* (0:29) Wayne gives a shoutout to Old Man Hussey. (Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a link to the AP he ran.) * (3:15) Brodeur gets us started on the joys of combat in roleplaying games. How initiative balances the spotlight. * (7:05) Why fight at all? * (11:31) Intermixing roleplaying and combat. * (16:09) Rolling back to spotlight management. * (23:10) Creating tension in combat through narrative or numbers. * (32:15) When the game doesn’t allowing for fudging. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

Episode 574 - tension and violence, part 1

* (0:29) Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, and archery in schools. * (8:51) Starting up new games as old ones end. Fear the Boot’s&nbsp;. * (14:34)&nbsp;. Preliminary questions and contagious enthusiasm. * (20:56) Wayne passes the GMing torch to Chad. * (28:12) Building a game around a set of parameters: a group of good guys with a lasting legacy. * (34:33) A game in three chapters, each with their own era and setting. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

Episode 588 - new beginnings

* (0:29) A fond farewell to Chad. * (4:50) Keeping the perspective that we all started somewhere. * (7:34) The amount of good advice every human being ignores; sometimes experience is the only effective teacher. * (12:49) The less you’re willing to step up, the more you ought to be patient. * (16:24) Don’t confuse personal style with absolute right and wrong. * (21:40) Determining whether you should stick around or just find another use for your time. * (24:04) When you’re the only one loving or hating the game. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

Episode 589 – just inexperienced

* (0:28) The site for&nbsp;&nbsp;is now live! * (2:07) Monday Morning Quarterbacking your own games (&nbsp;for anyone that doesn’t know that phrase). * (3:36) Getting past being your own worst critic. * (8:17)&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;. * (12:57) Using game recordings to prepare for the next session. * (17:01) Approaching your recording with the right mindset, goals, and expectations. * (25:20) Using game audio to exonerate yourself in your own mind. * (29:53) The freedom to no longer take notes during the game. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne

Episode 590 - game recordings

* (0:29) A new show type on the horizon: phone the Boot, or something similarly clever. * (2:04) Kids’ games at&nbsp;. Our episode on gaming with children&nbsp;. * (4:15) Brodeur goes on&nbsp;&nbsp;and&nbsp;. * (6:17) Brodeur gets invited to crash someone else’s game as a guest GM. * (10:02) The whole situation is awkward, starting with the style of game. * (16:59) The gut-punch of unintentionally outshining the person that invited you. * (18:51) Or, maybe outshining the other person isn’t such a bad thing. * (25:42) Expect the players to keep doing whatever you allow to work. * (33:10) The right kind of consultant. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Julia, Tex

Episode 596 – an invited intruder

* (0:24) Releasing episodes out of order. * (1:24) The little convention that could, despite how hard life tried to stop it. * (6:59) All of the hurdles that weren’t COVID. * (14:00) The obstacles that came up during the convention. * (24:24) In spite of everything arrayed against it, the con went really well. * (31:42) Thanking Eric Van Note for the picture of Gnarl, which&nbsp;. You can contact him for your own commission at: vannoteillustration@gmail.com * (33:50) Wishing we’d had more time to talk to people and paced ourselves better. * (39:11) A request, an idea, and a placeholder. June 15th, 16th, and 17th are the tentative dates for Fear the Con 2023. * (43:46) A big “thank you” to our community! Hosts: Brodeur, Caleb, Dan, Wayne

Bonus Episode 96 - Fear the Con 2022 report

* (0:22) The villain as the dark inverse of the hero. * (9:20) A big CGI fight at the end that seems visually out of continuity. * (16:06) Zombies and Lovecraft. * (20:37) The freedom to like or dislike, and how little that says about you as a person. * (23:33) Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, and Disney. * (26:59) Let’s not be too reductive. * (34:26) Maybe we’ve just been around too long and seen too many stories. * (37:15) Elves with short hair. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, Wayne

Bonus Episode 98 – tired tropes

* (0:30) Giving a remote episode a try. We have a fix for Dan’s audio that should improve the quality on our next remote show. * (1:42) Catching up with Brodeur and DJ, who was on&nbsp;&nbsp;to talk about&nbsp;. * (4:43) Putting some parameters on the topic. * (9:42) Does Wizards of the Coast hate you? Envy other publishers? Or just not understand the market? * (16:36) Why people went along with the OGL to begin with. A genuine belief that some people in the mix have the best of intentions. * (24:47) Why care at all? * (29:23) The silent majority that may neither know nor care this is all happening. * (36:21) Why this might be a good thing.&nbsp;&nbsp;on Dan’s resentment of what D&amp;D represents, despite his enjoyment of the game. Hosts: Brodeur, Dan, DJ, Wayne

Episode 606 - contexting the OGL

* (0:31) The&nbsp;&nbsp;is live! * (1:04) The new fiction podcast,&nbsp;. * (3:09) Game mechanics we’re particularly fond of. * (4:54) Rerolls and other roll-modifying mechanics. * (10:13) A close relationship between skills and attributes. * (15:46) Life paths in character creation. * (24:48) Using all the dice. * (30:12) Injury instead of a simple health pool. * (38:08) Lots of randomness. * (40:31) Building something bigger than your character. * (44:13) Double-edged character traits. Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne

Episode 609 – the best mechanics

* (0:28) Running a game when someone else knows the setting a whole lot better than you do. * (2:07) The lack of pronunciation guides in most games. * (3:16) Narrowing down the task by asking what’s important about the setting to the players. * (7:59) Getting the essence or feel of the setting right. We need a&nbsp;&nbsp;recap of BattleTech lore. * (12:53) Start small and work outward, learning just what you need for each step along the way. * (21:15) Tell your players you only know some canon and therefore will only use some canon. * (24:01) Setting an ending to the canon so you can tell your own story. Breaking continuity early to get it over with. * (28:35) Keeping a chunk of authentic setting. Otherwise, why run it at all? * (33:56) Asking your setting experts to give you limited homework. * (35:09) We look forward to seeing you at&nbsp;! Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne

Episode 612 - running the unknown

* (0:29) Julia ruins everything. * (1:35) Things are getting set for&nbsp;! An intro to RPGs game is&nbsp;. You can also announce your games&nbsp;. * (9:03) Coming out of a period of deep fatigue. How one game still never missed a week. * (16:18) Spoons and other finite resources. * (20:06) Why it might be best to bite off a bit less. You may not be gaming as much as you think, anyway. * (26:41) Does gaming with strangers help the problem? * (31:37) Kids, you’re already in the real world. * (34:32) Strange schedules and cascading cancellations. * (37:42) Gambling with the eleventh dollar. Hosts: Dan, Julia, Mary, Wayne

Episode 613 - the eleventh dollar

* (0:28) Things are getting set for&nbsp;! An intro to RPGs game is&nbsp;. * (2:03) A shared Minecraft server. You can find more information&nbsp;. * (5:52) Realigning your game with a mid-campaign session zero. Special thanks to&nbsp;. * (8:46) Making the case to have one. * (12:59) Remembering the times we did this during the Skies of Glass campaign. * (16:38) Reusing or reviewing the exact same work you did in session zero. * (23:15) Being too specific or too general. Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne

Episode 614 - session X.5

* (0:28) An update on the&nbsp;. * (4:48) The&nbsp;&nbsp;(at least temporarily back in print!) and our&nbsp;. * (8:09) Why play InSpectres as an interlude to the main campaign? Apparently only Dan has heard of&nbsp;. * (12:58) Plus an extra player. * (16:10) The, “yes and,” style of gaming. * (21:31) Assisting new players when they’re stuck. * (26:24) Seeing roleplaying games as a starting point, not a finished product. * (33:43) It’s not just a game; it’s on the mics. * (39:19) No takebacks! Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne

Episode 615 - inspecting InSpectres

* (0:29) Dan prefers affiliated groups, Wayne does not. * (2:15) Cohesion, identity, and help. * (9:35) Affiliations you start with as opposed to those you pick up along the way. * (11:56) The party’s direction and motivation. Affiliating with an ideal. * (20:23) Affiliations create an obvious pool of NPC relationships. * (25:40) External versus internal affiliations, and how they’re not mutually exclusive. * (32:06) Taking extreme positions just to highlight the topic. Hosts: Dan, Doug, Julia, Wayne

Episode 616 - affiliated or not

* (0:29) Thanks to Eric Van Note for Swole Mole! * (3:15) The value of terrible GMing. * (8:42) Everyone is their own most inept critic.&nbsp;. * (15:28) The worst possible outcome: something being forgettable. * (22:20) Asking Doug to grade his own game. * (25:35) The value of creating art, simply for the act of creation. * (37:04) A few&nbsp;&nbsp;in someone’s eyes. Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne

Episode 617 - the value of questionable

* (0:22) Picking out the point we became curmudgeons and what exactly that means. * (4:48) Being too set in our ways. * (11:19) The self-destruction that comes with stagnation. * (21:32) Wii have a solution. * (24:32) Ducking new games while at a convention. Playing&nbsp;&nbsp;on an airplane. * (32:57) The role of pragmatism. Why expand your horizons when no one lets you go there, anyway? * (38:43) There’s always going to be something wrong. * (41:09) A lesson learned from&nbsp;. Hosts: Dan, Doug, Wayne

Bonus Episode 100 – becoming the curmudgeon

* (0:29) Why talk about intelligence?&nbsp;&nbsp;episode about Cicada 3301. * (9:24) A game takes an unhelpfully long break, only to be replaced by another RPG. * (12:44) The lack of a bottomless “buffet of ideas” in a closed setting. * (14:24) Use minimal starting information to give you room to work. * (18:12) How to run a school (everyone go play Persona 5). * (24:48) Create a wide variety of NPCs and give them their own lives. * (30:38) Keeping the party together, even if it doesn’t quite make sense. * (31:57) PC-specific NPCs, so you know the players are bought it. Hosts: Dan, Mary, Wayne

Episode 619 - a closed setting

Digging through the lives of a family trapped in a gilded cage.

Epoch of Rysos, Episode 8

* (0:30) Dan runs a game a bit too literally. * (4:12) The intersection of technology and roleplaying in a way that isn’t required by the game. * (7:32) Why multimedia doesn’t pay-off the way it does in other forms of storytelling. * (13:36) The prep time technology adds, and the stability it takes away. * (15:59) The time spent digging up the right asset on-the-spot. * (20:52) The physical space taken up by technology. Playing “follow the leader” at a subconscious level. Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne

Episode 620 – juice ain’t worth the squeeze

I decided to skip over the Iron GM and go for a Tungsten GM. The ingredient? All broadcasts cease because something won’t let them get through. What’s the game plot? Also, the Fear the Con 2024 Kickstarter is&nbsp;! Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne

Bonus Episode 101 - WGM 1: dead air

* (0:29) In defense of technology at the gaming table. Caleb’s setup with&nbsp;. * (5:13) Dan’s Lion King sing-a-long and Wayne’s Ghostbusters game. * (6:27) The deeper pool of online players, including AIs. Remoting in a missing player for an in-person game. * (14:04) Working distance and distraction into the game. * (17:54) Digital storage and organization. The wonder of CTRL-F. * (25:21) Minimalization of the gaming experience. * (30:01) Dodging some issues by allowing only one person to have technology. The visual obstruction created by laptops and such. * (41:01) Getting digital audio to work for you. * (45:00) Balancing it all out. Advantages, disadvantages, familiarity, and the passage of time. Hosts: Caleb, Dan, Mary, Wayne

Episode 621 – juice is worth the squeeze

Today’s ingredient: The dead are consuming the living. Why and how? Let’s find out! Fear the Con 2024’s Kickstarter&nbsp;. Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne

Bonus Episode 102 – WGM 2: dead consuming the living

* (0:30) What steps do we take to bring a character to life? * (1:49) Ask what’s important. * (6:53) Seeing the good and bad in a single trait. * (8:06) Doug’s personality triangle model. * (10:54) Demonstrating character quirks. * (16:34) Making characters that both have and express personal growth. * (18:57) Taking a hobby, off-topic skill, or development path. Keeping your character in continuity. * (23:11) Practicing a character. * (29:43) Developing your idea in other creative media, but consider leaving a gap before the game begins. * (35:35) The last few days of the&nbsp;! Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne

Episode 622 – bringing your PC to life

* (0:30) Brodeur's perspective on Valentine's Day. The value of unexpected gifts. * (12:39) Some perspective on failure, but also why it's not today's topic. * (16:16) The value of playing a character that has social needs.&nbsp;An example from a Dresden game. * (29:17) How imperfections contribute to the social bonds&nbsp;of most higher animals, including humans. How the lack of such connections affects a game. * (44:38) Game Masters not taking advantages of these needs or not even touching them at all. * (51:39) A call for GMs&nbsp;at Fear the Con X! Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

Episode 433 - the value of needs

* (1:45) Reviewing the situation with Sara's self-actualized character. * (6:29) How Wayne handled the situation by finding what Sara cares about instead of just looking at what the character cares about. Comparing it to what bothers an actor versus the character they're playing. * (22:13) Finding the point between the character and player, and using that to add emotion to the game. * (24:26) Keeping the momentum. * (28:20) The importance of giving rough bits of story an upbeat. * (39:24)&nbsp;Observing the player for clues about how to handle a&nbsp;character. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

Episode 435 - the area between PC and player

* (0:23) Some more details on Derek’s&nbsp;charity games (low level, mid level, and high level tiers). * (3:04) Time to go bonus episode! The FAST test for stroke. * (5:10) Customers beat down Brodeur, illustrating the reason Dan became a programmer. * (11:26) Chad loves the customers. Or at least doesn't hate them. Dan and Wayne just don't generally get angry. * (22:56) A reality&nbsp;that doesn't work for anyone involved. Wayne puts himself in high pressure sales vs Dan's tactic for coping with&nbsp;them. Elmo's  work ethic. * (31:59) Chad gets threatened over a stranger's&nbsp;girlfriend. * (45:29) Bottle it up for later. * (49:30)&nbsp;The GoFundMe page to help Pat&nbsp;and Beth with medical costs. His status updates&nbsp;on Caring Bridge. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

Bonus Episode 73 - customers

* (0:27) Catching up on episodes and experimenting with a Skies of Glass actual play. * (2:51) A listener, Steve,&nbsp;asks about  keeping characters engaged when their specialty isn't of any use in a particular scene. * (7:06) Asking how the characters got in this position. * (10:11) Game Master tweaking of the player characters to give them some options. * (12:18) Adjusting the rules so people can contribute when they normally couldn't. * (14:50) Not letting a scene linger too long. * (16:02) Complicating the scenario to give everyone something to do. * (19:32) Checking your planned scenes to make sure all of the characters can get involved. Hosts: Dan

Episode 442 - something to do

* (0:24)&nbsp;Dan's top three card games in a video game. Chad loses it for Gwent. You can sign up for the Fear the Boot Gwent league on the forums. * (9:28) Entertainment that sounds awful in concept but works well in execution. Persona 5. * (15:00)&nbsp;Gotham. * (22:04)&nbsp;Dredd. * (29:38) Kung Fury. * (29:57) Deconstructing execution of an idea, starting with honesty about what the material is. * (46:51) Trust and open-mindedness when the elevator pitch sounds awful. Hosts: Aisha, Chad, Dan, Wayne

Bonus Episode 74 - terrible on paper

* (0:34) After years of dodging anime, Dan falls in love with One Punch Man. Bill Burr give his take on the show (FAIR WARNING: NSFW language). Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony. * (8:01) Two things that could have messed up the feel of One Punch Man. * (16:47) Putting other anime on the table. * (18:06) Fear the Con X coming up on June 22nd - 24th! * (19:18) We're attempting an actual player series that we're marketing-testing on Patreon. Audience input is currently being taken here. * (25:04) The idiosyncrasies of Fantasy Flight's Star Wars game. * (33:28) Willingness to take on complex games. What's changed and why. * (43:51) A change in the gaming zeitgeist. * (46:14) Adding a third axis to the chart. * (53:56) The Gwent League. Five minutes of Chad's "no index rage" noise. Dan's dance remix of Chad's noise. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan

Episode 446 - too old to punch

* (0:33) Chad fired Brodeur, Dan is the head of HR, Broflake pending. * (6:26) Fear the Con X, post-con. Special thanks to Adam, Bob, and Derek. Also thanks to Beth, Julia, our Kickstarter backers, and everyone who attended. Derek's beard. * (10:23) Some gaming advice that Dan learned at FTC: Hiring an agent of chaos. Over the berm, where Pat kills us all. * (17:10) Inspecting  the Broflake. Brodeur's  reaction to ghosts. * (23:49) Chad's topic: Darkenship. Nobody gets Dan's jokes. * (27:39) Technical expertise and real-world knowledge when running a game. * (32:38) Never weaponize the information. Instead, use it as seasoning. Mr. Robot. For anyone not familiar, PerfMon is  performance monitor. * (40:46) Weaving the information into the narrative. * (44:07) Pat getting possessed by Ted Kennedy. * (48:05) A quick round-robin of best games from the con. Hosts: Brodeur, Chad, Dan, Wayne

Episode 448 - Fear the Con X in review

Fear the Boot is an irreverent, round table discussion of tabletop role playing games. In this weekly show we debate game-related issues, offer advice for improving your game, and poke fun at the hobby. Our cast changes a little from show to show, but we always assemble a group of dynamic individuals with divergent views, guaranteeing you will hear several perspectives on everything we discuss.

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