Shenanigans episode artwork

EPISODE · May 4, 2026 · 57 MIN

Shenanigans

from GURPStalk

Can you run an open table in a long-form manner with a consistent, grounded campaign world? And what about mysteries: can you run an investigative game in an open world style?Pat and Che discuss the challenges of running an open table while maintaining a consistent, grounded campaign world. Pat argues that open tables inherently conflict with world consistency due to the transient nature of players, while Che defends the concept by referencing the West Marches movement and Justin Alexander's Open Table Manifesto. Pat discusses the challenges of running open and emergent investigations, noting that it requires a group of seasoned TTRPG players who are interested in the long game rather than quick successes. Pat suggests that GMs need to be willing to throw away prep work and be committed to the ongoing narrative to fully enjoy such campaigns.Thanks for listening to and supporting the show.Pat mentions the 1ShotAdventures guy:Complete List of Adventures (GURPS 4th Edition) - 1Shot AdventuresOR 1shotadventures.com/1shot-adventures-gurps/GOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:[email protected]'S BLOG:Processing GURPS – Enabling Longform, Immersive TTRPG play using GURPSORhttps://processinggurps.com/RPR PATREON: patreon.com/rpgrescueTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you run an open table in a long-form manner with a consistent, grounded campaign world? And what about mysteries: can you run an investigative game in an open world style?Pat and Che discuss the challenges of running an open table while maintaining a consistent, grounded campaign world. Pat argues that open tables inherently conflict with world consistency due to the transient nature of players, while Che defends the concept by referencing the West Marches movement and Justin Alexander's Open Table Manifesto. Pat discusses the challenges of running open and emergent investigations, noting that it requires a group of seasoned TTRPG players who are interested in the long game rather than quick successes. Pat suggests that GMs need to be willing to throw away prep work and be committed to the ongoing narrative to fully enjoy such campaigns.Thanks for listening to and supporting the show.Pat mentions the 1ShotAdventures guy:Complete List of Adventures (GURPS 4th Edition) - 1Shot AdventuresOR 1shotadventures.com/1shot-adventures-gurps/GOT A QUESTION?Ask us via voice message:speakpipe.com/gurpstalkAsk us via an email:[email protected]'S BLOG:Processing GURPS – Enabling Longform, Immersive TTRPG play using GURPSORhttps://processinggurps.com/RPR PATREON: patreon.com/rpgrescueTHANKS:Jon from Tale of the Manticore for the music:https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/Logo by MJ Hiblen:https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/DISCLAIMER & NOTICE:The material presented here is our original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and any GURPS art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Shenanigans

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This episode was published on May 4, 2026.

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Can you run an open table in a long-form manner with a consistent, grounded campaign world? And what about mysteries: can you run an investigative game in an open world style?Pat and Che discuss the challenges of running an open table while...

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