Gaming on the Frontier

This week we begin our assignment of creating effective Bureau 13 training mission.  These are missions that are designed to evaluate some aspect of a Bureau 13 team's performance, perhaps to allow them to be given high security rating or more difficult missions.  The crucial aspect is that these are not "real" supernatural incidents, even though the supernatural may be part of the trapping of the mission or supernatural forces were used to in support of the scenario.  Each host was tasked with creating a bureau 13 training mission.  In this episode Trav and Blix present theirs. There will be a delay in the conclusion of this episode because next week is our 3rd year anniversary.  We have a special show for that.  The following week is a special Halloween episode.  So the 2nd part of this episode will drop the first Sunday in November.

Almost Dead from Gencon 2012!  We recorded this about 2AM on Saturday right after Savage Saturday Nights.  We ran 10 demos of Tri Tac Games this year, at least half using the Savage Worlds System, two using d20 Modern and even 2 using the original Tri Tac rules by Richard Tucholka, himself. This was the first time all the podcast hosts were physically in the same room together.

We continue with our xbox matchmaking.  No seriously we are talking again about characters that are worth playing but don't integrate well with other characters.  This week Robert (Trav) brings us a military jock who just can't stand scientists and brainy types - a tough mix with Fringeworthy adventurers and other games with strong tech aspects.

This week start our journey with some hard to handle characters.  Troublesome characters are those who don't fit well into a party but have something that makes them worth playing.  We start off with John's character:  the friendly sociopath.  Not to be topped, Peter follows with a cannibal.  That right.  Sweet dreams everyone.

This week we finish our great interview with Dr. Nik Palmer who has written two great modules, Caravan and Seven Deadly Sins, great for Fringeworthy and Bureau 13 respectively. We hope you enjoyed this episode and will buy Dr Nik's adventures for your campaigns.  We look forward to everyone showing up at Gencon to play in our game sessions.  Even if all of them are sold out, please show up with generic tickets.  We will try to add you. Please stop by the Podcaster Meet and Greet and buy Trav a drink.  He will be there with the stunning Amber Roe on his arm.  He'll need one. Please leave us a review on I-tunes.  Especially a good one.  That really increases the exposure of this podcast. If you have any suggestions for the podcast or any topics you want covered, please leave a comment here or on any of our Facebook groups.

This week we start our interview with Dr Nik Palmer, a long time RPG adventure writer who has just released 2 great products on Drive Thru RPG:  Mesopotamia and The Seven Deadly Sins Mesopotamia is set in 3000 years BC in our historical past, but with all the mythology, magic, and mayhem intact.  Fringworthy fans know that many Fringworthy worlds go to times in the past.  This adventure path is a great fit for your Fringworthy Campaign. The Seven Deadly Sins is an adventure path set in modern day so it is a great fit for Bureau 13 or your favorite modern supernatural RPG.  It is mature restricted on Drive Thru RPG so make sure your update your profile to show mature content or you won't be able to purchase it. This is the beginning of our summer schedule so our episodes will be about 30 minutes long until after Dragon Con, where we return to our regular length.  Feel free to comment on this on Facebook.

This week we try to wrangle those pesky uber npc characters that you have to have for one reason or another, but they try to steal the spotlight from the real stars:  your characters.  How to rein them in by design and practice.  Why have them at all? Blix took the week off so we'll see him next week.  But Trav, John, and Bruce have plenty for you.

High atop of might airship we scout for the best ways to expoit those wonderous devices:  The Lightening Crystals.  In the Hard Wired Hinterland you can use them to steal up to 90% of an object's weight.  From there it is a short leap to squirrel suits and Buck Rodgers jetpacks. We are joined by Richard and Melody Tucholka who reveal upcoming projects and inside secrets to Tri Tac Games.

This week we break down a bureau 13 adventure.  We go through it step by step so both the players and GM can see how to create an awesome adventure that pops!  If you follow these steps your adventure or players can't fail to succeed.  Creating supernatural investigation adventures isn't easy, but we make it simple. Then we go over our plans for convention appearances in the next 6 months.

This week we finish our discussion of Bureau 13's primary training, reliquery, and dangerous supernatural containment facility.  We concentrate on the last 2 parts this week. What kinds of objects must be hidden away and destroyed? What kind of creatures cannot be redeemed?  And what do you do if they cannot be contained?