Episode 156: Encounters

Posted on June 8, 2014 by upturnedtable_sx8obi

During this episode, listeners may encounter the following (roll d100):

01-10 Boredom
11-20 Lame jokes
21-30 Extremely late movie reviews
30-80 Chris & Wayne fighting
81-90 Tangents
91-98 The ghost of Lyal, sighing
99-00 Interesting, lively conversation

In another Lyal-less episode, Chris and Wayne discuss encounters (both random and planned). Should encounters in RPGs be balanced, or should they follow the fiction of the setting? How to plan encounters, and how to make them interesting, balanced or not. This episode was inspired, in part, by an awesome (and angry) article by the Angry DM.

Episode 147: Campaign Confessions: Pathfinder Part 2

Posted on April 6, 2014 by upturnedtable_sx8obi

“Crafting a mystery can be tricky. Too easy and your players get bored. Too hard and your players get frustrated and, yes, bored. When in doubt, err on the side of hard and turn a blind eye when the paladin starts torturing NPCs for clues.”
– Michael West(en), burned Rogue/Illusionist

In part 2, we discuss Chris’s story, “Best Served Cold”.

Episode 144: Playing Han Solo

Posted on March 15, 2014 by upturnedtable_sx8obi

Chris: “Lyal, Can I play Batman in your DC game. Batman with a Scottish accent. ‘Ach. Ay’m the heerooo this city deserves, ya wee lass.'”
Lyal: “Wow. I’m not looking forward to that, but sure. Wayne?”
Wayne: “Hmm, maybe Sen … Sensible … Sensual … Sen … tence. Centennial. The Centennial.”
Lyal: “The Sentry. Wrong universe. How about Superman?”
Wayne: “No thanks. I do like Spee … Speeder … Speederma … Spice. Spicer … Spicerman …”
Lyal: “Spider-Man. Wrong universe, again.”

In this episode, we discuss the advantages of playing iconic characters as well as retelling classic or not so classic stories. Also, listen to find out what all the fuss about Sparks Nevada is.