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RPPR Actual Play

Role Playing Public Radio presents a weekly Actual Play podcast of tabletop role playing game sessions. We play a wide variety of RPGs, from popular classics like Dungeons and Dragons and Call of Cthulhu to indie hits like Red Markets and Fate. Some of our episodes are stand-alone scenarios and we also feature ongoing campaigns in games like Delta Green, Eclipse Phase, and Base Raiders. Give us a listen if you want to hear a great gaming crew fight evil, try outrageous plans to save the day and joke about it.
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Episodes

World of Darkness: Slender Man episode 1

News: Support the Killsplosion Kickstarter and get access to 10 preview RPPR AP episodes including the entire Slender Man World of Darkness Campaign! No one knows what the mysterious entity known as Slender Man really is or what it does with the victims it abducts. Until now. A park ranger that survived the events of Candle Cove was later taken by the Slender Man. After a year, he returns a changed man. Other mysteries arise as the forces of darkness threaten the ranger and his friends. Can thes...

Nov 09, 20113 hr 38 min

Wild Talents: The Heroes of New Arcadia Episode 4

News: Support the Killsplosion Kickstarter and get access to 10 preview RPPR AP episodes! In this episode, the heroes of New Arcadia continue their war against the Syndicate. They discover a weapons manufacturing facility hidden in the city controlled by the Syndicate. The heroes must figure out a way to get inside the facility and destroy the machinery before the Syndicate thugs stop them. They also learn more of the Syndicate's structure, leadership and plans. What dark mysteries will they unc...

Nov 04, 20115 hr 25 min

Call of Cthulhu: The Night Clerk

News: Support RPPR with the new ransom game, Killsplosion! Get 10 preview AP episodes! Two office workers check into a banal hotel as a winter storm hits the city. Little do they suspect that the hotel is a nexus for unspeakable evil. This evil is not a man or an entity but the hotel itself. Brace yourself for a blast of architectural horror from RPPR!

Oct 30, 20112 hr 8 min

Eclipse Phase: Know Evil episode 2

News: Support RPPR with the new ransom game, Killsplosion! Get 10 preview AP episodes! The Firewall team barely escapes the hellish space station known as Thought, only to find themselves at the edge of a massive conspiracy. In order to learn more, they must make connections with the criminal underworld in order to track down the human trafficker that led them into Thought in the first place. There are two ways to gain the favor they need - to win an underground gladiatorial fight or win at Mahj...

Oct 24, 20112 hr 35 min

Dark Sun Episode 05: Antlion part 2

This episode is sponsored by Audible Books. Sign up today and get a free 14 day trial and audiobook. In the conclusion of the RPPR Dark Sun campaign, our heroes find themselves under siege. Desperate villagers attack them while their erstwhile allies are as dangerous as ever. How will they get out of the antlion's pit? Find out in this last episode of Dark Sun! A note: We stopped playing Dark Sun shortly after this session for various reasons - one of them being burned out on fantasy. So, we swi...

Oct 16, 20113 hr 38 min

Call of Cthulhu: The Horrible Lonely House in the Woods

Three Harvard college students find themselves stranded in the wilderness of Maine. A man lurches in front of their car as they travel through the forest. The man is injured and their only shelter is a house near the road. Little do they know of the ancient evil that dwells in the house. This one shot is from the magazine Worlds of Cthulhu issue #4. I ran the scenario back in 2009 and I've never had a chance to post it until now. Enjoy!

Oct 09, 20112 hr 16 min

Rifts: The Eliminators

In a grimdark post-apocalyptic future, where the earth has been devastated by nuclear war, dimensional rifts and Nazi cos-players, only a few gritty heroes stand between a new apocalypse, a post-post apocalypse or a meta apocalypse or an apocalypse squared or a neo-apocalypse or an epic apocalypse or a mega damage apocalypse or a dragon cyborg juicer apocalypse wielding a rune blade with Atlantean tattoos. Yeah. HARDCORE. In other words, I ripped off the plot of a movie called The Eliminators an...

Sep 30, 20112 hr 23 min

Eclipse Phase: Know Evil episode 1

Learn more about the campaign on the RPPR forums. In the future, only 5% of humanity remains after rogue AIs known as the TITANs turned Earth into a hellish wasteland and then disappeared. The remainder lives throughout the solar system. Only a secret vigilante organization known as Firewall protects humanity from the remnants of the TITANs and any other existential threats. One team of low level Firewall sentinels has been assigned to investigate Thought, a space station owned by the hypercorpr...

Sep 25, 20115 hr 30 min

Wild Talents: The Heroes of New Arcadia Episode 3

The war against crime continues! In this double length episode, our heroes first encounter a fellow metahuman, Raoul - a skilled underground fighting champion. He has a problem though - a death cult has kidnapped his child. He needs the help of a few heroes to rescue his kid and stop the cult. In the second half of this episode, the heroes encounter two lieutenants in the Syndicate and their henchmen. The battle that ensues will be the hardest one they have fought yet. Listen to find out who get...

Sep 18, 20115 hr 47 min

Call of Cthulhu: The Night Mission

At Gencon this year, Caleb and I sat down for a chance to play in one of Adam Scott Glancy's WW1 Call of Cthulhu games. This time, we were pilots for British Army on a night time bombing mission. 3 de Havilland DH4 planes, each with a pilot and gunner. Unfortunately, one of the bombs was dropped on the wrong place and certain seals are broken. Find out what the hapless pilots awaken and if they make it back to friendly territory!

Sep 12, 20112 hr 24 min

Fiasco at Gencon 2011: Transatlantic

I finally got a chance to try out the indie RPG, Fiasco at Gencon this year. I played with several people from the Arc Dream crew, including Shane Ivey and Greg Stolze. We used the Transatlantic playset: The time is 1932, the place? Somewhere in the mid-Atlantic aboard the luxury cruise ship Leviathan, a week out of Southampton en route to New York. On this flagship cruiser’s maiden voyage, the Captain has been directed to quietly contend for the glorious Blue Riband — the accolade awarded to th...

Sep 08, 20111 hr 57 min

Eclipse Phase: Think Before Asking

An Eclipse Phase Scenario written by Anders Sandberg and available as a free PDF. "We call it the gorgon-in-a-box problem. There is a gorgon inside the box, and we want to figure out what it is doing. Unfortunately we will turn to stone if we see her face, and she might try to make us see it. Dr Toshiro Driscoll-Toyoda, presentation to Naos Planning Board

Sep 01, 20114 hr 19 min

Wild Talents: The Heroes of New Arcadia Episode 2

In this episode of the New Arcadia campaign, our heroes have begun the fight against the Syndicate - a powerful criminal organization dedicated to consolidating its control over all organized crime in the state. It achieves this through the use of illegal super-soldier technology. Their enforcers are capable of taking down dozens of normal thugs in a battle so they have taken most of the city's criminal underworld. But our heroes have a lead on the tech used to make the super soldiers. Find out ...

Aug 27, 20113 hr 23 min

Old School Hack at Gencon 2011 with Kirin Robinson

I was fortunate enough to meet up with Ennie-award winner Kirin Robinson at this year's Gencon and talk him into running a session of his game, Old School Hack. It's a free, rules-light game of adventuring and dungeon crawling. Characters can be fighters or dwarves but not dwarven fighters. Caleb and I joined Simeon and Meg from the Arc Dream crew with the Angry DM as we went on a quest of liberation and adventure!

Aug 21, 20112 hr 40 min

GURPS: Modern League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – Judgment Day 04

We played these games a while ago. Funny story about this. I thought we played 3 sessions but in fact, Tom ran 4 sessions of this mini campaign. I scheduled these games to be posted while I was away at Gencon 2011. I did not think that there was a fourth game until a listener commented about it to me. So, I checked the archives and found the ACTUAL conclusion of the game. So, uh, enjoy the dramatic finale of Tom's action extravaganza!

Aug 11, 20113 hr 10 min

GURPS: Modern League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – Judgment Day 03

The battle between the Terminator and the League reach an epic conclusion. The terminator has one last gambit - to storm NORAD and trigger Judgment Day. In order to stop him, our heroes and their allies have to confront the deadly cyborg and his personal army. All this and more in the dramatic conclusion of The Modern League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - Judgment Day!

Aug 07, 20112 hr 57 min

GURPS: Modern League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – Judgment Day 02

The unlikely heroes of the modern league have discovered that a T-800 Terminator has been secretly planning to cause Judgment Day. In order to stop him, they must find and destroy a secret weapon factory. Of course that factory is heavily guarded - including a certain mecha made by the OCP Corporation...

Aug 05, 20112 hr 36 min

GURPS: Modern League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – Judgment Day 01

In a world seemingly like ours, many secrets lie hidden in the secrets. Aliens walk among us. Magic is real. Angels kill mortals on orders from heaven. In this world, the future is very much in jeopardy. Time travel tends to upset the natural order of things after all. Only a small band of experts can save our future. They are the modern league of extraordinary gentlemen.

Aug 03, 20113 hr 1 min

Wild Talents: The Heroes of New Arcadia Episode 1

What happens to a world whose heroes disappear overnight? One year ago, every major superhero and supervillain disappeared in an event now called Ragnarok. Since then, thousands of normal humans have acquired means to empower themselves. Spell books float around on the Internet. Technology stolen from abandoned bases and secret headquarters has been reverse engineered for countless knock offs. In a city on the West Coast called New Arcadia, a group of ragtag civilians with new superpowers has ar...

Jul 28, 20115 hr 23 min

Dark Sun Episode 04: Antlion part 1

Since the last episode of Dark Sun, our protagonists have been stranded in a remote corner of Athas: The Silt Sea. They are surrounded by foes and untrustworthy rivals but they must work together with a group of NPC adventurers in order to survive. In this small island on the silt sea, a buried secret reveals itself...a secret that promises great rewards but only the strong will live long enough to claim it. Can the cursed bearers of the artifact survive this most dangerous ordeal yet?

Jul 22, 20116 hr 15 min

4E Dungeons and Dragons – The New World Campaign Game 46: A New World

Once upon a time before the light had been born, there was a great darkness that covered the world. Our people could not yet see and we were helpless against the things that did crawl in the darkness. From the cold, hard ground the Great King fashioned guardians and explorers. They were crude and callous nor did they have proper souls like you or I. Yet our Great King made them so they would help us in this time of darkness. These earthen men did not respond, except for a small band. They were i...

Jul 13, 20112 hr 19 min

Wild Talents: Zombies and other Caped Cannibals playtest 3

Zombies of the World is now shipping! Buy your copy today! The final playtest for the upcoming Gencon 2011 Wild Talents game introduces a new group. Tim, Wes and Adam join Caleb and Mike as the newly empowered civilian survivors in the New Arcadia zombie outbreak. With the same basic scenario, what different decisions will they make and how will they respond to the challenges of undead hordes, flesh eating superheroes and a looming nuclear apocalypse? Find out in this episode!

Jul 02, 20113 hr 24 min

4E Dungeons and Dragons – The New World Campaign Game 45: The Great Armada

The Great Armada of the Old World has reached the shores of the New World. Can the forces of New Arcadia, led by the heroic Water Barons, defeat the vast forces arrayed against them? While they are outnumbered, the adventurers have more than a few tricks up their sleeves...Only one episode of the New World Campaign remains!

Jun 23, 20112 hr 46 min

All Flesh Must Be Eaten: Daybreakers

After seeing the film, Daybreakers, I was inspired to run a one shot based on it. Instead of following the main story of the movie though, I based it on a simple premise: the players are vampire citizens in the big city on the night when the blood riots break out. Using the All Flesh Must Be Eaten rules to model the horrific blood-starved subsiders, I let the players come up with their own plans for surviving the night. It was a short but entertaining game.

Jun 16, 20112 hr 6 min

4E Dungeons and Dragons – The New World Campaign Game 44: The Eve of War

The Armada of the Old World draws near to the rebelling colonies of the New World. It is up to the Water Barons to prepare the defenses in order to repel the Armada. To accomplish this, they must recruit as many allies as possible, including the unpredictable nature spirits. Only two episodes remain in the New World Campaign!

Jun 10, 20112 hr 28 min

A Dirty World: Wages of Sin

In the Great Depression, millions turned to religion to ease their suffering. A preacher in Louisiana ran a tent revival to help the masses and spread the good word. However, on one dark night the preacher is shot in his own home with his own gun. A private eye from New Orleans is hired by his family to get to the truth...or at least a convenient truth that will ignore a few secrets. A jazz musician is also brought into the intrigues as everyone involved finds out that the wages of sin...must be...

Jun 04, 20113 hr 16 min

4E Dungeons and Dragons – The New World Campaign Game 43: Cult Busters

The Water Barons must rescue the powerful nature spirit Coyote from the cult of Vecna! Of course, the cult is led by a powerful lich, so it won't be easy prying the spirit from their grasp. The cult is of course after the secrets that Coyote possesses, secrets the Water Barons need if they are to save the world from Thrazidun. The end draws nigh! Only 3 episodes left after this one.

May 27, 20113 hr 10 min

Call of Cthulhu: Delta Green – Lover in the Ice

To: Cell Q From: Andrea Subject: A Night at the Opera (attachment: Cyrano de Bergerac) STATUS: PARROT reports breach of GREEN BOX 224, hereafter DESIGNATE as PACKAGE at 0246 hours Jan 4th. DESIGNATE “Zookeeper” CONFIRMS at 0815 Jan. 5th. A-Cell BLIND on the ground due to weather. Q-cell ABORT current OBJECTIVE. New mission LOAD-OUT found in TRANSPORT with one FRIENDLY Pvt. W. MISSION PRIORITIES: CONTAINMENT of PACKAGE is highest priority. Agents should take all care to maintain OPERATIONAL SECUR...

May 20, 20114 hr 51 min

4E Dungeons and Dragons – The New World Campaign Game 42: Thunderbird

The Water Barons are closing in on the endgame of the war but a greater threat looms over them. The imprisoned dark entity is stirring within its vault and will soon awaken. In order to learn more about the secrets of the past that hold the key to the future, they must talk to the great spirit, Thunderbird. The mighty being resides deep within the wilderness of the New World. Can they find him and gain an audience? What will they learn? All this and more! Only 4 more episodes left!

May 11, 20113 hr 16 min

Wild Talents: Zombies and other Caped Cannibals playtest 1 and 2

PREORDER ZOMBIES OF THE WORLD NOW AND GET A FREE POSTER! In order to prepare for Gencon 2011, I wrote and playtested a Wild Talents zombie-themed one shot. A group of normal citizens wake up in a strange lab. They each have a super power due to the experiments conducted by the Parasol Corporation. Unfortunately, the same corporation has also released a zombie virus on the city of New Arcadia. This virus has turned normal citizens into mindless flesh eating ghouls and superhumans into intelligent...

May 04, 20114 hr 38 min
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