Roll For Topic

It’s a brand new year! We start with Chris’ reflections on running last episode’s live game, and then Andy and Chris both talk about GMing goals for 2022—as well as about plans for the podcast!

Join Nicole, Cory, Phill, and Brandon as they explore the crazy sci-fi dungeon we created in Episode 78! With Chris as GM, they encounter space pirates, escape from space bugs, and do many other exciting space-related things. The system used to run this game is the excellent Caltrop Core, which puts the divisive d4 to … Continue reading "Episode 79 — Play-a-Dungeon 2021!"

It’s our annual Build a Dungeon Special! Andy and Chris are joined by John Corey and Kyle Latino to brainstorm and build out a dungeon/adventure live on-air. Our next episode will be a play-through of the dungeon with some other special guests. Enjoy!

It’s our last “normal episode” of the year! Listen as Andy and Chris talk about what locations and time periods would make for great RPG settings.

Do the family, friends, and loved ones of your PCs play a role in your campaigns? Are they mostly there to disadvantage the PCs, or do they contribute something more to the game?

It’s Halloween one-shot season! Andy and Chris are both prepping spooky one-shots, and talk about how to quickly ease players into game rules that are new to them and make the most of the session.

This episode takes an unusual turn as Chris and Andy chat about the experience of “imposter syndrome”—of feeling unworthy to participate in this hobby we all love. After a heartfelt discussion, the episode closes out with a more upbeat talk about Halloween one-shots.

Andy and Chris discuss ways to get your players more invested in a roleplaying game—but not before they pursue tangents including Jack Vance’s “Dying Earth” novels and how to handle keeping-watch sequences at the table.

This week Chris talks with GM Phill Cameron! We talk about a lot of stuff including Vampire: The Masquerade, make a d6 table about the places you’ll go if you follow a butterfly, and then we even roll on the table to talk about designing puzzles.

Andy and Chris diverge from the show’s regular format to discuss a novel they both love and how to set meaningful stakes for RPG encounters… until Chris fails his saving throw and goes into a wild rant about the character creation process in D&D. Listen as they try to salvage some positive insight from Chris’ … Continue reading "Episode 71 — What’s Up with D...

We had ourselves a game convention! Chris and Andy share some brief reflections on the first Roll for Topic Con, a (very) mini-convention at which games were run, old RPG sourcebooks were traded, and fun was had.

Special guest Laura joins us to talk about the challenge of finding the right balance of tone and story at the gaming table. We also hear about Laura’s experience helping to organize the U-Con convention, and about her recently-finished East Texas University campaign, in which her players dealt with supernatural threats, midterm exams, and mean … Continue reading "Episode 69 — Ho...

What do large-scale battles look like in the games you run? Chris and Andy discuss the different ways that big battles can play out in a roleplaying game, and talk about the appeal and limitations of large-scale combat.

Amber Seger (@rocketorca) and Kyle Latino (@kylelatino) join Chris and Andy for part two of our playthrough of The Ground Itself! Show notes for Episode 67: Amber Seger, graphic designer, illustrator, co-owner of the Geekspective podcast network, and all sorts of other awesome things Kyle Latino, mad master of RPG maps The Ground Itself, the wonderful RPG … Continue reading "Episode 67...

Amber Seger (@rocketorca) and Kyle Latino (@kylelatino) join Chris and Andy for an epic playthrough of The Ground Itself! Working together, we collaborate to tell the story of one extremely weird castle and the people who live and (maybe) die there. Show notes for Episode 66: Amber Seger, graphic designer, illustrator, co-owner of the Geekspective … Continue reading "Episode 66 — &#821...

After an opening reflection about character creation, Chris and Andy tackle the question that drives us all: what is THAC0, how does it work, and why do so many gamers point to it as a confusing stumbling block?

Join Chris, Andy, and guest GM Joel Boonstra as they venture off-script and deep into the heart of 1980s children’s cartoons! With the help of the Gamma World roleplaying game, they create a team of barge-dwelling crime-fighters certain to dominate Reagan-era toy store shelves and Saturday morning TV.

For a change of pace, Chris and Andy take a break from talking about roleplaying games and actually play one! We play a short game of Sports Are Just Numerology, a fun one-page RPG for two players by Ben Roswell. Listen as your co-hosts stumble through the frightening world of sports!

How are your physical game books a part of the experience of tabletop gaming? How do you handle, annotate, and use them at the table? Andy and Chris wade into questions about the beloved books that contain the games we play.

Once you have an idea for a new campaign, how do you make it happen at the table? Guest GM Murph joins Andy and Chris to discuss different ways to approach the first days of a new roleplaying game.

Andy and Chris get personal and share all about the campaigns they really want to run, but just can’t quite bring themselves to dive into. It’s a GM therapy session! Appendix: Band of Blades Friends at the Table The Quiet Year The Ground Itself The Great Pendragon Campaign Beyond the Mountains of Madness

Mazes and labyrinths are a fixture of fantasy roleplaying games, but are they actually fun? Chris and Andy talk about what goes into making mazes fun for your players to interact with. Episode 59 appendix: Candlekeep Mysteries, a new D&D compilation of library-themed adventures that Chris hopes to run soon. The Descent, a 2005 horror … Continue reading "Episode 59 — How Do You Use...

Tim Saucer joins Andy and Chris to discuss his recently-completed Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign, before diving into this episode’s topic: how do you use PDFs and other digital game resources at your table?

Guest GM Matt Wilson (@hypomodern) joins the show to discuss his recently-finished 18-month campaign of “Eternal Lies”! Matt talks about what worked and what didn’t, how he adjusted the campaign for his table, and what GM tricks he used to make the experience come alive for his players. Episode 57 appendix: Eternal Lies, an epic … Continue reading "Episode 57 — &#8220...

Guest GM Kyle Latino joins Andy and Chris to discuss luck, fate points, divine intervention, and other ways that games equip players with get-out-of-jail-free cards! We hear from Kyle about his new Kickstarter project, and then chat about every type of deus ex machina we can think of. Episode 56 appendix: Old Roads, Kyle’s map … Continue reading "Episode 56 — How Do You Handle Lu...