Radio Active #100: The Golden Age of Online RPGs

Radio Active #104: Rewind and Reload

Radio Active Podcast [https://www.nuketown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/radioactive.jpeg] On this episode of Radio Active [https://www.nuketown.com/category/podcasts/nuketown-radio-active/] … well, it’s been a while. So let’s look back and where we’ve been and take a look at where we’re going. It’s a mix of bad news, good news, and geeky news, so get ready for the info dump. NUKETOWN NEWS * Good-bye, Dad * My father passed away in December. My eulogy for him, which I presented with my sister as his memorial service, is up on Nuketown: Eulogy for a Dad … and a Teacher [https://www.nuketown.com/eulogy-for-a-dad-and-a-teacher/] * NeutronLad is an Eagle Scout! * Completed his project in the fall, which was building agility ladders for Seeing Eye puppy clubs. * Eclipse ’24 in Vermont * Freaking awesome. * Movie eclipses can’t compete with reality. * Two kids in college. Whoa. * NeutronLad is officially a first-year student. * StarGirl is in her senior year. * Yeah, we’re empty nesters. Or something close to it. * Nuketown got an overhaul. * Makes it easier to promote projects and recent content. * Oh, and I left twitter. * Don’t worry, you can still find me on Dice.Camp. It’s more fun there anyway. * Leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuketown-radio-active/id1327091738?ls=1&mt=2] GEEK ON * Posts made * Ready Player One Replay [https://www.nuketown.com/ready-player-one-replay/] * Dig Dug – Ready Player One Video Game Replay [https://www.nuketown.com/dig-dug-ready-player-one-video-game-replay/] * Pac-Man – Ready Player One Video Game Replay [https://www.nuketown.com/pac-man-ready-player-one-video-game-replay/] * Donkey Kong – Ready Player One Video Game Replay [https://www.nuketown.com/donkey-kong-ready-player-one-video-game-replay/] * Zork – Ready Player One Video Game Replay [https://www.nuketown.com/zork-ready-player-one-video-game-replay/] * Working on Colossal Cave. * Farewell to Google Jamboard [https://www.nuketown.com/farewell-to-google-jamboard/] * Entering the Matrix of Cyberpunk RED Campaigns [https://www.nuketown.com/entering-the-matrix-of-cyberpunk-red-campaigns/] * Meet Ben Bouchard, Spooky Hunter for Monster of the Week [https://www.nuketown.com/meet-ben-bouchard-spooky-hunter-for-monster-of-the-week/] * Summer Reading List 2024 [https://www.nuketown.com/summer-reading-list-2024/] … because you knew there had to be one. * Podcasts! * Lair of Secrets Season 4 * Podcasts * From Death Rays to Dragonbane (S4E1) [https://lairofsecrets.com/podcast/from-death-rays-to-dragonbane-s4e1/] * Gore and Lore in Fallout – Campaigns & Coffee [https://lairofsecrets.com/podcast/gore-and-lore-in-fallout-campaigns-coffee/] * Videos * Unboxing Mothership [https://lairofsecrets.com/blog/unboxing-mothership/] * Unboxing Dragonbane [https://lairofsecrets.com/blog/unboxing-dragonbane/] * Unboxing Cyberpunk Edgernners [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBNVEDvZXtk&t=331s] * Games! * Cyberpunk 2077 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk_2077] * Pinball FX [https://www.pinballfx.com/] * Dungeons & Dragons: [https://www.dndbeyond.com/how-to-play-dnd] Elemental Apocalypse * Cyberpunk RED [https://talsorianstore.com/products/cyberpunk-red] * Books! * Alien: The Cold Forge [https://www.nuketown.com/alien-the-cold-forge/] * Station Eternity [https://www.nuketown.com/station-eternity/] * The Stone Sky [https://www.nuketown.com/the-stone-sky/] CONTACT US * Email [nuketown@gmail.com] * Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/nuketownsf] * DiceCamp (Mastodon) [https://dice.camp/@nukehavoc] * Leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuketown-radio-active/id1327091738?ls=1&mt=2] The post Radio Active #104: Rewind and Reload [https://www.nuketown.com/radio-active-104-rewind-and-reload/] appeared first on Nuketown [https://www.nuketown.com].

Radio Active #103: The Sandwich Generation

Radio Active Podcast [https://www.nuketown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/radioactive.jpeg] At 51, with a kid in college and another in high school, I’m firmly in the Sandwich Generation (and have been for years). These are the folks who find themselves caring for kids and providing support for their older parents. In this episode, I talk about my experiences and offer advice for others in a similar place. Don’t worry though – it’s not all serious. I take a look at the recently-concluded RPG Blog Carnival event over at Lair of Secrets and geek out about the first of the ZineQuest zines arriving in my mailbox. NUKETOWN NEWS * RPG Blog Carnival at Lair of Secrets – Switching Gears [https://lairofsecrets.com/blog/rpg-carnival-changing-gears/] * Codex Anathema – Marvel Multiverse [https://codexanathema.com/2023/05/22/roleando-en-el-multiverso-marvel/] – Role-playing in the Marvel Multiverse * Plastic Polyhedra – Short Campaigns [https://plasticpolyhedra.blogspot.com/2023/05/on-short-ttrpg-campaigns-3-act-story.html] – Advice for running a shorter campaign (2-3 months, 10 adventures) * Seed of Worlds – Shifting Gears Over A Campaign [https://seedofworlds.blogspot.com/2023/05/blog-carnival-shifting-gears-over.html] – going from a city campaign to a hexcrawl, to extra planer excursions, to mythic adventures, to dungeon controls * Nuketown – Go Big or Go Bigger [https://www.nuketown.com/battle-maps-in-virtual-tabletops-go-big-or-go-bigger/] – Using bigger battlemaps in your online games * Lair of Secrets – Solo RPGs [https://lairofsecrets.com/blog/changing-gears-a-foray-into-the-world-of-solo-rpgs/] – venturing into solo RPGs like Ironsworn Starforged. * Lair of Secrets – Season 3, Episode 14 [https://lairofsecrets.com/podcast/s3e14-changing-gears/] – Changing campaigns, genres, game systems, gaming groups, and more. * The Zines are Coming! * Forty Fiends: A Bestiary (Compatible with Mork Borg)  [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crowheart/forty-fiends-a-mork-borg-compatible-bestiary]– arrived! Horrific monsters like the Acid Apes, Hive Sprites, Bone Felon * Pressure Point [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/squidinkgames/pressure-point-a-solo-ttrpg-zine/posts/3814205] – A game in which you destroy your zine by poking holes in it. PDF soon? * Progress is being made on the other zines I backed. Check out the complete list in Radio Active 101: Return of the Zine Scene [https://www.nuketown.com/radio-active-101-return-of-the-zine-scene/]. * Leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuketown-radio-active/id1327091738?ls=1&mt=2] THE SANDWICH GENERATION * Stories * BBC: Why the ‘sandwich generation’ is so stressed out [https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210128-why-the-sandwich-generation-is-so-stressed-out] * Better Up: Sandwich generation: definition and how to help [https://www.betterup.com/blog/sandwich-generation] * Statistics * In 2018, 12% of American parents with children younger than 18 handled multigenerational caregiving. (Pew Research [https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/11/29/more-than-one-in-ten-u-s-parents-are-also-caring-for-an-adult/]) * My experience * Circa 2014 – legal guardian for both of my grandparents (with my mom for my grandmother, with my sister for my grandfather) until they passed. * Navigated moving my grandfather into a care facility, selling his house to pay off the reverse mortgage, and frequent visits to the care facility to talk with him and deal with issues as they arose. * Executor for my grandfather’s estate when he passed away. * At that time, my kids were 11 and 8. * Circa 2020 through the current day – Helping my parents * I manage all of my dad’s doctor appointments, coordinate local care, and visit him to talk and deal with random problems (e.g. his phone stops working for some reason). * My kids are now 20 and 16 (almost 17). One’s in college, the other’s in high school. * Active in youth organizations (scoutmaster for the last 4 years) plus Seeing Eye Puppy Raising plus being married plus, oh yeah, a full-time job. * Impacts * You feel like you’re being pulled in every possible direction. * Whether it’s parents or kids, disruptions are the norm. It makes short-term and mid-term planning challenging. * Saps your motivation – once you’ve gotten through a day of work and helping everyone else, it’s hard to stay motivated to work on your own projects. Or do anything more than watch TV and have a beer. * Advice * Talk with friends or a support group: It can feel lonely, trapped in the middle, but you’d be surprised at how many people in a similar situation. Being able to vent is important; getting advice and suggestions is helpful too. * Document everything: I have an Apple Pages document with my dad’s doctor contact info (he has a bunch), upcoming medical appointments, and past medical appointments. I also have a Google Doc with my dad’s medical history (contributed by my mom). You don’t want to have to search for (or worse, remember) something when you’re on a call with the umpteenth medical provider. I use this doc to coordinate with my family, so they know what appointments are coming up, and who the doctors are. * Leverage digital access: Our local health networks have “My Chart”, which provides online access to patient information including doctor contact information, appointments, and test results. * Delegate: Hopefully, you don’t have to do it all. Delegate as much as possible (to siblings, other family members, spouses, etc.) * Take Time For Yourself: This is crucial – because disruptions are constant, it’s important to be able to get away – even for only an hour – and focus on yourself. It’s not selfish; it’s self-care. CONTACT US * Email [nuketown@gmail.com] * Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/nuketownsf] * Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/nuketownsf] * DiceCamp (Mastodon) [https://dice.camp/@nukehavoc] * Leave us a review at Apple Podcasts! [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nuketown-radio-active/id1327091738?ls=1&mt=2] FEATURED IMAGE META Jekyll’s Sandwich [https://openverse.org/image/be4f0ba6-9403-406f-8b1e-bd6baf1fddfd?q=sandwich] by avlxyz [https://www.flickr.com/photos/10559879@N00] The post Radio Active #103: The Sandwich Generation [https://www.nuketown.com/radio-active-103-the-sandwich-generation/] appeared first on Nuketown [https://www.nuketown.com].

Radio Active #102: Game-o-Rama

On this episode of Nuketown Radio Active, I emerge from my winter hibernation to talk about the video games and role-playing games I’m playing (or plan on playing). I talk about the ongoing Ready Player One Replay and my plans to attend GenCon in August 2023. NUKETOWN NEWS * Heading to GenCon [https://www.gencon.com/] in 2023! * Haven’t been there since 2014. * No idea what I’m going to play. * Ready Player One Replay [https://www.nuketown.com/category/projects/ready-player-one-replay/] continues * Recent games include: * Space Invaders [https://www.nuketown.com/space-invaders-ready-player-one-video-game-replay/] * Star Raiders [https://www.nuketown.com/star-raiders-ready-player-one-video-game-replay/] * The Empire Strikes Back [https://www.nuketown.com/the-empire-strikes-back-the-ready-player-one-video-replay/] * Yars’ Revenge [https://www.nuketown.com/yars-revenge-the-ready-player-one-video-replay/] * Raaka-tu [https://www.nuketown.com/raaka-tu-ready-player-one-video-game-replay/] * Coming soon-ish: Bedlam, Pyramid, and Madness and the Minotaur GAME-O-RAMA: VIDEO & ROLE-PLAYING GAMES I’M PLAYING * Video Games * Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands [https://playwonderlands.2k.com/] on PS4 and PS5 * Borderlands … but with a Dungeons & Dragons skin (sorry, Bunkers and Badasses). Tiny Tina’s the game master, and you’re one of her players. But will she ever let you leave the table? * Finished the main story; it was a happy distraction. * Cyberpunk 2077 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk_2077] on PS5 * Started playing 0n Steam via Nvidia’s streaming desktop service, GeForce Now. * Turns out, I’m pretty bad at FPS on a desktop computer. * Picked it up cheap on PS5 … and still struggled to get into it. * Requires a significant time investment to get emotionally connected to the game, but once you do … whoa. * The Nomad storyline was great and the game gives you a lot of opportunities to make small (and maybe large?) differences in the world. * Fire Emblem: Engage [https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/fire-emblem-engage-switch/] on Switch * More of the same Fire Emblem, though this time around we get an “engage” mechanic which lets you merge characters with spirit warriors bound to magic rings. * On the back burner right now as I play other games. Fire Emblem’s something I need to be in the mood for; but once I’m in the mood, I’ll likely lose a lot of sleep. * Pinball FX3 [https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/pinball-fx3-switch/] on Switch * Indiana Jones Pinball * Aliens Pinball * Creature from the Black Lagoon Pinball * GoldenEye [https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/goldeneye-007-returns-for-nintendo-switch-online-expansion-pack-members/] on Switch * Finally … now if only I could map my brain to the control * Breath of the Wild [https://www.zelda.com/breath-of-the-wild/] on Switch * I started playing and never got off the plateau. The kids just got Tears of the Kingdom, so I figured I’d pick it up again. * Role-Playing Games * Ironsworn: Starforged [https://www.ironswornrpg.com/product-ironsworn-starforged] * My Lair of Secrets friends got into this game and pulled me in along with them. A Powered by the Apocalypse game with a ton of moves (far more than a traditional PbtA game) set in the future where you decide why your civilization fled its home galaxy. * Playable in solo, co-op, or guided mode. * Got it in part to learn about oracles. Also, the solo aspect is appealing. * Cyberpunk RED [https://rtalsoriangames.com/cyberpunk/] * Gearing up for the next season of role-playing at Lair of Secrets. * I’ll be running a 6-8 episode Cyberpunk RED campaign set in Night City. * It’s an old-school, crunchy game, but ran pretty well in our playtests. * Taking a while to get off the ground because of myriad family commitments, but we’re getting there. * And it inspired me to go back and read William Gibson’s The Sprawl trilogy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprawl_trilogy]. * CY_BORG [https://cy-borg.io/license/] * Mork Borg [https://morkborg.com/] … but with cyberware. * Just as over-the-top artwork as its predecessor. * Doubt I’ll ever run it, but it provides inspiration for Cyberpunk RED. Lots of great charts. * Elemental Apocalypse [https://www.nuketown.com/invoking-the-elemental-apocalypse/] * My first new D&D campaign in years. * The Temple of Elemental Evil [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Temple_of_Elemental_Evil] rose … and Greyhawk fell. * 20 years later, our heroes are some of the last free people on the planet … and they’re ready to take the fight to their elemental overlords. CONTACT US * Email [nuketown@gmail.com] * Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/nuketownsf] * Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/nuketownsf] * Dice Camp [https://dice.camp/@nukehavoc] The post Radio Active #102: Game-o-Rama [https://www.nuketown.com/radio-active-102-game-o-rama/] appeared first on Nuketown [https://www.nuketown.com].

Radio Active #101: Return of the Zine Scene

On this special edition of Radio Active, we venture back to the Zine Scene, that mystical, half-remembered place of photocopied pages and hand-stapled booklets, in its 2023 iteration. RETURN OF THE ZINE SCENE * February means Zines * ZineQuest 5 [https://www.kickstarter.com/zinequest?ref=section-homepage-promo-bring-a-new-world-to-life-for-zine-quest] * Zine Month 2023 [https://www.zinemonth.com/] * What’s a Zine? * From Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zine]: * “A zine is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very small group, and are popularly photocopied into physical prints for circulation.” * Zines I’m watching * CLEAN BREAK: A CY_BORG Heist [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/397540171/clean-break-a-cy-borg-heist?ref=section-zinequest-projectcollection-4-tag-newest] – An adventure for the CY_BORG grim future game. * Golf Quest [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diamondblood/golf-quest?ref=discovery_tag_newest] by Anna Blackwell. The game of pencil golf, upgraded. I played her DELVE game and loved it. * The Caves of Refuge [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cyrusduane/the-caves-of-refuge-the-mines-of-misery?ref=discovery_tag_newest] by Cyrus Duane. A funnel-style adventure for Dungeon Crawl Classics. I played it twice; it’s a great offering. * Forty Fiends: A Mork Borg Bestiary [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/crowheart/forty-fiends-a-mork-borg-compatible-bestiary?ref=discovery_tag_newest] – Horrors for the grim fantasy game. * Decagone [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bodieh/decagone?ref=discovery] – A tense, time-looping scenario for the Mothership scifi horror RPG, hurtling players into a fast-paced sub-nautical mystery. * The Ink That Bleeds: How To Play Immersive Journaling Games [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/252728880/the-ink-that-bleeds-how-to-play-immersive-journaling-games?ref=25f2cu] – The name pretty much says it all – a zine dedicated to playing solo journaling games. * Chiron’s Doom [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ickbat/chirons-doom?ref=section-zinequest-projectcollection-4-tag-newest] – a storytelling game about an ill-fated expedition to explore a mysterious monument. CONTACT US * Email: nuketown@gmail.com [nuketown@gmail.com] * Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nuketownsf [http://www.twitter.com/nuketownsf] * Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nuketownsf [http://www.facebook.com/nuketownsf] The post Radio Active #101: Return of the Zine Scene [https://www.nuketown.com/radio-active-101-return-of-the-zine-scene/] appeared first on Nuketown [https://www.nuketown.com].

Radio Active #100: The Golden Age of Online RPGs

On Radio Active’s 100th episode I talk about Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands [https://playwonderlands.2k.com/], a shoot-and-loot video game based on the Borderlands franchise [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderlands_(series)], go on a solitary, geeky retreat to work on RPG and podcast projects, and contemplate the golden age of online role-playing games. NUKETOWN NEWS * Radio Active’s 100th Episode * It finally happened – Radio Active hit episode 100! * The first episode launched on March 14, 2005 [https://www.nuketown.com/radio-active-1-snowcrash-age-of-apocalypse-the-incredibles/] * That was 18 years ago. Heck, I didn’t even have two kids when this launched (Star Girl was 2; NeutronLad was still a year away). * Feels good to finally hit this milestone, so many years later. * Will it get to 200? Time will tell. * Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands * A Dungeons & Dragons-inspired spinoff to the Borderlands franchise. * Same basic mechanics (guns, lots of guns) with fantasy trappings as Tiny Tina runs you through her Bunkers and Badasses campaign. * There are some new mechanics – spells instead of grenades and a variety of melee weapons. * Plus a bunch of fantasy-inspired classes – e.g. Spellshot, Spore Warden, Stabbomancer, Graveborn * If you like guns and loot, then this is for you. Take your brain off the hook and blow stuff up. * And hopefully, I’ll get to play it online – the game is cross-platform, so it’s possible to play with folks on PCs, Xboxes, and PlayStations. * A Geeky Retreat * After dropping my daughter off at college in January, I went to my in-law’s lake house and hung out for a few days by myself (well, Hank was there). * Spent three days working on geeky projects * Recording episodes of Radio Active * Prepping for a Cyberpunk RED [https://rtalsoriangames.com/cyberpunk/] campaign * Prepping for a new Dungeons & Dragons [https://dnd.wizards.com/] campaign * Watching movies * Reading comic books * Staying up as late as I want and sleeping in as long as I want * (though I didn’t go totally crazy; I generally got to bed between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.) * Great way to reset my brain after a stressful fall. GOLDEN AGE OF ONLINE RPGS A Golden Age amidst the Pandemic * COVID-19 is terrible. The impact of the pandemic on the world, our country, and my community was also terrible. * There have been a few upsides … and one of them has been role-playing games. * During the pandemic, fewer kid activities meant more time to game online. And that meant reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. * After the pandemic … I’ve got a kid in college and many of my kid-related obligations are winding down. I stayed in touch with my online gaming friends, and we’re contemplating new games. * As a result, I’m playing more RPGs – and more different kinds of RPGs – than I have since the early 2000s. Past Campaigns * Brindlewood Bay [https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/brindlewood-bay.html] * Army Corps of Engineers: Special Operations (Fate [https://fate-srd.com/]) * Tales from the Loop [https://www.loop-rpg.com/] * Scum and Villainy [https://evilhat.com/product/scum-and-villainy/] * GURPS Fast & Furious (GURPS Lite [http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/lite/], alternate Wednesday) * Chroniclers (D&D, Sundays) Current Campaigns * Scales of Truth (D&D, alternate Wednesday) * Star Wars: The Old Republic (a home-grown D&D 5e/Saga Edition mash-up) Future Campaigns * Cyberpunk RED @ Lair of Secrets (Thursdays) * Elemental Apocalypse with the Blackrazor Guild (Sundays) What works with online games * Anyone, anywhere can play. What doesn’t work with online games * The downside to anyone, anywhere is that time zones are hard. * Yet another online meeting. Even if this one has dice. CONTACT US * Email: nuketown@gmail.com [nuketown@gmail.com] * Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nuketownsf [http://www.twitter.com/nuketownsf] * Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nuketownsf [http://www.facebook.com/nuketownsf] * Dice.camp: http://dice.camp/@NukeHavoc [http://dice.camp/@NukeHavoc] The post Radio Active #100: The Golden Age of Online RPGs [https://www.nuketown.com/radio-active-100-the-golden-age-of-online-rpgs/] appeared first on Nuketown [https://www.nuketown.com].