On The Shoulders Of Dwarves

This will be the last episode of the year 2019 as well as the last episode of the decade so it is only fitting that we will use it to talk about the most important issue of the roleplaying game: Snacks! We will be discussing off play food - meaning actual food eaten by actual players. Uri’s session usually includes full meals before the sessions, in Eran’s sessions usually have light snacks. ### What to eat? (between snacks and a meal) (01:30) You might want to decide on this ahead of time. Will you be eating a whole meal during the session or just munch on snacks? Remember: a hungry GM is a vengeful GM, so make sure that everyone knows if they should eat before the session or not. ### Messiness (02:05) Eating is often a messy affair. Adopt some basic habits that may save a lot of time: don’t deploy all the game accessories until after you eat, have paper towels handy, don’t eat greasy food while handling game accessories or character sheets. ### Plan ahead to save time (04:05) Plan ahead if

## On the nature of Mysteries The “Known Unknowns” (00:50) The nature of mystery explained by United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld concept of the “[known unknowns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_are_known_knowns)”. The known Unknowns are what creates a sense of Mystery. For example the monsters in the dungeons. We know there are monsters & traps but their nature is unknown to us. ## In world building: **Open spaces** (02:10) Creating a sense of mystery gives the GM room to add things later, keep something up her sleeve or to postpone important decisions. Because it gives players something to explore, a known unknown. **Slow reveal** - In order to create a sense of mystery - take something unknown and shine a light on it. For running mystery plots, see also [Episode 37 - mystery plots](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/mystery-plots-episode-37-368b71569c7f92/) **What will be our obstacles?** (04:40) What lies behind the next door, how to open this portal, what will sprint this trap

### Why? As the name of the episode suggests “Empowering Fellow players” means that you empower other players and they will empower you. But, on a more pragmatic note, empowering other players makes the game more fun for all participants, it makes events more memorable, increases immersion, and let players feel the impact of their actions. The improv game “15 minutes of fame”. ### The Seven Secret Techniques for Empowering Fellow Players (as handed down by the Dragon Bard): 1 : **Be attentive** (04:10) (listen to what other players at the table are saying) 2 : **React to your fellow PLAYERS ideas and actions** (05:45) (react to the ideas and descriptions of your fellow players) 3 : **React to your fellow CHARACTERS ideas and actions** (06:45) (e.g. Have your character Make strong emotional choices regarding the actions of other characters (I loved it, I hated it, It made me uncomfortable, I envy that ability, etc..) refer to Robert Plutchik wheel of emotions) 4 : **Be a fan of other ch

**Definitions** (01:45) There are 2 types of RPG streamings - Around the table vs virtual conferencing. **Technical Prerequisite** (03:15) Streaming platforms: Twitch, youtube, facebook, etc. Consider [OBS](https://obsproject.com/). What are the needed components to create a stream? * Streaming software * Conferencing software * Overlays (see an example in our game “[Folk vs. Medicine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOgnrDz8R38)” using [The Ward RPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/222793/The-Ward-Acute-Care-Edition?affiliate_id=29668)) For a few nice examples of setup check out happy jacks [http://www.happyjacks.org/](http://www.happyjacks.org/) **What cool things can you do when streaming** (07:30) * Audience involvement * Interactivity (the audience can influence the game) * Integration with social media **Issue: Role Players (GM/players) as entertainer.** (09:20) **Minding your audience** (12:50) **Channel vs group: Franchises vs Critical Role** (12:35) **The attraction of Pe

Why is it important? (01:00) Who tracks the initiative? (03:50) Tracking init was considered one of the holy duties of the GM. But does it have to be? See our episode on Sharing GM Responsibilities. Different initiative mechanics D&D (2E-5E) & Pathfinder (06:20): You roll a d20 for Initiative. (skip to 07:00 to hear us digress to D&D 1E). Pathfinder 2nd (08:14): The skill used for Initiative is determined by the circumstances. Shadowrun (09:08): Initiative score, a number of d6 determined by the type of thing you’re doing, the space in which you act. Then initiative passes, reducing 10 after each pass.  Exalted (10:53): Ticks ticking by. Phoenix Dawn Command (13:40): The players move the Torch around, every player gets one action in a cycle. Challenges act between turns, on their speed. Star Wars and Genesis (15:30): Two init skills, cool or vigilance. Results become slots, into which each PC or NPC can be inserted once per round. Conan D20 (17:20): You all act before NPCs unless an NPC has an abi

Different types of Dice Mechanic - Exploding dice - What are they? And the effects they generate? (01:05) - The Wild Die ([Savage Worlds RPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/261539/Savage-Worlds-Adventure-Edition?affiliate_id=2966)) (03:50) - Min-max-mid die ([Sentinel comics the RPG](https://store.greaterthangames.com/sentinel-comics-the-roleplaying-game-starter-kit.html)) (06:30) - Escalation Die ([13th age RPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/118994/13th-Age-Core-Book?affiliate_id=29668)) (09:08) - Depletion Die (General OSR games) (12:34) - Hero point tracker die (We use it to track and add in pf2 and D&D 5e bardic inspiration ) (16:45) - Monument die ([Icarus RPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/273848/Icarus-How-Great-Civilizations-Fall?affiliate_id=29668)) (19:05) - Specialty dice : Crit die, sex position die, alignment die, chores dice (20:54) #### Summary (23:10) Clever use of dice mechanic influences the way we, the players, experience the

### What do we mean when we say Offplay discussions? (00:30) When we say offplay discussions in this episode we mean instances where the players are discussing the events that happened in-play and what to do next but as players and not necessarily as their characters. There are two prevalent approaches to offplay discussions: In some gaming parties it totally OK to stop the action and go over everyone's equipment, spells list and abilities to decide on the best strategy and coordinate. In others, it is frowned upon because the party does not have the time to consult with each other and prepare the tactic. ### Reasons in favor of including offplay discussions (04:10) - Player motivation; some people just like to plan (see [Eran's post on players motivation](https://www.uptofourplayers.com/2017/06/planning-player-motivation-uk-games-expo-review-podcast/)) - Use "You can't talk amongst yourselves now. You! What do you do? Act!"; to create confusion, doubt, and anxiety. - Help to remove some of the ou

Thank you Lauren and Jesse for this interview! ### Previous experience (2:10) [Trophy](https://trophyrpg.com/) [The Final Girl](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/182628/The-Final-Girl?affiliate_id=29668) [Hot Guys Making Out](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/156244/Hot-Guys-Making-Out?affiliate_id=29668) [Lauren's hacks](https://www.thestraykiwi.com/design-work) [Codex Lies](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/238692/Codex--Lies-Jan-2018?affiliate_id=29668) [The Gauntlet](https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/) ### Inspiration and genre emulation (5:30) What is this genre? [Girls-underground.com](https://girls-underground.com/) by Kate Winter ### Why a PbtA hack? (11:20) ### Switching protagonists (14:00) [Bluebird’s Bride](https://www.magpiegames.com/bluebeards-bride/) ### Very easy to run (18:35) [Girl Underground on Oneshot RPG](http://oneshotpodcast.com/tag/girl-underground/) ### Expectations, gender and safety (24:05) ### Manners (30:30) ### Structured format suggestion (37:05) The playte

Giving the ordinary some attention can help establish a believable world, and create the basis for exciting changes. [Holidays and Anniversaries (episode 8)](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/holidays-anniversaries-and-celebrations-episode-8-35cb85c9839280/) [Your Next Character Should be an Accountant (episode 74)](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/your-next-character-should-be-an-accountant-episode-74-37bad526ff17fc/) [Specials (episode 75)](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/a-special-episode-episode-75-37c04c3a2b8ed0/) ### Roni Dover (1:20) > Hello Dwarves, > First big kudos on the podcast - you're doing an awesome job and it's a delight to tune in weekly. > I was listening to one of your older episodes on the topic of holidays which I found really interesting. In my experience, holidays as predictable events on the calendar with known rituals and customs can help normalize the campaign world. > As such, however, they also provide an opportunity to portray changes - political, personal, economic or other - in a m

### Using and playing extras As a GM, please avoid using these beings as easy targets. ### Taking advantage of this opportunity (6:45) * Treat as characters - start thinking about the supporting characters as characters and not as equipment/extensions of your character. * Names - so you can humanize and speak to them. * Interaction - the difference between “I use my wolf to track the scent of the escaping ogre” to “I ask Wolfenshtain if he manages to track the scent of Krislo the Ogre”. * Routine - create routines for yourself and the supporting cast. * Add the supporting character's point of view - the cave as seen through the nose of Bingo the blink dog. ### Mechanical representation (11:55) Use a system that makes it easy to handle them, and have the players do it. [Savage Worlds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Worlds) - extras [Pathfinder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinder_Roleplaying_Game) 2e - minion [City of Mist](https://www.cityofmist.co/) - extra theme [Dungeon World](https:

### Why have a “special” episode? (1:06) It’s a fun break from the routine, it keeps the tension going, it’s a way to make some in-game event more special and it allows you to do things that the “regular” rules/flow/setting might not be well-suited to. And it encourages everyone to put more effort and excitement into the game. ### When? (2:25) A special can be used to celebrate an event (in-play or off-play) an adventure finale, a campaign finale, a player's birthday, a momentous event, something that the mechnics don't support, to represent something grander than the usual scope or scale. ### An all nighter (3:25) Set the time to play an extended session. ### Childhood encounters (3:45) Play the characters in their youth (toddlers/children/teens). ### Playing the baddies (4:40) Getting the player to play the villains. [Creating an Interesting Villain](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/creating-an-interesting-villain-episode-52-36ef5d25fb4d20/) ### Lower deck episode (7:10) [Lower-deck episode](https://tvtr

This episode focus on suggestions for character concepts that might be different from your usual tropes, with boring or "unwanted" histories or ideals. [Better Backgrounds](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/better-background-episode-58-372bd15a77f9e8/) [Avoiding Character Cliches](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/avoiding-character-cliches-episode-2-35aab600eb0406/) ### The family man (2:00) An adult with a family that comes into play in a positive way during the game. ### Unrelated history (3:55) A character that already had a profession, that had nothing to do with their current class. [The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant](https://www.amazon.com/Utterly-Uninteresting-Unadventurous-Vampire-Accountant-ebook/dp/B00M6AM6Q8) [Our interview with Drew Hayes](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/interview-with-drew-hayes-episode-56-3715e204f5063c/) ### A young apprentice (7:40) Don’t know how to use some of your powers. ### Midrange minion (9:55) Your character is part of an o

"Folk vs Medicine" charity event, this Sunday! [icel.me/wish](http://icel.me/wish) [Facebook event](https://www.facebook.com/events/419128882065377/) ### Player perspective (1:55) Talk with your GM: to make sure you're not going to focus your attention on anything that might not be of value Build your character concept: based on what's available in the system, and fits the campaign. Rulebook: read all the basic sections and then the sections relevant to my character. Read guides and forum posts Watch actual plays: in order to learn the mechanics. Finalize your character sheet ### GM perspective (8:00) Watch or listen to people playing it, to get the flow between GM and players, expected pace, quick-and-dirty resolution. Find the best character sheets, summary sheets, condition cards, GM screen. Start small with a simple published module. Help them find the best way to manifest their ideas using the rules. [Early character malleability](https://www.uptofourplayers.com/2017/03/early-character-m

Maps not only show you different scales, they also help you think in different scales. It’s a common thing for maps to follow adventures, but sometimes it can be the other way around. The scale of the map you are using in your adventure is influencing how you and your players perceive the game. ### A room, a floor, a building (3:40) Limiting the scale makes for a more focused interactions. In a room, you think about interactions with objects and NPCs. in a floor you think or logic or functionality. In a building you think of topography and story events. ### A city (8:55) Places of importance for the individual, status, reflection of the greater nature of things. Where it’s proper to go, where you’re expected, where it’s dangerous. Who needs what - money, recognition, acceptance. Desires on the personal level. ### A continent (11:20) The political scale - social groups, social facts that are hundreds of years old. Conflicts between nations, slow moving but made of many parts, attacking on many fronts. #

Further reading: [Aviv's advice for playing in text chat](https://icel.me/en/games/roleplaying-in-text-chat-3012) [Discord](https://discordapp.com/) [Sidekick bot](https://github.com/ArtemGr/Sidekick) ### Fluid obligation (5:15) ### A standard chat session (9:10) Who writes what and when. ### Main issues (18:55) It’s slow! We can only focus on one interaction at the time. ### Using text to our advantage (21:35) Style! ### Summary (26:00) ### Taking the Load off (29:00) Aviv: Playing in 3 different campaign; Back to being a player; Genesys! Reading Blades in the Dark. Eran: Hell's Rebels! ----- Email us at show@dwarfcast.net with questions, topic suggestions, and comments on this episode, and check out [our Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwarfpodcast) [We have a Patreon page](https://www.patreon.com/dwarfcast), in case you'd like to support us in a monetary fashion. Also, most links to [DriveThruRPG are affiliate](http://drivethrurpg.com/?affiliate_id=29668), which means we get

### Why are we recording this episode? Isn’t this a roleplaying podcast? Feedback is the way we improve what we do. [Players motivations](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/365abc29b5e3c2/) ### Feedback in RPGs is hard (3:40) Games are a social activity that one enjoys with their friends. That makes it harder to give constructive feedback as you don't want to insult your friends. ### Positive feedback (5:15) The easiest yet the rarest kind of feedback. The importance of a pat on the back: helps the GM and players feel like their investment is worthwhile. ### Constructive criticism (7:20) We'll repeat something we’ve said in [episode 57](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/3720bb91c87f88/) about how to present an issue: “Guys, I’ve noticed that we always spent around 12 minutes outside every door that we encounter, this is really bumming me out since I feel it breaks the flow of the game, maybe we could limit the discussion time to 5 minutes? I think it will also make us feel the tension of “having to come up wi

### A process, not an event (1:35) > Greetings, oh dwarven dwarfs who dwarf on the shoulders of dwarfish dwarfkin! > Recently, after 20-30 years of a role-playing draught, I started listening to your podcast just for fun. > Thanks to you and your inspiration I started playing last week in TWO different groups: one in which I’m a player, and a family game which I'm GMing. > Those bright new starts got me thinking: When do you know it's time to end the campaign? And how do you do it in a way that leaves everyone satisfied and\or ready to begin something new? > May the sun shine on your rubies and diamonds, > Roy Kehat ### When should you finish? (3:30) The best litmus test is if you are all looking forward to next week's session, or not so much. When you switch from the former to the latter, it's time to make a change. ### Taking the time to end things (5:52) It’s important to take the time and say farewell in a meaningful way. Don’t let the game dissolve. ### How to end (9:25) To create a full ending yo

### Ways to resolve opposed player actions (1:25) In a PVP game, the players may be actually working against each other and fighting or killing other players' characters is a valid option. This is a very different game set than most. We want to talk about instances where PC disagree with each other and wish to use the mechanic to solve the issues. From least to most: * No opposed PC rolls - you want to do an opposed action you two decide it. * Only pre-discussed opposed rolls - usually diplomacy, sense motive, sleight of hand or initiative. These are used to resolve some cases where you want the success or failure to be meaningful. A good example might be the attempts of Black Widow to calm down the Hulk in the MCU. each time a roll is needed and it keeps things interesting. It helps solve * questions like “who got there first”, “I try to stop them” or “do they really mean what they say”. * Partial PvP - the character may cast some hurtful spells on each other or steal from one another as part of the sto

Talk to your GM. ### Why retire your character (3:05) * Because you feel that they have fulfilled their purpose in the narrative * Or because it has fulfilled its purpose in an off play way (I wanted to play a swashbuckler to study the class/explore an idea or theme) now I’m done. * I want to try a new class * They don’t work as intended * They’ve become too complicated * I no longer care about them * They got pushed into a corner * I have a brilliant retirement idea ### Is this what you want to do? (9:35) Can the reason for your retierment be solved with the current character? A character has a history, and that's something that shouldn’t be tossed away lightly. ### Retire gracefully (12:05) Find an in-play reason why they must leave - this should be planned with the GM. * Kill them off * Have them finish up whatever business was keeping them in the group * They must respond to a crisis * They go on a personal journey * Their past comes back * They’re kidnapped, or make a face-heel turn * Best op

### Weekly questions (1:15) [Full explanation of the weekly question](http://www.uptofourplayers.com/2016/03/rp-tool-question-week/), and [examples for its uses](http://www.uptofourplayers.com/2016/03/rp-tool-examples-fro-weekly-questions/). ### Consume genre-related content (6:00) Fill your head with X. ### Fill-in details (7:35) ### Create! (9:05) ### Invest time and effort to enhance your game (12:45) ### Expand on in-game events that you glossed over during the session (17:00) Session time is expansive. * Interaction between characters * Shopping * Play the Downtime ### Summary (22:45) Do the thing! ### Taking the Load Off (24:00) Eran - Crystal Heart, [Pyre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyre_(video_game)) Uri - Rehearsals for play, “storyteller”, character work. ----- Email us at show@dwarfcast.net with questions, topic suggestions, and comments on this episode, and check out [our Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwarfpodcast) [We have a Patreon page](https://www.patreon.c