GM's Journal: IKRPG and Stuff

We're back from our post-Gen-Con break with the introduction of a new segment: the "GM's Journal," in which one of us talks a bit about an ongoing campaign and how it's going: recent activity and the lessons taken away, future plans, and other related ephemera. Susan is on the mic for our inaugural Journal, talking about her Iron Kingdoms RPG campaign.




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Episode 41: Duets

In this episode, the two Daves and Susan gather 'round to discuss the smallest gaming group configuration, the duet. What are the pros and what are the cons of a single player and GM? Join us as we explore the topic and discuss past personal experiences with duet gaming. Plus: some duet-related pipe dreams!




Remember to click on the Speakpipe link on the lower-right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

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Episode 38: Campaign Pacing and Narrative Structure

This week, Dave and Susan continue their discussion of pacing, applying it to campaign structures overall. Also, the weirdest Campaign Pipedream segment to date.




Remember to click on the Speakpipe link on the lower-right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

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Episode 37: Pacing in Games

This week, David S. and Susan do their best to address the Holy Grail of Good GMing: pacing. Also, the return of Campaign Pipedreams!




Remember to click on the Speakpipe link on the lower-right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

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Episode 36: Iron Kingdoms GM Jam

David S. and Susan, who each have Iron Kingdoms RPG campaigns going at the moment, convene to discuss the ins and outs of prepping and running in this system and setting.


Remember to click on the Speakpipe link on the lower-right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

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Episode 35: Player Archetypes

This week, Schimpff and Susan discuss player archetypes: the various "types" of player, and how to prepare and run for them. They also take a stab at self-diagnosing which archetype they each fall under.


Remember to click on the Speakpipe link on the lower-right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

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Episode 33: Dark Sun Rundown

David Schimpff reconvenes his old group to conduct a detailed deconstruction and analysis of one his most successful campaigns (ironically played with one of his least favorite systems): Dark Sun!


Remember to click on the Speakpipe link on the lower-right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

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Episode 32: Introductory Scenarios

In this, the last of our "solo" shows for the foreseeable future and final show of 2014, David Schimpff discusses introductory scenarios and their use, and provides actual-play examples from sessions past.



Remember to click on the Speakpipe link on the lower-right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

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Episode 30: Spicing Up Your Game

This week, David S. and Susan (with a little help from David L.) discuss methods of spicing up games, and how to get ideas for your games. Plus: more pipe dreams!

And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

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Episode Twenty-Eight: Open-World Gaming

For this week's episode, Dave S. and Susan talk about open-world and sandbox-style play (in contrast to last episode's discussion of railroading). They also take a look at the Worldspinner Kickstarter and return to our recurring segment, Campaign Pipedreams.


And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

Thanks for listening!

Episode Twenty-Seven: Maps and Mapping

The first episode of our second season finds David S. and Susan discussing the role of maps and mapping in games, as well as resources for the cartographically-challenged.


And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

Thanks for listening!

Episode Twenty-Four: Railroading

In this week's episode, David S. and Susan discuss that old bugbear known as railroading. Plus: more Campaign Pipedreams!


And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

Thanks for listening!

Episode Twenty-Two: Some More D&D, Play-by-Post Gaming, and Long-Term Campaigning

This, our first episode with three hosts, is a bit of a grab-bag. David L. shares some follow-up thoughts from last week's episode on the new edition of D&D, and then we segue into talking about that strange sub-genre of RPG gaming, play-by-post. We then segue into a discussion of how to keep campaigns running long-term and then share some more Campaign Pipe Dreams.



And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

Thanks for listening!

Episode Twenty: Small Groups, Big Groups

For this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of small groups and large alike - everything from playing by yourself (it's possible!) to double-digits. Also, we debut an as-yet-unnamed segment in which we discuss campaigns or campaign frameworks we've always wanted to run.

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And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

Thanks for listening!

Episode Seventeen: Adversaries, Villains, and Mooks

For this episode, we bring in a special guest to help us talk about the pleasures and pitfalls of villainy and adversarial play...



And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

Thanks for listening!

Episode Sixteen: World-Building and NPCs

For this episode, we explore the related topics of world-building and NPCs: how we go about conceptualizing campaigns; homebrew versus published settings; NPC use, abuse, and management; plus more!



And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

Thanks for listening!

Episode Fifteen: Death and Resurrection

It's sort of an Easter special this time, because we're talking about death and resurrection…of characters, of campaigns, of whole systems. Good idea? Bad idea? You'll just have to listen to find out.



And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! And be sure to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus group if you want to keep up via social media.

Thanks for listening!

Episode Nine: System Spotlight - King Arthur Pendragon

This episode sees us answering a listener-submitted question about epic campaigns before moving on to our second "System Spotlight" installment, this time focusing on the King Arthur Pendragon RPG.



And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes!

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Episode Eight: Player versus GM!

In this episode, we discuss the different experiences and skillsets inherent to the player experience versus the game master experience. To help us dissect the issue, we bring in special guest Jade, the newest member of our tabletop group, who has both played and run RPGs for the first time over the course of the previous year.



And remember to call our Lake Geneva, WI, voicemail number (262-729-9774), or click on the Speakpipe link on the lower right corner of this page, or leave us a comment with questions or issues you'd like us to address in future episodes! Thanks for listening!