Loco Ludus

Barney returns to connoisseur (read: niche) #ttrpg broadcasting with a few kind-of-reviews of some fine indie publications, a report on his new project, Biosphere Guardians 2050, and throws in some reflections on life, family, friendship and just hanging out for good measure. Show notes and links to come!

Things hot up for Colin, Scott, Spencer and Andy - the "old farts" of Grizzly Peaks Radio - as they scramble to prevent the Mirabilis land speed record race from unleashing eldritch evil! Thrills abound! Warning: contains adult content. Special thanks to Andy for doing the FX.

Can Colin, Scott, Spencer and Andy - the "old farts" of Grizzly Peaks Radio - prevent a land speed record race from unleashing an outpouring of eldritch evil? Warning: contains adult content. Special thanks to Andy for doing the FX.

Amanda joins Barney as co-host for the first time. Their "evergreen" topic in this episode is character creation. They also give some updates about current projects and recommend Patrick Stuart's Silent Titans, Luka Rejec's Ultraviolet Grasslands and Donn Stroud, Fiona Maeve Geist and Sean McCoy's Mothership module Dead Planet. There are also messages from Jason Connerley of Nerd's RPG Variety Cast to respond to. So many indie games and game designers are mentioned it's mind melting. (If we forgot you, get in touch and we'll see what we can do.) Leave us (or send us) a voice message (via Anchor or elsehow) about character creation, scenarios or anything. Amanda's latest: https://weirdwonder.itch.io/tannic Something Barney is involved in: https://davidblandy.itch.io/lunar-echos

Barney shares some of his recent gaming news, including the new amazing actual play group, End of Plays, that he's started with Tarren, Quinn, Chris, Spencer (and hopefully Lexie). This flows into an update on Neo-Triassic Shoreline Regression Syndrome, enhanced by messages from Karl R (GMologist Presents...), Jason C (Nerd's RPG Variety Cast) and Joe R (Hindsightless). There's mention of Jacob Wood and his Survival of the Able and other RPGs Cypher, PbtA and Viking Death Squad. Next time I'll be back with amazing co-host, Amanda P (check out her recent games Pilgrimage of the Sun Guard and Tannic on itch.io).

Barney speaks with Amanda P about her amazing zine, Pilgrimage of the Sun Guard. Get a copy! https://hopefulweirdwonder.itch.io/sunguard

Post-migraine Barney discusses his system-agnostic adventure Neo-Triassic Shoreline Regression Syndrome which is crowdfunding now! Go to: https://ko-fi.com/locoludus He finishes the episode reflecting on the Root RPG after running a two-session adventure. Art for Neo-Triassic by Luke Oram.

Barney speaks with Frank Reding about his new system-agnostic RPG setting Capes and Cloaks and Cowls and a Park which is seeking crowdfunding NOW! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mottokrosh/capes-and-cloaks-and-cowls-and-a-park It's illustrated by Katie Wakelin: https://twitter.com/PanDimensions with maps by Diogo Nogueira: https://twitter.com/diogo_oldskull Keep up with Frank here: https://mottokrosh.com https://twitter.com/mottokrosh https://mottokrosh.com/youtube

Barney speaks with artist and game designer David Blandy, first about his work and then about the Sustainable Gaming Forum they have set up with a number of other people. If you would like to join the forum, get in touch: locoludus[at]gmail.com. David's Lost Eons is currently slow funding: https://cardboard.monster/products/lost-eons

Barney speaks with Andre Novoa about his publishing house Games Omnivorous. Yum!

Barney speaks with Liam Hevey about his ttrpg Ecopunk 2044 (currently on Kickstarter). Back it now! This is an episode for those open to leftwing politics, environmentalism and arts funding. Do get in touch. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dicekapital/ecopunk-2044

Barney discusses gaming, cinema, politics and crowdfunding with editor and designer of the new journal Filmmakers Without Cameras. Dig into this excellent project by backing issue 2 now (September 2021) on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eryksawicki/filmmakers-without-cameras-the-second-issue Or pick up a copy in future via Rook's Press in the UK, Exalted Funeral in the US and other stockists.

Barney speaks with Mr Runehammer about his new RPG, Viking Death Squad, which is being put out in print by Modiphius. It's on pre-sale now alongside Index Card RPG Master Edition. (Note: if you order now, you get the PDFs instantly.) https://www.modiphius.net/pages/runehammer

Barney is joined by Tom Burmeister, his collaborator on Trickster's Net, and they are joined by the project illustrator, Maximilian Hartley.

A tiny Woolworths mix-and-mix of an episode. Barney zips through all the things - mostly gaming related - that have prevented him from putting out anything o er the last month. Joe “Hindsightless” Richter makes this a proper episode by sharing some great thoughts, colourful language and adult themes. Thanks, Joe!

In the first of a sub-series, Barney is joined by collaborator Tom Burmeister to discuss Trickster's Net: the international RPG design exchange project for young people funded by Wales Arts International and Stadt Kempten, Germany.

Barney apologises to collaborator Tom Barbalet, is put right by Joe Richter and we get good food for thought from Safer and Spencer about recent Alluvial Plains games.

Barney gets calls from Sofinho @ Alone in the Labyrinth, Andy @ Expedition to the Grizzly Peaks and at the 11th Hour: Joe @ Hindsightless. For further reference listen to: Expedition to the Grizzly Peaks Eps 345 & 348.

Barney talks about Alluvial Plains, League of Eternal Guardians, his new role working on an extra-curricula game app and Trickster’s Net, a grant funded roleplaying game project. Alluvial Plains: he’s giving a talk and running games at Creswell Crags again next week: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/playing-the-past-the-roleplay-game-as-folkloric-practice-tickets-151218341129 League-wise: Jamila Nedjadi (Apocalypse Keys) joins Scott Dorward, Dirk the Dice and Frank Reding as a scenario contributor. Trickster’s Net is a collaboration with Tom Burmeister (Playframe), illustrated by Max Hartley and co-funded by Stadt Kempten and Wales Arts International. Leave a message on Anchor, find me on Facebook: Loco Ludus or Twitter: @loco_ludus

Barney considers tone in Alluvial Plains, having continued with the Braylum mini-campaign last Sunday in the company of Spencer, Sofinho, Safer and Andy, with Colin, gone but not forgotten. The group perhaps surprised themselves by getting a bit serious and dewy-eyed. And what’s this? Post? Scott Malthouse’s new Blood in the Roots game!

The topic of tone in RPGs continues against the backdrop of League of Eternal Guardians and Alluvial Plains with epic call ins from Spencer @ Keep Off the Borderlands, Joe Richter @ Hindsightless, Andy Goodman @ (Expedition to the) Grizzly Peaks (Radio) and Jason @ Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast. Tom Barbalet writes in. And honorable mention is made to Sofinho @ Alone in the Labyrinth and author of Pariah (available at all good Soul Muppets and Exalted Funerals). And we also invoke Dave Aldridge. And more.

A call-in from Spencer @ Keep Off the Borderlands prompts Barney to reflect on his experiences with “tone” in game design. A message from Jason @ Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast drives the last part of the episode. Mention made to Joe Richter @ Hindsightless, Andy Goodman’s Grizzly Peaks Radio, and Colin Green’s Spikepit. Leave an Anchor message, send an email or find Barney on Twitter @loco_ludus Thanks!

In this episode, Barney thinks out loud about working on two games at the same time: League of Eternal Guardians and Alluvial Plains (which uses the Vantage system). Thanks to Andy Goodman @ Grizzly Peaks. Big thanks to Jason Connerley @ Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast for the messages which close the show.

Barney discusses the exciting progress of League of Eternal Guardians and why he chose not to run it in Kickstarter’s Zine Quest 3. Thanks to David Surman, Scott Dorward, Dirk the Dice, Frank Reding, The Eldritch Organists and the friendly and creative Zine Quest community.

In this episode Barney speaks with Paul StJohn Mackintosh about his roleplay game, Casting the Runes: Occult Investigation in the World of M.R. James, recently published by The Design Mechanism. Fast becoming a sell-out, physical copies might be available via Aeon Games in the UK: https://www.aeongamespublishing.co.uk/author.asp?AID=23633

Barney discusses his plan to enter his new RPG, League of Eternal Guardians, into Kickstarter’s Zine Quest 3. Thanks to Andy @ Grizzly Peaks, Jason @ Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast and Sofinho @ Alone in the Labyrinth.

Alluvial Plains. Vantage. Dice rollers. Kraken con. Creswell Crags. Eldritch Organ (with Andy Goodman). Frank Reding’s Hypertellurians. Thank you everybody.

In this episode, Barney shares details of a lakeside walk and a couple of dreams, before fielding some responses to recent R&D episodes from Joe @ Hindsightless, Spencer @ Keep Off the Borderlands and Colin @ Spikepit. Thanks everyone.

In this episode Tom Barbalet returns and turns the tables on Barney and asks him lots of great questions about the Alluvial Plains RPG project. The discussion goes to some very interesting places about Alluvial Plains specifically, game design and playtesting in general and the personal things we bring to such work. Thanks to Tom as well as to Spencer at Keep Off the Borderlands and David Surman.

On the eve of its release by Games Omnivorous, game designer Isaac Williams speaks to Barney about the new edition of his game, Mausritter. https://losing.games/mausritter/ https://gamesomnivorous.com 

It’s a whopper! Lots to talk about... Kraken con, postcards, new character sheets, abilities, THE MAGIC SYSTEM. Joe Richter of Hindsightless and Spencer of Keep Off the Borderlands chip in. There’s mention of Tom Barbalet of My Rules are Better too. And David Surman’s amazing illustration. Thanks all! Do get in touch. Barney

Thoughts on running Alluvial Plains at Kraken con...

More on the development of the Alluvial Plains RPG...

Barney considers dice pools with the help of Pete, Colin, Jason and Spencer. Thanks everyone!

Barney discusses the latest playtests of Alluvial Plains, including starting a regular school group. This means extended, campaign play! And he reports on the success of the tribe creation and character creation processes. Jason opens the show.

Barney rolls and ruminates his way through ICRPG’s prehistoric Blood and Snow setting.

Barney gives a brief overview of the Vantage RPG system he has been working on that feeds into the prehistoric Alluvial Plains setting being developed with Spencer @ Keep Off the Borderlands and David Surman. Towards the end he discusses the virtues of the micro and minimalist RPG mindset which he aspires to follow.

The first episode dedicated to reporting on the progress of the Vantage RPG system and the prehistoric Alluvial Plains setting being developed with Spencer @ Keep off the Borderlands and David Surman. Thanks to Jason @ Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast, ShandyAndy @ Unguarded Treasure, RFED, Jim, Emi and Peter.

Barney reports on holiday gaming, playing in Griff Mon Morgan III’s OD&D adventure, Tom Barbalet’s Just Plain Chaos and recommends Cabo, Wizard and Century: Spice Road. Then he discusses working on Vantage/Alluvial Plains and playtesting the Brexit card game he’s designed with his son.

Barney tests the Anchor 60 minute limit to voice recordings to discuss a partial shift in his thinking from homebrewing to playtesting. He offers some vignettes of recent experiences playing in Dave Aldridge’s and Tom Barbalet’s RPGs and playing Barry Sawada Tucker’s skirmish game, Periphery. He then talks about his recent steps to widen playtests of his own system, Vantage. If you would like to take part in a playtest, please get in touch either by leaving an Anchor message or emailing locoludus@gmail.com Listen to Dave Aldridge‘s dpercentile podcast: https://anchor.fm/dave-aldridge Listen to Tom Barbalet’s My Rules are Better podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/my-rules-are-better/id1447857948 Watch Barry Sawada Tucker’s Mega City Gaming channel: https://m.youtube.com/c/BarrySawadaTucker/videos?disable_polymer=true&itct=CBIQ8JMBGAEiEwiZi7Oo0erqAhUPot4KHfiTCx0%3D

Barney talks about the overlap between 2000AD’s Judge Dredd Mega-City One and Games Workshop’s Necromunda which took place in 1987.

Barney reflects on the process of revising RPG scenarios after running a game of Electric Bastionland for the amazing Grognard Files crew. And a message from Spencer @ Keep Off the Borderlands offers a chance to consider absurdity, surrealism, brevity and literacy. Listen to the Grognard Files!!! Leave me a message!

Barney reflects further on Electric Bastionland and discusses one feature that he finds particularly excellent. Call ins on Mausritter from Colin Spikepit and Spencer Free Thrall. Jason has to ask again for the Fury of Dracula hack... Nemesis sci-fi horror board game reviewed. Liam Thompson’s Sanctions RPG. Goblin’s Henchman’s new hex flower In the Heart of the Delve & Dangerous. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/314715 But the open question is this: how and how much do you as GM tailor a game in response to player numbers, personalities, interests and experience?

In answer to a plea from Colin Spikepit, Barney discusses running Isaac Williams’ neat Mausritter RPG and offers a couple of small modifications to the rules.

Barney reflects on succeeding to wipe out last Saturday’s game team. Thanks to Colin @ Spikepit, Andy @ Expedition to the Grizzly Peaks and Jason @ Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast for their call-ins.

Barney reflects on last Wednesday’s game, Isle of Death, using Death Robot a Jungle and Electric Bastionland

Barney‘s offer of a lethal run through Death Robot Jungle using the Electric Bastionland system has some takers! Hear Spencer @ Keep off the Borderlands, Jason @ Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast, Colin @ Spikepit and Joe @ Hindsightless / Weal or Woe book their one-way* tickets! Others, too, are taking the trip (eg. Cody M. @ No Save for You!) or are thinking about it. Get in touch if you want to risk life and limb! *Return tickets are available on request, but must be collected in person.

Following a physically-distanced high-five endorsement from Colin “Spikepit” Green, Barney unboxes the LP RPG setting DEATH ROBOT JUNGLE from Games Omnivorous/Exalted Funeral and the multi-media brainchild of Andre Novoa, Manuel Pinheiro, Jason Bradley Thompson and Alex Figueira. At the end Barney throws down the gauntlet... (with a shout out to People and Other Diseases). Get Death Robot Jungle here: https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/death-robot-jungle or here: https://gamesomnivorous.com/product/random-psych-weirdness/death-robot-jungle/ You can also listen to the music here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0g1hRqhPebcxprBBKcH0e7?nd=1 Get in touch with Loco Ludus: locoludus@gmail.com or leave a message on the Anchor page...

Barney and Spencer (from Keep Off the Borderlands) continue their musings about the great roleplay capital city, Bastion, and the fallout from Chris McDowall's RPG rules systems Electric Bastionland and Into the Odd. They discuss solo roleplaying and Ray Otus' Oracle gaming tool (link below), Barney's Amberwood borough in Bastion (see Electric Bastionland rules p.326-8), Mausritter (which utilises the ItO rules) (link below) and, last but not least, they roll up a pair of Rook Tamers (Emmy Allen's special failed career. See Electric Bastionland rules p.56-7).  You can find the first episode of The Bastion Social in the Keep off the Borderlands feed here: https://anchor.fm/free-thrall/episodes/The-Bastion-Social-001-Electric-Bastionland-ebl194/a-a1nip54 Ray Otus' Oracle: https://rayotus.itch.io/oracle Mausritter: https://losing-games.itch.io/mausritter Get Electric Bastionland here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/308100/Electric-Bastionland Keep up with Chris McDowall at http://www.bastionland.com/ and by listening to his podcast commentaries about the making of Electric Bastionland here: https://anchor.fm/bastionland

In this interview, Barney speaks with Andre Novoa, the main man behind new publishing venture, Games Omnivorous. They discuss Andre’s 17th Century Minimalist rules and all the swashbuckling that comes with it (!!!), the publishing house’s exciting Manifestus Omnivorous and Random Psych Weirdness lines - in particular TODAY’s new release: Death Robo Jungle!!!! Here’s the link: https://gamesomnivorous.com

Barry discusses his homebrewed Judge Dredd skirmish game, Periphery - really insightful stuff for designers! Find Barry on YouTube at: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC02RQR9IEx9n2ubOpG1WUwg