AGC 162 March 20th 2012 (Dear Gamemaster) (55:01)

With Carol and Mags. Missing someone? The girls conspire over sushi. Carol gets a Buffet lunch franchise. The Buffet's upcoming games. Carol gets Pan's Labyrinth. Just in time for Valentine's Day, the ladies ponder character sheets as love letters to the GM. Comments about character backstory. Life doesn't start at the tavern. The evolution of character sheets. Respecting the gamemaster's time--give an executive summary, not a novella. Layne likes to give the GM rope. How ignorance, normalcy, and downtime can inspire adventures. How do you decide PCs need a sense of normalcy? Dealing with Mary Sue-ism in characters. GMs love connections to the other PCs. It's not just the GM's story. Don't make the GM do too much homework. Another comment from Facebook. Explaining Mary Sue-ism in detail. Lesbian stripper ninjas who try to get the game to revolve around them. Every character should get a moment to shine. Raiding Mags's bookshelf: QAGS, Cold City, Blowback, and what each game does to encourage players in giving info to the GM. Email us your suggestions! Listener feedback. Also, any content creators who worked for the now-defunct Guardians of Order should contact Steve Wieck at DriveThruRPG.Download 64kbps mp3 (26.4 MB) Show linksExecutive Summary (Wikipedia)Birka (Wikipedia)The Dresden Files RPG (Evil Hat Productions)Mary Sue (Wikipedia)"A Trekkie's Tale", by Paula Smith (the story that gave us the term "Mary Sue")QAGS 2nd Edition (Hex Games)Cold City (Contested Ground Studios)Mags's reading review of Cold CityRPG Buffet playtest review of Cold CityBlowback RPGContact forms for Steve Wieck at OneBookShelf (which owns DriveThruRPG.com) Be sure to check out Gamerati!AGC's DriveThruRPG Picks for this episode!Mags & Carol:Strange Dead Love (White Wolf)PromosRolling 20sBaltiCon PodcastGame Knights podcastSolid Symbols