Haste - The Official Obsidian Portal Podcast

| Episode 129| Announcements This is a special episode of Haste that I hope you’ll all listen to and provide any feedback on that you might have. Thanks folks! Topics End of An Era Hey there listeners, special episode of Haste for you this week. I’m sure some of you saw this coming but, I felt it was necessary to start the conversation and get the info out there. I’d appreciate any feedback, questions, or commentary you all might have. I hope you all understand, and I hope you continue to tune in for our upcoming final episode, and whatever podcast comes next for Obsidian Portal. As always, and from the very deepest recesses of my gazebo shaped heart, thanks for listening. Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 128| Announcements No announcements today, we’re just jumping right into the show with Jason, we hope you enjoy! Topics Thin Blue Line: A Detroit Police Story Tonight we’re joined by the wonderful Mr. Jason Marker. Freelance game designer who has done work on Warhammer 40k, the new Star Wars games, and a lot more. I bug him all about his new game and Kickstarter for Thin Blue Line. Tune in to find out: What is the typical day in the life of a psychic detective? Why Savage Worlds? The history behind the Corktown police department Book size, art, backer levels, other goodies A bunch of other stuff, just listen! Be sure to check out Melior Via press, and stalk Jason online on twitter and facebook. Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 127| Announcements Today we’re re-launching the Haste podcast, of course with a few changes pending yesterday’s news. Micah will no longer be a part of the show, but I’m currently in the works of setting up my new co-host. The format of the show may undergo a few tweaks and changes but nothing too major. In the meantime I’ll be doing interviews and news blurbs as usual until we get back to a 100% regular structure and release schedule. It’s good to be back! Topics Shadow of the Demon Lord Tonight we’re joined by the illustrious Mr. Rob Schwalb to talk all about Shadow of the Demon Lord as we kick the podcast back into action. We go in depth about Rob’s new game, asking all the whys and the hows. Tune in for a great show! What are the basics of the game? What are groups and adventures like? What is the power curve like? What kind of monsters will we fight? Why make your own game? Anything we haven’t seen yet on the Kickstarter What’s next for Demon Lord and Schwalb Entertainment Questions from the internet! Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 126| Announcements Tonight we’re hoping you all had a great turkey day, we’re well rested and ready to chat about some serious RPG stuff. Come join us! [Note: There were some audio anomalies on Micah’s end with this episode. During recording I thought this was just distortion on the call we were on, as that is common on skype/G+, however it turns out that it wasn’t and I did my best to scrub the audio but there are still some rough spots. -Jerry] Topics Iron Kingdoms Unleashed There’s a new standalone RPG in the Iron Kingdoms universe headed our way. Be sure to check out Iron Kingdoms Unleashed, complete with an awesome boxed starter set coming next year. More info every Friday from Privateer Press! Dungeonscape Lives?! Just as soon as it was declared dead, Dungeonscape has risen from its own ashes like a phoenix. There’s a great interview up between the DS crew and The Id DM. Be sure to check it out as well as some coverage over on ENWorld. It looks like there’s still a lot to speculate about but there is a future! The DMG Is Coming That’s right folks, the third and final puzzle piece of the D&D core set, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, will be releasing very, very soon. We’ve already got our hands on a copy and it sure is gorgeous. We dish about the DMG, and we’d like your thoughts too! Question @d20Monkey asks: We know some items can kill a campaign. What are a few you feel could SAVE a campaign? Tune in to find out! Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 125| Announcements Tonight we’re joined by famous game designer Rob Schwalb to talk to him about his new game Shadow of the Demon Lord. You can get all of the latest information and more on SotDL on Rob’s website, and on Schwalb Entertainment’s blog. Also, be sure to check out the Cthulhu: Strange Aeons Kickstarter, which Rob is also a part of. Topics Shadow of the Demon Lord We sit down and talk with Rob about what to expect from Shadow of the Demon Lord. I grill him about story, combat, mechanics, Kickstarter plans and more. Be sure to keep tuned to all things SotDL by following their various channels such as Facebook, Google +, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, and of course the official blog. Dungeon Scape Is No More In a sudden, and unexpected turn of events Trapdoor Technologies has announced that they will no longer be working on Dungeonscape alongside WotC. Dungeonscape was the to-be premiere set of digital tools for 5e D&D. This leaves a lot of questions, to which we have no answers but must speculate upon! Horror In Your Games / Pathfinder Occult Playtest Rob and I discuss the awesomeness that is running horror in your games, he gives some tips and pointers and we also discuss the latest Pathfinder Occult Playtest that sync’d right up with Halloween. If you’re a Pathfinder player you should definitely be checking these out! Tip Keep your eyes glued on Shadow of the Demon Lord! Question @CyberSonzai asks: Most entertaining in-character excuse you’ve made up for a player that can’t make it that week? Tune in to find out! Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 124| Announcements Jerry is gaming for 24 hours straight this Saturday in order to help raise money for sick kids by taking part in the Extra-Life fundraiser. His team, Team Gazebo is comprised of himself, Dustin from Baldman Games, his wife, and a few local friends. They are raffling cool prizes off including D&D stuff, board game stuff, and PC games. Hit the link for the team page for all the info on the raffles, their schedule, and where to watch their live stream! Topics Due Diligence on New Players How much prep, interviewing, stalking should you do on a new player that is coming to your table? Micah and Jerry discuss, do you agree? Let’s hear it in the comments! Don’t Describe Combat A guest article up on Gnomestew talks about not describing combat, and letting your players do it themselves. While this may work for some groups, we’re not sure it would work in ours. Would it work in yours? Chess Is Not An RPG So, “Chess is Not an RPG” is getting a lot of play around the internet, so Micah and Jerry decided to take a stab at their opinion on the whole deal. Trying our best to not go into rant mode, we talk about the topic. Failed on avoiding rant mode, unfortunately. Tip Don’t be afraid to have new players take part in an intro session, knowing that they haven’t been included in the gaming group just yet. It may save you a lot of time and headache! Question @Kilogex asks: How do you not be a GM in a game you’re not running? Is it possible to not be a “bad player” after tasting so much power? Tune in to find out! Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 123| Announcements Tonight, we’re joined by freelance Game Designer Ben McFarland to talk about Kobold Press’s Southlands Kickstarter, and lots more. Don’t forget that you can follow Ben on twitter at @Brickk. Let’s jump in now! Topics  Southlands Setting for Pathfinder Ben McFarland sits down to talk to us about adventuring in the mysterious, hot, and perilous Southlands! Lots of African and Arabian inspiration here for Pathfinder fans, and anyone else who enjoys great setting material. Be sure to check it out and support the project! Converting 2e to 5e Realms Up on NewbieDM’s blog we’ve got a great piece about converting older 2e D&D material into 5e. There’s not a ton of hard math here but it’s a great jumping off point for anyone who’s looking to do the same thing. Be sure to check it out and tell us what you think! Game Master = Schedule Master? Over on Reddit, we came across a thread about how the GM always also seems to be the person who decides the scheduling of game time. All of the when/where/how a game group is meeting seems to always fall on their shoulders. It can be a lot of added stress, but does it always have to be this way? Tune in as Ben and I muse about our youth, and actually solving this problem! Tip Check out the Southlands Kickstarter! Question Brian White (via Facebook) asks: Can surrealism or absurdism ever work coherently in an RPG? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 122| Announcements Tonight, we’re joined by Brian Patterson and Tracy Barnett of the newly formed Exploding Rogue Studios! Tune in as we talk about Karthun, and lots more. Be sure to hit up their website for all the details on stalking them online! Also, don’t forget that our friends over at Roll20 are hiring. Beyond that, let’s get on with the show! Topics  Karthun Campaign Setting Brian Patterson, creator of the d20Monkey comic is running a Kickstarter to fund fully fleshing out his awesome world of Karthun alongside Tracy as one of the first major projects for Exploding Rogue, tune in as we chat about the setting, the Kickstarter, and lots more good stuff about their current and upcoming projects. WizKids to “Take Over” D&D Board Games We talk about the recent ICv2 article that stirred up the internet about the D&D board games and we also speculate on the marvelous possibilities of said mystery board game(s) coming down the pipe from WotC. Why You Also Need To Be A Player More top notch stuff from Gnome Stew as always, in an article regarding just exactly how important it is to visit both sides of the GM screen. We talk at length about the positive benefits of walking a mile in each others gaming shoes. Tip GMs – Be sure to take the player seat every now and then, and players, be sure to sit behind that big bad screen every so often. It will only improve your games! Question @DeuceDM asks: Have you ever incorporated TCGs/boardgames into an #rpg session? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 121| Announcements Tonight, we’re joined by Steve Hammond of the Lost Papyrus website and we’re talking to him about his awesome tools for Obsidian Portal and more. No other announcements this episode, but we’ll have some soon! Now, on with the show. Topics  Lost Tools We talk to Steve about how Lost Papyrus and the tools therein got started, how you can use them to better your game, and a lot more. It’s a really great site, you should all give it a look! Dealing With Player Hiatuses Recently on Reddit there was some good discussion about how to handle players leaving either for short periods or longer. Steve and I discuss ways to handle this in your own games, but most importantly we’d like to hear from our listeners about how you guys handle this kind of stuff! Target Mapping w/ Monster Manual A really brilliant post by GeekyLyndsay over on Critical Hits recently made some waves across the twitter pond with some great ideas on world building with the Monster Manual. You should check it out, listen to Steve and I discuss, and then give us your feedback. Maybe even tell us what cool things you can/will do with something like this Tip Use Lost Tools to get the most out of your Obsidian Portal campaign! Question @MikeyGeek via twitter asks: If you had time to choose and run a new game, which one would it be and why? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 120| Announcements Vanguard wrap up, huge thanks to all who participated and congrats to Wolfhound on winning the huge prize pack. Bits and pieces will be on their way soon! New Backgrounds are up, more soon! Having just recovered from con crud, we will be judging the Summer of Flames contest soon. Topics  Chatty’s Adventure Writing Hacks Over on Critical Hits, we explore Phil’s idea of constructing adventures on the fly from a series of note cards, it sounds great, but would it work for you? A nice low-tech solution for jotting down thoughts as they come to you. What do you guys think? Signature Monsters As part of Troy’s Crock Pot over on Gnome Stew we visit the idea of using signature monsters/bad guys in your game. This is a really great way of driving home a centralized idea and making things memorable for you and your players. Have you used a “signature” monster in campiagn of yours before? If so, how did it work out? Roleplaying and Depression On a more serious note, we discuss depression among gamers as written about over on Stargazer’s World. With the recent loss of Robin Williams it has been on a lot of community members and bloggers minds. It’s a real thing and a lot of people feel it needs to be discussed more. We’re not experts in this area by any means, and would appreciate any feedback you guys might have. Question @Jbeeh asks: in your fantasy games do you feel magic items, even basic ones, need to have a price for the power that they grant? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 119| Announcements Congrats to our Fool contest winner, we had to pick 4 instead of 3 because it was so hard to decide! Our winning NPCs are Roger Larrabee (telepath), Barkley (fey guardian), Craig the Battle Droid (butler artillery), and Terrence McGoven (awkward helicopter pilot). Additionally, we’ve got a brand new d20Monkey Caption Contest up, also be sure to check out Brian’s new “Whining Is Coming” edition war T-shirt design. Lastly, if you consider yourself a D&D history junkie be sure to read Ambush At Sheridan Springs – a story about how Gary Gygax lost D&D. Topics  Tact-Tiles Are Back! Modular dry erase boards, great for numerous reasons, and pretty much far better than a roll up dry erase mat. However, they are expensive…it’s up to you whether you’re wanting to throw down the cash to pick some up, but their Kickstarter is live and still needs funding, check them out! D&D Breaking Is Bad Another great article from Shawn Merwin over on Critical Hits is up, and this time he’s talking about how Breaking D&D is bad, for D&D. It sounds redundant but it’s a pretty simple idea. We need to stop breaking our games in efforts of min/maxing and cheating the system, it’s just bad for the hobby. Controversial? Maybe, but we just think it’s a great read. Ragequitting Players A reddit tale of a Ragequitting C0C player has brought us to discuss all things rage-quitt-ey. Is it okay to ragequit? If so, when? In this particular instance, what could the DM and the Player have done differently to have avoided the situation? We may not know all of the facts, but we’re here to speculate and discuss! Question @Bartoneus asks: (Video) Game Design question: What is the point of having “magic” items require identification/decoding? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 118| Announcements The d20Monkey caption contest has found itself a winner, be sure to stop by and check out the winning line, and also stay tuned for a new caption contest very soon. Also, if you enjoy Brian’s work and want to help him transition into becoming an artist full time, please go check out his Patreon page and consider chipping in. Also, our friend Justin Mason is part of the Adventure A Week Snow White Kickstarter which seems pretty cool if you ask us. Check it out and be sure to pass it on to any fellow Pathfinder players you might know Topics  Survive The Night You all probably know by now that Micah and I are party game snobs, so you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve come across one that seems genuinely fun. Bonus: it’s free. Be sure to check out Survive the Night and snag the free PDF while you can, seems very Fiasco-like, but with even less prep and rules, and slightly more ridiculousness. Tell us: How would you Survive The Night against this lineup (above) with these weapons? Hands On w/ D&D Starter Set With the D&D 5e starter set recently hitting shelves and Jerry personally getting his hands on an advance copy, we go into detail about just what’s inside and whether it’s worth your hard earned cash. Tune in for some thoughts on the first official 5e product! Baldur’s Gate Minsc Comic! As if there weren’t enough things to get excited about with all of the new D&D stuff buzzing around, they had to go and make a comic about Minsc and his miniature giant space hamster. Micah and I discuss things assuming everyone knows who this character is, what makes a good Baldur’s Gate comic, and more. Question Richard Rouillard via Facebook asks: Players whose characters are very two-dimensional. No solid background or back story that could enhance their roleplaying. Is it the DM’s job to assign background, personality, etc? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 117| Announcements Caption contest will be finalized by our next episode, new comic is coming! Aside from that let’s jump in and get talking! Topics  Game Night Noms A good discussion over on Reddit recently spurred us into action in talking about game night grub. What is cost effective, and possibly not as redundant as pizza and nachos, tune in as we discuss the magic of slow cookers! Keith Baker Talks Subraces Elves, Dwarves, and Halflings all get sub-races with added bonuses, why don’t humans? We discuss some of Keith Baker’s thoughts on subraces and subraces as a whole in RPGS, are they just vehicles for mechanical combos? Do you use them in your games? A D&D Lover’s Guide to: Dungeon World An awesome analyzation of Dungeon World by Shawn Merwin is up over on Critical Hits and we’re really enjoying the article. Putting things into “D&D terms” really clicks with a lot of us. We discuss DW based on Shawn’s article and it really sounds like we need to get on playing some DW! Question Orion Gigliotti asks: How do you feel about using third party published material versus official supplements? My group won’t even consider it. Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 116| Announcements We stumbled across these RPG Dice for the Visually Impaired, tell us if they are useful or not, we’d really like to know! Topics  Backstory Cards There’s a pretty cool Kickstarter that involves Ryan Macklin and generating backstories for your characters. Check this one out and pitch in if it seems like you’d put them to good use! D&D 5e’s Living Ruleset We discuss the malleable rules of D&D Next, how do things like “official houserules” make you feel? Would you put them to use? Are you in favor of these living rules or not? Let us know! Fear of Girls In a most unfortunate trip to Reddit, we came across a user who is having an issue with his players and their fear of having a girl introduced to their gaming group. In true internet fashion, not much good advice is given so we decided to take some of it upon ourselves. How would you guys handle this? Question @Forbestay asks: What’s the best way to make magic items special in game? Or gear for other systems that lack magic? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 115| Announcements New features! Character & item filters, sortable adventure log dates, bug fixes and more. Topics  Codename Morningstar The next iteration of D&D’s digital presence has emerged at Origins this year, it’s called Codename Morningstar, for now at least. Be sure to check out the progress and what we know so far (via ENWorld). Stealing from Games A great bit from Dave over at Critical Hits on stealing from games while making games. Is it bad? We don’t think so, tune in to find out why and give us your thoughts! Stealth In Your Game Everyone does stealth a little differently in their games, this Reddit thread is full of a bunch of good examples. We discuss stealth in general, and we’d love your feedback on how you get it done as well. Tip Check out our new campaign backgrounds, free and paid members should have an array of new ones to choose from! Question @TALLama asks: I’ve let my campaign’s plot sprawl a little too widely. How to move forward: Ignore uninteresting bits, or reintegrate? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 114| Announcements Congrats to our final Birthday Contest winner Lyle, with The Golden Dawn, also check out the Elicpse Phase bundle of holding! Topics  D&D 5e Starter Box Details! Thanks to WotC, we recently learned about the adventure inside of the starter box for D&D. What do you guys think of it? Let us know! Using Countdown Mechanics Have you ever used a coutndown (or up) timer in your game? It can serve a lot of purposes, tune in as we discuss how to get thinking about using them during your encounters. D&D 5e Organized Play Sounds like WotC has some pretty cool stuff in store for players who take part in D&D organized play this year. From epic mega-battles, to persistent stats and certificates for your characters in one big ongoing story. All the details are here. Question @KiloGex asks: How would you run an assassination mission in D&D/Pathfinder? 4E-esque skills challenge, more narrative, or other? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 113| Announcements No announcements this show, we’re jumping right into the fray of 5e, dead characters, and hating elves. Tune in now! Topics D&D 5e Information Round Up! Jerry has put together a post on his blog he’s regularly updating with all that you need to know about the upcoming D&D releases. Jerry and Micah discuss in depth and talk a lot about the free Basic D&D PDF. Character Death Provides Opportunity We take a page out of ChatyDM’s book after reading part of his article over on Critical Hits about characters dying to the Lich King. What other ways can we make death more dynamic and interesting in our games? Those Damned Elves! Micah and I discuss trump card races/classes/groups in tabletop RPGs. Why do the PCs even need to exist if the elves/jedi’s/etc. can always just run in and save the day? Possibly also a bit of a rant about the barrel riding scene in the latest Hobbit film. Give us your thoughts! Tip Per Reddit: Testing out a new system with your group? Use pregens instead of going through character creation, save that for after you’re invested in the system. Question @DM_Nel asks: How long do you think this edition of D&D will last, given the 3.0, 3.5, 4e & essentials trend? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 112| Announcements Last chance to caption the D20Monkey comic is today! We’ve also hired a background image designer so you’ll be seeing some new campaign backgrounds on OP in the near future! We also discuss Firstbloom, our second birthday/holiday contest winner by GM Matt_Caulder! Topics  When Boring Is Good We discuss a good read over on Monte Cook’s blog about playing some OD&D and how sometimes boring can be good. It all boils down to knowing the game you’re playing, let us know what you think! Micah’s Rebuttle We discuss the “joylessness” Micah was accused of and elaborate on the angle on gaming that we take here on the Haste podcast. Treasure First Adventure Design We really got a kick out of a recent installment of Troy’s Crockpot on Gnome Stew about designing a dungeon/adventure by thinking up the treasure first and then everything else afterward. A bit “inverse” for the norm we think, and a lot of fun too! Question @svdpress asks: What strategies do you have for making dungeon maps more interesting or unconventional? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 111 | Announcements During a prior discussion on haste regarding racial slurs, we forgot about humans! Thanks for the reminder Reddit! Congratulations to GM Ashtmw on being one of our 3 winners for our Birthday contest with his holiday Year’s Dawning. It’s simple, and chock full of adventure hooks. He’s won a year of Ascendant membership, some OP schwag, and $25 to spend at DriveThruRPG! Tune in next week to hear about our second winner! Topics  Alternatives To Player Wealth Going by a discussion on reddit, Micah and I discuss some alternative systems for wealth in RPGS. Are they better, do your players want them? Lots of stuff to consider but definitely possibly another option for eliminating minutiae. Custom Dice Kickstarter You’ve still got some time to snag a bundle of totally custom D6’s with this great Kickstarter we stumbled across. We suggest you make something personal for you and your players, a great way to really customize or commemorate your campaign. Check it out! Lasers and Feelings Micah has recently started playing Lasers and Feelings as an offshoot to his regular group, and we’re here to talk about his first impressions with the system and also a few tidbits of advice. He’s also began documenting his game on OP, so be sure to check it out. Question @Deuteriumice asks: Are there any recommendations you wind down a dysfunctional RPG group? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |

| Episode 110 | Announcements Don’t forget that the d20 Monkey contest is going on and that you’ve still got a little bit of time left to submit to our April’s fool contest! Also, be sure to check out part 2 of our interview with Rob Schwalb. Also – we’re hiring a Background Image Designer! Lastly, check out adventureaweek.com, of which our good friend Justin Mason is a part of. A continual source of adventures for your D&D 3.5 or Pathfinder game. $10/mo to subscribe to ongoing content creation. Really cool stuff! Topics  World of Darkness MMO Cancelled It bums us out to have to bring you this news but, the upcoming World of Darkness MMO has been cancelled per some big changes and layoffs at CCP games. Aside from the game itself, we ponder what this means for White Wolf? Ryan Dancey Discusses the OGL, DnD, Pathfinder A recent post over at The RPG Site has brought our attention toward some thoughts Ryan Dancey of Paizo/Goblinworks has left regarding the success of D&D, Pathfinder, and more. It’s a good read, and we’d like your thoughts on it too. Player handouts – Bang for Your Buck Recently while stalking Reddit we came across a post regarding material props in your game. We were wondering which ones get you the most bang for your buck, which are the ones that will wow your players and be memorable as opposed to passed over and forgotten. Tell u s your thoughts after you listen to the segment, we want to hear stories! Tip You can reply by email to your forum posts! Many people don’t realize this, but if you just click reply and type your response at the top, it will post in the forum and be emailed out to everyone else. It’s a very quick and easy way to keep the thread moving. Question @GmsMagazine asks: In Fantasy, should game religion be based on real-life religion with all of its tenants and morals, biblical or otherwise? Tune in to find out!  Music Credits | Intro: “Prelude” | Outro: “Stand Alone” | by LukHash |