Fear the Boot

* (0:28) Fear the Con 4 sign-up is now running.  You can find the forum area for ride and room sharing here .  If there was a race, Runester’s already won. * (2:22) Separating a character from the player.   Why it’s natural — and sometimes correct — to draw your impressions about a person from the characters they play. * (21:57) Playing in an established setting.  The balance of enjoying what’s al...

* (0:55) Journey Quest , a web series from Matt Vancil and the other creators of The Gamers. * (1:45) Wayne has passed the 20,000 word mark on his serial fiction over on the Skies of Glass site . * (3:05) Providing examples of Dan’s GMing notes.  Check the Resources page for samples of the What’s Really Going On document, NPC reference, and two session outlines. * (10:56) The issue of pacing withi...

* (0:33) We’d like to thank RPG Geek for nominating us for a Golden Geek award.  If you’re a member of that community, we hope you’ll go vote on all of the award categories ! * (2:12) If you want to test your GMing mettle, check out the Iron GM competition at Neon Con in Las Vegas. * (4:04) Building legacy for a character.  Just as characters have background leading up to a story, we consider leav...

* (0:30) Why Chris is becoming our new monthly visitor. * (2:39) Using game mechanics as the basis for a plot, encounter, or player character.  How rules can serve as a great inspiration for many aspects of your game. * (19:51) Gaming with kids.  We start by setting some boundaries on the conversation regarding the type of game and age group we’re talking about.  We also discuss why this topic is...

* (0:28) Fear the Con 4 will be on March 18th and 19th of 2011.  Wing Night will be the night before on March 17th.  Tourism and social events will be held the Sunday through Wednesday beforehand.  The website and ticketing information will be released soon. * (2:42) New roleplayers and their lack of baggage.  How they can offer wonderful surprises and GMing difficulty all at once. * (16:10) Have...

* (0:24) Game titles that are popular in Ireland, Israel, and Sweden.  The consumption of local games versus those produced in America. * (5:46) The ubiquity of English in entertainment and how that affects RPGs.  Whether language can serve as a barrier to getting into the hobby.  Titles published in other languages that English speakers may be missing out on. * (14:02) How national culture impact...

* (0:59) Introducing the panel: Itamar from Israel, Jenny from Sweden, and Shane from Ireland. * (4:24) A discussion about LARPing in Europe quickly shifts into a conversation about gaming organizations, governmental support for hobbies, and the diverse levels of trust regarding such things.  You can find pictures of the Russian Fallout LARP here .  You can find out more about Sverok here . * (16:...

* (0:29) September 15th is the deadline for Tracy Hickman’s Dragon’s Bard offer.  If you want to join in, be sure to get the discount code here and enter it here .  As mentioned in the show, alternate pricing options can be found here .  We also talk a bit about why the interview took us all a little by surprise. * (4:37) Our community has started an Alliance guild on the Argent Dawn server of Wor...

* (0:57) Fear the Con 4 dates have been set!  The convention will be on March 18th and 19th of 2011.  Wing Night will be the night before on March 17th.  Both will be held at the same location as last year: Memorial Hall for the con and Syberg’s for the Wing Night. * (1:40) Be sure to check out the two Gen Con podcasts we participated in: Chris and Wayne on the Pulp Gamer Media Network live record...

* (0:19) The role of online communities in finding, building, and sustaining an audience.  If you’re interested in Dragonlance, be sure to check out the Dragonlance Nexus . * (3:44) The value of art, entertainment, and ideas on the internet.  Why free may not always be the best price.  Tracy’s plan for nurturing new authors in this environment.  As a side note, Wayne’s serial fiction is being rele...

* (0:32) Who Tracy Hickman is and where you probably know him from. * (3:41) The story of how Tracy’s wife and a missed ride got him into gaming. * (8:25) The current trend in complexity and execution of roleplaying games.  Be sure to check out both X-treme Dungeon Mastery and Killer Breakfast . * (27:41) Raising his son in the hobby, and the experience of co-writing X-treme Dungeon Mastery with h...

* (0:30) Johann gets a new, rating-friendly nickname, and Chris learns about numbers. * (1:48) Gen Con coverage is available on our blog .  Quite a few videos are already out, and more are still being prepped for release over the coming days. * (2:29) Dealing with unexpected player actions that aren’t covered by the rules.  Designing a meaningful outcome that’s fair to the player without breaking...

* (0:44) The TOFTBCH network is still accepting sign-ups .  Be sure to join us for all the social and gaming events we’ll be setting up during Gen Con.  They’ve also gotten reservations for a pre-con wing night , 8:00pm on Wednesday at Scotty’s Brewhouse. * (1:53) Canadian police cracking down on G20 protesters bust an Amtgard LARPer and give us a new idea for a weapon.  You can read the article o...

* (0:55) Our planned Gen Con coverage. * (1:11) The TOFTBCH network is still open for sign-ups and available for anyone with some free time during the con. * (2:49) Getting Pat to talk. * (8:38) Pat on GM favoritism. * (18:15) Adaptions into roleplaying games. * (31:00) Getting cheated out of results. * (41:34) No one takes Wayne’s characters seriously. * (52:08) Mispronouncing words and other gee...

* (0:28) The TOFTBCH network continues to prep and grow.  Be sure to get signed up ! * (1:11) Wayne’s Skies of Glass fiction . * (5:06) There’s no point without progress? * (22:20) Revitalizing your old ideas. Hosts: Chad, Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (1:28) We’re not proud Chris’ daughter is reading. * (5:49) Where’s my support group? * (11:21) Gen Con 2010 draws near.  Be sure to get signed up for the TOFTBCH network and join in on the fun! * (14:00) Cigars and the Kellums that send them. * (15:47) Class-based versus class-less RPG systems. * (35:16) Familiars, pets, and other animal NPCs. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (0:29) The passing of a friend. * (1:47) A big thanks to the companies that supported Raina’s Wings with prizes.  You can find the list of those folks here . * (3:08) Hat day on Fear the Boot…? * (5:05) Chris finds a gaming group using a flyer and a website . * (20:33) Representing characters with epic backgrounds within a balanced party or rules system. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne

* (1:14) Raina’s Wings charity drive results. * (1:42) Using models on the cheap. * (4:55) RPGs make failure fun! * (12:31) The difficulty of telling a good gaming story. * (22:39) An exercise in applying our own advice by adapting characters to keep the party together.  Dave’s picture summary can be found here . * (48:46) The joys of playing an evil group. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Dave , Pat, Way...

* (0:38) John Grana, DA. * (1:16) Wayne visits the Superman festival. * (6:25) Adventure Week , as brought to you by Dice, Food, and Lodging . * (12:12) This versus that. * (13:53) The benefits and problems of remote gaming.  You can find the tools we mentioned here: MapTool , Skype , Ventrilo .  The play-by-post section of our forum can be found here . * (49:01) Using remote play to supplement a...

* (0:29) Pat causes confusion. * (1:48) The FtB: Night of Carnage . * (6:54) Planning for Gen Con 2010.  If you want to join the TOFTBCH network, be sure to sign up here . * (9:30) Chad was using what…? * (11:42) Setting your game up for success. Hosts: Chad, Chris, Dan, Pat, Wayne

This episode was originally intended to be 193.  However, we never quite got to the RPG topic, so we’re releasing it as a bonus episode instead. * (0:07) Chad’s dad and 24. * (12:16) The TOFTBCH network is back for Gen Con 2010!  If you want to be involved (and believe me, you do) be sure to sign up here . * (16:41) Con Planner is now open for use by other conventions!  You can see the list of fea...

* (0:28) We’re in the last few days of the contest with Raina’s Wings, with prize support provided by Arc Dream , DriveThru , and Polymancer .  Make your donations here , and be sure to either leave a comment with your donation or let Necronomitron know who you are. * (1:18) Some minor changes to our website . * (4:52) Board game meetups. * (18:03) Why our RPG campaigns keep dying. * (20:53) Chad’...

* (0:49) Raina’s Wings continues with prize support provided by Arc Dream , DriveThru , and Polymancer .  Make your donations here , and be sure to either leave a comment with your donation or let Necronomitron know who you are. * (1:21) Innovation vs evolution, growing the hobby, and trying new things.  The article mentioned is located here . * (31:51) Keeping the game alive between sittings, usi...

Fear the Boot Bedtime Stories, part 4.

* (0:29) Johann, Descent, and Star Trek. * (4:10) Raina’s Wings is still going on with prize support provided by Arc Dream , DriveThru , and Polymancer .  Make your donations here , and be sure to either leave a comment with your donation or let Necronomitron know who you are. * (5:20) Last call on the Blood Bowl league!  You have about 24 hours to get signed up on our forums ! * (5:35) You can fi...