The Game Master Show

In this episode of the Cyberpunk campaign, the Edgerunners navigate the treacherous Elysium HQ after awakening Hera, a vengeful AI.

They embark on a mission to plant AI-spawned seeds across the city, facing various challenges including combat with scavengers and the emergence of the Glow Boys amidst a radioactive sand storm.

Get more Cyberpunk RED:

Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets

Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources

Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions

Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets

Chapters

00:00 The Awakening of Hera02:41 The Mission to Plant the Seeds07:06 Combat and Chaos in the Garden Level11:41 The Escape Plan28:02 Exploring the Map and Game Mechanics35:23 Encountering the Glow Boys43:12 Inside the Building and Tactical Decisions48:50 The Growl of Danger52:40 A New Challenge Emerges01:00:41 Critical Moments01:07:13 Tactical Decisions in Close Quarters01:08:47 The Aftermath of Battle01:10:55 Resource Management and Vehicle Repairs01:20:15 Conclusion and Future Adventures

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Cyberpunk RED Chapter 11: Get Out on YouTube.

Show Notes

Recap: Edgerunners awaken Hera, the vengeful AI, and agree to her mission

Objective: Plant AI "seeds" in three Hercules Industries locations

Immediate goal: Escape Elysium HQ on foot without a vehicle

Encounter: Hostile scavvers attacking cyber-corvids for chrome

Tactical choices: Split between sneaking out and running headfirst into danger

Surprise threat: A radioactive storm arrives mid-escape

Retreat to shelter: Players take refuge in a ruined garage

Combat: Coydogs attack—Bob attempts diplomacy with kibble

Atlas falls dramatically out a window

Bob uses glow sticks and a flashlight to reveal threats

Players defeat coydogs and trick the Glow Boys into thinking they’re dead

Final escape: Hotwire a barely-working car and roll out of the Hot Zone

Featured Image Meta

The glowing ruins of downtown Night City, as depicted in the Cyberpunk RED core rule book. Credit: R. Talsorian Games.

On this episode, we talk about ShadowDark monsters! We look at a number of monster bestiaries, a zine dedicated to creating and adapting monsters for the game, and two dedicated monster-finding tools.

What more ShadowDark? We've got more ShadowDark!

d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made (S4E19)

d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15)

Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee)

Unboxing Cursed Scrolls 3: Midnight Sun for ShadowDark

Chapters

00:00 Introduction00:54 Monster 2403:02 VALHOLL!04:21 Shadowfinder Complete Bestiary05:24 Creating and Adapting Monsters for ShadowDark14:16 The Monster Overhaul15:12 Ruincairn Bestiary17:20 ShadowDark Monster Tools19:34 Conclusion and Future Discussions

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch d8 ShadowDark Monster Resources on YouTube.

Show Notes

ShadowDark specific Monster Resources

Monster 24

Cost: $2 (pay what you want)

250 monsters by Tom Phillips, who spent 2024 creating monsters and publishing them to Reddit. This compiles his various critters into one document. Includes gaggles of hags (forest hags, tomb hags, venom hags), plenty of plants (carnivorous cave moss, blood orchid, vampire grass), and oodles of oozes and slimes (chaos pudding, green slime, umber jelly)

VALHOLL! Nashcraeft #1

Cost: $6.99

A fanzine that builds on Cursed Scrolls #3: Midnight Sun. Introduces a bunch of monsters as well as a “lot system” as alternative to carousing, new magic items, new blessings, and 4 classes.

Shadowfinder Complete Bestiary

Cost: $25 (PDF) $29 (POD+PDF) as part of the Kickstarter

Every PF 1E bestiary, #1-6, converted for Shadowdark RPG. The kickstarter is over; hopefully they’ll release this for sale when the Kickstarter-created book releases in October 2025.

Creating and Adapting Monsters for ShadowDark

Cost: $5 (pay what you want)

Very handy, fan-created rules for making your own monsters (or converting them from other systems).

Advice on creating monsters including “VIBES OVER COMPLEXITY”, “USE NATURAL LANGUAGE”, “MONSTER SPELLS ARE WEIRD”, and “RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN”

Options include:

BUILD BY EQUIVALENTS

If your monster is like a knight, bugbear, or zombie … just use the stat block as is.

BUILD BY ADAPTATION

Say you want to recreate the 5e Bandit Captain, you take the ShadowDark bandit, and beef it up.

BUILD BY BENCHMARK

E.g. converting Yakfolk warrior. Look at the CR (in this case, CR 3, compare it to CR3 monsters in ShadowDark, and start building.

It has a talent bank describing all kinds of monster capabilities and a big list of monster spells.

It includes a bunch of horrors as well, including blink dogs, ettins, pseudodragons, unique horrors like the “Eyeball Wall”, and a number of NPCs (pyromancer, cultist, etc.).

ShadowDark adjacent Resources

Runecairn Bestiary

Cost: $13.49

100 Norse-inspired monsters for Runecairn, an Old School Renaissance RPG. The OSR stat blocks are close enough to ShadowDark to make conversion pretty easy. Includes sabertooth cats, grave newts, ogres, and giant octopi.

The Monster Overhaul

Cost: $30.00 (PDF) $60 (PDF+Print)

Come for the 200+ monsters, stay for the ecology and random table pieces. Uniformly praised online. It’s got entries for NPCs (adventurers, barbarians) each with d100 names and character traits. For monsters, it delves beyond the stat block.

Goblins get the same d100 names and traits PLUS physical descriptions, motivations, mounts, elite weapons, and loot.

Plus there are random tables like “50 mercenary jobs” and generic maps of locations like a wizard tower and a village.

ShadowDark Monster Tools

ShadowDark Tools: Monster Reference

Filter monsters from the ShadowDark core rules + the first three Cursed Scrolls. Criteria include monster level, environment, type (e.g. angel, aberration), movement type (burrow, climb, fly), attack (blood drain, petrify, venom),

The edgerunners finally flipped the switch at the bottom of Elysium HQ's subbasements.

As the power surged back, a wrathful AI queen named Hera burst to life, proclaiming her refusal to serve any false gods or corporate masters. She sees to draw the crew — APT, Angry Bob, Omen, and Atlas — into her web of revenge against Jason Antilles, a tech bro CIO who escaped Earth’s devastation for an orbital Olympus.

Get more Cyberpunk RED:

Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets

Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources

Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions

Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets

Chapters

00:00 Intro1:04 Recap of the last mission2:27 Hera awakens, demands loyalty5:00 Digging into Antilles’ backstory7:15 The Wrathful Queen’s digital gifts10:00 Team heals up in eerie med-labs15:00 Planning escape routes, avoiding turrets20:00 Discussing Erebus, Cerberus, and past scars25:00 Moral debates and fixer mysteries30:00 Stepping back into the hot zone35:00 Prepping next moves and research42:00 Outro and episode wrap-up

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Cyberpunk RED Chapter 10: Hera's Wrath on YouTube.

Show Notes

Recap of the team’s mission: descend into Elysium HQ, flip the switch, collect payday

Activation of Hera, an AI queen filled with rage against Hercules Corp and Jason Antilles

Team dialogue with Hera: pledging loyalty (for now) to survive, receiving cryptic gifts (golden apple, pomegranate, persimmon)

Background on Antilles, Olympus orbital, and corporate lore

Tension builds over the meaning of Hera’s demands and the risks of unleashing AI beyond the Blackwall

Characters reflect on past wounds (both physical and emotional) while healing in futuristic med bays

Planning next steps: research Hera, investigate who hired them, understand the nature of the gifts, and strategize upcoming infiltrations

Banter and camaraderie among players, with moral dilemmas surfacing

Cliffhanger: the team escapes the ruins, heading into Night City’s dangerous streets on foot, fruits and fate in tow

Featured Image Meta

A marble bust of the Greek goddess Hera.

Grab your coffee and join the Lair crew as we unpack the challenge of fostering player agency in tabletop RPGs. We explore how to spark proactive decisions, avoid the paralysis of infinite choice, and leverage mechanics that reward bold, cinematic play.

Chapters

0:00 Intro1:00 Star Wars Sparks and hesitant players3:00 Fear of splitting the party and analysis paralysis6:30 Encouraging proactive play and giving permission10:00 Using patrons and clear motivations14:00 Narrative hooks and inciting actions17:00 Video game parallels and open-world stress20:00 Mechanics: fate points, plot points, and inspiration24:00 Player chaos: volunteering as hostages26:00 Minion promotions and closing comments

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Player Agency on YouTube.

Show Notes

Erin’s Star Wars SPARKS games: hesitant players and dusty Star Destroyers

Fear of splitting the party and the paralysis of choice

Giving players permission to act and making decisions cinematic

Narrative hooks: long-lost brothers, ticking clocks, and patrons

Game mechanics fueling agency: Fate Core, Cortex, Savage Worlds, inspiration points

Stories from the table: defeating big bads too quickly, volunteering as hostages, “Benny from The Mummy” moments

The balance between modules and improvisation

Open-world video game parallels (No Man’s Sky, Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim)

The episode’s closing: minion questions, potential promotions, and how to connect with the show

Featured Image Meta

A collection of twenty-sided dice.

With the first arc of our Fallout 2d20 campaign completed, we sit down with some coffee to reflect on the game.

We talk about the 2d20 system's strengths, campaign story arcs, funky dice, perk cards, and immersive mechanics. Looking ahead, we think about future campaign goals, new characters, and deeper dives into Fallout-style survival gameplay.

Want more Fallout 2d20? Check out:

Post: Fallout 2d20 Campaign & RPG Resources

Podcast: Gore and Lore in Fallout – Campaigns & Coffee

Podcast: Fallout Zones

Chapters

0:00 Intro & Fallout Campaign Overview1:17 First Impressions of the Fallout 2D20 System3:38 Luck as a Game-Breaking Stat?6:05 Perks, PDFs, and the Art of Scavenging8:22 Critiques: Special Dice, Proprietary Components10:23 What Didn't Work—Or We Didn't Use13:40 Cheat Sheets and GM Tools14:44 Favorite In-Game Moments16:42 Character Growth and Future Arcs20:15 Would You Play It Again?21:56 Combat Mechanics and Cover23:04 Planning the Next Arc: Session Zero Redux24:56 Minion Mailbag: Dungeon Guard Duty Snacks26:10 Outro

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Fallout 2d20 Wrap-up (Campaigns & Coffee) on YouTube.

Show Notes

Fallout 2D20 system wrap-up after six sessions

Reflections on long break and return to post-apocalyptic play

Mechanics discussion: perks, action points, special dice, and the role of luck

Praise and critiques: rulebook usability, proprietary materials, and gameplay smoothness

Favorite moments: Pip-Boy puzzles, Nurse 17’s goldfish crusade, and ghoul roleplay

Hopes for future arcs: deeper scavenging, zone maps, and expanded character growth

Josh contemplating retiring "Lucky Buck"

Session Zero for planning future campaign direction

Bonus question: Best snack for dungeon guard duty

Featured Image

The door from Vault 81 in Fallout 4.

Join us for the Lair of Secrets' annual summer reading list! We run down a few of the books on our respective lists, but we're always looking for more!

Featured in this episode are:

Red Sonja Consumed by Gail Simone

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes

Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente

Infinite Archive (The Midsolar Murders #3) by Mur Lafferty

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

As well as side quests to talk about Iain Banks' The Culture series, Terry Prachett's Discworld, and Neal Stephenson's Seveneves.

Suggest your own book ideas in the comments!

Chapters

0:00 Intro & Rocket Misfires0:40 Red Sonja: Sword & Sorcery Revival1:45 Moon Cheese Madness: Scalzi’s Absurd Apocalypse3:10 Seveneves vs. Moon Made of Cheese4:20 Ghosts in Cryo: Cold Eternity Breakdown5:35 Space Opera and the Glam-paign Idea6:50 Infinite Archive: Murder, She Wrote in Space8:00 Vicious by V.E. Schwab: Superpowered Rivalry9:10 The Overflowing To-Read Pile10:20 Pratchett’s Final Discworld Reflections11:20 Saying Goodbye to The Culture Series12:00 More Books, More Time: Summer Reading Goals13:10 Share Your Book Picks!14:00 Outro & Call to Action

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Summer Reading List 2025 (S4E24) on YouTube.

Show Notes

Red Sonja Consumed by Gail Simone (Ken) - I got this as a Christmas present, and I’m looking forward to Gail’s take on Red Sonja in novel form (I already read the comic book series she wrote; it was great).

From the book blurb:

The gutsy, wild, tortured free spirit, forged in pain yet unafraid of life or death, Red Sonja, the famous, fiery She-Devil and barbarian of Hyrkania has never concerned herself with the consequences of her actions. She’s taken what she wanted, from treasure to drink to the companionship of bedfellows. She’s fought who deserved it (and sometimes those who didn’t). And she’s never looked back. But when rumors start bubbling up from her homeland—rumors of unknown horrors emerging from the ground and pulling their unsuspecting victims to their deaths—and a strange voice begins whispering to her in her sleep, she realizes she may have to return to the country that abandoned her. And finally do the only thing that has ever scared her: confront her past.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi (David) - I’ve been a fan of most of Scalzi’s books. This is one of his more humorous books like Starter Villain and Kaiju Preservation Society. I’m looking forward to it. It’s also going to hold me over until the next Old Man’s War book comes out.

The moon has turned into cheese.

Now humanity has to deal with it.

For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: In God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now... something absolutely impossible.

Astronauts and billionaires, comedians and bank executives, professors and presidents, teenagers and terminal patients at the end of their lives -- over the length of an entire lunar cycle, each get their moment in the moonlight. To panic, to plan, to wonder and to pray, to laugh and to grieve. All in a kaleidoscopic novel that goes all the places you’d expect, and then to so many places you wouldn’t.

It’s a wild moonage daydream. Ride this rocket.

Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes (Ken) – Barnes’ third sci-fi/horror/ghost story novel is out. I loved the creepy atmosphere of the first two, which makes this one an easy pick.

Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago…

The cryo program,

The crew infiltrates a raider lair to rescue a kidnapped girl, navigating irradiated sewers, sentry turrets, and a heavily armed Thriftway gang. Steve NuGunnar faces off against his nemesis Thriftway in a brutal final encounter to reclaim his prized NuRay 3000.

Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources.

Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheat sheets.

Chapters

0:00 Intro & Recap2:10 Turret Ambush!4:59 Raider Chase Begins7:35 Ghoulardi Loots, Team Pushes Forward14:00 Echoes and Radiation20:00 The Showdown Chamber28:00 Frag Grenade Chicken Toss36:00 Raider Meltdown in the Water45:00 Lucky Buck and the Leg Blasts54:00 Ghoulardi's Sniper Shot1:03:00 Nuka Cherry Rage Shotgun1:12:00 Raider Wrath and Ramming Speed1:20:00 The Last Shot at Thriftway1:27:00 Terminal Hacking Mini-Game1:39:00 Brotherhood Logs & Power Armor1:41:00 Cliffhanger Ending

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 5: Thriftway Throwdown on YouTube.

Show Notes

Recap of the mission: tracking the kidnapped girl from Covenant

Opening battle: turret gun ambush and team tactics

Nurse 17 charges into the fray armed with teddy bears and tea party rage

Lucky Buck's accidental luck-fueled sharpshooting streak

Ghoulardi’s chicken-stuffed frag grenade attack

Steve NuGunnar confronts Thriftway for the NuRay 3000

Girl rescued from a makeshift cage by Nurse 17

Fallout-style terminal hacking minigame live!

Discovery of Brotherhood T-60 power armor and terminal logs

Time freezes, leaving the team mid-victory…

Featured Image

A view of sewers from Fallout 4.

On this episode, Ken recaps running ShadowDark, Mothership, and Gaslands Refueled at a local RPG convention. We also delve into how to support your local conventions (MEPACon in the Pennsylvania, and Who's Yer Con? in Indiana).

Chapters

0:00 Intro & MEPACon Setup2:10 Venue Upgrade & Con History4:00 ShadowDark: Morka Norden Recap7:00 Learning from Live Play & Light Mechanics9:30 Mothership Funnel: Decanted Breakdown13:00 Emergency Decanting & Medical Mishaps17:00 Engineering, Design Tweaks, & Player Strategy22:00 Gaslands: Straight to Hell Tutorial26:00 Concrete Jungle & Advanced Play Challenges30:00 Why Local Cons Matter & Final Reflections

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Support your Local Convention (S4E22) on YouTube.

Show Notes

MEPACon RECAP

What is MEPACon?

MEPACon stands for "Mid-Eastern Pennsylvania Gaming Convention"

Located near Allentown, PA

About 30 minutes from Ken’s house.

Held every six month, in spring and fall

Not sure on the exact head count, but Ken's thinking 150 people. Probably more.

Moved to Delta Hotels by Marriott, which is a MUCH better hotel than the previous one (which is being torn down)

Ken ran four games:

Decanted: A Mothership funnel … that failed at being a funnel. Except, maybe not?

Morka Nordan: A ShadowDark adventure ripped from Ken’s lunchtime adventure

Got used to the digital tabletop handling all the light stuff. It's harder to do in the real world.

This is the game where Ken realized just how many ShadowDark mistakes he'd made with his lunch time game.

Two Gaslands Refueled games

Straight to Hell: A 2-hour intro game

Concrete Jungle: A 2-hour race/battle royal game that probably needs to be 4 hours. And maybe I just need to run three 2-hour slot tutorials during the weekend to build up a base of experienced players.

Supporting Your Local Conventions

Importance of local conventions for playtesting, community, and outreach

Thoughts on prepping for Who’s Yer Con and leveraging past games

Reflections on building in-person player communities post-pandemic

Featured Image Meta

An old-time ariel map of Allentown, PA.

After some bartering in Covenant, the Wastelanders continue their quest to hunt down Thriftway's raiders. The Wastelanders' goal? Recover Steve NuGunner's NuRay 3000. Oh, and a girl who was kidnapped from Covenant by the raiders.

Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources.

Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets.

Chapters

0:00 Intro & Wasteland Recap5:15 Covenant Refuge and Raider Fallout13:10 Upgrades, Bartering & Lars’ Plea20:40 Junkyard Clues & Mole Rat Mayhem31:25 Tracking Raiders & Teddy Bear Prep40:10 Ambush in the Wastes: Sneak or Shoot52:45 Sewer Entrance & Guard Elimination1:00:50 Shotgun Justice & Laser Luck1:17:35 Sewer Showdown & Whip Disarm1:33:55 The Turret Twist & Fallout Cliffhanger

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 4: Shotgun Justice on YouTube.

Show Notes

The wasteland adventurers delve deeper into the irradiated heart of the wasteland as Steve NuGunner, Lucky Buck, Goulardi, and Nurse 17 arrive at the battered settlement of Covenant. After narrowly fending off raiders, they resupply, regroup, and are thrust into a high-stakes mission: rescue a kidnapped girl taken by Thriftway’s Enclave-aligned raiders.

Nurse 17 gets upgraded with stealth and speed, becoming a teddy bear-draped death machine, while Steve is laser-focused on retrieving his beloved NuRay 3000. Following tracks to a junkyard-turned-camp, the group uncovers clues leading them to an ominous sewer entrance.

Their infiltration escalates quickly as stealth gives way to gunfire and buzzsaws. From sneak attacks to shotgun justice, the team cuts through the raiders, pushing deeper and deeper into the base. Along the way, they interrogate a survivor, sprint into potential traps, and navigate the green-tinged threat of an oncoming radiation storm. The episode crescendos with a chase into the sewer depths—just in time for the hum of an auto-turret coming online.

Featured Image Meta

A man aims a shotgun in a screenshot from Fallout 4.

Ken and David explore Moonbeam.stream, a streaming platform made for tabletop gamers and creatives, while sharing their live-streaming experiments and future content plans.

They also dive into their respective ShadowDark campaigns, filled with dungeon chefs, dagger-bound skeletons, and low-level party drama. Ken preps for his return to Philmont, while David tempts fate with yet another enticing Kickstarter.

Moonbeam sites

Moonbeam.streaming

The Lair's Realm on Moonbeam

Chapters

0:09 What Is Moonbeam.stream?1:19 Streaming Past and Present2:48 Live Streaming Experiments3:28 Ken's OBS Trials & Switch Bridge Setup4:50 Drawing Dungeons and Mothership Maps5:46 Streaming One-Shots and Actual Plays6:07 The DIE: Die Improvement Environment7:24 Portal Vibes & Co-Working Streams9:29 Scheduling & Chaos Coordination14:21 Ken’s Training for Philmont18:18 Altitude, Monsoons, and Backpack Logistics25:04 Cooking in the Dungeon: ShadowDark Update28:24 Party Health Woes and Lucky Rolls30:55 Skeletons, Dire Rats & Goblin Politics33:49 ShadowDark Western Reaches Kickstarter35:13 Alien RPG Evolved Temptation35:55 Wrap-Up and Community Links

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Moonbeam Chasing (S4E20) on YouTube.

Show Notes

What is Moonbeam?

Not a crypto-currency. Ok, it is, but we’re not talking about THAT Moonbeam.

It’s a streaming platform, currently in beta, that’s meant to have better moderation capabilities and a more creator-friendly pay structure.

What are we doing with Moonbeam?

Game Prep

Campaign Notes

Map Prep

FoundryVTT exploration

Random experiments

Video Games?

Maybe.

Ken’s thinking about a Switch bridge.

Actual Play

RPGs

The Die Improvement Environment or D.I.E.

Helping rehabilitate those recalcitrant dice.

Stuff we like so far

Co-working Streams

Random folks playing video games

Haven’t watched an RPG session yet (probably should)

Stuff we probably need to figure out

A recording schedule?

Posting?

Figuring out how Realms work. (We’ve got a Lair of Secrets realm, but how does it interact with other realms?)

Featured Image Meta

A black and white image of the moon over Lake Champlain. Photo by Ken.

On this episode, we talk about the top mistakes we made running ShadowDark (aka "how Ken accidentally enabled hard mode for his campaign").

Our mistakes include "overly complicate torch management", "create deadlier rat diseases", "don't use Luck points", and more!

Looking for more ShadowDark content? Check out these Lair episodes:

d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15)

Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee)

Chapters

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made on YouTube.

Show Notes

1. Overcomplicate Torch Management

You don't need to do torch gymnastics to light a new one. If your old one is burning down, and the players want to start a new torch, they do it. The timer is reset to 60 minutes, and the old torch is discarded.

Keeping fractional torches around ("But we had 15 minutes left on this torch!") is a natural impulse given the importances (and potential scarcity) of light, but fractional torches make things complicated. And the mechanic isn't meant to be complicated.

A reasonable house rule I've seen for torches that go out less than halfway through their burn cycle is to round down to 30 minutes. Keeping track of "half torches" is still work, but less work than breaking it down further.

That said, if you’re under threat, then yes, there are torch gymnastics. There’s a DC 12 Dexterity check to ignite a torch under such conditions. - If it’s dark, same DC, but with disadvantage. We’ll talk more about that in our ShadowDark house rules episode coming up. (Sly Flourish - https://slyflourish.com/shadowdark_house_rules.html)

2. Create even deadlier rat diseases

The common rat in ShadowDark is infected with a fast acting disease that immediately saps the adventurer's Constitution. Depending on how you interpret the rule, it either prevents all healing until the adventurer makes a saving throw OR the adventure can't recover their lost Con until they make a saving throw.

Ken chose the latter.

3. Don't use luck points

For Ken’s first few games, he didn’t use Luck points at all. Which, given how deadly ShadowDark is, can be a pretty big difficulty upgrade for players.

Running the same scenario at a convention (and swapping in a Seer character from Cursed Scrolls #3) revealed just how helpful Luck tokens are (the seer being able to create Luck tokens 3x per day).

4. Get Spell Mishaps Wrong

Ken’s game made spell failure MUCH more dangerous by rolling on the mishap chart whenever a spell casting attempt failed (and not just on critical fumbles, as per the rules).

This makes it much more likely your 1st level character is going to get killed when failing to cast a spell.

5. Don't Plan for Carousing

Carousing is a big part of the game. During downtime, players can spend gold to have adventures in town, earning XP, acquiring allies (and maybe an enemy). But to do it, they need gold … so it helps to make sure that they’ll actually have that gold when they got home.

Also, read the carousing and “learn skills” downtime activities before you start the adventure, so you know what the players can do at the end.

6. Get Stuck in D&D 5e Mode

ShadowDark is a cousin of D&D 5e … and 5e has a rule for everything. It’s easy to bring in default 5e assumptions (I’m looking at you, opportunity attacks) rather than looking for the ShadowDark equivalent.

7. Stress about when to level up

Do you level up at session's end or in the middle of the session? This is more a preference than a mistake (though your mileage may vary). Leveling up is super easy in ShadowDark, but it does slow things down a bit.

8 Wasting time looking up rules that don't exist

ShadowDark is a rules-light game. D&D or Pathfinder fans may come in looking for detailed rules for, well, just about everything.

Most of the time, ShadowDark doesn’t have them. Like “Learning” during downtime.

Our group of wastelanders (and one former Vault dwelling weapons tester) defend the fortified town of Covenant from raiders in the latest chapter of our Fallout 2d20 Actual Play campaign. The raiders defeated, the group gains access to Covenant, where they uncover rumors about a ghoul named Thriftway dealing in slaves for the Enclave.

Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources.

Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro: Welcome to the Wasteland1:00 - Raiders at the Gates: Defending Covenant4:30 - Entering Covenant: A Safe Haven or a Lie?9:45 - The Barter Extravaganza: Caps, Junk, and Haggling26:00 - The Junk Jet Temptation: A Heavy Investment31:30 - Thriftway’s Shadow: Raiders, Slavery, and the Enclave44:10 - The Alarm Sounds: Lars Returns, Badly Wounded50:15 - A Mission Forms: Tracking Thriftway and Saving the Girl1:03:30 - Outro: Next Stop – The Hunt Begins!

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 3: Rumors & Raiders on YouTube.

Show Notes

Raiders at the Gates – The team helps Covenant fend off a raider attack and earns the town’s trust.

Covenant’s Secrets – The town appears friendly, but there’s an undercurrent of unease, especially toward ghouls.

The Great Barter Session – A deep dive into Fallout’s economy as the group haggles for ammo, supplies, and a stealth module for Nurse 17.

The Junk Jet Temptation – Lucky Buck eyes a bizarre but deadly weapon.

A Growing Threat – The group hears rumors that the Enclave is buying slaves from Thriftway, but his location remains unknown.

A Sudden Attack – Lars, a local mechanic, returns badly injured, revealing that raiders took his daughter.

A New Mission – With a lead on Thriftway, the party gears up for a rescue operation.

Featured Image Meta

A raider base in Fallout 4. Credit: Bethesda.

Fallout 2d20 uses zones instead of conventional battle maps or theater of the mind to describe where your characters (and their enemies) are in the game world. In this episode, we talk about how Fallout zones work, offer advice on how to use them, and take a peak at some other games that use zones.

After fighting our way through the wasteland, we geek out about Alien: Isolation, the excellent survival horror game now available on the Switch, and the Foundry Virtual Table Top.

Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources.

Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets.

Chapters

0:00 Intro – Welcome to the Lair of Secrets1:00 What Are Fallout Zones?3:45 How Zones Improve Tactical Combat9:30 Obstacles, Cover & Hazards in Zone-Based Play15:20 Zone-Based Games – Fate, Shadowdark, Alien, and More19:45 Jump Scares - Playing ALIEN: Isolation in the Dark26:30 How Alien: Isolation Preps You for Running an Alien RPG31:10 David’s New Obsession: Foundry VTT34:50 Foundry vs. Roll20 – Which Virtual Tabletop is Better?37:45 Final Thoughts & Sign Off

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Fallout Zones on YouTube.

Show Notes

Main Topic

Overview of zones in Fallout 2d20

What and why?

Abstract way of representing regions and distances in a game.

Half-way between battle map and theatre of the mind … sort of.

Great for RPGs featuring more abstract locales.

Lets you avoid infinite 5-foot-squares.

Fallout 2d20 zones

Reach - Arms reach (within close, but not an actual zone; minor action to close; confusing wording)

Close - Any distance within the zone you’re in.

Medium - Distance of one zone

Long - Distance of two zones

Extreme - Distance of three or more zones

How do they impact movement / weapons?

Difficult terrain: “A zone may be filled with difficult terrain, slowing anyone attempting to cross it.” Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 38)

Obstacles are similar in that they hinder your movement, but they exist between zones—attempts to move from one zone to another where an obstacle is present may slow your progress. Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 38)

Hazards are parts of the environment that inflict damage to creatures caught in them. A hazard may be present in a specific zone, or it may be spread among multiple zones. Fallout 2d20 core rules (p. 39)

How to Represent Zones

Theater of the Mind

How far can you take it in theatre of the mind?

Visual Zones

Use index cards or draw out boxes representing zones.

Battle Maps

Create your map. Draw lines on it indicating zones

Outside Example:

Zone 1: The near battlefield, on the shores of a stream.

Between zone 1 and 2: the stream that must be crossed

Zone 2: The field on the far side of the stream

Zone 3: A stand of broken boulders & battle tank

Zone 4: The edge of a forest. Hulks of buildings looms in the distance

Inside Example:

Zone 1: The Library

Zone 2: The Entrance Hallway

Zone 3: The Kitchen

Zone 4: The Basement

Zone 5: The Balcony and second for overlooking the dining room

Prior experience with zones in other systems

FATE

Index Card RPG

Professor DM / Dungeon Craft

Alien (Year Zero system)

Forbidden Lands

Adjacent

Shadowdark

Fallout scenarios we ran

The Lab (small scale zones)

Surface Fight (open range)

The Dungeon (larger, longer-range zones)

Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages

Makes range more abstracted; in Cyberpunk RED, if I want to give the solo a chance to use his sniper or assault rifle skills, I probably need to scale up my map.

With zones, the distance gets abstracted … and the map doesn’t even need to exist.

Disadvantages

Breaks your brain a little.

Can be hard to conceptualize (particularly if you come from a minis-based game.

Reach vs. Close

Building-as-a-zone vs.

As our Fallout 2d20 Actual Play campaign continues, the party treks across the wasteland toward the settlement of Covenant. Along the way, they encounter dangers both grotesque and ridiculous, from gutting radioactive bugs for dinner to dodging their own teammates grenades.

And yeah, Steve's still trying to recover his prototype laser pistol from the bandit leader known as Thriftway...

Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources.

Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro: Welcome Back to the Wasteland1:04 - Meet the Survivors: Ghoul Chemists, Security Officers, and a Nurse Handy3:15 - Scavenging, Cooking, and Campfire Debriefs7:40 - Lucky Buck’s (Un)fortunate Grenade Luck12:30 - Wasteland Travel & Gunfire in the Distance18:05 - Sneaking Into Trouble: Raiders at Covenant22:50 - Explosive Ambush: Baseball Grenades & Laser Blasts30:20 - The Last Stand: Raiders’ Final Moments37:45 - Covenant Welcomes the Survivors45:10 - What’s Next? The Mystery of Thriftway55:20 - Outro: Join Us Again in the Wasteland!

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 2: Covenant Clash on YouTube.

Show Notes

Picking up from last time: The team emerges from their bloatfly battle at Taffington Boathouse, scavenging for supplies and making camp. Character Highlights:

Ghoulardi, the chem-crafting ghoul, prepares a fine (if unsettling) wasteland feast.

Steve NuGunnar, still haunted by the theft of his NewRay 3000, is determined to reclaim it from Thriftway.

Nurse 17 plays both den mother and war machine, tending to the team and disarming Lucky Buck in the most literal sense.

Lucky Buck, ever a source of accidental chaos, makes up for past grenade mishaps with a well-placed explosive.

Svenghoulie, the enigmatic wasteland ghoul, provides a Molotov cocktail mid-battle as a thoughtful gift.

Tense Wasteland Travel: Gunfire in the distance signals trouble near Covenant.

Raider Ambush at Covenant: The team executes a surprise attack, eliminating hostiles with a mix of precision, explosions, and mechanical saws.

A Welcome at Covenant: The settlement's guards thank the party for their assistance, allowing them entry.

On the Horizon: The mystery of Thriftway and his stolen tech looms large, promising more danger ahead.

Featured Image Meta

The town of Covenant, as depicted in Fallout 4. Credit: Bethesda.

On this episode, we delve far from the light to geek out about Shadowdark. The old-school-inspired RPG strips Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition to its essentials, and then adds in some modern sensibilities.

We talk about our favorite mechanics, how it's impacted our other games (looking at you D&D 5th Edition!), and our players' penchant for wandering off into the dark.

PLUS: Squishy wizards! Unlimited spells (if they don't kill you!) Morale failures! AND the upcoming Western Reaches Campaign Setting Kickstarter (link in the comments)

Chapters

0:00 - Intro: Straight into the ShadowDark1:30 - Rolling Old-School Attributes (3D6 in Order!)4:10 - The Darkness is Your Enemy: Why Light Matters7:30 - Inventory Tetris: The Beauty of Gear Slots10:00 - Squishy Wizards and the Horror of 1 HP13:00 - No XP for Combat? Time to Get Creative15:20 - Skills? Where we're going, we don't need skills!18:00 - Morale Checks: Making Enemies Run in Fear20:30 - Unlimited Spells (But at What Cost?)23:00 - Clerical Penance: Displease Your God and Suffer26:00 - Rolling on the Chaos Tables: Why Randomness is Fun28:40 - Limited Rules, Maximum Improv31:00 - Excited for Western Reaches—More ShadowDark Content!32:30 - Final Thoughts & Where to Find Us Online

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! on YouTube

Show Notes

Old School Attributes.

Roll 3d6. In order. Re-roll if you all your stats are under 14, re-roll.

No one can see in the dark

But the monsters can.

Where do the monsters lurk?

Gear Slots

Carry a number of items equal to your STR stat or 10.

All gear besides typical clothing fills one gear slot.

Gear that is hard to transport might fill more than one slot.

Squishy heroes

A wizard with 3 hit points? Good luck.

Skills

Easy? You do it.

(It’s infectious … started doing that in D&D too)

Hard? You roll?

Something make it easier? Advantage, Harder? Disadvantage

Morale

Enemies who are reduced to half their number (or half their hit points for a solo enemy) flee if they fail a DC 15 Wisdom check.

Large Groups. Make one check using the leader's WIS modifier.

Throwback to old school D&D

Your spells can kill you

Dare to roll on the spell failure charts

Magic missile bathes you in purple light?

Unlimited Spells

Just. Keep. Casting.

But do you risk it

Clerical Penance

Inadequate or subversive penance (such as donating your sacrifice to a party member) only displeases your deity further and makes the spell loss permanent.

Embrace the Random

Talents depend on a die, not choice

Limited rules. Maximum improv.

Stripped down version of 5e removes a lot of the game’s specific rules.

Improvise when the specific is needed.

The rules system can fit in your head once you play it enough

It’s in the Goldilocks zone of size

The Western Reaches Kickstarter!

Shadowdark RPG: The Western Reaches Setting

ShadowDark Quickstart

Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set (PDF)

We kickoff our Fallout 2d20 campaign with the protagonists (not sure we can call them "heroes" just yet) waking up in the Wasteland.

Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro & Audio Shenanigans3:15 - Meet the Survivors8:40 - Escape from the Hospital Basement14:55 - Reg the Super Mutant Chef22:10 - Journey Through the Wasteland29:30 - EyeBot Encounters & Enclave Paranoia35:50 - The Boathouse Discovery42:15 - Bloatfly Swarm Attack!49:40 - Lucky Buck’s Unfortunate Grenade Fumble55:20 - Steve Learns About Boats & Water1:02:45 - Looting the Boathouse & Finding the Note1:10:30 - What’s the Deal with Thriftway?1:18:15 - Closing Thoughts & What’s Next

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 1: Wasteland Wake-Up (S4E14) on YouTube.

Show Notes

Intro Banter & Setup: The team settles in, adjusting audio, discussing wildlife encounters, and reflecting on the horror of screech owls.

Meet the Survivors:

Ghoulardi – A grizzled ghoul with a quick wit.

Nurse 17 – A pre-war Nurse Handy bot obsessed with Goldfish crackers and proper nap times.

Steve NuGunnar – A Vault-Tec security veteran, utterly baffled by surface life.

Lucky Buck – A shockingly lucky Brotherhood of Steel initiate with questionable grenade etiquette.

Cryogenic Awakening: The group escapes a hospital basement, encountering a radroach-dissecting super mutant chef named Reg, who warns them to leave before his kin arrive.

First Steps in the Wasteland: The survivors are joined by Svenghoulie, a ghoul carrying grenade-stuffed rubber chickens.

The Journey to Covenant Begins: Along the cracked highways, they dodge a suspicious EyeBot blaring patriotic music and explain the concept of boats to a bewildered Steve.

Bloatfly Brawl at the Boathouse: The team arrives at a seemingly abandoned boathouse, only to be swarmed by oversized, irradiated insects.

Lucky Buck’s Unlucky Grenade Incident: Attempting to clear the infestation, Buck fumbles a baseball grenade, obliterating the bloatflies—and nearly taking Steve with him.

Looting the Wreckage: The team scavenges supplies, discovering food, weapons, and a note pointing them toward Covenant and a mysterious Thriftway.

Closing Thoughts & Next Steps: The session ends with a healed-up Steve demanding answers about Thriftway, as the group prepares for what lies ahead.

Featured Image Meta

Cryo-chambers from Fallout 4. Credit: Bethesda.

Ken elaborates on the Attention Economy - how many things people need to keep track of - for D&D 2024, and how it differs from the 2014. (and yeah, this explains his initial reaction to the Blade Ward cantrip back in Episode 5).

He reviews the idea of the Action Economy (how many things a player can do in a round), how it relates to the Attention Economy (how many things a player needs to keep track of), and the implications for speed of play.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro – What is the Attention Economy?1:15 - Action Economy vs. Attention Economy2:45 - How D&D 5E Streamlined Play3:30 - High-Level Play and Complexity Challenges4:20 - D&D 2024 – Exciting or Overwhelming?5:10 - Final Thoughts & Experimenting with the New Rules

Listen to the Episode

Watch the Episode

Watch The D&D Attention Economy - Greyhawk '76 (Ep. 7) on YouTube.

Ken recaps his group's second session using the D&D 2024 rules, with specific looks at Blade Ward (spiffy spell, won't save you from critical) and Mastery (a character ability that unlocks special characteristics of weapons).

Chapters

0:00 - Welcome to Greyhawk '761:10 - The Burrow Boys Arrive: Ogres, Halflings, and a Goliath3:20 - Trickery and Tragedy: Illusions, Combat, and Critical Failures5:10 - The Standoff Turns Deadly: James Fairheight’s Fate7:00 - D&D 2024 Playtest: What We Learned

Listen to the Episode

Watch the Episode

Watch Enemy Mine - Greyhawk '76 (Ep. 6) on YouTube.

After venturing into the dark with only a torch to guide their way, the Campaigns & Coffee crew talks about their experiences playing the ShadowDark RPG (where they ARE very likely to be eaten by a grue).

They discuss the dungeon-delving, old-school-inspired game’s real-time torch mechanics, its focus on fast-paced and high-stakes decision-making. They also look at encumbrance (no, you can not bring a golf club bag's worth of weapons), spell mechanics, and the game's relentless tension.

Chapters

0:00 – Welcome1:00 – First Impressions of Shadowdark RPG3:05 – Torch Timer: Exciting or Stressful?5:36 – How Shadowdark Brings Back Old-School D&D8:11 – Minimal Planning, Maximum Action12:30 – Encumbrance: You Can’t Carry Everything!16:25 – Spells, Failures, and Magical Chaos18:00 – Fun (and Bad) Player Choices20:46 – The Overlord’s Healthcare Question22:06 – Outro and Final Thoughts

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) on YouTube.

Show Notes

David’s Sunday RPG Sessions

Running Shattered Ark and diving into Shadowdark with friends.

First Impressions of Shadowdark

A game that balances intensity and relaxation, depending on playstyle.

Real-Time Mechanics

The torch timer creates urgency, making every decision count.

Roleplaying vs. Action

Less focus on deep character backstories, more on immediate problem-solving.

Using Foundry VTT

Learning the system while displaying maps on the big screen.

Dungeon Delving Emphasis

Shadowdark restores a classic Dungeons & Dragons dungeon-crawling feel.

Comparing to Older D&D Editions

Discussing how early D&D had more encounters and rest limitations.

Encumbrance Matters!

Inventory slots limit loot-hoarding, forcing strategic choices.

Spell System

Spells don’t disappear, but failed rolls can make them unusable or go awry.

Player Stories

Highlights of decision-making, torch anxiety, and unexpected survival.

Featured Image Meta

Cover art from the ShadowDark core rule book. Credit: The Arcane Library.

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, we present the our guide for new Game Masters, packed with advice, tips, and encouragement for those ready to take the GM seat. We explore choosing the right game, gathering players, preparing efficiently, and rolling with mistakes while ensuring a fun and engaging experience.

Chapter List

0:00 - Welcome to the Lair & GMing 1012:00 - Choosing the Right Game for You & Your Players5:00 - Prepping Smart: Rules, Research & Quickstart Guides8:30 - Finding & Pitching to Players11:45 - One-Shots vs. Campaigns: Starting with Low Commitment14:20 - Tools of the Trade: GM Kits & Digital vs. In-Person Play17:30 - Rolling with Mistakes & Improvising on the Fly20:15 - Setting Expectations & Managing Player Dynamics23:00 - Encouragement for New GMs & The GMUary Initiative25:10 - Closing Thoughts & Join the Lair Community!

Listen to the Episode

Watch to the Episode

Watch The Lair's Guide for New Game Masters (S4E13) on YouTube

Show Notes

Identify games you are interested in

Game that you’ve been playing?

A game you’ve had on your shelf and have been interested in?

Watch videos or listen to podcasts about those games.

Like say … Scum & Villainy or Cyberpunk RED actual plays here at the Lair :)

Make the Pitch

Read the room and look for:

games that fit the players might like

Sense of whether they want a one shot or something extended

Offer to run one game

With the option to run more if you and the others like it

Offer to run a self-contained game

Fiasco

Honey Heist

Lasers & Feelings

Lady Blackbird

D&D Essentials Kit

Do a test run

Play the game at a convention

Get a feel for how the game is run

Try a solo adventure

See the Dragonbane boxed set and its solo adventure

Do a mini session with people excited for the game to

“kick the tires” of the rules

get used to being the GM

figure out the virtual game table as the GM

What’s your minimal viable game as a new Game Master

Run a one shot

That one shot means there isn’t a long commitment

The one shot can turn into a multi-shot game if everyone is enthusiastic about it

Quickstart rules for games

Pregen characters

This way you know what the character abilities are and how they might be played

What we recommend you reading and setting up

Review the scenario

Take notes about parts that are confusing or not fleshed out.

What we recommend you and your players review before the game:

The basic rules for the game

Rules Cheat Sheet

Find one or make one

Review the characters

Some tools

Index Cards

Notebook

List of names

Pencils.

Extra dice

Build a tool kit!

Running - Don’t worry. You’ve got this.

Talk with your group and set expectations. Ask the rules lawyer to chill (or to help)

Let the group know that if you can’t find a rule, you’ll make a ruling and move on

Roll with the fumbles (see also: ken makes awesomely bad mothership maps)

Don’t worry about being “right”, work on having fun

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for the D&D Essentials Kit. Credit: Wizards of the Coast.

Building immersive cities for RPGs takes center stage on this episode, with inspiration from real-world examples like San Antonio's Alamo and Chicago's reversed river.

We dive into tools and techniques for making cities that evolve, feel lived in, and resonate as characters within campaigns. From quirky city rivalries to handling disasters, this episode offers creative advice for dungeon masters and storytellers.

Chapters

0:00 Intro2:10 Real-World Inspiration: San Antonio and the Alamo6:30 Geography and Natural Features in City Design10:45 Tools for RPG City-Building (The Quiet Year, Ex Novo)15:00 How Cities Evolve Over Time20:00 City Rivalries and Personality24:30 Integrating Disasters and Landmarks into City History30:00 Cities in Post-Apocalyptic Settings33:20 Q&A: The Rogue-Polymorphed-Toad Dilemma34:30 Outro

Listen to the Episode

Watch the Episode

Watch Build Better Cities - Campaigns & Coffee on YouTube

Show Notes

Introduction: Exploring city-building in RPGs inspired by San Antonio's vibrant culture and geography.

Cities: Skylines video game

Key Elements of Real Cities:

San Antonio’s Alamo and its unique building-height regulation.

Chicago’s reversed river and evolving cityscape.

Historical insights from medieval cities to Cyberpunk's Night City.

Domus: Night City: how Cyberpunk 2077’s future megacity was built

Tips for RPG City-Building:

Start with geography and natural features.

Use landmarks, NPCs, and district evolution to build personality.

Recommended tools:

The Quiet Year

Ex Novo

The Game Master's Book of Astonishing Random Tables

Recommended books

Life in a Medieval City

Life in a Medieval Castle

Life in a Medieval Village

A Magical Medieval Society Western Europe

City as a Character:

How rivalries and unique traits shape urban identity.

Integrating disasters and recovery into city evolution.

The 9/11 Memorial in New York City

The Survivor Tree

Q&A Segment: Turning a rogue-turned-toad mishap into a strategic move.

Ken rants about the new and improved Blade Ward cantrip. in Dungeons & Dragons 2024.

Chapters

0:00 Intro - Welcome to Greyhawk ’760:15 Why I Hate Blade Ward1:10 Blade Ward: 2014 vs. 20242:00 The Action Economy Problem2:30 Final Thoughts & Playtesting3:00 Outro - Like & Subscribe

Listen to the Video

Watch the Episode

Watch "I Hate Blade Ward - Greyhawk '76 (Ep. 5)" on YouTube.

Show Notes

Welcome to Greyhawk '76. I'm Ken Newquist and I hate blade ward.

Quick backstory: Had our first Greyhawk '76 session, in which the adventurers got recruited to recover a lost Fairheights family treasure from an abandoned mine.

Our human battlemaster / wizard initiate LOVES blade ward.

And rightly so - it's a cheap, spammable buff that builds on his already impressive AC.

What changed?

What it did:

Resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks

Lasted until the end of the next turn

What it does now

Whenever a creature makes an attack roll against you before the spell ends, the attacker subtracts 1d4 from the attack roll.

Requires concentration

Lasts for 1 minute.

My concern:

Impacts the action economy.

We've added another die role for EVERY attack on this character. More dice being rolled means more time waiting for die rolls. And more math.

Increased cognitive load on the Dungeon Master

I've got a lot of things to remember. This is one more thing.

Combined with fighter's 18 Armor Class (from Scale Mail), this increases the character's tank-iness at low levels.

Seems over powered for a cantrip (no, I did not do the math)

Where we go from here?

Obviously I'm joking that I hate Blade Ward.

I have some concerns, but we can mitigate them by:

The player rolling the dice

The player keeping track of the spell

We already have similar book keeping for things like bless so it's not THAT much more.

But it IS one more thing.

Ken talks about lessons learned during his first Dungeons & Dragons 2024 adventure, "The Lost Coins of Cousin Ernest", including:

Blade Ward

Rules guide in the 2024 Player's Handbook

The Thief

Hand-drawn maps in Roll20

Weapon Mastery

Chapters

0:00 Intro0:35 Setting the Scene: The Treasure Mine1:50 Rival Factions: Fairheights vs. Witherwinns3:10 Water Weird Ambush4:20 Rogue Abilities Shine5:15 Hand-Drawn Maps and Retro Vibes6:30 Lessons Learned: Rules and Mechanics7:45 Blade Ward: Overpowered or Balanced?8:30 Teasing the Next Session9:10 Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts

Listen to the Video

Watch the Episode

Watch "Our First D&D 2024 Adventure - Greyhawk '76 (Ep. 4) on YouTube

Show Notes

We had our first Greyhawk '76 session, in which the adventurers got recruited to recover a lost family treasure from an abandoned mine.

I played on the High Ery / Erybend family rivalry subplot from the DMG:

Fairheights vs. Witherwinns (their client is James Fairheight, and he found deciphered a map to the family treasure).

Started the action IN the mine, with the adventurers and their client having just discovered the treasured.

See the "Ignite Your Next D&D Campaign" episode of Campaigns and Coffee

Setup is an old mine.

The first level has a main shaft and lots of side passages.

Mine tunnel collapses created a jumbled, partly flooded cave lake on the second level.

The treasure, gleaming in light from a ventilation shaft over head, was located in the center of the lake.

The bludgeoned corpses of a previous crew were on the island, having just reached the treasure.

The treasure was protected by a water weird (inspired by a re-read of the Dungeon of Dread "Endless Quests" book)

The cavern was multi-teared, with a walkable rim surrounding it, and multiple entrances.

At intervals, additional crews would show up to challenge the party, because James couldn't stop humble bragging about his find.

Goals:

Give each character a chance to try out class abilities in a multi-level environment.

Inject role-playing opportunities to help define character personalities and priorities.

Lean into the DMG as a campaign source book.

The Adventure

It went well.

Water weird attacked "Predator"-style, leveraging disengage and its' innate invisibility in the water maneuver around the cavern and threaten heroes.

The arrival of the Witherwinn faction delivered additional drama, as some players chose to intimidate through force, while the Trickster cleric charmed other Witherwinns to his side … and used "calm emotions" to keep them disinterested.

Set up the next confrontation: The Burrow Brothers, a murderous band of halfling cutthroats and their ogre allies.

Lessons Learned

I've got a bunch, some of which will be covered in upcoming episodes.

The Rules Guide in the Player's Handbook is pretty great.

Death Saving Throws: Work the same as they ever did (the save is a straight d20 roll, which happens at the start of your turn).

Finding Traps is a Wisdom (Perception) - it counts as finding a hidden object. Check the Compendium

The Rogue's Thief gets a Climb speed. Handy when moving down the crumbling walls of a collapsed cave.

The Rogue's Thief also gets to substitute Dexterity for Strength when Jumping

Hand drawn maps work well in Roll20

Weapons Mastery represents weapon-specific features that certain characters (rogues, fighters) can use take special actions (like "Nick" or "Vex". More on that next time.

Blade Ward is a powerful cantrip. I hate it. Ok, I don't like it. Ok, I'll wait to pass judgement, but right now, I'm not a big fan.

On this episode of Greyhawk '76, Ken talks about the essential books for running a World of Greyhawk campaign, including the new Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), the World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983) and the Expedition to the The Ruins of Greyhawk (2007).

Chapters

0:00 Introduction1:00 Greyhawk ‘76 Campaign Kickoff2:30 Reviewing the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide4:00 Updated Maps: Hits and Misses6:00 Exploring Greyhawk Lore: Classic Sourcebooks8:00 The Twin Cataclysms and Canon Debates10:00 Iuz, the Great Kingdom, and Major Conflicts12:00 Adventure Hooks and Iconic Locations14:00 Wrapping Up: Greyhawk Library Essentials

Listen to the Video

Watch the Episode

Watch 'Build a Greyhawk Library - D&D 2024 (Ep. 3)" on YouTube

Show Notes

Welcome to Greyhawk '76. Let's talk books!

Player's Handbook (2024)

The rules.

Dungeon Master's Guide (2024)

High-level overview of the Free City of Greyhawk and the larger campaign setting.

Loosely based on the 1980 Greyhawk Folio.

It's nice to see Greyhawk featured so prominently, but there are a ton of continuity, country, and NPC changes that don't make a ton of sense (except in the context of 1) updating Greyhawk for modern sensibilities 2) fitting all the things into Greyhawk … which doesn't really need all the things fit into it.

Like … why is Otto (long standing member of the Circle of Eight) now a … dwarf?

Sets up the primary conflicts as … Elemental Evil (they were defeated, but yeah, some cultists are still out there), the demigod Iuz (gathering his forces in the north; classic villain), and dragons … umm, yeah, dragons aren't world-shatteringly important in Greyhawk. The Scarlet Brotherhood and/or the dying Great Kingdom are better Big Bads.

BUT … it wouldn't be Greyhawk if we weren't arguing about canon … hell, it feels like coming home to be reading people passionately and thoughtfully arguing about how the latest release disrespects with their favorite setting (I'm looking at you, From the Ashes).

I'll link to some of that commentary in the show notes.

Fold-out map of the Flanaess, with the City of Greyhawk on the other side.

The World of Greyhawk (1983)

The true state of the World of the World in CY 576.

The original World of Greyhawk boxed set.

Greyhawk Adventures (1988)

Notes on Gods, Geography, Magic Items, Spells, and even Zero Level Characters

The City Of Greyhawk (1989) - Pre-Greyhawk Wars release

Gazetter of the Free City and the Surrounding Area - the city, plus some city-based things like the DM's guide to the Low City (random tables!)

Folk, Feuds, and Factions - a who's who of the free city, plus guilds, low life, mages and priests, economics, military, and law.

Expedition to the The Ruins of Greyhawk

The 3.5 update of the Greyhawk Ruins book, which itself documented a chunk of Castle Greyhawk.

Never ran it, but I might pull from it if the crew goes there.

Somewhere, i've got a copy of the original Greyhawk Ruins … but haven't been able to fi gure out where I put it.

Living Greyhawk Gazetteer

This book provided the foundation for the old Living Greyhawk campaign.

It takes place in CY 591, which is nearly two decades after our '76 campaign, but it's still a great reference (particularly for areas not covered extensively in earlier releases)

Castle Greyhawk

The joke version of Castle Greyhawk. Not recommended.

Two new fan-created resources

World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Revised

Classic Guide to Greyhawk

Greyhawk grognards take on DMG 2024

Canonfire - Samwise - Greyhawk 2024

Age of Great Sorrow - Entirely Unsolicited Grognard Opinions on the World of Greyhawk in the 2024 D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide

Meet the adventurers taking center stage in Ken's Greyhawk '76 test drive campaign for Dungeons & Dragons 2024!

Listen to the Episode

Watch the Episode

Watch "Meet the Party - D&D 2024 (Ep. 2)" on YouTube

Show Notes

In the second episode of Greyhawk '76, Ken talks about the player characters the campaign is using to test drive the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 rules.

Campaign Guidelines for Character Creation

Since the purpose of the campaign is to test drive the D&D 2024 rules, we decided to start at 3rd level rather than 1st. That gives everyone a few more options to play with, and lets them pick a subclass (which is where things often get interest for players, since more advanced capabilities kick in with the subclasses).

Here are our guidelines:

Everyone begins at 3rd level

Everyone uses the Standard point buy for attributes

Use the "starting at higher level" rules on page 43 of the D&D Player's Handbook

They get normal starting gear plus one Common magical item

Characters who will die (what, Ken kill low-level 5e characters? Impossible!) will be built using the same rules, with the "starting level" tweaked as necessary.

The Characters of Greyhawk '76

Ramnulf Heathertoes

Male Halfling Thief

Subclass: Rogue

Background Origin Feat: Magic Initiate (Mage)

Species Origin Feat: N/A

Reed Goodbarrel

Male Halfling Cleric

Subclass: Trickster Domain

Background Origin Feat: Tough

Species Origin Feat: N/A

Tiberius

Male Human Fighter

Subclass: Battlemaster

Background origin feat: Tough

Species Origin feat: Magic Initiate (Wizard)

Raqsam

* Male Dragonborn Wizard

Subclass: Illusionist

Subspecies: White Dragon

Background Origin Feat: Alert

Species Origin Feat: N/A

Evaluating the Party

It's a well rounded party.

There's a good mix of classes (with a surprising number of halflings), which should help us achieve our playtest goals.

It nicely balances hard-hitting martial characters (the rogue, the fighter), magical support (the wizard, the cleric), and healing (the cleric again).

The chosen classes also help us playtest specific parts of D&D 2024 rules, like mastery, tweaked spells and cantrips, and the less combat-oriented skills (finding and disarming traps, interacting with NPCs, offensive and defensive spells, and the ever-fun battle master maneuvers.

Welcome to Greyhawk '76, a test drive campaign for Dungeons & Dragons 2024! (aka D&D 5.5).

This episode introduces the test drive, what it hopes to accomplish, and explains where the campaign gets its name from (hint: it takes place in the Common Year 576).

Chapter List

0:00 Intro to Greyhawk '760:45 The Legacy of Greyhawk1:45 Blackrazor Guild’s Storied Past3:15 New Campaign Setup and Testing D&D 2024 Rules4:00 Closing Thoughts

Listen to the Episode

Video

Watch the video on YouTube

Show Notes

Introduction: Ken introduces Greyhawk '76, a podcast exploring D&D 2024 rules within the classic Greyhawk setting.

Greyhawk Overview: A brief history of Greyhawk as D&D's second campaign setting, emphasizing its balanced factions and lower-magic tone.

Blackrazor Guild Legacy: A retrospective of the group’s adventures in Greyhawk, spanning nearly three decades and multiple campaigns.

New Campaign Setup: Details on the new campaign with third-level characters based near the Free City of Greyhawk, designed to test the 2024 rules.

Focus on Testing: Ken explains the goal of evaluating the changes in D&D 2024, comparing them to 5E, and planning to incorporate lessons into ongoing campaigns.

Feature Image Meta

A classic illustration of adventurers planning by David A. Trampier, featured in the original D&D Player's Handbook.

We explore our favorite game conventions, from the chill vibes of CinCityCon to the dynamic events of Gamehole Con, to the cozy fun of MEPACon. We also look ahead to Philadelphia Area Game Expo, a new-ish convention happening in January 2025.

After the convention stories, we dive into our RPG experiments, including David's mechanical torchlight for ShadowDark, the crunchy mechanics and destroyable hexcrawl map of Forbidden Lands, and Dragonbane as the sweet spot of complex vs. simple game rules.

Chapter List

0:00 Intro0:36 Convention Recap: CinCityCon and Gamehole Con3:12 Super Nintendo Escape Room Highlight5:45 Upcoming Events: MEPACON and Philly Area Game Expo7:10 Exploring ShadowDark's Torch Timer Mechanic10:29 Forbidden Lands: Hex Crawls and Crunchy Dice Mechanics14:12 Open Table Games and RPG Planning16:45 RPG Innovations: ShadowDark vs. Dragonbane19:30 Wrapping Up: Balancing Gaming with Life30:02 Outro and Lair Warnings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2vZFA8dRVk

Show Notes

Conventions We Attended

CincityCon

Hamilton, OH

October 11-13, 2024

Played lots of Sparks

It’s a Star Wars Living Campaign based on West End Games original Star Wars RPG.

Gamehole Con

Madison, WI

October 17-20, 2024

Played in an Escape Room

Met Seth Skorkowski in person

Played a lot of Sparks

Saw friends who I don’t normally see

Digression: Easton’s Escape Room

Off Center Escape Rooms in Easton, PA.

Easton was a hive of scum and villainy back during Prohibtion (or at least, a good place for illegal alcohol).

Conventions We Plan To Attend

Mepacon

Bethlehem, PA

November 8-10, 2024

Philadelphia Area Game Expo

Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo (aka PAGE 2)

January 16-19, 2025

Banter

Forbidden Lands

Ken’s reading through the Player’s Handbook.

Dice-pool based fantasy RPG built around a hex crawl.

Bunch of d6s, a d8, a d10, and a d12.

These represent base dice (from attributes), skill dice (from skills), gear dice (from your stuff).

1s are called banes. They represent damage, exhaustion, fear, or degraded gear (but only hurt you if you push your luck). When you fail, you fail forward.

6s are successes; multiple 6s trigger special effects.

Great art, great setting, but is the dice mechanic too crunchy for beginners?

Thinking of playing a solo game with this as a way to try out the rules and relax.

David ran ShadowDark in person and used Foundry VTT

Ran The Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur from the Shadowdark Quickstart

Used Foundry VTT on the television to show the player view of the map. Sans UI

Had the Shadowdark module installed

The torch timer was fun

The timer on the first torch ran out an almost inconvenient time

David made physical torch prop as a clue to the players, which they liked due to it’s obvious changes

Ken's been playing with TorchLightTimer.com

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Bluesky

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

YouTube

In this episode, we brainstorm ways to launch your campaign without resorting to "they meet in a bar". Providing fodder and inspiration is Greyhawk '76, Ken's upcoming D&D 2024 test drive campaign, and David's just launched open table ShadowDark campaign.

We talk about how to engage players through immediate conflict, emphasizing choice, and balancing proactive vs. reactive player behaviors.

Chapter List

0:00 Intro0:26 Ken’s Greyhawk Campaign Concept1:51 Greyhawk Nostalgia and Resources4:27 70s Aesthetics Meet D&D5:48 ShadowDark’s Torchlight Mechanics11:38 Kicking Off Campaigns with Conflict16:11 Engaging Passive Players19:57 Crafting a Dark Empire22:34 Outro and Call for Feedback

Video

https://youtu.be/GObxgGFpQQQ

Show Notes

Introduction: The hiatus of Elemental Apocalypse and excitement for D&D 2024.

Greyhawk Revisited: Ken’s “Greyhawk 76” campaign idea with a 70s aesthetic, playlists, and retro maps.

ShadowDark Adventures: David’s exploration of ShadowDark mechanics and its old-school D&D feel.

Engaging Players:

Starting campaigns with immediate conflict (e.g., being chased).

Emphasizing consequential choices to encourage player buy-in.

Balancing proactive and reactive player behaviors.

Hero’s Journey: Using inciting incidents to create origin stories for party cohesion.

Avoiding Passivity: Techniques to engage reluctant players or inspire action when adventurers resist the call.

Overlord Advice: Brainstorming ideas for building a sustainable, formidable dark empire.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Bluesky

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

YouTube

We look at The Electric State RPG, a role-playing game game featuring a slow motion apocalypse, haunting artwork, and a cyberspace plague so intoxicating that people died playing it ... simply because they forgot to eat.

We start with Simon Stålenhag's original art/fiction book, which depicts a young woman's journey across the wrecked remains of the United States. We then walk through the role-playing game, discussing its setup, mechanics, and how it translates art book into a different kind of apocalyptic game.

Finally, we get confused about the upcoming 2025 The Electric State movie. Directed by the Russo Brothers, it shares the visual aesthetic of the book and the game, but the setting itself has gone from somber death dream to ... action comedy?

After geeking out about The Electric State, we talk about Netflix's new KAOS series (featuring Greek gods in a modern day setting), the Balder's Gate 3 and Mechwarrior 5 video games, using Obsidian for an Ironsworn: Starforged solo campaign, and news of various Lair experiments.

Check out our unboxing of the Electric State RPG!

Chapter List

0:00 Intro2:15 Introducing The Electric State3:40 Exploring Themes of The Electric State: A Slow-Motion Apocalypse6:10 Comparisons to The Last of Us and the Visual Narrative7:55 The Netflix Adaptation: Apocalypse Meets Comedy?10:05 Year Zero Engine and Its Role in The Electric State RPG14:50 David's Thoughts on MechWarrior 5: Tactical Mech Combat16:50 Ken's Adventures in Baldur's Gate 3: An Epic Battle with a Door19:25 Starforged, Solo Campaigns, and Using Obsidian for RPG Journaling26:05 Winter Break Gaming Plans and Balancing Nostalgia28:20 Revisiting KAOS on Netflix: Greek Myths and Modern Horrors30:40 Planning for Starforged and Co-op Gameplay35:00 Outro: Cloaking Device and Final Remarks

Listen to the Episode

Watch the Episode

Watch The Electric State RPG (S4E11) on YouTube

Show Notes

Introduction

Ken beat Hades. Insomuch as anyone can beat Hades. The game REALLY keeps going after it is "finished".

David completed his gaming coffee table project.

The Electric State

The Electric State book and RPG are set in an alternate 1997, where a slow-motion apocalypse combined with a virtual reality addiction, is wiping out civilization.

The Electric State art/fiction book

An example spread from The Electric State artbook by Simon Stålenhag.

Released in 2018, The Electric State is a hybrid art book/fiction book. It’s a story of a slow motion apocalypse, and tells the story of a young woman and her robot traveling through a ruined American landscape in an alternate 1997. The world’s been wrecked by a plague of virtual reality, which almost everyone succumbed to.

Like Stålenhag's Tales from the Loop, the book is a combination of art and written fiction. Unlike Tales from the Loop, there’s little wistfulness or sense of nostalgia in The Electric State. It’s about the end of the world … and it’s a somber read.

It's been categorized as a graphic novel, but it's more of a novella wrapped in beautiful artwork. Most pages feature a short narrative, usually connected to the illustration on the accompanying pages.

The Electric State RPG

An example spread from The Electric State role-playing game.

Inspired by the artbook, The Electric State RPG is published by Free League. It was funded by a Kickstarter, which raised $413,598 from 5,715 backers.

Game Mechanics:

Powered by Free League's Year Zero Engine [PDF] , used in games like ALIEN, Tales from the Loop, and Mutant Year Zero.

Emphasis on survival, exploration, and narrative-driven journeys in a crumbling, dystopian America.

Ideal for players in the right headspace, as the setting is emotionally heavy and reflective.

Narrative Depth:

Rich background story involving Neuronics technology developed in the 1960s for remote-controlled warfare.

Escalation to civil war and the fracturing of the United Sta...

Campaign prep is something every dungeon master a needs to do … even if "prep" is something you throw together five minutes for the session starts.

On this episode, we talk about our individual game prep strategies, from structured approaches like Chris's multi-phase plan to Ken’s adrenaline-fueled last-minute inspiration. Josh and Erin share insights into managing unpredictable player behavior and ensuring character growth.

To end the episode, we offer advice on how to childproof your evil lair.

Quotes

"I process, I think, I make notes. Honestly, that second section is my favorite part." – Chris

"The first group I ever DM’d for were probably some of the most creative people that I’ve ever known, and that was a bad thing because they went off on a whole bunch of different tangents that I did not see coming at all." – Josh

"The first thing I want to do is figure out how I’m going to make characters change." – Erin

"I have to have deadlines or else it won’t work. My best ideas come the night before or the day of the game." – Ken

Chapters

0:00 Intro0:30 Chris’s Three-Phase Prep Method3:00 Josh's Chaotic First GM Experience5:45 Adapting to Player Choices7:45 Erin’s Character-Driven Prep10:15 Ken’s Last-Minute Inspiration12:45 The Role of Music in Game Prep14:30 Tools for Note-Taking and Mapping17:15 One-Shots vs Long Campaign Prep21:45 Final Thoughts on Prep Approaches24:00 How to Childproof an Evil Fortress26:02 Outro

Video

https://youtu.be/DFn26QB8-Oc

Show Notes

Chris’s Three-Phase Prep: Reading the material, brainstorming for character hooks, and finalizing maps/tools.

Josh’s Experience: Adjusting to unpredictable players and focusing on world-building to adapt.

Erin’s Approach: Preparing for character growth and change, particularly in convention games.

Ken’s Method: Last-minute inspiration, enhanced by musical playlists and physical notes.

Digital Tools: Discussion of tools like Obsidian and Remarkable tablets for note-taking.

Final Thoughts: The group compares one-shot vs long campaign prep.

Outro: Discussion about childproofing an evil lair.

Get in. Do a thing. Get out. Look awesome doing it.

That's your typical cyberpunk adventure, and it always involves some sort of security. On this episode, we discuss real-world hacking inspiration, cinematic heist scenarios, and strategies for balancing game difficulty. We dive into the nuances of netrunning, social engineering, and how even the best-laid plans can spiral into chaos.

Examples are drawn from the Cyberpunk RED and Cities Without Number role-playing games, with the occasional digression into Dungeons & Dragons, Blades in the Dark, and Scum & Villainy.

Quotes

"You can plan it out meticulously and think you've got everything covered… but then you get five minutes into it, and everything has gone wrong… something's always gonna go wrong, and that's where the drama happens." - David

"There is crazier stuff going on in the real world in, like, cybersecurity right now than you're going to think of in your game, I guarantee it." - Chris

Chapter List

0:00 Intro and Cyberpunk Security2:15 Cyberpunk Red Heists and Netrunning Mechanics8:45 Chris Miller’s Real-World Cybersecurity Insights12:10 Cinematic Inspirations for Cyberpunk RPGs15:45 Balancing Player Roles in Heist Missions21:30 Real-World Hacking vs. Fictional Depictions27:15 Strategies for Planning Heists in RPGs35:10 Handling Consequences and Failed Plans39:45 The Art of Improvisation in Cyberpunk Campaigns45:00 Outro

Video

https://youtu.be/paCzPGt-EPw

Show Notes

Cyberpunk Resources

Broken Loop - Our Cyberpunk RED Actual Play Campaign

Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources

Locked Out: Doors, Locks, & Security Homebrew Rules for Cyberpunk RED

Thinking About Cyberpunk Security

Planning the Network/Scoping the Heist

Two main choices:

Scale the network difficulty for your players (story mode), or

Don’t, and design for the idea that some things are beyond the capabilities of you team (but they might get lucky)

Remember the Defender’s Paradox (Defense must be perfect, but attackers need to succeed only once):

The Net Architecture Difficulty section on p210 of the Core Guide help with this

For the D&D minded, things of the daemons and such as counterspells and denizens of a dungeon. That’s what this is.

Inspiration

The examples in the core guide are pretty good

Real world threat intelligence guides are a great inspiration: for example – Visual Threat Intelligence: An Illustrated Guide For Threat Researchers

Movies, while cheesy, can provide some inspiration – OH GOD NOT SWORDFISH WHY

Podcasts – Hacking Humans from Cyberwire, Darknet Diaries, news programs

Books - oh so many (history of Space Rogue’s book on L0PHT, Kevin Mitnick, etc)

Role-preservation

Know your players. What are their roles and what are their skills?

What skills is the crew missing?

If you are missing a role, what opportunities can you create to give the players options for getting past the challenge.

If you lack a TECH, MEDTECH, or NETRUNNER, you’re unlikely to bypass electronics.

Creative Thinking

Encourage your players to think outside the box. How else can you get into the room or past the door, or through the challenge?

Consequences

Noise attracts guards … and the more time it takes to get through security, the greater chance the guards will show up.

C4 may destroy the thing you came to snag.

Not all security is a locked-down barrier

It could be a drawing in a conference room

It could be a data drive hidden in a crystal necklace at a party

Protected by guards, surveillance

It could be a person or animal (remember Ein the corgi from Cowboy Bebop)

Time Pressure

Start a clock! If not using a clock (with increments advancing toward an event) then just advance time … and have consequence for advancing time.

What happens on a failed roll?

Are they not getting through?

They get through but there is a complication

So your Dungeons & Dragons campaign went on hiatus … how do you restart it? In this episode of Campaigns & Coffee, Ken, Chris, and Josh talk about how to re-engage with a not-quite-dead-yet role-playing game campaign.

They dive into how a game can lose momentum, with real-life interruptions causing campaigns to stall or be put on hold. They share personal anecdotes of campaigns like Cyberpunk Red and Secrets of the Saltmarsh that have gone through pauses, offering practical strategies for relaunching them.

Techniques include recaps, time skips, flashbacks, and collaborative world-building (in other words ... getting the players to help figure out how to reboot after the hiatus). The discussion covers the importance of keeping both the game master (GM) and players motivated, with special attention given to tools like Obsidian for campaign notes and ways to revive interest through changes in story direction or character development.

Chapter List

00:00 What the heck's a hiatus?03:43 Recap and Relaunch07:07 Taking Notes and Recapping08:26 Base Building and Subgames16:42 Using Flashbacks to Provide Context and Hooks19:33 Starting in the Middle of the Action: Grabbing Players' Attention23:41 Choosing the Right Structure for Hiatuses27:02 Preparing for the Next Level: Getting Players Excited

YouTube Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI2qiFdd5_8

Show Notes

Discussion on the nature of RPG hiatuses: intentional vs. unintentional

Examples of stalled campaigns

Cyberpunk Red

Secrets of the Saltmarsh

Strategies for restarting a campaign:

Recapping the last session

Using a time skip to advance the story

Flashbacks to fill in gaps

Emphasizing downtime or base-building to rekindle player interest

Tips for GMs to stay motivated:

campaign notes

wiki tools like Obsidian and Scabbard

The importance of player engagement:

encouraging note-taking

future character development

in-game world-building

Use of seasonal or episodic structure for long-running campaigns

Featured Image Meta

Linux System Reboot History by xmodulo

In the latest expedition through the Lair of Secrets, David Moore, Ken Newquist, and Chris Miller delve into the art of map design, specifically focusing on the peculiarities and challenges of modern and near-future maps in gaming.

The discussion kicks off with Ken recounting his creation of the "worst best map ever" for a Mothership one-shot, set in an undersea research station on Europa. The map's illogical design, inspired by cost-cutting corporate efficiency, leads to a hilariously challenging game play experience. The trio explores the importance of verisimilitude in modern maps, contrasting it with the more forgiving nature of fantasy settings.

They discuss the balance between realism and game play, emphasizing how a poorly designed map can ironically enhance the fun by creating unexpected challenges. Throughout the episode, they share insights on using real-world inspiration, the value of theater of the mind versus detailed maps, and the importance of considering player expectations when designing game environments.

View the worst best map ever in all its terrible/great glory.

Quotes

"Worst best map ever."

"No, there's no vents. What are you talking about? It's the future. There's no vents. There's no ventilation."

"Who designed this place? What lame-ass industrial designer put together this underwater station?"

"In a horror game, the worst maps make for the best stories."

"If you're in the real world, you want to know: where are they storing the garbage? Is there a generator?"

"Accessibility in gaming isn't just about ramps—sometimes, it's about maps."

Chapter List

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage00:49 The Best Worst Map Ever04:32 Exploring the Map's Flaws08:46 Player Reactions and Enjoyment13:34 This map is horrible, don't change a thing17:29 Designing maps for modern and near-future settings20:01 Incorporating real-world inspiration into map design24:29 Theater of the mind vs. tactical maps27:40 Considering objectives and player interactions33:59 Using zones and index cards for abstract map design40:45 Balancing stock maps and visual aids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3M3pRCCjqc

Show Notes

Ken's "worst best map ever": Discussion on the design and gameplay challenges of an illogical map for a Mothership scenario.

The importance of verisimilitude in modern and near-future maps.

Contrast between fantasy map design and modern map design.

The balance between realism and gameplay in map design.

Discussion on using real-world inspiration for map creation.

Theater of the mind vs. detailed maps in gaming.

Accessibility considerations in map design.

The value of stock maps and reusable designs in gaming.

Audience engagement: Inviting listeners to share their thoughts on map design and to suggest ideas for an archive of free maps.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

The edgerunners are at Elysium HQ. All they need to do is descend through three sub-levels of the abandoned corporate headquarters and flip a switch on an old server.

But first they have to get past these cybernetic corvids … and the remains of the edgerunner crews that came before them.

Get more Cyberpunk RED:

Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets

Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources

Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions

Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets

Quotes

"I'm the Swiss Army Knife of Destruction at this point." - Atlas

"I don't know that I have any light. Well, I have a flamethrower. That's like momentary light." - Omen

"Awesome. I'm like a lighthouse." - Angry Bob

Chapters

0:00 Intro and Setup10:15 The Mission Briefing18:45 Encounter with the Corvids28:00 Debating Entry Strategies40:35 Discovery of the Grappling Hooks54:15 Descent into the Darkness1:08:30 The Corvids’ Ominous Warning1:21:00 Preparing to Face the Unknown1:35:45 Entering the Ruins of Elysium1:55:20 Conclusion and Wrap-Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG1CEFjsGgI

Chapter 8 of our Broken Loop campaign for Cyberpunk RED ended with a cliffhanger as the edgerunners faced an unexpected … enemy? Friend? Belligerent hivemind hell bent on stripping everyone of their chrome?

In this episode of Campaigns & Coffee, we talk about that actual play session, it's unexpected turns, and how we rolled with the consequences of a well-placed grenade.

Get more Cyberpunk RED:

Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets

Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources

Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions

Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets

Quotes

"Who knew the corporate ruins would be guarded by cybernetic ravens and a cyberpsycho?"

"We survived, but only just. Night City isn't for the faint of heart."

"We're not getting paid enough for this—becoming our new catchphrase as we dive deeper into the chaos."

"The final scene? A burning car, pulped cyborgs, and a cliffhanger that'll haunt your dreams."

Chapters

https://youtu.be/2LfIYs5zVN4

Show Notes

Introduction: David kicks off with a recap of Ken's recent Cyberpunk Red session.Session Recap:

Setting: Night City, 2045, irradiated ruins from a past nuclear blast.

Mission: The team must flip a switch in a corporate HQ's techno basement.

Unexpected Turn: The Nomad's catastrophic drive check flips the car, leading to a chaotic firefight.

Key Encounters: Cybernetic ravens, a cyberpsycho, and Glow Boys.

Cliffhanger: The session ends with the group facing the ominous corporate HQ.

Discussion: The hosts reflect on the game's unexpected outcomes, the challenge of mixing horror elements in Cyberpunk, and the importance of not pulling punches in the genre.

Audience Question: An exploration of how to organize a union for dungeon minions.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Crow photo credit: Tom Swinnen (Creative Commons)

After talking and driving their way past the factions controlling access to Night City's radioactive core, the edgerunners are approaching the ruined Elysium corporate headquarters.

Their goal is to infiltrate the building's sub-levels and flip a switch. First though, they have to get past the Glow Boys, a cult of radiation Worshiping cyborgs ... and the chrome-enhanced, sentient ravens the cultists are facing off against.

Get more Cyberpunk RED:

Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets

Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources

Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions

Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets

Quotes

"Die, stupid birds, die!" - A chaotic cry in the heat of battle.

"We should probably ditch the car somewhere where it won't get stolen."

"We're having chicken tonight. Or whatever that is."

Chapters

0:00 Intro2:15 Entering the Hot Zone8:30 Encounter with the Glow Boys14:45 The Ravens' Attack21:30 Car Flip and Explosion29:00 The Flames Rise35:30 Taking Down the Glow Boys43:15 The Ravens Retreat50:00 The Haunting Voice from Elysium HQ55:00 Mission Debrief and Outro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RJgh8TAPZI

Show Notes

n this latest installment of the *Lair of Secrets* Cyberpunk Red campaign, the Edgerunners dive deep into the heart of the dangerous Hot Zone of Night City.

Hired to flip a switch deep inside the Elysium HQ, they drive through the decaying ruins of the city, passing by desperate refugees and hostile mercenaries. T

he team quickly finds themselves entangled in a chaotic confrontation with glow-painted, cybernetic warriors known as Glow Boys and a horde of cyber-enhanced, raven-like creatures that seem eerily obsessed with collecting "chrome."

After a series of tense battles involving faulty driving maneuvers that flip their car, an explosion, and flamethrowers, the team narrowly escapes. However, as the last of their enemies falls, a haunting voice echoes from the depths of Elysium HQ, calling out for fresh meat and chrome, signaling that their challenges are far from over.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

It's convention season, and David talks about Origins, a big-but-cozy game convention in Columbus, Ohio, meeting Shadowdark RPG creator Kelsey Dionne, plans for Gen Con 2024, and gaming with Jon Hook of the Modern Mythos podcast.

Meanwhile, Ken geeks out about dynamic lighting in Roll20 (and his hopes for using during the Lair's upcoming Cyberpunk RED Elysium HQ run). Oh, and Ken actually completed a video game - Fire Emblem Engage - and started a new game, Hades (which apparently every other geek on the planet has already played)

But why stop there? Ken and David also talk about a bunch of other RPGs including Dragonbane, Eat the Reich, Star Wars d6, the, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Mission Kit, the Dread RPG, and You’re in Space and Everything’s Fucked.

Quotes

"I finally completed a game! It feels like finishing a marathon for a 52-year-old gamer."

"Origins is like a cozy Gen Con—a perfect mix of games and geek culture without the overwhelming crowds."

"Shadowdark RPG is like 5th edition D&D but darker, with no dark vision and a real sense of urgency."

Chapters

0:00 Intro1:30 Ken's Gaming Achievement3:45 Origins 2024 Highlights12:30 Jon Hook and Isolated Investigators15:30 Shadowdark RPG and Game Discussions22:15 Dynamic Lighting in RPGs28:00 New Game Purchases and Interests36:10 GenCon and Upcoming Events42:00 Closing Thoughts and Stealth Promo

https://youtu.be/MBOKthFGSn8

Show Notes

Main Topic: Origins 2024

David went to Origins this year and has come back to our Lair to report on his findings after being away for more than a decade.

Met with Jon Hook!

Jon ran games with the Lurking Fears group

Hung out much of the con. He’s also an enabler of game purchases.

Jon Ran one of his Isolated Investigator modules. Tons of fun with one Keeper and one player.

Jon was on a panel: "Beyond D&D - How and why are these other games different?"

How games like Shadowdark, Dragonbane, and others are different-- and better? Than the world's most popular RPG.

It was an interesting panel, lots of audience participation. Even the “GURPS guy” got a word in.

Met Kelsey Dionne, creator of the Shadowdark rpg

David was able to talk with her for a bit, thanks to Jon being on the same panel with her

Played a fair amount of Star Wars d6 games with the Sparks group

So what about Origins?

It's a cozy GenCon

It’s larger than a typical local con but also less dense than Gen Con.

You can stop in the middle of an aisle of the vendor hall and not block traffic

Was able to talk with people at the booths for extended periods

Hotel was close and I was able to relax or nap for a bit, then head back in again

Roll for Topic Podcast

How do you handle light sources?

Gen Con 2024

David's going ... who else is going?

Obligatory Banner

Fire Emblem Engage

Finally finished the latest entry in the Fire Emblem series.

Nostalgic take on the series, with characters carried forward from earlier games.

The story wasn’t nearly as compelling as Three Houses though, in part because it was super-linear..

Hades

As the last geek in America to play Hades, Ken can confirm that yes, it’s good.

Picked it up on sale for Nintendo Switch

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novel Writing series is complete

David turned in his pages for the end of class, got some good feedback

Continuing his efforts to write at least 250 words a day. Not so many it’s discouraging, and he often writes more

Recommended if you have the time, money, and want to be serious about publishing what you write

Cyberpunk Edgerunners Mission Kit

It’s on its way.

New rules for 2077!

Looking forward to quick hacks.

Check out our unboxing of the Edgerunners Mission Kit

David's Origins game purchases

Fallout dice

Fallout map set

Star Trek 2nd edition quickstart

Dread

Eat the Reich

You’re in Space and Everything’s Fucked

Outro

Chapter 7 of our actual play Cyberpunk RED campaign sees the edgerunners venture into the Hot Zone at the center of Night City as part of their mission to flip a switch in the basement of Elysium HQ.

Get Cyberpunk RED:

Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets

Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources

Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions

Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets

Chapters

0:00 Intro2:10 Mission Briefing5:30 Gear and Supplies10:45 Entering the Hot Zone15:20 Encounter with Sawbones20:00 Emotional Toll25:15 Avoiding Scavvers30:00 High-Speed Escape35:45 Approaching Old Corp Center40:00 Conclusion

https://youtu.be/pDufsOwAS5M

Show Notes

In the latest chapter of the Lair of Secrets' Cyberpunk Red actual play campaign, the team is tasked with infiltrating a ruined Elysium Aeronautics research facility in Night City's dangerous hot zone. In the previous episode, Priest - APT's fixer - negotiated a substantial increase in their fee to 40,000 EBs. Adequately funded ... they went shopping.

The crew acquired various assets, including hand-drawn maps, street guides, and a medallion from a 6th Street Army member, Roof Diver. Delver Dan's shop provided them with Geiger counters, radiation tablets, and neon green lead-lined duct tape. Angry Bob updated his wardrobe to fit the irradiated zone aesthetic.

As they navigated through Night City's decaying streets, they encountered various factions and obstacles. The team decided to drive through the Sawbones' territory, a mercenary group providing medical aid in exchange for salvage. They donated medical supplies, earning safe passage. The desolate, eerie atmosphere of the med center and the suffering of its inhabitants deeply affect the crew, especially Atlas, who becomes emotional at the sight.

As they proceed, they avoid a potential conflict with a group of Scavvers harassing salvagers. Omen skillfully maneuvers their vehicle through the dangerous terrain, evading gunfire and collapsing buildings. The session concludes with the team poised to enter the Old Corp Center, ready to face whatever dangers await them next.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

In this episode of "Campaigns and Coffee," hosts David, Josh, and Erin dive into convention season, offering tips and sharing personal experiences. The trio discusses their preparation rituals, with Erin highlighting her dedication to the Sparks campaign—a Star Wars role-playing game using the West End Games D6 system. Josh shares his strategy for attending Gen Con with his young child, emphasizing the importance of keeping kids entertained. They also touch on essential convention tips like the 3-2-1 rule (three hours of sleep, two meals, and one shower daily), and reminisce about their convention highlights, including wandering into off-limits areas of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Want more GenCon? Check out our coverage of GenCon 2023.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction to Convention Season2:10 Erin's Sparks Campaign Prep4:30 Josh’s Gen Con Tips5:31 Managing Conventions with Kids6:50 The Essential 3-2-1 Rule8:20 Backpack Packing Tips12:21 Josh’s Dice Addiction and Rituals14:44 Navigating Lucas Oil Stadium18:06 Final Convention Tips18:36 Essential Minion Inventory

https://youtu.be/9sl_k7zm0m8

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

In the latest episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast, we delve into our summer reading lists, exploring a mix of thrilling, nostalgic, and intellectually stimulating books. Ken kicks things off with Action Park by Andy Mulvihill, reminiscing about the notorious amusement park of his youth. David follows with a dive into sci-fi novels, including Larry Niven's Ringworld Engineers and Cixin Liu's The Dark Forest.

After the reading lists, we've got the obligatory Overlord banter, with Ken's 20-mile hike, David's ongoing writing course, and our upcoming Fallout 2d20 actual play RPG game.

Need more books? Check out our previous summer reading lists:

Summer Reading List 2023

Summer Reading List 2022

Summer Reading List 2021

Quotes

"Action Park was as legendary as it was notorious because the designer's impetus was, 'It's the amusement park where you control the rides.'"

Chapters

0:00 Intro2:10 Ken’s First Book: "Action Park"5:35 David’s Sci-Fi Reads: "Ringworld Engineers" and "The Dark Forest"11:48 More Book Picks: "In Our Stars" and "Venice"18:23 Short Stories vs. Novels21:08 Ken’s 20-Mile Hike Adventure28:44 David’s Writing Course Progress30:36 Fallout 4 Gameplay and Mods37:03 Fallout 2d20 TTRPG Excitement38:20 Outro and Community Engagement

https://youtu.be/wa2UMca9ALw

Show Notes

Sci-Fi & Fantasy Summer Reading List 2024

Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park by Andy Mulvihill and Jake Rossen

In Our Stars (The Doomed Earth, Book 1) by Jack Campbell

Chaos Terminal (The Midsolar Murders, Book 2) by Mur Lafferty

Terminus (Threshold, Book 4) by Peter Cline

Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven

The Dark Forest (The Three Body Problem, Book 2) by Cixin Liu

Ibenus (The Valducan, Book 3) by Seth Skorkowsky

The Best of Science Fiction 2003 by Karen Haber and Jonathan Strahan

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson

Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett

The Banter of the Overlords

Ken's 20-mile hike

Lessons in pain from a long day on the trail.

Writing, writing, procrastinating, writing

Back to Fallout 4 … with Mods!

Planning our upcoming Fallout 2d20 TTRPG actual play game

Outro

Thanks for attending our latest minion and future overlord training. Thanks for coming! If you were sitting near the old death ray, head over to dice.camp and follow us @lairofsecrets. We’ve got all you need for those Hyperion gamma burns.

Featured Image Meta

Book cover art for In Our Stars by Jack Campbell.

Our Cyberpunk RED campaign continues with Chapter 6: Anticipating the Glow. Previously, the edgerunners accepted a mission to venture into the irradiated core of Night City, descend into the depths the ruined Elysium HQ headquarters, and flip a switch.

Being somewhat cautious mercenaries, they decided to do a little research first before venturing into the still-radioactive ruins.

Get Cyberpunk RED:

Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets

Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources

Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions

Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets

Chapters

0:00 Intro3:00 Bounty Update8:30 Corporate Conspiracy Unveiled14:45 Downtime Adventures28:20 New Mission Briefing35:50 Preparing for the Hot Zone45:00 Negotiating the Fee55:25 Essential Gear and Final Preparations1:10:15 Hot Zone Dangers and Tactics1:20:30 Meeting Delver Dan1:32:45 Closing Remarks

https://youtu.be/xcTkELmfAV0

Show Notes

The story resumes with the edgerunners facing increased bounties on their heads, with Atlas having a 3,500 EB bounty and other members like APT, Angry Bob, and Omen at 2,000 EB each. The team uncovers that the bounties are backed by the Brain Bank, a startup front for various corporations, and are specifically ordered by Zetatech agent Isabel "Izzy" Cordaro, who seeking revenge against Atlas.

During their downtime, the characters pursue various personal endeavors: Omen participates in rocket blade tournaments, Angry Bob reports on race corruption, and Atlas contemplates his violent past while helping at the Holy Angels Church. The group is eventually hired for a new mission by APT's fixer, Priest. That mission? To infiltrate the Elysium Aeronautics research facility and reboot an ancient server in its rad-shielded basement.

The group meticulously prepares for the mission, gathering information about the Hot Zone . They learn about the dangers from Falco, a seasoned delver, and the desperation of those living in the radiation-scarred city center from Roof Diver, a member of 6th Street. They decide on essential gear, including iodine tablets, air filters, and possibly radiation suits, while negotiating their fee to reflect the mission's high risks, landing a payday of 40,000 EB.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

In this thrilling episode of Campaigns and Coffee, David and Ken delve into Ken's epic Elemental Apocalypse D&D campaign. The heroes are on a quest to reunite a fallen angel with its lost sun sword amidst a world torn apart by elemental forces. Ken shares his creative process, discussing map-making with Incarnate, integrating skill challenges inspired by Blades in the Dark, and setting up an adventure filled with moral dilemmas and high-stakes encounters, including a confrontation with a shadow black dragon. The episode is a captivating blend of strategy, storytelling, and the adventurous spirit of Greyhawk.

0:00 Intro1:20 Campaign Overview1:45 Hunting a Fallen Angel3:13 Using Incarnate for Maps5:00 Skill Challenges and Gameplay7:25 Upcoming Dragon Encounter10:00 Game Mechanics and Liberation Dice12:30 Q&A: Mind-Controlling Dragons19:00 Moral Dilemmas in Greyhawk20:09 Closing Remarks

https://youtu.be/7IStOTYExqc

Mind the crates; we’re still unpacking Season 4 of the podcast! On this episode, Ken talks about playing Monster of the Week mysteries, David flips through his Dreams and Machines rule books, and we delve into our respective reading lists.

Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:20 Ken’s New Lunchtime Game: Monster of the Week

1:41 David Discusses 'Dreams and Machines'

3:01 Book Discussions and Recommendations

6:43 Strategies for Managing Multiple GMs

8:10 What’s on Their Reading List?

13:06 Alien Novels and Cyberpunk Gaming Insights

19:17 Diving Deep into Cyberpunk 2077

22:29 Insights from Sci-fi Novel Writing Class

27:31 Closing Remarks and Goodbye

https://youtu.be/UK-oQul-uJ4

Show Notes

Game - Monster of the Week

Ken's lunchtime gaming group is racking down horrors in a small New England town

Monster of the Week website

Game: Dreams and Machines

David played several learning games

Got the full game and have been reading through it

Rules seem pretty solid, I’m not having the same issues with them that I did the Starter Set

Unfortunately, some issues with editing/misprints

Errata should be coming out soon (or now) according to the Modiphius Discord

Game - Dungeons & Dragons

Ken's Elemental Apocalypse continues with two apocalypses for the price of one!

Alternating game masters and characters as we switch between regions.

Makes it easier to tag in another game master when one of us is busy.

Dungeons & Dragons website

Books: Eric Carter series by Stephen Blackmoore

Eric Carter is a necromancer who comes back to his hometown of LA and things go sideways from there.

Similar to the Dresden Files in feeling, but has a higher body count

Burned through a ton of them, waiting on the next book.

Eric Carter series website

Book - Alien: The Cold Forge by Allen White

A secret corporate space station is experimenting on Xenomorphs in the darkest depths of space, nearby a star could incinerate them in a moment. What could go wrong? Ken's reading this one.

Alien: The Cold Forge website

Book: The Three Body Problem by Chixin Liu translated by Ken Liu

Feels a lot like 1960’s and 70’s sci-fi

Interesting concepts and a window into a culture most of us have never really seen

It's a heavy read. David's looking for a lighter fare in next next book to compensate.

Netflix trailer: The Three Body Problem

Video game: Spider-man 2 (PS5)

Ken returned to New York City with two Spider-men: Peter Parker and Miles Morales.

Despite being the third time slinging around New York City, it doesn’t feel old.

Spider-man 2 website

Writing class

David’s second writing class in sci-fi novel writing.

Lots of techniques for brainstorming plot and world-building that David is going to see about adapting to tabletop gaming

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

Our cozy, Saturday morning show continues with a discussion of cyberpunk, but different from our usual cyberpunk. Instead of the dystopian future of R. Talsorian's Cyberpunk RED, hosts David, Ken, and Chris talk about Chris's homegrown, Cleveland-based, cyberpunk campaign which uses the Cities without Number rule set.

We explore the challenges of learning different systems within the cyberpunk genre and share techniques for learning a new system and setting. We also discuss the importance of designing sessions to road test new mechanics and balancing rules with fun.

Chapters

0:00 Intro: Cyberpunk, But Different

1:40 Meet "Cities Without Number"

4:20 Challenges of learning new RPG systems

7:00 Adapting personal experiences into game settings

10:30 Strategies for engaging with game mechanics

13:00 Community Q&A: Integrating hobbies into a dark persona

17:45 Closing thoughts and outro

https://youtu.be/5smOxStFztM

Show Notes

Introduction to the Episode

Main Topic: Exploring new tabletop RPG systems and integrating personal experiences into game settings.

Chris's Journey into Cities Without Number

Transition from familiar cyberpunk settings to OSR (Old School Revival/Renaissance).

Development of "Terminal City," inspired by Cleveland.

Utilizing random tables from 'Cities Without Number' to enhance game creativity.

Deep Dive into Learning New Systems

Discussion on adapting to different rule sets within known genres.

Strategies for mastering new systems:

Immersive playtesting

Collaborative learning with rule-savvy players

Integrating personal narratives and local elements into game worlds.

Challenges and Solutions in RPG Adaptations

Balancing rule complexity with game play fluidity.

Leveraging player strengths to complement game play dynamics.

Anecdotes from running various systems including Cyberpunk Red and Savage Worlds.

Community Engagement

Opening the floor to listeners for tips and experiences in adapting to new RPG systems.

Addressing listener questions on incorporating side hobbies into a "dark persona" with humor and creativity.

Closing Remarks

Recap of key insights on adapting to new RPG systems and creating rich, personalized game worlds.

Invitation for further discussion and listener engagement in future episodes.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitch

Season 4 kicks off with this episode as we experiment with a new format and geek out about everything from death rays to Dragonbane. We rundown the role-playing games we hope to play this season, review the games we delved into during the hiatus, and geek out about technology in our campaigns.

Chapters

0:00 - Intro and Overview of Season 41:28 - Unveiling the New Format3:45 - Tech Talk: Gadgets and Geomorphs10:26 - The Board Game Bonanza Begins17:06 - Deep Dive into Dragonbane22:00 - Exploring Tech Tools for Tabletops27:00 - What's Next: Upcoming Games and Gadgets31:13 - Viewer Interactions and Requests38:04 - Post-Apocalyptic Game Picks43:25 - Wrapping Up and What to Expect Next

https://youtu.be/eoPtrnBmPbM

Show Notes

Welcome to Season 4

Playing with the Format

Different kinds of episodes, with content released as a podcast and on YouTube.

Main Show (30-40 minutes, the main topic comes first, then the banter)

Campaigns and Coffee (20 minutes, random topics)

Interviews (20-30 minutes)

Shorts (1-5 minutes - Mirror Universe Advice!)

Actual Play (2 hours)

Demos / Walkthroughs / Unboxing (5-20 minutes)

Role-playing Games in Season 4

Continuing with Cyberpunk RED.

Where did we leave off again?

Dreams and Machines

Dragonbane?

Mutant Crawl Classics?

Mothership?

What do you want to see us play?

Obligatory Banter

Technology Annex

Ken’s new iPad Pro

He’s using it to map the next Cyberpunk RED adventure

The Apple Pen helps with this.

So do Traveller GeoMorphs!

And ProCreate!

And Continuity

And Astropad Slate (turns your iPad into a drawing tablet)

When not making apps, Ken is reading comics in Marvel Unlimited, in a desperate attempt to get caught up on his X-Men reading

And he protected it with a case:

ESR for iPad Pro 11 Inch Case

David is using Obsidian heavily for game design and the Dreams and Machines' game

He's trying to limit the amount of plugins he is using or he won't get anything done

Ken’s been using Zettler, but it’s clunkier.

The Game Room

Seems like we need to upgrade this place. Maybe “The Polyhedral Cathedral”?

Dragonbane RPG

Ken continues to reconnect with his Swedish roots.

Dragonbane is a translation of Drakar och Demoner, Scandinavia’s first and biggest tabletop RPG, originally launched in 1982.

Wouldn’t it be cool to get a Swedish gamer on to talk about the original game?

David made a character.

David picked up a lot of game related things at the end of the year

Microscope

So You Want to Be a Game Master

Mutant Year Zero: Ad Astra

Bangarang and the Gutterlands

Youtube: Bill Making Stuff

Owlbear Rodeo 2.0

David’s been using the new version for Dreams and Machines

Outro

Thanks for attending our latest minion and future overlord training. Thanks for coming! If you were sitting near the old death ray, head over to dice.camp and follow us @lairofsecrets. We've got all you need for those Hyperion gamma burns.

Fallout - the post-apocalyptic game set in an alternate, atomic-powered reality - kicks off our new Campaigns & Coffee short-format podcast.

We talk about the new streaming series on Amazon Prime, the video games that inspired it, and the session zero for our upcoming Fallout RPG campaign.

To start things off, we look at how the gore-filled kill shots of Fallout 4 and the deep story lore of the video games manifest in the streaming series. While avoiding spoilers, we get into what we loved about the new series, including its use of gore for shock value and it's enjoyable storytelling. As mutant hounds howled in the background (no doubt drawn by our semi-maniacal laughter), we transition to talking about Modiphius' Fallout role-playing game.

Using review copies provided by Modiphius, we look at the game's mechanics, the joy of character creation, and how to balance the grit and humor that defines Fallout game play. We get into the specifics of the Fallout 2d20 system, like the use of S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats, perks, and the dice mechanics that make the Fallout RPG a faithful translation of the video game experience into a tabletop format.

Check out our Fallout 2d20 Campaign & RPG Resources

Chapters

0:00 - Intro: Diving Into Fallout's Universe

1:10 - Fallout TV Show Review and Impressions

3:38 - Transition to Fallout RPG Gameplay

7:58 - Deep Dive into RPG Mechanics and Character Creation

14:58 - GM Techniques and Gameplay Strategy

19:48 - Insights and Challenges from Session Zero

24:43 - Building a Formidable and Sustainable Empire

29:12 - Outro

Listen to the Episode

Watch the Episode

Watch the Gore and Lore in Fallout - Campaigns & Coffee on YouTube.

Show Notes

Fallout TV Show Discussion

General impressions and impact on desire to engage with the game

Comparison of violence and gore levels between the TV show, Fallout 4, and other media

How the TV show balances violence with storytelling

Transition to Fallout RPG

Motivations for playing the RPG based on the TV show depiction

Initial reactions and comparisons to video game elements

RPG Mechanics Deep Dive

Detailed exploration of character creation

Discussion on RPG stats and perks

Adjusting from video game mechanics to tabletop RPG mechanics

Game Mastering Techniques

Strategies for introducing combat and maintaining game pacing

Use of radroaches as beginner adversaries

Character Building and Session Insights

Experiences from the group's session zero

Challenges faced and lessons learned during character creation and early game play

Looking Ahead

Introduction of new characters and potential plot developments

Overlord Strategy Discussion

Considerations for building a formidable and sustainable empire in the game world

Our Cyberpunk RED Recap episode looks at the first season of our actual play campaign. We talk about our favorite moments, how the characters grew, reversals we didn't see coming (or did, and loved anyway) and more.

Need to know who’s who? Check out the Cyberpunk RED campaign page.

Looking for answers to your Cyberpunk RED questions? Visit our FAQ page.

Want ways to pump up the role of your Media character in the game? Learn how to create a screamsheet.

How about maps, character generators, plot generators, and more? Visit our Cyberpunk RED Resources page.

https://youtu.be/wiE--P4FKzY

Join us for a lookback at our Savage Worlds-powered actual play campaign, Sundered Horizons! In this podcast retrospective, the crew discusses the three episode arc and asks one of the most important questions you can ask in a campaign: should we continue or try something else?

Sundered Horizons was our first "Side Passage" adventure - the game we'd play when we couldn't get the full crew together for Cyberpunk RED.

Need to know who's who? Check out the Sundered Horizons Campaign Page.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RsQqwFLhcY

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

The edgerunners finished their latest big gig, securing black box tech for the Maker Enclave and surviving an encounter with a Zetatech "negotiation response team". With the run complete, they're looking for some much needed downtime.

In Chapter 5 of our Cyberpunk RED actual play podcast, we try out the games downtime rules, which allow players to rest, recover, and earn a few Eurobucks when they're not gunning for trouble. Meanwhile, we introduce the city-wide Rocketblade competition, which the nomad Omen is eager to participate in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMgaQHK_B48
Watch us play!

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for Chapter 5, generated using Adobe’s Firefly software.

Our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign continues with Chapter 4: Aftershocks. In our last chapter, the edgerunners cracked open the Titan 1X prototype self-driving tractor trailer and secured the Zetatech blackbox that the Maker Enclave hired them to acquire. As they moved the black box to their vehicle, they caught site of a Zetatech-branded AeroCop air vehicle inbound. The armored attack craft landed, and its leader Isabela "Izzy" Cordero explained they'd tracked the payload here specifically to make the edgerunners a deal: 10,000 EBs upfront to spy on the Maker.

The edgerunners rejected the deal, and a firefight broke out.

Through grit, luck, and a lot of bullets, the edgerunners made it away. Atlas took a critical wound after being shot, but survived. Many of the Zetatech operatives went down, but Izzy survived ... and swore vengeance.

The team is now preparing to meet with Omen's Nomad cousins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgbCSPe5OG8

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for Chapter 4, generated using Adobe's Firefly software.

At Gen Con 2023 we interviewed Aaron Shanks, director of marketing for Paizo. We discussed Rage of the Elements, their latest Pathfinder 2nd Edition release and as well as their plans for the new Starfinder 2nd Edition.

We also delve into Paizo’s approach to world-building, with system-wide events that progress the story in both games and touch on ORC, the new open gaming license spearheaded by the company.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asZ1_Uu_iPA

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Cover art from Rage of Fury, a source book for Paizo's Pathfinder 2nd Edition tabletop role-playing game. Credit: Paizo.

Chapter 2 of our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign ended with the edgerunners staring down the guns of a rapidly approaching Zetatech Aerocop. They had just seized the company's black box tractor tech from an experimental, self-driving tractor trailer at the "Iron Oasis" scrapyard outside of Night City. In order to get away with the loot, they'll have to deal with Zetatech ... either with words, or with guns.

Much to the edgerunners surprise, the corpos were there to talk. Unfortunately for everyone, Atlas - the group's solo - spoke best with rocket launchers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS4XZW6rtTw

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for Chapter 3, generated using Adobe's Firefly software.

At Gen Con 2023 we interviewed Tomas Härenstam, one of the co-founders of Free League Publishing.

The company won big at the 2023 Ennies game awards, taking home seven Gold Ennies for everything from Best Cartography for the Blade Runner RPG Starter Set to Product of the Year for Vaesen RPG: Mythic Britain & Ireland.

We talk about those wins, as well as:

Vaesen, the “cozy horror” RPG of the Nordic lore

The ALIEN source book Building Better Worlds

The One Ring’s Moria: Through the Doors of Durin expansion

Bladerunner’s cyberpunk noir

We also discuss Dragonbane, the English version of the long-running Swedish role-playing and ask the question … what’s with the ducks fighting monsters?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmUlpo6wd0w

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

One of the famous (notorious?) ducks from Dragonbane. Credit: Free League Publishing.

In this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast, we’re talking about generative AI as a tool in gaming! We’re looking at how the overhyped tech can assist game masters and players alike. We provide real-game examples of using ChatGPT prompts both during prep and in game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGCQGdfwCeA

Main topic: ChatGPT and Generative AI in RPG Prep

What do we mean when we talk about AI?

Limit to Generative AI (large language models, image generation, etc)

How does it work?

Kyle Hill explains

Generative AI in Gaming

Explanation of the role of AI in gaming history, and how generative AI models have changed the game. (This is for video games, however, tools for TTRPGs can be extrapolated)

Generative AI systems have been utilized in games like Dwarf Fortress and Deep Rock Galactic for procedural level and environment generation

Ubisoft's Ghostwriter AI assists scriptwriters in creating varied and engaging NPC dialogues, freeing their time for other core plot elements​​.

Generative AI systems are increasingly used in the gaming industry, including in voice synthesis and text-to-speech, but human creativity and judgment remain crucial in the development process​

Benefits of using Generative AI in RPGs

Benefits of Using Generative AI in RPGs

Enhancing creativity: AI can generate content that is unexpected, creating a sense of novelty and exploration.

Reducing game master workload: AI can automate aspects of game management, such as NPC interactions and world generation.

NPC Dialogue Generation

Example Prompt: "Generate a dialogue for a suspicious tavern owner when players ask about the local rumors."

Plot Development

Example Prompt: "The players have just found a mysterious artifact in an ancient temple. What could be the implications or potential story arcs?"

World Building

Example Prompt: "Describe a bustling market in a futuristic cyberpunk city."

NPC Character Creation

Example Prompt: "Create a character profile for a rogue elf with a mysterious past."

Scenario Planning

Example Prompt: "What kind of challenges or obstacles could the players encounter while navigating through a haunted forest?"

Campaign Backstory Creation

Example Prompt: "Provide a backstory for a campaign set in a world where magic is considered a crime."

Creating Unique Items or Spells

Example Prompt: "Create a unique magical item for a level 10 wizard."

Generating Puzzles or Riddles

Example Prompt: "Generate a riddle that the players must solve to unlock a hidden door in a crypt."

Rules Clarification

Example Prompt: "What are the rules for casting a spell using a bonus action in D&D 5e?"

Improvisation Assistance

Example Prompt: "The players have taken an unexpected turn and decided to ally with the villain. How could this affect the storyline?"

Personalization: AI can adapt the game to individual players' styles and preferences.

Accessibility: AI can make RPGs more accessible for those who might not have a human game master or a group to play with. (Solo RPG enhancement)

Examples of using ChatGPT in Role-Playing Game Prep

Examples of things we have done

Chris’s Dresden Game

Individual plot paths for players

Enhanced search and extrapolation as fodder

Riddles and poems

Mashups

Rules crunching

NO MATH

David’s steampunk game

One shot game

Starting with a description of the setting

Helped with the title of the setting

Created character stats for the player characters

Not perfect, but good enough for a one shot

Worked with creating character descriptions

Used those descriptions to create character portraits in Midjourney

Names - overkill for a name generator

Descriptions of locations

Helped with different plot ideas

Ken’s Elemental Apocalypse game

Brainstorming fire-themed character ideas for an evil adventuring party.

Our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign continues with Chapter 2: Iron Oasis! Technical issues with recording this podcast that caused the video to glitch and the audio to get messed up near the end. We're releasing a summary of this episode so future episodes make sense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKb_0fHMTX4

Previously ... on Cyberpunk RED

The edgerunners were hired by the Maker Enclave, a group of throwback techheads that aggressively void warranties, to acquire some new black box tech from Zetatech. The corporation's farming subsidiary developed the next iteration of its farm tractors which - of course - have no user serviceable parts and software that can't be modified by the end user. The Makers are looking to crack the software and liberate a few Southern California farms from Zetatech's technological yolk.

The edgerunners learned the black box containing the new tractor controller was being shipped to test bed farms in Southern California via Stormhold Transport's new self-driving cargo rig. Rather than try and steal the black box from the Zetatech warehouse, they decided to hit the rig ... with a little help from the extended family of Omen - the crew's Nomad (and an agreement with the Nomads to turn the rig over to them once the edgerunners had the black box).

Mission Brief: Iron Oasis

With the crew set on hijacking the Stormhold truck, they did additional research into the prototype. They determined it was a Titan 1X, an autonomous vehicle with an onboard AI and self-contained network that controlled its myriad features:

Propulsion: Hybrid motive power: electric for the city, CHOOH2-based engine for overland driving.

Cargo Bay: A modular bay capable of different configurations depending on the job's needs.

Weapons: The Titan's carries two mini air drones for scouting and to repel attackers.

Onboard Architecture: The onboard control system is a nine level net architecture. Access to the network's data port is protected by a locked external service node.

Research completed, the edgerunners used old satellite maps to identify where they should try and take down the transport. They decided on the "Iron Oasis", a privately owned junkyard located at the junction of a junction of State Route 101 and County Road 13 a 25 south of Night City. Across the road from the Oasis was the Mirage Fuel Stop, a CHOOH2 refuel station.

Before traveling they debated specific strategies for dealing with the Titan 1X, settling on two options:

Using a "Roadrunner" approach to trick the truck AI into driving down a fake road

Setting up some sort of a roadblock to force the truck to stop.

They also secured a number of magnetic harpoons so they could attempt to board the truck while it was moving. Atlas, the team Solo who was always looking for a something packing a bigger punch, secured a rocket launcher. "Just in case," he said, admiring the weapon as they walked out of his weapon dealer's shop in Night City.

Heading to the Iron Oasis

With gear secured, the edgerunners picked up their road car from Omen's extended Nomad family and sped out to the Iron Oasis, intent getting there before the self-driving truck. Once there, they spoke with Remy "Rusty" Navarro, owner of the Oasis, and his right-hand operator, "Lockjaw" Lucy Harper. The edgerunners offered 400 Eurobucks - and an agreement to introduce them to Omen's Nomad family - if the two of them would leave them the keys to the facility for a few hours.

They also spoke with Matt Rameriz and his wife Samantha, owners of the Mirage Fuel Stop located opposite the junkyard. For 100 eurobucks, the couple agreed to take that weekend getaway to Night City they always talked about. They locked up the shop, then headed out.

The Ambush

With the non-combatants dealt with, the edgerunners got to work. They used they strategically placed wrecked vehicles on the road to force the transport rig to slow down ...

Chris Birch, co-founder of Modiphius Entertainment, joins us to talk about his company's upcoming slate of games including the hopepunk scifi game Dreams and Machines and the Roman Empire-era Cohors Cthulhu (a prequel to their popular Achtung Cthulhu! role-playing game). We also discuss Modiphius' Via Modiphius and other programs to foster and promote upcoming RPG designers.

Want to learn more about Dreams and Machines? Check out our unboxing of the new starter set.

This Modiphius interview took place at GenCon 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syQpgFGRcb0&t=10s

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for the Dreams and Machines Starter Boxed Set. Credit: Modiphius.

GenCon 2023 - the mega game convention in Indianapolis, Indiana - is the focus of this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast. During the show we rundown our impressions of GenCon (David was there in 2022; Ken hadn't been back since 2014) and talk about all the cool RPGs we bought and played at the convention.Included in our wrap up: Marvel Multiverse RPG, Trail of Cthulhu, Mutant Crawl Classics, Dungeons & Dragons (because, of course), Cyberpunk RED, Pathfinder, Solo RPGs, Star Trek Adventures, Hero System, and dice. So many dice...

You can also listen to our GenCon 2023 interviews!

S3E22 Gen Con 2023 – Modiphius Interview

S3E25 Gen Con 2023 – Free League Interview

S3E27 Gen Con 2023 – Paizo Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niDTOofZ-sg&list=PLY5SrwsZEIB_0TPD3bc6uvGPR6Mq5UTHv

Main Topic: GenCon 2023

Impressions of GenCon

It’s huge. 70,000 attendees.

Tickets sold by game (Source: En World)

Dungeons & Dragons (all flavors) was huge, with 10K+ tickets sold. But a lot of other games ran as well.

The New Stuff We Played

Marvel Multiverse RPG

Mutant Crawl Classics … and it wasn’t even a funnel!

We also lived!

Trail of Cthulhu

Messed up, time-splintered family dealing with an extradimensional incursion.

Dresden’s Irregulars with the Hero System (Infinite Imaginations)

The Stuff We Bought

Ken

Marvel Multiverse RPG

Danger Gal Dossier (Cyberpunk RED)

Pathfinder: Rage of Elements

Star Trek Adventures: Captain’s Log Solo RPG

Solo Game Master’s Guide

Dice!

David

Was good this year and only influenced Ken to buy things.

Dreams and Machines by Modiphius

Marvel Multiverse RPG

David gave Ken his Space Hulk game with the Deathwing expansion

Have fun in those narrow corridors!

The People We Talked To

Modiphius (Dreams and Machines, Cohors Cthulhu)

Free League (Alien, Dragonbane, The One Ring, Bladerunner)

Evil Genius Games (Everyday Heroes - Pacific Rim, Rambo, Kong: Skull Island)

Paizo (Pathfinder, Starfinder 2.0, ORC)

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

When schedules don't align or when real-life intervenes in our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign, we venture down a Side Passage! On this episode, we feature the kick off of a second actual play campaign with David Moore's dimension hopping, steampunk-powered Sundered Horizons: Navigating the Nexus. It's powered by Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE).

In the first chapter, "The Most Expensive Adventure", our heroes are drawn together for the gala debut of a device capable of opening portals to distant worlds.

Visit our campaign page to learn more about Sundered Horizons and its cast of characters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrS_ksDpb2U

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for the Savage Worlds Adventure Deck. Credit: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

On this episode, we answer the question "what is Savage Worlds"? We review the basics of Savage World's "fast, furious, and fun" rules including character creation, hindrances, and feats. We delve into how to use the core book and the various supplements to build your own campaign world. Overlord Emeritus Chris Miller, who built his own takes on Savage Dresden Files and Savage Amber, joins us for the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEWp_3vjSpE

Main Topic

What is Savage Worlds?

Game overview

Initiative

Wild Cards and minions

Exploding dice & multiple successes

Bennies

Edges

Hindrances

How do you do magic?

Powers?

What sort of options for different magic systems can we do?

How do you run a campaign?

Setting Rules

Savage World Adventure Edition p. 136

How to get your players to spend bennies?

What is a bennie?

Settings we’ve played with

Savage Amber

Savage Dresden

Savage Ringworld

Savage Weird Pulp

Savage Stargate

Realms of Cthulhu

The Day After Ragnarok

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for the Adventure Edition. Credit: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.

Our Cyberpunk RED actual play campaign kicks off with Chapter 1: Made to Order. The edgerunners are hired by the Makers Enclave to secure some black box tech from the Zetatech.

The target - a sealed box approximately 1' x 1' x 2' - is part of a new line of self-directed farming equipment. It's being held in a Zetatech warehouse in Night City's Heywood Industrial Zone district awaiting shipment by a third party, Stormhold Shipping. The destination is a corporate test bed farm in Southern California, outside of Los Angeles.

What do the Makers want with it? Well, the Makers aggressively void warranties, and despise corporations like Zetatech that lock consumers into proprietary solutions. So they want to secure the box, crack it open, discover its secrets ... and then share their hacks with the people cursed with using that tech.

Cyberpunk RED Chapter 1 Cast of Characters

Amelie Penelope Thibault aka APT (Chris)

Bram Van Brogan aka Angry Bob (David)

Nohea Kaapana aka Omen (Erin)

Shay Ken Baker aka Atlas (Josh)

Your game master is Ken Newquist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd9H0I-05-M&t=1s

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for Chapter 1 prev, generated using Adobe's Firefly software.

Summer is here, and that means reading! On this episode, it's all books, all the time as we talk about our Summer Reading Lists for 2023.

Need more inspiration? Check out these posts.

Overlord Emeritus Chris Miller runs down his Worthy Comic Books for Summer Reading

Ken's full Summer 2023 reading list is up on Nuketown.

Need even more books? Revisit our 2021 and 2022 reading lists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3EiMVi3oDc

The Summer Reading Lists 2023

David’s Picks

Terry Pratchett

Small Gods

Moving Pictures

Jingo

Discworld Reading Guide

The Gods of HP Lovecraft

Collection of short stories by modern authors, without all of the racism in it

Legends II

Another short story collection

David's not sure of the overall theme/world, but understands it’s another shared setting

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Pretty heavy, David's wanted to read it for a while so he is taking this opportunity to put it on the pile

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

The Library Connection

David hasn’t lost access to the library and it’s apps, so he expects this list to swell

Ken’s Picks

Ken launched his 16th annual reading list

Dragons of Deceit by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

A return to Dragonlance after more years away then Ken can easily remember.

Destina Rosethorn seeks to travel back through time to save her father, who died in the War of the Lance.

Star Wars: Lesser Evil (Thrawn Ascendency, Book 3) by Timothy Zahn

The final book of the second Thrawn prequel series. Yes, this was on Ken’s list last year. Yes, he didn’t read it.

Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty

A murder mystery on a sentient space station.

Released in October 2022, so it wasn’t on last year’s reading list.

The next book in the series, Chaos Terminal, drops in November 2023.

Dead Moon (Threshold Universe, Book 3) by Peter Cline

LOST meets Lovecraft meets weird science.

Began with “14”, in which people living in an apartment building discover something very strange is going on in their basement. Continued with The Fold, which involved visiting another realm … and dealing with the consequences of those visits

Implacable (The Lost Fleet: Outlands Book 3) by Jack Campbell

Admiral John “Black Jack” Geary has taken his fleet beyond the frontier and is battling the dangerous and cryptic Enigma aliens. If only he wasn’t also fighting Alliance politicians back home, who are concerned he’ll use his immense popularity to seize control of the government

Graphic Novels

Hellboy: The Bones of Giants

Need some new horror graphic novels. Open to suggestions - Ken’s read most of the Hellboy and BPRD books.

Atomic Robo?

Transmetropolitan?

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

In this podcast episode, we look at Oracles for role-playing games. Oracles are a kind of random generator popularized by solo RPGs like Ironsworn and the Mythic Game Master Simulator. However the idea of oracles - in which you role some dice to determine a course of action or inspire some aspect of your game - have been around since the hobby's earliest days. We talk about those early inspirations, how you can leverage oracles in your own game, and how to create your own campaign-specific random tables.

We're joined on this podcast by Chris Miller, Former Overlord of the Secret Lair, coding guru, and man least likely to be eaten by a grue. Before talking Oracles, we discuss the various video and role-playing games we're playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1CIucTeW1k

The Game Room

Back to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is out. Ken’s still catching up on the last one.

Starting Shadows of Doubt

Created by British developer Colepowered Games

Savage Amber and Savage Dresden

Chris created Savage Worlds versions of Amber and the Dresden Files.

Not licensed; these are fan creations for your geeky enjoyment

Godsend Agenda 3rd edition

David got his copy of Godsend Agenda 3rd Edition

It's not your typical mythology. Learn more by checking out S2E7 Godsend Agenda

Guardians of the Galaxy video game

David finished the game ... and enjoyed it quite a lot.

The Library

Cory Doctorow Novel-o-Rama

Chris talks about his recent Doctorow readings.

Main Topic: Oracles for Role-Playing Games

What is an Oracle?

“In Ironsworn, an oracle is anything which generates random results to help determine the outcome of a move, a detail in your world, and NPC action, or a narrative event.” - Ironsworn, p. 165.

Dictionary.com: “(especially in ancient Greece) an utterance, often ambiguous or obscure, given by a priest or priestess at a shrine as the response of a god to an inquiry, also the agency or medium giving such responses.”

In this case, the agent is the dice, and the deity is … well…you decide. Let’s call it Fate.

The use of an oracle implies predestination, something is “supposed” to happen.

Interesting, then, that consulting an oracle in RPGs is exactly the opposite, a specific decision of “random” chance so that the player need not decide.

Oracles in Different Game Types

Why use Oracles?

Drawing inspiration from randomness

Oracles in Solo games

Solves for the blank page problem.

Gives a channel for creativity to flow into. “Your ship has a critical issue,” causes the creative mind to try to solve the issue, or at least define it.

Game specific mechanisms

Thousand Year Vampire - using playing cards and dice

Be Like a Crow - playing cards

Ironsworn - all dice

Converted games, MythicRPG, OracleRPG - oracles, tech tools, AI

Oracles in Co-op games

Oracles in Traditional, Game Master-driven games

You cannot plan everything

Two ways to use in GM games

Spur of the moment in game - implied common usage

Supplement planning, even wandering monsters. - This gives the GM’s brain a break, since wandering and random encounters are a staple of some games’ module writing.

Specifics

Oldest oracle we could find: D&D White Box Monsters and Treasures

DMs screens

Player-generated Tables! So many! The internet is amazing!

Random Generators

Random Tools we Have Known

Dungeons & Dragons Monster & Treasure Assortment

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide

Specifically, the random dungeon generator in the first edition

There have been oracles for D&D as long as there has been an internet. See textfiles.com/rpg/

Many online resources

Donjon

Perchance - create your own oracles

Katans and Trenchcoats - old school World of Darkness

Creating an Oracle

How to create your own oracles and not feel like you are cheating/lazy
...

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast we look at using different media in your role-playing game sessions. This includes tools like thematic artwork, background music, in-game fiction, and even props. We also look at the new Sentinels of Earth-Prime digital card game by Handelebra (based on the print game by Greater than Games), venture into the library to check out Warren Ellis' Transmetropolitan comic series, and offer our initial thoughts on the Cyberpunk RED role-playing game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK_1-BrpoFQ

The Arcade

Sentinels of Earth-Prime (iOS, Android, Steam)

By the developers of Sentinels of the Multiverse … but with the heroes of Green Ronin’s Freedom City!

Enemies like:

Omega, Hades, Meta-Mind (Grue Mothership), Argo: The Ultimate Android

Heroes like:

Bowman, Captain Thunder, Doctor Metropolis, Daedalus, Lady Liberty, Siren

Greater Than Games (original developers)

Handelabra (video game developers)

The Library

Transmetropolitan comic series

Darick Robertson and Warren Ellis

Libraries are awesome

The Game Room

Cyberpunk RED Initial Thoughts

It’s crunchy.

It’s deadly.

Range matters. (really).

Netrunning works. And it’s fun! (really).

Black Chrome on Roll20?

Black Chrome

Black Chrome+

Monster of the Week

Ken's lunchtime gaming group is gearing up for Monster of the Week.

A Powered By the Apocalypse game inspired by shows like Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Main Topic: Using different media in your game

Music

Playlists

Used for background music during game and also a way to get into the game during planning a session

Elemental Apocalypse - Spotify

Heavily inspired by Willow. Music to do heroic things to.

Cyberpunk RED - Spotify

There’s a lot of The Matrix and Edgerunners in here.

Soundboards

Used during the game to give a timely thrill to players and evoke the scene

Syrinscape

Discord’s new soundboard feature

Atmospheric

Movie and television soundtracks

Music that evokes a particular genre

Art

Pinterest

Cyberpunk RED

Arcologies

Battle maps for Cyberpunk Red

Elemental Apocalypse

Battlemaps for Elemental Apocalypse

Searching for Concept Art

Not super detailed, but leave a lot to the imagination

Google Image Search

Fiction

In game newspaper/newsletter

The Constant Sentinel (in-universe blog for Mutants & Masterminds)

Screamsheets

Screamsheet kit from R. Talsorian

Lair of Secrets' Screamsheet collection

Fantasy paper talking about news of the world

Your party’s exploits are also covered

Twisting stories you’ve read and heard into your own game plots

The World of Kong: A natural history of Skull Island

Props

Newspaper articles for Call of Cthulhu

Weathering your maps for handouts.

Cardboard kid puzzles

Spray paint so you’ve wiped out picture, then write the map on it, and break the puzzle appear to give them the pieces.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

A collection of elemental-themed illustrations from Ken's Elemental Apocalypse board on Pinterest.

On this episode, we talking about changing gears - changing game systems, changing genres, changing roles, changing groups - as part of our May 2023 RPG Blog Carnival hosting duties. Before venturing into those tiny, switching passages, all different, we talk about Ken's return to backpacking, discuss new streaming series (Lockwood and Co., Picard, and The Last of Us) and venture back to the Game Room.

https://youtu.be/13btIC5zz0k

The Outdoors

Ken's heading back to the Pine Barrens for an introductory backpacking trip (and working on getting back into backpacking shape)

Streaming Theatre

Lockwood and Co.

Teenaged ghost hunters in an alternate world

The Problem started 50 years ago

Technology has stagnated - no cell phones, still using VCRs and cassette tapes

Star Trek: Picard, Season 3

A true send off for the Next Generation crew.

The Last Of Us

Really, really good zombie show (even if you never played the game).

Game Room

David ran a game for his younger nephews

Pinball FX3

Ken got this pinball simulator for Switch

Includes classics (Indiana Jones, Creature from the Black Lagoon) and originals (ALIENS).

Great to revisit these old friends.

The Cruise Ship

Who knew we had one of those?

Erin and David went on the JoCo Cruise!

David turned a passel of pens

New game: Psi*Run

Main Topic: Changing Gears

We're hosting the RPG Blog Carnival for May 2023! The topic is "Changing Gears"

Switching systems

Examples:

Dungeons & Dragons to Scum and Villainy

Scum & Villainy to Cyberpunk RED

What helps?

Read reviews

Read introductory blog posts

Actual play videos/podcasts

Playtesting the rules

Play the game at a convention

Switching genres

Examples:

Fantasy (D&D Greyhawk) to Science Fiction (Star Wars)

Traditional Fantasy to Apocalyptic over-the-top Fantasy

Science Fantasy to Cyberpunk

Preparing Your Players

Brainstorm the fiction inspiration (movies, TV, music, books, comic books)

Make sure you’ve agreed on what the genre means … and discuss if there’s anything problematic that you want to avoid.

Preparing Yourself

Read! Watch movies!

Find random tables / oracles for inspiration

Switching roles

Game master to player

Switching gaming groups

Look for gamers at conventions

Look for gamers at your local game shop

Game nights at Barnes & Noble

Looking for Group on Discord Servers for Your Games

Invite gamers out for a beer/soda/etc. to talk philosophy, gaming interests, etc.

Feedback

We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us using these channels:

Email

Discord

DiceCamp (Mastodon)

Twitter

Twitch

Featured Image Meta

Black and white picture of mainly the chain and gears of a bike. Credit: 5 Cent Dollar. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Thumbnail art is from Adobe Firefly, an AI text to image generator.

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, Ken totally doesn't buy a new game he doesn't have time to play, while David fights the good fight against streaming technical difficulties. Our main topic is a look at our favorite card games, including Fluxx, Exploding Kittens, Morels, Race for the Galaxy, and more.

Game Room

Ironsworn: Starforged

Yeah, Ken got it too. He blames David.

Getting Started with TaleSpire

Building out the maps from Cyberpunk RED Easy Mode.

Ken’s documenting as he goes for a post on the Lair.

Truly amazing what others have done with the cyberpunk tool kit (we’ll steal some of it).

Main Topic: Our Favorite Card Games and Why

Fluxx

Family friendly card game with a ton of themed sets.

Basic set up:

Every game starts with a basic rule governing how many cards you can draw and play.

Keeper Cards - Represent different objects or concepts (e.g. Sun, Chocolate, Love)

Objective Cards - Tell you to win the game (e.g. you could have “Hot Chocolate”, which requires a player to have the “Sun” and “Chocolate” keepers in play at the same time.

Rule Cards - Augment or break the basic rule in some way. Change how many cards you draw or play a turn. Set how many Keepers a player Exploding Kittenscan have in front of them. Set a hand limit.

Action Cards - Lets you draw additional cards, steal cards from someone else, trade cards, steal keepers, and generally mess with the rules.

Sets can be combined for crazy combinations, but will always lead to longer games.

Exploding Kittens

An elimination-based, mess-with-your friends card game.

Basic set up:

A number of “exploding kittens” - exact number depends on how many people are playing - are shuffled into a communal deck.

Players play a card and draw a card.

Other cards include different kinds of kittens; if you get doubles or triples of particular kittens, you can use them to steal cards from someone else.

Other action cards let you take a specific card, ask for cards from someone else, or defuse (and then shuffle back into the deck) an exploding kitten.

Goal is to be the last person standing.

Fun, raucous game. Not great for people who don’t like elimination games.

Kids played it at Pax Unplugged.

Morels

A two-person mushroom gathering card game

Basic set-up:

There is a forest path which consists of a number of game cards laid out next to each other.

Players draw cards, which causes the path to advance.

The goal is to collect sets of mushrooms, and then cook them.

Bonuses for using butter, cider, and other ingredients in your meals.

Always makes us hungry for mushrooms.

Race for the Galaxy

Build a galactic empire before anyone else.

Basic set-up:

Game is divided into phases.

Which phases happen depend on what kind of cards people play (e.g. develop, colonize, produce/trade, ship).

Goal is to build a tableau of 12 cards OR gain the most victory points before everyone else.

Tableaus can have themes built around top-level cards (e.g. military themed builds, mining themed builds, terraforming

If you enjoy the feel of Mass Effect and space opera in general, you’ll enjoy this game.

6 Nimmt

Suggested to David by our former Overlord Johnson

Basic set-up

Players get a hand of 10 cards, each card has a different point value

Each round they must place into one of four columns, each card is placed in the row that ends with the highest number that's below the card's number.

If a placement happens to be the sixth card in that row, the owner of that card claims the other five cards, off to the side, and their card becomes the new first card in the row

Play continues until all cards in your hand are played

Then everyone tallies up their score

If no one hits 66 points, then another hand is played. The first person to get to 66 points ends the game and the person with the lowest total score loses.

Feedback

We love feedback!

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets we venture deep into the Role-Playing Game Vault to uncover a host of games that aren't Dungeons & Dragons. We also talk about the new games we didn't buy, ZineQuest 5, and the launch of the Leon Library Book Club, and The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin.

The Neon Library Book Club

Announcing The Neon Library, a Cyberpunk book discussion group!

Lair of Secrets Discord + Neon Library Book Club

https://discord.gg/5DfN2ztDPZ

The Library

The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin

Follow up to the Fifth Season - post apocalyptic setting with a very cool magic mechanic.

Much faster read than The Fifth Season.

Settled into the 2nd person perspective much more easily, and there are fewer time jumps this time.

And the mystery of the Earth and its seasons is being revealed, which has me looking forward to Book 3.

The Game Room

GoldenEye is out for Switch and Xbox One. Ken didn’t buy it.

Yet.

Olympus Fluxx is out. David did buy it, but hasn’t played it.

Yet

The Zine Rack

ZineQuest 5

Main Topic: Games other than Dungeons & Dragons

We haven’t thrown in our two cents about Wizards of the Coast, the OGL, and Dungeons & Dragons until now because, honestly, it doesn’t really affect us. We don’t just play D&D and we haven’t streamed it. The more we see about it though, the more we would like to help those of you out there for whom D&D is their core game or are looking for something other than DnD.

And before we jump in, if you still want to play DnD that’s cool too. It’s a fun game, even if WotC did some pretty bad missteps lately. You aren’t WotC or Hasbro, you are blameless and should enjoy yourselves!

If you wantthen playbecausebut bewareHigh action, high-risk gamesSavage WorldsExploding dice mechanic creates unexpected results.Bennies encourage players to take risks. Bad for nuance and subtlety.Collaborative world building with a variety of conflictsFATE (Spirit of the Century, Dresden Files, Fate of Cthulhu)Aspects encourage players and game master to tag the world with descriptors.Lots of dials to make the setting and genre you want.Not great for crunchy, mechanically complex characters.Traditional, fantasy-inspired role-playing with lots of complexityPathfinder, Pathfinder 2E1E is an offshoot of D&D 3rd Edition, and retains its mechanical complexity (with a few streamlining efforts, like combat maneuvers)2E continues the streamlining … but still crunchyComplexity may be too much for players looking for a simpler game. Gonzo fantasy role-playing game inspired by the classics of fantasy literature.Dungeon Crawl Classics, Mutant Crawl ClassicsYou want to roll funky dice.You want to start with 0-level characters, don’t mind a high body count among players, and want magic to be dangerous.May be too brutal for some players.Conflates species with class.Investigation-based, horror-themed game with a straightforward rule setCall of CthulhuYou want to explore the themes of cosmic horror and humanity’s desire to learn things it shouldn’t.You enjoy playing in a variety of modern or near-modern eras (e.g. late 1800s, 1920s, 2000s)Lethal with a high chance of mental incapacitation. No mechanic to ensure the players find all the necessary clues.An investigation game in which players are sure to progress through the mystery.GUMSHOE (Night's Black Agents, The Fall of Delta Green)You want zero chance that the players won’t find the clue that prevents the Great Old One from rising.Prefer traditional mysteries with a chance of failure.Player-centric games focused on world building where the game master adjudicates, but rarely rolls dice.Powered by the Apocalypse (Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Monster of the Week)Players drive the world, build connections amongst themselves, and work with the game master to build out the setting.Character playbooks provide a framework and rules for what each character type can do.Playbooks,

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets we talk about pacing your game, including techniques you can use and techniques baked into some of our favorite RPGs. First though, we’re venturing back into the Game Room to catch up on new games and new campaigns.

The Game Room

Ironsworn: Starforged

Evolved from Powered by the Apocalypse games

Can be played traditionally, but also has solo and co-op modes

Has extras to help you keep track of things in a novel way

Tiny Tina’s Wonderland

a fun reskin and improvement on the Borderlands franchise (Ken & David)

Atari VCS to PC conversion failure

It works, but not as well as they say without significant upgrade.

New Year, New Campaign

Ken's Elemental Apocalypse campaign

Answers the question … What If the Temple of Elemental Evil rose … and the heroes couldn’t stop it?

Flips the classic Keep on the Borderlands scenario - the heroes are hiding out in the “Caverns of Hope” (as opposed to the Caves of Chaos), while the bad guys control the keep.

Inspiration?

B/X Blackrazor’s post: The Secret of Keep on the Borderlands, which points out that if you’re in it for the loot … your target should be Kendall Keep

The Willow TV series: The next generation rises to deal with an ancient evil .. and kicks ass doing it.

Red Dawn: Fight the invaders!

Independence Day: The apocalypse happened. Now what?

Mechanics

PCs start at 3rd level.

They’re getting bonus feats (1st, 3rd, 6th, 12th level) and we’re swapping out the Inspiration die for Liberation dice. Liberation dice have the following effects:

Re-roll any result

Double damage

Change a story aspect

Ken wants players to take risks - yeah, go ahead, jump off that castle wall while being chased by a dozen elemental goblins. You’ll figure it out on your way down.

Main Topic: Pacing Your Game

Why should you pace your game? Why does pacing matter?

Time-boxed sessions - how to fit the game in the amount of time you have

Keeping everyone enthusiastic

Reinforcing the game’s themes

Types of pacing:

Ad Hoc and Organic

The Way Games Were

Different Levels of Pacing vs. Gamer Skill

Cyberpunk RED and pacing - p. 395

Cyberpunk RED uses Beat Charts to script the game and set the pace.

Games are broken up into Beats. Each Beat takes about 30 minutes.

A typical adventure consists of:

Hook

Development

Cliffhanger

Climax

Resolution

Adventures have only one Hook, Climax, and Resolution.

The rest of the adventure is made up of Developments (which move the story along) and Cliffhangers (which provide tension/excitement).

Scripting the Game: A Few Good Beats [PDF]

Blades in the Dark

Clocks help drive tension while providing an indicator to the PCs about how much time/effort they have left.

Can be used to track progress toward completing a project, setting off an alarm, or other time-based or resource-based progressions.

ALIEN

Cinematic vs. Ongoing

In their Cinematic scenarios (Chariot of the Gods, Destroyer of Worlds, Heart of Darkness), the action is divided up into Acts.

Acts consist of an overall arc, and may conclude with a particular revelation (e.g. character development cards are flipped to reveal how that character deal switch the situation; e.g. Ash’s betrayal in the original Alien).

FATE

From the Fate Adversary Toolkit

“As we talk about adversaries in this book, keep in mind the Fate Fractal: everything is a character (Fate Core, page 270). An adversary is not necessarily a person, monster, or other kind of creature you can punch. Rather, it’s a thing that exists to hinder, challenge, or oppose the players. There are three main types of adversaries: enemies, obstacles, and constraints.

Includes a number of spreads showing how to build out adversaries for a FATE campaign, focusing on low-threat challenges that build toward the confrontation with the boss.

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets, we take a look at our favorite board games, including Catan, Carcassone, Pandemic, and Space Hulk. We also venture back to the game room to check out the very modern PlayStation 5, the very retro Atari 50 video game museum/collection, and two newer video games: Sexy Brutale and Tick Tock. We also talk #dungeon23, the mega project that's winning 2023.

Game Room

Ken’s family finally got a PlayStation 5

Currently playing … Cyberpunk 2077, because it was cheap and Ken’s bad at keyboard/mouse inputs in first person shooters.

Atari 50

Atari 50 is a virtual museum dedicated to Atari’s various game lines and history. Heavy focus on Atari 2600, but there Lynx and Jaguar are there too.

And it has a functional version of Starmaster, a remastered Yar’s Revenge, and a completed version of the legendary vapourware Airworld.

Sexy Brutale

A groundhog day style murder mystery puzzle game

Tick Tock - A tale for two

A co-op game that is a little unusual

The Kennel

Forest, Ken's sixth Seeing Eye puppy, is here.

Dungeon Cartography

#dungeon23

The challenge is to make one dungeon room a day, one level a month, and at the end of the year you have a megadungeon!

We are using the #dungeon23 challenge to map out our Lair

We’ll be posting them on lairofsecrets.com

We’re bound to get a little lost, so we’ll see how many rooms we actually get to.

We’re already behind.

Main Topic: Board Games We Love

Settlers of Catan

The first Eurogame Ken ever played.

Great gateway drug to more interesting board games

Carcassone

Excellent combination of short and long game.

Puzzle-like design makes it easy to play with little kids (Ken’s kids “helped” when they were toddlers).

Arkham Horror

American-style modern board game based on H.P. Lovecraft's works of horror.

So … many … fiddly bits.

So huge it will threaten your sanity, but that’s part of the fun.

Pandemic

Awesome collaborative game in which you truly work together to save the world from rampant viruses

Hunt-A-Killer mysteries

From the website: "Hunt A Killer’s immersive murder mystery games throw you into the center of brutal murders, eerie disappearances, suspicious poisonings, and even supernatural horrors. And it’s up to you to examine the clues, evaluate the suspects, and find the thread that ties the case together."

Mystery of the Abbey

A modern take the murder-solving mystery game CLUE.

Sentinels of the Multiverse

A collaborative card game in which each deck represents a hero, a villain, or an environment.

Available in a digital version as well.

Space Hulk

Set in the Warhammer 40K universe.

Play as either Space Marines investigating a derelict ship ... or as gene stealers trying to slaughter them.

oldie and probably hard to get now, but it was lots of fun

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. We’re also @lairofsecrets@dice.camp on Mastodon.

The Game Master's Toolbox - a physical tool for organizing your gaming supplies - is the focus of this episode of Radio Active. Before delving into our repurposed Plano boxes though, we explore the St. Louis Science Center and take an extensive detour through the Game Room to talk about the Atari VCS, Portal Companion Edition, gaming at work, and consider the benefits of a gamer journal. We also geek out about the new Willow streaming series on Disney+.

On Episode 8, the holidays of the real world inspire a discussion of bringing holidays and special events to our game worlds. We also talk about geek Christmas trees, Seeing Eye puppies, our continued exploration of cyberpunk, and Netflix's new Wednesday series.

The Geek Tree

This year, it’s all about Star Wars.

The All-Seeing Eye

Ken's sixth Seeing Eye puppy is coming.

He arrives December 27.

We're taking guesses for the name.

The Library

David really want to read Count Zero, the follow up to Neuromancer and Book 2 in William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy but it’s on hold at the library.

The Streaming Theatre

Wednesday series on Netflix

A fun horror/comedy series that expands the Addams Family.

Main topic: Bringing Holidays to RPGs

Why?

A reason to bring your fantasy community together.

Builds out the history (on this day, we remember the heroic sacrifices of X, the founding of y)

Gives a way for players to learn about the history of the world without it being a lore dump

Provides a dramatic backdrop for the adventure (the heist occurred during the 6th Day of Yuletide)

If you are running a West Marches style game, it’s a good excuse to get everyone together and have a good time outside of the game, but with the pretext of the game.

World of Greyhawk Holidays

Greyhawk’s calendar has four holiday weeks (Brewfest, Growfest, Needfest, Richfest)

Various holy days for deities happen throughout the gear

Midsummer’s Day, at the mid point of Richfest, is holy to Pelor, a god of sun and healing.

The Greyhawk Calendar

Book of the Righteous

Green Ronin - The Book of the Righteous (5E Hardback) - Green Ronin Online Store

It’s not just fantasy…

Cyberpunk RED

Still have the normal Earth holidays

Commemorating days such as the nuclear detonation of Arasaka Tower

Marketing events that happen on made-up holidays

Secular Holidays

The Big Game

NASCAR Races

Tools we like

Campaign Calendar generator

Weather Generators + Holidays

Greyhawk

Forgotten Realms

Godchecker

An index of 4,000+ deities and spirts

Night City weather (PDF) for Cyberpunk RED

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. We’re also @lairofsecrets@dice.camp on Mastodon.

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for Green Ronin's Book of Righteousness.

Winter is coming. The holidays are almost here. How do you keep your gaming group going through the long, dark winter (or at least, the holiday break)?

In addition to delving into holiday game survival strategies, we talk about David's recent trip and the gaming insights he gained from it, Ken gets lost in TaleSpire for a while, then gets distracted by all the new games he got (Mothership work-in-progress PDFs, CY_BORG in print).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfkGbMgevzk

Someplace Else

David took a trip

Natural disasters as part of your game

Never seen hurricanes and their aftermaths as part of a game

Virtual Gameroom

Ken took a crack at TaleSpire.

Myriad yak shaving side-quests as Ken re-learned how to use Windows, downloaded GIMP, figured out how to get TaleSpire to load on the right window.

And created a very tiny, but true-to-the-map, rendering.

Double the size of the underlying map to account for increased thickness of walls in TaleSpire?

The Hall of Distractions

Ken got his work-in-progress Mothership PDFs.

Player’s Survival Guide

Warden’s Operation Manual

Gradient Descent (module)

Mothership Companion (iOS / Android app)

Ken also got his print copy of CY_BORG.

It’s layout and design are every bit as bonkers as MORK BORG

Ken is trying very hard not to justify reading these some sort of research for Cyberpunk RED.

Cyberpunk story in Omni.

Main Topic: Keeping Your Gaming Group Going through the Holidays

Plan ahead

In July, talk about December.

Are people available Black Friday?

Are people available Christmas week?

Are people available on New Year’s Eve?

David used to run one shot games on every New Year’s

If so … defend that time! Create a plan for including significant others or agree for significant others to do something else.

Go asynchronous

Instead of gaming, post online.

Post Fests to build out the world & campaign setting

Plan alternative games

Missing a regular or two? Pause the campaign and focus on other games.

Invite back old friends who don’t have time for a campaign, but do have time for a one-shot or board game.

'Break out board games, either old favorites (Arkham Horror, Risk 2210) or new games that just showed up under the geek tree.

Run a one shot of that game you’ve been dying to play (cough Alien cough)

Make it about the group, not the game

Have a holiday party. Invite significant others! Breakout the party games!

Go to a movie as a group.

Have an online game day (video games, board games, whatever).

Make the holidays a logical breakpoint

For example:

New year, new campaign, new dice?

New chapter in an existing campaign?

New game?

You know winter is coming, so prepare for it.

Talk about the pace of the campaign throughout the year.

Decide what you’re going to do before you get to the holidays.

How to restart things if the game did break up

Get the group together to hang out, as many of them as you can

Have a talk about what people would like to do

It’s possible that people want to try something different for a while

Do something fun and remind yourself and everyone it’s not about the game itself, it’s about hanging out with your friends

Be prepared to have a different group composition, because life does happen

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback!. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

The CY_BORG rulebook under Ken's Christmas tree. Credit: Ken Newquist

As we gear up for our Cyberpunk RED campaign, we take some time to brainstorm ideas for for the game (If only reality didn't keep getting more cyberpunk-ish than cyberpunk).

Over in the library, we discuss William Gibson's Count Zero, then venture to the Game Room to talk about Forbidden Lands, CY_BORG, Mothership, and the just announced Edgerunners release for Cyberpunk RED.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn48MlWLG9E

Library

Count Zero

Ken’s reading William Gibson’s second book in The Sprawl Trilogy

Never read it, but it continues the feel of Neuromancer (which he just finished)

Next up: Mona Lisa Overdrive.

Game Room

New RPGs

Did Ken say he'll stop buying new RPGs until he’s read the ones he has? But how will he support Sweden’s economy if he does that?

Forbidden Lands … now in English!

A hexcrawl, sandbox fantasy RPG exploring a once-cursed land, still haunted land.

Ken got the Swedish version (accidentally) in June as part of a Free League’s sale.

English version was back ordered … and arrived in November.

CY_BORG

The science fiction iteration of MORK BORG.

Similar aesthetic, only this time, it’s an apocalyptic cyberpunk book

Arrives later in November (already have the PDF … but reading the physical book is more fun.

Cyberpunk RED

Edgerunners release is coming!

Mothership

The lightweight horror RPG arrives sometime in Q1 of 2023. For now, Ken's got the WIP versions of two modules: Dead Planet and A Pound of Flesh.

Cyberpunk Screamsheets kit and the weird world of cascading style sheets

In order to learn the latest in CSS, David worked with Mr. Miller to convert the Screamsheet kit to web form

Fan created scream sheets

Main Topic: Cyberpunk Brainstorming

Matt Colville - handing the players a small list of possible plot arcs they would be interested in

Rules for a cyberpunk player

Style over substance

Attitude is everything

Live on the edge

Break the rules

David’s media character as a possible narrator/documentarian so that he can help plot things with Ken initially

Campaign & World Building Ideas

Offshore sea stead of Makers trying to forge their own tech in the shadow of resurgent corporations. Corps stealing from Makers?

Inspiration

Rainbow’s End by Vernor Vinge

Unauthorized Bread by Cory Doctorow

Brazil

Rummage Flotilla - mining plastic from the seas

Inspiration

the Ocean Cleanup

Earth by David Brin

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Waterworld (yes, Waterworld)

Run against an underwater corp paradise?

Inspiration

SeaQuest DSV

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles

Run against a sub base (to steal a sub to attack the underwater corp paradise)

Race to recover crashed spacecraft / space stations

AIs as protagonists or antagonists … or the fixer?

Are AIs Cyberpunk’s Dragons?

Urban legends of a cyberpunk future

What horrors made it out of the failing NET?

AI trapped in the real world, who just wants to get back to the Net and make the pain stop.

Inspiration

The Matrix: Reloaded

Digital Heists

What funds are locked up in broken segments of the Net, just waiting to be recovered?

Inspiration

IRS Seizes Another Silk Road Hacker’s $3.36 Billion Bitcoin Stash

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback!. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for Cyberpunk RED. Credit: R. Talsorian Games

The subject of travel and how visiting other parts of the country and the world can improve your game is the main topic for Episode 4 of the Lair of Secrets podcast. Before we delve into that globe-trotting topic, we geek out about AirPods, resurrecting the game room after the pandemic, variant endings for Cyberpunk 2077, revisit David's experiences with the Steamdeck, and contemplate approaching critical mass for a Cyberpunk RED game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8F_HBmGhiQ

Show Notes

Audiophile Auditorium

Why did David wait so long to get AirPods?

Game Room

After two years holed up in his home office …Ken wants to get back to treating it like the game room.

Purposefully trying not to work there unless I’m doing something creative or fun.

Easier to do now that Ken's son’s back in high school, his daughter’s at college, and Steven - Ken's seeing eye puppy - is at puppy college.

Working elsewhere in the house or - gasp - his actual work office.

Maybe get a Gaslands Refueled game together in October?

Chamber of Infinite Realities

David finished Cyberpunk 2077. Now he's trying out the variant endings

The (Pen & Paper) Matrix

Approaching critical mass for a Cyberpunk RED game.

Ken agrees with David; you should be watching Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

It is excellent. Violent, brutal, gory and visually overloading, but excellent.

Portable Arcade

David is playing the Call of Cthulhu game on Steamdeck

It’s nice to sit on the couch or in a comfy chair and play

It gets him out of his office so he don’t feel like he is trapped there for work and fun

Cyberpunk 2077 has been working just fine on it so far

Slime Rancher 2 is the next test of the system

Star Wars: Andor

The prequel to Rogue One keeps the movie’s more desperate tone.

Galactic Tabletop

Spelljammer and Star Wars gaming update

Our short run of Spelljammer has run into some phlogiston trouble and has slowed down

David believes he is starting to hit his stride with Star Wars game planning and have a plot arc that would define the campaign

Main Topic: Travel and RPGs

How travel and other cultures can both help your game and your real life?

Traveling to Porto, Portugal for work

Exploring the U.S.: Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Alaska

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback!. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

Porto city hall and plaza by night. Credit: David Moore.

On Episode 3 of Season 3, we catch up on a few weeks of geeky pursuits. David discusses not watching to finish Cyberpunk 2077, and then we both rundown the big list of stuff we're watching (or want to watch) on streaming. Ken's planning to return to real world game conventions with MEPACon and discusses what the heck he should run. David's Steamdeck arrives, and he discusses why he got it ... and how it plays. Finally, the Inspiration Goat ventures forth from the Daydreaming with Dragons podcast and inspires us with the idea of using haiku to create RPG character backgrounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hksgnY6AXU&t=14s

Show Notes

The Matrix of Cybersouls

David doesn't want to finish Cyberpunk 2077

The Theatre of Streaming

Out now:

The Sandman on Netflix

Interview with a Vampire on AMC+

Cobra Kai, Season 5 on Netflix

Cyberpunk Edgerunners on Netflix

Prey (and the rest of the Predator movies) on Hulu

The Rings of Power on Prime

Next soon

The Peripheral on Prime

The Samaritan on Prime

Convention Hall

Contemplating Convention Games @ MEPACon

Possibilities:

Mothership

Savage Worlds

Mork Borg

Mutant Crawl Classics

Ken wants something he can easily run in a 3 hour slot, leaving an hour for miscellaneous rules explanation.

Game Hall

The Steamdeck is here

Podcast Inspiration

Character Background Haiku / Judd Karlman (as heard about on the Daydreaming about Dragons podcast).

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

In Episode 2 of the Lair of Secrets podcast, we brainstorm ideas for a rebooted Savage Ringworld campaign, which mashes up high concept science fiction with the Savage Worlds role-playing game. We also delve back into cyberspace with Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk RED, say good-bye to Nintendo 3DS (or at least, its eShop), visit the Rivers of London book series, and figure out how to organize our comic books.

Finally ... we're gaming! The Spelljammer Academy campaign's up and running, and David's launched into a Star Wars 5E game.

Related Savage Ringworld Posts

Savage Ringworld – A Science Fiction Savage Worlds Campaign

Savage Ringworld – Building the Savage Worlds Source Book Library

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGExDJez4l4

Show Notes

The Matrix of Cybersouls

David is being pulled into the story of Cyberpunk 2077

Not sure why it didn’t the first time, but this time David has the added interest of Cyberpunk RED

Side note, Talespire came out with their cyberpunk terrain set and I had fun creating the symphony hall from the Tales from the RED book. Will I ever get to use it? Perhaps.

The Arcade

Good-bye, Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS has entered its end of days; the Nintendo eShop is shutting down in March 2023.

Ken just realized this, and is purchasing last-minute DLC before it goes away. Namely the Fire Emblem - Revelation, which is a new full campaign for the Fire Emblem Birthright/Conquest games.

Of course, the 3DS remains playable (and is still far more portable than the Switch) but it’s sad to see it go.

The Library

David is nearing the end of the current Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovich

He's currently listening to the October Man - shift to a different main character for this novella and set in Germany.

David's just about caught up with the series as it stands

Thanks library!

Looking forward to book 9 coming out next year

The Vault of Near-Infinite Long Boxes

Ken’s (slowly) inventorying his comic books.

Since high school, he’s kept a longhand record of what he’s collected.

This doesn’t scale, isn’t redundant, and is terrible for identifying gaps.

Experimenting with using League of Comic Book Geeks.

Now he just needs time…

The Game Room

Spelljammer Academy

We’ve played the Spelljammer Academy adventures that are a preview to Spelljammer It’s been lighthearted fun

David may make a Seth Skorkowski type video of how I would change it for other people to run

Star Wars 5E

David played several sessions of Star Wars 5e

Fan made game, using 5e as its base

David learned about it from Brennan Lee Mulligan’s game of Starstruck on Dropout.tv

It’s been fun, the party is really low level right now, so I don’t have a good grasp on how good the system is yet

The Loot Locker

Weren’t able to participate in Free RPG Day? We’ve got you covered.

Twitter retweet/tagging us in tweet.

We'll contact you and send you swag on a first-come, first-served basis

Main Topic: Savage Ringworld

What is Savage Ringworld?

It's Larry Niven's ringworld mashed up with the Savage Worlds rules published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group

One of Ken's Blackrazor Guild games, currently on hiatus.

It's set on a Niven-class ringworld approximately 150 years after a cataclysmic impact of a moon-sized object into the Ring.

Gave rise to "Fist of God" mountain, a truly massive landmark that smashed the warped the surrounding terrain.

Yeah, we stool that from Niven

The campaign follows a group of adventurers who traveled to Fist of God City, a cosmopolitan city built at the base of Fist of God Mountain.

Companion posts on Lair of Secrets:

Savage Ringworld: Introduction to a Science Fiction Savage Worlds Campaign

Savage Ringworld: Building the Savage Worlds Source book Library

Other ring worlds you may know:

Halo - The Halo Array of ringworlds featured prominently in the video games of the ...

As summer ends, the podcast turns it attention to Spelljammer, the fantasy-in-space setting for Dungeons & Dragons. Ken and David look Wizards of the Coast's new 3-book release and discuss David's Spelljammer Academy mini-campaign based on WotC's free Roll20 release.

They also talk about the resurgence of all things cyberpunk, including the Cyberpunk RED role-playing game and the Tales from the RED anthology of adventures, after David talked with the R. Talsorian crew at GenCon 2022.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9GjU9QBO1g

Convention Hall

Conventions we're attending

David's thoughts on GenCon 2022

GenCon Website

Back up to 50,000ish people.

David hung out at the Writers Symposium area for most of the time. Inspiring and informative.

Had some good gaming with the long running living Star Wars campaign, Sparks. Had a cozy chat with the lead designer, James Hutt, from R. Talsorian Games and some fans of their games.

MEPACon

MEPACon Website

Small convention in eastern Pennsylvania

Moving from the Poconos to the SureStay Plus Hotel in Bethlehem, PA in Fall 2022. That means it goes from 45 minutes away to 15.

Ken's hoping to go.

Game Room

New projects, new games

Ken’s doing a post a day at Nuketown for RPG A Day 2022.

Questions like:

What is a great introductory RPG?

When were you first introduced to RPGs?

What would be your perfect game?

Suggestion Sunday: Recommend a game to friends

Cyberpunk RED and Tales of the RED mission book

David picked it up after talking with James Hutt

Having read the first adventure of Tales from the RED, David is very impressed with how little text they have used to make a rich adventure.

Really inspiring and reminding David why he enjoyed cyberpunk in the past and Shadowrun in college. He's actually even more impressed with the setting for Cyberpunk RED than Shadowrun, since its alternate history really seems like it could have happened and more heavily leans on the accelerating pace of technology as part of the reason why Cyberpunk is cyberpunk.

The Loot Locker

Weren’t able to participate in Free RPG Day? We’ve got you covered.

Reply to one of our tweets or mention us (@LairOfSecrets) on twitter to be entered into the contest.

Main Topic: Spelljammer - Adventures in Space

Spelljammer - Adventures in Space

Released August 16

Boxed set containing:

Astral Adventurer’s Guide, a 64-page hardcover book

Boo’s Astral Menagerie, a 64-page hardcover book

Light of Xaryxis, a 64-page hardcover adventure

A double-sided poster map of the Rock of Bral, an asteroid-city

A sturdy, four-panel Dungeon Master’s screen

Spelljammer Academy

Ken and David, along with some other friends are playing through the mini-module series

It’s been a fun set of mini adventures so far, but now that all four are out, it’ll be a much better experience.

David may do a Seth Skorkowsky- style RPG review of it, pointing out what he liked, what he didn’t, and what changes he would recommend if you all ran it in the future.

Using D&D Beyond and Owlbear Rodeo

Spelljams - a WotC playlist for Spelljammer.

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for Boo’s Astral Menagerie. Credit: Wizards of the Coast

In the final episode of Season 2, we talk about exploring strange new worlds, meeting new civilizations, and then … blowing them up. We also delve into the game Nobody Saves the World, undertake an ursine caper to steal some honey, geek out about the Obi-wan streaming series, and look back on the season that was.

The Brick RoomLEGO Star WarsKen played through the original games with his kids when they were littleExpected a remaster of those games plus some new content from the sequel trilogyWhat we got is a whole new game, filled with classic LEGO fun, lots of Star Wars in-jokes, and oh so much nostalgia for Ken's familyThe Holo DeckStar Trek: Strange New WorldsThe continuing mission of the starship Enterprise … with Captain PikeAll of the optimism you love and want from TrekStar Trek: Picard, Season 2Wait, there’s a Season 2?Oh and there’s Borg?And Q?The ArcadeNobody Saves the WorldFun top down exploration and fighting game with shapeshifting magicMade by the developers of GuacameleeA good couch co-op with David's youngest daughterThe Game RoomHoney HeistSuccessful heisting of black orchid honey from both humans and from a certain red shirt wearing but legally distinct roly poly bearThe Streaming AnnexObi-Wan Disney+ seriesLots of online drama over the focus on Obi Wan with young LeiaIf you really think about A New Hope, Leia knew Obi Wan, but Luke has no clue who he is

Main Topic: Season 2 Retrospective

3 most popular episodes?S2E2 Scum and Villainy Campaign Planning, Reading Time, Animal Crossing Redux, Twilight 2000 Boxed SetS2E3 Improving Games by Stealing From OthersS2E7 - Godsend AgendaWhat we enjoyedScum and Villainy actual play!Getting ready for Scum and VillainyS2E2 Scum and Villainy Campaign Planning, Reading Time, Animal Crossing Redux, Twilight 2000 Boxed SetS2E5 WorldbuildingS2E6 Session Zero, The Expanse, Tome of Beasts 3, Astroneer, Collapsing EmpireGame interviews!S2E1 Shotguns & SorceryS2E7 Godsend AgendaFavorite topicsLunchtime GamingWait, Ken started doing this in 2010? Damn…How Gaming Changed During the PandemicGreat to be back on a podcast talking with Overlord Chris Miller.Gaming with KidsGotta catch ‘em all. Pokemon? Nah, Overlords! We talked with Kris Johnson about his experiences gaming with kids.Talking with the Younger GenerationNewly forged in the Audio Foundries… an interview with IsleenStuff to work onAudio challenges here and there, but we’re getting betterThanks, John, for reporting the problems!Videos of our episodes on YouTubeSeason 2 has started to be released there.Looking ahead to Season 3…Spelljammer actual play in the fall?Another one-shot or two?Improv for Gamers, 2nd Edition?Dyson Fall?

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

The promotional poster for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

It's summer, so let's grab some books, head to the beach/lake/mountains and read!

Main Topic: Summer Reading List

The Empire's Ruin (Ashes of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1) by Brian Staveley (Ken's pick)Follow up-to Staveley's Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, in which an Empire tries to survive against conspiracies within and enemies without, as well as an ancient threat returned to dominate the world. This book picks up five years later … and things haven’t gone well for the Empire. The Kettral are all but wiped out and rebellion against the Empire is wide-spread. I wasn’t in the right head space to read this book – which starts off dark and gets darker – in the spring, but I’m back into it now.METAtropolis edited by John Scalzi (David's pick)A strange man comes to an even stranger encampment...a bouncer becomes the linchpin of an unexpected urban movement...a courier on the run has to decide who to trust in a dangerous city...a slacker in a "zero-footprint" town gets a most unusual new job...and a weapons investigator uses his skills to discover a metropolis hidden right in front of his eyes. Welcome to the future of cities. Welcome to METAtropolis.The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, Book 1) by Becky Chambers (Ken's pick)Ken’s giving into friendly peer pressure and reading this book. Just about everyone he knows who enjoys science fiction has read the novels in this series, so he figured he'd better get with the program.January Fifteenth By Rachel Swirsky (David's pick)A book about the possibly positive and negative consequences of universal basic income, told through stories of four people.Star Wars: Lesser Evil (Thrawn Ascendancy, Book 3) by Timothy Zahn (Ken pick)Star Wars books are Ken’s go-to beach read, so it's good that we've got a new Zahn novel out. The Thrawn Ascendancy books are prequels taking place between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy, and detail everyone's favorite blue-skinned, red-eyed admiral's rise to power.The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffman (David's pick)Talking about coffee from around the world. It’s become an interest of David and his daughter's.The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth, Book 2) by N.K. Jemisin (Ken's pick)Ken had a hard time getting into Book 1 on this series. Jemisin does an incredible job of world building, but the pacing of the first book threw him off. He pushed through, and he’s glad he did. Now Ken's back for more with Book 2, in which we find out what the heck happened to a certain celestial body...A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (David's pick)Reread of the classicWintersmith by Terry Pratchett (David's pick)More Discworld!Horror Graphic Novels (Ken's picks)After wrapping up Hellboy and B.P.R.D., Ken’s looking for new horror graphic novels.Something is Killing the Children Vol. 1 by James Tynion IVThe Swamp Thing: Becoming by Ram VThe Me You Love In The Dark, by Skottie YoungImmortal Hulk by Al EwingEscape from Yokai Land by Charles Stross (David's pick)The Laundry Files book 12, haven’t read them all, but this seemed like a good place to jump back in.Galaxy the Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod (David's pick)An alien princess, disguised as a human boy going to high school, in hiding from the people who took over her home planet. A story about growing up, finding your true self, and the people who accept you for whom you truly are.

Looking for more summer reading inspiration? Check out our Summer 2021 reading list.

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are twitch.com/lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for four of our summer reading list books.

Welcome to the Lair of Secrets! On this episode, we delve into retro gaming, review David's expanded reading list, talk about building computers, and explore the weird and dark world of MÖRK BORG.

Moar Books!David's local library has partnered with a larger library network, so he can get access to more ebooks.Lord of Light by Roger ZelaznyThe Kaiju Preservation Society by John ScalziThud! by Terry PratchettEqual Rites by Terry PratchettCurse of Chalion by Lois McMaster-BujoldThe Computer Assembly BayDavid taught his daughters how to build their own computers from parts.They both asked in the past to have David teach them.It was a great success!It was two months ago and they still work!The Winter GuardBrownsburg winter guard did amazing in the A Guard category, taking 2nd in State and then 2nd in WGI Nationals. The first time they have ever gone to the national event.3D RealmsDavid's 3D printing foray was for the props team. They needed a housing for some electronics for props.The Junior Gaming CorpsDavid Ran a D&D game for Teagan and some of her friends. The plan is for it to be a casual summer game.Picked up D&D Beyond for the game.Multiversal PortalingDoctor Strange and the Multiverse of MadnessThe Infinite ArcadeKen got the Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade on the SwitchKen finished the first level of his Ready Player One Replay at Nuketown. Getting ready for the second level.Ken is bad at Dungeons of DaggorathKen is even worse at Street Fighter II … even when playing Ken.Model SpaceportPaintingLooking forward to painting rockets started in the fallSpray paint doesn’t stick in <40 F tempsExperimenting with no-bleed masking tape.Back to the NovaSkill level 3More difficult than I rememberMÖRK BORG (pronounced "Murk Borg")Ken's Swedish kin created MÖRK BORG.It’s yellow, pink, and awesome.The world is ending. The prophecies of the Two-headed Basilisk were correct. You’re scum at the end of the time? Do you plunder … or do you fight?And there’s a solo game version: Solitary Defilement.

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are twitch.com/lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Join the cast of our Scum and Villainy campaign as we look back on six episodes of mysteries, pirates, and - of course - ghosts. We talk about the campaign's highs and lows, and delve into our thoughts on the Scum and Villainy game itself.

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for the Scum and Villainy role-playing game. Credit: Evil Hat.

The "Emerald Heart Job" - the concluding chapter of our Scum and Villainy campaign - finds our heroes going up against the Ghosts and their nefarious plans to use the Emerald Heart artifacts to destroy a gate.

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

Featured Image Meta

The Rosette Nebula. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

During "The Rescue Job" the crew is tasked with liberating a prisoner with vital information about the Ghosts ... and their nefarious plans for the artifacts known as "Emerald Hearts".

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

Featured Image Meta

The Helix Nebula. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Su (Univ. of Arizona)

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, our loyal denizens are preparing the deepest level of the dungeon to imprison whomever thought up "Natural Scrolling" for the Mac. Meanwhile, David ventured to the Ohio frontier with his family to watch his youngest win 2nd place in the world in Winter Guard A Class!

Feature: Talking with the Younger Generation

Tonight we are joined by David's eldest daughter Isleen to talk about her experiences in gaming and contrasting it with what Ken and I grew up with. She is also pushing back the D&D game she had tonight to talk with us for a while (so thanks for joining us, Isleen!)

How did you get started in gaming?First real game was Pokeman Platinum; lots of video games since thenNow, at 19, play Dungeons & Dragons on Tuesdays in Discord and Roll20.How do you normally game?Playing on Roll20 for tabletop, with D&D Beyond for character sheets (David and Ken do something similar, but throw Owlbear Rodeo into the mix)What games do you usually play?Mostly D&D aside from the occasional game of the Fluxx card game with family.What is the size of your main gaming group?Primary gaming group - approximately 8 people.Don’t really see each other’s faces; mostly voice.Still get people who hang back, and the dungeon master will try and get them to engage.How many gaming groups do you participate in?Two campaigns, same set of friends.How do you find people to game with?Met people through mutual friends.Why Dungeons & Dragons?Came to it organically.What’s your style of play?Strixhaven campaign (five magical houses)Focuses more on role-playing than combat.People’s impression of D&D?D&D is pretty much normalized these days.There are a lot of podcasts that are streaming D&D (Critical Role, Adventure Zone).Got more and more people into.Advice for how to get started?Google is your friend!How did you learn D&D?Little rusty - so rely on friends or look it up through D&D Beyond or online resources.D&D Beyond lets the DM share their books/rules.

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are twitch.com/lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

Students attending Strixhaven Academy. Credit: Wizards of the Coast.

During The Cargo Job (Chapter 4 of our Scum and Villainy campaign) the crew is tasked with recovering "living cargo" from a smuggler's ship. The goal is to snatch the cargo, which belongs to the ethereal scientists/villains known as the Ghosts, and deliver it to a safe location. The crew's plan involves pretending to be border patrol agents and confiscating the cargo ... but as always, things don't go exactly according to plan...

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

Featured Image Meta

The Ghost Nebula. Credit: Adam Block, Mount Lemmon SkyCenter, University of Arizona @ Wikicommons.

Chapter 3 of our Scum and Villainy campaign sees the crew take on The Racing Job, in which they attempt to smuggle a highly-altered racing ship through the Iota system. Along the way, they have a close encounter with a mysterious comet, realize the importance of check lists, and successfully navigate an asteroid (never tell us the odds).

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

Featured Image Meta

Comet C/2021 A1 Leonard taken by Martin Heigan.

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, we talk about one of the most rewarding (and occasionally challenging) experiences a geek parent can have: playing role-playing games with your kids.

Main Topic: Gaming with Kids

For this episode's topic, we have another former Overlord of The Secret Lair, Kris Johnson. He’s a middle aged geek dad like ourselves, former podcaster, and all around great dad. Over the years we’ve occasionally heard stories of his game table and his family’s exploits, and we wanted to bring him on board to talk about gaming with family and bringing up children who game.

How did you get started gaming with kids?

What is the group like?

What worked, what didn't?

Advice for others getting started?

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are twitch.com/lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

A glowing d20, which belongs to Ken's son, rests atop the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook.

Our Scum and Villainy campaign returns with The Ghostly Job, as the crew is paid by a very peculiar scientist to track a researcher to her laboratory and learn about her research. Little do the crew know that their target is a former member of the Church of the Emerald Heart, which ceased to exist years earlier after being hunted down and destroyed.

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

Featured Image Meta

"Bell Labs Holmdel, NJ." by Lawrence Aberle. Wikimedia Commons.

We kick off our Scum and Villainy Actual play with The Nebula Job, in which the crew of the Stardancer is hired to pick up a box floating in the middle of a nebula ... but you know it can't be that easy.

This episode is part of our Scum and Villainy actual play campaign. Learn about the characters, view the chapter list, and check out Scum and Villainy game resources on the campaign homepage.

Featured Image Meta

The Rim Nebula. Credit: Ivan Bok via Wikimedia Commons.

On this occasionally rambling episode of Lair of Secrets, Ken and David are joined by long-time friend and gamer (and former occupant of a certain secret lair), Overlord Chris Miller. We talk about our gaming lives in the Before Times, the rise of virtual gaming, and look at what might come in the post-pandemic era.

Main Topic: Gaming Before, During, and After the Pandemic

The Before TimesWhat did our gaming life look like before the pandemic?The COVID EraHow did gaming change during the pandemic?Trends in gaming over the last two yearsDiversity through Tasha’s Cauldron of EverythingFate Accessibility ToolkitThe Post Pandemic EraWhat does gaming look like now?What does future gaming look like?ResourcesThe Monsters Know What They Are DoingTasha’s Cauldron of EverythingFate Accessibility Toolkit

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are twitch.com/lairofsecrets, one word, over there. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Credit: Wizards of the Coast.

Grab a sandwich and a Mountain Dew and join us for this episode's topic: lunch tie gaming

The typical role-playing game session lasts 4-5 hours and happens once a week. Sometimes they're more frequent, sometimes they're a little longer, but a four-hour Friday night hangout is pretty typical. With a lunchtime game, sessions may happen a couple of times a week but only last an hour We delve into what works and doesn't work when running time-crunched games based on Ken's 10+ years of lunchtime gaming.

We also talk about Horizon Forbidden West, Mutant Crawl Classics, Resident Alien, electric vehicles, and Dropout TV.

Arcade Level 22Ken's playing Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to the most excellent Horizon Zero DawnTakes place 6 months after the original game, and sees Aloy travel to the west cost of a post-apocalyptic AmericaIt’s available for PS4 (with a possible upgrade to PS5).Just as beautiful as the first gameMutant Spawning GroundsKen’s in a gonzo mutant mood thanks to the new softcover Mutant Crawl Classics and Kenzer & Co’s Knights of the Dinner Table. The storyline from the 260s involves one of the characters, Sara, running a “Hackworld” game.Mutant Crawl Classics is nicely bonkers, with all kinds of special charts and funky dice.Theatre of Infinite StreamsA look at NBC's Peacock. Ken came for the Olympics. Stayed for Resident AlienElectric GarageAfter looking at several different electric and hybrid cars, the Teslas David looked at are in a comparable price range.Crystaline Memory ArchiveLetting old things goAfter SerenityThe Game Master ShowThe Tele-ChamberDiscovering some gaming shows on Dropout TV.Along the lines of Critical Role, they are entertaining and I would love to sit at their table, but I also know that your regular game isn’t produced to this extent. (Though some are just as or more fun.)Dimension 20: A Starstruck Odyssey

Main Topic: Lunchtime RPGs

Overview of the conceptKen started running a lunchtime game called “Gamer Working Group” in 2010. Inspired by Mike Mearls’s (WotC) tweets about his lunchtime D&D 5e game.The group meets once a week for 1 hour, over lunch.1 month of lunchtime gaming = one 4-hour sessionStarted in the real world, moved online with the pandemic.Games played:Savage WorldsNumeneraDragon AgeD&D 5eGURPs LiteCurrently running D&D & GURPSWhat works, what doesn’t.What works:Light-weight games that are easy to learn and fast to play.Simple, focused stories. We get one day a week to advance the story, and the story advances in small chunks.ACTION! You don’t have a lot of time for boxed text or exposition, so get people rolling dice as quickly as possible.What doesn’t work:Complicated stories.Combats that last for hours.Games that are hard to learn or play quicklyTips and tricks for running a lunchtime gameKen’s Nuketown columns:Real-world toolbox for a lunchtime gameLunch-time Gaming RevisitedThings you should do:GMs should always be ready to goDigital map ready, Tokens made, role-books handy.Bookmark your monsters (either physically with heDon’t waste precious time getting ready!Adjust your story beats to match the time you haveWith a regular 4-hour game, the game has a certain cadence (e.g. RP encounter, a combat encounter, a RP encounter, final combat)As a GM and a group, figure out the cadence of the game. Be aware of how much time you have left, so you can fit in role playing combat, BSing, etc.For our GURPS Lunchtime game, we’ve gotten surprisingly good at setting up cliff hangers.Consider using a pregen worldUsing a pre-existing world (e.g. Forgotten Realms) makes it easy to prep ahead of time and improvise on the fly.Do what you can outside of the gameNext session planningTreasure picksLeveling up

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. We are lairofsecrets,

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets, we talk about the concluding season (and book) of The Expanse, geek out about Kobold Press's Tome of Beasts 3 monster compilation, conclude John Scalzi's The Collapsing Empire trilogy, and explore the new xenobiology update for Astroneer.

For our main topic, we talk about the session zero for our Scum and Villainy campaign, in which we figure out the setting, tone, characters, and potential inspiration.

The Fortress of Mental SolitudeKen dropped his daughter off at college in Vermont, then spent a few days on hisown in the Poconos. Ok, well, Hank (the yellow lab/golden retriever mix) was there too.Worked remotely for a few days, then spent a two-days reading comic books and novels and watching movies.Oh, and Ken built a snowman (Hank helped).The Concluding ExpanseKen finished all of The ExpanseSeason 6 of the streaming series, The Expanse (sadly, it’s the final season)The Expanse - season 6 finale (The final season? What?!) -- DavidLeviathan Falls (Book 9 of the novel series)Ken love mashup of hard SF (realistic spacecraft physics, political drama) with space opera (weird alien tech, reality-bending threats, and extrasolar portals).So it’s time for Ken to restart The Expanse...The Monster PenTome of Beasts III Kickstarter by Kobold Press400 new monsters.Also:16 or more monster minis,four VTT editions for digital playan exclusive engraved 7-dice seta ready-to-play Tome of Beasts III Lairs hardcoverYeah. Ken has a creature feature problem. This is known.AstronavigationAstroneer - Xenobiology updateWho doesn’t love cute alien snails?

The Collapsing Library (redux)Back to the Interdependency series by John ScalziDavid finished The Consuming Fire and The Last EmperoxThe Game RoomWe did a session zero-ish of Scum and Villainy!

Main Topic: Scum and Villainy, Session Zero

Setting: Star Wars universe vs. Scum & Villainy settingWe decided on Scum & Villainy to avoid the weight of canon.Tone: Light-hearted vs. grim dark.We decided on light-hearted.It will likely get silly at some points given when we are going to playPossible inspiration:Guardians of the GalaxyStar Wars: SoloSpider-man: Into the Spider-verseIce Pirates (ok, maybe not Ice Pirates)Ship: Smugglers vs. Freedom Fighters vs. Bounty HuntersWe settled on smugglers.We’re runners, not fighters.CharactersChris - StitchKen - PilotJosh - MechanicKris - MuscleErin - ScoundrelThe CrewWe’re strange … and we like strange things.We have a stolen land rover. And the people we stole it from aren’t happy about it.We’ve also got a med lab.Next stepsa one shot game with pregen characters to get used to the rules and taking narrative control

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @LairOfSecrets. We stream this live on Twitch if you want to get your fix of things early and unedited. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image Meta

Cover art for the Scum & Villainy role-playing game. Credit: Evil Hat.

Unfortunately, we had some flooding in the area of the Lair where Ken was recording. So if it sounds like he was underwater for a time, he was! We feel the audio is listenable at least, so we've left it in.

As we continue preparing for our Scum and Villainy campaign, we turn our attention to the intricacies of worldbuilding. We talk about how we define world building, getting buy-in from players, and discuss the merits of using a popular, existing universe like Star Wars vs. something more homegrown.

We also explore virtual dungeons, catch up on reading, look at Markdown editors, collect infinity stones in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, back the Mothership Kickstarter, and return to map drawing the Caverns of Kazeal.

Unreal DungeonDemeo - virtual reality dungeon crawling with your friends! It's a Gloomhaven-lite game, complete with a virtual table and 1980s-style den.Second Life is still a thing. Will it become a VR thing?Pages of ObsidianWe look at the Obsidian note-taking app.It's Markdown editor that includes impressive hyperlink and visualization tools.It's reminiscent of TiddlyWiki, a JavaScript-based note taking tool.

The Collapsing LibraryDavid is finished The Collapsing Empire, (Book 1 of John Scalzi's The Interdependency series) and is working his way through The Consuming Fire (Book 2).Scalzi finished writing it in 2016 just before the election. He has a good grasp of parts of human nature and how they would react in a crisis. See the last two years of the pandemic.Next up from Scalzi? Kaiju Preservation Society.Boarding the MothershipKen backed the kickstarter for the Mothership Sci-Fi Horror RPG 1st Edition Boxed SetFrom the Kickstarter promo page: “Welcome to Mothership, the award-winning sci-fi horror tabletop RPG where you and your crew try to survive in the most inhospitable environment in the universe: outer space! You’ll excavate dangerous derelict spacecraft, explore strange unknown worlds, encounter hostile alien life and examine the horrors encroaching upon your every move.”Ken backed it at the $100 level, so he's getting the core rules and a bunch of expansions.15,699 people participated in the Kickstarter, raising $1,405,569It arrives Nov. 2022.Ken may have a creature feature problem (in that he has more creature feature games than he has time to play)Hull Breach on Level 301Ken's also contemplating HULL BREACH Vol. 1, an anthology for MothershipFrom the blurb: “Hull Breach contains dozens of brand new modules, bestiaries, equipment expansions, Warden advice, system-hacks, toolkits, tables and much more from 20 unique authors!”Back to the Danger RoomKen's back to playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order on the Nintendo Switch.Had to start over because he couldn't remember how anything worked.He's enjoying it greatly; it's reminiscent of the old X-Men arcade game - button mashing for the win!The Caverns of KazealKen's working on the final (maybe?) dungeon for his Scales of Truth Dungeons & Dragons campaign.Ended up drawing it by hand, because sometimes, the old ways are the best.

Main Topic: Worldbuilding

We look at the art of worldbuilding, with a particular emphasis on our upcoming Scum and Villainy campaign.What do we mean by worldbuilding?Worldbuilding happens at many levels (world, region, city, character)What’s the domain of the GM vs. the players? In a Scum and Villainy-style game, is there even a difference?Identify tolerance for worldbuildingAre people along for the ride … or do they want to build the world?Impacts GM prep time (GM establishes groups, NPCs, etc.) vs the players. Make sure the expectations match.How much worldbuilding are people up for?Sweet spot where people bring their own ideas, but the GM contributes as well.Individual worldbuilding vs. group worldbuildingBuilding during the session or building in-between sessionsWorldbuilding from scratch vs worldbuilding in an established settingHow do you worldbuild in an established setting?

Alien gods walk among us. To further their agenda, we've jumped forward in time to praise their machinations ... and promote the new edition of Godsend Agenda, now on Kickstarter.

IntroductionsToday we’ve got a guest, coming all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jerry Grayson.He’s a friend and here to talk about his latest Kickstarter project: The new edition of Godsend Agenda, a game of super heroes and the conspiracy of aliens who pose as deities.Campaigns inspired by myth and conspiracy?Lots of possibilities for erasModern eraAtlantisThe Phantom TimeTell us about Godsend Agenda. What is it?Jack Kirby’s Fourth World saga from DC Comics, and his Marvel Comics creation, the Eternals.Lord of Light by Roger ZelaznyDaniel Keys Moran’s The Long Run and The Last DancerWhat was your inspiration for the setting?Being able truly shape the world.Use superpowers to improve the world; characters operate at a saga level as well as at a higher, more meta level with a character that personifies their agenda.Powered by the Omega SystemUses 2d10, with doubles that explode.This lets you have exceptional, superheroic results.Distilled skill system.How did you get into game design?What advice would you give someone getting into game design?Make a lot of bad games.Don’t try to make a game for everyone.Go hard on whatever it is that you’re interested in.Feeds your soul to make a thing, even if it’s a bad thing.Distribution Plans with Kickstarter and CovidFocuses on meat and potatoes - core product, no stretch goals.Get the product done ahead of time, so folks know that there actually is a thingWhere to find Jerry?Godsend Agenda campaign on KickstarterKhepera Publishing@khepera_rpg on TwitterAlso: invoke Jerry's name and he shall appear.

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

Cover art for the Godsend Agenda.

Adventure prep for role-playing games is the main topic of this episode of The Lair of Secrets podcast. We discuss the dangers of too much prep vs. too little prep, and seek the Goldilocks prep time in between. After tackling individual adventures, we discuss prepping for a new campaign and tools to help with that. Finally, we apply what we've been discussing to our upcoming Scum and Villainy campaign.

But it's not all adventure prep! Also in this episode, Ken turns 50 (thus catching up with David) and David's feeling remarkably relaxed thanks to an enoyable holiday break. Geeky topics we discuss include swinging back into the Spider-verse, playing Red-Dead Redemption and Icarus, watching Matrix: Resurrections, catching up on Star Trek, and debating the merits of hand-drawn maps vs. computer generated ones.

"Deck the Caves with Boughs of Chaos"Ken and his family had plans ... and then came Omicron.Spider-verse Portal 2.0With his daughter home from college, Ken's family watched a ton of Spider-man movies in anticipation of Spider-man: No Way HomeThis included Spider-man, Spider-man 2, Amazing Spider-Man, and Amazing Spider-Man 2.Meanwhile, Ken watched Venom: Let There Be Carnage on his own ... which is really dumbBut is it as dumb as Airplane vs. Volcano?The Chamber of Red Dead DoomKen got Red Dead Redemption 2 ... which is basically a western simulator.The Caverns of KazealKen continues to struggle with drawing the Caverns of Kazeal for his Scales of Truth campaign.Do it by hand? Lay out Dungeon Tiles in the real world, then recreate in Roll20? Give up and find a pre-made map (nah, that’s just crazy talk)The Chamber of Holiday CalmDavid had a quiet and peaceful holiday with only one COVID scare.Hostile Environment SimulatorDavid is playing Icarus, a "session-based PvE survival game for up to eight co-op players or solo."The Puzzle LibraryDave's re-sparking his creative and fun side with puzzles and reading.Holochamber ReduxCatching up on Star Trek Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Star Trek: ProdigyWait, didn't we turn off the holochamber???David geeks out about The Matrix: Resurrections.Orbital Astro-EnvisionatorJames Webb Space Telescope launched!

Main Topic: Role-Playing Game Prep

Game preparationStart at the campaign level, or the session level?Thinking about characters and NPCsPreparing for a game sessionLimited preparationOver preparationGoldilocks prep?Ken’s "Three-Page Manifesto for Game Prep"Preparing for a new campaignCampaign background helps make for shorter session prepToolsCampaign BinderPinterestPrepping for Scum and Villainy

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

Poster art for Spider-man: No Way Home.

Welcome to the new year ... and a new episode of the Lair of Secrets. The main topic for this episode is "Stealing liberally from other game systems to enhance the ones you’re playing". We look at game mechanics like bennies (Savage Worlds), aspects (Fate), skill challenges (Dungeons & Dragons), plot points (Cortex) and more!

Meanwhile, David Moore is almost caught up on the sleep he lost during his escape to and from New York and Ken Newquist is decking the halls and booting up the Christmas tree. Or at least, the Geek Tree.

Escape to (and from) New YorkMacy’s Thanksgiving Day ParadeTrip to New York2/3rds of the band and guard almost didn’t make it due to plane troublesWaited for five hours (6am arrival) for the parade. Met some nice New Yorkers and was overall fairly comfortable even though we stood most of the time.Heat packs on our back helped a lot with thisBoth our kids were in the parade, even though Isleen graduated last year. They were supposed to march last year but Covid.We all had a wonderful and memorable timeWe totally were not allowed enough sleepSuper BoosterKen got his COVID vaccine booster shot. Still waiting on super powers.Powering up the Geek Treet’s a long running tradition in the Newquist household, ever since Ken's geek ornaments started overwhelming the family tree and needed to be exiled to their own tree.The Geek Tree is a 9-foot tall slender artificial tree … and last year, Ken officially had too many ornaments to put on it.So … this year he's doing themes for the first time.And that theme is “Star Trek”. The tree has 34 ornaments (mostly starships), with Deep Space Nine as the tree topper.Oldest ornament is the Shuttlecaft Galileo (1992, string powered)Favorite is The City on the Edge of Forever (2004, string powered, sound seems to be failing)Newest is a trio of “Mirror, Mirror” networked ornaments featuring the Enterprise crew reciting lines from the famous (infamous?) episode.Hoping to come up with some “galaxy” and “nebula” Christmas ornaments for the tree (look, ma, glitter!)Also: Paper starships.Learn more about the Geek Tree at Nuketown.

Main Topic: Stealing liberally from other game systems to enhance the ones you’re playing

Skill challenges in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (taken from D&D 4e, Star Wars: Saga Edition)Bennies as incentives (Savage Worlds, Fate, Cortex)Give players in-game rewards to take risks (let the plot points fall like rain)Flaws as incentivesOk, you’re a marked man with a death wish? Does it actually ever come into play?Narrative control mechanics (Cortex; spend dice to change a scene)Downtime/travel narrative mechanics (Savage Worlds, Blades in the Dark, Scum and Villainy, D&D 5th Edition)Compels from Fate - get your character into trouble in exchange for a Fate point reward to be used later, able to be resisted if the player doesn’t want to be compelled

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

A few of our favorite games to steal from: the Firefly Role-Playing Game, Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, Scum & Villainy, Savage Worlds, Fate Condensed

Welcome to The Lair of Secrets podcast, the podcast about gaming and being a geek by two middle-aged geek dads. Yeah, we said middle-aged ... because "forty-something" wasn't quite accurate anymore.

This episode finds Ken Newquist caught in a maze of endless meetings, all alike, while David Moore finds that his week went somewhere ... he's just not sure where. Might have to check some of the caverns down here to see if we can find it.

Traversing the Fauna Reality DisjunctionThe Newquist Clan returned to Animal Crossing in force this fall.The latest update includes a coffee shop, gyroids, new mysterious islands, and an upgrade to Harv’s island that actually makes you want to go there (you can buy new store fronts at the island’s co-op, so Lief the plant sales animal and Red the scheming art animal are always available if they’re not on your island.Not earth shattering changes, but it gave us a reason to go back, and in a world of meetings … it’s nice to chill on a deserted island.Twilight of World War 3Ken's Twilight 2000 4th Edition boxed set came. It has funky dice. Look for a blog post.Increased RadioactivityKen posted a new episode of Radio Active over on Nuketown.Back to the top of the worldSkyrim Anniversary edition came out and David has been having fun playing the DLC that he never got before and of course trying not to play a stealth archer and failing.The Evergrowing LibraryDavid is glad he's still finding time to read.Six novels and novellas over the last two months. Spoiler: David still likes Lois McMaster Bujold as an author and he got a few books to inspire the Dyson Fall setting.Penric's Fox (Penric and Desdemona, #5) by Lois McMaster BujoldMasquerade in Lodi (Penric and Desdemona, #9) by Lois McMaster BujoldA Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers, #2) by Becky ChambersEmpress of Forever by Max GladstoneThe Last Crucible (Reclaimed Earth) by J.D. MoyerSandman Slim (Sandman Slim, #1) by Richard Kadrey

Main Topic: Kicking off Season 2

We want to focus on a particular game: Scum and Villainy.We’ve invited some friends to play the game with us.We’re going to talk about prepping for the game, and then in early 2022, we’re going to play the game. Why wait? Because the holidays either make for a great stretch of gaming or … the Long Dark Tea-Time of the Gaming SoulPlan on streaming on Twitch, both the preparatory episodes and live streaming sessions.As part of the run-up, we’re going to talk about learning the game and standing up the campaign.We’ll also have some traditional episodes where we just geek out about topics.Introducing Scum and VillainyWhat is the game? Based on Forged in the Dark, descended from Blades in the DarkGame mechanics we’re excited about:In Media Res - The job starts in the middle … because that’s when the plan falls apart (or goes awesome!) Why? That’s what rolls are for…Clock - Great way of tracking progress toward short and long term goals/challenges/threats. We could talk about clocks for a whole episode.Downtime - Lots of games have a concept of downtime (D&D introduced a whole bunch of downtime activities in Xanathar's Guide) but in Forged in the Dark-style games, it's baked into the DNA as a way to recover and improve resources. It compels and rewards downtime, which is exciting. Downtime, when it works well, it helps advance the plot. It shows what the characters do when they aren't out adventuring/saving the world / scheming on a job.Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon does this for the Avenger (what's an Avenger do when he's not being an Avenger)X-Men playing baseballCrew/Ship Advancement - Sometimes you need to jump through hoops to figure out why a crew is together. Scum and Villainy answer that question from the word go with crew/ships. Interested to see how this plays out over time.Challenges to watch for:Time - How long will it take to run a session? Can we do one in 2.5 hours?Experience points - Players get XP for doing things related to their class, indulging their vice,

The old After Serenity and The Game Master Show feeds have still hung around since both of those podcasts that I (David) created have pod-faded. Since the content of the Lair of Secrets might be of interest to the audiences of those former podcasts, I am redirecting their feeds to this one.

So if you were still subscribed to either of those podcasts and are now getting this one, thank you and welcome to the Lair of Secrets! We hope you will enjoy this podcast as much as you did the others.

Season 2 of The Lair of Secrets kicks off with a bang (and the muttering of a few spells) as David and Ken interview Matt Forbeck and Marty Forbeck about their Shotguns & Sorcery for 5E Kickstarter. The Kickstarter funded within hours of its launch and runs until 10 p.m. EST, Tuesday, November 16, 2021.

Shotguns & Sorcery is a fantasy noir setting featuring a city, a dragon, and lots of zombies. It originated as stories and novels written by Matt Forbeck in which a zombie apocalypse destroys much of the world's population. The survivors gather at a distant mountain ruled by a dragon ... and beg the dragon to save them from the zombies. The dragon is able to fend off the undead long enough for the representatives of the various fantasy races to take refuge in the mountain. Over the centuries that followed, society evolved and advanced, rising to the level of early 20th technology.

Shotgun & Sorcery's initial role-playing game incarnation was for Monte Cook Game's Cypher system. The current Kickstarter provides a campaign setting and rules for the 5th Edition of the world's most popular fantasy role-playing game.

Topics covered during the podcast include:

An overview of the settingComparing and contrasting the Cypher and 5e iterations of the gameRunning a successful kickstarter and dealing with the challenges of fulfillment and shipping during the COVID eraWhat it's like for the father/son team to work together on projects like thisand more!

Related Links:

Shotguns & Sorcery for 5E Kickstarter.Shotguns & Sorcery: Cypher Edition bundle on Bundle of HoldingShotfuns & Sorcery on DriveThruRPGMatt Forbeck's websiteMatt Forbeck on Twitter

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. You can also find us on Twitch.

Featured Image

Cover art for the original RPG, done by Jeremy Mohler.

Welcome to the Lair of Secrets podcast! The podcast about gaming and being a geek by two forty-something geek dads.

Ken Newquist is a video game-completing machine who's probably staying up too late (again). Meanwhile, David Moore is no longer a forty-something geek dad.

Summer’s EndKen went to Philmont … but we dedicated a whole episode to that, so he won’t mention it again.For the first time in years … Ken finished his summer reading list … during the summer!Ken finished Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch) AND Fire Emblem Fates Birthright (3DS). Which means Ken is probably playing too much Fire Emblem…Higher EducationOur eldest kids are in college! Whoa.The Autumnal ChamberRead more games, play more gamesI picked up a ton of RPG books over the last year and a bunch of zines.Scum and VillainyAlien: Colonial MarinesMonster of the WeekFate of CthulhuGo to a game conventionRotate a new game into my lunchtime sessions?Work one into my regular gaming group?Start up a new group?Build rockets. So many rockets (started!)Ken just build the Skytracer rocket.Age AccelerationDavid is no longer forty something. Doesn't feel much different, but it does feel weird when he thinks that he has been living on earth for half of a century.More Books in the LibraryDavid also had lots of reading in the summer, not sure if he finished hislist but he is satisfied with the amount he read. Still more he wants to read, including Hugo nominations.The Game RoomGenCon 2021 - very chill and different from the before times con.Life has killed another of David's game. So he will have more time to focus on the Dyson Fall game?Lots of gaming books to dig into as well, with a few more on the way from Kickstarter!eXtreme Dungeon Mastery 2nd Edition - Tracy Hickman - KickstarterLazy DM’s Companion - Sly Flourish - Kickstarter"5 Room Dungeons" at RoleplayingTips.comBastion and Mythic d6 Core Rules at Khepera PublishingEberron Rising from the Last War by Wizards of the CoastExplorer’s Guide to Wildemount by Wizards of the CoastIt’s interesting reading these and following gaming culture. There are a lot of new things out there, very cool stuff, but also a lot of the same things from when David was just starting out that people are re-discovering since they are new to the hobby and think things are new. Which is very cool.The WorkshopDavid is prepping his shop for fall and winter craftingInsulation on the garage door. Not sure it will keep the heat in during the winter, but it has helped keep the heat out in the summer.David's on iteration five of a particular pen that is giving him trouble.The Room of RetrospectionPlaying GamesTales from the Loop (Episode 2)Tales from the Loop RPGKids on Bikes is an RPG tooBrindlewood Bay (Episode 6)Get the Brindlewood Bay game.Army Corps of Engineers: Special Ops (Fate Condensed) (Episode 11)Fate CondensedBrainstorming games!Loved the Army Corps of Engineers special we did. (Episode 11)Special TopicsRPG VaultPaging through the treasures locked away in our DriveThru RPG archives (Episode 13)Game Master HacksLooking at game master toolboxes and thinking about in-game hacks. (Episode 12)Summer reading listA look at Dave and Ken’s summer reading list (Episode 17)

Feedback

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about. You can also find us on Twitch.

Featured Image

Cover art for the Scum and Villainy role-playing game. Credit: Evil Hat.

I’m David Moore and I’ve been sailing in a boat, which is bumpier than a dirigible, and digging heavily into my books pulled from several of the libraries here in the Lair.

I’m Ken Newquist and I’m happily buried underneath the many books of my summer reading list.

Water-born Dirigibles

David is moving forward with ASA sailing trainingASA 101 complete!Erin and David studied and watched three of the newer Deathrace moviesSailing with friends on Lake Erie did not go as planned

Library 67

A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky ChambersHas some definite Firefly vibesMuch more about the characters rather than a larger plotWas good, thinking of picking up book twoSavage Legion and Savage Bounty by Matt WallaceRead the first one and immediately wanted to read the second oneFantasy civilization that is gobbling up all of the other countries around it to feed itselfEmergency Skin by N.K. JemisinSci Fi novella - a civilization sends back a scout to Earth to get materials that it cannot get. The scout encounters a surprise from a supposedly dead and dangerous planet.Highly recommended, warning - David's kind of politicsA Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. KingfisherA great young adult fantasy that has a carnivorous sourdough starter

The Garage of Doom

A vacation with some friends provided a good opportunity to satisfy David's Deathrace/Mad Max gaming with GaslandsThink: Fury Road meets Matchbox cars

Underworld Arcade

Hades - an addictive roguelike game with a good story

Dyson Fall Updates

David's working on oracles to help GMs or groups create where they will exploreStuck a bit on how to make the community building fun, interesting, and easy to track

Self-Healing Gaming Machines

Ken's Switch healed itself while he was a PhilmontNow he's playing far too much Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Summer Reading

Ken finished 11 of the 14 books on his summer reading listGained two books ...Alien: Bug Hunta collection of short stories involving Colonial Marines dealing various alien (but not Alien) threats. Includes one by Scott Sigler (who wrote Alien: Phalanx)If you like Aliens and Colonial Marines, you’ll like this book.Children of Ruin by Adrian TchaikovskyFollow up to Children of TimeFirst book was so good, I had to add the sequel to my list.Great world building book about first contact, accidental evolution, and overcoming barriers to communication.... but lost oneInhibitor Phase by Alastair Reynolds. The new Revelation Space novel was set to release July 27, 2021, but is now set to come out on October 12, 2021.

The Closet of Outdated Tech

Ken bought his daughter a new computer for college, so he gets her old Surface Pro.About 4 years old … but it can run Campaign Cartographer (so Ken can finally use that mapping Humble Bundle he got…)Might have enough heft to let him play a few PC games on Steam. If he can free up some disk space (only 8 GB remains…)

Ken made it to Philmont and back. That's it. Summer's done. Meanwhile, David traveled to a castle in Ohio, moderated a death race on the track in the Lair, and started on his quest to sail the seven seas.

Finally Philmont

Ken when to Philmont Scout Ranch, a high adventure camp in Cimmeron, New Mexico. You know, the place Ken's been talking about for the last year and more.What is Philmont?15 day trip (two days getting acclimated in Colorado, 12 days on the trail, 1 day traveling back) In Colorado, went to Pike’s Peak, Garden of the Gods, and whitewater rafting on the Arkansa River (Class 3 and 4 rapids)Then a 69 mile trek in PhilmontBase camp is 6,430 ft. The highest we got was about 10,500Amazing views - you can see for dozens of miles at a clipLegitimately dangerous.The crew got there in “monsoon” season, when it rains almost every afternoon.Lightning almost every day.It’s a desert, so it’s dry.But it’s raining a lot, so everything’s greenLegitimately hardHiking at altitude is difficult when you are a flatlanderDrank so much water.Good thing the crew trained.HighlightsAstronomy at Ring Place.Tomahawk throwing and black powder muskets at MirandaRock Climbing at Chase CowCowball at Chase Cow (it is definitely not volleyball).Sketching is fun.Some RPG ThoughtsThere’s a reason we don’t simulate every mile of an overland trek; it’s boring.Interesting landmarks that dominate the terrainMount Baldy is visible from much of northern Philmont. Everytime you get closer to it, and it gets bigger, it feels like you’re making progress.The Tooth of Time dominates the view at Base Camp. You know you’re at Philmont when you can see the Tooth.Interesting terrainTrails carved by floods.Are the floods a historical feature, or something a little more relevant?Unusual rock formations e.g. Garden of the Gods … what if was created by actual gods.Weather is dangerous.Remember to include it in overland treks (lightning, flash floods, massive hail, etc.)Weather transforms safe terrain into dangerous terrain. Think about that when a group fails a survival check to find a good camp.There are seasons. And some regions may have their own seasons you don’t expectUnexpected enemiesMini bears. Just as hungry as bears, but way bolder.

Outro

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

On this episode of the Lair of secrets, David reports out on his productive stay-cation, while Ken hikes, runs, swims, and bikes his way along the final stretch of the trail to Philmont (and he could really use a nap)

Back in the Printerium

David's new printer arrived - Prusa i3 - MK3S+He printed a D20 wall medallionDIY stream deck, will we stream our show live in the future?Multipass vaccination card holder

Dyson Fall update

Community buildingPlaytest group running wellDefinitely more Kipo and the Wonderbeasts than character churning 1st and 2nd edition *Gamma World, it still retains the same exploration fun.

Battery-powered Leaves

David' s getting a New battery for the Nissan Leaf

The Chamber of Turnings

Woodworking and pen turningTurned several pens for a friend Natalie, who also did our logo!Turned several seam rippers

Trail to Philmont

Ken's on the final stretch.The crew went on their last shakedown hike:17 miles over two days on the Appalachian Trail in New Jersey.Cold and rainy the whole time.We learned a lot. Like NeutronLad needs better rain gear, my rain gear is too loose, we need waterproof compression sacks for a sleeping bag, I may need a thermal sleeping bag liner, Philmont food will be hard on the stomach, and oh yeah, my boots aren’t nearly broken in enough. Next up:6 a.m. swim times with NeutronLad.Eating bad food now to prepare our stomachs for later.

Wilderness First Aid training

How to treat someone for an injury when you’re miles from anywhere (or more than a few levels deep in the lair...)Practical skills that you will hopefully will never use.Two 9-hour days that include training and role-playing (but no dice)

The Back Nine

Ken wants to get back to Disc GolfThrowing discs at metal baskets.He started playing disc golf in 2015 during a massive website redesign project.He stuck with it (though didn’t get much better)Ken's got some great courses nearby - Hackett Park in Easton, South Mountain in Bethlehem, Lake Nockamixon in Bucks CountyOne of the things that fell by the wayside with the pandemic.Hoping to get back to it now that folks are getting vaccinated.

The Archive of Games Video

Ken's playing Mass Effect Legendary EditionMastered versions of the 3 games.Does not come with any time to play it.Looks great, though it does meander a bit.Took Ken a while to get his Shepherd back.

Outro

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

Cover art for Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Credit: Electronic Arts

The Lair of Secrets get a super-science expansion as David and Ken take a look at the new super-sized edition of Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. We also check out the new book You Can Do Anything Magic Skeleton!, talk about work-cations, venture once more into the outdoors, and delve too deeply (or not nearly deep enough) with the drawing/journaling game DELVE.

Trail to Philmont

Running!Camping!Backpacking!Physical Therapy!

Puppy S is coming

The puppy is a male. His name begins with S. We’ll know more soon!

Scientific Barbarian

A megazine dedicated to our glorious mutant, high-science, post-apocolyptic futue.Check out the kickstarter page.

DELVE

DELVE is Anna Blackwell's drawing game of dwarves digging deeply.Because the Lair is never deep enoughKen's foray's into the dungeon:First dungeon … killed by a skeleton king and his minions.Second dungeon … killed by green meanies.Third dungeon ... Ken realized he had to stop playing spade cards on the first level. Now he's on his third level, having defeated two giant worm-things and snuck past a slumbering dragon.

Work-cation

Remote-er remote work?

Baker’s Dozen Mystery in a Box

David played the game with his family while on work-cation.Check out the "Baker’s Dozen" Mystery in a Box webpage

You Can Do Anything Magic Skeleton!

Written by Chuck Wendig. Illustrated by Natalie Metzger.Check out You Can Do Anything Magic Skeleton on GoodReads.

And you thought The Lair of Secrets was big ...

David looks at the Expedition to the Barrier Peaks 5e conversion by Goodman Games.Multiple versions of the classic scifi-meets-fantasy module that show it's evolution from tournament game to its current incarnation.

Horizon Zero Dawn

David ventures into a world where you hunt mechanical animal hybrids and try to unravel the secret of past human mistakes in Horizon Zero Dawn (PC)

Dyson Fall Update

David's progress on Dyson Fall (Gamma World inspired game)Building mutationsLocal game this weekend

Omega Mart

Omega Mart commercialsIf Aperture Science ran a supermarket...

As the Pen Turns

David is turning more pens on his lathe.

Dead Phone, New Phone

Meet David's new phone, acquired after the unexpected, untimely, and tragic death of his old phone.

Meanwhile, in the Printerium...

David repaired his 3D printer ... and there's a new one on the way.Printers printing printers. What could go wrong?

Outro

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

Artwork from the D&D 5th Edition conversion of Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Credit: Goodman Games

David and Ken stumble out of Episode 14's time shift to find the temporal demon known as "Daylight Saving Time" playing havoc with reality.

In this episode, they talk about the new video game Valheim, catch up on Alan Tudyk's latest sci-fi offering, venture down alternative timelines with Roger Zelazny's Roadmarks, encounter a librarian hive mind on a Savage Ringworld, discuss late-spring exercise options, and check out Apple+'s space race drama For All Mankind.

Valheim!

David and the crew are playing the heck out of this early access game (which is actually pretty good for an early access game)

David's Gaming Life

Playing with Owlbear Rodeo, a quick-and-easy virtual tabletop.Dungeon Scrawl, quick-and-easy dungeon generation. Noticing a theme here?Friday gaming and Sunday gaming - both doing well

Dyson Fall

David gives an update on his Gamma World-esque game, tentatively called Dyson Fall, with Mythic d6 as the base rules.Worked up several powers and have some fiction for the setting written

In the Streaming Theatre

Critical Role - last two episodes have hooked me (C2E126 & 127)

Getting Creative

David is trying out Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, which provides inspiration and prompts for being creative every day.

Resident Alien

No, we're not talking about the colony of Greys who've taken up residence in the 13th level of the Lair.It's a new SyFy TV series, based on a graphic novel of the same name, starring Alan Tudyk.Resident Alien on SyFy

Close Encounters of a Highway Nature

Student driver and car accidentsPhone dying

Doubling back through History

David is reading Roger Zelazny’s Roadmarks.

Savage Ringworld

Ken finished running his first arc in his gaming group's Savage Ringworld campaign for Savage WorldsHe's still getting his head around balanced encounters in Savage Worlds. (partly becuase they're playing higher-powered characters, partly because Savage Worlds doesn't care about balanced encounters)

At the Edge of the Map

Ken's lunchtime hexcrawl campaign reached the edge of the map.They’re finally heading out to the Caverns of Kazeal. Guess Ken better draw them.

Library 64

Saints of Salvation by Peter F. HamiltonFar-future transhuman space opera.

Back to the Gym (or something like it)

Ken got a bike rack for the Jeep … finally.He and his son re-upped their Y membership.Lots of swimming and biking in Ken's future as he preps for Philmont.

Beyond the Moonshot

For All Mankind on Apple+

Outro

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

The hexcrawl map for Ken's Scales of Truth campaign. Credit: Ken Newquist

It may be early fall in the current timeline, but in the Lair of Secrets winter's freezing grasp can still be felt. In this episode, Ken and David venture into the digital halls of the RPG Vault to see what hidden treasures can be found in their DriveThruRPG collections.

David's adding more books in LIbrary 64

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn MuirEnjoyable, but not as fun as Gideon the NinthWill be reading the next book in the seriesDamoren by Seth SkorkowskySeth - YouTube gaming adviceFun book of urban fantasy, interested in the next onePenrick and the Shaman by Lois McMaster BujoldSecond novella of Penrick in the world of the Five Gods setting

Bullet Journaling

New bullet journal - first time doing the milestone of going from one journal to the next and reviewing the last year

In the Vandermore Game Room

David's gaming woes have seemed to be lesseningGames are going off more regularlyFound a group of old friends who had room in their groupJust ordered Burning Wheel after hearing about it for years

The Arcade

David is playing State of Decay 2 with friends and venturing into Cyberpunk 2077

The RPG Book Pile

Ken may have too many books...Scum and VillainyPublished by Evil HatKen bought it based on David's description - Blades in the Dark … IN SPACE!Tome of Beasts IIPublished by Kobold PressMore monsters for D&D 5e. So many more monsters...Icewind Dale: Rime of the FrostmaidenPublished by Wizards of the CoastHorror meets D&D in the frozen north of the Forgotten Realms.Destroyer of WorldsPublished by Free LeagueBoxed set adventure for Free League’s Alien Role-playing GameFate of CthulhuPublished by Evil HatTime travelers try to prevent the rise of a Great Old One. Once again, Ken has David to thank for wanting to get thisThose Dark PlacesPublished by Osprey RoleplayingIndustrial Science Fiction RoleplayingMonster of the Weekpublished by Evil HatThink Buffy, Supernatural, and other ongoing creature feature serials

The Chamber of Fate

Our Army Corps of Engineers: Special Operations Group campaign continues.Ken Got to run hisfirst game of Fate.He's still getting his head around world building via Aspects.It’s easy to fall back into simple skill checks (e.g. aid another - that’s a check that creates an Aspect - something that is true in the setting - that players can use). Instead of “make a skill check” in Savage Worlds or “you help them” (no check) in D&D.Mystery writing is hard.

Venturing into the RPG Vault

In which David and Ken sort through the unknown treasures lurk in their DriveThruRPG collections.Ken’s Vault590 items413 never downloaded172 core rulebooks250 fantasy titles165 science fiction titles117 horror titlesSourcesRelief bundles and Black Lives Matter fundraisers from the summerThe occasional KickstarterInteresting findsArchives of the SkySigils in the DarkCreatures of the Wastelands: A Menagerie of Mutants and MutationsTwilight 2000 (original edition)David’s Vault487 items254 never downloaded80 core rulebooks225 fantasy titles126 science fiction titles37 horror titles43 STL (3d printing) bundlesSourcesRelief and other bundlesKickstarterIndividual purchasesInteresting findsHocus Focus: A Dresden FiascoZine of Wondrous Power (out of print)A Spark in Fate CoreGodsend AgendaShaolin Squirrels: Nuts of FuryNinja Burger: The RPG

Outro

Thanks for listening. If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

Cover art from a few of the RPGs we looked at during this episode. Copyright their respective publishers.

The Lair of Secrets returns as Ken and David delve into their respective stacks of books, contemplate new video game including Gloomhaven, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, and then talk about their favorite game master hacks.

Library 64 (or "Ken has more books than time")

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

More video game nostalgia. But not as good as the original (where “good” is a highly subjective term).

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy (Book I: Chaos Rising) by Timothy Zahn

Who cares what it’s about. More Thrawn!

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

Fourth book in the epic Stormlight Archives. Prime winter break reading material.

The Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

“epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet.”

The Saints of Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton

Transhumans battle against aliens intent on “saving us” so we can meet their god at the end of time.

The Game Room

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

More JRPG squad-level tactical combat, this time for the Switch

Ken told himself he wouldn’t get it until he completed Fire Emblem: Fates: Birthright.. And then he misplaced his3DS…

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Ken's a huge Marvel fanboy, and right now he could use a video game that includes all his favorite heroes (including the X-men)

Meanwhile ... in yet another Library

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

David is currently reading this.

Alex Verus: Forged by Benedict Jacka

If Harry Dresden were British and could divine the future

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold

Seems to be the last of the Miles Vorkosigan series

Penrick’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold

Novella - part of a fantasy series

The Transporter Room

David picked up the trial for CBS All Access for a week

Watched the two seasons of Lower Decks, felt like Futurama meets Next Generation

Inspired David to watch Discovery and have watched all the way up to the part 1 of the two part-er in season 3.

Finished Picard after skipping a few episodes. David definitely enjoyed Discovery and Lower Decks more. Picard just didn’t feel quite like Star Trek to him. .

A Haven for Gloom

David's been playing the Gloomhaven video game

Been playing for a few weeks now with some friends and I am quite enjoying it

It doesn’t replace sitting around a table with friends to play the board game, but it does have the advantage of doing all of the fiddly things for you

In early access, still a bit buggy and the interface could use some polish

Game Master Hacks

Check out the Game Master Box of Holding companion post for photos of the boxes in action.

Plano Cases for real-world gaming supplies - replaces crumbling IKEA box held together by (badly matched) nuts and bolts.

For D&D:

Plastic minis repurposed from Heroquest

Yellow and white crystals for “inspiration”, plot points, etc.

Red and blue gems to represent things. Like “paralyized” or “damaged”.

White and yellow gems to represent other things.

Pool of d6s and my “Ragnorak” travel dice. Plus a few more sets of dice, because who doesn't need more dice?

Index cards for initiative

Wet erase markers

Extra pencils, tape measures, and other misc. tools

Random dungeon dice by Inkwell ideas

Room for two or three hardcovers, depending how much I’m bringing with me to a game.

For Savage Worlds

A smaller case, which holds smaller rulebooks

Most of the same things as above (pencils, wet erase markers, etc.

Modern themed minis from Star Wars, Reaper, etc.

Poker chips for bennies

Oversized playing cards for initiatives

Power cards, status cards, and adventure deck (thanks Kickstarter!)

At the table

Index cards for initiative, global status indicators (“remember, everyone is blessed!”) and note passing.

Dice Cup of Shame (for those who forgot their dice)

Welcome to the Lair of Secrets podcast, where David's been tinkering in the dirigible hanger trying to get the old girl flying again, and Ken's just beamed back from halfway across the galaxy. He's fine. Mostly.

Library 67:Attack Surface by Cory DoctorowDavid's in the middle of this book. Having a hard time connecting with the character. The descriptions of the security precautions and all of the ways that they can be overcome are both interesting and also breaks me out of the book.Attack Surface on GoodReadsPenric’s Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold, started reading it.I love her Miles Vorkosigan novels and saw that she had released this new book. Enjoying it so far. It’s about a boy who is on his way to be betrothed and comes upon an older woman dying. He goes to help her and her demon enters into him when she dies. In this world, those that have demons inside them are sorcerers.Penric's Demon on GoodReadsThe DarkhouseIt’s like a greenhouse, but with no windows and it’s underground, no we don’t grow mushrooms thereDavid doesn't have a lot to actually update this week due to the spores and his allergies to them. He was pretty useless for most of the week. He watched a lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime (Agents of Shield, Wynonna Earp, and others that he doesn't remember).Stepping into the teleportation cube (of course we have one of those):Star Trek: The Lower Decks is a fun take on how non-officers live and love in Star Fleet (and great inspiration for Guy). Features all your favorite Star Trek tropes, comically subverted (e.g. an episode about all of the lower deck crew padding their time estimates, another about the USS Cerritos’ “second contact” missions, the obligatory alien misunderstandings, etc.).Star Trek: Discovery is settling down into a more traditional, episodic format (though retaining serial elements). Love the show’s optimism, even after the ship’s been thrown into the far future and the Federation has been crippled by a mysterious event known as “The Burn”.The Grand KitchenKen Signed up for one of those meal-kit subscriptions. Two meals a week, heavy on the protein.Ken would like to cook more … but finding recipes, getting ingredients, and actually cooking defeated him.Ken and his wife are super busy with the kids, work, and life, with none of us really having the time we want to prepare meals. This may help (and so should the kids…).Brainstorming: Army Corps of EngineersIn which David and Ken brainstorm their upcoming Fate-powered cryptid hunting (or protecting or ... well, we're not quite sure what we're doing) campaign.Based on an idea that John Rogers(Leverage, The Librarians) mentioned on Twitter.Inspiration:Delaware Water Gap - Tocks Island DamCentralia (not Cetrona) mine fireMichigan dam collapseFriday the 13th: The SeriesNuclear bombs for engineering (aka peaceful nuclear explosions)The Immortal HulkFounding of the Army Corp of EngineersProject Blue BookEureka

Featured Image

Promotional artwork for Star Trek: The Lower Decks. Credit: Paramount.

Episode 10 sees Ken figuring out how to deal with the long, dark, tea time of the soul known as November, while David fends off allergies while contemplating where all the good role-playing game communities went after Google+ folded.

Venturing into the Chamber of Infinite Darkness: It’s November. Daylight Saving Time is over. And suddenly, it’s gotten very, very dark: it’s pitch black at 6 a.m., and not much lighter at 5 p.m. Ken's fond that getting out of bed has become its own mental battle; so has running after the sun has set. What’s the solution? Coffee. Podcasts. Sunlamps?Stellar Cartography (no, it’s not staffed by whales … we think)Ken's been playing the heck out of Stellaris, a 4X-style, galactic empire management game. It reminds me of Master of Orion and it devoured a huge chunk of time. Exploring the galaxy is great, but diplomacy is a little lacking and managing dozens of worlds in the end game is boring. But it’s got great stories, awesome visuals, a Mass Effect-eque soundtrack, and DLC that will probably address most of my complaints (once there’s a Steam sale).The Game Room (every good lair should have one): Ken's 5+ year 5th Edition D&D campaign just ended. Now his group in the storming phase of figuring out what to do next. We’ve settled on two games:A Savage Worlds-powered Ringworld campaign. The setup: The characters are natives of a Larry Niven-style ringworld. It was struck by a massive asteroid that punched through one side of the ring, and impacted on the other. Over the last 150 years, various ring systems have been failing; we’re trying to figure out what to do about that. One player wants to include high-concept science fiction ideas into the campaign; how do you actually do that though?Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition dungeon-of-the-week campaign: A 5e campaign leveraging Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything that’s focused on short dungeon crawls and one-shot location encounters. Less focus on story, more on discovery.Pen turning David is eight pens in and really enjoying how he can start and finish one within about an hour if he likes.Nanowrimo David's novel-writing efforts are not going well at allDistractions and prioritization are to blame.Gaming woes update - David is thinking of making this its own segment (not really), did a little gaming with his Sunday group. Brindlewood Bay was just a bit too different for the group to continue with. It really needs everyone to be on their game, and at the time it's played that is just not going to happen reliably. So the group is looking for a new game to play and figuring out who will run it.Terra Oblivion - A pre-apocalyptic game of eco-espionage on a world slowly being killed by humanity’s need to consume. By Michael Fiegel, Kieran Turley, and Jerry Grayson

Where do you get your game dev and community connection now that G+ is several years gone?Twitter can keep you in contact with specific people, but conversations there are impossible to hold and impossible to find againSome podcasts - Daydreaming about Dragons, have good insight into playing and running games, but are a very slow conversation if you interact with the hosts.:Ken's answer? He doesn't know - he has found good replacements for the game theory and storytelling discussions held on podcasts like The Round Table or The Game Master’s Show. Or some of the old forums he used to haunt, like Greytalk (a Greyhawk-oriented list serv). We brainstorm a bunch of ideas about where to find good gaming conversations. Have ideas of your own? Tell us!

Outro

If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

Cover art for Larry Niven's Ringworld. Credit: Del Rey

On this episode, David and Ken battle against ghosts, memories, and missing time in an effort to get out another podcast ... and launch our first episode! (yes, time remains a bit wibbly wobbly in the Lair).

Pens keep on turning, turning, turning... into the future!David turns his first pen. He needed to make a few jigs to prep the blanks and to assemble the penPreparing for NanowrimoDavid delves into his approach to National Novel Writing MonthSome Star Wars gamingThe pandemic canceled GenCon ... but the Star Wars games must go on. David talks about his online gaming sessions in a galaxy far, far, away.Phineas and Ferb movie: Candace Against the UniverseOur kids grew up on Phineas and Ferb; now they're back in a Disney+ movieZine of Wondrous Power – Daniel Perez Issue 04 #RPGzine Now on KickstarterA Talmudic Bestiary – A collection of creatures from Jewish lore. Compatible with Old-School Essentials.DaVinci Labs: WRK400 Workman Modular Mecha – A technical profile on a utilitarian mecha.What’s the Point of It? – An essay about gaming while the world burns around you, and why I still do itThe Ioun Codex: Addendum – The Iounmancer – A prestige class about mastery of ioun magic. Compatible with Old-School Essentials.The Secret of Brook’s Mine – A small dungeon crawl with an out-of-this-world surprise.Games as Essays – An essay about games primarily expressing ideas rather than rules for play. Side-scrolling bullet stormsR-Type is out for Switch.Ken is really bad at it.Comic Book Bullet JournalingSpeaking of bullets, Ken is using a habit tracker in his bullet journal to track comic reading. Because he keep losing track of where he stopped in the X-Men's Dawn of X series.Reading comic books shouldn't be this hard...Haunting of Bly Manor A Nicely creepy follow-up to The Haunting of Hill House. As with the earlier show, the writers have fun with the timeline, which reinforces the idea that hauntings are as much about lost time as they are about lost souls. Ken's inner 12-year-old, who scared himself silly reading ghost stories, is pleased.David and Ken geek out for a while on ghost stories, which inevitably brings us back to Hellboy.Sword Art OnlineAnime in which a people become trapped in a virtual reality universe.Ready for Launch?We announce the launch of our first episode ... which you've already listened to.(we told you time was still wibbly wobbly in the Lair...)

Outro

If you have feedback, we love feedback. You can send it to us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com or via Twitter @lairofsecrets. You can also visit lairofsecrets.com and leave us some feedback, topic ideas, or your own thoughts on what we’ve talked about.

Featured Image

Cover art for X-Men #1, part of the Dawn of X storyline. Credit: Marvel