Why We Roll

WWR 33 Board Games v. RPGs w. Sarah Shah and Aaron Hill Join Wythe on this episode of WWR as he chats with board game reviewer Sarah Shah and game designer Aaron Hill, discussing designing board games, what we love about them, and how they differ from the TTRPGs we usually talk about! Like what you hear? Consider becoming a patron of Stillfleet Studio to support the production of Why We Roll, as w...

WWR 33 ☉ Adventure Writing w. Luke Gearing Join us as we chat with prolific adventure module auteur Luke Gearing about writing across systems, structuring adventures for publication, and Luke's approach with advice! Like what you hear? To support Why We Roll (as well as all of Stillfleet Studio's stable of amazing ttrpgs) then head over to patreon.com/stillfleet and consider becoming a patron! For...

WWR 32 ☉ Gila RPGs w. Spencer Campbell Pt. 2 Join us as we are re-joined by the delightful and prolific Spencer Campbell of Gila RPGs – the designer (and psych professor!) so nice, we interviewed him twice. We chat with Spencer about designing iteratively, the intersection of psychology and game design, and Spencer's newest game, LOOT (funding on Kickstarter starting Tues, Sept 17th!). Want more W...

Join Wythe and Chris, for the last episode of Why We Roll Season 1, as they chat with the brilliant Spencer Campbell of Gila RPGs from the floor at GENCON 2024! Spencer shares some insights into running a booth at a convention, as well as a sneak peak at his thinking around designing ttrpgs blended with other tabletop mechanics (which will be expanding on in a full interview in season 20! Why We R...

On this episode of Why We Roll, Wythe chats with Erica Simpson and Ethan Gouldini about the ongoing AP stream and upcoming podcast, The Sometimes Stream! Produced by Stillfleet Studio, The Sometimes Stream blends AP zaniness with actual game development and play testing, all in Ethan's deep, lore-filled world of The Sometimes Kingdom RPG. To watch past playtest streams of The Sometimes Kingdom, he...

Join us as we chat with John Hambone McGuire of The Vintage RPG Podcast and Ham and Egg Publishing. about community building, the punk ethos in the indie ttrpg scene, and, of course, the very exciting and cinematic 3,2,1... Action! ttrpg system, created by John himself! From the 3,2,1... Action! Itch page: 'With rapid and intuitive gameplay, 321 Action is the perfect RPG system for newcomers and s...

WWR 28 ☉ Ratwave Game House with Kayla Dice On this episode, we're joined by Kayla Dice of Ratwave Game House for a chill conversation around the ins and outs of self-publishing, growing as a designer, genre inspiration, and a deep dive into Kayla's newest game, PSYCHODUNGEON (now on Kickstarter until June 20th - don't miss this one!). From the PSYCHODUNGEON Kickstarter: PSYCHODUNGEON is a fantasy...

WWR 27 ☉ Hexavexagon w. Vex Chat-Blanc Join Wythe as he chats with Vex Chat-Blanc, creator of many incredible and innovative ttrpgs and tools, including Killing Billionaires for Sport and Ashfall. Wythe and Vex discuss the New Zealand ttrpg community for Kiwi RPG Week, the application of politics in games, and character trauma and how it can inform narrative, all while taking a deep dive into Kill...

WWR 26 ☉ Marginal Worlds Join us as we talk with Zoe Franznick and Dr. Mac Boyle of the wonderful Maniculum Podcast about medievalism and its influence on ttrpgs! We also discuss the legacy of Tolkien, magic systems in ttrpg's, and most importantly: Marginal Worlds: Magic Item Expansion Pack , The Maniculum Podcast's first publication! With 50 items and equipment inspired by items from medieval ma...

WWR 25 ☉ Titanomachy RPG w. Lex Kim Bobrow How does anyone start producing TTRPGs from scratch? How can we use games as a tool to move from alienation to a state of community? Join us as we chat with the one and only Lex Kim Bobrow, the brilliant mind behind Titanomachy RPG and Caltrop Core, as we work through these questions and more! To support Why We Roll, head over to Patreon.com/stillfleet ☉...

WWR 24 ☉ Multitude w. Amanda McLoughlin & Eric Silver On this exciting episode of Why We Roll, we chat with podcast power couple Amanda McLoughlin and Eric Silver of Multitude! Join us as we discuss the history of actual play podcasting, the business and benefits of working as a collective, and even designing one page TTRPGs. Stick around to the end to hear the best (or worst?) queer TTRPG dad jok...

WWR 23 ☉ Twice Rolled Tales w. Emily Tworek & Linnie Schell All hail the button! On this episode of Why We Roll, we're joined by the wonderful Emily and Linnie of Twice Rolled Tales! Join us as we chat about actual play, dada, building a business with friends, and publishing AP modules. If you haven't already, check out and pre-order the incredible Tabletop Gone Mad, created by Linnie and publishe...

WWR 22 ☉ Grindcore w. Chris Koger & Wes Ascolese On this episode of Why We Roll, we're joined by Chris and Wes from Spooky Bell Games. Join us as we chat about the Grindcore System, historical politics in gaming, and Spooky Bell's upcoming No Nazis in Valhalla. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey folks, Chris here! Unfortunately, this episode has some minor audio issues. However, we feel that this is a great episode and we hope you still enjoy it! On this episode of Why We Roll, we chat with indie TTRPG luminary, Laurie O'Connel of Twelve Pins Press, author of Heironymous and the upcoming Death Game. Join us as we discuss bending and using genre conventions, shifting GM systems, and ev...

On this episode of WWR, we are joined, once again, with Will Savino of Borough Bound fame, but this time Will has brought along. party member - art director and cartographer of Borough Bound, James Nathaniel! Come along with us as we chat fantasy cartography, the business of third-party product design, get illustration tips from James, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

What is a game? Are TTRPGs... games?? And just -what- is New Simulationism? Join us as we parse out these questions and more with teacher, theorist, and TTRPG creator Sam Sorenson (headofthegoat.itch.io). To find out more about Stillfleet, take the stillworks over to www.stillfleet.com To find out more about Danse Macabre, take a pilgrimage to timespace.place Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Join us as we chat with Mark Diaz Truman of Magpie Games (www.magpiegames.com) about growing in the indie TTRPG industry, the politics and narrative positioning of TTRPGs, and the slippery work of defining just what a system really is! To learn more about Stillfleet, report to the Co at www.stillfleet.com To learn more about Danse Macabre, make a pilgrimage to www.timespace.place Learn more about...

This week, we are joined by Scott Thayer of Hobo's Collective (hoboscollective.com) to talk about DIY publishing and cooperatives, the evolution of TTRPGs through the last 30 years, and the politics and philosophy of gaming... as well as beefing with Adorno (not really). To learn more about Stillfleet, requisition a copy of form 18c.09-æP73 at Stillfleet.com To learn more about Danse Macabre, make...

On this episode, we are joined by Scott Malthouse (www.trollishdelver.com), creator of Romance of the Perilous Land, Quill, In Darkest Warrens, and more! We discuss folklore in tabletop games and the politics of historical fantasy, and we're treated to insights into Scott's writing process. If you'd like to learn more about Stillfleet, requisition a form at Stillfleet.com If you'd like to learn mo...

This week, we are joined by Michael Sands (genericgames.co.nz), creator of Monster of the Week, Heavy Metal Aeons, Natural Philosophers, and more! Join us as we chat about Michael's experience in the NZ TTRPG scene, practical tips for pitching and publishing games, and leaning into genre. To learn more about Stillfleet, submit your requisition form to Stillfleet.com To learn more about Danse Macab...

Roach and Dillon McDermal are back, baby! On this very special episode we are again joined by the creator of Blister Critters, Tony Grasso and Discord buddy Lex! Make sure to check out play.blistercritters.com to check out the game and to back it on Kickstarter! To learn more about Stillfleet, report to Stillfleet.com To learn more about Danse Macabre, make a pilgrimage to timespace.place Learn mo...

Wythe & Chris talk TTRPG supplements and spies with Ian Derk, author of the espionage-themed Stillfleet gazetteer, QADIDA. From Stillfleet.com: What happens when a rival organization—the anarchic Honourable Company—finally takes power from the Worshipful Company? Can half of a domed city on a dwarf planet survive alone? Is Free Qadida slipping into authoritarianism, or is that just more Worshipful...

WWR 11 ☉ Playing Blister Critters w. Jenn de la Vega & Anthony Grasso! Join Wythe, Chris, and very special guests Jenn de la Vega (Fun City Ventures, Replay) and Tony Grasso (creator of Blister Critters) as they delve into the cartoonishly hilarious TTRPG, Blister Critters, now on Kickstarter! In this innovative and surreal game, you play as a small animal who can wield bizarre mutations called Bl...

WWR 11 ☉ Blister Critters w. Anthony Grasso Join us as we chat Blister Critters with the game's creator and illustrator, Anthony Grasso! Blister Critters is an upcoming TTRPG from Stillfleet Studios of Saturday morning cartoon mutant animal antics and adventures. In this episode, we delve into designing a game from the ground up, illustration informing mechanics, the aesthetics of 90's cartoons, a...

WWR 10 ☉ Tabletop Music w. Will Savino Wythe & Chris talk about music at the tabletop, system agnosticism, and world building with Will Savino of Music d20 and Borough Bound. To find out more about Will's work, go to boroughbound.com and patreon.com/musicd20 To find out more about Stillfleet, go to Stillfleet.com To find out more about Danse Macabre, go to timespace.place/game Learn more about you...