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Lair Of Secrets

Lair Of Secrets

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The podcast about gaming and being a geek by two forty something geek dads.Copyright 2025 by David Moore and Ken Newquist Arte Historia y Crítica Literaria
Episodios
  • Shadowdark Hazards 101 (S5E14)

    Shadowdark Hazards 101 (S5E14)
    Mar 20 2026
    What do icy waterfalls, greasy floors, and light stealing smoke have in common? They’re all hazards! Welcome to Lair of Secrets. In this episode we're talking about Shadowdark hazards. The things that drown you, crush you, blind you, steal your memories, and more! Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Shadowdark Hazards02:33 Types of Hazards in Shadowdark04:50 (Spoiler Warning!) Examples of Hazards in Gameplay07:25 Creating Hazard Charts09:57 Combining Hazards for Greater Challenges12:38 Future Adventures and Hazards15:01 Conclusion and Call to Action Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch Shadowdark Hazards 101 on YouTube. Show Notes What is a hazard? Hazards are often environmental effects like quicksand, rushing water, and falling debris. They're things you might be able to mitigate or evade, but per the rules, there's often no way to "defeat or permanently disable them". The core rulebook defines them on page 115. Hazards are divided into three types: Movement: Slow or stop movement. Examples: Caltops, tar fields, steep incline Damage: Ongoing damage that characters suffer while exposed to the hazard Examples: Acid pools, lava, pummeling hail Weaken: Saps the character's physical capabilities, mental grit, or resources. Examples: blinding smoke, memory stealing, snuffs light sources, The rules note that you can combine these to create particularly dangerous threats. Movement + Damage Exploding Rocks (Damage) + Loose Debris (Movement) Movement + Weaken Grasping Vines (Movement) + Sleep-inducing Spores (Weaken) Damage + Weaken Icy Water (Damage) + Snuffs Light Sources (Weaken) What the rules don't do is give you specific stats or mechanics for the example hazards, which hurt my brain, which grew used to having things stated out under the various editions of Dungeons & Dragons. While the core rules don’t give any written mechanics for hazards, the Arcane Library's published adventures *do* give us a few examples of how they're used in adventures. Hazards Chart: Published Examples, Sample DCs & Damage, and Homegrown Hazards Check out our "Shadowdark Hazards Chart" post for the hazards chart we reference in the episode, as well as example hazards quoted from Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur and Cursed Scroll #3: Midnight Sun. Featured Image Meta Cover artwork from the Shadowdark RPG game master screen. Credit: Arcane Library.
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    16 m
  • Why We Keep Coming Back To Cyberpunk 2077 (S5E13)

    Why We Keep Coming Back To Cyberpunk 2077 (S5E13)
    Feb 14 2026
    When it was released in December 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 was glitchy as hell. Five years later, we’re still playing it … but why? Chapters 00:00 The Allure of Cyberpunk 207701:53 Cyberpunk's Reflection of Reality04:24 Exploration and Discovery in Night City06:55 Game Mechanics and Play Styles09:43 Updates, Mods, and Community Engagement12:36 Emotional Storytelling and Character Impact17:54 The Evolution of Cyberpunk 207722:37 Realistic Dialogue and Player Choices24:32 Interweaving Storylines and Lore26:39 Bittersweet Endings and Moral Compromises32:00 Gameplay Mechanics and Character Development36:31 Future of Cyberpunk Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch Why We Keep Coming Back To Cyberpunk 2077 on YouTube. Show Notes Huge, Immersive World We want to discuss how Cyberpunk feels oddly familiar…like, even with all the over-the-top-ness of the ads, the violence, etc, the concepts are familiar because we are sort of living in it right now. I have THOUGHTS on this. ( we were raised on Star Wars, or Trek, Or Harry Potter, and Cyberpunk. Which of those actually gives you a blueprint for today?) Exploration of the sights, sounds, and in world storytelling is deep. I have played several times and still discover something new when I have another playthrough. Ignore the main quest, focus on the small stuff THe main quest is pretty great, but there is SO MUCH small stuff that it is a lot of fun on replayed to focus on different small sidequests and details. One criticism: you can max out your level and such fairly early by doing this. I’d love a mod that lets you keep levelling up. Multiple starts Latest editions of the game added some RPG lines specific for each start, which was good. I’m not sure they made a difference in the overall story plot, but it was good from an immersive RPG standpoint. Great being able to play the game for the 4th? 5th? time and still get a new experience when going the Corpo route. Multiple endings Yep, and even the ones for Phantom Liberty are noteworthy. And can be very noir – endings that are not tidy. Or even truly happy. So Many Toys… So Much Lore The texts you find, the documents you read in the side quests, they often reference other sidequests or jobs. There is a ton of lore you can learn if that’s your thing. The old just won’t leave us. It tells a good story. It brings into question what we are here for and how we leave this life. When I think about this game, I think a lot of the joyful/rageful defiance that informs Punk. The question “How does one live when all signs point to being trod upon and powerless?” comes up, and Cyberpunk (fiction in general) often answers this with that defiance, usually in the scenery or side characters. Usually it means breaking the law, but in this situation where the law is corrupt and unjust, it is easy to see why that decision is made. I believe this dovetails into my earlier thoughts about CP being familiar on a level. Mods: Dark Future mod for Cyberpunk 2077 DayDream Gaming Night City Videos 36 Streets Featured Image Meta Edgerunner artwork from Cyberpunk 2077.
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    45 m
  • Cozy Video Games – Campaigns & Coffee

    Cozy Video Games – Campaigns & Coffee
    Jan 26 2026
    In between shoveling out from snow storms, we took the time to talk about cozy video games. We delve into the expected (Animal Crossing, Tiny Bookshop, Planet Crafter) and the not-so-expected (Fallout, Cyberpunk 2077, No Man's Sky, Red Dead Redemption 2). Chapters 00:00 Defining Cozy Games02:35 Exploring Popular Cozy Games05:16 The Role of Objectives in Cozy Gaming07:44 Unique Cozy Game Experiences10:16 The Impact of Gaming Platforms on Cozy Experiences12:53 Crafting and Terraforming in Cozy Games15:41 The Whimsical World of Slime Rancher19:49 The Thrills of Open-World Exploration21:22 Cozy vs. High-Risk Gaming Experiences23:36 The Importance of Homesteading in Games27:07 The Comfort of Building and Community30:17 Cozy Survival in The Long Dark32:16 Artistic Expression in Gaming33:20 Finding Comfort in Cyberpunk 2077 Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Cozy Games - Campaigns & Coffee on YouTube. Show Notes Definition of what is a cozy game. From Wikipedia: A cozy game (cosy game in Commonwealth English) is a video game which emphasizes non-violence and relaxation. Initially derived from the life simulation genre, cozy games commonly include activities such as gathering and growing plants and nurturing other characters. They often have open-ended goals that encourage self-expression. Chris' definition: "Cozy game is any game that evokes that cozy feeling within you" Our Big list of Cozy Games Animal Crossing: New Horizons Strange Horticulture Strange Antiquities Tiny Bookshop The Planet Crafter Slime Rancher 2 Red Dead Redemption 2 Fallout 4 No Man’s Sky Dystopika Lightyear Frontier The Long Dark – Pilgrim Mode Aloft Lonely House Outside the Blocks Cyberpunk 2077 Featured Image Meta Cover art from Animal Crossings video game for Nintendo Switch.
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    37 m
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