Alex and Lara have a great big list of ludicrous RPG ideas and we’re going to make all of them. Every week we roll up a random suggestion, like “What you think Naruto is probably like” or “The golden age of piracy atop water-dwelling kaiju.” Then we figure out how to make turn that into a game. Then next week we’ll live-play it on Twitch, and see what happens.
What, no Alex? That's right, he's been banished to the place of dust and shadow, leaving behind Lara, friend of the show Ash, and most importantly, Gail! And gosh, is Gail ever here, because in this game you will be playing an entire multiverse's worth of iterations of her. Evil Gail, clown Gail, aquatic Gail, puppet Gail... the gang's all here, ready to explore the most dangerous regions of space and die trying.
The Prompt: All PCs are Eclipse Phase-style forks of the same individual.
Special Guest: Ash Cheshire (https://twitter.com/ashcangames)
8 Sept 2021
S1E15 - Cyber Castle Digital Dracula
Episode Notes
In this episode we’re doing something a little different, as our very first Reverse Unplaytested! That’s right, instead of rolling off the Big List, guest designer Lucas came to Alex and Lara with an idea, so that we could help him turn it into a game. What if Dracula, but also cyber?
The Prompt: Cyber Castle Digital Dracula
Special Guest: Lucas (https://twitter.com/VforValensa)
24 Aug 2021
S1E14 - Kalon, Absolute, Apotheosis
Episode Notes
Gosh, we hope you A) liked Animorphs and B) only kind of remember all the details about Animorphs, because Alex and Lara and special guest Legendary Vermin are going to talk a lot about Animorphs and then make an Animorphs game that's actually a, uh, god's eye view competetive civilization game?
Y'all, it makes more sense in context, but that doesn't actually mean it makes sense.
Prompt: Animorphs, the roleplaying game
Special Guest: Legendary Vermin (https://twitter.com/legendaryvermin?lang=en)
27 Jul 2021
S1E13 - JAGS
In this episode, Alex and Lara are joined by Mariam, and the three of us have been presented with a prompt inspired by a fairly recent System Mastery episode (https://systemmasterypodcast.com/2021/03/09/system-mastery-195-lords-of-creation/) about a game that needed more jacked shirtless animal gods in it. And so we have provided, along with just a radical number of double-entendres.
The Prompt: Jacked Shirtless Animal Gods
Special Guest: Mariam (https://twitter.com/media_junkie)
13 Jul 2021
S1E12 - Max Bandwidth
In this episode, Alex and Lara are joined by our first Orange Groves sibling, Chris, and together we are striving to recreate the experience of REAL hacking, as revealed to us in movies of the mid-nineties. Rezz up your cyber-rig, and let’s get… hacky.
The Prompt: Swordfish or Hackers style hacking based rpg that doesn't use a f***ing block tower
Special Guest: Chris (https://twitter.com/topherdisgrace)
28 Jun 2021
S1E11 - Soul Crushers
In this episode, Lara and Alex are joined by Kira, and talk about the video games we’re playing right now, and then smash them together like children playing with action figures, except the action figures combine into an RPG about fighting the physical manifestations of your own sadness in a corporate cloud city whilst observed by interchangeable god-narrators. As you do!
The Prompt: Everyone say the last video game you played. Combine them all into an RPG.
Special Guest: Kira Magrann (https://twitter.com/kiraserpentine)
1 Jun 2021
S1E10 - Nox Apud Operarcanum
In this episode, Alex and Lara are joined my Monica and tasked with approaching the complex topic of gay wizard drama, emphasis on the DRAMA. Together we shall learn everything to know about the wizard opera, where wizards go to see, be seen, and furtively engage in fashion duels to impress Very Important Mages.
18 May 2021
S1E9 - What Happened to the Moon?
In this episode, Alex and Lara are joined by Jasmine, and together the three go face-to-face with time itself, with a game challenge that proves that, while you don’t need to respect the linear flow of time while designing a game, it sure as heck makes things confusing when you don’t.
4 May 2021
S1E8 - The Marks We Leave Behind
In this episode, Alex and Lara are once again on our lonesome, and we leaned the heck into it with this solo journaling game you play by drawing on your own physical human body. Visit the city you long ago abandoned and discover weird stuff. This one’s gonna be big and broad and, you guessed it, really hard for us to do a live-play of (but that’s a problem for future-Alex and Lara to deal with).
23 Mar 2021
S1E7 - Knife Swap: Slice of Life
In this episode, Lara and Alex are joined by Robert and Star, and we talk about knives. What’s the best knife for the many situations we might find ourselves in? And what if someone else had the knife that WE need?
16 Feb 2021
S1E6 - The Simple Job
In this episode, Alex and Lara are joined by special guest Adira Slattery, in an effort to re-live beloved holiday classic of the 90s: Home Alone. We end up lyric-gaming it up just a hair, and put the players in the roles of the bandits who are destined to see their grand designs fall utterly to pieces.
27 Jan 2021
S1E5 - HWAET! There is a Friend-Shaped Hole at the Center of Everything
In this episode, Lara and Alex are joined once again by Ash Cheshire, but we won’t mention the fact that we played that Kaiju Karaoke game last week, and you don’t need to question our elaborate kayfabe. The other thing you don’t have to question is how we started with a two word prompt based on a cute picture Lara saw, and ended up transcribing epic poetry… with capybaras.
12 Jan 2021
S1E4 - Kaiju Pirate Psychopomp Karaoke
In this episode, Alex and Lara are joined by Sasha Reneau (of Spindlewheel fame), and given the task of making a game about pirates. On kaiju. And for some reason there’s singing, which is going to be a real challenge for the stream. And for some reason there’s ghosts and skeletons, which is just awesome.
30 Dec 2020
S1E3 - Metal Rush: Limit Breakers
In this episode, Alex and Lara are joined by the dulcet tones of voice actor and fantasy child parent (http://oneshotpodcast.com/interview-discussion/all-my-fantasy-children/) Aaron Catano-Saez. Together the trio tackles the most important question of them all: what if racing had cool mechs? Wouldn’t that be awesome?
-The most important part of racing… is love.
-There is no sport that can’t be improved with the addition of giant robots.
-Anybody can be a giant robot pilot. Anybody.
15 Dec 2020
S1E2 - Bring Me the Head of the Earthling, Sigourney Weaver!
In this episode, Alex and Lara attempt to be anti-colonialist while playing alien colonizers. We did our very best. A game about alien invaders has the potential to be devastatingly serious or ludicrously silly, and we picked the option which has the word “Earthling” in the title, in this game about celebrities saving the world.
Important Discoveries
- Fun Fact: Alien is a good movie.
-Skeksis are creepy little bird monsters.
-Tumbling block towers cannot be used over Zoom. YET.
2 Dec 2020
S1E1 - Let The Shining Power of Your Heart Bring You Victory as Your Theme Music Plays
Welcome to Episode 1 of Unplaytested! Alex and Lara start off with the challenge to make a game based on Naruto, which neither of us actually watch. We’ve seen commercials… there’s ninjas and headbands and a cool way to run. We’ve probably got it more or less right.
Important discoveries:
-How to pronounce “Naruto”
-How to be a cool ninja
-How to host a dang podcast
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
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