The Diceology Podcast

😋 "The Zoom Cloud Ate It"

You didn't miss episode three. We recorded Tim Hutchins. It was unhinged. I loved it. Zoom holds recordings for about 30 days and I wasn't paying attention, so it's gone. My fault — no redundancy, no local pull, just trust in the cloud. Tim's agreed to come back for a redo and we'll tack it onto the end of the season.

🤔 Making Games Alone (and Why Nobody Helps With Your Second One)

So this is me and Sarah Doom chewing on what we learned from the Bakers and from Tim, and what we're stealing for our own work. Two very different models. Meg and Vincent Baker and their kids have the tightest creative feedback loop I've ever seen — a whole family under one roof who can say rethink this and stay a family. Tim works alone, in a room full of things he touches, and he's honest about being selfish with that space. Sarah and I both wanted a piece of each.

Which got us to the games industry being great at first-time designers and great at established ones, and it drops the ball hard on everyone in the middle. Second game. Third game. No scholarships, no structures, no conventions aimed at you. Same gap exists in software, in game dev, in newsletters.

Also in here:

• Why my son picking up Cy_Borg got me into a game I'd never have bought
• Tactile play — chits, face cards, and my black advent box of secrets
• Sarah's six simultaneous games, including Mother, the one that makes people wince
• Current muses: sip-and-paint nights, Florence + the Machine, and Terrence Crawford retiring undefeated —WIP TTRPG!!

Catch Sarah Doom at scorcha.net and her latest post, Experting While Female

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Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

A game is “done” when you stop thinking about it, right? The Bakers complicate that in the best way, and it instantly changes how we think about tabletop RPG design, publishing, and the long life of ideas. We start with the deceptively simple question of finishing, then follow it into Apocalypse World, Burned Over, and the broader Powered by the Apocalypse ecosystem where iteration, hacks, and play communities keep a design alive for decades.

From there, we zoom out to the craft problem every creator hits sooner or later: how do you keep your work from turning into an echo chamber? We talk about avoiding insular design, why it helps to play with people who are not game designers, and how “outside” inputs like movies, museums, walks, concerts, and conversations with other creatives can reshape mechanics and story procedures. If you care about playtesting, creative collaboration, and making games that land with real tables, you’ll find a lot to steal here.

We also get personal about inspiration and values. Place and history matter, including the messy histories under our feet and the responsibility to amplify underrepresented voices. Then we shift into family creativity across generations: different brains, different processes, different remix instincts, and the hard-won skills of staying respectful and genuinely invested when creative conflict shows up.

We wrap with a candid segment on social media, kids’ privacy, and media literacy, grounded in ongoing critical thinking rather than one-size rules. If this hits for you, subscribe, share the episode with a designer friend, and leave a review. What’s one creative choice you’d change, and why?

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Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

We sit down with the Bakers to talk about how games and art grow out of everyday family life. We dig into creative conflict, staying unstuck, and why shelving a project can be a sign of craft rather than failure. 
• building a household that supports making through space, tools, and tolerance for mess 
• handling creative disagreement by keeping vision ownership clear 
• collaborating across different styles from solitary drafting to talk-it-through ideation 
• separating feedback from co-opting, asking for help without losing control 
• switching modes with small rituals, momentum, and “one step closer” progress 
• letting unfinished work exist, then choosing what to keep or release 
• abandoning broken designs, saving parts, and avoiding years-long dead ends 
• finding creative community through weekly meetups, check-ins, and lightweight support structures 

Thank you so much for listening. Please comment and let us know what you thought of the episode or your thoughts on creativity and making games.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

Creativity doesn’t come with a handbook, so we're building our own. We swap notes on how solo game makers and artists actually get things done: setting a three-influence pillar to keep ideas fresh, designing from mechanics without losing theme, and navigating the murky last 5 percent where projects stall. Sarah shares how Bluebeard’s Bride and Velvet Glove grew from triangulated influences, why a haunted hotel retreat unlocked a stuck chapter, and how tiny mint‑tin drawings rebuilt a drawing habit. Jay brings a crunchy “debt‑punk” concept where upgrades cost debt and the whole loop is about clawing your way back to zero, plus the reality of pacing work under the gaze of Kickstarter backers.

We get candid about boundaries, voice, and trust. Backers deserve clarity, not personal disclosure, so we talk about communicating progress without oversharing. Editing is a partnership that should preserve tone, not sand it down. Accountability doesn’t have to be a crowd; sometimes it’s a weekly call with one trusted peer who will cheer, critique, and expect pages by Tuesday. And when screens drain you, physical making—ink sketches, pencils, binding, even painting minis—can refill the well in a way no doc can. Music becomes a quiet engine for focus too: looping Yes Yeah Yeahs for a vast, echoing dungeon vibe; dropping All Them Witches to score void‑cathedrals and space‑goth moods.

There’s a personal layer we don’t gloss over: how early support—or the lack of it—shapes creative identity, and how we parent with privacy in mind while giving kids real access to tools, art, and music. We close with an “Ask One Forward” prompt for our next guests, the Bakers, about social media, kids, and creativity, and we lay out what’s shipping: In The Pines in edit, Velvet Glove headed to editing, Prison Planet drafting, and more playtests on deck. If you care about game design craft, sustainable habits, and finishing strong without losing your voice, this one’s for you.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow, share with a creative friend, and leave a review with your favorite trick for getting from 95 percent to done.

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Support the show

Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

In this episode, we reflect on our favorite tabletop RPG experiences of 2024 and discuss exciting upcoming games for 2025. We explore character creation, the importance of storytelling, and how strange mechanics add depth to our games.

• Reflection on standout RPG experiences of 2024
• Insights from Judd Karlman on tabletop storytelling
• Exploration of the Ioun City game and its unique narrative
• Importance of memorable NPCs and their impact on gameplay
• Embracing the weirdness and unpredictability in RPGs
• Anticipation of innovative games in 2025
• Discussion of missed opportunities for gaming experiences
• Tips for running engaging and memorable game sessions

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Support the show

Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

Have you ever wondered what it's like to turn your tabletop gaming passion into a profession? Judd Karlman and I chat about our extraordinary path from hobbyists to professional game masters (GMs), revealing the quirky, exciting, and sometimes absurd adventures that come with the territory. From hilarious bachelor party RPG requests to the broader implications of monetizing our love for gaming, we peel back the curtain on a niche that's rapidly gaining traction. Join us as we reminisce about our initial foray into paid GMing and how it has evolved into a noteworthy part of our creative and community endeavors.

As seasoned GMs, we also tackle the practical side of running various campaign styles, including the nuances of open table versus West Marches formats. I open up about the routines I've adopted to stay sane and healthy during long sessions at the screen, and we both reflect on the rewarding experience of watching players shape their own narratives. Setting boundaries and creating inclusive spaces for our players is paramount, and we share how we navigate these responsibilities to ensure that everyone at the table feels comfortable and safe.

The episode concludes with a critical discussion on maintaining a safe and respectful gaming community, addressing the challenge of confronting 'broken stairs'—problematic individuals who threaten the group's play. We highlight the cultural impact of phenomena like Critical Role and the excitement around the Dungeons & Dragons movie, emphasizing how they shape our approach to community building. Our conversation is an invitation to listeners to engage with us and contribute to a dialogue that prioritizes safety, inclusion, and the pure joy of collaborative storytelling in gaming.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

Jolt and his family are hunkering down at a Hilton Garden Hotel in Jacksonville, guarded by Cherry Bomb's security. It's nearly midnight when Red-Eye calls Jolt... and it's not a "wyd?!" kinda call. Chimaera is making a move to grab Citrus Climax! And you know who's coming to the rescue? 
I bet ya do!

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Support the show

Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

Jolt #4 - Daye & Knight

Nate and Obie encounter some extraordinary security guards when they try to make off with goods from the secret lab they've robbed. Later after getting Jason to a hospital, they have a strange encounter with 3-Pain. That night Nate, Obie, and Maggie strategize for the coming days ahead.

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Support the show

Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

Ready for an action-packed hour of gaming discussion and adventure? Join Rich and me as we delve into the world of real life and role-playing games, exploring the connection between comic books and gaming, and discovering what it means to truly "play to find out." Experience the thrill of strategizing to keep our in-game characters, Sera and Mason, safe while handling new threats and enlisting help from old contacts. But tread carefully - who can we really trust in this thrilling adventure?

Nathan "Jolt" and "OB" tackle planning the search for a warehouse and how to payoff Red-Eye.  Dive into Nate's thoughts and feelings as he grapples with trusting OB to complete the mission alone. Will they need to recruit someone to keep an eye on Sera while Nate and OB are away? Tune in to find out!

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Support the show

Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾

Jolt #2: Nathan interviews for the super spokesmodel position at Door Dash but gets an emergency text from his wife and leaves abruptly! 3Pain, the witness protection assassin, has made a house call! Later, Nathan and OB discuss OB's debt to Red-Eye, the wetwork job left undone, and a secret lab OB found while doing that job. 

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Support the show

Thanks for listening to Diceology! If you enjoyed the show, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find us wherever you get your podcasts. 

Want to support the show and get exclusive content? Head over to Play Fearless or My Patreon to subscribe and join the community! 

Let's make this our regular thing! 🤘🏾