Total Party Thrill: RPG Advice From Our Table to Yours
I-Hsien Sherwood, Shane Vaiskauskas
Total Party Thrill is a podcast for GMs and players where we discuss our campaigns in order to inspire yours. Each episode begins with a short recap of an installment of our home campaigns, including the "Mourning Glory" Dungeons & Dragons 5E Eberron campaign and "Dynasty Unwarranted" Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader campaign. We then proceed to our main topic covering the titular aspect of game planning and playing, and we share tips and advice drawn from our own experience. Then we move on to the Character Creation Forge, where we build iconic character archetypes from outside traditional D&D using the D&D 5E rules. Following episode 283, we began the first of our limited-run Eberron Actual Play series. Follow us on Twitter: @TPTCast
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 1, 2016 • 1h 4min
TPT #70: Low Fantasy in D&D & The Lazylord
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane explain how to strip out unrealistic elements from traditional fantasy RPGs to run grounded and gritty games. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party’s succes comes back to bite them, and the Lazylord leads from the reclining chair in the Character Creation Forge. (63m)
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Nov 24, 2016 • 1h 31min
TPT #69: D&D 5E’s Volo’s Guide to Monsters Review
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane breakdown the latest release for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, including their favorite and least favorite elements, in this super-sized episode. Both the Mourning Glory campaign and the Character Creation Forge take the week off, but will return next episode. (91m)
Note: The original uploaded file had a 40-second audio gap around 17 minutes. This has been corrected.
Important Links:
The Tome Show Roundtable 143: Shane and I-Hsien joined the show to discuss the previews of the of Volo’s Guide to Monsters, in case you were curious what we thought before we had a copy in hand.
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Nov 17, 2016 • 55min
TPT #68: Scale in RPGs & The Storm Surge
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane try to make sense of a single die roll as they discuss narrative scale in RPGs. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party takes up arms to defend the innocent, and the Storm Surge enters like a flash and goes out with a bang in the Character Creation Forge. (55m)
Important Links:
The Tome Show Roundtable 143: Shane and I-Hsien joined the show to discuss the previews of the then-upcoming D&D 5E supplement, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, released November 15, 2016.
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Nov 10, 2016 • 58min
TPT #67: Splitting the Party & The Beguiler
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane encourage you to take a walk on the wild side and do that thing you thought you should never do: split the party. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party adjusts to their new reality, and the Beguiler charms your pants off in the Character Creation Forge. (58m)
Important Links:
“Never Split the Party,” by Emerald Rose.
The Tome Show Roundtable 143: Shane and I-Hsien join the show to discuss the previews of the upcoming D&D 5E supplement, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, releasing November 15, 2016.
Gamemaster’s Journey #129: Shane joins the show to discuss gaming between sessions.
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Nov 3, 2016 • 57min
TPT #66: The Dark Sun Campaign Setting & The Wasteland Wanderer
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane discuss their favorite sandals and sorcery setting, Dark Sun. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party steps into an unfamiliar realm that ends up all too familiar, and the Wasteland Wanderer goes it alone in the Character Creation Forge. (56m)
Important Links:
Athas.org: Unofficial D&D 3.5 conversion of Dark Sun, and valuable source of setting information
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Oct 27, 2016 • 53min
TPT #65: Designing Epic Destinies & The Psychic Warrior
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane discuss how to create high-level abilities for players that go beyond the baseline offered in most RPGs. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party tries to keep an enemy alive, and the Psychic Warrior gets Shane riled up in the Character Creation Forge. (52m)
Important Links:
Epic Destinies PDF: I-Hsien’s epic destinies for the Mourning Glory campaign
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Oct 20, 2016 • 56min
TPT #64: Narrative Control & The Master Illusionist
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane discuss narrative control in RPGs and how it is shared by players, GMs, and the rules. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party infiltrates Flamekeep, and the Master Illusionist lets you see only what she wants you to see in the Character Creation Forge. (56m)
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Oct 13, 2016 • 1h 4min
TPT #63: Completing Character Arcs & Swamp Thing
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane discuss how to deliver a satisfying conclusion to a player’s storyline. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party finally faces their archrival, and Swamp Thing starts a plant-based riot in the Character Creation Forge. (64m)
Important Links:
AcadeCon 2016: November 11-13th in Dayton, OH
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Oct 6, 2016 • 59min
TPT #62: Playing Half-Orcs & The Drunken Master
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane discuss the most savage of D&D’s core races, the Half-Orc. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party prepares to settle an old score, and the Drunken Master ties one on in the Character Creation Forge. (58m)
Update:
In this episode, we incorrectly discuss the Half-Orc receiving a +1 bonus to Dexterity in D&D 5E. This is wrong; Half-Orcs get +1 to Constitution. Just ignore that bit of the discussion, or laugh at us for being idiots, or both. Thank you to our listeners who pointed out that mistake.
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
Sep 29, 2016 • 1h 9min
TPT #61: Revised Ranger, Deck of Many Things & The Gambler
Hosts I-Hsien and Shane discuss the latest Unearthed Arcana’s revised Ranger class before moving on to the artifact that seems designed to ruined D&D campaigns: the Deck of Many Things. In the Mourning Glory campaign, the party holds up their end of a bargain struck with a familiar fiend, and the Gambler always has luck on her side, or at least an ace up her sleeve in the Character Creation Forge. (68m)
Important Links:
Shane’s Analysis of the Revised Ranger at Mundangerous.com
Contact us:
Twitter: @TPTcast
Email: totalpartythrill@gmail.com
Web: www.totalpartythrillcast.com
