We enter the strange world of the cult movies and the macabre in this episode with the help of Hypnogoria Podcast.

The Armchair Adventurers have had another incredible year of gaming. Dirk and Blythy roll out the red carpet to the GROGGIE awards. At the Book Club, Bud talks about Viral: A Modern Call of Cthulhu Scenario.

Join us at GROGMEET22 where we meet Chris McDowall, author of Into the Odd and Electric Bastionland.

This is the GROGPOD naked. There’s no interviews or GROGSQUAD sections, it is just Dirk and Blythy talking bobbins. Swordbearer was a game that we played a lot for a brief period. We liked it, but for some reason it didn’t connect and become a game that did not stick in our repertoire. Why not? … Continue reading "SwordBearer RPG Ep.56"

This time we explore the worlds of Savage Worlds from Deadlands to Slipstream and beyond.

"Moby Dick as a Slasher pic" Paul Fricker talks to The Great Library of RPGs Book Club about Full Fathom Five for Call of Cthulhu.

Exploring the very best that Savage Worlds RPG can offer the gamer. Personal insights from The Armchair Adventurers (Dirk, Blythy and The Daily Dwarf) and special guest Eric Lamoureux

This is the second part of our exploration of Scarred for Life, the fantastic series of books about growing up in the dark decades of the seventies and eighties. Gen X-rated popular culture shaped our imaginations and informed our gaming. Buy the books here. Content warning for this one as we quote directly from a … Continue reading "Scarred for Life by RPGs (with Stephen Brotherstone) Ep. 54 (Part 2)"

Here we go! After a two year break, Dirk and Blythy are back in Birmingham talking about RuneQuest, DCC, Traveller, Conan, Old School Essentials and into the Odd. It’s good to be back. Why not support us on Patreon?

The 70s and 80s were the golden age of dark popular culture and Scarred for Life have chronicled the TV, comics, adverts, sweets and others of the period in a conversational but forensic style. There are two volumes available with a third on its way at the end of Summer ’22, which will feature role-playing … Continue reading "Scarred for Life by RPGs (with Stephen Brotherstone) Ep 54 (Part 1)"

Welcome, this is an extra-GROGPOD which is from a live recording made at this year’s virtual GROGMEET. Every month, on the first Sunday, the GROGSQUAD meet to discuss books from The Great Library of RPGs. This time we read The Gutter Prayer and invited Gareth Hanrahan for a Q&A session. If you would like to … Continue reading "RPG Book Club GROGPOD Extra (with Gareth Hanrahan)"

One of the foundational films that shaped the games that we played is Excalibur (1981). In this episode we look back on the film and consider how it can continue to inspire our gaming. To see some of the issues of Starburst that we refer to in this episode, you’ll find images over at Dirk … Continue reading "King Arthur Pendragon RPG (with David Larkins) Ep.53 (Part 2)"

Join me as I take an idea for a walk across the Gangster RPG shelf in the GROGPOD den. It also features a sample actual play of GangBusters – The Vanishing Investigator. Games mentioned: GangBusters Gangster! Crime Fighter Fiasco Hillfolk Spirit of ’77 Cartel Blades in the Dark Wise Guys Also mentioned: Good Friends of … Continue reading "GangBusting RPGs (GROGPOD extra)"

In this episode, we finally draw the sword from the stone and examine a game that had an enormous impact on gaming in the 80s: King Arthur Pendragon. David Larkins, the Pendragon line editor for Chaosium, joins us to tell us about the history of the game, how it works and the future developments. Judge … Continue reading "King Arthur Pendragon RPG (with David Larkins)"

“Get your trousers on, you’re nicked!” We are still in the mood for some old fashioned cops and robbers. In this part we look a bit more closely at how the rules work in GangBusters. Judge Blythy, our resident rules lawyer casts his eye over some of the highlights of the system. New in this … Continue reading "GangBusters Ep.52 (Part 2)"

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster in an RPG. This time we look back at a classic from back in the day. Pound the mean streets of LakeFront City as we look back to playing the game back in the 80s. Blythy opens up the box of delights … Continue reading "GangBusters RPG (with Mark Hunt) Ep.52 (Part 1)"

It’s that time of the year again when our thoughts turn to The GROGGIES, our review of the year, with a series of special awards for the highlights. Get ready to open the spurious golden envelope to find the winners. We are delighted to have musical accompaniment by Paul Mitchener who also provides his First, … Continue reading "Episode 51 – Review of 2021"

We return to the subject of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks with our special guest Jonathan Green who has written a history of the publishing phenomena. He is an active gamebook designer with many projects in his repertoire. You’ll find his latest work Ronin 47 (late pledges) kickstarter. Judge Blythy joins me at the Las O Gowrie … Continue reading "Episode 50 (Part 3) Fighting Fantasy (with Jonathan Green)"

Welcome to another extra all about this year’s GROGMEET. This time it includes a live recording made at Fan Boy Three. Frankenstein’s RPG podcast has been pulling together the best bits of role-playing games this year to produce an epic monster of a game. We got together to decide which would be the best supplement … Continue reading "Extra – Dirk and Blythy grogMEET Frankenstein (with Ian Cooper and Paul Fricker)"

It’s that time of year when we are preparing for the GROGMEET convention in Manchester and, this time, online. Blythy and Dirk discuss the history of the meet-up, give some tips on how to start one yourself, discuss the thorny issue of ‘player sign-ups’ and run through the games they are running at the event. … Continue reading "Extra – It’s a con! GROGMEET preparation"

We are pleased to say that Ian Livingstone returns to the GROGPOD to face the Games Master’s Screen. He talks about the early days of White Dwarf and the upcoming book, Dice Men from Unbound, and he also talks about his role in shaping computer studies in the UK. Fabio Vollono shares the first game … Continue reading

Armed with no more than 2 dice a pencil and eraser we are delighted to have special guest Ian Livingstone on Episode 50. Also in this episode, the return of face to face recording in the Las O Gowrie. Judge Blythy talks to Dirk about his experiences of Fighting Fantasy and reveals his thoughts of … Continue reading

Forgotten Futures is the table-top RPG that is based on the scientific romances of the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Marcus L Rowland take us on a tour on his works and the ways that it has been distributed during its years of production. You can find a whole host of fascinating material on Marcus’ … Continue reading

This is the 80th GROGPOD and there is a sense of celebration in the air. We are delighted to have Marcus L Rowland as our guest. He was a stalwart of Whit Dwarf during its hey day. Cthulhu Now! Green Horizon, To Live and Die in Mega City One and the Fear of Flying, his … Continue reading

The GROGNARD files returns with the Return of Call of Cthulhu with the return of Lynne Hardy. This time she faces the Keeper’s Screen to reveal her Arcane secrets. She talks about her contribution to the Dying Earth Role-Playing Game, Cogs, Cakes and Swordsticks, the game she designed, and more news about upcoming Chaosium releases … Continue reading