Fluff N Crunch
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Fluff N Crunch
We discuss tabletop roleplaying games, with a focus on how story, setting, and system can work together, and how sometimes they don't. We talk about 2d20 games, 5e, review books and resources, and share advice from our years of gaming to help you strike the right balance between story, setting, and...
Neueste Episoden
200 Episoden
Getting Started with Traveller: What to Buy First
After our episodes about James running High & Dry, I thought it’d be useful to give some advice to the new or would-be Traveller GM or player. There a...
Session Report - Traveller High & Dry Pt2
Herein we discuss session 2, and the completion of, the great introductory adventure for Traveller, “High & Dry.”
Check out our di...
Three Ways to Approaching Mapping an Encounter or Scene
Where do you start when planning an encounter, or scene, for a TTRPG adventure? How do you think about the location and how to convey its details to y...
First Steps in Planning a New Campaign - Where to Start
You’re a GM interested in starting a new campaign…what are the first steps you should take? What are the initial ideas and issues you need to nail dow...
Session Report: Traveller's High and Dry pt1
Traveller’s a great game set in a massive universe - but where should you start? High and Dry is an excellent introduction for players and GMs new to...
How to Plan for the First Session of a New Game
Session prep can be tough - and prep for a game that neither you nor your players have played before is tougher. Herein we discuss James' upcoming fir...
Rebooting Fluff n Crunch and Some Sharing Some Great GM Advice
Herein we talk about the reboot, and then get down to the important business of discussing some pithy, useful GM tips.
How to Play Your Best Game pt4 - Learn the Rules
It might sound absurd, but if you want your best TTRPG session, you need to know the rules. Herein I provide some real-world-tested techniques for lea...
Your Best Session pt3 - Engagement Techniques for GMs and Players
Engagement, by GM and players, is essential if you want a fun, interesting, and memorable TTRPG session...but how do you achieve it? What does it look...
How to Play Your Best Game - Pt2 - Leave Out Real World Politics
Why is it that everything is so politicized these days? Is it possible to play a game without the inclusion of your political positions while at the t...
Your Best TTRPG Session: Part 1, Engagement at the Table
Nobody plans to have a mediocre game session - but how do you get great, or at least pretty good, one? What can you plan in advance to increase the li...
Dueling in the Dune 2d20 TTRPG
Have you read the rules for it? Have you tried it? Dune's five types of conflict utilize the same mechanics, relying on abstract "Assets" and the vari...
Sentience 2d20 Revised RPG - Creator Interview and Kickstarter News
I recently sat down with Al Spader, creator and lead writer for the Sentience 2d20 RPG, now on Kickstarter. We talk about the game, the original world...
Our 2025 Gaming Plans and the Inevitability of Change
We've run this show since the summer of 2021, and each January we've released an episode in which we map out our hopes, dreams, and plans for gaming f...
GMs: I Give You Permission to Shelve a Campaign
The Forever GM often hits a wall and forcibly ends a campaign that's turned into an energy-draining grind, or tries to soldier on. The truly epic, yea...
Three Things That Should Make You Give Traveller a Try
Traveller - the original, classic, and still going strong scifi RPG - is worth your time. You should give it a try, and now that Mongoose Publishing h...
Opening Moves - A Traveller Adventure Review
Have you ever wanted to dump a massive space war on your party of characters? If not, you should strongly consider doing so, and using Opening Moves,...
Gamemastering - Ignore the Lies and Relax
Merry Christmas, and I hope you're doing something with family and/or friends instead of watching this on the 25th.
In response to a post...
Achtung! Cthulhu - Rendezvous at Rouen Designer Interview
Achtung! Cthulhu, the great #2d20 #ttrpg from @Modiphius , doesn't get enough love, we think, and so today we have the adventure designer of "Rendez...
Christmas Gaming Ideas
Do you do anything to mark the Christmas season with your gaming group? Consider using it as an opportunity to run something different! Herein we disc...
Running a Good Convention Game pt2
In response to a listener comment about our episode from 28 NOV, about how to run a good #ttrpg convention game, I decided to record this follow-up ep...
How to Run a Successful Game Convention Session
Now that you've prepared that #ttrpg convention game, you need to sit down at the table with several strangers and make it work. Here are some tips fr...
How Do You Prepare to Run a Convention Game?
Have you ever run a #TTRPG at a convention? Whether you have or haven't, in this episode we discuss some essential things you need to consider in orde...
Redlines and 'Safety' Warnings in Games
Where do you draw the line over what kind of content to include in your games? Does the context of play - home, con, online - and makeup of your playe...
Story Ideas and Getting Started with Vampire the Masquerade
We talked about the merits of #Vampire the Masquerade, especially the 2nd edition, in last week's episode and today we deliver some ideas about where...
You Should Try Vampire: the Masquerade 2nd Edition
Vampire: the Masquerade changed the RPG landscape in the mid-90s, offering a new system and unique character and story options, heavy on intrigue and...
Alien - A Perfectly Flawed TTRPG
What's both great about and wrong with the Alien #ttrpg from Free League? After five years, and an upcoming 2nd edition, we're digging into what makes...
Mon Dieu Cthulhu: Swashbuckling Supernatural Action in the Age of Napoleon
I had the pleasure of talking with John Houlihan, Line Editor for #modiphius Achtung! Cthulhu RPG, about his upcoming novel, Shadow of the Serpent, wh...
Star Wars Outlaws Review
What's all the controversy? How can you mine Outlaws for #ttrpg ideas? How #Starwars does it feel?
Cut through the nonsense with our quic...
Handling Character Death in Tabletop RPGs
Players can get pretty steamed when their character dies...and it's worse when they die for reasons of the dice alone, or in ways that do not fit with...
Traveller Session Zero: Character Creation to Kickstart a Campaign
Sometimes campaigns end; sometimes they're resolved; sometimes they die...quickly. My Castles & Crusades campaign, at about 9 months, died suddenly an...
Star Trek Adventures Second Edition Honest Review
What's the new #startrekadventures #rpg like? How are the rules different from the first edition, and are they better? Is it worth the purchase? @Mod...
Handling Player Failure in TTRPGs
What do you, as a GM, do when your players fail? How do you handle the story, the game, and the people around you when the dice don't play nicely? We...
Is This a Workable Fear Mechanic for a Horror RPG?
I think so...but it's my game so I could be a little biased. Regardless, Chris and I discuss the fear mechanic - how it works, how it will support a p...
Chris's Dice Mechanic Ideas - Novel Stuff!
In our ongoing joint project to develop our own #tabletop #rpg games and systems, we discuss here some ideas Chris has for dice mechanics and, to my s...
Art in Tabletop RPG Books - How Important is It?
Art in TTRPG books is important…but why? How? To whom? Is it a deal-breaker for purchases or a barrier to entry to the hobby? We figure out the answer...
Character Creation for the Games We're Developing
Now that we've discussed norms in character creation systems, we're going to look at some options and ideas for what we're going to use in the #ttrpgs...
Norms in TTRPG Character Creation
Herein we begin our examination of general approaches to character generation in #ttrpgs as part of our work to develop our own games.#ttrpgs #charact...
Chris Attends UK Games Expo 2024
I think the title says it all. Chris attended UK Games Expo, and I went on vacation. He's got some interesting news about the experience, some new gam...
Game Building Part 1 - Setting
Herein we offer and discuss our ideas for the games we each are going to write, kicking around setting ideas that point toward the sorts of stories th...