Flail Forward Podcast
131 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★ - 2 ratingsFlail Forward is an RPG Design podcast by a group of amateurs. Some would describe it as a dumpster fire, but it's an entertaining dumpster fire.
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Episodes
Our House Party Rules
July 19, 2022 00:46 - 1 hour - 162 MBHouse rules! You know you have them. You know some games don't work without them. Here are some of ours! Presumably. I wasn't on this one, and there are no show notes, so who knows what the hell this episode is actually about. A regular feature on Flail Forward by now.
Concepts Mechanics Number
July 19, 2022 00:25 - 38 minutes - 87.4 MBConcepts > mechanics > numbers Start with basic concepts of what you want the game to be about. Mechanics then describe these concepts in a way that they can actually be used and interacted with. The numbers are the specific, fine details of exactly how the mechanics work. Most major problems happen at the conceptual level, or mechanics that don't work towards that concept, or not having a concept really at all. The numbers are basically the last thing you worry about, basic placeholders ar...
Fire In RPGs
June 11, 2022 22:33 - 51 minutes - 117 MBI AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE AND I BRING YOU FIRE IN RPGS
Beyond Fun
June 01, 2022 17:34 - 1 hour - 251 MBLenny Balsera joins us to talk about how games that seek to do more than 'fun'. What's that mean in this case? Listen and find out at the same time we do!
A GM's Cat's Cradle Of Agency
May 04, 2022 23:48 - 1 hour - 179 MBWe discuss GM agency. Is there a correct amount? What does it mean for certain games to constrain it? How?
What We Like About Games We Don't Like
April 09, 2022 05:28 - 2 hours - 291 MBTonight we talk about games we don't like but things about them we do like! ...Yeah it's gonna be neurotic. It does go better than last week, though, so we got that going for us. Of course you'd only know that if you listened to it. Which really, I don't think it's fair to subject yourself to that but maybe you feel guilty about something and want to punish yourself so I dunno, go ahead and listen if that's what you're into.
What We Like About Games We Don't Like
April 09, 2022 05:28 - 2 hours - 291 MBTonight we talk about games we don't like but things about them we do like! ...Yeah it's gonna be neurotic. It does go better than last week, though, so we got that going for us. Of course you'd only know that if you listened to it. Which really, I don't think it's fair to subject yourself to that but maybe you feel guilty about something and want to punish yourself so I dunno, go ahead and listen if that's what you're into.
Meta - Currency
March 05, 2022 20:02 - 1 hour - 205 MBHow meta does our meta currency talk get? Find out or don't because you can't because it's too meta to be understood within it's own delineated context, so there's no point to listening. Enjoy.
Bonus Banter: Pacing!
March 05, 2022 20:00 - 26 minutes - 61.3 MBShort episode about pacing in ttrpgs! This is also a half episode because the recording bot, the back-up, and the back-up back-up all shit the bed in the same episode.
Narrative Control
February 19, 2022 06:33 - 1 hour - 222 MBCat's not here this week, so the blurb is short. Fred rejoined us for the first time in long while and it was cool! We chatted about how games pass around narrative. And a lot of other tangents. linktr.ee/flailforward
How Games Fail Us
February 19, 2022 02:06 - 1 hour - 227 MBTonight we talk about how games sometimes fail their players in a way that make the players feel dissatisfied. Is it the game itself? The mechanics? The GM's fault? Who's at fault? How do you prevent this? Who framed Roger Rabbit? Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar? Was it you? If not, then who? I think I lost track of what I was talking about, but that's normal here so whatever. Don't expect the episode itself to be any less meandering. Join our discord and talk about the ways we fail...
Between Session Stuff
February 05, 2022 06:59 - 1 hour - 227 MBThe game within the game! Wait, no, this is the game without the game. Or the game in between the game. Anyway, we're covering design focused around doing stuff in between sessions, from mechanical stuff like leveling up, to side role playing, you name it! Does it make sense to build this for everyone or is this a more niche concept? This and more on this episode of Flaaaaail foooorwaaaaarrrrrrddddd linktr.ee/flailforward
Big Three Questions
January 29, 2022 06:55 - 1 hour - 243 MBTonight we talk about THE BIG THREE. Yes, that is what she said, don't think too hard on it though. Specifically though, the concept of the three big questions that Jared Sorensen thought RPGs should be able to answer, and why they're pretty good questions. Want to see us pick apart some basic concepts until everything's on fire? Well we do that every week, but we did it really good this time and brought lots of extra stuff to burn for the dumpster fire this time so sit back with a chair an...
Norms in Games
January 22, 2022 05:00 - 1 hour - 213 MB"I repeat, we have normality. Anything you still can't cope with is therefore your own problem." Yep, we're talking about what's normal tonight. I know, I know, we're probably the group least aware of what the concept of normal even is, but we're doing it anyway so deal with it. Specifically though, we're covering normality in terms of establishing what is considered to be normal in a TTRPG, from mechanics to setting features, and how to convey this information to the players, and why you w...
Visual Appeal
January 17, 2022 08:23 - 1 hour - 243 MBThis episode, we discuss visual appeal in RPGs. What games we think demonstrate strong visual appeal, and which we think missed the mark somehow. Usual banter ensues. https://linktr.ee/FlailForward
Narrative Through Mechanics
January 08, 2022 08:25 - 1 hour - 222 MBTonight we delve into the mysteries of generating narrative through mechanics... TWO! Because we've covered this before. But that was a long, long time ago, in a gal...a... nooo not going to get sued, you thought we would, but no, we're just going to bypass that. No, we're taking another look at it after a few years of experience and development of our skills, and I think we laid it out much more cleanly this time around! And didn't even get sued doing it. Though I almost did. But I didn...
Adapting to and from RPGs
November 20, 2021 05:42 - 1 hour - 220 MBAdapting to and from RPGs by Flail Forward
Small Games & Frame Works
November 13, 2021 05:48 - 1 hour - 188 MBWe talk about small games and how we look at their frame works. Our links are here! https://linktr.ee/FlailForward
Esoteric Landscapes
November 08, 2021 03:12 - 1 hour - 207 MBWe talk about how RPGs have affected and inform world views.
In Our Defense We Were Left Unsupervised
October 09, 2021 20:34 - 2 hours - 333 MBhttps://linktr.ee/FlailForward Kavoir and Mark were busy tonight, and even Sabrina wasn't around. This leaves Rob and Catreece to their own devices for three hours straight. Rob didn't even realize there was a topic we wandered so far off from it. So the question isn't "Is anyone surprised?" because you all knew this was going to happen. The question is "Why did you think leaving us alone was a good idea in the first place?" - asking the real questions that really matter.
GM Tools
September 29, 2021 04:31 - 1 hour - 254 MBTonight on Flail Foward, we discuss the tools GMs have to work with, what kinds of things to include and design for in your game to make sure that the GM has the tools they need to portray the game experience they want and their players crave. We explicitly do not make any mention of tools of torture, such as whips or chains, because this is only the night show, not the late night show, so you'll have to find your game mistress bondage gear elsewhere, sorry!
Something About How Games Do Stuff
September 18, 2021 04:28 - 1 hour - 206 MBSomething About How Games Do Stuff by Flail Forward
Limiting Agency to get Story
September 11, 2021 05:33 - 1 hour - 265 MBTonight we talk about agency, and how much is too much of a good thing. You know, when you flick a bad guy's nose and they explode leaving a crater half the size of a small country, and you're like "oh yeaaah, maybe I shouldn't have done that. " Yeah, that does sometimes make for interesting stories, though often the ones you don't mean to, so maybe we should cut off our characters before they hit the blow up the world button. But WHERE!? Where do we pull back? Where do we draw that line...
Recovery in RPGs
August 28, 2021 05:04 - 2 hours - 277 MBhttps://linktr.ee/FlailForward We talk about Recovery! What better way to recover from being nearly beaten to death than with an ice cold lemonade and a lawn chair built from the bones of your enemies? Except you probably don't have either of those. It's fine though, we talk about other ways to recover, from combat, from stress, from other things and how it relates to RPG design, the themes of your game, and other such things! BTW, the fact that we have lemonade and you don't probably c...
Metaphysics
August 27, 2021 19:13 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBTonight Kavoir and Catreece talk about... metaphysics in games, also flogging yourself with a fish, you naughty, naughty whatever you are. But the important part is how the fish as a concept interacts with the game rules and the setting, which is that using a red herring only inflicts illusory damage, as you will soon find out. This is the most you'll hear Kavoir talk, so buckle up. https://linktr.ee/FlailForward
Bonus Banter: Rob And Kavoir Talk About Ashes
August 07, 2021 07:32 - 1 hour - 221 MBThis is Bonus Banter episode because there's not really a design topic. Kavoir interrogates Rob about Ashes of the Magi. Rob gets to try to nail down his thoughts a bit better. Our audience jumped in with good questions. Good time was had by all.
Audience Limits
July 31, 2021 07:41 - 2 hours - 289 MBWe talk about the limits of the audience in design? How far can you push them? Why would you want to? Are there any limits at all? Who knows. Not us, that's for sure. As always, find all the show notes and links to content on our discord server: https://discord.gg/MAUshMJ And the rest of our stuff: https://linktr.ee/FlailForward
Author Intent and Deep Dive with Saorsa
July 26, 2021 23:43 - 1 hour - 210 MBToday we speak of things. Dark things. Insidious things. Things that should never be spoken, never be heard. But you will hear them, whatever they are, at least if you listen to this episode. What are these things? I dunno, we didn't reaaaally have a proper topic and I have a memory that envies goldfish, so I forget, but there was probably something interesting in there. It's a Rob and Cat episode because of availability was limited. Two people who love the sounds of their own voices. Let...
Helping Players be Better Players
July 17, 2021 23:17 - 1 hour - 256 MBHelp me to help you - because that's this week's topic! How do our games guide and train players to be more capable of having fun at the game, how to better interact with their friends around the table, how to hide a body under the floorboards and seal it properly so no one notices the smell, and other useful information that everyone should really know. You know, best practices and how to pick friends who will help you hide a body, that kind of stuff! https://linktr.ee/FlailForward
Logical Patterns in RPGs
July 10, 2021 06:32 - 1 hour - 242 MBCome one, come all, to the greatest show on earth! And when you're done with that, you can come to our show afterward where we look at logical design patterns, what they are, how they can be put to use, how they can be subverted, and other fun things to do with them that there are currently no treaties which have been ratified against the use thereof! https://linktr.ee/FlailForward
Evil in RPGs
July 03, 2021 04:52 - 1 hour - 269 MBTonight on Flail Forward, we TURN EVIL! Well, alright, some of us already were, but it's fine, don't worry about it. The rest of us talk about the concept of evil in RPGs, from "evil races" to "good vs evil" to what evil even means as a concept, or how it affects games by existing or not. Now all you need to do is listen to the episode and don't mind any of those subtle mind control waves we've mixed into the background white noise, because we're Totally Not Evil™️ so obviously wouldn't do th...
Setting up the Setting
June 26, 2021 04:38 - 1 hour - 235 MBThis evening we have an epic battle over what information a game designer is to provide to GMs and players about the setting, in an all-out brawl TO THE DEATH! ...Verbally! Or something. Also, Shadowrun comes up a bit because of how good it is at prompting its setting. But yeah, what information, ways to present it to the players, and some of the ways we do it, all on this episode of Flail Forward! Find us on the internet: Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/praxisarcanum Rob -...
Stealing RPG innovations from other media
June 25, 2021 21:58 - 1 hour - 140 MBThe gang talks about creatively lifting technology from other media sources and implementing it in TTRPGs.
Conflict in RPGs
June 23, 2021 20:58 - 1 hour - 220 MBWe talk about different types of conflict in RPGs, not just combat. Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/praxisarcanum Rob - ashesofthemagi.com twitter.com/ashesofthemagi Kavoir - Manifests conflict in games in order to study the results.
Bonus Banter - Side Bars And Variants
June 23, 2021 19:33 - 41 minutes - 94.5 MBThe gang invites two audience members, Sabrina and Cam to join the after show, and we talk about variants and side bars, etc.
Framing in Table Top Role Playing Games
June 23, 2021 18:32 - 1 hour - 211 MBThe gang talks about framing in table top games. Find us on the internet: Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/praxisarcanum Rob - ashesofthemagi.com twitter.com/ashesofthemagi Kavoir - Warms his tiny mechanical hands by the light of rad-glow.
Death In RPGs
June 23, 2021 18:23 - 1 hour - 99.5 MBWe tackle the topic of Death in RPGs Find us on the internet: Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/praxisarcanum Rob - ashesofthemagi.com twitter.com/ashesofthemagi Kavoir - Warms his tiny mechanical hands by the light of rad-glow. Monty - That place where things are.
How We Attach To Character
April 16, 2021 21:14 - 2 hours - 192 MBThe gang discusses how we attach to character and how that can be done in general. At the end we take advantage of the the discord stage feature to bring an audience member in to the conversation.
Sex In Table Top RPGs
April 06, 2021 21:25 - 1 hour - 127 MBWe do a sex talk. World building? Mechanics? Lines and Veils? Yep, we talk about it. Rob tries not to use D&D as an example of what not to do, but fails, because it fundamentally falls short of what players want out of this. (Shocking, we know) If you have any questions, comments, or free-floating hostility, find us: On discord: discord.gg/Hz7zFwq On Twitter: twitter.com/FlailForward Facebook & Instagram @flailforward Your talkers were: Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/prax...
Problems We Try To Solve
April 06, 2021 17:58 - 2 hours - 111 MBWhy are we building our games? What specific problems are we addressing that we feel other games don't address to our satisfaction? A deep dive on the origins of our game(s). If you have any questions, comments, or free-floating hostility, you can email us at: [email protected] (though we barely check this better to go to the below) Or tweet us on Twitter: twitter.com/FlailForward discord: discord.gg/Hz7zFwq Facebook & Instagram @flailforward Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Rob - a...
Growth Scaling in RPGs
March 12, 2021 02:13 - 2 hours - 171 MBWe talk about Growth Scaling in RPGs! What is it? Is it even needed? How does it manifest in other games? What's a good starting point? Are the better or worse ways to include it. If you have any questions, comments, or free-floating hostility, you can email us at: [email protected] (though we barely check this better to go to the below) Or tweet us on Twitter: twitter.com/FlailForward discord: discord.gg/Hz7zFwq Facebook & Instagram @flailforward Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Jo...
Anne Goodall - Magic,Adventure & Social Participation
March 02, 2021 21:05 - 1 hour - 229 MBAnne Goodall joins the crew to talk about her master's thesis, available here: https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/41779 We talk about social inclusion as facilitated by RPGs, gaming while incarcerated, and a lot more. It's not exactly our usual content, but you might find some interesting and inspiring ideas within! If you have any questions, comments, or free-floating hostility, you can email us at: [email protected] (though we barely check this better to go to the below) Or...
Johnathan Tweet - Everway
February 10, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 184 MBJohnathan Tweet joins us to talk about the new Edition of the Everway RPG up on Kickstarter right now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jessemcgatha/everway-roleplaying-game Check it out on the web here! https://www.everway.com/ Find us on the internet: Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/praxisarcanum Rob - ashesofthemagi.com twitter.com/ashesofthemagi
Jonathan Tweet - Everway
February 10, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 184 MBJonathan Tweet joins us to talk about the new Edition of the Everway RPG up on Kickstarter right now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jessemcgatha/everway-roleplaying-game Check it out on the web here! https://www.everway.com/ Find us on the internet: Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/praxisarcanum Rob - ashesofthemagi.com twitter.com/ashesofthemagi
Mitch Moore & Felix Isaacs - Exploration
January 29, 2021 21:02 - 1 hour - 94.6 MBWell, sometimes we're so good at our job that two people want to talk to us about how they do exploration. It's a real banger of an episode, don't miss it. Mitch Moore checks back in with the gang, and updates us on Ashes of the Deep! Find him here: https://twitter.com/bronze_torch Felix Isaacs shows up again to update us on Wildsea! Find him here: https://twitter.com/isaacs_felix If you have any questions, comments, or free-floating hostility, you can tweet us on Twitter: twitter.com/Fl...
Guest Host Lenny Balsera
January 29, 2021 03:58 - 1 hour - 254 MBWe have our very first guest host!! Lenny Balsera asks the crew a question that sets off almost two hours of back and forth. What question? Listen and find out! If you have any questions, comments, or free-floating hostility, you can email us at: [email protected] Or tweet us on Twitter: twitter.com/FlailForward discord: discord.gg/Hz7zFwq Facebook & Instagram @flailforward Find the hosts on the internet: Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/praxisarcanum Kavoir - T...
Why pick one system over another?
January 20, 2021 04:08 - 2 hours - 286 MBOur first episode of the new year, and it's off to a warm start. Monty joins the crew, bringing in a fresher player's perspective to ground us when we get our heads way up our asses. Trust us, it happens. Find us on the internet: Catreece - tinyurl.com/SAORSA Mark - twitter.com/praxisarcanum Rob - ashesofthemagi.com twitter.com/ashesofthemagi Kavoir - Warms his tiny mechanical hands by the light of rad-glow. Monty - That place where things are.