Spoiler: Episode 42 was dead the whole time!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

I love Halloween, and so I am super excited about this episode. In this one, we talk all about running a spooky scary tabletop game- how to set the tone, how to create a good atmosphere, and the very nature of what makes something scary. Jeff and I had a ton of fun making it, and I hope you have a ton of fun listening to it! So turn down the lights, spark up some candles, and rev up your chainsaw as this gem plays on the record player. Don't mind the screams- you get used to them eventually.

Episode 42: Screams & Scares

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Question answered this episode:

1. What do you think about a Horror themed campaign? And do you have any tips for running one?

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Horror-themed RPGs mentioned in this episode:

Dread

Call of Cthulhu

Don't Rest Your Head

East Texas University

Okult

Ravenloft (the D&D campaign setting)


Noteworthy links:

The sound Jeff mentioned that makes you scared is called "Infrasound". Link courtesy of Stacey on Facebook.

The "Unsound" from the Black Tapes Podcast

Silent Hill, a survival horror game series

The Monster Mash

The NPC Cast, a great tabletop RPG podcast

Evil Dead (2013), a great remake of the 1981 classic

Carnage: The Legend of Quiltface- the worst horror film I have ever seen (also known as Carnage Road)

Independence Day (1996)

The Birds (1963)

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Heroes

Pareidolia, the phenomenon when the human brain looks for faces in naturally-occuring patterns

H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, a connected series of works based on the writings of H. P. Lovecraft

The Ring- Watch at your own risk

The Walking Dead

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This week's Audible Pick:

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

Episode 41- The Raciest Episode Yet (Though That's Not Saying Much)

Welcome back, listeners! This week we have two amazing guests with us- Grant and Chris from Hearty Dice Friends! This episode has a little bit of blue humor (just a tad, you've been warned) and a whole lot of laughs on both sides of the table. Not only is this by far the most fun we've had making an episode, but it also probably has the most cut content out of all of our episodes (since before editing the session was over an hour and a half). In any case, this is a GREAT episode, and you should absolutely listen to it!

So many thanks to Chris and Grant. If you want to support them, they've got their own Patreon, as well as lots of games they've designed that you can purchase as well. Or, heck, just listen to their podcast and tell a friend! If you like us then I'm pretty sure you'll like them too. If you want to contact them you can do so through Rowan, Rook, and Decard.

Also let me remind you all to check out Crit Academy- they're always out there, making custom content for players and DMs alike. And, I think Justin just announced a new member of the Critnation Fellowship, so expect a blog post about that soon!

And as always, go to Audibletrial.com/Conflict to get yourself a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook!

Cheers!

Episode 41: Inter-Podcast Conflict

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Questions answered this episode:

1. Have you ever played a table top rpg at a convention? If so what was your experience?

2. Improvisation- how should I get better at it? What is your perspective on "Yes, and"?

3. What type of RPG genre/setting/milieu has never been done (or rarely done, or perhaps rather poorly executed) that you would like to see?

4. How do you make Possession in combat interesting for the player possessed?

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Games made by Grant Howitt and/or Chris Taylor mentioned in this episode:

Havoc Brigade

The Witch is Dead

Honey Heist

Spire

And, here's a page with a ton of games Grant has made.


Other noteworthy links:

Apparently I was a little inaccurate about Peter Pan killing the lost boys- here's a Reddit discussion about it.

The Film Reroll, a podcast that plays through movies in GURPS

Muffed Movies' Star Wars episode IV: A New Hope

Vash the Stampede, main protagonist of the anime Trigun

Project: Dark, a kickstarted RPG based on stealth

M*A*S*H, an army-based sitcom set during the Korean War starring Alan Alda

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This week's Audible Pick:

True Ghost Stories: Real Demonic Possessions and Exorcisms by Zachery Knowles

Episode 40: Another Interview Episode

Oh, dear me. Apparently I wrote up this blog post last week but never actually published it. So... sorry? It's a week late but here you go.



Hello, Inter-Party Conflicters! (Is that a thing? No, of course not. But could it be?)

This week we have another interview- this time with Tom Russell, one of the two creators of Hollandspiele, a board game company that produces as many as twenty board games a year. Tom and I talk about the history of war games, how he got into game design, and some tips for anyone looking to get into designing games of their own. Tom is a great guy- so great, in fact, that he's offered to give out two of his games for free to our listeners!

If you'd like to get printable versions of these two games- one based on the historic battle of Tinchebray, and a newer game part of a set called Table Battles- all you have to do is take a short survey about our podcast! So head on over to http://bit.ly/interpartyconflict and answer a few questions- it shouldn't take more than five minutes- and you'll be given two google drive links for the games. So you get something out of it for free, and we get some feedback so we know how to make the podcast even better! It's win-win! (Oh, and if you try out the games and let us or Tom know what you thought of it, it's win-win-win!)

So head over to Hollandspiele.com if you're interested in any of Tom's other games, or to learn more about him. He's also got a Facebook page, as well as a short weekly podcast about him and his wife and their business. So check them out!

And, as always, be sure to check out our Critnation Buddies over at Crit Academy. Also, if you enjoy listening to audiobooks, go to AudibleTrial.com/Conflict to get a free audiobook and a free 30-day trial.

Thanks, and see you all next week!

Episode 40 - On Game Design

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Noteworthy links:

D&D Character Lab, a podcast I can't recommend highly enough

Links from the interview:

Chainmail, the wargame that eventually evolved into D&D

The Man Who Loved and Son of a Seahorse - Two movies made by Tom Russell

Side Saddle 2 - A shoot-em-up game made by Tom Russell

Ann Arbor, MI

Rantasmo, a Youtube personality that is a close friend of Gabe, Tom, and Jeff

And, of course, Hollandspiele.com - the board game business piloted by Tom and his wife Mary

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This week's Audible Pick:

How to Play Backgammon: A Beginner's Guide to Learning the Game, Rules, Board, Pieces, and Strategy to Win at Backgammon by Chad Bomberger

Episode 39

Hey everyone! This has been a busy last couple weeks for me (it's going to be a busy month, really) but there's been a lot of really cool stuff. Jeff and I got to play a kick-ass game Dungeons & Dragons with Justin from Crit Academy (the Claws of Madness module that they give out as prizes to listeners), I celebrated my 9-year wedding anniversary, I got to play another game of D&D with some friends from work, Stardew Valley came out on the Switch, and I've been trying to watch a horror movie every day this month. Hoo boy! Busy times.

In any case, this was a fun episode to record and I hope you have a fun time listening to it. Whenever you get a chance, head on over to Audibletrial.com/Conflict to get yourself a free audio book- there's some great ones on there.

Episode 39 - Serious or Not

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How do you make diseases and curses interesting in your games? How do you balance making the party fear the effects of a curse or disease without making the effects too debilitating?

2. Which tone do you prefer in campaigns, a more serious tone or a light hearted one?

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Noteworthy links:

Tony's Restaurant, where Jeff and I got massive bacon sandwiches

Adventures in Erylia, an actual play podcast that recently re-launched

RC Cola

Looper, a movie about time-travelling organized crime

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Some rats playing basketball, because why not

Kingdom Hearts 2

Monty Python coconuts scene

The Ballad of Ball of Arms Man

Cowboy Bebop

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This week's Audible Pick:

Azure Bonds by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb (which I've recommended before, but I'll do it again)

Episode 38 something or other

Welcome back, listeners!

This was a fun episode to record and I think we got a good amount of discussion about the questions; and, take my word for it, but there was a ton of stuff I cut out too (mainly Jeff and I talking about movie spoilers). But we stayed on topic for most of the episode and I hope you have a great time listening to it.

Remember to check out our Critnation Fellowship brothers, Crit Academy! As of this writing I finally got a chance to watch one of their livestreams (a benefit of being one of their patrons on Patreon) and it was a lot of fun. And also, hop on over to AudibleTrial.com/Conflict for a free month and a free audiobook!

Episode 38 - Daelkyr and Dragonzords

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Questions answered this episode:

1. How should I go about ending a long campaign?

2. What is the area of effect for spells like Heat Metal?

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Noteworthy links:

The Cabin in the Woods, one of my favorite movies of all time

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, another amazing horror movie

The Worst Idea of All Time, a podcast where the hosts watch the same bad movie every week and continually review it

52-sided dice

The Power Rangers movie, and Teenagers With Attitude- a Power Rangers rewatch podcast

Daelkyr, horrifying abominations from Eberron

Tortles, a new 5e turtle race

Home Alone's traps

Little Monsters (the movie, not the Lady Gaga fans)

Wikipedia's entry on "Gorgons"

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This week's Audible Pick:

It by Stephen King