Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!

There are a lot of tabletop roleplaying ganes, and there is an almost 100% chance you will never sit down and play them all, and even if you could, there would be a a lot of games you probably wouldn't enjoy. This month's episode is a chat with Willow, a.k.a. The RPG Goblin (which has to be one of the best internet user handles) all about finding the right game for you. Maybe you've only played D&D, maybe you've heard of Daggerheart from all the Critical Role hype, maybe you've even heard of some indie darlings like Blades in the Dark or Apocalypse World, but until you dip your toe in or peel back the curtain and look, you may not know what kind of game fits your style of playing/GMing the best until you read it/sit down and play it!

We also go over things like how to introduce folks to new games through one-page RPGs, silly one-shots, going very vibes-heavy on selling a game with a specific touchstone so people come in ready to harness the stylistic expectations and worry less about the mechanics and learning a new system, and more.

Willow is great, you should definitely check out her very infectious enthusiasm talking about TTRPGs and mechanics she's exploring on all her social media pages: Linktr.ee / RPG Goblin Podcast / YouTube 

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Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode (in order of appearance):

Easy Breeze by RA from Uppbeat.io - https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/easy-breeze 

Rene Plays Games Theme written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

100 Episodes! That's pretty neat, and it feels right to go back to the very first series I ever played solo for a podcast - the incredibly wonderful Colostle by Nich Angell!

In this series, we'll be playing a whole new character, so you don't have to have listened to my previous Colostle series on the DMs After Dark podcast feed, and I'll be going through all of the character creation, rules, and mechanics so new listeners can learn about the game through this series.

However, we aren't going to be playing the base game of Colostle anymore, we will be playing in the Dungeons supplement that recently came out! If you like all of the new additions and ideas constantly being added to the world of Colostle, I highly recommend checking out Nich's Patreon page!

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode (in order of appearance):

Diverging Realms by Vindsvept

Deep Sleep of the Elven King by Vindsvept

Dark by Vindsvept

Into the Mind's Eye, Part One by Vindsvept

Battle Stations by TabletopAudio.com

Rock Fall by Monument Studios

Detective Synths by Monument Studios

Rene Plays Games Theme written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Welcome back to Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences by telling the next episode or next book "You will not break me," and soldiering on anyway because goddamnit, Donut, someone's gotta try and save all these ideas.

This month we're talking about the absurdly popular (and deserving) LitRPG book series Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. These books follow Carl and his ex-girlfriend's prize show champion cat Donut into a televised level-0 funnel on the newest season of Dungeon Crawler World, a popular galactic game show where survivors fight through 18 levels of awful dungeon in hopes of making it out some kind of alive.

This series is 1) hilarious, 2) way better than it has any right being, and 3) somehow has you crying over the most insanely out-of-pocket characters in truly deranged dungeon level concepts, but it's full of great ideas, too! And it's the 2nd book series we've done on Mining Media that is actually getting a TTRPG!

I've been sick, so this is all you're getting for a description this week. Listen to the episode and let me know if you think I missed anything good to use at the gaming table!

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode (in order of appearance):

Music from Uppbeat:

Let's do another one-player one-shot!

This time it's BOW by the design duo (and team at) Hatchlings Games!

BOW is a solo journaling game that uses the Carta SRD by Peach Garden Games, much like Hatchlings' other solo game Dragon Dowser (which you can hear me play in the backlog!). In BOW, you play a Praeloran diver going out in an annual competition known as The Shoaling, a grueling sailing race between strong candidates on the hunt for relics to bring back to their city and make it to their marker and back first. 

In this one-shot, I play the underdog Dominic Eisenia, a short, underdeveloped youth going out for the Shoaling against much more physically capable rivals, but he has an edge in his cleverness and determination. Can he make it to his Marker and find any interesting relics? Will Dominic be crowned champion of this year's Shoaling?!

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode (in order of appearance):

Windswept Realms, Vol. III by Vindsvept

Time for another one-player one-shot!

This is Two-Hand Path, a modern roll-and-write dungeon crawler by Mikey Hamm, designer of Slugblaster. In Two-Hand Path you play a mage searching the cursed ruins of a post-fall city for loot and power after a supernatural war left everything destroyed. 

The mechanics use Yahtzee-style combinations with a full set of polyhedral dice, sending you through very simple but deadly dungeons with time pressure and limited HP before you "surge," after which every roll is a gamble for points and power. 

The character sheet is just your two hands (or a drawing of two hands, if you're a coward) which you'll cover in tattoos, rings, scars, and more as you shape your spells and unleash your magic against the remnants of the world.

It's. Awesome. Get Two-Hand Path here.

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode (in order of appearance):

Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Welcome to the finale of the Heart of the Dominion, season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series. 

Cassidy, Leigh, and the Captain continue to trek toward the center of the cursed Razor Isle at the heart of the Kyrody Dominion's myriad capital, with the Captain experiencing flashbacks to life in this ruined city's heyday. When they reach the three towering iron pillars at the city's center, everything falls apart at once.

Learn more about Ironsworn here.

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode (in order of appearance):

Voyage Begins by TabletopAudio.com

Haunted Ramparts by TabletopAudio.com

Assault by Monument Studios

Subtle Emotions Orchestra In by Monument Studios

Fog by Monument Studios

Emotional Atmos C by Monument Studios

No Time Left by Monument Studios

Fallen Heroes by Monument Studios

Pre Battle by Monument Studios

At the End of All Things by Monument Studios

Loom by Monument Studios

Song of the Seafarer by Vindsvept

Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!

This special 1st of the month Perspective Checks episode is with Mat of Role Play Chat, a similar interview-style TTRPG discussion podcast which I think you'll enjoy if you like these episodes!

Mat comes on to talk about the wonder of GM-less games, how they foster collaboration and shared storytelling, including romance in your games, and his new game First Date Update, where you play two characters who just went on a date and their friends as they try and figure out why one of you is ghosting the other, and whether or not they can work to get you both face to face to potentially go on another date or come clean.

This episode has lots of fun ideas, one of which you may have heard me discuss in my recent design episode - a character relationship matrix idea that can be used at any table to track your character's relationship with NPCs/other PCs!

Hope you enjoy, and go check out First Date Update on RPC Press's itch.io page!

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

2 New MECH Cities Out Now (& Free!)

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode:

Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Get the 2 New MECH Cities Out Now (for Free!)

Felt like a good time to play through a little bit of me & Raso's Carved by RUNE solo Mech vs. Kaiju TTRPG MECH!

In this demo, I play through Hraunvollr, a city on a fjord below a volcano where a greedy energy company has awakened the ancient lava Dormant Surtr!

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode:

Weirder Things 2 by TabletopAudio.com

The Threshing Hour by TabletopAudio.com

Starforged Planetside by TabletopAudio.com

Orbital Prison Break by TabletopAudio.com

Dark Future by TabletopAudio.com

Docking Bay by TabletopAudio.com

Mech War by TabletopAudio.com

Starforged Space by TabletopAudio.com

Starforged Fray by TabletopAudio.com

Summoning by TabletopAudio.com

Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

I've heard people like this, so here's an update on some of the games I've got rattling around in my brain, in GoogleDocs, and in various levels of development on notebook pages, sticky notes, and half formed notes on my phone.

If any of these sound like they're games you'd love to play, please let me know so I can get on it and see if I can't put out something you'll love!

Looking forward to working on these more & hopefully hearing from all of you. May all your games go great!

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

2 New MECH Cities Out Now (& Free!)

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | MECH Cities 2 | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode:

Lucid Dreaming by | e s c p | https://www.escp.space

Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!

The second Perspective Checks this month on RPGs and their intersection with creative writing is with Clark R. Rowenson, a.k.a. The Magic Engineer on YouTube, an engineer, author, and writing coach with a lifelong interest in magic systems.

We discuss magic system design, the importance of using the right kind of system for your stories, the explosion in popularity of the LitRPG genre, how both sides can still learn from its inspiration from the tabletop RPG space, and more. 

Stay tuned for more about Spawn Point, the first installment in Clark's upcoming LitRPG series A New Eternity about Topha & Nettle!

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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

2 New MECH Cities Out Now (& Free!)

I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to help cover podcast hosting costs & all the upkeep. I'm still working on whether I want to offer anything special over there or just give my extreme gratitude (maybe some stickers or something in the mail) to those who donate, but no pressure whatsoever :)

Where to Follow Rene Plays Games:

LinkTree |  BlueSky | Threads | Instagram | Facebook | DMs After Dark

Rene's Games:

MECH | One Last Quest

email: [email protected]

Music in the Episode:

Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands