AGC Interview 18 (FandomFest Special) (1:19:25)

Carol and Mags bring you interviews from the FandomFest/Fright Night Film Fest in Louisville, Kentucky, back in late June!


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Show links
Fright Night Horror Weekend/FandomFest
FandomFest Blog
Louisville Gaming Club (Meetup)
Louisville RPG
Louisville Story Gamers (Meetup)
Card Board Gamers
Dry-Erase Starship Maps (Blackwyrm Publishing)
Inkstained Succubus Productions
Brooks and Sparrow
Hostage Entertainment (Mob Ties)
Mob Ties Blog
Mob Ties (Board Game Geek)
Mistborn RPG (Crafty Games)
Mistborn RPG Hardcover Info (Crafty Games)
Mistborn RPG Quickstart
Mistborn (Brandon Sanderson)
Spycraft 3.0 (Crafty Games)
Ten Thousand Bullets (Crafty Games)
Spellbound (Crafty Games)
Hobomancer (Hex Games)
Larry Elmore
Some of Larry Elmore's Magic: the Gathering work (Wizards of the Coast)
Louisville Board Gamers (Meetup)
Matt McCloud's Blog (FandomFest)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

Retro-Clone Rundown!

Hey there, AGC fans!  It's Mags.


It occurred to me that the AGC Crew has mentioned several retro-clones on the show, but never really outlined which retro-clones are drawn from what material.  So, I thought I would provide an outline of what's out there.


The below is taken, with some light editing, from RetroRoleplaying.com and Wikipedia:

What 's a retro-clone? 

The OGL has allowed fans to recreate the rules of older, out-of-print editions of the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game. These are usually called "retro-clones" because they are "clones" of the rules to older ("retro") editions of Dungeons and Dragons (or, as the authors will refer to it in the material for legal reasons, " the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game"). While no retro-clone is an exact copy of an earlier game, they generally are close to identical in play. 

Role-playing game publisher Matthew Finch was  the initial author of OSRIC 1.0, which was afterward taken up by Stuart Marshall and released to the public in 2006 as a retro-clone of the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1989). The release prompted another game designer, Daniel Proctor, to write and release Labyrinth Lord in 2007, a more complete retro-clone of Dungeons & Dragons B/X (1981–1982). The following year, Finch announced the release of Swords & Wizardry, ostensibly a simulacrum of the original Dungeons & Dragons game (1974–1977), and the retro-clone movement was pretty much launched.

Most retro-clones have free PDF versions and most have nicely bound printed copies available for a very reasonable price. 

0e (Original Edition) RetroClones

EDIT: A listener pointed out that we neglected to list Lamentations of the Flame Princess, a 0e like RPG focused on "weird" role-playing.

MicroLite74  is Microlite20  (a trimmed-down, sub-miniature version of the Primary Fantasy SRD rules that has been designed to be quick and easy to play) that has been rewritten to recreate the style and feel of the 0e edition from 1974 (a.k.a the White Box). It takes the popular, very rules light 3.x Microlite20 and reshapes it to feel like 0e using Microlite20 rules as the base. There are two supplements, Ancient Auguries and Wary's Grimoire. Ancient Auguries adds an assortment of optional rules. Wary's Grimoire adds much of the material from the 0e supplements including more character classes and higher level spells.

A special note about MicroLite74: the author is offering a special MicroLite74 package as part of a fundraiser.  He has medical bills exceeding $110,000USD due to cancer in the family, so if you're able to donate, please do so.

Swords & Wizardry  is an OGL retro-clone of the 0e version from the mid-1970s, the same edition Microlite74 is loosely based on. Sword & Wizardry is handy for complex spell and monster descriptions for use with Microlite74 as well as a game in and of itself. There are two versions of this game. One uses just the material from the three original 0e booklets and the other uses selected material from the 0e supplements.

B/X, BECMI and Retro-Clones

The Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game is loosely based on the so-called B/X edition of D&D from the early 1980s. There are a number of minor tweaks like ascending armour class and separation of races and classes.

Labyrinth Lord was written and edited by Daniel Proctor and published by Goblinoid Games.  It's more closely based on the so-called B/X edition of D&D from the early 1980s (a.k.a the "Red Box"). Some minor changes have been made for compliance with the OGL and copyright law.  However, there are a few differences between the two games. Rather than being released in separate Basic and Expert boxed sets like the version of D&D that it emulates, all of LL's rules are contained in a single volume. Another deviation from the source material is that characters can advance to 20th level (the 1981 Expert set only included levels up to 14).  LL includes most of the same monsters, spells, and magic items as classic D&D, except for those designated as "product identity" by Wizards of the Coast. In some cases, these have been replaced with similar alternatives.

Dark Dungeons is based on the one volume "cyclopedia" version of BECMI edition. Like the "cyclopedia" version, this is a complete game in one volume allowing characters to advance through 36 levels and then try to become an immortal. Unlike most retro-clones, Dark Dungeons includes rules for high level characters with strongholds, mass combat, other planes, immortals (i.e. "deities"), and even includes rules for fantasy space travel.

B/X Companion is intended to be the third volume designed to complete the work begun with Tom Moldvay's Basic Rules and continued in the Dave Cook/Steve Marsh Expert Rules, both published in 1981. Both promised a "Companion" volume that would conclude the series.  Instead TSR (and Frank Mentzer) re-wrote and re-published a five volume series (BECMI) that, while certainly interesting, failed to deliver on the promise of those earlier works. This is an attempt at producing the promised B/X Companion.

Companion Expansion is another attempt at producing the "third book" of the B/X version.

1e and Retro-Clones

Labyrinth Lord: Advanced Edition Companion is a supplement for the Labyrinth Lord game (see above). It is allows the use of the array of advanced character possibilities from the first edition rules, and first edition monsters and magical items. All character class options from the Labyrinth Lord core rules and the Advanced Edition Companion book are cross-compatible.

OSRIC (Old School Reference & Index Compilation) is an OGL version of the first "advanced" edition of D&D from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first edition of OSRIC was designed to be just something that would allow publishers to legally publish OGL materials compatible with 1e. The second edition of OSRIC is much more complete and is written with both players and publishers in mind. More than a dozen distinct publishers have produced dozens of OSRIC-compatible adventure modules and supplements.

2e and Retro-Clones

For Gold and Glory contains all the information from the three core books of the 2nd edition of the world's most popular RPG, minus the optional rules.  It's also organized in a much better fashion than the original.

Myth & Magic is another remake of the 1989 Second Edition Rules, and recently had a successful Kickstarter project. (NOTE: No free PDF version)

Other Games

Double Zero is based on the 1983 Victory Games superspy RPG James Bond 007. It's developed by Berin "Uncle Bear" Kinsman.

Dragons at Dawn is a retro tribute to the very first fantasy gaming system pioneered by Dave Arneson. Dragons at Dawn is purportedly consistent with Arneson’s original, largely forgotten methods of play developed roughly in the period 1970-1973.

Four Colors System clones TSR's original 1985 Marvel Super Heroes game.  This one's from Phil Reed of Ronin Arts.

GORE (Generic Old-school Role-playing Engine) clones Chaosium's Basic Role-Playing rules, the base system for RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer and several other classic-era RPGs.  (For comparison, Chaosium offers free Quick-Start versions of Call of Cthulhu and its current edition of Basic Role-Playing, but these are free-as-in-beer, not open under the OGL.)

Legends of the Ancient World is a rules-light clone of Megagaming's The Fantasy Trip -- complete in seven pages. The game is a free PDF, but the publisher sells solitaire adventures for it similar to the ones Metagaming produced for TFT. Science fiction (Time and Space) and old west RPGs (Untamed West) based on these rules are also available as free downloads.

Mini Six is a fast and flexible rules system that encourages cinematic play. It's based on the D6 system from West End Games that was created in the 1980's for their edition of Star Wars. The free 8 page PDF includes OGL rules for fantasy, modern, and science fiction settings.

 Mutant Future  After Labyrinth Lord, Daniel Proctor wrote Mutant Future, which uses variant Laybrinth rules but captures the post-holocaust setting of TSR's Metamorphosis Alpha/Gamma World.

Spellcraft & Swordplay From veteran game designer Jason Vey, whose previous work includes All Flesh Must Be Eaten and Castle and Crusades, S&S is a re-imagining of Oe D&D with the original Chainmail combat rules based upon the 2d6 Man to Man table retained and expanded, and has been described as an interesting What If style of game  (NOTE: No free PDF version.)  (EDIT: A listener has let us know that there is a free version of Spellcraft & Swordplay.  You can download it here)

ZeFRS:  David "Zeb" Cook's 1985 rules for the TSR Conan roleplaying game return in clone form as a generic sword-and-sorcery RPG complete in one volume. Trample the jeweled kingdoms of your own world beneath your sandals!

AGC Review 7 (Carcosa and Isle of the Unknown) (23:53)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. Mark looks at Carcoa and Isle of the Unknown from Lamentaions of the Flame Princess. Also, there is an interview with Fitz from Game Knight Reviews and Geoffrey McKinney (the author of these books) that with any luck is embedded below.




Download 64kbps mp3 (11.5 MB)


Show links
Carcosa (Lamentations of the Flame Princess)
Isle of the Unknown (Lamentations of the Flame Princess)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


Promos
Game Knights

AGC Interview 17 (Project Ninja Panda Taco) (28:38)

Mark, Carol, and Mags talk to Jenn from the Jennisodes about gaming and her game Kickstarter, Project Ninja Panda Taco.


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Show links
Project Ninja Panda Taco (Kickstarter)
Writer Next Door (John Adamus)
Jennisodes


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC News June 25th 2012 (33:06)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. A new edition of 40K! Hans im Gluck to Z-Man Games (and Alliance Distributors) in the US! AEG going in-store first. Romulan Empire! World of Warcraft TCG news. Memoir 44 Equipment Pack! 13th Age! Spiderkiller! Games Workshop concerns about 3D printing. 10,000 print run for Ogre! HeroClix 10th Anniversary set. Steve Jackson (UK) and Ian Livingston gaming top tens!


Download 64kbps mp3 (15.9 MB)


Show links
13th Age (Pelgrane Press)
Clive Thompson on 3-D Printing’s Legal Morass (Wired)

AGC News June 14th 2012 (29:36)

With Mark and Mags. Origins Awards results! Games Workshop Games Day in Chicago! Farewell to NeonCon! Hello again to Agent 13! Doctor Who card game coming, as well as Dungeon Fighter and a Troyes sequel. Penny Arcade Munchkin cards! Sewer Pirats. One more Marvel card game. Munchkin Kill-O-Meter. Agricola: All Creatures Big and Small. 3012! City-State of Tempest! The return of Crude: the Oil Game! The 5E playtest begins! Game Chef! Marvel Heroic Roleplaying heads into Civil War! Map in Pathfinder comics (but an end to minis to distributors, but there's this elaborate fix...). Merit Badges and Kickstarters.


Download 64kbps mp3 (14.2 MB)


Show links
Games Day 2012 (Games Workshop)
Game Chef 2012 Finals
Deadlands Noir (Kickstarter -- Hours Left at Time of Posting)
Nystul's Infinite Dungeon (Kickstarter -- Already Closed)


(An aside from Mark for anyone who sees these show notes: Someone wanting to do a gaming related podcast could do much worse than covering the Kickstarter/IndieGoGo/crowdfunding front. It seriously needs some dedicated coverage, in my not-so-humble opinion.)

AGC 164 June 5th 2012 (Seven Years and Some Weeks?) (1:35:46)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. Mark's 7 year spite troll? Games out in 2005, courtesy of Mags! Missed the ENnies deadline (but we think it's all Jennisodes this year anyway). Deliria memories and other thoughts of the last few years. Shepherd's Pie! Anyone have a copy of the Hellas actual play? Fandom Fest! Avengers! Gaming! ConGlomeration considerations. DriveThruRPG Talk! Games for first time gamers! Some fun stuff left over from New Years!

From Mags, about that Shepherd's Pie: I never bother with the Bisquick topping, figuring that the dish is carb-heavy enough. :) The recipe is over at Emily B. Jones's blog


Download 64kbps mp3 (43.8 MB)


Show links
Jennisodes
AGC Additional Content
Fandom Fest
Game Knights
Completely Comics


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark:American Artifacts (Hex Games)
Carol:Amaranthine (Machine Age Productions)
Mags:Imperial Mysteries (White Wolf)
Also Check Out: Hobomancer (Hex Games)


Promos
Fringeworthy (Tri Tac Games)
RPGPodcasts.com

Mags-The-Axe School of GMing 5 (ConGlomeration 2012 Gamemastering Seminar) (2:15:16)

From ConGlomeration 2012, Mags, Sean Patrick Fannon, and various members of the RPG Buffet lead a freeform seminar on solving GMing issues.


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Show links
ConGlomeration


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


Promos
Completely Comics
Voices of Tomorrow
Game Knights

AGC Interview 16 (The Mecha Combiners Kickstarter) (47:17)

Mark speaks with Chris Perrin and Mark Reed from Heroic Journey Publishing about future plans for the Mecha RPG, the Mecha Combiners kickstart, and a few other things, while dodging internet glitches.


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Show links
Mecha Combiners (Kickstarter)
Genesis of Aquarion (Wikipedia)
Elemental Clash
Heroic Journey Publishing
Mecha


Be sure to check out Gamerati!

AGC News May 15th 2011 (46:26)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. RIP M.A.R. Barker. Court defeats "Amazon Tax" law. A battle of distributors. GenCon's 2012 charity! A mass market edition of Dixit! Once Upon A Time 3rd Edition! Tsuro of the Seas! Mage Wars plans. Lord of the Rings Card Game Hobbit expansions. Mayfair TV ads! SLA Industries on the way to the silver screen? Over The Edge system going OGL! Signal Fire releases. Rise of the Underdark. Star Wars X-Wing! Ogre 6th Edition crushes Kickstarter! The softening of Cthulhu.


Download 64kbps mp3 (22.3 MB)


Show links
M.A.R. Barker (Wikipedia)
Once Upon A Time (Atlas Games)
Tsuro (Calliope Games)
WaRP System (Atlas Games)
Ogre 6th Edition (Steve Jackson Games/Kickstarter)

RPG Buffet 26 (Cat) (27:21)

In an last-minute emergency change of game for April, Mags ran John Wick's Cat RPG for Kae, John, Steve, and Layne! Plus, wine tasting, folks (stay after for Layne's reviews)!

No specific recipe as such for April, because circumstances didn't really allow us to cook. So the Buffet decided on a tapas approach, with Mags bringing chicken salad, quinoa salad, crackers, and a sandwich platter from CostCo, John providing cheeses and wine, Layne provided assorted chocolates and wine, Steve bringing wine and fresh fruit, and Kae bringing fresh veggie platters and soda.

You can see our recommendations for a wine-and-cheese supper in the show notes from AGC Episode 54 in June 2007. If you're interested in how we Louisvillians approach finger sandwiches, take a look at this recipe for a local favorite: Benedictine spread.


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Show links
Cat (John Wick Presents...)

RPG Podcast Listener Survey

The 2012 RPG Podcast Listener Survey is up and available. It's your opportunity to help us take the pulse of the podcastosphere :). Check it out here: 2012 RPG Podcast Listener Survey and thanks for listening!

AGC 163 April 30th 2012 (ConGlomeration 2012) (41:52)

With Mark Kinney and Carol, and our special ConGlomeration 2012 guests Carinn Seabolt and Sean Patrick Fannon (Gaming Guests of Honor) and Michael Williams (Author Guest of Honor). Michael Williams answers our tradtional first question (writing DragonLance novels and working with Pacesetter). The Dragonlance experience, his other work, gaming in education, and Mark has to ask about Pacesetter. Moving over to Sean and Carinn: DriveThruRPG developments and Print on Demand. Silvermeet Studios. Shaintar: Legends Arise and Shaintar: Legends Unleashed, and the Shaintar fantasy setting in general. Audience questions: Writing to electronic formats? Other media?


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Show links
Blackwyrm Publishing (Trajan's Arch, Vine)
DriveThruRPG
Silvermeet Studios
Reality Blurs (Shaintar)
Pinnacle Entertainment Group Forums


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


Promos
Game Knights podcast

RPG Buffet 24 (QAGS Actual Play)

Yes, we know it's out of order, and technically not actually a podcast. We did, however, promise an actual play of Hex Games' QAGS, and here it is, the RPG Buffet's run by Hex Games' Colin Thomas. Mags made this episode 24, so that's why it is how it is. I encoded it as a nearly 120 megabyte mp3, and now it's available to those who dig the actual play and/or wanted to see how QAGS works!

You'll find the link to the file over in the Additional Content section of the All Games Considered site. Enjoy!

RPG Buffet 25 (Eclipse Phase) (12:56)

Note that Episode 24 is the soon-to-be-made available actual play file of the QAGS game from episode 23! That's why this is episode 25.

Brandon ran Eclipse Phase for the RPG Buffet, as discussed by Mags, Brandon, John, and Louis!

In belated honor of Saint Patrick's Day, the RPG Buffet decided to prepare Corned Beef & Cabbage for supper. Misty is the Buffet's Keeper of the Pressure Cooker, and prepared the meal using this recipe from Miss Vickie's Guide to Modern Pressure Cookery:

Corned Beef with all the Fixings

Step One: The Meat
A corned beef brisket with the spice packet, choose either a flat or point cut, allowing at least 1/3 lb, or a more generous 1/2 lb, per serving
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
include the seasoning pkt, or a make a suitable spice blend
16 ounces of a stout or a similar full-flavored beer, or other combinations flavoring liquids such as beef broth or wine with water

Discard the packing brine and rinse the meat well, trimming off any visible fat. Lay the meat with the fattiest side up on the cooking rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Add spices and the flavoring liquid, and enough cold water to just cover the meat.

Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 50 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. A corned beef will have a natural pinkish-red color after cooking. This does not mean it isn't done. Nitrite is used in the curing process and this fixes the pigment in the meat and gives it the distinctive color. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cover it with foil and a folded towel and let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. This allows the meat to absorb its natural liquids, and it will continue to cook itself at the same time.

Test for doneness; the meat should be "fork-tender", meaning that a fork goes through it like its soft butter. If you can easily pull up a sliver of meat with a fork, it is a good indication of doneness. The internal temperature should be at least 160°F. If necessary, return to pressure for an additional 10 minutes and repeat the natural release, but do not overcook or your corned beef will be dry and stringy.

Step Two: The Vegetables

While the meat is resting, its time to cook the vegetables. Include at least 1lb of assorted vegetables per serving, increase as you like to add variety, stretch your budget, and for planned leftovers. Choose from a variety of root vegetables like carrots and parsnips, red or white boiling potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, boiling or yellow onions. Cut the pieces to a similar size -- I like hefty 2 inch chunks -- so they cook uniformly.

Use any variety of cabbage cut into thick 2-3 inch wedges, or use Kale or Brussels sprouts instead.

You can also add any type of cut hard winter squash, sweet potatoes, or any other veggies your family likes.

Discard all but 1 cup of the cooking broth. Place the cut root vegetables in a large steamer if you have one. Alternately, just put the cooking rack in the pressure cooker and add the cut root vegetables. If your pressure cooker is large enough, add the cabbage wedges on top of the cut root vegetables. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat and use the quick or cold water release method before opening the lid. Using a slotted spoon, remove vegetables from pressure cooker and put the root vegetables and cabbage in separate serving bowls.

Alternatively, steam the cabbage separately using a second pressure cooker, or wait and cook them after the root vegetables are done. You can also steam cabbage wedges in a covered regular pot in about 15 minutes.


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Show links
Eclipse Phase (Posthuman Studios)

AGC 162 March 20th 2012 (Dear Gamemaster) (55:01)

With Carol and Mags. Missing someone? The girls conspire over sushi. Carol gets a Buffet lunch franchise. The Buffet's upcoming games. Carol gets Pan's Labyrinth. Just in time for Valentine's Day, the ladies ponder character sheets as love letters to the GM. Comments about character backstory. Life doesn't start at the tavern. The evolution of character sheets. Respecting the gamemaster's time--give an executive summary, not a novella. Layne likes to give the GM rope. How ignorance, normalcy, and downtime can inspire adventures. How do you decide PCs need a sense of normalcy? Dealing with Mary Sue-ism in characters. GMs love connections to the other PCs. It's not just the GM's story. Don't make the GM do too much homework. Another comment from Facebook. Explaining Mary Sue-ism in detail. Lesbian stripper ninjas who try to get the game to revolve around them. Every character should get a moment to shine. Raiding Mags's bookshelf: QAGS, Cold City, Blowback, and what each game does to encourage players in giving info to the GM. Email us your suggestions! Listener feedback. Also, any content creators who worked for the now-defunct Guardians of Order should contact Steve Wieck at DriveThruRPG.


Download 64kbps mp3 (26.4 MB)


Show links
Executive Summary (Wikipedia)
Birka (Wikipedia)
The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)
Mary Sue (Wikipedia)
"A Trekkie's Tale", by Paula Smith (the story that gave us the term "Mary Sue")
QAGS 2nd Edition (Hex Games)
Cold City (Contested Ground Studios)
Mags's reading review of Cold City
RPG Buffet playtest review of Cold City
Blowback RPG
Contact forms for Steve Wieck at OneBookShelf (which owns DriveThruRPG.com)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mags & Carol:Strange Dead Love (White Wolf)


Promos
Rolling 20s
BaltiCon Podcast
Game Knights podcast
Solid Symbols

AGC News March 16th 2011 (26:47)

With Mark, Carol, and Mags. Hobby game growth! Purple Pawn survey! Creative Play charity event coming in April. Barnes and Noble growth. Some glances at how games are doing. Yu-Gi-Oh! suit settled. Marvel Super Hero Squad TCG coming. Steve Jackson Games doubles down on dice games! Killer Bunnies! Dixit: Journey. Cryptozoic keeps on rolling... Talk of top five RPGS. Dungeon Crawl Classics release coming! Dystopian Wars. The 2012 Windhammer Prize is coming! An Ascension Proposal...


Download 64kbps mp3 (13.8 MB)


Show links
Purple Pawn Game Industry Survey Report (pdf)
Creative Play Project
Chronicles of Arborell
Windhammer Prize (Arborell)
An Ascension Proposal
The Proposal (Youtube)

AGC 161 March 10th 2012 (Occupy Big Damn Review Show) (1:12:04)

With Mark Kinney, Carol, and Mags. A show recorded in December (secret arctic base?), when the Occupy theme was more relevant. Mark's Android and Mags' cat. Black Friday. Carol's culinary adventures. Carol's Dresden Update. The Gutter Skypes did in fact finish SLU, and what Mark's local group will do next. DriveThruRPG picks! The reviews begin! Escape From the Aliens in Outer Space! The Mutant Epoch! The Hellas Action Deck! Remnants and Edge! Fortunes Fool! Roller Girls Vs! Mark needs a rap name.


Download 64kbps mp3 (34.6 MB)


Show links
Jungle Jim's International Market
Holly Jolly Fiasco Playset (Board Game Geek)
Escape From The Aliens In Outer Space (Cranio Creations)
The Mutant Epoch (Outland Arts)
Hellas Main Page (Action Deck)
Outrider Studios (Remnants and Edge)
Fortunes Fool (Pantheon Press)
Pantheon Press Bundle
Roller Girls Vs (Hex Games)


Be sure to check out Gamerati!


AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!
Mark: Savage Worlds Horror Companion (Pinnacle Entertainment Group)
Carol:101 NPC Grudges (PFRPG) (Rite Publishing)
Mags:Skeptic's Guide to Conspiracies (F+W Media)


Promos
Canon Puncture Show
The Weird Show
The Flashing Blade

RPG Buffet 23 (QAGS) (26:56)

Colin Thomas joins RPG Buffet regulars Mags, Steve, Louis, and John to talk about Hex Games' QAGS and a little other game talk. The mentioned 4-hour actual play will be additional content coming up, not something in the actual feed. So keep an eye out, and we'll let you know when it's available!


In January, the RPG Buffet did one of their favorite meals: breakfast for supper! In a twist, Mags decided to provide the fixin's for Bloody Marys. Bloody Mary bars are becoming popular in area restaurants, and for folks hosting breakfasts and brunches in their homes, so consider having one of your own.

Building Your Own Bloody Mary Bar
First, get a good vodka. There are some top shelf vodka producers like Tito’s Handmade (Texas) and 13th Colony (Georgia). You can also kick things up a notch by infusing your vodka. Lemons and limes add a citrus-y kick while fresh jalapenos lend heat. In general, most infusions take less than a week for the flavors to develop, although more creative blends (such as bacon-infused vodka) will take more time. In a pinch, you can buy vodka already infused--Mags recommends Absolut's Pepper vodka.

Of course, you want a good quality tomato juice, since this is the base for your Bloody Mary. Mags likes V-8, for its fuller flavor. V-8 also offers a hot and spicy version, for people who really want heat in their Bloody Marys. And many folks like some orange juice and bitters mixed in.

Other things to consider having at your Bloody Mary bar:
Tabasco
Worcestershire Sauce
Red wine vinegar
Dijon mustard
Celery salt (can also be used to rim the glass)
Black pepper (some people like to rim the glass with a mix of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper)
Garlic powder
Horseradish
Clamato (for "Clammy Mary")
Old Bay Seasoning (something else to rim the glasses with)
Pickled asparagus
Pickled okra
Pickled green beans
Pickled baby carrots
Boiled shrimp (for garnishing a "Clammy Mary")
Celery stalks
Lime and lemon wedges
Olives, a variety of stuffed and pitted
Bacon (strips, or crumbled)
Beef jerky or pepperroni sticks

As you can see, you can get as simple or elaborate as you like. For a simple Bloody Mary bar, just have on hand some chilled vodka, a good pre-mixed Bloody Mary mix (also chilled), and three or four add-ins (such as tabasco sauce, lemon wedges, celery stalks, and beef jerky). Your guests will have a great time. Don't forget plenty of ice!

Here's the ingredients for Mags's favorite Bloody Mary:
5 oz. good tomato juice
1 1/2 oz. fresh orange juice
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Tabasco
1-2 drops Angostora bitters
Freshly ground black pepper or 1 piquin chile, crushed
Pinch of sea salt
3 oz. 90 proof or better tequila
2 celery sticks with some leaves, trimmed to fit glasses (optional)
Crushed ice

February was Black History Month in the US, and Mags's has long threatened to cook Soul Food for the Buffet. Instead of hitting them with chitlins, Mags presented a supper of favorite dishes originating from Africa:

Chicken & Groundnut stew
5- to 6-pound chicken, cut and chopped into 12 or more pieces
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 cup peanut oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
5 medium-sized firm ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped and puréed with a food mill
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup dried ground shrimp
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon finely grated ginger root
1/2 teaspoon ground hot red pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
6 cups boiling water
1/4 cup coarsely crumbled dried anchovies, (available in Asian markets)
2 whole fresh hot chillies, each about 3 inches long
1 cup peanut butter and 1 cup cold water beaten to a smooth paste
12 large fresh okra, washed and stemmed, or 12 frozen okra
6 hard-cooked eggs

Pat the chicken completely dry with paper towels. Combine the salt and ground ginger, and rub the mixture evenly over each piece of chicken. In a heavy 5- to 6-quart casserole, heat the oil over moderate heat until it is very hot but not smoking. Brown the chicken in the hot oil, 3 or 4 pieces at a time, turning the pieces frequently with tongs and regulating the heat so they colour richly and evenly without burning. As they brown, transfer the pieces to a plate. Discard all but about 1/4 cup of the oil remaining in the pan and drop in the chopped onions. Stirring frequently and scraping the browned particles from the bottom of the pan, cook the onions for about 5 minutes, until they are soft and translucent. Add the puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, ground shrimp, garlic, ginger root, red pepper and white pepper. Raise the heat to high and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stirring constantly, pour in the boiling water in a thin stream and add the dried anchovies and the whole chillies. Return the chicken and any liquid accumulated around it to the casserole, and turn the pieces with a spoon until they are evenly coated. Cook uncovered over low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter paste and the okra, and continue cooking uncovered until the chicken is tender and the dark meat shows no resistance when pierced with the point of a small, sharp knife. Add the hard-cooked eggs and simmer 4 or 5 minutes or until the eggs are heated through. Serve the stew at once, directly from the casserole or mounded attractively in a heated bowl or deep platter, accompanied by as many garnishes as you like.

Garnishes can be 1/2 cup finely chopped onions; 1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple; ½ cup coarsely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts; spiced okra; avocado salad with ginger; fried plantain cubes, diced ripe papaya or diced tomato salad.


Fufu (from whats4eats.com)
4 to 6 servings
White yams -- 2 pounds
Butter -- 2 tablespoons
Salt and pepper -- to taste

Place the unpeeled yams in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the yams are cooked through and tender. Drain and let cool somewhat. Peel the yams, chop them into large pieces and place them into a large bowl with the butter, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until very smooth. Alternatively, put the yams through a potato ricer and then mix with the butter, salt and pepper. Place the fufu into a large serving bowl. Wet your hands with water, form into a large ball and serve.

To eat fufu, pull a small ball of mush off with your fingers, form an indentation with your thumb and use it to scoop up stews and other dishes. Or place large balls in individual serving bowls and spoon stew around them.


Ethiopian greens (from Betumi.com)

1 lb. Green Kale, chopped fine
1 Medium Onion, finely minced
1/2-1 tsp. Garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. Ginger, ground
1/2 tsp. Tumeric
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped
1/2 cup Water
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

Steps:
1) Saute onion in oil until clear.
2) Add garlic and spices.
3) Cook 3 minutes.
4) Add chopped kale.
5) Add water.
6) Cover and cook kale until tender (about 30 min.)
7) Add jalapenos and cook for 5 min. on low heat.
8) Add more salt to taste (serves 6).


Pineapple, Ginger, and Chili Salad
1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
25 g (1 oz) fresh root ginger, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1/2 a cucumber, cut into same size chunks as the pineapple
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Mix together all the ingredients and leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes. Serves 4.


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GM's Day is March 4th, a day for celebrating the work and sweat that the GM puts into their games. And for the last few years, DriveThruRPG has observed this with a sale, and this year they're offering 25% off on thousands of products between now and March 7th, 2012! Just on the first page I saw Changeling, Cyberpunk, Fading Suns, and numerous old school FGU products on offer, and that's just the first page!

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