If you’re stuck on Band Aid brand, cuz Band Aid’s stuck on you…then you’ll enjoy this episode of Found in the Ruins! Boom Mike and Doc Benny are joined again by Doc Jared for some discussions on medical treatment in the Post-Apoc, both how it’s portrayed and ‘reality’ for what it’s worth. Come for the medical debate, stay for the Snake Oil tonics! …

Living up to our “modern games inspired by them” tag line, we’re covering a relatively new kid on the block (???) of the RPG scene, the Shadowdark game by Kelsey Dionne. This award winning RPG took Kickstarter by storm and marries Old School mindsets with New School mechanics to reach a level that even DM Mike can’t “Bah” (though DM Corbett might)!…

Ever watch a bad Horror movie and say to yourself, “If I’d been there I’d have totally owned that monster!” Well, this month’s RPG is for you! Your Fab Four Halflings dive into a 1990 game that answers the question “Who knew Weekly World News was a monster source?” Sit back, relax, pop a cold one, and keep an eye out for those Bloodsucking Spiky Ig…

That’s right, it’s that decade where we loved to end the world, the 1980s! Specifically, it is 1985, the year that saw the first book in The Guardians series by Richard Austin published, helpfully named The Guardians. Your two favorite Wasteland survivors Boom Mike and Doc Benny both literally grew up on these books, so expect a nostalgia-rich ride…

As with most adventures, this RPG starts at a rock concert. While you wait, you chat with a fellow rocker dude in his tricked-out van with a wizard painted on it. Then, adventure ensues! Want to know more? Well, listen to your Fab Four Halflings as they delve into James Spahn’s latest FRPG creation, Wizard Van! Adventure! Danger! Treasure! and Gnar…

Let’s talk about something safe…Cannibalism! Like it or not, it comes up in virtually every Post-Apocalyptic tale you can imagine. Beyond the inevitable questions of “would you or wouldn’t you”, how do these tales treat the ramifications of engaging in this cultural taboo? What games deal with it, and how? Is there a such thing as a “Good Cannibal”…

It’s August, and you know what that means…or should mean; it’s North Texas RPG Con wrap-up info time! But just so you don’t get too bored listening to con events, we’re also interviewing Stephen Miller of Battlefield Press! We talk the Gaslight Victorian Fantasy RPG, its soon to be revised edition on BackerKit, and answer the most interesting quest…

It’s the first Smackdown episode of Found in the Ruins! In this corner is Night of the Living Dead, 1968 edition. In the other corner is Night of the Living Dead, 1990 edition. Who will win? Who will lose? Are both great? Neither? Only this podcast (and maybe Shane Plays) can answer the question! Come for the first Zombie Apocalypse, stay for the C…

Here we have an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons product that’s Licensed to Pulp! Yes, it’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser’s city of Lankhmar, the home base of the two ne’er-do-wells from author Fritz Lieber’s fantasy stories of the mid-20th century. Is it a location worthwhile for adventuring? Are there mysteries, foes, and most of all — loot — for your pl…

Remember…in Space, no one can hear you roll a D20! Your Fab Foursome gather once again to delve into the jungle of D20 products to cover a book that promises all the future you can stand. Does it live up to the hype? Is it useful? Or is it just an excuse to provide more Feats? Listen in and find out, True Believer! No D20s were harmed in the making…

Greetings, Comrades! Today we discuss that great adversary of yesterday and today, the Red Hordes of Communism. For good or ill, they are the bugaboos of apocalyptic fiction and films from The People of the Ruins by Shanks to the movie remake of Red Dawn. How did they arise? How have they changed over the years? And most importantly of all, are the…

Welcome to the traditional sideshow where we drag Mike Badolato on air to chat about the North Texas RPG Con this June! Well, we tried to get Gary Oliver but he’s a busy man, you know. We discuss hotel overflows, food trucks, a record number of official games on the schedule…and the pros and cons of having open gaming in the parking lot in June! Co…

The 1970s and 80s were a time of apocalyptic fears, and what better way to promote them than through cheap paperbacks? That’s right, your favorite Wastelanders Boom Mike and Doc Benny discuss this time as reflected in the book Pulp Apocalypse; a collection of synopses and interviews brought to you by the Paperback Warrior and his crew to scratch th…

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away… Ok, 37 years ago and not so far away the Star Wars RPG was first published by West End Games. We consider the game itself, the idea of dice pools, and answer that age-old question of why are there no ladders to buy in the Star Wars Universe? Come for the enthusiasm of DM Corbett for memories of playing the…

What’s this, you ask? It’s a side project podcast that covers Post-Apocalyptic books, games, movies, and what not. Hosts Boom Mike and Doc Benny take this first episode to introduce themselves and tell you their interpretations of the Post-Apocalypse. What is it, what isn’t it, and what will be covered in the future on this sorta-monthly podcast by…

Get ready True Believers for a first…a Prequel Save for Half! We’ll be reviewing the West End Games Star Wars D6 RPG in episode 53, but first we invite the Curmudgeon in the Cellar himself Tim Kask on to talk about 1977’s Star Wars and its impact on us and the RPG community. Yes, some of us are really old enough to remember Star Wars when it just r…

You’ve heard of Christmas in July? Well, welcome to Halloween in January! Your Fab-lings start the new year with a ‘Bleh!’ with everyone’s favorite vampire Strahd in the original AD&D module I6: Ravenloft by Tracy and Laura Hickman. Thrills, chills, and NPCs with Motives abound in this episode of Save For Half! No vampires were harmed in the making…

It’s December, which means it’s time for the patented Save for Half year-end retrospective and email hot tub time machine! Well, DM Liz reads some emails anyway. Forgive our delay in getting to some of these emails, but we kept them in the same calendar year so that’s got to count for something, right? Right? No Dwarves were harmed in the making of…

What’s this? Your Fab Four covering Gamma World again? Keep patient True Believers, because this isn’t the Gamma World you remember from the late 1970s. This is the 1992 revamp of our favorite game of mutations and murderbots! New rules system, new mutations, and yet the same favorite mutant creatures you know and love. Is it better? Worse? Tune in…

A show literally months in the making! Your Fab Four Halflings sit down with Skeeter Green to discuss his RPG company Skeeter Green Productions, the Independent Publisher’s Union (#notaunion), and of course…new classes? We discuss all these topics as well as Skeeter’s Mixed Martial Arts activities in this Sideshow of Sideshows! No PC classes were h…

What’s this? A game of Bronze-Age fantasy that mixes ancient cultures from Sumeria to the Celts? A unique world steeped in legend named Glorantha? Guest host Game Master Ed to explain the actual play of this game? Madness! Yet your Fab 4 are here discussing one of the second wave RPGs that came out in the late 1970s and was arguably the one that ga…

Get ready to gird your Oomph and Marbles, as the kids in the Halfling Clubhouse lead you on a delve into 70s and 80s kids’ shows, both real and imaginary! This show we’re looking at Dare-Luck Club, published by Lou Hoefer and Dandyline Games. Gangsters, aliens, and pirate treasure await you in this RPG for adults about the childhood that never was.…

Grab your sombreros and get ready for a hijacked episode of Save For Half. This episode DM Corbett has taken over and brought in everyone’s favorite wacky sitcom next door neighbors, Luau Lou! What happened to the rest of the hosts, you may ask? We reply, you ask too many questions. Sit back and enjoy an interview with Luau Lou talking about his ne…

Yes, we took the plunge so you don’t have to! The Fab Four watched the D&D: HAT movie and give our opinions; the good, the bad, and the Satanic! That’s right, Satan (AKA Mike Badolato) joins us to give his Infernal views on the film. Oh, and also talk about some convention in Dallas this June! No corpses were questioned during the making of this po…

Normally we do up our character generation sessions as extras for the Patreon supporters, but this one was so much fun we decided to make a Sideshow out of it and release it to the entire community! Not only are all 4 Halflings here for the experience, but we are guided in the session by none other than the author himself, J.V. West! What character…