Welcome to DelveCast, the home of Delve the Podcast.
Delve and DelveCast are dedicated to the sharing, discussion and creation of all tabletop gaming. We welcome developers, designers and all people who work on games to join and share with us what you do.
It’s been a weird year, a weird month, a weird day, a weird minute. But right now, let’s see if it gets any weirder when we visit Reddit again. The last time we explored the subreddit “tabletopgamedesign” but this time we look at “gameideas”. Will this fuel our imagination or provide assorted nightmare fuel? Listen to find out!
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
DelveCast Live – Talking Turkey
Nov 10, 2020
Show notes
It’s almost Thanksgiving and it’s almost time for Nathan to buy a gaming PC. In fact, that’s what he’s thankful for. On this episode, we discuss our Thanksgiving nicknames, build a PC (no seriously, we do that) and discuss some new games we are playing.
ALSO: Nathan played a game called Spiritfarer; Craeve insists on using the full title; Paul doesn’t even need to drink; and there are single alligators in your area that want to meet you!
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
Delve 258 – Pre Hallow’s Eve
Oct 26, 2020
Show notes
It’s almost time for Halloween, so Nathan and Alex are just gonna sit down and discuss a couple scary moments that happened to them playing tabletop RPGs. We find out how Rembrandt almost died and how Hephaestus did die, but got better. And we revisit the story that led Alex to place Nathan in a crypt of the undead.
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
Last year, Dustin DePenning came on the show to discuss Heroic Dark. Now, he returns to the show to discuss Death Divers, a setting for Heroic Dark. And this setting has demons in space. Why do I need to say more? Okay, I’ll say some more.
A “Demons and Carbines” setting inspired by the Expanse and Doom, Death Divers is currently on Kickstarter along with the deluxe edition of Heroic Dark. Dustin explains what additions are in the Deluxe Edition and what terrible things might befall you in Death Divers.
You can check out the Kickstarter for Death Divers and Heroic Dark Deluxe Edition going on right now by clicking here!
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
Delve 256 – Good Strong Hands
Oct 12, 2020
Show notes
Craig Campbell has made roughly a million games and has been on the show several times to discuss them. And we are always happy to have him on, as he and Nathan had a spirited conversation about his latest game Good Strong Hands, on Kickstarter right now. And if you needed more to pique your interest besides the obvious Neverending Story reference, may I introduce you to the otterkin?
If you would like to find out more about the the Kickstarter, you can find it by using this link!
You can also find the infinitesimal number of games in Craig’s catalog over at NerdBurger Games.
You can follow Craig, Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
DelveCast Live – Spoopy Saturday
Oct 05, 2020
Show notes
Well it’s October and therefore we have to do a spoopy episode about ghosts and vampires and monsters and stuff. And I guess we kind of did that? We discuss why we might like the themes of horror but not horror games specifically. And what would happen if you tried to make Universal monsters into D&D monsters? And what if the Scooby Squad was a D&D party? Perhaps Buffy? Yeah, it goes there.
ALSO: Nathan does not understand memes; Alex loves his Fallout 4 mods; DC found your next favorite holiday candy; James is Shaggy; who is this Ferrari guy; and a discussion on Microsoft buying Bethesda and pretty much everything else while they are at it.
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
Delve 255 – The 4 (or 5) Essential Elements
Sep 21, 2020
Show notes
Nathan was going to do a quick episode about the essential elements of game design. However, just minutes into looking at those elements he had three different lists of those elements. What do we prioritize? How many elements are there? Join Nathan as he goes down this rabbit hole.
If you’d like to read Darran Jamieson’s article on the “C4” of game design, you can find Part 1 and Part 2 here.
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
Delve 254 – Nothing to See Here
Sep 14, 2020
Show notes
Stealth gameplay can often feel like an afterthought in gaming. After creating a rich combat system, actively trying to avoid or tactically approach that system can feel underwhelming. It can also feel slow or stilted in terms of gameplay. But what if we could let stealth stand toe to toe with other methods of gameplay? How can we make it feel more balanced with other systems? Let’s discuss.
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
We can call it Delveloper Delvelopment if it helps. Following our most recent episodes, we dig a little further into sunk cost fallacy. Also, we get to hear more from James regarding his RPG system, including a renaming and future plans. We send a shout out to Chris Bissette and The Wretched, leading to a discussion about single player RPGs. DC shares his experience playing The Avengers, more specifically playing Ms. Marvel. Nathan feels disappointed in the lack of Squirrel Girl in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This and so much more on DelveCast Live.
NOTE: This episode of DelveCast Live has been edited from it’s original recording, due to unforeseen circumstances and people involved in the tail end of our stream. We have taken precautionary measures to make sure malicious raids such as this do not happen in the future, either on our Twitch channel or Discord server and the people involved have been reported. Thank you for your understanding. Rest assured, we said nothing of value past the cut-off point in this recording, as is our nature.
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
Delve 253 – Sunk Cost Fallacy
Aug 31, 2020
Show notes
Although it typically applies to economics, Sunk Cost Fallacy can apply to a wide range of endeavors. Really any time you find yourself unable to let go of something due to the time and money investment you have already made, you have become trapped in this phenomenon. So, what can you do about it? On this episode, Nathan discusses a few ways you can reframe that thinking to make it easier to move on.
You can follow Alex and Nathan on Twitter, as well as the show itself at DelvePodcast. Make sure you follow along to join in on all the topics!
Stop by our Discord server and say hello! Join us in chat, on one of our live shows, or let us know about something you’d like discussed on the show. Big thanks to Drunk Paul for helping us get to a Level 1 Discord server!
We are on iTunes & Google Play! Please rate, review and subscribe wherever you get finely crafted podcasts like this one!
Check out our YouTube page for more Delvecast projects in video form!
We are also on Twitch. Join us for DelveCast Live on the first Saturday of each month and also check out Alex’s live play channel.
If you have questions for us or would like to be a guest on the show, email us at DelvePodcast@gmail.com.
And yes, we do indeed have a Patreon featuring some extra content. Thank you to our Shiny! level patrons: Bonnie Ainsworth and Nick!
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
