Fear the Boot, RPG Podcast

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Fear the Boot is an irreverent, round table discussion of tabletop role playing games. In this weekly show we debate game-related issues, offer advice for improving your game, and poke fun at the hobby. Our cast changes a little from show to show, but we always assemble a group of dynamic individu…

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    • Dec 19, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 47m AVG DURATION
    • 150 EPISODES

    4.7 from 319 ratings Listeners of Fear the Boot, RPG Podcast that love the show mention: fear the boot, gaming advice, roleplaying podcast, tabletop roleplaying, rpg topics, aspects of gaming, best rpg podcast, rpg podcasts, irreverent humor, bad advice, tabletop rpg, rpg's, game master, tabletop gaming, gaming group, institution, role playing games, rpgs, pen and paper, nod.


    Ivy Insights

    Fear the Boot, RPG Podcast is a long-running podcast that has garnered a loyal following over the years. With its focus on tabletop role-playing games (RPGs), it offers a wealth of knowledge, advice, and discussions for both players and game masters alike. The podcast covers a wide range of topics related to RPGs, from game mechanics to storytelling techniques, and even delves into more serious subjects such as player dynamics and social challenges within gaming groups.

    One of the best aspects of Fear the Boot is the passion and expertise that the hosts bring to each episode. They are clearly knowledgeable about RPGs and genuinely enjoy discussing them. This enthusiasm is infectious and makes for engaging and enjoyable listening. The hosts also have great chemistry with each other, resulting in lively discussions that often include humor and banter.

    Another positive aspect of this podcast is its genre-neutral approach. While many RPG podcasts focus primarily on Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Fear the Boot explores a wide range of games beyond just D&D. This diversity allows listeners to discover new games and gain insights into different RPG systems and settings.

    However, one aspect that some listeners may find off-putting is the presence of one particular host who is seen as crass, vulgar, and prone to tangents. These tendencies can detract from the overall quality of the show for some listeners who prefer a more focused discussion without explicit or uncomfortable commentary.

    In conclusion, Fear the Boot, RPG Podcast is a gem for tabletop RPG enthusiasts. Its extensive back catalog provides a wealth of useful information for both experienced players and newcomers to the hobby. While some may find certain elements of the show off-putting, such as explicit content or tangential discussions, overall it remains an entertaining and informative podcast that offers valuable insights into the world of tabletop role-playing games.



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    Latest episodes from Fear the Boot, RPG Podcast

    Bonus Episode 104 – WPC 1: random traits

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024 33:08


    * (0:24) A joke to an AI becomes a show topic. * (2:48) Characters born in a cursed forest, without sunlight. * (7:48) Characters who compulsively collect…feathers…? * (13:18) Characters who accidentally caused a rebellion. * (19:29) Characters with an unusual knowledge of fungi. * (25:03) Characters who cannot stand the sight of open water. […]

    Episode 628 – player bucket list

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2024 38:27


    * (0:29) Switching to a bucket list of what we want to play. * (1:30) Wayne wants to play Dresden Files. * (4:13) Dan still wants to play an Injustice game. * (6:11) Mary wants to play a necromancer. * (9:05) Doug wants to play Stargate (or something like it). * (10:18) Wayne wants a […]

    Episode 627 – GM bucket list

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2024 37:36


    * (0:29) The bucket list of games we want to run. * (1:31) Doug's long-term campaign. * (3:10) Wayne's Fallout: St. Louis game. * (7:03) Dan's Battletech: Silver Scorpions game. A Fabian war. * (9:37) Mary's Castle Ravenloft / Curse of Strahd game. * (12:41) Doug's western game. * (14:58) Wayne's campaign based on The […]

    Episode 626 – video games to tabletop

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2024 40:07


    * (0:30) An old Apple //c computer and early computer RPGs. * (4:16) Transitioning from video games into tabletop RPGs. * (9:44) The expectations players bring from a video game to pen-and-paper games. * (12:41) The tyranny of choice brought on by a lack of a character-driven path. * (18:05) A lack of clear and […]

    Episode 625 – profiting from session one

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2024 43:17


    * (0:29) What is your goal for the first session of a game? * (2:10) Who are these characters really? * (6:08) When the person you wanted to be isn't who you became. * (11:34) A buffet of NPCs. * (16:14) Keeping the first session low pressure and shorter length. * (20:33) The social leader […]

    Bonus Episode 103 – WGM 3: clockwork crystals

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2024 35:02


    * (0:23) Prompts and prepositions. The clockwork circus is coming to town! * (1:40) Wayne's circus in space. * (4:13) Mary's circus on the frontier. * (7:53) Doug's carnival of nightmares. * (8:41) Dan's carnival of hope. * (13:10) Celestial crystals that grant power. * (14:05) Mary's crystal preppers. * (16:08) Dan's crystal entanglement. * […]

    Episode 624 – back to what you enjoy

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2024 31:50


    * (0:29) Fear the Con has funded and the sign-up site is live! We hope to see you Thursday, June 20th to Saturday, June 22nd. * (1:58) Getting back to what you love, inspired by Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing. * (5:16) The tyranny of compromise. * (9:54) Wanting the GM to […]

    Episode 623 – too big to fail

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2024 33:43


    * (0:29) Wayne has a problem: the Wardens from Dresden Files. Coming up with too many excuses for why powerful organizations don't care about the characters' problems. * (7:14) Session Zero can help…or maybe not. * (10:29) There's always someone bigger, and maybe your allies lack what you need. * (14:42) What if the characters […]

    Episode 622 – bringing your PC to life

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2024 36:57


    * (0:30) What steps do we take to bring a character to life? * (1:49) Ask what's important. * (6:53) Seeing the good and bad in a single trait. * (8:06) Doug's personality triangle model. * (10:54) Demonstrating character quirks. * (16:34) Making characters that both have and express personal growth. * (18:57) Taking a […]

    Bonus Episode 102 – WGM 2: dead consuming the living

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2024 26:51


    Today's ingredient: The dead are consuming the living. Why and how? Let's find out! Fear the Con 2024's Kickstarter can be found here. Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne

    Episode 621 – juice is worth the squeeze

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2024 48:48


    * (0:29) In defense of technology at the gaming table. Caleb's setup with Owlbear Rodeo. * (5:13) Dan's Lion King sing-a-long and Wayne's Ghostbusters game. * (6:27) The deeper pool of online players, including AIs. Remoting in a missing player for an in-person game. * (14:04) Working distance and distraction into the game. * (17:54) […]

    Bonus Episode 101 – WGM 1: dead air

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2024 35:50


    I decided to skip over the Iron GM and go for a Tungsten GM. The ingredient? All broadcasts cease because something won't let them get through. What's the game plot? Also, the Fear the Con 2024 Kickstarter is now live here! Hosts: Dan, Doug, Mary, Wayne

    Episode 620 – juice ain’t worth the squeeze

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2024 33:31


    * (0:30) Dan runs a game a bit too literally. * (4:12) The intersection of technology and roleplaying in a way that isn't required by the game. * (7:32) Why multimedia doesn't pay-off the way it does in other forms of storytelling. * (13:36) The prep time technology adds, and the stability it takes away. […]

    Episode 619 – a closed setting

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2024 38:42


    * (0:29) Why talk about intelligence? The Why Files episode about Cicada 3301. * (9:24) A game takes an unhelpfully long break, only to be replaced by another RPG. * (12:44) The lack of a bottomless “buffet of ideas” in a closed setting. * (14:24) Use minimal starting information to give you room to work. […]

    Bonus Episode 100 – becoming the curmudgeon

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2023 44:29


    * (0:22) Picking out the point we became curmudgeons and what exactly that means. * (4:48) Being too set in our ways. * (11:19) The self-destruction that comes with stagnation. * (21:32) Wii have a solution. * (24:32) Ducking new games while at a convention. Playing The Quiet Year on an airplane. * (32:57) The […]

    Episode 618 – no, low, and mo’ expectations

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2023 39:47


    * (0:29) Reintroducing Julia's husband, Mike. * (2:24) Lowered expectations, inspired by a post-pandemic world. * (7:25) Being a bit more experimental. * (13:18) Playing online instead of returning to the table. * (19:18) Returning to the table instead of playing online. * (23:58) The commonality of not being able to find an active gaming […]

    Episode 617 – the value of questionable

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2023 38:52


    * (0:29) Thanks to Eric Van Note for Swole Mole! * (3:15) The value of terrible GMing. * (8:42) Everyone is their own most inept critic. Sojourn Volume 2. * (15:28) The worst possible outcome: something being forgettable. * (22:20) Asking Doug to grade his own game. * (25:35) The value of creating art, simply […]

    Episode 616 – affiliated or not

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 34:17


    * (0:29) Dan prefers affiliated groups, Wayne does not. * (2:15) Cohesion, identity, and help. * (9:35) Affiliations you start with as opposed to those you pick up along the way. * (11:56) The party's direction and motivation. Affiliating with an ideal. * (20:23) Affiliations create an obvious pool of NPC relationships. * (25:40) External […]

    Episode 615 – inspecting InSpectres

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2023 42:03


    * (0:28) An update on the Actual Play. * (4:48) The InSpectres RPG (at least temporarily back in print!) and our AP interlude using its rules. * (8:09) Why play InSpectres as an interlude to the main campaign? Apparently only Dan has heard of Michelle Jenneke. * (12:58) Plus an extra player. * (16:10) The, […]

    Episode 614 – session X.5

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2023 33:17


    * (0:28) Things are getting set for Fear the Con! An intro to RPGs game is available for newcomers. * (2:03) A shared Minecraft server. You can find more information on Discord. * (5:52) Realigning your game with a mid-campaign session zero. Special thanks to Gaming with Gage. * (8:46) Making the case to have one. * (12:59) […]

    Episode 613 – the eleventh dollar

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2023 44:28


    * (0:29) Julia ruins everything. * (1:35) Things are getting set for Fear the Con! An intro to RPGs game is available for newcomers. You can also announce your games on Discord. * (9:03) Coming out of a period of deep fatigue. How one game still never missed a week. * (16:18) Spoons and other […]

    Episode 612 – running the unknown

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2023 36:45


    * (0:28) Running a game when someone else knows the setting a whole lot better than you do. * (2:07) The lack of pronunciation guides in most games. * (3:16) Narrowing down the task by asking what's important about the setting to the players. * (7:59) Getting the essence or feel of the setting right. […]

    Episode 611 – paid GMing

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2023 37:10


    Show links… * StartPlaying Games * Bite Size Tales * Gaming with Gage Hosts: Chris, DJ, Josh, Wayne

    Episode 610 – the value of chaos

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2023 41:12


    * (0:29) The Kickstarter for Fear the Con 2023 is live for one more week! * (1:56) The wonderful confusion new players and GMs bring to a roleplaying game. * (16:59) An imagined internal-consistency is sometimes more fun than an intended one. * (22:17) The burden of your own expectations. * (28:29) When contradictions aren't actually contradictions. […]

    Episode 609 – the best mechanics

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2023 51:01


    * (0:31) The Kickstarter for Fear the Con 2023 is live! * (1:04) The new fiction podcast, Bite Size Tales. * (3:09) Game mechanics we're particularly fond of. * (4:54) Rerolls and other roll-modifying mechanics. * (10:13) A close relationship between skills and attributes. * (15:46) Life paths in character creation. * (24:48) Using all the dice. * […]

    Episode 608 – bringing a world to life

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2023 35:32


    * (0:28) The Kickstarter for Fear the Con 2023 is live! * (1:12) Things a Game Master has done to make a world seem a little more alive (with credit to JoshB for the topic). * (5:46) Plot hooks, substories, and unanswered questions about my character. * (9:16) Allowing characters to have goals, ambitions, and […]

    Episode 607 – maybe a misunderstanding

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2023 35:26


    * (0:28) The new fiction podcast, Bite Size Tales. * (1:43) Dan re-reads the D&D 2nd Edition Dungeon Master's Guide. Wayne watches Secrets of Blackmoor. The inspiration D&D's creators drew from Strategos. * (6:38) The rather disjointed rules of early RPGs. * (8:23) The heavy crunch of early RPGs that might be as much unearned […]

    Bonus Episode 99 – AI creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2023 62:04


    * (0:36) An odd tangent on names. * (3:39) A conversation about AI art. Some parameters we're putting on this episode. AI art wins a fine arts competition. * (8:08) An admittedly non-technical overview of how AI generally creates its work. Syntax versus semantics. * (17:43) AI creations as a starting point instead of the […]

    Episode 606 – contexting the OGL

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2023 47:40


    * (0:30) Giving a remote episode a try. We have a fix for Dan's audio that should improve the quality on our next remote show. * (1:42) Catching up with Brodeur and DJ, who was on episode 466 to talk about BuJoRPG. * (4:43) Putting some parameters on the topic. * (9:42) Does Wizards of […]

    Episode 605 – dosing out setting

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2023 34:06


    * (0:44) Friday night chit-chat on Discord each week, starting at 8pm Central. * (2:18) Fear the Con 2023 dates have been reserved with the hotel for June 16th and 17th of 2023, with the Wing Night on June 15th. * (3:37) Wayne preps his players for a Savage Worlds: Alpha Flight game. * (8:18) […]

    Bonus Episode 98 – tired tropes

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2022 41:48


    * (0:22) The villain as the dark inverse of the hero. * (9:20) A big CGI fight at the end that seems visually out of continuity. * (16:06) Zombies and Lovecraft. * (20:37) The freedom to like or dislike, and how little that says about you as a person. * (23:33) Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, […]

    Bonus Episode 97 – manis, pedis, and fandoms

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2022 40:56


    * (0:24) Brodeur recommends a manicure and pedicure to Dan. * (5:58) Dan, Wayne, and their muscle tension. * (11:24) A straight-razor shave and the thrill of death. * (15:56) Fandoms that (at least temporarily) put people off from the product they love. * (28:08) On anime. * (31:37) The need to be inviting within […]

    Episode 604 – crapping on an ending

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 33:47


    * (0:28) Brodeur flees to Oregon. * (4:08) Failure comes to East Texas University. * (7:26) Dividing the blame between the players and Game Master. * (11:40) Player silence and passivity. * (17:30) Things lost for lack of time. * (19:34) Substance use, depression, and the option of just narrating the ending. * (26:32) Was […]

    Episode 603 – ending without a boss fight

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2022 40:38


    * (0:33) Wayne gives a shoutout to Gaming with Gage + Friends (but not Brodeur). * (1:53) Wayne ends a D&D campaign without a boss fight. * (3:11) The mutual theft of ideas between video games and tabletop roleplaying games. * (8:00) Considering all the ways a story can end. * (13:18) Another example from […]

    Episode 602 – personalizing a module

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 45:24


    * (0:29) Brodeur's post-Gen-Con review. (I know, we're right on top of the latest news.) A shoutout to Imagining Games, Acheron Books, and RogueOperative. * (8:02) Customizing modules for your players and characters. * (11:48) Modules as a framework, not a full script. * (18:26) Know the module well enough that you can deconstruct it […]

    Episode 601 – leveraging PC backgrounds

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2022 47:16


    * (0:29) A listener, James, gets us talking about integrating player-character backstories into your game. It starts with the players giving you something to work with. * (3:01) Sitting for too long on too much information, or mining the backstory abusively. * (7:43) Finding the possible connections between backstories. * (11:08) Let's do it live! […]

    Episode 600 – passivity and dysfunction

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2022 30:04


    * (0:29) How awful can a few years be? (Spoilers: Multiple things got worse since this recording!) * (3:49) An experiment in unequal levels of preparation and participation. * (8:34) Not all players will bring the same level of contribution, nor do all games encourage it. * (14:32) Pattern versus incidence. * (18:52) Reasons to […]

    Bonus Episode 96 – Fear the Con 2022 report

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2022 44:44


    * (0:24) Releasing episodes out of order. * (1:24) The little convention that could, despite how hard life tried to stop it. * (6:59) All of the hurdles that weren't COVID. * (14:00) The obstacles that came up during the convention. * (24:24) In spite of everything arrayed against it, the con went really well. […]

    Episode 599 – splitting the difference

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2022 36:56


    * (0:29) Interrogating Mary on her gaming history. * (1:33) The last few days before Fear the Con! * (4:54) The distinct moral perspective of a child. * (7:39) Leif responds to our show on vertical creativity. * (13:58) A thought exercise on who should win the 51/49 preference: players or GMs. * (15:41) Wayne […]

    Episode 598 – the Uno metaphor

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2022 44:47


    * (0:29) A difficult GM learns a lesson from an Uno game. * (4:10) Navigating the internal conflict between “roleplaying” and “game”. * (11:20) The need for control that ultimately comes from fear. * (16:45) Giving the players their wins. * (23:34) The ugly math about how many people aren't that good at a given […]

    Episode 597 – the game you aren’t running

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2022 47:45


    * (0:29) Fear the Con appears to have catering, but we could still use more GMs! * (5:21) Laundering identities. * (7:03) Game Masters getting fixated on things that aren't important to the game they're running. * (12:00) A lack of flexibility. The three clue rule. * (19:36) GM distress when the party solves something […]

    Episode 596 – an invited intruder

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2022 43:00


    * (0:29) A new show type on the horizon: phone the Boot, or something similarly clever. * (2:04) Kids' games at Fear the Con. Our episode on gaming with children can be found here. * (4:15) Brodeur goes on Safest Family on the Block and My 10th Level Paladin. * (6:17) Brodeur gets invited to […]

    Episode 595 – death and consequences

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 38:06


    * (0:29) A shoutout and thanks to WashingCon! * (1:09) Fear the Con is coming up in mid-June. * (2:25) Wayne annihilates his player-characters in a Legion of Liberty game, and they love it. Our episode on action economy. * (10:22) The perspective that comes from getting your butt kicked. * (13:52) The difference between […]

    Episode 594 – horizontal creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 40:52


    * (0:29) June 16th, 17th, and 18th for Fear the Con! You can see Mikey Mason's material on BandCamp. * (2:40) Reviewing the idea of horizontal and vertical creativity. * (4:56) Horizontal creativity doesn't mean the player has to get lazy. In fact, it may mean the GM is getting lazy. * (12:35) How horizontal […]

    Episode 593 – vertical creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2022 36:58


    * (0:29) – Bordeur, Dan, and Julia will be at Washingcon this weekend: March 26th and 27th, 2022. * (2:23) – Defining how we'll be using “vertical” and “horizontal” creativity over the next two shows. * (5:45) – The laziness that often accompanies horizontal thinking. * (8:08) – Creativity within seemingly narrow (i.e. “vertical”) ideas. […]

    Episode 592 – de-escalation

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2022 44:03


    * (0:44) Get signed up for Fear the Con! * (1:02) Brodeur is now on TikTok for some reason. Here's the link. Do what you will. * (5:45) Welcoming Jason back to the show. * (6:31) There I Was…When Nothing Happened. The Kickstarter can be found here. * (11:26) Why “winning the fight” may not be […]

    Episode 591 – weathering weather

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2022 39:49


    * (0:28) The teeth on the dog go click, click, click. * (1:30) Brodeur discovers New Game+ mode in video games. * (10:23) Weather and environmental effects in an RPG. * (13:09) Weather as a reflection of some other truth in the setting. * (14:53) Setting the mood and adding immersion. * (19:21) Does the […]

    Bonus Episode 95 – Bedtime Stories 8

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2022 50:08


    * (0:18) Time to set the mood for bedtime. * (5:06) Wayne, Boxman, and the latex room. * (14:32) Watching sports for all the wrong reasons. Brodeur joins TikTok. God forgive us all. * (16:57) Wayne pulls a plane, and Brodeur brings the pain. * (26:22) Kids versus bikes. Bikes win. * (28:54) Kids versus […]

    Episode 590 – game recordings

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2022 34:16


    * (0:28) The site for Fear the Con is now live! * (2:07) Monday Morning Quarterbacking your own games (the definition for anyone that doesn't know that phrase). * (3:36) Getting past being your own worst critic. * (8:17) Speech disfluency and filler words. * (12:57) Using game recordings to prepare for the next session. […]

    Episode 589 – just inexperienced

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2022 32:08


    * (0:29) A fond farewell to Chad. * (4:50) Keeping the perspective that we all started somewhere. * (7:34) The amount of good advice every human being ignores; sometimes experience is the only effective teacher. * (12:49) The less you're willing to step up, the more you ought to be patient. * (16:24) Don't confuse […]

    Episode 588 – new beginnings

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2022 37:47


    * (0:29) Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2, and archery in schools. * (8:51) Starting up new games as old ones end. Fear the Boot's Patreon. * (14:34) East Texas University. Preliminary questions and contagious enthusiasm. * (20:56) Wayne passes the GMing torch to Chad. * (28:12) Building a game around a set of […]

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