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Join me for a deep dive into the world of tabletop role-playing games with none other than the incomparable GM, Judd Karlman. We talk about everything from the WYRD (yes, with a “Y”) to iconic games like Blades in the Dark and its newest supplement. Judd and I nerd out over challenges like decision fatigue and character differentiation but also highlight how these systems shine with the right players and approach.

We shine a spotlight on Lady Blackbird as a fantastic gateway RPG for folks looking to transition from Dungeons & Dragons, and the conversation takes some fun turns with tales of mispronunciations, dynamic world-building, and the joys (and chaos) of games like The One Ring and Judd’s Ioun City adventures.

We also touch on the tricky side of the hobby—keeping groups together amid real-life commitments, respecting player boundaries, and the art of communication at the table. Whether it's kids seeing adults through the lens of games or mashing up RPGs to create entirely new experiences, Judd brings humor, insight, and a wealth of stories to this episode.

If you're an RPG fan looking for fresh ideas, practical GMing tips, or just a good laugh, this one’s for you. The full 90 minute geek-moot is available to paid subscribers auto-magically, and on my Patreon. The public edit of 45 concentrated minutes is available auto-magically and wherever you consume podcasts…mostly.

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Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, Gamer!🎄🎅🏽

Judd Karlman of Daydreaming About Dragons podcast and I chat about our extraordinary path from hobbyists to paid game masters, revealing the quirky, exciting, and sometimes absurd adventures that come with the territory. From hilarious bachelor party RPG requests to the broader implications of monetizing our love for gaming, we peel back the curtain on a niche that's rapidly gaining traction. Join us as we reminisce about our initial foray into paid GMing and how it has evolved into a noteworthy part of our creative and community endeavors.

As seasoned GMs, we also tackle the practical side of running various campaign styles, including the nuances of open table versus West Marches formats. I open up about the routines I've adopted to stay sane and healthy during long sessions at the screen, and we both reflect on the rewarding experience of watching players shape their own narratives. Setting boundaries and creating inclusive spaces for our players is paramount, and we share how we navigate these responsibilities to ensure that everyone at the table feels comfortable and safe.This first episode concludes with a critical discussion on maintaining a safe and respectful gaming community, addressing the challenge of confronting 'broken stairs'—problematic individuals who threaten the group's play. We highlight the cultural impact of phenomena like Critical Role and the excitement around the Dungeons & Dragons movie, emphasizing how they shape our approach to community building. Our conversation is an invitation to listeners to engage with us and contribute to a dialogue that prioritizes safety, inclusion, and the pure joy of collaborative storytelling in gaming.

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Jolt #4 - Daye & Knight

Nate and Obie encounter some extraordinary security guards when they try to make off with goods from the secret lab they've robbed. Later after getting Jason to a hospital, they have an odd encounter with 3-Pain. That night Nate, Obie, and Maggie strategize for the coming days ahead.

Rich Rogers (of +1 Forward Fame) and I continue our Champions Now series exploring the superhero world of Jot! Nathan Fellows used to be Jolt!, a big-time super-powered spokesperson for Jolt Cola. One of several spokesmodels for the Cola companies line-up of flavors. Today, he’s a 50+ year old 3-gigs working husband, father, and friend.

ICYMI Jolt Issue 03 - Cherry Bomb!

Join us on another action-packed episode of Jolt as Rich and I venture through the worlds of Superhero role-playing that is Champions Now. Nathan "Jolt" and "OB" tackle planning the search for a warehouse and how to payoff Red-Eye. Dive into Nate's thoughts and feelings as he grapples with trusting Obie to complete the mission alone. Up and Live on Diceology.com!

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Jolt #2: Nathan interviews for the super spokesmodel position at Door Dash but gets an emergency text from his wife and leaves abruptly! Special Guest Villain, 3Pain, the witness protection assassin, has made a house call! Later, Nathan and OB discuss OB's debt to Red-Eye, the wetwork job left undone, and a secret lab OB found while doing that job. 

Plus Fanmail!

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Welcome to the World of Jolt!

Superpowers give you an edge, but in the end, Big Business trumps.

Gigging and scratching in Jax while a criminal organization rises.

Nathan is lured into a CHIMERA experiment as they trap him on the Buckman bridge to observe his abilities! Back home, it’s parent-teacher conference night for him, Sarah, and their kid Mason. OB stops by looking for a hanging-out buddy. And Danny “Red-Eye” comes looking for OB.

It was a smooth roleplaying session of Champions Now RPG mostly - the area effect rules tripped me up a little. We didn’t forget the knockback rules; we’ll add them back in later. We did see Nathan put the slap down on some CHIMERA agents with his super speed and just how fast old Nate is.

The Jolt Now Files

As a gamemaster, I'm a fan of the outline method suggested in Champions Now for tracking what's happening Now in your game. I have been using this method for all my games! Jolt starts out like this before our first session.

Nathan (Jolt!)

Sera, wife

* secret ID (protected witness)

Mason, kid

* Hunted (small, powers, manip).

Hounded by Jolt, Intl.

Hunted by the New Jolt!

Buddies with OB

Old Jolt Crew

Red-Eye

* Comes looking for OB.

Cherry Bomb, White Lightening, Citrus Climax

Jacksonville, Florida

CHIMERA Field squad (Hazard)

* Spd 2 DCV 6  Bod 10 Stun 20 Def 10

* Machine Pistols 6d6EB,Pierce

* S-Tazer, 5d6EB+4d6Ent. (x1)

Next:

* Jolt Disassembled #1 - Come behind the GM screen and I’ll tell you how I did it.

* Jolt #2 - Orange Blast - What’s he not saying?

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The 2Eleven show returns with Jolt!

Welcome to Session Zero for Jolt! A Champions Now actual play. I feel like I must remind you I do not receive any kickbacks for the millions of Champions Now sessions, content, or name drops! 🤣

Champions Now RPG has been a great source of fun for me, and I am thrilled to have Rich Rogers of +1 Forward fame along for the ride!

Nathan Fellows was the Jolt! Cola Super Supermodel back in the day. Today, Nathan is an aging, unemployed speedster juggling multiple gigs in Jacksonville. He's got a wife and kid and his old pal Obie. This is his origin story. How Rich and I talk through session zero for this game. The fully loaded (unedited) version is on my Patreon page.

Nathan Fellows - "Jolt"

DNPC: Wife - Sera

DNPC: Kid - Mason

DNPC: Orange-Blast "Obie"

Public ID: Old Famous

Hunted: Jolt, Intl.

Hunted: Neu JOLT!

2d6 Unluck

Strength 2 Presence 5

Body 12  Speed 3  Defense 21

Dexterity 13 Intelligence 11 Ego 11

Speedster (VPP) 12-

Speedster Levels 2

Stealth 13-

Martial Moves

Speedster VPP (Burnout 11-)

Running - (Flight, clinging)

Fast Travel - (regional)(Flight, clinging)+10hexes

Can't Touch - This Defense+20, if moved.

Fists of Fury - EB8d6, no range, severe

Multi-slap - EB6d6, AE, no range, severe

Next Issue: CHIMERA Calling!

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Champions Now

Jolt #2 -3 Nathan interviews for the super spokesmodel position at Door Dash but gets an emergency text from his wife and leaves abruptly! 3Pain, the witness protection assassin, has made a house call looking for 'Claire' AKA Sera, Nathan's wife, who's in the program. Later, Nathan and OB discuss OB's debt to Red-Eye, the wetwork job left undone, and a secret lab OB found doing that job. Next Jolt #3: Nathan and OB check out that secret lab with help from Cherry Bomb, Forbes CEO of the year! But they won't like what they find in that lab!!

r/CapitolCryptids #5 -6. Anita, Raul, and Father Martin do a lot of legwork to discover who the old man in the video footage of the museum heist is and the location of the artifact that was stolen. It turns out Michael, Father Martin's brother, has the artifact -an ankh. And the old man is some sort of mummy sorcerer named Asim. Bonus find: All the heist planning was done using a new app called Sieben for crime gigs! H/T @widdledragon https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/littlewish/the-old-the-cold-the-bold/descriptionLater Father Martin and Raul visit an old occult acquaintance, Papa Raam, to get his thoughts on the Ankh artifact. Their meeting is interrupted by a murder of crows and a large fire-breathing tengu with a spear - they all squawk the same two words. “Ankh. Give!”

Rolemaster

The Oracle at Scalu. Our questing heroes discover a mass of folks waiting at the cliffs of Scalu to see the oracle. Visitations and payment are handled by Tava and her crew, which includes a rather hulking man, Brinanr, who sports a shield and ill-fitting helm that belonged once to a Deathless Regiment member. This is not lost on Deronil, likely the last of the Deathless. The heroes pay for a place in the Oracle queue while scouting out other temple entries. They find a cave tomb, and awaken the dead buried there! The finale in 2 weeks!

Twilight 2000

Wroclaw Winters had a by-week. I spent some time updating the Foundry VTT and thinking about VTTs in general. We'll easily break 50 sessions as we move into the urban city sandbox and survive the winter. Thomas Moore is big on the Todos list and getting Anne and Antonie back.

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Whitney returns to the Diecology podcast. We talk about her new Kickstarter game of running crime gigs! The Old, The Cold, The Bold. You play as criminals using an app that provides tasteful gigs in their area and protection from the fuzz - inspired by Lady Blackbird. And there is MERCH!! 10 Days to go!

Whitney Marie Delaglio is the designer of Prism, an RPG about sensuality, relationships, and conflict resolution. She's also a contributing author for Agon, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, and Level One(2021), Tiny Tusks - a game about helmed Half-Orcs!

Previously: Dicelogy 28 - In the Deep end w/ Whitney 

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Strap in!!

Champions Now #2 - For whom the Bel-Samu tolls! Anita and Raul force a stand-off with Sister Mary Agnes and the order of St. Gideon after they shot Michael, Father Martins's brother - who was dressed up like a priest. Father Martin, realizing his powers are still active, begins searching for more unholy threats in the museum. It's not long before he finds Bel-Samu. Herald of the Queen in Yellow. It takes the whole team, Raul in his giant aquatic form, Father Martin's negation abilities, and Anita Black's necromancy to put Bel-Samu to rest.

Lifted: Indomitable playtesting the next iteration of my 'frenzy' initiative - working-name-in-progress. I think we're getting it dialed in. Posted an update on the Kickstarter page, basically - all character's actions get discussed & declared until everyone is happy with their actions. Dice are rolled. Actions are ordered by the highest single die first. Defenders who have not yet acted may abort their action to roll full defense actions or use what dice are unused in the declared action pool for defense. Maaaan....I think I like it!! 

Twilight 2000 - New player and new "story" arc.  We had a catch-up and chat session. Talking about non-game stuff, projects, and what we want out of this new game arc for characters and players.  It looks like I'll get to use Urban Operations more heavily as the characters try to build a more stable base in a city, at least for the winter.

The nostalgia game! Rolemaster II session zero. Scheduled for 6-8 sessions of play, we've got a Chevallier, a magician, a centaur bounty hunter, and a rogue making the trek from the port of Izar to the acropolis of Scalu to see an oracle. 

A|State got preempted by the Superbowl. 🦉

I've acquired and am reading/prepping Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from Palladium for twitch.tv/actualplay!

I'm about to fire up some En Garde! as a play-by-post short-term game on Play-by-post is dead. The hardest part for me is getting my head into the time period. I am interested in the game's ability to generate play, so I have to run it to understand it.

And I'm using my Kill Team minis and lore to play 5 Parsecs from Home!!

Let me know what you're playing, reading, or prepping!

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On rotation:

* A|State by Handiwork games and Love Letters

* Champions Now “r/CapitolCryptids” is the first of my superhero AP series on the Dicelogy Podcast this year.

* Twilight 2000 - Battle for the still aftermath.

* Into Borgenwold with Judd Karlman

* Apocalypse World: Burned Over - L.E.O on Twitch.tv/actualplay

WIP:

* Defiant RPG as a 1v1 game

* Working on #dungeon23 - The Artefact. a Massive ancient alien space construct in the Kuiper Belt

* Cortex Prime with Free & Clear combat - IYKYK!

Con Schedule :

* OrcCon in Feb 2023. I'll be packing Atma RPG at least!

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