Episode 76 of The Gauntlet Podcast is out today. Thanks to co-hosts Lowell Francis and Andrea G, and thanks to Richard Rogers for co-hosting and editing.
A quick note for listeners: my audio got corrupted near the end of the recording, so we had to switch to Youtube audio for me during Giving Me Life.
Cc: Steve Hickey Stewart Wieck Fred Hicks
Left coast sounds awesome. What’s its maximum number of players?
Left coast sounds awesome. What’s its maximum number of players?
That was a great gift to wake up to. I’m going to make a note of your comments here (especially about potential areas of discomfort for the Author player) in the expanded edition.
Oli Jeffery: The Short Story edition works for 2-5 players easily (and I’ve taken a 6th at occasional con games).
The expanded edition (which is in progress) encourages groups to have 2 or 3 Author players and multiple Weird players. I think it’ll run with up to 6 people, because the spotlight will be shared between people in interesting ways.
That was a great gift to wake up to. I’m going to make a note of your comments here (especially about potential areas of discomfort for the Author player) in the expanded edition.
Oli Jeffery: The Short Story edition works for 2-5 players easily (and I’ve taken a 6th at occasional con games).
The expanded edition (which is in progress) encourages groups to have 2 or 3 Author players and multiple Weird players. I think it’ll run with up to 6 people, because the spotlight will be shared between people in interesting ways.
The Don’t Rest Your Head AP I mentioned watching during prep is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSSPDw1LW2g
The Don’t Rest Your Head AP I mentioned watching during prep is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSSPDw1LW2g
Just a minor correction Richard Rogers, “what just happened here” in DRYH isn’t a first; it is an iteration of the Kicker of Ron Edward’s Sorcerer. Pretty sure Fred Hicks acknowledged that, but I could be wrong.
Just a minor correction Richard Rogers, “what just happened here” in DRYH isn’t a first; it is an iteration of the Kicker of Ron Edward’s Sorcerer. Pretty sure Fred Hicks acknowledged that, but I could be wrong.
DRYH was my favorite game for several years.
DRYH was my favorite game for several years.
Good catch, Ray Otus. In my head I was saying “The first one I read”, but I wasn’t explicit.
Good catch, Ray Otus. In my head I was saying “The first one I read”, but I wasn’t explicit.
Ah. And in any case, I think it was still VERY early. It was probably the second game to explicitly use the Kicker concept. Stuff like that and background questions (bonds et al) seem so OBVIOUS now. But they were like “pow mind-blown” back then. 🙂
Ah. And in any case, I think it was still VERY early. It was probably the second game to explicitly use the Kicker concept. Stuff like that and background questions (bonds et al) seem so OBVIOUS now. But they were like “pow mind-blown” back then. 🙂
If you wanted to cheat at the weather descriptions in Left Coast, you could snag a few from The Awl, where Tom Scocca rates the weather in New York out of 5 each day, and writes a poetic description: https://theawl.com/tagged/weather-reviews
You’d have to cherry-pick to match the California climate, of course.
If you wanted to cheat at the weather descriptions in Left Coast, you could snag a few from The Awl, where Tom Scocca rates the weather in New York out of 5 each day, and writes a poetic description: https://theawl.com/tagged/weather-reviews
You’d have to cherry-pick to match the California climate, of course.
I’m also taking that feedback on board for my next playtest. I’ll try out asking players describe the weather using a continuum: from basic facts, through to how it reflects the Author’s situation, ask the way up to ‘as if you’re writing a novel’. I think it won’t lose anything if think of it as a dial.
I’m also taking that feedback on board for my next playtest. I’ll try out asking players describe the weather using a continuum: from basic facts, through to how it reflects the Author’s situation, ask the way up to ‘as if you’re writing a novel’. I think it won’t lose anything if think of it as a dial.
Steve Hickey I actually really liked that part of the game. I just wasn’t any good at it, haha. I eventually embraced my awfulness at it and it became a fun running joke at the table. I wouldn”t change a thing.
Steve Hickey I actually really liked that part of the game. I just wasn’t any good at it, haha. I eventually embraced my awfulness at it and it became a fun running joke at the table. I wouldn”t change a thing.
I haven’t had a chance to play Mutants & Masterminds, but from reading through the rule book, I find it to be crunchier and more rules-heavy than I would prefer. My go-to for superhero RPG-ing is SUPERS! Revised Edition. It uses a pretty simple D6 dice pool system, and really lends itself toward narrative play. One of my favorite elements is the way PCs can use any of their powers as defense. (For example, if the Green Goblin throws a pumpkin bomb at Spider-Man, he could use his webs to intercept it, his heightened agility to dodge, or his super strength to lift an object heavy enough to absorb the blast.)
Thanks to this podcast, though, I’m excited to try out Masks at some point in the future!
I haven’t had a chance to play Mutants & Masterminds, but from reading through the rule book, I find it to be crunchier and more rules-heavy than I would prefer. My go-to for superhero RPG-ing is SUPERS! Revised Edition. It uses a pretty simple D6 dice pool system, and really lends itself toward narrative play. One of my favorite elements is the way PCs can use any of their powers as defense. (For example, if the Green Goblin throws a pumpkin bomb at Spider-Man, he could use his webs to intercept it, his heightened agility to dodge, or his super strength to lift an object heavy enough to absorb the blast.)
Thanks to this podcast, though, I’m excited to try out Masks at some point in the future!
I’m almost afraid to ask this question, but can someone link me an article about Tolkien orcs being racist? I don’t remember running across that before.
I’m almost afraid to ask this question, but can someone link me an article about Tolkien orcs being racist? I don’t remember running across that before.