No Plot, Only Lore

Josh and Kris dive into the secret to great storytelling: taking absurd concepts seriously. They discuss the silly anime premise of More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers, the "tits and fight" genre, and how movies like Airbud and the original Star Wars script turned goofy ideas into classics by playing them straight. The segment concludes with advice for D&D DMs on how to ground a ridiculous campaign—like dragon tyrants or a halfling mafia—with genuine emotional resonance and "heart."

TW: SA, bestiality... Yes, really...

Look, this one got away from me for real. I'm an improviser - I'll yes-and anything. But this shit got real weird and stayed in that space for a while. This is the first time I've ever had to put a trigger warning on a podcast episode.

Josh and Kris tackle the viral "100 men vs. 1 gorilla" question by defining the most absurd win condition: achieving sexual dominance over the gorilla. They argue for the terms of the encounter, debating if the fight should allow tools (no!), clothing (minimal!), and whether a coliseum-style arena favors the humans (it doesn't). The hosts settle on a "dominance display" where one human must penetrate the silverback gorilla, and at least one human must survive.

Josh and Kris clash over the "Rule of Cool" in TTRPGs. Josh argues it's a crutch for lazy problem-solving and a logistical nightmare for DMs, leading to player attention-seeking. Kris defends it as a necessary tool to reward player creativity, encourage "big swings," and increase narrative momentum—provided it's negotiated, reserved for unique moments, and tied to real consequences. They debate its history and the problem of canonizing "community stupidity."

Talking about the problem of catching too much loot, or too much of the same loot, or progressing too quickly in RPGs.

Eating monsters! How would you cook them? What would they taste like? Are they dangerous? Poisonous? Does a gorgon have metal blood?

In this episode of No Plot, Only Lore, DMs Josh and Kris explore what happens when the dice, the players, or the DM’s own ego send a campaign spiraling into a "table apocalypse." The guys kick things off with a detour into the "bad old days" of Nerdcore hip-hop, debating the flow of MC Frontalot versus rappers who actually know their music theory.

The heart of the episode tackles the moments where games go off the rails:

1. The Lone Wolf Disaster: Kris recounts a cringeworthy "main character syndrome" moment from the year 2000 involving a level 3 rogue, a rowboat, and a total party kill.
2. The "Session 0.5" Solution: Why the initial session zero rarely survives first contact with the plot, and the importance of checking in mid-campaign to see who the characters have actually become.
3. Interpersonal vs. Mechanical Friction: How to tell if your table is struggling because of 3.5 grappling rules or because two players legitimately can't stand each other.
4. The "Goblins?" Safety Net: A deep dive into the philosophy of the backup plan—specifically, using a sudden goblin ambush as a tactical distraction to force teamwork when things get grumpy.

From accidentally playing a "good cop" in a party of dirty cops to characters inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow's "Goop," learn how to embrace the liminal space of storytelling and roll with the punches—even when those punches come from a dragon turtle in an underground lake.

In this episode of No Plot, Only Lore, DMs Josh and Chris dive into the messy, often unpredictable world of player engagement. The conversation starts in a surprisingly morbid place as Josh shares stories about his family’s paramedic background and their unusual desensitization to medical trauma—ranging from "cool" injury photos to eating dinner while watching surgery broadcasts.

Shifting from real-world gore to the gaming table, the guys discuss the challenge of securing and maintaining player buy-in. They explore:

1. Reading the Room: Identifying the physical cues of disinterest versus the "focused fidgeting" of players with ADHD.
2. The Power of the Hook: Breaking down Brennan Lee Mulligan’s iconic "mouth filled with blood" opening from Calamity and why immediate physical stakes work.
3. Preparation vs. Improv: Why Josh’s DM screen usually just says "Goblins?" and how to handle players who choose "North" when you only planned for East and West.
4. The Threat of Death: Discussing the transition from "padded room" D&D to high-stakes games where character death serves as a primary motivator.

Whether you’re a "soft" DM or a "killer" DM, learn why respecting player agency—and being ready to bullshit when they inevitably ignore your rails—is the key to a legendary session.

In this special "Too Much Lore" installment of No Plot, Only Lore, Josh and Chris take a thermal detonator to the concept of over-explanation. What starts as a debate over the "Star Wars Canon Reset" quickly turns into a passionate critique of how "lore dumps" can actually kill the imagination of a franchise.

The DMs dive deep into:

1. The Mystery of the Force: Why "The Force" is the perfect name for a magic system and how George Lucas’s introduction of Midi-chlorians sapped the wonder out of the galaxy.
2. The Scale of Power: A breakdown of "lore creep"—from Yoda struggling with an X-wing to Starkiller pulling Star Destroyers out of the sky.
3. Wasted Opportunities: Why the Book of Boba Fett should have been a Coruscant-based "bounty hunter procedural" instead of a desert-bound story about mobility scooters.
4. The "Kermit" Problem: A heated discussion on Yoda’s prequel fight style. Was the "flying gerbil" combat a neat moment, or did it diminish the character’s status as a masterful teacher?
5. Relatable Villains vs. Uber-Sith: Comparing the tragic, slow-burn fall of Jacen Solo (Expanded Universe) to the "somehow, Palpatine returned" storytelling of the sequel trilogy.

From "Hut Jedi" to why Tatooine needs to burn in hell, this episode explores the fine line between building a world and burying it under too much detail.

The "Keywork" is a fascinating visual concept that suffers from what the guys call "amateur writing syndrome"—where a cool name (like a "Jackhammer" spaceship) is eventually revealed to be a literal, giant space-laser-drill.

The DMs emphasize that when you define your rules too rigidly, you lose the ability to surprise your players (or listeners).

1. Soft Lore (The Original Trilogy): The Force is a mystical energy field. It feels infinite.
2. Hard Lore (The Prequels/Comics): The Force is a biological byproduct of microscopic lifeforms. It feels like a math equation.

In which we discuss some of our history with tabletop games retail, and also what sorts of things you can buy for your favorite D&D nerd!