Supplements – Ep168
What are some of our favorite supplemental material for the games we play? If you have some input on this, leave a comment here, via email or on our Facebook page. Cast – Eric, Shannon, Dan, Brandon,...
View ArticleIntolerance – Ep169
There is an underlying virus in our sub-culture called intolerance. Whether it is gamers against gamers over the “right way to play” the games themselves, Marvel versus DC, Story gamers versus...
View ArticleHouse Rules – Ep172
We’re not talking about the shit your dad used to say when you sassed him. We’re talking about rules that have been implemented in games, or omitted, by the players and GMs. If you have some input on...
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Wizards – Ep135
This is what you want your wizard for. We talk a lot about classes, and no class (in our eyes) more epitomizes fantasy like the wizard. Whether it’s a young wizard in a wizard’s school or a wandering...
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Wishes – Ep146
What would your PC do if they could have their heart’s desire? If you have some input on this, leave a comment here, via email or on our Facebook page. Thanks to Erik Taylor for giving us this topic...
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Gaming with Significant Others – Ep148
That’s right Greg, drink up, because Chas is right now thinking of ways to off your character. Can a couple’s relationship enrich or inhibit your game? If you have some input on this, leave a comment...
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Legend of the Five Rings – Ep151
A game that is near and dear to a few of us is L5R. That said, some of us have never played it. We invited Greg and his wife to play it with us and they join us in this episode to discuss the game...
View ArticleHit Points, Crits & Hit Location – Ep160
Or as Dan likes to call it, “making mutha-f*ckas dead”. If you have some input on this, leave a comment here, via email or on our Facebook page. Cast – Eric, Mike, Dan, Brandon, Shannon, Jayson &...
View ArticleO.S.R. – Ep163
Whatever you want to call it (Old School Renaissance, Revival, Rules or Retro-clones), the OSR has been a big part of the gamer culture for a while. Then why is it that the majority of gamers don’t...
View ArticleD&D 5th Edition and the Price of Gaming – Ep164
Has the price-point of D&D 5th edition raised the bar for the cost of gaming? If you have some input on this, leave a comment here, via email or on our Facebook page. Cast – Eric, Shannon, Dan,...
View ArticleCombat for Sport or War – Ep166
There are two modes of thinking of the balance of RPG combat, combat where there is parity among the classes (or archetypes or whatever you want to label them) and combat where there is unfair...
View ArticleIn-Game Economics- Ep174
A wrinkle that can always be added to any game is applying real world economics. It may sound like boring shit, but it can add a real sense of realism and enrich an okay game to a truly memorable one....
View ArticleComplex vs Simple – Ep179
Some games are elegant in their simplicity and some are satisfyingly complex. We discuss some of our favorite of each. If you have some input on this, leave a comment here, via email or on our Facebook...
View ArticleAdvancement & Leveling – Ep181
What is best in life? To gain XP, see your character level up and get awesome powers. Well, that’s what we like. We look at leveling traditions and talk about what we prefer. If you have some input on...
View ArticleRolling vs Point Buy – Ep183
Have we come full circle? It would certainly seem so. With our upcoming 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons game, we had to decide what system of generating stats we wanted to use… point buy or rolling...
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Prefabs & Adventure Paths – Ep192
Tyranny of Dragons is property of Wizards of the Coast It appears that we have come full circle. As we’ve gotten older our appreciation of prefab adventures and adventure paths have grown. Is it the...
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One-Shots & One Night Games – Ep196
King of the One-Shots Sometimes you just don’t have the time to devote to a long-term campaign, or you’re not sure your group will like a game. Is the best thing for that a one-shot/one-night game?...
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Artwork in RPGs – Ep198
Art by Wayne Reynolds Artwork can make or break a game. No matter how awesome a game system is, lack of pleasing art can sink it (in a mainstream gaming sense). We talk about the importance of...
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Selling Out & Why it’s COOL! – Ep200
Wow. 200 episodes. It is definitely a milestone that we didn’t’ think, in the beginning, we would achieve. We’ve learned and changed a lot over the course of this project. What started out as a whim,...
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Little Things That Ruin a Game – Ep201
Sometimes there are cases when a GM gets blindsided by a minor power or rule that, on the surface, is innocuous but in the hands of trained professionals (read the players) they can break the game....
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Faith in RPGs – Ep203
Nothing says faith like a big frickin’ chainsaw – Picture by Althair Langley Always a hot-button topic, faith is a rather unique thing in RPGs. Do you really have faith if you have definitive proof of...
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Default Settings – Ep212
Krynn is an awesome setting, but far from the default Does a ruleset need a default setting? Cast – Dan, Babs, Brandon, Brandi, Mike, Shawn, Eric and Shannon Items Mentioned: Dungeons & Dragons,...
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Using Rules as a Crutch – Ep215
Monster Hunter International/HERO System… rules within rules What do you prefer, rules or rulings? Cast – Eric, Shannon, Dan, Babs, Mike, Brandon, Brandi, Jayson and Shawn Items Mentioned: Dungeons...
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Healing – Ep218
Best job in the galaxy Every game has it… but which ones do it right? Cast – Eric, Brandi, Shannon, Mike and Dan… oh and Jayson too Items Mentioned: Dungeons & Dragons, Harn, MERP, Hackmaster,...
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Beginning a Campaign – Ep222
Hey DM, I wanna play a golden skinned evil wizard in your campaign… A little of campaign prep can go a really long way. We talk about some of the things we’ve learned through trial-and-error and picked...
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Transitioning from Player to GM – Ep85
It’s not often that you come up with a masterpiece right out of the gate. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. One of our listeners asked us for some advice on how to transition from being a player...
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Sandbox Campaigns – Ep86
Some sandbox games turn towards the awesome and some wind up filled with cat turds. A very popular style of game, in video gaming, is the concept of playing in an open world or sandbox. This gives...
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2013 Resolutions & Challenges – Ep90
Challenge… wait for it… Last year we challenged ourselves and each other in various facets of our gaming lives and we wanted to follow up on those challenges and make new ones for the next year. If...
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Pathfinder Online – Bonus Ep
Taking the MMO back to the tabletop. We wanted to have a discussion about the future of roleplaying games and how MMOs will have an impact. So who better to tackle that topic than Ryan Dancey, CEO of...
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Undead – Ep98
Want to spice up a game? Just add Eddie. We love the undead. Okay maybe not love, but we like… wait. No. Do we really like the undead? Do we use them enough? Do we do it right? Listen on Stitcher:...
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Death – Ep102
Has he survived anything? Does death matter in the games we play? If you have some input on this, leave a comment here, via email or on our Facebook page. Thanks to Brian Scott for giving us this...
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Powergaming with Deuce – Ep107
Beware the man on the left. He will ruin your game. His Wookiee companion, however, can be trusted. One of our favorite people is Deuce (Eric’s brother-in-law Eric). The reason he is a favorite is that...
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Kickstarter – Ep115
Changing the game? Being members of the gamer community, we love Kickstarter. It has become the go to place to learn about new games and support independent game producers. In this episode we discuss...
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Gaming Addiction – Ep117
The Future? It’s the aspect of gaming that most gamers do not want to talk about. When is the line between fun and addiction crossed? If you have some input on this, leave a comment here, via email or...
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Social Skills – Ep120
With the right points spent you can be like our friend Graz’zt here and land a really cool chick. One aspect of roleplaying games that has grown in fashion with us is the concept of the “social...
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Filler – Ep121
Only in a random encounter. The things we use to fill the time or buffer showcased encounters from each other are vitally important. This “filler” time has a great impact on pacing as well as...
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Prepping for the Game – Ep127
Some players sneak and read the adventure ahead of time… what kind of dicks would do that? We were asked how we prep for a game, campaign or even a game night. This is what we came up with. If you...
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Adversity – Ep132
We need 100% more Tree of Woe. As basic as it is, sometimes we lose sight of the fact that sometimes overcoming adversity makes for a better story and better characters. If you have some input on...
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Pirates! – Ep256
What does it mean to really play a true pirate campaign? Have we ever really done it? Cast – Dan, Eric, Jayson, Shawn, Mike and Shannon Like our show? Become a Patron. If you have some input on this,...
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A.G.E. System Review – Ep274
Rarely do we find a game that we all agree upon. Recently we sank our teeth into Green Ronin’s Fantasy AGE rules and the TitansGrave setting. This is our review of it of one of those rare games....
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Imbalance – Ep277
The greatest adventuring party was NOT balanced. Does the game need to be balanced? Cast – Dan, Eric, Brandi and Mike Like our show? Become a Patron. If you have some input on this, leave a...
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Milestones – Ep280
Are there more perks you can add to a game, other than leveling, to act as milestones to a character or even a campaign arc? Cast – Dan, Toju, Eric, Shannon, Jayson, Shawn, Brandi, Mike and Brandon...
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Goals – Ep288
Are goals integral to engagement, or are they a waste of time? Cast – Dan, Eric, Jayson, Brandi, Mike and Shannon Like our show? Become a Patron. If you have some input on this, leave a comment.
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Druids – Ep295
No, we are not movie-mining this turd Traditionally, one of the least played classes (among us) is the Druid. But with an overhaul, and other influences this pariah of characters may be playable....
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Finding the Next Game – Ep297
Sometimes it’s just as easy as saying, “what do you want to do?”, and other times it’s more complicated. Cast – Jayson, Mike, Brandon, Brandi, Dan, Shannon and Eric Like our show? Become a Patron....
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Trench Monkeys: Fall In!! [Tour 1|Episode 1]
Welcome to Trench Monkeys RPG Podcast. This being the first episode of our first tour of duty, we go into what Trench Monkeys is all about and why we are doing it. If you have a question, comment or...
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Big20: Pathfinder 2.0 & New Editions
Discussing the announcement of the newest edition of Pathfinder and what it’s like to go through edition changes
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Trench Monkeys: Skirmish Games [Tour 1|Episode 11]
We discuss the merits of skirmish war games and board games.
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Trench Monkeys: Brutal [Tour 1|Episode 12]
What makes a game or a setting brutal? Is that a bad thing?
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s202: Hype, Hype, Hype!
The latest hype, the natural killer of what you were just hyped about. Special thank you to our sponsor Jason Burchfield Cast –Eric, Babs, Jayson, Brandon, Mike, and Brandi Like our show? Want...
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