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Pudding%
Yes, I'm a lazy bum and copy-pasted last year's thread. Tongue

RPG Limit Break 2019 Games List:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pqh3K1yZibGaqH5VTODZX5a6iUDAxxI5DEh_z8xXV3U

RPG Limit Break 2019 Schedule:
https://horaro.org/rpglb/2019

Please feel free to sign up for as many runs as you'd like, so that I can compile a full list of both commentators and backups to pinch-hit in any required cases. The goal is to have at least two people accompanying the runner for each run, so if you see one of the runs light on signups, contemplate volunteering to learn a new run, and contact the runner for help. There are exceptions to this, such as the Breath of Fire and Lufia 2 AC races, the Custom Robo run, etc. which will be discussed and documented, naturally. Also following is the general tips from last year for anyone new to the couch who would like to get involved.


General Considerations:

-The marathon will be adhering to a PG policy. Ensure all commentary and actions are in accordance.
-Read up on NAMI. Understand why we’ve all come together to support them. Feel free, if comfortable, to share any personal experiences with mental illness that can help bring light to NAMI’s work.
-Marathon commentary of an RPG will differ significantly from the average 15-30 minute run at a GDQ. It’s extremely hard to talk about a run only for 3+ hours, so don’t! Mix it up. Work with the host to allow time for incentive plugs, prizes, upcoming games, and NAMI info sessions.
-Factor in the time of day. Graveyard (UTC - 7:00) runs will generally have more dead air to fill, and will benefit from a more conversational approach.
-Having more information than you can comfortably use is better than the alternative.
-The more natural and human the commentary, the more relatable you are, such as “I could never figure out this boss fight as a kid”
-Many attendees (and especially the organizers) are very gifted at entertaining an audience in a marathon setting. You can and should approach them for some pointers on marathon commentary.

Runner Tips (New to 2019 in bold):

-Not everyone will be familiar with you, your run, or even the game to begin with. The simplified solution is to make the run accessible to everyone. You may have to explain some topics in layman’s terms, even more so than usual.
-Introduce yourself and your couch mates. Trust me, it’s quite easy to forget this step. But take it further. Sometime during the run, talk about what got you into speedrunning, or running this game. It’s your chance to grow the community of your speedgame of choice, take advantage.
-The first 5 minutes is the best time to touch on the particulars of the game itself. Release date, reception, similar titles if obscure, size of speedrun community, maybe the run history even.
-The folks that have offered to commentate your run have done so because they enjoy watching you, the game, the particulars of the run, or a combination of it all. Therefore they likely don’t need a 100 page document detailing the route ad nauseum. A simple point form outline of the route / tech is more than enough, because the couch crew should be preparing too.
-Whether you’re great at leading the commentary (many of you are) or prefer to focus on the run while your co-pilots talk for you, meet up with the crew to set a general plan of how the play-by-play will be split.
-In the 3 months leading up to your run, take note of the most common questions that come up in your chat during run attempts. Chances are they will be asked during RPG Limit Break.
-Start setting stream time to no-reset runs. Practice rolling with the punches, and commentating along with them.
-A great flow to commentary is simply setting up the topic (“So coming up, I’m about to skip the boss fight”) and then letting a co-commentator follow through (“and maybe Vulajin here can explain how I’m going to do that.”) Having a variety of voices in conversation is much easier to follow and listen to. It also allows you to focus on more difficult moments.
-HAVE FUN! It’s not going to be WR pace with the incentives anyway, so focus on actually enjoying the run. Smile and laugh through the good and bad. Everyone else will too. Promise.
-There's no expectation to use donated character/file names in commentary (people are free to use them or not, and really shouldn't if they struggle to remember and/or pronounce the donated names)

Commentator Tips (New to 2019 in bold):

-Watch your runner’s attempts. Many times. Pay attention to how he or she commentates, because you’ll need to compliment it.
-While on site, meet up with your runner. If they get some practice in, sit in with them.
-The task of explaining the more specific tech, skips, etc. may fall on you, so beyond understanding it fully, practice breaking it down to someone that may not necessarily follow the run in question.
-On the contrary, you might find the right opportunity to demystify the most brain-busting enigmas of speedrunning elements, such as “What is RNG?” I’m sure your runner would appreciate if you could answer that, as well as the most common questions he or she might be tired of answering.
-If the runner is nervous, you’re going to be their crutch until they feel comfortable. Maybe keep the mood light, or even do the bulk of the beginning commentary until they catch their breath.
-Perhaps you’re nervous. Simply put, don’t be. You have the easier job here, and with 2 or more on the couch, you’ll get your stride. Just go with the flow.
-There's no expectation to use donated character/file names in commentary (people are free to use them or not, and really shouldn't if they struggle to remember and/or pronounce the donated names)

The dreaded DON’TS! (New to 2019 in bold)

-This is pretty straightforward, but any divisive commentary at all is off limits, including but not limited to: racism, misogyny, misandry, LGBT, politics, religion, and most importantly, mental health in a negative light. It is not a desired method of getting famous, and it'll only earn you a muted mic and an invitation out of the stream room.
-In addition, please avoid using language that's insensitive to NAMI's cause (ie, words like suicide & triggered)
-Don’t Spectate. The viewers are doing that. The attendees behind you are doing that. You are on the couch, so you’re the entertainment. Entertain! Dead air is baaaad. If it’s not a great cutscene, a tense boss battle, or the host, it’s you.
-Don’t absolutely dump as much information as possible, as quickly as possible. It’s an RPG speedrun, often 3+ hours. You'll both never cover everything, nor be able to fill all your time with insightful information. Spread it out with an even pace.
-Don’t Pass it on to the host if they’re not ready. There’s a slim chance the host may not have a donation to read at the time, or may have very recently talked about the charity.
-Don’t fall asleep. Haha!! Ok, seriously though, don’t fall asleep.
-Don’t get salty. The people that enjoy that are far outweighed by the people that get uncomfortable by it. Do, however, be amused as possible by the brutal RNG.
-Don’t have a conversation with the game. By that, I mean “really game? Seriously??? C’mon, game!! Terrible…”
-Please don’t crap all over your game. Many of the viewers are probably tuning in because it was a favourite of theirs as a kid. If, as an example, something in the control scheme makes an aspect of the run difficult or irritating, simply say that.


You can either respond in this thread, DM me on these forums, or DM me on Discord if you'd like to be added as a commentator for a game, or if you'd like to make an open request for commentators.
Thread title:  
Live and Learn, Die and Learn Faster
As lord and master of a mighty community of...one, I wouldn't mind having a volunteer or two help me with couch commentary for Curse of the Azure Bonds, especially if you have experience with the Gold Box games in general or glorious AD&D 1st Edition.  Or if you just want to be on the couch for something and are willing to learn, I can't afford to be too picky.
Pudding%
Professor Palmer has indicated that he's willing to fill the void of anyone seeking commentators.
I am doing commentary for the Curse of the Azure Bonds run.
Anything you can do I can do halfass
I am here.  I do not run, but you may have heard of me.  I got my stream name, Professor NES (ProfNES), at GDQ something-like-2013 by commentating some Mario and Earthbound and giving, off the cuff, an explanation for F-Zero GX MTS which seems to have become the accepted standard.  I also commentated (and pulled one minor assist from memory) Yagamoth's Tales of Phantasia run last RPGLB.

I like talking up the tech of a game, as far as I know it or can reverse-engineer it; I may not always be 100% accurate off-the-cuff, but I tend to do actual research on games I know I'm going to talk about.  I have actually created multiple NES tech demos, ~3 games (including 1 cartridge release) and done proper code-inspection reverse-engineering on some of the Final Fantasy VI battle system, but I do have Things to Say about pretty much any console/handheld spec from NES/SMS to PS1/N64/Saturn.  If your game is on anything in that range, odds are I'd enjoy commentating for you. 

Services also provided:
- I will watch your runs and learn what makes your tricks/glitches work
- I can work from notes, make my own, or with enough prep time, generally ad-lib
- I answer questions on the fly
- I can reduce explanations, even tech talk, to a _fairly_ basic level, keeping audience in mind
- I am not too proud to sing on stream

I have given particular study to Chrono Trigger, and am (multiple-)casual-completion+speedrun-watching familiar with the likes of... let's see what's on the list...
- Crystalis (borderline...)
- EarthBound
- FF1
- FF4FE (completed FF4 vanilla; watched plenty of FE and FF4 hacking)
- Illusion of Gaia
- Super Mario RPG
I am also familiar with at least part of
- Final Fantasy II (partial play, seen bits of runs)
- FF Tactics (partial play, seen some runs)
- Final Fantasy X (completed, no runs)
- Odin Sphere (completed, although not Leifthrasir specifically; no runs)
- Neutopia (PC Engine Hype! Played a bit; seen a (the?) proposed run not long ago)
- Pokémon Let's Go (currently playing & comparing to Ye Olde Gen1 design/mechanics)
- Robotrek (played a chunk of, and casually follow PJ's run work)
- Star Ocean: Last hope (not the HD remake specifically, but completed most games in the series and touched I think all of them; no runs)
- Suikoden (completed, completed the whole series except Tactics for that matter; no runs)

So.  If you're the runner of any of the above, and want/need a commentator, do reach out!
If you're a runner of anything else in the right timeframe (Phantasy Star?  Vagrant Story? MKR?), eh, reach out.  If I can learn it and you're chill, it might work out.
If you've heard my name and WANT me on your couch even if your game doesn't really match up, I _can_ technically BS me some convincing BS on tech up to present day (I do work in a side industry to The Industry), but again, reach out and let's plan.
Professional Second Banana
Available to commentate any of the following games if the runners need any extra help:

Robotrek
Crystalis
Chrono Trigger
FF4 Free Enterprise
Stream monster
I am currently looking for commentators to give a synopsis of the story and in-game mechanics of Star Ocean: The Last Hope.
In my practice runs, I always struggle to balance covering the story, nitty-gritty details with in-game mechanics, and explaining every strategy I do for the speedrun.
The ideal commentator would be able to fully give a clear explanation to the in-game mechanics, while I fill in the blanks as to how they're applied in the run. There's room for explaining everything, as the majority of the in-game mechanics are used in the run. If i'm not racing Mystic Quest, I will be around the venue practising a full run each day until my run on Tuesday.

I can handle solo commentary if it's a must, but it would help tremendously as there are at least 3 high-execution/luck dependent battles that demand my full concentration.
I've been more comfortable with commentating during high-tension situations, so we'll see how practice goes before the live run itself.