Episode 17 is now up. It features another review about a firefighting game (hopefully not my last). In this one, I talk about Smokejumpers. It's a neat little game where your crack team of firefighters have to stop a forest fire. But, before that, I talk about randomness in a game and some the different mechanics used to handle that.
Smokejumpers on BGG.
This is the (first) Print and Play episode. Hopefully, I'll have many more of these as I have a few other PnP games I'd like to look at. In this episode, I first talk with Crhis Hansen of the Solitaire Print and Play Design Contest being hosted on BGG. Chris talks about last years contest and winners and also about how to be involved in this years contest. There is also some talk about print and play games, in general. After that interview, I look at Raider 16-Atlantis, which was a winner from last year's contest. I talk about my experiences with putting together and then playing the game.
Raider 16 - Atlantis on BGG.
The files for the game are listed in this discussion.
The current monthly geeklist on print and play crafting.
The Print and Play guild on BGG.
It's origins are based on the Print and Play podcast which has unfortunately been inactive for about a year. However, there is lots of great information on this guild and all the old episodes of that show are still available.
This geeklist has lots of free PnP games to try out.
Reviews by Chris, of games from last year's contest.
And finally... The discussion thread for this year's contest.
This episode takes a look at solitaire games that can be played on an airplane tray table. It's a very small surface and very few games actually work on it. I also resolve the contest and announce the winner of the soon to be available Equilibrion. Finally, I talk about Feurio!, which was recently re-published by Mayfair games as Ablaze!.
Links
Episode entry on BGG - The podcast GL entry. It includes a link to all the travel games mentioned in this show.
Today's episode has a look forward at upcoming solitaire games. Then, I look at Death Hulk: Space Angel, published by Fantasy Flight Games, in detail. Oh yeah, I announce a small contest because, darned it, I want e-mail.
Welcome to episode 13. In this show I first go over my "1 player podcast solitaire gaming awards" for my played games last year. Awards are given in about a dozen categories such as...
I also give a brief description of Friday, by Friedmanm Friese.
Links: Friday on BGG
What follows is the session report I wrote as I played Mouse Guard solitaire using the Mythic RPG rules to play without a GM. Text in parenthesis is game information such as dice roles. Any parenthetical section that has MR refers to a Mythic Roll. The rest are all pretty much about Mouse Guard rules.
It is the late in the fall of 1152. In the towers of Lockhaven, Sadie and Saxon report to Gwendolyn who has called for the two Guardmice in the early evening. “I need you to patrol the trail between Rootwallow and Barkstone. A grain peddler has gone missing. Find him.” No other instructions are necessary other than the formality of details. However, Gwendolyn pulls Sadie aside and quietly, but within the hearing of Saxon, says “This grain peddler might be a spy selling secrets about Lockhaven. I need you to determine if it’s true or not.”
Having determined that the peddler grain peddler started about 4 days ago and the trip to Barkstone is about 8 days Sadie and Saxon head for an area about halfway between the two points. (Low challenge/Above Average skill roll to determine how good her guess is. MR = 54%) He is in the vicinity and the mice try to locate him (Scout 6). Sadie tries to find evidence of the grain peddler, such as tracks or trails (using her Scout 2 skill). Saxon looks for a path (using Pathfinder 5). After a few hours of Fruitless searching, the mice are sure they have lost the grain peddler. Sadie stops the team and decides they need a rest to recollect there thoughts. While snacking on some breads, Saxon notices that the leaves running next to the trail are overturned. They look like a wagon has passed through here. (Sadie used a Fate point). The mice have there energy renewed and keep moving. Shortly they catch up to the wagon a short distance from the trail.
Once they have reached the cart, the Mice Guard find the grain peddler resting on the far side of it hiding up against a tree. He is sound asleep. (High/Avg to determine if the mice think to look for anything in the grain cart. MR = 60%). Sadie decides to wake him, though Saxon cautions against that. Thinking it may be easier to search him first. Sadie decides that is not honorable enough and not the way a mouse of the Guard should behave. Instead she wakes him with a mild kick on his thigh. (Is the grain peddler startled and nervous when awoken? Low/Average. MR = 64%). The grain peddler is startled when awoken and appears obviously nervous by the mice. He backs up against the tree and demands, in a nervous voice, “Who are you? I’ve done nothing wrong! Please, don’t rob me!”.
Sadie tries to respond re-assuringly saying “We are not here to rob you. We are Guard Mice and on patrol in these parts of the wood. We noticed tracks off the beaten path and thought to check on them. We’d hate to see anything happen to a mouse in the wild. Are you okay?”
The mouse responds that yes, he is okay, though a small amount of doubt can be sensed in his voice. (Low/Above Average MR = 24%). At this point, Sadie decides to question the mouse as there conversation is getting her nowhere. She hints at the possibility of a spy or traitor and says she is looking for information. (A versus test). The interrogation doesn’t go well for Sadie. She does not like intimidating another mouse. She finally manages to get the information from the grain peddler and he gives her the map. However, in the process she becomes tired and lets him run home. The grain peddler seems terrified at having been caught by such dangerous mice and agrees to never do harm again. He admitted to doing this solely for the money it gave him to help feed his family.
The two mice are now stuck with a valuable shipment of grain that needs to reach Barkstone before the first snowfalls. It’s already late fall and the snows are late as it stands. This grain shipment will be invaluable to the residents of Barkstone. Then again, it’s also useful in Rootwallow. However, if left here it will be lost. (Are we closer to Barkstone than Rootwallow: Avg/Avg MR = 84%). The mice are closer to Rootwallow than Barkstone. (Does Sadie want to go to Barkstone? Avg/Avg MR = 20%). Sadie decides to go forward to Barkstone even though it’s about 3 days to Rootwallow. The grain was purchased by the people of Barkstone and probably need this grain to survive the winter. The journey to Barkstone will take 5 days. Probably the two mice working together can reduce that to 4 days but it will still be a lot of hard work.
The season as been wet and cool but it hasn’t been cold yet. However, the last two nights where colder than normal and clouds have been forming in the sky. Sadie, having and understanding of storm patterns looks at the sky (Weather Watching skill). Unfortunately, the weather is too much in a state of flux to decide what can happen Sadie is unsure of what the weather will bring. The only thing is to buckle down and start moving.
(Now, we have a Conflict against the weather. This may be a bit tricky as the DM and players each choose their own actions privately. I’ll need to modify it to make it work solo. I’m figuring this out as I go along. The starting player Disposition = 5. Weather’s Disposition = 7.)
(I’m determining what actions the players want and what actions the GM might choose. Then I’m using a MR to determine if that value sticks.)
(Player actions are Maneuver, Attack, Attack)
(GM actions are Feint (MR = 66%), Maneuver(MR = 20%), Attack(MR = 96%))
(-----------First action-----------)
(Player Maneuver)The mice decide to first prepare for the possibly hash weather. They double check the tarp and all tie downs, prepare the wheels for driving in harsh weather and prepare themselves to have necessary equipment handy. The weapons are put away safely in the grain.
(GM Feint Um, not sure what to do so I’ll just describe the weather)While the players start to get ready for the journey, a wind picks up making their task harder. Even though they finish preparing quickly, they feel a sense of foreboding.
(-----------Second action-----------)
(Versus test Attack/Maneuver)While Sadie pulls the cart Saxon scouts ahead and finds a good trail through the forest. A small drizzle begins to fall. (Players 6 successes! / GM 2 Successes. The Current disposition is now 5/3.) Saxon finds a good shortcut through a shallow stream where a few trees had fallen. The bought the mice a good half-day of time. In the meantime, the drizzle stops and there is even some sunlight during the afternoon.
(-----------Third action-----------)
(Oops, I forgot that doubles in a MR means a random event. That tied in with the extreme failure of a 96% roll means something happened. Let’s see what…. Event Focus 03 = Remote Event. Action 20 = Truce. Subject 68 = Rumor)
Well, surprisingly, the grain peddler had been headed home but decided that he should show his true intent to no longer help the rebellion brewing in Blackrock, he returns to help the mice with the grain cart. He also realizes it’s his grain cart and, well, he’d like it back. At that point, the three mice together manage to push the cart together to Blackrock just before the first snowfalls begin.
At this point, the mice probably want to find out who was going to buy the map. However, it’s bedtime. I give up!
Happy New Year! Episode 12 of the 1 Player podcast is finally available. In this episode I briefly discuss playing RPGs solo and go into detail about the Mythic RPG ruleset which can be used with any other RPG system to play adventures without a GM or stand-alone to create a home brew adventure, in any genre you can imagine, just using the Mythic rules.
This episode should have been the solo RPG episode but Real Life has gotten in the way of that in a BIG way. Instead, this episode is on D-Day Dice. The co-operative dice game about WW II. If you haven't heard about this game yet, check it out and try out the Print and Play version. If you like it, hop on over to Kickstarter and back this project.
D-Day Dice Free Trial version on BGG
Welcome to the Halloween Episode... published just barely in time for the Holiday. It has a very very brief look at Halloween solo friendly games in general and then I spend some time dwelling on Elder Sign. Enjoy!
Welcome to episode 9. In this show I talk about playing multiplayer games alone. I discuss a bit about some of the benefits and drawbacks of it. Then, I go into more detail about my experience while playing Men of Iron, Volume 1: The Rebirth of Infantry by Richard H. Berg and published by GMT in 2005.
I also very briefly talk about the games being released at Essen this year which support playing solitaire. Essen is just a week away at this point and many if these games will be available at local retailers in the next month or two.
