We finished season 1 of Dan’s Dresden Files campaign so it’s time to talk about how it went. This campaign was unique because Dan managed to wrangle two separate groups of players into a single plot line that escalated as the game progressed. We talk about how that worked and
Oct 31, 2016•1 hr 8 min
Sponsor: Upwind is being Kickstarted right now! Check out the campaign and back it today. Synopsis: Jeff Barber has been working on Upwind and its Kickstarter since our first interview, so I checked in with him to see how the design of the game has progressed and what Jeff has
Oct 23, 2016•1 hr 7 min
Sponsor: Upwind the fantasy RPG is now on Kickstarter! Back it today and help us reach a stretch goal so Ross can write a full campaign for Upwind. News: Two new Base Raiders PDF supplements are out: Exemplar is a new villain and Glitched Reality adds new powers usable by
Oct 12, 2016•1 hr 38 min
For the first time, we actually scheduled an official meetup and panel for RPPR fans at Gen Con. Most of the RPPR crew showed up and a TON of fans did as well. We played a few games, answered questions, talked about the podcast, game design, and of course had
Oct 06, 2016•1 hr 48 min
Tom Church conducts another interview, this time with Kory Bing, writer and artist of the webcomic Skin Deep. This webcomic has been a favorite of Tom’s for many years, and actually takes place in RPPR’s hometown of Springfield, MO! Tom and Kory discuss many issues, such as releasing a webcomic,
Sep 30, 2016•56 min
Red Markets is a game of economic horror that wrapped up on Kickstarter in June. Come listen to the creator answer questions about the book’s progress & tell us how your beta tests are going. Caleb and Ross recorded this panel at Gen Con 2016.
Sep 18, 2016•1 hr
Caleb’s Delta Green campaign, God’s Teeth, has been concluded but there’s still a lot to talk about. From the opening raid on the orphanage to Working Group Masticate’s last scene, we discuss what worked in the game and what didn’t. How did the new rules for Delta Green, like bonds
Sep 07, 2016•1 hr 54 min
Learn simple things every player can do to get better dice role outcomes. Why do dice do what they do? Identify those features and what you can do to exploit them to your advantage, without cheating! This panel was hosted by industry legend Louis Zocchi at Gen Con 2016. Check
Sep 01, 2016•1 hr 29 min
I recently interviewed Monte Cook about his latest Kickstarter, an ambitious deluxe fantasy RPG called Invisible Sun. It is still under development but promises “A game of surrealistic fantasy, secrets, and magic played both at the table–and away from it.” Curious about its game mechanics and features, I talked to
Aug 24, 2016•1 hr 1 min
We are back from Gen Con, bearing many stories and more importantly, loot! Because so many of us went to Gen Con, this double length episode features 3 round table discussions. Learn about True Dungeon, new games, crafting workshops, meetups, and more! Shout Outs True Dungeon: Not quite LARPing, definitely
Aug 18, 2016•2 hr 47 min
Patreon is a popular crowdfunding website that allows creators to earn money from their supporters and fans on a regular cycle. This gives creators new opportunities and new challenges. Ross Payton from Role Playing Public Radio, Faust Kells from The Third Wheel, and Matt Campen from the Drunk and Ugly
Aug 11, 2016•51 min
We just got back from Gen Con 2016 and we have a lot of podcasts to share. Our first one is a panel we did on game design. Ross and Caleb continue their proud tradition of screwing up in real time, with special guest Jeff Barber. Lend your questions and
Aug 08, 2016•1 hr 3 min
News: Check out the Red Markets campaign page. All of the episodes of the campaign are linked for easy access. Synopsis: The first Red Markets campaign is done, so we had to talk about it. Caleb, Aaron, Tom, David, and I talk about the concept for the campaign, how we
Jul 26, 2016•1 hr 31 min
News: Please vote a 1for Role Playing Public Radio as Best Podcast in the 2016 Ennies Awards! Thank you for your support of this podcast. Synopsis: RPPR will be at Gen Con this year in force! We have some great panels and other events lined up for you. Even if
Jul 16, 2016•53 min
A few months ago, Jeff Barber swung by Springfield to playtest his upcoming RPG, Upwind. He’s behind Blue Planet, a critically acclaimed sci-fi RPG about the colonization of an aquatic planet. I interviewed him about game design, the creation of Blue Planet, how Upwind came to be, and other topics.
Jul 08, 2016•57 min
The Red Markets Kickstarter is over but the work isn’t over yet! Caleb and I discuss how the campaign went and what we learned. Like any campaign, there were some surprises along the way. Find out what they were and what’s next for Red Markets. Thanks again for your support!
Jun 25, 2016•1 hr 27 min
News: Base Raiders: From the Underground is now available! It collects the first nine PDF supplements into one handy supplement. Get it in print and PDF or just PDF. Red Markets is in its last week. Back it now to get a full color hardcover book AND a ton of
Jun 17, 2016•1 hr 39 min
News: The Red Markets Kickstarter is live! If you want to see the fruits of Caleb’s labors, be sure to back the Kickstarter. Synopsis: Structuring a Kickstarter is a difficult task. A game designer has to predict how much it will fund. Overshoot a goal and the Kickstarter will fail.
May 23, 2016•1 hr 34 min
News: RPPR B-Sides Volume 3 is now available! Help support our podcast and get 20 actual play episodes, including Tom’s Pathfinder campaign and a Fiasco game with Thad. Thrilling Intent will have a livestream run of Tenra Bansho Zero on May 28 at 5 pm EST. Check out the details
May 16, 2016•1 hr 45 min
James D’Amato and Kat Kuhl from the One Shot Podcast developed a party card game to help gamers role play more. Noisy Person Cards can be thought of as a warm up exercise to a proper RPG. James and I talk about how NPC came to be and what he’s
Apr 27, 2016•1 hr 29 min
News: RPPR Tabletop Tales is up and running! Check our newest podcast of campaign actual play. Our first campaign, the Dresden Files, is currently on its first season. Also, be sure to check out Thrilling Intent on Youtube. Caleb and I will be guests on their livestream on April 30th
Apr 20, 2016•1 hr 42 min
Caleb and I talked to Greg Stolze about his latest project, the third edition of Unknown Armies, a post-modern horror role playing game. Urban legends, obsessions, occult conspiracies, and the invisible clergy are all part of a compelling modern game. It is also a profoundly humanist game, where humanity is
Apr 18, 2016•1 hr 8 min
Fun is obviously a byproduct of games, but that’s where the usefulness of the term ends. This seminar presents the case against fun as a design goal, method of criticism, and aesthetic in gaming. Caleb Stokes (No Soul Left Behind/No Security) and Ross Payton (Base Raiders/ Zombies of the World)
Apr 13, 2016•58 min
News: The Brutalists campaign is well under way! Check out our actual play podcasts of the Red Markets beta. There’s also a subreddit for Red Markets and Caleb did an AMA on it. Don’t forget to check out Hebanon Game’s blog for more up to date news about Red Market’s
Apr 05, 2016•1 hr 15 min
We’re back online! This short update explains what happened to RPPR in the last few weeks and what will be changing soon. It seems our new web hosting service, Lithium Hosting, is a lot better than Bluehost, so our sites should be faster. Please let me know if you find
Apr 04, 2016•12 min
News: A new companion website for our Patreon, RPPR After Hours, is now live. Find all the podcasts and other content without digging through the Patreon archives. Speaking of the Patreon, we have a new milestone: a new weekly podcast featuring campaign actual play. If we get to $1800 a
Mar 13, 2016•1 hr 39 min
Games like Dungeons and Dragons are often regarded by pop culture as nerdy and antisocial, but Wheelhouse Workshop founders Adam Davis and Adam Johns use them to help their neurodiverse teen clients become more confident and socially capable. Come hear how these lifelong gamers used their training in counseling, drama
Feb 27, 2016•1 hr 45 min
Masks of Nyarlathotep is a classic (some would say quintessential) campaign for Call of Cthulhu. Given how much we play CoC, I thought it would be remiss of us not to record a run of it. It took us about a year to get through the campaign, but our dedicated
Feb 16, 2016•1 hr 41 min
To celebrate our first year of the RPPR Patreon, we have created new milestones so we can create more podcasts for you! After Hours has proven to be a hit with our Patreon backers and there’s a lot of interest in the Old World of Darkness, so I merged the
Feb 10, 2016•2 hr 3 min
Ask anyone, from the lowliest farmhand in Missouri to the wealthiest banker in New England who they consider to be the most important figure in history, chances are they’ll give the same answer: Robert Fulton. By his simple act of installing steam engines into antiquated clockwork armors from the Napoleonic
Feb 05, 2016•36 min