Monday, May 2, 2016

Musings and Minutiae, May 2, 2016

The big news of the weekend, besides Millie's dragon?   After living in the house for 23 months, we finally have a second garbage can.  I know, it's very mundane, but we've been surviving with one new can and an old circa 1970's green can without a lid, and between the wind, the wild animals of various sizes, and the amount of Spring cleaning we plan on starting this week, the new can is a Godsend.

Gaming was tepid this weekend, as I focused on the yard (and sleep...).  We did manage to run the first scenario of the TMNT Mouser Mayhem box set (AAR to follow).  I also snagged a copy of Savage World Deluxe Explorer's Edition that magically showed up at the FLGS.  I'm quite happy with expanding our pulp game into full-blown Savage Worlds, but there are a few differences between that and Savage Showdown that need to be ported over for now.

As I'm officially in podcast mode at work, a quick overview of what I'm listening to and why (or in some cases, "Why, in the name of all that's good, am I listening to this drivel."

Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff:  I listen to this for the same reason I don't always want to be the smartest person in the room.  Sure, some of the stuff goes completely over my head, sure, they're cooking hut bores me at the same level an RPG conversation bores a mundane, but dammit, it's a gold mine every other second.  I do miss the Mad Scientist University ads, though. 

Happy Jacks RPG Podcast:  As a whole they harp on the "Yes, and.." school of GMing a bit much (I'm a Yes, but.. guy myself),  and the listener emails could make a novice fanfiction seminar churn out Pulitzers, but the camaraderie, personalities, and stories make up for the for format.  Beyond a few nuggets of wisdom  I'll pull on my players... one day, it also introduced me to Spirit of  '77, which has led me to a whole new delivery style of GMing.  The Actual Plays have their moments, but I've stopped listening to them. 

Miskatonic University Podcast / MUP Actual Plays:  The MUP has been on a downturn this year with inconsistent episodes and recording issues.  I still like them better than most CoC podcasts, though.    The Actual Play for Keeper Murph's Masks of Nylarathotep Campaign is pure gold.

SavageCast - A Savage Worlds RPG Clearing House:  Sure, there's a lot of questions about "What type of ______ setting is missing from Savage Worlds" but they're friendly and informative. 

Savage Worlds Game Master Hangout:  This one popped up first when I started searching for Savage Worlds podcasts, and I'm beginning to question iTunes' search functionality.    These guys have apparently been doing this for a long time, so I'm afraid to go into their back catalog and see how bad they were before. 

When there are holes to their logic, they drop the hammer on all discussion, suggesting heavy handed GM techniques that make the Tomb of Horrors look like a casual Saturday at the local tri-county laser tag center.   Yes, you can easily do those things in Savage Worlds, just like you could in D&D, Vampire, Traveller, World of Synnibar, There is no Spoon, and Dogs in the Vineyard.  It doesn't mean doing such things are good.

I'm quite fine with crudeness and vulgarity, but their ideas and demeanour remind me of GMs who start a convention with full tables, but be it the end of the con everyone gets word to avoid them. 

Fear the Boot:    Fear the Boot suffers from the opposite of the Savage Worlds podcast, their host and guests are usually, funny, informative, but can be a bit sedate.    That's not to say there aren't edited profanities and some crazy stories, but each episodes opens with the feel of NPR radio, until everyone gets up to speed.

When I clear my gaming queue, I'm also listening to Theodore Roosevelt:  An Autobiography,  The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Von Junzt Library of Forgotten Worlds, some selected Nerdist episodes, and a huge catalog of Anton Chekhov plays and short stories. 

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