* (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) 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

* (0:29) Wayne has a problem: the Wardens from Dresden Files. Coming up with too many excuses for why powerful organizations don’t care about the characters’ problems. * (7:14) Session Zero can help…or maybe not. * (10:29) There’s always someone bigger, and maybe your allies lack what you need. * (14:42) What if the characters are the backup? Or maybe they’re starting to get a reputation. * (17:41) Not letting it become a chip on the GM’s shoulder. Players that hamstring themselves. * (23:45) The assistance not being what the players expected. * (27:54) Falling back to the mature answer. Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne

Episode 623 - too big to fail

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.

Episode 612 - running the unknown

Fear the Boot

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