In which John and Jess discuss the excitement of starting new games. Jess has closed out an epic-level campaign and is kicking off both Daggerheart and Wild Beyond the Witchlight (as a player!). They dive into Daggerheart’s Hope and Fear dice system, the book’s gorgeous design, and how it packs everything you need into a single tome. John shares his plans for a “Drums in the deep” Moria-inspired horror game at RfT Con. They discuss horror theme-supportive mechanics and together they revel in the thrill of fresh adventures and future games to come.

Dagger Heart

Dread 

Ten Candles

The One Ring

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In which John, Jess, Ben, and their guest, James Pozenel, hack into Netcrawl, a cyberdungeon crawl in the style of Dungeon Crawl Classics. Here the whole party enters the digital fray, not just the netrunner or cybermancer. Using a flexible skill system that gives every character a chance to make an impact, our intrepid hosts dive into a server to encounter techno-spiders and the Core Queen dragon. Along the way they discuss the differences between Netcrawl and Dungeon Crawl Classics, and celebrate how Netcrawl re-imagines cyberspace as a shared, perilous frontier.

Horseshark Games

Order Netcrawl Now!

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In this special episode John is joined by Amber, Hailee, and Matt from the RPG collective, Cloud Curio. We discuss their new project, Book of Wyrms as well as growing up in RPGs, and learning how to get support as a GM when designing new adventures
 

Book of Wyrms on Kickstarter

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The Splatphone!

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In which John, Ben, and Jess roll up characters for three different OSR systems: Dungeon Crawl Classics, Dolmenwood, and Shadowdark, bringing Sindar, Hrannick, and Korv to life. As they fill the sheets out, they explore how every detail sparks anticipation for play, and how what’s left off of a character sheet can reveal clever, intentional design.

Dungeon Crawl Classics

Dolmenwood

ShadowDark

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In which John, Jess, and their guest, Stephen Dewey, discuss the design his game To Serve Her Wintry Hunger. Together they dive into the magic of games built around evocative questions and emotional pacing. Stephen shares how he uses rules to do the heavy lifting and reinforce the emotional weight of the story. Along the way, they explore emotional cadence, the reliability of tightly written rules, and how mechanics can echo dread, wonder, and everything in between.

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The Splatphone!

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Follow Stephen:

Calvary Games

twitch.tv

patreon.com

bluesky

In which John, Jess, and Ben explore the many flavors of chaos a player can bring. We discuss the role of emotional intelligence at the table, the energizing and disrupting impact of unruly players, and how Chaos Goblins—love them or not—might actually be the secret teachers of the TTRPG world.

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The Splatphone!

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In which John and Ben discuss their preoccupation with physical RPG books. We end up all over the place; moving from consumerism, status seeking, and how our hobbies define us.

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The Splatphone!

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In which John, Jess, and Ben explore how games become vessels that hold our friendships, memories, and the people we've loved. We share the stories of how we met through games and the powerful farewell of a friend whose story ended both in-game and in life. We discuss how through games, we are not just individuals but part of a vast, interconnected web of relationships held by the stories we tell each other.

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The Splatphone!

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In which John and Jess talk with Gareth Hanrahan about the adventure and setting guide The One Ring – Moria: Through the Doors of Durin and Gar's return to forging adventures in the depths of Khazad-dûm. We explore corruption, dread, and shadow, contrasting them with elvish hope, and discuss the Balrog’s looming presence—diabolically lurking in the deeps and on the random encounter table. Along the way, we delve into Tolkien’s sparse yet evocative monster palette, the challenge of adding creatures to Middle-earth, and the breathtaking maps and art that bring this Moria adventure to life.

Moria: Through the Doors of Durin

Books by Gareth

The Sword Triumphant 

Dagger in the Heart

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In which we play Fängelsehåla and chat with its designer, Garry, about his elegantly interconnected rules and old-school aesthetic. As Runnen, Kallax, and Klippan, we battle through a dungeon’s entrance, ride a bat, and uncover a secret tunnel. Along the way, we discuss the tactile joy of the Doom Stack, the balance between fairness and flexibility in game design, and what makes Fängelsehåla feel like the RPG you found at your granny’s house.

Dieku Games

Bug Buster Pre-launch

Garry's Podcast/YouTube

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The Splatphone!

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