RPGBOT.Podcast

Once upon a gaming table dreary, while we plotted, weak and weary, Came a whisper from the shadows: "What if your dice betray you with fear?" Not the fear of a natural one, nor the dread of forgetting your spell slots, But a terror woven deep into the very fabric of the game— A mechanic that chills the marrow, bends the will, And makes the bravest paladin cry out like a startled kobold. In this re...

The Stormlight Archive RPG is not a game one simply plays—it is a crucible where story and steel collide. In its halls, Shardblades and Shardplate redefine combat, while talent trees, sprens, and player choices shape destinies with every decision. Today, we step back from the battlefield to reflect on the system's triumphs, its perils, and the stories it carves into those who dare to wield it. In...

"The storm is both battleground and teacher. In the high storm's fury, we discovered not merely survival checks or combat mechanics, but the weight of choice. Humor became a shield, laughter our shardplate, as the Shardblade in hand revealed itself to be more than a weapon. Against the chasm fiend's relentless rhythm, the bond between friends became the only path to victory. The storm needs a guid...

Lo, from the stagnant mire there arose a croak most dreadful, heralding the advent of creatures born of chaos and slime. In this remastered Spooktober hour from 2023, we unmask the Slaad—horrible monsters of Dungeons & Dragons whose laughter curdles into terror. Hark, dear listeners, and let the tolling of the midnight bell stir your marrow— for once more the veil thins, and once more the chill br...

In this wandering dissection of the 2025 Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set, the hosts circle through memory and mechanics, weighing cardboard against imagination, and finding, amid the tokens and rules, not a doorway into wonder but the echo of all the starter sets that came before, fuller, deeper, better. Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands ( affiliate link ) Randall has written Melancon, a novel...

The RPGBOT crew brave technical glitches, angry chasm fiends, and their own questionable tactics in the Stormlight Archive TTRPG—somehow surviving long enough to bond a Shardblade and argue about the rules. Want to roll dice with Ash Ely? You can! Ash is running games right now on  StartPlaying.games — sign up to join his tables and bring your own chaos straight to the adventure. Show Notes What h...

Lolth's Not Your Mom, But She's Definitely Disappointed in You Follow Ash Ely on social media for more tabletop mischief, hot takes, and behind-the-scenes RPGBOT energy. Want to do more than just listen? You can play in his games directly —Ash runs tables on StartPlaying.games where you can sign up, roll dice, and probably regret trusting that one suspicious NPC he voices just a little too well. S...

Building Heroes, Breaking Dice, and Blaming Foundry VTT"  (A deep dive into character creation for the Stormlight Archive RPG, with more heroic paths than your GM bargained for.) RPGBOT is now on TikTok with funny Tiny Videos . If you've ever wanted quick takes on tabletop gaming , absurd jokes about TTRPG character creation , or a one-minute guide to why your heroic path matters, we've got you co...

Hydra fights, Dark Sun dilemmas, Unearthed Arcana chaos—what could go wrong? Want more Unearthed Arcana deep dives?  The RPGBOT.Podcast has you covered. You can find our backlog of episodes on every major podcast platform , where we break down the latest D&D playtest material and show you how to wrangle it into your campaigns without summoning your own TPK. Show Notes In this episode, the RPGBOT.P...

So Your Players Think They're Safe? Release the Aboleth! Want more Dungeons & Dragons monster tips, horror encounter design, and campaign advice ? Visit RPGBOT.net —where real humans craft real tools for roleplayers and dungeon masters. Show Notes The RPGBOT.Podcast crew takes a deep dive into one of the most disturbing D&D monsters ever created: the Aboleth . These ancient aquatic horrors are mor...

Strap on your Shardplate and call your Spren—Episode 2 of our How to Play Stormlight Archive RPG series takes a lore-heavy dive into the Cosmere, exploring worldbuilding, Knights Radiant, and everything you need to roleplay in Roshar's storm-tossed setting. Our archive episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast are now available on YouTube! Relive every tangent, deep dive, and Shardblade-sharpened insight whi...

Snacks, Ghosts, and Shardblades: How to Play Stormlight Archive RPG (Part I)" Because nothing says "epic fantasy" like kettle chips, Cajun cuisine, and the looming threat of narrative-driven permanent injuries. Want to dive deeper into tabletop roleplaying games? Whether you're a first-time player or a veteran rules lawyer, visit RPGBOT.net for guides, advice, and resources to make your games smar...

Turning Your TTRPG Into a Chemically Enhanced Nightmare (for the Players, Not the GM) Missed an episode? Accidentally ingested a memory-erasing toxin? No worries! Archived episodes of the  RPGBOT.Podcast are now available on YouTube . Binge the banter, savor the strategy, and relive every rules argument—now with video thumbnails. Show Notes Welcome to the episode where the RPGBOT.Podcast crew roll...

Can You Survive a Highstorm with Just a Character Sheet and Poor Life Choices? We Tried the Cosmere RPG. Missed an episode? Don't worry— archive episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast are now available to listen to on YouTube . Whether you're a veteran listener or just discovering us, you can now catch up on every rules breakdown, hot take, and character optimization deep dive. Just search for RPGBOT.Podc...

Welcome to Gehenna: It's Like Hell, but With Worse Real Estate and More Bureaucracy" Announcement: Missed an episode? Repent your sins and redeem yourself on YouTube, where archived episodes of The RPGBOT.Podcast are now available for your listening pleasure. Come for the laughs, stay for the existential dread. Show Notes – Episode Title: "Gehenna: Evil Slopes and Infernal Bureaucracy" Summary: In...

Bask in the divine glow (and probably a few judgmental stares) as we ascend into the celestial tiers of tabletop gaming. Wings, halos, and passive-aggressive deities await. Did you miss out on our earlier, holier episodes? Good news! RPGBOT.net is now uploading archived episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast to YouTube . That means you can binge our past wisdom, war crimes, and winged lectures while prete...

Battlecry!, Bigatures, and the Tank Fallacy: Pathfinder 2e's New Expansion Yells Into the Void (And We Love It!) You can now listen to archive episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast on YouTube! Catch up on past adventures, deep dives, and spicy takes—now just a click away. Show Notes: In this episode, Tyler Kamstra, Randall James, and Ash Ely sound the alarm for  Battlecry! , the latest Pathfinder 2e expa...

Strap in, space cadets—we're about to hyperjump into a galaxy where healing is done with stickers, rats are adorable, and gravity is optional. Past episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast are now available on YouTube! Revisit our greatest hits, deepest takes, and most unhinged tangents with your eyeballs and your earholes. Just search for "RPGBOT.Podcast" on YouTube or follow the links from RPGBOT.net to j...

Oops, All Corpses: Making TPKs Fun, Fair, and Hilariously Devastating Now on YouTube! That's right— RPGBOT.net is bringing the RPGBOT.Podcast archive to YouTube , so now you can re-live your favorite episodes or finally hear all the ones you missed while you were rolling death saves. Whether you're commuting, cooking, or crying over your latest character sheet, we've got you covered with full epis...

A candy dungeon, a dragon cult, and a bag that eats you—what could go wrong? You asked. We delved. You can now listen to past and present episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast on YouTube ! Whether you're deep cleaning your dice bag or prepping tonight's game, catch every optimization hot take and dragon-fueled derailment in high-def audio (and our beautiful logo in glorious static 1080p). Subscribe at Yo...

Warlocks, Mystic Arcanum, and Our Deeply Cursed MySpace Past – Now Optimized for Maximum Emotional Damage! Tired of forgetting what Tyler said about multiclassing back in 2021? Want to relive the glory days of your favorite hot takes, Warlock rants, and deeply cursed jokes? Good news! RPGBOT.net is proud to announce that archived episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast are now available on YouTube. That's...

We're Not Saying You  Should Jump… But Here's How to Survive When You Inevitably Do RPGBOT.net Presents Past Mistakes in Glorious 1080p Want to see how deep the rules rabbit hole really goes? Or maybe you just miss hearing Tyler's voice explain gravity damage like it's a TED Talk about falling down stairs. Either way, rejoice! Past episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast are now available on  YouTube . Tha...

A warlock, a podcaster, and a spider walk into a subclass draft. Guess which one survives? Tired of forgetting what Tyler said about multiclassing back in 2021? Want to relive the glory days of your favorite hot takes, Warlock rants, and deeply cursed jokes? Good news! RPGBOT.net is proud to announce that archived episodes of the RPGBOT.Podcast are now available on YouTube. That's right—every misp...

TPK'd by Boredom: The Unearthed Arcana Wizard Review You Didn't Know You Needed (But Absolutely Deserved) This episode is sponsored by Dungeonflow.app — your one-stop shop for prepping tabletop RPGs without needing a Philosopher's Stone or a necromantic ritual. Whether you're building combat encounters, crafting creepy room descriptions, or generating traps that scream "this is absolutely a mimic,...

Knowledge skills: because sometimes knowing what's in the dungeon is more important than knowing how to kill it. In this episode, the RPGBOT.Podcast crew breaks down the often-overlooked but mechanically vital  Knowledge skills in tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder . The gang explores how these skills function in the game, how they've changed over editions, and why your party's l...