What Would The Smart Party Do?

Episode 107 - Electric Bastionland (a.k.a You Have Shared Ownership of a Child's Musket) Into the Odd was one of the lad's favourite independent game offerings of a couple of years ago, and now Chris McDowall is back again with his follow up, Electric Bastionland. Chris jumps in to talk about the imminent Kickstarter (early November 2019), what the design process was on the new game, what new and improved and much more. Plus! A five minute character creation session and other great content. If you want to see Chris' Blog find out more here Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

Episode 106 - Versions and Editions (a.k.a. d4 Damage for the Ill Behaviour) Don't remember the Edition Wars do you junior? Well, pull a stool, buy a tankard of ale and let the old timers tell you all about it... This week the lads go into new editions, versions and reboots. With special guest Mat Hart from Steamforged Games, the guys talk about why new editions come about, if they really change anything and if not, why not? Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

Episode 105 - Savage Worlds Settings (a.k.a. I'd Just Savage It) In the concluding part of their talk about Savage Worlds (for now!), the boys go through the some of the settings for the game, official and otherwise - as well as discussing what you can do for creating your own setting or adapting other things. Pinnacle Entertainment have lots of news on the core products, licenced goodies and an active forum too. Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

Episode 104 - Savage Worlds Walkthrough - Part Two (a.k.a. Who Doesn't Like Rolling 15d8?) Savage Worlds part two, electric bugaloo. Who doesn't like cool subsystems and engaging GM advice? Savage Worlds has a lovely variety of bonus rules, including Allies, Mass Battles, Dramatic Tasks and more. The lads also discuss powers, magic and otherwise - plus the excellent GM advice section! Plus, of course, an overview of the game as a whole. Pinnacle Entertainment have lots of news on the core products, licenced goodies and an active forum too. Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

Episode 103 - Savage Worlds Walkthrough - Part One (a.k.a. What Colour is Your Wild Die?) Savage Worlds is one of the lad's favourite games, they've been there since the beginning (arguably before!) and the new Adventure Edition is hitting virtual inboxes everywhere, with the physical products due in store soon (sometimes referred to as SWADE) - so let the guys take you on a walkthrough of one of the best action adventure systems out there. Great for beginners thinking of joining in, or old hands who want to see what's new. Pinnacle Entertainment have lots of news on the core products, licenced goodies and an active forum too. Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

Episode 102 - UK Games Expo and King of Dungeons (a.k.a Electric Boogaloo) The lads kick back and reminisce about the recent UK Games Expo, their seminar, people they met, things they saw and games they played. Also, a review of The Kraken spring break, other small convention happening and of course, chatter about the King of Dungeons Kickstarter that funded in just 13 minutes. Thanks to everyone that chatted to or otherwise supported the guys or the 'cast over the weekend. Good to get a game from the guys at The Effekt podcast and try out the new Alien RPG from Free League. Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

Episode 101 - How to GM - Live From UK Games Expo 2019 UK Games Expo is the third largest gaming convention in the world, and the lads were there to chat to people, buy goodies and of course, run the "How to GM at Conventions" panel. With good friends of the show Dirk the Dice and Paul Fricker, from the Grognard Files and Good Friends of Jackson Elias respectively. The guys had an amazing time, and a great audience full of questions. Lesson learned - rephrase the question for the microphones! Maybe next time. Thanks to UK Games Expo for hosting the 'cast - a great event as always. Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

It's that time of year - the UK's biggest gaming event is just around the corner. UK Games Expo 2019 is upon us and the lads have a good old natter about what to do, things to see and what's hot for 2019. Never been before? Just want to get excited? Happy just to hear geeks chunter on about gaming stuff? It's all here... Join The Smart Party and special guests Dirk the Dice from the Grognard Files and Paul Fricker from The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, for a seminar at noon Saturday of Expo, as they give you the low down on how to get the most out of your RPG sessions. Top tips, sage advice, fascinating war stories, and answers to your burning questions. Whether you want to know how to get started, or are an old hand looking for the latest hot take – they’re here for you! Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

Episode 100 - Centenary Celebrations! (a.k.a Here's To 100 More) Back in the mists of time, the earth cooled and then there were dinosaurs. Not long after Baz and Gaz were sitting round drinking whisky and solving gaming. It's been 100 episodes! Officially, in reality there have been many more, with bonus episodes, actual play and no one really knows what happened to episode 11. Good friends of the show Dirk the Dice and Paul Fricker come along to help celebrate, talking about the last five years of RPGs and looking forward to the next five. The lads would like to thank all their Glorious Guests over the years, Dirk the Dice from the Grognard Files and Paul Fricker from The Good Friends of Jackson Elias for guesting here, Iain McAlister from the Brainwaves podcast for standing in when Baz goes AWOL, of course all the wonderful Patreons that keep the show going, and of course, both their listeners. This is for all of you! Get in touch, the lads love to hear from you! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty T

Episode 99 - Roleplaying Games of the 70s (a.k.a Watership Down Scarred Me For Life) Simpler times, halcyon days? Baz and Gaz take a trip down memory lane and go through some of the very first RPGs from D&D in 1974, to Bushido on the cusp of the veritable explosion of product in the 80s. Even the venerable and wizened hosts aren't old enough to be buying the games as they came out, so conversation is sometimes mere impressions of the heady days at the cradle of gaming, but don't worry dear listeners, the 80s will be along soon for a double episode! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party Email: thesmartparty@hotmail.com Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/thesmartparty Patreons: patreon.com/thesmartparty

Episode 98 - Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition (a.k.a Show Us Your Two-Tailed Comet) ‘So, what are you here for? Adventure? Maybe. Gold? Probably. Justice? Ha, that’s a flexible term! What’s that I see in your eye, that pious gleam? Oh, you want to do the right thing. So long as it’s well enough paid, entertaining, and fits with your political views. Eh, close enough, you’ll do, come inside and I’ll tell you about the job.’ So begins the intro of WFRP 4e, a grim world of perilous of adventure - Baz and Gaz are long time fans and walk through the latest iteration giving sage insights, wistful comments on older editions and generally getting excited about how pretty it is. Find out about WFRP 4e at the Cubicle 7 site You can listen to some Actual Play of the game! Good friends of the show, The Grognard Files play in their 2018 summary show We have some more on this very site! There's even more (for free) on our Patreon page! Facebook: facebook.com/thesmartparty Twitters: twitter.com/the_smart_party

Episode 97 - Dennis Detwiller Interview (a.k.a. Everyone Walking Around In Parkas ) Top guestage again dear listeners, the lads chat to RPG writer and artist Dennis Detwiller who you will no doubt recognise from Ennie-award winning Delta Green, Magic the Gathering, GODLIKE and much more - including Arc Dream's latest Kickstarter (at time of writing) Wrestlenomicon. The guys talk about the changes in writing and publishing games, classic RPGs, improvements in the industry and making a quality product, plus games stores and digital art and much more. You can check out more of Dennis' work at his patreon page, by visiting Arc Dream, and there's lots of good Delta Green content on the dedicated site. He's also active on the Twitters - follow him here! Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email the guys directly! You can also buy them a Ko-Fi. Many thanks to all the Patreons who keep the 'cast on the air. Encourage the lads by becoming a Patreon supporter, which will lead to fully

Episode 96 - Ken Hite Interview (a.k.a What If Vampires Are Snake People?) Top guestage again this time dear listeners as the lads chat to gaming luminary Ken Hite about Vamprire, Night's Black Agents, The Fall of Delta Green, Nephilim, future projects, novels, games design, ploughing the world's history for gameable content, pilum throw weights and much more! You can get more podcast goodness by listening to Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff (KARTAS). Ken mentioned Star Crossed by Alex Roberts, which you can find on Bully Pulpit Games and Nathan Paoletta's upcoming Imp of the Perverse has details here. Some of the other games we mentioned: Fall of Delta Green Night's Black Agents Vampire V5 Nephilim And of course, the author to recommend to your 10 year olds, Diana Wynne Jones. Gaz recommends The Vory and other books by Mark Galeotti while you're buying books. Finally, there's the Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes kickstarter. Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email th

Episode 95 - Dungeon Master's Guide - Part Two (a.k.a. A Thinking DMs Book) With a surfeit of D&D designer guests and other goodness, the lads round off their current D&D coverage with a walkthrough of the second half of the DMG. What old favourites still languish in the book, and what exciting new gems? How has the last few years of gaming and writing thereof influenced this tome? When D&D 6 comes out - will we even still have a DMG? All this and more is discussed in this week's bumper episode. Look out for the bonus episode, with rolls on tables from the DMG and a live example of ideas for creating scenarios. Have you used the DMG in anger? Got thoughts on the book? Let The Smart Party know... Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email the guys directly! Encourage the guys to pump out more content by becoming a Patreon supporter, this leads to the aforementioned scenarios, fanzine and more!

Episode 94 - Kate Welch Interview (a.k.a. Stat Blocks and Vegetables) Bask in the mellifluous tones of D&D game designer Kate Welch, talking to the lads about what it's like to work at Wizards of the Coast. After one year on the job, Kate describes her start at Wizards, thoughts that go into design, user experience and bringing skills from the video game industry, standing up and shouting with joy in meetings about vampires and what's so good about the Monk class anyway? Plus! Much, much more... You can hear some more D&D content with our Dungeon Master's Guide overview (part one). We chatted to Mike Mearls a couple of weeks ago, well worth checking out. You can see Kate on her Game Juice channel or Acquisitions Incorporated The Series. Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email the guys directly! Many thanks to new Patreons, Nick, Matthew, Philippe and Dan! Plus all the regular supporters and listeners too. Encourage the lads by becoming a Patreon supporter, which

Episode 93 - Mike Mason Interview (a.k.a. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn") Why vote for the lesser evil? This week the lads chat to returning guests Mike Mason, Line Editor for Call of Cthulhu at Chaosium. Topics included how to start out playing Call of Cthulhu and the thinking behind the starter set, latest gossip on new products, Greg Stafford's legacy, revision of licensees, producing fan content via Miskatonic Repository and more! Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email the guys directly! You can also buy them a Ko-Fi. Many thanks to new Patreons, Thomas and Duncan! Plus all the regular supporters and listeners too. Encourage the lads by becoming a Patreon supporter, which will lead to fully fleshed out scenarios, fanzines and more!

Episode 92 - Mike Mearls Interview (a.k.a. Hit Dice are the new Healing Surge) Rare treat this week dear listeners, the lads interview Mr D&D himself right now, Mike Mearls. We cover current projects, what it was like taking over the helm, design choices and some nitty gritty details and listener questions, among many other things. Very insightful, and a charming guest, we look forward to inviting Mike back in the near future to answer more gems such as "What the hell is a hit point?" and "Why do you hate Warlords so much?". You can hear some more D&D content with our Dungeon Master's Guide overview (part one). Image culled from the D&D Beyond channel - worth checking out if you want more aids for D&D games. Mike's Happy Fun Hour is definitely good for viewing if you have any interest at all in design of classes for the game and that sort of thing. Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email the guys directly! Many thanks to new Patreons, Nick, Matthew, Philipp

Bonus Episode - Rolling Up A DMG Scenario (a.k.a. Stop Moaning and Roll Your Dice) Hot on the heels of our Dungeon Master's Guide overview (part one), the lads have done a bonus episode rolling on the tables in the DMG and coming up with some ideas for a scenario. If you've got a copy of the book handy, then play along as they come up with table entries and what they might mean. Think about what you might do. Let the guys know how you get on. What would you do differently? Have you ever used this method before? Any hot tips to help new GMs? Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email the guys directly! Encourage the guys to pump out more content by becoming a Patreon supporter, this leads to fully fleshed out scenarios, fanzines and more!

Episode 91 - Dungeon Master's Guide - Part One (a.k.a. Generic Cleric) Arguably one of the most overlooked, under-read RPG books of recent years, the Dungeon Master's Guide has lots of interesting parts and deserves a more thorough look. Gaz and Baz take a wander through the first few chapters of this D&D staple and offer insights on the pages found therein! New DMs or old hands alike could gain something from delving into a staple of the RPG library. Looks out for a bonus episode, with rolls on tables from the DMG and a live example of ideas for creating scenarios. Have you used the DMG in anger? Got thoughts on the book? Let The Smart Party know... Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email the guys directly! Encourage the guys to pump out more content by becoming a Patreon supporter, this leads to the aforementioned scenarios, fanzine and more!

Episode 90 - Plans For 2019 (aka Your Motivation Is Down The Gym) Stuck for what to do in the New Year? Does it all seem to much? Too many games, not enough time? It's exactly the same at Smart Party Towers. This week the lads look at what 2019 might hold, how to get the most out of gaming hours, which books to read, corralling gamers and choosing systems and settings. Let's get some games in and all be even better players in 2019! Do The Smart Party a favour and head on over to the EN World site to vote for them (and anyone else you fancy, it's multiple choice) as a great podcast of 2018! It'd be an amazing festive present for everyone. Want to chat about this or other topics with like-minded folk? The Smart Party are now on MeWe (the popular destination for those leaving G+). Find the lads via Facebook, on the Twitters: @the_smart_party or email the guys directly! Encourage the guys to pump out more content by becoming a Patreon supporter, this leads to the aforementioned scenarios, fanzine and more!