Dungeons and Devices

In this episode I share some tips on how to run roleplaying sessions. You already heard some of my tips for running mysteries, for deciding between a railroad and a sandbox style game or for designing time limited games. This time we take a look at the whole picture, and how you can prepare for your game from week to week (or game to game if your games are not every week). We touch on topics like...

This year has been probably the start for the AI PC: all manufacturers are now touting their PC has AI features. Qualcomm joined the PC processor suppliers, becoming the third along Intel and AMD. And so we also have ThinkPads each with the three different processors and all sharing the Copilot+ branding. In this episode I talk with Benjamin Herzig from Notebookcheck and we discuss how all this AI...

What makes a tabletop RPG truly come alive: a tightly woven plot that pulls players down a thrilling path, or an open world where their every choice shapes the unfolding story? In this episode, we dive deep into the age-old debate between railroad and sandbox adventures, exploring the benefits and challenges of each style. We’ll discuss how player interaction and choices, GM improvisation, and eme...

Constructing and running role playing game sessions which involve mysteries and investigation can be a challenge sometimes. How to make sure the players find all the clues? What if they miss something? How to adapt your gaming style not to run into bottlenecks and dead ends in this style of adventure. These are the questions we seek an answer to in today's episode.

Astraterra is a Finnish roleplaying game from author Miska Fredman. Astraterra is a steam fantasy role-playing game for all ages and it mixes elements from fantasy, steampunk, and science-fiction genres. In this episode I talk with Miska about how the game was born and about RPG authoring. We also go through various elements of the game itself. Miska is a game designer and cartographer. His hobby...

Time constraints can often challenge the flow of your adventure, whether it’s a one-shot for friends, a session at the local gaming store, or a game for beginners at a roleplaying convention. With players who may be strangers, unpredictability looms large. Will they get stuck? Will you run out of time? How can you manage the story, encounters, and ensure timely completion while keeping the fun int...

This is part 2 of my talk with Petri Leinonen. Part 1 was published as episode 5. I talk with Petri about various aspects of RPG publishing. This episode concentrates on the technical aspects and on AI image generation and its role in publishing today. Petri Leinonen is an independent RPG creator and publisher from Finland who has been for the past couple of years been heavily involved in the effo...

In this episode I talk with Petri Leinonen, indie RPG publisher, about various aspects of RPG publishing. Petri has been actively participating in creating the layout for the Finnish roleplaying game Legendoja ja Lohikäärmeitä (Legends and Dragons). Does language actually matter for RPGs? How is it working with gaming licenses (such as OGL, the open gaming license). Listen and find out! Petri Lein...

Lenovo usually announces new ThinkPads at the CES conference in Las Vegas, at the beginning of the year. This year was no different, with many new features and some controversial changes - for ThinkPad fans at least - announced. My guest today is Benjamin Herzig, whom shares his thoughts about this year ThinkPad features. Benjamin has been a ThinkPad user since 2010. Originally he was not a fan of...

Music is an essential part of the movie, computer game and even role playing game experience. We use music to enhance our stories. But how is music made today? I talk with indie music composer and producer Matti Paalanen about what it takes to make orchestral music. We talk about how he makes music and how he got started. We also touch on vocals and vocal generation, actual music generation by AI...

We talk about Motorola's ThinkPhone, an Android smartphone that resembles a Lenovo ThinkPad. It is a great companion device for any ThinkPad user, and offers a lot of features to help get the most out of your phone and computer together. We go through the various features "Ready For" offers to help you out. In this episode I talk with Atli Jarl Martin from Iceland, a big ThinkPad fan and collector...

AI is emerging as a technology to augment doing all sorts of things, be it summarizing emails or creating presentations. Generative AI is also a great tool that Storytellers and Dungeons Masters can utilize to speed up their preparation, to enhance their session or just to get fresh ideas and spark their imagination. But crafting good prompts to drive these AI tools can be difficult. In this episo...

Dungeons and Devices is a podcast about role playing games, computer games, hardware, software and technology. We publish 30-60 minute episodes every second Thursday. Expect the first episodes to be published on 4th of April. Disclaimer: 'Dungeons and Devices' is an independent podcast created for entertainment and informational purposes. This podcast is not affiliated with, associated with, nor e...