Episode 154: Rogues: Fixer

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

The Wayne Notes for this episode:
What: bribery, blackmail, cleaning, intimidation
Who: fixers
Why: usually money
How: by being mean or by being nice

Listen to the episode if you’d like to hear the unabridged version of our discussion on fixers, the people who make problems go away. Things left out of Wayne’s abridged version include our discussion of D&D 5e, Chris’s shaky grasp of how the legal system works, and the debate on what every fashionable fixer should wear.

Episode 153: Warriors: Zulu Impi

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

“The bones must be thrown in three different places before the message must be accepted.”
– Zulu proverb

What bones? Where are they being thrown? Couldn’t someone just sign for the message?

In this episode, we discuss the Zulu Impi, who conquered the surrounding areas and took on the British Empire. Be thankful that Chris didn’t write these notes or they would’ve been in Zulu. What’s the Zulu word for “pretentious”, Chris?

Episode 152: Undercover

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

State Trooper: Hey, Doc! We’re looking for a prisoner from that bus-train wreck a couple of hours ago, might be hurt.
Dr. Richard Kimble: Uh, what does he look like?
State Trooper: 6’1, 180, brown hair, brown eyes, beard. See anyone like that around?
Dr. Richard Kimble: Every time I look in the mirror, pal – except for the beard, of course!
State Trooper: Now that you mention it, you do look a lot like him, minus the beard, of course. But that’s easy to shave. Come with me, Dr. Kimble.
– The Fugitive‘s original 30-minute running time didn’t screen well with test audiences.

In this episode, we discuss going undercover and the different types of stories you can tell. We also suggest a mechanic for establishing a cover that can be used for multiple systems.

This episode contains no Chris. Listener discretion is advised.

Episode 151: Alignment

Posted on May 4, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

In this episode, Chris and Wayne discuss Alexander Macris’s article “All about Alignment” and whether or not there’s still value in having morality systems. However, with all their talk about trickle down and bad neighbourhoods, you’d think they were running for Congress on a Republican ticket.

Episode 149: TRPG Survey Results Part 1

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

The results are in for the tabletop role-playing industry survey that was distributed late last year and what a shock! Actually, the results weren’t that shocking, so we dedicate the first episode discussing them to the results that didn’t surprise us. Well, except for Wayne, who decides to get into one of the biggest surprises for him. (Big surprise.) In addition to this, we discuss some of the books and articles (see the tags) about the tabletop role-playing industry that helped determine what questions were asked on the survey.

Watch this space because we will be linking all of the questions and results to the survey here.

Episode 144: Playing Han Solo

Posted on March 15, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

Chris: “Lyal, Can I play Batman in your DC game. Batman with a Scottish accent. ‘Ach. Ay’m the heerooo this city deserves, ya wee lass.'”
Lyal: “Wow. I’m not looking forward to that, but sure. Wayne?”
Wayne: “Hmm, maybe Sen … Sensible … Sensual … Sen … tence. Centennial. The Centennial.”
Lyal: “The Sentry. Wrong universe. How about Superman?”
Wayne: “No thanks. I do like Spee … Speeder … Speederma … Spice. Spicer … Spicerman …”
Lyal: “Spider-Man. Wrong universe, again.”

In this episode, we discuss the advantages of playing iconic characters as well as retelling classic or not so classic stories. Also, listen to find out what all the fuss about Sparks Nevada is.

Episode 143: Deadly Games

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

Let the Games begin! In this episode, we discuss how to run a game in a game. Sorry. I mean how to run a game in an RPG. Originally inspired by The Hunger Games, we decided to expand the idea so that this wasn’t just an hour of grown men gushing about a book written for teenage girls (Team Peeta!). Therefore, we included such “all man” sources as The Running Man.

Episode 139: Creature Feature: Mummies

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

Archaeologist #1: The inscription reads, “As for all men who shall enter this my tomb impure, there will be judgment. An end shall be made for him. I shall seize his neck like a bird. I shall cast the fear of myself into him.”
Archaeologist #2: Actually, I think the “bird” is silent in this case.
Archaeologist #1: Ah. I think you’re right. Still, not so good for us, is it?
Archaeologist #2: True.

In this installment of Creature Features, we discuss mummies, the triple threat.

Episode 137: Review: The God-Machine Chronicle Part 1

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Idle Red Hands

This is how you do edition rage, Internet: you don’t.

In this episode, World of Darkness superfans Wayne and Lyal review The God-Machine Chronicle, which includes the World of Darkness rules update. Chris also claims to be a fan. Yet, he can never remember the rules, and when it comes time to record the episode, his daughter gets “sick”.

This turned out to be a really long episode, so we broke it into two parts. This part covers most of the character rules. The “story” rules (e.g., combat) and the setting will be discussed in Part 2.

Episode 132: Review: Numenera and 13th Age Part 2

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Idle Red Hands

“Part 2 and there seems no end in sight to this episode. Will my children recognize me when we finish? Will my wife? I had cats. Two. How long do cats live for? Oh god.
I hear voices. No, it is not madness. It is the other hosts. Something about a 13th Age. When did we start? The 1st Age? I can’t remember. I do remember two books with such promise. Will this second deliver? Is it what we’ve been seeking? I’m so tired.”

In this episode, we review 13th Age. Is it worth the 3 a.m. bedtime that the hosts suffered to bring you this review?

Idle Red Hands

A Podcast From Japan About Games and Gamer Culture

Tag Archives: Dungeons & Dragons (RPG)