The Delapore Media Podcast

In this episode, Delapore Media treads forbidden paths in the deep woods, searching for ways to understand witchcraft and how to use its folklore as inspiration for cosmic horror ttrpgs and fiction.  We will watch as Margaret Murray attempts to "reconstruct" a religion from puritanical witchfinder lore, see what horrors assault Newfoundlanders in their beds and who might be responsible, and observ...

This episode of the Delapore Media Podcast continues our exploration of Amanda Montell's Cultish: the Language of Fanaticism .   This time, we will look at what happens when cult leaders reinvent themselves for the 21 st century with MLM schemes, health and wellness fads, and viral videos.   At same time we will be asking: how does cosmic horror adapt to the evolving landscape of cults?   Is that...

On the tenth episode of the Delapore Media Podcast we discuss cults.  The cultist often comes off as an oversimplified, homicidal and/or suicidal zealot in Lovecraftian TTRPGs and pulp stories of cosmic horror.  This episode applies the Lovecraftian gaze on the human factors that make this kind of fanaticism possible and considers how to use those ideas in storytelling. With Amanda Montell's  Cult...

This episode takes on the complex task of portraying ethnic and cultural groups in Lovecraftian horror, with particular emphasis on colonized peoples.  Thankfully, we have the poetry of featured author Bryan Thao Worra to serve as waypoint and respite as we answer the racist caricatures of the Lovecraftian past with foundational works of modern anthropology and ethnography.  There are better, more...

I was so inspired by my discussion with Jacqueline Bryk, I decided to take a walk through the haunted neighborhoods of Lovecraft Country and provide my own thoughts on the connections between cosmic horror and the family.   Join me, as I peer through the dingy basement windows of the eponymous Shunned House, examine the two fictional families at the heart of the tale, and then consider familial pr...

Author, Editor, and Game Designer Jacqueline Bryk returns to the Delapore Media Podcast to give her takes on horror literature, her current reads and all-time favorites, and provide extensive commentary on the connections between two subjects: cosmic horror and the family .   This episode is full of inspiration, direction, and novel approaches from an experienced game developer.   It is not to be...

In this episode, I'm privileged to present my interview with TTRPG designer Jacqueline Bryk.  Jacqueline is prolific editor and writer who has worked on a wide variety of games including Kult: Divinity Lost, Exalted, Scion, and World of Darkness.  February marks the release of her latest solo TTRPG project: Bear Witness, available through Plus One EXP Zine Club.  This solo journaling game is an ho...

This is a bonus minisode in which I read a bit from H.P. Lovecraft's "The Lurking Fear."  I'm mainly doing this to test some uploading issues, but since this reading was going to end up on the cutting room floor, I figured I might as well share it.  Enjoy.   H.P. Lovecraft's "The Lurking Fear" (1923) Music Credits Theme by Cyber Angel Additional Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio   Resources an...

This episode explores the American suburbs as a unique horror setting and considers how to bring that horror to TTRPGs and other creative works.  I'll discuss the origins, failings, and fallout of suburban expansion and consider the shadows that lurk amidst a landscape of cul-de-sacs, perfectly manicured lawns, and two-car garages.  I'll show you how suburbia gave birth to a new wave of gothic sto...

This episode focuses on ghosts and ghost stories in TTRPGs.  I'll look at some narrative tools that let your players' imaginations do the heavy lifting, talk about some talented ghost story authors and how they use these tools, critique a beloved retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol , and page through one of my favorite TTRPG resources for building better ghosts.  All this, plus my own chilling...

This episode explores Folk Horror as a genre, its origins in rural folkways, and how to utilize it as a theme in TTRPG horror scenarios in ways that avoid feeling stale and formulaic.  I supply a bit of personal biography about rural agricultural life in my childhood, I talk through some personal theories on why I think folk horror holds the interest of an urbanized audience, and I look at whether...

In this episode I explore the vampire as a concept in folklore and popular culture using Paul Barber's Vampires, Burial, and Death , and then look at new and different ways to adapt this enduring monster framework to horror ttrpgs.   Visit Delapore Media for more TTRPG Resources Get a Discounted Code of Delapore Media's Call of Cthulhu RPG scenario here: SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN at DriveThru...

In this episode I talk about my journey as a Lovecraftian, encountering Lovecraft's racism, and working through it, as I find my own place as a fan and creator within the genre. Visit Delapore Media for a more TTRPG resources.   Get a Discounted Copy of Delapore Media's Call of Cthulhu RPG scenario here: SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN at DriveThruRPG.  60% Off.  Only $2 USD! Or get the code at htt...