The Jaunty Mantis TTRPG Podcast

The boys discuss games, mechanics, and GMing resources that helped them level up. Music: A Stranger Thing, by Bruno E. Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

What happens when your PCs bypass critical encounters of your game? Jesse’s RIFTs game ends with just such an event when his PC's burned down a vampire safe-house. The boys discuss how to handle clever players when they completely nullify your encounters. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

Here is an example of how we workshop a character concept for the DM’s campaign. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

The boys discuss the merits of D&D Beyond as a platform and its value add to the overall D&D franchise. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

Matty experiences a gaming midlife crisis and realizes he’s never attempted a 1 to 20 level D&D campaign. Jesse makes fun of him for reversing his opinions about 5e D&D. The two begin debating the concept of a Gaming Bucket List. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

The boys discuss initial thoughts on the new D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

The boys discuss ‘Cozy Fantasy’ and ‘Slice of Life’ style, and also cartoon shows from the late 90’s Send us your creative questions for Season 4 to Jauntymantis@gmail.com Please give us a high rating on your pod catcher of choice and leave a comment “All The Mantises!” wherever you found this episode. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

Matty updates Jesse on how the first run attempt with his latest fantasy heartbreaker Please give us a high rating on your pod catcher of choice and leave a comment “All The Mantises!” wherever you found this episode. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

In this bonus episode, Matty pitches an idea for a D&D rougelike to Jesse…who doesn’t completely hate it. Send us your creative questions for Season 4 to Jauntymantis @gmail.com Please give us a high rating on your pod catcher of choice and leave a comment “All The Mantises!” wherever you found this episode. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/...

In this bonus episode, Jesse and Matty discuss two genres of gaming that they both have very little experience playing in. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

Is it possible to have too much humor in your TTRPG? Should the GM be the straight man or a cartoonish ringmaster? In this bonus episode, the boys discuss Jesse’s New West Vampire Hunters game and the silly nature of RIFTS. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Music by Nat Keefe & Hot Buttered Rum Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

Fresh off the SDCC teaser for Stark Trek Lower Decks Season 5, the boys talk about the show and the merits of generational storytelling. Some TTRPG talk happens also! Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

SEASON 4 IS COMING AND WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If you have a creative gaming question send it our way at jauntymantis@gmail.com In this bonus episode, the Jaunty Mantis boys discuss Ed Greenwood and The Forgotten Realms. How we as gamers perceive the time honored tropes of fantasy peoples (such as dwarves and orcs). Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfoli...

Jesse and Matty discuss gamer’s compelling desires to play overpowered characters and exploit mechanics for optimal gain.

They boys take the opportunity to examine what roleplaying games mean to them and how to stylize them to new-gamers. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

Jesse and Matty play Trophy Dark and live to tell the tale! Trophy Dark is a collaborative storytelling game about a group of treasure-hunters on a doomed expedition into a forest that doesn’t want them there. Get Trophy Dark: https://trophyrpg.com Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/work

Jesse and Matty discuss Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soulbound by Emmet Byrne, Zak Dale-Clutterbuck, David Guymer, Elaine Lithgow, TS Luikart, Dominic McDowall, Katrina Ostrander, Josh Reynolds, Clint Werner WHAT IS WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR SOULBOUND? As Sigmar’s Storm broke upon the hordes of Chaos, a flicker of hope was rekindled in the people of the Mortal Realms. The seeds of civilisation were plant...

The boys review Blades In The Dark by John Harper. WHAT IS BLADES IN THE DARK? Blades in the Dark  is a tabletop role-playing game about a crew of daring scoundrels seeking their fortunes on the haunted streets of an industrial-fantasy city. There are heists, chases, occult mysteries, dangerous bargains, bloody skirmishes, and, above all, riches to be had — if you’re bold enough to seize them...

The Jaunty Mantis boys discus the Transformers RPG by Ryan Costello, Gabriel Hicks, JF Sambrano, Bryan C.P. Steele, Elisa Teague, Eddy Webb, and Ben Heisler WHAT IS TRANSFORMERS RPG? In the Transformers Roleplaying game, create your own Autobot character and wage your battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons! Whether defending Earth against Megatron’s plans of attack, searching for elu...

The boys review Trophy Dark by Jesse Ross, Aaron Burkett, Alexi Sargeant, Blaine Moore, Brian Sago, David Morrison, Gabriel Robinson, Ira Grace, Jim Crocker, Leandro Pondoc, Ludovico Alves, Luiz Paulo Ferraz, Madeleine Ember, Michael Van Vleet, Mike Martens, Noora Rose, and Sabine V. WHAT IS TROPHY DARK? Trophy Dark is a collaborative storytelling game about a group of treasure-hunters on a doomed...

Jesse and Matty explore The Star-Shaman’s Song of Planegea by David Somerville Planegea is primal fantasy roleplaying. Whatever you want to explore in 5E—slaying monstrous creatures, navigating political intrigue, exploring ancient ruins, crafting enchanted weapons, infiltrating evil cults, battling, building, casting, carousing—it’s all here. Planegea rises out of our earliest ancestral memory, a...

Jesse and Matty discuss Shadown Anarchy. by Jason M. Hardy, Randall N. Bills, and Philip A. Lee WHAT IS SHADOWRUN ANARCHY? Dive into a cyberpunk dystopia and become a shadowrunner, a deniable asset who does the jobs no one else can--or will--do. It's not an easy life, but it beats selling your soul to the megacorps. You'll break into top-secret labs, stand up to gangs bent on destruction and chaos...

Jesse and Matty review Ultraviolet Grasslands and the Black City by Luka Rejec. WHAT IS ULTRAVIOLET GRASSLANDS AND THE BLACK CITY? PULSE CONFIRMED. ENTITY ENERGIZED. REMEMBER: KEEP YOUR OMNIBATTERIES CHARGED AND YOUR HAZEMETER AT THE READY. Get UVGL&BC2E HERE: https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/products/uvg-2e Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio Logos by Shannon Sipes thedigsy.myportfolio.com/wo...

Jesse and Matty talk about FATE Core, written by Fred Hicks and Rob Donoghue WHAT IS FATE Core? Fate Core is a tabletop roleplaying game about proactive, capable people who lead dramatic lives. Create your characters and develop instant group dynamics with our unique phased char gen system. Use those characters as a springboard to storytelling in our GM worldbuilding chapters. Get FATE Core Here:...

Jesse and Matty discuss the beautifully weird, no barriers, science fantasy indie RPG that is TROIKA! by Daniel Sell. WHAT IS TROIKA? TROIKA! is a science-fantasy role-playing game where you and your cosmopolitan group of fellow travellers explore the ends of the multiverse. You will fly on mystic barges, help dying gods, solve confounding crimes, plunder dead worlds, and meet strange & wonder...