More listener questions are answered by Dirk and Blythy.
Welcome back, just when you knew you had enough of Dirk the Dice and Judge Blythy rambling on and on about TTRPGs, they’re back with more.
These are the answers to the GROGPOD listener questions that didn’t fit into the first part.
There’s also a Post Bag section, where we talk about to the favourite covers of White Dwarf identified by our listeners.
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Let’s look back at the wonderful worlds created by White Dwarf covers.
The return of @dailydwarf with an article about Good, the Bad and downright Odd covers of White Dwarf from 1 – 106 (when they stopped doing RPGs). Join us as we go into a time capsule and review some of our favourites.
If you’d like to play along and let us know your favourite White Dwarf cover, then head to Daily Dwarf’s site where he has helpfully put together a catalogue of the covers.
Dirk and Judge Blythy join in the fun as well as answering listener questions. There’s more to come (sorry about that).
There’s an advert for Orlanth Rex’s Gaming Vexes Podcast, where Dirk recently appeared talking about ‘Why we RPG’.
If you would like to know more about the symposium Dirk attended, then follow the substack.
Support the podcast by giving 5 star reviews at your favourite podbox and joining the Patreon.
In this episode, we have a very special guest. Marc Miller is the creator of the Traveller Role-Playing game and in this interview he talks to Dirk the Dice about his first encounter with Dungeons and Dragons. He also talks about the origins of Traveller and his trip UK Games Day.
Judge Blythy, our resident rules lawyer, revisits the rules that we looked back at in Episode Three and assesses the changes that have been developed in the latest version. We are playing Traveller regularly again, and really enjoying it.
Space Ship art by Ian Stead (thanks for making the contact!).
The outro music is My Face will Murder Me by The Static Music Club (Omari)
Please support us on Patreon.
This episode follows the theme of the previous one, where we looked at Adventure Design. This time at the book club we have the amazing Johnn Four who shares his Five Room Dungeon method and explains how story techniques can add to our gaming.
Judge Blythy and Dirk the Dice look back at the games that they have played over the past 12 years and try to identify what made them work.
They also set out their resolutions for 2024 – a year on the grog.
Dirk is recommending the following podcasts: The Rest is History, The Rest is Entertainment, Immortals, Land of the Giants: Twitter, ACFM, Scarred for Life, Mason and Fricker’s Eldritch Tales, Bud and Griff’s Gaming Creepshow, and Between 2 Cairns.
Outro music is Ickle Pickle by Static Music Club (Omari)
Please support us on Patreon.
A review of the highs and lows of gaming in 2023 with a Book Club visit from Gaz from The Smart Party podcast.
Another year comes to a close, we review the gaming highlights and award The GROGGIES …
We talk about our highlights and low lights of the year. Well done to the GROGGIES of the year: https://bonhomiegames.uk/
We mention our appearance on Orlanth Rex’s Gaming Vexes
What would the Smart Party Do?
You can find all of Gaz’s community content listed below:
Call of Cthulhu
Burning Desire
A year after the investigators defeated a daemon-summoning cult, their allies have been in touch. Murder, arson, disappearances. Could the Siblings of Burning Desire be back? The investigators must return to the scene of their former victory and get to the truth lest disaster befall them, their friends and everything they hold dear.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/463092/Burning-Desire
Vaesen
Unbearable
The small village of Alsen has enjoyed a peaceful and traditional existence in harmony with the natural world for many generations.A new world is upon us though, the old ways wane and the vaesen are forgotten. Sadly for the villagers, their vaesen do not forgive and forget.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/363819/Unbearable
Sugar and Spice
Progress descends on the rustic lands of Sweden, and it is not only the people who must move with the times. Vaesen are displaced and rub up against each other, causing frictions that will lead to disaster if left unattended. Thursday’s Children must learn what is going wrong and fix it for the sake of the actual children of the village.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/445162/Sugar-And-Spice–Vaesen
Midnight Hunt
An ancient tradition in the wilds of Sweden has become problematic, as new-age mysticism messes with old ways and a city slicker huntsman sets his sights on one last expedition. Strange beasts stalk the night and villagers are going missing. Can the investigators resolve the mystery before perhaps they too disappear?
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/391679/Midnight-Hunt–Vaesen
Tales From the Loop
Puppy Love
A chance encounter with a missing pet leads to a missing child, and then altogether too many pets and children. Can the Kids learn what’s going on, get things back to normal, before they find themselves in Trouble? What will the Kids do when faced with a moral dilemma?
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/362159/Puppy-Love
Looking Glass
School football captain Sture Lagerwall, is a popular, well-liked kid and so when he is out of sorts, it’s time for the Kids to investigate what’s wrong. Sture’s mother is an ambitious scientist of no small vision. Where has she gone, and more importantly, what fresh hell has her experimentation wrought?
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/436852/Looking-Glass
D&D (DMs Guild)
The Bone Alchemist
A missing prince, nefarious magical goings on and fantastical beasts combine for a thrilling adventure taking characters from 1st level through to 3rd level in the style of Arabian Nights mixed with The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/356191/The-Bone-Alchemist
Shadow of the Devourer
Who will put a stop to the desperate plans of the deranged cult to summon a world-eating daemon? Dynamic struggles in ancient tombs awaits! (Levels 3-5)
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/382966/Shadow-of-the-Devourer
Live from GROGMEET 23, join us as we roll back the years with Mike Mason. We look at the key moments in the history of Call of Cthulhu: its origins and its early campaigns.
In Library Use, Blythy and Dirk look at Cults of Cthulhu and Different Worlds and consider the world populated by people who are ‘tuned in’ to Cthulhu.
Mike Mason and Paul Fricker have a new podcast project
You can support the GROGNARD files at Patreon.
10th-12th November 23 was GROGMEET. This year we took over the city. The games and socialising was spread across multiple locations, so it could be bigger but stay small. Thanks to FanBoy Three, Northern Monk, Whitworth Locke and The Lass O’Gowrie for being perfect hosts. This event would not be possible without the GMs bringing excellent games that seem to improve year on year. Thank you to you all.
If you would like to hear other experiences of the event, listen to Mason and Fricker’s Eldritch Stories, to hear Mike Mason (the Guest of Honour) and Paul Fricker talking about the games they played. Neil Benson, the Old Scouse Role-Player, always has an enthusiastic report, this time he suggests that it was the best yet. There’s a wonderfully thoughtful reflection on playing SPI’s DragonQuest by Graham Spearing.
We certainly enjoyed the Manchattan sun ssssshine!
This year has been the year of the Multiverse at The GROGNARD files with Planescape and the Sundered Worlds of Moorcock. We were intrigued to hear about the new Multiversal game from Newt Newport’s D101 written by Paul Mitchener. The kickstarter is now open, funded and reaching the stretch-goals.
Beyond Dread Portals is an eye-catching title for an RPG – what’s the pitch?
Newt: Beyond Dread Portals is an exciting roleplaying game of world-hopping fantasy. The easy-to-learn rules are built from a core loosely based on the world’s first fantasy roleplaying game tailored to fit the setting.
This is a d20 game familiar to players of that other game, why did you take that approach, rather than using D101’s OpenQuest mechanics?
Newt: Mitch was rather taken with what I did with Crypts and Things (D101’s take on 80s Brit RPG Swords and Sorcery), hence the bespoke D20 system and the setting. Which comes from an old AD&D 2nd Edition campaign of his. It’s a game that celebrates that glorious period in the late 80s to early 90s. When TSR did other settings, such as Dark Sun, Ravenloft and of course, Planescape.
I have been playing a number of multiverse games in 2023, what is their appeal, and what does BDP do differently than the others?
Newt: It provides a playground for exploration. There’s enough detail in the setting that players can quickly pick up on the themes and run with them, without the Referee being overwhelmed with having to know large amounts of detailed game lore. Also, there’s room for plot twists galore with all the game’s Guilds and other factions.
Does magic and other abilities adapt, change, and behave differently depending upon the plane?
Newt: Not in a mechanical sort of way, because at the end of the day, it’s a straightforward fantasy game. But there are definite cultural implications. Certain magic will mark you out as a member of one of the game’s factions, one of which is especially risky to be a member of in Ys itself due to being made illegal.
What are the themes of the different planes, what characterises them and which one is your favourite?
Newt: I’ve been quite taken by Erebus, a living cavern complex world. No surface and no sky. The Empire tried to set up shop there but failed because of the monstrous local inhabitants. So, there’s a whole failed colony vibe. It’s a nice place to have the players go visit in a desperate sort of “get in, do the mission, get out before you alert the big monsters” way.
The city of Ys is the central hub where adventures begin. What’s that like?
Newt: A vast megalopolis on the scale of Ancient Rome or London. Whose streets and buildings move about periodically. Like in the film Dark City. It’s got a ridged social structure of the Guilds, which has been upset by the Autarch’s invasion. So, it’s a society in crisis, with a big gap between rich and poor, where everyone is struggling to maintain, or even increase their position, in the face of a ruler that doesn’t care for their livelihood. So, there’s a huge theme of Decadence and Decay in play.
Will there be supporting scenarios for the game?
Newt: Absolutely. Mitch and I have been running it online and at conventions for over five years. If it funds, there are three of these up for grabs as stretch goals. Further out, I’ve got a Great Tour of the Worlds of Ys campaign at the planning stage. I’m sure if we do individual guides to the Worlds, there will be adventures in those as well.
Small creators like D101 depend upon ‘getting the message out’ how does the current environment of a multiverse of social media make things more difficult?
Newt: It’s been not easy getting the word out beyond our core audience at times. But with the help of friends such as yourself and the Smart Party (Ben and Gaz), we are slowly getting there. Also, this is a new thing from D101, which I hope will be as big as OpenQuest, because the system is so much fun, and I want it to power other D20 games I have in mind.
What are the details of the Kickstarter?
Newt: We open on Kickstarter on Monday, 23rd October and we are live for a month until Sunday, 19th November.
A homecoming. The GROGNARD files returns to Glorantha, the setting where our RPG life began.
4mins – Jeff Richard joins us at the Book Club to talk about The King of Sartar, Greg Stafford’s epic book of The Dragon Pass. The discussion also includes The Cults of RuneQuest.
26 mins – Judge Blythy and Dirk are in the Library looking at Different Worlds issue 1 and Wyrms Footnotes 5.
44 mins – Closing time chat about Liminal and adapting old White Dwarf scenarios.
Want to see some Glorantha action with vim and vigour? Check out Unconventional GMs, don’t forget your cow.
Join the GROGSQUAD tribe at Patreon.
Behold the man! Michael Moorcock joins us in the room of role-playing rambling to talk about memoir, the multiverse, movies and much more.
I recommend Sanctom Secorum and Appendix N Bookclub interviews too.
I have appeared on Breakfast in the Ruins talking about Letters from Hollywood.
I recommend Moorcock’s latest trilogy The Sanctuary of the White Friars.
Please support us on Patreon.
