Gamer's Haven Podcast

In this episode, we talk about playing and running games at conventions.

Ethan and Nathan had the chance to sit down with local miniatures game company Secret Skeleton Miniatures. About Secret Skeleton Miniatures Secret Skeleton Miniatures is a producer and distributor of 25mm tactical-scale metal fantasy gaming miniatures inspired by the classic era of the World’s Most Popular Role-Playing Game. We also produce and distribute a line of 25mm tactical-scale Space Opera miniatures. Our mission statement is to make available high-quality gaming miniatures to a select customer base of old-school fans who want to play with the look the classic era of their favorite role-playing game. Our statement of ’25mm Tactical-Scale’ means that the miniatures are made to fit with the standard 1 inch = 5 feet battle maps. They are designed so that 5mm = 1 foot of height. Most of our miniatures are designed to have versatile assembly. Many feature interchangeable arms, hands, heads, etc so that each miniature will stand out as it charges across the battlefield towards your unlucky player characters! [flgallery id=2 /]

Ethan had the chance to sit down with Sean Preston, CEO of Reality Blurs and writer of games like Realms of Cthulhu, Iron Dynasty, and RunePunk. About Reality Blurs Reality Blurs is a game design studio founded in 2004 by Sean Preston. Our mission statement is a simple one: devise, develop, and deliver fun gaming experiences.Reality Blurs is a game design studio founded in 2004 by Sean Preston. Our mission statement is a simple one: devise, develop, and deliver fun gaming experiences. About Realms of Cthulhu Whether you seek action and adventure battling cultists in sun-drenched jungle temples, a shadowy milieu of dark words and impossible deeds, or a twisted mixture dredged up from the darkest recesses of imagination and nightmare, you will find the rules you need and the inspiration you desire within these pages. Four distinct styles impact how physical damage and mental anguish are handled. This allows you to effortlessly shape and direct the focus of your campaign, from the pulpiness of Heroic Horror to the grim desolation of the Dark Spiral. About Iron Dynasty Iron Dynasty is cinematic Oriental fantasy with a twist. Putting the Warring States period on its head and introducing both mythical elements and steampunk into the mix, Iron Dynasty was first introduced with the adventure, Journey to Red Temple. An exhaustive playtesting process has refined and defined the setting where the players can create all sorts of characters from onmyoji elementalists to ninja and all types in between. Great care was taken whereby the character creation process is balanced and provides the expansive edges necessary to do this setting justice. About RunePunk RunePunk is dark steampunk fantasy in an urban environment like no other. Characters become ghosts, demons, mechanized men, ratlike folk, and the remnants of humanity in their roles as runecasters, shadowpriests, inventors, chemists, demonologists, among others. The extradimensional city of ScatterPoint is full of shadows and steam. Find out what secrets lie within. [flgallery id=2 /]

Ethan had the pleasure to sit down with Mutants & Masterminds (Green Ronin) and ICONS (Adamant Entertainment) creator Steve Kenson to pick his brain about all things Superheroes. About Steve Kenson Steve Kensons tarted working freelance in the RPG industry in 1995. Since then he has written or contributed to over a hundred different products for various game lines. Although he primarily works work Green Ronin these days, he is still available for occasional freelance projects and works on his own side-projects from time to time. About Mutants & Masterminds It has been called “the best, most exciting superhero RPG in years.” It sets “new standards in design and presentation.” It has won awards that include the Pen & Paper Fan Award for Best RPG, the ENWorld Award for Best d20 RPG, and the prestigious EN World Peer Award for 2003. Now the World’s Greatest Superhero Roleplaying Game is even better! About ICONS What kid raised in recent generations hasn’t pretended to be a superhero at some point: worn a cape, “flown” around, bounced imaginary bullets or shot “blasts of power” from hands or eyes? Why not? After all, the superhero is the perfect modern fantasy: powerful, respected, and loved by the public, but with a message of responsibility, duty, truth, and justice that appeals to parents as well as kids. In countless comic books (and now “graphic novels”), cartoons, and live-action television shows and films, superheroes continue to thrill and capture our imagination while also celebrating some of our better qualities. Who wouldn’t want to be a hero? About Green Ronin Green Ronin Publishing is a Seattle based company dedicated to the art of great games. Since the year 2000 Green Ronin has established a reputation for quality and innovation that is second to none, publishing such critical favorites as the Freeport Trilogy, Book of the Righteous, Hobby Games: The 100 Best, and the Mutants & Masterminds RPG, and winning over 40 awards for excellence. For an unprecented three years running Green Ronin won the prestigious GenCon & EnWorld Award for Best Publisher. About Adamant Entertainment Adamant Entertainment has been at the forefront of the electronic publishing segment of the entertainment industry for seven years, offering innovation and standard-setting performance for digital delivery of tabletop role-playing games. In 2007, Adamant was featured in an Associated Press article spotlighting the growth of the ePublishing industry, which was carried in publications ranging from the Washington Post to the South China Morning Post, and online via dozens of sites, including CNNMoney, ABCNews.com and the Nintendo Wii News Channel. [flgallery id=2 /]

In this episode, we talk about getting prepared for KantCon 2011!

In this episode, Ethan sits down with Rob Schwalb, one of the busiest freelancers in the gaming industry. His work includes many titles with Wizards of the Coast and Green Ronin Publishing. You can check out our Rob Schwalb selection in our Amazon Store here. Running time on the interview is 35 minutes. This episode is sponsored by FRP Games.

Ethan sits down with Jeff Grubb, one of the original creators of the Marvel Superheroes RPG.

In this episode, we tackle creating characters in various systems, but specifically talk about D&D, Call of Cthulhu, and Mutants & Masterminds. We go into creating memorable chracters, and how to balance fluff and crunch. In the Three Parter, Ethan has Character when he talks about using the Spirit of the Century Character Creation system for other games, Nathan reviews the Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu data sets for Hero Lab, and Jeremy comes back with his review of the Player’s Handbook 3 (which was lost to the cyber-gnomes in the last episode). Running time for this episode is 144 minutes. This Episode is Sponsored by FRP Games.

Ethan sits down with Shane Hensley, creator of Savage Worlds and Deadlands. http://www.frpgames.com/index.php?ref=vorp You can check out our Shane Hensley selection in our Amazon Store here. You can visit Pinnacle Entertainment Group here Running time on the interview is 44 minutes. This episode is sponsored by FRP Games.]]>

In this episode, Ethan talks about the Origins Award nominee from Out of the Box Games, Word on the Street. This episode is brought to you by FRP Games.

In this episode, we dive into the conundrum of using politics in your fantasy game – what works, and what doesn’t work. In the Three Parter, Jeremy reviews the Player’s Handbook 3 from Wizards, Nathan talks about what he’s been into lately, and Ethan raves on Mass Effect 2. Running time for this episode is 152 minutes. This Episode is Sponsored by FRP Games.

Ethan sits down with Wolfgang Baur, of Kobold Quarterly. Kobold Quarterly creator, Wolfgang Baur. Wolfgang has been in the business for years, and took time out of his busy con schedule to talk with Ethan. http://www.frpgames.com/index.php?ref=vorp You can check out our Wolfgang Baur selection in our Amazon Store here. You can visit Wolfgang Baur’s Website here Running time on the interview is 35 minutes. This episode is sponsored by FRP Games.]]>

In this episode, Ethan talks about the new Deadlands Dice from Q-Workshops. This episode is brought to you by FRP Games.

Ethan sits down with George R. R. Martin, author of the Song of Ice and Fire books. You can check out our George R. R. Martin selection in our Amazon Store here. You can visit George R. R. Martin’s Website here. Running time on the interview is 47 minutes. Someone you want us to interview, or do you have comments on this interview? Visit our forums, e-mail us, or call our toll-free voicemail line at 1-877-416-1270.]]>

In this episode, we are joined by Shea, one of Ethan’s co-hosts on the RedPhoneZone, and host of his very own If You Shea Show. The topic of discussion was bitching in and out of game. This episode runs long, as we had a lot to talk about, both in topic and on random encounters! In the Three Parter, we ditch the usual three-pronged approach to talk at leng on what we’re into right now. Running time for this episode is 142 minutes. This Episode is Sponsored by Noble Knight Games.