Of Mooks And Monsters

We are back! And the wait will be worth it for you listeners, I think. Rob plays. I run. It’s Savage Worlds in a game about gladiatorial combat in a hidden city. I ethink you’ll enjoy the hijinks and madness. Also, my new novel The Cleanway is out! check it on Amazon.com, and if you … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 80 – Savage Worlds Actual Play 3"

Welcome back to Alive After Reading, dear listeners. With me on this one is Doc  Coleman, author of the steampunk novel The Perils of Prague. It’s a fun conversation, and I hope you’ll enjoy it and want to check out Doc’s work. I found it intriguing. I want to offer special condolences to the friends … Continue reading "Alive After Reading Episode 45 – Doc Coleman"

Welcome back to Of Mooks and Monsters, folks! Rob and I are back, talking about creativity and making things up as game masters. We ramble and brainstorm and offer advice. Give it a listen, and don’t forget to check out our new facebook page right here. You can buy my latest book on Amazon.com. Take a … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 79 – Making Stuff Up"

This week on Alive After Reading I have a returning guest, Alexander Verbeek. For those not familiar, Alexander is a fantasy writer aiming for traditional publication, an extremely fast rough drafter, and a meticulous self-editor. We talk the usual books and process. Thanks for listening! Don’t forget, I have a new book out in my … Continue reading "Alive After Reading Episode 44 – Alexander Verbeek Returns"

We return, as zombies from the grave, dear listener! In this episode of the podcast, Rob and I discuss world backstory and how to apply your creativity toward exploring the world, what pitfalls to avoid, and all the other good stuff. I don’t mention this all the time, but my new book, The Cleanway is … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 78 – World Backstory"

This week on Alive After Reading, I talk with a poet in the form of my old friend, Nicko Kim. We talk confidence and self-transformation. Have I mentioned the pre-order for The Cleanway, book two of the Clean series, is live now? Well, it is, and it’s gonna be great to read on February 13th … Continue reading "Alive After Reading Episode 43 – Nicko Kim"

This week on Of Mooks and Monsters, Rob and I are back to talk about when and how to give players a win, a chance to feel victorious, in RPGs. There is more to it than that, but to find out what we think, give the episode a listen. You can email the show at … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 77 – Giving Players a Win"

This week, I interview author and podcaster, Chris Lester. Check out Chris’s new book, “The Lost and the Least” or any of his other books on Amazon.com, as well as his podcast, The Raven and The Writing Desk. You can find my latest book for pre-order now. Get book 2 of the Clean series, “The Cleanway” … Continue reading "Alive After Reading Episode 42 – Chris Lester"

This is part 2 of the two-part session Rob and I recorded of Savage Worlds. Thanks for listening! Reach the show at podcast@mentalcellarpublications.com Sign up for the email list to be notified of new releases!JohnSmithjohnsmith@example.comSign UpForm is being submitted, please wait a bit.Please fill out all required fields.

This week, Rob and I are back with some actual gameplay of Savage Worlds. It’s our first try at this system and we had some fun. You can email the show at podcast@mentalcellarpublications.com Thanks for listening! Sign up for the email list to be notified of new releases!JohnSmithjohnsmith@example.comSign UpForm is being submitted, please wait a … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 75 – Savage Worlds Actual Play 1"

Alive After Reading is back with a conversation I had with Dave Robison about the past year. We talk about what each of us learned in 2017. Thanks for listening! Check out Archivos and start building story worlds! Check out The Mangrove Suite and enjoy the crown jewel of my last year of publishing. Sign … Continue reading "Alive After Reading Episode 40 – Dave Robison New Years"

Happy New Year! Welcome to our first episode of 2018 – Character Creation for Savage Worlds. Rob is playing this one and he has some good ideas for his character. Thanks for listening! Email the show at podcast@mentalcellarpublications.com Sign up for the email list to be notified of new releases!JohnSmithjohnsmith@example.comSign UpForm is being submitted, please … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 74 – Savage Worlds Character Creation"

In this final Alive After Reading of 2017, I talk with author Scott Roche about how he manages his patreon.com as well as a few other curious subjects. Thanks to you listeners and guests for making this inaugural year of Alive After Reading a good time for me. You can email me at podcast@mentalcallarpublications.com if you … Continue reading "Alive After Reading Episode 39 – Scott Roche Talks Patreon"

Welcome back, everyone! It’s our final episode of the year, folks. For this one, Rob asks me a few questions about how one learns a new RPG one is planning to run. It’s been a good year for Of Mooks and Monsters. Thanks to all you listeners, and hope to hear from you in 2018. … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 73 – Understanding Rules with Savage Worlds"

This week on Alive After Reading, I have author Bianca Rowena on the show. Check out Bianca’s novel, The Gift Stone. We talk a bunch about the origins of this novel on the podcast.   Check out Bianca’s facebook author page. Happy holidays to all those celebrating. You can email the show at podcast@mentalcellarpublications if … Continue reading "Alive After Reading Episode 38 – Bianca Rowena"

Welcome back to Of Mooks and Monsters. This week, Rob and I talk about two very popular forms of videogame structure that often prove to be pitfalls in tabletop rpgs. Thanks for listening! Have any ideas for the show? Email us at podcast@mentalcellarpublications.com Happy holidays! Sign up for the email list to be notified of … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 72 – Freeform or Grind"

On this episode of Alive After Reading, I have a fun conversation with adventure and thriller author, David Wood. David runs a very good podcast himself. Check it out here. Check out David’s site. Thanks for listening. Share and enjoy! Want to be a guest? Email me at podcast@mentalcellarpublications.com. Sign up for the email list … Continue reading "Alive After Reading 37 – David Wood"

This time on Of Mooks and Monsters, Rob is running the show again, and we talk about how to read your audience to make a game everyone can enjoy. And in this case, audience means players. The two have some parallels and some differences. Thanks for listening! Share and enjoy! You can email the show … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 71 – Engaging the Audience"

This week on Alive After Reading, I talk with Adam Dreece, author of The Yellow Hoods series for all ages, as well as the Wizard Killer books and the Man of Clouds. It’s a fun conversation, and includes a discussion of the charity Adam is involved with over at BooksForAGoodClaus.com You can also find Adam at … Continue reading "Alive After Reading Episode 36 – Adam Dreece"

This week Of Mooks and Monsters returns with an episode where we talk about how to use the skill of reading and audience to run better games. Rob takes center stage on this one. Email us any questions or comments at podcast@mentalcellarpublications.com Thanks for listening. Sign up for the email list to be notified of … Continue reading "Of Mooks and Monsters Episode 70 – Reading the Audience"