30) The things you just don't allow in your games. First example: Math heavy abilities and powers that take away the uniqueness o...

* (1:07) Fear the Boot's Secret Santa, run by Noob13. You can find details on the forums . * (2:15) Dan's interview on Talking Tabletop with Jim McClure . Fear the Boot's Twitter and Facebook links. * (3:59) A cross-town move forces Dan to look through his possessions and contemplate life. The Battletech warchest system . * (9:06) Changing taste in games perhaps tied to a diminishing ability to fo...

* (0:35) Dan moves, and the studio moves with him. * (1:47) Fear the Con X's Kickstarter is in its last week . * (2:32) A big thanks to our Patreon backers for the new chairs . * (3:21) Our homebrew Transformers RPG. Along with a recent episode on Wayne's game , I discuss the nuts and bolts of creating an RPG from an existing IP. * (7:34) Numerically modeling a Transformer, using their stat cards...

* (0:46) Fear the Con X's Kickstarter is live and needs your support . * (1:55) Support the Strays on No Shave November . Also, much love to Matt who joined the team after this show was recorded, which is why he doesn't get mentioned in the audio. * (9:45) The finite resources of governance, The Rules for Rulers , The Dictator's Handbook , and how it all relates to RPGs. * (20:29) Dan's Story: Con...

* (0:28) Picking up where we left off from the prior episode . * (3:10) Research and essays , particularly The Pulling Report , countering the satanic panic. * (4:53) The CBN pamphlet on D&D  as an example of what was being said about RPGs during the panic. * (11:34) The disappearance of James Egbert . * (20:43) Comparing Egbert's story to Mazes and Monsters . William Dear's The Dungeon Master . *...

* (0:29) Happy Jack's fishy music-crafting. * (3:24) Today's topic requires a disclaimer of sorts: Satanic Panic. Jack Chick and, "What's a tract?" * (8:11) Why Chick is relevant: Dark Dungeons . What this episode is and is not about. * (11:12) Why Wayne wasn't affected by the panic. * (12:35) Discussing Jack Chick, himself, and satanic ritual abuse . * (15:20) A tour through the era of panic. How...