Author Topic: Ideas for New episodes  (Read 11958 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

MilwaukeeJoe

  • Barbary Macaque at the Rock of Gibraltar
  • ***
  • Posts: 154
    • Rappan Athuk Play-By-Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #20 on: October 16, 2008, 06:19:43 PM »
Quote
I would love to see a GM-oriented episode (or part of one) devoted to how to GM differently when running one-shots vs. an ongoing week-to-week campaign.
I pretty much run just one-shot "con style" games, at Gencon and other conventions.
(I'm working my way through the episodes, I'm a BG newbie - if they cover this topic in an episode somewhere, just tell me.)
Thanks,
MilwaukeeJoe
We haven't done this- we've talked about it a bit on the boards here, but I never thought of doing it as an episode.  Good idea!  There is a ton to be said about it as well.  Thanks!

When you do get to this episode, one question I have specifically about DMing one-shot games - how do I keep from railroading? While listening to the backlog of shows, I realize that in my desire to get the players from the start of the adventure to the final ending, that I pretty much push them through. How bad is railroading
in one-shot games?

Can it be avoided? Should it?

Thanks!
MilwaukeeJoe

Chris_fromtheBX

  • Monkey bussiness
  • *
  • Posts: 11
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #21 on: November 12, 2008, 12:34:54 PM »
 I would love to see a crossover podcast episode ironing out the disputes  once and for all in a no holds barred discussion. Call it Fear the Brilliant Podge. Or My Brilliant Podge Boot is Feared. Or your Boot is in my Podge and that's just Brilliant. :D

Josh

  • Brilliant Gameologist
  • Grape ape
  • *
  • Posts: 1835
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #22 on: November 12, 2008, 11:10:33 PM »
I would love to see a crossover podcast episode ironing out the disputes  once and for all in a no holds barred discussion. Call it Fear the Brilliant Podge. Or My Brilliant Podge Boot is Feared. Or your Boot is in my Podge and that's just Brilliant. :D

I think my avian-porcine hybrids have a better chance.
Ennies Nominees - Best Podcast 2009

Dan2

  • Honorary Moderator
  • Hong Kong
  • *
  • Posts: 1024
  • Wizicist
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #23 on: November 12, 2008, 11:56:28 PM »

Straw_Man

  • Hong Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 1145
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #24 on: January 05, 2009, 11:52:35 AM »

  I'd like an episode about the realism of a static world that revolves around the PC's, which incidentally in D&D means that the PC's become the answer to every problem by level 6.
"No, no, don't think, Maya." Ritsuko chided. "We will not gattai the Evas or their pilots.

Such thoughts lead inevitably to transformation sequences."

Robert Bohl

  • Barbary Macaque at the Rock of Gibraltar
  • ***
  • Posts: 182
    • Misspent Youth
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #25 on: January 13, 2009, 06:58:29 PM »
A few ideas:

Creating player characters the players are interested in.

Tailoring game events to what the players are interested in.

Dealing with conflicting play styles.

Being mindful of what the other people playin wiht you are interested in and playing to that.

GMless games.

MilwaukeeJoe

  • Barbary Macaque at the Rock of Gibraltar
  • ***
  • Posts: 154
    • Rappan Athuk Play-By-Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #26 on: January 14, 2009, 02:21:03 PM »
I'd like to see an GM-oriented episode about play-by-email and play-by-post gaming.

Any significant differences between email-style and pbp-style?

Which websites are best for running a game or finding new games?

Which websites are best for attracting new players?

How do you attract players, and the right ones?

How do you keep players from dropping out?

How do you handle dice rolls, combat encounters, maps?

Which systems do you feel are best oriented for this style of play? Which systems are the worst?

Thanks!
MilwaukeeJoe

Dan2

  • Honorary Moderator
  • Hong Kong
  • *
  • Posts: 1024
  • Wizicist
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #27 on: February 09, 2009, 02:06:43 AM »
Outtakes episode?

I got the idea listening to your posting of the Geek Girls Roundtable.
You mentioned 3 hours of work on the podcast for 40 mins of content.
It would be mostly useless, but I'm willing to be it'd be absolutely hilarious.

It could be a filler episode if you need one.

Also, I'm glad to hear that the musical episode is coming out.

Josh

  • Brilliant Gameologist
  • Grape ape
  • *
  • Posts: 1835
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #28 on: February 09, 2009, 04:22:53 AM »
I'd like to see an GM-oriented episode about play-by-email and play-by-post gaming.

Any significant differences between email-style and pbp-style?

Which websites are best for running a game or finding new games?

Which websites are best for attracting new players?

How do you attract players, and the right ones?

How do you keep players from dropping out?

How do you handle dice rolls, combat encounters, maps?

Which systems do you feel are best oriented for this style of play? Which systems are the worst?

Thanks!
MilwaukeeJoe
I am running a PbP game right now as research for this topic. 

Outtakes episode?

I got the idea listening to your posting of the Geek Girls Roundtable.
You mentioned 3 hours of work on the podcast for 40 mins of content.
It would be mostly useless, but I'm willing to be it'd be absolutely hilarious.

It could be a filler episode if you need one.

Also, I'm glad to hear that the musical episode is coming out.

There are some good outtakes.  Everyone should request that meg releases the episode where I go crazy on bizarre tangents. 
Ennies Nominees - Best Podcast 2009

Meg

  • Message Board Extraordinaire
  • Brilliant Gameologist
  • Man in Gorilla Suit
  • *
  • Posts: 2069
  • Are you rapier than me?
    • Brilliant Gameologists
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #29 on: February 09, 2009, 02:51:54 PM »
You have no idea the amount of stress and depression I feel about an outtakes episode.  Would it be great?  I'm sure- but the sheer amount of work is just... staggering.  I'd have to listen to literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of recordings to put together... what, a 60 minute show?  Sometimes I have thought ahead and pulled out good outtakes as I was editing as normal but that's only for a couple of shows so the majority is all hidden in a huge file. 

Though you know what- this could be something that would be good for a volunteer base.  Say 10 people were interested in helping- I would send the full file of one episode to each of the 10 people and they could choose their favorite outtakes and then send me the minute marker and ender for where to cut and then I could put it all together...  that would be doable but would require some help for sure! 

We are going to do a clip show at some point.  We have some good ideas for it ;)
All of my updates are on twitter! 

This is my angry voice.  Text written in red, by me, is  an official moderator "suggestion"

Want to meet me or the other Gameologists?  Check out where we'll be on the Conventions, Meetups and Events board!

emissary666

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 902
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #30 on: February 11, 2009, 06:25:29 PM »
Example of how you game
WoD episode (Just for you, Josh)
Computer RPG versus Table Top RPG
Review of Orpheus
Softballing DMs
Players who cry about everything
How to make your DM cry
I make little kids cry
Steady As A Goat
Warning: You may have already been set on fire

Bread does not need a reason

TheChrisWaits

  • Honorary Moderator
  • Curious George
  • *
  • Posts: 320
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #31 on: February 12, 2009, 10:43:18 PM »
Though you know what- this could be something that would be good for a volunteer base.  Say 10 people were interested in helping- I would send the full file of one episode to each of the 10 people and they could choose their favorite outtakes and then send me the minute marker and ender for where to cut and then I could put it all together...  that would be doable but would require some help for sure! 
I am available for those purposes. I actually am familiar with Audacity (which you use if I'm not mistaken) and could send/compile clips as well.

Dan2

  • Honorary Moderator
  • Hong Kong
  • *
  • Posts: 1024
  • Wizicist
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #32 on: February 12, 2009, 11:22:33 PM »
I could also help.  I usually have loads of free time, but little to spend it on.

I could not help you with actual editing though; I'm only barely versed in Premier.

Graf

  • Monkey bussiness
  • *
  • Posts: 11
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #33 on: March 18, 2009, 11:46:17 PM »
You have (sort of) built a framework for talking about playing the best games vs different games, etc.
I think you should finish it. Or at least get it from the level where it is now (sorta vague, nobody is really going to disagree with it) to a point where you can effectively leverage it in your show.

The best way, I think, to do this would be to do shows about the games that you like (Savage Worlds, Burning Wheel) in an organized way.

Get into the nitty gritty about why they're systems are good and the choices that they've made are better than other choices and contribute to being the "best".

Then when you talk about other games and how they're not good you can succinctly discuss the system/setting choices that have been made that you feel are maladaptive (i.e. that are inferior to the choices made by the "best systems")

Topics that I think you could reasonably pick up in the Savage Worlds show would be
1. How does the wild die (which is a 50% success vs normal difficulty) affect the probabilities in the game? Why is it better than a "normal" dice pool system with a target number(like WoD, Shadowrun, whatever).
(I assume you think it's better)

2. Savage Worlds includes a flaw system with roleplaying only flaws (you are loyal, you are patriotic, whatever). So you receive a mechanical advantage for a roleplaying disadvantage. Could talk about whether that's a good thing in general, in this case, etc.
You could talk about games that do/did that and were not successful (GURPS, WoD).
(You kinda sorta dealt with this in discussing the kobold PC in DnD2e but it's worth talking about, I think, more directly and especially in relation to a game system you like.

Fizzlemeyer

  • Monkey bussiness
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #34 on: March 22, 2009, 02:16:05 PM »
I know one thing I would personally like to see would be some of your thoughts on game design.  There are dozens of badly designed games out there, and dozens of good ones.  The core idea would be to get at the elements that you guys consider to be either superior or inferior choices relating to game design.  Some sub topics might be:

Necessary skills and abilities
Hit points vs. Damage Tracks (SW, or WoD style)
Core feel of the game. (Swashbuckling fast action in SW, Creepy horror / sins of man in WoD, Adventurous ass kickery in DnD)
Morality Scales (Alignment, Virtues and Vices, Dark Side Points)
Advantages and Disadvantages
Magic Systems / Superpower building
Maybe use specific books as an example of an element that you liked but thought could be done better.

Josh

  • Brilliant Gameologist
  • Grape ape
  • *
  • Posts: 1835
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #35 on: March 22, 2009, 07:00:00 PM »
I know one thing I would personally like to see would be some of your thoughts on game design.  There are dozens of badly designed games out there, and dozens of good ones.  The core idea would be to get at the elements that you guys consider to be either superior or inferior choices relating to game design.  Some sub topics might be:

Necessary skills and abilities
Hit points vs. Damage Tracks (SW, or WoD style)
Core feel of the game. (Swashbuckling fast action in SW, Creepy horror / sins of man in WoD, Adventurous ass kickery in DnD)
Morality Scales (Alignment, Virtues and Vices, Dark Side Points)
Advantages and Disadvantages
Magic Systems / Superpower building
Maybe use specific books as an example of an element that you liked but thought could be done better.

Games need none of the qualities above and could rule.
Games could have every quality above and be utter failures.

Overall a game needs a few things in order to be OK:

1) Interesting setting that is internally consistent.
2) Has the mechanics it needs to be the kind of game it wants to be.
3) Does not have unnecessary mechanics.
4) Allows for genuine creativity.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2009, 10:56:35 PM by Josh »
Ennies Nominees - Best Podcast 2009

veekie

  • Organ Grinder
  • *****
  • Posts: 9034
  • WARNING: Homing Miko
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #36 on: March 23, 2009, 07:52:43 PM »
I find 2 and 3 to be usually an either-or thing(though failing at both is not uncommon).
The mind transcends the body.
It's also a little cold because of that.
Please get it a blanket.

I wish I could read your mind,
I can barely read mine.

"Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. At 2:15, it begins rolling up characters."

[spoiler]
"Just what do you think the moon up in the sky is? Everyone sees that big, round shiny thing and thinks there must be something round up there, right? That's just silly. The truth is much more awesome than that. You can almost never see the real Moon, and its appearance is death to humans. You can only see the Moon when it's reflected in things. And the things it reflects in, like water or glass, can all be broken, right? Since the moon you see in the sky is just being reflected in the heavens, if you tear open the heavens it's easy to break it~"
-Ibuki Suika, on overkill

To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon.
Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune hos timeis pteirei.
Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato.
Khiliarkhou Astrape!
[/spoiler]

There is no higher price than 'free'.

"I won't die. I've been ordered not to die."

Josh

  • Brilliant Gameologist
  • Grape ape
  • *
  • Posts: 1835
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #37 on: March 23, 2009, 11:02:54 PM »
Had to edit my post for clarity

I find 2 and 3 to be usually an either-or thing(though failing at both is not uncommon).
Right.  That's why there are so few adequate games.
Ennies Nominees - Best Podcast 2009

Jason Tech Corp

  • Monkey bussiness
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #38 on: July 13, 2009, 10:33:30 PM »
I would like to hear some discussions on a few things.

The role of technology in table top games.  Dice rolling programs, programs like D20 Pro, and over head projector set ups.

How gamers can reach out and find others to play with when in general we hide our shame.

How best to deal with the new player.  Is there a better system to start off with?  Is there something that hooks the new player and keeps him around rather than going home convinced that gamers are as damaged as the sterotype?

Meg

  • Message Board Extraordinaire
  • Brilliant Gameologist
  • Man in Gorilla Suit
  • *
  • Posts: 2069
  • Are you rapier than me?
    • Brilliant Gameologists
    • Email
Re: Ideas for New episodes
« Reply #39 on: July 15, 2009, 07:13:57 PM »
We've spread new player info into a few episodes, but it could totally be worth dedicating a whole episode to.

The tech thing we're not experts on, but we can at least share our perspective.  That would be a good topic to poll the message board and then use the podcast to almost report on the findings.
All of my updates are on twitter! 

This is my angry voice.  Text written in red, by me, is  an official moderator "suggestion"

Want to meet me or the other Gameologists?  Check out where we'll be on the Conventions, Meetups and Events board!