Phil & Senda talk about Tabletop Role Playing Games as one shots and campaigns along with Game Master and Dungeon Master advice with Panda style humor, comedy, and silliness.
Buffalo, NY
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Listeners of Panda's Talking Games that love the show mention: senda, one shots, talking games, outtakes, rpg topics, pandas, short form, phil, campaigns, tabletop, rpgs, gaming, role playing, gm, dnd, monday morning, hobby, ran, address, joy to listen.
The Panda's Talking Games podcast is a fantastic find for anyone interested in tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). Hosted by Phil and Senda, this show offers a delightful mix of practical advice, insightful discussions, and humorous banter. They tackle a wide range of topics related to TTRPGs, providing valuable tips for both players and Game Masters (GMs). What sets this podcast apart is the hosts' thoughtful and knowledgeable approach to gaming. They are not only entertaining but also deeply committed to helping their listeners have better and more enjoyable gaming sessions.
One of the best aspects of The Panda's Talking Games podcast is the chemistry between Phil and Senda. Their friendship shines through in every episode, making it feel like you're sitting down with old friends having a conversation about gaming. Their dynamic keeps the show engaging and light-hearted, even when exploring more complex topics. Additionally, their expertise as GMs and players is evident in their discussions, providing valuable insights into different playing styles, campaign structures, and game mechanics. Whether you're a novice or experienced gamer, you're bound to learn something new from their advice.
Another standout feature of this podcast is the variety of topics they cover. From character creation to storytelling techniques to inclusive gaming practices, Phil and Senda leave no stone unturned when it comes to TTRPGs. They address listener-submitted questions with thoroughness and thoughtfulness, ensuring that each episode offers practical takeaways that can be applied at the gaming table. Furthermore, they are system agnostic, meaning they provide advice applicable to all types of games rather than focusing on one specific system.
While there aren't many negative aspects to The Panda's Talking Games podcast overall, some listeners may find the outtakes at the end of each episode unnecessary or distracting. These outtakes include bloopers and comedic moments from the recording process which some may enjoy but others may prefer to skip over. However, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise excellent podcast.
In conclusion, The Panda's Talking Games podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in TTRPGs. Phil and Senda's combination of expertise, humor, and genuine passion for gaming make for an entertaining and informative show. Their practical advice and thoughtful discussions will undoubtedly improve your gaming experiences. Whether you're a player or a GM, this podcast offers valuable insights that can be applied to any game system. Give it a listen - you won't be disappointed!
Show us how you create an engaging core loop — as another part of your setting creation! Phil and Senda talk core loops and how they drive investment and character creation, and also how to MORE
Show us how you handle facilitation and collaboration at the table…and specifically, how do you make sure everyone stays involved! Phil and Senda are pretty passionate about this because it’s part of both their hobby MORE
Show us how you manage players missing games! Phil and Senda talk about what you may need to take into consideration, including length of absence, how key that character is to the story, etc. Bamboo MORE
Show us your favorite things to include in your session 0! Phil and Senda are joined by invisible third panda Ryan Boelter (our editor) in celebration of their 100th show with us. Thanks Ryan!! Check MORE
Show us how you bring an iced campaign back from a long hiatus! Phil and Senda both have some experience with this. As usual this is a buffet, so some may be helpful for your MORE
Show us how you manage tech at the table for players and GMs! Phil and Senda talk about everything except the monster in the corner (focus). Bamboo Lounge for Patreon backers today! Find these and MORE
Show us how you manage patterns of behavior at your table! We love games, and games require people, which means that sometimes you will run into a social dynamic that’s just not working. We do MORE
Show us how you prep for play vs. prepping for reading! Phil and Senda talk about the different ways we use prepared adventure materials, and things you may consider to make your prep work for MORE
Show us your tips for new players — and for getting old players back to the table! Phil and Senda talk new players and players returning after a hiatus (for whatever reason). Bamboo Lounge for MORE
Show us ho GMing is manipulation — or not! Or, how to make sure you’re not doing it by accident or for the wrong reasons. Phil and Senda talk when you might be subconsciously manipulating MORE
Show us how you go from GM to player — especially if you’re a forever GM! How do you transition your skills and hand over default leadership gracefully? Phil and Senda talk this and also MORE
Phil and Senda are having a busy *life* moment, so for your listening pleasure we bring you this chit chat! The chit chat is not our normal format of show, for which we’d recommend going MORE
Show us how you handle known characters in known IPs (intellectual properties)! Phil and Senda talk characters, setting, and what kind of characters you might be bringing in. Bamboo Lounge for Patreon backers today! Find MORE
Show us how you take inspiration from the books you’re reading — or really any media? Phil and Senda talk about distilling the experience of reading to various levels of specificity and applying that potential MORE
Show us how you world build — and is it collaborative? Phil and Senda talk worldbuilding in quadrants from not collaborative to all collaborative and do you do it alone or as a group (trust MORE
Show us how you play a one on one game! Phil and Senda talk one on one games and some tips on making them successful. We are back! Bamboo Lounge for Patreon backers today! Find MORE
Show us how project management skills can help you GM — and vice versa! Phil and Senda are both professionals in various project management offices at this point in their careers, and have a conversation MORE
Show us…Gary Gygax’s tenants of GM Mastery! Phil and Senda go back for one more part on the 1987 book Role-Playing Mastery. Do they stand up to the test of time? Our take is…well, mostly. MORE
Show us how Gary Gygax thought you should be a master GM! Phil and Senda continue their conversation about the 1987 title Role-Playing Mastery by Gary Gygax, deciding what they think still holds true, what MORE
Show us what Gygax considered a master player! Do we agree? Do you?! Phil and Senda talk through the first 9 steps to being a Master Player according to Gary Gygax/s 1987 book Role Playing Mastery. MORE
Show us what Gygax considered a master player! Do we agree? Do you?! Phil and Senda talk through the first 9 steps to being a Master Player according to Gary Gygax/s 1987 book Role Playing MORE
Show us how you balance a player that is much much more proactive than the rest of your table! Phil and Senda cover when it’s actually a problem and some ideas on how to address MORE
Show us how you find people…to be new gamers! Phil and Senda talk introducing people to gaming and finding the kind of people who a) would be interested and b) would be interested in the MORE
Show us how you find a new gaming group! Phil and Senda talk approaches to finding people and how to figure out who you might be looking for. Bamboo Lounge for Patreon backers today! Find MORE
Show us how you make gaming goals happen! Phil and Senda follow up on their gaming goals from last episode, including an extemporaneous brain storm on positive feedback at the table. Bamboo Lounge for Patreon MORE
Episode 365 – after a whole year of numbered episodes, it’s like a New Year’s resolution? Phil and Senda talk personal goals for gaming – for how they play, facilitate, and engage with the industry MORE
Today we answered a grab bag of questions all submitted by folks whose names start with J! Coincidence? We think….yes absolutely didn’t notice it until partway through the show. Today’s questions cover analysis paralysis and MORE
Show us how you manage the conversation when you realize your game has lost momentum! Phil and Senda use their own campaign as a live demo to put their money where their mouth is and MORE
Today we’re addressing some of our smaller questions! Bamboo Lounge for Patreon backers today! Find these and more at http://patreon.com/mmp. Find us on the internet or drop us a topic on our shiny new linktree: https://polygamero.us/panda
Show us how you play an evil game! Phil and Senda talk how to make it work and the pitfalls of chaos vs. purpose in an evil game. Bamboo Lounge for Patreon backers today! Find MORE
Show us how you make a good player goal! Phil and Senda talk what and why, and how a strong “why” can make even a generic or potentially boring “what” really interesting. It’s also back MORE
Show us how major life changes might change your gaming! Phil and Senda speak from experience on many of these. Have you experienced changes in your gaming due to changes in your life? Check out MORE
Show us how you make space in your game for different kinds of “fun” when different things give energy to different folks at your table! Senda and Phil talk about “fun,” defining it for yourself, MORE
Show us how you add a romantic sideplot, without sidelining your main plot! Phil and Senda talk involved players, uninvolved players, and GMs as well as spotlight sharing and setting up the proximity of the MORE
Show us how you can get a board game friend to try TTRPGs — and maybe when it’s not a good idea! Phil and Senda talk about some of the signs that your friend’s fun MORE
Show us how you share your world building! One very traditional approach to facilitating games is for the GM to be in charge of all the world building, so Phil and Senda are here to MORE
Show us how you embody an NPC at the table when advance prep is your stronger skill, or show us how you prep for a character when improv is where you excel! Phil and Senda MORE
Show us how you mechanically handle downtime! Phil and Senda talk through Phil’s homebrew approach to downtime mechanics in Mutants in the Now, and how to create or apply something to any game you’re playing MORE
MicroRPGs, how we personally start doing game design, and contract work vs. hobby time, oh my! Phil and Senda sit down to answer a series of questions on game design and playtesting when you have MORE
Show us how you tell stories in your session — structure that story! It was our 7 year podaversary and we completely forgot, so we’re taking this one to do a topic that Phil had MORE
Show us how you…do a bunch of littler topics! It’s been a little while since we’ve done a topic round up! On today’s episode we talk about: Check out the Lumberjils kickstarter here! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unrulydesigns/lumberjills-a-war-birds-game?ref=discovery Bamboo MORE
Show us how you use daydreaming as GM prep! Phil and Senda talk daydreaming, both intentional/focused and not, as well as where we do it best and when and how you might want to write MORE
Show us how you get the old group back together! Phil went on a trip and did some game prep for a very unique and specific circumstance, and we’re going to talk about it. Welcome MORE
Show us how you run or play a game when you’ve only dabbled in a particular IP! Phil and Senda talk being the GM or being a player when you’re not the expert in something MORE
Show us how you run or play a game when you’ve only dabbled in a particular IP! Phil and Senda talk being the GM or being a player when you’re […]
Hey friends! We ran into a crunch and needed to turn out a lower stakes episode this week, so here we present to you (drum roll please!) a chit chat! If this is your first MORE
Hey friends! We ran into a crunch and needed to turn out a lower stakes episode this week, so here we present to you (drum roll please!) a chit chat! […]
Show us how much of a game you can replace before you may as well write your own! Senda and Phil chat about the Ship of Theseus syndrome of games (if you replace all the MORE
Show us how much of a game you can replace before you may as well write your own! Senda and Phil chat about the Ship of Theseus syndrome of games […]
Show us how you get emotional investment in one shots and the beginnings of campaigns! Phil and Senda talk player and GM responsibilities and faking it til you make it, along with some other ideas MORE
Show us how you get emotional investment in one shots and the beginnings of campaigns! Phil and Senda talk player and GM responsibilities and faking it til you make it, […]
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