After Serenity

Summer is here, and that means reading! On this episode, it’s all books, all the time as we talk about our Summer Reading Lists for 2023. Need more inspiration? Check out these posts. The Summer Reading Lists 2023 David’s Picks Ken’s Picks Feedback We love feedback! You post a comment below or connect with us … S3E17 Summer Reading Lists for 2023 Read More » The post S3E17 Summer Reading Lists for 2023 appeared first on Lair Of Secrets.

In this podcast episode, we look at Oracles for role-playing games. Oracles are a kind of random generator popularized by solo RPGs like Ironsworn and the Mythic Game Master Simulator. However the idea of oracles – in which you role some dice to determine a course of action or inspire some aspect of your game … S3E16 Oracles for Role-Playing Games Read More » The post S3E16 Oracles for Role-Playing Games appeared first on Lair Of Secrets.

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets podcast we look at using different media in your role-playing game sessions. This includes tools like thematic artwork, background music, in-game fiction, and even props. We also look at the new Sentinels of Earth-Prime digital card game by Handelebra (based on the print game by Greater than … S3E15 Using Music, Art, and Props in Your Game Read More » The post S3E15 Using Music, Art, and Props in Your Game appeared first on Lair Of Secrets.

On this episode, we talking about changing gears – changing game systems, changing genres, changing roles, changing groups – as part of our May 2023 RPG Blog Carnival hosting duties. Before venturing into those tiny, switching passages, all different, we talk about Ken’s return to backpacking, discuss new streaming series (Lockwood and Co., Picard, and … S3E14 Changing Gears Read More » The post S3E14 Changing Gears appeared first on Lair Of Secrets.

On this episode of Lair of Secrets, Ken totally doesn’t buy a new game he doesn’t have time to play, while David fights the good fight against streaming technical difficulties. Our main topic is a look at our favorite card games, including Fluxx, Exploding Kittens, Morels, Race for the Galaxy, and more. Game Room Main … S3E13 Our Favorite Card Games Read More »

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets we venture deep into the Role-Playing Game Vault to uncover a host of games that aren’t Dungeons & Dragons. We also talk about the new games we didn’t buy, ZineQuest 5, and the launch of the Leon Library Book Club, and The Obelisk Gate by N. K. … S3E12 Games other than Dungeons & Dragons Read More »

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets we talk about pacing your game, including techniques you can use and techniques baked into some of our favorite RPGs. First though, we’re venturing back into the Game Room to catch up on new games and new campaigns. The Game Room Main Topic: Pacing Your Game Feedback … S3E11: Pacing Your Game Read More »

On this episode of the Lair of Secrets, we take a look at our favorite board games, including Catan, Carcassone, Pandemic, and Space Hulk. We also venture back to the game room to check out the very modern PlayStation 5, the very retro Atari 50 video game museum/collection, and two newer video games: Sexy Brutale … S3E10 Board Games We Love Read More »

The Game Master's Toolbox - a physical tool for organizing your gaming supplies - is the focus of this episode of Radio Active. Before delving into our repurposed Plano boxes though, we explore the St. Louis Science Center and take an extensive detour through the Game Room to talk about the Atari VCS, Portal Companion Edition, gaming at work, and consider the benefits of a gamer journal. We also geek out about the new Willow streaming series on Disney+.

On Episode 8, the holidays of the real world inspire a discussion of bringing holidays and special events to our game worlds. We also talk about geek Christmas trees, Seeing Eye puppies, our continued exploration of cyberpunk, and Netflix’s new Wednesday series. The Geek Tree The All-Seeing Eye The Library The Streaming Theatre Main topic: … S3E8 Bringing Holidays to RPGs Read More »

Winter is coming. The holidays are almost here. How do you keep your gaming group going through the long, dark winter (or at least, the holiday break)? In addition to delving into holiday game survival strategies, we talk about David’s recent trip and the gaming insights he gained from it, Ken gets lost in TaleSpire … S3E7 Keeping Your Gaming Group Going through the Holidays Read More »

As we gear up for our Cyberpunk RED campaign, we take some time to brainstorm ideas for for the game (If only reality didn’t keep getting more cyberpunk-ish than cyberpunk). Over in the library, we discuss William Gibson’s Count Zero, then venture to the Game Room to talk about Forbidden Lands, CY_BORG, Mothership, and the just announced … S3E6 Cyberpunk Brainstorming Read More »

As we build momentum toward our Cyberpunk RED campaign, we take a moment to reflect on the cyberpunk movies, books, games, and other media that inspires our take on the subgenre. We also talk National Novel Writing Month, hockey (yes, hockey), virtual gaming via NVIDIA GeForce Now, and the TaleSpire virtual table top.

The subject of travel and how visiting other parts of the country and the world can improve your game is the main topic for Episode 4 of the Lair of Secrets podcast. Before we delve into that globe-trotting topic, we geek out about AirPods, resurrecting the game room after the pandemic, variant endings for Cyberpunk … S3E4 Travel and RPGs, Game Room Reclamation, Steamdeck Redux, Andor, Cyberpunk RED Critical Mass Read More »

On Episode 3 of Season 3, we catch up on a few weeks of geeky pursuits. David discusses not watching to finish Cyberpunk 2077, and then we both rundown the big list of stuff we’re watching (or want to watch) on streaming. Ken’s planning to return to real world game conventions with MEPACon and discusses … S3E3 Cyberpunk Laments, Streaming Catch Up, Back to Conventions, Steam Deck, Character Background Haiku Read More »

In Episode 2, we brainstorm ideas for a rebooted Savage Ringworld campaign, which mashes up high concept science fiction with the Savage… Read more S3E2 Savage Ringworld

As summer ends, David and Ken get together to geek out about GenCon 2022, the resurgence of all things Cyberpunk,… Read more S3E1 Spelljammer, GenCon 2022, Cyberpunk RED, RPG a Day

In the final episode of Season 2, we talk about exploring strange new worlds, meeting new civilizations, and then …… Read more S2E21 Season 2 Retrospective, Star Trek, Honey Heist, Obi-Wan

It’s summer, so let’s grab some books, head to the beach/lake/mountains and read! Main Topic: Summer Reading List The Empire’s… Read more S2E20 Summer Reading

Welcome to the Lair of Secrets! On this episode, we delve into retro gaming, review David’s expanded reading list, talk… Read more S2E19 Retro Gaming, Moar Books!, Building Computers, Mork Borg