Modifier
84 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 39 ratingsModifier sits down with designers of all stripes and looks at what it takes to make a great game! With a focus on homebrewing and otherwise modifying existing games to meet your storytelling needs, these interviews dig deep into how changing the rules enables better storytelling. Hosted by Meghan Dornbrock.
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Episodes
34. The Imposters and 7 Games About Conspiracy
April 20, 2017 13:25 - 58 minutes - 26.7 MBI've crammed three people into the show this week because it's harder for Them to get you when you're in a group, right? Right. Josh T Jordan, Banana Chan and Todd Crapper are all here to talk about The Imposters, an anthology of games about conspiracies, werewolves, psychogeography, intelligence agencies, and aliens on YouTube. I'm...I'm really not sure what else you could want at this point. THE IMPOSTERS (the people) Josh T Jordan Banana Chan Todd Crapper THE IMPOSTERS (the ...
33. Axon Punk with Colin & Cameron Kyle
April 06, 2017 13:28 - 1 hour - 29.3 MBReal-life punks (no, that's a lie, they're actually very polite boys) Colin and Cameron Kyle are here to discuss their cyberpunk hip-hop game Axon Punk! We talk about things like when do you know it's time to stop hacking and start building, how to reach out for help with diversity, and how many cons in a row is too many cons in a row. NOTABLE PUNX Axon Punk twitter Axon Punk website Sugar Gamers Eliott Lilly
32. 5 Across Erika Chappell's Heart
March 23, 2017 13:32 - 1 hour - 32.5 MBIt finally happened! Erika and I finally got to talk magical girls and record it as an episode!! Her game Five Across the Heart is both a rad game about punk mahous and an excellent study of the evolution of an RPG. Come hang out with us in this episode that is definitely not a ploy by the Negaverse to siphon all your mahou shoujo excitement. WINK. THE SHOUJO Erika on twitter THE MAHOU Erika's Five Across the Heart (& more!) gamedev thread
31. Noir World with John Adamus
March 09, 2017 14:23 - 1 hour - 29.1 MBThis is one of those episodes where we talk about a game and a Kickstarter, yes, but more than that we talk about the process of creation itself. John Adamus, known in part for his tweetstorms of encouragement to creators, gets really deep with how Noir World came to be and how it changed over its 70+ iterations. THE MAN John on Twitter John's Patreon THE WORLD Noir World Twitter Noir World Facebook
30. Companion's Tale with Laura Simpson
February 23, 2017 13:17 - 46 minutes - 21.5 MBOr, The One Where We Go Full Dragon Age Fancast. Listen, it's a transformation that's been happening slowly for a while now, I feel like. Maybe it's a new segment? Anyway, COMPANION'S TALE IS KICKSTARTING! Laura and I chat about her excellent new storytelling game at Dreamation 2017, among other tangents (about companions) (that you can kiss). THE STORYTELLER Laura on twitter Sweet Potato Press Companion's Tale on Kickstarter
29. RPGs & Kids with the Walls Family
February 09, 2017 14:14 - 59 minutes - 27.1 MBCarrie and Evie Walls are here to talk shop about running and playing all sorts of RPGs as (and for) younger players. We get into how to choose games, deal with problem players, and tell an engaging story. Also, their dad James is here. THE WALLS Living 4 Crits blog James' G+ James' twitter Living 4 Crits YouTube
28. Myth, Mystery & Crime in Alas for the Awful Sea
January 26, 2017 14:21 - 36 minutes - 16.8 MBStorybrewers Hayley and Veronica are here to tell us all about their new game Alas for the Awful Sea and what drives them to tell grey stories about desperation, hate, fear and folklore in the 19th century UK sailing villages. (Okay I know how that sounded but this episode is real cute you guys.) THE CHARACTERS Storybrewers / Hayley on twitter Veronica on twitter THE STORY Alas for the Awful Sea on Kickstarter Storybrewers website Storybrewers facebook
27. RPGs for Kids with John Harness
January 12, 2017 14:30 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MBJohn Harness, veteran middle-grade game-runner and force behind the Facebook page "RPGs for Kids" joins us to talk about...running games for kids! We talk about games as education as well as fun, and how to approach running for the younger players in your life. LINKS John on Twitter RPGs for Kids Facebook page No Thank You Evil Adventure Maximus
26. Modding 13th Age with J Michael Bestul
December 29, 2016 15:05 - 1 hour - 30.1 MBHeroes, it has been a HECK of a year, and we're going out with a bang. J Michael Bestul gives us some hot tips on how to get the most out of modding 13th Age, which is a pretty rad system to begin with. Plus, a little waxing nostalgic in the intro and not one but TWO hidden kitties! Don't ever say we never gave you nothing. ICONS J Michael Bestul on Twitter J Michael Bestul on G+ J's website BACKGROUNDS Quinn Murphy's post on Backgrounds Wade Rockett's post on creating meanin...
25. Building A Better Deck-builder With Dan Enders
December 15, 2016 14:49 - 1 hour - 32 MBWe're taking a look at hacking deck-builder card games this week, specifically Crptozoic's Cerberus Engine system, with card-game aficionado / hostage Dan Enders. Dan also wrote micro RPG card game The Bite, so this one is just ALL about cards and feeling bad. DRAW Dan on Twitter Dragon Ball Cerberus hack on Reddit The Bite
24. Supporting Setting with Mechanics in Jason Pitre's Sig
December 01, 2016 14:14 - 47 minutes - 21.9 MBSig is a multiplanar fantasy setting for Jason Pitre's game Spark, and is a fantastic example of mechanics supporting and reinforcing setting. But, how do you do that thing? Luckily Jason has some experience crafting mechanics that evoke experience and promote setting, so we talk all about it, and his upcoming Sig kickstarter too! SPARK Jason's twitter Jason's G+ Genesis of Legend SMOKE One Shot playthrough of Sig Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 SH&R Genre Bacon
23. Join the Secret Society with Keith Baker's Illimat
November 19, 2016 16:05 - 38 minutes - 17.5 MBAm I allowed to just issue an open invitation like that? Am I going to get kicked out now? Shoot. Don't tell anyone I told you, okay? Oh good. Since we're cool now, Keith Baker is here to tell us all about Illimat, and what it was like to create a game from a bunch of components that had already been carefully designed. CAPTAIN OF EYES Keith's twitter Keith's website THE ILLIMAT Illimat website Twogether Studios Find an Illimat Outpost (game cafes that have demo copies!) One...
22. Culture Modding with Quinn Wilson
November 03, 2016 13:26 - 1 hour - 27.5 MBThis week we get deep, discussing the role of culture in games and how to approach modifying that part of the fiction. Quinn Wilson, GM of Swallows of the South and noted Guy Fieri enthusiast, leads the way. THE GOOD GOOD LINKS Quinn's garbage twitter Swallows of the South Flavortown Quinn Murphy's Drau
21. Scaling Games Part 2: GO ...HOME?
October 20, 2016 13:09 - 46 minutes - 21.5 MBTechnically you don't HAVE to go home. In fact, stay here for a little while! Jeff Stormer from Party of One, the podcast all about two-player RPGs, is here to talk about playing SMALL games. How do you play or modify games for just two people? Or even ONE person? There's a lot more out there for the small table, and we talk about it. PARTY PEOPLE Jeff / Party of One twitter Party of One Podcast CROSSOVER Meghan Plays 39 Dark on Party of One
20. Scaling Games Part 1: GO BIG
October 08, 2016 15:47 - 1 hour - 28.5 MBMulti-DM games. Multi-table games. The Specials. There are many names for these massive convention games, but luckily for us we've got several guests here to help break them down. Geoffrey Peart, Troy Pichelman, and Darcy Ross are all experienced in ways to make your game bigger, whatever the system. THE SPECIALS Geoffrey Peart Troy Pichelman Darcy Ross SCALE IT UP Pathfinder Society Events Ontario Pathfinder Society Monte Cook Games Asset Team
19. (More) Accessibility With Aser & Megan Tolentino
September 22, 2016 03:22 - 48 minutes - 24.9 MBIt's another episode all about accessibility in gaming, this time with blind gamer Aser Tolentino and his wife Megan. Both are extremely talented players and GMs (who you might recognize from The Redacted Files or the Firefly Podcast) and they have a wealth of knowledge to share when it comes to tools and tips for making, running, and playing accessible games. THE TOLENTINOS Aser Megan The Redacted Files Firefly Podcast THE TIDBITS Voice Dream Reader Kurzweil 1000 Braille d...
18. A Bguiling Homebrew: Converting 3.5e's Beguiler to Pathfinder
September 08, 2016 13:04 - 52 minutes - 23.9 MBFor our first proper homebrew Chris takes us through his process of converting D&D 3.5's Beguiler class over to Pathfinder. We talk about how to approach a conversion, how to get feedback, and what makes a homebrew appealing to players outside your group. PART ROGUE, PART WIZARD Chris' Beguiler Conversion The Beguiler in Golarion
17. Let's Visit Mark Richardson's Headspace
August 25, 2016 13:13 - 1 hour - 40.8 MBThis one goes long heroes, but that's because Mark has just as much to say about his shared-conciousness RPG "Headspace" as I have to ask, and he's too polite (Canadian) to tell me to wrap it up already. Jack in, this one goes places! OPERATORS Mark Richardson Green Hat Designs Headspace RPG UPGRADES Headspace on One Shot Part One | Part Two
16. Reflections with Jim and Paulomi
August 11, 2016 14:34 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBI did this to myself. I made jokes. I let guests talk about L5R. Now he's here, in my podcast. Jim McClure and Paulomi Pratap from Third Act Publishing are here to talk about "Reflections", a two-player storytelling RPG about dueling samurai, and the game's journey from where it began as Tobie Abad's "A Single Moment". SAMURAI Jim McClure Paulomi Pratap Tobie Abad THE DUEL Reflections Kickstarter Reflections at Third Act Publishing A Single Moment REFLECTIONS APS Party of ...
15. The (Open) Legend of Brian Feister
July 28, 2016 14:20 - 1 hour - 31.6 MBOpen Legend is an "open source RPG" created by Brian Feister with the intent that the system can be used to tell any epic story of your choice. We take a look at how the system is broken down into components and how those can be manipulated to suit your preferred genre. CHARACTERS Brian Feister BOONS Open Legend RPG (website) Open Legend RPG (twitter) Open Legend Community BANES Masks AP Livestream video
14. Hacking Apocalypse World with Andrew Medeiros
July 14, 2016 14:33 - 50 minutes - 23.1 MBUrban Shadows. The Watch. Andrew Medeiros knows how to hack Apocalypse World, and more importantly, he knows what happened to Janet! Come listen to us chat about why it's so fun to be Powered by the Apocalypse. PLAYBOOKS Andrew Medeiros on the web (NorthFireGames) Andrew Medeiros on Patreon Andrew Medeiros on G+
13. Playing By Post on the GamersPlane
June 30, 2016 14:59 - 56 minutes - 25.8 MBThis week, Rohit of GamersPlane shares his experience crafting a dedicated play-by-post space online, and how these games are different and often advantageous to their in-person counterparts. PbP games are a unique experience, and we take a look at how that happens. SEEKING PLAYERS GamersPlane.com GamersPlane on Twitter SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL AcadeCon 2016 "Tabletop Gaming Has A White Male Terrorism Problem" - Emily Garland "It's not just video games — tabletop gaming has a ha...
12. Beautiful Senshi Hearts, Make UP!
June 16, 2016 14:44 - 1 hour - 36.3 MBThis week we're basically a Sailor Moon fan podcast, thanks to the creative team behind Beautiful Senshi Hearts, a magical girl spin on Monster Hearts. Josh Kronegold, Anne Ratchat, and James (JC) Holder talk about their game and the magical girl genre. Special guest Lisa Padol. FIGHTING EVIL BY MOONLIGHT Josh (the pink one) Anne (the blue one) James (the green one) Lisa (the cat) WINNING LOVE BY DAYLIGHT Beautiful Senshi Hearts NEVER RUNNING FROM A REAL FIGHT Stop, Hack, &...
11. The Dark Eye with Tim Brown
June 02, 2016 12:57 - 39 minutes - 18.2 MBStudio Manager for Ulisses North America and RPG veteran Tim Brown gives us a look at what it takes to bring The Dark Eye (Das Schwarze Auge), one of the most popular German-language RPGs with a 30+ year history, to English audiences. How are German games different from English games, and what makes the new edition of The Dark Eye so special? UNSER GAST Timothy Brown Ulisses Spiele North America The Dark Eye Kickstarter
10. Glenn Given's Blazing Heart
May 19, 2016 12:57 - 56 minutes - 26 MBHearts Blazing is a story-telling card game of melodramatic sci-fi adventure by Games by Play Date. One of the creators, Glenn Given, stopped by to chat about games, storytelling, and smashing the barriers we erect between them. We also talk about the value of creation vs perfection, as well as the Hearts Blazing Kickstarter! (We talked a LOT.) EVERYTHING IS MADE UP: Glenn (GamesbyPlayDate) on Twitter Games By Play Date Hearts Blazing Kickstarter THE POINTS DON'T MATTER: Hear...
9. Noirlandia
May 05, 2016 11:39 - 53 minutes - 24.3 MBHannah Shaffer and Evan Rowland have hacked their own game! We talk about how Questlandia lead to Noirlandia, what constitutes a noir, and the perils of the banana industry. Warning: there's a lot of giggling in this one. RUNNING THE BANANA STAND Evan Rowland Hannah Shaffer Noirlandia Kickstarter Make Big Things NON-BANANA BUSINESS Noisy Person Cards Actual Play Noisy Person Cards Kickstarter AcadeCon Kickstarter
8. Modding the Meta with Anna Kreider
April 21, 2016 16:38 - 44 minutes - 20.6 MBMods! Magical girls! Misandry! This episode has it all. Anna Kreider shares her experiences pitching very different games about women to con-goers and what she's learned in the process. We discuss her games The Starlit Kingdom, Autonomy, and The Watch. MAGICAL GIRL Anna Kreider Peach Pants Press Andrew Medeiros Ben Lehman's Polaris THE OTHER STUFF NPC Kickstarter Paracosm Press Eric Vulgaris on Twitch Hades Holiday Party: video | tickets From Scratch #2 with Meghan
7. Modifier Gets A Lawyer!
April 07, 2016 13:54 - 1 hour - 28.7 MBWe’ve been threatening it for weeks, but we finally did it. Friend of the network and actual lawyer Priyanko “Pranks” Paul breaks down WotC’s OGL and answers your legal questions about using the license. Turns out, it’s way less scary than it looks! DUE DILIGENCE Pranks on twitter Never Tell Me The Pods Reddit AMA on the OGL 2004 OGL FAQ WotC’s OGL vs DMG guide and the SRD copyright.gov Empire of Imagination
#6: The Cypher System with Bruce Cordell
March 24, 2016 13:53 - 58 minutes - 26.9 MBMonte Cook Games, fine purveyors of Numenera and The Strange, is in the middle of a Kickstarter to launch three new settings for their Cypher System. Senior designer and veteran game writer Bruce Cordell breaks down both the system and the Kickstarter, flawlessly alleviating Meghan’s page-count induced panic attack and completing her conversion to Cypher fangirl. Join us, won’t you? CHARACTER SHEET Bruce Cordell is a tweeting game writer who has content in an amazing Kickstarter ...
PK Sullivan’s “Heroes Fall”
March 10, 2016 20:19 - 1 hour - 32.4 MBWhat's the plural of “apocalypse”? Well, we didn’t figure that out. Sorry. Instead, PK tells us all about the game he’s crafting and the process so far as he aims to break our hearts with a pre-apocalyptic saga from which almost nothing can survive. Also, Star Wars! THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE PK Sullivan’s Twitter Blog Three Rocketeers Three Rocketeers on One Shot Part 1 | Part 2
Laser Kittens with Cheyenne Wall-Grimes
February 25, 2016 16:06 - 42 minutes - 19.6 MBWhat’s the difference between a Laser Kitten and a Glitter Cat? Where does a kitten learn to cat? Why do their eyes glow, and what sorts of laser powers do cats even have? Cheyenne Wall-Grimes helps solve those mysteries and more through her new RPG in this purr-fect episode of Meowdifier! Er, Modifier. WHO WHO WHO: Cheyenne Wall-Grimes Glitter Cats Fine Amusements on Twitter, Facebook , & Blog Laser Kittens Kickstarter
Mass Effect on the Edge of the Empire
February 11, 2016 13:08 - 56 minutes - 25.9 MB(genuine enthusiasm) Homebrewer Richard shares his journey in creating and playtesting an Edge of the Empire conversion to the Mass Effect universe. (further informational statement) Along with Cat, his wife and a member of the guinea pig game group, Richard shares what worked, what didn't, and how the adventure is going. OUR INTREPID CREW Richard's Instagram and tumblr Cat SUBMIT OGL QUESTIONS Modifier's tumblr
Roll20 & The Word From The Wizards
January 28, 2016 15:16 - 45 minutes - 20.9 MBNolan T. Jones and Suzanne Wallace from Roll20 help Meghan parse out the latest news from Wizards of the Coast, and what it means for homebrewing heroes everywhere. We discuss what’s new for Roll20, the differences between your new marketplace options, and muse about what we might see next.
Accessibility with Elsa S Henry
January 14, 2016 15:28 - 1 hour - 29.2 MBMeghan and Elsa chat about gaming with a disability, and the many ways games can be made more accessible and inclusive for all players. We also discuss Elsa’s forthcoming RPG Dead Scare, our mutual love for Hamilton, and a totally unbiased analysis of Netflix’s Daredevil.