Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff: Chekov’s Squid Throwing

In the latest episode of our entangling podcast, Ken and I talk monster ability awareness, stolen passports, William S. Burroughs and the Mary Celeste.

Siri as Instrument of Gaming Unease

During the other night’s 13th Age game, the characters had three minutes before a disguise self spell expired, exposing one of the PCs to a dangerous potential enemy and the rest of them to the discovery of their ruse. After a little bit of dialogue I realized what I really ought to be doing. I grabbed my iPhone and used Siri to set a three-minute timer. This immediately sent shivers of suspense through the entire group. The ability to set a timer at the gaming table is by no means new. But the combination of the voice command and everyone's understanding of what that meant added an extra frisson of tension to the classic ticking clock situation. Now, I would only use this in a dialogue sequence where real time and game time roughly equal one another. Here it worked delightfully. Thanks for the GMing assist, Siri.

See P. XX, June Edition

The latest edition of Pelgrane Press’ See P. XX now waves for your attention in modest yet dignified fashion. As always, it features an edition of my eponymous column, in this case devoted to the three ways in which we read RPG core books.

Alongside it in the grab bag of Pelgraney goodness: crowdfunding, Night’s Black Agents achievements and competition winners, playtest updates and opportunities, Owl Hoot Trail notes, and Simon Rogers’ latest progress report on the increasingly bustling world of Pelgrane. Check it out.

See P. XX

In my promotional flurry for The Birds: There Goes My Dream Job I have been remiss in directing you to the April edition of Pelgrane Press’ webzine, See P. XX.

My eponymous column previews The Gaean Reach design process, explaining how a game I thought was going to be Skulduggery with a dash of GUMSHOE asserted itself the other way around.

But that’s just for starters! Also included:

• an inquiry into the love life of the doomed Augustus Darcy, from Book of the Smoke
• an introduction to the gorgeous artwork of new Pelgrane illustrator Phil Reeves
• tradecraft and character dossiers for Night’s Black Agents
• playtesting opportunities, including The Gaean Reach
• tantalizing first looks for the 13th Age, Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet’s upcoming love letter to dungeon-crawling fantasy adventure
• and as always, Simon’s update on what’s new and in the works at Pelgrane