Finding Atoria

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table! Malcolm and Tori have broken into the studio for more unsupervised shenanigans.  This week the two trade book reviews and get into very different Dungeons and Dragons source materials.  Malcolm wins the roll off and defers to Tori, who is only too happy to discuss Xanathar’s Guide to Everything .  A great resource book alive with subclasses, lore, charac...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table! Tori and Malcolm are in the studio today to check back in with a game that our table and studio bought into the hype for.  Almost a year in, we revisit the Darrington Press/Critical Role Narrative TTRPG.  We look at how it landed, how it splashed and where it has gone since.  Malcolm and Tori revisit why the game was such a scene when it hit shelves, wha...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table! Don’t adjust your podcast, that is just one of our Birthday Girls, Jess, who is stepping in to moderate this week’s episode!  We celebrate the birthdays of both Jess and Arcadia in fun look into the games that we are looking forward to playing.  Tori, Arcadia and Malcolm give a title they can wait to get their hands on at the table.  No spoilers here but...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table! This week we get to spend some time with a full studio (hooray!) and talk a little about the experience Arcadia and Jess had running the Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set for Dungeons and Dragons 5e.  We get different perspectives on both playing in and running a game set in the starter campaign as well as dive a little into the differences in experi...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table! This week Malcolm is alone in the studio for an episode dealing with absences in your TTRPG group. Everyone has dealt with and most likely been an absent player or two at the table.  What can send GMs into panic and cause disruptions in your game, doesn’t have.  We take a look at the nature of missing games, the likely and the underlying causes and give...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table! This week we continue our VTM Beginner’s Guide to clans while sending healing potions to Arcadia and missing Jess at the table. That’s right, somebody didn’t read the memo and left Tori and Malcolm unsupervised on the mics.  Tori brings us the world of the Ravnos, a rare and mysterious find in modern nights.  These Kindred work outside of the social real...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table!  We are down one Tori for today’s discussion on telling stories.  But Arcadia, Jess and Malcolm peel back the story teller role in both sets of media.  We look at the audiences, similarities and differences in scripted media production vs the chaotic collaborative storytelling found in most TTRPG experiences.  What advantages a scripted media piece has i...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table!  Tori is downing health potions and is missed today. Settle in for a fun and telling chat with Malcolm, Arcadia and Jess.  Far from the hard hitting, serious interview topics, today the group keeps it light and Funcilitates good conversation.  We discuss a little about them as GMs and Players and then jump into the people at our table with less than deep...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table!  We are letting our inner Book-Goblins out today!  Join Arcadia, Malcolm, Tori and Jess for a look at some old school tomes from our library of tomes.  Today Tori opens up with a little compare and contrast on two sources for everything from little minions to BBEGs.  The stories behind the releases and inclusions of both the Monster Manual for AD&D a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table!  Today Arcadia, Tori, Malcolm and Jess sit down to discuss the Terry Pratchett Disc World RPG update as presented by Mordiphius Games.  What we know, what we like and a bit on what others are saying about the game.  We take some time to step in the setting, nod to the books and media that in doubt influenced the game and explore what, if any niche space...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table!  We have a full and festive studio for another dive into the World of Darkness with two more Guides to Clans for Beginners in VTM.  Tori Starts us off with the story of the Salubri, an odd duck in Vampire lore.  The Salubri were healers whose origins date back to the oldest of nights but their Empathy served to make them a target and continues to be thei...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table!  You’ve really locked into a strange one this week!  We have a full studio for a conversation (that just about gets going) on Dual and Multi-Class characters, rules and impacts in D&D in contrast to other games and systems.  Tori introduces us to her Rouge (and more) who are using the rules of Multi-Classing at the table to progress the character thr...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome Back to the Table!  This week Malcolm sits down with Jess to discuss her wildly popular Home Brew Campaign; Japan In Space.  This 5e setting is a product of two great loves, interests and fandoms, bringing together a historical age of strife and change in Bakumatsu Japan and the operatic expansive elements found in Star Wars media.  More than a TTRPG in a Galactic skin, Je...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table — and welcome back for Season 2 ! Malcolm, Tori, and Jess return for another Clan Comparison from VTM . Tori leads off with Clan Gangrel, a clan made up of strays and rogues who value strength, independence, and survival above all else. These vampires aren’t interested in the shenanigans of courtly politics; instead, they focus on living their unlife on t...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table! This week, as we wrap up 52 episodes in 52 weeks , we’re pulling something special from behind the Patreon paywall just for you. Tori, Arcadia, and Malcolm come together for the second entry in Tori’s Monster Comparison series, diving deep into the Adult Blue Dragon . This monster is near and dear to all of our hearts here at the podcast, and we take a l...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table! This week, Tori, Arcadia, and Malcolm are in the studio with Jess for a perhaps uncomfortable chat about the predictive elements quickly growing in our hobby space. With no wrong answers, honest conversation sheds light on where using technology as a tool makes sense—enhancing experiences and opening access to TTRPGs. After the break, we shift the lens t...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table! This week, Tori, Arcadia, and Malcolm are joined by Jess for a look at Life Path System character generation. Here at Finding Atoria , we’re longtime devotees of stat block roll-ups and ability-score-driven character creation—but the Life Path System (of which there are many) offers a very different way to build a character. Life Path Systems were popula...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table! This week, Tori, Arcadia, and Malcolm are joined by Jess for a discussion on how to align your character with your taste, your table, and your game. Jess shares great insight into the many aspects of character creation and development—and the occasional friction that can come with bringing a PC to life in your TTRPG. The group dives into what factors are...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table! This week, Tori, Arcadia, and Malcolm return to the Clans of VTM . Malcolm moderates as Tori opens with all things Toreador—the elegant artists of the Camarilla. We hear about the pain of needing beauty in your afterlife. Clan Toreador cling to the living world after the Embrace and are often found embroiled in mortal affairs, searching for the artistic...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table, and happy New Year’s! This week, Arcadia, Malcolm, and Tori talk about building characters. Malcolm gives us a rundown on how to build a tank, going into detail on creating a not-so-squishy, damage-dealing battlefield controller. Having “taunt” mechanics to draw fire is a big part of tank builds, and the biggest question to ask is always what you want th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Finding Atoria , we go semi-dark for the holidays. Malcolm spreads some thanks (to you, most of all) and pulls the FA curtain back a bit, letting us listen in on some of the moments we share that don’t make the cut . Malcolm proves that there is never a bad time to be recording with this group in the studio… whether they know it at the time or not! We hear hilar...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Finding Atoria , the crew continues their Vampire: The Masquerade beginner series with a deep dive into two iconic clans that embody opposite ends of power and monstrosity. Moderated by Tori, the episode explores what it means to play either the polished ruler or the unseen manipulator of the night. Malcolm breaks down the Ventrue —the aristocratic leaders of va...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Tori, Arcadia, and Malcolm are all in the studio for a lively discussion on homebrewing your TTRPG —what it is, what it isn’t, and when it shines at the table. We dig into the wonders of “The Faces of Tori” and find ourselves delightfully lost in sinking fields early and often. Homebrewing is accessible to everyone and can elevate your game, your world, and your table’s...

Send us Fan Mail " Niima Outpost is that way. Stay off Kelvin Ridge. Keep away from the Sinking Fields in the north." ~ Rey to BB-8,  Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens Welcome back to the table! Patrick and Arcadia are joined by Jess and Coel for a dive into Star Wars TTRPG madness. We’re juggling three games this week — Edge of the Empire, Force & Destiny, and Age of Rebellion...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table, and Happy Turkey Day! 🦃✨   This week, Tori returns with Arcadia and Malcolm to break down all things Thurs-Con — our beloved, chaotic, sugar-fueled, dice-rolling micro-convention that has officially wrapped its second glorious year. We take a joyful detour into gummy-bear discourse (as one does), then recap the full Thurs-Con experience: more people, m...