In this Talk of the Table Roundtable special, Brian & Elliot sit down with Dr. Emily Friedman, Quintin Smith aka ‘Quinns’, and Brennan Lee Mulligan for a discussion on pedagogic actual play. We dig into whether or not actual play is the best tool for teaching games, how we understand skill and learning in TTRPGs and beyond, and who our imagined student is when thinking of actual play as a teaching tool.

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty. 

Hear the rest of this Episode:

Talk of the Table on Patreon

Links:

Dr. Friedman

Quinns

Brennan

Dungeons & Drag Queens

Play to Find Out

Dr. Friedman's Patreon

Recommendations:

Dr. Friedman’s Event Series

The Novels of Sally Rooney

Bad Company by Megan Greenwell

Art After Money, Money After Art by Max Haiven

Many Sided Media Discord 

Many Sided Newsletter

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian are joined by Jack Caesar of Caesar Ink, the team behind TTRPG adaptations of beloved IPs like My Little Pony, Discworld, and Labyrinth. We dig into how to approach IP-based games, how to treat adapted properties with respect even if you’re not a typical fan, and how working on licensed games informs Caesar Ink’s work on the original world of Doomsong.

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

DOOMSONG: Thou Shalt Not Suffer The Wycce

Caesar Ink Website

Caesar Ink on Bluesky

Join the Caesar Ink Discord

Jack Recommends:

Salvage Union

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian are joined by Josh Fox who is one half of Black Armada, the duo behind Lovecraftesque. We get into the exciting new features of the boxed second edition of this emergent mystery game, why safety tools should be a tailored part of game design, and Black Armada’s latest project Ex Tenebris.

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

Back Ex Tenebris 

Buy Lovecraftesque 2e

Black Armada

Follow Josh on Bluesky

Hear Lovecraftesque, Ex Tenebris, and Apocalypse Keys on Black Armada Tales

Josh Recommends:

Apocalypse Keys

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian are joined by Kenna Alexander, designer of Coyote & Crow and owner of Coyote and Crow games, to discuss the lessons she’s learned in the 4 years since the hit science fantasy roleplaying game released. We get into the impact the game has had for native players and beyond, the new horror setting Ahu Tiiko, and what she has planned next for Coyote & Crow.

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

Back Coyote & Crow: Digital

Pre-Order Ahu Tiiko

Coyote & Crow Games

ahutiiko.com

Kenna Recommends:

As Many Ships As Stars by Weyodi Oldbear

Creature Comforts from Kids Table Board Games

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian are joined once again by Taylor Moore, creative director and composer of Worlds Beyond Number, to discuss the completion of Book 1 of The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One. We dig in on sustainable working practices, narrative payoff in composition, and how he’s applying the lessons of campaign 1 to the next major campaign of Worlds Beyond Number.

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

Listen to Worlds Beyond Number

Taylor on Bluesky

Taylor recommends:

Connecting with other people in real life

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian are joined by Nevyn Holmes and Quinn Morris to talk about their mythopoetic mech TTRPG, Dragon Reactor. We discuss the importance of language in building a mythic story and Brian explains why this game’s Countdown mechanic restored his faith in downtime mechanics. 

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

Back Dragon Reactor

Dinoberry Press

Nova Recommends:

I am Your Beast

Metallic Rouge

Quinn Recommends:

Cheekface

The Gooms

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Brian Flaherty

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian sit down with Avery Alder, designer of beloved games like The Quiet Year and Monsterhearts, to discuss the many full circle moments of her career, why trigger warnings are actually for the sickos, and how she continues to learn from her designs even after putting them down for over a decade.

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

Buy Going for Broke

Buried Without Ceremony

Avery on Bluesky

Avery Recommends:

Engines of Desire 

Red Carnations on a Black Grave

Sitting in the forest

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian sit down for the first ever Talk of the Table LIVE Show at Twenty Sided Store for a follow up conversation with the co-designers of Triangle Agency Caleb Zane Huett and Sean Ireland. We dig into bringing this game to life, the joys and horror of corporate lingo, and where the money actually goes when you raise $380,000 on Kickstarter. Featuring a Q&A from our first ever live audience!

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

Buy Triangle Agency

Support Twenty Sided Store

You’re Too Show: A Sonic The Hedgehog Fancast

Sean Recommends:

Unionizing your workplace!

Caleb Recommends:

Line dancing! (or another non-games hobby)

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian sit down with Moss Powers of Brewist Tabletop to discuss Book of Leviathan, their new expansion to the religious horror TTRPG HELLWHALERS. We discuss what this game has to say about hope and religious trauma, why gambling with Sic Bo is the perfect mechanic for driving home these themes, and what players can expect from this new expansion.

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

Back Book of Leviathan

Buy HELLWHALERS

Follow Moss

More games from Brewist

Moss Recommends:

Holding on to hope

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media

Elliot and Brian sit down with Asher McClennahan, the new Head of Games at Kickstarter, to discuss new features built on community feedback, how TTRPG creators can most effectively use Kickstarter, and how he hopes to regain the trust of creators who have left the platform in recent years due to concerns over AI and more.

Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis and Brian Flaherty.

Links:

[email protected]

Kickstarter Learning Lab

Autonomica Campaign Page

Asher Recommends:

Pandora’s Legacy

Connecting with the Games team at Kickstarter!

Our Links:

Support TotT on Patreon

Many Sided Newsletter

Many Sided Media Discord

Credits:

Edited by Elliot Davis

Produced by Many Sided Media