Most RPGs are terrible at information design. Sections are split up for no discernible reason, key elements are hidden away in blocks of text, and indexes are non-existent or terrible. We went over 3 books to analyze why they are so bad and why game designers would do this:
Fates Worse Than Death by Brian St. Claire King
Street Fighter Player’s Guide by Andrew Lucas
When I visited Seattle and Tacoma last month, I hung out with Faust from Thrilling Intent so I could show her the adventure book she chose. After getting over her disbelief that it existed, we discussed how we could turn Revenge Sqaud Ragnarok into a sitcom. I think we did a pretty good job! Hollywood, GET AT US
Four desperate men, chained by debt, attempt to find salvation through magical cookies.
Listen to the game this image is based on.
Desert Sun is an adventure for the Delta Force RPG, a mid 80s military-focused game. When I went to Seattle last week, I consulted with Adam Scott Glancy about the book’s accuracy. It turns out that some things about the scenario don’t make a whole lot of sense.
If you liked this episode, consider pre-ordering Delta Green (if you haven’t already).
Rifts Adventure Sourcebook 2: Chi-Town ‘Burbs: Firetown & the Tolkeen Crisis is an odd duck. It focuses on providing plot hooks for running adventures in a sprawling city in the shadow of the Coalition States. It also features a fully fleshed out team of adventurers out for revenge against the CS. Six fully written up adventurers with personalities and back stories who aren’t just punching bags or mary sues. It’s weird, I know. Shaun and I discuss what kind of TV show would best suit these characters.
A team of agents is trapped inside in a museum without an exit. It looks like they aren’t coping with it very well.
Listen to the scenario this artwork is based on.
Last week I went down to Florida to consult on an upcoming Kickstarter project, Superhero 2044. Fellow RPG podcaster and fan of RPPR, Richard, lived nearby, so on my downtime, we hung out and recorded a podcast. Richard runs a Shadowrun podcast, A Fistful of Misanthropes, so who better to ask about Shadowrun than an expert GM like him?
Looks like we’ve already covered Vampire Kingdoms in After Hours, so Faust picked Warlords of Russia to explore. What’s in post-apocalyptic Russia? Medieval peasants and combat cyborgs. Oh and hordes of monsters. And as many Russian stereotypes you can shake a bear at.
Two RPPR fans and fellow podcasters, Noah and Jeb visited us a few weeks back and they brought gifts. Namely, a stack of old RPGs and Dragon magazines. Aaron, Shaun, I, and our two guests sampled a bit from these new additions to the After Hours library. It’s an eclectic mixture, to say the least.
Be sure to check out Maple Syrup, Blood Money , Noah’s podcast on Riverdale!
If the excellent two part Cottonwood were turned into a movie or a HBO series, this is how the poster would look. Thanks for supporting the RPPR Patreon!
