Panda's Talking Games

Show us how major life changes might change your gaming! Phil and Senda speak from experience on many of these. Have you experienced changes in your gaming due to changes in your life? Check out MORE

Show us how you make space in your game for different kinds of “fun” when different things give energy to different folks at your table! Senda and Phil talk about “fun,” defining it for yourself, MORE

Show us how you add a romantic sideplot, without sidelining your main plot! Phil and Senda talk involved players, uninvolved players, and GMs as well as spotlight sharing and setting up the proximity of the MORE

Show us how you can get a board game friend to try TTRPGs — and maybe when it’s not a good idea! Phil and Senda talk about some of the signs that your friend’s fun MORE

Show us how you share your world building! One very traditional approach to facilitating games is for the GM to be in charge of all the world building, so Phil and Senda are here to MORE

Show us how you embody an NPC at the table when advance prep is your stronger skill, or show us how you prep for a character when improv is where you excel! Phil and Senda MORE

Show us how you mechanically handle downtime! Phil and Senda talk through Phil’s homebrew approach to downtime mechanics in Mutants in the Now, and how to create or apply something to any game you’re playing MORE

MicroRPGs, how we personally start doing game design, and contract work vs. hobby time, oh my! Phil and Senda sit down to answer a series of questions on game design and playtesting when you have MORE

Show us how you tell stories in your session — structure that story! It was our 7 year podaversary and we completely forgot, so we’re taking this one to do a topic that Phil had MORE

Show us how you…do a bunch of littler topics! It’s been a little while since we’ve done a topic round up! On today’s episode we talk about: Check out the Lumberjils kickstarter here! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unrulydesigns/lumberjills-a-war-birds-game?ref=discovery Bamboo MORE

Show us how you use daydreaming as GM prep! Phil and Senda talk daydreaming, both intentional/focused and not, as well as where we do it best and when and how you might want to write MORE

Show us how you get the old group back together! Phil went on a trip and did some game prep for a very unique and specific circumstance, and we’re going to talk about it. Welcome MORE

Show us how you run or play a game when you’ve only dabbled in a particular IP! Phil and Senda talk being the GM or being a player when you’re not the expert in something MORE

Hey friends! We ran into a crunch and needed to turn out a lower stakes episode this week, so here we present to you (drum roll please!) a chit chat! If this is your first MORE

Show us how much of a game you can replace before you may as well write your own! Senda and Phil chat about the Ship of Theseus syndrome of games (if you replace all the MORE

Show us how you get emotional investment in one shots and the beginnings of campaigns! Phil and Senda talk player and GM responsibilities and faking it til you make it, along with some other ideas MORE

Show us how you handle conditions and agency! Character agency vs. player agency — is there a difference? Phil and Senda talk agency and conditions, and when conditions have the potential to infringe on player MORE

Who's an NPC? How can we categorize them? Let's talk non-player characters (and the sometimes spectrum)!

Show us how you run a game when you are less than enthusiastic about it...maybe? Phil and Senda talk running games as a gift or favor for folks (when you are not a professional GM), how to get onboard or find a way to be onboard, and when it's maybe not worth it. 

Show us how you breathe life into your setting at the table! How do you make a setting feel alive, engaging, and evocative? Phil and Senda discuss in this off the cuff episode. 

Show us how you make an encounter (in whatever context) challenging without being *too* challenging! Phil and Senda talk GM knowledge vs. NPC knowledge, planning challenges and encounters, and not nerfing your players special powers on the reg. 

Show us how you introduce a new setting to players! Phil and Senda talk setting considerations, ways to do setting introductions without turning on the firehose, and recommendations for getting folks up to speed quickly. 

Show us your gaming plans for 2024! We're taking the gentle on ramp after our holiday and talking about some of our aspirations for the new year, both gaming and personally. What are some of your gaming aspirations?

Show us how you use leading questions in your games! Phil and Senda talk leading questions, as well as how and when to use them effectively. Unfortunately two thing happened this episode: 1. Phil’s mic MORE

Show us what you’re grateful for in gaming this year! Phil and Senda record a quick episode before American Thanksgiving to tease apart some of the things we are really grateful for this year when MORE