Episode 161: Review: D&D Basic Rules

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

“Dungeons & Dragons is some of the most crazy, deep, deep, deep nerd s**t ever invented. Every word you’re saying is made up. Motherf***ers talk like Yoda.”
– Ice T’s rejected cover quote for the 5e Player’s Handbook

In this episode, we review the D&D Basic Rules and give our thoughts on whether or not 5e is a success. We also discuss inclusiveness, how spell components should actually be used, and the real reason why there needed to be elves of colour.

Episode 129: Inspirations #2

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Idle Red Hands

The Idle Red Hands are still finding inspiration in everyday things like Jenga towers, X-Box games and bear gods. Join us for our second installment of Inspirations where we share game ideas we’ve gotten from outside of the TRPG world.

In this episode, we discuss the novel Shardik, the video game Bastion, and the TRPG Dread. I think one of the hosts doesn’t quite get the concept of this series.

Episode 124: Conventions & Innovations

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Idle Red Hands

With Wayne back from Strategicon‘s Gateway 2013 and Lyal fresh off of reading books on the history of role-playing games, we decide to combine these for this episode’s topic. We look at the innovations that role-playing games brought to gaming and how these can be found in today’s convention games. Since we’re talk about conventions, we cover an eighties cartoon, zombies, neck beards, teenage girls (Wait. What?) and One Direction (Which convention did Wayne go to?).

Episode 85: Magic: Divination

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Idle Red Hands

This second installment of Magic is about divination and fortune-telling, but you probably already knew that. We also envision an introduction on using music to help prepare for games.

Episode 77: Literature Lessons: Science Romance

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Idle Red Hands

Let’s look 100 years into the future to see what 2012 will bring!

A pneumatic tube messaging craze will sweep the country!
Science will find the cure for racism: all babies born in 2012 will be white!
Automatons will do all domestic chores! Women will stay in the kitchen for the fun of it!
Man will teach dogs and cats to talk! Will learn that they never really had much to say!
The Idle Red Hands, a radio program about Marxism, will win best show of the year!

In this Literature Lesson, we look at the science fiction of Verne, Wells, and Burroughs. Despite having an outline that includes colonialism, eugenics and xenophobia, we’re actually surprised when the show gets dark.

Episode 70: Friday Night Lights

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Idle Red Hands

“Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can’t lose!”
– Dillon Panthers’ motto

It’s Sunday night, folks, and the Idle Red Hands are without one of their star players, Chris “Flesh Wall” Idle. They’ve faced this situation before, but they are also looking at a strict no spoiler policy with this episode. It’s going to be tough talking about one of the best TV series of all time without ruining storylines. I hear that Coach Taylor is going to have them discuss how to use certain key elements and characters types in your games. Are you ready for some football?

Episode 47: Christmas Wish List

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Idle Red Hands

Lyal knew a guy who gave his girlfriend a picture of himself for Christmas. In that spirit, here’s our gift to you: an episode of us talking about what we want for Christmas. We discuss what games we’d like to receive, what games we’d like to see made and what games we’d like to actually play next. So, listen to find out what RPGs and board games you need to get this Christmas.

Merry Christmas! (We had to talk Chris out of dropping the t.)

Correction: The new expansion for the Privateer Press miniatures game Hordes is “Hordes: Domination“, not Dominion as incorrectly stated by Wayne. Let’s hope Santa puts the correct thing under his tree anyway.

Episode 28: Giving Props to Props

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Idle Red Hands

In this episode, we look at props. Do they help to propel a story or just dress up a table? Does the use of props encourage metagaming? Should the gamemaster get the players involved in creating props? Why did Wayne choose a purple horse to represent his Vampire character? All these questions and more will be answered over the next hour.

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.

Idle Red Hands

A Podcast From Japan About Games and Gamer Culture

Tag Archives: Hollow Earth Expedition (RPG)