Misdirected Mark Plays

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss what it takes to make and manage an epic campaign framework. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite epic story arcs at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Links and Announcements MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss the Chosen One, both as a character archetype and as a narrative framework, and offer tips on incorporating this idea into your games. Enjoy the show, and tell us about MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry return to the “Background Check” series of character types with a discussion about the Vengeful Hero. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite vengeful heroes at The Misdirected Mark Forums. MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry take on the perennial RPG topic of the fudging of die rolls, both from the GM and player perspectives. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your opinions on fudging at The MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry head to the Lab to try out a new segment on player character backgrounds. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite character origins at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time Stamps MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry return once more to the Adversary Files to discuss the Fallen Hero. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite fallen heroes at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time Stamps The Temperature MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss tips for running NPCs your players will enjoy. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite NPCs at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time Stamps The Temperature Check The Lobby The MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry return to the Adversary Files, discussing the related roles of Hunter and Collector. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite hunter/collector adversaries at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time Stamps The MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry return to the topic of Session Zero, discussing how to best take advantage of an introductory session for your campaign. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite session zero MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry continue the Adversary File series with a discussion about the Fanatic, an adversary driven by single-minded devotion to a cause. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite fanatical adversaries MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss adding a new temporary player to an ongoing campaign and share tips both for running the game and playing in it. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss getting through a lot in a little bit of time by using a montage. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite montage at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time Stamps MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss ups, down, tips, and tricks of dusting off and running those older games. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your older game collection at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time Stamps MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss the nature and causes of GM burnout and what you can do about it both before and after. Enjoy the show, and tell us if you worry about GM burnout MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss those characters who keep repeatedly showing up in your campaigns, and also why this show isn’t called “Recurring Characters.” Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite returning NPCs MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss types, planning, and expectations for small, convention-like gatherings to play games with your friends. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite friend cons at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss the GM skill of managing player expectations when running games. Enjoy the show, and tell us how you manage expectations at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time Stamps The Temperature Check The MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss how to manage mooks, henchpersons, hirelings, and other low-power NPCs in your games, both as players and GMs. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite character minions at The MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry welcome special guest Craig Campbell to talk about culling game ideas from media inspiration and Craig’s game Nowhereville, on Kickstarter through Thursday, June 3rd. Enjoy the show, and tell us about MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry welcome special guests Jamila Nedjadi and Jason Pitre to talk about the use of mini-games in RPGs and Jamila’s new game Once More Into The Void, on Kickstarter through Thursday, June MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss GM tips for running job-based games and how the similarities and differences with mission-based games. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite in-game jobs at The Misdirected Mark Forums. MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss GM tips for getting the most out of mission-based gaming and stories. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your favorite missions (successful or not) at The Misdirected Mark Forums. Time MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss the use of mechanical currencies in games, like Fate Points, Hero Points, and Bennies, and how to manage them both as GMs and players. Enjoy the show, and tell us MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss how to prepare for, manage, and enjoy gaming with intense emotional involvement, both as GMs and as players. Enjoy the show, and tell us about your emotional gaming experiences at The MORE

Phil, Bob, and Jerry discuss the difficulties with constantly escalating stakes and power in games, and how to deal with the problems that can arise. Enjoy, and tell us how your narrative and power curves MORE