Gaming on the Frontier (Gaming on the Frontier Podcast Hosts)

This is it folks, our one year episode. We talk about where the podcast came from, where it is now, and where it's going. We discuss our goals for the next year, our changes to format, and the future direction of Tri Tac Games. We also discuss the end of the Fringeworthy PodCast and the birth of the Tri Tac PodCast. This is an episode you don't want to miss! No notes this week as we spend most of the time jibber jabing.

We jump right into the middle of a Fringeworthy adventure in the late campaign model.  The explorers are on a world set in a fantasy India or Arabia with much court intrigue.

we continue our adventures in the Hard Wired Hinterland

We continue our adventures in the New Pittsburgh Environ of the Hard Wired Hinterland.  Ben Rieher and Natasha have turned blue from the spray of the bioreactor blowing up.  Dan and Silas are trying to beat the law in New Pittsburgh.  A might storm blows in.  And why do guys keep dying around Dan?

This is a commercial for the fine folks of Iron GM. They are good buddies with us and we'll be hanging out with them at GenCon. It is going to be an amazing event. One not to be missed. If you go to GenCon and you don't play in this event you are going to miss the very definition of epic. This is one they will be talking about for years to come. What is Razor Coast? Go to the ConMen PodCast and Listen to Episode 17 to find out!

We noticed that a number of visitors are from other countries and we wonder if they really know what Fringeworthy is all about.  We've done this special introductory episode of the Fringeworthy Podcast to explain the basics of the game (but not game system) - what it is about in layman terms.  If you are very familiar with Fringeworthy then please use this to introduce new players to the game. Included is an offer to run sample adventures over skype to encourage new players and to help train new adventure designers. Please let us know if anything is unclear or if we beat the drum a little too hard. Thanks and welcome to Fringeworthy!

Christmas Special: Richard Tucholka Interview

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Fringeworthy fans! As our gift to you we present a very special edition of the Fringeworthy PodCast. This episode is an hour long interview with the creator of Fringeworthy; the one and only Richard Tucholka. Best wishes to you and yours. Enjoy!

01:42      When was Fringeworthy first published and what type of product launch did you do?

02:23      Where did the original idea for Fringeworthy come from?

04:00      Where did you get the idea for portals, pathways, and platforms?

06:46      Why were the portals placed where they were?

08:20      Who were the original playtesters and who was the original Ed Powers?

09:05      What was the make up of the original team?

10:05      What was the reason for wiping out electricity, magnetism, and nuclear material?

11:20      What happens if I go through the portal with a magnetic bottle full of anti-mater?

12:00      How is the platform powered? An insight into some fringe physics.

13:00      When you first designed Fringeworthy did you believe that the future will be as ideallic as it is in that edition?

13:50      Do you feel the new version is grittier and more reflective of the modern condition?

14:50      The original Fringeworthy seems kind of pulpish; what is the genre you are going for today?

17:15      Do you feel as though the Fringeworthy concept is more assessable now due to some of the modern media?

20:40      Why wasn’t Fringeworthy the primary choice as opposed to your other games in the early days?

22:35      Rich discusses his “three versions”.

22:05      How far has Fringeworthy changed from the original concept?

23:25      What effect do you see the new races having on the setting? *Secret Revealed*

24:45      Do the “Old Men” walk everywhere or do they know some secrets to get around easier?

26:05      How many countries is Fringeworthy played in?

27:20      Would you do translated versions of Fringeworthy?

29:10      What are your thoughts on bootlegged (torrented) editions?

33:57      What are your thoughts on doing a POD edition?

35:47      How does your fiancé Melody fit into the TriTac dynasty?

37:15      Melody joins the PodCast as part of the chat.

39:00      Wedding talk with Melody.

40:28      What is your local group like and is there a “type” for Fringeworthy players?

41:30      Does the Order of Leibowitz still exist?

42:30      Talk about the “Bureau 13 is Live” LARP book.

42:45      How did Fringeworthy drop off the map and what is being done now to spark it back to life?

46:35      Where is Fringeworthy going from here on out?

49:35      Final thoughts by Rich.

A special thanks to Richard for taking the time to join us.

This episode…. Mellors! We talk about the dreaded mushy monsters of the Fringepaths. You’ll find out why they are so nasty and how to use them most effectively. This is a great episode for player and game masters alike.

00:01:32 - Why mellors are so scary.

00:02:45 - How you should play a mellor.

00:05:35 - The mellor’s goals.

00:06:47 - How mellors can get onto the fringepath.

00:07:25 - Can an old mellor travel on the fringepaths in his natural form and why can’t mellor travel on the paths?

00:09:55 - Psionics vs. mellors.

00:11:25 - The purposes/jobs of the old mellors and how they were able to accomplish them.

00:15:25 - What mellors are like when they turn.

00:19:15 - Why are their different types of mellors?

00:23:00 - Mellor hierarchy.

00:25:45 - What happens when a party makes “contact” with mellors.

00:29:18 - How each type of mellor operate.

00:38:28 - All about the mellor’s shape change ability.

00:44:50 - How experienced a party should be before they run into mellors.

00:48:10 - Info for the game master on how to use the mellor.

00:50:45 - Mellor as other “monsters” like zombies, vampires, and demons.

00:53:10 - Mellors as conquers.

00:54:48 - Variant mellors. Mellors that are affected by the creatures they try to imitate (mental illness, were-mellors, etc.)

00:59:10 - Mellors aren’t the toughest things you can run into.

01:02:50 - Mellor’s natural enemies.

01:05:17 - Final thoughts on using mellors.

We’d like to invite you to please join the community. Ask questions and make comments! We love to hear from you and when we do, everyone benefits. We really like doing listener question shows so please ask away.

Also, please help support Fringeworthy by spreading the word. Post on your favorite gaming community web site or mailing list about this podcast. Thanks!

Welcome to our 100th episode and our 3rd Christmas special. This week we pose the question:  Can everyone on the planet get their dearest wish fulfilled all at once (or at least on the same day)? Then we continue into banter about what we think was our best episode so far and what we bring to the podcast community that the others don't.

This week we travel back to the beginnings of Bureau 13 and discuss how running a campaign would be different depending on when it was run from post civil war to the future. this is part 1.  We will be completing this discussion next week.

This week we continue our exploration on how to run Bureau 13 in different eras in its history.  We go from the 1920's to the future. One correction is there was 2 published artifically enhanced human pieces.  The Augumented Man, Hells Night by Richard Tucholka is the best reference.  The Battle Body Implants, Stalking the Steel City by Bruce Sheffer was not a complete adventure but was a character addition to Bureau 13 lore. We will be doing more elaborate podcasts on these eras in the future.  Please feel free to contact us on what questions you have or areas you wish us to elaborate in those podcasts.

This week we have Eric from the Travcast telling us how to run awesome super rich characters.  Next week we will conclude with answering a comment from our facebook page about this and how to implement super rich characters in your campaigns and game systems.

This week we finish our discussion about how to play Super Rich characters in your games, how they can transform a game, support the party, and generally bring the awesome. Then we have a special segment where we detail most of the gencon 2012 sessions in Indianapolis.  Plus for no additional charge, we have an interview with Richard Tucholka detailing his new releases scheduled for Gencon, including the very first Canadian space rpg! How can our prices be this low?  Then get this:  Richard Tucholka will personally be running 2 game sessions at Gencon.  Be one of the lucky ones to get into his game sessions.  They will knock your socks off!

This week we continue our series on the Fringeworthy Races with the Tziel, a lizard men like race.  Trav, John, and Bruce delve into their culture, biology, and birthing practices to bring them far above the easy cliche of the stalward native companion. This was a lot of fun and a lot of surprises.  Thanks for all the questions.

To Bureau 13 fans, the location of Bangor Maine is shrouded in mystery.  Is it a top secret b13 base under a tool and die factory?  It is a extra-dimensional pocket?  Is it a prison for the damned and damning? In bureau 13 all stories are true. Come find out more about Bangor Maine in this week's episode. This is the first appearance of our new host Amber Roe!

Sorry about that folks.  Due to some difficulty in the sound of one of the hosts I switched the track I got his voice and forgot to blank out the original track.  This has been fixed.  Please enjoy part 1 of Bureau 13 Bangor Maine training base.

this week we continue our discussion of how the Bureau 13 training base in a pocket dimension could or should be designed.  We talk about the time compressed area and if it should be that way throughout. Next week we finish up with the other two parts:  The reliquarium and the supernatural prison.

This week we finish our discussion of Bureau 13's primary training, reliquery, and dangerous supernatural containment facility.  We concentrate on the last 2 parts this week. What kinds of objects must be hidden away and destroyed? What kind of creatures cannot be redeemed?  And what do you do if they cannot be contained?

This week we finish up our Adventuring During a Disaster series with part 5, diseases. We talk about diseases in general but we focus on Zombies! We invited guest host Ben Gerber of Troll in the Corner fame to talk with us about how to run a zombie outbreak in your game. Thanks to Ben for being an awesome guest and when you're done listening to this episode, check out Troll in the Corner. Also, please check out the Ultimate Drama Deck at Kickstarter. I've used it, it's really cool, and comes with the Blix seal of approval.

RRRAAAAWWWWW!!!!!! This week your intrepid hosts sink their teeth into adding dinosaurs to your favorite interdimensional exploration game. We talk about how to run a dinosaur infested world, and more importantly, how to survive in one. 

For all you need to know about dinosaurs Wikipedia - Dinos, Wikipedia - Megafauna DinoBase, Natural History Museum and Dino Art.

 

02:00 – The time shifted angle. What would be the attitude that dinosaurs would most likely take towards travelers.

11:25 – Capturing samples from past to study in the future.

12:20 – Hi-tech in the dino world.

15:00 – Intelligent dinosaurs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWqs9s0jpZ0

18:43 – Fringe dinos. Dinosaurs that have traveled the fringepath or were put there by the tehrmelern

19:45 – Tzel, dino race?

20:00 – Other planets like Venus & Mars having dinos.

Skypeople

22:45 – Hollow earth type world.

24:30 – How to kill a T-Rex.

26:20 – Megafauna. A little closer to our timeline but just as fun, cool, and nasty as dinos.

28:45 – Dinosaur environments.

30:00 – Dino-Plants! Feel free to make up stuff that didn’t actually exist.

31:00 – Alternate ecological. A modern world with evolved dinosaurs.

32:00 – Adventure ideas and wrap up.

 A short one this time but quite interesting, enjoy.

This week we break down a bureau 13 adventure.  We go through it step by step so both the players and GM can see how to create an awesome adventure that pops!  If you follow these steps your adventure or players can't fail to succeed.  Creating supernatural investigation adventures isn't easy, but we make it simple. Then we go over our plans for convention appearances in the next 6 months.

High atop of might airship we scout for the best ways to expoit those wonderous devices:  The Lightening Crystals.  In the Hard Wired Hinterland you can use them to steal up to 90% of an object's weight.  From there it is a short leap to squirrel suits and Buck Rodgers jetpacks. We are joined by Richard and Melody Tucholka who reveal upcoming projects and inside secrets to Tri Tac Games.

This week we are joined again by Richard Tucholka and Melody Nacher.  We examine what we know and what could be about the elephantine race of beings called the Blizniz.  Richard reveals a lot of previously unpublished info about them.  We really go to the limits as to how they could be used in a Fringworthy campaign.

This week we try to wrangle those pesky uber npc characters that you have to have for one reason or another, but they try to steal the spotlight from the real stars:  your characters.  How to rein them in by design and practice.  Why have them at all? Blix took the week off so we'll see him next week.  But Trav, John, and Bruce have plenty for you.

Sorry folks but when you edit 8 simultaneous tracks, you occasionally make a mistake.  I've removed the duplicated audo so this is the better version.

This week we return to the Mellor, those loveable homocidal shape changers who live to bite off your character's head.  How are encounters with them different in the late campaign?  Do they even have a place without nerfing them?  Can "cured" infected mellor be player characters?   We delve into roles that only experienced characters and players can pull off and what should be the cost of attempting a path of redemption.

This week we continue our exploration of the late campaign and how it is different from the middle and early campaign. We are joined by Fringeworthy creator, Richard Tucholka for more previously unknown Fringe Lore. Specifically we discuss those portals to Alternate Earths and Other Places that are not explored until the late campaign.  What makes them different?  Why wait until the late campaign?  How does advanced crystal use allow us more options and strategies. If you've wondered why play a mature Fringeworthy campaign, this episode will give you all the reasons you need.

This week we are joined by Mark Kinney of All Games Considered as we pick his brain on how to best promote and publicize a podcast.  Mark has a wealth of experience with his own podcast as well as many industry contact.  We look forward to being his padawan learners. This is part 1 of a 2 part session.  The last part to drop next Sunday.

This week we continue our discussion with Mark Kinney of All Games Considered about how to promote your podcast or other media.  We recap our best advice on equipment for recording audio and then continue with promo's, forums, and convention demos.

This week we answer player questions about Fringeworthy.  We'd love to answer questions about any of our other games such as Bureau 13, Hardwired Hinterlands, FTL 2448, Incursion, WeirdZone, and even Duck Trooper and Beach Bunny Bimbos with Blasters. However, we need you to send them in.  We are recording another questions session this Wednesday, so please send us your questions via facebook or comments on this site, or any of our user groups you can find by links on this site.

We finish out our questions from Facebook session.  More Fringeworthy goodness, alternate histories, mellor, and what if's. We just finished another question recording session but that won't drop for a few more weeks since I like to vary our content.  So keep sending in those questions.

We visit the far past this week to the earliest days of man. “Me Ug. This friend Gug”. Right up to Ancient Rome and the dawn of civilization. We get a little technical but we throw in a lot of great adventure ideas along the way.

00:02:22 – The technical Fringe aspects of the time period, cause it’s not time travel.

00:03:40 – The Stone Age, old and new.

Paleolithic Age, Neolithic Age

00:09:27 – Adventures in the stone age.

Harry Turtledove, Between the Rivers

00:23:20 – Early civilizations, the Bronze Age, and the first cities.

Bronze Age Earliest Cities, Monoculture, Guns, Germs, and Steel

00:30:00 – The Iron Age.

Iron Age, Coal

00:36:20 – The first renaissance, cool ancient world tech, and the Library of Alexandria.

Antikythera Mechanism, The Rise and Fall of Alexandria,

00:43:50 – Fringeworthy adventure ideas.

00:46:20 – Mesoamerica: Aztecs, Olmecs, and Mayans.

Mayan Cities, Olmec Cities, Olmec Civilization, Aztec

00:49:30 – The land of Atlantis.

00:52:00 – Other Fringeworthy adventure ideas. Cool ideas of things to do in the past.

Coral Castle

00:58:40 – Ancient medical practices.

01:01:00 – Show wrap up.

This week we explore putting a member of a member of the Mongol Empire in your exploring party for Fringeworthy.  As one of the alternate earths in Fringeworthy goes to where the golden horde conquered the world, this is very possible.  We explore the beginnings of such a culture and how that culture would clash with that of a 21st century viewpoint. Also we want to remind everyone to sign up for our game sessions at Gencon Indy 2012.  We are having a huge presence this year with lots of slots, but they go fast so be ready to register on May 20th.  Information can be found at the Gencon Indy site at https://registration.gencon.com go to find events. Search under keyword Fringeworthy, Bureau 13, or Hardwired Hinterland

This week we finish our discussion of the Golden Horde, The Fringeworthy Alternate World where the dominant culture is descended from Gengis Khan, and what fun it would be to play one of the horde in your campaign.

This week we start our interview with Dr Nik Palmer, a long time RPG adventure writer who has just released 2 great products on Drive Thru RPG:  Mesopotamia and The Seven Deadly Sins Mesopotamia is set in 3000 years BC in our historical past, but with all the mythology, magic, and mayhem intact.  Fringworthy fans know that many Fringworthy worlds go to times in the past.  This adventure path is a great fit for your Fringworthy Campaign. The Seven Deadly Sins is an adventure path set in modern day so it is a great fit for Bureau 13 or your favorite modern supernatural RPG.  It is mature restricted on Drive Thru RPG so make sure your update your profile to show mature content or you won't be able to purchase it. This is the beginning of our summer schedule so our episodes will be about 30 minutes long until after Dragon Con, where we return to our regular length.  Feel free to comment on this on Facebook.

This week we finish our great interview with Dr. Nik Palmer who has written two great modules, Caravan and Seven Deadly Sins, great for Fringeworthy and Bureau 13 respectively. We hope you enjoyed this episode and will buy Dr Nik's adventures for your campaigns.  We look forward to everyone showing up at Gencon to play in our game sessions.  Even if all of them are sold out, please show up with generic tickets.  We will try to add you. Please stop by the Podcaster Meet and Greet and buy Trav a drink.  He will be there with the stunning Amber Roe on his arm.  He'll need one. Please leave us a review on I-tunes.  Especially a good one.  That really increases the exposure of this podcast. If you have any suggestions for the podcast or any topics you want covered, please leave a comment here or on any of our Facebook groups.

More questions from our fans to answer.  We start off with a Fringeworthy question about the Blizniz, the elephantine race with the prehensile trunk.  The amount of discussion about this race has been amazing, but they are a very different race.  I love all the possibilities that each GM can try since there isn't a lot of canon about this race.

This week we continue with another short question on the Blizniz.  Then we discuss a big question about what Mellor Society and destiny might be after a cure for the mellor madness is found.

This week we finish our latest batch of user questions.  We range all over the place including Bureau 13 for some Zombie and Vampire questions.  Hope you've enjoyed it. Please leave us a positive review on Itunes or Facebook.

This week start our journey with some hard to handle characters.  Troublesome characters are those who don't fit well into a party but have something that makes them worth playing.  We start off with John's character:  the friendly sociopath.  Not to be topped, Peter follows with a cannibal.  That right.  Sweet dreams everyone.

We continue with our xbox matchmaking.  No seriously we are talking again about characters that are worth playing but don't integrate well with other characters.  This week Robert (Trav) brings us a military jock who just can't stand scientists and brainy types - a tough mix with Fringeworthy adventurers and other games with strong tech aspects.

This week we finish our 3 part episode on Troublesome Characters, part of our "Saying Yes" series.  This week Bruce has Scratch, an urban tribal character who, while intensely communicative, is almost impossible to easily understand.  How to integrate someone who defys normal social conventions and appearances?  Listen and comment.

Less than Lethal. This week we discuss less than lethal deterrants and attack methods.

Some good basic less than lethal links (LTL): USAF Summary, BZ Gas, Cs Gas, Tear Gas, Pepper Spray, Pole Capture, Electric Fence, Sound Deterrent, Net Gun, Bola, Concussion Grenade, Sticky Foam, Dart Gun, Flash Bang, Sting Ball, Water Cannon, Vortex Gun, LRAD, Smoke Grenade, Stink Bombs, Pepper Ammo, Taser Rounds, EMP Grenades

 

00:01:30 – The purpose for using LTL.

00:02:20 – What kinds of things might cause an unattended conflict?

00:04:40 – Is it legal to carry a weapon in the USA?

00:05:50 – What do you think the ramifications of killing someone are vs. using LTL?

00:07:40 – Characters who are opposed to killing.

00:08:40 – Fictional gas LTL weapons.

00:09:20 – Real world LTL gas weapons.

00:09:50 – LTL weapons to capture animals.

00:10:10 – Ability to take out guards/family to infiltrate without killing.

00:11:00 – LTL on an unsuspecting mellor.

00:14:17 – The effectiveness of LTL in D20.

00:16:10 – Using LTL devices on animals.

00:32:40 – Using LTL devices on big animals.

00:34:10 – Fringe pirates who use LTL weapons.

00:36:15 – LTL for stampede control.

00:41:50 – LTL vs. Humans.

00:47:15 – SciFi Riot Foam.

00:48:40 – Esper/Psionic LTL weapons.

00:49:30 – Weapons from Mystery Men.

00:50:50 – Thermal Guns.

00:52:15 – The “Brown Note” device.

00:52:50 – Magical LTL weapons.

00:54:00 – Stink Bombs, odor deterrent.

00:57:20 – Visual deterrent, plague disguise.

00:59:17 – Using a paintball gun with different ammo as a deterrent.

01:02:15 – Taser rounds for firearms.

01:02:45 – Using the old standard rock salt.

01:03:10 – LTL for supernatural creatures

01:03:40 – Specialty bacterial weapons.

01:06:00 – Nano LTL weapons.

01:06:30 – EMP rounds.

01:09:10 – Lightning Gun.

01:13:00 – Information bomb vs. robots.

This week we begin our series on Winging It - Handling unexpected events in your campaign.

This week we continue our series on Winging It - Handling unexpected events in your campaign.

This week we conclude our series on Winging It - Handling unexpected events in your campaign.

This week we begin our summary of creating a great fringeworthy campaign.  It draws from all the 132 podcasts we've done so far.  We know that our early episodes, while still available at the podbean site, are not always accessible through itunes or other podcatchers.  We hope that this summary will help remind experienced gamemasters what to keep essential in their games and will be a good resources for fledgeling gms, especially new Fringeworthy GMs.

This week we continue our summary of creating a great fringeworthy campaign.  It draws from all the 132 podcasts we've done so far.  We know that our early episodes, while still available at the podbean site, are not always accessible through itunes or other podcatchers.  We hope that this summary will help remind experienced gamemasters what to keep essential in their games and will be a good resources for fledgeling gms, especially new Fringeworthy GMs.

This week we finish our summary of creating a great fringeworthy campaign.  It draws from all the 132 podcasts we've done so far.  We know that our early episodes, while still available at the podbean site, are not always accessible through itunes or other podcatchers.  We hope that this summary will help remind experienced gamemasters what to keep essential in their games and will be a good resources for fledgeling gms, especially new Fringeworthy GMs. This will be the end of our summer schedule.  Now that Dragoncon is behind us, we will be returning to our full hour long format after this.

Almost Dead from Gencon 2012!  We recorded this about 2AM on Saturday right after Savage Saturday Nights.  We ran 10 demos of Tri Tac Games this year, at least half using the Savage Worlds System, two using d20 Modern and even 2 using the original Tri Tac rules by Richard Tucholka, himself. This was the first time all the podcast hosts were physically in the same room together.

this week we are distracted by all the things that take us away from the main quest line.  What are these things and can we eat them?  "SQUIRREL!"

This week we step back from the trenches and catch a load of shrapnel as we discuss Character Deaths:  When is it okay for a character to die.  What kind of deaths are meaningful.  What kind of campaigns support memorable character deaths.  We have Erik Spahr from the TravCast visiting this week as well.

This week we return to our user questions.  What happened after the Fringe Portal was discovered in the Antarctic until the first expeditions ventured out onto the Fringepaths? Turns out it was a political hotbed.  We discuss the initial construction of access to the portal as well as possible alternatives to Hatsumi base as a starting point for your campaign. This is part one.  We will finish next week.  Please leave us comments and futher questions on our Facebook pages and especially a review at Itunes!

Do you want magic and psionics in your SF game?  How does it work from universe to universe?  What happens when you bring Stormbringer to a non-magic world?  All this and more on the only Interdimensional exploration game:  Fringeworthy. 01:56 – Consequences of adding magic. 03:00 – Is magic appropriate for your game? 03:50 – What does the Fringeworthy Bible say about magic? 06:00 – The first question is… “Do you want magic in your Sci-fi game?” 06:40 – Psionics are part of the cannon. 08:00 – Magic changes from world to world. 11:00 – Sources of magic power. 19:25 – Worlds where magic creatures can’t live. What happens to a super natural creature on a world where magic doesn’t work. 26:20 – Cross dimensional nodes and node clusters. 30:00 – Magic items. 37:50 – How powerful do you allow your players to be? Also, wrangling in overpowered characters. 49:15 – Playing superheroes. We are looking to do another Q&A show soon so please send us your questions.

This week we finish our discussion of what was life like during the very early years after the discovery of the Fringe Portal in the antarctic. We discussion the construction of Hatsumi base,  political ramifications of the portal discovery,  contact with intelligent aliens, and contamination of Earth Prime and other worlds by unthinking actions of the early explorers and the Victorians.

This week we begin our assignment of creating effective Bureau 13 training mission.  These are missions that are designed to evaluate some aspect of a Bureau 13 team's performance, perhaps to allow them to be given high security rating or more difficult missions.  The crucial aspect is that these are not "real" supernatural incidents, even though the supernatural may be part of the trapping of the mission or supernatural forces were used to in support of the scenario.  Each host was tasked with creating a bureau 13 training mission.  In this episode Trav and Blix present theirs. There will be a delay in the conclusion of this episode because next week is our 3rd year anniversary.  We have a special show for that.  The following week is a special Halloween episode.  So the 2nd part of this episode will drop the first Sunday in November.

That's right.  We've completed 3 years of your favorite podcast of interdimensional exploration and adventure.  This week we look back over all the episodes we've done.  We are joined by Richard Tucholka who give us a lot of insight into his newly released products, some Tri Tac Lore, and what is planned for next year.

This week Amber leads on a fearful run as we shudder and flee the subject of Phobias.  How can they be represented in your game?  What advantages are there to having such a crippling quality?  Find out this week and next.

This week we finish our discussion of phobias, character or player and how they can and should affect your game.

This week we finish our discussion of sample missions that can be used to evaluate your Bureau 13 team's effectiveness.

This week we take a sober look at what losing your planet means to your campaign.  While this can be a campaign ender, it can also provide the fresh start you might be looking for. While we discuss this in the context of the interdimensional exploration game, Fringeworthy, this topic is germaine to almost any game and campaign.  What happens when the characters are cut off from all that they know and love?

This week we followup on a very early episode where we laid out the best supernatural creatures to add to a bureau 13 team.  In this segment we talk about making sure the monsters are played in all their inhumanity, not just a pc in a rubber suit. Next week we conclude this episode.

We conclude our discussion on how to best play the inhuman aspects of monsters in games, especially Bureau 13.

We return to our episode "We Lost EarthPrime" and examine the possibility that Earth Prime could be recovered if it was taken by Fringe Pirates. We discuss the likely Fringe Pirate tactics, their long term plans, and what resources exist to mount against them to take back Earth Prime.

This week our hosts discuss how wearing the right protective gear can make all the difference in an encounter.  Straight armor and differences between systems is noted plus protective gear vrs hazards such as fire, noxious fumes, and nerve gas.  We also discuss the best defense: a good offense - Weapons.  Each host lists his favorite weapon loadouts and why for both general exploration and mellor hunting.

00:01:30 – Equipment as feats that you can buy.

00:02:30 – How body armor works.

Chainmail shark suits. Kevlar. Dragon Armor

00:10:35 – Armoring your vehicle.

Armored Cars

00:14:00 – Other aspects of body armor.

00:16:00 – Armor Proficiency.

00:16:30 – Protection Against Gas

Personal oxygen,  John Varly, Mustard Gas, Nerve Gas

00:24:20 – Favorite Weapons of John Reiher.

AK47, Luger

00:26:05 – Favorite Weapons of Blix

Shotgun, Variable Rounds, M1911

00:28:15 – Favorite Weapons of Bruce Sheffer

.22 Machine Gun, Calico

00:30:15 – Specialty hi-tech rounds.

Electro Chemical Weaponry Frangible bullets.

00:35:00 – Blix talks assault weaponry.

FN P90

00:36:00 – What’s your weight load?

00:37:10 – John talks about the GE XM-214 Mini-Gun

00:39:50 – What about explosives?

Grenades, Pizio Electric

00:43:10 – 20mm and other big weaponry

20mm Rounds, Maxim Guns

00:46:00 – How would you defend your platform?

00:54:00 – What melee weapon do you prefer?

01:00:00 – What is your favorite Mellor hunting weapon?

 

A few more links…

D20 Modern Weapons Drive Thru RPG Guns Guns Guns

 

Challenge: How do you equip you characters for combat? Send us your weapon load and we’ll post it in the show notes or talk about it on an upcoming show!

   

 

This week we continue our exploration of taking back Earth Prime if taken over by an outside force.  We move into the middle campaign and sic the mellor on the Fringeworthy.  This is the first time we've really detailed how to use the mellor to destroy a planet and we were all surprised to find out that in a modern setting, it only takes about a month.  Wow. Jay Hailey returns as a host.  Welcome back Jay! Next week is our holiday episode so you will have to wait until the end or just into the new year to find out how to eradicate those pesky homocidal shapechangers.

This our famous holiday episode.  First we discuss what we would bring to the holiday feast if we had no limits.  This is both an in and out of game discussion.  Everything from T-rex to the dish of the day is game. Then we hypothesize why there are so many mid winter traditions in our world.  We give examples and background if we have them.  Mid winter festivals and rituals are excellent additions to any rpg campaign (except dark sun, I suppose). We will conclude next week with a discussion of what the world would be like if Santa was really in charge of giving all the boys and girls their holiday presents. Happy Holiday for whatever reason you celebrate.  I hope it's the best one.

We finish our holiday podcast discussing what a world would be like if Santa Clause was as he is depicted in 20th century America and had the job of providing toys for all good girls and boys on Christmas.  Assuming that he didn't do everything with magic, it would be a very different world.

This week we conclude our discussion on how to defeat the mellor invasion of Earth Prime.  We jump right into it after just a minute or so of review so you might want to listen to the first part again where we explained how quickly the mellor could create a massive assault force while undermining defense efforts with biological attacks and command replacement by mellor 4th columnists. We concluded last time that after one month, there isn't any Earth Prime worth taking back. We cover all the possible help you can get from the many worlds on the Fringepath that would be available in the middle campaign (-20 to + 20 nodes).    You, of course, may have many more worlds that your gm has added to your campaign that aren't part of our standard Fringe Map product.  We fully recommend that you use all the resources your GM will let you get your hands on.  The Mellor are that tough. While we conclude that we will be continuing with a final, late campaign, example of EP taken over by the Coptics, Richard Tucholka has asked us to table that while he and Trav work out the details.  Sorry for the delay, but the final result will be awesome.

In the Fringeworthy Portal Maps there is a world where cartoon characters - toons are real.  We explore what their reality would be like and whether is would be possible for a  team of explorers to even visit them.  What are the rules of physics, psychology, even biology? 1. Toons only injured by cutting weapons -- can be stunned for an action by bludgeoning objects exploding objects electrified objects burning objects crushing objects piercing? 2. are empty inside 3. Can inflate and become boyant or are jet propelled 4. character of toon has nothing to do with appearance 5. toons weigh what they look like they should weigh 6. gravity doesn't make a toon fall unless the toon knows that she should fall (same for humans in toon world) 7. Toons that are normally good will grow horns when they are doing bad things 8. Toons have violent reactions to drugs and alcohol 9. falling cannot kill a toon Turpentine/acetate/benzine can dissolve a tune 10. If a toon has a body part that resembles an animal part, then that part will provide the function that it does for that animal (dumbo ears, owl eyes) 11. Toon disguises always work initially on other toons 12. Toons are gullible 13. Can do impossible things but only when it is funny to do so. 14. If you can make a toon laugh hard enough, you can kill a toon 15. Objects with faces can talk and bite 16. You can build a stable tower of any height, one object on top another. It will remain stable until you almost reach the top (then you have to jump) 17. If you are embarrassed, you can pull something out of hammer space to hit your victimizer with. From cartoon laws: Cartoon Law I Any body suspended in space will remain in space until made aware of its situation. Daffy Duck steps off a cliff, expecting further pastureland. He loiters in midair, soliloquizing flippantly, until he chances to look down. At this point, the familiar principle of 32 feet per second per second takes over. Cartoon Law II Any body in motion will tend to remain in motion until solid matter intervenes suddenly. Whether shot from a cannon or in hot pursuit on foot, cartoon characters are so absolute in their momentum that only a telephone pole or an outsize boulder retards their forward motion absolutely. Sir Isaac Newton called this sudden termination of motion the stooge's surcease. Cartoon Law III Any body passing through solid matter will leave a perforation conforming to its perimeter. Also called the silhouette of passage, this phenomenon is the speciality of victims of directed-pressure explosions and of reckless cowards who are so eager to escape that they exit directly through the wall of a house, leaving a cookie-cutout-perfect hole. The threat of skunks or matrimony often catalyzes this reaction. Cartoon Law IV The time required for an object to fall twenty stories is greater than or equal to the time it takes for whoever knocked it off the ledge to spiral down twenty flights to attempt to capture it unbroken. Such an object is inevitably priceless, the attempt to capture it inevitably unsuccessful. Cartoon Law V All principles of gravity are negated by fear. Psychic forces are sufficient in most bodies for a shock to propel them directly away from the earth's surface. A spooky noise or an adversary's signature sound will induce motion upward, usually to the cradle of a chandelier, a treetop, or the crest of a flagpole. The feet of a character who is running or the wheels of a speeding auto need never touch the ground, especially when in flight. Cartoon Law VI As speed increases, objects can be in several places at once. This is particularly true of tooth-and-claw fights, in which a character's head may be glimpsed emerging from the cloud of altercation at several places simultaneously. This effect is common as well among bodies that are spinning or being throttled. A wacky character has the option of self-replication only at manic high speeds and may ricochet off walls to achieve the velocity required. Cartoon Law VII Certain bodies can pass through solid walls painted to resemble tunnel entrances; others cannot. This trompe l'oeil inconsistency has baffled generations, but at least it is known that whoever paints an entrance on a wall's surface to trick an opponent will be unable to pursue him into this theoretical space. The painter is flattened against the wall when he attempts to follow into the painting. This is ultimately a problem of art, not of science. Cartoon Law VIII Any violent rearrangement of feline matter is impermanent. Cartoon cats possess even more deaths than the traditional nine lives might comfortably afford. They can be decimated, spliced, splayed, accordion-pleated, spindled, or disassembled, but they cannot be destroyed. After a few moments of blinking self pity, they reinflate, elongate, snap back, or solidify. Corollary: A cat will assume the shape of its container. Cartoon Law IX Everything falls faster than an anvil. Cartoon Law X For every vengeance there is an equal and opposite revengeance. This is the one law of animated cartoon motion that also applies to the physical world at large. For that reason, we need the relief of watching it happen to a duck instead. Cartoon Law Amendment A A sharp object will always propel a character upward. When poked (usually in the buttocks) with a sharp object (usually a pin), a character will defy gravity by shooting straight up, with great velocity. Cartoon Law Amendment B The laws of object permanence are nullified for "cool" characters. Characters who are intended to be "cool" can make previously nonexistent objects appear from behind their backs at will. For instance, the Road Runner can materialize signs to express himself without speaking. Cartoon Law Amendment C Explosive weapons cannot cause fatal injuries. They merely turn characters temporarily black and smokey. Cartoon Law Amendment D Gravity is transmitted by slow-moving waves of large wavelengths. Their operation can be wittnessed by observing the behavior of a canine suspended over a large vertical drop. Its feet will begin to fall first, causing its legs to stretch. As the wave reaches its torso, that part will begin to fall, causing the neck to strech. As the head begins to fall, tension is released and the canine will resume its regular proportions until such time as it strikes the ground. Cartoon Law Amendment E Dynamite is spontaneously generated in "C-spaces" (spaces in which cartoon laws hold). The process is analogous to steady-state theories of the universe which postulated that the tensions involved in maintaining a space would cause the creation of hydrogen from nothing. Dynamite quanta are quite large (stick sized) and unstable (lit). Such quanta are attracted to psychic forces generated by feelings of distress in "cool" characters (see Amendment B, which may be a special case of this law), who are able to use said quanta to their advantage. One may imagine C-spaces where all matter and energy result from primal masses of dynamite exploding. A big bang indeed.

This week we finish our exploration of playing an animated character, either in an animated world or here in the real world.

Mike Larsen ran 2 Bureau 13 games at a convention in New England called Carnage recently.  He tells us all about the fun he had. If any of our listeners are running any Tri Tac Games at any convention.  Please contact us about prize support.  We love to support game demos of our products.

This week we open a new book on Bureau 13 Adventures.  The adventures we've never run or experienced but would like to. Each game has its genre tropes.  That can limit the game.  How can we break out of those expected adventures and run truly new adventures?

This week we finish our discussion of different kinds of Bureau 13 adventures.  Not the same old find and kill the monster adventures. This week we concentrate on more subtle changes.  Ultimately it depends on you the player and GM to be willing to step outside your comfort zone and try something truly different.

This week we explore the idea of adding superpowers to your game.  In Fringeworthy there is a world that grants all explorers superpowers while on that world.  Which offers the possiblity of them keeping them on other worlds as well. Trav leads this exploration.  There is lots of comic book and movie superhero lore and fun.

This week we mix it up. We had three segments that came up on three different shows. None of these segments were relative to the topic of the show and none of them were long enough to run as their own show. Sooooo.... we decided to put them together into one "mix mash" show. 01:02 Topic 1: Listener Mail Billion6 asks "Does IDET hire alien fringewalkers?" 12:00 Topic 2: Fringeworthy Bible We talk about the little know Fringeworthy Bible. This is the ruleset that the designers have agreed to work under in order to keep the universe consistent. 15:45 Topic 3: Get Involved! We talk about ways to get involved in the promotion of Fringeworthy and how we can help you with that. That's it. We hope you like it. Tune in next week for another episode in our regular format.

This week we explore finding that special someone outside of our own species.  This is very common in Bureau 13 and Fringeworthy.  But the road to true love doesn't stop being rocky when you find that person.  How will your union work out in practice?  Will the plumbing work?  Will you be accepted by your family, society, government?  Will your mate even have the same rights and protections under the law as you enjoy? This episode is an explicit podcast:  We will be discussing adult subjects and adult situations, not that we will be using profanity.  If you suspect that this could be shocking or a sensitive subject for you, please give it a pass.  We will be returning to our normal nonexplicit episodes in 2 weeks.

This week we conclude our probe of alien love or love between sentients that are not of the same species.  This is an explicit episode.  We will be covering adult topics, bodily functions, and sensitive situations.  Please listen to one of our non-explicit episodes if this could offend you.  Thanks for your support.  We will be returning to our non-explicit game coverage next week.

This week we conclude our discussion of introducing super powered characters into a Fringeworthy campaign.

This week we start on colonization of other world in games. The reference is to Brave New World if anyone was offended.

Sorry, but I've been slammed at work so I only have half an episode for you this week.  We continue to discuss how to set up a colony and its issues, before heading off the reservation again.

As a break from our discussion on Fringeworthy Colonization we look upon the plight of some Bureau 13 creatures that cannot be easily hidden in modern society.  Is there any hope for them or must the bureau 13 agent be forced to Coup de Grace!

This week we conclude the first part of the colonization series.  We wet our toes on the concept of true right and wrong and how clashes of culture can make that very hard to determine.

We talk with Paul Nunes about the uses of melee weapons in modern campaigns. How to survive and strive taking a knife to a gun fight.

We talk with Paul Nunes about the uses of melee weapons in modern campaigns. How to survive and strive taking a knife to a gun fight, part 2.

This time we visit the topic of surviving the Zombie Holocaust. What can you do to make sure that your loved ones don't end up as some zombie's brain pate on toast. In part one, our hosts, Amber, Trav, and Paul describe their ideal hideouts and boltholes to hide until the zombies die down. So sit back, get a snack... Brains!... and learn how to survive the Zombie Holocaust!

This week we do part 1 of our study of what options for vehicles that actually can work on the Fringepaths. (Links will be added soon!) 1:09 Introduction: Fringe enabled vehicles. The problems and pitfalls. 2:09 In the beginning, we talk about the history of vehicles on the pathways. 2.31 Bicycles: Mountain, Touring bikes. Why bikes are easy to use on the pathways. You can carry much more and tow trailers. We mention Modular bikes and custom built bikes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touring_bicycle 6:12 The Human Car. http://www.humancar.com/ 8:00 Converting a railway car for the Fringe paths.   http://www.handcar.net/safety/ 10:33 Walking, the ultimate travel method. 13:20 Flywheel storage vehicles. Traditional Flywheels. High Tech Flywheels. Gyrobuses, electric power. http://www.accesstoenergy.com/view/atearchive/s76a3684.htm 19:03 Compressed Air vehicles. The Air Car. The City Car. http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4217016.html 24:48 Wind Powered vehicle: The Wing Sail Car. Air Currents on the Fringe Path. Vento Mobile. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804123039.htm http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/fastest-wind-powered-car-world-greenbird.php 30:26 Time to travel doesn't matter, unless it does. Especially when you're being chased by Fringe Pirates. 33:36 Flying to the portal. Using a Sail Plane glider to travel. Or, get a flying squirrel suit and fly like Superman! http://www.sciencebuzz.org/buzz_tags/human_gliding 45:41 Steam Power! Victorians use steam power to travel the pathways. Steam buses, steam lorries. The Victorians use a custom built vehicles. You need to recycle the steam otherwise you run out of water. Steam car in a day. The Stanley Steamer. http://www.the-nerds.org/Steam-Car-Day.html 54:24 Gas powered turbines. Limitations of using them on the pathways. http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-06/popsci%E2%80%99s-own-jet-powered-atv

This week we return to our discussion on colonies.  Lots more material to cover.

This week we conclude our series on setting up a colony in the Fringeworthy game.  We discuss why colonies would be established at the perimeter of IDET controlled space and what are the responsibilities of the Exploration teams to colony members.

Welcome back to our second episode on surviving the Zombie Holocaust! This time around John and Bruce wheel out their ideas on the best places to hide from those nasty zombies, Amber takes us on a boat trip, Paul goes to jail, and then we go on a cruise on the Blood Boat with Bruce. Then we go spelunking and hiding out on various military bases. So sit back, grab a beverage of your choice, some snacks... brains... and listen to the podcast!

Last Gencon 2012, Tri Tac Games released their new game: Weirdzone (the day everything went to Hell). We've mentioned it briefly before, but we wanted to get into it and see if it was worth playing. Turns out it is another quality Tri Tac Product that is good as both a short or ongoing rpg. We've got the skinny on how to play it and have the most fun, depending on your group and the tone of the games they like to play.

thanks to our faithful listeners who discovered a problem with the second part of Weirdzone.  This should be a corrected file.  Please download it again and overwrite the original file.  If you just listen to it on the site, it will stream correctly. This week we finish our first look at one of Tri Tac's new game of interdimensional hopping using your house.  We were very surprised at how fun and expandable this game is.  We hope you will give it a try at their website:  www.tritacgames.com

This week, Bruce takes a much deserved vacation and leaves the helm to Peter and the gang.  They discuss how to take off the rack adventures for other games and put them to use in Fringeworthy.

This week, Bruce continues to take a much deserved vacation and leave the helm to Peter and the gang.  They continue to discuss how to take off the rack adventures for other games and put them to use in Fringeworthy.

This week we go deep into the dark woods, leaving a few bread crumbs, and talk about fairytales in your adventures.

This week we finish our discussion on how to introduce fairytale adventures or fairytale elements into your games.

We continue our playing difficult characters with INSANITY (heh, heh).

We showed you which vehicles could work with the standard technology of Earth Prime.  Now we go with the workhouse engine for most fringe exploration before we jump off to the really high tech with gravity powered vehicles, fringe trains, and the fringeworthy people mover.

02:30 – Diesel Engines: The most common and useful type of fringe vehicle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_engine

12:50 – RV that can carry a car.

http://www.volkner-mobil.de/Home/english/home_en.html

13:10 – The diesel motorcycle.

http://www.dieselbike.net/

19:50 – Cable powered vehicles.

26:50 - Physics disclaimer.

27:50 – Gravity powered vehicle.

 42:45 – Tehrmelern Fringe Trains. EXCLUSIVE SECRET REVEALED!!!!

As promised, to call a fringe train you need two different crystals.  Any two will do except you cannot use the black crystal which is only used for station to station travel on a prime.  However, as per the FW bible, calling the train is also a crystal use with a DL of 5.

55:30 – The Fringe Conveyer.

58:40 – Cat Bus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc17T9XMoVk

Challenge: Physics masters, what do you think of the gravity shear drive?

This week we conclude our discussion on how to play characters who are a little or really, really insane.

On this episode Peter Bryant is hijacking the show. This is a live recording from GenCon 2012. The adventure is Deutschland Uber Alles and is one of the plot points in the Savage Worlds edition of Fringeworthy. This is part one and part two will be up next week. If you like live role play sessions, you're in for a treat. If you don't, we'll see you in two weeks where we resume our regular broadcast.