Casting Shadows (Runeslinger)

This practical post of three specific tips for villains in an RPG was originally posted in response to a blog Carnival prompt on 'How to think like a villain.' Using examples from Actual Play which are accessible on the written blog, this post lays out simple means of getting into the heads of characters in your setting and seeing where that takes you in terms of villainy~

In the first segment of this episode I quickly share some of my responses to the first week of #RPGaDAY2024 prompts. Later in the week ahead, I will be sharing cool prompts from other folk that I have found out there on the Internet.

The second segment explores the structure and some suggestions for running The Great Campaign from Triple Ace Games for the Ubiquity Roleplaying System.

The third segment is a quick overview of Ubiquity for those hearing about it for the first time.

CONTACT THE SHOW

runescastshadows AT gmail.com

Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) UBIQUITY DISCORD SERVER

https://discord.gg/cGedvmdG3h

Products or Shows mentioned in this Episode:

The GMologist Presents

The Great Campaign (PDF, PoD)

Part 2: Feeding the Alien - On character and the two modes to enjoy them with in this game.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.    

Links:  
Discomfort, Fear, Terror, and Vast Cosmic Horror, on a dime a day~

On Genre Being Rule Zero

Where I can be found:

Casting Shadows Blog

YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

Not all games choose to reinforce frightening or horrific elements with mechanisms of play. In some games, to do so would interfere with the smooth operation of both system and player imagination of the characters appropriate to the fiction such games produce. Some games, however, can be enhanced with the inclusion, from a roleplaying perspective, of such fears and how the characters face them. With a brief look at Leagues of Gothic Horror and Leagues of Cthulhu for contrast, this 8th episode of the Casting Shadows podcast takes a deep look at the characters of Triple Ace Games' All for One: Regime Diabolique and the role fear and horror can have on play~

Using an example from the Halloween Cerebrevore episode, we briefly suggest some ideas about playing for character experience and playing a role in a story~

Nerd's RPG Variety Cast

Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor

Cerebrevore: On Serious Horror RPG play

https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1E15-Running-Serious-Horror-TTRPGs-e1pgt0t/a-a8bvo5r

Contact me by leaving an anchor voice message: Casting Shadows • A podcast on Anchor

Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com  

CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast

Featuring calls from Menion aka Rob from Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi, Joe Richter of Hindsightless, and Jason of the Nerds RPG Variety Cast, we expand the conversation about pulps and pulp games to address the questions of how some example systems can affect pulp play, group size for fun and pulpiness, and PCs of unequal capabilities. I hope you will join in on the discussion as despite the length of this episode there is still more to dig into~

Links

You can reach Runeslinger at gmail via runescastshadows

Menion's podcast can be found at the link below:

Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi • A podcast on Anchor

https://anchor.fm/menion

Joe's podcast can be found at the link below:

Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor
https://anchor.fm/joe-richter9

Jason's central and supportive podcast can be found at the link below:

Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor

https://anchor.fm/jason376

Blog Articles Referenced in this Post or Relevant to it:

Imbalance Principle
The Imbalance Principle | Casting Shadows (castingshadowsblog.com)

https://castingshadowsblog.com/2010/09/15/imbalance-and-you/

Snap, Crackle, and Pulp | Casting Shadows (castingshadowsblog.com)

https://castingshadowsblog.com/2011/04/05/snap-crackle-and-pulp/

The 2-Hour Fuse: How NOT to run Pulp Adventures | Casting Shadows (castingshadowsblog.com)

https://castingshadowsblog.com/2011/03/23/the-2-hour-fuse-how-not-to-run-pulp-adventures/

This episode is in three segments. The first presents links and reactions to just a few of the cool posts I have seen in response to the 2nd week of #RPGaDAY2024. This is part of a series for each week of the event. If you have suggestions for great posts, send me a message with the links! The second segment offers some tantalizing morsels stolen from the freshly unearthed Mordavia: Land of Horror supplement for Leagues of Adventure, Leagues of Gothic Horror, and Leagues of Cthulhu by Triple Ace Games. The final segment runs roughshod over my own responses to the #RPGaDAY2024 prompts in unseemly haste!

CONTACT THE SHOW:

⁠E-Mail⁠ ⁠Voice Message⁠

FIND CASTING SHADOWS:

⁠Blog⁠ ⁠Channel⁠

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

⁠Autocratik Blog

Halls of the Nephilim RPGNet Dodecahedroid

Stargazer's World

The Other Side

Stochasium

Triple Ace Games

Mordavia on DriveThruRPG

NOTICE: Be sure to check out Roleplay Rescue regularly, or if you are curious what kind of conversation I might have with its host, Che Webster, about roleplaying games and RPG experiences for students, check out the Roleplay Rescue episode due on June 10th, 2023.

LINK:

Podcast – Roleplay Rescue’s Blog

Please accept my apologies as this episode of the Casting Shadows Podcast was recorded on the road and the audio quality may suffer for it. Our topic is the Corporia RPG by RPG renaissance man Mark Plemmons of Brabblemark Press. His new release, I am Furious (Pink), is due for general release on June 13th. Visit the link below for more information:

Products - Brabblemark Press

Leave a Voice (or other) message for future episodes by sending a voice message via SpeakPipe or sending me a recording via e-mail or Discord.

Contact me on Discord

You can find me on Discord at Runeslinger#7592 until that platform changes how names work.

Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com

CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast

Guests Appearing in this episode were Jason Connerly of the Nerds RPG Variety Cast, Ivan Podgwaite of the ivanmike1968 YouTube channel, Adrienne Edwards-Daugherty, and Douglas Lusby.

Broaching the subject of rhttps://anchor.fm/runeslinger/episodes/Episode-3-1---Alien-RPG-series--part-1-e16obdpoleplaying games focused on emotional reactions of self-protection, we take some broad examples such as Call of Cthulhu and FFG's Star Wars Roleplaying to get things going. We look at two shades of this disquieting emotion: Horror and Fear. We look at how our two example games invoke it mechanically, and what we as players can do to facilitate more than a hat tip to the reaction the character is experiencing. This episode covers a lot of ground, digs up a few graves, kicks in a few doors, and perhaps opens some old books that should stay closed, but all of that is being done in the spirit of sharing how we actually play~

For more on the subject of fear, horror, and improvisation in conjunction with horror RPGs, check out the series in Season 3 of the Casting Shadows Podcast where we use learning to play Alien: The Roleplaying Game from Free League as our base example. 

Episode 3.1: Embracing the Alien

In this conversation with Roleplay Rescue's host and seeker of immersive and engaging play, Che Webster, we discuss some blog posts about techniques that Che is trying out to get more of what he wants out of play. As that quest is near and dear to my heart, I thought others might resonate with it as well. We talk about making room for imagination, facilitating a more active stance in our imaginations, and consider how we speak to one another when we play.

Podcasts mentioned in this episode:

Roleplay Rescue

Nerds RPG Variety Cast

Contact Runeslinger

@Runeslinger on YouTube, Facebook, TwiXter, Blue Sky, and others

runescastshadows AT gmail

https://www.speakpipe.com/castingshadowspodcast

Blame it on the rain. Yeah. Yeah. You can interact on these and other gaming topics by sending a voice message via SpeakPipe or sending me a recording via e-mail or Discord. Contact me on Discord You can find me on Discord at Runeslinger#7592 until that platform changes how names work. Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast Guests Appearing in this episode were Jason Connerly of the Nerds RPG Variety Cast, and Joe Richter of Hindsightless. Reference was made to the roleplay rescue podcast and the random screed podcast. For more on my corollary to Chekhov"s Gun otherwise known as Grimaud's Crowbar please follow this link to the Casting Shadows blog: https://castingshadowsblog.com/2018/02/11/grimauds-crowbar/

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Consensus.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example:

All for One - Regime Diabolique - Lights in Darkness Campaign with rotating GMs (Ubiquity, playlist)

Please join me as I navigate three very different topics with the help of some kind callers. This episode features calls from hosts of The GMologist Presents, Hindsightless, Spikepit, and Nerd's RPG Variety Cast podcasts. Karl, Joe, Colin, and Jason were kind enough to listen to one or more episodes of this podcast and have called in to give depth and meaning to the conversation. Links to those shows are below.

Topic One: Difference between Cinematic and Campaign Modes in Free League's Alien RPG 

Topic Two: RPGaDay Call-ins 

Topic Three: Immersion, call-ins, and commentary 

LINKS:

Casting Shadows blog   -  https://castingshadowsblog.com

Runeslinger on YouTube -  https://www.youtube.com/runeslinger

PODCASTS mentioned or calling in to this episode:

Spikepit  - https://anchor.fm/spikepit

Hindsightless  -  https://anchor.fm/joe-richter9

Nerd's RPG Variety Cast   -   https://anchor.fm/jason376

The GMologist Presents   -   https://anchor.fm/karl-rodriguez

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Image.  

READ the response on the Casting Shadows Blog instead

Example of Play: 

1. Mythras:  Homecoming - A Tale of Revenge

This episode presents links and reactions to just a few of the cool posts I have seen in response to the first week of #RPGaDAY2024. This is intended to be the first of a series for each week of the event. If you have suggestions for great posts, send me a message with the links!

CONTACT THE SHOW:

E-Mail Voice Message

FIND CASTING SHADOWS:

Blog Channel

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Autocratik Blog

Nerds' RPG Variety Cast

Stochastic Agency

JDRD30

Pink Phantom Podcast

Mirke the Meek Podcast

Dungeon Tutor

Dekahedron's Joseph Gill

Nolinquisitor Channel

Creative Play and Podcast Network

Miskatonic Playhouse Channel

Hindsightless Podcast

This episode takes us on a semi-farcical journey into language and imagery to talk about the very necessary nature a lack of meaning and import can have to immersive and engaging in-character play.

Curious? I hope so~

#RPGaDAY2024 infographics are available at AUTOCRATIK AUTOCRATIK: Announcing #RPGaDAY2024 for August

Contact me at:

runescastshadows at gmail dot com

Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com)

Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads:

https://youtu.be/zzICMIu5zFY?si=rTJvXrET_LKt9yFj

Thanks to our callers, FreeThrall, DarkFluid, Che Webster, Eloy Cintron, Joe Richter, and Jason Connerly. We have messages pertaining to the current topic of Immersion and how it intersects with our cultures and procedures of play. We have a response from Umbramancer to a call from the last episode by Jason. Umbramancer, or Eloy Cintron, was featured in the episode before that. That response connects to our D&D example episode about story as product vs story as by-product. Finally, we have some messages about Ubiquity in general and our recent Hollow Earth Expedition episode in particular.

CONTACT ME: [1] Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) [2] Find me on Discord, TwiXtter, Facebook, Blusky, and YouTube @Runeslinger

[3] Ubiquity Roleplaying System Discord

https://discord.gg/SDxH9xQDfD

A week of #RPGaDay2022 posts about character from the perspective of the GM. For a different take, check out my Week 4 post on YouTube and the written blog~

In this first of five introductory episodes to this podcast, 2010 meets 2020 as an early but somewhat important post from the written blog is shared with commentary. The post deals generally with culture of play and the difference between rules and procedure, while going into specifics on an effect of going against a necessary order of operations in play, and an influence on our imagination~

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Theory.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: Star Trek Adventures: To Know the Unknown - Recap of Episode 2 - Siege Perilous

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Ally.
READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example:  Homecoming - A Tale of Revenge; Session 3 (Mythras)

What does it mean to participate in a roleplaying game? Is it 'to play a character?' or 'to tell a story?' or is it 'to play a character in a story?' Something else? This episode looks at that word 'story' and poses some questions on play, our intentions, and how our actions - intentional or not - shape the outcomes and limit what outcomes are even possible~

Question responses for days two through six:

 1. Who would you like to introduce to RPGs? 

2. What is a great introductory game?  

3. When were you introduced to RPGs?  

4. Where would you host this first game?  

5. Why will they like it?  

6. How will you introduce it to more people?   

You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on YouTube: #RPGaDay2022 - Day 2 through 6 - YouTube

Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year.

Links mentioned in the episode:

- Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor  - https://anchor.fm/jason376

- GM Mastermind - RPG Podcast Helping GMs Hone Their Craft - https://gmmastermind.com

- The Arcane Alienist • A podcast on Anchor

- Keep off the Borderlands • A podcast on Anchor

- Spikepit • A podcast on Anchor

- Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor

- Plundergrounds • A podcast on Anchor

Featuring a call-in from Mirke the Meek, this episode is primarily a first conversation between Daniel Jones of the Primaeval Fantasy RPG podcast/YouTube channel and myself on the topic of in-character play through means intended to facilitate imagination and hopefully immersion in the character's perspective.

You can find Mirke the Meek here:

Mirke The Meek • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters

You can find my guest, Daniel Jones here:

Primæval Fantasy RPG - YouTube and here (Podcast RSS): https://anchor.fm/s/7adf4c4/podcast/rss

To contact Casting Shadows please leave a message on Spotify (be prepared for it to not function) or Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com)

Alienating the Alien.

What are some of the elements of Free League's Alien RPG that I find most useful? This episode looks at three: Abstract processing for Detailed outcomes, Conversational Gamespeak, and Layered Consequences. As always, if you would like to communicate with me about the Alien series or any of the other episodes of past seasons of the podcast, you can leave a voice message on Anchor or try runescastshadows at the intersection of g and mail.

For a text version (more or less) of this installment, please click here.

For the YouTube of playlist of the campaign, tutorials, unboxing, and commentary for Alien, please click here.

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Thank. READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example: Thanks for the character of Nightsky Whispers

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Move.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example:  Circle of Hands - Venture 2: Oaths and Oathbreakers

We take a call from Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast on Episode 3.19 On Multiple GMs and then describe the launch of a new campaign using Corporia by Brabblemark Press, intended to be mainly run on Discord with some side journeys into Zoom. Casting Shadows Episode 3.19 https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/wxSEDYmnFvb Nerd's RPG Variety Cast Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor Corporia on DriveThruRPG Corporia RPG - Brabblemark Press | Corporia | DriveThruRPG.com

This episode responds to listener calls dating back to the last two episodes of the podcast and continuing the exploration of imagination, memory, and attention as valuable parts of RPG play. Thanks go out to Jason Connerly, Spencer/FreeThrall, and Jean-Francois 'SameOldJi' St-Onge for the calls and the interaction~

Podcasts mentioned in the episode:

Nerd's RPG Variety Cast

Keep off the Borderlands

SameOldJi - An RPG Catharsis

Contact Runeslinger

runescastshadows AT gmail

Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com)

Sections include notes on my appearance on Roundtable Roulette ( https://youtu.be/3PlkIWaajKs ) with Craig Shipman and Seth Skorkowsky, thoughts about the next RPGaDay, more on our ongoing but sometimes interrupted Alien Campaign, and a special focus on the once-again recent and always interesting topic: immersion thanks to an interesting series of observations and call-ins appearing on the Nerds' RPG Variety Cast.


Alien Playlist: Alien Actual Play: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZfuKgeD5fl48SdwKEP0m0mbv-BLiQsgd

Question for Day One: Who would you like to introduce to RPGs?

You can read a version of this at https://castingshadowsblog.com

Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity. 

#RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year. 

Please accept my apologies for the reduced audio quality of this installment. Ironically, scheduling had me in situations where I had even less control than usual over my surroundings. #RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Limits.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example:

Legacy of Destruction Part 1: Forgotten Son (FFG Star Wars Roleplaying, Annotated and Abridged version)

Following on from the previous episode on (My) relationship with Call of Cthulhu, we take two short listener calls from Menion (aka Rob) of the Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi podcast, who is currently diving deeply into Runequest: Glorantha, and Jason (aka the other Jason) of the Nerd's RPG Variety cast, who continues doubling down on the variety these days with his refreshing breadth of gamer-relevant topics, and stretch them out for almost an hour. Can you survive this gauntlet of game talk?  LINKS: The Previous Episode: https://anchor.fm/runeslinger/episodes/Episode-3-16-On-My-Call-of-Cthulhu-e1mth21/a-a8e5cq2 Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi • A podcast on Anchor Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor Bandit’s Keep • A podcast on Anchor Interview on Substandard Roleplaying: https://youtu.be/M1mKft2QrOA GM Mastermind Episode - Story? Story. Story!: Blubrry PowerPress Player (gmmastermind.com)

Blame both Jasons. You can interact on these and other gaming topics by sending a voice message via SpeakPipe or sending me a recording via e-mail or Discord. Contact me on Discord You can find me on Discord at Runeslinger#7592 until that platform changes how names work. Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is gamble.   READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.   Examples of Play: Leagues of Adventure: The Sky Is No Limit - How the Might Have...

Episode 3.19 broaches another huge topic for potential discussion, touching on a few techniques, perspectives, and organizational principles of sharing the role of GM in a group. BJ Boyd of the Arcane Alienist podcast left us a message about episode 3.18 (Time Travel Techniques) and the new Star Trek series. The episode finishes with an exploration of what the OSR means to me as an outsider, and where I hope its many strengths can take it. 

Links mentioned in the episode:

(1) One Campaign, Multiple GMs - YouTube
https://youtu.be/tt1_k_EN35M

THE GM OF MANY PARTS blogpost from February 2011 on https://castingshadowsblog.com

The GM of Many Parts | Casting Shadows (castingshadowsblog.com)

https://castingshadowsblog.com/2011/02/08/the-gm-of-many-parts/

All for One: Regime Diabolique "Lights in Darkness" campaign Actual Play videos playlist

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZfuKgeD5fl5WyrYbJodpTB9UDYqj3NNH

Lights in Darkness Recaps and Reflections playlist

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZfuKgeD5fl41fP1mumHJO8pioQc_pFNt

Contact me by leaving an anchor voice message:
Casting Shadows • A podcast on Anchor

Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com

CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast

Thanks to Che Webster for leaving the lavish sensorium that is Roleplay Rescue for a time to drift about in the cemetery of lost content. Yes, I pun. Visit the great stuff that Che is doing at the links below. The Blog: Roleplay Rescue’s Blog – Murmurings from beneath the beard The Podcast: Podcast – Roleplay Rescue’s Blog #RPGaDay2023 is on its way. Check the Autocratik blog by David Chapman for all the details! Also, check out this fantastic warm-up contest by Nerd's RPG Variety Cast as we wait for August to arrive! https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MbqVZ41yLcUrRqjSJtDYK?si=9elxZk6IS4ao4Ni7kaPa9w We will respond directly to Che's call at the start of the show in a later episode focused on those ideas. Have no fear! Visit Keep off the Borderlands, Random Screed, and the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast for more segments and messages along these general lines! You can interact on these and other gaming topics by sending a voice message via SpeakPipe or sending me a recording via e-mail or Discord. Contact me on Discord: Search for Runeslinger#7592 until that platform changes how names work. Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast Ubiquity Roleplaying Games Discord https://discord.gg/UFaHKQpj

This nearly 90-minute conversation was made possible by the open-minded attitude of TrilltheDM, the interest of MercuriousAulicus and Black Lodge Games, and I suppose, the letter X. In it, we discuss Trill's recent video: Mastering Player Choice in Mystery and Horror RPGs and take it further than the original 10-minute runtime would allow, dive into its specific context, and in general have an enjoyable and interesting discussion.

You can find the original video at this link:

Mastering Player Choice in Mystery & Horror RPGs (youtube.com) This episode appears in its uncut, video form on my YouTube channel and is also re-distributed there in this audio-only version.

CONTACT THE SHOW:

⁠⁠E-Mail⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Voice Message⁠⁠

FIND CASTING SHADOWS:

⁠⁠Blog⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Channel⁠⁠

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Mastering Player Choice in Mystery & Horror RPGs - YouTube The Imagination series on the Casting Shadows Podcast

Sandboxes: Layers and Vectors of Play: Immersion and Engagement: On Immersion On Attention Imagination and Preparation

Get involved! Download the #RPGaDay2023 prompts infographic from castingshadowsblog.com to explore and share what you love about RPGs! CONTACT ME: [1] Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) [2] Find me on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @Runeslinger [3] Ubiquity Roleplaying System Discord https://discord.gg/WgnVvvze

Based loosely on a blog post from November of 2010 called Corruption - the other white meat, this episode explores notions of character change, largely through the example of moral corruption. The concept is connected to games like Pendragon, the old World of Darkness series (particularly Vampire and Wraith), and to Leagues of Gothic Horror and its meaner cousin Leagues of Cthulhu. This episode builds on notions expressed in the preceding two episodes (Episode 7: On Facilitating Fear and Episode 8: Can I Play SANs Madness...?)
UPDATE: August 3, 2021 - A voice message and my response has been added to this episode as a special bonus!

Part 4: Framing the Alien...  On conceptualizing the process of preparation in the context of who the characters are, what the approach to play is, and how those things intersect with the setting and its genre.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.  

Links:

Alien the Roleplaying Game - Rules and Actual Play 

This episode is filled to the brim with words. With luck, and your kindness, those words will make sense.

SEGMENTS:

[1] The episode begins with the promised reply to Che Webster's epic call-in from the previous episode (Exploring the Experience of Play). To hear that message in its entirety, please refer to that episode. It's right at the beginning so you won't have to search for it; just press play and relax. In this episode, a short and directly relevant section of his call is presented for context but that wee snippet o' Che pales in comparison to the full expression of his ideas. Don't cheat yourself. Go back and revel in the full message. The context of the tiny morsel of Che in this episode reveals the semantic nuance of Frames that were obvious to Che but not to me, and the understanding of switching costs in cognition when "multitasking" or alternating between two tasks - an idea upon which we are in full agreement: at least for certain tasks.

[2] We then move into what might be the meat or might be the side dish of this meal, practical examples of using understanding of layers to inform how we play.

[3] The last main segment of the episode is a recap of ideas I have expressed about a lexicon of useful terms, jargon, and techniques for roleplaying games.

REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE:

[1] People and Podcasts of the Internet: Roleplay Rescue Podcast and Blog, The Nerds RPG Variety Cast, Keep off the Borderlands, Random Screed, Primeval Fantasy

[2] On Switching Costs: Multitasking: Switching costs (apa.org) [3] The Elusive Shift: How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity (Game Histories)Jon Peterson

[4] Umbramancer YouTube Channel: Umbramancer - YouTube

https://youtube.com/@umbramancer5466

[5] Perspectives on Play by FreeThrall The Stochasium | Free Thrall | Substack

[6] Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds

⁠Gary Alan Fine⁠

298 pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 | © 1983

This classic study still provides one of the most acute descriptions available of an often misunderstood subculture: that of fantasy role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. Gary Alan Fine immerses himself in several different gaming systems, offering insightful details on the nature of the games and the patterns of interaction among players—as well as their reasons for playing.

[7] All for One: Regime Diabolique (Triple Ace Games, Musketeers face Supernatural Threats and Intrigue, Ubiquity) Actual Play Playlist

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZfuKgeD5fl5WyrYbJodpTB9UDYqj3NNH

Solo Player Episode: Margot; An invisible experience of immersion

• Original Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/mgcY3WTsPmE?feature=share
• Annotated Version: https://youtu.be/oOqDmmTmFqo
• IvanMike's Commentary: https://youtu.be/sratz8EghLU Runeslinger's Commentary: https://youtu.be/s-egXZY5OQc

NEXT EPISODE:

The next episode will feature Eloy Cintron, known on YouTube as Umbramancer, who shares his practical application of all of this theory talk to D&D as we explore the metric by which he assessed my ideas on Layers of and Approaches to Play: Dungeon Crawl Mode vs Story Mode in Dungeons & Dragons.

CONTACT ME:

[1] Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com)

[2] Find me on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @Runeslinger

This is a compiled post for #RPGaDay2022. You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on Runeslinger, my YouTube channel.

Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year.

Links mentioned in the episode:

- Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor  - https://anchor.fm/jason376

- Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor

- The Arcane Alienist • A podcast on Anchor

This post relates an idea which appeared in written and video form in 2013, as an expression of earlier and less specific ideas. Genre is Rule 0 is a set of posts which have proven to be of more use and be more relevant to my RPG conversations than almost anything else. As such, I think it is a good idea to include in the introductory posts of this podcast. Also, taking a cue from Ron Edwards, I reclaim some preferred jargon from the discard pile and reconnect this functional piece of theory with an ambiguous but possibly helpful term: idiom. I still feel that it will confuse some, but it will help others, and that is ultimately what matters to me. 

Thanks to our callers, BJ and Jason. Thanks also to everyone who participated in whole or in part in RPGaDAY~

CONTACT ME: [1] Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) [2] Find me on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @Runeslinger [3] Ubiquity Roleplaying System Discord https://discord.gg/SDxH9xQDfD

This is a partial interlude in the Alien RPG series on horror and improvisation in that it is a different example of the use of improvisation toward a specific genre and player-experience goal for atmosphere and context, but unlike Alien, is high adventure pulp heroics in an implausible setting of super-science and derring-do. Some of the techniques are similar, some are identical, and some are divergent from what we have discussed in the series so far.  This session uses one of our favorite systems (Ubiquity) to support a setting of my own invention. I hope that you enjoy it~

If you would like to watch this on YouTube rather than just listen to it the link is provided below:

Sky Riders and the Silent Outpost

If you would like the watch the original session:

Sky Riders and the Mist Pirates of Venus

If you would like to listen to the podcast version with its commentary on the session, that is Episode 1.6 of this podcast.

Episode 1.6 [Actual Play] Sky Riders and the Mist Pirates of Venus

Spinning off from an episode of the Cerebrevore Podcast on the topic of time travel in RPGs wherein I was a panel guest, this episode looks at the notion of metagaming, player skill, and messing with the presentation of time - without resorting to brute force techniques such as the railroad or the quantum ogre. If you would like to reach out to me on this topic or others, you can find me at the following places: Runeslinger (@Runeslinger) / Twitter Runeslinger#7592 on Discord https://castingshadowsblog.com https://youtube.com/runeslinger https://anchor.fm/runeslinger LINKS for this episode! Cerebrevore - Time Travel in RPGs Parts 1 to 4 1)   https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1B12-Concepts-of-Time-Part-1-republished-e1mv02g/a-a8bvo5r 2)   https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1B13-Concepts-of-Time-2-republished-e1n1d2c/a-a8bvo5r 3)   https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1B14-Time-Travel-methods-in-RPGs-republished-e1njopd/a-a8bvo5r 4)   https://anchor.fm/cerebrevore/episodes/S1E11-Time-Travel-in-RPGs-Panel-Discussion-e1npl6d Phantom Thoughts 1)    https://anchor.fm/the-pink-phantom/episodes/009-Call-ins-Player-Skill-Metagaming-System-Mastery-e1n80l0/a-a8factk 2)   https://anchor.fm/the-pink-phantom/episodes/010-Call-ins-and-More-on-Metagaming-e1nhbu7/a-a8gavui

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is SMALL.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Examples:

1. Leagues of Cthulhu (Triple Ace Games) - A Summons to Alcatraz

2. Small Stories - It's story time from the World of Darkness with your host~

Part 5: Playing the Alien...  On our first session, spontaneous improvisation within an understood framework of in-game and meta goals, and getting going even if not feeling 100% ready.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.    


Links:  Alien the Roleplaying Game - Rules and Actual Play 

            The Casting Shadows Blog

I sit down with a second conversation with Daniel Jones of  @Primaeval , this time about making the culture and approach to play at your RPG table more accessible to others. Do you achieve this goal? Join us and see~ Contact Me:

www.speakpipe.com/castingshadowsblog.com

runescastshadows@gmail.com

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Substitute.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: Broken Compass Part 2 of 3: Ravagers of the Frost Giants' Tomb

Che Webster of Roleplay Rescue was kind enough to return to the podcast for another exploratory conversation about learning and guiding others in their learning of RPGs.

CONTACT the podcast and leave a VOICE MESSAGE

⁠Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com)⁠ VISIT the Casting Shadows blog

⁠Casting Shadows | Interactive roleplaying interaction (castingshadowsblog.com)⁠ WATCH Casting Shadows on YouTube

⁠Runeslinger - YouTube⁠ Comments, Call-Ins, Opinions, and References in this episode

Podcast – Roleplay Rescue’s Blog

Is Hindsightless THE most sporadic podcast on the Internet? I am not sure, this one must surely qualify for something in that category.

NOTE: The recap portion of this video has been subtitled for your convenience.

I have been putting up a in-depth videos on the YouTube channel lately about the nature of RPGs, so this weekend, with my thin strips of free time, I grilled up a recap as a sort of celebration of the great play I have been enjoying with Call of Cthulhu for the past year and a half, and as a possible on-ramp to getting into or at least enjoying the campaign vicariously, for those who don't enjoy YouTube. It was fun for me to go over our calendar of dates and events and spin that into a sort of StoryTime for the Casting Shadows Podcast. I hope you enjoy it, too.

If you would like to contact me, please consider leaving a voice message via SpeakPipe

https://speakpipe.com/castingshadowspodcast

If you prefer text, you can find me @Runeslinger on BlueSky, TwiXter, and YouTube or at my gmail address: runescastshadows.

Recommendation!

If you are curious about a great exploration of Chainmail in the context of playing it as the wargame it began life as, rather then the product shoehorned into OD&D, please consider checking out the Diegetic Advancement podcast.

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Supplement.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example:

Mythras Combat Cards!

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is System.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example:

1. Thorough Review of FFG Star Wars Roleplaying

2. Unboxing of the Fallout 2d20 RPG by Modiphius

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Fraction.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: Below is a recent and still ongoing chain of video responses proceeding from one observation of play and spreading from there~

Original Video - Prompting RPG Reactions

Response 1 - Coherence of Genre and Tone in RPGs

Response 2 - On Genre/Tone Coherence

Response 3 - Coherency and Prompts

Response 4 - Roleplaying Prompts, Coherence with Genre and Tone

Response 5 - TTRPG Thoughts  (Immersion)  

Response 6 - On Immersion 

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Heavy.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Examples:

Toward Heavy:  Homecoming Playlist (Mythras, d100)

Toward Light: Cold is the New Hot - The Veil Playlist (PbtA)

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Duel.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: All for One - Regime Diabolique (Ubiquity, Triple Ace Games) -Measure of a Man

An on location report and editorial from the RoK about the dreaded end to easy voice messaging options on Anchor.

Joe of Hindsightless and Karl of the GMologist Presents were kind enough to leave voice messages to which I could respond in part of this episode and then seque into talk about two favorite techniques for RPGs: troupes of characters and games spanning generations of such characters~

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Mention.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example:  Telling Other Peoples' Tales

The blame for this episode rests squarely on the shoulders of Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast. If you have not yet given him your thoughts on this matter, please do so now:

Contest Links
Nerd's RPG Variety Cast
Voice Mail link to Nerd's RPG Variety Cast

Links from this Episode:
System 1   System Details     Campaign Recap       Actual Play Series
System 2  System Details      Numerous Actual Play Series (some with annotations)
System 3   Actual Play Series (with annotations)

The Written Blog:  Casting Shadows         The tie-in post for this episode: Three Favored Systems? A Contest~
The YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

The second of three combined posts for the #RPGaDAY2023 prompts. Find daily responses at https://castingshadowsblog.com

Get involved! Download the #RPGaDay2023 prompts infographic from castingshadowsblog.com to explore and share what you love about RPGs! CONTACT ME: [1] Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) [2] Find me on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @Runeslinger [3] Ubiquity Roleplaying System Discord https://discord.gg/SDxH9xQDfD

Music can be a useful tool when playing an RPG, but in my experience, I have found it to be even more useful in preparation for play. in this episode I survey some of the ways I have found to aid my preparation for improvisation with music and playlists. We also touch on, thanks to the interest of The GMologist Presents and Hindsightless podcasts, the use of the incredible Operation: Mindcrime in these pursuits~ 

Part 1 - Context of using music for Improvisation and Example 1: character playlists 

Part 2 - Example 2: Using Operation: Mindcrime by Queensryche on the metalevel for preparation and reference in play 

Part 3 - Using variations, covers, and remakes and Example 3: Tom Waits songs to inspire an NPC 

Further Example Playlists: 

Tom Waits: Delta Green - tRUST   

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4HxiFwdUhC86M8EmakmAh0?si=4b43a704eba44fa1

Icecream Man - God's Away on Business - Murder in the Red Barn - What's he Building? - 16 shells from a 30.06 

Tragically Hip 

Delta Green - Seasons of Deepening Dismay 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6gEBc1EfGYcNpgsFxsGfEA?si=c211bcdb03324daa

She Didn't Know - 38 Years Old -  Little Bones -  Locked in the Trunk of a Car -  Nautical Disaster -  

Various Artists (re: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds) 

Dimensional Shambles Red Right Hand covers, variations, and remakes

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7mlggy3RMWhJlJ1WmdAtA6?si=fde0cf8cf5da4c22

Bonus Content - This is a more detailed description of how Queensryche's concept album Operation Mindcrime informed the play of a Mage: The Ascension chronicle in the mid-nineties called Broken Homes. 

Like the previous episodes so far, this was drawn from thoughts from the distant past, but which have not been shared widely and publicly until now. That's right, the release date of both the article and podcast are the same - October 7th 2020 - but reaching back in time to the mid-eighties and a small town where playing an RPG was pretty much the only good thing. 

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is chase.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: The Mystique of Call of Cthulhu 4th Edition

For #RPGaDay2021: A memory and a note to remember a game about memories and being memorable.

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Memory.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: The Beginning of Light, or Darkness?

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Weapon.

READ this entry (with bonus material?) on the Casting Shadows Blog

Actual Play Example: Edge of the Empire - The Seeds of Reckoning, pt 14

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Challenge. 

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.  

Example: The Veil: Cold is the New Warm - Session 7 (Annotated; PbtA, Cyberpunk)

Links to the callers featured in this episode can be found below. This episode features calls from Sameoldji (link to his eponymous podcast can be found below), Jason Connerly formely of Nerd's RPG Variety Cast (link to his now complete library of podcast episodes can be found below), and Che Webster of the now intentionally intermittent Roleplay Rescue podcast (link provided below).

Topics in this episode are the ongoing YouTube actual play series being run on my channel, and two different points about my recent conversation with Daniel Jones of Primeval Fantasy (link below) from the previous episode.

Contact the Show!

Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) https://www.speakpipe.com/castingshadowspodcast

or

@runeslinger for YouTube, TwiXter, Blue Sky, and Facebook

runescastshadows AT gmail

or leave a comment on the video version of an episode on my YouTube Channel: @Runeslinger

Sameoldji's Podcast:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jean-franois-st-onge/episodes/0-Origins-and-directions-from-vlogging-to-podcasts-e2bg1rv/a-aaikrmm

Jason Connerly

Blog: The Nerd's RPG Variety Cast, er, Blog (nerdsrpgvarietycast.com) Library of Jason's Podcast Episodes:

Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters Che Webster of Roleplay Rescue:

Roleplay Rescue’s Blog – Murmurings from beneath the beard

Have you ever been suddenly contacted in the middle of your night to play a game? My friends have grown to expect such things. What follows in this episode is an Actual Play recording from June of 2019 where I thrust two trusting and clever players into the toxic mists of an alien world in the role of Venusian Lancers - bearers of the Lancers' Lightning Blades and famed Riders in the Sky! Come with me now to an age of danger, betrayal, and high-flying adventure, in a Venus that never was, but should have been~

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Plan.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Examples of Play:
1. Age of Rebellion
2. Broken Compass

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Solve.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example 1:  A Friend in Need (A mystery where the characters solve things in time!)

Example 2: Death, Where Is They Sting? (A mystery where they do not~)

Building on a blog post from 2011, this episode looks at three barriers that can be overcome to clear the road for more proactive play. 

#RPGaDay2022 - Day 7: Share a cool part of a system you love

You can read daily posts on these questions at https://castingshadowsblog.com with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) 

Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   

#RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year.  

Links mentioned in the episode:  

- Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor  - https://anchor.fm/jason376

- GM Mastermind - RPG Podcast Helping GMs Hone Their Craft - https://gmmastermind.com

- Jewels From NZ • A podcast on Anchor

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Nemesis.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: All for One - Regime Diabolique (Ubiquity, Triple Ace Games) - Margot

Using Star Trek Adventures as a point of reference, this episode looks at stepping a way from the skill of making judgement calls without oversight (using fiat) and toward the enjoyment which arises from the use of tools which challenge how and when you can interact with the objective truths of the campaign~

This is another one of Runeslinger's Reflections from the Road episodes, now replete and complete with rain and hydroplaning! #RPGaDay2023 is on its way. Check the Autocratik blog by David Chapman for all the details! Also, check out this fantastic warm-up contest by Nerd's RPG Variety Cast as we wait for August to arrive! https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MbqVZ41yLcUrRqjSJtDYK?si=9elxZk6IS4ao4Ni7kaPa9w No Callers were hurt or drowned in the making of this episode. Thanks to Spencer and Jason for their messages! Visit Keep off the Borderlands and the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast for more of those fine gentlemen. References to Roleplay Rescue abound in this episode. Seek it out to learn why! You can interact on these and other gaming topics by sending a voice message via SpeakPipe or sending me a recording via e-mail or Discord. Contact me on Discord You can find me on Discord at Runeslinger#7592 until that platform changes how names work. Contact me by e-mail at runescastshadows at gmail dot com CONTACT ME VIA SPEAKPIPE: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast Ubiquity Roleplaying Games Discord https://discord.gg/UFaHKQpj

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Dream.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: Leagues of Cthulhu - Summons to Alcatraz; part 2  (Triple Ace Games, Ubiquity Roleplaying System)

This is the second of five introductory episodes. On a notion put forward in 2011 on the written blog, this episode examines both the post and the idea of character poisoning. This is a look at a potential source of dissatisfaction in play, rooted in unintentional conflict between system, setting, fellow players, and/or the character concept~

This is a compiled post for #RPGaDay2022. You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on Runeslinger, my YouTube channel.

Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year.

Links mentioned in the episode:

- Down in a Heap • A podcast on Anchor

In this installment of the preparation for improvisation series using Free League's Alien RPG, we give a brief overview of the campaign so far and look at the process of ongoing assessment and analysis of play which makes it easier to shift and react to how play is really going, rather than how we might want it to go. 

Blog Version

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Duel.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead. Example:  

Star Trek Adventures Recaps of the Diplomatic Mission of the USS Crow to the Beta Quadrant

This episode has quite a title, doesn't it? It's not hyperbole, but you may have to check out Umbramancer's series on YouTube for the complete picture. With luck, and your kindness, the parts in this episode will make sense. SEGMENTS: [one] an exploratory conversation About lethality As a feature versus story as a feature. Eloy Cintron, known on YouTube as Umbramancer, shares his practical application of all of this theory talk to D&D as we explore the metric by which he assessed my ideas on Layers of and Approaches to Play: Dungeon Crawl Mode vs Story Mode in Dungeons & Dragons. [two] calls for greater context from Jason Connerley and Che Webster [three] how to get involved in the discussion REFERENCES IN THIS EPISODE: [1] People and Podcasts of the Internet: Roleplay Rescue Podcast and Blog, The Nerds RPG Variety Cast, Keep off the Borderlands, Random Screed [2] The Elusive Shift: How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity (Game Histories) Jon Peterson [3] Umbramancer YouTube Channel: Umbramancer - YouTube https://youtube.com/@umbramancer5466 [4] Perspectives on Play by FreeThrall The Stochasium | Free Thrall | SuSubstack [5] dungeon crawl mode versus story mode a video by @Umbramancer on YouTube https://youtu.be/WybpOCUk7-M [6] #RPGaDay2023 NEXT EPISODE: It is time to talk about all of the immersions CONTACT ME: [1] Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) [2] Find me on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @Runeslinger [3] Ubiquity Roleplaying System Discord https://discord.gg/WgnVvvze

This is a compiled post for #RPGaDay2022. You can read versions of these at https://castingshadowsblog.com in daily posts with lots of extras and more context (precious context!) and/or watch a composite posting on Runeslinger, my YouTube channel.

Do you want to get involved? Get the infographic with all the questions at https://autocratik.com and leap into this adventure in positivity.   #RPGaDay2022 is part of an annual event now in its 9th year.

Links mentioned in the episode:

- Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor 

- Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor

- Spikepit • A podcast on Anchor

- Down in a Heap • A podcast on Anchor

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is DOOM.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example:

The Veil - Cold is the New Hot Campaign with rotating GMs (PbtA, Session 2)

The focus on Immersion continues. This episode explores how attention transforms our ability to perceive, receive, conceive, and imagine the imagined situations of our gaming into immersive and engaging experiences.

CONTACT the podcast and leave a VOICE MESSAGE

Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) VISIT the Casting Shadows blog

Casting Shadows | Interactive roleplaying interaction (castingshadowsblog.com) WATCH Casting Shadows on YouTube

Runeslinger - YouTube Comments, Call-Ins, Opinions, and References in this episode

Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters The Silver Key | Darkfluid | Substack Keep off the Borderlands | Free Thrall | Substack Podcast – Roleplay Rescue’s Blog Safer Fantasy Crafting • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters Spikepit • A podcast on Spotify for Podcasters

In response to a great series of episodes and call-ins on the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast and Bandit's Keep podcast, I have labored to produce this "brief" episode on my relationship with Call of Cthulhu and some of what I have seen of its use in my own groups and out there in the cold, cold world.  Links: Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor Bandit’s Keep • A podcast on Anchor - - 380 In Defense of Call of Cthulhu by Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast (anchor.fm) Hindsightless • A podcast on Anchor Call of Cthulhu (chaosium.com)

Part 3: Hearing the Alien...   On description and how it can be approached as a skill for horror gaming.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.      

Links:  

Choice of Voice

Where I can be found:

Casting Shadows Blog 

YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Conscience.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Examples:

Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

The third of three combined posts for the #RPGaDAY2023 prompts. Find daily responses at https://castingshadowsblog.com For some great flashbacks to Year One, check out autocratik.com and David Chapman's daily posts. Get involved! Download the #RPGaDay2023 prompts infographic from castingshadowsblog.com to explore and share what you love about RPGs! CONTACT ME: [1] Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) [2] Find me on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @Runeslinger [3] Ubiquity Roleplaying System Discord https://discord.gg/SDxH9xQDfD Thank you to The Arcane Alienist for the calls!

Part 1: Embracing the Alien - on the choice of a horror game and how to implement it.

This series of blog, vlog, and pod episodes will explore Alien the Roleplaying Game by Free League from the perspective of preparation for horror and improvisation within the framework of Campaign Mode for Colonial Marines.

Links:

1. Tabletop Talk: Interview with Andrew E.C. Gaska

2. Conscience in Gaming

3. Conscientious Gamers

Where I can be found:

Casting Shadows Blog

YouTube Channel: Runeslinger

This episode continues our survey of the topic of 'immersion" with the help of a meaty call-in from Safer plus a further look at the notion of examining the focus of attention through a split lens of immersion and engagement. Previous episodes on this topic can be found at links below. In addition, written posts supporting these episodes can be found at the Casting Shadows Blog:

https://castingshadowsblog.com/2023/11/12/on-immersion-and-engagement-in-rpg-play/

On Immersion and Engagement episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/WLHX56euFEb

Call-in episode on Immersion: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/ZvjRf5euFEb

Layers of Play episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/S1jutcfuFEb

This episode features a call in from Safer of Safer Fantasy Crafting. In that response, he mentions a session of immersive play which was recorded and is available to listen to. That episode and more of Safer's content can be found here:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sfc-saferfantasycrafting/episodes/Minis--Make-Believe---A-5e-Lets-pretend-live-play-err6d6/a-a4rln9n

This episode continues ongoing discussions on theory and technique for roleplaying games. It has a series of calls from Jason of the Nerds RPG Variety Cast to connect us despite the month-long gap introduced by RPGaDAY and other commitments (such as tight editing and writing deadlines for RPG stuff) all the way back through the last few episodes of this season: Sandboxes, Layers of Play (Featuring Che Webster), and a practical example of applying these ideas to our play. This episode extends the conversation more fully into immersion as a topic for discussion and exploration. CONTACT ME: [1] Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com) [2] Find me on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube @Runeslinger [3] Ubiquity Roleplaying System Discord https://discord.gg/SDxH9xQDfD

With specific examples from and focus on Mythras, Ubiquity, and FFG Star Wars, this episode goes into some justifications for Mook rules in RPGs. What are they for? How can they differ from game to game? Why do some gamers dislike them?   This topic was released simultaneously on the Casting Shadows YouTube channel where it is a part of three ongoing series on playing the three systems in question, as well as continuing the general theme of in-character as-character play, particularly with regard to preparation for improvisation.

We hear from Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast in this episode. You can find his show at the link below.

Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast • A podcast on Anchor

https://anchor.fm/jason376

If you prefer to watch this as a video instead, the link is below. 

In Defense of the Mook, Minion, and Fodder for Cannons (Pulp RPGs)

https://youtu.be/VAPekOR41D0

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Tradition.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Example: All for One - Lights in Darkness Campaign Recaps and Reflections

#RPGaDay is an annual event in August which runs all 31 days of this important month for gaming and gamers. The event is intended to increase the signal of positive posts about the hobby and help strengthen awareness of great games, great gamers, and great gaming ideas. Post in whatever form you like, wherever you congregate socially online and tag those posts with #RPGaDay2022. Don't forget to share cool posts that you see from others, too. The video version of this episode can be seen here: https://youtu.be/AmTkYoCLoBU You can get the infographic from: http://facebook.com/RPGaDay http://autocratik.com or http://castingshadowsblog.com We look forward to seeing what you share! #RPGaDay2022

This episode features a call-in from Jason Hobbs, a recap of our current Call of Cthulhu campaign, and a suggestion for a creepy OSR dungeon experience that is PWYW.

Murcanto's Lair:

DriveThruRPG - Samwise7RPG Check out the ivanmike1968 YouTube channel for lots of B/X, LotFP, and other RPG goodness... plus BASS guitar stuff~

Check out the Hindsightless podcast for lots of RPG thoughts, recaps, ice cream, cereal taste tests, nature reports, and whatever else Joe has running around in his brain.

Check out Down in a Heap for thoughtful RPG musings on OS and OS D&D from Rob C.

Members of our Call of Cthulhu campaign are Ivan Podgwaite (YouTube), Joe Richter (Podcast), and Brian Courtemanche (CoC scenario author).

CONTACT ME: [1] ⁠Send a voice message to CastingShadowsPodcast (speakpipe.com)⁠ [2] Find me on Discord, TwiXtter, Facebook, Blusky, and YouTube @Runeslinger

[3] Ubiquity Roleplaying System Discord

https://discord.gg/MqFYW7DJpq

#RPGaDay is the brainchild of David "Autocratik" Chapman (Dr. Who RPG, WILD RPG, etc) and co-hosted by Anthony "Runeslinger" Boyd, which for the past 8 years has been striving to help frame the month of August as a scene of positivity and sharing about Roleplaying Games. Each of the 31 days of August has its own prompt to serve as a spark of praise about this hobby we who have made it a part of our lives would like to share. The prompt for today is Medium.

READ the Casting Shadows Blog instead.

Examples:

The Porkchop Express and the Convoy of Liberty

This episode responds to listener voice messages, does a surface exploration of the experience of imagination and gets into some practicalities about the benefit of talking about imagination with your group. Listeners are invited to contact me via the methods below to share their thoughts on their experiences of imagination.

Visit the Casting Shadows blog at https://castingshadowsblog.com

Visit us on YouTube at https://youtube.com/runeslinger or search for @Runeslinger

For TwiXter, BlueSky, and Facebook: @Runeslinger

Do you use Discord? Try me at Runeslinger#7592

Contact me via Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/CastingShadowsPodcast

Thanks to:

Jason of the Nerd's RPG Variety Cast

Che Webster of Roleplay Rescue

FreeThrall of Keep off the Borderlands (The new home of Movie Night1)

Joe Richter of Hindsightless

Links Mentioned:

Whispering GM episode - Confessions of a High Prep GM

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-whispering-gm/episodes/Confessions-of-a-High-Prep-GM-e2dr5lp

Roleplay Rescue discussion of the Primeval Fantasy setting with Daniel Jones

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JnSM0P6bTn4nR5Ja8Mrr8?si=Mm3nYZ_bROWlDUzE-q35mw