Yes Indie'd Pod

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On this episode, we talk to J Strautman and B Marsollier. J Strautman is a bass player, composer, sound designer, game designer, and podcaster. B Marsollier is an illustrator, voice over artist, game designer, podcaster and former antique rug salesperson. They are the co-DMs of the D&D actual play podcast, Planet Arcana. The podcast is fully sound designed and scored with original music by J. Last year, 2023, Planet Arcana received 9 nominations at the New Jersey and Minnesota Webfests, winning 3 awards, 2 for “Best D&D Actual Play” and 1 for “Best GM”.

They're about to launch their crowdfunding campaign for their newest game, A Fool's Errand, a tarot-based game of being fools, dealing with gods, becoming who you are, and saving the world from a second Big Oops.

Show notes:

03:24 - Introduction to the game and its podcast roots

10:55 - Using tarot to build a meddling pantheon

18:57 - Making a fool in Fool's Errand

35: 14 - The setting of the game and the campaign

40:01 - Infectious Enthusiasm: Anamnesis, Rom Com Drama Bomb

42:28 - Tyranny of Numbers

49:58 - RePlay

52:21 - All Advice is Advice for Myself

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On this episode, I talk to Ara Winter, who has spent the last few years playing old and out of print tabletop games. What did he learn from this? Let's find out!

Show Notes:

05:03 - Ara's antique gaming

19:14 - Discussing Bifrost (1977)

33:55 - Discussing Shadowrun 2nd Edition (1992)

48:58 - Infectious Enthusiasm: ⁠Fantasy Medieval Campaigns

50:14 - Tyranny of Numbers

52:08 - RePlay

54:18 - All advice is advice for myself

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Aaron Voigt is a writer, game designer, podcaster and critic. You can find his video essays about tabletop games like They Took Our War, Heart, & Spire on his YouTube channel AA Voigt. He has two podcasts: one discussing Christian media called Bible Boys and one discussing sometimes-bad media called Mortified: The Friendship Quest. He's a first reader for Khoreo Magazine, an ignyte winning and Hugo nominated magazine for speculative fiction from immigrant and disapora authors. Today we'll be talking about his game Detente for the Ravenous which is based on a to-be self-published fantasy novel of the same name.

You can check out the game and the novel here

Show Notes:

02:27 - All about the novel

12:27 - Adapting the novel into a game

16:29 - Digression into history of Christianity in India

20:00 - Religious and monstrous themes in the novel

28:34 - Infectious Enthusiasm: Subway Runners

29:56 - Tyranny of Numbers

31:44 - RePlay

33:02 - All advice is advice for myself

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Huffa is a game designer and art historian. You can find her work at:

https://huffa.itch.io/

Between the Skies @ Exalted Funeral

Show Notes:

03:06 - Introducing Between the Skies

11:50 - Working with Exalted Funeral

15:45 - The joys of playing without systems

40:00 - How does this relate to old school d&d?

48:63 - Art history and RPGs

54:42 - Infectious Enthusiasm: Wanderhome, here there be monsters

57:41 - Tyranny of Numbers

59:28 - RePlay

1:03:18 - All advice is advice for myself


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Joshua McCrowell is the designer of new tarot-based dungeoncrawler His Majesty The Worm, published by Exalted Funeral. He's also the current editor of Knock Magazine, the OSR focused anthology zine that has quickly became a fan favourite, and a blogger at riseupcomus.blogspot.com where he talks about everything from how to adapt tolkien in games to what makes a good social encounter.

Show Notes:

02:22 - Running a game for 8 years

05:39 - Dungeoncrawling in 2024

16:46 - The design of His Majesty The Worm

36:13 - Infectious Enthusiasm: Vermis, Black Sword Hack and Valley of Flowers

38:14 - Tyranny of Numbers

42:05- All advice is advice for myself

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Mint is an rpg designer and blogger from New Foundland, Canada. She runs There's a TTRPG For That, an rpg recommendation blog on tumblr, which has lists for all kinds from the general to the very specific, "games that are grunge" to "two player games" to "games where you don't need to write anything down". She's currently working on a game called Protect the Child, a game of monster babysitters, that is equal parts comedy and queer found family. You can find the Protect the Child playtest server here.

Show Notes:

02:53 - Getting started with Lady Blackbird

10:18 - RPG scene on tumblr

17:03 - Protect the Child's themes

26:44 - Protect the Child's design

39:09 - Infectious Enthusiasm: ⁠Bones Deep, Mothlight, Spectaculars

42:07 - Tyranny of Numbers

44:38 - Re:Play

45:59 - All advice is advice for myself

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Prismatic Wasteland aka WF Smith is the prolific blogger behind prismaticwasteland.com and the creator / writer of Ennie award winning fantasy adventure, Barkeep on the Borderlands. He's also running a game jam where participants create their own pub or tavern, which is live as this episode comes out and runs until August 15th 2024.

Show Notes:

02:02 - Producing Barkeep on the Borderlands

10:03 - The design of the adventure

16:41 - Good random encounters and tracking time

25:60 - The political side to the adventure

34:19 - Infectious Enthusiasm: Vampire Cruise by Amanda Lee Franck

35:56 - Tyranny of Numbers

39:43 - Re:Play

41:59 - All advice is advice for myself

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Tom McGrenery is an RPG writer and translator from Hong Kong, who publishes under the banner, Porcupine Publishing. He's contributed to products like Feng Shui and Night's Black Agents as well as designed his own games like his hack of the Drama System featuring brazilian layabouts and swashbucklers, Malandros. In 2020, he translated and published the Brazilian rpg, the Elephant and Macaw Banner. He's also the co-host of the long running podcast, Fear of a Black Dragon.

Show Notes:

07:48 - One Shot Saturday in Hong Kong

12:09 - Fantasy Non-fiction

19:41 - Revolution Comes To The Kingdom

31:10 - Games about war

36:45 - More RCTK

46:36 - Infectious Enthusiasm: Wolves Upon The Coast

55:11 - Tyranny of Numbers

57:04 - RePlay

58:26 - All advice is advice for myself

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Jay Dragon is a queer disabled game designer behind such games as summer camp horror game, Sleepaway and the pastoral fantasy indie darling, Wanderhome. Jay is the editorial director at Possum Creek Games. As of publishing this episode, they print version of Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast has come out. It's a project of immense scope and skill that is clearly full of love and artistry.

Show Notes:

05:14 - Introducing Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast and how it started with specific characters

15:02 - The three elements of the game

20:36 - Chapters as self-contained games

31:15 - Characters arcs or journeys

44:40 - Infectious Enthusiasm: Last Train to Bremen by Caro Asercion

45:51 - Tyranny of Numbers

47:23 - RePlay

49:36 - All Advice is Advice for Myself

⁠The Indie RPG Newsletter

Because of some travel, instead of an interview, something from the patreon feed makes it way into the main feed. This is a round-up of 2023's answers to the question, "What is something you're trying to do better at the gaming table?" Enjoy!