Smiling Jack's Bar & Grill

Episode 19: It’s a Kind of Magic

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:58:46 +0000

Welcome Bill to the podcast, Doug’s update on introducing his game group to Savage Worlds, Chris’ experience with Deadlands The Flood, Running Savage Worlds for kids, ThanksGaming on May 18th, Magic in Savage Worlds.

Episode 18: Shaken Not Stirred

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:28:45 +0000

Ron and Vern have retired, Chris and Justin introduce Doug as the new co-host, Interface Zero 2.0, Deadlands Noir and we will do an actual play of Noir, Delving into Shaken, Introducing players to Savage Worlds.

The link Chris mentioned:

http://www.peginc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=33249&highlight=

Episode 17: Hello Goodbye

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 10:55:53 +0000

After nearly seven years of podcasting, Ron & Veronica have decided to call it quits. In this episode, they pass the torch to Justin and the Savage Mommy. Also, they talk about Savage Worlds, some new products, and the upcoming GenghisCon.

Be sure to also check out the Rocky Mountain Savages website!

Episode 16: Electronic Boogaloo

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 12:41:09 +0000

The staff discuss the electronic products they do and don’t use when playing and running Savage Worlds. Included in the conversation is Justin’s review of Hero Lab for Savage Worlds.

Episode 15: TactiCon 2012 Savage Saturday Night

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:47:19 +0000

Recorded immediately following Savage Saturday Night at TactiCon 2012, we recap the night with some of the participants.

Special: Pinnacle Entertainment Group GenCon 2012 Seminar

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 02:20:17 +0000

Our own Savage Mommy, Chris Fuchs, went to GenCon and recorded the annual Pinnacle seminar. Check it out!

Episode 14: Savaging Your Saturday Night

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 05:18:05 +0000

With Justin absent, the staff were joined by Rocky Mountain Savages founders, Chris “Savage Mommy” Fuchs and Neal Hyde. The Denver Gamers Association was represented by Bill Stilson (President) and Tammy Stilson (Security Coordinator). The topic was Savage Saturday Night–how to host and prepare for one, and what it takes to build the right relationship with your local convention. The upcoming TactiCon Savage Saturday Night was showcased as part of the discussion.

Episode 13: Kickstart Your PPC

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 06:21:50 +0000

The staff were joined by Scott “DARTNET” Crosson, Carl “CarlH” Hickman, Doug “DKeester” Keester, and the Savage Mommy (Chris “Beldar1215″ Fuchs) of the Rocky Mountain Savages. The main discussion was how to run a Plot Point Campaign, but they also covered:

Deadlands Noir and Kickstarter in general
Hero Lab and their Savage settings plans
Savage Worlds Combat Tracker from Roseburner Limited
RMS plans for TactiCon

Episode 12: CSI:SW

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Tue, 29 May 2012 04:31:31 +0000

The staff were joined by Neal “Neal5×5″ Hyde, Scott “DARTNET” Crosson, and the Savage Mommy (Chris “Beldar1215″ Fuchs) of the Rocky Mountain Savages. On the menu were new favorite settings for Ron and Justin, discussion of upcoming releases, such as Deadlands Noir, Earthdawn Game Master’s Guide, and Streets of Bedlam; and the staff were prompted to discuss game balance via feedback from Matthew D. The main course was a demo of the Deluxe Edition Social Conflict rules, which took the form of People v. Chris Fuchs.

Episode 11: And the Savage Mommy Gets His Way

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:59:40 +0000

In the second longest episode of all time, the staff were joined by Rocky Mountain Savages Bill, Chris, Marc, and Paul. Feedback brought about a revisit to chases, and Justin volunteered to test out Hero Lab for Savage Worlds and talk about it on the show. Our rules discussions were about Interludes and Games Without Miniatures from the Deluxe edition. We also had a lively discussion about adjudicating rules during play.

Scheduling the Grill

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 02:56:17 +0000

Since our triumphant return last October, we’ve been releasing one show per month. That seems to be working swimmingly, and I believe it will stay that way for the foreseeable future. That said, the show’s timing has been somewhat sporadic. One month it’s the 16th; the next it’s the 24th–that sort of thing. I think it’s time to put out a mostly-official release target for the show (channeling Joel Kinstle there).

Based on our overall podcasting schedule–three of us are on other podcasts–it looks like late on the fourth Monday of the month is going to be the sweet spot. This gets the show out in time for Pinnacle’s Tuesday update and conforms to Ron’s day job schedule (he’s the editor). So for April, this means we are targeting Episode 11 for release on April 23rd, late in the evening (so for some of you, early on Tuesday, the 24th).

I realize this places the December episode firmly into yuletide territory, so I can’t say yet what we’ll do. We may skip December. Who knows? Maybe we’ll record two in November or change the release week in December. We have plenty of time to decide. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, but we’ll decide before then, we promise.

In the meantime, look for the next show in a few weeks-ish.

Episode 10: And Knowing is Half the Battle

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:22:01 +0000

The staff was joined by the Rocky Mountain Savages: “Savage Mommy” Chris Fuchs, Roger French, and Lee Langston (The God of Gaming). We discussed some feedback, new products (such as Kaiser’s Gate, Last Sons, and IZ’s Hacking 2.0), Justin’s AoO game (which may or may not have been based on Get Smart), and the new game Ron & Vern will be running. We finally got around to covering Mass Battles, and as it turns out, knowing is, in fact, half the battle.

Promised links:

Actual Play Poll on Facebook One Sheets Plot Point Campaigns

Episode 09: It’s Not a Competition (God I Love You)

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:39:20 +0000

From the gaming floor of Genghis Con XXXIII, the staff of the Grill were joined by con guests Clint Black and Sean Preston, DGA folks Leif Olson, Bill Stilson, Linda Tschappat, and Linda Weygant, Rocky Mountain Savages Chris “Savage Mommy” Fuchs and Lee Langston, Ed Doolittle, and others. Wow that’s a heck of a list!

The discussion was about Savage Saturday Night and all the other Savage goodness at the con. Suffice it to say if you didn’t make it to Genghis Con this year, you ought to try next year! And if that’s too long to wait, check out Tacticon 2012 over Labor Day weekend!

Episode 08: Leggo My Ego

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:46:26 +0000

Veronica, Justin, and Ron were joined by Roger “RFrenchJr” French and Ed “EdwardP” Pallis of the Rocky Mountain Savages. They discussed:

How many inches from Colorado Springs to Denver
Roger’s and Ron’s favorite settings
What everyone is running at Genghis Con
Next month’s GalaxyFest in Colorado Springs
Listener feedback
Ron’s ego problem
Deadlands Player’s Guide: Explorer’s Edition
The outstanding success of the Streets of Bedlam Kickstarter
Preparing for a Savage Worlds convention game

Episode 07: Get Off My Lawn!

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:18:34 +0000

The staff was joined by Rocky Mountain Savages Chris “Savage Mommy” Fuchs, Lee Langston, and Matthew Ward (also of WombatCast.com). They discussed:

Matt’s and Ron’s favorite Savage settings
The Savage World of Genghis Con XXXIII
More on healing and holding actions
Listener feedback
New and upcoming settings, like 50 Fathoms and Streets of Bedlam
Chases, including a complete chase, between future Chris and future Lee, at the local Walgreens
Gaming at Denver Comic Con
The seemingly dead-in-the-water Realms of Cthulhu LARP scheduled to happen at Genghis Con
Ron’s inability to properly double the number 4

Episode 06: Cheap Trip

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:38:46 +0000

Veronica, Justin, and Ron were joined by Rocky Mountain Savages, Ed Pallis, Bill Stilson, and Benn Williams. The staff discussed:

Justin’s and Ed’s antics in Ron’s Solomon Kane game, and other Savage merriment, at Rise of the Wombat (thanks to Total Escape Games).
Feedback received via email, the PEG site, and the Bar & Grill site.
Upcoming Savageness at GenghisCon, including great guests, a huge SSN, and a phenomenal overall Savage presence on the game schedule (one of which will include Veronica’s first con game, Deadlands).
New and upcoming Savage releases, and whether or not Wiggy is actually a super computer.
Cooking with Justin (mmm… kale chips).
The healing rules.
Gritty damage.
Holding actions in combat.

Episode 05: Savage Worlds Deluxe

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:33:37 +0000

After more than a year, the Grill is open again! We’re back with a new format and some cast changes. Beginning in this episode, and going forward, your hosts will be the Blessings and a new co-host, Justin Suzuki (also known for WombatCast.com). In addition, the show will always be recorded on location, which means usually in the Denver area.

To provide the ultimate fan podcast experience, we are teaming up with the ultimate Savage Worlds fans, the Rocky Mountain Savages, who will be featured on every show we record in Denver (though the specific members joining us will change). This episode features Chris “Beldar1215″ Fuchs, Lee “Gobbo” Langston, and Bill “Gryffen88″ Stilson.

Our new format will include a main topic, a rules discussion, and a preview of what’s new or coming soon in Savage Worlds. For our big return, our topic is the biggest thing in Savage Worlds today, Savage Worlds Deluxe!

Grab a drink, pull up a stool, and listen up!!

Smiling Jack is Coming Back!

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:29:15 +0000

There have been grumblings that the Bar & Grill is dead and gone (some of them from Ron), but we’re not dead. We’re recording an episode this Sunday, with a brand new format!

With this new format, the hosts will be Veronica & Ron Blessing and Justin Suzuki (of WombatCast fame). The show will feature various members of the Rocky Mountain Savages, as well.

For the first episode of our return, we will be discussing Savage Worlds Deluxe. Keep an eye out for the return of Smiling Jack’s Bar & Grill, and check it out!

Episode 04, Summer 2010: Kevin Rohan of Silver Gryphon Games

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:23:52 +0000

Originally posted August 23, 2010

Veronica, Sean, and Ron were joined by Silver Gryphon Games’ Kevin Rohan. We talked about Silver Gryphon’s current and future Savage offerings and learned a bit about Kevin as well. Our contest is resolved find out which of our finalists won the dead tree edition of Savage Foes of Solomon Kane (and learn about the brighter side of SPF’s underhanded shenanigans–neither finalist goes home empty handed). We shared two reviews, sans Norm: Chris Engler presented Low Life, and Jake Ivey presented Thrilling Tales. Finally the crew discussed big convention games in Sean’s GM Sidebar.

Links: Pinnacle Entertainment Group Savage Worlds Explorers Society

Episode 03, Spring 2010: Martin Klimes Interview and Guest Co-Host Matthew Cutter

smilingjacksbarandgrill — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:19:13 +0000

Originally posted March 12, 2010

In this nearly two-hour visit to the Grill, Veronica, Sean, and Ron interviewed Savage Mojo’s own Martin Klimes. For the main show we were joined by none other than Pinnacle’s Deadlands Big Bug Matthew Cutter, who eventually gave us the skinny on Space 1889 and the near future of Deadlands: Reloaded. Norm’s reviews included a retrospective on Tour of Darkness and a full review of the Fantasy Companion. Of course we resolved the current contest and started a new one.

Other Links: Deadlands Board Game Mr. Wright Med Fund Stargate Resistance

And since this episode is so huge, we’ve provided time codes for each segment below. If the show’s too long, don’t worry; you’ve got three months to listen!

0:01:19 Hello World

0:02:55 90 Seconds with Norm – Tour of Darkness

0:05:27 Martin Klimes Interview

0:42:15 SPF Explains His Marriage to Martin

0:43:20 Bellicose Contest

0:58:28 Norm’s Review – Fantasy Companion

1:03:30 Goodbye Norm/Call for New Reviewer

1:07:19 GM Sidebar: To Mini or Not to Mini

1:24:04 New Contest

1:28:49 How to Submit Topics for the GM Sidebar

1:29:37 Cutter Spills the Beans

1:48:37 Go Play Stargate Resistance

1:49:37 Get Well Cheyenne

1:50:39 Sign Off