Character Development

We’re back and we’re embarking upon a programme of self-improvement. According to this pamphlet we sent off for, we can build ourselves up into mightily thewed warriors by killing all these rats in the basement. OK, that technically only takes us to first level, but from there, the sky is the limit! We’re just a bit worried about that thing in the corner that looks like a football covered in eyes. Maybe if we kill some more rats, we’ll become tough enough to see it off.

Main Topic: Character Development

This episode is our typically idiosyncratic look at the subject of character development in RPGs. We look at different ways in which characters can change through play, from gathering XP by killing monsters to resolving their messy character arcs. Not every character improves over time, however, and we discuss our expectations, as well as how all this relates to fiction and real life.

Sure you’ve made it to 20th level, but it’s taken a while. Have you checked your blood pressure lately? And let’s not even start on your prostate.

Once again, the lockdown means we recorded this episode remotely. We hope that we’re getting the hang of making this sound all right. It’s far from the biggest problem current circumstances have presented, but it’s still a challenge.

News

More Lockdown Specials

We are still putting out our fortnightly lockdown specials, discussing films, books and television you might find inspirational in your gaming lives. If you are backing us on Patreon, check your feed. Otherwise, backing us at any level will grant you instant access to the back catalogue.

The Blasphemous Tome Issue 5.5

We are currently putting together issue 5.5 of The Blasphemous Tome. This is an interim digital edition of the fanzine we publish for our Patreon backers. Issue 5.5 will contain a number of pieces we couldn’t fit into our last print edition, along with all-new articles and artwork. It will also feature a new Call of Cthulhu scenario by Scott, titled “The Murder Shack”. Anyone backing us at the time of release (expected to be early July) will receive a PDF copy. If you would like to submit a short article or a piece of artwork, we would love to hear from you!

Scott on Ain’t Slayed Nobody

Scott recently recorded a guest spot with the Ain’t Slayed Nobody podcast. He ran his Cthulhu Dark scenario, “Fairyland“, set in the Scottish Borders in the late 19th century. The game went very well indeed, plunging into fire, death and mayhem with little prompting. It will be available for download on the 23rd of June.

Metallic Tome Kickstarter

Good friend of the Good Friends Rafael Chandler has launched a new Kickstarter campaign. Metallic Tome is a modern-day sourcebook for OSR games that defies simple description. So, we’ll let Rafael describe it instead!

Everything that metal bands warned us about in the Eighties has come to pass:

Pollution chokes our seas, nuclear war has destroyed our cities, and worst of all, guitars are illegal. The fanatical evangelists who run our planet created an army of robotic drones who police us with cyber-technology. Conformity is the law! Surveillance satellites monitor our every move. With no one to stop them, corporations have run wild, developing grotesque mutations that walk the streets, preying upon unsuspecting humans.

There is only one thing that can save us: METAL.

As radioactive pegasi soar through blood-red skies, adventurers seek glory in the Suburban Wastes and the Grim Northern Forests. Cyborg dragons bellow on top of shopping malls, and the sky is full of laser pentagrams.

The campaign is running until the 6th of July. Slip into your leather trousers, grab your favourite axe and get ready to bang some heads!