Happy Jacks RPG Podcast: GM & Player TTRPG Advice

Latest Episodes:

S37E14 | Back to TTRPGs after 30 Years, Explorers vs Gardeners, and Story Time Aug 02, 2026

Show notes

◇ Jay is returning to gaming after 30 years and has some questions, Nathan has some input about Exploring vs Gardening players, and from the archive 2021: Matt has some stories for us | Hosts: Kimi, Jason, & Matthew Nevers ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:42◇ Announcements - Game Daze will be happening August 08! Sign up to run or play games for this free, fun, safe online game event at happyjacks.org/discord ◇ We will be at LFG Con! August 13–16, 2026 in Burbank California! lfg-con.com ◇ 04:51◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Matthew Nevers (he/him) of Coffee All Night Games at https://coffeeallnight.itch.io/ or https://coffeeallnight.com 07:22◇ Mailbag 1 - Jay is returning to gaming after 30 years and has some questions 33:50◇ Mailbag 2 - Nathan has some input about Exploring vs Gardening players 47:38◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2021: Matt has some stories for us 62:43◇ Episode Closing 66:10◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E13 | Coffee All Night Games, No-AI GM Prep Resources, and Gear in Games Aug 02, 2026

Show notes

◇ We talk to our indie designer of the Month for July, Matthey Nevers of Coffee All Night Games, Gurg Murg asks for prep resources that don’t use AI, From the archive 2023: Shawn near DC wants to talk about gear in games | Hosts: Kimi, Vixie, Jason A, & Matthew Nevers ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:42◇ Announcements - Game Daze will be happening August 08! Sign up to run or play games for this free, fun, safe online game event at happyjacks.org/discord ◇ We will be at LFG Con! August 13–16, 2026 in Burbank California! lfg-con.com ◇ 03:42◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Matthew Nevers (he/him) of Coffee All Night Games at https://coffeeallnight.itch.io/ or https://coffeeallnight.com 06:13◇ Mailbag 1 - We talk to our indie designer of the Month for July, Matthey Nevers of Coffee All Night Games 32:07◇ Mailbag 2 - Gurg Murg asks for prep resources that don’t use AI 58:02◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2023: Shawn near DC wants to talk about gear in games 87:45◇ Episode Closing 93:24◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E12 | Players vs Game Premise, Forever DM not DMing, and “Toolbox GMs” Aug 01, 2026

Show notes

◇ Carl C in New Jersey has a problem with players and game premise, Mike is a Forever DM who isn’t currently the DM, and From the archive 2023: Moe P is proud to be a “toolbox GM” but wonders if there is a better way? | Hosts: Kimi & Riley ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:16◇ Announcements - Game Daze will be happening August 08! Sign up to run or play games for this free, fun, safe online game event at happyjacks.org/discord ◇ We will be at LFG Con! August 13–16, 2026 in Burbank California! lfg-con.com ◇ 04:00◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Jesse Burneko (he/him) from Bloodthorn Press jburneko.itch.io/ 06:22◇ Mailbag 1 - Carl C in New Jersey has a problem with players and game premise 34:06◇ Mailbag 2 - Mike is a Forever DM who isn’t currently the DM 41:09◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2023: Moe P is proud to be a “toolbox GM” but wonders if there is a better way? 52:26◇ Episode Closing 56:20◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E11 | Player Contributions, System Styles, GM Tricks Jun 28, 2026

Show notes

◇ Wes in Indianapolis asks how to get players to help build a sand box, Gregory from Wisconsin talks about system styles, From the archive 2021: Ben from TX asks about what tricks we fall back on as GMs | Hosts: Kimi, Pooja, & Artem ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:21◇ Announcements - Game Daze will be happening in August! Sign up to run or play games for this free, fun, safe online game event at happyjacks.org/discord 02:27◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Jesse Burneko (he/him) from Bloodthorn Press jburneko.itch.io/ 06:00◇ Mailbag 1 - Wes in Indianapolis asks how to get players to help build a sand box 46:42◇ Mailbag 2 - Gregory from Wisconsin talks about system styles 87:06◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2021: Ben from TX asks about what tricks we fall back on as GMs 107:36◇ Episode Closing 114:00◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E10 | Fun Dungeon Crawls, A Horror Story, & Slow GMing Jun 14, 2026

Show notes

◇ Gurg Murg asks about making rewarding dungeon crawls, Steffi from Scotland shares a horror story, and From the archive 2024: Steve from Cambridge wants to talk about slow GMing | Hosts: Kimi, Clara, CADave, & Artem ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:14◇ Announcements - Game Daze will be happening in August! Sign up to run or play games for this free, fun, safe online game event at happyjacks.org/discord 02:31◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Jesse Burneko (he/him) from Bloodthorn Press jburneko.itch.io/ 05:05◇ Mailbag 1 - Gurg Murg asks about making rewarding dungeon crawls 22:45◇ Mailbag 2 - Steffi from Scotland shares a horror story 63:22◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2024: Steve from Cambridge wants to talk about slow GMing 87:41◇ Episode Closing 94:52◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E09 | Live from GamEx 2026! Jun 03, 2026

Show notes

◇ Live from GamEx 2026 at the Hilton LAX in Los Angeles! A great panel show with members of our audience and stories from lots of different con games. Since it is a live event, the audio quality is not the same as our normal episodes recorded in our studio.◇ ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E08 | TTRPGS without Dice, Gaming Success Story, and Powers that cause Problems May 18, 2026

Show notes

◇ Designing TTRPGS without traditional dice mechanics, Wes from Indianapolis shares a success story, From the archive 2022: Mike from New York wants to talk about game power that cause problems | Hosts: Kimi, Kodi, & Sam Dunnewold ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 02:12◇ Announcements - Come play with us at Game Daze on our discord server. May 16th! happyjacks.org/discord 02:54◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Ray Chou (he/him) https://www.myth.works/ or https://mythworks.itch.io 05:22◇ Topic (Mailbag 1) - We talk about designing TTRPGS without traditional dice mechanics 37:23◇ Mailbag 2 - Wes from Indianapolis shares a success story 42:44◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2022: Mike from New York wants to talk about game powers that cause problems 53:43◇ Episode Closing 55:35◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E07 | Stolen Moments, Success Story, and Surprise PC Roleplaying May 15, 2026

Show notes

◇ Jake from Illinois asks about stolen moments, Wesley Street on the Discord sends in a success story, From the archive 2022: Taurelin wants to know how to handle it when PCs don’t do what’s their players expect | Hosts: Kimi, Pooja, & Cousteau ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:53◇ Announcements - Come play with us at Game Daze on our discord server. May 16th! happyjacks.org/discord 03:25◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Ray Chou (he/him) https://www.myth.works/ or https://mythworks.itch.io 06:52◇ Mailbag 1 - Jake from Illinois asks about stolen moments 36:50◇ Mailbag 2 - Wesley Street on the Discord sends in a success story 54:49◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2022: Taurelin wants to know how to handle it when PCs don’t do what’s their players expect 73:55◇ Episode Closing 80:17◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E06 | Pets in Campaigns, Pax East, Electronics at the Table May 09, 2026

Show notes

◇ Gregory from Wisconsin writes in about pets in campaigns, Matty All Night shares some con game stories from Pax East, From the archive 2022: Weaselcreature asks about electronics at the gaming table | Hosts: Kimi, Jason, & Kodi ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:46◇ Announcements - Help us grow the show! Please take a few minutes to subscribe or follow us on your platform of choice, leave a review or thumbs up, and to tell your friends about us. 02:50◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Ray Chou (he/him) https://www.myth.works/ or https://mythworks.itch.io 07:13◇ Mailbag 1 - Gregory from Wisconsin writes in about pets in campaigns 25:41◇ Mailbag 2 - Matty All Night shares some con game stories from Pax East 38:02◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2022: Weaselcreature asks about electronics at the gaming table 50:51◇ Episode Closing 55:05◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

S37E05 | PBTA Prep, FATE, & A Gaming Story May 01, 2026

Show notes

◇ Robin asks about sharing PBTA prep as an Improv GM, Christopher in Carolina replies to us about FATE, From the archive 2023: Doogler shares a gaming story | Hosts: Jason, June, & Kodi ◇ 00:33◇ Welcome & Episode Summary 01:10◇ Announcements - Help us grow the show! Please take a few minutes to subscribe or follow us on your platform of choice, leave a review or thumbs up, and to tell your friends about us. 01:48◇ Indie Designer of the Month: Adam of Gnome Made https://gnomemadegames.itch.io/ 04:47◇ Mailbag 1 - Robin asks about sharing PBTA prep as an Improv GM 23:27◇ Mailbag 2 - Christopher in Carolina replies to us about FATE 42:00◇ Mailbag 3 - From the archive 2023: Doogler shares a gaming story 57:07◇ Episode Closing 62:15◇ Music ◇ Email happyjacksrpg@gmail.com or post in our Discord server to send in your own topic or question for the show! ◇ Find us on Youtube ◇Twitch ◇Bluesky ◇Instagram ◇Facebook ◇Discord or find all our podcast feeds on your favorite Podcast platform! happyjacksrpg.carrd.co ◇ Subscribe to our Actual Play Feed! We have a backlog of campaigns in over 20 RPG systems and new games running all the time. ◇ Become a Patreon! All the money goes into maintaining and improving the quality of our shows. patreon.com/happyjacksrpg Ⓒ2026 Happy Jacks RPG Network www.happyjacks.org

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