Panda's Talking Games

Show us how you keep your game going in this time of physical distancing! Phil and Senda talk about some things to consider as you move online and quick tips on making the move as smooth as possible…

Show us how you run a dungeon crawl without being boring! Phil and Senda talk about what pieces make up our idea of a dungeon crawl to help you pick the parts that will be fun (and potentially nosta…

Show us how you manage your cliche use in games! Senda and Phil chat about tropes, shticks, and cliches; why you might want to avoid cliches, and when you might want to lean in and use them. Also, m…

Show us how you manage mind altering effects in games! Phil and Senda talk about some of the ways they are problematic and some possible ways to mitigate or manage at least some of the issues. Also,…

Show us how you handle lines and veils as a living documents — recorded live on twitch! Senda and Phil talk about their (current and evolving) thoughts on lines and veils as a living document and in…

Show us how you run an impromptu (esque) RPG game day! Phil and Senda talk about their trip to WI for Weregator’s surprise birthday party and how they managed running games and setting up a quick sy…

Show us how youuuuuuu do a grab bag or the B show! Phil and Senda talk players who don’t show up, props, and inspiration. Also, movies with bad rotten tomato reviews, Axe body spray, Aliens, giggles…

Show us how you manage transactional complications as a player and as a GM! Phil and Senda talk about setting table expectations, how to use transactional complications effectively, and how to not b…

Show us how you manage an online game! From recruitment to note taking, Senda and Phil are here with some thoughts on running one shots and campaigns online. Also, way more than you wanted to know …

Show us how you implement the hero’s journey in one shots and campaigns! Phil and Senda talk about this classic story structure and ways you can make it work in games vs. static media. Also, Transit…

Show us how you hard frame a scene! Phil and Senda talk hard openings and hard endings for scenes when you need to keep a story clipping along. Also, Phil used his one wish on a dumpster.

Bonus …

Show us how you handle splitting the party in story games! Phil and Senda talk pros and cons and some tips for being split up and for when you’re not so that you can mix the two like a pro. Also, Ni…

Show us how you co-GM! Phil and Senda have been deflecting this question for YEARS now, but…we think we can now approach it! This is the third and final episode of our live on mic negotiation of how…

Show us how you co-GM! Phil and Senda have been deflecting this question for YEARS now, but…we think we can now approach it! This is the second part of our live on mic negotiation of how we will app…

Show us how you co-GM! Phil and Senda have been deflecting this question for YEARS now, but…we think we can now approach it! This is the first part of our live on mic negotiation of how we will appr…

Show us how you manage an open table! Phil and Senda talk running games when you have fluctuating attendance with many characters, such as at a school or a game store, and how to still run a coheren…

Well friends…we recorded a good, long, normal episode this week — and then discovered that the audio was mangled beyond retrieval. So instead we bring you this super short, COMPLETELY UNEDITED (exce…

It’s a Grab Bag! We’re on our way back from Metatopia today, so Senda and Phil talk about not letting your next campaign steal steam from the current one, balancing new hotness with old standbys, an…

Phil and Senda sit down to answer three quick questions for a November Grab bag — the first of two this month, as we’ll be at Metatopia coming up 11/7! Let us know if you’ll be there! On today’s epi…

Show us how you avoid the too-much-planning and analysis paralysis in your games! Phil and Senda talk creating urgency, adding stakes, and how to mitigate the issues of players who don’t have the sa…