Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff

In the Gaming Hut we wonder what encumbrance rules would look like if they were fun. The History Hut profiles a figure who appears in Ballad Hunters, the servant who passed herself off as a Javanese royal, Princess Caraboo. The Horror Hut looks at the installation horror sub-genre. Finally the Consulting Occultist gives us the […]

The Gaming Hut provides tips for staying true to the path of the doom as a player in Page Turners. The Monster Hut ventures into the forest for a meeting with its protector, the curupira. Finally Ken’s Bookshelf paws over a mere half of the plunder from Ken’s recent Bay area shopping excursions. Want to […]

In the Gaming Hut Ken recaps his just-concluded, seven year long FALL OF DELTA GREEN campaign. At the behest of beloved Patreon backer Sam Harris, the Culture Hut reveals why there had to be two separate blues titans named Sonny Boy Williamson. The Narrative Hut wonders if a credible motivation for murder is necessary for […]

At the behest of beloved Patreon backer Manfred Gabriel, the Gaming Hut shows how to keep the heat on the PCs when they’re on the run. Whether he’s a legend, an alias, a symbol, or as in Ballad Hunters, a supernatural being, the Mythology Hut knows all about General Ned Ludd. The Stock Character Hut […]

The Gaming Hut entertains a salty take as we wonder whether GMs who say rules don’t matter are actually using them in the first place. Beloved Patreon backer Pagurus unrolls a Cartography Hut segment on maps and deception, as revealed in Mark Monmonier’s How to Lie With Maps. Equally beloved backer Irène Delse invokes her […]

The Gaming Hut takes you through the process of devising a supporting cast for a Page Turners scenario. At the behest of beloved Patreon backer bt, the Crime Blotter ponders the ritual significance of the flower-bedecked effigy at the funeral of Chicago mobster Mike Merlo. Finally, as is their wont at awards time in the […]

In the Gaming Hut we explain why idiot plotting is an even bigger problem in tabletop rpgs than fiction or movies. At the behest of beloved Patreon backer Ginge the Tradecraft Hut rips the lid off of the submarine exploit that was Project Azorian. The Mythology Hut goes to the woods to reveal the surprising […]

In the Gaming Hut we create a Page Turners protagonist. At the behest of beloved Patreon backer Charles Picard the Architecture Hut examines the work of Julia Taylor, from the Chapel of the Chimes to Hearst Castle. In Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else, Robin talks to Tristan Zimmerman about his game Ballad Hunters, […]

The Gaming Hut starts us off with a contemplation of introductory adventures. The Horror Hut unearths the surely vampiric backstory of a loin-cloth clad 4th century Saracen warrior whose spectacular blood-drinking turned the Visigoths from the gates of Constantinople. The Stock Character Hut celebrates the release of Page Turners with a look at the disapproving […]

We start in the Gaming Hut by looking at providing clues to players. In the History Hut we ask which saint had the highest body count. Was it Norway’s heavily armed St. Olaf, or someone else? Finally the Ken’s Bookshelf recalls a previously undocumented raid on NYC’s Strand Books. Want to pose a question to […]

Before beloved Patreon backer Sikander can betray us, the Gaming Hut answers his question about the Mr. Johnson trope in roleplaying games. Special guests Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan and James Wallis join us in the Mythology Hut for a paradoxology quiz. Which weird beliefs from ancient Greek and Roman texts are authentic to those texts, and which […]

In the Gaming Hut we reluctantly rouse ourselves to answer beloved Patreon backer Toonspew’s request for a look at the Church of the Sub-Genius. At the request of estimable backer Neon Fox, the History Hut finds the real story between the alleged temporal straddling of the S. S. Warrimoo. In the Food Hut we flavor […]

In the Gaming Hut we look at the sorts of stories that work as Page Turners scenarios. The Archaeology Hut digs into the case of the Russian archaeologist arrested in Poland for damaging the Crimean site of Myrmekion. In Ask Ken and Robin, beloved Patreon backer Fred Kiesche asks Robin to talk about his role […]

The Gaming Hut follows up a previous pedagogical segment by wondering what a course syllabus for tabletop rpg development and editing might look cover. The Crime Blotter peers at the surprisingly long list of criminal forensics techniques that fail to meet scientific standards. The Stock Character Hut looks at that perennial force for narrative chaos, […]

As you may have heard in our previous episode, a mysterious technical event ate our recording of our live episode at this year’s Dragonmeet. In the face of this tragedy we prevail with a not at all convincing recreation of the in-person event, with better sound quality and much worse applause. The Nerdtrope Deck demands […]

The Gaming Hut wonders what would happen in an F20 world where the smoke from burned magic scrolls produced a potent intoxication? Thanks to the Secret Maps exhibition at the British Library, the Travel Advisory veers into the Cartography Hut. Which means we must be back from London, occasioning our annual UK edition of Ken’s […]

Beloved Patreon backer Ben A. takes the Gaming Hut to New York’s Chinatown in 1973 for tips on a game that mixes triads with the Bruce Lee legacy. Estimable backer Philip Masters gains access to the Tradecraft Hut for an account of a recently busted spy ring run by previous subject Jan Marsalek. How to […]

In the Gaming Hut we look at a core part of the rpg designer’s skill set, table sense, or the ability to predict what players will do with your material. The Mythology Hut tells the story of a historical figure reputed to turn invisible, Qin Dynasty consort Zhongli Chun. The Word Hut hosts a game […]

Beloved Patreon backer Darcy Casselman summons us to the Gaming Hut in search of tips on playing a gestalt or troupe-style leader character, such as a starship captain. The Architecture Hut peers at Sibiu, Transylvania, the town of 7,300 eyes. Try to keep a lid on it as the Stock Character Hut looks at the […]

In the Gaming Hut we examine the principle of design by subtraction. The Crime Blotter investigates the career of thief turned detective Eugène-Francois Vidocq. We wrap up the Cinema Hut Fantasy Film Essentials series with some late-breaking indie titles and a look back at what we learned. Finally the Eliptony Hut tunes into Bernard Kazhinsky’s […]

The Gaming Hut continues its preview of Robin’s new game Page Turners with a demonstration of scene calling choices. The History Hut takes a garden stroll to look at ornamental hermits. A great wasteland is traversed in the Cinema Hut as the Fantasy Film Essentials series shoots from 2011 to nearly the present day. Finally […]

With the print run imminent for Page Turners, Robin’s new game of dramatic interaction for one player and one GM, the Gaming Hut takes it for a spin, with Ken defining the unmet needs of his jazz age protagonist. Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else features Ken’s chat with Matt Orr of Wet Ink […]

The Gaming Hut pays tribute to Halloween by envisioning a game pitting classic monsters against the non-Euclidean horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos. The Cinema Hut Fantasy Film Essentials series rounds out the 1990s. And the loss of Portland bibliophiles is our hero’s gain as Ken’s Bookshelf groans with his recent Powell’s Books purchases. Want to […]

Now that Ken has finally seen it, beloved Patreon backer Justin Mohareb can pitch his Kpop Demon Hunters question to the Gaming Hut: how could it be used as a game, and how would that be a Feng Shui campaign? Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else features a chat with Richard Ruane, designer of […]

The Gaming Hut examines parallels between killer dungeons and horror movie slashers. Impelled by beloved Patreon backer Jurie Horneman, the Tradecraft Hut looks at the career of financial fraudster turned Russian operative Jan Marsalek. The Cinema Hut’s fantasy film essential series continues to bask in the golden era of the 1990s. Finally the Conspiracy Corner […]