Episode 216: Creature Feature : Robots

Also check out our shorter video discussion of robots in TTRPGs on our YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/idleredhands

Robots, androids, replicants. They are called by many names and have a variety of origins and motivations. How can they best be used in your TTRPGs? Find out in our discussion about using robots in your tabletop campaigns, both as antagonists and protagonists. For additional inspiration, we also give you a list of possible campaign ideas (thank you, GURPS!).

In the tradition of our Creature Features, we watched the 1980 scifi film Saturn 3, starring Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel, and Farrah Fawcett. It includes some interesting examples of how to use a robot as an RPG character, even if it failed in its use of the robot as a movie character.

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Video: Creature Feature: Robots

Using robots in your TTRPG campaigns? What questions should you ask yourself when you include them? We have a list of campaign ideas using robots to help you out, and we discuss how to play them both as antagonists and protagonists.

Also in the tradition of our Creature Features, we watched the 1980 scifi film Saturn 3, starring Kirk Douglas, Harvey Keitel and Farrah Fawcett. Regardless of its failings as a scifi horror film, it does include some interesting examples of how to use a robot as a character. And Farrah Fawcett. She is in the film. Did I mention that?

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Episode 207: Creature Feature: Mermaids

Just in time for Mer-May, our latest Creature Feature! Mermaids, or Merfolk, are found in myth and legend from almost every culture in the world. We look at their appearances from A Thousand and One Nights to Hans Christian Andersen to H.P. Lovecraft. In the tradition of our Creature Features, we watched (and drank to) a related film, The Mermaid (2016), by Hong Kong director Stephen Chow. We also include ideas and inspiration about how to play them as antagonists and protagonists in your favorite RPGs. This episode was in no way endorsed by the many fine Japanese whisky products that it took to make.

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Video: Creature Feature: Clowns

You laugh at them at the circus. You welcome them into your homes to entertain your children. You let them sell you hamburgers. But who are the men and women who hide behind the makeup. In this Creature Feature, we showcase clowning through history, and we discuss how you can play them as antagonists and protagonists in your role-playing games. And before you ask, “sexy clown” did not make the cut.

For a longer discussion on clowns listen to our podcast here.

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Episode 202: Creature Feature: Clowns

“What are you going to do with those pies, boys?”
– second last words of Farmer Gene Green

“Aaaarrrrgh!”
– last words of Farmer Gene Green
Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Happy Halloween! You laugh at them at the circus. You welcome them into your homes to entertain your children. You let them sell you hamburgers. But in this Creature Feature, we look at the horror that is the clown. We discuss clowning through history and clowns in fiction. And while we can’t imagine why anyone would want to play them as protagonists, we share ideas on how you could.

Also check out our video on clowns here.

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Episode 196: Creature Feature: Golems

A return of a classic series: Creature Features!

In this installment, we talk about golems, the unstoppable clay (Wait, clay?) automatons, and similar constructs. Listen to find out how you can create a homunculus using porn and a horse uterus or a Seto Taisho through sheer laziness. We also discuss It!, the 1967 horror classic that shows how innocent we once were about the dangers of nuclear weapons and the durability of clay.

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Episode 188: Creature Feature: Goblins

“I’m just a simple goblin. Do you know we don’t have a word for ‘family’ or ‘love’? Suffice to say, I don’t really understand your attachment to the small humans. I have noticed, however, that most of you will do whatever it takes to prevent … misfortune befalling your wee ones. Goblins also don’t have a word for ‘regret,’ but I know you do. Think about the regrets you’ll have if you don’t take my offer.”
-“Glassy” Salo, bootlegger, racketeer, businessman, goblin

In this installment of Creature Features, we look at the lowly goblin. Will you play them as tiny fodder, as roguish antiheroes, or as unchecked capitalists?

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Episode 184: Creature Feature: Deities

“There can be only one!”
-Connor MacLeod, Highlander

Which is probably why we cut our references to Highlander: no one likes solo adventures. What we didn’t cut were Wayne’s frequent references to Dungeons & Dragons, odd coming from such a “fan” of Dungeon World.

In this installment of Creature Features, we discuss playing and playing against deities. After we cut all of the blasphemy, we were left with Thor comics and D&D cosmology.

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Episode 180: Creature Feature: Santa Claus

Delivering to O.P.C. (Yeah, you know he)
Betta’ not cry, O.P.C. (Every last kiddie)
Delivering to O.P.C. (Yeah, you know she)
Betta’ watch out, O.P.C. (Every last kiddie)
-“O.P.C.” Naughty or Nice by Nature

In this installment of Creature Features, we discuss Santa Claus. Yes, Santa Claus. Trust us. Merry Christmas.

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Episode 175: Creature Feature: Imposters

“I know I’m human. And if you were all these things, then you’d just attack me right now, so some of you are still human. This thing doesn’t want to show itself; it wants to hide inside an imitation. It’ll fight if it has to, but it’s vulnerable out in the open. If it takes us over, then it has no more enemies, nobody left to kill it. And then it’s won.”
-MacReady, The Thing

Our month of horror has been reduced to a week, so we give you a plus-sized episode about imposters: doppelgangers, pod people, jumpers, things, etc. Wayne didn’t know that we were allowed to read or see anything for people over eighteen, so be prepared for his tour of the young adult section of the library. We also discuss John Wick’s article “Chess is not an RPG: The Illusion of Game Balance.”

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