The GROGNARD Files

Tim Harford, economist, columnist, broadcaster, best-selling author, podcaster and role-player was the very special guest at virtual GROGMEET 2021. There were a vast array of games available over the weekend, including a fiendish quiz set by Pookie from Reviews from R’lyeh – thank you to everyone who took part to make it a great event. It was a joy and a privilege to join Tim in the Zoom of Role-Playing Rambling to discuss his formative years in the hobby, his current game and all about the setting that means everything to him. You’ll find Tim’s podcast, Cautionary Tales, over at his website and through all your usual pod boxes. The post Extra – My Role-Playing Games First, Last and Everything (with Tim Harford) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

Download Episode Whatever happened to March 2021? We may never know, let’s hope that April restores normal service. In this episode we continue the discussion with Chris Klug about his career in game design: James Bond RPG (which we covered in Episode 15), Aidyn’s Chronicles, and his work for Chaosium, such as The Smoking Ruin for RuneQuest Glorantha. Judge Blythy hands over his gavel for Judge Blythy Rules and we introduce a new segment to discuss Deadlands and other matters. You can support The GROGNARD files by putting a tip in the beret at Patreon. The post Episode 46 (Part 2) DragonQuest RPG (with Chris Klug) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

You’ll believe a Dragon can have hair! Download Episode The GROGNARD files opens on one of our favorites from back in the day. Blythy bought it from Northern Games Day while I was playing a great game of RuneQuest and he was feeling sorry for himself. We played a lot of this game as it was our swords and sorcery game of choice. In this episode we are reconnecting with the game. Chris Klug is in the Open Box section talking about how he got into game design and the factors that influenced his design decisions for the 2nd edition of the game. Rob Arcangeli is the GROGSQUAD member who provides an interesting First, Last and Everything. I never expected that The Age of Sigmar would feature in this section. We watch The Sword and the Sorcerer together in the GROGGLEBOX. Join our Patreon to take part. The post Episode 46 (Part 1) DragonQuest RPG (with Chris Klug) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

In this episode we review the games that we have played in 2020 – there were so many! During the discussion we cover our experiences of playing Lyonesse, Savage Worlds, Mutant Year Zero and many more. You can see the report on all the games we played by following this link. Dave Morris joins us in the Room of Role-Playing Rambling and discusses White Dwarf and other projects he’s been involved with over his long career in gaming. You can join his Patreon to support JewelSpider and follow his blog. There’s a new twitter account for you to follow @theRPGLibrarian follow it and direct mail me if you’d like to know more about the monthly Book Club, starting in Feb. Follow all of the GROGNARD files projects on Patreon.The post Episode 45 – Review of 2020 (with Dave Morris) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

The last GROGPOD of 2020 features a classic British Old School RPG, Dragon Warriors. You can find out more about Dave Morris at his blog and his Patreon. Daily Dwarf has a blog too. Dave Paterson is about to launch a new podcast Frankenstein’s RPG and he’s a regular on Orlanth Rex’s Gaming Vexes. Dragon Warriors is available at Drive Thru RPG (print on demand) as is Casket of Fays. There is a collection of information at The Cobwebbed Forest. If you like what we do, then please like, subscribe, tell someone else or support us on Patreon. The post Episode 44 – Dragon Warriors (with Dave Morris) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

This is a bonus episode featuring a ‘Library Use’ segment that we recorded which looks in detail at issue 52 of Dragon Magazine (published in August 1981). The publication was around the same time as the launch of the Moldvay edition of Basic D&D. We discuss an article where the new edition is discussed in comparison with the Holmes edition. We also review some of the other content in this feature rich issue. The bonus edition is dedicated to our Patreons who made it possible. We also mention: Guy Milner’s Blog Burn After Running, and Roll to SaveThe post Episode 43 (Bonus) Dungeons and Dragons first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

This is the second part of the Dungeons and Dragons Episode. Lew Pulsipher returns to talk more about his contributions to White Dwarf, his strategy game Britannia and his contributions to EN World. Daily Dwarf revisits Holmes Basic D&D and tries to revive the magic. Cris Watkins from Bonhomie Games shares his First, Last and Everything. Blythy and Dirk have a ‘cover off’ looking at some of the art that defined Dungeons and Dragons. Covers under discussion: Errol Otis , Larry Elmore , Dungeon Master’s Guide David C Sutherland, and Jeff Easley, Monster Manual David C Sutherland, and the Fiend Folio is wrongly attributed to Russ Nicolson, it was actually painted by Emanuel, sorry about that. Support the podcast by joining the Patreon.The post Episode 43 (Part 2) Dungeons and Dragons (with Lew Pulsipher) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

GROGMEET2020, the fifth annual meet-up of the GROGSQUAD, had to be held online to avoid pathogens. It didn’t stop us having a fantastic weekend which included a Pub Quiz, a Mausritter Tournament Dungeon, and an eclectic mix of games over four time-slots: seventy sessions in total. To end the event we recorded this live panel in the Zoom of Role-Playing rambling (with an audience of over 50 people!). Dirk the Dice is joined by Paul (The Good Friends of Jackson Elias) and Gaz (What Would the Smart Party Do?) to answer a series of medium-fire questions from the thunder pot. This episode mentions Paul’s Full Fathom Five scenario and The Smart Party’s You Tube Channel and much, much more! The post Extra – Thunder Phase! at GROGMEETish2020 (with Paul & Gaz) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

Download Episode We knew we’d get there eventually. This episode is dedicated to Basic Dungeons and Dragons. Our guest is Lew Pulsipher who was a regular contributor to the Golden Era of White Dwarf. He talks about his formative years in role-playing. He is still contributing to EN World and has a Video channel all about Games Design. Blythy and I talk about finding players and how he fell in love with the game back in the day and his joy in rediscovering it now. Ralph Lovegrove from Fictoplasm offers his first last and everything. I appeared on his podcast talking about Hawkmoon. You can sign up for GROGMEETish2020 at Warhorn. Support us on Patreon.The post Episode 43 (Part 1) Dungeons & Dragons (with Lew Pulsipher) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.

Download Episode Welcome to the end of the world! In the latest episode we look at the FGU RPG Aftermath!, a game that is still supported by useful online resources. I ran a one-shot for GrimCon but working out the rules was a challenge. Thankfully Doc Cowie is on hand to help me through the twists and turns. Also mentioned is Improvised Radio Theatre with Dice. There’s a First, Last and Everything from Doc RPG Griff Ed and Blythy watch Threads in the GROGGLEBOX. Support The GROGNARD files on Patreon. The post Episode 42 – Aftermath! RPG (with Doc Cowie) first appeared on The GROGNARD Files.