Episode 214: Race vs. Ancestry in Fantasy RPGs

We discuss Paizo changing the word “race” to “ancestry” in Pathfinder 2.0. What does that mean for Dungeons and Dragons? Will WotC follow Paizo’s lead? Now that “ancestry” is taken, what would be some other alternatives? Is this a case of modern sensibilities triumphing over tradition? Enjoy our lukewarm hot take!

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Episode 213: Campaign Confessions: D&D 5E Part 2: Pirates

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot
Drink up, me ‘earties, yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don’t give a hoot
We definitely give a hoot about our players’ comfort levels at the table
Drink up me ‘earties, yo ho (If you want to drink. No pressure.)
– “Yo Ho (A 21st-century Pirate’s Life for Me)”

In the second part of our discussion of Dungeons and Dragons 5e and our pirate campaign, we talk about how to play pirates in a fantasy roleplaying setting. We also discuss our collaborative world-building session.

Avast ye! Here be piratey accents. Yuv bin warrn’d. Arrrrrr!

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Episode 212: Campaign Confessions: D&D 5E Part One

Continuing our Campaign Confessions series, we look at our recent pirate-themed Dungeons and Dragons 5e campaign. Part one focuses on 5e itself and the reasons why this edition has become so successful. We try to put our finger, and maybe some blame, on who dragged D&D kicking and screaming out of the basement and made it appealing to a whole new generation of players. Is it the system itself or is it social media savvy?

First comic books have become cool and now D&D. There’s hope for you toy collectors yet.

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Episode 211: Top 5 Horror Settings

For Halloween this year, we discuss our top 5 horror settings for role-playing. These settings, from movies, books, and television, aren’t necessarily our favorite ones to watch or read, but they are the most interesting and inspirational settings to play in. Let us know if you agree with us!

Note that we deliberately didn’t include settings that are currently being used for games. Do you really need another gaming list topped by Call of Cthulhu and World of Darkness?

If you would like to skip the full discussion and go right to the final top 5, please visit our YouTube channel.

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Video: Deathwatch RPG Cortex Prime Session

Actual play session of Warhammer 40,000 Deathwatch setting using the Cortex Prime ruleset. Three and a half hours of space marine carnage! If you are interested in trying this setting with this system use the links below…

Pre-generated character PDFs available here:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1-ZtRUU2yoYrBo5ky1QDspvqMEBp5ZHfD

Ruleset available for pre-order here:
https://cortex-prime.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Listen to a discussion of the choice to pair Deathwatch and Cortex Prime:

Episode 210: Deathwatch RPG

Our GM was @HyveMynd
https://hyvemynd.wordpress.com/

Follow Idle Red Hands:
https://www.facebook.com/IdleRedHands/
Twitter – @IdleRedHands

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Episode 210: Deathwatch RPG

We do not hate the alien because he is different, we hate the alien because he had naught but hate in his heart for us.

— Anonymous Battle-Brother of the Deathwatch

What do you do when an IP you love is released as an RPG with a system you hate?

Wayne discusses his conversion of the Deathwatch RPG to the Cortex Prime system., the latest version of Cortex Plus that powered Marvel Heroics Roleplaying. We also talk about the mechanics of Cortex Prime and how he was inspired to use it to power Space Marines.

SPOILER: His motivations rely heavily on his hatred of the d20

The Emperor Protects!

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Episode 209: Kansai JIGG (Japan International Gamers Guild)

“If you build it, they will come.”- Field of Dreams

“If you build it and provide snacks, they will come.”
Gaming Table of Dreams

In this episode, we talk to Jools Thomas* and Ryan Thomas* about the Japan International Gamers Guild (JIGG). Jools is the unofficial JIGG historian (he made a T-shirt with that on it, so…), whose blog sparked the idea for this interview. Ryan is one half of the duo, Linda Thomas being the other, that brought gaming to Kansai. If you’re interested in the history of the best gaming community in the world, or if you’re interested in how to start up a gaming community or group, this is the episode for you.

*No relation. Did we run out of last names?

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Episode 208: Straight to Netflix: Mute

In the premiere of our new series “Straight to Netflix”, we discuss the Duncan Jones science fiction movie starring Alexander Skarsgard, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, and with a Sam Rockwell Moon easter egg. What could possibly go wrong? Should the critics be muted (Hey yo!)? Find out if you should list or miss Mute.

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Video: Unboxing Torg Eternity

“The storm has a name … and comes in a very heavy box.”

Curious about the new version of TORG? Want to see what $200 gets you? Well, we unbox the massive TORG Eternity Cargo Box from Ulisses North America, which includes the core rules and drama deck. Are we happy with the purchase or cursing the seductive call of nostalgia?

Since these boxes promise to be a staple of the TORG Eternity Kickstarters (Living Land had a Survival Box), this video will help you decide whether or not to jump in on the next one. Think of them like Loot Crate, but with stuff you might actually use.

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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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