Role Playing Public Radio

Role Playing Public Radio episodes:

• 05.09.2024

  RPPR Game Designer Workshop: Labyrinths of Lost Futures and the Modern Megadungeon – Concept

  I have begun working on a new role playing game. It is called Labyrinths of Lost Futures, a modern day dungeon crawling hauntological fantasy. Delve into weird ruins with an enchanted gun and cellphone. Fight cryptids in a haunted trailer...

  
• 03.04.2024

  Ludonarrative Dissidents Season 3 preview: Hole in the Sky – Dungeon Crawl Classics

  The Kickstarter for season 3 of the Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast is now live! Back it today to help us fund another full season of this podcast. The Lady in Blue, a mysterious figure of cosmic power, enlists a band of simple...

  
• 02.16.2024

  Mega Dungeon Meandering – Episode 1 – Stonehell – Surface Level

  Mega Dungeon Meandering is a deep dive into one of the best reviewed mega dungeons of all time, Stonehell: Stonehell Dungeon is a classic-style mega dungeon, filled with enough  monsters, traps, weirdness, and treasure to keep you gaming for a...

  
• 12.26.2023

  Delta Green Impossible Landscapes Campaign Post Mortem – Part 2 – Episode 201

  We conclude the post mortem discussion of Impossible Landscapes, after the interruption from the previous episode. We now have a campaign index page, so you can easily find al of the episodes and other relevant bits for the campaign. Maddy as...

  
• 12.11.2023

  Delta Green Impossible Landscapes Campaign Post Mortem – Part 1 – Episode 200

  Our actual play run of the surreal horror campaign, Impossible Landscapes, is now done. The cast and I discuss the characters, plot, and more! Find out the secrets behind the campaign and my advice for running this challenging but rewarding...

  
• 09.18.2023

  The Mixed Six – Back at it Again

  We’re back for another episode! I found a bottle of Blanton’s bourbon and to celebrate my discovery, we recorded a new episode. Spencer even has a new food rating system! Back The Night Clerk zine! A modern horror RPG scenario from...

  
• 09.16.2023

  The Mixed Six: Hot Takes on Ice – The Flash

  The Flash is a spectacularly bad movie. Caleb, Spencer, and I got together to discuss exactly WHY it was so bad. I was part of a podcast called The Mixed Six for nearly 6 years. I had a blast making...

  
• 09.05.2023

  Architectural Horror and the Night Clerk Zine – Episode 199

  Architectural horror is a subgenre of intention. Novels like House of Leaves, movies like The Shining, the Saw series, and games like Control can all be called architectural horror, but what does that mean? Rob Stith of the Orpheus Protocol...

  
• 08.14.2023

  Game Designer Workshop: The Night Clerk Zine – System-less Scenarios with Caleb Stokes

  A system-less RPG scenario is designed to be able to run in any system for a particular genre. Writing one is just as challenging as writing one for a single system. I’m launching a crowdfunding campaign on Backerkit for The...

  
• 07.24.2023

  D20 Swinginess and Combat – Episode 198

  Many RPGs use d20s for resolving combat, like D&D;, 13th Age, and Lancer. Caleb and I have been playing a lot of d20 games recently and we wanted to talk about the nature of d20 combat. It’s a very swingy...

  
• 06.22.2023

  Fate Core: Cointract Island – Post Mortem

  We ran a Fate Core campaign called Cointract Island on RPPR Actual Play. Over 16 episodes, a trio of heroes explored an island overrun with genetically engineered and cybernetically enhanced creatures. In this post mortem, Bridget, Fae, Lydia, and I...

  
• 06.10.2023

  Game Designer Workshop: Termination Shock and Crowdfunding with Greg Stolze

  I talked with Greg Stolze, author of Reign, Termination Shock, co-author of Unknown Armies, and writer on many other books (and my co-host on Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast) about his new Kickstarter for Ships, a supplement for Termination Shock. We talked...

  
• 05.16.2023

  Recommendizer: Delta Green

  Delta Green is a popular horror RPG but it can be hard to understand how to get its tone or its procedural elements. Caleb, Jason, and I discuss some media to look at when trying to ‘get’ the Delta Green...

  
• 05.05.2023

  Game Designer Workshop: The Obscenity of Books

  Caleb is back discussing his progress on Red Markets. After a recent gaming retreat, Caleb developed a theory he wanted to discuss in this episode, about the obscene and the scene. The scene represents the public, socially acceptable aspects of...

  
• 04.21.2023

  What RPGs can learn from Board Games – Episode 196

  In this episode, James Wallis, co-host of Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast and author of “Everybody Wins: Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made,” and I talk about what RPG designers can learn from board games. We talked about the...

  
• 01.22.2023

  OMG the OGL Situation?! – Episode 195

  Wizards of the Coast has stepped on a series of rakes with a series of proposed changes to the Open Gaming License (OGL). What is the OGL and why is WOTC is trying to destroy a popular thing in the...

  
• 12.05.2022

  Game Designer Workshop: Should We 2E?

  Caleb and I discuss the possibility of creating a second edition of Red Markets and Base Raiders. It’s a major task, so examining the pros and cons is a necessary first step. Updating the mechanics, revising the lore, and improving...

  
• 11.16.2022

  After Hours Preview: Synnibarr Book of Fate

  We’re back for one more round with Synnibarr 3ED. Caleb, Thad, Baz, and I dive into the GM (or Fate in the parlance of Synnibarr). We’re all guests in Raven’s house, so find out what his wisdom for running a...

  
• 10.23.2022

  Episode 194: Game Design in Horror Movies

  News: There’s a horror video marathon on the RPPR Patreon Discord on Sunday October 30, starting at 3 pm CDT! Sign up for the RPPR Newsletter and get a FREE Monster PDF! Synopsis: After watching the first 7 Saw movies in...

  
• 10.10.2022

  Preview of After Hours: Synnibarr Third Edition – Character Creation

  Making a player character for Synnibarr Third Edition is perhaps the most challenging part of the game. Baz, Noah, Thad, and I attempt to make a group of characters for the game and discover that do not perceive reality in...

  
• 09.19.2022

  Episode 193: Designing Monsters for RPGs with Greg Stolze and Caleb Stokes

  Designing new monsters for your RPG is a time honored tradition for most GMs. I got Greg Stolze and Caleb Stokes to talk about their approaches to creating new creatures for games. Is the monster a metaphor or just a...

  
• 09.13.2022

  After Hours Preview: Synnibarr Third Edition Ultimate Adventurer’s Guide

  The Worldship is back! There’s a new edition of the Synibarr and we’re diving into it. I got a full round table of RPPR regulars to explore the Ultimate Adventurer’s Guide. Baz, Caleb, Noah, and Thad and I found so...

  
• 08.23.2022

  Game Designer Workshop: Jeff Barber and Caleb Stokes on RPG Design and Publishing in the Post-Pandemic World

  Like so many other things, game design has changed in the post-pandemic world. Jeff Barber, author of Blue Planet, and Caleb Stokes, author of Red Markets, and I talk about work and the industry. Jeff’s been hard at work on...

  
• 08.15.2022

  After Hours Preview: Aesthetic Games

  The Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute (CARI) is an amazing website that categorizes popular aesthetic trends from the last 70 years in pop culture. Baz, Thad, and I browsed through the categories and used them to come up with ideas for...

  
• 08.02.2022

  Episode 192: Multiverse Mayhem

  The Multiverse is back! Films and TV shows featuring the concept of a multiverse are more popular than ever, even though they are old hat in tabletop RPGs. Special guest Patrick from RPX and Tech Diff podcasts and I talk...

  
• 07.18.2022

  Ludonarrative Dissidents Season 2 Episode 0: Card Mechanics in RPGs

  Many RPGs use cards in their mechanics, from playing cards to Tarot to custom decks of cards. We discuss some of these games, the types of mechanics we’ve seen and the history of card-based games. If you enjoy this episode, back...

  
• 06.27.2022

  Episode 191: The Terminator RPG and Licensed Games

  The Terminator RPG was released as a PDF recently. A special guest, Jacqueline Bryk and I went through the game. It contains a lot of rules, including a dense system for hacking, something I hadn’t seen since Shadowrun and Cyberpunk....

  
• 05.23.2022

  Episode 190: Outcasts in RPGs

  News: The RPPR Patreon just finished a six part podcast series on the mega dungeon Castle Greyhawk. It’s a very funny and weird module and we had a lot of reviewing combing through it. Patrons at the $10 level and...

  
• 04.05.2022

  After Hours: AD&D WG7 Castle Greyhawk – Part 1

  Castle Greyhawk (module WG7) might be the worst official D&D; module of all time. A massive dungeon of 12 levels, each written by a different author, sounds like a great hack and slash module, but Castle Greyhawk has a twist....

  
• 03.09.2022

  Episode 189: Plundering the Public Domain

  The public domain expanded this year and Caleb and I dive into it to find gameable material. Anyone can use these books, images, or music, for whatever project they can imagine. I found a list of characters from pulp fiction...

  
• 02.19.2022

  Pixel 2 Paper: Quake 1 Part 2 – Slipgate Chokepoint Post-Mortem

  Quake 1 is an incredibly influential video game, not just to other video games, but to tabletop RPGs as well. We played Slipgate: Chokepoint recently. Now that we’ve re-played Quake 1 and a RPG inspired by it, Chris and I...

  
• 12.05.2021

  Episode-188: The Blind Eyes – A Blades in the Dark campaign post-mortem

  A new crew of smugglers start taking jobs in Duskvol. They call themselves the Blind Eyes and specialize in the weird and the occult. As the gang grows in power, they learn of an invisible war for control over the...

  
• 11.21.2021

  Pixel 2 Paper: Quake 1 Part 1 – Retrospective

  My friend Chris (the voice of Ab3 in our early radio plays and a cool guy on Twitter) had an idea for a new series on RPPR. Tabletop RPGs have influenced video games since their creation. Video games have influenced...

  
• 11.07.2021

  Episode 187: Red Markets – Cooper County War campaign post-mortem

  A cluster of enclaves in Missouri faces annihilation at the hands of a massive horde of the undead. Their only hope is to prepare for war, a job for their preeminent taker crew, the D4s. The crew uses an armored...

  
• 10.22.2021

  RPPR After Hours Bonus Episode: The Created

  News: Check out Cody’s Kickstarter, Lose Your Own Paradise, a multiple choice adventure novel! Cody’s back and we’re examining an interesting Ravenloft scenario, The Created. It’s about an evil puppet trying to murder all the adults in a village. Only a...

  
• 10.15.2021

  Interview with Pete Petrusha on Chew the RPG

  Sponsor: Check out the Chew RPG Kickstarter! After running a two part game with the new Forged in the Dark RPG, Chew, I wanted to talk to Pete Petrusha about the game. I liked how Chew ran differently than Blades as...

  
• 09.22.2021

  Episode 186: Wiretapping and Labor Organizing – Scenario Workshop

  News: Please fill out the RPPR Survey so I can improve the quality of the RPPR Patreon. Thanks! Synopsis: Thad and I both have ideas for scenarios. I got an idea for an investigative scenario (probably Delta Green) after I watched...

  
• 09.10.2021

  Preview of After Hours Episode 74: Ninjas and Superspies Part 1

  NOTE: This is a preview of our most recent After Hours episode. If you want to listen to the full episode, subscribe to the RPPR Patreon for only $2 a month! There’s one Palladium RPG we’ve barely mentioned and it’s now...

  
• 08.25.2021

  Episode 185: Long Term Gaming Groups

  News: We’re remastering classic actual play episodes of RPPR! If you want to listen to Lady Gaga 2.0 with improved audio quality, download the episode here. If you want to pick which classic episodes are edited, back the RPPR Patreon...

  
• 07.06.2021

  After Hours: Judge’s Guild: Inferno – Part 1

  We have another preview episode of After Hours from the RPPR Patreon! If you enjoy this episode, consider backing us to help support this podcast. Episodes 70 ,71, and 72 continue our descent into Inferno. Synopsis: We’re going to Hell! Judge’s...

  
• 06.21.2021

  RPPR Episode 184: Vtubers and Tabletop RPGs in Japan

  News: Check out Arkham Cold Cases on the RPPR Patreon! Episode 4 features Caleb as a guest and it’s quite hilarious. Listen to a sample here. We’ve also picked a regular time for livestreams on the RPPR Patreon Discord –...

  
• 05.28.2021

  Game Designer Workshop: Caleb Stokes on Fae’s Anatomy

  Caleb and I sat down to talk about his new project, Fae’s Anatomy. It parodies the stories found in procedural medical dramas. Think General Hospital, Grey’s Anatomy, M.A.S.H, or House. Only insane, because who needs realism? It mixes over the...

  
• 05.19.2021

  Ludonarrative Dissidents: Apocalypse World – Episode 0

  Ludonarrative Dissidents is a new podcast series from Ross Payton, Greg Stolze, and James Wallis. Check out the Kickstarter to help fund this project and get unique rewards! In each episode, we plan to focus on a particular RPG, looking...

  
• 04.13.2021

  Game Designer Workshop: Jeff Barber on Blue Planet Recontact

  Jeff Barber recently spoke to me about his new project, Blue Planet Recontact. It’s the new, updated, definitive edition of the classic science fiction roleplaying game set on the wild, frontier waterworld of Poseidon. Blue Planet is a compelling RPG...

  
• 02.26.2021

  RPPR Episode 183: Delta Green Impossible Landscapes and Dead Channels

  The first full Delta Green campaign, Impossible Landscapes, is finally out. I’ve long awaited this book, as I have been fascinated with Carcosa and surreal horror since I first read Night Floors years ago. I caught up with Dennis Detwiller...

  
• 01.15.2021

  RPPR Episode 182: One Page Games

  News: RPPR episodes are going to be a bit slower because I want to ensure quality episodes. We should have some game designer workshops this year because Caleb and I are both working on various projects.  Our weekly livestreams (every...

  
• 11.30.2020

  RPPR Episode 181: Now 5e Compatible! (Or not)

  News: Be sure to check out Good Brew Bad View’s episode with Caleb as a guest! Also, Maddy is streaming speedruns of Hades on Twitch. Synopsis: It seems a lot of tabletop RPG Kickstarters are 5E D&D; compatible settings or standalone...

  
• 10.26.2020

  RPPR After Hours: The Road to Rio and Terry the Mutazoid

  In this episode, we talk about potential games to make about Rio Olympics, plus part 2 of the Future King review, a review of Glory Hole Dwarven Mine from Judge’s Guild, and Tom brings in Mutazoids. We create a PC,...

  
• 10.09.2020

  RPPR Episode 180: Deep Red and Interpreting Clues

  News: Check out the schedule for our schedule for livestreaming on the RPPR Patreon Discord! Also, we’ve been posting some banger episodes on the Mixed Six, so don’t forget to check that out if you haven’t already! Synopsis: Caleb and I...

  
• 08.24.2020

  Game Designer Workshop: Slingstone and Night Clerk Zine

  Caleb has restarted work on Slingstone, his superhero-slaying RPG. We have some playtests of the first version of Slingstone on RPPR B-Sides volume 5 if you want to hear that. I have an idea for a zine system-free version of...