No Plot, Only Lore

Time to get real pretentious with it again! Buckle up! Talking about the friction that takes place between a game's mechanics and that game's story, and how that impacts the art of gaming in general.

How do you make sure your players are ready to re-enter reality after the campaign is over?

This week we talk about board games you can play all by your lonesome!

Raising kids is hard. It would be harder with cockatrices and manticores and shit.

Board game expansions - a fun way to spice up your favorite board game, or just a cult of commercial cardboard?

Lost Civilizations One of my least favorite tropes.  What is a lost civilization? Not just Atlantis. Think of Eberron's giant ruins of Xen'drik , Skyrim's Dwemer , or Dark Souls' pile of forgotten kingdoms . Why are they useful in fantasy? Instantly adds history and depth Allows the GM/author to worldbuild without explaining everything Great excuse for dungeons, relics, and magic that no one...

My big problems: The Murder Game. Until Tag was introduced, there was never a game where one player had to go out of their way to murder another player in order to win and survive. In every other game, murder was an *option* and the consequence of loss was always death, but it was possible to win without killing a person yourself. The “System” outsourced most of the actual violence. Tag fundamenta...

So, we’ve both finally seen all of Squid Game.  Season 1 was a masterpiece that didn’t need a sequel. Season 2 started strong, but there was some strange decision-making. Best character in the series was introduced, though (Cho Hyun-ju) Season 3 undid all of my goodwill for seasons 1 and 2.  Let’s get into it.  General Issues: Repetition Lack of Innovation, even in the new games Foc...

In which we put characters from beloved children's stories into stories that uh... Aren't so child-friendly...

How much realism is too much? This week, we discuss the trend of gritty reboots and the concept of "HBO-ification" as seen in shows like The Wheel of Time and Andor . We lay out our dark, grounded plans for classic IPs, including turning Zorro into a Punisher-style vigilante and making Inspector Gadget a violent cyberpunk monster . Join us to find out how to make Narnia and Space Above and Beyond...

Josh and Kris dissect the trend of gritty TV reboots and the "HBOification" of classic IPs. We criticize Amazon's The Wheel of Time for killing wives and ditching character depth (like Perrin's blacksmith/axe dichotomy). Then, we pitch dark, adult TV series for beloved franchises: a post-apocalyptic dragon show based on Reign of Fire , a politically charged modern Zorro fighting ICE, a cyberpunk I...

Josh and Kris dissect the Chosen One trope in media, from the TTRPG mechanics of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG 's Drama Points to the huge distortions in The Wheel of Time 's pattern. We dive into the best (and worst) uses of the trope in Star Wars (Was Anakin really the Chosen One?) and Harry Potter (He's just a guy!). Plus, a deep-dive into how Buffy's secondary characters are systemically ma...

Josh and Kris roll the dice to create bizarre, twisted versions of classic folklore characters! Hear our takes on a "gross" Selkie that violently tears its way out of its seal form, the melancholic, depressed Santa Claus (inspired by Neil Gaiman) who hates his job, a queer-coded, sequined Baba Yaga with chicken-feet leggings, and Anansi the trickster god as a charmingly fat, retired, domestic dad...

Josh and Kris talk about their favorite apocalypses, from Fallout-style nuclear war (and the haunting film The Road ) to the underrated movie The Book of Eli and terrible ones like Waterworld and After Earth . The conversation shifts to the ultimate TTRPG challenge: finishing a campaign . They discuss why most D&D groups never finish a multi-year story, the shift from collaborative world-build...

Josh and Kris dive into the secret to great storytelling: taking absurd concepts seriously. They discuss the silly anime premise of More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers , the "tits and fight" genre, and how movies like Airbud and the original Star Wars script turned goofy ideas into classics by playing them straight. The segment concludes with advice for D&D DMs on how to ground a ridicu...

TW: SA, bestiality... Yes, really... Look, this one got away from me for real. I'm an improviser - I'll yes-and anything. But this shit got real weird and stayed in that space for a while. This is the first time I've ever had to put a trigger warning on a podcast episode. Josh and Kris tackle the viral "100 men vs. 1 gorilla" question by defining the most absurd win condition: achieving sexual dom...

Josh and Kris clash over the "Rule of Cool" in TTRPGs. Josh argues it's a crutch for lazy problem-solving and a logistical nightmare for DMs, leading to player attention-seeking. Kris defends it as a necessary tool to reward player creativity, encourage "big swings," and increase narrative momentum—provided it's negotiated, reserved for unique moments, and tied to real consequences. They debate it...

Talking about the problem of catching too much loot, or too much of the same loot, or progressing too quickly in RPGs.

Eating monsters! How would you cook them? What would they taste like? Are they dangerous? Poisonous? Does a gorgon have metal blood?

In this episode of No Plot, Only Lore , DMs Josh and Kris explore what happens when the dice, the players, or the DM’s own ego send a campaign spiraling into a "table apocalypse." The guys kick things off with a detour into the "bad old days" of Nerdcore hip-hop, debating the flow of MC Frontalot versus rappers who actually know their music theory. The heart of the episode tackles the moments wher...

In this episode of No Plot, Only Lore , DMs Josh and Chris dive into the messy, often unpredictable world of player engagement. The conversation starts in a surprisingly morbid place as Josh shares stories about his family’s paramedic background and their unusual desensitization to medical trauma—ranging from "cool" injury photos to eating dinner while watching surgery broadcasts. Shifting from re...

Description In this special "Too Much Lore" installment of No Plot, Only Lore , Josh and Chris take a thermal detonator to the concept of over-explanation. What starts as a debate over the "Star Wars Canon Reset" quickly turns into a passionate critique of how "lore dumps" can actually kill the imagination of a franchise. The DMs dive deep into: The Mystery of the Force: Why "The Force" is the per...

Concept vs. Reality: The Coheed Lore Map The "Keywork" is a fascinating visual concept that suffers from what the guys call "amateur writing syndrome"—where a cool name (like a "Jackhammer" spaceship) is eventually revealed to be a literal, giant space-laser-drill. Hard vs. Soft Worldbuilding The DMs emphasize that when you define your rules too rigidly, you lose the ability to surprise your playe...

In which we discuss some of our history with tabletop games retail, and also what sorts of things you can buy for your favorite D&D nerd!

Decorating your dungeon! Villains and henchmen and items galore!