Fear the Boot

* (2:12) The first pitch. * (9:49) An update from Fear the Boot’s Election Center. * (11:03) The second pitch. * (19:58) Another update from the Election Center. * (20:27) The third pitch. * (23:56) Results just came from Iowa, and CNN is calling it for… * (25:40) The fourth pitch. * (29:06) Another few states reporting in! * (31:45) The fifth pitch. * (37:13) And back to the Election Center! * (3...

* (0:24) Maintaining and expressing individuality while in a command structure.  The story of Roy Benavidez . * (3:17) The details of military rank structure and the protocol for addressing other soldiers.   The importance of how you got your rank, and the subcultures that creates.  A survey of military ranks, histories, etymologies, etc, can be found here  (there’s a show/hide link next to it — j...

* (0:33) Introducing our guests: Cape, Dan, and Ryan. * (8:13) Fear the Boot salutes everyone wearing the real boots.  Also, a special shout-out to Sgt. Rose and the 82nd Airborne. * (10:20) A final reminder that you have until November 10th to get your postcards in for the contest.  The complete rules can be found here . * (10:57) Playing tabletop games while in the military. * (14:27) The comple...

* (0:40) Two new prizes have been added to the postcard contest (a copy of Ultimate Toolbox and World’s Largest Dungeon ).  The deadline has also been pushed back to November 10th.  You can find the complete rules on the forums . * (3:26) The absolute horror of the Sesame Street aliens and singing statue . * (7:54) Introducing Greg Christopher.  You can find his Google+ feed here . * (10:57) The r...

* (0:35) Whether women can accurately predict who men will find attractive. * (8:13) Rearranging the hosts’ paychecks.  Also, hair dye and care tips. * (14:59) When a group template can backfire, creating a fence that makes it harder to integrate new characters.  How the group can work together to integrate a new character and make sure they have a meaningful place in the setting and plot. Hosts:...

* (0:36)  Postcards!  Postcards!  Send in your postcards and win free stuff ! * (1:08) Shock websites and the other horrors of the internet Chad intentionally seeks out. * (12:44) Real-life shame (or the lack thereof) and how that impacts the way we approach roleplaying games.  The “Cerebus rant” can be found here .  FAIR WARNING: The material contained within will likely be offensive to the vast...

* (0:28) The video that explains the intro. * (1:13) Pitching campaign ideas as a practice exercise, and then grading the pitches. * (1:49) Chris’ pitch. * (12:17) Pat’s non-pitch, which turns into further deconstruction of Chris’ approach. * (19:54) Dan’s pitch. * (31:49) Julia’s pitch. * (40:25) Chad’s pitch. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Julia, Pat

* (0:37) Be sure to get your postcards in for our contest ! * (0:53) Chris gives a shout-out for a rather unusual gift. * (4:45) What we each feel is missing in our current gaming groups or would like to see in a new player. * (21:07) The art of selling a game idea to your players.  Reading into their questions.  Digging until you find the real objection.  Reshaping the game idea or “sales pitch”...

* (0:28) Introducing yet another Adam. * (2:45) The postcards contest is still awaiting your entry ! * (4:57) Batman, Superman, Iron Man, a dinosaur, and Toy War 2 .  You can see the fight that started it all here . * (18:45) Getting a new Game Master started in the art of running RPGs.  The experiences of Adam, Beth, and Wayne as they each ran their first games.  The lessons they wish they’d know...

* (0:24) Earth tones! * (1:03) The origin and cogency of evil within real people, and why that makes it hard for some of us to play dark characters.  Why it’s easier to play a dark NPC than PC.   The Joker’s boner (link is SFW despite the name). * (17:34) Picking “acceptable evils” to help you find a dark character you’d be willing to play. * (30:37) Dark characters we’ve played in the past and ho...

* (0:29) Welcoming Adam from Kicked in the Dicebags: Player’s Edition . * (1:35) Announcing our first cross-show promotion with Kicked in the Dicebags , Postcards from the Dungeon , and THE ESTABLiSHED FACTS .  You can find the complete rules and mailing address right here . * (6:39) Adam drags us down by his mere presence. * (8:43) Defining a dark character and offering reasons you might want to...

* (1:19) An upcoming, cross-show contest. * (2:37) The expiration date on spoilers. * (16:28) As a Game Master, knowing what you truly want out of a game.  Trying to get what you want while still taking into account the players’ wants and needs.  (EDITOR’S NOTE: Around 34:50, Pat makes a comment about being able to do what you want, just like Spider-Man.  That’s an inside joke referring to this vi...

* (0:47) Fear the Boot vs Fear the Boot.  The ENnies weren’t even in the room! * (1:53) Wayne falls in love with the idea of games that have a story  self-contained story arcs. * (4:30) Music and other in-character distractions from the game.  Roleplaying in sidebars. * (21:16) Blah, blah, blah, InSpectres .  You can see the three confessionals here , here , and here . * (29:01) Using another game...

* (0:28) Introducing James.  How little we used to know about the names associated with the games we played. * (2:50) Johann must ask the hard-hitting questions. * (6:02) The degree of freedom RPG fiction writers have in shaping their own work.  The distinction between good prose and good game writing. * (10:50) Writing shared world fiction.  The joy of working in collaboration with other people,...

* (0:29) Introducing Keith Baker. * (2:01) The origin of Eberron and how its publication impacted Keith’s career. * (9:49) Traveling around the world, staying with other gamers, and running the same game 54 times.  What he would like to run and play within his own group. * (19:54) Maintaining mystery in a game setting.  The relationship between the game and its supporting fiction, particularly whe...

* (0:50) Tips and techniques for running a fully improvised game.  We start by setting the boundaries for the discussion. * (5:16) Why improv at all? * (6:50) Asking the right questions to get things started.  In the broadest sense, what sort of game experience do the players want to have?  Setting boundaries and building initial, internal consistency. * (13:15) Using character-based questions to...

* (0:35) Handling interrogation in a roleplaying game.  Allowing the PCs (or NPCs) to get the information they want without degrading into senselessly graphic scenes.  Passing off misinformation or allowing the target of interrogation to manipulate the situation. * (23:17) Characters that don’t quite fit in.  While this could come from clashes of personality or power level, we focus on those that...

* (0:04) 4th of July comes early! * (0:46) One of our Twitter users correctly observes what makes this show work. * (2:56) Wayne does a brilliant transition that fails , losing out to Trendy Top , shorts with writing on them, and Chad’s hat. * (8:28) Being dressed by your parents. * (10:31) Dan’s praise for Duluth Trading Co . * (12:57) The child abuse known as “hand-me-downs”, and the spousal abu...

* (1:08) This year we’ll be attending San Diego Comic Con instead of Gen Con.  However, there may still be some FtB community-sponsored events at Gen Con.  Expect details on the activities at both conventions soon! * (1:46) John is a bad, bad man.  Adding romance to a game while also dealing with its consequences. * (16:18) Stepping back when you’re too busy to GM.  Our temporary switch from Battl...

* (0:30) Fear the Boot sans Dan.  Pat makes me proud by his treatment of Chris. * (5:17) Some love for the Darker Days podcast. * (6:13) Free RPG Day coming up on this Saturday, June 16th. * (8:53) The lessons learned from a nearly-dead online game.  Setup time, scheduling, and social awkwardness. * (24:30) Some shout-outs from Fear the Con V. * (27:55) Allowing your PCs — or the enemies — to quit...

FAIR WARNING: The first part of this episode is a bit crass.  If you’re offended by that sort of thing, just skip forward to the 18 minute mark and begin listening there. * (0:30) Welcoming guest hosts, Chris Mais and Julia.  Julia’s struggles as a gaming girl.  Chris Mais proves he can out…whatever…Chris Hussey.  A discussion about cosplay, including the costumes Julia has done and the one Dan wa...

Just to make up for how late we released episode 200!

* (0:40) Welcoming Monte Cook .  His first RPG book and the story of how he broke into the industry 24 years ago.  How he made it to D&D and what happened to the Marvel stuff he wrote along the way. * (8:36) The culture of TSR during its “bloat” and decline.  How the focus of management affected what was being written. * (11:40) Dan suddenly understands where Ptolus came from. * (13:27) Monte’s tr...

* (0:00) Don’t worry.  We’ll stick with podcasting. * (2:07) May 5th?  Wow, I’m behind on getting these episodes out.  But for those of you that didn’t make it, welcome to Fear the Con V!  We start by introducing the podcasts represented on this episode. * (2:55) The winner of the Power 16 III! * (4:39) The art of storytelling in an RPG, as inspired by an article about running games for a blind ga...

* (0:30) Who Stuart is and what he’s been up to lately.  His blog, Strange Magic , and his micro-RPG, Weird West .  His Deviant Art profile can be found here . * (2:00) Stuart’s participation in the one-page dungeon design competition.  The mental exercise of paring content down to just what’s really needed.  The virtue of succinctness in the face of bloated games. * (7:36) A case study on micro-R...