Category Tabletop Talk: The Podcast!

Dr. Emily Friedman and Actual Play

0 Comments read Podcast, Tabletop Talk: The Podcast!

Dr Emily Friedman is a scholar whose work centers on storytelling. For the past few years, one of those focuses has been on TTRPGs and the vibrant communities that have developed over the decades. Her work looks at both the long and understudied early history of the medium and its modern popularity boom, and looks ahead to the future. It also highlights the community’s traditions and structures, and how they’re changing.

Today’s conversation is one of the most interesting we’ve had recently, giving us a chance to dive into the industry’s meta and the community that bolsters it. The conversation dives into a wide range of lenses and analyses of how TTRPGs and their players have changed over time. She shares great stories and analysis from her years of work, and it was a blast asking questions and hearing her perspective on the community. 

Check out Emily’s ⁠Website⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠, and ⁠Instagram⁠. 

⁠And pre-order her book!

Listen HERE

Dillin Apelyan, James D’Amato, and The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide

0 Comments read Podcast, Tabletop Talk: The Podcast!

The Ultimate RPG Episode: Making Better Villains with James D’Amato and Dillin Apelyan

This week we’re joined by Dillin Apelyan and James D’Amato. If you listen to the One Shot Podcast, you’ve probably heard of both of them, and if you’re a fan of the actual play scene in general, you’ve seen their work all over. And now, they’ve come on to the show to discuss their brand new book.

Dillin’s been featured on Dropout, Critical Role, and podcasts across the space. They’ve designed a bunch of great games as well, including the HUNT(er/ed) and Neverland: The Impossible Island. You can find out more about Superdillin here. 

James has been working in both the comedy and TTRPG scene for years. He’s the creator of the One Shot Network and the author of the Ultimate RPG book series, which is an absolute masterclass in breaking down the genre for players and Game Masters alike. You can find his books here!

The pair are more than just integral parts of the community today–they’re good friends, and even better podcast guests. The episode was a blast, breaking down their experiences and talking in depth about their new book, The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide. They dive deep into gaming culture, their GMing experiences, and provide a lot of insight into how you can build better NPCs and characters.

Listen on your favorite podcast platform or HERE!

Laurence Phillips (Il Fantasma del Giallo)

0 Comments read Podcast, Tabletop Talk: The Podcast!

Listen HERE

Today we sit down with Laurence Phillips of Hardy Roach Games, an independent designer who creates unique games that focus on themes that dive deeper than your average TTRPG.  His one-page games are weird and exciting to play, and now he discusses his brand-new game, Il Fantasmo del Giallo. 

Step into the world of Giallo, a 20th-century Italian film genre that focuses on switchbacks, misdirection, and mile-high stakes. Il Fantasmo del Giallo is a cinematic, dark, brooding game that focuses on narratives and scenes more than a traditional dice-roller. Drama, Mystery, and Mortality are the main words of the game, and it’s an excellent example of the doors that have opened in modern roleplaying. Trauma decks, scene work, and avant-garde lenses to play make for a new take on an old genre.  

Il Fantasmo del Giallo Kickstarter

Hardy Roach Games

His Website

 Mentions

 Star Wars Visual Magazine

 Call of Cthulu

 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 

 Bird with the Crystal Plumage

 Blood and Black Legs

 Lovecraftesque by Black Armada

 Suspiria

 Halloween

 Giallo Genre

 Sherlock Holmes

 Vangers: One For the Road

Interview with Ray Chou (Mythworks)

0 Comments read Podcast, Tabletop Talk: The Podcast!

Ray Chou is a comic book and TTRPG creator–one of the talents behind the amazing Mythworks team, known for some of the last few years’ most anticipated games–Wildsea, Slugblaster, Pico, and a whole lot more. Their studio defines the modern age of TTRPG development, and he walked us through his experience and process, offering a lot of insight into how it all works.

Today’s episode focuses on Ray’s unique experiences breaking into the industry and a close look into what it means to work in the high-level indie space. Ray broke into game writing at a pivotal point in the industry. It was before the medium really blew up, but recently enough to ride the wave of Kickstarter just as it was beginning. We also talked in depth about Mythworks and how it operates as an organization, leveraging the team’s creative strengths to create indie work that feels like blockbuster TTRPG gaming. 

René-Pier Deshaies (Breathless: Frightmare Edition) 

0 Comments read Tabletop Talk: The Podcast!

I am joined by René-Pier, a TTRPG designer who’s committed to making the games and design accessible. He’s the author of Breathless (and the new Frightmare Edition), Boundless, and Stoneburner. 

One of the main things we focus on in the episode is the nature of open-source and free games, and why they’re such an important part of this growing community. RP dives deep into the current state of TTRPGs, licensing, and managing community expectations and your own artistic endeavors. We also dive deep into the creation and approach he takes to his games, with simple rules, deadly mechanics, and a really unique way dice can impact how a game functions. It’s a great conversation, and RP has such a clear understanding of how games work. 

Listen here

Back the Frightmare Edition here: ⁠https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mythworks/breathless-frightmare-edition⁠

Sam Sleney & Zach Cox (Orbital Blues)

0 Comments read Tabletop Talk: The Podcast!

A lone harmonica rattling through a ship hull; a frontiersman whistles his sad song as he shoulders his laser rifle; an ad plays over the speakers of an empty outpost in a sandy desert, two suns glaring overhead. These are the scenes of Orbital Blues, a lo-fi, sci-fi romp through the furthest frontier imaginable. 

Today, we sat down with Sam and Zach, the co-creators of the game, to discuss their relationship, the conversations and execution that led to the game’s development, and all the nitty-gritty of how these games are getting made. We talk about their unique approach to writing, the beautiful design decisions they make, and how they involve the community.  They also talk about Outlaws and Corporations, their new expansion that’s hitting shelves now. 

Listen HERE! or on your favorite podcast platform.