Episode 219: Racial Ability Bonuses – Hot Dwarves and Smart Orcs in D&D

Idle Red hands - Episode 219

In this episode we discuss the question of racial ability bonuses in D&D and other TTRPG systems. Is race the best way to give the flavor of the setting or does it just bring with it uncomfortable stereotypes drawn from the real world? Which will win in our discussion nature or nurture? If you roll a muscle wizard does that save you from the Tolkien hole?

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Video: Unboxing D&D 5E Starter Set

Have a look inside the starter box for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. A great place to start for players new to the hobby. It includes a starter rules booklet, pre-generated characters, a campaign booklet and quite nice dice. All in a mysteriously spacious box!

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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 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 159: Subculture: Punk

Prof. Harriet “Gears” Hamilton: “Was that London calling?”
Lord Nigel Hollingsworth III: “Yes. Something about engines not running and the city drowning.”
Hamilton: “That sounds dreadfully excessive.”
Hollingsworth: “What do you expect from Lady Annie Christian?”
Hamilton: “The anarchist? I say, she certainly doesn’t know what she wants.”
Hollingsworth: “But she knows how to get it.”
Hamilton: “Oh, how droll! Well, let’s assemble the League. It seems we have some thrashing to do.”
– Another reason why steampunk isn’t that punk.

In our first installment of our subcultures series, we discuss punk. Put your game to our Punk Test, a series of questions on what is punk.

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Episode 157: Game Stores

I’m gonna pop some tags,
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket.
I – I – I’m leaving, looking to come ba-ack.
The book was fifty dollars.
Game  Shop” – Idlemore & Red Lewis

In this episode, we discuss what makes a good game store, based on some observations we made during some recent trips to North America, and what could entice people away from online  retailers.

Game stores in your area:

Toronto
401 Games

Ottawa
Fandom II
The Comic Book Shoppe

Los Angeles
The War House

Philadelphia
Atomic City Comics

Schaumburg
Gamer’s World

The D&D image discussed in the introduction.

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Episode 146: Campaign Confessions: Pathfinder Part 1

“Fighting a dragon is always a challenge. They are the kind of problem that calls for an A-10 Thunderbolt II and lots of rockets. Unfortunately, these things won’t be invented for another thousand years or so. In a pinch, you can get by with some household cleansers, rope, and magic, the duct tape of the fantasy world.”
-Michael West(en), Burned Rogue/Illusionist

In Part 1 of our latest Campaign Confessions, we give our thoughts on the Pathfinder system.

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Episode 79: Creature Feature: Femme Fatales

We’re not bad; we’re just recorded that way.

In this installment of Creature Features, we continue to redefine what a “creature” is. We look at the mysterious, sexy and dangerous femme fatale and the lesser known homme letal (probably because we coined it).

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Episode 78: Non-D&D Fantasy

Should D&D be everyone’s gateway into RPGs?

After about ten minutes of listening to us talk about D&D, you may start to question the “Non-D&D” part of the title, but we do move on to other games. We look at Exalted, A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying, Runequest, and Dragon Age. We evaluate each game’s system, setting, and presentation. We also discuss which ones would be good gateway games. At the end, we talk about an out-of-print game that presented fantasy races in new and badass ways.

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