Gaming On The Frontier

When you look for sources of inspiration for your adventure design where do you turn?  Bruce, John, and Peter reveal their cache of thought provoking books, movies, comics, etc so you too can free your mind and make even more awesome adventures than you already do. This is a blast from the past.  We did this last March and only now is it getting published.  Sorry about the sound quality.  We've made significant improvements since then.  Bruce got a brand new snowball mike for Christmas so that hum he used to have is gone. Thanks to The Gutter Skypes who are doing a great job on their Fringeworthy actual play.  I hope you are listening to them as well. Links: Books: Ken_MacLeod: The Star Fraction, Newton's Wake: A Space Opera Sword of Shannara The Martian Chronicles The Skylark Series Thomas Convenant, The Unbeliever TV: The Wild Wild West Briscoe County Jr. Legend Star Trek: TOS The Prisoner Thundarr the Barbarian Kung Fu Movies: Deep Impact Damnation Alley Waterworld Oblivion Alien, Pr

Hi folks! This is to let you know that I'm going to be running two Tri Tac Games at Conquest NW 2011, on January 22. Conquest NW 2011 is being held at the Doubletree Hotel near the SeaTac Airport: Doubletree Hotel SeaTac Airport 18740 International Blvd. Seattle, WA 98188 Phone: (206) 246-8600 The first game is Fringeworthy using the Savage Worlds rules: FR-266 9:00AM Victoria - Victorians by John Reiher, Jr, Savage Worlds Fringeworthy, 4.5 hrs, 6 players, Game, Kids, Characters/Armies provided You work for the United Nations InterDimensional Agency. You are part of the InterDimensional Exploration Team. You are on a survey of portals to other worlds and you find that a portal that was supposed to be locked down is open! When you pass through the portal you find a steam powered vehicle inside a cavern! You have to find out what's happening and where the owners of the strange vehicle went to. The second is a Bureau 13 Savage Worlds adventure: JR-278 4:30PM  The Legend of Hobbs House by John Reiher, Jr, Sa

Hey there gamers! This week we delve into all of the subtle nuances of taking your pets on the pathways with you. This is a short and rather light episode but we have been very busy with the holidays and spending time with our families. Also, this was recorded before the changeover so you'll hear Bruce call it the Fringeworthy podcast. Rest assured, we are still the Tri Tac podcast but this is a Fringworthy only episode. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas to all our fans! In this episode we talk about how Christmas is observed and celebrated in our games: Fringeworthy Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic Incursion Hardwired Hinterland It's been a great year and we're glad to have had you along for the ride. Here's to a another great year of podcasting and we here at the Tri Tac Games Podcast wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This week we have a two part episode.  We finish our discussion of using Virtual worlds in games.  Then we continue our series on Fringeworthy adventuring in other campaigns.  We explore how to add Fringeworthy to a D&D campaign and how it could change it. Sorry about the delay again.  We try to drop these episodes at midnight Monday morning, but the holiday's have really cut into the editing time.  But we are getting closer. Be sure to tune in next week for our special Christmas episode.

This week we explore what it is like to be in a virtual world, the many kinds that can exist in the various Tri Tac games.  What their purposes could be.  We discuss how to detect that you are in one Sorry that this episode was delayed.  The holiday season has been hard on the editor's time.  Next week we will conclude this plus a bureau 13 segment.

This week Trav and Jay double team to present another great Tri Tac Game called Incursion - A game of alien abduction and galactic exploration. Don't worry.  We talk about Fringeworthy some and we'll have a lot more Fringeworthy content next week.

This week Trav tells us how to add Fringeworthy to a Rifts campaign (Palladium Games).

We return to our Fringeworthy series on adventuring in time shifted worlds.  This time we are adventuring in an Alternate earth that seems to be between the 7th and the 11th century.

This week in Fringeworthy we talk about the Alien Corp.  Who is in it.  Why and what unique opportunities for adventures it provides. Also we look at Tri Tac's new game Hardwired Hinterland and why we think it is a great game.  Give it a try.

Once again our friends at the Gutter Skypes have braved the Fringepaths to explore a high tech alien world if the ASA, cranky computer systems, and a horde of small, grey, white bleeding life forms don't give them too much trouble. http://www.anim5.com/IDDFOS/TGS/index.html

We didn't skip episode 42.  The anniversary episode should have been episode 41 and the last one episode 42. This week we cover the legendary journal of Captain Oates.  The very first Earth Prime fringe explorer.  He spent many years on the fringepath before returning to Earth and having a fatal accident before he could reach civilization.  Only his corpse and his journal survive.  We discuss how to use it to drive adventures, answer critical questions, but not require the GM to write a huge journal before starting her campaign. Then on to Bureau 13 as we discuss how the adventure that introduced the character to the Bureau can drive character development and creation.  How it can affect team dynamics.  Remember:  Conflict is Good!

We start our new format of Fringworthy and other Tri Tac Game products.  First we tell you how to find out important intel from the other side of the Fringeworthy portal without having to risk your all too tender flesh.  Then we do an intro to Bureau 13, how it fits with Fringeworthy, and how it compares to other modern supernatural rpgs.

The gutter skypes are at it again.  This is their 3rd session of Fringeworthy and has nothing to do with the prior sessions except the same pc characters.  There is a lot of banter before the actual game, so you might want to skip ahead about an hour.

This is it folks, our one year episode. We talk about where the podcast came from, where it is now, and where it's going. We discuss our goals for the next year, our changes to format, and the future direction of Tri Tac Games. We also discuss the end of the Fringeworthy PodCast and the birth of the Tri Tac PodCast. This is an episode you don't want to miss! No notes this week as we spend most of the time jibber jabing.

This week, we're talking about what it takes to make your NPCs, or Non-Player Characters, more memorable to your players. How to make them more than just 2D cutouts, and more like living and breathing people. Of course, some NPCs will always be stereotypes, like nightwatch guards, Minions #21 and #24, and other "background characters". We also talk about the pitfalls of recurring NPCs, NPCs the players will shoot on sight, and how to handle organizations that can act like a NPC. So, sit back, have a cup of tea or other favorite beverage, and listen to the podcast!

We continue our discussion of the various wandering races and groups that you might meet in interdimensional space.

Where do they come from?  They won't say.  Where are they going?  They don't care.  Join us as we explore the many races of beings that live not on a world but in the very interdimensional spaces and roadways that connect the universes. This is part 1 of a 2 part episode to be finished next week. 01:40 - The races of the Fringepaths and fringe weather. 02:20 - What is a fringe walker and where do they come from? 06:00 - Dalek on the Fringepath. 08:38 - Character concept of a fringe walker. 09:00 - Goin' walkabout and the 1000 portal stare. 10:40 - Fringe Gypsies; culture and evolution. 20:40 - Ways to use fringe walkers for non-regular players. 22:00 - Use fringe walkers to introduce new tech and concepts piecemeal. 23:40 - Don't forget to use the extended lifespan aspect (1:20). 24:45 - Survivors from the Common Wealth war. 26:20 - What races are we dealing with? 27:10 - Slargs, biological weapon to use against the mellor. 28:30 - The old men. 33:45 - More on Slargs... yum yum... 40:40 - Kega

This is the second actual play episode for the Gutter Skype Fringeworthy game.  The actual Fringeworthy content doesn't start until 1:12:00.

Our good friend Mark Kinney and the rest of the Gutter Skypes are running a playtest of Fringeworthy using the Micro 20 system.  I've skipped the character creation part, but you can find it on their site.  http://www.anim5.com/IDDFOS/TGS/index.html Here is part one of their playtest.