Listen to table-top gaming and community news in a morning show format. Topics are largely driven by feedback but always center around the game table. This show will keep you up to date with the Pulp Gamer network and give you a fix of board games, card games, and roleplaying games.
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Out of Character 048: GTS 2008
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The Game Manufacturer’s Association’s Trade Show (GTS) was an awesome good time and as always packed full of good information. Several seminars were captured and will soon be made available online. It was great to see everyone and we will certainly be looking for you at the next show. |
| We had the opportunity to play several games at the GAMA Trade Show. We would like to thank Rich Waldbiess from Six Feet Under Games, New Holland, PA for providing a picture of Don playing Lifeboat. We also played Monster Mayhem, Toledo, Portobello Market, Cash ‘n Guns, Yetisburg, and of course, Poker. We also talk about Hunter The Vigil, Catan Dice (also playable online), the Catan Expansion, Traders and Barbarians, and a few from the Indie Press Revolution. |  |
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We are now gearing up for Phoenix Con Games, Arizona’s largest gaming convention. Held at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona. They offer just about every type of gaming, as well as parties, contests, anime/cosplay activities and other fun events. We will be running a few games there right out of our booth in the exhibit hall, some come by and play with us! |
We talked about several folks that share the podosphere with us. Specifically, we a talked about an interview with Pete Fenlon on On Board Games. Ron’s and Veronica’s recent appearance on the show led us to mention The Games the Thing. We were extremely excited to meet with several podcasters at the GAMA Trade Show. These included Dan Repperger from Fear the Boot, Daniel Perez from The Digital Front and The Gamer Traveler, Alan Sugarbaker from OgreCave Audio Report, and Collin from Obsessed with Gaming.
Don is criticized for his British ignorance in our discussion of Accent Your Character, our casual dialect training. CDs and digital downloads are available at paizo.com and lovecraftiana.com.
We had some great feedback today from friends from several companies and game stores. Some of these include Myriad Games in Salem, NH, The Kid in Me in Milford, DE, and Blitz Games.
We will, no doubt miss Boyan’s steady contribution to Out of Character, but duty calls him to join PSI in Georgia. We hope to have him on from time to time, but you will best keep up with him from his podcast and his blog at Shifting Skies Games.
Out of Character 047: Network Overview
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If you are joining us for the first time, we welcome your visit with an overview of the network. We’ll see you next week for the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas. We have a lot of things planned and hope to see you there. Stop by our booth (#1114) and attend our seminar on Monday at noon. Today’s topics also include Ides of Gaming in Arizona and the convention we are brewing, RinCon. |
We bring up a few games in todays show. In particular, we want to direct you to Frederic Moyersoen’s blog to learn more about Bacchus’ Banquet. More information is also available for Alpha Omega, to include a starting scenario and pregenerated characters.
| The dialect training series, Accent Your Character is now available at Lovecraftiana in digital format. You can learn more about it at Yog-Sothoth.com, award winning Call of Cthulhu web site and host of the famous Yog Radio. |  |
We also heard from Dan from The Gamer Traveler. It sparks a discussion about one of his episodes on gamer cruises.
Out of Character 046: Wish List
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We are joined today by Ron and Veronica Blessing. They are hosts of The Games the Thing, a podcast about table top games. Ron also manages the Tucson Mall location of Game Daze. We follow up on some demographic discussion and then go right into a wish list of what we hope to see in games of the future. |
Some of the games that get a high degree of mention in the show include Savage Worlds, Alpha Omega, and Aces & Eights. Savage Worlds is one of Ron and Veronica’s main topics on their podcast, so you can imaging they play a lot. As excited as we are to get into the others, we haven’t quite yet made that leap. We talk about why in the show. On the board game side, we are excited to soon dig into Mutant Chronicles.
| We have come across another great discussion on Accent Your Character. These are our dialect training series (which, by the way, are available now from Lovecraftiana). Fear the Boot has a nice introduction and then goes on in a later episode to have a great discussion on dialog and character. Fear the Boot is a great show and we encourage you to listen. | |
A lot of podcasts get some mention in todays show. These are obviously The Games the Thing and Fear the Boot, but we also mention our old friend, Paul of Cthulhu and Yog Radio, and welcome Ed to the world of podcasting with Dark Whispers.
Out of Character 045: Gaming Infidelity
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We have a lot of fun today talking about cheating at the game table. We have all been witness to such a blight of character and it makes for some great stories. We talk about quite a few games today to include China Rails and Pillars of the Earth. Pillars just one Best Advanced Game in Japan. We also are preparing a new Pathfinder campaign. Paizo made some important announcements about its future. |
| Everyone, join us for our Catan Online party on Sunday, March 30th after 5 PM PST. You will need to download the client software and perhaps allowing it to update when logging on for the first time. When you get into the world, click on your backpack and move to the World Village, the English speaking community. Remember, the software is still in beta, so some translation bugs are still being worked out. For more information and discussion, join is in the forums. |  |
For those of you holding on to an older version of Catan, Mayfair now has the Adapter Kit. This provides an outer frame to enclose the hexes that make up the island of Catan, stabilizing them on the table.
Several bits of community and convention news have come up during the show. We learn that Bo is headed to Game Storm, an adventure the rest of us are envious of. The Southern Arizona Gamers Association announces RinCon in Tucson, Arizona. This will be a don’t-miss event. We are introduced to the Collegiate Association of Table Top Gamers. The troops are starting to be rallied for something called MideastCon.
Its always fun to reach out to other folks with media to share. Of course, we are especially delighted to call your attention also to Accent Your Character. This dialect training series for role-players and other casual pretenders is reviewed in great detail by the Wandering Geek on his Game Bag Review Show. You can purchase them on CD or digital download from paizo.com. We also mention today about the new video from Ghoulash.
Out of Character 044: Superstar
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Jeremiah joins us from a new location in Georgia as he undergoes some National Guard training. Bo joins us to catch us up on a bunch of news, such as the Toy Fair and his new podcast, Point Blank, for PSI. We start our show by saying goodbyes to Dungeons & Dragons co-creator, Gary Gygax. NPR has a great story where you can learn more. Other news includes Midnight Syndicate’s release of the movie soundtrack for The Rage. |
| White Wolf has a very interesting promotion going on for Exalted where you can get a free copy of the game. You “graduate” from D&D by sacrificing your players handbook. Your then off and running with a new game. We learn some about the game but not near enough for my tastes. I look forward to my first opportunity to play. |  |
We found a great conversation by the Fist Full of Comics crew about our dialect training series for roleplayers, Accent Your Character. It is a fun listen and an objective 3rd party conversation about the CDs. They are also available as digital downloads from Paizo.com.
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Not too long ago, Bo introduced us to a game that doesn’t leave his car except to break it out and play. It is a Catan title called Domaine; a great area domination game. We have also been playing with the beta version of Domaine in Catan Online. We also learned the World Villiage has been created. Sign in, click on your backpack, and move to the World Villiage. |
Polymancer says their goodbyes. Appropriately, their last installment talks about wrapping up a campaign. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com. 
Out of Character 043: Rolling for Resources
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Con season is winding up. Jeremiah touches on a few games he played at Con of the North to include Call of Cthulhu, Promethean, Union Pacific, and China Rails. We also make a rule clarification on Lascaux and touch on one of last year’s favorites, Bison. |
Community building is again a big topic. We talk not only about things going on in Southern Arizona, like our special Ides events, but a way to get in touch with other gamers all the way to the Netherlands. Uncle Bear also invites us to check out the Dire Cafe.
| We are really excited about the English version of PlayCatan. You will hear more very soon. Until then there are several web games to play. Catan Dice Game is also going to be available soon as a real physical product. |  |
YouTube has caught our attention. If your looking for some hot nerdy action, check out 1 900 Nerd Girl and Nerd Porn (language warning).
Polymancer talks about overpowered characters and how to deal with them. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
Out of Character 042: Wilbraham
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We shout out to a bunch of regions around the world. The one that stood out in our minds most was Wilbraham, MA. More locations are highlighted at the very tail end of the show after the credits. We also touch upon some crazy news for some local events, such as Family Night and Ides of Gaming. Conventions mentioned include Stratigicon, New York Toy Fair, The Rath of Con, and Con of the North. |
| The dialect training series is now available as digital downloads. So far they are only available at paizo.com. You can download each presentation individually and don’t have to buy the packaging. They are also still available on CD. Learn to use accents such as British, Cockney, Irish, and Scottish with Accent Your Character. | |
We have been doing some early beta testing with our friends in the world of Catan. Germany has benefited from playing Catan games online for a while now. The English version is imminent. As it is being translated, we find out how easy it is to play with someone that doesn’t speak your language.
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Boyan Radakovich has graduated to his very own show now called Point Blank. PSI is making the cutting edge move by providing audio for their clients. These are some busy folks so I am sure they will find out very quickly how powerful it is to make use of their drive time with his new program. |
During feedback, several other things are mentioned that are worth linking. For podcasts, we talk about Heroic Cthulhu and The Vintage Gamer. For games, we talk about Chicago Poker, Ticket to Ride, Lascaux, and World in Flames.
Polymancer gives us some ideas on how to bring canned campaign settings to life. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
Out of Character 041: Feed Me
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Don just returned home from Phoenix Cactus Comicon to report on the trip. Some of the fondest memories included Wil Wheaton’s performance - that just had to be talked about again. The zombie beauty pageant was a blast we haven’t yet found any links to that performance. Zombie Channel is likely to release some information very soon. Don also teases his latent comic interest by buying his first independent comic from some great folks at Superworld Presents and enjoyed the experience. |
On the topic of games, we couldn’t wait to tell you about Lascaux. We have been playing it over and over again. You will be seeing it very soon on The Game Kennel and Family Night. Also, Carlo Rossi corrects us on a mistake we made in the rules of Alchemist, forcing us to revisit the game and appreciate some complexity that we missed the first few times we played it. We are also asked about Wings of War. Derek and Bo had played it before and were able to go into some good detail and give some opinions. Jeremiah also plays China Rails in the hospital with his wife while his newborn was making her way into the world. He compares it to another favorite, Lunar Rails.
| Jeremiah read through the last issue of Kobold Quarterly and just had to say something about it. Little did he know at the time that we had already made arrangements for some interviews you can expect to see down the line. Its a good thing he had nice things to say. Jeremiah was really impressed with the writing and value Kobold Quarterly added to his geeky self. You will recognize the writers from a history of successful roleplaying books and magazines. |  |
We also had a great time talking about the ongoing saga of paizo’s RPG Superstar! program. We talk about the final four, what they had been through, and what is yet in store for them.
We couldn’t go any longer without also mentioning Bibliophile Stalker. He runs an active blog but has stood out in our minds as having an incredibly comprehensive summary of podcasting topics. Its a great way to keep up with who is talking about what in the podosphere.
Polymancer suggests special ordering from your friendly local game store. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
Out of Character 040: The Dog House
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The feedback has been pouring in. Bo joins us in Derek’s place to go over it. We really had some insightful thoughts that has made us take a hard look at The Game Kennel. Thanks to everyone for talking back. It really keeps us going and helps us shape our shows. Among the feedback is also an announcement of the video podcast that Mike released in conjunction with Ghoulash. |
We have been showing up in a number of media sources lately. Steven Conway of The Spiel wrote a great comprehensive article on podcasting in Knucklebones. We have also been mentioned several times in Polymancer. Jeremiah even wrote an article for Polymancer an issue or two back. Don has begun writing a piece for Greater Games Industry Catalog. It was also brought up that Jeremiah had his picture on the front page of a local newspaper.
| We also have Phoenix Cactus Comicon Directors, Amy Black and Joe Boudrie on the line with us. They have a huge guest list to include some media favorites showing up for the convention. There will be a film festival, a zombie beauty pageant, and a ton of activities. Bo has organized the gaming and tells us all about that today. You will find Don in the dealers hall during the day and looking to join the fun after exhibition hours. |  |
On the topic of conventions, we also brought up The New York Toy Fair, The GAMA Trade Show, Orccon, and Con of the North.
Polymancer continues the 4th edition discussion of Dungeons & Dragons. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
Out of Character 039: The Gnome is Dead
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We bring in the new year with some notes on our new beginnings. You are already aware of our Family Podcast. We have now launched The Game Kennel. We hope you enjoy the new spotlight show as much as we do. We are always very proud to have Mayfair Games listed as our newest sponsor. Their support makes it possible for us to do what we love to do. |
| Jeremiah has picked himself up a copy of Races and Classes to get a sneak peak into fourth edition. He has had a great time reading it and uncovered a few surprises on what we can expect to see. We are all eager to see more. |  |
There were a couple of links in our feedback. One was to a holiday spirited roleplaying game called The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men. The other new a new gaming podcast in Hebrew called Hamishakia. I can’t tell you much about it because I don’t speak hebrew, but the host is certainly interested in making the best show they can.
Polymancer gives us some ideas for new years resolutions for roleplayers. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
Out of Character 038: Holiday Roleplay
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We are treated to another visit from Boyan Radakovich. He helps us answer the challenge of providing the top ten reasons to hire a gamer for city council. Some games mentioned during today’s show include Blokus, Jungle Speed, Patrician, Mr. Jack, Apple to Apples, and Risk. Our Christmas gift talk also includes a shameless plug of Accent Your Character. If you are in the local area, stop by Hats Games to pick up a copy. You can also get them from Paizo. |
| Family Night has been launched. If you know someone interested in spending quality time with their family, this podcast is suited for them. Send them the link. Our local event got some coverage. Also, be sure also to remember games for your holiday shopping list. |  |
We joined Polymancer in their discussion of running a pre-written adventure. Derek points out an example of railroading in the online comic, DM of the Rings. We also discuss the qualities of the Pathfinder modules that we have been reading. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
Out of Character 037: Help Wanted
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We are calling for talent. If you are a writer, artist, or voice actor, send us your portfolio and demos! We also announce the winner of the Orc Wars game. The winner was chosen at random from the correct answers of a rules quiz. Find out the answer in today’s show. We also have some fun with the top 10 reasons not to elect a gamer for city council to honor John Nephew’s recent appointment. We are also calling for talent. If you are a writer, artist, or voice actor, send us your portfolio and demos! |
Icv2 reported some discussion going on at ENWorld regarding the d20 System Trademark License. It appears that 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons will not support it, though it will continue to support the open game license.
| The Dragonlance movie, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, has announced a January release. It will be on DVD only. This is an animated presentation of the first Dragonlance novel by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Dragons of Autumn Twilight stars Michael Rsoenbaum, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lucy Lawless. |  |
Polymancer tells us how to prepare for a 4 hour convention game. Polymancer magazine is a multi-genre magazine about roleplaying games (RPGs), miniature wargames, LARPs, and more. Articles are written so that they can be useful to gamers of all kinds, no matter which rules they prefer to use. This is done by making the articles “system-independent.” There is a complete adventure scenario in every issue. This is not an e-zine, but the real thing: an honest to goodness, printed magazine for gamers. Find out more at www.polymancerstudios.com.
Out of Character 036: Gnome in the Hole
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We packed half and hour pretty tightly this time. We have a lot of news about Jeremiah’s local area. It was pointed out by City Pages that Maplewood is the most dysfunctional suburb of the Twin Cities. We are pleased to congratulate John Nephew for his win in the political arena of Mapplewood. Jeremiah also mentions Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Day at his favorite game store, The Source. |
| Our special interview today is with the Board Game Geek Gnome. The gnome and some friends spent a Saturday morning touring the Titan Missile Museum. We had a great time and learned a lot, but mostly not to let a gnome loose with a nuclear missile. They had several copies of the game Nuclear War available for purchase in the gift shop. We couldn’t resist playing. Special thanks go to Bill for bringing the gnome and Mike for joining us on the quest. |  |
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You can now pick up our dialect training CDs at Hat’s Games in Tucson Arizona. If you haven’t heard about these CDs yet, it is a great way to pick up an simple accent for the role-playing table without workbooks or endless hours of training. |
Join us for Family Night in Sierra Vista Arizona. We will be introducing the healthy pastime of gaming to families that are looking