clash bowley
The RPG Ancients
Old RPG Designers talk about games
Author
clash bowley
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
Jul 7, 2026
Where to listen?
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Episodes
The Ancients Go Long! 07.07.2026 1:44:28
The Ancients answer user questions on using LEGO for miniatures and terrain; how we use AI to help running games; How we prepare for game sessions; using abbreviated and full stats for NPCs; What do we do when PCs refuse to bite a hook; and what are the characteristics and habits we consider 'good' in players.
The Ancients Destroy the World, and Laugh! 23.06.2026 1:14:45
The Ancients talk about times we have most regretted giving some power or other to a PC, and why; about Player Agency and Character Agency, why they are different, and why we care so much about one and not so much the other; about the biggest destruction a PC ever wrought in one of our games, and if they got away with it; about whether the Ancients have people they talk to about the design aspect...
The Ancients Get Under the Dragons Thumb 16.06.2026 1:43:18
The RPG Ancients find themselves again answering questions from a dragon whose name shall be held confidential but whose initials are Mia the Dragon. The ancients cull their eroding memory banks to hold up something to amuse or entice or entertain or even confuse the dragon so she... or he... or they... or whatever... doesn't immolate them in cleansing fire!
The RPG Discover Belated Listener Questions! 09.06.2026 1:08:05
The ancients discus cons, the two methods of playtest, keeping players involved, hooking player characters, and playing in Old Meyoss
The Ancients Practice in their Echo Chamber 02.06.2026 1:16:38
The Ancients get together to find our who has the biggest echo! Also listener questions from Frank Filz, AsenRG, and Mia the Dragon. We talk about how we generate cultures, determining if an NPC is male or female, how do PCs seek out worthy problems, how to use RPGs for educational services, and whether or not we have ninjas in our games! Enjoy!
The Ancients Consult Our New Electronic Overlords! 19.05.2026 1:18:23
Today's questions are from ChatGPT, the Artificial Intelligence application. I asked if it would like us - the RPG Ancients - to answer any questions, and it supplied 12 solid, concise questions! We answer I believe four of them.
Slaves of Mia! Four doddering old fools enslaved by the mighty Dragon Mia try in their fumbling way to do her bidding! 05.05.2026 1:25:50
In which we answer a slew of complex and multifaceted questions from Mia the Dragon to our entertainment and delight!
Damn Kids On The Lawn Again! Where'd I Put That Bazooka! 28.04.2026 1:17:27
The Ancients field more questions from listeners - Subjects are: What is your ideal gaming group size range? How do you handle trading? What do you think about 'Knife Theory'? and the ever thrilling Medievalism???
The No-Bill Prize! 21.04.2026 1:01:18
The Ancients decide to ignore the pleas of their listeners and ask each other questions for a change! Bill Reich had a senior moment and lost track of what day it was, but luckily Frank Filz stepped in and we had a wonderful time. It was so pleasing to ignore our listeners! It felt so... God-like! So we will be doing this more regularly! Enjoy!
Son of Return of the RPG Ancients 14.04.2026 1:23:01
The Ancients talk about their most exasperating experience with players, how they deal with magic in their games, In game puzzles and riddles, and how best to track things in a game - particularly a living world sandbox type of game like we all run. All these are responses to listener questions.
The Return of the Ancients 31.03.2026 1:03:40
The RPG Ancients are back! Full of something stinky and brandishing their walkers! The Ancients delve into the pile of fan mail from flounders that has been sitting around and have an unspeakable amount of fun!
The Ancient Go Off Topic... But I Digress 10.03.2026 1:02:19
The Ancients have one job to do, one job! But they skitter off topic like dogs chasing squirrels! Where will they end up? On someone's lawn, protecting it from those damned kids! Somehow they wend through ancient stone age computers, maps, proportion of fighting to non-fighting in RPGs, Troupe Play, and end up with a unanimous thumbs down on Grimdark! Join the fun!
Are you Experienced? The Ancients certainly are! 03.03.2026 1:04:55
The Ancient Frank could not be here this week, but wanted the other Ancients to discuss the topic of "Experience" in role-playing games. Now if there is anything Ancients are experienced about, it's Experience, and sounded like more fun than yelling at the kids to get off the lawn again!
The Ancients Go On a Quest for a Dragon 17.02.2026 2:01:59
The Ancients take advantage of the innocent questions of Mia the Dragon to skitter off in nineteen different directions at once, offending everyone in the process, as is their wont!
Listener James questions the Ancients! 10.02.2026 1:53:10
Listener James has four questions for the Ancients, and their answers fill the entirety of the show. Moral: Do not question an Ancient, for they will answer with Too Much Information!
The Ancients Finally Get Those Damned Listeners Off Their Backs 20.01.2026 1:32:38
The Ancients dig everything out of their chest of Listener Questions and free them to haunt the world. At the very bottom. crushed under the weight of the questions but still barely alive, they find Hope! But Bill was faster and killed it before it could get away!
The Ancients Discuss Demons, Cats, Adjusting Magic, and Science Fiction 13.01.2026 1:26:30
As they get together to throw rocks and insults at neighborhood kids on their lawn, three of the four Ancients - Rob Conley, Bill Reich, and clash bowley - discuss their ideosyncratic views on various RPG issues and how they deal with them. Also cats!
The Ancients Fondly Reminisce On Favorite TPKs 30.12.2025 1:19:15
The Ancients continue addressing listener questions - this time Lifepaths, TPKs, and random little things
The Ancients Go On A Question 23.12.2025 1:01:29
The Ancients reply to listeners' questions with surprisingly little snark
The Devil Is In the Details! 16.12.2025 1:08:24
The Ancients get down and dirty with Hit Points, what actually is Role Playing, and Rules and Rulings
The care and feeding of RPG Campaigns 09.12.2025 1:05:27
The Ancients attempt to prove they can talk without rambling incoherently as they discuss campaigns
The Ancients Drive the kids from their lawn... for now! 04.12.2025 1:21:41
Discussion between the Ancients moves widely and freely, getting into more solid topics now and then. The squeak of walkers echoes in the barren stone hallways of the Old GM's Dungeon behind the Ancients' voices, and we laugh a lot.
The Ancients fall into a podcast 18.11.2025 1:31:54
The Ancients fall into a podcast and immediately - they seriously don't even introduce themselves! - talk about ye olden dayes of yore! Ancients: clash bowley, Frank Filz, Robert S. Conley, and Bill Reich In stereo, clash is way over to the left, Frank way over to the right, Rob in the left center, and Bill in the right center
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