Dice in Mind

This week we speak with Matt Forbeck, an exceptionally creative author and entrepreneur who has written across some of the world's most popular franchises.  Ever heard of Minecraft, Halo, Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, or Marvel?  Yeah, we thought so.  In addition exploring his creative process, Matt also shared with us some thoughts behind his Kickstarter-funded Shotguns and Sorcery campaign for...

Episode 43 Teaser

This week we interview a gentlemen with whom we have been eager to chat.  Michael Polkinghorn is the author of the very first adventure in Candlekeep Mysteries, our very favorite D&D adventure book from Wizards of the Coast.  He is also an individual with a fascinating backstory of his own.  Join us as Michael shares how he conceptualized his Candlekeep adventure, walks us through his broader fami...

Episode 42 Teaser

This week we have the good fortune of chatting with Jake Blouch and Michael Doherty, two of the minds and voices behind the wonderfully creative Mythic Thunderlute: A D&D Podcast Musical.  If you have listened to MTL, we think you will agree it is one of the most creative things happening in the RPG community today.  If you haven't listened to at least a few of their episodes, stop what you are do...

Episode 41 Teaser

This week we interview...no one!  Instead, we look back at our recent five interviews and look forward to the next five.  Along the way we reflect on how Dice in Mind has changed yet remained true to exploring RPGs through the lens of real life.  We also reveal that we are putting a narrative dice port of Star Trek on the back burner so that instead we can write (and share) a few mission briefs fo...

Episode 40 Teaser

This week we have the immense pleasure of chatting with Nami Melumad, composer for Star Trek: Prodigy and so much more, for a wide ranging discussion regarding music composition and production, gender inequity in professional music, and of course many things Trek.  We honestly could have spent hours talking with Nami, who was gracious with her time and insights.  May you enjoy the conversation as...

Episode 39 Teaser

This week we have the pleasure of chatting with Michael Low, educator and innovator, on the potential to utilize RPGs to enliven education.  Please join us for a deep dive into educational theory, passion for learning, and a delightful level of enthusiasm.  You will not be disappointed!  Please check out Michael's ideas, join one of his classes, and follow him on Twitter: Luck of Legends Can Kids...

This week we are humbled to bring you our interview with Chris Birch, founder and CEO of Modiphius Entertainment.  The brain behind what has arguably become one of THE major RPG publishing houses on the planet, Chris was generous with his time and thoughts.  He also stressed an important point.  If you have an idea in mind, make it happen.  Write the story, design the game, put it out there.  As o...

This week we chat with Malcolm Sheppard, developer at large with Green Ronin, who joins us to talk about his writer, editing, and all around creativity working with the AGE dice mechanic and the many cool games that utilize it.  Indeed, the interview ran long because of Malcolm's willingness to get into the weeds.  Enjoy! Please check out these wonderful Modern AGE publications: Modern AGE Quickst...

We are very pleased this week to chat with Kelli Fitzpatrick, author and editor with Modiphius Entertainment, who joins us to talk about Star Trek and so much more. Now studying toward her MFA, Kelli shares with us what it's like to serve as one of the lead writers on the Shackleton Expanse Campaign Guide, her early success as a writer, and what it means to be creative within one's writing.  It wa...

This week we review the Genesys Expanded Player's Guide, a wonderful addition to the system's core rulebook.  Along the way, we offer examples of how it has helped us think through our Star Trek adaptation.  And wait to you hear our big news in the GM Corner.  Exciting times are ahead! Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material: Genesys Expanded Player's Guide Edge Studio Moar! Mo...

This week we explore Microscope, a narrative-based roleplaying game, and how it can be used for developing homebrew games.  We then connect these ideas to the upcoming Star Trek Adventures Players Guide.  Along the way we share a pivot in our development plans for a Genesys adaptation for RPGing in Star Trek canon.  Hit it! Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material: Microscope St...

We return this week to issues of mechanics.  Specifically, we question the various ways one might adapt the mechanics of their favorite published games to their own tables. We focus on the dice, eventually talk character sheets, and invariably ramble a bit along the way as we give a shout to a lot of different games and systems. Along the way, we also highlight a few examples of especially interes...

For the first time in a long time, we waited to record an episode until the evening before so that we could share our initial impressions of the brand new The Book of Boba Fett (on Disney+) as it pertains to RPGing. We also might have gotten slightly off the track toward the end of the discussion. Regardless, how to you think the new show can inform your own gaming? Drop us a line on Twitter and l...

It's Episode 30...and the Count to 100 continues!  This week we chat with Dr. Timm Woods, professional gamester, author, and educator who joins us to talk about his scholarship and work in roleplaying.  We suspect you will find Timm to be as kind of a person as we did. Please check out (and purchase!) Timm's book: Random Tables: Cities and Towns Also, consider booking Timm for your next event! Dr....

In this episode, we follow up to our recent Twitter post about the portrayal of psychotherapy in Star Trek: Discovery. That post garnered a lot of views (nearly 9400!) and we wanted to talk openly about the importance of psychological health and how RPGs can contribute to it. You can join the conversation by posting your feedback to us on Twitter!  @diceminmind If you are struggling, please reach...

In this episode, we debate the relative merits of being creative beyond canon in some of our favorite RPGs.  When does an adaptation or novel idea become a homebrew?  Does it matter whether it is an issue of timeline, content, rules, or mechanics?  Join us for the conversation by posting your feedback to us on Twitter! @diceminmind Along the way, we refer to some interesting source material: Titan...

Where do you play?  We often neglect to develop the environments in which our adventures take place, instead focusing on the NPCs, combat, etc.  In this episode, we discuss the potential for natural environments (as well as urban ones) to help set the context of our adventures. Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning of life through the lens of RPGs!  In each epis...

And now for something entirely different!  In this bonus episode, Brad interviews musician and gamer Steve Matthews about their interest in computer gaming, how they got to know Brad, and especially about his awesome guitar playing.  Please subscribe to Steve's YouTube channel You can find it here: Steve Matthews on YouTube Welcome to Dice in Mind, a weekly podcast in which we explore the meaning...

It's time for the rubber to meet the road!  For months we have shared how we think the various RPG dice mechanics are a way to quantify life.  In this episode, we put that hypothesis to the test by challenging one another to use three different dice mechanics to see what might have happened had we used them to make professional and personal decisions.  You know what?  It would have worked out pret...