Gnoll Country for Old Men

Amazons. Joan of Arc. Xena, warrior princess. One of the Star Trek races, probably. Fiction has always been full of badass warrior ladies. We look at some of them, their depictions, and how they show up in tabletop wargames, roleplaying games, and the like.

Go-go Godzilla. It's time to talk about giant monsters! Typically Japanese, often radioactive, and occasionally an allegory for real world events, Kaiju are both monster for games and a genre unto themselves. They range from straightforward (King Kong) to scary weird (Shin Godzilla) to biblically accurate (Evangelion). And sometimes you get giant robots to fight them!

It's time to get real 80's up in here, and discuss one of the longest running and wildest franchises in wargaming - Battletech! It doesn't matter if you know it from the many books, video games, card game, or the short lived and hilariously bad 90s cartoon, it has been a staple of the gaming community for almost 40 years.

We've talked about the monsters from Greek Mythology, so let's look at another area - the British Isles! But mostly Ireland and Scotland, so the cool bits. We're talking about the monsters drawn from Gaelic and Celtic mythology - dullahans, banshees, selkies, and formorians. Fun stuff!

It's time to talk about one of my favorite indie sci-fi TTRPGs with a mecha twist - LANCER! For when you want to play as the Federation from Star Trek, but kicking down the door and taking names with giant robots. Listen to us go on and on about the lore and all the fun robots you can pilot. Then, go pick up a copy of the (FREE) player rules!

What do you get when you cross a devil and a human, and then wait a few generations? That's right, it's Tiefling time! Everyone's favorite hellspawn player character race, with options ranging from pale skin to purple, and always lurking in the shadows to be the edgy anti-heroes we deserve.

Happy pride month, everybody! This one goes out to all the LGBTQIA+ folks (and allies) out there. And to all the representative members of that demographic making appearances in board games, tabletop games, and even the occasional wargame.

Elves! Perhaps the most common fantasy race in modern games and literature, and certainly one of the most well-known. But what are elves? We dig deep into the elvish mystery, and what we uncover may shock you. But probably not.

The Elder Scrolls are a classic series of RPG computer games. We decided to talk about them, and not just because they have a tabletop miniatures game attached as well. Mostly just because we both enjoy Morrowind, and want to chat about how cool that part of the setting is.

It's lizard time! From ancient mythology to pulp sword and sorcery, lizard people have been an element of fantastical stories. And now they're used in a whole lot of modern fantasy and science fiction games. But how are they presented in Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer, Star Wars, and other franchises? And why do some people draw them with tits?

We play a lot of games, and watch a lot of media. And sometimes, we wonder why a particular franchise that seems ripe for a game has NOTHING. And of course, there are the perfectly good games that have fallen into obscurity and could use a reboot. So let's talk about some of them- from Crimson Skies and AT-43 to Pokémon and Stargate, Grand Theft Auto and Dinotopia.

In this episode we do a little trolling. About trolls. A staple of fantasy, and derived from Scandinavian mythology and folklore, there's a lot to be said about trolls. So we talk about them for a while.

The Dungeons and Dragons movie just came out. It's good! But it wasn't the first film to bear the title. If you've ever wondered about the D&D movie from 2000, here's your chance to learn about it without having to sit though some god-awful fantasy schlock.

Sing muse, of the monsters of Greek mythology! From the deadly minotaur to the poisonous hydra, we look at classic Greek monsters who have been translated into Dungeons and Dragons.

Imperial troops have entered the podcast! Imperial troops have entered the -gzrk! Today we're talking about the tabletop wargame, Star Wars Legion, published by Fantasy Flight Games and then Atomic Mass Games. If you want a fun, mechanically competent tabletop game with solid miniatures, and you like Star Wars, you're probably already playing this.

Episode 69. Nice. We use the special number as an excuse to talk about Succubus and Incubus, the folklore demons of sexy-times, and how they have been presented and used in modern roleplaying games and wargames. It's not a great look for games, honestly.

Great Scott! This episode appears to have traveled forward in time! Perhaps it's because we're talking about time travel, and how everyone's favorite way of causing paradoxes has been implemented in TTRPGs, board games, and very occasionally wargames.

It's slime time! Join us as we discuss slimes from the delicious sounding but terrible tasting black pudding to the equally foul tasting ochre jelly and the Gelatinous Cube, the cube that eats you!(TM).

Chess! En Passant! Checkmate! Castling! Horsies! It's time to talk about chess, the classic abstract strategy game. Originally from India, but adapted heavily into what we know today. Also we really don't play enough chess to be experts in the game, but when has that ever stopped us! Execute order 66!

The king of the undead! It's time to talk about liches, the classic wizard turned evil dead monster. With their phylactery, forbidden magical knowledge, insane paranoia, and all the other goodies, they provide an important high level foe for classic dungeons and dragons players. Also, they are going to eat your soul.

Blood Bowl is a game of fantasy football. Emphasis on the "Fantasy" We talk about the best sports based miniatures game ever made, and one of the longest lasting, best supported, and all around most fun games you can play. Also, there's a video game version, if you don't feel like painting up minis.

Kobolds, everyone's favorite low level draconic themed lizard guys! But they weren't always like this. In this episode, we talk about the folklore, game history, and general lore of Kobolds, both for dungeons and dragons and the wider fantasy gaming community at large. Also there's a mechsuit called the Kobold that we talk about too.

In the grim darkness of the far fantasy, there is only war... hammer. Join the gnolls as we discuss Warhammer Fantasy, a classic game of miniature mass combat, where brave dwarves, humans, and elves find themselves at the mercies of chaos, undead, and dark elves. Also Skaven, the best faction.

Behold! This week we're talking about the paranoid, xenophobic, floating mess of eyes and magical powers known as beholders. A staple of Dungeons and Dragons from the very beginning, they are still not as iconic as some of the other big monsters, and certainly don't have the same level of recognition and lore.

This is a nerdy podcast. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. It menaces with spikes of humor. The podcast is decorated with an image of dwarves. The dwarves are laughing. In this episode we discuss Dwarf Fortress, a game that has been in development for around 20 years and is still only considered half-done by its creator.

Mind Flayers! Ancient beings of arcane and psionic power that want to eat your brains! A classic monster of dungeons and dragons, the humble Ilithid has been around since the earliest editions of the game, and is a favorite of dungeon masters looking for a way to humble their players.

How does magic work in a game? How is it presented in a fantasy setting? Is Pokemon a fantasy setting? These are some of the questions we try to answer on this episode of Gnoll Country for Old Men.

Has the podcast delved too greedily, and too deep? If so we may have just stumbled onto the subterranean home of the dwarves, everyone's favorite hard working, hard drinking, hard bearded underground folk. But where do dwarves come from? (mountains) What do dwarves want? (treasure) And why are dwarves so cool? We just don't know.

3D printing: because sometime you need to spend a lot of time and effort to make a very specific model for your wargame. But where did the technology come from, and will it make all other manufacturing obsolete? (no).

A staple of fantasy worlds since the days of Tolkien, orcs are a classic monster for a reason. But what is that reason? And why are orcs the way they are? And what makes the orcs of different settings interesting and unique?

It's the end of the (TTRPG) world as we know it, and I feel fine. This week we're talking about one of the powerhouses of the indie tabletop roleplaying scene, Powered by the Apocalypse! This 2d6 based narrative heavy system is a player favorite, and has been used for games ranging from superheroes to dungeon crawls and so much more!

Welcome to season 2 of Gnoll Country for Old Men! We're celebrating Gnollvember by doing an episode dedicated to that mis-understood hyena demonspawn monster, the Gnoll! From its origins in early fantasy fiction, to the decision to make them hyena themed, to ideas for how to run space gnolls, we talk about it all.

The formalized version of sitting around a campfire telling scary stories, Horror TTRPGs have been around for a long time. We discuss some of the most interesting games out there, and learn what each of them is good for.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the gamestore... Spooky season continues, as we discuss Slasher films, their influence on tabletop games, and what you can play if you're looking to get a horrifically good game for Halloween!

Cosmic horror! The awakening of ancient elder gods, the alienation of man in an uncaring universe, the discovery of sanity melting forgotten civilizations... and also a lot of board games. The works of HP Lovecraft have influenced a lot of games, and we're going to talk about them.

As we enter spooky season, it's time to talk about one of the classic horror monsters and how they fit into tabletop games, board games, and RPGs. That's right, zombies! They eat your brains, they shuffle around aimlessly, and they provide social commentary on the nature of man.

Think tabletop miniatures games look cool, but don't know how to start playing them? Want to learn about options beyond just dropping an entire paycheck on a Warhammer army? Feel like painting all the models and rolling all the dice? Then this is the episode you've been waiting for!

We're talking about Eberron! Our favorite modern DnD setting, a rip-roaring land of pulp adventures, noir intrigue, magic slinging robots, and lightning trains!

In this educational episode, our hosts delve into the world of miniatures! Learn how to get started cultivating your collection of tiny figures for fantasy games, science fictions games, and anything else. With tips on painting, where to buy figures, and much, much more.

It's time to talk about a classic and beloved setting: Planescape! Journey across the outlands, visit the outer planes, the inner planes, and Sigil, the City of Doors! We love this setting. Wizards of the Coast better not mess it up when they do a re-release.

This Labor Day, we're taking some time off working to discuss games where you decide how and where people work! Worker placement games have been a fast growing type of modern board games. But what are they? What makes them interesting? Which ones do we like? Learn all this and more on this episode of Gnoll Country for Old Men.

Well, Spelljammer came out for 5th edition DnD. It's not what we were hoping for. This podcast is mostly just complaining about the lack of new features and lore, and pointed references to what could have been.

What makes a science fiction setting (or franchise) good? What makes a universe good for playing games, either RPGs or wargames? What's that noise at the airlock? We discuss, and take the opportunity to talk about some of our favorite science fiction worlds.

What if Mad Max were a DnD setting? Welcome to the world of Dark Sun, a dying-Earth apocalyptical wasteland abandoned by the gods and ruled by ruthless sorcerer-kings. A great place for adventurers, although maybe not a great place if you want metal armor.

Perhaps the most popular wargame setting, it's World War 2! We're talking about all the games set during the 20th century's most destructive conflict. Also, why we prefer alternate history if you want to do a "historical" RPG.

It's fantasy, in space! Spelljammer, the classic DnD setting where you sail between the crystal shells and pilot your ship to distant worlds, with strange new life and new civilizations! Also, there are miniature giant space hamsters.

We've talked about bad game mechanics, but what about good game mechanics? There are things that we like to see in board games, war games, and RPGs. So game designers, if you're listening, do more with these sorts of things.

They're not as forgotten as you might think! The Forgotten Realms is one of the most details and beloved settings in the Dungeons and Dragons game. We talk about it, and probably don't do it justice.

Happy 4th of July! We interrupt the scheduled discussion of DnD settings to take a look at some of the fearsome beasts, legendary monsters, and cryptids in American folklore. From the Wendigo to Mothman, we look at classics and forgotten favorites and determine how they might be used in a TTRPG.

It's time to talk about the oldest board game that is still being played competitively! Go! From it's origins in China more than 2000 years ago, to the recent developments in AI that can beat humans, to how nice it would be to own one of the fancy expensive board for the game, we get into many of the game's details.

It's got dragons, it's got lances, it's got elves and dwarves and kender? It must be Dragonlance time! Join us as we talk about the most standard 80s fantasy setting in all of Dungeons and Dragons history. A land where even the wizards are color coded for your convenience.