Across the Table

What’s Hot in Indie RPGs 2018? – Dragonmeet 2018 seminar (47 mins) Download An annual lookback at 2018 and some of the games and trends in indie rpgs. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2sepDragonmeet18.mp3 Ric moderated this seminar at Dragonmeet on 1st December 2018. The panel was Rob, Eunice Hung, James Mullen and Lloyd Gyan. (Read the hand-outs, including popular con games, biggest kickstarters and themes in the year and a list of games released in 2018) Please note: this was recorded at a busy convention and so there is considerable background noise and microphone pops and clunks. Please be cautious if listening using earphones. 0107 Rob Carnel on The Clay That Woke (2014) and Minotaur World 0410 James Mullen on Spire (2018) 0702 Eunice Hung on Fall of Magic (2015) 1304 Lloyd Gyan on Legend of the Five Rings 5e (2018) 1700 Rob Carnel on better Powered by the Apocalypse Games and second editions of indie rpgs 1940 James Mullen on a return to solid mechanics in indie rpgs 2133 Eunice Hung on the representation of marginalised groups within indie rpgs 2735 Lloyd Gyan is sick of using numbered dice 3200 Q&A: Please destroy unnecessary crowdfunding stretch-goals 3308 Q&A: Which rpg mechanic or aspect best delivers the designer’s intent? 3950 Q&A: The greatest misuse of PBTA? 4235 Q&A: What makes an rpg well-suited for Twitch / performing in front of an audience? 4550 What games are you looking forward to? Rob Carnel: Thousand Year Old Vampire James Mullen: Over the Edge Eunice Hung: Dream Askew / Dream Apart Lloyd Gyan: Bastion Other games mentioned #Feminism anthology (2016) A Cosy Den (2018) Alas, the Awful Sea (2017) Blades in the Dark (2018) Conan (2017) Dread (2005) Dungeons & Dragons (1974-2014) Fiasco (2009) Follow (2017) Genesys (2017) Kult: Divinity Lost (2018) Lady Blackbird (2009) Masks: A New Generation (2016) Microscope (2011) Monkey (2018) Never Tell Me The Odds (20??) Nibiru (20??) Ribbon Drive (2009) Scum & Villainy (2018) Sigmata (2018) Starcrossed (20??) Storied Yarns (20??) The Quiet Year (2013) The Shadow of Yesterday (2004) Vagabonds of Dyfed (2018) Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3e (2009) Weave (2017) Winterhorn (2017)

What’s Hot in Story Games 2017? – Dragonmeet 2017 seminar (45 mins) Download An annual lookback at 2017 and some of the games and trends in story games and narrative rpgs. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2sepDragonmeet17.mp3 Ric moderated this seminar at Dragonmeet on 2nd December 2017. The panel was Rob, Becky Annison, Elizabeth Lovegrove and Lloyd Gyan. (Read the hand-outs, including popular con games, biggest kickstarters and top patreons and a list of games released in 2017) 0100 Rob Carnel on Fair Verona Burns: A Tragedy In Three Acts (2017) 0300 Becky Annison on Bluebeard’s Bride (2017) 0753 Elizabeth Lovegrove on Dialect (201?) 1110 Lloyd Gyan on Tales From The Loop (2017) (and Hood: Adventures in Sherwood (2017)) 1622 Rob Carnel on blurring the lines between mainstream & indie design and whether some rule systems liberate or constrain their hacks 2130 Becky Annison on non-violence 2700 Elizabeth Lovegrove on rpgs in education 2845 Lloyd Gyan on Irish rpg conventions 3218 Q&A: Games with mechanically supported courtly intrigue? 3548 Q&A: Games using Augmented/Virtual Reality? 3645 Q&A: What stakes can you use without violence? 4000 Q&A: How to get into indie rpgs in London? 4200 What games are you looking forward to? Rob Carnel: The Sword, the Crown & the Unspeakable Power (201?) Becky Annison: Winterhorn (2017) Elizabeth Lovegrove: Good Society (201?) Lloyd Gyan: Katanas & Trenchcoats (201?) Other games mentioned 1001 Nights (2006) 6016 (#Feminism anthology (2016)) Alas, the Awful Sea (2017) Bedlam Hall (2017) Court Whispers (not yet released) Death is the new Pink (2017) Dread House (2010) Dungeons & Dragons (1974-2014) Freemarket (2010) Golden Sky Stories (2013) Grunting: the Race for Fire (2007) Home By Dark (2017) Houses of the Blooded (2008) Legend of the Five Rings (1997-2010) Love in the Time of Seið (2010) Monsterhearts (2012-2017) Lovecraftesque (2016) Reign (2007) Rise & Fall (2016) Route Clearance (2017) Seven Wonders (2016) Shadowrun Anarchy (2016) The Black Hack (2016) The Burning Wheel (2002) The Romance trilogy (2005-2008) The Quiet Year (2013) The Sword, the Crown & the Unspeakable Power (not yet released) The Warren (2015) Threadbare (2017) When the Dark is Gone (2016) Other links 200 Word RPG Challenge Gaelcon Gauntlet community (for online gaming) Gauntlet podcast (cast on GauntletCon) London Indie RPG meetup & facebook group RPG Haven Star Trek: The Next Generation: Darmok Stranger Things Augmented reality/technology in larp examples http://www.larping.org/articles/augmented-larp-press-release/ http://elsewherenightly.com/p/the-new-tech-of-larp-augmented-reality/ Rob Carnel is a game critic, zine editor and one of the most prolific game-runners at London Indiemeet. Becky Annison is the award-winning designer of the critically acclaimed games Lovecraftesque and When the Dark is Gone, and is one half of the small press publisher Black Armada games. Becky has been in love with gaming for 26 years and likes to write, run and play games that give you intense feels. She also speaks and writes about RPG design and inclusivity and diversity. When not gaming, Becky likes knitting and detective stories. Becky is relentlessly cheerful, ridiculously creative and so modest she had to get someone else to write this. Elizabeth Lovegrove is the designer of Rise and Fall, a story game about dystopias, and part of Indie Game of the Year the Seven Wonders anthology. She’s a regular on the Fictoplasm podcast, about turning books into games, and an academic who’s trying to sneak roleplaying into her teaching. Lloyd Gyan is a lover of indie and story games and also a GMing phenomenon.

Best RPGs for Beginners (Part 2) (31 mins) Download Ric, Rob and Joanna Piancastelli conclude on this king-sized episode with their pick for the best rpg for beginners http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2sep_top5p2.mp3 0000 GxB (2011) by Jake Richmond 0800 Kingdom (2013) by Ben Robbins 1730 Witch: the Road to Lindisfarne (2012) by Kevin Barthaud & Richard Lacy To read replays (transcripts) of a session of the above games which Ric organised see: GxB: Momoko the Hero Witch: The Witch & the Rosary From Concrete Cow: Neil on Inspectres (2004); Elina on Witch: the Road to Lindisfarne; Lloyd Gyan on Fate Accelerated (2013); Nick Reynolds on playing with those you like and trust

Best RPGs for Beginners (Part 1) (61 mins) Download Ric, Rob, Joanna Piancastelli and assorted British roleplaying luminaries share their thoughts on the best place for beginners to start http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2sep_top5p1.mp3 0000 What were our criteria? 0342 Lady Blackbird (2009) by John Harper 0721 Twenty Four Game Poems: Slower Than Light (2010) by Marc Majcher 1219 #Feminism (2016) by various 1650 From Concrete Cow: Lloyd Gyan on Dungeons & Dragons 5e (2014); Matt Nixon on Dungeons & Dragons 5e (2014); Amy on Firefly (2014); Mike Mason on Call of Cthulhu (1981-2014); Ian on Cthulhu Dark (2010-17) 1919 Always/Never/Now (2013) by Will Hindmarch 2448 Microscope (2011) by Ben Robbins 2940 Fiasco (2009) by Jason Morningstar 3400 From Concrete Cow: Lloyd Gyan on Dungeon World (2012); Paul Fricker on Dungeon World (2012); Ralph on Beyond the Wall (2013); Andrew Burbage on Traveller (1977-2016); Matt Nixon on BRP (1980-2008) 3639 Love in the Time of Seið (2010) by Mattijs Holter & Jason Morningstar 4125 Questlandia (2014) by Hannah Shaffer & Evan Rowland 4409 Monsterhearts (2012) by Avery Alder 4812 From Concrete Cow: Lloyd Gyan on Mutant Year Zero (2014); James Mullen on Fiasco (2009); James Torrance on Microscope (2011); Scott Dorward on Primetime Adventures (2004-15); Piers Connelly on Intrepid (2013) 5053 Psi*Run (2007) by Meguey Baker 5725 From Concrete Cow: Lloyd Gyan on Masks: A New Generation (2016); Steve Ellis on Monsterhearts (2012); Abstract Machine on Left Coast (2011-13); Cat on Best Friends (2007); Michael on Cheat Your Own Adventure (2012)

Ric & Rob at the 200 word rpg playfest (30 mins) Download Ric and Rob try to play (and discuss) as many 200 word rpg entries as possible at the 200 word rpg playfest http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2sep_200wordrpg.mp3 0031 Shuffles & Skeletons by Carlos Martins 0525 Build Your Own RPG by Andrew J. Young 0710 Manic Pixie Dream Girl by Jenni Sands 1050 Demon Dare by Daniele Di Rubbo 1457 Time To Run by Sanchit Sharma 2427 Fair Verona Burns by Adam T. Minnie

UK Games Expo seminar: Acquiring IP licenses and designing genre in rpgs (48 mins) Download A panel seminar from UK Games Expo led by Michael Duxbury and including Darren Pearce on writing the Judge Dredd rpg, Ed Jowett and John from Shades of Vengeance and Ric talking nanogame design of specific shows and books http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2sep_expofandoms.mp3 0000 Introductions 0510 Ed Jowett on Acquiring a licence: estates, companies, individuals 0720 Darren Pearce on How to work for a publisher with a licence 1535 John on Being a professional writer and expectations of writing for a licensed work 1840 Michael Duxbury on Creating a genre game by hacking another 2625 Epistolary Richard on Four approaches to creating a genre game as a nanogame 3605 Darren Pearce on writing licensed games and fan expectations for The First Doctor sourcebook 4000 Epistolary Richard on Fan enthusiasm and criticism with Scythes of the Emperor 4250 John and Darren on dealing with a blank page Games mentioned Judge Dredd rpg (2017) Doctor Who (2009) Savage Worlds (2003) Hunter: The Vigil (2008) Memory Ball (2015) A Town with Pep! (2017) Girls from Gilmore, Boys from the Dwarf (2017) Star Wars (West End Games) (1987) Media mentioned Riddick My Little Pony Supernatural Men in Black The A-Team Inside Out Riverdale Veronica Mars Gilmore Girls Buffy the Vampire Slayer Scythes of the Emperor Star Wars Rebels

Epidiah Ravachol and Swords Without Master (28 mins) Download A detailed discussion with Epidiah Ravachol about the design of Swords Without Master http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2sep_ERSwords.mp3 0000 Why has Swords taken so long? 0125 What has pro-wrestling to do with the Perilous Phase? 0209 How each phase shares responsibility for the narrative 0333 The Rogues Phase and Playing your character in the face of demands that go against your vision of the character and framing demands 0650 The Discovery Phase as driver of the game 0820 The Phase for ending the game 0933 The design origins of the Phases 1335 The Overplayer’s sense of wonder in the Discovery phase 1437 Stymies and “Just call it failure!” 1636 Morals and amoral tales 1810 Mysteries and the world is weirder than you think 1840 Motifs, echoes and chapter breaks 2242 Motif reincorporation and ending the game 2439 Epilogues and hopes for multi-session play 2643 Changes to the finished version Games mentioned Sorceress Bloody Sorceress (2014) Apocalypse World (2010) The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1998) The Black Hack (2016) Annalise (2010) Invisible Empire (2015)

The development of the rpg design of Epidiah Ravachol (38 mins) Download A profile of the rpg development history of Epidiah Ravachol with contributions from the Tableplay, Tell Me Another and Independent Insurgency podcasts http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2sep_ERprofile.mp3 0053 The origins of Dread 0444 The Dread tower 0550 The Dread questionnaires 0616 Publishing Dread 0728 Time and Temp 0928 Epimas and the success of the pdf 1023 Playstorming 1130 The Games in a Jiffy: Trial & Terror and MonkeyDome 1350 MonkeyDome, tonal resolution and Sword & Sorcery 1510 Dread House: refining and developing Dread 1828 The direct lineage from Dread to Vast & Starlit via a horror convention 2222 What is a roleplaying game? the game 2410 Vast & Starlit and the essential core of roleplaying games 2700 The development of Swords Without Master and Worlds Without Master 3015 Wolfspell – powered by the apocalypse 3140 Swords Without Master: tones, phases and its mini-games Games mentioned Dread (2005) Time & Temp (2009) Trial and Terror: SVU (2009) MonkeyDome (2009) Dread House (2010) The Dread Geas of Duke Vulku (2015) Spaceknights (2012) The Final Girl (2012) What is a roleplaying game? (2013) Vast & Starlit (2013) Doll (2013) The Sundered Land (2013) Nanoworld (2013) Cheat Your Own Adventure (2012) Swords Without Master (2014) Wolfspell (2013) Apocalypse World (2011) Invisible Empire (2015) Media mentioned Worlds Without Master Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser The 200 word rpg contest The works of Clark Ashton Smith

Epimas 2016 – An interview with Epidiah Ravachol (16 mins) Download Ric & Rob talk with Epidiah Ravachol about Epimas 2016. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/axsep2_epimas16.mp3 See the Epimas bundles on the Worlds without Master website. Bundles can be bought and gifted until 23 December 2016. Read Epidiah’s interview with Brie Sheldon about the history of Epimas.

Episode Eight – Lady Blackbird (47 mins) Download Lady Blackbird is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by John Harper. Don’t like background music? Find the music-free recording at the bottom of the page. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep8_ladyblackbird.mp3 0034 Why are we talking about this game? 0127 A scenario with its own rule system 0317 The premise of the scenario 0654 Where did it come from? 0939 What are the mechanics? The obstacle, the dice pool, xp and refreshment scenes 1250 Are they effective? General pool management and spotlighting 1416 Success and failure 1751 What’s best for team vs character and “speedrunning” 1901 Character specialisation and reiterating challenges and controlling the spotlight 2349 “Antisocial” keys and character status 2528 The role of gm 2751 The structure of the story beyond escaping the Hand of Sorrow 2939 The importance of the relationships 3448 Beyond the initial character keys 3614 What should designers take from this game? 4225 Is it part of our canon? 4602 Other games to look at Magister Lor (2015) and Inspectres (2002) Games mentioned Magister Lor (2015) Witch: the Road to Lindisfarne (2012) Psi*Run (2007) Blades in the Dark (2017?) The Shadow of Yesterday (2004) The Pool (2000) Marvel Heroic Roleplaying (Cortex) (2012) Vast & Starlit (2013) Other things mentioned The best one shots in the world (Fastaval history) Star Wars Harry Potter Music is Paste the Sky by Paul Ressel and used under licence from Audio Network. Music-free version Download http://www.richard-williams.com/ax//ax2ep8_ladyblackbird_nomusic.mp3

What’s Hot in Story Games 2016? – Dragonmeet 2016 seminar (48 mins) Download An annual lookback at 2016 and some of the games and trends in story games and narrative rpgs. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/axsep2Dragonmeet16.mp3 Ric moderated this seminar at Dragonmeet on 3rd December 2016. The panel was Rob, Grant Howitt, Joanna Piancastelli and Lloyd Gyan. (Read the hand-outs, including popular con games, biggest kickstarters and top patreons and a list of games released in 2016) 0007 Rob Carnel on Soap Bubble by Joshua Fox and Annex by John Keyworth 0408 Grant Howitt on Cryptomancer by Chad Walker and Ten Candles by Stephen Dewey 0656 Joanna Piancastelli on Bluebeard’s Bride by Whitney “Strix” Beltrán, Marissa Kelly, and Sarah Richardson and the Warbirds anthology 1140 Lloyd Gyan on Masks: A New Generation by Brendan Conway and Monkey: A Second Incarnation by Newt Newport 1627 Rob Carnel on smaller games and game competitions 200 word rpg challenge Golden Cobra Challenge Game Chef 7th Sea 2e kickstarter John Harper’s Patreon (Breakers) Grant Howitt’s Patreon (The Witch is Dead, Golden Sea) Blades in the Dark Lady Blackbird 2518 Grant Howitt on the absence of technology Spaceteam Ticket to Atlantis (the Russian larp mentioned) Viewscream 2e XCOM: the Board Game 3148 Joanna Piancastelli on the impact of blockbuster larps Convention of Thorns College of Wizardry Fairweather Manor Ghost Court The Line Inheritance Fall of Magic Invisible Sun 3740 Lloyd Gyan on online gaming and meeting new people Tabletop RPG One Shot facebook group Q&A: 4124 Do high production values reduce accessibility? 4307 Views on second editions of indie games? Apocalypse World 2e Monsterhearts 2e 4449 Upcoming games we’re excited about? Monkey: A Second Incarnation Atlas Reckoning The Spire Follow 4608 Playing rpgs in public? Rob Carnel is a game critic, zine editor and one of the most prolific game-runners at London Indiemeet. Grant Howitt is a freelance writer and the game designer behind Goblin Quest, Drunken Bear Fighter and Doctor Magnethands. This year he ran the very successful kickstarter for his new game Unbound. Joanna Piancastelli is a globe-trotting game designer, just returned from the Metatopia game design convention in America and Convention of Thorns, the newest Polish castle larp. Her game Before the Storm is published in the Seven Wonders anthology from Pelgrane Press, and she’s currently working on a play-by-video larp design. Lloyd Gyan is a lover of indie and story games and also a GMing phenomenon.

Episode Seven – Dog Eat Dog (47 mins) Download Dog Eat Dog is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by Liam Liwanag Burke. Don’t like background music? Find the music-free recording at the bottom of the page. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep7_dogeatdog.mp3 Ric & Rob talk about Dog Eat Dog (2012), a game of occupation, resistance and assimilation. 0038 Why are we talking about this game? 0115 What was the designer’s goal? 0301 What are the mechanics? 1233 Are they effective? 1818 The token economy 2151 An uncomfortable game 2417 Why not have the natives write the rules? 2643 You can’t predict how you’ll play 2930 Where did it come from? 3412 What should designers take from this game? 4243 Is it part of our canon? 4500 Other games to look at Mars Colony (2010) and My Life With Master (2003) Games mentioned Dungeons & Dragons (1974-2014) Blue moon city (2006) Chronicles of Skin (2011-12) #Feminism (2016) Music is Long White Cloud by Marshall Smith and used under licence from Audio Network. Music-free version Download http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep7_dogeatdog_nomusic.mp3

Episode Six – Witch: the Road to Lindisfarne (48 mins) Download Witch: the Road to Lindisfarne is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by Kevin Barthaud & Richard Lacy. Don’t like background music? Find the music-free recording at the bottom of the page. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep6_witchtrtl.mp3 Ric & Rob talk about Witch: the Road to Lindisfarne (2012), a game of a single journey, of guilt, faith and absolution. 0044 Why are we talking about this game? 0139 Where did it come from? 0355 What’s the premise of the game? 0448 The mechanic 0557 Short time to table 0638 Elouise’s guilt, scene structure, tight constraints 0826 Characters, faith, justice, duty 1118 Absolution 1258 Where did it come from? 1421 What was the designer’s goal? 1640 Play, foreshadowing, confessions, the purpose of scenes 2205 Relationships 2311 Bringing your own basket 2333 Narrative freedom and a character sandbox 2540 Elouise 2917 Set characters but a variety of portrayals 3152 Complicity and the reveal, a game about the experience 3413 What should designers take from this game? 4153 Is it part of our canon? 4632 Read more about playing Witch in Ric’s The Witch & The Rosary (pdf on drivethrurpg) (kindle on amazon) 4639 Other games to look at Montsegur 1244 (2009) and Kagematsu (2009) Games mentioned Montsegur 1244 (2009) Archipelago (2007-12) Love in the Time of Seið (2010) Lady Blackbird (2009) Dogs in the Vineyard (2004) Forsooth! (2012) Microscope (2011) The Final Voyage of the Selene (2011) Media mentioned Season of the Witch Live action Witch at Camp Nerdly Music is Ruins by Patrick Hawes and used under licence from Audio Network. Music-free version Download http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep6_witchtrtl_nomusic.mp3

Episode Five – Archipelago (39 mins) Download Archipelago is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by Matthijs Holter. Don’t like background music? Find the music-free recording at the bottom of the page. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep5_archipelago.mp3 Ric & Rob talk about Archipelago (2007-12), a game of interweaving tales, of journeys and destiny, of rituals and the sea. 0032 Why are we talking about this game? 0204 Where did it come from? 0400 What was the designer’s goal? 0717 Mechanics – destiny points, scene framing, ritual phrases, fate cards, resolution cards, aspects 1436 Is it effective? Player empowerment 1708 A slow game 1925 Lack of preparedness for a scene 2257 Fate cards 2425 The type of story 2545 What should designers take from this game? 3250 Is it part of our canon? 3826 Other games to look at Questlandia (2014) and Love in the Time of Seið (2010) Games mentioned Love in the Time of Seið (2010) Itras By (2008/12) Intrepid (2013) Witch: the Road to Lindisfarne (2012) Questlandia (2014) Fiasco (2009) Prime Time Adventures (2004-15) Whimsy cards (2012) Forsooth! (2012) A Penny For My Thoughts (2009) The Mountain Witch (2005) Monsterhearts (2012) Media mentioned A Wizard of Earthsea Norwegian style blog American freeform Disclosures The designer allowed Ric usage of the Love in the Time of Seið mechanics in Anarktica. Music is Magnetar by Terry Devine-King and used under licence from Audio Network. Music-free version Download http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep5_archipelago_nomusic.mp3

Episode Four – Psi*Run (36 mins) Download Psi*Run is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by Meguey Baker. Don’t like background music? Find the music-free recording at the bottom of the page. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep4_psirun.mp3 Ric & Rob talk about Psi*Run (2007), a game of chase, capture, escape and memory. 0047 Why are we talking about this game? 0133 The designer 0215 Role of the GM 0348 The premise, basic structure and mechanics 0658 Where did it come from? 0837 What was the designer’s goal? 0904 Is it effective? 0916 How the game encourages players to engage with it 1126 How the game empowers its players 1656 The two core mechanics 1716 Does it hold together? 1844 Common play structure and the role of chasers 1942 Prepping the cold start and character dynamic 2135 Ending the game and the crossroads 2303 Why play this game? 2805 What should designers take from this game? 3321 Is it part of our canon? 3434 Other games to look at Carolina Death Crawl (2013) and Hell 4 Leather (2010) Games mentioned 1001 Nights (2006) Playing Nature’s Year (2015) Valiant Girls (2013) Vast & Starlit (2013) Otherkind dice (2005) A Penny For My Thoughts (2009) Dungeon World (2012) Microscope (2011) The Adventures of Indiana Jones RPG (1984) Always/Never/Now (2013) Media mentioned The Fugitive X-Men Music is A Better Place 2 by Alexis Smith, Joe Henson and Dot Allison and used under licence from Audio Network. Music-free version Download http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep4_psirun_nomusic.mp3

Episode Three – Intrepid (35 mins) Download Intrepid is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by John Keyworth. Don’t like background music? Find the music-free recording at the bottom of the page. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep3_intrepid.mp3 Ric & Rob talk about Intrepid (2013), a storytelling game of epic stories of characters braving quests filled with glory and adventure. 0030 Why are we talking about this game? 0113 What was the designer’s goal? 0210 How do you play? Quests and scenes 0407 Characters, themes, connections 0715 Where did it come from? 0910 Character pool, holding characters and changing the world 1137 Coherence: phrases, director role, quest progression 1915 Effectiveness: flexible player role, a game that gets out of the way of its players 2327 Efficiency and the narrative structure of a quest, leading questions 2556 Why play this game? A rules light way of having a campaign experience in a few hours 2932 How you can use this game 3118 What should designers take from this game? 3345 Is it part of our canon? 3425 Other games to look at In A Wicked Age (2007) and Remember Tomorrow (2010) Games mentioned Swords Without Master (2014) Microscope (2011) Archipelago (2007-12) Smallville Remember Tomorrow (2010) On Mighty Thews (2009) Kingdom (2013) The Quiet Year (2013) Puerto Rico (2002) Chronicles of Skin (2011-12) GxB (2011) A Penny For My Thoughts (2009) Prime Time Adventures (2004-15) Mist-Robed Gate (2008) Disclosures Ric, Rob and the designer are all members and regular attendees of London Indiemeet. Music is Bounty Hunter by Dan Skinner and Adam Skinner and used under licence from Audio Network. Music-free version Download http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep3_intrepid_nomusic.mp3

Episode Two – Fiasco (34 mins) Download Fiasco is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by Jason Morningstar. Don’t like background music? Find the music-free recording at the bottom of the page. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep2_fiasco.mp3 Ric & Rob talk about Fiasco (2009), a game of ordinary people, powerful ambition and poor impulse control. 00:24 Why are we talking about this game? 01:02 How do you play? 02:35 Where did it come from? 06:35 Structured vs unstructured relationship setup and dependency on playsets 08:35 The resolution mechanic 10:50 What was the designer’s goal? 12:45 Does it work? 23:25 What should designers take from this game? 30:05 Is it part of our canon?* 32:50 Other games to look at Polaris (2005) and Protocol (2013) *We meant Intolerable Cruelty Games mentioned Grey Ranks (2007) In A Wicked Age (2007) The Shab-Al-Hiri Roach (2006) Polaris: Chivalric Tragedy At Utmost North (2005) Prime Time Adventures (2004-15) A Penny For My Thoughts (2009) Microscope (2011) Durance (2012) Dungeons & Dragons (1974-2014) Apocalypse World (2010) Dungeon World (2012) Monsterhearts (2012) Media mentioned Fiasco Tabletop episode Diana Jones award to Grey Ranks Interview with Jason Morningstar on origins of Fiasco Coen Brothers Detour Jeepform Fargo Disclosures The designer has won several London Indie Darling awards (which were organised by Ric). Separately, the designer also allowed Ric usage of the Love in the Time of Seið mechanics in Anarktica. Music is Showdown in Sonora by Tim Devine and Ned Milton and used under licence from Audio Network. Music-free version Download http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep2_fiasco_nomusic.mp3

Episode One – Swords Without Master (44 mins) Download Swords Without Master is a tabletop roleplaying game designed by Epidiah Ravachol. Don’t like background music? Find the music-free recording at the bottom of the page. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep1_swordswithoutmaster.mp3 Ric & Rob talk about Swords Without Master (2014), a game of strange sorceries, brutal violence and astounding wonder. 00:27 Why are we talking about this game? 02:44 Where did it come from? 06:12 What was the designer’s goal? 07:28 What are the mechanics? 11:46 Does it work? 21:37 Motifs and excitement 23:45 The Overplayer: its role and playing it 30:57 What is it a game about? 36:08 Why play this game? 38:10 What should designers take from this game? 40:35 Is it part of our canon? 42:07 Other games to look at S/Lay w/Me (2009) and Breaking the Ice (2005) Games mentioned A City of Fire & Coin (2012) Itras By (2008/12) Monkey Dome (2009) Bliss Stage (2011) Burning Wheel (2002) Fiasco (2009) Dungeons & Dragons (1974-2014) Psi*Run (2007) Time & Temp (2009) Kingdom (2013) Apocalypse World (2010) Monsterhearts (2012) Archipelago (2007-12) Protocol (2013) Durance (2012) Media mentioned Worlds Without Master Mad Max Elric Conan Guardian article Disclosures Rob is a patron of the designer’s Patreon. The designer won a London Indie Darling award in 2015 (which were organised by Ric). Music is Dark Ritual by David O’Brien and used under licence from Audio Network. Music-free version Download http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep1_swordswithoutmaster_nomusic.mp3

Episode Zero (28 mins) Download Reflecting on season one and how we think differently about games http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/ax2ep0.mp3 00:00 Have we changed? 02:00 A critical eye 03:03 Who was our audience? 04:38 Different interpretations of the same mechanics 07:20 Why a second season? 09:45 Two different modes of roleplaying 12:53 The ideal game 14:05 The concept of a canon 15:06 The bucket list 18:21 GMless games 19:21 How the first season was received 22:25 The season one bucket list Games mentioned Monsterhearts (2012) The Quiet Year (2013) Microscope (2011) A Penny For My Thoughts (2009) Chainmail (1971) Slammin’ (2012) Kingdom (2013) Vast & Starlit (2013) The Name of God (2016) The Deep Forest (2014) Media mentioned Fallout 4 without killing

Pipeline: The Name of God (40 mins) Download A game about those ignored by society who have lost everything except the burning belief of being a god trapped in a mortal body. http://www.richard-williams.com/ax/axspecial%20The%20Name%20of%20God.mp3 Alessandro Piroddi speaks about his upcoming game The Name of God, the mechanics, influences, playtesting and crowdfunding experience.