Why do we play tabletop roleplaying games?
In this episode of Jaunty Mantis, we dive deep into the philosophy of RPGs—exploring power fantasy, collaborative storytelling, violence as conversation, rules vs. narrative, and why dice-driven games feel so different from novels, improv, or video games.
Funny, thoughtful, occasionally unhinged, and deeply personal - heres what we cover:
Whether RPGs are about story or process
How power and agency evolve from adolescence to adulthood
Why violence is baked into many RPG systems
RPGs as ritual, catharsis, and even modern church
The lessons roleplaying games teach us without permission
Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
00:00 Goblins, group projects, and chaotic RPG energy
04:20 Mechs, demons, china cabinets, and Chaos Earth
07:30 Music in RPGs & table atmosphere
12:45 Vampire: The Masquerade highlights (content warning)
18:30 Mage, aesthetics, and growing out of edgy design
19:25 So… what is the point of a roleplaying game?
21:15 Why not just write a novel?
23:10 RPGs, mythmaking, and the “magic circle”
28:40 Power fantasy: bad GMs vs. healthy agency
32:10 Sharing vs. surrendering authorial control
37:15 RPGs as bar stories and social rituals
38:50 Do rules matter?
45:30 Violence as conversation in RPGs
50:15 Story vs. process
53:20 What RPGs taught us about ourselves
56:40 Why this hobby matters so much