What Would The Smart Party Do?

Episode 22 – Taking Ideas From Other Games (a.k.a New Year, New Ideas) The tinsel is in disarray and the clammy grip of work clutches our hearts, but fear not, for The Smart Party are back with another Podcast! This week we talk about what we can glean from those gamey Christmas presents we got; […]

Episode 21 – Dragonmeet 2015 (a.k.a Too Much Cthulhu) Dragonmeet took place in London Village last weekend, with over 1000 delegates, many of whom packed the seminar room to hear us discuss whether there was too much Cthulhu in gaming. As a live recording the sound is somewhat woeful, but hopefully you’ll enjoy some lively […]

Episode 20 – Gamer Bling (a.k.a Spending money you don’t have on things you don’t need) The festive season is already upon us (almost) and we’re already writing our shopping lists for Santa and generous relatives who don’t understand the hobby. Also, Dragonmeet approaches with even greater alacrity. What should gamers get other people to […]

Episode 19 – Cyberpunk a.k.a. Designer Clothes for Roleplayers “The ‘Net is a waste of time, and that’s exactly what’s right about it.” – William Gibson  Hot off the back of the Science Fiction ‘cast we bring you Cyberpunk!  It’s a Tale of Two Cities, pink Mohawks, chrome implants, Corporate Troubleshooters and anarchistic players and characters. […...

Episode 18 – Science Fiction a.k.a. Gaming With the Stars Why isn’t Science Fiction as good as Fantasy? Doesn’t seem to be from a gaming scene point of view, when blatantly it is in other media. So where are the good Sci Fi games at? What are the pitfalls of Sci Fi gaming and what […]

Episode 17 – Organising Furnace a.k.a. Burn Baby Burn Hot on the heels (pun maybe intended) of our interview with convention organiser Fabian at The Kraken, we bring you Graham Spearing of Furnace fame to tell us about his experiences over the last ten years. The Smart Party produced a pair of Fate adventures to […]

Epsiode 16 – Convention Games a.k.a. Conventional Wisdom What’s the difference between convention games and regular home games? Is D&D any good? What are the top tips for running convention games? Listen to Gaz & Baz as they give you their accumulated wisdow! Read more advice here and pay what you want! Why not become […]

Episode 15 – Games Workshop (a.k.a Ten Commandments) Games Workshop – that most divisive of topics, known to all the gaming world and yet so misunderstood. Or is it? The Smart Party podcasters used to work for the GW and have insider knowledge. Come join us and find out what life is like on the […]

Bonus Episode – The Kraken This week I was at The Kraken, a gaming retreat in Germany, halfway between Berlin and Hamburg at a lovely Schloss. I managed to grab half an hour with head honcho Fabian Küchler to ask him about this idea of a gaming vacation rather than convention, what motivates him and […]

Episode 14 – The Future (a.k.a You Can’t Text in Traveller) What is the future for RPGs? Are we destined to have a weird hobby that is only played in nursing homes and retirement communities, or is the hobby Strong Like Bull? What do two old men know about it anyway? Baz talks about rappers […]

Episode 13 – OSR (a.k.a Arguing About Mindflayers) What the heck is OSR anyway? Damned if I know, so we got the lovely Dan (from The Undercroft fanzine fame) to come and school us like it’s 1987. So come find out what those letters stand for, what the gaming movement is about, does everyone on […]

Episode 12 – Historical Gaming (a.k.a The Three Mathematicians) Why play in the real world when you’ve got a fantastical one? Wait, there’s our own history with lots of excellent genres and documents to mine! What do the Smart Party know about such things? Not enough, so we’ve recruited that bastion of Britishness and sartorial […]

Episode 10 – Social Conflict (a.k.a I Hit It In The Ennui) What do you do when you’re playing a silver-tongued devil but haven’t got the words as a player? I can’t fence, but sword-fighting seems well covered in RPGs. Do you need a doctorate to play a scientist? All these questions are more are […]

Episode 9: Kickstarters (a.k.a. Crowd Source of Amusement) Kickstarter, IndieGoGo and publishers getting money in advance – what’s the state of play and what does it mean for getting games published? Does it help the small guys? All this and more…

Episode​ ​​8​​: Gaming Rock Stars (a.k.a.​​ ​Giant Attack Redacted​) We’ve all seen them, surrounded by groupies, sipping champagne from crystal d20s, but are writers and designers of games rock stars? Heroes? Have we got any, do they exist?

Episode​ ​​7​​: ​​Being a Better Player (a.k.a.​​ ​I’ve Painted Myself Out of a Game​) ​There’s lots of advice for GMs, but how can we be a better player? Every day is a school day, so if only there was a podcast to help us with lessons on how to do a more sterling job of […]

Episode 6: Keeping Everyone Together (a.k.a. A Fighter, a Thief and a Magic User Walk Into a Bar…) You’ve sat down for a new game but you want to know how your group of adventurers fit together. Or do you? Why not just crack on with the adventure straight away? What happens when someone’s character […]

Episode 5: Art in RPGs (a.k.a. Dancing About Architecture) What is the place of art in RPGs? Does it still have meaning? What constitutes good or bad art? Isn’t it all subjective? Gaz and Baz discuss some of their favourite artists and pieces as they negotiate some of the wider considerations of RPG art.

Episode 4: Settings (a.k.a. Cutting Up Museums) We remember them well from Fantasy Heartbreakers to the finest game ever made. Creating your own setting at the table through play might be all the rage, but nothing beats a good published setting. Gaz and Baz talk us through some of their favourites and discuss what makes […]

Episode 3: Problem players and what to do with them (a.k.a. Snooze you lose) What are problem players and what do you do with them? If you don’t think you have a problem player, maybe it’s you? Gaz and Baz talk about some of their experiences and what to do to change things for the […]

What Would The Smart Party Do? Episode 2: What are your favourite mechanics? (a.k.a. “Going All Bilbo”) Whether or not you think system matters, the mechanics of a game are an integral part of what can make it a good or bad experience. So, what are good mechanics? Gaz and Baz talk about some of […]

Episode 1: Trad or Indie? Who would win in a fight? (a.k.a. Oceans 11 With Polearms) Is there such a thing Trad or Indie? What does the Venn diagram look like? What the blue blazes is Trindie? This and more awaits you, gentle listener.