Finding Atoria

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...

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...