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!

----more----

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

Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series. 

The penultimate episode sees Azriel Stirling send off Senator Minos and bring down the ruins beneath the Kyrody capital city of Carcordia, while Drake McCabe and others resurrected by the Church of the Enduring Servants find themselves with a strange new gift...

Cassidy and the crew of the Revenant return to the Razor Isle, and the mysterious ghost bound to the ship known as "The Captain" is secretly the one at the helm... What awaits the crew at the cursed island in the center of the Dominion's myriads?

Learn more about Ironsworn here.

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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):

Solemn Vow by TabletopAudio.com

Earthquake by Monument Studios

Closing In by Monument Studios

Emotional Dulcimers by Monument Studios

Rebuilding by TabletopAudio.com

Voyage Begins by TabletopAudio.com

Thunderstorm by Monument Studios

Storm at Sea by TabletopAudio.com

Dark Continent by TabletopAudio.com

Legion Mix B by Monument Studios

Meta Heroic Ensemble by Monument Studios

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

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 first of two Perspective Checks this month on RPGs and their intersection with creative writing is with Steve Morrison of Errant Adventures, an excellent solo actual play podcast which has followed a sci-fi epic through multiple seasons (appropriately called Books) using different systems and more! Steve is also one half of the Ironsworn Guyz podcast along with Matt Risby (a.k.a. The Bad Spot, see previous Perspective Checks episode for more with Matt).

Steve comes on to talk about his experiences with RPGs, writing, and doing a solo podcast, and how that Venn diagram has a lot of overlap, but it took some time to find the right balance. He recently changed up his process and it is really interesting to think about how TTRPGs (solo or otherwise) can really work alongside creative writing to make for better stories than doing either on their own. 

I cannot recommend Errant Adventures enough, go give it a listen!

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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:

Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series. 

As Cassidy & crew make their way to the Kyrody capital of Carcordia to make contact with the Ebb and find out what's next, Azriel Stirling avoids Kyrody law enforcement by hiding out down in the ruins below the capital, and he's not the only one down there...

Learn more about Ironsworn here.

----more----

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):

Dire Ambience by Monument Studios

Footsteps Rock by Monument Studios

Critical Headbutt by Monument Studios

Pieces of a Memory by Vindsvept

Floating Market by TabletopAudio.com

The Inspiration Seeker by Monument Studios

Cryptic Choir by Monument Studios

Chaotic Drums by Monument Studios

Red Room by Monument Studios

Entropy by Monument Studios

Lost Mine by TabletopAudio.com

Moonless Night 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!

In the 2nd community-focused Perspective Checks of the month, Adrian & Alex from the Dungeons & Degrees Podcast come on to talk about navigating the TTRPG space and finding your people. We keep it silly, do a little self-therapy, but talk a lot about how important it is to not just look for a table where you feel like you can trust the other players but be a good member of that table / community, too.

Follow Dungeons & Degrees, Adrian, and Alex on Instagram and more!

----more----

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:

Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands

Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!

Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series. 

Cassidy and the crew of the Revenant are on their way back to the main island of Kyros to meet up with an Ebb contact in the capital city of Carcordia. Along the way, Cassidy attempts to reverse the Bloodsworn curse on Marama, but their ship is recognized in the middle of the ritual, and old grudges against Raskhar must finally be put to rest.

Learn more about Ironsworn here.

----more----

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):

Bringer of Rain by Vindsvept

Fallen by Vindsvept

Trireme by TabletopAudio.com

Summoning by TabletopAudio.com

Cannon by Monument Studios

High Seas Pursuit by TabletopAudio.com

Pirates by TabletopAudio.com

Melancholy by Monument Studios

The Gaping Maw by TabletopAudio.com

Thorns (Bonus Track) by Vindsvept

Homeward Bound by Vindsvept

Theme Song written & produced by Dan Pomfret | @danfrombothbands