The Gauntlet Podcast is back! Episode 84 is the first to feature our new regular host, Kate Bullock! She’s going to be organizing a monthly series of topic-focused round tables, and this is the first of that series.
This month we’re joined by Stephen Dewey (of Ten Candles fame) to talk about how to facilitate emotional play. The conversation is terrific, and filled with plenty of steps you can take right away to create a more emotional experience at the table. The dynamic between the three of us is really cool here, because Kate & I approach the topic from the perspective of community organizers who also happen to run a lot of games, and Stephen comes at it from the angle of game design. The end result is a focused, yet comprehensive, discussion. I think you’re going to like it a lot.
Be sure to leave us some feedback in the comments. We want to know what you think about this topic-focused format. Also: this is only one type of episode we will do each month. We’ll also do the gameplay recaps we’re well known for, as well as some new 1-on-1 interviews. The idea this year for the podcast is to broaden our scope a bit, and to increase the number of voices associated with the Gauntlet.
Enjoy!
http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/the-gauntlet-podcast/episode-84-facilitating-emotional-play
I really like the format although I did miss the “what we played” bit and I would have loved to hear what Stephen and Kate have been playing recently.
Concerning the topic: I think player expectation is mostly set by the system you pick. Do you need complicated moral choices in a ludicrous DCC funnel about helpless villagers stumbling through a grinder? Probably not.
If the system encourages murdering monsters by granting you XP why would you expect killing monsters to be a problem? On the other hand if the moral dilemma is hard coded into the rules like in DitV players will more likely be interested in seeing their characters in morally ambiguous situations.
I really like the format although I did miss the “what we played” bit and I would have loved to hear what Stephen and Kate have been playing recently.
Concerning the topic: I think player expectation is mostly set by the system you pick. Do you need complicated moral choices in a ludicrous DCC funnel about helpless villagers stumbling through a grinder? Probably not.
If the system encourages murdering monsters by granting you XP why would you expect killing monsters to be a problem? On the other hand if the moral dilemma is hard coded into the rules like in DitV players will more likely be interested in seeing their characters in morally ambiguous situations.
This episode could not have come at a better time. I did a bunch of LARPs at MAGFest and had some really good bleed. When I came back home, I found that several of my face-to-face crew wasn’t into that. At all.
I’m going to assign this episode as homework to my face-to-face crew.
This episode could not have come at a better time. I did a bunch of LARPs at MAGFest and had some really good bleed. When I came back home, I found that several of my face-to-face crew wasn’t into that. At all.
I’m going to assign this episode as homework to my face-to-face crew.
I am with Horst Wurst the new format and topic were fantastic, and they have just solidified me as a regular listener again. I did miss the “What we have played recently” segment. Hopefully it will be included in future episodes, even if that means only when a host plays something new and excellent. I have also been at that Paladin infested table of awkward emotionally charged socially inept nerds. Hopefully this might save me the stress and irritation the next time I am sitting at a table of players I suspect might be mature enough to handle a little bleed.
I am with Horst Wurst the new format and topic were fantastic, and they have just solidified me as a regular listener again. I did miss the “What we have played recently” segment. Hopefully it will be included in future episodes, even if that means only when a host plays something new and excellent. I have also been at that Paladin infested table of awkward emotionally charged socially inept nerds. Hopefully this might save me the stress and irritation the next time I am sitting at a table of players I suspect might be mature enough to handle a little bleed.
I’m disappointed that you didn’t get into how to handle emotionally intense high bleed dark sessions of Sea Dracula.
I’m disappointed that you didn’t get into how to handle emotionally intense high bleed dark sessions of Sea Dracula.
Totally into topic-focused. “What we played” is cool, though I wouldn’t mind if it was like only a couple minutes per person or not every week.
Totally into topic-focused. “What we played” is cool, though I wouldn’t mind if it was like only a couple minutes per person or not every week.
Wow, great show!
Wow, great show!
I’m with Tim B. I like “What we played” as brief segment. I can also see why it wasn’t in this episode because you went into specific games so much, and because having a developer on often means they’re playing games they can’t talk about yet.
I’m with Tim B. I like “What we played” as brief segment. I can also see why it wasn’t in this episode because you went into specific games so much, and because having a developer on often means they’re playing games they can’t talk about yet.
“What we played” is a single, monthly episode from now on. The other three episodes in a month will be Kate’s round table, an interview conducted by myself, and an interview conducted by Lowell.
“What we played” is a single, monthly episode from now on. The other three episodes in a month will be Kate’s round table, an interview conducted by myself, and an interview conducted by Lowell.
I am 100% behind this. Thank you Jason Cordova and Kate Bullock and Lowell Francis.
I am 100% behind this. Thank you Jason Cordova and Kate Bullock and Lowell Francis.
Also Steve Mains (who is the sole editor now) and Richard Rogers, who is on the monthly game recap.
Also Steve Mains (who is the sole editor now) and Richard Rogers, who is on the monthly game recap.
Jason Cordova I am hopefully, but conservatively, optimistic about the new format. Can you talk about any known upcoming interviews?
Jason Cordova I am hopefully, but conservatively, optimistic about the new format. Can you talk about any known upcoming interviews?
In case anyone gets the wrong impression, we’re not switching up the format because of some sort of need. Our listenership has gone up and up since we launched the show two years ago. We’re switching up the format because I simply want to expand the conversation a bit.
In case anyone gets the wrong impression, we’re not switching up the format because of some sort of need. Our listenership has gone up and up since we launched the show two years ago. We’re switching up the format because I simply want to expand the conversation a bit.