Role Playing Public Radio

Caleb is working on a new game! Called Doctor, Witch Doctor, it’s a fun storytelling game about medical melodrama shows and magic. Make up magical cures for weird magical diseases! Get addicted to weird magical drugs! We also talk about outlining larger projects, Red Markets updates, and Upwind: Three Beasts. Song: Witch Doctor by Erthling

Cool villains are hard to pull off in RPGs, mainly because players tend to kill them as soon as possible. Aron, Tom, and I got together to talk about how to make villains more memorable in games. Perhaps they can’t be killed easily or come back after death (thanks raise dead spells!) or killing them won’t stop the plan. I also talk about some ideas for future Base Raiders projects! Sho...

Many RPG campaigns inevitably have at least one session that’s more about shopping for new items and gear. Some players love it and others hate it. How important are items and associated game mechanics for them? Caleb, Jay B, and I discuss the differing philosophies of items in various RPGs, from Phoenix Command’s detailed rules to Fiasco’s non-existent rules for items. We also d...

News : We have a new series on the RPPR Patreon called Mashup Mayhem. We take different things and mash them together to make RPGs. Our latest episode merges the AvP franchise with the Cthulhu mythos . In tabletop RPG industry news, a game designer, Zak Smith, has been accused of sexual assault and abuse by four women, including his former partner, Mandy Morbid . I believe them. He has been banned...

News : I have started using Instagram! Check out my photos and videos of PAX South! Also, Adam Scott Glancy has a campaign of Hollow Earth Expedition on RPPR Tabletop Tale s. If you’re looking for exciting pulp action, check it out! Synopsis : We have been playing Scum and Villainy , a Forged in the Dark system RPG, for several months. Our campaign is going up on extended early access on the...

In this preview of January’s Patreon bonus podcasts, we look at Netflix’s Bandersnatch and the ramifications of mashing up Dungeons and Dragons with wrestling. If you liked this preview, click on the links below to access the full episodes on Patreon: RPPR After Hours: Choose Your Own Netflix Mashup Mayhem: D&D and Wrestling

Many of us have at least a few failed game designs sitting around somewhere. Instead of lamenting those failures, we talk about how to leverage them to improve your skills and inspiration. Whether you’ve already got a game published or are just now thinking about entering the fray, we want to share some of our stories of failure turned into something positive from various angles of the tabletop ga...

News : RPPR is changing things up for 2019! Listen to this episode for all the details but it includes: New rewards for the RPPR Patreon Changes to our podcast schedule A new music review podcast and a lot more! Synopsis : A lot has happened this year, but I thought we could focus on something positive, namely the fun we had with tabletop RPGs! Tom, David, Shaun, Bridget, and Birk all share their...

A question and answer panel about incorporating LGBT themes into play and/or supporting your queer players, featuring David and Bridget from Role Playing Public Radio and Matt from the Drunk and Ugly (Sorry about the delay in posting it! I forgot until Matt reminded me.)

Every month, we publish patron-only podcasts on the RPPR Patreon , with a lot of great material. Some of you are missing out on this, so every month, we will publish a preview of our patron podcasts. This month, we have After Hours, talking about the rich lore of Payday 2 and Don’t Cross the Stream, about video game movies. We will also be posting different clips on Twitter and on the RPPR F...

News : Check out the Mixed Six podcast if you haven’t already. We recently did an episode that features vaporwave and it’s pretty great Synopsis : The rules for Eclipse Phase 2E are now out to backers of the Kickstarter, so Aaron, Shaun, Tom, and I got together to generate characters and talk about the new system. It’s very interesting and a must listen for all EP fans! Shout Out...

News : We now have RPPR merchandise available for sale! Check out our storefront and buy t-shirts, coffee mugs, and more. Synopsis : Developing an idea for an abandoned superhero or villain base for my RPG Base Raiders can be difficult. Aaron, Shaun, and I discuss how to come up with interesting bases. I describe a scenario idea I have and we collectively brainstorm a base for that scenario. In a...

News : Back the RPPR Patreon for $10 to receive an enamel pin with our new logo. Check this post for details! Synopsis : Shaun has started working on a new storytelling game called Derail. It’s about subverting cliches and tropes in movies and video games. We talk about his new game and his first two playtests. I’ve actually playtested Ruin twice and I talk about my progress with the g...

News : We have created a new reward for RPPR patrons – extended early access! Get actual plays and panels recorded at Gen Con 2018 a month early! The first AP, Dagashi OVA Season 1, run by Bridget , is available now on the RPPR Patreon! Synopsis : The new Witcher tabletop RPG is out and we have looked it over. I discuss the RPG with Birk, a new RPPR cast member, to discuss the game and licen...

Role Playing Public Radio, the Ennie Award winning RPG podcast, will record a live episode of their show. We will talk about Gen Con, take questions from the audience, & more! We wound up playing a game of Maid, reviewing a board game, and answering a lot of audience questions. Thanks to Adam from RPX for recording the questions. (Photos from Thad’s Polaroid camera)

We’re back from Gen Con and we had a blast! In this episode we go over the highlights and low points of our con experiences and more importantly, the games we played! Board games, card games, and of course, role playing games. What did we try out and what did we grab for future episodes? If you want to hear how Caleb and Spencer did, listen to the Mixed Six Hot Takes Gen Con special , availa...

Caleb Stokes , Jeff Barber , and I discuss our current work in game design at this panel, recorded at Gen Con 2018. I talk about the current state of Ruin, my architectural horror RPG, Caleb talks about Red Markets, and Jeff talks about Upwind. We also answer questions from the audience, trying to help them with their current design problems.

Iron Edda Accelerated is a roleplaying game about the heroes of a Viking holdfast during Ragnarok. They battle threats from outside and within for honor, glory, and clan. The game draws strongly from Norse mythology — although its focus on holdfasts allows for telling a variety of stories. I talked to the game’s creator, Tracy Barnett, about the game and game design in general. If you think...

RPPR and the Mixed Six are going to be at Gen Con this year with multiple events! We have panels, games, and seminars for our fans. Caleb and I talk about them with special guest Maddy. RPPR Game Design Pane l: Thursday 10 am to 11 am. Red Markets Panel : Thursday from noon to 1 pm. Mixed Six Podcast Live : Friday 3 to 4 pm. RPPR Live/Meetup : Friday 6 to 9 pm. Intro to Patreon and Subscription Cr...

Delta Green: The Labyrinth takes Delta Green agents beyond the beltway and deep into the fissures of America in the new millennium. American life has entered a labyrinth of twisty passages all alike. And while there are many ways in, there is no way out. I interviewed John Scott Tynes about his recent turn back into tabletop RPG design and what makes this new book unique for Delta Green. If you th...

News: BACK PARTY FOWL NOW! Synopsis : Caleb and I (along with Sara who is not on this episode) went to Origins for the first time. Caleb ran Red Markets and Party Fowl while I just attended as a carefree con goer. We both had a good time, bought way too many games, and learned how Origins is different than Gen Con. Some (but not all) of the games we discuss include: Wrath and Glory : I got to play...

News : RPPR B-Sides Volume 4: Unknown Markets is now available! Listen to incomplete Unknown Armies and Red Markets campaigns run by Caleb and I, and many one shots for various systems! We’re also going to Origins next week. Caleb is running demos of Party Fowl ( BACK IT NOW ON KICKSTARTER! ) and Red Markets. Synopsis : I recently got my print copy of Mutant Crawl Classics so I have been thi...

? ? ? Party Fowl Board Game Kickstarter is live! In this episode, Caleb, Spencer, and I discuss the creation of Party Fowl, playtesting, duck puns, Metatopia, shipping, and other topics. We also have shout outs in the form of our favorite fictional ducks and of course some anecdotes about playtesting Party Fowl. Song: The Duck by Beleza

Will Schar of the All Roads Tavern podcast won the first Night at the Opera Delta Green scenario writing contest and I agreed to critique the winner of that contest. I asked Adam Scott Glancy of Pagan Publishing to join in the critique, so we both read the scenario A Soft White Damn . It’s an interesting piece, exploring a small town with many dark secrets. We had an interesting conversation...

News : Our resident Shadowrun GM, Bridget, has launched her own Patreon. Check it out to support a new game designer . We also put together a LARP version of Puppetland and put it on Youtube . Aaron is streaming on Twitch for Raillery so subscribe to find out when he’ll play next . Synopsis : After running The Reign of Terror for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition , I started thinking about how his...