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The Barrel Rider Ramblings Podcast is not so much a formal podcast as much as the ramblings of James M. Spahn, owner of Barrel Rider Games, and RPG freelance author and designer. He'll talk about whatever comes to mind. Follow his substack at jamesmspahn.substack.com and follow Barrel Rider Games on Facebook. You can buy some of the games I've written on DriveThruRPG at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/10267/Gallant-Knight-Games/subcategory/26112_32424/Barrel-Rider-Games
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Save for Half is a podcast about Old School Games and the modern role playing games inspired by them. Join DM Mike, DM Liz, DM Corbett, and DM Jim as they discuss and review all the RPGs that made the 70s and 80s great, as well as their modern descendants and supplements.
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Episode 57: Attack of the Humans by Rapport Games
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52:52
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Ever watch a bad Horror movie and say to yourself, “If I’d been there I’d have totally owned that monster!” Well, this month’s RPG is for you! Your Fab Four Halflings dive into a 1990 game that answers the question “Who knew Weekly World News was a monster source?” Sit back, relax, pop a cold one, and keep an eye out for those Bloodsucking Spiky Ig…
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Found in the Ruins episode 6: The Guardians by Richard Austin
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55:15
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That’s right, it’s that decade where we loved to end the world, the 1980s! Specifically, it is 1985, the year that saw the first book in The Guardians series by Richard Austin published, helpfully named The Guardians. Your two favorite Wasteland survivors Boom Mike and Doc Benny both literally grew up on these books, so expect a nostalgia-rich ride…
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As with most adventures, this RPG starts at a rock concert. While you wait, you chat with a fellow rocker dude in his tricked-out van with a wizard painted on it. Then, adventure ensues! Want to know more? Well, listen to your Fab Four Halflings as they delve into James Spahn’s latest FRPG creation, Wizard Van! Adventure! Danger! Treasure! and Gnar…
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Found in the Ruins episode 5: The Other Other White Meat
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Let’s talk about something safe…Cannibalism! Like it or not, it comes up in virtually every Post-Apocalyptic tale you can imagine. Beyond the inevitable questions of “would you or wouldn’t you”, how do these tales treat the ramifications of engaging in this cultural taboo? What games deal with it, and how? Is there a such thing as a “Good Cannibal”…
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It’s August, and you know what that means…or should mean; it’s North Texas RPG Con wrap-up info time! But just so you don’t get too bored listening to con events, we’re also interviewing Stephen Miller of Battlefield Press! We talk the Gaslight Victorian Fantasy RPG, its soon to be revised edition on BackerKit, and answer the most interesting quest…
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Found in the Ruins episode #4: Smackdown! Night vs. Night
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It’s the first Smackdown episode of Found in the Ruins! In this corner is Night of the Living Dead, 1968 edition. In the other corner is Night of the Living Dead, 1990 edition. Who will win? Who will lose? Are both great? Neither? Only this podcast (and maybe Shane Plays) can answer the question! Come for the first Zombie Apocalypse, stay for the C…
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Here we have an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons product that’s Licensed to Pulp! Yes, it’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser’s city of Lankhmar, the home base of the two ne’er-do-wells from author Fritz Lieber’s fantasy stories of the mid-20th century. Is it a location worthwhile for adventuring? Are there mysteries, foes, and most of all — loot — for your pl…
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Remember…in Space, no one can hear you roll a D20! Your Fab Foursome gather once again to delve into the jungle of D20 products to cover a book that promises all the future you can stand. Does it live up to the hype? Is it useful? Or is it just an excuse to provide more Feats? Listen in and find out, True Believer! No D20s were harmed in the making…
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Found in the Ruins episode #3: Red Hordes!
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Greetings, Comrades! Today we discuss that great adversary of yesterday and today, the Red Hordes of Communism. For good or ill, they are the bugaboos of apocalyptic fiction and films from The People of the Ruins by Shanks to the movie remake of Red Dawn. How did they arise? How have they changed over the years? And most importantly of all, are the…
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Welcome to the traditional sideshow where we drag Mike Badolato on air to chat about the North Texas RPG Con this June! Well, we tried to get Gary Oliver but he’s a busy man, you know. We discuss hotel overflows, food trucks, a record number of official games on the schedule…and the pros and cons of having open gaming in the parking lot in June! Co…
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Found in the Ruins episode #2: Pulp Apocalypse Review
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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…
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Episode 53: Star Wars D6 from West End Games
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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…
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Found in the Ruins episode #1: “What is a Post-Apocalypse?”
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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…
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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…
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Episode 52: I6 Ravenloft by Tracy & Laura Hickman
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57:09
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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…
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Episode 51.5: Emails & 2023 Retrospective
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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…
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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…
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Episode 50.5: Skeeter Green and his Productions!
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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…
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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…
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Episode 49: The Dare-Luck Club by Dandyline Games
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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.…
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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…
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Episode 48: “D&D Honor Among Thieves” and NTRPG Con
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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…
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Episode 47.5: GOZR CharGen Extravaganza!
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1:16:48
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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…
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Episode 47: Killer by Steve Jackson Games
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58:16
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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…
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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…
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