Another Idle Red Hands first (for us, at least)! We debut Mashups, where we blend different elements to make new(ish) game settings. In this episode, we add twists to fictional and historical settings.
It’s an extra long episode (or as the Japanese say, plus alpha) because we had so much fun doing the first two mashups, we decided to do a third one. How much fun they are to listen to is up to you. The consensus is that the first one is the weakest link (or as the Japanese say, the red-headed stepchild).
Corrections:
The Hyborian Age is set after Atlantis sank, not before. Kull is part of the Thurian Age, not the Hyborian Age, and is actually from Atlantis. Both were created by Robert E. Howard. Lyal has since turned in his Conan Fan Club card.
Kirk Douglas was a contemporary of Burt Lancaster, not Kurt Russell. Yes, Lyal again. He refuses to turn in his Kurt Russell Fan Club card, however.
Jason Straham was in Crank, not Crash. Chris was going to turn in his Jason Straham Fan Club card until he was reminded that it was the only one in existence.
Special offer! Download Part 1 for free and get Part 2 for the low, low price of nothing. Offer expires in 2056.
In this installment of Campaign Confessions, we look at the World of Darkness system and the Vampire: The Requiem setting and system. We also explain how we track blood/glamour, health, and damage in Vampire and Changeling. (There’s some dispute over who gets credit for that.)
Yujiro guest hosts.
No guest stars this episode; we stick with the Holy Trinity of Lyal, Chris and Wayne. (Did you see what we did there?)
Rather than focus on specific faiths, myths and rituals in this episode, we look at how religion, in general, would impact your game setting. This includes the tendency to tie faith to power and the idea that “science is the new religion”. We also discuss whether it’s fair to spring setting and rule surprises on players.
We hope to revisit this topic in the future because it’s so big.
Although we talk about religion, we manage to not offend any world faiths. Chris does cost us our creationist listeners, however.
You’d think that a bunch of guys who spend their weekends playing games would have nothing to say about seduction. Well, you’d be wrong. You’d think that a bunch of (mostly) heterosexual guys coming on to each across a table would get awkward. Well, you’d be right.
In this episode, we discuss how to incorporate romance and seduction into your games.
“Interesting” was apparently Lyal’s word of the day. He has since bought a thesaurus.
Rocket Nazis! Airships! The Castle of Endless Stealth Rolls! Will Rex “Blade” Richards and his trusty band of sidekicks be able to stop the Nazis from unleashing their secret weapon on the world? Find out in the thrilling conclusion to “The Curse of the Atlantean ‘Thing'”!
In this episode, we discuss Hollow Earth Expedition and the Ubiquity system. We also talk about what we liked and didn’t like about Wayne’s pulp adventure.
Tom and Yujiro guest host again.
For those of you interested in trying out Hollow Earth Expedition for yourselves, you can find two free sample adventures in PDF form (Stranded in the Hollow Earth and Kidnapped in the Hollow Earth) complete with sample characters and a streamlined version of the Ubiquity rules from the Exile Games website.
Everything you always wanted to know about pen-and-paper role-playing games but were afraid (or couldn’t be bothered) to ask.
The Idle Red Hands are blessed with some great friends who, despite having no clue about RPGs, listen to our podcast. One recommended that we record an episode that explains some of the basic concepts to help him follow along, so we did. This is for him and all those who have ever wondered why some people choose to spend their Saturday nights rolling dice.
If you’re an experienced gamer, have a listen to see if you agree with our descriptions, definitions, and recommendations.
To start a lifetime of adventure, download these free rules for GURPS 4th Edition from the good people at Steve Jackson Games (or visit your local army recruiting center).
Special note: We debut our new microphone this episode.
Episode 5 takes a look at playing different ethnicities, cultures and genders than your own. We discuss what we consider important in creating, playing, and GMing very different characters. Even if, apparently, all of Lyal’s characters are sarcastic, all of Chris’ are Scottish, and Wayne’s are accidentally bi.
We also touch on the use of voices, playing non-humans (slightly), and the current competition for top-sexy.
Thank you to everyone who’s offered feedback and comments here, on facebook, and by email! We love affirmation!
In this episode, we look at the morality and motivation systems in Dungeons and Dragons, Palladium, World of Darkness and DC Heroes. We discuss whether they work for their games, whether they’d work for other games, and whether we need systems like these at all. There’s also a great tip on how your lawful good character can be a cold-blooded torturer and still stay true to their alignment. No kidding.
For those of you that thought that episodes 0 and 1 were okay but could have used more Wayne, this episode is for you.
The topic for episode 3 is alluded to at the end. Unfortunately, we lost the episode. The “experiment” is a series of mini-campaigns we have planned to explore different genres and systems. We’ll discuss these in future episodes.
