Best Eran Aviram Podcasts (2024)

1
What is Roleplay? #18: Narrative Worldbuilding with Samuel Poots 41:11

1h ago41:11

41:11

Welcome to Episode 15 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by Samuel Poots to discuss Narrative Worldbuilding Worldbuilding is an important cornerstone of all writing and especially important when writing roleplay games – the process of designing an environment for the story or the game you are creating. Samuel Answers the Question ‘Wh…

1
What is Roleplay #17: Teaching Games with Aviv Or & Eran Aviram 1:04:01

19d ago1:04:01

1:04:01

Welcome to Episode 17 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by Aviv Or and Eran Aviram to discuss teaching games Aviv & Eran’s work ‘The Crystal Heart’ and how it uniquely teaches readers to roleplay, specifically to play the Savage Worlds RPG Their use of narrative to explain how to play, based on the assumption that the reader has no …

1
What is Roleplay #16: Dungeons with John Dodd 1:05:48

2M ago1:05:48

1:05:48

Welcome to Episode 16 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by John Dodd to discuss dungeons The intrigue of The Dungeon – why would someone build this, what was it for, how did it get here? You’re not supposed to be there! Maps as promises – they guarantee excitement, adventure and maybe treasure Mega-dungeons – Architecturally impossi…

1
What is Roleplay #15: Diceless Roleplay Games with Côme Martin 54:14

3M ago54:14

54:14

Welcome to Episode 15 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by Côme Martin to discuss diceless rpg Chris & Côme discuss many different Roleplaying Games that don’t use dice & explore the spectrum of games from completely controlled by fate, to the other end of the spectrum where the only narrative input in the game is the things your sa…

1
What is Roleplay #14 – Design with Johan Nohr 50:55

6M ago50:55

50:55

Welcome to Episode 14 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by Johan Nohr to discuss design Everyone can draw – as adults we stop being creative because we fool ourselves into thinking that we cannot do it. How the independent games scene allows people to explore new ways of designing and laying out games that go against the safe mainst…

1
What Is Roleplay? #13 – Melee Combat with Rugose Kohn 45:34

6M ago45:34

45:34

Welcome to Episode 13 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by Rugose Kohn to discuss Melee Combat Trigger warning for violence and body horror! Melee combat is usually gritty and visceral hand to hand combat as opposed to more removed and antiseptic approach such as aerial bombardment. How early roleplaying games have sort of set the s…

1
What is Roleplay #12 – All Outta Bubblegum actual play 59:19

7M ago59:19

59:19

Welcome to Episode 12 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! Join Chris & Dave as they get very silly in an All Outta Bubblegum actual play special! A brief explanation of the rules of All Outta Bubblegum A safety talk Counting for fun Setting the scene Pizza delivery mishaps and corner shop catastrophes More counting Listen as the game unravels as we run out of b…

1
What is Roleplay #11 – Design with Guilherme Gontijo 59:56

8M ago59:56

59:56

Welcome to Episode 11 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by Guilherme Gontijo to discuss Design How design is very similar across the board, and how the differences often just come down to execution? Why does design matter? It is more than just style or a taste aesthetic Design is more about translating ideas on the abstract plane in…

1
What is Roleplay #10 – Stats with Spencer Campbell 1:02:41

1y ago1:02:41

1:02:41

Welcome to Episode 10 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by Spencer Campbell to discuss Stats Laying out some of the basic types of stats that are used in roleplaying games The concept of Min/Max The good, the bad and the ugly of Stats Focusing on skills and approaches rather than just a list of stats Exploding dice! How stats enable…

1
What is Roleplay #9 – Chance & Probability with Cezar Capacle 52:08

1y ago52:08

52:08

Welcome to Episode 9 of ‘What Is Roleplay?! This episode we are joined by Cezar Capacle to discuss Chance & Probability Be amazed by Cezar’s amazing productivity levels – 20+ games in three years! What on earth are “Conflict Resolution Mechanics”? We explore mechanics within various games systems that make good use of chance and probability Listen …

1
Rewards Beyond Loot (Episode 105) 28:45

4y ago28:45

28:45

What do we mean when we say rewards beyond loot? Not just money, treasure or magic items. Let’s give a few examples and it’ll be clear. ## Non loot rewards (01:24) Some examples: - Land - Titles - Association (part of a guild/group/etc) - House / Place to live - Renown - Something personal - Narrative power ## GMs - What can we do with non treasure…

1
Information Dumps (Episode 104) 28:13

4y ago28:13

28:13

What is an information dump? When a large amount of information is dumped upon the players. Mostly tedious information. Here are some ways to make dumping information more interesting. Show, don’t tell (00:26) This is the most basic and fundamental principal. Don’t just tell things. - Effects: Think what will be the result of the information you wa…

1
Obfuscating Game Mechanics (Episode 103) 35:15

4y ago35:15

35:15

In today's episode we talk about two very different aspects of information management. I have good news and bad news: the bad news is that most game systems have some really iffy bits that somehow managed to get past the playtest phase or just not suited to your game and that sucks, the good news is that you don’t have to use them. Sometimes a part…

1
Compelling Characters (Episode 102) 27:37

4y ago27:37

27:37

What makes a player character compelling? # Uri’s take (01:04) What makes a player character compelling? - They don’t snugly fit into a stereotype. We’ve talked about avoiding stereotypes and cliches in the past ([Episode 2 - avoid character cliche](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/avoiding-character-cliches-episode-2-35aab600eb0406/)). And it’s fine t…

1
Lessons from XCOM (Episode 101) 37:45

4y ago37:45

37:45

Both Eran and I have been playing a lot of the video game XCOM lately. Even though it is NOT a roleplaying game. Still, even though it is not a roleplaying game - there is a lot we can learn from it. What is XCOM? ------------- A series of computer games. Started in 1994 with X-COM enemy unknown and many sequels. Rebooted in 2012 with XCOM: Enemy U…

1
The 100th Episode (Episode 100) 34:00

4+ y ago34:00

34:00

Disclaimer: this is a comedy episode, any and all advice must be treated as such We are joined with our technical dwarf Aviv Icel Manoch! ## Aviv Or - How do you handle a monster strike? I had a session once where a young black dragon simply refused to fight, just handed us a leaflet about the challenge rating struggle and encouraged us to support …

1
Running Published Adventures (Episode 99) 45:26

4+ y ago45:26

45:26

A quick disclaimer: Eran LOVES running published modules, Uri… no so much. Also, we are talking about published adventures, not published campaigns. There are some differences that we won’t get into. ## Picking an adventure (03:57) Use the fact that other people read it: - You can read ratings, reviews and comments. This will help you pick a good a…

1
Games Without Masters (Episode 98) 26:55

4+ y ago26:55

26:55

In this episode we will recommend some GM-less games that are fun to play and easy to play around the table as well as online. ## Microscope (02:29) A world building game by Ben Robbins Easy and fun to play even with just two people. [http://www.lamemage.com/microscope/](http://www.lamemage.com/microscope/) [http://www.lamemage.com/store.html](http…

1
Uplifting (Episode 97) 29:12

4+ y ago29:12

29:12

Today's episode we will be talking about ways that the GM can make their players feel uplifted. ## How Uri uplift his players spirit (01:05): Every once in a while I do an “uplifting session”. That is a session whose entire purpose is to make the players feel uplifted. When? After the end of an adventure for example, to let the players experience t…

1
Making the Players Feel Smart (Episode 96) 33:46

4+ y ago33:46

33:46

We got this short and to the point email from Peter: Hello, I'm not saying that my players are not smart, but... How do you make your players feel smart when you're running a game? Good question! Uri’s suggestions (02:46) There is a difference between making players feel smart and making players actually act smarter. This of course is also true for…

1
GMing Anxiety (Episode 95) 34:08

4+ y ago34:08

34:08

In this episode we will speak of the phenomenon of “GMing Anxiety”. DIsclaimer: We are not therapists or psychologists. So, what we will do in this episode is present some issues that we encountered and how we dealt with it. Remember: Anxiety is what we feel, not what is actually happening. It’s an emotional reaction to outside stimuli, but it does…

1
Fishing From the Classics (Episode 94) 36:51

4+ y ago36:51

36:51

# What is Fishing? (in the context of RPGs and this episode) Taking the good stuff, form or content, and remixing/remodelling or re-whatever to use in your game. # Why fishing from the classics? They’re the classics for a reason. Now we will go over some of the elements you can fish from a classic and show how it can be done. Uri will use [Shakespe…

1
Interesting Indies (Episode 93) 32:04

4+ y ago32:04

32:04

A while back we asked our listeners what topics you want us to talk about and **Sivan Kotek** said “can you talk about new non OSR indie games”? Well, Sivan, yes, yes we can. # Kiss Her Before the World Ends (03:23) by **Alice Grizzle** Alice on Itch.io: [https://itch.io/profile/tafkat](https://itch.io/profile/tafkat) On the cover: *Your world is e…

1
Defining an RPG Hero (Episode 92) 23:15

4+ y ago23:15

23:15

How do you define a “hero” in your game? In [episode 50 - Who is an adventurer](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/who-is-an-adventurer-episode-50-36e432309ba698/) we discussed Who is an adventurer, but we didn’t talk about what is a hero. ## The word “hero” have several different definitions * Heroes \- famous individuals * Heroes \- individuals doing t…

1
Guiding Actions (episode 91) 49:13

4+ y ago49:13

49:13

We have a guest: Di, author of “[The Anatomy of the GM curse](https://gnomestew.com/the-anatomy-of-the-gm-curse)” on the Gnome Stew gaming blog. ## What is a guiding action An action that powerfully affects the game's experience for some or all players. ## What isn’t a guiding action It can be done consciously or reflexively, mostly by a GM, becaus…

1
Monsters Bracket Night (Episode 90) 25:17

4+ y ago25:17

25:17

A while back Uri came across a twitter post about “Bracket Night”. The idea of a bracket night is that you select 16 items of a specific topic and divide them into brackets, pitting one against the other and have a discussion about “which is the best”. This is determined by a discussion followed by a vote. So Uri immediately gathered 10 veteran GMs…

1
Playing Politics (episode 89) 43:56

4+ y ago43:56

43:56

Since Uri had several GMs ask him how to create a realistic political landscape in a fantasy setting. However, we are not experts in political relations. So we brought in a professional! Haggai Elkayam Shalem - a political psychologist. ## Intro to Politics (02:20) What is politics? ## How to build a realistic political landscape (04:25) Start with…

1
Solidifying Your Campaign (episode 88) 29:48

4+ y ago29:48

29:48

Each game involved some basic elements such as: - System (the game mechanics) - Setting (the world, the location, the metaphysics etc) - Themes (the subject matter) - Plot structure (episodial, dungeon crawling, overarching plot, sandbox) - Nature of the characters (young, inexperienced, hardened veteren, fish out of water, professionals etc.) Each…

1
The Spotlight (episode 87) 26:07

4+ y ago26:07

26:07

The other day Uri started a discussion in our [Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/dwarfpodcast) about suggestions for future episodes. A lot of great ideas came up, and today we’re focusing on a topic suggested by a listener named Tal Shiboli’s: The Spotlight. Defining the Spotlight (01:22) \- When we say The Spotlight in this episode …

1
Derailing the Campaign Back on Track (episode 86) 36:17

4+ y ago36:17

36:17

# What is derailing (01:45) Derailing is the act of going off planned session, basically when the campaign is going off tracks. # Uri’s suggestions: ## Some examples that cause derailing (04:15) - **The Squeaky Goblin** - The NPC that becomes the focus of everyone’s attention - usually a goblin with a squeaky voice that take the focus of the whole …

1
Food On the Table (episode 85) 28:13

4+ y ago28:13

28:13

This will be the last episode of the year 2019 as well as the last episode of the decade so it is only fitting that we will use it to talk about the most important issue of the roleplaying game: Snacks! We will be discussing off play food - meaning actual food eaten by actual players. Uri’s session usually includes full meals before the sessions, i…

1
A Mysterious World (episode 84) 31:08

4+ y ago31:08

31:08

## On the nature of Mysteries The “Known Unknowns” (00:50) The nature of mystery explained by United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld concept of the “[known unknowns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_are_known_knowns)”. The known Unknowns are what creates a sense of Mystery. For example the monsters in the dungeons. We know there are …

1
Empowering Fellow Players (Episode 83) 27:11

4+ y ago27:11

27:11

### Why? As the name of the episode suggests “Empowering Fellow players” means that you empower other players and they will empower you. But, on a more pragmatic note, empowering other players makes the game more fun for all participants, it makes events more memorable, increases immersion, and let players feel the impact of their actions. The impr…

1
Streaming RPGs (episode 82) 35:50

4+ y ago35:50

35:50

**Definitions** (01:45) There are 2 types of RPG streamings - Around the table vs virtual conferencing. **Technical Prerequisite** (03:15) Streaming platforms: Twitch, youtube, facebook, etc. Consider [OBS](https://obsproject.com/). What are the needed components to create a stream? * Streaming software * Conferencing software * Overlays (see an ex…

1
Initiative Mechanics (episode 81) 41:12

4+ y ago41:12

41:12

Why is it important? (01:00) Who tracks the initiative? (03:50) Tracking init was considered one of the holy duties of the GM. But does it have to be? See our episode on Sharing GM Responsibilities. Different initiative mechanics D&D (2E-5E) & Pathfinder (06:20): You roll a d20 for Initiative. (skip to 07:00 to hear us digress to D&D 1E). Pathfinde…

1
Interesting Dice Mechanics (episode 80) 27:44

4+ y ago27:44

27:44

Different types of Dice Mechanic - Exploding dice - What are they? And the effects they generate? (01:05) - The Wild Die ([Savage Worlds RPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/261539/Savage-Worlds-Adventure-Edition?affiliate_id=2966)) (03:50) - Min-max-mid die ([Sentinel comics the RPG](https://store.greaterthangames.com/sentinel-comics-the-role…

1
Offplay Decision Making (episode 79) 25:28

4+ y ago25:28

25:28

### What do we mean when we say Offplay discussions? (00:30) When we say offplay discussions in this episode we mean instances where the players are discussing the events that happened in-play and what to do next but as players and not necessarily as their characters. There are two prevalent approaches to offplay discussions: In some gaming parties…

1
Girl Underground (episode 78) 1:01:17

4+ y ago1:01:17

1:01:17

Thank you Lauren and Jesse for this interview! ### Previous experience (2:10) [Trophy](https://trophyrpg.com/) [The Final Girl](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/182628/The-Final-Girl?affiliate_id=29668) [Hot Guys Making Out](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/156244/Hot-Guys-Making-Out?affiliate_id=29668) [Lauren's hacks](https://www.thestray…

1
The Importance of Routines (episode 77) 36:06

5y ago36:06

36:06

Giving the ordinary some attention can help establish a believable world, and create the basis for exciting changes. [Holidays and Anniversaries (episode 8)](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/holidays-anniversaries-and-celebrations-episode-8-35cb85c9839280/) [Your Next Character Should be an Accountant (episode 74)](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/your-nex…

1
Extras and Supporting Characters (episode 76) 37:14

5y ago37:14

37:14

### Using and playing extras As a GM, please avoid using these beings as easy targets. ### Taking advantage of this opportunity (6:45) * Treat as characters - start thinking about the supporting characters as characters and not as equipment/extensions of your character. * Names - so you can humanize and speak to them. * Interaction - the difference…

1
A Special Episode (episode 75) 33:03

5y ago33:03

33:03

### Why have a “special” episode? (1:06) It’s a fun break from the routine, it keeps the tension going, it’s a way to make some in-game event more special and it allows you to do things that the “regular” rules/flow/setting might not be well-suited to. And it encourages everyone to put more effort and excitement into the game. ### When? (2:25) A sp…

1
Your Next Character Should Be an Accountant (episode 74) 30:37

5y ago30:37

30:37

This episode focus on suggestions for character concepts that might be different from your usual tropes, with boring or "unwanted" histories or ideals. [Better Backgrounds](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/better-background-episode-58-372bd15a77f9e8/) [Avoiding Character Cliches](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/avoiding-character-cliches-episode-2-35aab60…

1
Getting Ready for a New System (episode 73) 31:02

5y ago31:02

31:02

"Folk vs Medicine" charity event, this Sunday! [icel.me/wish](http://icel.me/wish) [Facebook event](https://www.facebook.com/events/419128882065377/) ### Player perspective (1:55) Talk with your GM: to make sure you're not going to focus your attention on anything that might not be of value Build your character concept: based on what's available in…

1
Scaling Through Maps (episode 72) 30:24

5y ago30:24

30:24

Maps not only show you different scales, they also help you think in different scales. It’s a common thing for maps to follow adventures, but sometimes it can be the other way around. The scale of the map you are using in your adventure is influencing how you and your players perceive the game. ### A room, a floor, a building (3:40) Limiting the sc…

1
Playing Through Text Chat (episode 71) 35:01

5y ago35:01

35:01

Further reading: [Aviv's advice for playing in text chat](https://icel.me/en/games/roleplaying-in-text-chat-3012) [Discord](https://discordapp.com/) [Sidekick bot](https://github.com/ArtemGr/Sidekick) ### Fluid obligation (5:15) ### A standard chat session (9:10) Who writes what and when. ### Main issues (18:55) It’s slow! We can only focus on one …

1
Feedback (episode 70) 32:13

5y ago32:13

32:13

### Why are we recording this episode? Isn’t this a roleplaying podcast? Feedback is the way we improve what we do. [Players motivations](https://dwarves.podiant.co/e/365abc29b5e3c2/) ### Feedback in RPGs is hard (3:40) Games are a social activity that one enjoys with their friends. That makes it harder to give constructive feedback as you don't wa…

1
Ending the Campaign (episode 69) 37:04

5y ago37:04

37:04

### A process, not an event (1:35) > Greetings, oh dwarven dwarfs who dwarf on the shoulders of dwarfish dwarfkin! > Recently, after 20-30 years of a role-playing draught, I started listening to your podcast just for fun. > Thanks to you and your inspiration I started playing last week in TWO different groups: one in which I’m a player, and a famil…

1
Opposed PC Rolls (episode 68) 23:14

5y ago23:14

23:14

### Ways to resolve opposed player actions (1:25) In a PVP game, the players may be actually working against each other and fighting or killing other players' characters is a valid option. This is a very different game set than most. We want to talk about instances where PC disagree with each other and wish to use the mechanic to solve the issues. …

1
Retiring Your Character (episode 67) 39:18

5y ago39:18

39:18

Talk to your GM. ### Why retire your character (3:05) * Because you feel that they have fulfilled their purpose in the narrative * Or because it has fulfilled its purpose in an off play way (I wanted to play a swashbuckler to study the class/explore an idea or theme) now I’m done. * I want to try a new class * They don’t work as intended * They’ve …

1
Between the Gaming Sessions (episode 66) 34:14

5y ago34:14

34:14

### Weekly questions (1:15) [Full explanation of the weekly question](http://www.uptofourplayers.com/2016/03/rp-tool-question-week/), and [examples for its uses](http://www.uptofourplayers.com/2016/03/rp-tool-examples-fro-weekly-questions/). ### Consume genre-related content (6:00) Fill your head with X. ### Fill-in details (7:35) ### Create! (9:05…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Eran Aviram Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide