Buzzkill is back! Back again. This time we're talking about boxed sets. That's right, if you are an old-head like Brendan you remember RPG boxed sets from the good old days. And they're back too! Richard and Brendan go through 6 boxed sets from new games, currently available and see how the format holds up. We've got Twilight Imperium, Cyberpunk Re…

This week on the Vintage RPG podcast, we check out The Court of Ardor in Southern Middle-earth (1983), a sourcebook for MERP that predates MERP and significantly expands Tolkien’s world. It mainly introduces a cabal of elves in the service of Morgoth who, well, they act a lot more like the royal family of Roger Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles than anyth…

What's up cultists? We're back with our third installment of Death by Roleplaying! In this episode, Brendan waxes nostalgic about Gen Con and get's a bit tetchy with the concept of Murder Hobos. Where did they come from? Was D&D always about murder hoboing across the landscape? Or did institutional change alter the game play loop from within? It's …

This week on the Vintage RPG podcast, we’re looking at Casket of Souls (1987), a puzzlebook by Ian Livingstone that spins out of the success of the Fighting Fantasy series. You, too, can pore over Iain McCaig’s lush art work, looking for clues to solve the riddle and win the titular, gold-plated casket! Well, you could in 1987, anyway. The contest …

What up everyone! It's a brand-new episode about Vampire! Brendan is joined by podcast luminary Mike from Darker Days Radio and the two get down to brass tacks about what the World of Darkness is, was, and where it's going. Additionally, they take a dive into The Crimson Gutter, the latest Chronicle book release from Renegade Games! Check out our l…

This week on the Vintage RPG podcast, we’re looking at Barony (1990), a game that sought to redefine RPGs with concepts that were decades before their time. Open-ended character progression, keyword-based health, a free-form magic system that anticipates Mage — how the heck does this exist? And why don’t more people know about it? And who the heck …

What's up cultists?! Brand new episode of Death by Roleplaying coming at you! In this Ep I talk how I prep for a campaign and why it takes me so long between the original campaign idea and getting it to the table. On the way I talk about Old School Essentials and one of my favorite subjects, vampires, vampires....VAMPIRES! So come check it out! I h…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out The Sorcerers’ Enclave, a cool narrative art book by Aaron Howdle that mixes the intricate maximalism of finding books and cut-aways with the aesthetics of early Warhammer and other dark fantasy staples. Is it an RPG book? It isn’t not an RPG book! More like this, please. * * * Experience Points ha…

Richie talks to Kurt Venetis and Erica lowe about their work on Ragnaborg a Mork Borg compatible game set in Viking end times aka Ragnarok Out soon on https://shoptalonclaw.com/ More Full Metal RPG https://linktr.ee/fullmetalrpg End Music 'Legionnaire (Original)' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au…

...or is it Death by Roleplaying Episode 2? The world may never know! You'll have to wait until next episode for Brendan to make up his damn mind. Anyway, in this episode Alan Bahr from Gallant Knight Games stops by to talk West End Games, his revision of the D6 System (on Kickstarter) and the RPG industry in general. We had a lot of fun talking in…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we talk to Isaac VanDuyn about his ambitious RPG that seeks to fulfill the promise of all those evangelicals from the ‘80s who were so worried about tame old D&D corrupting the souls of their children. The result (illustrated by Kim Diaz Holm and featuring the cartography of Lex Rocket) is a lush and grim game …

What's up everybody! Brendan is back with a brand new episode of what he's calling DEATH BY ROLEPLAYING! In this solo episode we'll discuss the future of the show, Brendan's hot takes on the The Big Three's market dominance, Free RPG Day 2024, and finally, what Brendan's been playing lately! This is a bit of an experiment so thanks for coming along…

Welcome to Dove’s Bay, the most horrible island in Maine (take that, Stephen King)! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out Grimrock Isle (1992), the second Call of Cthulhu product from Triad Entertainments. It’s both a solo and a group scenario, spread across several booklets contained in a snazzy folder. Just about every mythos threat …

One chapter in the Full Metal RPG saga closes, and a new one begins. It's Richard's last episode! (As host). Brendan and Richard sit down and talk IRL about Full Metal RPG, role playing games, Dungeons & Dragons (of course), and what game store life is like in 2024. It's a surreal experience as Richard leaves the show and Brendan returns. Probably …

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we're looking at CM4: Earthshaker (1985), the BECMI module that pits players against a 1,280-foot-tall robot run by an entire clan of gnomes. Well, not exactly, the gnomes run the robot as a tourist attraction, the players have to deal with the evil NPCs who try to hijack the robot. And they better win, because…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we look back at Paul M. Sammon’s coverage of the making of Conan the Barbarian in the April 1982 issue of Cinefantastique. The double issue has three features by Sammon — a lengthy piece of reportage on the filming and interviews with designer Ron Cobb and director John Milius — and lots of behind-the-scenes ph…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat with Tyler Vance, the fine artist behind Void: The Frontier. Tyler’s been exploring Void for a while now, having published three rules-agnostic setting zines that pair his enigmatic narratives with his equally mysterious paintings. Now he’s concocted a gorgeous card game, now on Kickstarter. We talk abo…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat with Megan Dawson Jaffe about the new Nerdy City RPG Holomatixx: A New Wave Order. Spinning out of their other Omni System games like the kid adventure Rememorex and the game of transforming robots, Commandroids, Holomatixx takes on pop star superheroes in the vein of Jem and Holograms and Barbie and th…

Stu was tied up with lots of crap this week, so have a re-run! Original show notes: Make ours Marvel! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we take a look at TSR’s massive, 8-volume compendium of Marvel comics lore, The Gamer’s Handbook of the Marvel Universe (1988-1992). They’re like a monster manual of superheroes and villains, some awesome, some…

Stu’s ongoing West Marches-style Old-School Essentials campaign is a year old, so this week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we thought we’d see how things are going (and how many characters have died). And since you can’t really trust the Dungeon Master, we invited two of the players — Justin Wigard and Clay Fleischer — on to share their impressions of…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we look at Shadowgate (1987, 1989), the point-and-click fantasy adventure videogame. Explore a mysterious castle while trying to find a way to stop the Warlock Lord from destroying the world! Tremble in fear as your torch burns low! Get eaten by every monster! Have a soundtrack-induced panic attack! All this an…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat with Gavriel Quiroga about his new game, Black Rainbow Society. A sequel of sorts to Hell Night, this game doesn’t feature players in the roles of fiends from hell, but rather normal humans grappling with the knowledge that there is more to existence than the mundane world (a staple theme of ’90s RPGs, …

Richie and Noland talk to Stu Horvath of the Vintage RPG Podcast and Instagram. We talk about the ups and downs of Collecting Tabletop RPG. Are we Hoarders are Collectors? Vintage RPG https://www.vintagerpg.com/ https://www.instagram.com/vintagerpg https://linktr.ee/vintagerpg Stu's Books https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262048224/monsters-aliens-and-h…

At the very end of last year, Bryan Ansell, a man who played a pivotal role in the world of tabletop games, passed away. To understand just how important Ansell was, this week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we chat with Timothy Linward, Wargamer staff writer and author of the forthcoming Grimdark: A Very British Hell. Tim walks us through the early da…

Where does the game end and real life begin? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we look at Gameplayers, Stephen Bowkett’s 1986 novel. At first blush, it seems to belong in that silly microgenre of panicky novels dedicated to wondering about how kids can cope with fantasy as powerful as tabletop RPGs (see Mazes & Monsters and Hobgoblin, both 1981…

Noland is mad that how Dungeons and Dragons YouTube is obsessed with Lore. He talk to Kayla and Richard about why everyone should make their own lore in their game. More Full Metal RPG https://linktr.ee/fullmetalrpgBy The Full Metal RPG Crew

Set phasers to stun! This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we check out FASA’s 1982 Star Trek RPG. It’s an interesting game in it’s own right — a hack of Traveller, when it comes down to it — but is also super interesting in regards to fandom, IP canon and licensed RPGs. Climb on board as we explore these strange old worlds! * * * Stu’s book, Monst…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we talk to John Patrick Cooper about Get in the Van, his live music-themed Troika hack. Form a band (hardcore, hair or thrash) in the year 198X, hit the road, do battle with the audience, rock their faces off and get to the next gig. A tight, fun little ode to the road dog life. Also, surprise, Cooper designed …

There may be a million ways to die, but you’re probably only going to see the first two or three. This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we’re remembering the classic coin-eating arcade game, Dragon’s Lair (1983). That’s the one that features the cell-shaded, professionally animated (by Don frickin’ Bluth!) adventure of Dirk the Daring that was hidd…

If the Colour is out of Space it should maybe consider weeding some of its shelves, amirite? This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we’re going back to witch-haunted Arkham, Massachusetts by way of Chaosium’s latest edition of the Arkham sourcebook (previously known as Arkham Unveiled, H.P. Lovecraft’s Arkham and The Compact Arkham Unveiled). This i…

Richie, Noland and Kayla talk about their experience playing a Jubensha. The Dark Council is as wild ride trying to figure out who killed Jesus and who betrayed Satan. The video that kicked this episode in gear People Make Games Where we got the game (it was cheaper when Noland purchased it) https://www.storyboxed.com/thedark-council More Full Meta…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we’re checking out Caverns of Thracia (1979)! Considered by some to be the late Jennell Jaquays’ finest work, we talk about some of the ways it differs from her previous Judges Guild module, Dark Tower, the cool way it handles random encounters and its place in the high trinity of ’70s adventure design. Fun Fac…

Richie, Kayla and Noland talk about the games they played over their long weekend together. Including Raccoon Sky Pirates https://hecticelectron.com/products/raccoon-sky-pirates Lighthearted https://lighthearted.games/ Ten Candles https://cavalrygames.com/ten-candles The Dark Council https://www.storyboxed.com/thedark-council West End Star Wars htt…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we’re continuing our talk with Anthony Meloro about Mystic Punks! This is Part the Second, so be sure to check out last week’s jam to get the full experience. On tap: the imminent Kickstarter for the multiplayer Mystic Punks RPG, the majestic art of Benjamin Marra, trash culture, the healing power of reefer and…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we’re talking to Anthony Meloro about Mystic Punks! This is Part One, because we got to gabbing so long that we got two episodes worth of chat. Within, we talk about the original Mystic Punks solo game, the imminent Kickstarter for the multiplayer Mystic Punks RPG, the majestic art of Benjamin Marra, trash cult…

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we’re talking about Roger Zelazny’s 1971 novel Jack of Shadows. Gygax included the novel — a high-concept blend of fantasy and science fiction — in Appendix N, but it isn’t one that gets talked about all that often. Perhaps because it is such an unrelentingly ugly book, featuring a protagonist who embraces his …

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we talk to Chuck Kranz and Adam Rose about their forthcoming RPG, Teenage Odyssey. Set in a small town in the early '90s, the game casts players as teens navigating humdrum lives that are periodically thrown into chaos by bizarre supernatural events. Featuring art by Marie Enger and a light and flexible system …

This week on the Vintage RPG Podcast, we take a look at the Cold War curiosity The Price of Freedom (1986). Basically Red Dawn (or Red Scare) the RPG, it seems like a serious attempt at creating a game in the mode of similar military-focused, conservatively minded box sets that were coming out at the same time. On the other hand, it’s by Greg Costi…