Roleplay Rescue

Following the interview with Rob Twohy, I’ve been feeling slightly more confident about putting together an episode on the the various online gaming options. As is true of this podcast generally, the whole question of playing fantasy adventure games online has been a learning curve for me. Today, I’m going to share what I’ve learned and see if I can offer some further ideas on the whole question of online options for roleplayers.  On top of that, listen to the end because there's a bit about the future of Roleplay Rescue with which I need your help. Useful Links: Roll20 App Game Search: app.roll20.net Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop: www.fantasygrounds.com SXG The Society of Extraordinary Gamers: extraordinarygamers.com Dyson Logos' Maps: dysonlogos.com Roleplay Rescue's Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Che's Gaming (and other things) Blog: UbiquitousRat.net

Mainly, this is a regular GM's Journal episode with my blitherings from the last week of gaming, highs and lows included. I've changed the format slightly - adding in the voice messages in roughly timeline order as received, rather than all at the start. I've also added a bit at the end in which I talk about the launch of my Patreon page for this podcast.  Patreon allows listeners to support the podcast by chucking some dollars in the hat and joining the member community. There are no rewards, no bonus materials, and no early-access episodes. I fully intend to keep Roleplay Rescue free for anyone to listen to and I don't want to hide stuff behind a paywall. That said, I do want to ask you guys to support me by asking for money. That's not easy for me, by the way, but it's the step I needed to take. After dithering, I hacked together a page and launched it on Friday just gone. So, yeah, I added a bit about why to this episode. Hope that's ok and doesn't turn anyone off listening. Links: Roleplay Rescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Kristian Richard's Patreon: patreon.com/csp_kris Kristian's Crooked Staff 2.5D Terrain Channel: youtube.com/channel/UC1cnHiqtsuMk9NwJNj8SmpA

I’ve been getting a lot of questions about getting started with online gaming and, frankly, I’ve been really struggling to put together an episode addressing those questions. Because I’m not an expert on the topic, I decided to reach out to someone who truly is an expert.  Rob Twohy has been playing Dungeons & Dragons since 1981. He has a strong passion for the hobby and brings that enthusiasm to the community by hosting live games and tutorials for the D&D 5E community via Twitch and YouTube. Rob has a dedicated line of products supporting the Fantasy Grounds virtual tabletop, available through the Dungeon Master’s Guild, and you can support him via his Patreon. Useful Links: Rob on DM's Guild: dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Rob%20Twohy Rob's Patreon: patreon.com/Rob2e On Twitch: twitch.tv/rob2e On YouTube: youtube.com/c/robtwohy Twitter: @rob2e

The twists and turns in my hobby over the past week or so, in what has been one of the toughest in my career, along with many of the joys that come from gaming. While editing it occurred to me that roleplay adventure games might be the cornerstone of my sanity. More detail on the school club and a post-game ramble after the Saturday night game using Fantasy Grounds. As ever, this is a laid-bare peek behind the GM's screen and not for the faint-hearted. Enter at your peril!  

Taking a bit of a risk, this episode discusses five games that have had a great impact on me. Along the way, I also touch on various matters of taste and icons who have influenced my play style. It's a bit of an indulgence through which I hope others might also find some inspiration.

A third dose of my GM prep ramblings during which I share my preparation for the Rise of The Dragon Kings campaign using  Castles & Crusades. I touch on where the school club game is and mumble some thoughts on the Saturday night game too. This is a laid-bare peek behind the GM's screen and not for the faint-hearted. Enter at your peril! 

Mike Mason began roleplaying with what he calls “Purple Box” Dungeons & Dragons. Nowadays he is the Line Editor of Call of Cthulhu for the Chaosium. He is the co-writer of the 7th edition Keeper's Rulebook and the recently released Call of Cthulhu Starter Set. Call of Cthulhu is a roleplaying game of mystery and horror, in which players take on the role of investigators to uncover the secrets of the cosmos. In the course of a game, the investigators may find themselves battling against crazy cults and horrors from beyond space. Mike takes us on a journey into the wonders of mystery gaming and shares several tips on how to make the most of the definitive horror roleplaying game. Useful Links: Call of Cthulhu RPG: chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-rpg Starter Set: chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-starter-set   Podcast Contact: Quick link here: rpgrescue.com Email: hello@rpgrescue.com

Follow-up to the first bonus episode which records my #SoloAModule month efforts, this is the first adventure from the Alternity Starter Set 1999. I've tried to make my gibberings more entertaining but, in the end, it's one man gaming alone. But I did have a good time. Enjoy!

It's Solo A Module Month and, following the last episode on getting into solo play, I thought I would take part. In short, Spencer Salyer from the Lone Wolf Roleplaying group on MeWe (formerly on G+) has set the guys there the challenge to solo play a module sometime during March 2019. I got the itch to play my all-time favourite SF RPG just before #SoloAModule was announced and decided to throw my lot in to do a very special blast from the past. This is a very rough intro to my plan for March in which I learn to play the game I've chosen. Hope it's worth a listen.

What if you can’t find any players or a game to join? Is it possible to roleplay on your own? In this episode, we explore the slightly misunderstood world of solo roleplaying. I take you through the reasons behind solo play, even as far back as the 1970s and the hey-day of D&D. From there, we explore the Mythic RPG and the many approaches to solo roleplaying in a practical sense. By the end, I hope to convince you that solo RPG play is a good and sensible option. Useful Links: Kenny Norris' seminal free solo guide: Guide To Playing Alone  Cabbage Games' stuff - Kenny's freebies: Collected Solo Works Mythic Game Master Emulator (GME): Mythic GME on DriveThruRPG Word Mill Games' (Mythic Resources): wordmillgames.com Game Master's Apprentice Card Deck: GM Apprentice Base Deck Contact: Quick link here: rpgrescue.com Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe: Roleplay Rescue Page Facebook: Roleplay Rescue Page

Here it is:  a second helping of my GM prep ramblings during which I share my preparation for the Rise of The Dragon Kings campaign using Castles & Crusades. This is a laid-bare peek behind the GMs screen and totally not for the faint-hearted. Enter at your peril!

What if you just want to come back and roleplay as a PLAYER? What are the ways back to the table as a player, as opposed to being a Game Master? Taking a look at what it means to be a player in a roleplaying game, we discuss finding a table (both locally and via the internet) as a player and not a GM. This one's short and sweet. I hope you enjoy it! USEFUL LINKS: The Angry GM's book: "Game Angry: How To RPG The Angry Way" Roll20 App Game Search: app.roll20.net Fantasy Grounds Virtual Tabletop: www.fantasygrounds.com SXG The Society of Extraordinary Gamers: extraordinarygamers.com Contact: Quick link here: rpgrescue.com Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe: Roleplay Rescue Page Facebook: Roleplay Rescue Page

Douglas H. Cole has been roleplaying since 1981, starting with the Holmes Basic Box and AD&D, and has been playing GURPS since 1988. Living near Minneapolis, Doug is known as a longtime GURPS playtester, as a regular contributor to Pyramid magazine, and as the author of GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling.  Doug is an R&D manager for a major hard-disc-drive company and also the mastermind of Gaming Ballistic, his own company. Creator of Hall of Judgment, the first licensed third-party content for the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, and also the Dragon Heresy Roleplaying Game based on the 5th Edition SRD, he is a rising star in the hobby community.  For my money, Douglas has provided the best supplement for any D&D-type game in the form of Dungeon Grappling - a set of rules designed to bring to life the most common and heroic struggles in literature.  Useful Links: Doug's website: gamingballistic.com Dungeon Fantasy RPG: sjgames.com/dungeonfantasy Dragon Heresy RPG: Print & .PDF Bundle GURPS: Generic Universal Roleplaying Game website   Contact: Quick link here: rpgrescue.com Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe: Roleplay Rescue Page Facebook: Roleplay Rescue Page

The first bonus of Season 2, the GM's Journal is a laid-bare behind-the-curtain peek into my preparation process for a one-shot game using Castles & Crusades.  This is what a few listeners asked for and I think, even for the returning player, there might be some value in sharing it. That said, this is a pretty raw stitching together of me talking into the mic as I prep my session. I've had some fun in the post-production phase, but in the end it's 50 minutes or so of me being a GM pre-game. Make of it what you will. Thanks to Frank T. and Aron C. for their encouragement. USEFUL LINKS: Troll Lord Games Downloads Secret (?) Page The module  is "The Wizard's Tower & Basic Rules" (for Castles & Crusades) The Angry GM's "Game Angry" book   Contact: Quick link here: rpgrescue.com Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe: Roleplay Rescue Page Facebook: Roleplay Rescue Page

Today, we have a question from a listener. One of my favourite podcasters…  We take a look at ways to start heading back to the table. Starting with why you want to add gaming back into your life, I’ll challenge you to start small and find an hour to build a plan. We discuss various cheeky ways to convince the significant others in our lives to let us have some fun. We even consider how to attract new gamers to the hobby. Useful Links from the episode: Ray Otus' podcast: Plundergrounds Simon Sinek, “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” (video). D&D Basic (5e): Free to download 5th Edition Basic Rules Society of Extraordinary Gamers: SXG website Contact: Quick link here: rpgrescue.com Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe: Roleplay Rescue Page Facebook: Roleplay Rescue Page