In this week's episode, we chat with Wolfgang about the struggle of making it in showbusiness, the importance of embracing a system's genre conventions, and the deployment of feminine appeal. Spoiler warning for Jaws in this one? And, to a lesser extent, The Young and the Restless . Disclaimers that we're not actually sponsored by Adobe Acrobat and Jake is not actually 5'6. Here's the Beginning Idol system that Wolfgang is sharing with us . Here's Wolfgang's own Itch page . And, because we menti...
Aug 15, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 11
In this week's Flashlight, we talk about playtesting at scale, becoming a cult leader, and the development of D&D 3e and D&D 3.5e as well as Pathfinder. Reilly shares his philosophy on ability checks and roleplay. Jake really doesn't know anything about cinema. We mention the games Swords of the Serpentine and Time Watch , both of which look extremely fun. Also, here are some links that we used in research for the episode: Here’s a Department of Commerce study called “A Nation Online” th...
Aug 07, 2024•43 min•Season 2Ep. 10
In this week's episode, we chat with Rex about being a mean satyr, the role of persuasion and compulsion in TTRPGs and LARP, and how to step out of your players' ways and let them tell their own stories. This conversation might actually have convinced Jake and Reilly to start getting into LARP. Jake is very concerned about whether you still get to sleep on a comfortable mattress, though. Rex is telling us about the Gothic LARP system . The two currently-active theatres are Luisant and Runeheim ....
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this week's Flashlight, Reilly introduces some very special guests, Jake is intimidated by game store employees, and we discuss the meteoric rise of Wizards of the Coast. We also get into the economic situation in the 1990s, the Canadian political system, and how our podcast production works behind the scenes. The bit about unpaid interns was a joke, we promise. We compare and contrast WotC with its predecessor TSR, so it might help to listen to our Flashlight on the history of TSR as well. A...
Jul 24, 2024•46 min•Season 2Ep. 8
This week, we chat with Erika about running a campaign using multiple systems, the upsides of metagaming, and worldbuilding at a table of dirty anarchist punks. Spoiler warning for Super Dimension Fortress Macross . In a sure sign that we're close to middle age, we do joke about the contents of our filing cabinets. Here are the TTRPG systems that Erika describes playing in this campaign: Microscope Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands Beam Saber Fiasco We also talk about Friends at the Table , which yo...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this week's Flashlight, we chat about the complicated corporate history of TSR, monetizing your hobbies, and how we'd deal with getting sued. Reilly wields a sword. Jake makes a metaphor about a goose that calls into question whether Jake has ever seen a goose before. In this episode we also introduce Monocles McGillicuddy with absolutely zero context. Monocles was Reilly's PC way back in our Season 1 Flashlight on the Genesys system . Here are some links that we used in research for the epis...
Jul 10, 2024•38 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In this week's episode, we chat with Max about Old School Revival gameplay, the joys of exploration, and how being a guest on our show can improve your romantic relationship. Minor spoilers for Lost Mine of Phandelver , if that matters to you. Also, if you're wondering what the production process looks like, the beginning of this episode has a bit of behind-the-scenes conversation. This is a very theory-heavy episode with long discussions of the connection between TTRPGs and video games as well ...
Jul 03, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In this week's deep dive into the history of D&D, we talk about the origins of two iconic aspects of the game: the variety of dice and the extremely weird and specific monsters. Jake describes probability distributions, Reilly comes up with appealing backstories for creatures, and we take a brief detour into the concept of good and evil in fantasy worldbuilding. Throughout the episode we completely ignore the d10, which is the least aesthetically pleasing die shape. Here are some links that ...
Jun 26, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This week, we chat with Kit about incorporating intimate character moments in a campaign with a cosmic scale, themes of family and lineage at an all-queer table, and dealing with a whole menagerie of PC pets. Spoiler warnings for A Series of Unfortunate Events . We also talk about the poem " Auguries of Innocence ". Unfortunately, we never did manage to land that Cover Girl sponsorship. Kit shared plenty of great recommendations for your home game: The Owlbear Rodeo virtual tabletop system Battl...
Jun 19, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 3
In this season's Flashlight episodes, we're taking a deep dive into the history of Dungeons and Dragons. Whether you love it, hate it, or are grimly resigned to playing it because everybody already knows the rules, the long history of D&D parallels the history of modern TTRPGs. We're starting out in the 1960s and working forward to the present day. This week, we try to talk about the wargames of the pre-D&D era. Along the way, we end up exposing our lack of knowledge of 1790s Prussia, di...
Jun 12, 2024•43 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In our very first episode of Season 2, we chat with Perry about running a campaign motivated by spite, building a griot PC class, and becoming a cleric by eating another cleric. Spoiler warnings for the D&D 5e Tomb of Annihilation module - although, honestly, this episode is a great primer for running any campaign set in Chult. This is our first time back in the studio after a big break since Season 1, and you can hear Jake getting back up to speed at the start. Perry has plenty of great rec...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 1
In this week's Flashlight, we talk about the experience of making a podcast about the creativity and uniqueness of home TTRPGs! Jake describes the terrible initial plan for this project, Reilly recounts an incident of subpar DMing, and we go wildly off the rails by the end. It's been a real privilege to get to hear about the wild fun games our friends are running. We discuss why we started this show, how it's changed the way we play TTRPGs, and what we're planning for the future of Campaign Spot...
Apr 17, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In this week's episode of Campaign Spotlight, we chat with Chris about healthcare crowdfunding, LARPing on a remote island, and the virtues of small-scale personal stories. No spoilers this week, although we do discuss quite a few old D&D modules in general terms. Also, it's not clear why Chris and Jake are so dead-set on winning sponsorships from the knife store at the mall. This is the very end of our Campaign Spotlight season! In next week's Flashlight, we chat about what we learned this ...
Apr 10, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this week's Flashlight, we explore the game Dallas, based on the TV series from the 1970s and 1980s! Reilly leaves in a hot-mic moment, Jake tries to sound knowledgeable about buying horses, and neither one of us can sustain a Texas accent. Here's the link to SPI Wargame Resources , where you can find the ruleset for Dallas if you really want to try playing it. We also mention a few other old-school TTRPGs based on the hottest IP of the early 1980s: Here's a MemoryAlpha article on the origina...
Apr 03, 2024•22 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this week's episode of Campaign Spotlight, we chat with Jesse about the Mophidius 2d20 system, the information flow between players, and improving the lot of your noble house. Spoiler warning for Dune , because Jesse's using the Dune TTRPG system. Also, spoiler warning for Game of Thrones, we guess. What's going on with all the sirens in the background in this episode? Not entirely sure, but maybe we should look into soundproofing. Here's the publisher's website for the system Jesse is using....
Mar 27, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this week's Flashlight, we explore a very old ruleset for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, First Edition! Reilly attempts to befriend a sloth, Jake covets Reilly's dice, and we speculate on the role of a sociologist in a Tolkienesque fantasy world. Finding an old copy of the rules can be tricky. OSRIC has compiled a set of first-edition rules (excluding the flavour text, which is subject to copyright) which you can read in more detail here . Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, including S...
Mar 20, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In this week's episode of Campaign Spotlight, we chat with Kyros about making your own story out of a pre-existing module, adding too many NPCs to the party, and flesh golem weddings. Spoiler alerts for the Curse of Strahd module - although, as we learn, this isn't necessarily a great choice for your next campaign. Talking about this module with Kyros got us morbidly curious about old-school Dungeons and Dragons. In next week's Flashlight episode, we track down the AD&D ruleset and try out s...
Mar 13, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In this week's Flashlight, we explore a rules-light tabletop game called Radical Catgirl Anarchy! Reilly displays a profiency for catgirl name generation, Jake learns about rollerskates, and we ponitificate on the difference between catgirlism and radicalism. Here are the rules for Radical Catgirl Anarchy , here are the rules for the original game Lasers and Feelings , and here's a list of other Lasers and Feelings hacks . We discussed quite a few other games from this list: Potatoes and Molasse...
Mar 06, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In this week's episode of Campaign Spotlight, we chat with Jake about making the most of players' busy schedules, dealing with important story beats happening offscreen, and Philadelphia energy. (This is our third guest this season from the Delaware Valley and yet somehow this is the first episode where Wawa comes up.) Very light spoilers for Neon Genesis Evangelion . This conversation got us thinking about ways to get a lightweight game session up and running really quickly. In next week's Flas...
Feb 28, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this week's Flashlight, we explore everyone's favourite minis wargame, Warhammer 40k! Reilly deploys a tape measure to manifest a smite, Jake repents for overly sweaty final showdowns in past campaigns, and we begin to wonder if playing a minis wargame on a podcast was a mistake. Here's the link to the publisher's website for the Warhammer 40k system and here's the wiki if you're feeling like a few hours of fascinated clicking . Follow us wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify , Ap...
Feb 21, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this week's episode of Campaign Spotlight, we chat with Sam about running novel and interesting combat encounters, raising the stakes by putting everyone's favourite NPC in danger, and ethically nonmonogamous orc throuples. Spoiler warning for Sam's campaign - although we recorded this a while ago, and we're pretty sure the players have already encountered that set filled with traps. This interview got us thinking about the type of games that take the physical battlemap really seriously. In n...
Feb 14, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 7
In this week's Flashlight, we explore the Genesys TTRPG system! Reilly expounds a new definition for sports, Jake gets a little heated about private equity, and we seriously damage our chances that Spirit Airlines will ever sponsor the show. Here's the link to the publisher's website for the Genesys system and here's the dice roller we use in the episode . We mention a few flavour packs, including this one that fleshes out familiars and this one that goes deep into unarmed combat. We also discus...
Feb 07, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In this week's episode of Campaign Spotlight, we chat with Chris about his DM PC, Disney movie monarchies, and the wonders of extremely crunchy combat sessions. Spoiler warning for The Emperor's New Groove , I guess? Although it's not the topic of the episode, this is the first time that Jake and Chris have chatted about the campaign they played together since it wrapped up, so it comes up a few times. Sorry about that. Here's the link to the publisher's website for the Pathfinder system that Ch...
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 5
In this week's Flashlight, we explore Dungeon World and chat about Powered by the Apocalypse-based games! Reilly gets some serious firepower, Jake approves of biblical plagues, and we both struggle to recall basic facts about modern American history. Here's the link to the publisher's website for the Dungeon World system, and here are the other Powered by the Apocalypse systems we discuss: Apocalypse World launched this whole style of TTRPG . MASHED is a PbtA game set in the Korean War . Saga of...
Jan 24, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this week's episode of Campaign Spotlight, we chat with Prim about sharing narrative control with your players, hitting dragons with sticks, and the joys of being a deeply adversarial GM. Very light spoiler warning for Fullmetal Alchemist . Will Jake ever get on board with a TTRPG system that doesn't let you roll big chunky handfuls of dice every couple minutes? Prim makes a compelling case for Dungeon World . Here's the link to the publisher's website for the Dungeon World system that Prim d...
Jan 17, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In our very first Flashlight, we explore the worldbuilding game Microscope! Reilly shows off his voice-acting abilities, Jake is very enthusiastic about a curse, and we both realize we much we rely on the randomness of a dice roll to drive a story forward. Throughout this episode Jake used a very squeaky whiteboard market to track our decisions, which Reilly had to edit out from the audio. Thanks Reilly! Here's the publisher's website where you can buy Microscope for yourself. Follow us wherever...
Jan 10, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In our very first episode of Campaign Spotlight, we chat with Mike about building a vibrant and realistic world for your campaign, NPCs who just want to be messy, and the importance of learning AutoCAD. Spoiler warning - especially for Annihiliation but also for 3:10 to Yuma and maybe Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Does Jake's mic discipline get any better as the season goes on? Stay tuned to find out. Here's the WorldAnvil page for Mike's campaign. Click through to zoom in and pan around on th...
Jan 03, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 1
