Podcast in the Works ... Help Shape It!

[terrestrialboy]

Two of my friends and I are planning on doing a podcast. We have been planning and planning, like the Normandy invasion, and now we want some feedback from you – the fair listeners out there.

The show will be a gaming podcast (big surprise there), and it will be geared more towards helping Gamemasters rather than players. Not to say players won’t be able to get anything from the podcast, but Gamemasters will probably get the most.

The plan is to have a show about 30-60 minutes in length. The show will be topical, meaning that we will choose a topic or a game system to talk about for the duration of the show through the main segments.

We will share some experiences the three of us have had involving the topic of the show, and discuss them amongst ourselves. Basically, this is to illustrate that we’ve dealt with the topic before. Then, each of us will give advice, from a GM’s point of view, how to handle the topic in game. Each of us will respond to the other on what they would have done in the same situation.

Hopefully, this will all help other gamemasters out there, as well as bring in feedback and suggested topics (but, after our discussions the other night, we already have quite a few lined up).

The three of us may provide some game reviews, but not always new stuff. We will review things on our gaming shelves that may be older, and many new gamers might not have heard of. The point of this segment is to steer people to more obscure games that are fun. We will do our share of RPGs, board games, and card games as well.

Instead of reviews, we may do an interview once and a while along the same vein. Nothing too long, the segment may run 10 minutes or so.

The rest of the segments we are planning will revolve around each one of the three of us rotating through three different segments each, one of us taking topic A, another B, and the last C. The next week, we will rotate it. Right now, our ideas are focusing on helping with NPCs, locations, and situations. Something like People, Places, and Things. These will, of course, be in line with the topic whenever possible.

The, of course, some other geeky stuff now and then, but nothing too time consuming.

What I’m doing is asking you all for any feedback or suggestions in what you’d like to see in a Gamemastering podcast. All three of us have a wide variety of experience spread amongst us, including Call of Cthulhu, AD&D, d20, Paranoia, Feng Shui, and many, many others.

So, therefore, I am asking for any suggestions in what you would like to see in a podcast such as this. We’re a couple of weeks away from getting this done (gotta get hosting and a domain, amongst other things), so please reply in this forum, and I will be eternally grateful to hear what you’d all like to see in this new endeavor.

Ethan

[Chaoz]

Set up your own forums number on thing for the community. I have no other suggestions, but me and my friend have joked about making our own, although it wont be pg 13 and might not get off the ground because we're all broke.

[agent_desilu]

I like the idea, for sure. Honestly, I've gotten a lot of help from DLI, so far, and since I'm going to be Storytelling a Mage game soon, I'm interested in all the help I can get.

I think the one thing that would be most helpful is Storycrafting advice. It goes back to that Who-what-where-when-why-how thing. I am working on a creating a campaign that I hope will be engaging, entertaining and long-running, and I've come across a few bumps along the way in terms of how things are supposed to fit together.

So if you included some information, tips, interviews, etc., about how to craft a story or storyline, I would personally be grateful, and I'm sure I'm alone.

[Direwolf]

A podcast focused on the art of GM/DM/Storytelling/Refereeing should be interesting. So I've been thinking about things that have come up as a GM and that I might like to hear or that might help others. An initial suggestion is just to go back to the various other podcasts that may have mentioned something about game mastering but perhaps didn't go into much detail or they gave an answer you thought was not right.

Some ideas for topics that I would say are GM related:

Pick a rule that is tricky, and really delve into it. This perhaps has the disadvantage of being game specific, but you could rotate systems. And I think if you can really capture how to conceptualize the rule, how to learn a new strange rule, and just generally how to really think about the impact of a rule then that might work in any system. That's a tricky one I would say, but as an example my wife likes design shows (and yes I like some of them too, want to make something of it???) but one of my big complaints about many of them is that it seems like you watch a half hour and marvel at what they did and their skills as experienced designers, but afterward you are no better at applying design to your own home then before. There is a lack of teaching there that I find means the shows lack much depth. So the shows become watching someone do something and I am interesting in learning how to look at a weird shaped room and make it flow, what are the things I should look for, what are the concepts at work? So try to teach how to learn a rule and make full use of it, rather then just your opinion on the rule.

A related kind of topic might be how to critically appraise a new character class, concept, power, feat, whatever that has appeared in a new supplement and a player wants to try out? Can you make a more informed judgment then just letting them try it and taking it away later if it is too much? Like I say if you can bring out the art itself, giving concepts and skills to build on rather then just an opinion on something like whether is it best to roll all dice in front of the players but instead somehow get across how to think and approach the question.

I remember a podcast that mentioned playing multiple characters, and of course I can't remember which one at the moment, I'm sure someone will know. Well the GM always has to have multiple characters. How can you get into character, but also switch your outlook to bring across a group of people. How can you say develop different personalities without getting bogged down in trying to come up with something different or unique for every character the player's interact with. Give some ideas on keeping things straight in who acts in what way. Some of what I have heard is keep notes, and of course that is good advice, but is there better ways at the table, in the heat of things, that is more fun that having to write a who's who book each session?

And on the subject of notes, how about good note taking skills? What is a good method? Or offer several methods so that you can write down complicated things quickly so you can refer later and understand what you meant to say. What about neural linguistics or mind-mapping? Things like that that can help make note taking better, more fun, and more useful. That's getting right down to the nuts and bolts of GMing.

Try taking about breaking out of your own boxes or paradigms. When coming up with new adventures what methods can a GM use to perhaps break out of the same plot threads, and same plot hooks that you often use and really come up with something fresh. I have found that I often will have certain adventure paths or imagery and I fall into the same events or type of events. Or I have used the same creature several times so I use its abilites the same way over and over rather then coming up with a new approach or looking at the abilities again to realize that it could so something cool in this new situation. So I need something to take me out of my well-established and comfortable space and try something new. Sometimes it is hard to even know what kinds of GMing ruts you have fallen into, so can you identify something you have started to do by rote and so need to kind of mix it up? Are there methods to critically think about your own GMing style?

So there are some initial thoughts I had. Of course there is always things about characterization, how to describe a location, use of the senses, pacing, dealing with problem players, how to correct a mistake, creating a feel to a scene. The list goes on but as I said in the beginning I think if you check what has been covered on podcasts and on websites you can find a lot of topics, many of which could use much more depth from a GMs perspective. I can read/listen to someone talk about things, but if you can show us a way to learn how to learn so to speak that would be great. Difficult, but great.

[Jim in Buffalo]

Sure am glad they taught us speed-reading in the 6th grade.

[Chaoz]

Crap they don't anymore.

[Jim in Buffalo]

Crap they don't anymore.

Well, kids today learn to do different things, like set up meth labs and run prostitution rings.

[Chaoz]

I've only been in prositution 101 it's the vocational training of being a pimp, a lot of work with a cane.

[Jim in Buffalo]

I've only been in prositution 101 it's the vocational training of being a pimp, a lot of work with a cane.

Oh, mayan, I shoulda kept mah baig stowpid mowf shyut.

[Chaoz]

God see sig.

[terrestrialboy]

You guys are great. Keep it comin'.

Direwolf, all your suggestions and observations will be taken to heart. I thank you for your thorough review. I've directed my two co-hosts to look at all this feedback ASAP.

Ethan

[helldog3105]

I hear you Terrestrialboy and I have read the posts. I am certain that all the suggestions that we can work in we will. I really don't have much to add other than Direwolf, your pic is just awesome! Do you think you can sculpt a primary to do a mold of it for mass production? That would be really cool to see lots of Chupacabra Bob's running around. That would also make further kidnapping attempts more difficult as well....

[Direwolf]

Thanks helldog. My digital camera didn't get as clear a picture as I wanted even with its close up setting, but its the best full on shot I got. So it was nice to hear some positive feedback on it.

As for another sculpt, sorry no can do. Not to downplay what I did, but the main body of Bob was actually a small rubber toy I had which was the right general size and shape. Using an exacto knife and files I modified it so it was more like our lovable chupa, then painted it to bring it to life and added the eyes. I only had the one rubber toy to work from, so I was careful because if I messed it up, I didn't have anything else to work with. So Chuck and Lonnie have the only Bob. And it was always my intention that this was a one time unique gift for Chuck and Lonnie. It was really so cool to do and to give them at Gen Con, something I will always remember.

[Mirage333]

I wish I could start my own gaming podcast but alas I say go for it TerrestrialBoy and don't forget to put the URL on the forums when it shows up

[terrestrialboy]

Of course!

Hopefully, we will be going "Live" at the end of this month ... more details to come.

Ethan