Roleplay Rescue

It's that time of the week when I release the mumbled Journal logs from the week before. With call-ins from Tim Shorts of Gothridge Manor and the enigmatic RFED, this is a generally upbeat and active episode. As ever, it's recorded here and there on my iPhone, all of it is off-the-cuff, and it's pretty candid stuff. Listen at your peril! Game on! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue...

Here's the first Saturday release episode of the 4th Season! Hear me ramble on about what I've learned over the past 6 months, ever since the release of the original, "Curse of The Flaky GM" episode in late January. This one's a tour of the key learning points along the way. I also touch on how much the podcast has influenced my thought and why your support means the world to me. Here goes for ano...

First of the Season 4 entries to the Game Master's Journal. This one has some upbeat moments but there is a dark ending that I am not so proud of... I really allowed my irritation and moodiness to get the better of me this week. Sorry about that. Still, you did want the warts and all, right? Game on! Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/messageEmail: hello@rpgrescue.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

This is a catch-up bonus for those who enjoy the GM's Journal and missed the episodes I released to Patrons during the weeks between Season 3 and Season 4. This one's an excellent demonstration of how flaky I can be as a GM. I threw in the call-ins I'd received too - thank you to everyone who did that - but as this is a rush job, I didn't get a chance to respond on air. Suffice it to say the calls...

This is a catch-up bonus for those who enjoy the GM's Journal and missed the episodes I released to Patrons during the weeks between Season 3 and Season 4. If you're following the Journal, this one's important because it brings you through some of the largest moments of my roleplaying experience in recent years. Hopefully you'll enjoy it! Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpg...

Well, the summer holiday break from school has arrived and I have decided to get back behind the mic - despite the 35C temperatures that have left me totally sleep-deprived for two days! This is a warm-up trailer in which I re-introduce the show to new listeners, outline some small changes to the show format, lay out the rough plan for Season Four, and thank the three newest Patrons! Show Contact...

Today I want to take a look at the stories we tell ourselves and the dialogue we have with others. I want to explore whether its possible to overcome the general sense that I frequently have of being just a little bit crap at gaming. To help, we’re going to take a dive into the psychology of experience and see how many points we can pick up. In this final episode of Season 3 we're going off on one...

Hello and welcome to this Roleplay Rescue special bonus episode on the topic of gaming with teenagers. This episode is brought to you by the generous support of the Roleplay Rescue Patrons over on Patreon.com/rpgrescue . We recently hit another Patreon goal and this bonus episode is being made by way of a thank you. It’s very much a conversation aimed at adults, so I’d like to apologise up front t...

Following the first official complaint, I've decided this is to be the last GM's Journal for a while. I've compiled this week's ramblings as usual but, well... you know the drill. It's raw, rough, and all pretty much a mess of random thoughts. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I don’t know why I keep collecting RPGs but I think it’s probably something that most gamers indulge in. Even if you’re not gaming, owning and reading gorgeous books is a big part of the hobby. Other than Dungeons & Dragons, what other great adventure games should we consider playing?  In Season 2, I did an episode asking that same question and shared my thoughts on five games that have h...

Another mash-up of personal Gamemastering journal entries and awesome call-ins from across the community. This has been one of the hardest weeks of the year so far but also one in which I think I got the most gaming. As ever, it's raw and rough stuff so you have been warned! If you want to read the solo game report from Sunday, find it here: ubiquitousrat.net/?p=5047 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

Today’s episode builds on my earlier discussions about building a dungeon adventure and generally about getting started as a GM. To keep things simple, I’m going to assume we are building a fantasy roleplaying experience - largely because that’s the most popular genre out there. Along the way, I hope to begin to touch on how building a sandbox goes a long way towards pulling together all the theor...

Witterings, call-ins and replies, and more ramblings from my addled GM brain. As ever, it's another selection of audio journal entries from my own gaming experience. Listen at your peril! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I talked about Savage Worlds back in Season 2, Episode 6 when I spoke about Five Games that I’d recommend everyone at least take a good look at. With my recent focus on creating a multi-genre campaign, something which I believe Savage Worlds would excel at delivering, I decided to talk to someone whose been not just using the game but also writing for it. Frank Turfler been playing tabletop RPGs f...

This is the second instalment of GM's Journal this week in which I dribble on about Arcana Gravitas, get a couple more call-ins, and then begin to work out how to get started with writing that genre-bending multi-setting campaign idea. Following advice from Evil Jeff, I figure out which generic and universal roleplaying game I'd like to use and set to. There's even a little bit of self-play going...

This one's a bonus bonus episode, so to speak. I rambled on quite a bit over the past few days and was afraid that the next Journal would end up being too long. Given that I was racking up a few good call-ins too, I decided to throw together the next instalment of the Journal early. With luck, you'll enjoy the content and I'll still have enough for a regular episode later in the week too. Game on!...

In Season 1 we explored two major game structures that have stood the test of time: the Dungeoncrawl and the Hexcrawl. Ever since the release of The Chaosium’s “Call of Cthulhu” roleplaying game in 1981, there entered a third major game structure into the annuls of RPG play. Today, I want to have a look at this third structure and outline how you can incorporate Mystery into your games.  Usef...

What a turbulent week! Full of challenges and essentially draining both mine and my wife's energy. I don't know how I've made it but here I am. Still breathing and very grateful for the journey. Not sure what you'll make of my sparse journal entries this week but maybe there's something of value hidden in there. As always, bear in mind this is raw and stitched together quick clips from throughout...

I am stepping off into the wilds. I am going to talk about the game that I really want to run and I am going to invite you to do the same. This episode is filled with contentious statements and provocative claims. Take it as you like. Even I’m not sure how serious I am about doing this, but I am keen to share the idea. There’s a game that I REALLY want to run. It’s not something that everyone else...

This episode was largely recorded during the school break when I was off work for a week. It's a mash-up of two elements: the usual ups and downs of my own life as a GM plus a whole bunch of lovely call-ins from listeners who had something to say about losing momentum, the last episode's key moment. There are some heart-felt replies to my question as to whether I am alone in this problem. Clearly,...

Janet Forbes is the Director of World Anvil, a purveyor of world-building advice, a singer, writer of novels and worshipper of cats. Based in London, England, Janet and her husband Dimitris lead a small team in the development of an online set of tools specifically designed for world-building. She is the face of World Anvil on Youtube where she presents an excellent series of tutorials and advice...

Another week of random thoughts from my GM's Journal. The main topic is momentum and how to lose it. There's also an unboxing in there plus a wonderful surprise from a Roleplay Rescue supporter. Lots to ponder... as long as you don't mind the raw, rambling peek into my inner life as a gamer. Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you remember when Frank T called in and asked me about my choice of system for our fantasy roleplaying game? Frank’s getting his wish today because I wanted to respond to the question and didn’t feel like I could do it justice in just a short reply. Thus, I’ve decided to sit down with a few notes and share my thoughts on why I chose Castles & Crusades for my new fantasy adventure campaign....

Another instalment of my dronings about Gamemastering a roleplaying campaign. Good news with the teenaged gaming group, not so much with the adults. As ever, this is a laid-bare peek behind the GM's screen and not for the faint-hearted. Enter at your peril!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whatever your rules system, there are two other big elements that you’ll want to create as you get started with your game. The first of those is the world. The second of those are the game structures that you want to employ. As a beginning Dungeon Master, I’d recommend keeping things simple. This episode is about creating a short adventure in a lightly sketched world using the Dungeoncrawl game st...