Oren is a grumpy old man whose physical age hasn’t quite caught up with him, at least that’s what the kids who won’t get off his lawn keep saying. He’s been into roleplaying games since he was knee-high to a d10, and into prose writing for nearly as long. He loves stories and games that push the envelope of storytelling, like the Discworld series and the RPG Primetime Adventures. He’s also a huge Star Trek fan, though his rants on the mistakes of Voyager and Enterprise might make you think otherwise.
Mike, Oren, and Chris are confounded by all-encompassing definition of anti-heroes on TV Tropes. Oren shares his theory that all characters are either boring, anti-heroes, or Captain Picard. Chris asks why there aren’t female anti-heroes that aren’t also antagonists, and Mike describes anti-hero tricksters, templars, and … read more »
When people describe their roleplaying game adventures, they tend to talk about desperate battles or heroic speeches. They recall the points of high adventure when everything rested on a single roll of the dice, or theatrical performances so good they brought the group to tears. … read more »
Oren, Chris, and Mike discuss utopias, dystopias, and their use in storytelling and worldbuilding. They question what’s required to create a utopia or dystopia, and debate whether utopian settings can work for stories. Featuring Dinotopia, Star Trek, and Grimdark. Read more »
I invoke the terrible memories of Team Rocket because they are the most extreme example of something that pervades a lot of other stories: recurring villains who simply lose their potency as time goes on. This can ruin an otherwise great story. Read more »
Chris, Oren, and Mike discuss the great dilemma of whether or not to kill a character. They describe the storytelling problems created by this dilemma, and question the difference between good character deaths and bad ones. Read more »
If you’ve ever read a book, watched a TV show, or played a video game and thought, “I would love to do this in a tabletop roleplaying game,” then congratulations, you are not alone. This is a very common desire among roleplayers, as demonstrated by … read more »
Oren, Chris, and Mike talk about breaking conventions in stories. They discuss works that offer delightful surprises to their audience, and contrast them with works that simply fail expectations. They also talk about Star Trek. A lot. Read more »
Discworld is an expansive fantasy series created by Terry Pratchett. It features a flat, disc-shaped world (who would have guessed) resting upon the backs of four enormous elephants standing on the shell of a giant turtle, the Great A’Tuin. It’s made up of multiple series … read more »
Mike, Oren, and Chris talk about stories in which characters use their knowledge of dramatic structure to anticipate what will happen next. They discuss worlds where story mechanics influence reality, and describe how self-awareness is used for parodies and subversions. Read more »
Mystery is one of the most common types of roleplaying game sessions, especially for games that have moved out of the dungeon. They provide both a direction and objective for players: solve the mystery! Mysteries come preloaded with suspense and the subversion of expectations, plus … read more »
