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[dmarlett]

Your mom likes the way I smell.

Dude, not cool.  My mom is dead.

[Doctor X]

3: Juicer Problems and how to make the players THINK before they take them.  

Don't play with players who refuse to take your game seriously? The "Juicer Problem" isn't a games fault, its the fault of players who refuse to play the game beyond the numbers and dice.

4:  Getting the players to accept limits on their characters: Speaking of cyberpunk, let me talk about the most balance-destroying piece of cyberware in Cyberpunk 2020: Skinweave.  12 armor to all locations.  Throw on some leather and you've got 16 armor.  And the average police sidearm does 3D6 damage?  So, I made Skinweave extreme black market tech in one of my campaigns and it degenerated into Quest For Skinweave.  In a game of Vampire with a different group, I put an upper limit on Generation at 10 and the players turned it into Quest To Find Elders To Diablerize.  If you want to start out small and have the characters work their ways up, how do you stop them from making that mad dash for more power?  If you want to run a Watchmen-type heroes campaign, how do you keep everyone from whining that they don't get to be Dr. Manhattan?

See previous answer, also try playing a game better designed to eliminate that. For example, Dogs in the Vineyard has no rules for guns. All guns do +1d4 in conflicts and then are based on if their crap, big, etc. It doesn't matter how big, shiny, and powerful your gun is so the game doesn't deal with it.

I can see why a podcast wouldn't cover it for that long, there isn't that much I'd have to say about it.

Ok, what if your options for gaming groups are limited and the "find a new group" copout answer isn't viable?

[Doctor X]

Your mom likes the way I smell.

Dude, not cool.  My mom is dead.

Sure, NOW!  

[RobJustice]

Ok, what if your options for gaming groups are limited and the "find a new group" copout answer isn't viable?

See: Find New Game.

Also See: Beggars can't be choosers.

Also: Know your players, tailor to their tastes!

[Doctor X]

Ok, what if your options for gaming groups are limited and the "find a new group" copout answer isn't viable?

See: Find New Game.

Also See: Beggars can't be choosers.

Also: Know your players, tailor to their tastes!

I think I'm nailing the wrong person's dead mom in this thread.

Ok, yes, accomidating tastes is important.  This would be about getting people to try something different.  In the vampire example, ways to gain Generation were coming down the road, however, the overall plot required that they start out small time and work their way there.  (The Transylvania Chronicle for Dark Ages, if you know of it.)  I read your answer in more detail, and I guess the way I phrased the question "new game/group" wasn't the copout it USUALLY is.

[RobJustice]

Ok, yes, accomidating tastes is important.  This would be about getting people to try something different.  In the vampire example, ways to gain Generation were coming down the road, however, the overall plot required that they start out small time and work their way there.  (The Transylvania Chronicle for Dark Ages, if you know of it.)  I read your answer in more detail, and I guess the way I phrased the question "new game/group" wasn't the copout it USUALLY is.

There is only one way to get people to try something different, ask them. If their not on board then that conversation is over.  If people aren't willing to change or try new things, then trying to change them is doomed to failure. Ask any psychiatrist.

I didn't feel I was giving a cop out answer at all, just my honest response and what I'd likely say on my show. See, the problem with criticizing podcast topics and suggesting what you feel is interesting is that not everyone (like the gamers you mention in your examples) are interested in those things. I'm not saying their BAD topics, just topics I couldn't find enough to cover without stretching or massaging other topics out of them.

My gaming advice always boils down to the same points: Play the game that does what you want it to do, play with people that play what you want to play, and Communication, Communication, Communication.

[dmarlett]

Sure, NOW!  

By dead I meant "moved to Indiana"

[WarrenLocke]

I just love that my alma mater got a shoutout... Rolla, where women are officially an endangered species!

It's honestly a weird phenomenon though, the whole 4:1 ratio thing is more like an average over the course of a semester.  In reality most semesters start off a lot better, some years probably as good as 2:1.  But by the end of the semester you look around and it's honestly got to be close to 8:1 or worse.  Now, my friends and I developed a theory, because we didn't want to be misogynistic and just assume the women were all dropping out.  No, the truth was far more terrible.

The women were becoming men.

Rolla contains some form of bizarre background radiation that will mutate the basic genomic structure of females to change them into males, it's the only fair explanation.  Also, you can't get any good radio stations inside town limits.

True.

[david]

I just love that my alma mater got a shoutout... Rolla, where women are officially an endangered species!

It's honestly a weird phenomenon though, the whole 4:1 ratio thing is more like an average over the course of a semester.  In reality most semesters start off a lot better, some years probably as good as 2:1.  But by the end of the semester you look around and it's honestly got to be close to 8:1 or worse.  Now, my friends and I developed a theory, because we didn't want to be misogynistic and just assume the women were all dropping out.  No, the truth was far more terrible.

The women were becoming men.

Rolla contains some form of bizarre background radiation that will mutate the basic genomic structure of females to change them into males, it's the only fair explanation.  Also, you can't get any good radio stations inside town limits.

True.

Welcome to Missouri.

[Doctor X]

Sure, NOW!  

By dead I meant "moved to Indiana"

Oh, you poor thing!  I thought you just meant she was in the sky with Jesus and John Wayne.  I'm SO sorry!

[dmarlett]

Sure, NOW!  

By dead I meant "moved to Indiana"

Oh, you poor thing!  I thought you just meant she was in the sky with Jesus and John Wayne.  I'm SO sorry!

I know, right?

[david]

We recorded this last night, and I think it was one of our better episodes.  It'll drop on Monday, as per normal.

[WillH]

I lived in Torrance, CA for a few years when I was growing up.  Talk about a random shout out.

[Doctor X]

We recorded this last night, and I think it was one of our better episodes.  It'll drop on Monday, as per normal.

Glad to help.  If you want to entitle it something like "The Podgecast of Doctor X," I won't hold it against you.

[Sardel]

I lived in Torrance, CA for a few years when I was growing up.  Talk about a random shout out.

I visit Torrance at least once a week and I was surprised by the mention as well.