Episode 33- Interview with a Kleinert

This is a special episode- instead of answering questions like we usually do, Jeff took a back seat while I interviewed game designer Tim Kleinert, creator of the Mountain Witch (as well as a few other indie titles). The interview was a lot of fun, and I hope you all are willing to take a break from our usual format just for a little while.

Aside from the interview, we still have a Dragon's Hoard item, as well as a story for the Funeral Pyre. All in all I think this was a fun episode, and I hope you think so too!

Let me take a brief moment to direct you to the other member of the Critnation Fellowship, Crit Academy! They're a great podcast that you should all listen to if you don't already. Check them out at CritAcademy.com, and if you sign up on their site you can win free stuff just by listening!

I also want to remind you to head on over to Audibletrial.com/Conflict and get yourself a free audiobook. It costs you nothing (unless you stick with it, which is a great deal in and of itself) and it gets us a sweet kickback too.

Thanks for listening, and enjoy the episode!

Episode 33 - O Brother, Where Art Thou

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Noteworthy links:

The Venture Bros., a cartoon Jeff loves

Bayonetta, an amazing Character Action game you should all play right now

Dark Souls 2, Moonlight Butterfly set


Links from the interview:

ThunderCats, an animated TV show from the 80's (Bonus: A Youtube Video of some Hollywood sword-makers crafting the Sword of Omens using modern forging techniques.)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Other Strangeness, a roleplaying game where you turn various animals into mutant characters

Robotech RPG

The Forge, an archive of the indie RPG message boards

A review of Lacuna, the RPG where Tim had his favorite gaming experience

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This week's Audible Picks:

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell

Episode 32, here we are!

Hey, guys! In this episode of Inter-Party Conflict, we talk about hope, inspiration, and whether to sit in one place or not. Maybe a bit less of that last one. While recording this episode Jeff had a lot to say about video games, microtransactions, hype, and all sorts of other stuff- I go on tangents all the time, but since it was such a big chunk of the beginning of the episode I decided it best to move it to the end after the outro music. So if you want to hear us talk about some slightly-off-topic stuff, then hang around at the end so you can listen to it. And if not, skip ahead and tune in next week!

I just want to direct you to CritAcademy.com, where Justin and the guys bring you new and reusable content for your game every single week. (If you want to hear more of me, check out Episode 38, where I was a guest host!) And if you enjoy listening to Audiobooks, head over to AudibleTrial.com/Conflict  for a free audiobook!

Episode 32 - Staying On Topic

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Questions answered this episode:

1. Which do you prefer and/or think is better, a more grounded campaign that mostly sticks to one location like a city or a campaign where the party is traveling to different places a lot?

2. Awarding inspiration- when should I do that? Help me inspire others!

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Noteworthy links:

Arrested Development, an incredibly well-written TV show you need to watch

Buried, a movie that takes place entirely in a coffin

That episode of Star Trek Jeff was talking about

Saw, the first of the hit horror film series


After-credits rant links:

A 35-minute video of what Spore could have been

Shadow of Mordor / Shadow of War

No Man's Sky

Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Dark Souls Vagrants

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This week's Audible Picks:

Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Story Time on episode 31

Hey, everybody! This was an interesting episode to record- we only answer one question but answering it involved going into a topic I don't talk about much. Let this discussion be a lesson that sometimes the worst inter-party conflict happens long after the game is over. Also, I want to encourage all of you to take that project you've been putting off, that you've been finding excuses not to work on it, and go work on it right now! Don't worry about what other people are doing or thinking. If you're passionate about something you'll make it work.

Once again I want to remind you all to check out Audibletrial.com/Conflict for a free month trial and a free audiobook. And, as always, rate/review/subscribe/tell a friend!

Episode 31 - Extracurricular Creation

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Question answered this episode:

1. How/where do you find inspiration for creating content? How should I borrow from other sources without being accused of simply stealing stuff?

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Noteworthy links:

Last of the King's Men, the D&D-based fantasy novel I spent two years writing

University of Phoenix, an institute Jeff and I criticized

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This week's Audible Picks:

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

The Finder's Stone Trilogy by Kate Novak & Jeff Grubb

A new milestone- episode 30! And it's a big one!

This is a very special episode of Inter-Party Conflict- we have our first guest host! And it's not just anybody, but fellowship member Justin from Crit Academy! It was a blast having him on the show and he provided some great insights that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise. If you haven't listened to Crit Academy yet I highly, highly recommend it. (In fact, if you listen to their most recent episode as of this posting- you just might hear a familiar guest on their show!)

(It's me. I was a guest on their show. In case you didn't get the hint.)

In this episode we talk about Roll20, Halfling Diviners, fitting characters concepts into pre-written material and paying people so you can send them on quests. Justin provided both the Dragon's Hoard item and the tale for the Funeral Pyre, so a huge thanks to him!

If I can, let me just remind you all to go to Audibletrial.com/Conflict to get yourself a free audiobook. And as always, please rate/review/subscribe to us on iTunes, and thanks for listening!

Episode 30 - Wealth of Fellowship

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Questions answered this episode:

1. What do you think of just playing with a group of strangers on something like Roll20?

2. What are some good ways of turning a massive amount of wealth a character acquired into worth while plot hooks? In other words, how can they use that money to drive the story?

3. How do you integrate your characters back stories and personal goals into pre-written material? And does running pre-written material for a whole campaign put a strain on you creatively?

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Noteworthy links:

Roll20, a great resource for playing games online

Dark Souls, a great game that we reference from time to time

Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil

Eberron, the official D&D campaign setting

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This week's Audible Picks:

Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline (Note: Apparently Audible also has a version not narrated by Wil Wheaton. However, it's in German. So take your pick.)

Episode 29, the one with the questions

Hey, guys!

Here's episode 29. We talk about rituals, building encounters, and how to know whether your players are enjoying your campaign. And some other stuff too, but who's counting?

This episode brings with it a big announcement: We now have an Audible sponsorship! If you enjoy listening to audiobooks (which you probably do) then go to Audibletrial.com/conflict to get an audiobook of your choice 100% free! They have 180,000 titles to choose from so I'm sure there's plenty that will interest you, and it won't cost you anything!

Thanks to everyone for your submissions, and if you have any more please send them to InterPartyConflict@gmail.com! We can always use more Dragon's Hoard items, Funeral Pyre stories, or just questions about how to make your game the best it can be.

Oh, and of course, be sure to check out Crit Academy! If you like us and you like them, stay tuned- there may very well be some collaborations in the near future. :-)

Episode 29 - Abilities Galore

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Questions answered this episode:

1. Have you used any rituals or exorcism style encounters and have any tips or know of any good resources for ideas on how to design them?

2. How can a DM effectively deal with monsters with multiple abilities/skills?

3. What are some general tips for running a combat encounter to make the best and most interesting use of a monster's abilities?

4. What is the best indicator that I should be running more episodic adventures rather than a long linked campaign? You have talked before about the risks between doing one or the other, but are there any signs I should be looking for?

5. Have you ever done a campaign just so you could use an idea you had?

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Noteworthy links:

Percy Jackson & the Olympians, a genuinely great Young Adult fantasy series you should read

The Last Exorcism - I mentioned this movie in the podcast and I was hesitant to post this trailer because I really don't think it does a good job of showing what the movie is like. (It makes it seem a lot more generic than it is.) In any case, I recommend you watch this movie!

Dicey Tales

The Executioner's Chariot, a cool boss from Dark Souls 2

Matthew Colville, a GREAT Youtuber who's got a great series of videos on running (and playing) D&D

Vocaloid

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This week's Audible Picks:

Mort, by Terry Pratchett

The Beam, Season 1