In this week's episode, we chat with Garrett about highly effective cult leaders, a curse of potential unkillability, and a table of players that rotates GMing duties (and systems!) for each campaign. This was a really thoughtful conversation about short game sessions, building shared ownership of the world, and what it means to be a GM. Plus, three of the other members of Garrett's table shared their perspectives with us as well! Garrett has a wealth of knowledge about TTRPG systems. Here are s...
Aug 14, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 9
This week, we're back on location at the VancouFur furry convention in Vancouver ! We hear about a bomb mage, a high-charisma roguelike wizard, and a monk who discovers a new way to defeat Strahd. Reilly's around for this episode, and so order is restored, even as we need to podcast away from a crisis. Thanks again to the organizers for giving us permission to record at the convention! We're grateful to Syren, Pluto, Sappho, Cherry Blossom, Rudy, and Lexi for taking the time to talk with us! We ...
Aug 06, 2025•29 min•Season 4Ep. 8
In this week's episode, Greg and Casey of Black Shield Productions share their experience running large-scale games at conventions. We hear about the flow of information between players and tables, deciding whom to leave behind on a doomed planet, and the trope of a preacher with a gun. Thanks to Black Shield Productions for making this interview possible! We first encountered a Black Shield Praoductions game back at OrcaCon in January . Their games use a modified version of the Fate system . Th...
Aug 01, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 4Ep. 7
This week, we're on location at the VancouFur furry convention in Vancouver ! We hear about capitalist considerations in a fantasy world, a plucky little rat, and the cuthtroat Vancouver real estate industry. Jake exposes an embarrassing ignorance of the order of the Discworld books. Thanks to the organizers for giving us permission to record at the convention! We're grateful to Jade, Fion, Edge, Herman, Asher, Reno, Musrom, Rainyatsu, and Laurien for taking the time to chat with us! Here's that...
Jul 24, 2025•33 min•Season 4Ep. 6
This week, we're once again on location at the grand opening of Chance Encounter Games ! We hear about a sham trial and a public execution at a LARP, very ambitious notetaking, and playing a nonmagical character in a very magical world. (Also, a little bit about Jake's long-running campaign.) This is the TTRPG store and gaming space that Dante told us about during our interview earlier this season . Thanks again to Dante for letting us record at your grand opening! Also, thanks to Alaria, N, Mil...
Jul 17, 2025•38 min•Season 4Ep. 5
In this week's episode, we chat with Simon about using soda cans and pizza boxes as terrain, the shift away from miniatures in TTRPGs, and the incompatibility of the Seattle real estate market with large-scale miniatures combat. Plus, Jake gets grumpy about indie TTRPG marketing. Simon (whom we met at OrcaCon ) owns Strix Publishing and runs the Brush Wielders Union and the associated podcast as well as a Horus Heresy fan podcast . He has a ton of experience in TTRPG publishing, including work o...
Jul 09, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 4
This week, we're on location at the grand opening of Chance Encounter Games ! We hear about the economy of game publishing, the joy of playing your character like you're driving a stolen car, and the impeccable vibes of a cast-iron portcullis. This is the TTRPG store and gaming space that Dante told us about during our interview earlier this season . Thanks again to Dante for letting us record at your grand opening! Also, thanks to everyone who took the time to chat with us: Allen Tom Adam Parke...
Jun 26, 2025•34 min•Season 4Ep. 3
In this week's Streetlight, we're back on location at Vulpine Taproom in Seattle asking people about their characters and campaigns! We hear about liches with day jobs, wild magic druids, and the downsides of digital dice. We're very grateful to Vulpine Taproom for letting us record at their game night! We talked with so many people in one evening that we ended up breaking it up into two episodes. The first episode aired towards the end of last season - go give it a listen . Thanks to Margaret, ...
Jun 18, 2025•53 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Welcome to Season 4 of Campaign Spotlight! This week, we chat with Dante about running eleven weekly parallel tables in the same campaign, falling in to becoming a professional GM, and embracing the tropes of the fetch quest. Plus, Dante has some sage advice for GMs like Jake who love spreadsheets. During the interview, Dante mentions that they're opening a physical storefront for Chance Encounter Games in Seattle. In the time since we recorded this interview, we attended the grand opening and a...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In the very last Flashlight of Season 3, Jake describes Reilly's rations, Reilly shows off some sound effect finesse, and we commit to a timeline for Season 4. Spoiler alerts for either Inspector Gadget or Mission Impossibl e, potentially. This was our first time recording one-on-one in the studio in a long time, and we'd really missed it. Listen to the episode to hear what we have in store for Season 4! If you're enjoying the show, and you'd like to support it, here are some ways you can make t...
Apr 02, 2025•21 min•Season 3Ep. 16
In our very last interview of Season 3, we chat with Ev about spontaneous goblinization, nanite infestation, and a future Seattle that's even grimmer than the one we live in. Quite a bit of Seattle talk in this one, but also a lot of discussion of playing a TTRPG in a grounded and realistic world where actions have consequences. Also, spoilers for iZombie , Mr Robot , and possibly Oceans Eleven ? Jake would like to sincerely apologize for making a Homestuck reference. In addition to the Shadowru...
Mar 27, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 15
In this week's Flashlight, we're at Vulpine Taproom in Seattle ! We hear about the appropriate attire for a fantasy cosplay wedding, the hazards of getting emotionally invested in a gimmick character, and the downsides of having a life outside of gaming. Thank you so much to Vulpine Taproom for letting us record at your game night. Thanks to Josh, Chris, Abraham, Shoe, Brandon, Sean, and another Chris for taking the time to talk with us! (And, once again, serious gratitude to Vulpine Taproom.) A...
Mar 19, 2025•51 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In this week's episode, we chat with Tyler about big beefy robots smashing into each other, character specialization and specificity, and playing with a whole party of GMs. This interview started out as being about the Lancer system in particular, but we ended up talking about building and levelling PCs more generally. Tyler tells us about Lancer and its free COMP/CON character-building website and also mentions a few other games: Savage Worlds Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Microscope ( which we...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In this week's Flashlight, we're still at the OrcaCon tabletop games convention in Seattle! We see a lot of excellent wizard hats, we hear about a lot of cool projects, and Jake reveals the deep lore of Campaign Spotlight. We can't wait to get back to the con next year! Here's everyone we spoke with in this episode. Some of these were booths at the con, and some were people who saw us with a mic and wanted to let our listeners know what they were working on. We're really grateful to everyone who...
Feb 27, 2025•24 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this week's episode, we chat with RP about the expectations of the hero's journey, mysterious celebrity clients, and getting paid to DM. Spoilers for Beowulf, I think? We tank our chances for a Neuralink sponsorship in this one, just like we tanked our chances for a Tesla sponsorship earlier this season . (Also, just in case it wasn't clear, we recorded both this interview and the interview with Austin before the election, when joking about Elon Musk's failing companies felt different somehow...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In this week's Flashlight, we head to the OrcaCon tabletop games convention in Seattle! We hear about a bunch of cool projects, we spot a prominent state official, and Jake is flummoxed by the concept of 24-hour livestreams. This convention was honestly so much fun, and we're already scheming to get to more tabletop gaming events. Here's everyone we spoke with in this episode. Some of these were booths at the con, and some were people who saw us with a mic and wanted to let our listeners know wh...
Feb 12, 2025•25 min•Season 3Ep. 10
This week, we chat with Andrew from Legacies LARP about terrorizing the town as a fae abductor, depicting a demonic plague, and writing story for a long-running live-action role-playing game. This is a conversation about a very different type of storytelling experience in a game that's been running continuously for decades where each plot team only controls the narrative for six months at a time. (Also, if you're wondering, the town was called Fortnight long before the game Fortnite even existed...
Feb 06, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this week's Flashlight, we're back on location one last time at the Howloween furry convention in Vancouver! This season, we're getting out into the community and asking people about their PCs and their campaigns. We hear about banishing political figures from the timeline, a party with multiple competing cultists, and becoming the first vampires to climb Mount Everest. Also this week, Jake and Reilly chat about the season so far and what's coming next for Campaign Spotlight. Along the way, w...
Jan 29, 2025•25 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this week's episode, we chat with Rob about order and chaos, recruiting a potato peeler, and running an epic high-level campaign. Rob shares a very controversial take on combat that Jake's still not sure about. Spoiler warnings for Mass Effect in this one. In our discussion of worldbuilding, we mention our very first interview with Mike . We also mention the Genesys system a couple times. Rob introduced Jake to the system many years ago, and we tried it out on the podcast way back in Season 1...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In this week's Flashlight, we're back on location at the Howloween furry convention in Vancouver! This season, we're getting out into the community and asking people about their PCs and their campaigns. We hear about elfaboos, being dumb in a productive way, and a LARP character that actually steals things. Because we're at a furry convention, one of us is wearing a very clanky bell, and you can hear it throughout the recording. The host who's wearing a very clanky bell would like to apologize t...
Jan 15, 2025•30 min•Season 3Ep. 6
This week, we chat with Mike about killing your PCs' beloved animal companions, treating your players to cool hats with powers, and bringing in guest players for very special episodes. Mike refers quite a few times to our interview with Sam way back in Season 1. Also, spoiler alert for How I Met Your Mother . Sam also recommends the podcast Dungeoncast , which is sadly shutting down. This week's PC intro comes from Marquis, who's also one of the guest stars Mike mentions. Marquis also plays in S...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In this week's Flashlight, we're on location at the Howloween furry convention in Vancouver! This season, we're getting out into the community and asking people about their PCs and their campaigns. We hear about hat enthusiasts, revenge at all costs, and giving up the reins of your PC to your DM. Thanks to Joey, Sean, Kaesu, Shadowsmyst, Fir, Robin, and Kaji for taking the time to chat with us! (And if you talked to us at Howloween but you're not featured in this week's episode, stay tuned for t...
Jan 02, 2025•28 min•Season 3Ep. 4
This week, we chat with David about saving the whales, publishing your own game systems, and making a city feel corrupt, classy and discreet. David has built some very cool systems, and our conversation covers rules lawyering, game balance, and what it means for a table to tell a story together. For the first time in a long time, we don't spoil any media and we also don't ruin our changes at any sponsorships. This episode is heavy on references to other games! First and foremost, you should go c...
Dec 18, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In the very first Flashlight of Season 3, we're on location at Oppegaard Meadery in Seattle! This season, we're getting out into the community and asking people about their PCs and their campaigns. This was a fun episode - not just because people had interesting things to say about TTRPGs, but also because the space was ludicrously cozy and the mead was delicious. Thanks to everyone who took the time to chat with us! Check out our website to see some pictures we took while we were recording. A c...
Dec 12, 2024•25 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In the very first episode of Season 3, we chat with Austin about literal truckloads of cryptocurrrency, designing high-level enemies, and the importance of in-game downtime. Austin is an accomplished game designer and brings a ton of helpful advice to the conversation. Unfortunately, we do tank our prospects for a Tesla sponsorship. A heads up that this episode swerves into a discussion of imperialist military violence in TTRPG campaigns and its parallels in the real world. Go check out the Beam...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In this finale Flashlight of Season 2, Jake is embarrasingly earnest, Reilly gives the listeners a lot of homework, and the sword makes a second ominous appearance. We plug our Patreon , repeatedly give different numbers for the PC intro hotline (it's 724 320 2020), and talk about our plans for Season 3. This is honestly an extremely silly conversation. We've had so much fun getting to make this podcast and we're sincerely grateful to our guests so far and we're really excited to share another s...
Sep 25, 2024•21 min•Season 2Ep. 16
In this week's episode, we chat with Lew about unsustainable character voices, mixing ABBA with Norse mythology, and the importance of buying in to the fantasy. Very minor spoiler alert for 500 Days of Summer . We do joke about Ikea being our sponsor, but they're not, and this episode probably guarantees that they never will be. In this episode Lew mentions the Wayward Children series as well as the SCP Foundation . Lew also shared with us a ton of very cool pictures of the maps and minis from t...
Sep 19, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 15
In this week's Flashlight, we talk about intellectual property, resolve to go to law school, and finally earn that explicit rating. You can tell that we record a few weeks in advance, because we joke about WotC's next bad decision but we don't know about the DNDBeyond debacle yet. Jake gets into economic theory. Reilly's mic might just be a cursed artifact. Spoiler warning for Fountainhead ? Also, we're not actually sponsored by Microsoft. Dennis mentioned the OGL controversy last week, so go li...
Sep 04, 2024•40 min•Season 2Ep. 14
In this week's episode, we chat with Dennis about branching out from D&D, useful feedback on game design, and the tradeoff between generality and specificity. We're doing something a little bit different this week (talking to someone who's built a new game system) and so the conversation gets a little crunchy at times. Also, you get to hear about Jake and Reilly's whole process of backups on backups when we're recording these episodes. Spoiler alert for Jane Eyre , which Jake embarrassingly ...
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In this week's Flashlight, we talk the rise of actual plays, the incredible profitability of Wizards of the Coast, and the professionalization of a hobby. We get into both academic media theory and SEC filings. Reilly is astounded by how many movies Jake has never seen. Spoiler warnings for Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves as well as "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream" as well as maybe Rick and Morty? Also, we mention our Patreon on air for the first time. Here are some links that we u...
Aug 21, 2024•37 min•Season 2Ep. 12
