GamingPerspectives

      When you interview someone that has been around hobby gaming longer than you been alive you never know what you going to get.  We did know we were going to get a wealth of information about local gaming conventions.  We discover why Mark is one if not the only person that GM's Arduin at Dundracon, because of his special connection to that classic rpg.  Also as the event planner for DDC,  Mar...

         Another bonus interview episode this time is with Kublacon GM Mike G.  He has been running games at local cons for many years and he is one GM that is not afraid to play new or different games.  We learn about his early intro into rpgs and why he likes to play rpgs that are a bit off the beaten path.  Mike also shares with us how his gaming con experience has changed for the better becaus...

     In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about Shadowrun 5th Edition.  Saul started running Shadowrun back in the early 1990's.  He ran a campaign that lasted a couple summers.  He loved the setting which was a mix of William Gibson's Neuromancer and the magical world of Tolkien.  Jolene discovered Shadowrun last year at a Gaming Flea market where she encountered a few Shadowrun books and asked m...

     In this Episode Saul and Jolene talk about a "Bad GM".  They discuss things you should do as a player when you have this problem in a RPG.  First is identify the problem.  Then get consensus with your fellow players.  Then once the problem in confirmed then its time to be an adult, and have that kind of conversation.  This is much more complicated issue so Saul and Jolene discuss the many dif...

      Matt joins us on our 2nd Pre-Kublacon interview.  It is strange to think that over the last 35 years Saul and Matt had crossed paths many times but only really got to know each other by going to local game cons in Bay Area.   Matt shares with Saul and Jolene quite a bit of his history and how a kid from North Dakota came to the Golden State and settled in the Bay Area.  Matt is a popular GM...

     Kublacon the convention that takes place here in the Bay Area in Northern California over the Memorial Day Weekend is the biggest game con on the West Coast.  Saul and Jolene decided to ask GM, Con-attendees why they like gaming cons and Kublacon specifically.  The first one to be interviewed was Honda C., she started playing while in Jr High School but stopped in High School as her gaming fr...

     In this week's podcast, Saul and Jolene talk about Deadlands.  A classic rpg by Pinnacle.  Deadlands: The Weird West Roleplaying game was first published in 1996.  It is a world that diverges from our own at the Battle of Gettysburg.  Soldiers killed in that battle rose from the dead.  Also a huge Earthquake caused most of California to collaspe into the Pacific Ocean.  Raven a Native America...

     Saul and Jolene discuss this useful tool to utilize when running RPGs.  What it an X-Card? When should you use it? Why should you use it?  Saul and Jolene talk about these topics and Saul remembers when he thought he didn't need to use such a tool because he didn't run "those" type of games.  As usual Saul deviates from the topic, but there is some relevance to his meandering stories.        ...

     In this episode we decided to change things up a little and discuss a skirmish/miniature game called Gaslands by Osprey Publishing.  This neat little miniature game that uses Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars uses an easy set of rules to play.  The setting is a near post apocalyptic setting where deadly races are televised across the Earth.  At a local game con, Dundracon, Saul played with his good...

     In this Episode Saul and Jolene talk about Magic Items in your campaign.  They discuss what thoughts and processes they use to come up with magical items.  First decision for the GM is how much magic is in your world.  Whether its a home brew world or one that you buy this first decision has a great impact on the amount of magic in your world and therefore the amount and type of magical items...

     Fresh from going to Dundracon, Saul and Jolene talk about one of the most influential literary works that has influenced Fantasy Role Playing Games.  Middle-Earth the world created by J. R.R. Tolkien is one of the most well known worlds in the fantasy genre.   Saul proposes that if it were not for The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings books that RPGs as we know them probably would not have exi...

      We got all kinds of people to join us on the microphone as we recorded Live at DunDraCon on Sunday.       We would like to especially thank David Jones for coming back to us to tell us what his DDC experience had been.  We had a Pre-DDC interview where we got to know David.   Mike E. the executive producer of Kublacon and shared us new things happening at his game convention.  We got Dundrco...

     Saul and Jolene attend one of the favorite local gaming conventions called DunDraCon, which was nice enough to give us room in their very busy and packed to the gills convention to do a live recording of our podcast.  For us we learned a great deal about setting up our podcast for live recording.  But it was a lot of fun and we got some great comments by con attendees that stopped by our tabl...

    The Last but not least of the Pre-Dundracon interviews, this one is with Ezra Denney.  I got to know these GM's by going to local gaming conventions.  Ezra is one of the best at running games that uses a lot of improvisation, which is not an easy skill to develop.  I had the pleasure of playing in one of his Paranoia games at Big Bad Con about 5 years ago and it is the best Paranoia game I hav...

      The Second Interview with a GM that is attending and running games at Dundracon.  Shannon is a very accomplished GM and usually has many people trying to get into his very well regarded games.         Saul and Jolene will be doing a live recording from Dundracon on Sat and Sun.  Hope to see you all there.       Thanks to Shannon for taking time out of his busy schedule to do this interview w...

    Saul and Jolene are taking Gaming Perspectives on the road when they attend DunDraCon taking place over President's Day weekend.  This is the first GM David Jones.  He will be running a Tales From the Loop game on Friday Night.  You can see the DDC program online.       We would like to thank David for taking time to do this interview.          See you at DunDraCon!!!    

     Saul and Jolene discuss what systems are good for running mystery adventures.   Saul really likes the Gumshoe line of RPGs which are specifically made for running mystery games.  Also good for mystery games is the Fate Core system as it is not a combat heavy game.  Jolene reminds Saul that he had run a couple mystery games using Pathfinder and 5th Edition D&D.   Other subjects relating to mys...

     In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about Player Narrative Control in RPG's.   It is sometimes difficult to define some of the terms that pop up in Role Playing games.  Saul defines what Narrative Control means to him and Jolene questions his definition.  Saul and Jolene discuss this term and what it means in role playing games.  Saul describes games that don't have implicit narrative contro...

     Can roleplaying games be more than games?  Saul and Jolene talk about psychology in roleplaying games.  Jolene curiosity was piqued when this subject was brought up in the many esoteric conversations she has with Saul.  After a bit of research and discussion with Saul the present episode was born.  There has always been talk about how rpgs can be used other than a game.  It turns out there ha...

     In this Episode we talk about the TV cult hit Supernatural RPG.  It is a favorite show of both Saul and Jolene.  They discuss the Supernatural RPG published by Margaret Weis Productions.  Saul talks about why he liked the system, now called, Cortex Classic.  And of course the show the RPG is based on.  It is a modern day monster hunting game.  Saul tells a story of Jolene trying to play from...

     In this episode Saul and Jolene talk about how they make encounters and things they consider when making those encounters. Jolene talks about killing Saul's newly made Paladin character in the first session he gets to play in.  Well luckily for Saul they are playing 5th Edition D&D so the Paladin only went down for a couple of rounds.  So Saul and Jolene discuss what goes through their minds...

     Saul and Jolene talk about Kickstarter.  They discuss both the pledging and creating Kickstarter Campaigns.  As a long time supporter of a few Kickstarter campaigns, Saul discusses why people support Kickstarter campaigns.  Jolene attests to the number of KickStarter that Saul has pledged and  who has been pretty happy with most of the pledges.   Saul discusses the help that is out there for...

    So the whole D&D "Band" can't get together on the next session.  Don't cancel play a D&D Boardgame to get your D&D fix.  Saul and Jolene talk about D&D themed boardgames that might scratch the D&D itch just so most of you that can get together can still play.  Saul and Jolene discuss Castle Ravenloft and some of the other themed games using the same game system.  A different type of game is Lo...

     The Ranger Class first introduced to Dungeons and Dragons players was way back in 1978 in the Advanced D&D Player's Handbook.  The class had first been seen in Dragon Magazine issues.  In the Players Handbook the Ranger really saw the light of day and it drew many players to this homage of Tolkien's novels.  The Ranger has been in D&D ever since in all editions to this day.   As a sub-class o...

     This week Saul and Jolene talk about where they get Inspiration for the RPG adventures they run.  They discuss normal avenues of inspiration for adventures such as movies, tv and books.  They also discuss other things that can inspire and help you get an idea for your next adventure.  Locations, news articles and many other things have inspired Saul and Jolene to come up with some very entert...