Join us for a special extra Skeleton-y episode. Just in time for Halloween enjoy this brand new D&D-style one-shot, where we dive into the hilarious world of Adventure Skeletons, where a group of undead misfits stumble upon spooky and absurd scenarios. Whether you’re a Dungeons & Dragons fan or just love RPG chaos, this video is packed with humor, quirky characters, and plenty of skeleton shenanigans. Join us for an unforgettable journey filled with laughs, role-playing, and skeletons who just can’t get the hang of human traditions. Perfect for anyone who loves D&D, RPGs, and unique stories!
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page Join our Google+ Community Page at: The RPG Academy Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Show And Tell # 153 – 2nd Wave Space Blades
Oct 08, 2024
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with RPG designer Sidney Icarus about their temporarily titled 2nd Wave Space Blades, and how to deconstruct and get to the heart of what game mechanics do and how and when to apply them.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
In this episode Michael and Chris are joined by guest co-host Lewanika from Tabletop Journeys to talk about the 2nd edition of Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius
Extra Curricular
Lewanika – Podcasting, Actual Play for the podcast (star Trek), Freelancing writing/editing TTRPG products including Sentients (we recently did a Show & Tell on that), Factions Kickstarter is a little bit behind but coming along. Kraken Week adventure is nearly completed.
Chris – In addition to all the normal stuff, finished Umbrella Academy but the big news is Chris got to try out a LARP for the first time and loved it and wants more!
Michael – Only Murders in the Building, Teaching Games at my school and it’s going well, but lots of lessons learned. AcadeCon, Jacob struggling to get a game together, Improv heavy GMing is great – but not everyone is ready for that. Faculty Retreat in late September
10 Things
Chris – 10 things his next LARP character has to have
Michael – 10 things you could find in your pocket
John – 10 RPGs you’ve not yet played but hope to play in the future.
USED BOOKS: Star Trek Adventures 2nd edition discussion
Where have my Fingers Been?
Lewanika – last two survivors on a star trek ship with only room for one more on an escape vessel
Michael – two LARPERS, one veteran one newbie lost in a cheese factory in Wisconsin
Chris – At AcadeCon, trying to find something to do.
Cryptozoology:
N/A
Audience Q&A:
Question about Dragonbane. Only Michael had experience and generally really likes it and wants to play more.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Raphael Stiliano, Aaron Fischer, Designers of Murder Gently, a zero prep Murder mystery RPG
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy’s The Review series. Today Michael is joined by Jake and Michael to review the latest iteration of D&D 5e’s Player Handbook.
Ratings:
Jake: A+
Michael?: 90%
Michael R: A
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Ted Hayes to discuss their currently Kickstartering game: Sentients. Sentients is a new, scifi tabletop RPG where you play an android that has suddenly become conscious in a world that is actively hunting you down. Sentients is a game of of liberation, underground resistance, newfound emotion, and what it means to be something other than human.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Michael sits down with Moe to chat about his recent visit to San Diego Comic Con and the emergence of Gaming Space at that Con.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Michael, Brad, Michael and Jared discuss their 2024 trip to Nerdvana that is GenCon!
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) on the other side of the microphone as HE gets interviewed by returning host Tom Cantwell all about Holdfast Station, Moe’s newest game. A zero-prep game about asteroid miners surviving and holding their community together in the grim desolation of space.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) revisits a conversation with Kimi Hughes Designer of the Ennie award winning Decuma, and the Powered By the Apocalyps game Starscape, Kickstarting now!
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
In this episode Michael and Chris are joined by guest co-host John Ross, Michael’s oldest child for some fun and silly TTRPG chat.
Extra Curricular
Chris – Finished the Acolyte, Eat the Reich, The Boys, Adult stuff
John – Stranger Things, re-reaching Percy Jackson, Deadpool rewatches
Michael – Action 12 Cinema is up for an ENnie, ENnie awards next week at GenCon, I’ll be at GenCon, There is a new D&D release event at GenCon, AcadeCon jumps into full gear after GenCon, S4 of the Bear and now rewatching S1 of the Bear – it’s magnificent, Action 12 Cinema is now in some local FLGS around the country.
10 Things
Michael – 10 things a sand shark would have eaten
Chris – 10 adult things
John – 10 Video game Characters
USED BOOKS: John talks about a new campaign he started he’s based on the animated show on Netflix The Hollow with a big ‘twist’ two sessions in and the first one was the best one he’s ever ran.
we then jump around on a few different topics including running a campaign with the players not knowing anything about their characters, other systems and more.
Where have my Fingers Been?
John – 2 goblins waiting for their turn in combat in a battle that is NOT going their way.
Chris – 2 people waiting for the bathroom but the people in front of them have had explosive diarehea
Michael – 2 brothers tasked with cooking dinner
Cryptozoology:
Liches
Audience Q&A:
Most anticipated events at GenCon
3 accessories question for John
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Sam Dunnewald about his game Northfield and his Ennie nominated podcast Dice Exploder.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
For this special 100th Detention LIVE episode Chris and I share the big news! We’re going on a cruise together! Oh, also my game Action 12 Cinema has been nominated for an ENnie award under the “Best Rules” category and I need your help!
VOTE FOR ME HERE:
Extra Curricular
Chris – The Boys (on Amazon Prime), The Acolyte (Disney +) Work life has improved. Vacations on the Horizon, including a D&D Cruise next year.
Michael – On my summer break, GenCon coming up, The Boys, The Bear, Running Marvel 616 RPG at the library and D&D for my kids Plus a ‘learn to play D&D’ session with some work folks. but my big news is the Action 12 Cinema ENnie nomination. Farm to Fable still going strong. Guesting on a Gossip Girl podcast. AcadeCon badge sales go live on 08/15. AcadeCon the 13th: 2d4
Michael – 10 things you’ll do if you win the ENnie
Chris – 10 things you hope to do/experience on our Cruise
Used Books – Running games from modules, not as bad as we thought. Also, aligning player expectations can make or break a game.
Where have my Fingers been?
Michael – Two guys looking for the ENnies ceremony.
Chris – two players playing a Dread game on a badly rocking ship.
We say goodbye to our friend Kevin Stacy
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Ray Chow, Co-founder and CEO of Mythworks, an award winning RPG and Comic book publisher.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy ) and Chris Burlew chat about Michael’s recent journey to Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH
VOTE FOR ACTION 12 CINEMA in the ENNIES. LIVE ON JULY 12th – 21st [Link added when live]
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
For this special 100th Detention LIVE episode Chris and I are joined by Justin Lewis from Session Zero Studio and the How to be a Better DM Podcast.
Extra Curricular
Chris – Agents of Mystery of Netflix, Star Wars: The Acolyte, Work stuff and living as an Empty Nester with the wife.
Justin – Delicious in Dungeon on Netflix, Magic the Gathering,
Michael – Origins convention experiences – recapping on TikTok and FB, The Boys, Smallville rewatching for Farm to Fable, I did renew my contract to be back at the school next year. Will be at GenCon.
10 things
Chris – 10 reasons why your party would work WITH their nemesis
Michael – 10 things you’ll see at a Conventino
Joseph – 10 non D&D TTRPGs
Used Books – We discuss the How to be a Better DM podcast and share some advice for new or on the fence DMs out there.
Where have my Fingers been?
Justin – two people who have finally found the big red button!
Michael – Someone has found a Genie but they are not quite a normal Genie.
Chris – two players fighting to be the next GM
Q&A – Justin answers our ‘if an action figure was being made of you – what are the three accessories that would be included?’ Question
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Jessie Burneko about his new card based RPG, The Extraordinarily Horrible Children of Raven’s Hollow
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 26 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscover how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 25 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscover how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Spencer Campbell of Gila RPGs, the designer of Slayers, an RPG with asymmetric characters to play.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 24 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscover how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 23 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week’s show is a cross-over where we are cross posting a recent episode of the Dice Exploder podcast where our very own Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) was a guest. Dice Exploder is a geeky deep dive podcast into TTRPG game mechanics, how they work and why they matter.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 22 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
For this special Detention LIVE episode Chris and I are joined by Lewanika from Tabletop Journeys, RJ from the DragonLance Campaign and Friend of the Show Jack for some D&D Trivia. The Five of us working together with the occasional chat help managed to get 50% of the questions correct. How’d you do?
Extra Curricular
Chris – Taking it easy for a change, finishing up Love is Blind on Netflix. Catching up on Critical Role.
Joseph – Finishing up the Gm book for Dungeon Dwellers. (Game Master’s Vault). Return to Dark Tower the RPG. Keeping up with pets. 3D printing.
Michael – Teaching games at my school, Learn to Run D&D at the Local public Library (Corbin) Action 12 Cinema. A new Secret Project. AcadeCon planning in well underwater
10 things
Chris – 10 things you find in the hold of a shipwreck
Michael – 10 Names for pets
Joseph – 10 Terrible pieces of Gaming Advice.
Used Books – A Trojan horse scenario where the players unwittingly are working for the BBEG
Where have my Fingers been?
Joseph – two people talking where one has figured out they have been taken advantage of by someone and the other one just isn’t getting it.
Chris – Two dragons arguing over a horde
Michael – two people arguing over who will drive on a night out.
Q&A – ReaperWolf answers our ‘if an action figure was being made of you – what are the three accessories that would be included?’ Question
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 20 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Linda Codega about the launch of Rascal a new, independent, TTRPG News website.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Alexander Marc Yanis, founder of MoMoDi Games and creator of Existential Essential RPG
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Kevin Stacey from Wanderer’s Haven Productions, Lewankia from Tabletop Journeys and Chris Burlew from Smuggler’s Blues and The RPG Academy gather for a special Draft episode. This time we are drafting the most awesome collection of vehicles from live-action TV shows from the 70s, 80s and 90s Listen to their picks and then vote for whom you think put together the most awesome collection. Lewanika serves as the Draft-Master for this event. The winner of this event will serve as draft-master for our next one.
You can vote for your winner on a Twitter Poll as well as Facebook and on Instagram
And we want your suggestions for future bonus/draft episodes. Email your suggestions to : TheRpgAcademy/gmail
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Taking it easy for a change, finishing up Love is Blind on Netflix. Catching up on Critical Role.
Joseph – Finishing up the Gm book for Dungeon Dwellers. (Game Master’s Vault). Return to Dark Tower the RPG. Keeping up with pets. 3D printing.
Michael – Teaching games at my school, Learn to Run D&D at the Local public Library (Corbin) Action 12 Cinema. A new Secret Project. AcadeCon planning in well underwater
10 things
Chris – 10 things you find in the hold of a shipwreck
Michael – 10 Names for pets
Joseph – 10 Terrible pieces of Gaming Advice.
Used Books – A Trojan horse scenario where the players unwittingly are working for the BBEG
Where have my Fingers been?
Joseph – two people talking where one has figured out they have been taken advantage of by someone and the other one just isn’t getting it.
Chris – Two dragons arguing over a horde
Michael – two people arguing over who will drive on a night out.
Q&A – ReaperWolf answers our ‘if an action figure was being made of you – what are the three accessories that would be included?’ Question
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy ) and his two boys (John and Jacob) discuss their recent CincyCon 2024 experience.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – The Brothers Sun on Netflix, back in the DragonLance campaign, Spending time with the Wife. Ready Player One Audiobook
Casey – The Traitors on Peacock, Brandon Sanderson, Tress of the Emerald Sea, Icons RPG, Avatar Legends RPG.
Michael – Action 12 Cinema fulfillment is underway. It’s now available for purchase via IPR. I’m now on TikTok. CincyCon in Cincinnati, OH.
10 things
Chris – 10 places you might take a first date.
Casey – Elements of Realty TV shows
Michael- Types of people you see at Gaming Conventions
Used Books – How to make Combat more interesting. Also, skill checks and Skill challenges.
Where have my Fingers been?
Casey – Two people right outside the door of a big bad monster and are arguing over who goes in first.
Chris – A bride and a Maid of Honor are trying to deal with cold feet.
Michael – two people watching Survivor for the first time.
Q&A – Casey answers our ‘if an action figure was being made of you – what are the three accessories that would be included?’ Question
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Maria Moore, co-designer of the Space Adventure, Savage Worlds supplement, Helbine.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Alex Bartee, designer of Errant Challenger, a super tactical TTRPG with PVP!
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 19 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
This week’s Show and Tell finds Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sitting down with Jim Hall about about an upcoming TTRPG called Beetle Knight where you play Bugs in a forest dealing with political and medieval style intrigue.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 18 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscover how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy’s The Review series. Today Michael is joined by first-time reviewer JimmyLogan to review the Tales from the Loop – Starter Set.
Tales from the Loop is an RPG by Free League Publishing, publishers of various IP based games such as Alien, Lord of the Rings and The Walking Dead. This review covers the ‘Starter Set’ with a sample adventure. Free League provided us with a digital copy of the Tales from the Loop Starter Set for this Review.
The 32-page rulebook is comprehensive and enjoyable to read, featuring clear color choices and fonts, along with well-delineated example text. Simon Stålenhag’s illustrations, coupled with what appears to be ‘company paper’ with typewritten information, work together to set the tone, capturing the essence of Kids in the ‘80s. The introduction is a well written piece of fiction that drops you directly into what is referred to as the “loop universe.” It moves into first person story telling and finally into an example of how this situation is resolved with the dice. For those new to role playing games, this is a great introduction! Whether or not you’ve seen the Amazon Prime television series, there’s enough background information provided for your imagination to run wild.
The show is set in the fictional Mercer, Ohio, while the game is set in Switzerland, as envisioned by the artist. An alternate setting is included as well – Boulder City, Nevada. This is explained in the time line as having been created first, some time during the 1950’s, followed by the Swedish counterpart in the late 1960’s. There are eight pages of world-building, including a fictional timeline of the United States and Sweden. The setting establishes that the fantastical experiences of the Kids are commonplace. Robots and flying machines serve as backdrop elements, taken for granted by the characters. Sufficient real-world history is included, allowing the Gamemaster and players to draw on their own memories of the era. For younger players, inspiration can be derived from television and movies. The included two sided map is reminiscent of those seen in older editions of Twilight: 2000. One side shows the Mälaren Facility and displays towns, islands, the reactor, and the ring network. This attention to detail creates an immersive, ‘in-universe’ experience. The flip side of the map showcases the American counterpart, catering to those preferring a more familiar setting. This side includes Boulder City, Nevada, the reactor, the ring network, and part of Lake Mead. Both sides offer numerous setting options for your Mysteries, the term used for adventures or modules in this system. The designers include a short note about using your home town as this setting. Perhaps the Loop was built there? This would allow you to use local people, streets, buildings and other set pieces for your game.
There are six primary principles that drive the game:
1. Your home town is full of fantastic things.
2. Everyday life is dull and unforgiving.
3. Adults are out of reach and out of touch.
4. Mysteries are dangerous but Kids will not die.
5. The game is played scene by scene.
6. The world is described collaboratively.
Number one is pretty much a given, what with the setting. Number two is a reminder that the characters are Kids – they are not super heroes and they don’t have an exciting life. What we see as spectacular is old hat to them. Number three is a reminder that the Kids are to be considered on their own for almost the entire Mystery. Some adults are mentioned as being contacts for more information, but generally speaking the Kids don’t interact with them. Numbers four and five have more to do with noting that the Kids face danger, but will not suffer mortal harm and the ‘scene’ is the method of role playing. Lastly, number six means the GM does not dictate everything in the game.
The Mysteries themselves are the purview of the GM, but the world itself is the result of the group adding their own perspectives. Robots, for example, exist without the need for extensive exploration into their origins, so new ‘tech’ can easily be introduced without scientific explanation. If it fits the world you are creating, it is accepted. The characters that the players use are referred to as Kids. They range in age from 10 to 15 and they have four attributes: Body, Tech, Heart and Mind. Body is obviously for physical challenges like running, jumping, climbing and even fighting. The Tech attribute is used when the Kid needs to program a computer, repair a robot, construct a machine and even to open locks. Heart is about making friends, deceiving people, persuasion and knowing the right people. Mind is about solving riddles and knowing things. It’s also used to find weak points or to otherwise understand something pertaining to nature. Clue gathering falls into Mind as well. Skills are tied to attributes as well, and help with the dice system described below. Like attributes, they are very straight forward, and help narrow the focus of the attribute.
Body, for example, includes Sneak, Force and Move. Your Kid might better very stealthy, but slow, or maybe a strong fighter, but slow and clumsy. These are all elaborated on at the end of the rulebook. Challenges in the game are called Trouble. Things you find are called Items. They can help with the task of overcoming Trouble. Each Kid starts with an Iconic Item that can only be used by them. Other guiding forces for the characters are Drive, a Problem and Pride. Think of these as motivation and guiding forces. The Drive is the why while a Problem is something the Kid has to deal with in everyday life. The GM can use this to put the Kid into Trouble. Pride is more important, and is unique to your Kid. The GM can use this to put the Kid into Trouble, but the Kid can also use it once per Mystery to score an automatic success. Lastly are Relationships. These are with each other and at least one NPC. These service as connections between the Kids and the strange goings on. It could be a parent, police officer, librarian, teacher or anyone else the Kid has a connection with. Conditions are bad things that can happen to the Kids. They can become Upset, Scared, Exhausted or Injured. These are taken as a result of a failed check or to ‘push’ the results of a Trouble check in an attempt to turn a failure into a success. Since they are not defined in detail, it is left up to the GM and the player to decide what is appropriate. These conditions have two effects. First, they are an aide to your role-play, giving you a guide as to how you should role-play the Kid. They also have the mechanical effect of giving a negative to all rolls. Each condition is a minus one, or to put another way you roll one less die. If you are broken, you will automatically fail.
The dice system, named the “Year Zero Game System,” is straightforward. Free League also uses this for their Alien, Blade Runner and Walking Dead RPG’s, as well as others. The GM never rolls. Players roll a number of D6’s based on attributes, skills, and possibly extra dice from their Iconic Item. Success is achieved with at least one “six,” and occasionally harder tasks may require more than one six. This simplicity avoids cumbersome calculations with plusses and minuses. A set of custom dice are included in the box set. I reviewed the PDF, so I can’t comment on their heft. The design is consistent with the artwork and the side with the six also has the logo of the Risenergi corporation, the government agency that operates the Swedish accelerator.
The starter set includes a 16 page introduction adventure called The Recycled Boy. Instructions for a new GM are included so he or she knows how to introduce the Mystery and how to introduce the Kids with a ‘starting scene.’ I found the text comprehensive without being overwhelming. Experienced GM’s will find the information interesting as well and it serves as an introduction to this particular game style. The format aligns with the rulebook design, making it an easy transition. Stats and backgrounds for NPCs, locations, and useful illustrations and maps are provided to assist the GM. Two handouts are included to enhance the table experience as well.
Lastly, the set includes five Kids (characters) for the players to use. Names, backgrounds and even an artist’s interpretation in included for each. Designed with the introduction adventure in mind, these two page handouts include stats for the Attributes and Skills. They also include check boxes for the Conditions as well as prefilled Relationships, Drive, Pride, etc.
Overall, it’s an excellent introduction for new players to RPGs as well as serving as a pregen for the included adventure. While I haven’t had the chance to bring it to the table yet, I can confidently give this a solid B! Though the genre isn’t my go-to, having run spies, Star Wars, and other fantastical settings over the years, I believe this would be a great addition to the rotation. If you’re a fan of the artwork or the show, your rating may be even higher, as it successfully captures the essence without requiring additional suspension of disbelief. The complete package makes it accessible for groups looking to embark on a learning adventure or test the system. An advertised full Core Rulebook encompasses rules for character generation, guidelines for crafting your own Mysteries, and includes some predesigned Mysteries too. If you’re having fun, you’re doing it right – this game will allow you to have fun! Give it a try!
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy’s The Review series. Today Tom and I take a look at Phandelver and Below: Shattered Obelisk
Ratings:
Tom’s Ratings
Phandelver & Below: A+
Shattered Obelisk: C
Entire adventure: B
Michael’s Ratings
Phandelver & Below: A
Shattered Obelisk: B-
Entire adventure: B+
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 17 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Rainer Kaasik-Aaslav (@Sake_TTRPG) Designer of Sorcerers, Adventurers, Kings & Economics, aka SAKE, a TTRPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
For this special year-end review show Michael and Chris are joined by Grant to chat about his personal Character Creation Challenge and other general nerdery.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 16 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscover how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy’s The Review series. Today Jake and I take a look at the newest setting boxed set from WotC for D&D 5e: Planesape & Adventures in the Multiverse.
Ratings:
Overall: B+/A-
Breakdown:
Map & DM Screen: C+
Morte’s Planar Parade: A-
Sigil and the Outlands: B+
Turn of Fortune’s Wheel: A
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 15 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscover how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 14 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
For this special year-end review show Michael and Chris are joined by Mr. Dragonbane himself! We each came with a list of 10 of our favorite/best “things” of 2023. Some of these are movies and shows or even specific episodes while others are ‘moments’ or events. All in all it’s a great, positive vibes only way to close out 2023 and look ahead at 2024.
See ya next year!
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 13 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 12 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 11 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy’s The Review series. Today The Caleb G (@TheCalebG) takes a look at When the Wolf Comes by Ian Sharp ( @VikingVerse) in partnership with Schwalb Entertainment.
Howdy cats and kittens! It’s TheCalebG aka Professor Crunch aka the founder of Point Five Past.Today I’m here to review When the Wolf Comes, a Schwalb Entertainment game created by Ian Stuart Sharpe. The book was successfully funded at 458% back in Summer of 2022. At the time of writing this article, the book is available on DriveThruRPG along with many adventure modules, novels, and comics. The publisher was kind enough to send a copy of the game book for the purpose of this review.
Quick Overview
When the Wolf Comes presents the game rules for the Vikingverse, a series of stories set in an alternate timeline where Vikings are the dominant culture on Earth and in space. The game uses the Shadow of the Demon Lord rules.
Book and Resources
The book is massive, at almost 400 pages. About half the book is dedicated to rules and character options for players. There’s about 30 pages of setting details and about 50 pages of game runner guidance. A bestiary takes up another 50ish pages. The remainder of the book includes a sample adventure and two appendices.
Even though the book is large and dense, it’s easy to read and use when playing. The layout is smooth and there’s a very detailed table of contents and index. There is no wasted space in this book. Every inch is packed with information and details.
The star of the book is its gorgeous art, which seems to be a blending of Mike Mignola and Jack Kirby. It’s vibrant and evocative, helping immerse players in the unique style of the Vikingverse.
Beyond this core book, there are a vast amount of resources to help inform players about the Vikingverse and immerse them in this fantastic world. Key among these is the Thought and Memory Saga, a campaign designed to take character from level zero to ten. There’s also Space Vikings, a supplement providing additional character options and rules.
Story
At first glance, the Vikingverse story is simple. All Norse mythology and magic is real. Viking culture became dominant prior to 900 AD and shaped the rest of human development. There is a blend of magic and science as humanity and others explore the cosmos.
But the truth of the fiction goes far deeper. The Vikingverse is actually a divergent timeline driven by Odin altering reality to avoid Ragnarok. But since ultimately Ragnarok can only be delayed, the universe experiences various chaotic events as fate tries to rectify what was done. These events drive the overall plot of the Vikingverse as explored in its source novels and comics.
Mechanics
When the Wolf Comes is built on the Shadow of the Demon Lord framework. The core mechanics are exactly the same. A d20 plus modifier roll resolves everything. There are four attributes along with a few derived characteristics. What would be called a skill check in other systems are called challenges here and are always rolled against a target value of 10. The Boon and Bane system functions the same way but they are instead called Weals and Woes.
There are rules for gaining Trauma when encountering the worst parts of the universe. An excessive amount of Trauma can induce Shell Shock which grants randomized mostly negative effects. Trauma can be removed by gaining permanent disorders. There’s also a system of social status based on gaining Honor and Shame through how story events are roleplayed.
Character Creation and Gameplay
Again, everything in When the Wolf Comes functions exactly like Shadow of the Demon Lord. Characters start at level zero with nothing but Origins and Professions. Origins are more than simply a description of where the PC comes from. They define Attributes and Characteristics, as well as provide special abilities that advance with level progression. They also have incredibly robust options to create differences within each Origin. Most of these options are focused on flavor, but some provide mechanical differences. Professions are focused on flavor, helping define what the PC was doing before embracing a life of adventure.
As with the art, the Origins serve to bring the unique elements of the Vikingverse to the forefront. There are only ten options, but it feels like there are far more given the wealth of variation within each one. Also, the Origins are fascinating, pushing far beyond the classic tropes of high fantasy. Each Origin is presented with a short description of its place in Vikingverse lore, but that description is rich with details.
After playing through an introductory game that serves as an advanced session zero, players pick their first level of a Novice Path, which grants various class abilities. The intent here is that this choice is inspired by the gameplay of that session zero instead of simply being an arbitrary choice made while reading the book. This intent continues as players are encouraged to make choices for their Expert and Mythic paths based more on roleplay and game events.
Gameplay in When the Wolf Comes is fun, fast, and deadly. This is not a “big damn hero” game. Instead it’s a tough game where each roll is tense and survival is not guaranteed. Once again, this is true to the source material of Shadow of the Demon Lord.
Opinion
I absolutely love this setting and book. It’s gorgeous. The art is spectacular. Maybe it’s the unique setting, maybe it’s the different style, but I feel like this art is some of the most impressive I’ve seen in a gaming book ever.
The Vikingverse is a carefully-crafted setting that turns typical high fantasy tropes on their side with logic and consistency. Nothing is done by accident or just to be different. It’s refreshing to see such a unique take on mythological lore and how that influences the game set in this world.
Personally, I never found a way to really engage with Shadow of the Demon Lord. I can appreciate the setting and mechanics and understand their palace in the tabletop hobby, but they just never clicked with me. I don’t enjoy a game that is so punishing to players, instead preferring my gaming escapism to allow those big heroic moments facilitated by lots of big numbers on the dice. But I both understand and love this version of the rules. The setting and lore are more appealing to me, so that’s a huge factor. But something in how it’s presented here just makes more sense to me.
Another detail I love is how the lore is presented. I had no idea this game was based on novels and comics. My guess is that the average gamer will not either. They’ll probably stumble across the book based on the impressive cover art and then get hooked with the overall concept. Thus, the fact that there’s a one-page summary of the lore at the start of the book is a genius approach. Many games that present unique settings spend a lot of pages introducing the setting before explaining the rules. That’s a fine tactic, but one that I don’t appreciate. I want to explore the setting by understanding the rules, and that’s how When the Wolf Comes approaches things. That summary captures readers by telling them everything they need to know about the lore and then locks them in by presenting Origins like living robots, mutated animals, and corporate clones with brilliant art. Then, 200 pages later, readers get deeper details on Vikingverse lore. This is such a smart approach.
Ian Stuart Sharpe has created a vibrant, unique world with love and attention to detail. This game is a beautiful addition to the Vikingverse and a shining example of how to adapt an existing property to a tabletop game. The decision to use Shadow of the Demon Lord as foundation for this game was completely right as the system beautifully supports the tone of the Vikingverse stories. This book has my absolute highest praise and recommendation.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 10 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 9 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy ) Michael (Losermlw) and Michael and later, Brad (GM-Brad) discuss a variety of topics about and some not really about AcadeCon 2023 and beyond.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Welcome to Detention! In this episode Chris and I welcome Kevin Stacey in for a chat!
Extra Curricular:
Chris – Work keeping him busy, Still on Diablo IV, Rewatching The Boys, Watched Gen V, Bodies on Netflix, Getting for winter in Michigan.
Kevin – Lots of Gaming stuff lately. Re-watched Werewolf by Night Colorized edition (new on Disney +), Started The Fall of The House of Usher, sorta new to Horror in any real way so watching a lot of it lately.
Michael – Really all AcadeCon right now. Did manage to keep Farm to Fable going, S6 coming to an end soon. Watched and Loved Loki S2, Loving Invincible Season 2, The Marvels – I loved it. The Killer on Netflix – didn’t care for it. Spider-Man 2 on PS5. About to start a new D&D 5e game with my boys and two of their friends – Using the new WOTC Phandelver and Below adventure.
10 Things:
Kevin – Top 10 Horror movie Kills
Chris – 10 favorite non-jedi Star Wars Characters
Michael – 10 Foods/snacks for game night.
USED BOOKS – Small talk about AcadeCon and gaming at Conventions in general.
Where have my Fingers Been?
Michael – A DM and Player in a game with lights off!
Chris – two EMTs called to a tragedy at a gaming convention
Kevin – Your a GM and your first player has come up to the table.
Cryptozoology: Gelatinous Cube
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Poorna Mazumdar about the RPG A Stitch in Time, a two-player GM-less* TTRPG about using letters to restore places that have been forgotten (‘phantom islands’ as they’re called on Earth) by capturing events, moments that form anchor points across time and space. And by doing so, stitch these forgotten places back to reality as we know it.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy’s The Review series. Today The Caleb G (@TheCalebG) takes a look at Myrrorside by Angus McNicholl / Parallel Publishing.
Howdy cats and kittens! It’s TheCalebG aka Professor Crunch aka the founder of Point Five Past.Today I’m here to review Myrrorside, a Parallel Publishing game created by Angus McNicholl. At the time of writing this article, the book is available on Drive Thru RPG in PDF, softcover, and hardcover versions. The publisher was kind enough to send a copy of the book for the purpose of this review.
Quick Overview
Myrrorside is a horror game in a modern setting where magic and scary things come from an alternate reality hidden behind the real world. Its mechanics are easy to understand and have a moderate level of complexity. There’s a nice balance between narrative flexibility and mechanical guidelines. The game works best when it’s used to tell stories in episodic fashion, similar to horror TV shows or mini-series.
Book
At right around 100 pages, the book is easy to read and use as a resource during gameplay. Myrrorside is a focused world simulator, providing a vibrant setting for players to use as they wish. The first 14 pages are focused on that setting and there is not a specific story or named characters to follow.
It’s worth noting that there is only half a page dedicated to safety rules at the game table. There is an abundance of information on this topic in the gaming zeitgeist, so what’s presented here is clearly a quick summary. Some may find this refreshing as it does not repeat information needlessly. Others may find it concerning and not considerate of players who may not have a wealth of experience at the table.
The remainder of the book provides gameplay instruction, mixing in small pieces of setting lore occasionally for flavor. Overall, the book’s layout is average. It’s easy to read and is well-organized. However there is a lot of empty space that could be used for examples, supplemental information, flavor text, or art.
The interior art is all in shadowy shades of teal, presenting a moody atmosphere that carries a persistent sense of dread. Like the green tones in The Matrix, this teal shading informs readers that something is different in this world and that the world is consistently dangerous.
Setting
The scary, horror-filled world of Myrrorside is presented as the underlying foundation of reality. The real modern world is built upon this terrible structure, like an operating system. The surface levels of the Myrrorside are just like reality, only slightly different. In some places there is an overlap between worlds and it’s possible for people and other beings to slip between them. Going further and deeper into the Myrrorside reveals the sprawling nightmarish world where human understanding breaks down and everything is trying to kill everything else.
Modern technology breaks down in the Myrrorside. Old-fashioned analog tech will still function, but digitally-powered devices like smartphones either stop working entirely or start glitching in strange ways. Likewise, the magic of the Myrrorside works only briefly in the real world, dissipating quickly. This keeps most of the game action set in the Myrrorside’s reality. Magical effects and terrible monsters can bleed over into the real world, but their impact is fleeting.
The Myrrorside is populated by native creatures, called the Strange, and by humans that have been trapped in and warped by this alternate reality, called the Lost. There are many variations within these categories, but all are deadly to humans.
Core Mechanics
This game uses the 2dx Operating System. PCs have 4 Attributes and 24 Skills, all of which are rated by dice size from d2 to d12. After narrating their action, players make an Action Test by rolling the applicable Attribute and Skill dice, picking the highest result, then adding positive or negative modifiers. Opposed Tests happen when PCs and NPCs are in conflict. The magnitude of success or failure after comparing results is used as a guide to inform the role play of how events happen. An unopposed Action Test happens when the PC simply acts against the environment, similar to a Skill Check in a standard d20 system. A negative modifier to reflect the difficulty of the task is applied to the Test. A positive result is a success, a negative result is a failure, and a result of zero is a success at a cost.
Beyond situational modifiers to the Test, there is also a system of Advantage and Disadvantage. Unlike other systems using the same words, Myrrorside does not treat this a reroll. Instead, it adds an extra Attribute dice to the roll for every Advantage and Disadvantage gained in the Test. Then players remove dice until they have only two remaining. Advantages remove the lowest results while Disadvantages remove the highest results. Advantages and Disadvantages are cumulative and do not cancel each other out.
As this is a horror game, Myrrorside includes two mechanics that attempt to reinforce the dramatic tension of storytelling. The first is called Pulse or Tension. It can be raised through horror elements being played out and lowered by humanity-reaffirming moments. Higher levels of Tension inflict a variety of penalties that attempt to replicate emotional states of fear. The second of these mechanics is called Collateral. Players can take a Collateral token to convert any failed Action Test to a success as if the dice results were zero. Beyond the success at a cost that a result of zero brings to the story, Collateral has a variety of additional negative impacts on PCs.
Character Creation and Gameplay
Building characters is incredibly easy. The book provides the starting dice size for Attributes and Skills and gives simple instructions for improving dice according to where players want their characters to be focused. Players have the options of taking Quirks and Burdens, which provide mechanical support for roleplaying flavor details. That’s it. There are no classes or special abilities. This is a game about playing regular people dealing with supernatural horror.
Gameplay follows a standard TTRPG flow, with players dealing with the plot as it unfolds. There are no special mechanics included in the book that deal with plot pacing and management, such as filling clocks or moving through a countdown.
Using magic is possible in the game, but it is not easily done. Human characters must use complex rituals to harness magical powers. Each ritual presented in the book includes a casting time and component list. Mechanically, rituals are resolved with Action Tests, which might be opposed or unopposed, depending on the nature of the spell and the situation. On the other hand, creatures native to the Myrrorside can use magic much more easily and frequently.
The last 30ish pages of the book give advice and instruction to game runners. This includes guidance on using thematic tropes and structuring an episodic plot. There is a short bestiary. Also presented is a method of playing the game without a game runner, called Collaborative Meta-Gaming. This gives instructions on how players can create a scene structure, take turns leading scenes, and vote on how events progress with a resource called Influence.
Opinion
I think that Myrrorside has a lot of fun ideas and it delivers a great horror vibe, but the overall presentation needs a little polish.
I like the setting. The concept of our world being the falsehood built on top of a horrible reality is very fun for episodic storytelling. Lore presented in the book is vivid enough to give players a strong understanding of the game’s intended vibe but also open enough to give players and game runners plenty of room to add their own ideas. And the overall idea of regular humans struggling against insurmountable and incomprehensible terror is a fundamental aspect of the horror genre.
Another great feature is the mechanics. They’re easy to learn, excellent for newer players, and they support the horror vibe. The focus on human skill and the difficulty of using any supernatural resources informs players that their characters are up against a difficult struggle with little to no help.
That being said, the book is a little unclear at times. There are a few terms that are not as clear as they could be. For example, humans that visit the Myrrorside are called “firewalkers”, but this is really only picked up through context. Some creatures and world details are mentioned once and never given any further explanation. None of this really has a negative impact on the game, but it’s frustrating.
There are also a few mechanical details that are a little rough around the edges. For example, there is guidance for how to increase and decrease the Pulse or Tension (and the fact that both terms are used simultaneously is another point of confusion) and there is a list of what happens mechanically at the various levels of Tension. But there is no actual numerical value assigned to those levels. Similarly for Collateral, while the consequences of gaining it are provided, there are no clear instructions for how those consequences are applied to characters. While it’s not hard for a game runner to come up with a solution, it’s something I feel should’ve been included, especially since these features are so fundamental to supporting the horror tones of the game.
Likewise, the bestiary feels lacking. The lore tells players the entire Myrrorside is full of deadly creatures, but the book only gives a few examples and no instructions for how to create more. There are references to unique creatures that would be a natural fit for recurring villains in the episodic game, but very little support for them. Again, it wouldn’t be hard to figure it out, but why is it not part of the book?
In general, I like Myrrorside. I love the opportunity to tell a story about humans in an impossible struggle, especially when the mechanics of the game support that tone. The setting is a nice combination of horror tropes and gives players lots of room for creativity. And the game is very accessible to new TTRPG players. But the game feels incomplete. A lot of the details and information are vague. While the unknown is a core aspect of the horror genre, that should apply to the characters, not the players. I think that Myrrorside has potential but falls short of other similar games in the episodic horror genre.
Rating: C-
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Mikey Hamm, designer of Slugblaster, the teenage hoverboard game where you can kickflip the quantum menace.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Welcome to Detention! In this special episode I have guest co-host Moe Poplar ( @ashyfeet1 ) to chat about his recent experience at Big Bad Con!
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Scriv the Bard on her game Bard RPG, an all ages, all genre roleplaying game inspired by literature and psychology.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 8 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with @NerdBurgerCraig to chat about his new RPG, Capers Cyberpunk which is on Kickstarter now. Play Super-powered cyberpunks fighting corrupt megacorps in an alternate present day.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. This week we are cheating like a supervillain because we are playing a game that doesn’t actually have a sample adventure; the new Marvel Multiverse RPG (616) by Matt Forbeck.
In this episode I, Michael (@TheRpgAcademy ) serve as the Narrator on a short adventure I wrote.
For players we have:
Brian Kurtz ( @BrianBPK ) taking on the role of Ms. Marvel
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeGrrl ) taking on the role of Squirrel Girl
Caleb G ( @TheCalebG ) Taking on the role of Daredevil
Chris ( @Sky_rider19 ) taking on the role of Ghost Spider
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. The sample adventure we’re Playing Old Gods of Appalachia from Monte Cook Games using today is the Luthier’s curse.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. The sample adventure we’re Playing Old Gods of Appalachia from Monte Cook Games using today is the Luthier’s curse.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 7 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. The sample adventure we’re Playing Old Gods of Appalachia from Monte Cook Games using today is the Luthier’s curse.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. The sample adventure we’re Playing Old Gods of Appalachia from Monte Cook Games using today is the Luthier’s curse.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. The sample adventure we’re Playing Old Gods of Appalachia from Monte Cook Games using today is the Luthier’s curse.
In this episode we meet our cast and do some overview of their characters and the system.Brian Kurtz (@BrianBPK) as our Game Master
Michael Waldschlager II (@Losermlw) as Monty “Mountain” Tanner
Frankie Kuehnle (@YoungButtHead) as Beau Owens
Kyle O’Brien ( Canoe DM on Start Playing Games) as Jonas Cunningham
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 6 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Kevin Stacey from Wanderer’s Haven Productions, Lewankia from Tabletop Journeys and Chris Burlew from Smuggler’s Blues and The RPG Academy gather for a special D&D meets the MCU draft. Listen to their picks and then vote for whom you think put together the best* D&D party from MCU heroes. Michael serves as the Draft-Master for this event.
You can vote for your winner on a Twitter Poll as well as Facebook and on Instagram
And we want your suggestions for future bonus/draft episodes. Email your suggestions to : TheRpgAcademy/gmail
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Lazlow Tamasfi about his new game Horror RPG, Pod People, where you play alien invaders trying to figure out what it means to be human.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 5 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy ) chats with life-long best bud Brandon and his first GenCon experience ever.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 4 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Chris – Not a lot going on, lots of work stuff. Mini vaca with scouts doing a river cleanup. Feeling under the weather.
Michael – Has a kidney stone (boo!), Went to GenCon (yay!), The new Marvel RPG, Sword of the Serpentine (fantasy Gumshoe), AcadeCon KS goes live next week!
Sam – bery busy on the design of SLASH! and running the Kickstarter for it, a Sr in UC Berkley, moved in dorm for this year. Took TTRPG club co-ordinator position, road trip to Colorado coming up. Finished Owlhouse. Avatar the Last Airbender.
10 things –
Michael – top 10 Bad super heroes
Chris – 10 favorite Horror movies
Sam – 10 computer languages and/or terms.
Used Books: Sam talks about a series of one shots he ran in an overarching mystery game. both good and the bad.
Where have our fingers been?
Sam – 2 people examining a dead body looking for clues
Chris – 2 people who just committed a murder on accident and need to deal with the body
Michael – 2 goblins examining a murdered body looking for clues.
Cryptozoology: The False Hydra
Q&A: Sam gets the usual action figure accessories question.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 3 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 2 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. This week we are playing through the Land of Eem rpg using the sample adventure – Curse of the Chicken-Foot Witch.
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW on Twitter ) playing, Galen Dundoogle, The Knight-Errant
Shane playing Voricia Wrynch, the Rascal
Shawn playing as S. Warbly Pebbleskip, The Gnome
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Find all our players with their other streams/activities in the following places:
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. This week we are playing through the Land of Eem rpg using the sample adventure – Curse of the Chicken-Foot Witch.
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW on Twitter ) playing, Galen Dundoogle, The Knight-Errant
Shane playing Voricia Wrynch, the Rascal
Shawn playing as S. Warbly Pebbleskip, The Gnome
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Find all our players with their other streams/activities in the following places:
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book. This week we are playing through the Land of Eem rpg using the sample adventure – Curse of the Chicken-Foot Witch.
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW on Twitter ) playing, Galen Dundoogle, The Knight-Errant
Shane playing Voricia Wrynch, the Rascal
Shawn playing as S. Warbly Pebbleskip, The Gnome
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Find all our players with their other streams/activities in the following places:
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Campaigns, the Actual Play podcasts from The Rpg Academy.
Here is episode 1 from our live streamed game The RPG Academy Presents: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris) our GM for this series.
Overview:
The world has ended, and it’s ending again. Three hundred years ago, the Cataclysm brought ruin to the world of Krynn. In a single day, an age of wonders came to an end. Countless innocents died, the face of the world was reshaped, and the gods themselves faded into legend. Through ages of struggle, the peoples of Krynn survived, but the world isn’t what it was. Those nations that remain linger in the shadows of their ancestors’ wonders. Only slowly have they begun to push back centuries of darkness and rediscvoer how the world has changed.
Then came the Dragon Armies, legions of soldiers devoted to the wicked god Takhisis the Dragon Queen, and the world aces ruin once more. The War of the Lance has begun, and in a conflict between gods and dragons, a wounded world hangs in the balance.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Diablo 4 continues, and work. Shadow of the Demon Queen D&D 5e campaign continues to stream weekly on Thursdays.
Garmbreak1 – Casset Beast on Nintendo Swtich, Old(er) Star Wars novels on Audio, AnimeCon in Canada, behind on the Live Action Star Wars Tv stuff -someday.
Michael – AcadeCon Prep is beging to wind up. Dice ordered, chips ordered. T-shirt images locked in. Lots of new games bought for the library (Blood on the Clocktower, Catarsis, Marvel Remix) found some cool AcadeCon Door prizes at McKay’s in Knoxville, TN by accident. Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny. Bear season 2. Bullet Train action movie (Brad Pitt). Spider-Man on PS5
10 things –
Chris – Name 10 wilderness Creatures
Michael – 10 things I like about the Spider-Man game
Garmbreak1 – Top 10 Animi
Used Books: Garmbreak1 shares a game he ran that was in the Star Wars universe that was a ‘side quest’ campaign when the regular game couldn’t go and was mission based/open table (meaning each session was self-contained)
Where have our fingers been?
Garmbreak1 – two characters arguing over a broken character concept.
Chris – two characters in a bunker besieged by Battle droids.
Michael – Meeting myself from another universe.
Cryptozoology: Giant Spiders
Q&A: Garmbreak1 gets the usual action figure accessories question.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Daniel Locke to discuss Eco Mofos a ruin-delving Survival game where you are invited to play a Punk seeking a safe homestead to start a new community. With a vibe of Weirdhope not Grimdark.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Diablo 4 continues, and work and Scout activities. Marvel Zombicide. Faculty Retreat coming up.
Alex – Work! Summer Release season for the FLGS stuff. Lord of the Rings Magic The Gathering. Spider-Verse, Flash movie. Superman: Legacy casting news! FLGS state of the Union.
Michael – Origins recap (now in podcast form). TV – The Bear season 2 on Hulu, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues to be the best of Trek. Shameless
10 things –
Alex – Name 10 Indie RPGS
Chris – 10 best bad movies.
Michael – 10 things I want for lunch.
Used Books: Palladium games/ Rifts. Balancing letting PCs be and feel powerful with challenging encounters.
Where have our fingers been?
Michael – Game shop owner and someone trying to buy ALL my dice.
Chris – A smuggler being offered a crappy job
Alex – 2 guys planning a trip to AcadeCon
Cryptozoology: Sasquatch
Q&A: Alex gets the usual action figure accessories question.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called The Starblades of Su’ul from the Masters of Umdaar setting for Fate/Fae.
For this game we have the following players:
Devon ( @Shark_Bone) as our GM
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) as Rrrick Barkton a anthro-canine fighter.
Chris Burlew ( @burlew_Chris ) as Tad the Radiant a Cy-tar (cyborg- centaur) Sorceror with frog legs.
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy ) and Michael gather to chat about their recent experience at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH.
AcadeCon 2023 will be November 3rd – 5th at the Dayton Convention Center
The Kickstarter for badge pre-sales will go live on August 15th.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Gavin and Andrea, authors and designers of Witches of Midnight to chat about the upcoming Witches of Midnight Kickstarter.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy’s The Review series. Today Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) drops in for a quick review of Mörk Borg a dark fantasy role playing game created by Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell, and published internationally by Free League Press.
Overview
Mörk Borg is a dark fantasy role playing game created by Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell, and published internationally by Free League. You are stepping into the tattered boots of characters scraping to survive and eke out a living in a dying world prophesied to end very, very badly. Your characters may be attempting to stave off the impending destruction or embracing it, toiling for the very same beings that are driving the lands headlong into their demise.
The Dying World
As mentioned, the world of Mörk Borg is an extremely dismal and hopeless place. The sun has all but vanished, and darkness has lain heavy over the lands for hundreds of years. Ancient prophecies made by two ancient two-headed basilisks were uncovered during the construction of a Cathedral and as it turns out, every single foreseen event has come to pass. An enormous city came to grow around this Cathedral, and these prophecies have become the primary focus of worship by many of the world’s inhabitants.
There are a number of kingdoms and factions vying for the faith and coin of the people of these lands, and each of them is just as grim as the next. Will you side with the ageless Blood-Countess Anthelia in the kingdom of Kergüs? Do you seek servitude with The Shadow King in the forests of Sarkash? Your options are only as limited as your time as with each new dawn, the threat of armageddon hangs low on the horizon thanks to the Calendar of Nechrubel, which dictates with a roll of the dice if daybreak brings a new Misery to the world or not. If you happen to generate 7 Miseries in the course of your struggle to survive, the world and your characters die horribly and, predictably, the adventure ends.
Core Rulebook
One thing is certain when you open up this book, and that is that Mörk Borg is not your typical RPG rulebook. This is very much a product of its inspirations, and those inspirations are rooted in the haunting lyrics and gothic art of death, doom and black metal. From the stylized and chaotic skeleton and exaggerated logo on the cover to the included introductory dungeon crawl, this book screams slickly-designed and ordered chaos. Each page draws the eye, and while small sections may maintain a particular typeface, the layouts and fonts are constantly shifting to incorporate and contain the richly foreboding and inspiring graphic design work. Reading Mörk Borg, you can practically hear the frenzied thrumming of heavy guitar licks, the pounding beat of drums and primal scream of lead vocals in the background.
At a count of less than 100 pages, this short tome certainly falls under the category of a ‘rules-light’ system, with the first 17 pages dedicated to setting up the world and the vibe of the game, then diving right into character creation, equipment, combat, rest and some common dice checks. The Powers section, which covers the way magic works in Mörk Borg, starts on page 34, then there is also a section for Optional Rules, which offers a variety of tables for additional systems to add to your gameplay, as well as a number of default classes for your characters. The final two reference sections of the rulebook cover the enemies of Mörk Borg, Creatures and Outcasts, then the book dives into the short adventure, “Rotback Sludge” or “The Shadow King’s Lost Heir”. This offering is a dungeon crawl clearly inspired by the classics of early role playing game systems.
The final section of the rulebook contains a few more tables for filling out character details, such as “Where do you Wander” and “Who (or What) Contacts You?”, and a D100 Adventure Spark generator to assist Game Masters in coming up with grim quests to send your party on.
The last set of these tables is a well-designed dungeon generator, with which you can determine a name, dungeon status (active or inactive), the dungeon dwellers, dangers, distinctive features and sample rooms. I tested this and created one called ‘The Sin Tunnels’, an active dungeon inhabited by a heretical cult lead by a possessed 11-year old, with the danger of a terrible dormant curse about to be unleashed, and a distinctive feature where the rooms rotate around the dungeon’s center. Sounds like a place I’d love to go delving!
Finally, there’s a simple one page summary sheet for the game’s basic mechanics, and a one-page index as well, directing you to the various areas of the book for quick reference.
System Mechanics
Mörk Borg’s system is D20-based, with characters having 4 main abilities: Agility, Presence, Strength and Toughness. These abilities are rolled with 3d6 and the roll determines your ability bonus, from a range of -3 to +3. Any checks are made against a Difficulty Rating (referenced as DR) determined by the Game Master, with the player rolling a D20 +/- the applicable ability bonus. There are no defined skills, with any action the player wishes to take falling into one of the 4 primary ability categories and being checked against that bonus. Trying to swim? Roll a D20 and add or subtract your Agility bonus. Surviving a fall? Roll using your Toughness bonus. Need to charm a Seer? Better have a good Presence bonus.
There are a number of weapons, armors and pieces of equipment available for selection, with all of the above items suffering from possible wear and breakage. The system takes carrying capacity seriously, with a limitation of the number of items any character can carry, and penalties that cause increases to Difficulty Ratings as your character becomes overloaded.
Combat is also very straightforward, as only players roll dice. Initiative is determined by a D6, and there are Melee, Ranged and Defense checks. For those lucky or unfortunate die rolls, there are both Crit and Fumble tables. On the Crit side, you have double damage, armor reduction and a free attack as possible outcomes. Rolling a 1 on the D20 gets you the Fumble table which has consequences for fumbling your Attack or Defense roll. If you drop to zero Hit Points you are considered Broken, but go below zero HP and you join the ranks of the deceased.
In the world of Mörk Borg, magic is referred to as Powers, and they are conferred solely by the use of Scrolls. Characters that use Powers are limited in their daily use, and if you fail the Powers usage roll…well, guess what? There’s a table in the Optional Rules for “Arcane Catastrophes” that has some very interesting and gruesome results, such as these examples from the text:
“You and a random nearby creature pass out. When you wake up, your souls have switched. Welcome to your new flesh.”
“Your skin tatters like paper, your flesh melts like wax and your intestines bloat like balloons, bursting and falling out until all that is left is a walking, talking skeleton.”
The game is very clearly rooted in Old School Renaissance or OSR-style gameplay, with a heavy reliance on reference tables, random effects and the dice determining almost every outcome to be had in the game. This may provide a challenge to gamers who are much more used to modern systems which put more focus on the role playing and storytelling aspects of tabletop RPGs and less on the more mechanical or crunchy nature of decision making via dice rolling.
Creating a Character
Being a rules-light system, the character generation system is designed for rolling almost every aspect of your potential character against tables. Creating a character can be very simple, and a basic character can be whipped up in minutes by following the tables and taking the results as written. A player could also pick and choose, but using the tables makes it extremely easy for someone to jump in.
The system also allows for advanced character generation using the handful of Classes in the Optional Rules section. The classes include the Fanged Deserter, Wretched Royalty and four other interesting options with pre-set Specialties that add some variation to each class.
The Optional Rules also introduce a few other items to help make more interesting and three-dimensional characters, like Omens which are limited use abilities that recharge and even reset after 6 hours of in-game rest. More tables for fleshing out a character include “Terrible Traits” for personality quirks, “Broken Bodies” which give your character some physical distinctions. Also included is “Bad Habits” which is pretty self explanatory, and finally “Troubling Tales” to provide your group or individual character with some disturbing and compelling backstory beats.
I was able to roll up a character in minutes and using the Optional Rules, build them out with some Terrible Traits and Bad Habits. Once I added a name, I was ready to go! The process took 15 minutes at best, and the tables made things very simple.
Opinion
Disclaimer: In the time I was working on this review, I was unable to take the game for a test-drive with a group. However, without having gotten to play the game, I can speak to what I’ve read and rely on my past experiences with new systems to make what I feel is a sound judgment.
I believe that Mörk Borg has the bones (no pun intended) of a very stylized and simple game to run a limited campaign or series of one shots in an extremely heavy horror-based atmosphere. I say limited campaigns or one-shots because mechanically, the system is designed to be very brutal and unforgiving. The nature of the game may have driven the design decisions behind why generating a character is so simple, as there’s a very good chance your initial character will not survive. I would relate this to a game like Dungeon Crawl Classics, where players are encouraged to generate four separate characters at once to minimize downtime when one inevitably dies.
Mörk Borg is a game designed for players and game masters who are fans of the brooding, pessimistic and often epic style of death, black and doom metal, and while I find the setting intriguing, I can see how that would also turn off potential players who long to portray heroes in a setting that feels hopeful or light. Mörk Borg is not that setting, and that is not its world.
The other potential negative that stands out to me is that for all of the imaginative design choices made in the production of the book, I feel like this book is more object d’art than a reference rulebook. While there are some really standout art pieces and layout decisions, I think that the disjointed nature of so many of the pages makes it difficult to go back and quickly find the information I might be looking for. This wouldn’t stop me from playing it, mind you, but the fact that the book is less than 100 pages can make that small issue even more frustrating.
Mörk Borg is no doubt a standout in the field for its innovative system, look and graphic design choices. For players used to core rulebooks that are easily referenced, and a world where they can rise to be heroes, however, it may be a hard sell. But for those folks looking for a gruesome change of pace, a metal-infused grimdark world and a system with some crunch, Mörk Borg is certainly worth your time!
Rating: A
Game materials were provided to The RPG Academy by Free League Publishing for review consideration.
Bonus Content!
Want to give it a go? There’s a free, plain text version available at https://morkborg.com/content/ along with blank character sheets and quick reference materials and a mobile character generator!
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Doug – Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Movie (long time fan of the toys!), Getting organized for a lot of upcoming convention events like Origins and GenCon. New Avatar RPG starter set, coming to his channel soon.
Michael – Heading to Origins next week, Also going to GenCon in August, ScoobyNatural, Marvel 616 RPG, Dragonbane, re-reading the full Heralds of Valdemar book series. Blue Rose RPG.
10 things –
Doug – Name top 10 Transformers
Chris – 10 things you enjoy about going to gaming conventions.
Michael – 10 bad names for Transformers.
Used Books: Resisting the old West End d6 Star Wars system – running games in an established Canon.
Where have our fingers been?
Doug – Two civilians watching a Transformer fight.
Chris – A new G.I. Joe recruit meeting Sgt. Slaughter
Michael – 2 brothers that have just opened one Transformers toy.
Cryptozoology: Wood Wife.
Q&A: Doug gets the usual action figure accessories question.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called The Starblades of Su’ul from the Masters of Umdaar setting for Fate/Fae.
For this game we have the following players:
Devon ( @Shark_Bone) as our GM
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) as Rrrick Barkton a anthro-canine fighter.
Chris Burlew ( @burlew_Chris ) as Tad the Radiant a Cy-tar (cyborg- centaur) Sorceror with frog legs.
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar ( @Ashyfeet1 ) sits down with Game Designer Michael Low ( @LuckLegends ) for a free-ranging discussion about game design.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Lots of work stuff. Diablo 4 coming soon!, Smuggler’s Blues a new live streaming AP Star Wars show, DragonLance game continues, Audio feed coming in July.
Michael – D&D with my childhood friends!, Ted Lasso Series Finale, re-watching older comfort shows – Firefly, Community, Iron-Man, Avengers I, Capt. America Winter Soldier, Yellowjackets. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, newest Marvel Legendary set: Midnight Sons. Action 12 Cinema – first edit done.
10 things –
Michael – 10 Father’s Day presents you’d want
Chris – 10 Magic Items in Diablo 4 you hope to collect.
Used Books: Michael talks through his desire to run a jail break session in D&D.
Where have our fingers been?
Chris – Two D&D characters discussing ways to get arrested
Michael – Trying to teach someone to play poker.
Cryptozoology: Intellect Devourer
Q&A: Any interest in the new Free League Lord of the Realms 5e setting. Any interest in Warhammer 40K
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called The Rhy Wolf’s Woe and is part of the Blue Rose Quickstart from Green Ronin Publishing.
For this game we have the following players:
Kevin Stacy ( @KevRanGames ) as our Game Master/Narrator
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called The Rhy Wolf’s Woe and is part of the Blue Rose Quickstart from Green Ronin Publishing.
For this game we have the following players:
Kevin Stacy ( @KevRanGames ) as our Game Master/Narrator
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week new Show and Tell Host Moe Poplar (@Ashyfeet1) sits down with Bill Buchalter to chat about their currently running Kickstarter Mini Dungeon Tome II
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Son is playing the new Zelda game, Diablo 4 Server Slam, Binge Sweet Tooth (Netflix), Lots of work stuff. Got another EagleScout through the system.
Wes – God of War Ragnarok, beating it. Now going for all the extra stuff.
Michael – Trying to take care of some stray animals in my neighborhood, dropped my glasses and now they’re broken, Yellowjackets season 2 is GREAT, The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+), Action 12 Cinema charity stream.
10 things –
Wes – 10 PSA you’ve chosen NOT to do on your channel.
Michael – 10 possible Potentials I would want to get from the Big Door Prize machine.
Chris – 10 ‘achievements’ in Diablo.
Used Books: Wes talks about a game where taking an alternative approach turned out to be very very easy – maybe too easy?
Where have our fingers been?
Chris – Two people in a coffee shop, one is attracted to the other but rolls a nat 1 on their Charisma check.
Michael – Two spies meeting and both thinking the other is hitting on them
Wesley – two people performing a how to be a Kobold Guard training video.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called Riddermound and is part of the Dragonbane RPG Quickstart Rules by Free League Press.
Caleb Gillombardo ( @TheCalebG ) as Makander of Halfbay Mallard Knight
Alan Nicholas ( @BigAlTheLawyer ) as Bastonn Bloodjaw the Wolfkin Warrior
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Orla Moonsilver the Elf Hunter
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) as Archmaster Aodhan the Human Wizard (Elementalist).A
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called Riddermound and is part of the Dragonbane RPG Quickstart Rules by Free League Press.
Caleb Gillombardo ( @TheCalebG ) as Makander of Halfbay Mallard Knight
Alan Nicholas ( @BigAlTheLawyer ) as Bastonn Bloodjaw the Wolfkin Warrior
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Orla Moonsilver the Elf Hunter
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) as Archmaster Aodhan the Human Wizard (Elementalist).A
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called Riddermound and is part of the Dragonbane RPG Quickstart Rules by Free League Press.
Caleb Gillombardo ( @TheCalebG ) as Makander of Halfbay Mallard Knight
Alan Nicholas ( @BigAlTheLawyer ) as Bastonn Bloodjaw the Wolfkin Warrior
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Orla Moonsilver the Elf Hunter
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) as Archmaster Aodhan the Human Wizard (Elementalist).A
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called Wormsign and is part of the Dune Adventures in the Imperium RPG Quickstart Rules by Modiphius.
For this game we have the following players:
Caleb Gillombardo ( @TheCalebG ) as our Lead Narrator.
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) as Corbin Bralik a reformed smuggler
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Talia Carell a Criminal
Kevin Stacy ( @KevranGames ) as Anna Margrave the Bene Gesserit Novice.
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called Wormsign and is part of the Dune Adventures in the Imperium RPG Quickstart Rules by Modiphius.
For this game we have the following players:
Caleb Gillombardo ( @TheCalebG ) as our Lead Narrator.
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) as Corbin Bralik a reformed smuggler
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Talia Carell a Criminal
Kevin Stacy ( @KevranGames ) as Anna Margrave the Bene Gesserit Novice.
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Rpg Academy. This episode is part of our The Sample Adventures series where we take a look at various RPG systems by using the sample adventure included in the core book or as in this case, a quick start. The sample adventure we’re using today is called Wormsign and is part of the Dune Adventures in the Imperium RPG Quickstart Rules by Modiphius.
For this game we have the following players:
Caleb Gillombardo ( @TheCalebG ) as our Lead Narrator.
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) as Corbin Bralik a reformed smuggler
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Talia Carell a Criminal
Kevin Stacy ( @KevranGames ) as Anna Margrave the Bene Gesserit Novice.
As with all our The Sample Adventure games our primary consideration is having a good time, but we also do try and explore and explain the mechanics of the system as appropriate but do not swear to get all the rules right all the time.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week Guest Host Larry H (@Mumphry999) sits down with Paladin Reizo of Paladins Archives and Edwin Nagy of Frog God Game to chat about an upcoming world record trying, charity fund raising game marathon and how YOU can be involved.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
ML – Magic the Gathering Arena, Silver Spring Stage 1-act Play festival, The Goblin Universe
Michael – Stopped playing MtG Arena, Action 12 Cinema writing is almost done, LexiCon Gaming Convention, Origins Game Fair, GenCon, The Mandalorian S3 Finale.
Chris – Path of Exile (on Steam), Work stuff, DragonLance TV show Rumors,
10 things –
ML – 10 Made up Magic The Gathering card mechanics
Chris B – 10 foods you wouldn’t mind getting food poison from.
Michael – 10 cards i’d like to see in Magic The Gathering
Used Books: ML Shares about a campaign from a friend where training was built into the system.
Where have our fingers been?
Michael – A vaudevillian ventriloquist who’s dummy is slowing gaining sentience.
Chris – Final match at a Magic The Gathering tournament where one player is cheating
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Welcome to Detention! In this episode I’m joined by Co-host Chris Burlew (@burlew_chris ) GM of the Redemption Podcast and and we sorta follow the general Detention outline but mostly chat about Action 12 Cinema.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Round 5 Selection 13 Lewanika Indie Darling Kids on Bikes
Round 5 Selection 14 Kevin Indie Darling Lady Blackbird
Round 5 Selection 15 Michael Cornerstone Pathfinder 2nd edition
Round 6 Selection 16 Michael Wildcard: Atomic Robo FATE
Round 6 Selection 17 Kevin Contender AGE – Adventure Game Engine
Round 6 Selection 18 Lewanika Wildcard The Palladium Series
and now it’s all up to YOU, dear listener – now you get to vote and determine who’s bookshelf is the Ultimate (or most ultimate) one from this draft. Check on various social channels on Twitter, Facebook and instagram and vote. We will tally the votes across all our channels and announce which one of us has the Ultimate TTRPG Bookshelf.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the endless zero-prep adventures. We rolled some d12s and made this scenario.
Action 12 Cinema is a GMless game, although Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) did serve as a facilitator and was explaining the rules (sometimes too much) to the other players. He also played character ( very much based on Jason Statham’s The Transporter character ) named Gabe Smith.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the endless zero-prep adventures. We rolled some d12s and made this scenario.
Action 12 Cinema is a GMless game, although Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) did serve as a facilitator and was explaining the rules (sometimes too much) to the other players. He also played character ( very much based on Jason Statham’s The Transporter character ) named Gabe Smith.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the endless zero-prep adventures. We rolled some d12s and made this scenario.
Action 12 Cinema is a GMless game, although Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) did serve as a facilitator and was explaining the rules (sometimes too much) to the other players. He also played character ( very much based on Jason Statham’s The Transporter character ) named Gabe Smith.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the endless zero-prep adventures. We rolled some d12s and made this scenario.
Action 12 Cinema is a GMless game, although Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) did serve as a facilitator and was explaining the rules (sometimes too much) to the other players. He also played character ( very much based on Jason Statham’s The Transporter character ) named Gabe Smith.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy The Review series. Today Michael, Tom, and guest co-host Fiona ( @WAIR_Podcast ) Take a look at the newest WotC D&D hardback heist adventure anthology book – Keys from the Golden Vault
Quick Overview:
The book introduces a possible new Patron organization for your PCs called The Golden Vault, a list of possible rival crew who may be working against you in your missions and 13 individual heist adventures ranging from level 1 to 10.
RATINGS
Tom’s Overall Rating: B+
Fiona’s Overall Rating: A-
Michael’s Overall Rating: B+
If you would like to pick up a copy of Keys from the Golden Vault on Amazon AND Support the RPG Academy podcast please use THIS LINK.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
This week Tom is sitting down to talk to none other than Michael K. Ross. Michael is the co-founder of The Rpg Academy. Lead organizer of the AcadeCon gaming convention in Dayton, Ohio and today’s he here to talk with Tom about his first TTRPG Game: Action 12 Cinema. Action 12 Cinema is a GMless, Zero-prep game of over the top Action and D12 Dice.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Chris – The Librarians tv show, You Tv Show, Dragonlance D&D campaign (streaming every other Thursday)
Eric – The Last Hand, Changeling game starting up, Peace Maker tv show, Dead End Paranormal Park tv show, Inside Job Tv show, Legend of Korra, Avatar the Last Airbender
Michael – Action 12 Cinema Prep, Arrow, Lockwood & Co, Heir of the Empire,
10 things –
Eric – 10 alternate names for The Last Hand
Chris B – 10 things that you’ve done that surprised you about yourself
Michael – 10 feelings I am having about the Action 12 Cinema Kickstarter
Used Books: Eric shares all about his currently running Kickstarter for The Last Thing.
Where have our fingers been?
Eric – two remaining people in a bar where all the people are disappearing.
Chris – Riding the scariest new ride at the local theme park.
Michael – A person is teaching another how to play Texas Hold ’em
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Welcome to Detention! In this episode I’m joined by Co-host Chris Burlew (@burlew_chris ) GM of the Redemption Podcast and guest co-host is Leam from the A Geek of One’s Own Twitch Channel
Leam – Old Enough, Reading some Batman Comics, streaming video games.
Michael – Action 12 Cinema Prep, Revival by Stephen King, Heir to the Empire Audio book, Lockwood & Co., the Last of Us tv show
10 things –
Leam – 10 Australian TV shows
Chris B – 10 things you wouldn’t do at a Hospital.
Michael – 10 improvised weapons used in movies.
Used Books: A dark campaign encounter that really challenges the players with no good solutions as well as the value of a good session 0 and safety tools.
Where have our fingers been?
Michael – a tap dancer and an Irish folk dancer, have a dance-off.
Chris – The foley artists providing the audio for previous dance off
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through an intro adventure (if not a true Sample Adventure) for Shadow of the Demon Lord by Schwalb Entertainment.
Our GM for this series is Chris Burlew of the Redemption Podcast ( @Burlew_Chris )
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Ram Rod an Orc who’s a former solider.
RJ as Thurbad the Dwarven Investigator
Big All ( @bigALtheLawyer) as Tok the Inquisitor’s assistant.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through an intro adventure (if not a true Sample Adventure) for Shadow of the Demon Lord by Schwalb Entertainment.
Our GM for this series is Chris Burlew of the Redemption Podcast ( @Burlew_Chris )
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Ram Rod an Orc who’s a former solider.
RJ as Thurbad the Dwarven Investigator
Big All ( @bigALtheLawyer) as Tok the Inquisitor’s assistant.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to community organizer and ttrpg YouTuber Gervasio Lembo. Along with being an educator, producer, game master, and convention organizer Gervasio is also the host of the Uruguayan RPGs actual play network Broadcastle. Tom and Gervasio dive into what its like playing game in Uruguay and how ttrpgs are growing in LATAM as well as soooooo much more.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through an intro adventure (if not a true Sample Adventure) for Shadow of the Demon Lord by Schwalb Entertainment.
Our GM for this series is Chris Burlew of the Redemption Podcast ( @Burlew_Chris )
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Ram Rod an Orc who’s a former solider.
RJ as Thurbad the Dwarven Investigator
Big All ( @bigALtheLawyer) as Tok the Inquisitor’s assistant.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the First adventure of the Brindlewood Bay RPG by Jason Cordova and The Gauntlet called Dad Overboard.
Our GM for this series is Brian Kurtz (@BrianBPK)
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Flochelle Rogers aka Flow
Kevin Stacy from Game Knight Heroes Podcast as Agness McGuffin
Chris ( @Sky_Rider19 ) as Lillian ‘Lily’ Montgomery
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the First adventure of the Brindlewood Bay RPG by Jason Cordova and The Gauntlet called Dad Overboard.
Our GM for this series is Brian Kurtz (@BrianBPK)
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Flochelle Rogers aka Flow
Kevin Stacy from Game Knight Heroes Podcast as Agness McGuffin
Chris ( @Sky_Rider19 ) as Lillian ‘Lily’ Montgomery
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the First adventure of the Brindlewood Bay RPG by Jason Cordova and The Gauntlet called Dad Overboard.
Our GM for this series is Brian Kurtz (@BrianBPK)
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Flochelle Rogers aka Flow
Kevin Stacy from Game Knight Heroes Podcast as Agness McGuffin
Chris ( @Sky_Rider19 ) as Lillian ‘Lily’ Montgomery
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Welcome to Detention! In this episode I’m joined by Co-host Chris Burlew (@burlew_chris ) GM of the Redemption Podcast and guest co-host is Chris Constantine designer of Hodgepocalypse
Extra Curricular –
Chris – Marvel Zombiecide, Steam Games, Pub G, Destiny 2, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Redemption Podcast final season, Vox Machina, Boy Scouts.
Chris Constantine – Prepping a crowdsourcing campaign for Hodgepocalypse, She-Hulk, Night court (the new one), Also SW: Bad Batch, The Mandalorian Season 3,
Michael – Cruise vacation to Grand Turks and Dominican Republic, Arrow Season 3, Farm to Fable, Greatest American Hero pilot, The Last of Us Tv Show, The Revival by Stephen King, Action 12 Cinema.
10 things –
Chris Constantine – 10 alternate names for The Hodgepocalypse.
Chris B – 10 things your broken Tardis might look like.
Michael – 10 things I didn’t wanna see on the buffet
Used Books: Rolling with the punches, learning to Improv as a GM.
Where have our fingers been?
Chris Constantine – negotiating with a Medusa
Michael – A Medusa looking for a new apatment.
Chris B – Two people on a cruise, not together, coming together to play a TTRPG.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the First adventure of the Brindlewood Bay RPG by Jason Cordova and The Gauntlet called Dad Overboard.
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Flochelle Rogers aka Flow
Kevin Stacy from Game Knight Heroes Podcast as Agness McGuffin
Chris ( @Sky_Rider19 ) as Lillian ‘Lily’ Montgomery
In this episode we introduce ourselves and our characters and Brian leads us through the beginning phases of the game including the introduction of the game and some safety tools and further defining our characters background and how we know and related to one another. We hear a mysterious answering Machine message for Flo and each character gets a short introductory scene and we end just as the mystery is about to begin.
Come back for episode 2 to hear the gameplay start in earnest.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through a Sample Adventure of Beam Saber which was designed by Austin Ramsay ( @Notaninn )
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through a Sample Adventure of Beam Saber which was designed by Austin Ramsay ( @Notaninn )
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through a Sample Adventure of Beam Saber which was designed by Austin Ramsay ( @Notaninn )
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Together, we visit the allegorical apocalyptic landscape of “Stalker“, a 1979 movie directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. This movie is loosely based on the novel “Roadside Picnic” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky who also co-written the film.
As usual, we review this film and discuss ways it could inspire tabletop RPG adventures, characters, or practices.
Welcome to Detention! In this episode I’m joined by Co-host Chris Burlew (@burlew_chris ) GM of the Redemption Podcast and guest co-host is Christopher Helton.
Extra Curricular –
Chris – New TV show on Nextflix – New Amsterdam, Marvel Zombiecide, Willow finale,
Christopher H – Reading lots of Marvel Comics on the Unlimited App, Anime series called Nana.
Michael – Willow series overall, Malcom in the Middle, Arrow Tv series, Action 12 Cinema KS next Month.
10 things –
Chris – 10 things you might find in a Swamp
Michael – 10 things you’d find in a Lich’s shoebox
Christopher – 10 Action Movies.
Used Books: For this week we talk a bit about Christopher’s currently running Kickstarter for Action-Heroes RPG.
Where have our fingers been?
Michael – two people underground.
Chris – two people crafting a Craigslist ad for luring people into a deadly encounter
Ian – Two people discussing Marvel vs DC.
Cryptozoology: Florida Cryptid – The Skunk Ape
Q&A: A Charlton Comics Character through Action-Heroes RPG lens
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The RPG Academy The Review series. Today Michael and Tom take a look at Everyday Heroes from Evil Genius Games.
Quick Overview
Everyday Heroes is a modern version of the D&D 5e game for both good and Ill. If you like D&D 5e and are interested in playing a more modern / Action Movie style RPG this fits that bit very very well. I was very impressed throughout by how they managed to re-skin 5e and more so by the changes they made.
The core book consists of 3 main sections.
Part 1: Heroes. This is roughly 200 pages and walks you through character creation and includes all the rules of how your Hero works.
Part 2: Game Rules. This is about 60 pages and covers the core rules, combat, and Skill checks as well as some miscellaneous rules as well as a section on vehicles and chases.
Part 3: Mastering the Game which includes sections on GMing the game, creating adventures, and a bestiary of sorts.
90% or more of the game lines up with a traditional action movie in the vein of Die Hard or Lethal Weapon. Extraordinary people but not super or supernatural. There are a few winks and nods, particularly in the bestiary section where you have creatures like Demons and Vampires included so you CAN dip into the Supernatural.
Primarily though you will get that sort of flavor through their Cinematic Adventure series wherein they are crafting a series of adventures based on popular Action Movies which will also, as needed, introduce new rules to match the tone style of those movies.
For this review I was also given digital copies of the Escape from New York Adventure and The Crow Adventure. In particular I want to say that in The Crow they introduce rules for Ritual Magic.
I don’t want to say my expectations were low, it was more that I had no expectations going in. I was aware of the Kickstarter that launched this product but it didn’t draw me in. Now I wish it had. As an Action Movie Junkie that also happens to enjoy D&D 5e and have a lot of skills for GMing that which would cross over here making this a very easy game to run, amazing adventures coming out every few months. This is a game I expect I will buy a hard copy of to have in my collection and will run at some point in 2023 (Probably when the Universal Solider Adventure Lands).
Is it perfect? No. I had one minor issue with the font/ formatting but that may be how I was reading it digitally and am not sure if that’s reflected in the print edition. But my biggest compliant is I really don’t like the art. Pretty much throughout the book the art doesn’t work for me. Very much a YMMV situation and easy enough to ignore so despite that I am still rating the game and the initial 2 adventures as a B+ and give it a high recommend.
Overall Rating: B+
If you would like to pick up a copy of Everyday Heroes at DriveThruRPG AND Support the RPG Academy podcast please use THIS LINK.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Howdy cats and kittens! It’s TheCalebG aka Professor Crunch aka the founder of Point Five Past.Today I’m here to review Blade Runner, a Free League Publishing and Alcon Entertainment game. Blade Runner achieved 16,513% funding on Kickstarter in May of 2022. At the time of writing this article multiple versions of the book and all related resources are available for purchase directly from Free League as well as on Drive Thru RPG and many other retailers. The publisher was kind enough to send a copy of the book and resources for the purpose of this review.
Quick Overview
Blade Runner lets you play in the world established in Blade Runner 2049. The book and its resources are part rules and part campaign setting, focusing on play in the gritty, noir, cyberpunk, neon landscape of LA as seen in both of the Blade Runner movies but set in the year 2037. Players work for the LAPD in the RDU, Replicant Detection Unit. Characters are either human or replicant and are tasked with locating and retiring rogue replicants. While there are rules for action scenes, the core of the gameplay experience is solving cases and dealing with tough moral decisions.
Book and Resources
The core rulebook contains everything players and game runners need to play Blade Runner. A starter set is available, containing a quick start guide, a starter adventure, pre-made characters, full-color handout materials that support the adventure, and dice. Dice with special symbols that fit the game mechanics can be bought separately, as can a high-quality game runner screen. There are also Virtual Tabletop assets for use on Roll20. The starter adventure, Electric Dreams, is the only published adventure for this setting currently, but more are said to be on the way.
The book is right around 230 pages and packed full of art and reference tables. About 80 pages scattered through the book are devoted to rules and mechanics. Only about 10 pages towards the end give guidelines for how to run the game. The rest of the book describes the world of Blade Runner, specifically the city of LA.
Story
The game Blade Runner lets players experience the story and setting of the two Blade Runner movies. On an Earth devastated by years of mistreatment, corporations have taken over and made things worse. The elite and wealthy are able to move off-world but the rest of society suffers. Cybernetic humanoids called Replicants were created as a reliable workforce but soon rose up in rebellion against their masters. Thus began decades of fear-induced violence. Blade Runners are employed by the police force to hunt down and eliminate renegade replicants.
Of course, nothing in this neon- and noir-soaked world is as easy as it seems. Blade Runners are a necessary evil in this world and are treated as such. While their work is officially sanctioned, they are also executing replicants that are, for the most part, just trying to exist peacefully. The focus of Blade Runner is dealing with difficult moral choices. Action and combat plays a part, but the true story is found in how players and characters deal with the social and personal impact of their choices.
Mechanics
For as complex a story as Blade Runner provides to players, the mechanics are easy to grasp. Based on the Year Zero Engine, characters have 4 attributes and 13 skills, each rated with a die ranging from a d6 to a d12. After describing an action, players roll the dice from the applicable attribute and skill. A result of 6 or higher on either die is a success. A result of 10 or higher grants two successes. In general, only one success is needed to complete the action as described. Rolling multiple successes counts as a critical success and has a variety of benefits including dealing extra damage, inflicting critical injuries, or adding bonus effects.
There is an advantage and disadvantage mechanic, which either adds or removes a die from the roll. After rolling, players can decide to push their roll and re-roll one of their dice at the cost of their characters suffering damage from the extra exertion.
Character Creation and Gameplay
Building a Blade Runner is quick and easy. All attributes and skills start by default at a d8 and a d6 respectively. Players decide if their character is human or replicant (or a secret replicant), their role in the LAPD, and how long they’ve been serving. These decisions grant a varying number of improvements that can be applied to the dice values of each attribute and skill as the player wants. Players also define a Key Memory for their characters that can be used to provide mechanical benefits and role playing opportunities. All of these choices are provided on tables so players can roll randomly if they want.
A game here is generally referred to as a Case File. Playing the game starts with the relatively simple premise of RDU agents being assigned a case. Using all the resources of the LAPD and their personal contacts, agents investigate the case and deal with the consequences of chasing down and retiring replicants. Cases are organized by clues and NPCs that can be found at specific locations as well as a timeline of events that play out whether or not the PCs are present at the time.
The majority of gameplay is about finding clues and talking to the citizens of LA. There’s also navigating the political and corporate world of the city. When negotiations fail and things take a nasty turn, there are detailed mechanics for combat and chase scenes. Combat is deadly in Blade Runner and is definitely not the first choice that players should make.
Opinion
I don’t know if I’ve ever read a TTRPG based on a book or movie that absolutely nails the source material and themes as good as Blade Runner does. It is easily the most engaging game book I’ve ever read.
The book is absolutely gorgeous. The Blade Runner movies are all about style and this book is bleeding style from every page. Almost every page is full of art that perfectly depicts the vibe of a desperate city soaked in rain and neon. The actual content of the book is organized in small boxes set against a dark background. This actually makes it easier to find the needed section of rules, as each component is almost isolated and highlighted.
In most books, I want the focus to be on mechanics. I want to learn the unique aspects of the game through the way players interact with the game world. In this case, an overwhelming majority of the book is dedicated to describing the game setting and that’s just fine with me. The core of this game is style and that’s exactly what we get. As I mentioned before, this book is pretty much a campaign setting for the city of LA in 2037. While there are facts about the world, we are not given any details about setting a game anywhere other than LA. This is not necessarily a problem, in my opinion. The intent of this book is to deliver the experience of the movies and they happen in LA.
There are two small quibbles I have with this book. They are incredibly minor. First is the need for more examples. Second is the challenge of running this game without printed materials.
As to the examples, the book does provide clear examples. I just want more, specifically for how to create a Case File and run a game. The concepts presented here are nothing entirely new or unique in the gaming world, but it feels like not nailing the right formula here will negatively impact the tone and style of the game. I think after running a few games it will all make sense, but it is something I’m concerned about.
As to the other quibble, let’s take a look at Electric Dreams, the first and only currently printed Case File for the game. Included are full-color maps of key locations, magazine covers, newspapers, suspect profiles, crime scene photos, and evidence. Having all of this physically on the game table or shared in a digital game space makes the game experience vivid and engaging. The lack of these is not a problem, but it does present an extra degree of challenge. These resources help keep players focused and give them something real to inspect and search for clues instead of simply relying on skill checks and descriptive dialogue. That’s just cool. Playing without them is perfectly fine. Most games are played without things like these resources. But given the emphasis on style and tone of Blade Runner, having tools like this just makes the game all the better.
I absolutely love Blade Runner, the book, the movies, and the game. The book was clearly written as an act of love for the source material and had the intent of delivering a true-to-source experience. I love how the mechanics and structure support the themes of the story and how their focus is not on combat. I also love how the mechanics are easy to understand. Being able to quickly build a character and explain the rules allows players to experience more of the game.
If you want to play in the Blade Runner world, or just play a cyberpunk game with an emphasis on difficult choices instead of futuristic tech, this is the game for you.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meeting 165! Michael and Tom are recapping 2022 for The RPG Academy. We talk about all of our favorite gaming moments and games from this past year as well as some things we are looking forward to in 2023.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Austin Ramsay about CalazCon. CalazCon is an ambitious actual play project that will combine multiple mini campaigns into one large narrative with all mini campaigns happening at the same time. Austin is using this experiment to try something in the AP space and explore how far the Beam Saber rules can be pushed. Beam Saber is one of our favorite games at The RPG Academy so be sure to check this out.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
In this episode of The Reviews, Tom (@BeskarTom) and Chris Burlew (@burlew_chris) take a look at the latest D&D adventure. Dragolance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen. Does this book live up to Chris’s love of Dragonlance? Will Tom actually like a D&D book ever again? Find out now!
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Journey Through the Realms. Episode 9 – DragonLance
Nov 29, 2022
Hello and welcome the eight episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For this episode I have Meaghan J (aka @MissMeaghanJ ) as my guest/expert covering the DragonLance Setting.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit for your well being. if you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 164 – Player Problems
In this episode, Tom and Michael announce the date for the Action 12 Cinema Kickstarter (02/28/23) and how you can sign up to be notified (GO HERE). WE also touch on some AcadeCon 2023 news. The Walking Dead RPG from Free League and D&D one and the OGL rumor mill.
Then we go into the wayback machine and talk about Dungeon Talk episode 25 which you can listen to here.
New podcast recommendations
The Maniculum Podcast
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
In this episode of The Reviews, The Caleb G ( @TheCalebG ) takes a look at The Calling Sci-Fi Western RPG by Ohad Reiter ( @OhadReiter )
Howdy cats and kittens! It’s TheCalebG aka Professor Crunch aka the founder of Point Five Past. Today I’m here to review The Calling, a game published by Ohad Reiter and currently available on DriveThruRPG. The publisher was kind enough to send a copy of the book for the purpose of this review.
The Calling has several purchase options available on DriveThruRPG as well as a free quick-start guide. On the game’s website (www.thecallingrpg.com) character and GM sheets are available for both letter and A4 paper, as well as fillable PDF options.
Quick Overview
The Calling is a genre mashup of Science Fiction and Western tropes. The game’s world is a post-Armageddon that has been rebuilt based on classic movies. Players create characters that are the Chosen of Star Gods, alien beings that reshaped the world prior to Armageddon. Adventures range from classic elements of fighting mutated creatures and salvaging ancient tech to protecting the Star Gods from cosmic horror monstrosities. While most RPGs will have GMs take the role of deities, the Star Gods in The Calling have a much more active role and impact on the game.
Book and Resources
This book comes in at just shy of 450 pages. Most of these pages are text, charts, and examples of how to play the game. There is some full page art scattered through the book. It’s black and white and very reminiscent of classic pulp comics.
The first 300 pages are devoted to game rules and structure. Story details are scattered throughout, but the main mythology of the game world is told in about 10 pages after that first rules section. The last 100 pages are focused on the bestiary and magic spells.
Primarily focusing on the rules with flavor sprinkled in is a great approach. The Calling is a pretty crunchy game, so building a foundation for the game’s intent and concept on the mechanics is crucial.
The online resources for The Calling are slim but helpful. Three different versions of both player and GM sheets cover the bases of everything the table will need for a game. And as someone who is always searching for an easy-to-use digital character sheet for games, having the official sheet from the publisher is much appreciated.
Story
The short version of The Calling’s story is that Armageddon happened 300 years ago. Survivors gathered somewhere in Asia and rebuilt society based entirely on old movies. There aren’t big cities, just small towns surrounded by farms and ranches. Towns are drawn straight out of old Westerns, right down to Main Street and the saloon. Leadership in towns is organized like mafia movies. Monasteries show movies to town residents for both entertainment and spiritual enlightenment.
Most folks in this world rarely leave their towns. PCs are adventurers, the few brave and skilled enough to survive the dangers of the new world. They are also the Chosen of the local Star God, an alien being that is more or less responsible for the region where the PCs live. Not only do the Chosen Ones complete heroic quests, but they also serve and protect their Star God who, in return, supports them by answering prayers and granting miracles.
The longer version of the story tells players exactly what happened 300 years ago and how encountering the beings that would become Star Gods led to Armageddon. While exploring the depths of space, humanity met alien beings. These beings came back to Earth, became part of human society, and began using their advanced genetic manipulation abilities to help improve the world. However, the Star Gods also picked up many of humanity’s worst traits and started fighting amongst themselves. During this time, humans continued their usual terrible behaviors and ended up in a war as well. However, they now had access to much more advanced technology thanks to the Star Gods, so this war became Armageddon and wiped out most of humanity.
In the aftermath, the remaining Star Gods repaired and rebuilt the Earth, returning it to a vibrant natural state. They nurtured the surviving humans and helped them develop. When humanity was at a point of being able to understand concepts such as history and culture, the Star Gods used old movies to instruct and guide them. Thus we see the current state of the world in The Calling.
All of the dangers in this new world come from both the impact of both the Star Gods and the destructive choices of humanity. The genetic experiments the Star Gods performed led to mutated beasts roaming the world, including even deadlier versions of dinosaurs. Creatures based on human myths are also a threat, but these have a more unclear origin. During the Armageddon, humans built advanced and dangerous robots who are now living deep underground doing strange robot things. They have taken on shapes reminiscent of monsters from high fantasy stories to strike additional fear into their human prey A variety of classic monsters like vampires, demons, and werewolves also exist as altered humans who made deals with Star Gods. And there are also cosmic horrors that are on Earth for the sole reason of hunting and killing the Star Gods.
Mechanics
The basic dice resolution in The Calling is very simple. Characters have five traits (Muscle, Grace, Insight, Resolve, and Charm) that range from one to six. When faced with a task, players roll 2d6 and add the related trait value. Meeting or beating the target number (called the Difficulty Score) generates a successful result. Rolling snake eyes (two 1s on the dice) is a critical failure and rolling boxcars (two 6s on the dice, called Midnight here) is a critical success. A Midnight roll also generates a currency called Favor that can be used when interacting with Star Gods.
There are 14 skills, each of which is assigned or related to a specific trait. However, there is no positive modifier for being trained in a skill. Instead, there is a negative modifier for rolling an untrained skill. Character abilities and situations can provide both positive and negative modifiers to rolls.
With only a few exceptions, NPCs and monsters do not roll against PCs. NPCs and monsters have set values that players roll against. For example, the player will roll their character’s attack against a monster’s dodge score and roll their character’s dodge against a monster’s attack score.
The Calling also provides a structure to resolve dramatic scenes from movies such as negotiations, heists, investigation, and so on. When a scene like this starts, players describe three actions the party takes to resolve the scene. The overall result is based on how many successful skill checks are made ranging from zero to three. The book gives a breakdown of several classic scene types and guidelines of how to establish the scene, what skills to use, and how to define the overall success after rolls are made.
Character Creation and Gameplay
Building a character in The Calling is very quick. Players start by selecting their character’s Dojo and Calling. A Dojo is a fighting style. There are eight options including Cyborg, Katana, and Laser. A Calling is both a character’s background and their general method of interacting with the world. There are ten options including Cowboy, Nun, and Witch. Players then assign a set array of five numbers to their characters’ traits.
Dojos and Callings also grant Masteries, which encompass everything from supernatural powers to physical prowess. To use the terms of other games, Masteries are the catch-all for feats and class abilities. They also grant access to Prayers, which are The Calling’s version of magic.
To use Prayers, players take a specific combat action to role play offering up the request to their character’s Star God. If the request is granted, the Prayer is paid for with Favor. Prayers have many effects, ranging from summoning ally spirits to dealing elemental damage to enemies. Almost every Prayers also has a healing effect for the party as well.
Players strive to complete their characters’ individual quests as they experience the game’s other events. Quests are selected from a list in the character’s Calling and are broad enough to be incorporated into larger plot elements and intertwined with other characters’ quests to make the overall story more interesting. Completing Quests is how characters advance and gain levels.
As mentioned before, NPCs and monsters don’t roll dice. Instead, they have set Difficulty Scores for players to roll against. The only exception is their initiative. Their attacks and abilities also have flat damage, no rolling. This makes for very streamlined encounters and combat.
There are a large variety of combat maneuvers and options. This is where most of The Calling’s crunch comes into play. All of these maneuvers draw upon action and western movie themes and strive to help players recreate that fun on-screen action at the table. As a perfect example, ever want to shoot off someone’s hat? That’s in there.
A helpful feature of combat is that Goliath-sized monsters (the largest size category) are treated as multiple creatures each with their own stats, actions, and attacks. When a part of the Goliath is reduced to zero hit points, its actions are no-longer available in combat. This is an excellent way to manage combat with larger creatures and give players strong tactical options and clear objectives.
Gameplay in The Calling fits the fairly standard “big heroes in a dangerous” world concept. As Chosen of local Star God, characters will be asked to help with all kinds of tasks as they venture between towns completing their own quests. Unlike deities in other games, the Star God plays an active role in the campaign and interacts with the characters regularly, In fact, the choice of the Star God’s domain defines the overall theme of the campaign that’s being played.
Being an active part of the game puts the Star God in danger. The Chosen are not quite the Star God’s bodyguards, but they were chosen to defend the Star God from extreme danger. That danger takes the shape of Doppelgangers, a unique monster type that exists solely to destroy the Star God. This is where the cosmic horror element entrees The Calling. These Doppelgangers are hidden in the world and turn into twisted, terrifying monstrosities when they reveal themselves.
These Doppelgangers are integral to every campaign in The Calling. Only six exist in the game world and characters must find and destroy them. Doing so advances the Star God, granting them additional abilities that can support the characters. Dying to a Doppelganger is the only way for a character or party to be truly wiped out. In fact, if this happens the players lose the game. Additionally, Doppelgangers act as progress locks. They must be destroyed in a specific order for characters to advance through available levels.
Opinion
I’m torn about The Calling. It’s a great concept. Mashing up genres and presenting a post-Armageddon world inspired by action movies and Westerns is amazingly fun. Building a character with the Dojo and Calling option provides for lots of flexibility and creativity. The mechanics are easy to learn and understand but crunchy enough to provide lots of engaging tactical combat. The monsters are easy to run while still being interesting. The story itself is original, unique, and very entertaining. The book is written in a very accessible style and contains lots of great information for players and narrators of all skill levels, even though it does seem to be aimed primarily at new players.
But there are elements that are not so great as well. The book, while mostly well-organized, does present some information randomly. It’s not a distracting problem, but it could have a better structure. There are some minor grammatical errors throughout the entire book. The art that is there is fantastic and on-theme but there’s not much of it. The language of the book is inconsistent, changing between in-world style, generic advice structure, and personalized “I” statements from the author. The game advice contains many “only”, “never”, and “always” statements. This is not necessarily a problem but it does feel like the game comes with lots of restrictions.
Speaking of restrictions, The Calling has a very defined structure and pace. There is clearly a start and finish to the campaign, along with win and loss conditions. This is not bad, but it is different as the majority of RPGs are open-ended. But a defined structure can be very beneficial, especially for newer players. Open-ended RPGs can present players with paralysis of choice. Having too many options can be overwhelming. The defined structure and pace also helps with time management when it comes to playing the game.
Overall, I like The Calling. It’s a fun, pulpy game with a cool story and setting driving the action. It asks for a lot of role-playing prompts from players and rewards those with mechanical support. But the presentation is rough around the edges. It’s a little distracting but that’s the worst of it.
The Calling is easily accessible to new players and appealing to experienced players. It’s not quite a niche game but it’s not as expansive as other RPGs. I hope that it continues to grow and develop. This game feels a lot like 13th Age, to me. It gives players a very specific box to play in, but provides many options of what to do inside that box. I feel that this is an excellent game for an actual play podcast or stream. It’s the type of game that delivers a very specific experience. If that’s the experience you want, you will absolutely love this game.
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy ) joined by Tom ( @BeskarTom) Brad ( @Forceanddestiny ) @John ( @Jevchance ) Ryan ( @Teleport ) and The Caleb G ( @TheCalebG ) to discuss the most recent AcadeCon. Highlights and do betters for the next year.
AcadeCon 2023 will be November 3rd – 5th at the Dayton Convention Center
The Kickstarter for badge pre-sales will go live on August 15th.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Kurt Refling about Here We Used to Fly. In this game players take on the roles of characters visiting a theme park at different stages in their life and explore how their character have changed along with the theme park. This game uses leading questions to drive narrative and plays out over the course of several rounds. Explore what it truly means to be nostalgic with this game.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Duamn Figueroa Rassol about Noctis Labyrinth! This game is a series of adventure modules created to be used with World of Dungeon, a free to use Powered by the Apocalypse hack. Duamn is an Argentinian illustrator and game designer who has been able to merge his unique art and writing style into a truly beautiful and weird game. This one is not to be missed!
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 163 – The Giveaway
In this episode, Tom and Michael cover a bunch of new TTRPG news items and discuss some of their own recent gaming experiences as well as give away a copy of the Alt cover D&D hardcover Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. Then Michael makes a case that D&D 5e is actually extremely well designed.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
In this episode of The Reviews, The Caleb G ( @TheCalebG ) take a look at Defiant RPG by Game Machinery (@Thilnen )
Thank you to Game Machinery for providing us with a review copy.
Howdy cats and kittens! It’s TheCalebG aka Professor Crunch aka the founder of Point Five Past.Today I’m here to review Defiant, a game published by Game Machinery and currently available on DriveThruRPG. The publishers were kind enough to send a copy of the book along with the various resources needed to play the game for the purpose of this review.
Defiant was successfully funded by 543% on Kickstarter in July of 2021. The campaign met 10 of its 12 stretch goals. There are currently 3 supplemental books available for purchase and a free Quick Start guide. The Kickstarter campaign mentions an online system to manage characters and games, but as of the writing of this article this resource is still under construction. The core book comes in both a standard print layout and a screen-friendly layout, which is a great approach for our digital gaming environment.
Quick Overview
Defiant is an urban fantasy game with a focus on political drama and intrigue. The story is set against the background of an ongoing apocalypse. Players create supernatural characters who are part of elaborate courts that are safe havens from apocalyptic danger and mortal observation. Gameplay is focused on managing court expectations and responsibilities while maneuvering and manipulating others to accomplish a variety of goals. Although it is not the focus, many themes in the game are mature and not for younger players.
Book and Resources
The print version of Defiant is just over 300 pages and the screen-friendly version is just over 600. Most of the book is focused on how to prepare and play the game. It seems like common sense to say this, but given the intent of the game, this a crucial point to recognize. More on that later.
Interestingly, the book’s art was “made using stock images from paid and free sites.” My understanding of this is that the stock images were used as a base for the art. Characters are depicted as ultra-rich socialites with typical supernatural details like wings or horns. The art is striking, with mostly yellow and purple tones, which gives a surreal depiction to everything. Note that while none of the art is explicit, there are risqué depictions of mature content. Nothing here is worse than you’d see in a fashion magazine or on Instagram, but there are quite a few implications being made. This is not a book for kids.
There is a good, common sense flow to how the information in the book is given to readers. Given the complex nature of Defiant, this is a smart move. Starting with the foundation of a quick overview of the game and its intent, the book then builds by explaining the game’s setting and how to prepare for the first game session. It is comforting to see a focus on Line and Veil rules here, considering the adult nature of much of this content.
Game mechanics are referenced but not explained in detail until around 70 pages into the book. Similarly, character abilities and details are discussed but not given details until almost 200 pages into the book. Normally, this is something I would call out as a concern. However, given the need to understand the social dynamics of this game world, I feel that the focus on how to facilitate this type of game and the unique nature of the game world is the best approach. Additionally, the mechanical structure of characters is addressed during character and game creation with the included game resources.
Speaking of resources, Defiant provides a lot of them. This is an appreciated decision, as the specific details of game mechanics are on the complex side. Maps and reference cards provide details of the setting and reminders about how everything works. Cards are also used in character creation. More on that later. These resources are clear and easy to use, giving enough information to keep the game moving without having to dig through the book.
Story
The apocalypse is happening right now in Defiant. But due to illusions maintained by powerful magic, mortal folks don’t know this. Terrible apocalyptic events are understood as acts of terrorism, tragic accidents, or environmental disasters. Players take on roles of supernatural beings that once were part of carrying out the apocalypse but have decided to defy their responsibilities.
Safety in this world is found in the Domains of the Defiant. These are small pockets of supernatural civilization hidden within regular cities inhabited by mortals. Domains are isolated from each other, so each game that’s played takes place completely within one single Domain. The safety of Domains are maintained by following strict rules and structure, which leads into the court hierarchy structure of the game.
Characters come from one of four supernatural origins. Angels are fallen divine servants; Daeva are former gods and legendary creatures; Leviathans are ancient draconian forces of destruction; Infernals are tormented humans who became tormentors over centuries of suffering.
The majority of daily activity in Defiant is focused on maintaining the status-quo of the Domain to ensure that the apocalypse remains safely outside its walls. As powerful as the characters are within a Domain, they cannot fight against creatures still serving in the apocalyptic war. These creatures are also grouped into four origins, this time based on the classic mythology of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. These creatures might infiltrate or take action against a Domain, but this is very rare.
Mechanics
The core dice mechanic in Defiant is a fairly simple dice pool roll of 3d6 with successes generating from a result of 5 or higher. But instead of a more typical mechanic of adding successes to a stat or attribute, a character’s Potential allows players to increase the dice size up to a maximum of d10s while success is still determined with a result of 5 or higher. Potential is gained from a variety of sources such as character traits, adversary flaws, and outside sources of help. Potential can be reduced by things such as an enemy’s advantages or a character’s weaknesses.
Potential increases dice one at a time starting with the lowest die. So 1 Potential would let a player roll 1d8 and 2d6, 2 Potential would let a player roll 2d8 and 1d6, and so on.
There is also a resource called Shards. These can be used to add a d8 to the dice pool, which can then be upgraded with Potential as normal. Shards have a variety of other uses related to character abilities.
When it comes to the dice pool mechanic, this is a relatively simple system. There is some complication in finding all the ways that Potential is gained and lost, but this becomes much easier as the game progresses.
Character Creation and Gameplay
Building a supernatural character in Defiant is both simple and complex. On the simple side, there are no stats or attributes. Characters are defined in themes and traits which are all descriptive words or phrases. Also, everything is done with cards. Players randomly select cards to define all important aspects of their character from their supernatural origin to their standing in their court to, believe it or not, their marital status. Once these choices are made and details are recorded on a character sheet, character creation is done. Compared to the more typical number- and option-heavy character creation process, this is a breeze.
But on the complex side, character creation is far more involved than making these simple choices. Unless the group is playing in a pre-made Domain, players are also creating their home town and court while making characters. They are fleshing out all the NPCs that hold specific court roles. The hierarchy of the courts in Defiant are crucial to the overall story. If the rules of the Domain are not met through the structure of the court, the magic that holds back the apocalypse fails. And don’t forget that regular folks also exist in this supernatural world. Interaction with them is rare, but they are still a factor of how the Domain operates. Thus, character creation in Defiant is more along the lines of world creation. This isn’t terribly complicated as most things are defined with a few simple phrases, but it is a very different experience when compared to other games.
Playing Defiant is similarly different from other RPGs. The focus is not on combat or exploration. Instead the game is about managing the daily activities and responsibilities of the court while also pursuing individual goals of advancement. Conflict comes from clashing schemes and personalities. Physical combat can occur, but it’s typically in the form of a tournament or a duel. Defiant is about playing politics and managing grand plans over a long term. To support this structure, a campaign is organized like a television show with a Season that is broken into six to ten Episodes. Character abilities are focused on supporting this narrative structure and prompt players to ask large-scale questions that introduce new elements into the game and move the story forward.
Opinion
Defiant presents an impressive concept and supports it with a vivid world and clever mechanics. The rules at the core of the game are easy to understand which helps players focus on developing a shared narrative experience at the table.
That being said, Defiant is a very niche game. This is not an easy game to pick up and play at random. This is a game where everyone needs to share the same mindset, expectations, and mental preparation. Given the type of gameplay and mature themes in Defiant, players need a high degree of comfort and trust with each other. Luckily, the book is full of reminders about how to play the game successfully and safely. But this is not a game for younger players and probably is not what you’d play randomly at a convention or run for strangers.
I commend the writers for taking on an ambitious topic and presenting it in an accessible way. Personally, I’ve always struggled with how to best execute a game of intrigue and political drama and the mechanics here are a perfect approach. I also love how the writers embrace and support the LGBTQIA+ community and present a refreshing attitude of inclusivity.
Defiant is a narrative-focused game about social elite with supernatural powers pursuing their own agendas while also maintaining their responsibilities in strict court hierarchy with the apocalypse ongoing in the background. Why the CW hasn’t optioned this for a new show yet is beyond me. The game is focused on style but delivers the substance needed to tell a great story. This is not something I’ll likely play at length. It’s just not the right game for me and my typical players. But I like what Defiant presents and how it executes the concept. If you are seeking this type of story, I can’t think of another game that presents the concept in such an accessible and streamlined way.
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Really liking Andor and She-Hulk. Also liking Rings of Power. Playing Hyrule Warriors but the game play is very different than expected, but fun. Plus work stuff. Camping soon.
David – Recently changed jobs, back to working for self. Father of 2 kids. Loving Owl House on Disney +, She-Hulk is on the list. Playing D&D with twins. Caught them playing themselves. Reading Chronicles of Narnia.
Michael – Loving Andor. Loving She-Hulk. Stephen King Book Fairy Tale. Very good. AcadeCon is just a month away. Family vacation end of the month, Disney World.
10 things –
David – 10 favorite childhood shows from Australia
Chris – 10 Things you’ve heard you should watch out for while camping in Australia
Michael – 10 Things you wanna see at Disney World
Used Books: David talks about restarting his RPG hobby as a 40 year old father and re-connecting with his friends from when he played as a child and how his style of gaming has changed over those years.
Where have our fingers been?
David – Two heroes trying to convince the other one to go through the door first.
Chris – two people on vaction. One speaks the native language and the other does not. After 7 minute the one that does not realizes the conversation is now in english and they just haven’t been paying attention
Michael – A Paladin has just caught the Thief stealing.
Cryptozoology: Gladiator NPC Stat block as some reskinning it
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Craig Campbell about Code Warriors! This new game lets players take on the roles of computer programs trying to survive their own electronic apocalypse. Code Warriors builds upon the rules laid out in Good Strong Hands, but adds some very unique resource management and economy mechanics that will make you feel like the end is near. Be sure to check out Code Warriors on Kickstarter now!
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Rob Leigh about When the Moon Hangs Low! This new RPG was inspired by classic stories of gothic horror, but has been dialed up for adventure in the doomed city of Harrowmire. When the Moon Hangs low lets players take the roles of hunters as they explore the city, and try to slow the spread of the disease of terror that grips the streets. When the Moon Hangs Low is currently on Kickstarter so check it out now!
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 162 – Roll to seduce the inanimate object
In this episode, Tom and Michael cover a bunch of new TTRPG news items and discuss some of their own recent gaming experiences a
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Dragonbane is the latest game from Free League, and this time the much beloved Swedish RPG company is taking a classic Scandinavian RPG and reimagining it for a new generation of gamers. Tom sits down with Tomas Härenstam, one of the founders of Free League and designers of this game, to talk about what this game brings that their previous games did not.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Tim Gonzalez about Beacon! This new RPG was inspired by D&D 4E and Lancer with a Final Fantasyesque backdrop. This game introduces some incredibly cool concepts to TTRPGs including swappable class loadouts, loot boxes, and a unique phase based combat system that will make you think you are playing a classic JRPG. Beacon is currently on Kickstarter so follow the links below to get yourself a copy!
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Jason Duff about his exciting new Universal RPG System, Heroes and Hardships. This game is set to hit Kickstarter this Fall and there is a lot to love. This game is chock full of inspiration to create endless games while supported by a robust rules system that does not feel overwhelming.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the Sample Adventure Damn Dirty Apes from the Revised Core book of Monster of the Week. Monster of the week was designed by Michael Sands and published by Evil Hat.
Our GM for this series is Case aka Jet Saurian ( @GM_JetSaurian )
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Everson, the Professional
Jerry H. Aka Thule as Willard Dawson, the Wronged
Bob Carnicom ( @Bob_The_Tree ) as Chad Stewart, the Mundane
Jack Vinson ( @Jackvinson ) as Barry Grayson Mantini aka The Bagman, the Crooked.
Find Monster of the Week on the Evil Hat Webstore Here
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the Sample Adventure Damn Dirty Apes from the Revised Core book of Monster of the Week. Monster of the week was designed by Michael Sands and published by Evil Hat.
Our GM for this series is Case aka Jet Saurian ( @GM_JetSaurian )
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Everson, the Professional
Jerry H. Aka Thule as Willard Dawson, the Wronged
Bob Carnicom ( @Bob_The_Tree ) as Chad Stewart, the Mundane
Jack Vinson ( @Jackvinson ) as Barry Grayson Mantini aka The Bagman, the Crooked.
Find Monster of the Week on the Evil Hat Webstore Here
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Matt (Ursidice) about his new fast and fun dungeon crawler, You Meet In A Tavern, You Die In A Dungeon. Matt breaks down what a dungeon is and how dying can be fun and memorable. Oh also it uses D12s! Make sure to follow Matt as this one drops in October and you don’t want to miss it!
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the Sample Adventure Damn Dirty Apes from the Revised Core book of Monster of the Week. Monster of the week was designed by Michael Sands and published by Evil Hat.
Our GM for this series is Case aka Jet Saurian ( @GM_JetSaurian )
and our players
Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy ) As Everson, the Professional
Jerry H. Aka Thule as Willard Dawson, the Wronged
Bob Carnicom ( @Bob_The_Tree ) as Chad Stewart, the Mundane
Jack Vinson ( @Jackvinson ) as Barry Grayson Mantini aka The Bagman, the Crooked.
Find Monster of the Week on the Evil Hat Webstore Here
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Today Michael is back in the interviewer seat for a chat with the gents from Tabletop Journeys Podcast (@TTJ ) to discuss their currently running Kickstarter: A Multiverse of Subclasses. which offers 12 new Subclasses to your D&D 5e Table.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the Sample Adventure Hope’s Last Day in the Core rule book of the Alien RPG by Free League Press.
Our GM for this series is Big Al The Lawyer ( @BigAlTheLawyer )
and our players
Caleb ( @TheCalebG ) as HOLROYD
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) as Morgan Hirsch
Jerry H. Aka Thule as Sonny Sigg.
Find the Alien RPG on the Free League store
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
In this episode of The Reviews, Tom ( @BeskarTom ) and Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy) take a look at the newest adventure anthology from Wizards of the Coast for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.
As always – thank you to Wizards for providing us a review copy.
OUR RATINGS:
Tom – C
Michael – C –
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the Sample Adventure Hope’s Last Day in the Core rule book of the Alien RPG by Free League Press.
Our GM for this series is Big Al The Lawyer ( @BigAlTheLawyer )
and our players
Caleb ( @TheCalebG ) as HOLROYD
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) as Morgan Hirsch
Jerry H. Aka Thule as Sonny Sigg.
Find the Alien RPG on the Free League store
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode i’m joined by Jared ( @TheOtherJared1 ) Chris ( @MercuryWolf1985 ) and Michael Waldschlagger II ( @LoserMLW )
In this episode we have gathered together to discuss our recent GenCon experience. Please note, I was granted a Press Badge by GenCon for the show.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Since this episode was recorded a long time ago, the announcement at the end is not up to date. Our next episode should be about “The Name of the Rose” historical mystery film from 1986 directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on the novel by Umberto Eco.
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the Sample Adventure Choosing Night in the Core rule book of the Fantasy Age RPG Core Book by Green Ronin Publishing.
Our GM for this series is Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy )
and our players
Kaylee ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Caitlyn Mayfair
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) as Sunedo Yellowfang
Remi ( @Elfremi ) as Weldorf
Jack Vinson ( @JackVinson ) as Haliver Buckleberry
Find the Fantasy Age game at the Green Ronin Publishing Store
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the Sample Adventure Choosing Night in the Core rule book of the Fantasy Age RPG Core Book by Green Ronin Publishing.
Our GM for this series is Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy )
and our players
Kaylee ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Caitlyn Mayfair
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) as Sunedo Yellowfang
Remi ( @Elfremi ) as Weldorf
Jack Vinson ( @JackVinson ) as Haliver Buckleberry
Find the Fantasy Age game at the Green Ronin Publishing Store
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 161 – A Game by Any Other Name
In this episode, Tom and Michael cover a bunch of new TTRPG news items and discuss some of their own recent gaming experiences a
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through the Sample Adventure Choosing Night in the Core rule book of the Fantasy Age RPG Core Book by Green Ronin Publishing.
Our GM for this series is Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy )
and our players
Kaylee ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Caitlyn Mayfair
Michael Waldschlager II ( @LoserMLW ) as Sunedo Yellowfang
Remi ( @Elfremi ) as Weldorf
Jack Vinson ( @JackVinson ) as Haliver Buckleberry
Find the Fantasy Age game at the Green Ronin Publishing Store
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Welcome to Detention! In this episode I’m joined by Co-host Chris Burlew (@burlew_chris ) GM of the Redemption Podcast and guest co-host Jake the GM from the Everwar Saga on our Twitch Channel.
The Everwar Saga, our newest D&D 5e Stream. It will be 6 short arcs. Each arch 4-6 sessions. The world they are building is the main character.
Extra Curricular –
Chris – Work stuff – hiring multiple people so lots of hiring and training. Getting ready for a bit Scout Trip. Visiting Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
Jake – Better Call Saul S6. Streaming video games. 3d Printing.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Tom is talking to Ian Sharpe today about When the Wolf Comes! Using a version of Shadow of the Demon Lord rules this RPG is set in an alternate timeline where Viking culture swept the earth and stars. This game is all about heroism and playing out epic stories of wide ranging adventure!
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Work stuff, finished S3 of The Boys Tv Show, Near to finishing up his Scout Mastering. His son is about to get his Eagle Scout Badge. Loved Obi-Wan Kenobi Show.
Michael – Lots of gaming Stuff, but see Used Books for all that. Updated the Podcast Studio (now in a closet with sound panels), Thor: Love & Thunder (really liked it), Ms. Marvel (Loved it), The Bear on Hulu – Intense watch, Only Murderers in the Building s2, Evil on Paramount Plus.
10 things –
Michael – 10 Things you’d fine in my small kitchen
Chris – 10 Silly Things he and his wife have fought about.
Used Books: Michael’s been gaming a lot. BIG NEWS. I got to play in a Pathfinder 2e game that my son JG ran for me and the rest of the family. Was it a great game, no! but will I cherish that memory forever, YES! We’re supposed to play part 2 later. Jakey also wants to run one but he wants to make up his own adventure. I also got to play in a game with my childhood best friends (Brandon, Bill and Joe) the three people I first started playing with all those years ago. I also ran a game for Joe and his Son which I hope is just the start of their adventuring together. Action 12 Cinema is moving into Layout. Thief: Down & Out in 2nd draft.
Where have our fingers been?
Chris – Arguing over a new economy in a fantasy game.
Michael – Taking a compound that gives you super powers.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the several Sample Adventures included in the Temples and Tombs RPG. Temples and Tombs is a Year Zero Engine RPG by Christopher Grey. Christopher himself is our GM for this series. Find Christopher on twitter at @GreyAuthor
In this special episode I interview Christopher Grey and discuss what goes into a good sample adventure and other related topics.
Also mentioned:
Christopher.WorldGallant Knight Games
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the several Sample Adventures included in the Temples and Tombs RPG. Temples and Tombs is a Year Zero Engine RPG by Christopher Grey. Christopher himself is our GM for this series. Find Christopher on twitter at @GreyAuthor
Also note that Moe Popular did a second editing pass on these eps and added in some special sound effects for us. TY Moe. Find Moe on twitter at @ashyfeet1
As players we have
Me, Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy) as Hiram Ravenwood a Professional Adventurer.
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Professor Hopalong Banzai aka Professor Hope a Child Genius.
Jack Vinson (@JackVinson ) as J. Stacey Arneson, a Journalist.
Also mentioned:
Christopher.WorldGallant Knight Games
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 or dial 988
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the several Sample Adventures included in the Temples and Tombs RPG. Temples and Tombs is a Year Zero Engine RPG by Christopher Grey. Christopher himself is our GM for this series. Find Christopher on twitter at @GreyAuthor
Also note that Moe Popular did a second editing pass on these eps and added in some special sound effects for us. TY Moe. Find Moe on twitter at @ashyfeet1
As players we have
Me, Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy) as Hiram Ravenwood a Professional Adventurer.
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Professor Hopalong Banzai aka Professor Hope a Child Genius.
Jack Vinson (@JackVinson ) as J. Stacey Arneson, a Journalist.
Also mentioned:
Christopher.WorldGallant Knight Games
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Journey Through the Realms. Episode 8 – Exandria
Jul 15, 2022
Hello and welcome the seventh episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For this episode I have Victoria (aka @TabletopHoard) as my guest/expert covering the Exandria Setting.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Tom is back and is talking to Agis Angelomatis about RPG Stories. Agis and his team have created RPG Stories to offer people a new virtual tabletop that merges video game immersiveness with the endless creativity of TTRPGs.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the several Sample Adventures included in the Temples and Tombs RPG. Temples and Tombs is a Year Zero Engine RPG by Christopher Grey. Christopher himself is our GM for this series. Find Christopher on twitter at @GreyAuthor
Also note that Moe Popular did a second editing pass on these eps and added in some special sound effects for us. TY Moe. Find Moe on twitter at @ashyfeet1
As players we have
Me, Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy) as Hiram Ravenwood a Professional Adventurer.
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Professor Hopalong Banzai aka Professor Hope a Child Genius.
Jack Vinson (@JackVinson ) as J. Stacey Arneson, a Journalist.
Also mentioned:
Christopher.WorldGallant Knight Games
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this series we are playing through one of the several Sample Adventures included in the Temples and Tombs RPG. Temples and Tombs is a Year Zero Engine RPG by Christopher Grey. Christopher himself is our GM for this series. Find Christopher on twitter at @GreyAuthor
Also note that Moe Popular did a second editing pass on these eps and added in some special sound effects for us. TY Moe. Find Moe on twitter at @ashyfeet1
As players we have
Me, Michael Ross ( @TheRpgAcademy) as Hiram Ravenwood a Professional Adventurer.
Kaylee Jung ( @AniMeiGrrl ) as Professor Hopalong Banzai aka Professor Hope a Child Genius.
Jack Vinson (@JackVinson ) as J. Stacey Arneson, a Journalist.
Also mentioned:
Christopher.WorldGallant Knight Games
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Wrapped up kids graduation stuff. Busy at work. Loving The Boys TV Show. Excited for the new Willow show. Finished Obi-Wan Kenobi show, loved it.
Michael R – Got to play D&D with by OG game group. It was so much fun! Getting ready for GenCon. Got some AcadeCon swag in. Action 12 Cinema moving into Layout. The Boys, Ms. Marvel, Umbrella Academy. Strangers Things
Michael W. – About to launch an gaming channel ( @lagniappeGaming ) after GenCon, heading to vacation on Lake George. Doing a rewatch (first watch with wife) on the Marvel TV Shows. Brother is trying to launch a pro wresting career and Michael is helping him.
10 things –
Michael W. – 10 RPGs you hope to play on your channel in your first year.
Chris – 10 of your favorite D&D Classes.
Michael – 10 things you’d want in your castle.
Used Books: Michael W. discusses a game where the players changed over during the course of the game where it was almost a totally new group of players ended the campaign vs those that started it. Also a situation where the characters had to reveal a dark secret to proceed. Great RP moment.
Where have our fingers been?
Michael W. – Are last two people about to go into a circle to reveal a secret but neither wants to go first.
Chris – Manchurian candidate type scene where one person is about to give a speech, the other about to set off an explosion.
Michael R. – Two people discovering a dumb waiter for the first time.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 160 – Picking a Game.
In this episode, Tom and Michael cover a bunch of new TTRPG news items. Discuss some of their own recent gaming experiences and finish with a couple mailbag questions.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
The Reviews. Episode 27 – The One Ring Starter Set
Jun 27, 2022
In this episode of The Reviews, Tom ( @BeskarTom ) and Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy) take a look at the One Ring Starter Set from Free League Press. Free League sent Michael a copy of the Starter Set for this review and Tom backed the One Ring Kickstarter at the All-in level.
OUR RATINGS:
Tom – B-
Michael. A+ or C- depending on who’s buying it. Average to straight B
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome the Sixth episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For this episode I have Karl David Brown as my guest/expert covering the Council of Wyrms Setting. Karl goes by Coronoides on The Piazza forums a bounty of RPG related conversations and resources.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Welcome to Detention! In this episode I’m joined by Co-host Chris Burlew (@burlew_chris ) GM of the Redemption Podcast and Guest Co-host Caleb G ( @TheCalebG ) from @P5Past and we have Tom as well for a rare Detention 4 way (@BeskarTom)
Extra Curricular –
Chris – Getting ready for Son’s Open House at College. Recently graduated H.S. Doing yard work and preparing for family for the Graduation. First 3 eps of Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars Show and Disney +
Caleb G. – Watching and talking about Smallville. Vacation. House work and car maintenance. Family time in the evenings. Also digging Obi-Wan Kenobi. Loving Owl House.
Michael – Action 12 Cinema, new updates coming soon. Ran a playtest of the game for Tabletop Journey’s show. Going to be working on Thief: Down and Out! Stranger Things S4 Vol 1. Really liked it. Obi-Wan is okay. Ms. Marvel ep 1 was AMAZING. The Boys is SOOOO GOOOOD! Also doing a Buffy the Vampire Slayer re-watch.
Tom – Recently moved, setting up the studio and game space.
10 things –
Michael – 10 things that if you were going through a storage unit you DON’T want to find.
Chris – 10 vegetables for a vegetable pizza.
Tom – 10 things to NOT bring into a Twister game.
Caleb G. – 10 Things to go on your Fantasy Burger.
Used Books: Caleb brings up a game where two players wanted to change characters after they started, but the game started with a flash forward where those original characters were present. We talk about letting players change characters mid-campaign.
Where have our fingers been?
Chris – waiting in line outside of a food truck.
Michael – Watching your favorite TV show but the person with you has already watched it and are ruining it.
Tom – Dirt farmers in Pig Town resisting the call to adventure.
Caleb G. – At the movies and trying to decide if you are going to see Morbius during it’s 2nd release.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this first series we are looking at the Sample Adventure included in the Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars: Force And Destiny boxed set.
In this recap episode we give our players a chance to give their initial reactions to the session and then I interview our GM Chris Burlew for his thoughts on how well this Sample Adventure does as a Sample Adventure.
For this series we have our GM as Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris). Chris the GM for the Redemption Podcast, the longest running Star Wars Actual Play in the known Galaxy.
As players we have
Me, Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy) as the Togruta Seeker Kaveri Ra.
Caleb ( @TheCalebG) as the Zabrak Mystic Dao Jodh
Chris N (@Skyrider_19) as the Human Guardian Sarenda.
and Jerry (aka Thul) as the Kel Dor Sentinel Tarast Voon.
Also mentioned:
The Redemption PodcastPointFivePast.org
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this first series we are looking at the Sample Adventure included in the Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars: Force And Destiny boxed set.
The goal for these episodes are two three fold.
1 – as always our first priority is to have fun playing a game with friends.
2 – To be used as a template for any new(er) GMs who are wanting to start running games, will be using these sample adventures themselves and want to experience how a veteran GM ran the same adventure.
3 – for us to review the adventure for how well it does what it was designed to do; namely introduce the game’s concepts and themes to a new audience.
For this series we have our GM as Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris). Chris the GM for the Redemption Podcast, the longest running Star Wars Actual Play in the known Galaxy.
As players we have
Me, Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy) as the Togruta Seeker Kaveri Ra.
Caleb ( @TheCalebG) as the Zabrak Mystic Dao Jodh
Chris N (@Skyrider_19) as the Human Guardian Sarenda.
and Jerry (aka Thul) as the Kel Dor Sentinel Tarast Voon.
Also mentioned:
The Redemption PodcastPointFivePast.org
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this first series we are looking at the Sample Adventure included in the Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars: Force And Destiny boxed set.
The goal for these episodes are two three fold.
1 – as always our first priority is to have fun playing a game with friends.
2 – To be used as a template for any new(er) GMs who are wanting to start running games, will be using these sample adventures themselves and want to experience how a veteran GM ran the same adventure.
3 – for us to review the adventure for how well it does what it was designed to do; namely introduce the game’s concepts and themes to a new audience.
For this series we have our GM as Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris). Chris the GM for the Redemption Podcast, the longest running Star Wars Actual Play in the known Galaxy.
As players we have
Me, Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy) as the Togruta Seeker Kaveri Ra.
Caleb ( @TheCalebG) as the Zabrak Mystic Dao Jodh
Chris N (@Skyrider_19) as the Human Guardian Sarenda.
and Jerry (aka Thul) as the Kel Dor Sentinel Tarast Voon.
Also mentioned:
The Redemption PodcastPointFivePast.org
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to The Sample Adventures. A new Actual Play series from The Rpg Academy where we are taking a trip through various sample adventures included in Role Playing Game core books, setting supplements, starter sets, boxed sets, etc . . .
For this first series we are looking at the Sample Adventure included in the Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars: Force And Destiny boxed set.
The goal for these episodes are two three fold.
1 – as always our first priority is to have fun playing a game with friends.
2 – To be used as a template for any new(er) GMs who are wanting to start running games, will be using these sample adventures themselves and want to experience how a veteran GM ran the same adventure.
3 – for us to review the adventure for how well it does what it was designed to do; namely introduce the game’s concepts and themes to a new audience.
For this series we have our GM as Chris Burlew (@Burlew_Chris). Chris the GM for the Redemption Podcast, the longest running Star Wars Actual Play in the known Galaxy.
As players we have
Me, Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy) as the Togruta Seeker Kaveri Ra.
Caleb ( @TheCalebG) as the Zabrak Mystic Dao Jodh
Chris N (@Skyrider_19) as the Human Guardian Sarenda.
and Jerry (aka Thul) as the Kel Dor Sentinel Tarast Voon.
Also mentioned:
The Redemption PodcastPointFivePast.org
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 159 – Picking a Game
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 158 – Being Critical
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Boy Scout work. Wrapped up Moon Knight D+ Tv show. (big fan). New streaming Show starting (The Starting Adventures)
Caleb G – Moved into new house. Better weather = Yard work. Look at Schools. Streaming with Identeco. Also finished Moon Knight. Working with Point 5 Past Charity.
Michael – Also watched Moon Knight. Film Studies – The Three Musketeers and Film Studies – A Knight’s Tale. Saw Dr. Strange 2 – Michael Really liked it.
10 things –
Caleb G – 10 things you could have used to stick that foam on the wall
Michael – 10 things I expected to see in Dr. Strange 2 but DID NOT see.
Chris – 10 Alternate titles for a West Coast Avengers Style Team.
Used Books: Caleb gives us the DL on this new charity work and offers how you can support it. Pointfivepast.org
Where have our fingers been?
Caleb G – are at a stop sign, confused why 10k people have just ridden by on the same bicycle.
Chris – Walking into a Park, ignorantly misunderstanding a large gathering that is happening.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome the sixth episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For episode four I have Luke Herr ( @Koltreg) as my guest/expert covering the Planescape Setting.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Tom is back with another episode of Show and Tell! This week we talk to Jason Cordova about Brindlewood Bay! If you have ever wanted to play an RPG that smashes cozy New England mystery with creepy New England Horror this is the game for you.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 157 – Role Play vs. Roll Ability
In this episode Tom and Michael take a look back at Dungeon Talk # 23 part 1
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with your mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome the fifth episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For episode four I have Chris Anderson as my guest/expert covering the Spelljammer Setting.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Howdy AcadeManiacs, it’s your old friend Professor Crunch. I am thrilled to bring you a review of Death in Space, “a rules-light tabletop roleplaying game in a gritty science fiction setting” that was successfully funded on Kickstarter back in April 2021.
I reviewed a copy of the PDF kindly provided to the Academy by Free League Press.
The Kickstarter campaign was successfully funded by 2545% and let me tell you, the finished product deserves the hype indicated by its success ratio. I absolutely love this game. If you’re a fan of narrative-focused games, you’ll like these mechanics. If you’re a fan of grungy, edge-of-civilization survival sci-fi set against a backdrop of cosmic horror stories, you’ll like this setting.
Style
First and foremost, this book oozes with style. It’s gorgeous. The book is printed in sharp contrast with a light font on a dark background. The art is subtle but stunning, quickly demonstrating the strange, desperate mood of the setting. There’s also a holographic cover that is simply slick as all get out.
As a word of caution, some might find this visual presentation challenging. Many folks read digital material in a “night mode” setting nowadays, myself included, and this book comes with that setting already selected. I personally did not experience any additional eye strain when reading this book. But fair warning to anyone picking this up.
This book is expertly designed to draw readers into the intended mindset by the game creators. The game’s genre is nothing new, but the story of the game setting is injected with unique twists on core sci-fi and cosmic horror tropes. Every part of the book, from cover to cover, helps readers and players feel these unique story elements viscerally.
This same careful attention to style and prevention carries over into the support resources available to players. While character creation is quite simple (more on that later), an online character generator is available. It’s presented in 8-bit, old-school DOS-style graphics and serves as an easy tool to help players embody the mindset of the world and their characters. There’s also a glorious soundtrack that provides a perfect background for your game session. It’s moody and evocative.
All in all, every single detail of this game has been designed to put readers and players in the exact mental space that the creators intended.
Book Overview
The book is short, at just over 130 pages. But it is jam-packed with content and art. Every single page is visually appealing, full of art and details that deliver the theme and style of this game. The book is also very well organized, with information following (except for one odd exception) a logical flow.
After a short introduction to the game world, the book starts with character creation rules. Personally, I love this approach. Not everyone feels the same way, but I think that starting with character creation gives players the best foundation for gameplay. In this game, after creating characters the party creates a living space. That space is crucial for survival, so naturally the book takes readers there next.
Following both steps of pre-game creation, the book next shows us how to play the game. While the rules are relatively simple (more on these later), there are quite a few different things to keep track of during gameplay. But the explanations are easy to understand. They’re also very easy to reference during a game session.
The next section of the book is focused on lore and setting. We learn the history of the game world and interesting facts about the star system where the game takes place. Most of the information in this section is focused on The Ring, which is the primary location where most events in the game take place. And since there are elements of cosmic horror lurking in the background, we also learn about cults that are active in the game.
The rest of the book is devoted to tables of information necessary to play the game. Most of this is focused on equipment and items. But tables are found in every section of this book. The majority of these tables are numbered for selection by a random roll.
As mentioned earlier, there is one odd point of organization in the book. The very first thing seen in the book is a list of in-game items and their cost. While this is necessary information, it’s odd to read it first. I would think placing it at the end of the book with the rules cheat sheet would make more sense.
Character Creation
As a mostly rules-lite system, Death in Space has 6 steps of character creation. The whole process is simple and entertaining, especially when you roll on the random tables.
The first step is generating the 4 character abilities that define each player character. This is done by rolling 1d4 minus 1d4. That’s right. The abilities in Death in Space range from +3 to -3. If you haven’t guessed so far, the spooky space game with ‘death’ in the title is super lethal. To support this, PC hit points are defined by rolling 1d8. Once.
Additional steps include selecting an origin (which grants a choice of special abilities) and selecting or rolling for a variety of flavor-based character details and starting equipment.
The second part of pre-game creation is about creating a space for the PCs to live. The game calls this a Hub. The Hub can be either a spacecraft or space station. Each is defined by pre-set stats which come into play later when filling the Hub with equipment and supplies. The Hub is completed by selecting or rolling flavor details, just like with PCs.
Mechanics and Playing the Game
The core mechanic of Death in Space is an ability check of 1d20 plus the relevant ability, which can be negative. A result of 12 or higher is a success. For an opposed task, the same roll is made but the higher result wins. Combat is done with the same roll again, but in this case it’s compared to the defense rating of the target. A roll equal to or greater than the defense rating is a success.
Failure of an ability check is noted as generating “a complication or setback”, which I interpret as embracing the “fail forward” ideology. Given the setting and tone of the game, this feels exactly on-brand.
Failure of an ability check or attack roll also grants PCs a Void Point, which is a really fun resource for players. These points are related to Cosmic Mutations, which essentially super powers that PCs can gain through a variety of methods. This is where the cosmic horror vibe really kicks in. These Mutations grant useful powers but bring a risk of triggering a Void Corruption. Triggering a Corruption injects crazy horror elements into the game.
As fun as this is, the Cosmic Mutations are the one small gripe I have with this game. They are defined vaguely, which is deliberate and gives players the opportunity to use them creatively. The rules state that a player has to spend a Void Point to activate a Mutation, but many of them are defined as seemingly on-going abilities. This obstacle can be easily overcome with a good session zero and clear ongoing communication. But I do think this could be a challenge for new players who may feel less confident with sharing narrative control.
There are also rules for traveling, fighting, and surviving in space. Given the lethality of this game and setting, these are none too forgiving. This is also where the rules slide slightly towards being more crunchy than rules-lite. Tracking things like fuel and oxygen are not tricky, but they’re not easy.
There are plenty of other rules that help flesh out the game world, from carrying capacity to the extra wild things that can happen when a PC dies. A unique and well-executed rule is Morale. Enemies and NPCs have this rating. Depending on how combat goes, a Morale roll can lead to an enemy trying to flee or surrender. While this is a relatively simple rule, it’s one that is missing from many other games. And in this case, it helps reinforce the desperate nature of survival inherent to Death in Space and adds a level of realism to the role play. Enemies are trying to survive themselves, and will not fight to the death when they could escape and try to recover.
Another crunchy element is the condition and repair of gear. There are quite a few rules about when and how items break and how difficult it is to repair them. Survival in this game is very dependent on having the right gear and making sure it is functional. This is a key component of Death in Space.
Setting
As noted above, maintaining gear is a big part of the game setting. A primary principle of Death in Space is “Nothing is New”. The game is set in the Tenebris system, which has been plagued by war that hasn’t ever quite ended. Communication is difficult. Travel is even harder. There are no new resources to be found, so everything is in a constant state of disrepair. Thus, PCs tend to be focused on making sure what they own and use daily will function as needed when needed.
There is quite a bit of information about the Tenebris system itself, including planets and different celestial bodies. But space travel is expensive and difficult in this game, so it will probably be rare that players will see all these locations. PCs will spend most of their time in The Ring, one of the last inhabitable places in the system. The majority of the setting details in the book are focused on The Ring, ranging from elements of the physical location to the intricacies of its political organization.
Also included in this section are resources for things like terrifying creatures, environmental dangers, and random tables that help outline every element of a game session.
Overall, this setting is focused on the desperation of survival. It’s not easy to live in this setting, let alone thrive. The book leaves enough room for players to add in whatever story elements they prefer, but the foundation it delivers reinforces how difficult it is to exist in this game.
Conclusion
Death in Space is an excellent game. It delivers exactly what it promises with a dark, moody, survival experience set against a backdrop of grungy sci-fi meets cosmic horror. The tropes of the game are not unique, but the game does use them in a fresh and engaging way.
The mechanics walk the fine line of crunch and provide a rules-lite, narrative-focused game that has just enough structure to support the more complicated details of the setting. Most importantly, the rules support the style and tone of the setting and help players experience their characters’ desperate efforts to survive.
Every element of this game is designed with style and care. This is not the right sci-fi game for every player and every story. If you plan on running this for your group, make sure you have a thorough session zero and get everyone on the same page when it comes to the horror and survival elements that are a core part of this game. Also be sure to keep lines of communication open during the game, as events can take a drastic turn suddenly.
One of my favorite elements of the game are all the random tables included in the book. Rolling randomly adds to the unexpected and dangerous nature of both the sci-fi and cosmic horror genres. But also, simply reading all of the possible outcomes helps both players and narrators understand the true nature of the setting, which leads to better, more informed role playing. By providing these details about the game world, the game designers have helped players act with confidence.
As a fan of rules-lite games and the sci-fi and cosmic horror genres, I highly recommend this game. It’s quick to set up and easy to run. The book’s style and design elements set the game’s intended tone right from the start, and that tone is further supported by extra game resources that are available for free. Every bit of this game helps players understand and embody their characters, and that makes for an excellent game experience. Death in Space was created to fit a very specific tabletop gaming niche, and it does it perfectly.
If you were to purchase just the core rulebook from the same site, it would run you $60 and you’d need another $47
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Chris – Business conference, The Tomorrow War, 20 year Wedding Anniversary.
Kevin – Running multiple games, Stranger Things s4 Trailer, finished Wheel of Time show.
Michael – Kids and I went to LexiCon Gaming convention, Pathfinder 2e org play, AcadeCon KS goes live August 16th. A 2nd Faculty Retreat in September. Action 12 Cinema. Thief: Down & Out
10 things –
Michael – 10 properties you think would make a good role playing game.
Chris – 10 destinations for a future wedding anniversary vacation.
Michael – 10 odd things you’d use to clean your glasses
Used Books: A Wheel of Time TV show discussion & Then ways to get players excited and reinvigorated with playing
Where have our fingers been?
Kevin – one is trying to convince the other to play a new system.
Chris – Local gaming store fighting over the last copy of Catan.
Michael – Steve, who now wants to be Bob The Bard taking his first Bard lessons from an old Master
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Playing Roleplaying games can be an amazingly fun time and also a benefit to your well being. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental or emotional well being, please reach out to someone who can help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Hello and welcome the fourth episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For episode four I have Andy Klosky ( @BlackfallPress) as my guest/expert covering the Ravenloft Setting.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
It would not be an overstatement to say I love the original Star Trek Television show. Growing up a nerd long before it was cool to be a nerd, I watched the original series on reruns and off VHS copies again and again. Over time I fell away from the series though Star Trek: The Next Generation was appointment television for me when it started airing in the late 80’s and throughout its entire run. And so, while I do not consider myself a Trekker by any stretch, I have a fondness and nostalgic love for the show. It should be no surprise then when Modiphius offered me the chance to review their new Star Trek adventures: Tricorder Collector’s boxed set I jumped at the chance with less caution that Kirk did when he brought Tribbles on board the Enterprise.
What you get:
The most important piece of this boxed set is the box itself. Styled to look like a Tricorder from the Original Star Trek series the case also doubles as a carrying case with the included strap allowing you to sling it over a shoulder and go. The outside is a plain looking case with the open/flap having stickers to give the impression of the dials and flashing lights from the namesake Tricorder. In the description it includes the case for carrying the game components as well as for cosplay.
After the case itself this collection includes five green twenty-sided dice with a custom captain’s tunic design. 10 six-sided Challenge Dice. 6 Momentum tokens and 26 Threat Tokens.
You also get 13 pre-generated characters to play, including eight of the original series characters: Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Checkov as well as Nurse Chapel and the game statistics for the U.S.S. Enterprise herself. These pre-generated characters come on digest sized laminated cards with the some containing background info on the flip side and others including rules cheat sheets to assist with playing the game.
You also receive a digest sized version of the rules styled after the original series. Finally, the set includes a exclusive three-part adventure set during the original 5 year mission of the Enterprise: The Keyhole of Eternity In trying to determine if I would recommend this set I wanted to get an idea of how it compares to the other versions of the game you can currently buy. Currently this Tricorder Collector’s Boxed set is listed on their website for $93.00 (though I’m certain when I first got mine it was only $74).
If you were to purchase just the core rulebook from the same site, it would run you $60 and you’d need another $47 for a version of the custom dice. There is a Star Trek Adventures: Starter Set you can purchase for $27 which comes with a Starter Rules booklet that is not the complete rules but enough to play the starter adventure and learn the basics. It also has a three-mission adventure. 6 pre-generated character sheets on the same laminated cards. Two 20-sided dice and four of the custom d6s as well as tokens for Threat and Momentum Looking at these options I think the $27 Starter set is a bargain (one I had already previously purchased myself) but if you’re already set to buy or have played the starter set and want the full rules, I think this Collector’s set is a solid value. The Tricorder carrying case is a nice show piece and truly a collector item whether you actually use it to carry the game around, wear as part of a cosplay or just as a showpiece on your gamer shelf. Plus, the digest size rule book is great for reference at the table and having the original Characters and the U.S.S. Enterprise to play with is worth their weight in transparent aluminum.
MY RATING:
Overall I’d rate this whole set as an A+ and it’s a must buy for anyone whole loves the game already or ready to dive head first into it.
I’ve included links below. If you purchase anything from Amazon with our links we’ll get a small % of your purchase price for the referral. We have no referral agreement with modiphius’ web store. Those links are included for your convenience.
Also a super BIG TY to Modiphius for providing me with a review copy.
If you were to purchase just the core rulebook from the same site, it would run you $60 and you’d need another $47
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome TTRPG CrowdFUNding Review, The show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Chris – college visit mis-adventure, Cribbage on the phone,
Q – working on own business authority for owner/operator truck driver, bought an Oculus 2,
Michael – 2022 Faculty Retreat, LexiCon gaming convention next weekend with the boys. Finished Light of the Jedi and started The Queen of Stone D&D / Eberron book. Moon Knight premier. Odyssey of the Mind World’s competition and fundraiser.
10 things –
Q – 10 Older/non PUBG video games you’d like to play.
Chris – 10 Favorite TTRPG games
Michael – 10 things to keep my beard luscious
Used Books: A brief exploration of Q’s burgeoning gaming experience. Current Character. Future Character. Would he ever want to be a DM/GM?
Where have our fingers been?
Q – Two adventurers meeting for the first time in a Tavern
Michael – A new Folk Singer meeting with record label exec
Chris – Two Elvis impersonators competing for the last spot in an Elvis impersonator contest.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome Econ FUNdamentals. The Show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Please remember to come back next time when our Film will be A Knight’s Tale with Kalum Hosting and guest co-hosts James D’Amato and Scott Malthouse
See you later for more silver screen extravaganza.
Cheers
Michael
The RPG Academy Film Studies is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Support The RPG Academy
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode of Show and Tell Tom sits down with Wade Dyer to talk about Fragged Empire Second Edition. This exciting sci-fi RPG blends gorgeous graphic design with engaging world building!
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 155 – New Rules and House Rules
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this special hundredth episode of Show and Tell Tom sits down with the Ghost of Saltmarsh crew to talk about something cool that they worked on. The RPG Academy presents Ghosts of Saltmarsh has now concluded and you can now listen to what it was like to run a level 1-20 campaign and all the ups and downs that comes with it. We hope you enjoy this episode as you get another chance to laugh with the boys.
Hello and welcome Econ FUNdamentals. The Show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Hello and welcome the third episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For episode 3 I have Brandes Stoddard ( @BrandesStoddard ) as my guest/expert covering the Birthright Setting.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with Francesco Nepitello to discuss the One Ring Second Edition published by Free League. Francesco is the lead designer of The One Ring and he shares everything you need to know about it. We get a chance to talk about what makes this edition special, why Middle Earth is so good for role playing, the messy LotR licensing, and much more!
Hello and welcome to Summon Monster 3 a new show from The RPG Academy where myself, Caleb and Ryan are taking a look at all the Monsters in D&D 5e one at a time and coming up with what we hope would be some interesting ways to use them in your games.
This is the first episode being released to a wide audience and we are looking for feedback on the show. Please let us know what you think and send us in some variant encounters for Giant Spiders or Displacer Beasts.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 154 – Nerd Rage
In this episode Tom and Michael take a look back at Dungeon Talk # 16
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome Econ FUNdamentals. The Show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
“You are a mecha pilot. You have piloted your humanoid machine across the surface of the earth, through the void of space, and among the shattered hulls of space colonies. You have fought a war that has seen cities consumed by fire, fleets of ships struck down by energy weapons, and mecha immolated by their own stricken reactors. You have survived all the way to today, the last battle of the war, waged in the void. Now, your survival is more uncertain than it has ever been.”
For this review Tom and I decided to just overall ratings.
Tom’s Overall rating – A
Michael’s Overall rating – B+
A big thank you to Seamus for sending us review copies. If you’d like to purchase a copy of the game
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with Brandon Gutowski to discuss his brand new game, Freelancer’s Guide. This game is powered by the C22 System created by Brandon and uses a unique deck building engine to create characters. There is so much new stuff going on in this game and you definitely should check it out!
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome Econ FUNdamentals. The Show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Hello and welcome the second episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For episode 2 I have Shane Vaiskauskas( @Mundangerous ) as my guest/expert covering the Eberron Setting.
Total Party Thrill Website.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits Alex Coggon and Charlie Avery to talk about the inaugural Zine Month. Alex and Charlie have organized Zine Month in order to give indie ttrpg creators an opportunity show case their work outside of the centralized ttrpg economic system, that is Kickstarter. Not only is Zine Month a chance to support creators and find new games to play, but it also give creators a chance to learn about alternative funding methods and to find others who share their passion!
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 153 – DMing isn’t that hard
In this episode Tom and Michael take a look back at Dungeon Talk # 17
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In 2077, the storm of nuclear war reduced most of the planet to cinders. From the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization will struggle to arise, a civilization you will shape. Welcome to the Wasteland. Welcome to the world of Fallout.
Fallout: The Roleplaying Game G.E.C.K. Special Edition Box Set
A d20 game from Modiphius
A brief forward – this review tackles not only the core book for the Fallout RPG, but also the additional items found in the G.E.C.K. Special Edition Box Set. G.E.C.K. stands for Garden of Eden Creation Kit, and it’s an in-game item that can be found and used, but in real life it’s just a really nice box set of the Fallout TTRPG. In addition to a unique cover, the G.E.C.K. contains the following: a nice box, ergo, box set, the Game Master toolkit (two sets of two handy heavy paper cheat sheets for basic rules and for combat, a badass map of the Commonwealth and downtown Boston, GM’s booklet which contains a variety of tables as well as some additional rules, a character sheet pad, and a sheet of die-cut Nuka Cola Cap Tokens (good for whatever you want to used them for, and marked with 1’s and 5’s)), Custom Dice Set, and Nuka Cola Caps (like, actual caps, useful for again, whatever you want to use them for).
Art and Layout (including the extra G.E.C.K. materials)– A
The map included in the G.E.C.K. materials by itself raises the art and layout by a whole letter grade. It is truly a beautiful thing to behold. Of course, it will only be useful for in-person gaming, or simply to get out and trace various avenues of travel if you are a daydreaming GM.
After the map, the art in the Fallout RPG core book is good. If you have played any Fallout video games then you know what Fallout art looks like, and this is, Fallout art. The book does provide illustrations for most, if not all, included NPC monsters/mutants, as well as most, if not all, weapons. As a result, you will feel immersed in the Wasteland and Commonwealth while reading the book, and you’ll have plenty of visual cues to provide your gaming group if they so desire.
The layout of the books is also very well done. Much like the Dune Modiphius game, this Fallout core book is laid out in a very easy to digest way, with plenty of asides to break up the reading, and with a font and font size that make reading easy, and not a chore as other books are apt to do. I do believe the layout is superior to the Dune RPG, but I suspect that comes with differences between those two games as well as with the video game background of Fallout. An additional bit of design that goes a long way is a color-coding scheme that is not specifically noted in the text, but clear in the form. There’s a specific color that appears in segments that are pointedly aimed at Game Masters, a bright green. Beyond that, every segment of the book is also marked by a tab located at the top of the page.
This book does an excellent job of incorporating much of what you like in the video game into its layout, which is extremely helpful if you have played Fallout before. I do not know how this translates to a player that has not played any of the video games, but I suspect that even without the background the layout is well-done because of following a kind of lose outline provided by the video games. The bottom line is that this layout is easy to follow and really a joy to read if you are already a Fallout fan.
Touching upon the other additions to the G.E.C.K. kit – they are all high-quality items, except for the box itself. The design of the box, unfortunately, does lend itself to some damage that would be considered incidental to opening the box. It’s a weakness of design, but the only one in those additional items. The set of dice are clearly of good quality. The bottle caps are actual bottle caps. It’s very cool to see an in-game item like that reproduced for whatever purpose you decide. It’s always nice to get a set of Character Sheets for players, and this is no exception to that rule. The GM’s booklet is not a separate book, but more of a magazine in construction and design. It functions as a set of additional rules for the Game Master to incorporate if they desire, as well as additional tables for random encounters and the like. It’s a nice addition to the core book, but definitely in line with “bonus” material and not “necessary” material. Lastly, the heavy-duty cheat sheets are a must. Having something so succinctly remind players (and GMs) of rules is an excellent bonus item, and well designed both in layout and in materials. They are built to last through regular use.
Fluff – A+
This book is jam packed with effective and fun fluff.
The Fallout RPG is based upon the setting of Fallout 4, which is lucky for me, because 4 was my first Fallout game to play, and my favorite, likely as a result. The book is upfront about this, and so most of the fluff is regarding the Commonwealth, an area of New England outside of Boston. That being said, the book does not skip the major fluff leading up to this Wasteland of America beyond the immediate vicinity of the Commonwealth.
In fact, in addition to simply noting the method and means of the fall of humanity, the book goes as far as to give a minuscule, but enticing, slice of worldview with its inclusion of the Yangtze, a Chinese nuclear submarine currently harbored in Boston Harbor.
The book breaks up the fluff in several ways, one of which is a differentiation between information on corporate entities, and information on locations. The corporate entities are the chunk of the fluff that goes above and beyond simple history and into a kind of meta-history, complete with several ideas to be mined in your own personal games. The location sections also incorporate quest seeds as part of their general form.
I am not going to count all the different quest seeds in this book, but to be clear, we are talking about an excess of probably fifty once we add corporate quest seeds, location quest seeds, and generic quest seeds together. Modiphius has done an EXCEPTIONAL job of fleshing out this world in such a way that you don’t have to do much fleshing out yourself unless you want to. You can easily find inspiration among the hundreds of pages devoted to various aspects of the Wasteland.
Crunch – B+
The crunch of this game is where I struggled most in reading, retaining, and understanding the book. The mechanics of this 2d20 system are both pleasantly simple and yet simultaneously confoundingly difficult.
The Fallout RPG 2d20 system is less flexible in some ways than the DUNE system, while still emphasizing throughout the book that flexibility is still the name of the game. The core of the system is easier to grasp because the inventory system is more defined and not part of the narrative gaming, as is the case in DUNE. Since you have definitive inventory, it simplifies that aspect of the game, so that you don’t have to make decisions about whether a proposed attribute of the scene is appropriate, or a proposed asset is appropriate. Instead, you have concrete weapons that are collected, built, bought by your PCs, and can be destroyed or damaged. It is a welcome simplification from the DUNE system. To be fair, it is more a result of the type of IP being adapted than anything. Dune is this operatic sci-fi IP with grand sweeping storylines and themes. It’s about intrigue as much as action. Fallout is much more a survival game, a game of action, not necessarily intrigue, but even when intrigue rears its head, in Fallout it still feels more action driven.
Part of this crunch that again assists in understanding the game better are the variety of tables found in this book. These tables come in various forms, but most are either random roles to generate an outcome or a condition, or they are tables that outline the weapons, the armor, the other items that can be found and used in the book. Obviously, you can go beyond these tables if you so desire, but they provide the level of crunch that eases entry into the game, for both players and Game Masters. Most questions you may have, have answers. To the degree that if a question doesn’t have an answer, you can probably just move past it if you’re not feeling confident or create your own answers if you are. It’s a good mix for both new players and veterans, and the same with new Game Masters and veterans.
This system is clearly heavily influenced by the video game, and it shows in the crunch as well, with tables that you can find the basic equivalent to the video game. As an example, the Perks are either taken directly from the game, or so closely structured to the game that as a player of a game, reading them feels like sliding back into the video game. This works as both a strong foundation for newcomers to Fallout, and as a familiar safety blanket for those versed in the Fallout video game.
My only complaint with the system lies in how it describes scavenging and how you find from scavenging. This is the one place where the system adamantly refuses to be specific, instead using generic vernacular to indicate what’s found and/or scavenged – uncommon material, common material, rare material, etc. This is probably just to make it easier to run for DM’s but it’s odd because the mods for weapons and armor and such also indicate necessary items as simply uncommon, common, rare, etc. The part that makes this weird for me is the idea that you may modify some armor in such a way that you are clearly using metal, but you’ve only scavenged out of houses, from furniture, but since we only have common, uncommon, rare, etc., you could effectively modify that armor with what would be metal but use what is probably not metal.
That’s a small complaint in the long run though.
The last bit of crunch I want to touch upon is the included starter scenario. This is an exciting scenario, replete with opportunities to practice the basic combat rules of the game as well as effective seeds towards further adventures. To paraphrase a portion of the book – Fallout is a game where the result of any scenario should have significant repercussions across the game. Some of those may be immediate and recognizable, but even if there are no immediate and recognizable repercussions, the Game Master should keep this design in mind and consider how to incorporate those results later in the game. This starter scenario does an excellent job of presenting and exploring that concept.
Overall – A
My overall impressions of the Fallout RPG are positive, very positive. I would give the book an A overall. It demonstrates an especially successful adaptation of a video game into a TTRPG. Beyond that, the Fallout RPG is simply a good game, well designed, easy to understand, and appears to be fun to play. I look forward to playing the game.
~ Big Al, the Lawyer.
A big thank you to Modiphius for sending us a digital copy for this review and for Big Al who purchased his own copy of the G.E.C.K. Special Edition of the game.
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
Alan “Big Al” Nicholas lives in the desert of West Texas where finding a good RPG group is as difficult as finding water. When he’s not looking for a new RPG Kickstarter or an online RPG group, he can be found prosecuting crime as the Ward County attorney or traveling with his wife to his daughter’s volleyball games. He can be found on Twitter at @bigalthelawyer or on the RPG Academy discord valiantly but vainly defending the Snyderverse.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with Federico Sohns to talk about Zephyr, the latest game from Araukana Media. Zephyr is a game about identity and feelings, life outside the state’s grasp, and about clashing ideas of debt and obligation.
Hello and welcome Econ FUNdamentals. The Show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Chris – Work, Tv stuff. Kickstarter/Marvel Zombiecide.
Michael – Sub teaching, Tv, movies. Playing games with family
10 things –
Chris – 10 nitpicks from the Book of Boba Fett Show.
Michael – 10 Hawkeye Trick Arrows.
Used Books: Handling PC’s interrogating NPCS. Gambling. Letting your PC lose in social situations for the benefit of the larger story.
Where have our fingers been?
Chris – Stuck in a Disco themed Escape Pod
Michael – A goblin dad talking to his Goblin son about becoming an adult.
Cryptozoology: Angels.
Audience Q&A:
None this week.
MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome Econ FUNdamentals. The Show from The Rpg Academy where we shine the spotlight on some TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns you might be interested in supporting.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 45
Jan 18, 2022
Here is the 45th episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
Yolok comes face to face with his destiny in a titanic battle. The fate of the void dagger is decided.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 152 – Maps and Moments
In this episode Tom and Michael take a look back at Dungeon Talk episode 15 – Group Discussions.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome the first episode of Journey Through the Realms a new podcast series where we’re going to explore all (or at least many) of the various settings published for the Dungeons and Dragons Game. For episode 1 I have Robert Adducci ( @Raddu76 ) as my guest/expert covering the Dark Sun D&D Setting.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and Welcome to The RPG Academy. In this special bonus episode i’m joined by Jay Dragon ( @dragsky ) from Possum Creek Games to try and make sense of the fervor and fury from the TTRPG world about the recent announcement by Kickstarter that they will be moving their backend onto the Blockchain.
While no means a definitive answer, Jay helped me better understand what that means and why it could be harmful or at least as a minimum isn’t helpful and why many people are likely walking away from KS despite their being limited other resources for future TTRPG crowdfunding support.
At the end of the day, each person will need to decide for themselves and possibly project by project if they will host campaigns or support campaigns on Kickstarter.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
In this episode Tom sits down with Doug and Dave from Nerdarchy to talk about Mage Forge! Mage Forge is a brand new supplement for D&D 5E that brings 250 new magic items to your games. These new magic items are all represented with stunning artwork on tarot sized cards that are sure to inspire you and your players.
For our next episode, I will continue my slow progress into my recordings backlog (unless Michael releases another one in the meantime), with A Knight’s Tale. This episode will feature James D’Amato and Scott Malthouse.
The RPG Academy Film Studies is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Support The RPG Academy
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Please enjoy this sneak peek at our two patreon only bonus podcasts coming in 2022. Alternating week to week our $5 and up patrons will get a new Magic Shop Class episode from Tom where he is taking a look at a new Magic Item from the DMG and beyond. And Extra cReddit where Tom and I pick two questions from a TTRPG subreddit and generate some discussions.
We want to say THANK YOU to everyone who listens to our show and a slightly bigger THANK YOU to those of you that donate through our Patreon. I hope you’ll consider joining if you’re not already or jumping up to the $5 or higher level in 2022.
There are links below if you’d like to check our Patreon Campaign out.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Faculty Meeting # 151 – There Went the Segments
Jan 01, 2022
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 151 – There Went the Segments
In this episode Tom and Michael take a look back at Dungeon Talk episode 14 – Here Come the Segments
Savage Ghostbusters
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome to the 22nd episode of our ‘The Review’ series, this is our review of Strixhaven A Curriculum of Chaos, the newest WotC hardback D&D 5e Campaign Setting / Adventure supplement. Our hosts this week are Tom ( @BeskarTom ) and myself Michael ( @TheRpgAcademy ) and Chris ( @Sky_Rider19 )
Our Ratings
Art & Layout
Tom A
Michael A
Chris A-
Fluff
Tom A
Michael A
Chris A
Crunch
Tom. C-
Michael B
Chris B+
OVERALL RATINGS
Tom A
Michael B+
Chris A-
If you’d like to pick up your own copy of Strixhaven A Curriculum of Chaos from Amazon AND support our show please use these affiliate links:
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome to the 21st episode of our ‘The Review’ series, this is our review of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons the not quite newest WotC hardback D&D 5e supplement. Our hosts this week are Tom (@BeskarTom) and myself Michael (@TheRpgAcademy) and Ryan (@Teleporta)
Our Ratings
Art & Layout
Tom C-
Michael B-
Ryan C
Fluff
Tom B-
Michael B
Ryan B+
Crunch
Tom. B+
Michael B+
Ryan A-
OVERALL RATINGS
Tom C
Michael B
Ryan B+
If you’d like to pick up your own copy of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons from Amazon AND support our show please use these affiliate links:
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 150 – What Makes a Good Campaign?
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Join us on Discord: Contact me for an invite.
Our Intro and Outtro music is Fly a Kite by Spectacular Sound Productions used via Creative Commons Attribution License
Faculty Meeting # 149 – A Star Wars RPG Bonus episode . . . What if? . . . we made a Star Wars game
Nov 09, 2021
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 149 – A Star Wars RPG Bonus episode. . . What if? . . . we made a Star Wars Gme
In this episode I’m joined by Brad K (@ForceandDestiny), The Caleb G (@TheCalebG) and Chris B. (@Burlew_Chris) and we sorta build an outline for how we’d build a Star Wars RPG.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with Tristan Zimmerman to talk about Shanty Hunters! This nautical mystery game has players taking on the the title role of Shanty Hunters as they search the high seas for magical shanties in the year 1880. Shanty Hunters hits Kickstarter Nov 2, 2021 so be sure to check it out!
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 44
Oct 26, 2021
Here is the 44th episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
Bridges are burned in a late night fight over the void dagger.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 148 – Faculty Meetings Redux – Group Size. In this episode I’m joined by my Faculty Meeting co-host Tom Cantwell ( @BeskarTom)
Have you ever skipped or cancelled a game because you just weren’t feeling it?
Running Games in established Settings.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with Kennedy Philips to talk about Clutch! A Kobold Story. Clutch is a 6-part audio drama about three kobolds trying to find a new dragon master after accidentally killing their old one. Kennedy is a hilarious story teller and really dives deep into how RPGs have influenced his style. Enjoy the show and check out Clutch on Kickstarter Oct 21st!
Hello and welcome to the 20th episode of our ‘The Review’ series, this is our review of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, the latest WotC hardback D&D 5e adventure. Our hosts this week are Tom (@BeskarTom) and myself Michael (@TheRpgAcademy).
Our Ratings
Art & Layout
Tom C
Michael B
Crunch
Tom. A-
Michael B-
Fluff
Tom B
Michael B
OVERALL RATINGS
Tom B
Michael B
If you’d like to pick up your own copy of Wild Beyond the Witchlight from Amazon AND support our show please use these affiliate links:
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with Craig Campbell and Sharene Gilchrist to talk about Secrets of Vibrant Isle, the latest game from Nerdburger Games. This solo rpg will allow players to explore a mysterious island and will give them a chance to create a new home for their characters.
Chris – Star Wars Vision (wasn’t a big fan), Charmed Reboot (better than you think). Long walks in the woods with friends.
Geoffrey – New He-Man on Netflix. Orcs in Space Comic Book.
Michael – DoorDashing right now. Midnight Mass. Titans on HBOMAX. AcadeCon announcements. AcadeCon Online event. Action 12 Cinema (in development TTRPG), . An online version, Too!
10 things –
Geoffrey – 10 Bad Action Movies
Chris – 10 Things to take on a camping trip
Michael – 10 things I wanna see at AcadeCon
Used Books: Bringing Characters back to the table. Character inspiration. Re-using the came character in different Games.
Where have our fingers been?
Geoffrey – In a McDonalds that is on fire.
Michael – Droids. One is being booted up first the first time ever by the other.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with Hal Greenberg to discuss the RPG Creators Relief Fund (RCRF), and all the fantastic work they are doing help creators. The RCRF is a charitable non profit that was founded to provide financial assistance to tabletop roleplaying game creators suffering hardship due to medical emergencies, natural disasters, and other catastrophic situations. The RCRF is wants to help people and Hal shares some great insight into how we can all help those who make the games we love.
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 43
Sep 22, 2021
Here is the 43rd episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
The matriarch of the Lantern Keepers interrogates the interlopers. Eleanor and Meera reveal some long overdue truths to Yolak, to incendiary reaction. Opposing views come to a head over the fate of the Void dagger.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 42
Sep 13, 2021
Here is the 42nd episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
You never know who you will encounter on the shadow road. A bear-folk with intriguing powers and friends worth knowing. A formidable rider loyal to those who shouldn’t be crossed. Eleanor, Meera and Yolak must keep their wits about them, which is becoming increasingly difficult.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
The Dune: Adventurers in the Imperium roleplaying game takes you into a far future beyond anything you have imagined, where fear is the mind killer so be sure to keep your wits about you. The Imperium is a place of deadly duels, feudal politics, and mysterious abilities, noble Houses politic constantly for power, influence, and vengeance in a universe where a blade can change the fortunes of millions. Build your House, carve your place in the universe or rebuild an ancient lineage and fight for the Imperial throne.
Art and Layout
From the beginning of the book, I was impressed with the art. A dark, epic flavored science fiction setting and adventure. The problem is that as you progress into the book, the art starts to become monotonous. Everything is shades of brown, and nothing is in sharp definition.
The result of this is a dreamy, epic, dark feel, but it does, or for me at least, become stale. So much so that approximately two-thirds through the book I really started having to remind myself, “Hey, you need to check out that piece of art.” Otherwise, I found myself glazing over these breaks in written content without a second thought. Now, it is worth mentioning that with my constant self-reminders I did actively review a handful of images that were very well composed, including an interesting interpretation of a knife fight with shield technology. It’s just unfortunate that I had to actively look at those images rather than having them jump off the pages.
When it comes to layout, I am very impressed with how the book is organized, and how and when they chose to interrupt text with art, and asides. The aside text boxes which are placed in very appropriate places to draw your attention to specifics serve to break up the text along with the art. I struggle with RPG books in general. It’s a lot of information and most of it is dry to one degree or another. It’s refreshing to read an RPG book like this one that is clearly consciously designed to break the monotony of dry text.
The last minor shortcoming in the book is one that is relevant to the vast majority of RPG books and to which there is no solution and that is how the elements of the RPG are presented sequentially in the book, aka chapter order. Dune starts out with a focus on lore, which is fantastic, but once we get into the rules of the game, and how different pieces of the game interact, it stumbles, as most if not all RPG books do. The reality is that there simply is not a perfect order to address the elements of the game. The unfortunate effect of this though is that some sections of text only become clear chapters later when other elements of the game are considered. Small quibble, and no solution.
Taking all this into consideration, I am giving the Art and Layout of the Dune: Adventures in the Imperium RPG book a solid B. I’ve seen better, and I’ve seen worse.
Art and Layout rating: B
Fluff
The book starts with an emphasis on the lore behind the setting. Through to page 84 we get an extremely concise, captivating, and thorough exploration of the history of the known universe. This would be enough for a B+ if the book stopped there. But it does not.
At first that seems to be all the setting/story background you will receive, but when you get to Chapter 9 – Allies and Adversaries – you get what amounts to another substantial slice of lore, in the guise of potential NPCs and Houses that may play a part in your own adventure within the Dune universe.
This is nice for two reasons. First, its fun as a fan of the source material, Frank Herbert’s Dune (and to varying degrees the other adaptations of that source material in film and video games) to see things like the stats for Duke Leto Atriedes, or the twisted mentat Piter De Vries. It may not be necessary to your game to any degree, and further you may want to step outside that source material to tell an entirely original story, but having that information, is just plain cool. Outside of fan service, however, this chapter is equally important to someone completely new to the universe of Dune, because it does function to flesh out the lore and the setting even beyond what’s already accomplished in the beginning of the book.
This hidden cache (not truly hidden, but somewhat unexpected), is such a delight that my initial fluff rating of B+ is increased an entire grade to A+.
Fluff rating: A+
Crunch
The crunch of this game is where I struggled most in reading, retaining, and understanding the book. The mechanics of this 2d20 system are both pleasantly simple and yet simultaneously confoundingly difficult. The system is designed for a lot of flexibility, which is nice in theory and in practice.
But getting to the “in practice” aspects is as intimidating and difficult as the system is simple in theory. Let me be frank – I am still mildly confused about how this system works. I understand it, but at the same time I find myself losing my grip on that understanding even as I type this.
The system is a narrative heavy system. This is generally a feature I consider a positive and not a negative, but in the case of Dune it really functions a bit as both. Scope is always a tricky thing when you look at a game in terms of design. Some games are designed for high fantasy. Games where in it does not really make sense to have joke-y or lackadaisical characters. These are Lord of the Rings games and not Acquisitions, Inc games. Some games provide enough flexibility to do both (Dungeons & Dragons, generally).
Then there are games that not only fall into one category – say high fantasy science fiction, but then within that one category subsequently divide into other subcategories. Dune starts with an idea of high fantasy science fiction. If you know the source material, you already know this. If you don’t know the source material, then you know this by the end of the first section of the book that deals primarily with lore.
This is the easy part of the game design. Then it gets complicated.
Dune is designed to allow for both intimate gaming and gaming on an incredibly massive scale. The only impediment becomes yourself, or rather your gaming group. Finding the right gaming group for this is not going to be as simple as it is to find the right D&D gaming group. It will be more than a mesh of compatible personalities, it will extend into finding a mesh of compatible philosophies, compatible goals (beyond simply enjoyment).
The crunch allows for this because of its flexible nature. But that flexible nature becomes a potential trap, a mechanism that can paralyze a game as easily as it can propel the game forward.
The balance is difficult to conceptualize, and I fear difficult to achieve as well. Which is why I find myself reluctantly giving the crunch a C+. I want to like it more than I do, but I can not overlook the pitfalls that are built into it.
Crunch rating: C+
Final thoughts and overall rating.
My overall impressions of Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, are positive. I would give the book a B+ overall. It scratches a particular itch which may be difficult to verbalize without first being introduced to the source material of Frank Herbert’s Dune, and subsequently loving that source material to some degree or another.
But as a fan of Dune, I can emphatically recommend you pick up this book. How you use it and the plethora of ancillary books that Modiphius has already announced and/or indicated will be made is going to be a personal preference. But regardless, if you are a fan of Dune, you do need this book.
But what if I’m not a fan, Alan?
Well, I’m glad you asked.
If you are not already a fan of Dune, I would ask of you this – Would you like to play a game that mixes the high fantasy of Lord of the Rings with the exotic flavor of Star Wars? If the answer is yes, then you need this book.
Once more, when all is said and done, I do think this book is going to be a positive addition to your collection of RPGs, but most especially if you are already a fan of the source material.
Overall rating: B+
~ Big Al, the Lawyer.
A big thank you to Modiphius for sending us a digital copy for this review.
If you’d like to support the RPG Academy you can use this AMAZON link and then purchase anything from amazon you’d like. Use it every time you shop there, and the RPG academy will get a small % of what you spend.
The Dune: Adventures in the Imperium roleplaying game is based in part on the Frank Herbert Dune novels as well as other related media. It is sub-licensed to Modiphius from Gale Force Nine. Nathan Dowdell is the lead designer of the game which uses a custom version of Modiphius’ 2D20 system.
Alan “Big Al” Nicholas lives in the desert of West Texas where finding a good RPG group is as difficult as finding water. When he’s not looking for a new RPG Kickstarter or an online RPG group, he can be found prosecuting crime as the Ward County attorney or traveling with his wife to his daughter’s volleyball games. He can be found on Twitter at @bigalthelawyer or on the RPG Academy discord valiantly but vainly defending the Snyderverse.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with James Introcaso to discuss Kingdoms & Warfare from MCDM! This new supplement for D&D 5E adds an assortment of new rules and inspiration that makes the actions of the characters feel like they have a lasting impact on the world all while incorporating an assortment of new tactical rules for mass combat. If you want your games to feel epic this is the book for you.
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 147 – Faculty Meetings Redux – Wizards. In this episode I’m joined by my Faculty Meeting co-host Tom Cantwell ( @BeskarTom)
Do people play Wizards that aren’t combat focused in 5E
Is there an edition of D&D where wizards were more fun to play
The other topic – Why can’t Michael run a sandbox game?
In this episode Michael briefly talked about why the Sandbox game he was trying to run that wasn’t working. He mentioned that the players were never doing what he predicted and Evan said he was having a hard time following the story.
What sort of mentality is required to run a sandbox
What should the session zero conversation be about the sandbox
Show and Tell # 60 Nibiru.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Welcome to Detention! In this episode I’m joined by Co-host Chris Burlew (@burlew_chris ) GM of the Redemption Podcast and for a synergy session. This week we crack a pack of the new Adventurers in Forgotten Realms Magic the Gathering Draft booster and use the cards to outline a Fantasy RPG adventure.
MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:
Adventurers in Forgotten Realms MTG
Comments and Feedback are always welcome.
Thanks!! ~Michael
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 146 – Comics and Games. In this episode I’m joined by my Faculty Meeting co-host Tom Cantwell ( @BeskarTom)
RPG NEWS:
Status of AcadeCon. There will be an AcadeCon-line event running the same weekend.
Comics and Games. What lessons can we as Game Master’s take from Comic books?
Our History with Comics
What Comic Book Tropes can we use. Should avoid?
What storytelling tools can we pull into our RPGs
Comic book recommendations
Describe your perfect campaign based on a comic book
When was the best era of RPGs for us personally?
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 41
Aug 09, 2021
Here is the 41st episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
The hunt is on! Eleanor, Meerra, and Yolak try to evade the Wild Hunt and avoid getting swept up in the fury, or becoming prey themselves.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
We got plenty of new Film Studies already recorded but we are not quite sure which one will be edited and released first. You’ll have to wait to find out which movie the next episode will be about. I promise it will be very good.
See you later for more silver screen extravaganza.
Cheers
Michael
The RPG Academy Film Studies is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Support The RPG Academy
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 40
Aug 04, 2021
Here is the 40th episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
Eleanor, Meera and Yolak pass into the shadow realm, but dangers lurk in the water beneath their boat. They fight to reach the shore and embark on their fraught journey along the shadow road.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 39
Aug 02, 2021
Here is the 39th episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
Yolak fears the Void’s havok and makes a new ally. Eleanor finds a kindred spirit in Burgo. Tomlin and Meera have a heart to heart. A sacrifice is made.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
In this episode Tom sits down with Ryan Boelter to discuss Chimera RPG! This genre blending RPG sets out to create completely unique experiences for each table. If you’ve ever wanted to smash starships with magical girls then this is the RPG for you!
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 145 – Faculty Meetings Redux – A Game to Remember. In this episode I’m joined by my Faculty Meeting co-host Tom Cantwell ( @BeskarTom)
When was the best era of RPGs for us personally?
How can you engage your players with descriptive language?
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
In this episode Tom sits down with Trent from Lawful Dice. Lawful dice is an online dice store owned by Trent that has set out to sell the fairest dice in all the land. Using statistical analysis and 1000 rolls Lawful Dice guarantees that whether you roll at 20 or a 1 it was not fate, but instead just plain old probability.
In this episode Tom sits down with Christopher Grey to talk about their latest RPG, Highcaster! Highcaster expands upon the rules created for The Great American Novel and The Great American Witch by now allowing players to tell stories of legendary heroes.
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 144 – Faculty Meetings Redux – Campaign Length. In this episode I’m joined by my Faculty Meeting co-host Tom Cantwell ( @BeskarTom)
Engaging your players at the table. A revisit of ‘Dungeon Talk Episode 5‘
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
Hello and Welcome to our Trial of Doctor Magnethands, another wild one page RPG by Grant Howitt. This wacky adventure has our heroes going up against the nefarious Doctor Magnet Hands as they try to stop him from crashing the moon into Earth.
For this trial we have Jake acting as the GM, Michael playing an Ostrich, and Tom playing Tom. It’s wild!
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page Join our Google+ Community Page at: The RPG Academy Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
In this special Bonus ep of The RPG Academy Michael and Tom announce the AcadeCon 2021 Kickstarter. It goes live on July 1st, 2021 and runs for just 3 weeks and this year more than ever before we need your help. If you’re not coming please consider a small donation of just $3 to $5 would make a world of difference.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~Michael E-mail us at TheRpgAcademy/Gmail. Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit and LIKE our Facebook Page Support our show by becoming a Patron at www.Patreon.Com/TheRpgAcademy
Chris – Working out again. Tabletop Simulator. Boy Scout supplies were stolen. You can help out through a Go Fund me here
Mark – Recently acquired Hulk 180 and 181 (first appearance of Wolverine) and the first appearance of Punisher comics. Godbound, Worlds without Number, Stars without Number.
Michael – Action 12 Cinema (in development TTRPG), AcadeCon announcements – sorta, I’m going to GenCon.
10 things –
Mark – 10 alternate names for his Comic Book Store.
Chris – Names for Magic Swords.
Michael – 10 Comic book character health and beauty products
Used Books: 1-20 campaigns. Mixing various worlds. Re-skinning monsters and Playtesting for WotC.
Where have our fingers been?
Michael – In New York Sewers
Chris – At an autopsy for someone eating by a giant alligator
Mark – Two high level characters commenting on two goblin’s arguing.
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 38
Jun 12, 2021
Here is the 38th episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
Eleanor makes a surprising new friendship, while the mystery of the Void rears its terrifying head.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
The Campaigns: Stranded in the Southlands – Episode 37
Jun 10, 2021
Here is the 37th episode of a new bonus Campaign Series from Adjunct Faculty Porter Williams.
On the road again… On the way to Corremel you can’t let your guard down even for a moment. Tried-and-true magic can be volatile and sand ship drivers can be reckless, even deadly.
Game Twitter – @FateofMidgard
GM – Porter @Sir_PW_Stache
Eleanor – Erin @Erin_the_Fair
Meera – Tiffany
Learn more about Fate RPG, by Evil Hat Productions at https://fate-srd.com/Learn more about the world of Midgard, by Kobold Press, at https://koboldpress.com/midgard/Intro music is “Hüzzam Oyun Havasi” by SeyyahOutro music is “Bazar” by Lobo Loco
We hope you enjoy the Southlands realm of Midgard as much as we do. We chose this setting because of its diversity and representation of cultures we weren’t used to seeing in the fantasy genre and that is something we want to celebrate. We acknowledge, however, that we as white content creators might misstep when representing people of color and cultures outside of our own background. Our aim is to recognize and elevate diverse experiences, not perpetuate stereotypes or normalized racism. Reach out to us via our email FateofMidgard@gmail.com or on Twitter @FateofMidgard. We would love to hear from our listeners about anything you like about the show, and if you see an opportunity for us to do better, please let us know.
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!! ~MichaelE-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Hello and welcome to Faculty Meetings – The general advice and discussion podcasts from The Rpg Academy. This is Faculty Meeting # 143 – Faculty Meetings Redux – The Meta Game In this episode I’m joined by my Faculty Meeting co-host Tom Cantwell ( @BeskarTom)
Engaging your players at the table. A revisit of ‘Dungeon Talk Episode 4‘
Comments and Feedback are always welcome. Thanks!!
~Michael
E-mail us at Podcast@TheRpgAcademy Follow us on twitter @TheRpgAcademy Visit our Facebook Page
Please consider contributing to my Patreon, making a modest donation via Paypal or even support your show at no extra cost via your purchases on DriveThru RPG.
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It would not be an overstatement to say I love the original Star Trek Television show. Growing up a nerd long before it was cool to be a nerd, I watched the original series on reruns and off VHS copies again and again. Over time I fell away from the series though Star Trek: The Next Generation was appointment television for me when it started airing in the late 80’s and throughout its entire run. And so, while I do not consider myself a Trekker by any stretch, I have a fondness and nostalgic love for the show. It should be no surprise then when Modiphius offered me the chance to review their new Star Trek adventures: Tricorder Collector’s boxed set I jumped at the chance with less caution that Kirk did when he brought Tribbles on board the Enterprise. 
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