In this Box breaking Matt bust open Who’s Got Game. A game by Ark Minds created by Neil Strauss, NY times best selling offer of The Game and Rules of the Game. It is all about revealing who you are to a partner.
Thanks to
Adam Kornblum
Ark Minds
Neil Strauss
Music
Who the Hell Am I part I Performed by Al Fizz
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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 The dungeon-crawl continues. Will Powers, Squirmy, Bonsai, and Professor Mora press on as they search answers to the mystery of these caverns far beneath the city of Rumi. Oh, and Squirmy finds some new clothes.
Again, my favorite line comes from Mike (aka Squirmy): “It’s like a really long fiber-optic camera . . . with a bad lense.”
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 
4E: The Dungeon Survival Handbook
$ 29.95 SRP
Dungeons & Dragons 4E Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook The Darkness Beckons Being an adventurer is a hard business. Dungeons offer adventure, treasure, and glory, but they are fraught with deadly traps, vicious monsters, and sinister puzzles. It takes more than a stout heart and a sharp mind to survive. A hero must be equipped with knowledge and tools if he or she is to face the unknown and live to tell about it. Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook is a guide for players and Dungeon Masters who want to play in a Dungeons & Dragons game that explores dungeons and plumbs the blackest reaches of the Underdark. Whether you’re a Dungeon Master seeking to create a fantastic location populated with beholders and mind flayers, or a player looking to equip your character with the means to fight such threats, this book is for you. Players will find an assortment of new powers, equipment, feats, character themes, and player races, including the kobold and the goblin. For Dungeon Masters, the book is a trove of dungeon-building advice and details, including lore on classic dungeon monsters, some quirky companions for adventurers, a few timeless treasures, and tips for incorporating players’ character themes into an adventure. 160pg Hardcover
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 
Find your minis! Grab all your d10’s! Bring some food for the GM (if you want your character to live)! And join us in the dungeon again. It’s time for Silvervine!
That’s right, we finally got together for the next segment of our series of epic adventures. This time, we’re all-in for a classic dungeon crawl, Silvervine style. So sit back, strap in, and grab your dice; ’cause it’s time to roll!
My favorite line from this episode? Once again provided by Mr. Squirmy: “I turn into a baby caterpillar and beg for mercy.”
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Well, here it is, the last episode from our second session in the Silvervine campaign. I appologize for the lack of humor and action. I did have a fight ready to go, but it was just too much fun following what the players were doing. So consider this a “behind the scenes look” at shared world-building. In this episode, the “heroes” hire some employees for their newly acquired tavern, and we discuss possible future plot hooks. I do hope you are entertained and enlightened and disturbed.
It seems a little chaotic, but that is how I like to run a game; and I find such a technique highly successful too. It avoids the dreaded “GM Railroad” and gives the players more control. Essentially, I create several plot hooks, and see which ones the players nibble on. With each plot hook I brainstorm several possible outcomes that the PC’s are likely to take, and then I create even more options from there. That might sound like a lot of extra work, but it isn’t. Whatever plot hook or adventures the PC’s don’t take now can still be used later – sometimes as-is, sometimes just slightly “re-skinned” or modified.
For example, in this episode, the players have several choices:
As you can probably tell, some of the above are more fleshed-out than others. And for each one there is at least two outcomes based on success or failure. Some even have multiple middle-ground possibilities. The key is to think “What thingS are likely to happen?” rather than “What do I think would be cool?” The “S” on “things” is intentionally highlighted. Consider multiple possibilities; consider the interests of each player and the potential development of each character. Some adventures are likely to favor or spotlight one character over the others. This is fine, so long as each player has his/her turn as the campaign progresses.
Also, we haven’t yet gotten together for our third session. So next week I might just do a podcast on the Silvervine system itself so that those not familiar with the system can follow along with the mechanical jargon. So stay tuned and keep rolling!
Oh, and my favorite line of this episode:
Ryan/GM: “Do you even have an alignment?”
Mike/Squirmy: “Me and my can.”
This week’s episode does a lot of jumping from “in-character” playing and “out of character” conversation. Granted, much of that conversation is about the game itself as we try to figure out just what in the heck we want to do (and there is a bit of character development); so I apologize for the lack of awesome action. But, the group does have a meeting with the Lord-Mayor of Rumi, which will open up all sorts of adventure possibilities.
Oh, and never mind the shuffling sound towards the end; that’s just Danny playing with his deck. (Snicker)
So what is the next step for the group? Do they put the “Writ of Theft” to use? Stay tuned and find out in next week’s episode!
Comment Poll: What’s your favorite line from this week’s episode?
1. “Well gentlemen, as your GM, I have no firckin’ idea what to do next!” – Ryan
2. “My staff fits in my pocket” – Matt.
3. “Do you even have an alignment?” – Ryan. “Me and my can” – Mike
4. Other
In this, the first episode of our second session, I discover the what happens when I, as the Game Master, don’t have a strict railroad for the players to follow. I had no adventure plan going into this session. I did have about half-a-dozen ideas for bringing Danny’s character (later named Professor Mora) into contact with the others, but none of them were very fleshed-out. I floated even briefer descriptions of those options before the group, and got a feel for which direction the group would have the most fun with. The rest I completely ad-libbed. Seriously, I came up with each scene, each NPC, on-the-fly. Some call this “reactive” GM’ing. Some call it “winging it.” Some call it lazy. I call it a lot of fun! Beyond the meet-and-greet, and bringing Danny up to speed on the rules and the game-so-far, I had no goals, no real “tasks” for the group to accomplish. Any and all of that was provided by the players. I’m not bragging. If anything, I’m trying to place the blame on them.
I really love Silvervine’s emphasis on “shared story telling.” And I greatly enjoy working with the players to build the world together. Silvervine’s Cyrus setting leaves a lot of room for GM’s and players to create – It gives enough background, history and structure, with a lot of openness for each group to make the game their own. So come back next week for our next episode and experience just how little control I maintain. And I’ve got to say, I am really impressed with everyone’s role-playing skills. Mike, Danny, and Matt are all veterans, but it had been quite a while since any of us had really been around a table like this – especially for Danny who couldn’t make it to the first session. It’s just amazing how well each of them really expressed their characters (especially if you knew how little they put into their backgrounds).
Oh! And don’t forget. Please place your vote for your favorite phrase of the campaign so far. In the comments just tell us which you prefer – “Cabbage-Banana-Hammock” or “Retarded Etch-a-Sketch.”
Silvervine Campaign: Session 1, Episode 6(gamer-goggles.com)
Blue Orange games is gearing up for several releases in the second quarter.
Spot It – MLB
$ 15.99 SRP
Batter up! The award-winning game Spot it! has joined the big leagues! What do you get when you mix America’s National Pastime with the best-selling card game in the country? You’re about to find out. Do you know all 30 MLB team logos? Fans and rookies alike will have a ball learning them all in this fast-paced game. Whether at home, at the ballpark or anywhere in between, spot it and you’ll be running the bases to victory! Ages: 7 to Adult 2 to 8 Players Play Time: 15 Minutes Contents: – 55 Cards – Illustrated Rules
Spot It – NHL
$ 15.99 SRP
Blue Orange Games and CSE Games are proud to present NHL Spot It! This unique licensed version of their award winning Spot It! includes all 30 NHL logos, fun hockey symbols, in a compact size and attractive tin puck-sized packaging. Blue Orange Games and CSE Games are proud to present NHL Spot It! This unique licensed version of our award winning Spot It! includes all 30 NHL logos, fun hockey symbols, in a compact size and attractive tin puck-sized packaging. Ages: 7 to Adult 2 to 8 Players Play Time: 10 – 20 Minutes Contents: – 55 cards – illustrated rules
Do you like webcomics? We at Through Gamer Goggles sure do, especially when those webcomics are based on Role-Playing Games! And that is why we reached out to J.E. & E. Flint, the creators of The Chronicles of Loth.
I first met J.E. through the website “Explorers Unlimited,” a play-by-post site dedicated to Rifts and other Palladium Books games. So what goes into the creation of a weekly webcomic? “Mostly spite,” they say. Listen in and find out more.
A big THANK YOU to the Flint brothers, for taking the time to sit down with us. You can find The Chronicles of Loth by clicking here: http://lothonline.com/ (the only thing you have to loose is a lot of time).
Here is the next chapter for your listening pleasure!
Due to some logistical issues we did not get Episode 3 post last week as planned. Therefore we are posting both Episodes 3 & 4 today! It’s a two-for-one special of Role-Playing action/hilarity/insanity/fun.
In this episode the group runs afoul of the local authorities. Shocking right? I mean, how could a three-foot tall anthropomorphic flying squirrel, a mass of worms in its own steam-powered flying tin can, and a drunken elf get into trouble so quickly? You know, after reading that sentence again, it’s a miracle we didn’t run into trouble much, much sooner.
