Total Pebble Knockdown Total Pebble Knockdown

On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

Candyland may not be a very feature-rich game, but perhaps it could be used as a mechanic for another game... for reasons. We look at a post suggesting this and ask the question about what these mechanics could be if we really wanted to whip out this board game from the back of the closet.

Candyland as a mechanic? - https://twitter.com/riseupcomus/status/1783156398752203009

How hard should you play with the mechanics of a game so you can do a very simple thing? How lost in the weeds can we get when playing with a system? Well, Nathan ran across a Reddit question from many years ago that takes minutia to a new level while making a D&D monster.

Weird Question - https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/5qf5kw/weird_question_i_need_less_hp/

Games can often prove frustrating for the sheer reason that they are difficult, but also suffer from a lack of saving. This was mentioned by The Librarian in relation to Rain World, but Nathan also has an example from his own experience last year: 9 Years of Shadows.

The Librarian clip - https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxiOtqSi8wrm2s8hzUSfCS6jxQnv2hsiOQ


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On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

Fallout got a TV show and Nathan thinks it did a really good job at representing the series, even for people who have no previous experience with the series. Let's talk about how the characters help introduce many of the big themes about Fallout. Also, how can you adapt one medium into another, especially when you move from an interactive to non-interactive one?

Demos can really help sell a game to skeptical players, but they need to succeed at a handful of things. What are those things? We are going to discuss what we look for in demos for them to work.

KlaytonCalix gave us an odd article where the former president of Blizzard suggested tipping for great games. Nothing could possibly go wrong with this idea. There is absolutely no way to exploit this monetization. And so, let's discuss how game companies will absolutely make this work perfectly.

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/former-blizzard-president-suggests-you-should-be-able-to-leave-a-dollar10-or-dollar20-tip-for-the-devs-because-some-games-are-that-special/


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On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

Metroidvanias are coming back and Nathan recently found a few interesting mechanics that should be more utilized in examples of the genre. Why? Because Nathan needs his Metroids and Vanias!

Alex got to play Ripout during a free weekend and frankly did not know how to feel about it. He spent 6 hours trying to figure out if he liked it or not. His conclusion? Listen to find out! Also, Nathan was bad at playing Metal: Hellsinger.

Larian has shelved any future DLC for Baldur's Gate 3 and... that's probably okay. When should a game have DLC, when is it predatory and should it be expected? That is something we will discuss on this episode.

Larian Started Work on Baldur's Gate 3 DLC, Then Canceled It: 'The Studio Was Elated' - IGN

Baldur's Gate 3 passes Elden Ring and Breath of the Wild to become first game to win all five major GOTY awards

Neil Newbon 'Isn't Done' With Astarion Despite Larian Moving on From Baldur's Gate 3 - IGN


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On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown: After hearing about the horror that is the false hydra, Nathan started thinking about rectifying player knowledge versus character knowledge. If you know how to combat a monster that is imperceivable by normal means as a player, should your character prepare to fight it accordingly?

Dungeon Dad explains the False Hydra - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PydSva7lHdk

What is happening with Embracer Group? First they buy up a bunch of game companies, then they lose 40% of their stock value, now they are selling off or shuttering the same game studios they bought. Now, they are selling off big parts of Gearbox to Take-Two.

Embracer divests from Gearbox - https://twitter.com/kerrblimey/status/1773192559122170214?t=R9xitbhW6BC2YntnP3gDoQ&s=19

Embracer Group Stock Drops 40% After $2 Billion Mystery Deal Self-Destructs - https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/05/24/embracer-group-stock-drops-40-after-2-billion-mystery-deal-self-destructs/?sh=105d0853c540

Embracer Group's Partner Who Walked From $2 Billion Deal Finally Revealed - https://www.ign.com/articles/embracer-groups-partner-who-walked-from-2-billion-deal-finally-revealed

Saints Row And Red Faction Studio Shut Down After 30 Years - https://kotaku.com/embracer-shuts-down-saints-row-studio-volition-after-30-1850792734 Embracer Group Is Considering Selling Borderlands Dev Gearbox - https://kotaku.com/gearbox-software-borderlands-sale-embracer-group-1850824882

Did the Monopoly man have a monocle? What color was C-3PO? Did Sinbad play a genie in the 90s? Question everything about your memory as we dive into the Mandela Effect, a collective misremembering of information. Then, we discuss how this attention to detail and altering of information could be utilized in your games as a fun layer of character design or world building.

A list of prime Mandela Effect examples - https://www.entitymag.com/mandela-effect-examples/

Before you comment about Fruit of the Loom - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fruit-of-the-loom-cornucopia/

NOTE: This video is for entertainment purposes only. Yes, we know it's not actually called "The Mandala Effect", that's the joke.


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On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:

Nine years ago we released the 1st episode of Delve, a podcast about game mechanics. On this episode we revisit some of our early topics from the show.

What are some of the RPG skills that don't get represented in games? Can you build small machines or mediate a discussion between others? We talk about the skills that are often not listed in the player's handbook.

We just keep going back to hit points. It's a problem and we understand that. Today we try to figure out why so many games will revert back to this system and how it is represented on the screen. Perhaps it should be hidden behind the screen? Perhaps this is also about user interface...

The Design Delve video Alex won't shut up about - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHdY7956gwg

In D&D there are two ways we determine Armor Class. One is by the armor you are wearing and the other is by your dexterity score. Although these are functionally different, they are mechanically the same in the game. Can we make them less similar? Maybe we can play off the different ways we derive this stat and how it affects our character.


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On this episode of Total Pebble Knockdown:  

To celebrate March Madness and our very good understanding of sports ball, we are talking about sports IN games. Namely, how could we create competitions in a role-playing game. And what D&D classes would be best suited for our fantasy Olympics.  

Sometimes, even a straight-forward board game can have mechanics that derail the action and discourage new players. Nathan discusses a few he encountered when playing Catan, Carcassone and Ticket to Ride. We also discuss some D&D mechanics we hand-waved away in the past.  

A new Reddit question came across Nathan's feed with a typical problem in RPG groups. What happens when you have a player leave and their character is still around? Should the GM take on the PC role? We have some personal experience with this, so let's discuss it in more detail.  

The question in question - https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/comments/1bau05w/player_is_leaving_group_now_i_need_to_takeover/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3


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