What Is Roleplay?

By Beyond Cataclysm

Welcome to What is Roleplay: a podcast from Beyond Cataclysm exploring the very basics of Roleplay, Role Play Games, and what it means to be part of this awesome hobby.

We will be exploring the nuts... more

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FAQs about What Is Roleplay?:

How many episodes does What Is Roleplay? have?

The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.

What Is Roleplay? episodes:

June 24, 2024What is Roleplay #17: Teaching Games with Aviv Or & Eran Aviram
Welcome to Episode 17 of ‘What Is Roleplay?!
This episode we are joined by Aviv Or and Eran Aviram to discuss teaching games
Aviv & Eran’s work ‘The Crystal Heart’ and how it uniquely teaches readers to roleplay, specifically to play the Savage Worlds RPG
Their use of narrative to explain how to play, based on the assumption that the reader has no prior knowledge
The time and effort they have put in to developing the ability to teach games through the graphic medium, such as the use of humour, and colour (to indicate who’s turn it is)
The importance of aesthetics and atmosphere when teaching someone a game – open the rulebook on a fun page with graphics, use colour dice, create a comfortable environment. Know your audience – what will this person enjoy, what will draw them into the game?
Pick the right game – something that is colourful and well set out will help you learn the game and teach it to others
Set up a specific scenario for your new players, so they have a basic understanding & something to work with: ‘Let’s play a fantasy adventure where we will be rescuing a princess from a fearsome dragon’. Then as you explain the rules they will be able to refer back to the scenario
Being a good player means taking part in the shared social contract – agreeing as a group what your desired outcome is and then not doing things that negatively impact on that agreed outcome.
FUN! There are so many different forms of fun, make sure the game is fun for the new player. Do no harm
Rolling Dice – Make sure the first roll is nice and basic. Let the player understand what happens after the roll. Let them succeed. Explain how the dice effect the game and the outcome. Check Episode 1 for more info on dice
Staggered rule introduction – clearly and concisely communicating the rules of play, but in a slow and methodical approach. Instead of spending 30mins to an hour explaining all the rules, just introduce them as needed. For example the concept of advantage or disadvantage doesn’t need to be unpacked until it’s relevant to encounter at hand
View the rulebooks as encyclopaedia rather than manuals that must be memorised
Do not take away agency from the player – do not make the games rule system something that they have to fight against. Don’t disempower them by withholding the rules or rolling the dice for them.
In our actual play Eran walks Chris and Aviv through a game of City of Mist, teaching them about the system, dice rolling, tags and status mechanics. Will they overcome the powers of darkness and the mysterious chanting monks?
Links to things we discussed:
Games:
Crystal Heart Comic & RPG
City of Mist
Savage Worlds
Up To Four Players
NOVA
Pathfinder 2
Mausritter
Dragonbane
Dungeons & Dragons
Fiasco
Lancer
BUY Crystal Heart here
BUY Eran’s games here
Books, Authors, Publishers etc:
Dragon Meet
Fantasy Flight Games
World Anvil Worldbuilding Podcast by Eran Aviram
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
More about Aviv
Bluesky – @avivor.bsky.social
Website – avivor.com
Up to Four Players – uptofourplayers.com
More about Eran
Blue Sky – @nnesk.bsky.social
Website – EranAviram.me
Ready To Roll Comics – uptofourplayers.com/comics/
Up to Four Players Dischord – discord.com/invite/V6UVvKR
More about Us
CM Lowry on Twitter – @cmlowryauthor
CM Lowry’s website – All About Chris
Website – beyondcataclysm.co.uk
Bluesky – @beyondcataclysm.bsky.social
Patreon – Patreon.com/beyondcataclysm
With music generously provided by:
Powerplant & Imploders.
The post What is Roleplay #17: Teaching Games with Aviv Or & Eran Aviram first appeared on Beyond Cataclysm.
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1h 5min
May 21, 2024What is Roleplay #16: Dungeons with John Dodd
Welcome to Episode 16 of ‘What Is Roleplay?!
This episode we are joined by John Dodd to discuss dungeons
The intrigue of The Dungeon – why would someone build this, what was it for, how did it get here? You’re not supposed to be there!
Maps as promises – they guarantee excitement, adventure and maybe treasure
Mega-dungeons – Architecturally impossible structures that might prove impossible to explore in one lifetime
The joys of having almost too much space and level of detail to explore
The beauty of sci-fi and fantasy allowing you to bend the realms of what is reasonable to create impossible mega-structures
Dungeons are a nightmare – you’re in the dark with no idea what you are doing or where you are going. Perfect fodder for an adventure.
Key Things A Dungeon Needs:
Light – Yet there is an absence of it and the dungeon doesn’t want you to have it! The contrast of light & dark. Dark as a representation of the unknown.
Treasure – If someone has gone to all the trouble of building a dungeon there must something interesting down there! A great evil? A King’s ransom? Why is it there? There has to be something that draws people in to the dungeon, where they know they shouldn’t be
What Now? – So you have a reason to be there and you’ve used light to find the treasure. But you’ve got to wonder what now? Something or someone has taken over this Dungeon, as they’re never being used for their original purpose. What happens next? Most dungeons don’t have a back door! How are you getting out?
Actual Play: Chris & John explore a Dungeon deep under modern day London, found by accident during tunnelling works for the Elizabeth line. It’s an icehouse build by a chryomancer (the assistant to the regional Chyromancer), who set out to make a million from selling ice to rich Victorians. Look out for the monstrous subway trains and the hidden entrances in the grounds of the abandoned Mansion! Ice-locks abound!!
Here are the beautiful maps John draw of this Dungeon during the actual play chats with Chris. Download images & scenario here

Links to things we discussed:
Games:
Dungeons & Dragons
Fighting Fantasy by Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone
Fighting Fantasy: Deathtrap Dungeon
D&D: The Temple of Elemental Evil
D&D: Forgotten Realms – Menzoberranzan
Warhammer 40K – Space Hulk
Delve & Rise by Anna Blackwell
Dungeon Master (Atari Game)
Moria, from The Lord of the Rings
Shadow of Mogg
CY_BORG
Paranoia
Books, Authors, Publishers etc:
Wizards of the Coast
Games Workshop
The Big Book of Battle Mats
Subterranea Britannica
Neverwhere by Neil Gaimon
Adventure Tourism Podcast by Chris Bisette
The Time Machine by HG Wells
Dragonmeet Convention
Worldcon
More about John
Twitter – @AutomaticDodd
Facebook – facebook.com/john.dodd.9022
Website – TheDodd.com
Luna Press Publishing – .lunapresspublishing.com
More about Us
CM Lowry on Twitter – @cmlowryauthor
CM Lowry’s website – All About Chris
Website – beyondcataclysm.co.uk
Patreon – Patreon.com/beyondcataclysm
With music generously provided by:
Powerplant & Imploders.
The post What is Roleplay #16: Dungeons with John Dodd first appeared on Beyond Cataclysm.
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1h 6min
April 24, 2024What is Roleplay #15: Diceless Roleplay Games with Côme Martin
Welcome to Episode 15 of ‘What Is Roleplay?!
This episode we are joined by Côme Martin to discuss diceless rpg
Chris & Côme discuss many different Roleplaying Games that don’t use dice & explore the spectrum of games from completely controlled by fate, to the other end of the spectrum where the only narrative input in the game is the things your saying to one another around the table.
The mechanics of dice use and how they can be replaced with other items such as a pack of cards
The ways that a deck of cards can be broken into different groupings for use in roleplay. Côme prefers cards to dice as it gives you a wider range of options
The option that cards give you for editing – you can change the deck by writing on the cards as you go through them so that they next time you use that card it has a different effect.
Using pick up sticks, Jenga, runestones, Tarot cards or tokens as help prompts as part of roleplay instead of dice.
Diceless roleplay gives the players and the Games Master (GM) a little more power over outcomes, rather than being ruled by chance.
Games play without any prompts & GM-less play – the joys of improvisation.
Worldbuilding and lore writing – how diceless play can make for really interesting world building experiences
Actual Play: Christof & Martin star in a spring time coming of age adventure set in the Viking era. Magic spells and finger bones abound!
Links to things we discussed:
Games:
Meanwhile on the Subway
Two Summers
Lucky for None
Unbound
Feathered Adventures
3 Games about Life
Dread
Star Crossed
Fate of the Norns
Not The End
Millennial Apartment Hunters
Dixit
Mysterium
Fiasco
Microscope
A Set of Scrubs
ISBN Coffee
Belonging Outside Belonging [System]
Free Kriegsspiel Roleplaying (FKR) [System]
Lost & Found [System]
Books, Authors & Publishers:
Wanderhome by Jay Dragon
Possum Creek Games
Bully Pulpit Games
More about Côme
Twitter – @comemartin_
Itch – comemartin.itch.io
Instagram – instagram.com/comemartin_/
Website – Ludosphere
More about Us
CM Lowry on Twitter – @cmlowryauthor
CM Lowry’s website – All About Chris
Website – beyondcataclysm.co.uk
Patreon – Patreon.com/beyondcataclysm
With music generously provided by:
Powerplant & Imploders.
The post What is Roleplay #15: Diceless Roleplay Games with Côme Martin first appeared on Beyond Cataclysm.
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55min

FAQs about What Is Roleplay?:

How many episodes does What Is Roleplay? have?

The podcast currently has 13 episodes available.