Tim Shorts is responsible for this one: he laid down a challenge to the Anchorites to revisit an episode from December 2018 and allow it to inspire a retrospective... so, here's mine. I've gone back and listened to Ep103, "On Rediscovery & Roots" from Season 1. This episode revisits the recipe for an Open Table game that I talked about last year, updates you on the journey I've been on throughout the year, and ends with a pledge to re-open my gaming tables once again. Along the way, there's ...
Dec 14, 2019•31 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Another collection of diary entries and call-ins from the week past. Opening with a big question on trust, we delve into the raw and unedited ramblings from my past week. Plenty to reflect on for me but do remember: this is a pretty raw and rough ramble. Game on! Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or...
Dec 08, 2019•35 min•Season 5Ep. 7
All the talk across several Anchor podcasts about Fighting Fantasy got me thinking this week. I've been messing around with the idea of playing one or two of those game books and it occurred to me that this was a great way back the table for anyone who's having trouble making a start. Featuring call-ins from Jason Connerley and ShandyAndy, both offering some great general tips on coming back to gaming, this one's largely about taking a delve into what Fighting Fantasy game books might offer when...
Dec 07, 2019•22 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Continuing on from DM's Diary #9, I share thoughts on Reich 5 inspired by a popular TV series, get excited about Fighting Fantasy for the first time in about 25 years, and reveal a "Special Project" that got teased in DMD#9. Game on! Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD dPercentile Podcast: anchor.fm/dave-aldridge Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join...
Dec 02, 2019•24 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Another collection of gaming thoughts from my mind rampage into the ether... but not before Tim and Josh lay some cool NPC tips at my feet. A call in from Jason reminds me why my Naked GURPS project is cool, and I drop a spoiler for players in my Dungeons of Thaarl campaign. Oh, and this episode ran out of time so there's another coming tomorrow. Game on! Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD JB Publishing Podcast: anchor.fm/jbpublishing Contact Details: V...
Dec 01, 2019•29 min•Season 5Ep. 6
This week I want to revisit a few thoughts on how to make a start in coming back to the roleplaying game table. I also wanted to do something that I believe is a first for Roleplay Rescue - to build an episode almost entirely around the call-ins that I have received following last Saturday’s very popular episode 505, "Never Go Back?" It seems fitting that we periodically revisit the core questions that come up anytime I am talking to a lapsed gamer about coming back to the gaming table. This tim...
Nov 30, 2019•31 min•Season 5Ep. 6
This episode features about 20 minutes of Friday Night's session in which Andy, Dave, and myself sat down to play a one-off Dungeons of Thaarl game using my cobbled together quick start "Naked GURPS" approach for beginning a dungeon fantasy type game. It's raw and unedited. There's loads of background noises. But, overall, I hope that it gives anyone curious about the stuff I talked about in DM's Diary #8 an insight into that session and approach. Hope it's of value! Game on! Music by TJ Drennan...
Nov 25, 2019•22 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Had a couple of really good call-ins this week in response to DM Diary #7 - thank you, sincerely, to those callers! Given that these calls and the replies plus entries over the past two days were enough to (over)fill another episode, I felt it was best to release this one quickly. There's a nice cameo from my wife, Mrs W, in which she shares her commentary on collecting RPGs. Hope you enjoy! Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Keep Off The Borderlands: a...
Nov 24, 2019•36 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Why do people give up their hobbies? Should you ever go back? Is trying to recapture the past simply a big mistake? This episode is having a think about the phenomenon of giving up hobbies and the value of reclaiming them years later. As I think I’ve said before, my biggest bugbear is seeing people give up playing tabletop roleplaying games and never quite returning to the table. Is there anything we can do to help? Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD D&...
Nov 23, 2019•26 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Mid-way through the week and I've already racked-up a whole 25 minutes or so of DM's Diary content. I thought I'd better kick it out and share it before tomorrow's work day eats my energy and the weekend looms. As ever, this is my unedited audio diary and the quality varies wildly... not to mention, it's unashamedly personal - you have been warned! Oh, and there's a rather weird tale about my Old School Essentials Black Box too.Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreo...
Nov 21, 2019•27 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Forced myself to edit together this week's episode. Not feeling good after a very rough work week and missing this last weekend's online game. :-( Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubi...
Nov 18, 2019•26 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Jason Connerley is the voice behind the Nerd’s RPG Variety Cast podcast and a regular caller to several Anchorite shows, including this one. Jason started gaming around 1983 with the "Dungeon!" board game by David Megarry. His first RPGs were the Mentzer Red Box D&D Basic set and the original TSR Marvel Super Heroes RPG. Hailing from Virginia, USA, he’s a family man and, judging from the background noise during his call-ins, the owner of some awesome dogs who are almost as famous as he is. H...
Nov 16, 2019•59 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Remember: Dungeon Master's Diary is my unashamedly personal and raw recorded audio diary entries mashed up to create a rough outline of what's going on in my gaming head. Listen at your peril! That said, there's some GREAT call-ins in this one... especially the one from Goblin's Henchman! Game on! Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe ...
Nov 11, 2019•34 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Remember when Frank T called in and suggested we work on our own version of GURPS Ultralite? This is the audio conversation - back and forth - that we had a few weeks back and which led to a whole raft of further writing, thinking, and chatting. Not sure it's of interest to everyone, so I'm sticking it out as a bonus episode. Enjoy! Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Frank T's Liner Notes: anchor.fm/frankt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...
Nov 10, 2019•30 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Diving head first into an experimental approach which seeks to open up discussion around some pretty big questions that relate to our tabletop roleplaying game passion. Today’s question was chosen simply by way of piloting the format. We are hoping that listeners will call in and suggest new and better questions for our panel to answer. What’s that, I hear you ask, a panel? Yes, today I want to begin what we hope will become a once per month episode featuring three different voices answering the...
Nov 09, 2019•35 min•Season 5Ep. 3
My week has been all over the place and this DM's Diary is a little shorter than usual. Hear my initial thoughts on the second session of the Friday Night Game plus a lengthy fessing-up on my beliefs and feelings around magic. I also (rather cheekily) include a recording from a visit to the Royal Armouries in Leeds in which we hear the final confrontation between Dracula and Van Helsing... sort of. As ever, this is my personal Dungeon Mastering Diary and roughly recorded, badly edited, and very ...
Nov 03, 2019•26 min•Season 5Ep. 2
First of a couple of interviews I've managed to record over the past week or so, this one with Doug Cole of Gaming Ballistic is on the topic of why GURPS is a game worth looking at and what the Dungeon Fantasy RPG offers the curious onlooker. Doug creates licensed products for both the DFRPG and The Fantasy Trip, giving us an excellent insight into the world of gaming with 3d6 that is hard to get from the outside. Many thanks to Doug for coming back for a second chat! Oh, and big thanks to Spenc...
Nov 02, 2019•1 hr 21 min•Season 5Ep. 2
It's been a busy week - first week of half-term for me, away from work - and I've been dropping diary entries daily. Some nice call-ins from some good people in here too. Thanks to Frank T, Jason, and ShandyAndy for the messages! Enjoy! Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescu...
Oct 27, 2019•32 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Bit of a weird one but inspired by Simon Sinek's latest book, "The Infinite Game" (which is totally NOT about gaming), I was feeling inspired. Actually, a call-in from Paul Stoneman nudged this along and I couldn't suppress the topic any longer. Sometimes the thoughts bubble up from my unconscious and scream to be heard. Hope you find it useful. Rescue Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Simon Sinek's stuff: simonsinek.com The Secrets of Blackmoor documentary: secr...
Oct 26, 2019•26 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Two episodes on one week? Yes! The Dungeon Master's Diary returns with a fabulous call-in from Frank T, news on some online gaming, and my initial reaction to listening back to the Friday night session. I've also got a couple of questions for Patrons in there. Oh, and we open with something special from TJ Drennan - could it get any better? (Probably.) Dear Diary Theme Song and all incidental music by TJ Drennan: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: ...
Oct 23, 2019•35 min
The Dungeon Master's Diary is born! Fans of the old GM's Journal will, I hope, be pleased to know that I aim to continue sharing my personal audio diary. I’m re-branding it as the Dungeon Master’s Diary - DM’s Diary for short - because I’m a fantasy roleplayer right now and also because I love that old terminology: I am the Dungeon Master. At least, I am around here. DM’s Diary will always be pretty much an uncut, roughly edited mess hashed together in a hurry. It’ll also be honest and include s...
Oct 21, 2019•26 min
Roleplay Rescue is back! This podcast is about rediscovering your lost tabletop roleplaying game hobby. If you’re gamer who has wandered away from gaming, welcome to the community. I hope you’ll find something to help you get back to the table. If you’re an active gamer, someone who has played in the last 30 days, welcome to you too - perhaps you can support those of us who are struggling and share in our journey too. This episode, I want to do two things: I want to talk about the birth and gene...
Oct 19, 2019•20 min
The Patrons voted to release the two Journals during the interregnum and this is the second of those. That said, it was a long, hard, and tiring week in the run up to last weekend. It ended on a high because we finally played the first session of my new campaign, Adventurer's of Palantia, with the Friday Night Gamers. There's some deep downers in the middle of the week, however, so brace yourselves. Big thanks to Larry Hamilton for resurrecting the Sleep Deprivation topic. Thanks also to Jason a...
Oct 18, 2019•38 min•Season 4Ep. 22
The Patreon Patrons have spoken! Season 4 may have ended but I didn't stop journalling. I've been quickly editing my GM Journals together and sharing them with those amazing supporters of the podcast via patreon.com/rpgrescue ... and yesterday those guys voted for me to release this episode as a bonus. It's raw, rough, and very much under-polished. It's a week or so old too. Hey ho, let me know if you'd like to hear the rest. Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hel...
Oct 13, 2019•32 min•Season 4Ep. 21
The final episode of Season 4 is here! Ten weeks of episodes comes to an end as I take a couple of weeks for a break. Inspired by Anchorite Arneson Appreciation Month, as encouraged by the amazing Ray Otus of Plundergrounds , I've mashed all my thoughts on the topic into one rambling ramble. Many thanks to everyone for your support this season and I hope you'll keep me favourited ready for Season 5. Game on! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com M...
Oct 05, 2019•32 min•Season 4Ep. 20
This will be the last GM's Journal of Season 4. It's the penultimate episode of the series too, as I aim to release 420 next Saturday and then take a break until mid-October, when school breaks for two weeks holiday. This episode features the third instalment of call-ins regarding Sleep Deprivation. It also covers my descent into illness and is therefore not entirely positive. Still, there's plenty to chew over and I hope you'll be generous with your call-ins in response. Game on! Contact Detail...
Oct 02, 2019•37 min•Season 4Ep. 19
After what has been a really horrid week, I've sat down and recorded Part 2 of the Simple Dungeoneering mini-series I started last week. How can we keep things simple and yet also create an experience that satisfies for a solid evening of play? Hopefully there's something in there for everyone - lots of stellar call-ins, some half-lucid thoughts from me, and the odd moment of inspiration. Enjoy! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe Page: mew...
Sep 28, 2019•26 min•Season 4Ep. 18
It's Wednesday come early! A tighter episode focused on my attendance at The Owlbear and Wizard's Staff convention in Leamington Spa on the 21st September. This episide contains all my usual GM Journal entries but then lurches into an audio journal of the day at OBaWS. If you just want the Owlbear stuff, that starts at around 9 mins and 50 secs. Massive thanks to all the contributors. Captain Martinez's log entry performed by GeekGirlBookWorm, Anjuli Clayden - especial thank you to her! Bonus an...
Sep 22, 2019•24 min•Season 4Ep. 17
What does it take to set up, from scratch, a fantasy dungeon-based roleplaying campaign? Let’s see if we can get playing a simple fantasy adventure game. How can we keep things simple and yet also create an experience that satisfies for a solid evening of play. What’s the design process that we’d need to go through? I’d like to posit using a simple set of rules that I’ve been tinkering and experimenting with, on and off, since June. This episode is a bit different to my usual Saturday fare. I ho...
Sep 21, 2019•49 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Further call-ins on the question of sleep deprivation - some classic stuff! My week laid bare once again, the harried GM who seems to have had plenty to smile about in spite of the intensity of work. Many thanks to all the callers and to you, the listener, for tuning in. Game on! Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com MeWe Page: mewe.com/page/5c077833bce33a3fe7dd7f04 (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or searc...
Sep 18, 2019•23 min•Season 4Ep. 15
