In this episode, Kalum from the Rolistes Podcast is in the zoom of role-playing rambling to talk about French speaking RPGs. He has spoken about Nephilim elsewhere and he tells us more in this episode.
He’s also Kickstarting his game The Magic of Inventorying which will be familiar to attendees of virtual GROGMEET.
Blythy and Dirk review their year in role-playing and give out GROGGIE awards.
Caroline Munro has revised her memoir.
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Join us as we jump every shark in the neighbourhood, we look back at 10 years of podcasting
It was 10 years ago today, that we first came out to play! In this episode we jump every shark in sight by reflecting on the past ten years of the podcast.
We invited listeners to ask us anything, as long as it was looking back over the past 10 years, so we could lean back in our armchairs and reflect on what we have done.
Also, joining the fun is @dailydwarf, who looks back on Small Ads and letters in White Dwarf, in an adapted essay that first appeared in the GROGZINE.
We head to the shed at the end of the garden to see Eddy the Armchair Collector in Chief, who hasn’t appeared for a while.
Meanwhile in the Room of Role-Playing Rambling Judge Blythy works through the Thunderphase questions at a medium-fire pace.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years. Especially anyone who has contributed to the Patreon, or commented, given us a review and passed it on.
Back in the room of roleplaying rambling, still banging on about playing magic.
Magic in RPGs is a continuing obsession for Dirk the Dice and Blythy in this latest episode of the podcast.
We talk about Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D) and Powers and Perils (Pee & Pee) and marvel at how we played in the early 2000s, when we didn’t know any better and were more willing to freeform and ‘make stuff up’.
Also in this episode, we are pleased that GROGSQUADer
China Miéville provided his first, last and everything.
I think that I need to find out more about Tales of Argosa .
Mike and Roger over at Improvised Radio Theatre with Dice have an interesting discussion about magic – following our mention of it last time.
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What do we want to Play, Stay or Giveaway when it comes to Magic in RPGs? Stu Horvath adds his thoughts too.
It’s a kind of magic, in RPGs. This time we are joined by Stu Horvath, podcaster (Vintage RPG Podcast) and writer, who talks about his book Monsters, Aliens and Holes in the Ground, which takes us decade by decade through the history of RPGs.
He also contributes to our discussion about magic in RPGs. What would we like to play, stay on our shelves or give away?
Virtual GROGMEET is available to register on Warhorn.
Support us on Patreon.
Join us in the Room of Role-Playing Rambling as we investigate the highs and lows of role-playing in 2024.
Thanks for supporting us. Why not consider tipping a couple of coins in the beret over at Patreon.
Welcome to the zoom of role-playing rambling where we are looking backwards to look forwards. This time we are transporting you back to the heady days of 1984.
We are joined by the fabulous Bob Fischer who shares the highlights from his 1984 diaries.
Judge Blythy, our resident rules lawyer, joins Dirk to determine the RPG Highlights of 1984, but get distracted (see part 2)
Make sure you check out the wonderful projects from the Haunted Generation.
You can support the podcast at Patreon.
“Moby Dick as a Slasher pic” Paul Fricker talks to The Great Library of RPGs Book Club about Full Fathom Five for Call of Cthulhu.
INTRO: Welcome to another Book Club Extra. We take break from the usual format to give you a little something extra. The Great Library of RPGs Book Club meets on the first Sunday of the month between 9:30 – 11:00. You can join at the Bookclub app if you are interested and follow developments on the discord server (contact me for an invite).
Full Fathom Five (2.30) – Paul Fricker talks to us about his scenario Full Fathom Five which is available at the Miskatonic Depository. He has recently contributed to the Story Telling Collective, giving guidance on writing Call of Cthulhu adventures. We look at some of the influences on Full Fathom Five including Moby Dick, the story of The Essex, and Master and Commander. Paul is one of the hosts of The Good Friends of Jackson Ellias (I appeared on there, talking about Gangsters and Gozu).
Actual Play (46.16) If you are a Patreon of the GROGNARD files, you can take part in the monthly one-shot club. This is a bit of sample play of Full Fathom Five. The rest will be released on The Patreon feed later in September.
GROGGLEBOX (56:23) Blythy and Dirk talk about The Thing (1982)
Tale of the Manticore advert (1.32)
I’ll Get mi Coat 1.32 – The end of one campaign and the start of another.
My favourite FLGS, host of GROGMEET eve, FanBoy Three has a small collection of vintage RPG stuff for sale in a discreet corner of the store. I often dip in to see what’s on offer, as it’s usually at a reasonable price and often some real treasure can surface.
Normally, I can curtail my irrational impulses to buy things in a physical ‘bricks and mortar’ shop as I’m browsing with the default setting of “do I really need this” which usually short-curcuits my desire to buy things for the sake of it.
Last month was an exception. I went to Manchester with my good friend Judge Blythy and had a good old drink. After a few pints of Neck Oil we went to visit the vintage corner of FanBoy Three; It was like an analogue version of a Sunday late at night when I hit eBay after the bottle. The normal rules did not apply. I filled my real-life basket with old copies of White Dwarf, a couple of Citadel Companions with their covers missing, a dog-earred copy of Champions and, most interesting of them all PSI World.
There was something compelling about the title. “PSI World” sounds brilliant, doesn’t it?
Blythy kept repeating “are you sure” over and over; but he always does and the Neck Oil was drowning out his Jimothy Cricket advice.
The Armchair Adventurers are not collectors, we are players: if we get it, we play it. Them’s the rules.
PSI World was released by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1984, written by Del Carr and Cheron with artwork by Bill Willingham and Matt Wagner. It feels like this was their home game that has been transformed into a commercial publication. The main rule book doesn’t offer much about ‘setting’ focusing instead on the convoluted character creation and the barmy combat. The authors encourage you to create your own ‘near future Earth’ setting where there are people with PSI powers and the ‘norms’ who feel threatened by them.
It’s a shame that they didn’t have more confidence in their own setting which is given more detail in the ‘The PSI World Adventure’ included in the box set. It details the history of the emergence of the PSIS and how they have become persecuted in a stratified society. It’s possible to play characters from different sides. The same setting is used in some of the other supporting material that was published for the game; all currently available for download at drivethru.rpg.
The rules are not crunchy, they’re clunky, (there’s a skill for riding a bicycle for goodness sake) but there are elements in here that I like and with a bit of work, could be entertaining.
I have an idea that has been insipired by Wild Wild Country, a documentary currently playing on Netflix about the Indian guru Bhagwan Shee Rajneesh (Osho) and his community of followers, that could work in PSI World.
Maybe it will surface in 2019. Maybe it’s the Neck Oil talking.
INTRO: I’ve got one of those blowers with a feather on the end to celebrate our anniversary and the release of RuneQuest RolePlaying in Glorantha.
MOB RETURNS: MOB talks about all the different ways that you can play in Glorantha: 13th Age, HeroQuest, but especially RuneQuest. Here he talks about how RuneQuest appeals to the gamers from back in the day, through its legacy supplements and how it can appeal to new gamers who have discovered Glorantha through The King of Dragon Pass. He also talks about some of the new releases, such as the Bestiary and 6 Ages as well as some of the fan initiatives such as Encounter Role-Play. He also reveals the plans to create a site for Glorantha fan material using a similar model as The Miskatonic Repository.
JUDGE BLYTHY ROLLS: We discuss ‘how to get started in Glorantha’ with an emphasis on ‘play’s the thing’.
ACTUAL PLAY: Gaz and Baz from The Smart Party podcast with Matt Hart from Steam Forged Games join Dirk in a Diana Jones Award winning segment of Actual Play. If you want to see more then head to their site.
JUDGE BLYTHY ROLLS AGAIN: We discuss character creation using the new rules. I try to appeal to the Judge with my new gizmos from Infinity Engine and Q Workshop.
OUTRO: There’s three months to go to join the Patreon campaign to receive a hard-copy of the GROGZINE 19.
