Download “Economics in RPGs”
The gang chats about Economic systems in RPGs! (57min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
NPC CAST
Your place for face to face games.
Headline Hooks & Jabs
Download “Headline Hooks & Jabs”
Chris and Del trade blow in a headline story hook challenge! (58min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC Cast Episode 58 – From the Headlines
JFK’s love letter to mistress one month before death will be auctioned
Italian man suffers brain damage and now eats, reads and speaks French
AMERICA’S WORKFORCE RUNS ON UPPERS
Horrified woman claims neighbour ‘sold her freezer containing dead mother’s frozen FOOT’
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Red Markets with Caleb Stokes
Download “Red Markets”
Chris has a chat with Caleb from the Role-Playing Public Radio about his new game Red Markets! (68min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Acadecon and the RPG Academy
Download “Acadecon and the RPG Academy”
Chris has a chat with Michael from the RPG Academy about their convention’s recent successful Kickstarter! (66min)
Things you may be interested in:
Acadecon Tickets via Eventbrite
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Matryoshka w/ Monte Cook
Download NPC Cast Episode 176 – Matryoshka w/ Monte Cook
Recorded live in front of an audience at MoxCon 2016, the gang is joined by legendary RPG designer Monte Cook for some Campaign Crucible action! (55min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Vehicles in RPGs
Download NPC Cast Episode 175 – Vehicles in RPGs
NPC Chris and NPC Del chat about Vehicles in RPGs! (60min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Heavy Board Games
Download NPC Cast Episode 174 – Heavy Board Games
The NPC Cast guys chat about heavy board games, and how you can convince your friends to try them! (68min)
Things you may be interested in:
Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Trappers – Campaign Crucible
Download NPC Cast Episode 173 – Trappers
In this episode campaign crucible episode, the guys take suggestions from Patreon and make a random table! (63min)
Things you may be interested in:
Manifest Destiny (Comic Series)
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
One Shot Invades NPC Cast
Download NPC Cast Episode 172 – One Shot Invades NPC Cast
In this episode, James and Kat from the One Shot podcast come on the show to chat about their new project, plus improv at the RPG table! (69min)
Things you may be interested in:
Noisy Person Cards Kickstarter
Expedition: The Roleplaying Card Game
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
We Can Do Better
Download NPC Cast Episode 171 – We Can Do Better
Hello!
The episode is coming out a bit early this week. There are two reasons for that. The minor one is logistical: I’m flying out to Baltimore in a several hours and didn’t want to deal with the hassle of scheduling the post. The second reason is because this is a serious and important topic, and after finishing the editing I wanted to get it out as soon as I could.
This past week, there was a blog post which made the rounds that highlighted one woman’s history of discrimination, harassment, and sexual abuse in and around the gaming industry. We consider ourselves allies to anyone that wishes to participate in this amazing hobby. We want people to find safety and acceptance here, regardless of gender identity, sexual preference, race, physical limitations, or age. Just as we have found safety and acceptance within this community for the past 20 years.
Because of this, we felt compelled to speak out regarding these issues. We felt that it would be cowardly for us to not use the modest platform that we have built with you for the past 3 years to let folks know that there are people who care, and there are people who want to work with them in order to make a community that we can all be a part of.
We know this is a departure from our regular episodes, and we hope that you’ll forgive the inconvenience and allow us the opportunity to share our thoughts and honest feelings with you.
We’re not charging patrons for this episode, not because we think any of you in particular would object, but because we don’t feel right doing so. If this episode resonates with you, or you think it may resonate with somebody you know please share it. Thank you for your continued support. ❤
-Chris
Things you may be interested in:
Tabletop Gaming Has a White Male Terrorism Problem [trigger warning]
Sexism in Gaming – A response from Wyrd Miniatures regarding the above blog post.
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Unfun PCs
Download NPC Cast Episode 170 – Unfun PCs
The NPC Cast discusses what you can do if you’re not having fun with your current character! (50min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Del’s GMtervention
Download NPC Cast Episode 169 – Del’s GMtervention
Del has some issues in his campaign and we talk about some potential fixes for his problems! (56min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Planning a Game Night
Download NPC Cast Episode 168 – Planning a Game Night
PLEASE VOTE FOR US FOR THE GOLDEN GEEK AWARDS
The guys chat about the four things that you should consider when planning your game night! (56min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Dungeons in RPGS
Download NPC Cast Episode 167 – Dungeons in RPGs
PLEASE VOTE FOR US FOR THE GOLDEN GEEK AWARDS
The band is back together to chat about what they think would make a great system for dungeons in an RPG! (63min)
Things you may be interested in:
Shadows Over Innistrad Spoilers
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Tabletop Games for Charity
Download NPC Cast Episode 166 – Tabletop Games for Charity
Chris is joined by Extra Life United participants Stephanie Straw and Jamison McLean. They talk about Extra-Life and about playing games for charity! (59min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
The Unwritten Rules of Games
Download NPC Cast Episode 165 – Unwritten Rules
Aaron and Chris talk about some of the Unwritten Rules in Role-Playing games and Board Games! (57min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Hacking in RPGs
Download NPC Cast Episode 164 – Hacking in RPGs
The guys chat about what they want out of a hacking mechanic in RPGs! (65min)
Things you may be interested in:
World Wide Wrestling: International Incident
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Running a Published RPG Module
Download NPC Cast Episode 163 – Running a Published RPG Module
The guys chat about running published RPG modules and how you can tailor them to your campaigns! (55min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
King of the Jungle – Campaign Crucible
Download NPC Cast Episode 162 – King of the Jungle
We do a campaign crucible about Pandas, Politics, and Fighting Tournaments! (65min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
RPG Story Hooks from the Headlines
Download NPC Cast Episode 161 – RPG Story Hooks from the Headlines
Chris and Del are making up RPG story hooks on the fly by referencing current headlines! (55min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC Cast Episode 58: From the Headlines
Chinese spy stole patented corn seeds in Iowa for scientists back home
Martin Shkreli Threatens to Delete Ghostface’s verses from “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin”
Rare 2-legged bullet fish caught.
Overdue book from 1967 returned
B.o.B. Just Started a Rap War With Neil DeGrasse Tyson Over His Flat Earth Tweets
Are Stoned, Hallucinating Coyotes Terrorizing California Drivers?
Abandoned Cruise Ship Full of Starving Rats Headed For Land
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Roll20 and Writing Adventures for Profit
Download NPC Cast Episode 160 – Roll20 and Writing Adventures for Profit
Aaron and Chris chat with Roll20 Co-Founder Nolan T. Jones and Roll20 Brand Manager Suzanne Wallace! (72min)
Things you may be interested in:
WotC Announces OGL and DMs Guild for 5E.
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Pacing Your RPG Sessions
Download NPC Cast Episode 159 – Pacing Your RPG Sessions
We chat about how a GM can approach pacing their campaigns and their individual sessions! (60min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC Cast Episode 109 – Preludes
WotC Announces OGL and DMs Guild for 5E.
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
2015k Casties Finale!
Download NPC Cast Episode 158 – 2015k Casties Finale!
In this episode, we take the games in our Elite 8 and pit them against one another to determine the best game of 2015k! (82min)
Our Elite 8:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
2015k Casties Part 1!
Download NPC Cast Episode 157 – 2015k Casties Part 1!
In this mega episode we narrow the field from our top 32 games of the year to the elite 8! 2015k Casties time! (119min)
CHECK OUT THE BRACKET FOR THE 2015k CASTIES!
Things you may be interested in:
Numenera Skill Building Game – A KS for a game by some of our friends!
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
How to be a Good Player
Download NPC Cast Episode 156 – How to be a Good Player
We offer some of our advice for how to be the type of player your GM would love to have at the table! (73min)
CHECK OUT THE BRACKET FOR THE 2015k CASTIES. FILL IT OUT. MAYBE WIN A PRIZE.
Things you may be interested in:
Pop Culture Playoffs – Aaron and Del’s other podcast!
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Boardless Bullet Points
Download NPC Cast Episode 155 – Boardless Bullet Points
We make some Bullet Point game design pitches about adapting classic board games to boardless versions! (56min)
Things you may be interested in:
Under My Bed Print and Play Files
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Licensed Tabletop Games
Download NPC Cast Episode 154 – Licensed Tabletop Games
The NPC Cast boys chat about licensed tabletop games! What makes them good? What do we want in our licensed games? (64min)
Things you may be interested in:
Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex: First Assault
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Campaign Crucible – The House on the Moors
Download NPC Cast Episode 153 – The House on the Moors
The whole gang is back together and we are doing a campaign crucible! (71min)
Things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
thenpccast@gmail.com
Boardless Games
Download NPC Cast Episode 152 – Boardless Games
Del is back and we talk about board games without boards! (53min)
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Star Wars Wrap-Up
My Star Wars game, which I’ve written about many times, finally wrapped up, with my heroes having freed a dangerous Moff as the general they needed to lead the war effort against an unfrozen Sith-out-of-time who was conquering the galaxy and proclaiming himself “The Returned God”
Since my players are the best players, I created a little video for them to check out of their adventures afterwards. I asked each of them for narration; some got back to me, and I used their text, others I filled in the blanks based on their characters.
I hope you enjoy it and it gives you a few ideas for how to wrap-up your games at home.
Optimizing PCs in RPGs
Download NPC Cast Episode 151 – Optimizing PCs in RPGs
Chris and Aaron have a chat about the optimization of player characters! (43min)
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
What We’ve Learned
Download NPC Cast Episode 150 – What We’ve Learned
EPISODE 150! Chris and Aaron look back at what they have learned about RPGs, Board Games, and themselves since the show has began! (60min)
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
RPG Character Concepts
Download NPC Cast Episode 149 – RPG Character Concepts
In this episode, Chris and Aaron give some love to the players and talk about character concepts! (54min)
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Scythe and 4x Games w/ Jamey Stegmaier
Download NPC Cast Episode 148 – Scythe and 4x Games w/ Jamey Stegmaier
In this episode, Chris and Aaron chat with Jamey Stegmaier about 4X games and his game Scythe! (65min)
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
The Big Picture in RPGs
Download NPC Cast Episode 147 – The Big Picture in RPGs
In this episode, Aaron goes solo and talks about big picture story arcs in RPGs! (22min)
Some things you may be interested in:
Pop Culture Playoffs – Aaron and Del’s other podcast!
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Cypher System – System Mastery
Download NPC Cast Episode 146 – Cypher System – System Mastery
In this episode, Aaron and Chris are joined by Friend-PC Matt as they talk about the Cypher System from Monte Cook Games! (73min)
Some things you may be interested in:
Our Cypher System Actual Plays on Youtube.
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Edge of the Empire Trading Sub-Game
My players in my Edge of the Empire game are leaning into their role as traders and traffickers. To facilitate their dreams of hauling space cargo, I created a very, very simple trading sub-game to let them make money outside of literal quest rewards. The set-up is pretty simple: Each time they touch down on a new, populated world, I roll a d8 six times, and record the result on a form I created and then laminated (so I can re-use it):
Players can then buy any amount of any good they want, at a standard (0) rate of 100 credits per unit. Goods that roll a (-) cost just 50 credits per unit; Goods that roll (+)’s add 50 credits per plus (so if Contraband rolled ++, it would buy and sell at 200 credits per unit). Each unit also takes up a set amount of Storage on their ship, so contraband (such as glitterstim or spice) takes up almost none, while heavy ores and fabrication materials take up a *ton* of space. To offset this disparity, I have made it easier to make money on essential items like food and ore, since those are always relatively in demand. The chart for what items will be in demand at each starport is available here:
Note that Contraband and Weapons are black and red, respectively. These items are either illegal or restricted, and carrying and selling them could come with additional risks, requiring a Streetwise or Negotiation roll to find the right buyer.
Luxuries (like the dwindling supply of Alderaanian Pinot Noir that survived by being in off-world cellars) are rarely found cheap, and most of the time command a fair price – but once in a while, you find a whale that is desperate for that Rancor-foot desk wastebin you’ve been hauling around.
You could even use these randomized, simplified rolls to generate story – did you roll an 8 on Medicine? Perhaps there’s an outbreak on the planet. If the players think to run to Thyferra to pick up Bacta cheap, have them keep in mind that everyone will have this info, so they’ll need to be cunning astrogators to get to Thyferra and back in time to cash in on their plan.
This isn’t a super-deep system, by design, but it’s a little something to make your home game a little more interesting and hopefully give your players something to do with all their ship’s cargo space.
Happy Gaming!
Playing RPGs Online
Download NPC Cast Episode 145 – Playing RPGs Online
In this episode, Aaron and Chris are joined by Friend-PC Stephanie Straw to talk about playing Tabletop RPGs over the world wide web! (68min)
Some things you may be interested in:
City of Egress Episodes on YouTube
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Campaign Crucible – Cel
Download NPC Cast Episode 144 – Cel
In this episode we do another Campaign Crucible! (62min)
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
2-Player Games
Download NPC Cast Episode 143 – 2 Player Games
In this episode we talk about playing board games and role-playing games with 2 players! (61min)
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Videogames and RPGs with Kyle Fergusson
Download NPC Cast Episode 142 – Videogames and RPGs w/ Kyle Fergusson
In this episode we get together with podcaster, blogger, and DM Kyle Fergusson to talk about using video games for inspiration! (61min)
Some things you may be interested in:
Legendary Encounters: Predator
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Food and RPGs
Download NPC Cast Episode 141 – Food and RPGs
In this episode we chat about the food we eat at the RPG table, and also food INSIDE of our RPGs! (63min)
Food We Eat: 03:31
Food Inside: 30:50
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
TPK Primer: The City of Egress
This TPK is named for Bruciare, the crowning jewel of the nation of Contarini, it provides a gateway to the sunless sea. It is a city of art and innovation, where inventors and creators toil away in great contests to win renown for their patron nobles. Those nobles are equally tied up in a constant power struggle to be The First House and create policy for the city, and embroiled in the far reaching conspiracies that keep Bruciare entrenched in the supernatural currents that bubble and churn in the depths of the city.
It is an important era for Bruciare, as a safe and navigable path has been charted across the Sunless Sea that was once thought endless. On the other side lies a mysterious land, and now the nobles have a new contest to be embroiled in: exploring and claiming this new land, which for now remains unnamed. The second house, house Toritzi sees this as a way to claim the coveted first spot, and house Embroli now races to defend its hold. Each house has began to prep a powerful fleet for their expedition. House Ytroo, recently descended from second to third seat, finds itself with no ships following a cunning economic maneuver from house Toritizi. Even lesser houses nip on their coveted position.
This has drawn away attention from the budding supernatural powers that lie hidden beneath the shining facade of the city, which has long considered the dark arts as forbidden and supernatural, something that the savages of other nations partake in. Even now there are stories of golems and clockwork men roaming the streets of the city at night, wandering the maze of canals seeking something…
But Contarini is not the only nation seeking something from the lands across The Sunless Sea. Her neighbor to the north Prahovia, has begun to prepare a journey with its own Ghost Fleet, a dozen galleons painted white that seem to drift across the ocean at supernatural speed. Prahovia’s King, Rurick Vost, rumored to be immortal, even helms a ship in the fleet himself.
Meanwhile Arthfeal, the mysterious lands on the other side of The Shadewood, have decided to use this opportunity to assess Contarini’s strength. Spies of all sorts have journeyed south through the wood, using their magicks of illusion and charm to worm their way into Bruciarian High Society. Even former exiles hope to earn redemption by spying for The Emerald Nation.
OUR CHARACTERS:
Muka Xofed – An exiled soldier of Arthfeal, who always puts his own survival at first priority, he schemes to find a way to infiltrate Contarini’s expeditions and return the intelligence gained as leverage to end his exile.
Mighug Ytroo – The second son of House Ytroo, Mighug is desperately searching for a ship to get across the Sunless Sea. Given his house’s reputation as a house of outsiders and foreigners has bubbled up again with their loss of status, Mighug seeks revenge on house Toritzi. At the same time he must keep his dark arts hidden, or else further expose his family to ridicule.
Set Igew – Even Set himself doesn’t understand his background. He remembers nothing from before his 18th year. He practices a magical art that allows him to infuse the inanimate with life, but at the cost of a memory or two. It stands to reason that at some point he merely gave too much, but the consequences of that are unknown. Now he gets by on his wits and connections, which have told him of a ship left practically unguarded.
Stausk Wioslea – Stausk hails from Prahovia originally, where a ghost’s curse has given his life purpose. While the curse provides him some benefits, he searches for ways to undo what has befallen him, though his curiosity often distracts him. Now he finds himself entangled in the supernatural underbelly of Bruciare, where the abilities of a particular nobleman have drawn his attention.
The first episode of The City of Egress will be streamed this coming Friday, September 11th at 7:30PM PST. You will be able to find episodes on Youtube and in audio form on our Podcast feed shortly after.
Checking in with the Games Industry
Download NPC Cast Episode 140 – Checking in with the Games Industry
In this episode we chat about the current state of the games industry as a whole! WITNESS US! (68min)
Some things you may be interested in:
The Eyrewood (Formerly Thornwatch)
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Minigames in RPGs
Download NPC Cast Episode 139 – Minigames in RPGs
In this episode we chat with about making and using minigames for your RPG campaigns! (55min)
Some things you may be interested in:
The Massing at Sullest – A Star Wars Armada Event
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Board Games that tell Stories – with Plaid Hat Games’ Isaac Vega
Download NPC Cast Episode 138 – Isaac Vega
In this episode we chat with Plaid Hat Games designer Isaac Vega (Bioshock: Infinite, Dead of Winter, Ashes) about Board Games that tell stories! (83min)
Some things you may be interested in:
Unpub: The Unpublished Card Game
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Campaign Crucible – M.A.V.R.I.C.
Download NPC Cast Episode 137 – M.A.V.R.I.C.
In this episode we bang out another Campaign Crucible featuring cryptography, parallel universes, and war games! (67min)
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Gen Con Recap 2015
Download NPC Cast Episode 136 – Gen Con 2015 Recap
Del hosts this episode, and asks us all about what we did at Gen Con! (54min)
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
Magic: the Gathering – System Mastery
Download NPC Cast Episode 135 – Magic: the Gathering System Mastery
This episode we’re at GenCon, but we’re still here to chat with you about Magic: the Gathering! (72min)
Some things you may be interested in:
NPC CAST: YOUR PLACE FOR FACE TO FACE GAMES.
NPC CAST 