Plot Points

Hear the secrets of the upcoming Alien role-playing game from Free League Publishing in this interview with Free League designer and impresario Tomas Harenstam, coming to you live as the internet can be, from the bucolic wilds of Sweden! 

If you're new to Plot Points, we're the podcast that takes role-playing games seriously. If you want to learn about the hidden history which led to the death of the first company that made Dungeons & Dragons, check out Ben's seminar on why TSR failed. If you want to hear more about Free League Publishing's excellent work on sci-fi RPGs, here's the Plot Points gang discussing Tales from the Loop.  

Back Plot Points on Patreon now! When we get to $150 per episode, we will release a three-episode actual play using Stars Without Number about psychics on the run in the stars starring Sarah, Brad, & Ben. 

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod!

Give us a review on iTunes to help the show grow!

Audio courtesy of 50 Breaks!

Image courtesy Free League Publishing. 

"You’re in a haunted Victorian-era city trapped inside a wall of lightning powered by demon blood."

Blades in the Dark is a radical step forward in the art & science of role-playing games. 21st-century design is applied to one of the oldest tropes in gaming: the thief. Ben Riggs gets down to brass tacks with Blades creator John Harper to probe the secrets of the game. Find Blades in the Dark here!

Back Plot Points on Patreon now! Back at the $2 level or higher and you’ll get a copy of the current draft of Ben’s book on RPG theory, Encounters! THIS WILL BE TAKEN DOWN ON MAY 1st, and put on DriveThruRPG, so if you want a copy of Ben’s book cheap, back Plot Points now!

When we get to $150 per episode, we will release a three-episode actual play using Stars Without Number about psychics on the run in the stars starring Sarah, Brad, & Ben. 

Be aware that we are going to make Plot Points into a weekly podcast, hopefully for the rest of the year, so if you’re a Patreon backer, you may want to alter your pledge based on the fact that we are going to be putting out more material.

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod!

Give us a review on iTunes to help the show grow!

Audio courtesy of 50 Breaks!

Image courtesy Evil Hat Productions. 

Low-prep, sandbox games make life easy on the GM. But how do you do that while providing the grand sweep of galactic science fiction? Kevin Crawford circles that square in Stars Without Number, a sandbox game with the awesome scope of Star Wars and Star Trek. The Plot Points gang takes on the game, dissecting its pros, cons, and gets a word or two from Crawford himself. 

Back Plot Points on Patreon now! Back at the $2 level or higher and you’ll get a copy of the current draft of Ben’s book on RPG theory, Encounters! THIS WILL BE TAKEN DOWN ON MAY 1st, and put on DriveThruRPG, so if you want a copy of Ben’s book cheap, back Plot Points now!

Be aware that we are going to make Plot Points into a weekly podcast, hopefully for the rest of the year, so if you’re a Patreon backer, you may want to alter your pledge based on the fact that we are going to be putting out more material.

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod!

Give us a review on iTunes to help the show grow!

Audio courtesy of 50 Breaks!

Image courtesy Sine Nomine Publishing. 
 

Is art harder than writing? Is the RPG industry superior to comic books and video games? These questions and more are asked and answered in Ben's interview with virtuoso writer and artist Dennis Detwiller, one of the fulgent minds behind Delta Green, the role-playing game of Cthulhu conspiracy which is ranked #1 & #2 on RPG.net's index of games. 

Back Plot Points on Patreon now! Back at the $2 level or higher and you'll get a copy of the current draft of Ben's book on RPG theory, Encounters! THIS WILL BE TAKEN DOWN ON MAY 1st, and put on DriveThruRPG, so if you want a copy of Ben's book cheap, back Plot Points now!

Back Dennis Detwiller's game of Cthulhu wrestling, WRESTLENOMINCON here!

Be aware that we are going to make Plot Points into a weekly podcast, hopefully for the rest of the year, so if you're a Patreon backer, you may want to alter your pledge based on the fact that we are going to be putting out more material.

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod!

Audio courtesy of 50 Breaks! 

All image courtesy of Arc Dream Publishing.

What literature inspired the creation of Dungeons & Dragons? Why do spells work the way they do? These questions and more are answered in the Appendix N Seminar from GaryCon 2019!

If you're new to Plot Points, we're the podcast that takes role-playing games seriously. You may enjoy our deep dive on Dungeon Crawl Classics here, or our unpacking of the history of demons & devils & Dungeons & Dragons here.

Let others know about Plot Points to help the ‘pod grow! Review us on iTunes to help others find us. Not a Patreon supporter yet? See what goodness we have in store for you by backing the ‘pod here!

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod!

Audio courtesy of 50 Breaks! 

All image courtesy of Goodman Games.

Ben has a long talk with Monte Cook, RPG design genius behind Numenera, Invisible Sun, and 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons. Check out his current Kickstarter for Arcana of the Ancients here!

If you’re new to Plot Points, check out our episode on the history of demons and devils and Dungeons & Dragons! Here’s Ben’s sold out seminar on why TSR failed from Gen Con 2018!

Let others know about Plot Points to help the ‘pod grow! Review us on iTunes to help others find us. Not a Patreon supporter yet? See what goodness we have in store for you by backing the ‘pod here!

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod!

Audio courtesy of 50 Breaks! 

All images courtesy Monte Cook Games.

The mellifluous tones of Pathfinder designer Jason Bulmahn bring you up to speed on the latest news in the world of Pathfinder 2nd edition! 

If you're new to Plot Points, check out our episode on the history of demons and devils and Dungeons & Dragons! Here's Ben's sold out seminar on why TSR failed from Gen Con 2018!

Let others know about Plot Points to help the ‘pod grow! Review us on iTunes to help others find us. Not a Patreon supporter yet? See what goodness we have in store for you by backing the ‘pod here!

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod!

Audio courtesy of Incompetech, Kevin Macleod, and 50 Breaks! 

All images courtesy Paizo.

"I'm pretty keen on role-playing."

Becky Annison is a brilliant game designer who co-created the GM-less Lovecraftian RPG, Lovecraftesque, along with her partner Joshua Fox. Ben picks her brain about role-playing theory, theater, and her latest Kickstarter for Bite Me!, the powered by the apocalypse game of werewolf pack dynamics. 

Interested in Plot Points? Back us on Patreon! Support us at the $2 level, and you’ll get Ben’s book on gaming theory, Encounters!

Let others know about Plot Points to help the ‘pod grow! Review us on iTunes to help others find us.

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod! Find us on Facebook! 

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Image courtesy Black Armada.

"This may be the most perfect role-playing game product I've ever seen." 

"This makes old fantasy new again." 

Forbidden Lands is the fantasy RPG from the Swedish geniuses behind Tales from the Loop, and the game lives up to the high expectations set by their other games!

Listen to our first foray into Free League RPGs with Tales from the Loop here!

Interested in Plot Points? Back us on Patreon! Support us at the $2 level, and you’ll get Ben’s book on gaming theory, Encounters!

Let others know about Plot Points to help the ‘pod grow! Review us on iTunes to help others find us.

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod! Find us on Facebook! 

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Image courtesy Free League. 

John Scott Tynes worked on some of the most innovative and engaging role-playing games produced in the 1990s. Delta Green. Unknown Armies. Call of Cthulhu D20. Then, he was gone, disappearing from the RPG industry like a dream at dawn. Now, he's back writing for RPGs again, (see The Labyrinth) and he gave an hour of his valuable time to Plot Points for this sweaty-hot, live-as-the-internet-can-be interview!  

New to Plot Points? We take RPGs seriously! Check out our discussion of the new edition of Masks of Nyarlathotep here!

Listen to us dissect the history of demons and devils in Dungeons & Dragons here!

Hear an actual play of Basic D&D with evil PCs here!

Interested in Plot Points? Back us on Patreon! Support us at the $2 level, and you’ll get Ben’s book on gaming theory, Encounters!

Let others know about Plot Points to help the ‘pod grow! Review us on iTunes to help others find us.

Find us on Twitter @PlotPointsPod! Find us on Facebook! 

To let us know what you think about this episode, email us at [email protected]!

Image courtesy Arc Dream Publishing.