Gaming from the First Age

Time consuming tangents in prep and underway, plus another longer form campaign in the thinking stage. How is your last quarter of 2026 gaming shaping up?

Aegean RPG: https://www.aegeanrpg.com/ https://we-evolve.co.uk/games/aegean

The podcast music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

How are your RPG numbers doing at the 2026 half time? What's enthusing you right now?

The podcast music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

A moment for us to reflect on what makes a good tabletop RPG player? Play along.

Becky’s Blog: https://blackarmada.com/how-to-be-ttrpgs-most-valuable-player/

Becky’s series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMs5q7TAqXk&list=PLxzETbg_EJH32qfJ9ehHKnjdkzqgZ5Zzq

The podcast music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards⁠⁠⁠⁠

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/⁠⁠

Let's review our 2025 gaming year and look ahead to 2026.

The podcast music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

⁠⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards⁠⁠⁠

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

⁠⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/⁠

I run a lot of RPG conventions, so I'm keen to see people step forward and run great games! In this episode I present some thoughts on what makes a good convention GM (or possibly a GM for any occasion).

Leave a message at [email protected] or on Spotify.

Some resource links:

So You Want to be a Gamemaster? Justin Alexander

https://thealexandrian.net/so-you-want-to-be-a-game-master

Your Best Game Ever, Monte Cook Games

https://www.montecookgames.com/store/product/your-best-game-ever/

Return of the Lazy Dungeonmaster, Sly Flourish

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/251431/return-of-the-lazy-dungeon-master

How to be a Great GM, Guy Sclanders

https://www.youtube.com/@HowtobeaGreatGM

Burn After Running, Guy Milner

https://burnafterrunningrpg.com/

Safety Tools

https://www.dramadice.com/gm-tips/safety-tools-for-tabletop-rpgs/

https://ttrpgsafetytoolkit.com/

CATS

https://proleary.com/games/the-cats-method/

Stars and wishes: https://burnafterrunningrpg.com/2022/01/07/stars-and-wishes-because-feedback-is-hard/

https://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/blog/stars-and-wishes

The podcast music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

⁠⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards⁠⁠

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

⁠⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Have you found your perfect tabletop RPG system? Of course you have...

Leave a message at [email protected] or on Spotify.

The Music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

⁠https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards⁠

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

⁠https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Let's talk about playing tabletop RPGs online. How do you find it? Have a favourite virtual tabletop? How does online play compare with in person?

Leave a message at [email protected] or on Spotify.

The Music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Journey with me, forward in time, as we look ahead to the 2025 RPG gaming year.

Some links:

Liam Philips actual play of Enemy in Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIyh-Q_6KiN9awrxBEzreHmsd9d-AcQ5e

Tripod: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/404274/tripod-essence

Heroic Fantasy: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/461381/heroic-fantasy-2nd-edition

AireCon: https://www.airecon.co.uk/rpgs

Garrison Conventions: https://garrison.omnihedron.co.uk/

The Music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

A summary of my RPG gaming year in 2024, wherein I ask myself, and indeed you, some questions.

Leave me a message on Spotify or email me a call-in voice mail at [email protected] and I may include on an episode!

Links

Music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa  https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0):

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Sqyre Hosting for Foundry

https://www.sqyre.app/

TravellerCon UK and further reflections on Traveller RPG.

Send me a voicemail at [email protected] and the usual channels.

UK & Ireland RPG & Board Game Conventions: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1p5iZrLlU7EthiItODGO5ZweyhCIOVFu7ULj2c25iPQU/edit?gid=852955442#gid=852955442

State of the Mongoose 2024: https://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/threads/state-of-the-mongoose-2024.125105/

Nerd's RPG Variety Cast: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/nerds-rpg-variety-cast/2437056

Music: Onwards Upwards by Ketsa

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/Metamorphosis/Onwards_Upwards

NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/