Grumpy Old Gamers

once again jim and richard talk about games and the process of designing games. for jim, the key thing to focus on while designing is conflict. from there the theme comes into play. richard talks about how he always keeps one thing in mind when designing: the game does not depend on the creator to run. from there we move into the general topic of play and how important it is creating the means to show off the game in the best possible light when playing with strangers. finally, we end with revealing our plan, and this time it is one we'll do: designing together. we drop the news we're going to launch another Kickstarter dealing with the two of us designing something together. we do a bad job at writing show notes but really the topics we cover lend themselves to this. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your mone

here we are once again, your two grumpy hosts talking about things that not just make them grumpy but also interest them. yes, we talk about our kickstarter, but we also delve into more stories of freelancing. Here we, not only share horror stories, but we also cover how these experiences color your view of the freelancing path. our last topic is about splitting yiuyr fan base. this splitting is not just over new editions, but when you offer support for each edition at the same time. finally, we drop a hint of a joint project... we do a bad job at writing show notes but really the topics we cover lend themselves to this. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money. oh, by the way, we have a kickstarter.

once again we talk, and this time we talk about our kickstarter. we also offer advice on running a campaign. that is some good stuff, but our kickstarter is better. from there we once again delve into a discussion on the shifting landscape impacts the design process. as we like to do, we make a smooth shift into the topic of activism. as mentioned we have a kickstarter currently running. we know you want to back it. so go do it. we do a bad job at writing show notes but really the topics we cover lend themselves to this. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money. oh, by the way, we have a kickstarter.

in this episode, jim and richard talk about Kickstarter. This leads to the two of them planning a Kickstarter for the grumpy old gamers podcast. from here we segue into richard's coffee habit, being sick, and the Tour de France. also, richard also reveals secrets about his wife. finally we end with a preview of a topic for next week. this deals with the richard's theory of why anime/manga inspired roleplaying games fail. the reason? they fail to account for the story. the example of this is Attack on Titan we do a bad job at writing show notes but really the topics we cover lend themselves to this. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

this is a short one. really short. so, why publish something this short? jim and i break the fourth wall, so to speak. the reason is a simple one, we finally decide to do something: talk about game design. yes, we do this already, but this time we are going to walk you through our design process. yes, that means we are going to outline and do the work. think of this episode as an amuse-bouche we do a bad job at writing show notes but really the topics we cover lend themselves to this. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

it seems like we always talk about culture and gaming, but face it, games are all about culture and identity. this episode is about how we interact with the people around us. this is shown through the use of social networking. we do a bad job at writing show notes but really the topics we cover lend themselves to this. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

we begin talking about the forge and how that language has been overused. we also talk about the growing tendency of making your opinion the one true way. in short. we talk about how opinion has become fact and the ability to honestly debate has been killed. we talk a lot if you did not know that already. other topics are discussed which center around gameplay, gamemastering, and audience expectations. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

ok, how do i write up this episode? why? we move all over the place with this one. there is a lot of film talk here but we also talk about gaming and how content is churned out. from here we go back to film talk and how they are built. you want to know what films we talk about? here is the list: Apostle The Day of the Jackal (1973) Heat The Manchurian Candidate (1962) No Country of Old Men Ocean's 11 (original) Ocean's 11 (remake) Ocean's 12 Primal Fear (1996) Raid Ronin There Will Be Blood as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

here we go, game talk. we start with tales of bad companies. we then move on to failure and learning from this. where things gain steam is the discussion of the difference between games and product. yet we did not end it there, we drop the thought that osr is on its last leg. you know what? just listen, there is a ton of things talked about here. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

a new week and a new episode. this week we talk about games again. we begin talking about freelancing from two sides. the first side deals with actually the act of freelancing. then we move to the other side of the coin, the publisher's side. from there we move on to games and the playing if them. just your typical episode. i write crappy summaries. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here, you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

so the last two episodes we touched on games and game design. this episode we give it a bear hug and embrace it like a long lost friend. stuff is talked about and once again richard steps into it. yeah, just your typical episode. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

this short episode is story time. if we say more it ruins it. just listen. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

try as we might we just cannot avoid talking about culture. we would stop but the hobby always sucks us in. anyway, we talk about outrage and misplaced anger. misplaced anger is key because as you will listen we really think that narrow minded insular outrage isolated to the hobby needs to change. as always if you have comments or want to subscribe at your provider of choice here you go. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher radio public Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

here we go game talk. a lot of game talk. we spring off from the last two episodes and go into a whole different direction. in this episode game design and how design influences play. the concept of puzzles and how some games are a puzzle moves quickly into a broader discussion on how specific games changed the paradigm. there is a lot here as you see with the following links. games discussed Twilight 2000 [Toon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toon_(role-playing_game) Illuminati: NWO [Illuminati (board game)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati_(game) [Diplomacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy_(game) Win, Place and Show Blood Bowl [James Bond 007 RPG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bond_007_(role-playing_game) Vampire: The Vampire Masquerade [Ghost Busters RPG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters_(role-playing_game) [Paranoia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoia_(role-playing_game) concepts Dice Pool Probability So what exactly is a deck-building game anyway? Deck/Pool Building

so, first off, richard nerds out about advanced baseball metrics, stats, launch angles, bat speed, and, well, he is a sport stat geek. jim tries very hard to get his ass off the topic, but richard, as always misses the cues. there is a fascinating discussion that deals with how you could view fantasy sports. oh, and we swear. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

well, we're back and this is another long episode. however we stay focused and there is a lot of good here. one of the major topics is product churn. we also go into 3.0/3.5 and how this led to a glut of ideas. there is a lot here. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

Grab a sandwich, your favorite beverage, and pull up a chair; this is a long one. Why is this a lengthy one? Did jim and I debate the hard truths and solve all the problems of the world? Nah, it is all Richard's fault. He tends to drive this off the rails. So listen to Richard use "you know?" nonstop and enjoy the tales of GenCon of days past. Next episode, Richard will do better, and together with jim, not talk as long. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

Well, we are at it again. We complain about awards. Not just game industry awards, but the Oscars, and the like. You can be assured that we hit them all. Hell, we even speculate about starting our own awards, the At a Boy. thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

This is a tough one. Why? You have some honest talk about mental health. There is a lot to unpack but everything is honest. We do move on to more brighter topics: assholes. jim recommends Assholes a Theory by Aaron James, if you want to know more. We want to hear from you. Send us your questions, opinions, and thoughts; we want to hear them. jim and I tend to forget others are listening. So what do you want to know, or us to talk about? thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.

So, we're done talking about shit gibbins. We put a stake in the heart of the identity debate. Her is a palate cleanser, sports. We start with wrestling, talk about carnies (which we should have done more), and Richard gets personal. We want to hear from you. Send us your questions, opinions, and thoughts; we want to hear them. jim and I tend to forget others are listening. So what do you want to know, or us to talk about? thegrumpyoldgamers@gmail.com twitter apple itunes google play spotify stitcher Also if you like what we do, we will not say no to your money.