RPGFan's Random Encounter

As part of the ArenaNet studio visit that took place one month ago, Rob was able to participate in two roundtable interviews on the upcoming Guild Wars 2. Unfortunately, we were unable to get you the interviews due to technical difficulties... until now! The first interview is with Lead Content Designer Colin Johanson and Lead Game Designer Eric Flannum, and is followed by an interview with ArenaNet President Mike O'Brien and Producer Chris Whiteside. There's a lot of interesting discussion in here, so grab a seat and listen up! Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Ya know what's a good idea? Let's send the biggest MMO-hater on the site out to Seattle to check out Guild Wars 2. It may sound like a recipe for disaster, but Rob came back with a huge smile on his face and a desire to play more of the innovative title due out later this year. In addition, John found a surprising amount of quality listener mail, giving us the oppourtunity to hold our very first Q and A session! How freakin' sweet is that?! Zack brings it all home with his usual news roundup, including a special piece that's sure to make both Rob and Stephen very happy... Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Derek Heemsbergen and Ashton Liu Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

It's spring time and allergy season has hit the podcast crew like a ton of bricks, but that won't stop us from talking about some great JRPG releases! We finally have Xenoblade in America as well as Tales of Graces f to satiate us during these sneeze filled months. There's also a lot of Kickstarter stuff to talk about in news, leading to the revival of some well loved franchises (yay for Shadowrun!). Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Derek Heemsbergen and Ashton Liu Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

The release of Mass Effect 3 sure has sent some shockwaves through the industry, and the podcast gang is no exception. Join the crew of Random Encounter as they talk about the crew of the Normandy and the finale to BioWare's epic. We delve into spoilers from about the 37 minute mark until 1 hour 20 minutes in, so avoid that if you're worried about spoilers. But do come back! After John's journey through news, Atlus representatives Aram Jabbari and Scott Williams join us to talk about the soon to be released Game of Thrones RPG based on the works of George RR Martin. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Liz Maas and Ashton Liu Special Guests: Aram Jabbari and Scott Williams of Atlus Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

You can't say we don't listen to the fans. Wait, that double negative has me all confused now. Anywho, the podcast crew wades into the JRPG space this week with a look at Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 and (one of Stephen's favorite games) Tales of the Abyss. The conversation ends up completely off track when Rob and John focus on what draws them into a video game. Zack returns from his college adventures to talk news, and the whole crew agrees that we should have probably trademarked the name Random Encounter. Oh well! Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Zachary Pintchik Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Remember when the first quarter was a slow time of the year? Yeah, fat chance of us getting a break around here with these major releases! Final Fantasy 13-2 is here and ready to usher in the New Year with moogles, time travel, and the cast of Kingdom Hearts. Wait, what? We brought Derek back on the show because, well, he found every freakin' doodad in the game! That's dedication, folks! After that, we head straight into the fantasy realm of Amalur, as Stephen spent the better part of the week splitting the heads of various fae folk and raining death on the countryside. John brings it all together with news while Rob cries in the corner over the latest information on the release of Diablo 3. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Derek Heemsbergen Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

Square-Enix graced the US with the demo for Final Fantasy XIII-2, and it's up to the podcast crew to tear into this mammoth JRPG. Did the developers listen to the complaints from the original game? Will this sequel bring new and old fans to the fold? We may not have concrete answers, but we certainly have some initial thoughts. You also get to hear the beginnings of a retrospective look at the franchise that will (hopefully) take on a larger form down the line. John battles with the recent news as we also get a demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, The Old Republic receives a content update, and the death (rebirth?) of the infamous Fallout MMO sends ripples through the industry. Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink and Kimberley Wallace Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

We certainly promised you guys a big end of the year episode, and by God did we ever deliver. The crew starts by sitting down for an in-depth discussion of 2011. From Dragon Age 2 to Skyrim, the podcast gang analyzes the major releases and trends in the genre (and industry) we all love. In the second segment, Rob, John, Kyle and Dave talk about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, one of the first big RPGs of 2012. Finally, the podcasters take a look into the RPGFan Crystal Ball (TM) and come up with some predictions for the new year. Will we finally get Persona 5? What about Mass Effect 3? Is Diablo 3 destined to be the best game of 2014?! Only time will tell.... Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Zachary Pintchik, Dave Yeager and Kyle Miller Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

We certainly promised you guys a big end of the year episode, and by God did we ever deliver. The crew starts by sitting down for an in-depth discussion of 2011. From Dragon Age 2 to Skyrim, the podcast gang analyzes the major releases and trends in the genre (and industry) we all love. In the second segment, Rob, John, Kyle and Dave talk about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, one of the first big RPGs of 2012. Finally, the podcasters take a look into the RPGFan Crystal Ball (TM) and come up with some predictions for the new year. Will we finally get Persona 5? What about Mass Effect 3? Is Diablo 3 destined to be the best game of 2014?! Only time will tell.... Note: Due to the length of our End of the Year Spectacular, we've decided to offer it in two versions. This is Part 1 of 2, covering the games of 2011 and a preview of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. For our look ahead at 2012 make sure to download Part 2 of the show, or if you'd prefer to listen to all three segments in one episode, download the full version! Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Zachary Pintchik, Dave Yeager and Kyle Miller Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com

We certainly promised you guys a big end of the year episode, and by God did we ever deliver. The crew starts by sitting down for an in-depth discussion of 2011. From Dragon Age 2 to Skyrim, the podcast gang analyzes the major releases and trends in the genre (and industry) we all love. In the second segment, Rob, John, Kyle and Dave talk about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, one of the first big RPGs of 2012. Finally, the podcasters take a look into the RPGFan Crystal Ball (TM) and come up with some predictions for the new year. Will we finally get Persona 5? What about Mass Effect 3? Is Diablo 3 destined to be the best game of 2014?! Only time will tell.... Note: Due to the length of our End of the Year Spectacular, we've decided to offer it in two versions. This is Part 1 of 2, covering the games of 2011 and a preview of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. For our look ahead at 2012 make sure to download Part 2 of the show, or if you'd prefer to listen to all three segments in one episode, download the full version! Featuring: Robert Steinman, John McCarroll, Stephen Meyerink, Zachary Pintchik, Dave Yeager and Kyle Miller Questions? Comments? Spare Potions? Email us: podcast@rpgfan.com