Inside The Table: A Tabletop RPG Talk Show

In this episode, we recap our top games of 2023!

But first, some news: Riley Daniels is creating an Itch Bundle to support her local Trans Youth charity! If you have a game and want to support a great cause, join the google form here! Or if you want to donate directly, click here.

Speaking of bundles, Jex Thomas of Bump in the Dark has created a itch bundle to donate to Pathfinders, a local, Milwaukee-based organization dedicated to connecting youth with housing and mental health support. Please offer your support and check out the bundle!

Claymore has set out with the FIST JAM IV currently live and ask you to finish your supplement! Create your offering to the FIST community and submit to the FIST jam.

Marley finds the joys of Project Zomboid! Cole tries to find 10 candles during New Years and fails to!

On to TTRPGs, Marley shares his experience with Evil Hat's Playtest of Abyssal by Ash Cheshire and Lara Paige Turner, a new refreshing take on Forged in The Dark about humans, monsters, and those in between. Abyssal provides new takes on playbooks, and has 3 times and settings from which the players can explore the horrors of the abyss.

Cole checks out the Fall of House Prosh by NotWritingGames, a sci-fi tragedy and melodrama that is staged similarly to a play. Join one of 3 factions and gain or spend tokens in order to bring your faction (or yourself) to power after the death of the Emperor.

Finally, on to the main topic: The games of 2023! We had 5 categories to consider this year, and we want to know: What was your favorite TTRPG of the past year?

Featuring Cole (⁠⁠⁠@IceColeBrew⁠⁠⁠) and Marley (⁠⁠⁠⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠⁠⁠⁠).

Produced by Cole, as well.

Follow Inside The Table on ⁠⁠your Social Media of Choice⁠⁠ and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to ⁠[email protected]⁠! 

And support us via ⁠our Patreon

In this episode, we talk about how notions of plagiarism, inspiration, and copyright fit into the TTRPG space. We both watched Hbomberguy’s recent video Plagiarism and You(Tube) so that’s where our heads are at.

But first, Marley has finished Alan Wake 2 (it’s fuckin great), then started and stopped playing Hunt: Showdown after convincing himself he was good at shooters after playing lots of Fortnite.

Then Cole has brief breaking news about a court case in progress about AI art!

Cole also checked out Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, and even found time to learn fighting games…

 Then onto TTRPGs!

After reading Mothership last episode, Marley has been on an OSR kick and stumbled across RAD by ¡Hipólita!, a Metro 2033-inspired post-apocalypse TTRPG. It’s everything he wished Mothership was, particularly given how it’s clearly inspired by non-OSR systems. GMs have a lot more agency and it's thrilling to see a modern iteration.

Meanwhile, Cole stumbled across The Marvelous Children of Inang-Uri by Momatoes, a generational world-building game set on the back of a living chimera. The game is itself a chimeric mix of Avery Alder’s The Quiet Year, Ben Robbins’ Kingdom, hidden role games, and even those complicated board games where you add up prestige at the end to figure out who won.

Then onto the main topic!

We both recently binged the gut-punch that is Hbomberguy’s recent video Plagiarism and You(Tube), which investigated several popular Youtubers who flagrantly stole their scripts from other creators and didn’t bother to credit them. So we take a moment to think about how that video fits in the context of the TTRPG space. How does hacking an existing game fit into that? How should we approach being inspired by other designers? And how does drawing heavily from an existing IP fit into that? 

Also, shout outs to the Ind of the Year Bundle, which has Rad, Planet Fist, and a bunch of games we’re very excited for! 

Featuring Cole (⁠⁠@IceColeBrew⁠⁠) and Marley (⁠⁠⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠⁠⁠).

Produced by Marley, as well.

Follow Inside The Table on ⁠your Social Media of Choice⁠ and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to [email protected]! 

And support us via our Patreon!

In this episode, Cole & Marley discuss video games that utilize TTRPG mechanics...

But first... the strike has ended! Cole & Marley catch up on various films and tv shows that they have seen while the strike was ongoing (05:00).

Marley shares his experience with Alan Wake 2, and the unique feel of the game as a part of the horror genre! (19:00)

As for TTRPGS...

Cole talks about Outward Bound by Penflower Ink (26:00), a Four Points System Sci-fi game about researching and exploring an asteroid belt known as the Teyn Belt which falls to a mysterious effect known as The Tide. Penflower Ink make a strong setting to support their new system, and it gives space to explore the relationships of your crew and of space itself.

Marley discusses Mothership by Sean McCoy of Tuesday Knight Games, a sci-fi horror game based on films such as Alien (48:30). Mothership offers a rule-heavy set of explanations for clocks, items, and skill trees. The rules of the game provide a mechanic or dice roll for almost every situation, and the skill tree is far-reaching, diverse and covers every situation.

Then, in the main topic, in which Cole points out the variety of approaches where games applied TTRPG styles to their games (1:10:02).

Then, on to shout outs (1:41:00):

Featuring Marley (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) & Cole (⁠⁠⁠@IceColeBrew⁠⁠⁠)

Produced by Cole.

Follow Inside The Table on ⁠your Social Media of Choice⁠⁠ and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to [email protected]! 

And support us via our⁠ Patreon⁠!

In this episode, Cole asks Marley for a post-mortem on his most recently released project: Salvager's Isle, a Bump In The Dark supplement made for the Iron Country Autumn Bump In The Dark Jam.

But first... Cole talks about how they found a kitten and brought it home (08:00)! Now it has moved in and refuses to pay rent! He then goes on to talk about his past weekend producing and commentating for a charity tournament in Rocket League over the previous weekend (18:00)

Marley shares his sorrows in finding the perfect game (21:00). Here is a hint: it is not Fortnite, nor Quantum Break, nor even The Lamplighters League. Please, assist Marley on this grand quest to find the perfect game, and send your recommendations to [email protected]

As for TTRPGS...

Marley talks about Crush Depth Apparition by Amanda Lee Franck (0:29:00), a survival horror game about enduring deep sea travel as a spectral labyrinth grows out from inside your submarine. It's a unique d20 game with fantastic tools for horror, but how does it hold up as a system?

Cole explores The Hidden Isle by Causa Creations (0:39:00), a Kickstarter project that boasts a re-imagined Forged In the Dark system utilizing tarot cards instead of dice. With a fresh take on how to approach consequences, downtimes, companions, and even magic, this game offers a whole new perspective on how FitD systems can be approached.

Finally, Marley talks about Eat The Reich by Grant Howitt & Will Kirkby (1:08:00), a d6-based TTRPG about vampire commandos killing Nazis in Paris. This game has high stakes action, cool moves, and is the most beautiful fucking TTRPG we've ever seen.

Then, in the main topic, in which Cole asks some questions about Marley's latest project, Salvager's Isle (1:17:00). Where did the idea come from? What inspired him to make this supplement? What is his end goal, creating so many supplements for games?

Then, on to shout outs (1:48:00):

Featuring Marley (⁠⁠⁠⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠⁠⁠⁠) & Cole (⁠⁠@IceColeBrew⁠⁠)

Produced by Cole.

Follow Inside The Table on your Social Media of Choice⁠ and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to [email protected]! 

And support us via our Patreon!

In this episode, we are joined by Commander Pulsar, GM-for-hire on StartPlaying.Games to answer our questions about how to get started as a GM-for-hire, how to pitch yourself as a competent GM on a marketplace, how to balance the power dynamics as a paid GM and their table, and the best game for new-comers.

In this episode, we take a listener question and talk about queer representation in tabletop roleplaying games along with our own journey with queerness and games...

But first... Marley talks about writing as a freelancer and the difficulties that come with it, especially as a freelancer finding his feet (2:00).

Cole talks about their experience playing the new souls-like game "Lies of P" from Round 8 Studios (10:50). They talk about the aesthetics of the world and the early costumes that have shown up so far. Lies of P is based on the Pinocchio lore and cannot wait to stream it on their Twitch channel.

He also talks about wedding plans and how they are actually moving forward (19:00)!

As for TTRPGS-

Marley talks about Bump in the Dark by Jex Thomas (22:50) a Forged in the Dark Monster hunting tabletop rpg with a upcoming game jam. Bump in the Dark is about a group of people who have dedicated to their lives to monster hunting and solving cryptid mysteries. The game tackles the Forged in the Dark system with unique mechanics, new ideas on how to interact with the community,

Cole talks about Songbirds 3e by Snow (47:00) a d20 based tabletop roleplaying game about undeath, supernatural powers, and blue dreams of the moon. A eldritch game that focuses on gifts, curses, and pacts guide the players through a land that has lost their god of love and the god of death sleepers forever in a moon. This game provides a variety of tools to lean on to explore a world that the characters can expand and fall in love with.

Then, on to the main topic (1:04:00), we take a listener question (Thanks again Laurie!) about the depictions of queerness in tabletop roleplaying games! From how the game interacts with characters who are queer explicitly in their game text and mechanics, to those who do not do so except for the slightest subtlety. We even talk about our own experience in queerness both at the table and in our own lives as well.

Then, on to shout outs (1:45:55)

Featuring Cole (⁠⁠@IceColeBrew⁠⁠) and Marley (⁠⁠⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠⁠⁠)

Produced by Cole.

Follow Inside The Table on ⁠your Social Media of Choice⁠ and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to [email protected]! 

And support us via our Patreon!

In this episode, we talk with Eric Silver (Join The Party, Games & Feelings, and a huge number of other podcasts) about Actual Plays, D&D, and the podcasting business overall.

But first, a lot has happened in wrestling since the last episode (0:05:39) and Cole fills us in: CM Punk (not Steam Punk) getting fired, the Monster Hunter Matthew Palmer, Minions (?), and… Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat?

Then, as its Labor Day (at the time of recording), Marley follows up with an update on what’s happening with SAG-AFRA, specifically how they voted to authorize a strike for video game work (0:13:00). 

(Unfortunately, we don’t talk about any TTRPGs in detail this episode, because it was a lot of work editing the interview and Starfield came out, so…)

Then, we do our interview with Eric Silver (0:19:46), talking about how Join The Party got started, hacking D&D vs playing new TTRPGs, the assorted controversies Wizards of the Coast has been apart of, the focus on personalities instead of game systems in some Actual Plays, the precarious business of podcast businesses, and is D&D core to what Join The Party is?

Then, on to shout outs (1:34:22):

Featuring Marley (⁠⁠⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠⁠⁠), Cole (⁠⁠@IceColeBrew⁠⁠), and Eric Silver (@El_Silvero)

Produced by Marley, as well.

Follow Inside The Table on ⁠your Social Media of Choice⁠ and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to [email protected]! 

And support us via our Patreon!

In this episode, we check out the best selling games on itch.io and speculate what qualities make them sell so good...

But first, Marley has been checking out niche YouTubers (00:03:21), including a stealth camping expert who gives advice for camping in roundabouts and a fast food reviewer who uses slo-mo, house music, and multiple cameras to review mediocre burgers and tacos.

Cole, meanwhile, went to a convention in full Sailor Moon cosplay and has endured the highs and lows that come with that experience (00:10:04). They offer useful tips for the best way to avoid paying the extra four bucks on a plastic cup and talk about how many great events they were able to see…

We also spend some time not talking about movies, but continuing our discussion of the writers' and actors' strikes in Hollywood (00:14:15).

Then, onto TTRPGS!

Firstly, we check out the kickstarter for Eat The Reich by Grant Howitt and Will Kirkby (00:17:12). (This is the vampire-commandos-drink-hitler TTRPG, for those unaware.) With no game preview released, we scour the kickstarter page for info about the characters, the setting, the sensitivity consultants, and the mysterious new Havoc Engine that this game will be using…

Cole’s also been gifted The Deck of Stories by 1985 Games (00:31:37), a card game which boasts that it “helps you create a legendary adventure in fifteen minutes.” But can it really? (Spoiler: Cole tries it live on the pod and comes up with a chapter from Lord of the Rings, so probably the answer is pretty much yes.)

Then, Marley talks about Thinly Veiled by Chloe Sobel (00:38:48), an expansion of Good Society that adds ghosts, mediums, and spiritualists. Marley’s intrigued by it since it provides a lot of really interesting historical context to the belief in ghosts and how they might influence traditions and class relations.

Then, onto the main topic (00:47:16), in which we take a look at the top selling physical games on itch.io and speculate what makes them rise to the top of the charts. Good art, community copies, a known brand, game jams, popular streamers taking interest, and, perhaps, a certain je ne sais quoi… 

(Marley also gives a little background from his experience as a game designer as he accidentally got in the top 8 one time.)

Then, on to shout outs (01:08:35)!

Featuring Cole (⁠⁠@IceColeBrew⁠⁠) and Marley (⁠⁠⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠⁠⁠)

Produced by Marley, as well.

Follow Inside The Table on ⁠your Social Media of Choice⁠ and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to [email protected]! 

And support us via our Patreon!

In this episode, we have an extended interview with game designer extraordinaire Riley Daniels (As The Sun Forever Sets, Ghoul Boys, Into The Blind), talking about starting out as a game designer in the pandemic, developing a Forged in the Dark game utterly unlike Blades, and finally, their experience working with Evil Hat Productions!

We also LAUNCHED A PATREON (0:01:31)! It has a bunch of fun benefits including access to our new exclusive discord, a bonus monthly podcast, voting privileges on upcoming content, and… the ability to buy us a coffee!

You can show your support right here: patreon.com/InsideTheTable!

Anyway, Cole’s been reaching The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (0:05:34), which is a magical realist novel with vibes of Neverwhere and Dimension 20’s The Sleeping City. Cole is just beginning to make their way through it and Marley unintentionally spoils an early plot beat (so be warned…).

And despite our mutual dislike of D&D, we’ve also both been playing Baldur’s Gate III a bunch (0:10:33). We talk about how it’s probably the best way to experience D&D, the characters we made, the way the game responded to… certain choices, and the kind of racist plotlines we know are waiting ahead of us.

Then, onto TTRPGs!

Cole did a big read through of Band of Blades (0:22:59), a game we’ve wanted to check out for a good while, and has found quite substantial changes to the core FitD ruleset. It’s no longer a game about daring rogues in a sunless city, instead focusing on grimdark soldiers retreating from an undying army stuck in an endless war. It has infamous chosen heroes who are helpful most of the time, a Crusader Kings-like management game, classes of soldiers who graduate into other playbooks, and a particularly grim ending…

Meanwhile, Marley checked out an early version of Planet Fist by Jess Levine (1:10:27). It’s a hack of FIST made for the recent FIST ULTRA Jam focusing on… undying soldiers stuck in an endless war?? However, unlike the grimdark fantasy of Band of Blades, Planet Fist feels like a game that you might have played on the original xbox. It features space soldiers with nanomachines and respawn points, killing enemies two, three times in a single mission, and even has bond mechanics which permit you to fight alongside your ex...

Then, onto an extended interview with game designer extraordinaire Riley Daniels (1:26:52), as we talk about her experience starting out as a game designer in the pandemic, her design inspirations for As The Sun Forever Sets, making a queer historical TTRPG, and what it was like pitching to (and getting accepted by) Evil Hat Productions.

(Also, you can join in with the As The Sun Forever Sets playtests by clicking here!)

Featuring Marley (⁠⁠⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠⁠⁠), Cole (⁠⁠@IceColeBrew⁠⁠), and Riley Daniels (@msmcnevertweet).

Produced by Marley, as well.

Follow Inside The Table on ⁠your Social Media of Choice⁠ and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to [email protected]! 

And support us via our Patreon!

In this episode, we’re talking about Money and Marketing in TTRPGs. We ask whether charging less for a TTRPG makes it less desirable and explore how community copies, charity bundles, demos, and game jams impact how we buy TTRPGs.

But first:

Marley chats about actually playing TTRPGs again after spending a good while simply reading them (00:03:35) and it turns out they’re really, really fun to play. 

Marley and Cole then talk about the WGA and SAG-AFRA strikes happening (00:08:00).

We also talk about how it is also indicative of a larger movement of striking workers, including with airline workers, Starbucks, UPF (which has now settled). We also talk about how the TTRPG industry, particularly streaming services, is tied up in all this.

Cole’s also been playing a lot of video games, including Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Coffee Talk, Generation Zero, Crusader Kings 3, Tears of the Kingdom… (00:19:03)

The big thing they want to chat about, however, is Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II (00:22:06), which he has started to play  to satisfy his scifi kick. We also chat about the weird sexism in that game and how early BioWare approached sexuality (in good and bad ways).

Cole has also been getting into TTRPGs that have faction game mechanics (00:28:30) after seeing how things have gone during the Beam Saber CalazCon actual play recordings (which you can also support on Patreon) and listening to Friends at the Table play Armor Astir. 

Then, onto TTRPGs we’ve been checking out!

Marley starts off with Blades in ‘68 by Tim from Old Dog Games (00:31:34), which is an in-progress setting book for Blades in the Dark which explores Duskvol in its own version of the swinging sixties. Currently, it exists only as a Twitter thread (and a Substack), containing some playbooks, faction details, maps, and really solid art.

Cole has been reading Hunt by Spencer Campbell (00:51:11), in which you play as a knight going out to fulfill oaths and slay a terrible beast. Much like Campbell's previous game, Rune (which we played on our Youtube channel), Hunt is narrative-based with combat like a tactics game, only this time it has no dice rolls, so players decide what their move is going to be themselves.

Then, we begin our main topic, which is What is the best way to price a TTRPG? (01:06:19) We discuss Jess Levine’s recent twitter thread about increasing the price of her TTRPGs. The thread has a number of interesting takeaways, including the common wisdom that the charging less for a TTRPG makes it less desirable for the consumer.

We discuss that idea, along with the role that charity bundles, community copies, demos, free games, game jams, and discounts influence which TTRPGs we actually spend money on.

We close with a shout out to Oathsworn (01:44:50), a new actual play podcast for Band of Blades, which looks to be a great introduction to a FitD system we've really wanted to check out for a while now!

Featuring Cole (⁠@IceColeBrew⁠) and Marley (⁠@Mynar_Lenahan⁠).

Produced by Marley, as well.

Follow Inside The Table on your Social Media of Choice and be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Also, send in your Listener Questions to [email protected]!