Plot Points
204 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 58 ratingsPlot Points is a monthly podcast which discusses table-top role-playing games and their supplements as literature. Our quirky panel discusses games old and new, spotlights innovations in the hobby, and links to literature.
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Episodes
How Good is Vaesen? Ep 217
December 18, 2020 03:04 - 1 hour - 78.8 MBIs Vaesen the best new RPG of the year? How does it stack up against Call of Cthulhu as a horror game? What does it teach about how to make an excellent RPG? All these questions and more are tackled in this week's Plot Points! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon! Image courtesy Fria Ligan.
Reading the Dungeon Master's Guide Aloud pt. 7 Ep 216
December 04, 2020 12:17 - 59 minutes - 39.7 MBUnnatural aging and disease! Hear the 1st edition DMG read aloud with RPG academic Scott Bruner and host Ben Riggs! Seventh in a series! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office devoted to produci...
Reading the Dungeon Masters Guide Aloud pt 6 Ep 215
November 20, 2020 02:30 - 59 minutes - 42.2 MBHear the 1st edition DMG read aloud with RPG academic Scott Bruner and host Ben Riggs! Sixth in a series! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office devoted to producing comic books, an effort that ...
Urban Shadows 2nd Ed is Happening! Ep 214
November 06, 2020 02:35 - 58 minutes - 43.3 MBUrban Shadows is the addicting as hell PbtA game of machiavellian monsters living in metropolises! Its second edition has new fun faction rules, and the best explanation of combat in a PbtA game I've ever seen! Learn more in our interview with designers Marissa Kelly & Mark Diaz Truman! Also, here's the Kickstarter! Death Divers is in its last days! Back it here! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Lik...
Death Divers! Ep 213
October 29, 2020 21:23 - 1 hour - 40.8 MBExplore Dustin DePenning's carbines and demons sci-fi RPG! It's on Kickstarter right now, and has a fascinating new game engine in its bloody and beating heart, the Heroic Dark! Old school in danger, 21st century in execution, Heroic Dark keeps your characters on the edge of doom and their players on the edge of their seats! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the...
Dark Conspiracy, D13, and Dice Sonnets- Ep 212
October 16, 2020 17:33 - 57 minutes - 35.1 MBLester Smith is a stalwart of GDW and TSR, designer of such games and Dark Conspiracy and Dragon Dice! He has a new game out, D13 which uses a D4 and D10 as the core mechanic. Check the game out here! He also explains how Dragon Dice is actually a sonnet in this interview! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s boo...
Rent a Flat with Death!- Ep 211
October 02, 2020 01:19 - 58 minutes - 42.2 MBA role-playing game like no other. In Rest in Pieces you are room-mates with Death! In addition to a story concept never before seen, RiP takes RPG mechanics another step forward, using a block tower with a twist! Check it out on Kickstarter now! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to ...
Brilliant RPG Designer Craig Campbell Shows Us His 'Good Strong Hands'- Ep 210
September 24, 2020 23:54 - 1 hour - 46.4 MBCraig Campbell is an innovative RPG designer whose current Kickstarter, Good Strong Hands, is a game of relationships and fantasy exploration inspired by fictions like The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, and Willow! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapt...
Reading the DMG Aloud Pt- 5 Ep 209
September 17, 2020 01:13 - 53 minutes - 40.3 MBHear the 1st edition DMG read aloud with RPG academic Scott Bruner and host Ben Riggs! Fifth in a series! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office devoted to producing comic books, an effort that ...
Attend the Red Opera! Ep 208
September 11, 2020 00:22 - 53 minutes - 40.2 MBA warlock-based 5E campaign inspired by a heavy metal album? And the album was retooled and recorded by the Budapest Scoring Symphonic Orchestra? Can such a thing be? Hearken to The Red Opera! Inspired by the DiAmorte album of the same name, today we interview game designer Rick Heinz about this eye-and-ear-grabbing Kickstarter! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at...
A Look at Dragon Magazine thru the Eyes of Dale Donovan- Ep 207
September 04, 2020 00:30 - 1 hour - 38 MBWe're back after an unexpected two-week hiatus with Dale Donovan, an editor, game designer, TSR alum, and Dragon Magazine veteran. He takes us through a career that made him a witness to some pivotal events in RPG history. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! T...
The Sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast- Ep. 206
August 13, 2020 23:00 - 42 minutes - 49.2 MBHow the deal to buy the world's first role-playing game company was negotiated and sealed. Ben Riggs has interviewed those who were there and can tell for the first time the whole story. Recorded live at Gen Con Online! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This ...
How TSR Failed 2020- Ep 205
August 06, 2020 23:20 - 46 minutes - 53.2 MBThe 2020 version of my research on how TSR went from grossing $40 million a year to being bought by Wizards of the Coast. Performed live at Gen Con Online! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office...
Maleficent Mythological Monsters for 5E- Ep 204
July 24, 2020 01:21 - 53 minutes - 60.7 MBImagine inserting Cthulhu, Aladdin, and the Easter Bunny in your 5E campaign. That is exactly the kind of role-playing madness allowed by Mythological Figures & Maleficient Monsters, on Kickstarter now! In this episode, we talk to Mike Myler and Russ Morrissey of EN Publishing about this fine new tome! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll g...
Failure to Click this Link Will be Considered Treason Citizen- Ep 203
July 17, 2020 01:22 - 28 minutes - 32.9 MBRPG designer WJ MacGuffin comes on the show to talk Paranoia, the dystopic/comic sci-fi RPG of clones and treason! They've got Project Infinite Hole on Kickstarter right now! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR t...
Zombies, Creativity, and Business at Magpie Games- Ep 202
July 10, 2020 03:00 - 1 hour - 72.6 MBMark Diaz Truman is one of the madcap masterminds of Magpie Games. Magpie's Zombie World, a card-based, Powered by the Apocalypse game of zombie survival is up for multiple Ennies. In this deep discussion, Mark and Ben chew over the role of writing in generating great games, playtesting, and different models of RPG companies. Plot Points, and Ben’s book, Encounter Theory, are both up for Ennies! Please go vote now! To encourage you, Plot Points is going to be putting out an episode a day...
Interwar Germany Meets the Mythos- Ep 201
July 09, 2020 01:35 - 43 minutes - 49.8 MBDavid Larkins, writer of Berlin: The Wicked City takes us on a tour of Weimar Berlin, now with more tentacles! Learn more about Chaosium in the 21st century with this article Ben wrote. Here's an episode on Greg Stafford from a few years ago. Plot Points, and Ben’s book, Encounter Theory, are both up for Ennies! Please go vote now! To encourage you, Plot Points is going to be putting out an episode day this week! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruR...
The Yellow King Invades our Reality, for Real, in this RPG
July 08, 2020 02:00 - 46 minutes - 53.5 MBRobin Laws had a dream, which led him to write a short story, and use that to create The Yellow King Roleplaying Game. Once HP Lovecraft dreamed of a book called the Necronomicon. Will Robin's RPG turn out to be as baleful as that unsettling tome? There is only one way to find out... Also, it's nominated for an Ennie, along with companion work Absinth in Carcosa! Go vote now! To encourage you, Plot Points is going to be putting out an episode every day this week! Ben’s book on RPG adventur...
John Tynes is the Beethoven of RPGs- Ep 199
July 07, 2020 03:00 - 48 minutes - 55.4 MBJohn Tynes writes RPGs so good it makes me stutter. I've interviewed him twice. Each time, I've been fidgety and nervous beforehand. The man's games take up the #1 and #2 slots on the RPG.net game index! That's a frightening level of RPG chops. And now he has a new book out, The Labyrinth, and that's just as good as his other material? By Arneson's beard, how? Plot Points, and Ben’s book, Encounter Theory, are both up for Ennies! Please go vote now! To encourage you, Plot Points is going ...
Start a Blog, Kickstart a Book, Get an Ennie Nomination- Ep. 198
July 06, 2020 03:08 - 51 minutes - 58.4 MBMichael Prescott is the motivating genius behind Trilemma Adventures, a beautiful book of two-page adventures for fantasy role-playing games. How did he go from writing a blog to Kickstarting a book so magnificent that it's nominated for an Ennie this year? Plot Point, and Ben's book, Encounter Theory, are both up for Ennies! Please go vote now! To encourage you, Plot Points is going to be putting out an episode day this week! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on D...
The Gang Stakes this Solo Vampire RPG- Ep 197
June 26, 2020 12:36 - 51 minutes - 58.6 MBBrad, Sarah, & Ben take a deep dive on Thousand Year Old Vampire, the lonely RPG where you live the life of an immortal undead! Check out the bizarre gaming deeps at Tim Hutchings' Play Generated Map & Document Archive. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! T...
Reading the DMG Aloud pt 4- Ep 196
June 19, 2020 02:07 - 37 minutes - 42.7 MBHear the 1st edition DMG read aloud with RPG academic Scott Bruner and host Ben Riggs! Learn more about the conference Scott talked about, NarraScope, here. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA o...
Discover the Thousand Year Old Vampire- Ep 195
June 12, 2020 00:30 - 47 minutes - 53.8 MBA solo game of "lonely role-playing" allows you to become an immortal drinker of lives! Ben Riggs interviews game-creator and total mensch Tim Hutchings in this interview about his seminal work, Thousand Year Old Vampire. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! Th...
Reading the DMG Aloud pt 3
June 05, 2020 12:38 - 48 minutes - 55.3 MBHear the 1st edition DMG read aloud with RPG academic Scott Bruner and host Ben Riggs! Also, check out Ben's prior work on demons & devils & Dungeons & Dragons, and this 60 Minutes piece on D&D from the early 1980s. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This c...
A Notebook for Gamers Only!- Ep. 193
May 29, 2020 13:00 - 56 minutes - 65 MBImagine a notebook with everything you need to create your own fantasy campaign already in it. Blank hex maps, pages set up for charts, even high-frequency fantasy words and eye-violating fantasy art, all between the same clothbound covers. This, is the Worldbuilder's Notebook, currently on Kickstarter. In this interview, Ben Riggs hears about the whys and wherefores of the product from ENnie-winning designer Jacob Hurst! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThr...
Wrestling the Apocalypse Engine- Ep. 192
May 23, 2020 17:10 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBWorldwide Wrestling is the Powered by the Apocalypse game of furious sports entertainment! The game both highlights the strength of the Apocalypse Engine and simulates the bombastic drama of professional wrestling! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office devoted to producing comic books, an effort that failed rathe...
Experience a Cathartic Revolution in RPGs with Bluebeard's Bride- Ep. 191
May 15, 2020 02:05 - 53 minutes - 60.8 MBBluebeard's Bride from Magpie Games is a revolution in RPGs. Players take on the role of one character, just one among the group of them, and experience the tragic horror of the Bride! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office devoted to producing comic books, an effort that failed rather impressively. It is the prod...
Appendix N University: The Scarlet Citadel- Ep. 190
May 09, 2020 16:51 - 1 hour - 84.6 MBListen to history professor Glenn McDorman and ENnie Award-winning designer Jacob Hurst discuss "The Scarlet Citadel" by Robert E. Howard, and the story's influence on RPGs! You can check out Glenn's Elder Sign podcast here, and see Jacob's brilliant RPG design work here! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office dev...
Reading D&D Aloud- Pt 2 of the DMG
May 01, 2020 17:23 - 51 minutes - 58.8 MBAcademic Scott Bruner and Ben Riggs read aloud and comment on the 1st edition Dungeon Master’s Guide by Gary Gygax, an attempt by the game’s co-creator to instruct players, but also exert control over the burgeoning community of gamers. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards o...
How Games Influence Games- An Interview with Emily Care Boss & Peter Adkison- Ep 188
April 24, 2020 01:59 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBEmily Care Boss is the brilliant designer of games like The Romance Trilogy, and Bubblegumshoe. With Ben Riggs, she chews over game theory, her career, and how Ars Magica may have directly inspired some of the most important indie designers of the 21st century. Then, in a brief chat, Ben talks to Wizards of the Coast founder and Gen Con owner Peter Adkison about what quality may have led to his tremendously successful career in games. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, ...
What if Kids had D&D Class in School? -Ep 187
April 16, 2020 15:41 - 46 minutes - 52.9 MBImagine a world where teachers used RPGs as teaching tools. That is the world the Teacher-Gamer Handbook aims to bring about. Zachary Reznichek is a master teacher who has been using RPGs to teach writing, math, and other skills to students. He has taken his decades of accumulated wisdom and put it into the Teacher-Gamer Handbook, a volume which teachers (or parents) can use to teach their children through the magic of RPGs. Click here to back the book, and hurry! It hasn't funded, and it on...
Reading D&D Aloud- The 1st Edition DMG- Ep186
April 11, 2020 19:24 - 56 minutes - 64.9 MBAcademic Scott Bruner and Ben Riggs read aloud and comment on the 1st edition Dungeon Master's Guide by Gary Gygax, an attempt by the game's co-creator to instruct players, but also exert control over the burgeoning community of gamers. This week, we tackle the forward and preface to the work. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sne...
Going to Hell with D&D or Chapter Delving Descent into Avernus- Ep.185
April 03, 2020 01:18 - 1 hour - 83.5 MBThe Plot Points gang continues looking at Descent into Avernus chapter-by-chapter. This week, we visit Baldur's Gate, and then descend into the pit itself! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office...
A Look at the White Wolf of Old- Ep. 184
March 26, 2020 22:54 - 39 minutes - 26.7 MBBill Bridges worked on some of the most phenomenal game products of the 1990s at White Wolf, and he's back with a Kickstarter for a new edition of Fading Suns, the far-future RPG of sci-fi passion! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR ...
Is the Game Industry Recession-Proof? A Look at the Business of RPGs with Micheal Parker- Ep. 183
March 20, 2020 00:40 - 54 minutes - 75.3 MBPeek behind the curtain at the stores and supply chains that make the RPG industry run with Micheal Parker of ACD Distribution. How did the industry weather the '08 recession? How does the RPG industry look on the sales side? Find out! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of ...
Monte Cook Kickstarts Longest RPG Book Ever Written by a Single Author- Ep. 182
March 12, 2020 14:40 - 55 minutes - 76.8 MBPtolus was the home campaign Monte Cook ran while designing 3rd edition D&D. Brimming with brilliant fodder for the gaming table, it quickly sold out and became an item for the collector's market. Now, Monte Cook Games is Kickstarting a new edition of Ptolus, updating the classic setting for both the Cypher System and 5th Edition. Click here to learn more about this stupendous setting! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this esse...
Nerf Battles and the FBI at TSR- Ep 181
March 05, 2020 23:00 - 11 minutes - 13.6 MBOnce upon a time, the TSR offices were in downtown Lake Geneva in an old hotel. These are the stories of that building. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office devoted to producing comic books, ...
Nick Cage's Colour Out of Space: A Review- Ep. 180
February 20, 2020 17:30 - 53 minutes - 57.1 MBAn academic, a game professional, and your host gather to review Richard Stanley's latest effort, an HP Lovecraft adaptation: The Colour Out of Space starring Nicholas Cage! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to...
Appendix N University- "The Colour Out of Space" by HP Lovecraft- Ep. 179
February 13, 2020 21:30 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBHow did HP Lovecraft's "Colour Out of Space" influence gaming? Academic Scott Bruner, Chaosium stalwart Jim Lowder, and host Ben Riggs gather to discuss! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort by TSR to open an LA office ...
Is the RPG Business Bubble About to Burst? Ep. 178
February 06, 2020 20:30 - 44 minutes - 45.4 MBThe RPG business has been growing like gangbusters since the Great Recession. Recent numbers from Diamond Comics and Kickstarter provoke a question: Is that growth coming to an end? Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR West, an effort b...
Explore the Vampire New Blood Starter Pack- Ep. 177
February 01, 2020 20:20 - 1 hour - 101 MBVampire: The Masquerade 5th edition tries to re-start and re-introduce itself to the gaming community with the New Blood Starter Pack. Designed for gaming novices, the product tries to introduce the player to the system, setting, and gaming itself. A hard task. Does it succeed? Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’...
Appendix N University- 3 Hearts and 3 Lions- Ep. 176
January 24, 2020 04:03 - 1 hour - 119 MBPossibly no novel had a greater impact on Dungeons & Dragons than Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson. Law, chaos, the paladin, the troll, the list goes on. Ben Riggs discusses the novel with gaming great Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan and academic Scott Bruner. Ryder-Hanrahan is one of the geniuses behind the greatest RPG campaign of all-time, The Dracula Dossier, and he has a new novel, The Shadow Saint, out right now! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThr...
A Deadly Threat and the Last Fleet: Ep. 175
January 17, 2020 03:46 - 1 hour - 74.2 MBThe only thing keeping humanity from extinction among the stars is The Last Fleet, a new role-playing game by Joshua Fox using the Powered by the Apocalypse engine. Ben interviews Josh, covering design, inspiration, and thoughts on D&D and even JRR Tolkien. Last Fleet is Kickstarting right now. Click here to check it out! In January, an episode of Appendix N University will cover Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson if you want to read it for the episode. Ben’s book on RPG adve...
Ed Greenwood Sold the Forgotten Realms for $5,000- Ep. 174
January 10, 2020 03:18 - 1 hour - 99.1 MBBen Riggs interviews Ed Greenwood, father of the Forgotten Realms, about his 1987 agreement with TSR wherein he sold the rights to the Realms for $5,000. They also discuss the origin and publication of the Realms, and Ben is able to tell Ed, officially, how many units his game work sold decades after the fact. (You can check out the numbers below!) In January, an episode of Appendix N University will cover Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson if you want to read it for the episode...
Best of Plot Points: FIreborn
January 03, 2020 15:24 - 52 minutes - 72.5 MBIn this Best of Plot Points episode, the gang checks out a gem from the early aughts from Fantasy Flight, Fireborn! It's a game where you play a reincarnated dragon living in a London where magic is coming alive again. Vote for us in this poll on ENworld! In January, an episode of Appendix N University will cover Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson if you want to read it for the episode. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to...
Best of Plot Points: Shadow of the Demon Lord
December 27, 2019 17:07 - 54 minutes - 74.6 MBEnjoy Robert J. Schwalb's delve into dark fantasy with Shadow of the Demon Lord. Tremble in fear, be afraid, and game away! New Plot Points will arrive in the new year! Vote for us in this poll on ENworld! In January, an episode of Appendix N University will cover Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson if you want to read it for the episode. Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points?...
In Forgotten Lawsuit, TSR Sued Wizards of the Coast- Ep. 173
December 19, 2019 13:49 - 14 minutes - 16.1 MBIn August of 1996, TSR employees rushed from the exhibit hall at Gen Con to the federal courthouse in downtown Milwaukee to sue Wizards of the Coast and Acclaim Entertainment, filing the lawsuit before the convention was even over. Why? About what? And what is its significance today? Ben Riggs has your answers! Vote for us in this poll on ENworld! In January, an episode of Appendix N University will cover Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson if you want to read it for the episod...
R. Talsorian Games Seminar Gen Con 2019
December 12, 2019 13:47 - 55 minutes - 63.9 MBR. Talsorian Games is one of the ancient and storied RPG companies of the 1980s which has really hit the ground running again in the second decade of the 21st century. They are most well known for 1987’s Cyberpunk, the first neo-noir, mega-corporation RPG setting. Cyberpunk is back in the limelight now with the release of the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit, which has an adventure that a reviewer on DriveThruRPG described as “next to flawless.” They also released a role-playing game for a video ...
Zombie World! Ep. 171
December 06, 2019 01:28 - 1 hour - 92.7 MBZombie World takes the Powered by the Apocalypse engine and breaks it out into decks of cards. It promises, fast, fun, and bloody undead action. Brad, Sarah, and Ben try it out at their gaming table! Ben’s book on RPG adventure design, Encounter Theory, is on DriveThruRPG. Click here to pick up this essential volume! Like Plot Points? Support it on Patreon at the $2 level, and you’ll get a sneak peek into Ben’s book about the sale of TSR to Wizards of the Coast! This chapter concerns TSR...
Best of Plot Points: Ravenloft!
November 29, 2019 14:43 - 1 hour - 65.3 MBAmericans, enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday with this deep cut from the Plot Points archives, our first-ever episode, Ravenloft! The Delta Green Agent's Handbook is currently free on DriveThruRPG! Check it out! Music courtesy 50 Breaks. Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast.