Nerdcognito

This is a milestone episode: RD admits that he "was wrong" multiple times!  First, the guys talk about introducing horror elements at the table.  After the news, Anthony Grasso and Wythe Marschall drop by to talk about Blister Critters, their new Kickstarter game that originally was panned by Ryan before he did his homework only to be now praised based on the final product and a deep dive!   ----m...

This episode, we look at how myth, legend, history, and tall tales have influenced Dungeons and Dragons specifically and the TTRPG world in general.  Some folks claim this is a bad thing... but it's a great element that should be celebrated!  The news includes RD doing a 180 after more details on a game he panned became available.  After Ryan eats crow, the gang talks how important creativity and...

Birthed from last week's "Session Zero" descriptions, we have TWO topics this week that make the show -- and our heads spin: Backstories... and Encounter Balance.  Are they needed?  Do they make an appearance at our tables?  How have these elements impacted the TTRPG Hobby?  As if that wasn't enough... of course there is some crazy news, with a stroll through a Reddit post for extra flavor.  (Don'...

This week, the guys talk about consequences of action and PC death in TTRPGs.  Why are these "horrible" things critical for your game?  The news kicks around some nerdy developments on past stories and is highlighted by our "unnamed" hat tip on Reddit.  Finally, Session Zero talk online has been rumbling again, so each of the gang describes what their "0" looks like!   ----more---- Grab The Villag...

Last week was a barnburner, so we needed to pump the brakes and return to some good ol' nerdy chatter!  We open with a discussion of nostalgia, and the role it plays at your table.  After the news, the guys ask the question "When did making money become a secondary goal in business?" ...specifically in our hobby!   ----more---- Grab The Village of Greenhaven NOW! PRINT ON DEMAND ANTICIPATED 02/09/...

When Grim Jim calls, we answer.  A special, extended-length episode that details the revelations that should shock the TTRPG design world.  The gang and Jim dig deep into the article, talk about their perspective, and offer a path forward for our corner of the hobby.  #DungeonDrama   ----more---- Grab The Village of Greenhaven NOW! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/465184/The-Village-of-Greenha...

Dovetailing with last week's conversation about Power Gamers, the boys have a deep talk about how actual Player Skill vs. Character "Ability" can be balanced in a game.  Where does a check fall as opposed to playing it out in the mind or at the table of the PC's creator?  After the news, a look at the new OSR Adventure, The Tragedy at Taigon's Falls proves to be a positive way to close out the sho...

Power and meta gamers.  Min-maxers.  Those afflicted with main character syndrome.  It's a real disease in the hobby and the guys have the cure.  After a lively discussion about this abomination of a player, the news doesn't disappoint with everything from the Sopranos to the Tomb of Horrors.  Lastly, world building comes up on the block and different styles of Kyle, RD, and Bert are all presented...

The gang digs into NPCs this week!  Talking about how to make effective and memorable characters, what to avoid in NPC creation, and how to sidestep tropes and the "predictable" nature of this important piece of the TTRPG/DnD puzzle.  The news of the week tips off with us not touching the WotC AI piece, simply because it's all just conjecture at this point in time.  After the news, the gang digs i...

It's release week for The Village of Greenhaven!  Hear Kyle and Bert dig in and ask RD about Greenhaven, learn about it's creation, and what the system-agnostic supplement can do for your table!  There is a list in the news, and it involves the BEAR!  Lastly, inspired by the rotten advice in the news for Dungeon Masters, the guys each give some advice for GMs to help smooth over some bumpy roads t...

This week, the gang is haunted by three spirits!  That's right -- 2023's Ghosts of Past, Present and Future frame the whole show.  What were the personal touches, opinions, and events that shaped each?  Plus, the "future" brings a glimpse of what each of the guys is hoping for and predicts in the coming year! ----more---- Don't forget to get your Gatekeeping Is Good shirt on Amazon! Support the sh...

Well, unless you've been in the remote woods like Bert (and even  he knew about it) you've heard about the WotC cuts.  We talk about the human price of these cuts, each host having varying and predicable degrees of empathy.  What does the future hold for Wizards?  After the news, the guys discuss how the Nerdcognito core TTRPG group went back to the basics... high fantasy... and what a wonderful e...

The boys try to cleanse the room and open the show by looking at the "Bro-holy" document that is Appendix N, and then each of the guys adds a line item to the list of required reading!  The news presents everything from the huge MCDM kickoff to a quite chilly topic.  After the news, Hunter aka Ultra-American TTRPGer stops in to tell his side of the Haunted Table story.  Did Haunted Table act with...

Oh my goodness!  What a week of woke!  Starting with Wizards of the Coast redacting lore and modifying language to be less "problematic" and ending with Goodman Games caving to SparkleTroll diversity lunacy and destroying the Dungeon Crawl Classics base, it has been a wild ride.  RD and Kyle talk about it all and try to bring some perspective into the cultural breakdown that we are witnessing.  Af...

With major publishers now putting content restrictions in print about what subjects players may or may not talk about during the game, the guys examine how we got here and why or why not dictating content is acceptable.  Hint: It's not.  The news brings Bert another surreal not-quite-horse moment about how nuts some segments of the hobby have become.  Lastly, the gang talks about what might make a...

What a ride!  THANK YOU ALL for allowing us into your ears each week!  This episode we bring back the OG co-host, Just Mike (with his bad audio and all), and the entire gang strolls down memory lane and revisits topics from shows gone by.  Everything including Brandi Braids, predicting WotC's fall from grace, safety tools, DTRPG ousting The Red Room, and the guys outlining their "perfect" game.  Y...

Who doesn't love the horny bard?  The orphaned princess?  The mad wizard?  Answer: after thousands of iterations, everyone.  This week the guys look at tropes in the TTRPG sphere and discuss both the good and the bad elements of their presence.  Bert is surly, but that doesn't prevent the news from presenting yet another game that makes Kyle spin.  After the news, the team has a frank conversation...

Why do the same (lame) topics of "controversy" keep coming up in the TTRPG space?  Because... it's the "Controversy Carousel!"  The only way un-creatives can put themselves and their terrible ideology over!  After a few go-rounds, the guys talk about a serious accusation and blowup in the OSR over potential reverse racism from a game group finding app.  Lastly, the gang goes through the news and t...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  We've all had to do it -- whether we like it or not.  Sometimes, THAT player has to GO.  The guys discuss why and how you may need to remove a player from a gaming group.  RD goes off the rails dreaming about Heather Graham during the news.  After, the boys toss out a favorite, disturbing monster for your Halloween game and rattle of "worst" horror sequels (yes, there are a lot!)...