The 1970s and 80s were a time of apocalyptic fears, and what better way to promote them than through cheap paperbacks? That’s right, your favorite Wastelanders Boom Mike and Doc Benny discuss this time as reflected in the book Pulp Apocalypse; a collection of synopses and interviews brought to you by the Paperback Warrior and his crew to scratch th…

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away… Ok, 37 years ago and not so far away the Star Wars RPG was first published by West End Games. We consider the game itself, the idea of dice pools, and answer that age-old question of why are there no ladders to buy in the Star Wars Universe? Come for the enthusiasm of DM Corbett for memories of playing the…

What’s this, you ask? It’s a side project podcast that covers Post-Apocalyptic books, games, movies, and what not. Hosts Boom Mike and Doc Benny take this first episode to introduce themselves and tell you their interpretations of the Post-Apocalypse. What is it, what isn’t it, and what will be covered in the future on this sorta-monthly podcast by…

Get ready True Believers for a first…a Prequel Save for Half! We’ll be reviewing the West End Games Star Wars D6 RPG in episode 53, but first we invite the Curmudgeon in the Cellar himself Tim Kask on to talk about 1977’s Star Wars and its impact on us and the RPG community. Yes, some of us are really old enough to remember Star Wars when it just r…

You’ve heard of Christmas in July? Well, welcome to Halloween in January! Your Fab-lings start the new year with a ‘Bleh!’ with everyone’s favorite vampire Strahd in the original AD&D module I6: Ravenloft by Tracy and Laura Hickman. Thrills, chills, and NPCs with Motives abound in this episode of Save For Half! No vampires were harmed in the making…

It’s December, which means it’s time for the patented Save for Half year-end retrospective and email hot tub time machine! Well, DM Liz reads some emails anyway. Forgive our delay in getting to some of these emails, but we kept them in the same calendar year so that’s got to count for something, right? Right? No Dwarves were harmed in the making of…

What’s this? Your Fab Four covering Gamma World again? Keep patient True Believers, because this isn’t the Gamma World you remember from the late 1970s. This is the 1992 revamp of our favorite game of mutations and murderbots! New rules system, new mutations, and yet the same favorite mutant creatures you know and love. Is it better? Worse? Tune in…

A show literally months in the making! Your Fab Four Halflings sit down with Skeeter Green to discuss his RPG company Skeeter Green Productions, the Independent Publisher’s Union (#notaunion), and of course…new classes? We discuss all these topics as well as Skeeter’s Mixed Martial Arts activities in this Sideshow of Sideshows! No PC classes were h…

What’s this? A game of Bronze-Age fantasy that mixes ancient cultures from Sumeria to the Celts? A unique world steeped in legend named Glorantha? Guest host Game Master Ed to explain the actual play of this game? Madness! Yet your Fab 4 are here discussing one of the second wave RPGs that came out in the late 1970s and was arguably the one that ga…

Get ready to gird your Oomph and Marbles, as the kids in the Halfling Clubhouse lead you on a delve into 70s and 80s kids’ shows, both real and imaginary! This show we’re looking at Dare-Luck Club, published by Lou Hoefer and Dandyline Games. Gangsters, aliens, and pirate treasure await you in this RPG for adults about the childhood that never was.…

Grab your sombreros and get ready for a hijacked episode of Save For Half. This episode DM Corbett has taken over and brought in everyone’s favorite wacky sitcom next door neighbors, Luau Lou! What happened to the rest of the hosts, you may ask? We reply, you ask too many questions. Sit back and enjoy an interview with Luau Lou talking about his ne…

Yes, we took the plunge so you don’t have to! The Fab Four watched the D&D: HAT movie and give our opinions; the good, the bad, and the Satanic! That’s right, Satan (AKA Mike Badolato) joins us to give his Infernal views on the film. Oh, and also talk about some convention in Dallas this June! No corpses were questioned during the making of this po…

Normally we do up our character generation sessions as extras for the Patreon supporters, but this one was so much fun we decided to make a Sideshow out of it and release it to the entire community! Not only are all 4 Halflings here for the experience, but we are guided in the session by none other than the author himself, J.V. West! What character…

Sometimes we cover games that are truly artifacts of their time. This is one of those! Killer by Steve Jackson Games might be considered by some a proto-LARP, others would see it as “Cops & Robbers” for adults, and most others as a serious ecurity risk? Falling pillow-safes, Dart guns (with a ‘D’!), and 30 second bombs abound in this latest episode…

This episode the Save For Halflings are honored to interview Knights of the Dinner Table author Jolly Blackburn! Jolly doesn’t do many interviews, so this is a rare opportunity to get the inside dope from the gifted storyteller who recently celebrated 300 consecutive issues of his seminal comic book. Plus things pretty quickly break down into gamer…

It’s another end of year show, with emails and voice mails to answer. Many questions, many answers…and some even make sense! Take a listen and find out once and for all the answer to the burning question of, ‘Why did a big clown hit DM Liz’? No Podcasters were harmed in the making of this episode, but we sure felt like it! Don’t forget to drop us a…

When it comes to modern games inspired by the OSR, there is ’70s Gonzo, and there’s ’70s GONZO. Welcome to GOZR, the Sci-Fi/Fantasy RPG where characters called Gooz learn about a world reshaped by catastrophe and sorcerous science. Danger, exploration, excitement abound; as well as the answer to the age-old question of all heroic types….”What do my…

You all knew it was coming, sooner or later. Like a undead wraith itself, Vampire: The Masquerade rises from the grave (the 2nd edition anyway) for your Fab Four to review. We cover what’s good, what’s not-so-good, and what sucks (see what I did there?) in White Wolf’s pre-eminent product in the RPG hobby. Get your Goth gear on, find some ankhs, an…

Before the age of the OGL, there was a time undreamt of, the time of second generation FRPGS! Join us back in the late 1970s as we cover “The Fantasy Trip” by first Metagaming, then reprinted by Steve Jackson Games. Your fave Halflings consider this precursor to GURPS in all of its rules-light glory. Mana, Wizard Staffs, Solo Adventures, and dollar…

One of the biggest complaints about Original (little brown book) D&D is that it’s difficult to understand because of layout and order. Not to mention it frequently refers to stuff in Chainmail—sold separately! Never fear, Greyharp has come to the rescue with this sorta-kinda-but-not-really retroclone of the original game. Layout corrections, rules …

It’s that time of year, what you’ve all been waiting for. That’s right, we’ve got BadMike himself from North Texas RPG Con to discuss what we did this year at the best Old School con in the world! We laughed, we cried, we managed to avoid the dealer room! Plus, DM Corbett was there! No really! Honest! We mean it this time! No candy bars were harmed…

What else need be said? Schemes, treachery, retconning entire seasons…it’s all here in this…erm…RPG (?) game about the hit TV show of the decade, Dallas. Who shot J.R.? Who didn’t shoot J.R.? And did anyone check his colon for gems? All these questions and more are answered on this episode of Save for Half! No Ewings were harmed in the making of th…

It’s finals time at the Halfling Hideaway, and we’d probably do well if we weren’t so busy fighting supernatural evil. Yes, it’s cool hijinks and eldritch horror combined in the Savage World supplement East Texas University by 12 to Midnight, Inc. As 3 of your 4 Halflings grew up in ETX, we have opinions. So does DM Jim, for that matter! No pine tr…

Yes, it’s the senses-blasting return of that (in)famous Halfling tradition…the Email Hot Tub Time Machine! Guest starring DM Cojo! Well, not exactly…but he has so many emails here you’d think he was in the room! No emails were harmed in the making of this sideshow, though quite a few were in the lost and found! Don’t forget to drop us an email at s…

It’s happened to us all at one time or another. You get hired by a company, given survival training, then stuck in a freeze tube for 200 years. Then when you get out, you find you’ve misplaced your streaming accounts. It’s The Morrow Project, that venerable post-apocalypse RPG from the early 1980s; now in its 4th edition. We discuss combat, some co…