Finding Atoria

Send us Fan Mail Session Zero, Character Creation, and Beyond Welcome back to the table! This week, Arcadia, Malcolm, and Jess talk about Star Wars! The crew tried the Star Wars TTRPG on for size, and there’s just something about that galaxy far, far away that calls to all of us. Jess’s nickname even makes an appearance… Threepio! As usual, our folks dove right in — and of course, homebrew showed...

Send us Fan Mail XP Is XP:  The Many Faces of Role-Playing  Arcadia, Malcolm, and Jess are in the studio this week while Tori is off gaming at her other table—because let’s be honest, every table needs their rogue. This episode dives into a conversation that’s close to many gamers’ hearts: video games versus tabletop RPGs. The crew explores what makes each experience unique, starting with one of t...

Send us Fan Mail How Local Game Shops Became the Heart of Our Hobby   This week, Malcolm, Arcadia, and Jess dive into a topic close to every gamer’s heart — local game shops ! These hometown heroes are the backbone of every local gaming scene. Back in the day, hobby shops weren’t solely focused on gaming. Model kits and crafting supplies dominated the shelves, while games were often tucked into a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the table! Malcolm sits down with Rachel Vosgrove and Wesley Magee-Saxton, the founders of Forge Ahead: A Party to Access , to discuss their mission to make gaming more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities. Rachel and Wesley share how their organization works to remove barriers—both physical and social—that can make it difficult for people with dis...

Send us Fan Mail Supporting Veterans, One Game at a Time Welcome back to the table! Malcolm and Tori sit down with Jason Cottom , founder of Dungeons & Dogtags , to talk about the power of tabletop role-playing games to bring people together and support those who’ve served. Jason shares the inspiration behind his organization and how it creates safe, welcoming spaces for veterans and active-du...

Send us Fan Mail Radiance and Random Inspiration: Building Atoria With Oddfish Games  Welcome back to the table! In this episode, the FA gang dives into Oddfish Games’ Adventure Engine to help flesh out a mysterious corner of Atoria. This was our first time using the system, and honestly? We had a blast. We put the Radiance deck through its paces to give some backstory to a blank spot on our homeb...

Send us Fan Mail Another Epic Interview With OddFish Games This week, we had the pleasure of interviewing Christina Stiso , one of the hosts of The Epic Adventure Podcast ! Christina is a game designer, GM, gamer, PhD student, and Creative Designer at Oddfish Games. She’s also a passionate advocate for inclusivity in gaming and serves as the Outreach Director for Tabletop Gaymers — the folks who h...

Send us Fan Mail Are You Ready for an Epic Interview? After months of emails and coordination, we’re thrilled to feature our very first interview: Steve Kellams , host of The Epic Adventure Podcast . Together, we dive into our shared passions for TTRPGs and the power of podcasting as a medium. Steve shares how his background in law enforcement and early strategy war games led him to the table. Com...

Send us Fan Mail The 8 Types of TTRPG Players (And Their Strengths and Pitfalls) Welcome back to the table—this week, the whole party’s here! Tori took us down a delightful rabbit hole into the world of player archetypes that pop up at so many TTRPG tables. Which one sounds like you (or your friends)? Storytellers Explorers Tacticians Actors Slayers Jokers Guardians Collectors Most players lean in...

Send us Fan Mail Community News, London Pub Scenes, and Player Archetypes Unpacked Welcome back to the table! Malcolm kicks things off with some stories circulating in the TTRPG community. Tori, Jess, and Arcadia dive into topics making the news, including recent moves from Paizo and Glass Cannon Unplugged. The group also takes a closer look at London’s TTRPG pub scene—how it fills a niche for bot...

Send us Fan Mail Exploring Love, Fandom, and TTRPGs Welcome back to the table! Finding Atoria Studios is packed today for a lively discussion on the rise of Romantasy TTRPGs and their growing presence in the gaming market. Have these elements always been hidden in the gems of our roleplaying games—or is there something different about the current moment? We dive into the stats and mechanics that h...

Send us Fan Mail From Ribbet Tongues to Druid Shrooms With Malcolm out this week, Tori and Arcadia dive into a lively discussion about Ancestries in TTRPGs. The rise of the narrative-focused game Daggerheart has sparked big conversations in the community about what makes it stand out for both players and GMs. In Daggerheart , ancestries aren’t just cosmetic—they’re baked directly into a character’...

Send us Fan Mail A New Chapter for World of Darkness Welcome back to the table! Tori takes the moderator seat as Arcadia and Malcolm dive into the topic of White Wolf’s re-emergence . While fans of World of Darkness may have been anticipating the brand’s return, the resurrection isn’t quite the same as the White Wolf we remember from its heyday. Originally swallowed by Paradox Interactive, White W...

Send us Fan Mail Alignments: Flexible, Not Flawed  Malcolm moderates this episode as the crew dives into the topic of alignment —the classic D&D concept that has shaped characters and campaigns for decades. Alignment may or may not be a big deal at your table, but it’s been a highly rigid rule in older editions of D&D. In some editions, certain races or species were automatically assigned...

Send us Fan Mail Last Episode About Gen Con, We Promise! Welcome back to the table! We have a skeleton crew in the studio for our final words on Gen Con 2025 and a massive round of shout-outs. Arcadia and Malcolm hold down the board this week as they focus on some of the names and businesses we interacted with in the Exhibit Hall , highlighting community members whose work and personalities left a...

Send us Fan Mail GenCon Recap: New Games, New Friends, and Chaos at the Table   Welcome back to the table! Jess and Tori are both on the mic this episode, and Malcolm and Arcadia share a wrap-up of GenCon 2025 , where they represented our crew. From discovering new games to meeting new friends, this year’s convention brought some fresh experiences. Jess kicks things off with a lesson in orderly qu...

Send us Fan Mail Trade Days, Tabletop Fun, and Community Connections Welcome back to the table! This week, we’re recording outside the studio and missed our Tori, who’s off on amazing adventures! Jess joins Arcadia and Malcolm for a lively discussion leading up to Gen Con 2025 . We hop back in the time machine to revisit our Con experiences in 2024 , shining a light on the beauty of Trade Day . Al...

Send us Fan Mail Frogs, Fun, and First-Time GM Chaos   Welcome back to the table! In this episode, Malcolm, Tori, and Arcadia finally play-tested Daggerheart and share their impressions and takeaways. Some serious GMing skills were on display, Arcadia got pulled into roleplaying moments , and Tori reminded us all to be a little wary of frogs . While everyone had a blast exploring a new system, the...

Send us Fan Mail The Forever DM and the Rules Guy  Welcome back to the table! In this episode, we dive into two of the biggest names in the TTRPG world : Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins. Crawford, the rules guru, and Perkins, the forever DM, have been cornerstones of Dungeons & Dragons for decades. Both spent at least 18 years at Wizards of the Coast , shaping the game we all love and earnin...

Send us Fan Mail Funky Fresh Mechanics and a Whole Lot of Hope & Fear   Welcome back to the table! We continue our dive into Daggerheart , the new TTRPG from Darrington Press. Tori takes a deep look at the rules and mechanics, showing that this is not a D&D clone —it’s its own system with unique twists drawn from other games. Malcolm points out similarities to Vampire: The Masquerade and S...

Send us Fan Mail A New Game on the Block Arcadia and Malcolm are flying solo this week, as Tori was scheduled to play but couldn’t join to record. They dive into Daggerheart , the new TTRPG from Darrington Press (Critical Role). This game has already made waves in the community, marking a clear step away from D&D while standing on its own. Daggerheart has the advantage of launching independent...

Send us Fan Mail Beauty Is in the Eyes of the Beholder Pick an edition, any edition—we’ve got you covered! Welcome to our first monster comparison episode . Tori dives deep into one of her favorite classic D&D monsters: the Beholder . From the original 1st Edition to the most recent rulesets, we explore how this iconic floating horror has evolved over the decades. We break down its abilities,...

Send us Fan Mail Click, Clack, Brain Go Brrrr: Diving Into Tabletop Mechanics   There are receipts, and Arcadia gets to GM this episode! Malcolm kicks things off by talking about the future of TTRPGs and how many players are exploring customized and solo gaming . While solo games or mechanics-heavy systems can feel more like a Choose Your Own Adventure or an RPG video game, most of us agree that i...

Send us Fan Mail Adventures Off the Table:  TTRPGs as the Inspiration Behind Fantasy Fiction   Malcolm is the GM this episode, and Jess joins us in the studio! Tori wins initiative and kicks off the discussion about how TTRPGs have inspired countless stories across books, movies, and TV. Dungeons & Dragons paved the way for worlds like Dragonlance , Forgotten Realms , and He-Man , showing how...

Send us Fan Mail Back to the Future (Kind of): Shadowrun’s Talkers and Techies   Arcadia takes the GM seat this round while Tori joins remotely—because who doesn’t like podcasting in pajamas? This episode dives into Shadowrun Fifth Edition , focusing on two key classes. Tori wins initiative but defers, giving Malcolm the floor to talk about his favorite class: the Face . The Face is the talker of...