What if I told you your tabletop RPG doesn’t need skills… or stats… or even weapon proficiencies? Today we commit a little RPG heresy—and ungovern the cylinder. The Jaunty Mantis returns with another episode of chaotic brilliance, high-level RPG design debate, and extremely questionable metaphors.

Today, Jesse and Matty tackle a deceptively simple question: Do tabletop RPGs actually need their core features? Ability scores, skill systems, weapon proficiencies—are they essential, or are they just D&D legacy baggage we keep carrying around? Along the way we detour into Rifts (of course), Pendragon, Cypher System, Dungeon World, and a whole lot of “players will self-regulate anyway,” plus Cad Bane impressions, Star Wars hot takes, and an alarming amount of content centered around “ungoverning the cylinder.”

If you're a curious gamer, game designer, TTRPG theorist, or someone who just likes watching nerds lovingly complain about Palladium Books, you’re in the right place.

Send us your questions at [email protected] Like, subscribe, and forcibly ungovern your cylinder responsibly.

Ever wonder what happens when your Nosferatu fashion designer fails a feeding roll? The Jaunty Mantis dives deep into the blood-soaked streets of Galveston and the creative chaos of running Vampire: The Masquerade. In this episode, Jesse and Chris get into the weird and wonderful mechanics of running Vampire: The Masquerade in Galveston, Texas — from ghostly visions after the 1900 hurricane to Nosferatu feeding fails that end with a glass of water for the kid.

What if your TTRPG character suddenly told you they were more than you ever imagined—and what if your RPG's combat and social rules were holding you back?

Matty returns to the podcast and things get spicy fast as we dive into the evolving craft of tabletop RPGs. From character-changing playlists to Vampire: The Masquerade’s approach to social mechanics—and the eternal question of how much combat a game really needs—we explore creativity, game design, and the hidden rules shaping our favorite TTRPGs.

The conversation spans everything from Rifts Chaos Earth, session-zero hype for Vampire, simplifying combat, rethinking social encounters, and how certain games accidentally teach players the wrong expectations.

Got a creative question? Send it to [email protected] or leave your comments in this webszone!

🎧 New here? Like, comment, subscribe, and leave a review on your favorite platform.

🎲 Until next time—keep playing those f***ing role-playing games… or don’t.

What happens when you mix time travel, cybernetics, and dinosaurs — and then get stuck 90 million years in the past? We’re diving into Predation, the wildest RPG you’ve never played. Strap in, game mothers, dungeon masters, and dice goblins — this episode we’re reviewing Predation, the dinosaur-heavy RPG from Monte Cook Games built on the Cypher System! We unpack what makes Predation such a unique blend of science fiction, time anomalies, and genetically modified dinosaurs. From player-driven companion mechanics to the game’s faction conflicts, we dig into what works, and what’s missing.

What happens when dinosaurs, blood magic, and gothic horror collide?

In this episode of The Jaunty Mantis, hosts Jesse and Matty dive deep into Dungeons & Dragons design, building new 5e subclasses and settings inspired by the theme of prehistoric dread.

Matty introduces a new Blood Hunter Order of the Sauran, blending primal instincts and dinosaur fury into a playable subclass for D&D. Meanwhile, Jesse unveils a terrifying new Domain of Dread ruled by a sentient Allosaurus who devours minds in pursuit of a voice.

What if your next D&D campaign was ruled by dinosaurs? From cursed velociraptor gods to underground triceratops kingdoms, Jesse and Matty explore the wildest ways to bring prehistoric power into your tabletop worlds. What happens when you mix dinosaurs with tabletop roleplaying games? In this episode of The Jaunty Mantis, Jesse and Matty dive headfirst into the prehistoric—exploring how to bring dinosaurs into your RPG worlds through settings, characters, and pure creative chaos. From Ravenloft’s “Curse of the Velociraptor” to underground dinosaur kingdoms and divine T-Rex gods, this episode is packed with wild ideas you’ll actually want to steal for your campaign. Topics include: Building settings where dinosaurs rule (Lost Worlds, Hollow Earth, and more) Creating dinosaur gods and paladin oaths around them Character archetypes inspired by lizardfolk, druids, and primal forces Dinosaurs in Ravenloft, Gamma World, and beyond And yes… the “Curse of Velociaptor” So grab your dice, your amber-filled cane, and maybe a frog DNA sample—it’s time to play prehistoric.