Cortex Plus Hacker’s Guide

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Lyal

We’re planning to help kickstart this “anthology of ways to use Cortex Plus from MWP’s award-winning Leverage & Smallville RPGs: hacks, settings, and options“. It looks really good in its own right. However, we’re really excited about the possibility of a Marvel Heroic Roleplaying fantasy hack. (Those who listened to Gladiators know why.) Unfortunately, it’s a $25,000 stretch goal.
They are over $20,000 with two weeks to go, but we don’t want to leave anything to chance. If you are at all interested in any of these games, the book looks well worth the $10-25 price. If you don’t support this product, many children will grow up not knowing the pleasures of playing gladiators with the MRH system.

Episode 91: Interview: Emergence RPG

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Lyal

In our first interview episode, we talk to Tony and Faon Grandinetti, two members of the creative team behind Emergence, a fantasy and SF RPG on Kickstarter. This may be the first game spawned in traffic.

You can find Emergence on Kickstarter, and make sure to check out the Emergence website for more information on the world of Kython.

Oh, Lyal! Lyal messed up the audio. Apologies if it doesn’t sound crystal clear.

Episode 20: Creature Feature: Gangsters

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Lyal

It’s only our second Creature Feature and we’re already pushing the premise to include occupations. We discuss criminal organizations and how to include them in your games.

Oddly, we don’t mention Scarface at all. While this means we don’t mine this rich source of ideas, you’re spared listening to our versions of “Say hello to my little friend.” Chris does do The Godfather 3 quote. Yeah, that one.

To law enforcement: This episode is not an endorsement of crime or an attempt to glamourize it.

To criminal organizations: We’re obviously not talking about you. Are we cool?

Episode 18: Sands of Twine

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Lyal

There are three things you don’t bring up at the Idle Red Hands dinner table: religion, politics, and the definition of a sandbox game. (Actually, you could probably bring up the first two.)

In this episode, we compare sandbox games to ball of twine games, and the analogies and metaphors fly. (Hey! Another metaphor.) I think we even manage to work in a snowclone. We talk about what these types of games are (and, boy, does that get heated, metaphorically speaking) and the pitfalls (metaphor) to avoid.

Episode 17: Conventional Wisdom

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Lyal

Kristos is back and so is talk of rape. It’s not a coincidence.

Back from the Kansai JIGG Golden Week Convention, we talk about the convention and the board games we played there. There is a clear favourite. We also discuss Wayne’s Hollow Earth Expedition convention game.

Episode 15: Campaign Confessions: Lost Potential

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Lyal

The only thing darker than the Changeling: The Lost setting is our review of it.

In this episode, we review the latest incarnation of White Wolf’s Changeling game and discuss Wayne’s campaign. In between Lyal’s ranting and Chris’s waffling, you’ll hear how Wayne used gold-painted puzzle pieces (and two or three slightly different ways to describe them) and how he introduced game mechanics through his story.

After listening to this episode, you might be surprised to learn that we will probably continue playing Changeling; however, you’ll have to wait until episode 16 to find out how.

No Changeling books were harmed during the recording of this episode.

Episode 13: Creature Feature: Werepocalypse

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Lyal

In our debut Creature Feature, we shine the moonlight on werewolves. We discuss werewolf legends and movies and how to run werewolf antagonists and protagonists. We also talk about The Werewolf of Washington a lot. Never heard of it? There’s a reason for that.

Lyal forgot his notes at home, so “skin-walkers” become “skin-changers” and “The Beast of Gevaudan” becomes “The Beast of B-something”. Chris’s research seems to have consisted of after school specials on safe sex. Wayne is allegedly from the “ghetto”, which explains why Lyal and Chris lose it when he tells his wrapping tube story.

Despite this, we come up with a pretty decent setting to play werewolves in. Can you handle the Werepocalypse?

Episode 12: Campaign Confessions: Taking a Bite Out of Detroit Part 2

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Lyal

One Vampire: The Requiem episode! AH AH AH! Two Vampire: The Requiem episodes! AH AH AH! I love it!

In Part 2, we look at Lyal’s Detroit campaign. Lyal is thin-skinned, which explains why Wayne, Chris, and Yujiro aren’t so hard on his campaign. Lyal also loves to complain, which explains why he has some choice words for that “Lyal guy”.

We cover flashforwards, intraparty conflict, working in new players, and playing in real time.

Yujiro guest hosts again (we don’t seem to understand the concept of a guest host). Chris’s soon-to-be-wife, Saori, does the opening for this episode.

Idle Red Hands

A Podcast From Japan About Games and Gamer Culture

Author Archives: Lyal