The Race to the Bottom in RPGs | Black Lodge Games Podcast

Today we are joined with Trevor Devall from Me, Myself, and Die to talk about his new fantasy "Sim-Lite" game, The Broken Empires. Trevor gave us the goods on every aspect of the game system, from skills to magic, and we went in depth on the philosophy of game design he is bringing to the table. Don't miss his upcoming Kickstarter campaign launching October 1st! https://play.thebrokenempires.com/

This week we sit down with one of the players from our home game of ACKS II to talk about how RPGs became a obsession for someone who had never played before. Don't miss this, and don't miss the kickstarter for The Shucked Oyster, launching August 6th on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1003133567/the-shucked-oyster-a-cursed-brothel-for-shadowdark-rpg

Victor Raymond of the Tékumel Foundation was kind enough to sit down with us to discuss Professor M.A.R. Barker's monumental contributions to TTRPG history. Empire of the Petal Throne was one of the first RPG settings, and it is no longer out of print! Black Blade Publishing was hosting both the Tékumel Foundation as well as a huge assortment of amazing products from small indie publishers at North Texas RPG Con 2024. This was an excellent conversation and we will be speaking with Victor more in the future. Foundation website: https://www.tekumelfoundation.org/ Buy Tékumel Products online: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/57/the-tekumel-foundation Tékumel Podcast https://tekumelpodcast.com/

This episode, we sit down with our good friend Spencer who was there 3000 years ago when Dungeons and Dragons first hit the scene. We talk about how gaming changed, what it was like to see D&D develop, and how to make everyone rage quit a multi year campaign because you never revealed your true alignment. Great stories, and much more to come with this level 98 Grognard. #dnd #dnd5e #osr #rpg #ttrpg #dragonlance #ravenloft #dndpodcast

Join Black Lodge Games for a discussion of the origins of the TTRPG hobby through the lens of the incredible book, "The Elusive Shift" by Jon Peterson. Join our community over at https://blacklodgegames.locals.com with promo code MIDWIT for a free month. You get access to our videos 24-36 hours prior to release on YouTube, discussions with our community, and much more! #dungeonsanddragons #wargaming #gygax #garygygax

-There may not be a way to win at Dungeons and Dragons, but there is certainly a way to LOSE. This week we talk about the fruits of the #brosr gaming efforts and the principles behind them. Some of the principles of the BrOSR style of play are legitimately interesting but it is put into practice with stoner-tier, "lol so random" world building and a commitment to dog-shitism. This is the trash game, the shit tier slop, the garmonbozia that we talk about. Check out the links below to videos we talked about: GREAT video by  @TheJoyofWargaming  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig7cc94dpVw GREAT interview with  @gelatinousrube  on  @RollinBones  live show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9l8QNkWE1A Incoherent ramblings by Jeffro Johnson that fail to explain a single thing of value: -  @TheBasicExpert : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErTwyuVZ660-  @RollinBones : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vERmTxDP2aQ -  @InappropriateCharacters  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNiQO2RhWpI The dogshit BrOSR session report referenced in the show: https://bdubsanddragons.blogspot.com/2023/08/dubzaron-session-103-what-is-love.html?m=1

This week, we discuss why roleplaying in character adds more to any game of any style, why you should want excellence at your table, and how the villains at Onyx Path Publishing (armed with a practically unlimited art budget) ripped the heart and soul out of the aesthetics of the Exalted game line. #exalted #onyxpath #whitewolf The art of Exalted 3rd edition and Exalted Essence is a crime against aesthetics and should land everyone involved in Guantanamo Bay with no chance of parole. The art of the new edition is flat, lifeless, intentionally ugly, and all of the characters look like they're on mind numbing anti depressants. They desexualized the characters entirely and have a clear hatred of the human body, beauty, excellence, and every ideal that the Exalted represent. Straight to jail.

Within the Ring of Fire is a dark fantasy roleplaying game from RAW Immersive Games over at  @woodwwad  #rpg #dnd #ttrpg This game is one of the weirdest and most compelling RPGs we have ever played and helped crystalize our views of what RPGs can be. This is a game that is primarily focused on immersion through roleplay, and though flawed in many respects, is deeply compelling. We cover the good, the bad, and the utterly incomprehensible aspects of this great, great game.

Today we talk about hostility to actual roleplay at the table. Getting into character is one of the easiest ways to enhance immersion at the table and aversion to it is largely rooted in a fear of embarrassment for bringing a little sincerity to the game. Cynicism and the hatred of sincerity is a plague on mankind and poisons everything. If you want a better experience at the table, go beyond doing the bare minimum. This doesn't mean you are "method acting" and doesn't require "doing voices", it just requires that you actually get engaged and play a little bit of make believe in the Elf Game. Children instantly know how to do this, so why don't you? #dndpodcast #dnd #osr #dungeonsanddragons #ttrpg #roleplayinggames

The OSR has an extremely autistic view on what constitutes story in Dungeons and Dragons. Any mention of character backstory, plot hooks, or even role play constitutes "story gaming" as opposed to the truth as revealed by Gary Gygax that D&D is nothing more than a sandbox exploration game in pulp fantasy hex maps. This is utterly deranged and the lowest form of play imaginable. We agree that story is the emergent result of play, but it *requires* actual role play as the central focus and core activity of the game. Your character is more than the statistics and equipment listed on your sheet. They did not spawn into a game map with no prior history and no motivations outside of "gold". Fools will disagree. #osr #dndpodcast #dnd