Save for Half podcast

Yes there was in fact a North Texas RPG Con this year; both virtual and live tracks. Your Halflings read some emails and then discuss their time at the con. Chris Holmes, son of J. Eric Holmes, was the only one of us actually in person at the convention, and so he tells the “live” part of the convention activities. Who ran what? Who attended what? And we answer the most important quest...

Timeship has, let’s say, a checkered reputation in the RPG community. This episode your intrepid Halflings delve into a game that mandates a player play themselves, travel back in time, and (among other things) kill Hitler. What’s not to like? More than you’d think with a opening like that. Will DM Jim ever forgive DM Mike for choosing this game? Listen and find out! No players w...

What more can we say about episode 25 of Save for Half? Only they’re awful, they’re green…and they’re from outer space! Yes, it’s that quirky Tom Wham boardgame first published in Dragon magazine #28, and was in its 8th edition in a box set from Steve Jackson Games. Come join the Halflings aboard the Znuta as we fight aliens, no matter what side you’re on! No Aw...

Save for Half is back with another sideshow, this time featuring the return of the Arch-RPG Historian himself Jon Peterson! He joins the Halflings for a discussion of the seminal D&D fanzine Alarums & Excursions , and we discuss the first five issues of that APA; now available online as pdfs. Articles, filk songs, and recipes are discussed with varying degrees of efficacy on this somewhat...

It’s a legend in the RPG community, M.A.R. Barker’s famous Tekumel is brought to you by the halfling horde’s inimitable wit! Well, half of it anyway… The Empire of the Petal Throne is arguably the first D&D variant world to see publication, and it’s got more detail than you can shake a dice bag at. The Halflings take a review of the world of the Petal Throne, its...

What’s this? —said in our best Batman ’66 announcer voice — A review of a game that has only just finished its Kickstarter? Your Fab Four Halflings come through again with a review of The Hero’s Journey, 2E! We discuss its (new) mechanics, its good points, and Liz’s disappointment about the color of kobolds. No, really! It’s part of the show! Honest! No Changelings we...

Welcome to the New Year! Your Halflings are joined by noted game designer James Spahn to talk about his new update of The Hero’s Journey Fantasy RPG, Kickstarting this month. We discuss his game philosophies, new innovations that make The Hero’s Journey 2E his ideal RPG, and his plans for the future. Tune in, and tune up to the Save for Half Sideshow! No kobolds were harmed in the maki...

What do you do with that 20th level character in AD&D? Start adventuring in the various planes of existence, naturally! Your four halflings take a dive into 1987’s Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb and the TSR Bullpen. Soaring vistas, deep Abysses (Abyssi?), and Quasi-Elementals abound in this episode of Save for Half! No Modrons were harmed in the making of this show, because Nirvana has a p...

It’s Flash! < insert Queen chorus here > He’ll save—for Half—every one of us! In this latest episode of Save for Half, your Fab Four take a deep dive into 1977’s Flash Gordon and the Warriors of Mongo, a…RPG? written by Lin Carter and Scott Bizar and published by Fantasy Games Unlimited. Adventure, excitement, power rays, and rabid flying squirrelons await you in this episode of Save for Hal...

It’s party time here in the Halfling Hideaway, and what’s more of a party than a Party RPG? It says so, right on the box! Yes, it’s the Bullwinkle and Rocky Roleplaying Party game, from 1988. You demanded it (sorta), so we’re here to bring it to you! Can Boris really ‘Kill Moose’? Does Sherman and his boy face weeping angels in the time vortex? Can Dudley Do-right face off...

What’s this? A Save for Half NTRPG Con wrap-up show before November? Thrills, chills, and Mike Badalatos abound in this overview of what the hosts did at NTRPGC! Well 3/4 of the hosts anyway. We review the con in its entirety, from the Wed. night elevator lines to the mini-tornado that hit the DFW area Sunday morning! Oh, and some gaming too… No conventions were harmed in the making of this...

It’s Half. Save for Half, and this time the Fab Four are discussing that espionage title of RPGs from the 1980s, the James Bond: 007 RPG from Victory Games. We are joined by a fifth guest host, DM Gary, who is not only well-versed in the game but is the 007 RPG Gamemaster for DMs Mike and Liz’s ongoing “View to a Kill” adventure. Car and snowmobile chases, Ease Ratings, and Five point...

It’s a “Super” episode of Save for Half today as the Fab 4 return to talk about the first edition of Champions, the Super RPG. Published in 1981, this 73-page rulebook gives you everything you need to fight crime, supervillains, and…math? We’ll give you the lowdown on the powers, the foibles, and mathematical formulas of this pioneering Superhero RPG; who’s on its 6th printing to...

Jenkies! It’s time for another groovy episode of Save for Half! This time the Fab Four are joined by Jon Peterson, author of the book Playing at the World and all around fun guy from Yuggoth to discuss the RPG scene of the 1970s, a time where our hobby first got its roots set into the hearts and minds of millions. Fun, games, and fanzines are discussed, so take a listen on your 8-track, vinyl, or...

Welcome to the mash…the Monster Mash? Your trio of Halflings (with a surprise 4th joining the cast) delve into an unusual little RPG of the mid-1970s called Monsters! Monsters! by Ken St. Andre. The author of Tunnels & Trolls decided to give the enemies of heroic parties their own side of the game, and we give you the goods….and the bads, and the uglies! No Crones were harmed in th...

Welcome to the Halfling Hideaway of Save for Half! This show we’re looking at a modern set of supplements for the campaign world of Avremier by David A. Hill. It’s made to be run with the Original D&D rules (1974), but is flexible enough to run with most any A/D&D rules set. It’s a big project (Core setting book and 4 supplements) but luckily for us our good friend DM Jim from Frog God Gam...

Ahoy there, ye landlubbers! It’s the Halfling crew of the SS SFH here to cut yer jib and keel yer haul…with the role playing game “Privateers & Gentlemen”! Published in 1982, this box set from Fantasy Games Unlimited has sailing ships, mutinous crews, rotten boroughs….but surprisingly few pirates? We delve into the books with the assistance of (brevet) DM Mark from the...

Happy Halloween, Halfsies! The Halflings are back to celebrate the holiday with the granddaddy of all horror RPGS, Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu! We open the 1st edition box and look over the rules, the extras, and most importantly of all the insanities? Death, carnage, madness and flying head butts await you dear listener—in the internet’s greatest podcast brought to you by a guy from Wyoming and a...

Hey all, the Halflings are here again to half the halflings available only to the other “half”! Which means a chat with Satan himself! Right. Well, it’s Mike “BadMike” Badolato; co-owner, marketing hub, and general whipping boy for the North Texas RPG Convention. We know it’s late….but we brought you Satan to make up for the delay! That’s gotta count for something. No...

Saddle up y’all, and go for yer guns! The Halflings rustle up a passel of Western catch-phrases for this episode of the podcast! We’re covering Boot Hill (1st and 2nd editions) and talk about weapons, maps, guns and a surprising lack of “Men with No Name”(TM). No outlaws were harmed in the making of this podcast, except when Liz shot Mike…but she didn’t shoot th...

Once again the Save for Halflings dig through the emails in the Halfling Hideaway and answer questions from the listeners…some of them even true! After a break we travel through time and space to sit down with the Blueholme man himself, Michael “Vile Traveller” Thomas. We discuss his RPG, gaming in general, and accents. Lots of accents. No Time Lords were harmed in the making of this podcast, not...

Now that we’ve given our views on the Holmes Basic D&D game, your Triumphant Trio give the Blueholme Journeymanne RPG a gander. This retro-clone of the Holmes game moves beyond the Prentice rules with levels 1-3 and instead carries characters from levels 1 to 20, from beginner to the heights of power and prestige. Thrills, chills, and 3d6 in order await you in this latest show! No Alignm...

It’s email time in the Halflings’ Hideaway, and after responding to some listener feedback we have a discussion with Chris Holmes! For those not in the know, Chris is the son of J. Eric Holmes, the author of Holmes Basic Dungeons & Dragons ! We talk characters, his Tales of Peril project, purple worms, and…Herculoids? No Tom Hanks were harmed in the making of this episode, no...

It’s the grandaddy of Basic D&D, the blue book edited by Dr. J. Eric Holmes! This little gem from the late 1970s brings us the question of trying to sell RPGs in mass market stores. It also begs other questions, such as how many ogres you need to mug to level up, why unicorns blow, and what vampires are doing in a game that limits players’ characters to levels 1-3? All this and mor...

Space is big, really big, but Star Trek by FASA is definitely bigger. Be prepared to sit on the edge of your seat in anticipation of the awesome spectacle that is the Save for Half Podcast crew Trekkin it up! With an Easter egg that you don’t have to wait for the end of the show to catch, because DM Jim is in da house! On top of that we have DM Jeff! Who is that, you say, well only the Trekk...