Lair Of Secrets

At Gen Con 2023 we interviewed Aaron Shanks, director of marketing for Paizo.  We discussed Rage of the Elements, their latest Pathfinder 2nd Edition release and as well as their plans for the new Starfinder 2nd Edition.  We also delve into Paizo’s approach to world-building, with system-wide events that progress the story in both games and touch on ORC, the new open gaming license spearheaded by...

Chapter 2 of our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign ended with the edgerunners staring down the guns of a rapidly approaching Zetatech Aerocop. They had just seized the company's black box tractor tech from an experimental, self-driving tractor trailer at the "Iron Oasis" scrapyard outside of Night City. In order to get away with the loot, they'll have to deal with Zetatech ... either with words,...

At Gen Con 2023 we interviewed Tomas Härenstam, one of the co-founders of Free League Publishing. The company won big at the 2023 Ennies game awards, taking home seven Gold Ennies for everything from Best Cartography for the Blade Runner RPG Starter Set to Product of the Year for Vaesen RPG: Mythic Britain & Ireland. We talk about those wins, as well as:  Vaesen, the “cozy horror” RPG of the Nordi...

In this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast, we’re talking about generative AI as a tool in gaming! We’re looking at how the overhyped tech can assist game masters and players alike. We provide real-game examples of using ChatGPT prompts both during prep and in game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGCQGdfwCeA Main topic: ChatGPT and Generative AI in RPG Prep What do we mean when we talk about...

Our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign continues with Chapter 2: Iron Oasis! Technical issues with recording this podcast that caused the video to glitch and the audio to get messed up near the end. We're releasing a summary of this episode so future episodes make sense. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKb_0fHMTX4 Previously ... on Cyberpunk RED The edgerunners were hired by the Maker Enclave, a g...

Chris Birch, co-founder of Modiphius Entertainment, joins us to talk about his company's upcoming slate of games including the hopepunk scifi game Dreams and Machines and the Roman Empire-era Cohors Cthulhu (a prequel to their popular Achtung Cthulhu! role-playing game). We also discuss Modiphius' Via Modiphius and other programs to foster and promote upcoming RPG designers. Want to learn more abo...

GenCon 2023 - the mega game convention in Indianapolis, Indiana - is the focus of this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast. During the show we rundown our impressions of GenCon (David was there in 2022; Ken hadn't been back since 2014) and talk about all the cool RPGs we bought and played at the convention. Included in our wrap up: Marvel Multiverse RPG, Trail of Cthulhu, Mutant Crawl Classics,...

When schedules don't align or when real-life intervenes in our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign, we venture down a Side Passage! On this episode, we feature the kick off of a second actual play campaign with David Moore's dimension hopping, steampunk-powered Sundered Horizons: Navigating the Nexus. It's powered by Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE). In the first chapter, "The Most Expensive...

On this episode, we answer the question "what is Savage Worlds"? We review the basics of Savage World's "fast, furious, and fun" rules including character creation, hindrances, and feats. We delve into how to use the core book and the various supplements to build your own campaign world. Overlord Emeritus Chris Miller, who built his own takes on Savage Dresden Files and Savage Amber, joins us for...

Our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign kicks off with Chapter 1: Made to Order. The edgerunners are hired by the Makers Enclave to secure some black box tech from the Zetatech. The target - a sealed box approximately 1' x 1' x 2' - is part of a new line of self-directed farming equipment. It's being held in a Zetatech warehouse in Night City's Heywood Industrial Zone district awaiting shipment by...

Summer is here, and that means reading! On this episode, it's all books, all the time as we talk about our Summer Reading Lists for 2023. Need more inspiration? Check out these posts. Overlord Emeritus Chris Miller runs down his Worthy Comic Books for Summer Reading Ken's full Summer 2023 reading list is up on Nuketown. Need even more books? Revisit our 2021 and 2022 reading lists. https://www.you...

In this podcast episode, we look at Oracles for role-playing games. Oracles are a kind of random generator popularized by solo RPGs like Ironsworn and the Mythic Game Master Simulator. However the idea of oracles - in which you role some dice to determine a course of action or inspire some aspect of your game - have been around since the hobby's earliest days. We talk about those early inspiration...

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast we look at using different media in your role-playing game sessions. This includes tools like thematic artwork, background music, in-game fiction, and even props. We also look at the new Sentinels of Earth-Prime digital card game by Handelebra (based on the print game by Greater than Games), venture into the library to check out Warren Ellis' Transmet...

On this episode, we talking about changing gears - changing game systems, changing genres, changing roles, changing groups - as part of our May 2023 RPG Blog Carnival hosting duties. Before venturing into those tiny, switching passages, all different, we talk about Ken's return to backpacking, discuss new streaming series (Lockwood and Co., Picard, and The Last of Us) and venture back to the Game...

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, Ken totally doesn't buy a new game he doesn't have time to play, while David fights the good fight against streaming technical difficulties. Our main topic is a look at our favorite card games, including Fluxx, Exploding Kittens, Morels, Race for the Galaxy, and more. Game Room Ironsworn: Starforged Yeah, Ken got it too. He blames David. Getting Started with Tal...

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets we venture deep into the Role-Playing Game Vault to uncover a host of games that aren't Dungeons & Dragons. We also talk about the new games we didn't buy, ZineQuest 5, and the launch of the Leon Library Book Club, and The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin. The Neon Library Book Club Announcing The Neon Library, a Cyberpunk book discussion group! Lair of Secrets...

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets we talk about pacing your game, including techniques you can use and techniques baked into some of our favorite RPGs. First though, we’re venturing back into the Game Room to catch up on new games and new campaigns. The Game Room Ironsworn: Starforged Evolved from Powered by the Apocalypse games Can be played traditionally, but also has solo and co-op modes H...

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets, we take a look at our favorite board games, including Catan, Carcassone, Pandemic, and Space Hulk. We also venture back to the game room to check out the very modern PlayStation 5, the very retro Atari 50 video game museum/collection, and two newer video games: Sexy Brutale and Tick Tock. We also talk #dungeon23, the mega project that's winning 2023. Game Ro...

The Game Master's Toolbox - a physical tool for organizing your gaming supplies - is the focus of this episode of Radio Active. Before delving into our repurposed Plano boxes though, we explore the St. Louis Science Center and take an extensive detour through the Game Room to talk about the Atari VCS, Portal Companion Edition, gaming at work, and consider the benefits of a gamer journal. We also g...

On Episode 8, the holidays of the real world inspire a discussion of bringing holidays and special events to our game worlds. We also talk about geek Christmas trees, Seeing Eye puppies, our continued exploration of cyberpunk, and Netflix's new Wednesday series. The Geek Tree This year, it’s all about Star Wars. The All-Seeing Eye Ken's sixth Seeing Eye puppy is coming. He arrives December 27. We'...

Winter is coming. The holidays are almost here. How do you keep your gaming group going through the long, dark winter (or at least, the holiday break)? In addition to delving into holiday game survival strategies, we talk about David's recent trip and the gaming insights he gained from it, Ken gets lost in TaleSpire for a while, then gets distracted by all the new games he got (Mothership work-in-...

As we gear up for our Cyberpunk RED campaign, we take some time to brainstorm ideas for for the game (If only reality didn't keep getting more cyberpunk-ish than cyberpunk). Over in the library, we discuss William Gibson's Count Zero, then venture to the Game Room to talk about Forbidden Lands, CY_BORG, Mothership, and the just announced Edgerunners release for Cyberpunk RED. https://www.youtube.c...

As we build momentum toward our Cyberpunk RED campaign, we take a moment to reflect on the cyberpunk movies, books, games, and other media that inspires our take on the subgenre. We also talk National Novel Writing Month, hockey (yes, hockey), virtual gaming via NVIDIA GeForce Now, and the TaleSpire virtual table top.

The subject of travel and how visiting other parts of the country and the world can improve your game is the main topic for Episode 4 of the Lair of Secrets podcast. Before we delve into that globe-trotting topic, we geek out about AirPods, resurrecting the game room after the pandemic, variant endings for Cyberpunk 2077, revisit David's experiences with the Steamdeck, and contemplate approaching...

On Episode 3 of Season 3, we catch up on a few weeks of geeky pursuits. David discusses not watching to finish Cyberpunk 2077, and then we both rundown the big list of stuff we're watching (or want to watch) on streaming. Ken's planning to return to real world game conventions with MEPACon and discusses what the heck he should run. David's Steamdeck arrives, and he discusses why he got it ... and...