Fluff N Crunch

Herein I discuss Castles & Crusades, from Troll Lord Games, and how it differs from 5e mechanically as well as in the feel it seeks to promote at the table and in stories. TLG is so confident in their system that they give away the PDF version of a recent printing of the Players Handbook for free! Links to that and other things are below. As always, get involved in the conversation - what do y...

Herein we discuss a challenge that many (probably most) GMs face: how to restart a campaign after you've had a break for real-world reasons. We have some ideas about how to get ready as GM, how to get your players ready, and how to go about deciding when within the story to pick things up. Maybe you start exactly where you left off...maybe you fast-forward the story...maybe you retcon some thi...

Herein we discuss zones, range, and movement in 2d20 games, and how to embrace the narrative vibe of these...and give up counting gridsquares. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod Subscribe to our email list: https://forms....

We all face it at some point or another: the need or want to start a new campaign, possibly with new rules or a different setting, and beyond getting players onboard, there are other things we need to take care of in order to set ourselves up for success. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subsc...

The Metacurrencies in 2d20 are essential to the gameplay and storytelling experience the system can help produce. However, knowing their mechanical effects and values is only half the issue; you need to use them proficiently (and often!) as a player. This listener suggested episode focuses on how to use Momentum, Threat, and Fortune/Determination effectively as a player - when to use them, when to...

Herein Chris and I review Outgunned, from Two Little Mice, available on DriveThruRPG (link below). We think this is a great, simple system that will enable you to play high action one-shots or short campaigns in the spirit of 80s action movies like Rambo, Missing in Action, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, and others in the genre. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe to our p...

Lots of games present ways to quantify location, character, equipment, and story elements that are otherwise descriptive in nature. 2d20 games utilize a clever and flexible system of "traits" or "truths" (depending on the property you're playing) that serve as a clean and easily comprehensible means of connecting the qualitative to the quantitative, expressing important sto...

Herein we discuss the mechanical and setting changes and expansions that will appear in the upcoming release of Ahris Remastered, on DriveThruRPG through the 2d20 WorldBulders program. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod

Herein we discuss the three metacurrencies found in most 2d20 games: Momentum, Threat, and Determination/Fortune. We talk about how they work, how to get used to using them at the table, and why they're meant to be spent, not hoarded! Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTu...

The first in our series of How To episodes, focusing this time on 2d20’s core mechanic - a resolution system that determines success or failure, as well as accompanying positive or negative (but always interesting) occurrences. Moving forward, these episodes will be published as bonus episodes and collected together on our YouTube channel in a special playlist. Join our friendly Discord: https://d...

Building on our discussion last year about Janissaries and Kipo, herein we discuss two other properties - both from book series - that could be used for new settings, campaigns, or short story arcs. We also discuss which existing game systems we think would be the best fits for each. Check out the links below to find out more about these two properties. 1632 on Amazon: https://a.co/d/euSSko7 1632...

Herein we compare notes on what we each believe are the five best 2d20-based RPGs thus far published. We discuss why, we argue a little, and then we invite you tell us that we are wrong. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Don't forget to subscribe to this YouTube channel! This is where the c...

As is now our annual tradition, we discuss our dreams, goals, and plans for the show, our gaming, and life in general in our last episode of the calendar year. And this time we're inviting you along for the ride in a far more active manner. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our...

As is now our tradition, we wrap up the year with two episodes: our review of the preceding year, and our forecasts and plans for the one to come - in our gaming, the show, gaming at large, and life. We end 2023 - which we agreed was a good year for us both - discussing how well we met our goals and plans for the show as of a year ago, as well as some specific points that we agreed we'd like t...

In this week's episode we initially set out to discuss ways to overtly and covertly track time at the table so as to build tension and drama, give players a sense their progress (or lack thereof) toward accomplishing a goal, and to support focusing players during sessions. We realized that time - and lot of other things within a tabletop game - can be understood as one of many resources GMs ca...

In this episode we discuss the setting and the system in the original science fiction RPG (yeah, we can argue that but we're sticking with our position!), first published in 1977. We also discuss some of the stories you can tell within the vast Traveller universe. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluff...

We explore two fiction IPs as potential fodder for game settings and/or adventures. We discuss which existing systems we might use, and why we think these non-gaming properties would be a good fit for the tabletop world. We'd love to hear from you with your suggestions along these same lines. Janissaries on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087GX9HNS?binding=hardcover&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc...

We finish our discussion of how canon characters from existing fiction properties can be used - and some advice on how to not use them - in tabletop RPGs. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod

How can you incorporate canon characters into RPGs without marginalizing the PCs or beloved and well-known characters from existing fiction? In this episode we discuss this thorny question, looking at Star Wars, Star Trek, and GI Joe as examples. Subscribe to this channel! Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe to our weekly podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/s...

Herein we discuss how to modify Achtung! Cthulhu to use for playing 80s-style GI Joe stories. Check out this great Joe reference site for characters and vehicles: https://www.3djoes.com/ Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fluffncrunch Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod

Yes, we are aware that there already is a GI Joe RPG out there...we don't care! This is our latest "Essential Elements" episode, in which we look at what story and character ideas must be present in a TTRPG to properly represent the source material in content and vibe. In our next episode, we'll talk about how to take these elements and, using the 2d20 system (which we think is b...

We think that religion offers much more story and character potential that we see in many games, and game publications, and so in this episode we discuss the issue - maybe gripe about it some, too, and definitely offer some ideas about how to address religion, faith, and how they can play out in a game for improved stories and characters. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Su...

Let’s learn about Gumshoe, Pelgrane Press’s house system that has some unique features intended to optimize it for investigation-heavy stories. Check out Pelgrane at the following links: Nights Black Agents: https://pelgranepress.com/product-category/gumshoe/nights-black-agents/ Trail of Cthulhu: https://pelgranepress.com/product-category/gumshoe/trail-of-cthulhu/ TimeWatch: https://pelgranepress....

It looks like the designers went back to the woodshed and greatly improved on the beta version released a while ago, and this 320+ page book has a lot to offer the supers fan. Part 2 of 2. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod

It looks like the designers went back to the woodshed and greatly improved on the beta version released a while ago, and this 320+ page book has a lot to offer the supers fan. Part 1 of 2. Join our friendly Discord: https://discord.gg/5AtydRUDjX Subscribe on to our podcast on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fluffncrunchpod