New Topic Ideas

Phil and Senda answer your questions about RPGs from two different perspectives — with some panda silliness!
ctopher
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 3:02 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by ctopher »

Hey Senda! Hey Phil!

Great podcast! If I didn't have to load iTunes I would give the 5 star. I have done this on my podcatcher.

Phil mentioned something in Chit Chat 10 that struck a cord. "I dug into my file server...blah blah blah". I have been thinking lately of this question for work and everything else I store based on O365 (OneDrive) and all the other cloud services (Box, GDrive, etc).

So, "How do you categorize and store all your digital content". As an old school gamer and old school techie, I have a dozen old hard drives, and an unknown number of USB drives where I have dropped stuff to. I probably have lost more media than collected, and still probably still can't ever find what I am looking for without re-searching for it online.

I have never heard anyone (or any podcast) dive into how they categorize this excess media. D&D vs PF vs Indy, then toss in all the assets, tokens, maps, one shots. DMs Guild vs DriveThru RPG vs Piazo vs roll20 vs all the stuff on proprietary company websites?

Thanks for considering my question,
Chris
Last edited by ctopher on Fri Oct 09, 2020 3:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ctopher
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 3:02 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by ctopher »

Just wanted to say thanks for addressing this topic, and so quick. Either it was a niche that needed a scratch or no one is helping you for ideas. And we are on the same page. I currently file the same way (thank you cloud), but also have a problem with "habits". Let me put this in my 17 "To_Sort" folders. Keep up the good work.

PS, I am up to date on the podcast, but was saving the 200th to share with my SO. Listening to almost-pre-Pandemic vs mid-Pandemic really solidified how much we had no idea what changes 2020 caused. W00T.

~Chris
dnaphil
Posts: 331
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:10 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by dnaphil »

Thanks for suggesting it.

It was one of those topic ideas that just resonated after I read it.
I can sympathize with the multiple To Sort folders. I have done that as well. :-)

There are times when I am totally focused on the present that I forget how much changed how quickly from pre-pandemic to now. I suspect there will be a time, when we look back on this and are like, "oh yea...remember when we had to stay home and couldn't see anyone?". I hope.
cubano
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:16 am

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by cubano »

This is a complicated one based on article from Alexandrian.
https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/44 ... -on-demand

I would love to hear you talk about benefits of each style/expectation toward creation or discovery playstyle and more importantly is it possible for people with strong preference toward one style to play together?
How to do it to fulfill both expectations?
Is decision making already a part of shared storytelling or just a part of gaming as w whole?
dnaphil
Posts: 331
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:10 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by dnaphil »

Yea...we can do that topic. While I get what The Alexander is getting at, and most of their points are right, they are missing a few things I would address with this topic.

Sneak peek...
Description on Demand has to do with layers of play, and where your focus is character vs. story.

Some people are comfortable switching between these layers and do not see it as an issue.
I prefer to play my RPGs with some amount of story control as a play, and as a GM I like to distribute that role as well.

This is a simple Session Zero discussion (something they did address early in the discussion) this can easily be tailored to the group or player.

Senda and I can easily knock this topic out.
Malefic7m
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2022 6:53 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by Malefic7m »

Thanks for an excellent podcast both in content and in in entertainment!

I really enjoy your format and always have something I'm thinking about, and would love your input. I'll try to frame the questions to be able to fit it a dichotomy, preferably Campaign Vs One Shot:


1. While I'm no Jim Bowie I've been outdoorsy since I could walk and have also done military service, and I've experienced other players playing games set in the wilderness who clearly lack understanding of navigation, flora/fauna and the elements. What makes it difficult is when the GM to are "clueless". I once set a game in the 80s when over half the group was computer people, so I didn't need to deal with that, and my question is how do you deal with players having special knowledge that pertains to the campaign you as GM don't have, both in One Shots and in Campaigns?

2. I'd also like to hear how you as a GM and Co-player can help give different archetypes/playbooks/classes/etc the oppourtunity to shine and focus on their themes. I'm thinking the Ranger, the Hocus and the Hunter (D&D, Apocalypse World, The Sprawl) could be cool, but any are interessting. I think One shot Vs Campaign and GM and Co-players are intereting (false) dichotomies.

3. Rituals. How do you start a game, how do you take breaks and start again, equipment, accutrements, etc.... One Shot Vs Campaigns?


4. Mini-campaigns. I find that the dichotomy of One Shots Vs Campaigns is lacking a bit, as a mini-campaign has been popular in some of my groups - and many (most?) of the PbtA games lend themselves best to reaching climax (sorry!) after a handful or two of sessions. There is a tendency in many gamers to think that campaigns should last for years. What are the pros/cons of mini-campaigns?


5. I'd also love to hear more about genrés, as I really enjoyed the one about Cyberpunk (a genré that I've just recently dived into).
dnaphil
Posts: 331
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:10 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by dnaphil »

Those are excellent suggestions. I am going to add them to our show list. Your first one is in the lead for a topic this week.
Malefic7m
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2022 6:53 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by Malefic7m »

So, this topic idea came from an episode of GnomeCast where the interview-subject said something about making a game where there where rules for how you ended the game with positive feedback to the GM and the table. I've recently moved "back home" and started playing with a new group, but with a couple of guys I used to play with years ago. Though the game is very traditional, I appreaciate the IRL gaming and the GM is great with voices, spotlight-management, etc, but what annoys me is that even if the GM asks in our text chat things like "I really enjoyed last night's game and I hope everyone had a good time" he never gets any reponses, (except mine). One of the players in the group has suffered from 'GM Burnout', and I can see that not getting any (positive) responses could give the current GM the same. In addition, the players aren't really 'Bringing it', and my friend has admitted to 'being lazy'. The GM has asked us for a written summary of last session, and only one other player has written one, and now we're a week off last session (which I did not attend).

So my question is: Other than common courtesy, manners and trying to lead by example ("thank you for tonight's game" ; "thanks everyone for tonight" ; "I appreciated this, this and this with our last session", etc) how can one help cultivate a table environment that is inducive for (positive) feedback and GM-encouragement? Yes, I realize that I've been spoilt with the gaming millieu I've been involved with the last decade+, but it's kind of difficult with old players, as I've struggled with introducing "stars & wishes" to other groups, while a group of fresh players did things like this every gaming night. (The GM there was a Story Gamer/"veteran".) I think this could be well both from the point of Players & GMs and Campaign Vs One-shots.

Apologies for missing the podcast # and the person; will add if I can manage.
dnaphil
Posts: 331
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:10 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by dnaphil »

This is a solid topic and it is a thing I have wrestled with over the years. My thoughts on this have gone in both directions from being very heavy-handed to being very laissez faire.

I am not sure I have a sure-fire way to do this, but I have some thoughts.
Feeling like this might be a MM topic so that we dig in a bit deeper.

My show topic thought for this would be, "Creating your table culture"... yea...that's the topic.
That show could be coming up pretty soon...
Malefic7m
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2022 6:53 pm

Re: New Topic Ideas

Post by Malefic7m »

Dear Senda and Phil!

First of all, I would like to thank you both for taking up the ball on my prompts. I'll keep suggesting topics because while you're wonderful as individuals your sparkling chemestry is wonderful to listen to. HAving had a freakishly long vacation and then having your podcast need to be reintroduced to my podcatcher it took me a while to listen to the episodes.

I'd like to apologize for my weird 'nick'/'handle', it's a(n accusative) form of the latin Maleficium, and I used the other spelling because of numbers-magic. It comes from a novel I once started writing as a response to another book, and if we ever get to share a convention drink I'll tell you the story and how it got me in touch with a greek witch and why the number 7 is of importance and not only the best aesthetic choice. ;)

It's pronounciation is difficult in english and I couldn't find any good examples in a quick search, but it's basically "ma-le-fi-kùm", and the stress is made all over when I hear my friends pronounce it. I'm joining websites with handles as I have relatives I would like to not be able to search for my activities, but feel free to use my real name! (A norwegian podcast use it as well, and I the relatives will not listen to any RPG-podcast. :)

Sincerly, your ensorcelled fan,

Michael Esperum


P.S. Listening to the podcasts at work I think you should get more mileage from "rituals" and I will suggest more topics soon, as I really love your spiel for why you want to help GMs and the community as a whole! <3
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