Save Vs Rant

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we’re going to talk about Warhammer, the most popular fantasy wargame franchise of all time. Our episode today focuses on the hobby aspect of the game – the world created for the game, the miniatures and other aspects that don’t directly relate to the rules of the game. I’ve been … Continue reading "S03E13 – Warhammer: Part 1"

Today’s episode is about the game behind (and beyond) the game – the metagame! It’s hard to imagine what a game without a metagame would even look like, and yet so frequently we only speak of “metagaming” pejoratively. Today, we’ll be discussing what the metagame is and how you can view it with appreciation rather … Continue reading "S03E12 – Metagaming"

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we’ll be discussing two player games – tabletop duels! These games let you focus exclusively on the other player, be they an ally or nemesis, and make for very personal gaming experiences! A quick rundown of the games we discussed this episode: Fog of Love is one of our favorite … Continue reading "S03E11 – 2 Player Games"

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we’re discussing ways to improve as a DM. In this episode, we present tools, strategies and techniques that will help you grow and improve as a DM, ultimately resulting in a better experience for both you and your players. I’ve joked before that DMing is a subtle form of performance … Continue reading "S03E10 – DMing 103"

Oh, shucks! Today we’re talking about one of the worst official D&D modules ever published: Castle Greyhawk. An enduring part of TSR’s post-Gygax legacy and an enormous letdown and slap in the face to everyone who gave a single flying frick about the legacy of the setting or the lore of one of the most … Continue reading "S03E09 – Castle Greyhawk"

A little more than a year ago, we posted our look at the playtest version of Pathfinder 2nd Edition. Now that the full final version is out, we’re pleased to give you our first impressions of the new edition of the now iconic successor to D&D 3rd Edition, and one of my favorite roleplaying games. … Continue reading "S03E08 – Pathfinder 2nd Edition"

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we are giving our review of Dungeon in a Box, a monthly service that sends you everything you need to run a brief adventure that combines with 11 others in a series to create a coherent campaign for D&D 5th Edition. Happy Labor Day! …it’s still technically Monday, so let … Continue reading "S03E07 – Dungeon in a Box"

Today on Save vs. Rant, we chronicle Jeremy’s annual vacation to Gen Con, North America’s largest game convention and a perennial favorite destination of ours. For four days every year, the latest and greatest in gaming can be found in one large complex in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Join us as we discuss Jeremy’s … Continue reading "S03E06 – Tales from Gen Con"

Today’s episode deals with the various genres of RPGs, where possible giving examples of games set in those genres. Join us for our discussion of the themes and ideas underlying the games we play. Also, welcome back from GenCon, to all those who attended the convention! As an excellent example of our postulate that genre … Continue reading "S03E05 – Genres of RPGs"

Today we will be discussing a classic setting that dates back to the origins of Dungeons and Dragons – the Forgotten Realms, fantasy writer Ed Greenwood’s personal setting originally created when he was but a lad. While it is not our favorite setting here at Save Vs. Rant, it is an integral part of gaming … Continue reading "S03E04 – Setting Spotlight: The Forgotten Realms"

Today, we’re discussing boxed text, text meant to be read aloud. Named for the early gaming convention of enclosing it in a box (a convention adopted due in part to printing limitations), read-aloud text can serve as a useful summary of the settings and plots of adventures. First thing’s first, the Laser Pistol from Expedition … Continue reading "S03E03 – Boxed Text"

Today’s episode is about the small portable parts of RPGs – mechanics (the individual rules that can be separated out), the subsystems (expansions to existing mechanics within a game) and the minigames (games within a game). Understanding what they are and what the overall effect of them together is an important step if you have … Continue reading "S03E02 – Subsystems, Minigames and Mechanics"

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we’re going to talk about the kinds of people who play RPGs. No, this isn’t a dissection of gaming culture (although we may yet rant about that), but a discussion of the different motivations people have for playing RPGs. We also touch briefly on the classification of RPGs and Tabletop … Continue reading "S03E01 – Player Archetypes"

Today on our season finale of Save Vs. Rant, we’ll be discussing Spires of Xin-Shalast, the final module in the Rise of the Runelords Adventure path. This marks the end of our second season and the end of our examination of Paizo’s first Adventure Path set in the Pathfinder Campaign Setting. While we have enjoyed … Continue reading "S02E26 – Spires of Xin-Shalast"

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we’ll be talking about the penultimate module in the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path: Sins of the Saviors, a module that focuses on the player character’s first true challenge to the peerless Runelord Karzoug. Every module can’t be the best, and we at Save Vs. Rant consider this the … Continue reading "S02E25 – Sins of the Saviors"

Continuing our ongoing examination of the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path by Paizo Publishing, the next installment for us to examine is Fortress of the Stone Giants, a combination civic defense / dungeon crawl adventure. Join us as we continue our discussion of what works, what doesn’t, what was improved in the anniversary edition … Continue reading "S02E24 – Fortress of the Stone Giants"

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we’re continuing our series on the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path by Paizo Publishing with the third module in the series – The Hook Mountain Massacre. Ogres and their kin, Stone Giants, townsfolk in peril and yet another ghost story await! For those paying attention, you may note a … Continue reading "S02E23 – The Hook Mountain Massacre"

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we are continuing our look at the Rise of the Runelords Adventure Path with Part 2: The Skinsaw Murders. Gruesome murders, a haunted house and a vicious cult. Join us as we delve deeper into this adventure path! Note: There is some content in this module that may be disturbing … Continue reading "S02E22 – The Skinsaw Murders"

Today on Save Vs. Rant, we’re discussing the first module of Rise of the Runelords, the first adventure in Pathfinder’s Adventure Path series set in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Setting. Why would we review an Adventure Path from 2007 (re-released in 2012)? Not only because of the insight it gives us into the mentality professional … Continue reading "S02E21 – Burnt Offerings"

Welcome back to Save Vs. Rant! Today’s episode is all about miniatures, in the context not only of their own hobby, but as part of board gaming and roleplaying games. Miniatures are a phenomenal part of gaming! Take it from us, everyone loves miniatures! Along with artistic images, they are one of the strongest sources … Continue reading "S02E20 – Miniatures"