In this special episode John is joined by Amber, Hailee, and Matt from the RPG collective, Cloud Curio. We discuss their new project, Book of Wyrms as well as growing up in RPGs, and learning how to get support as a GM when designing new adventures Book of Wyrms on Kickstarter Check out John's new podcast: Zombie Strains Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
In which John, Ben, and Jess roll up characters for three different OSR systems: Dungeon Crawl Classics, Dolmenwood, and Shadowdark, bringing Sindar, Hrannick, and Korv to life. As they fill the sheets out, they explore how every detail sparks anticipation for play, and how what’s left off of a character sheet can reveal clever, intentional design. Dungeon Crawl Classics Dolmenwood ShadowDark Check out John's new podcast: Zombie Strains Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For...
In which John, Jess, and their guest, Stephen Dewey, discuss the design his game To Serve Her Wintry Hunger. Together they dive into the magic of games built around evocative questions and emotional pacing. Stephen shares how he uses rules to do the heavy lifting and reinforce the emotional weight of the story. Along the way, they explore emotional cadence, the reliability of tightly written rules, and how mechanics can echo dread, wonder, and everything in between. Check out John's new podcast:...
In which John, Jess, and Ben explore the many flavors of chaos a player can bring. We discuss the role of emotional intelligence at the table, the energizing and disrupting impact of unruly players, and how Chaos Goblins—love them or not—might actually be the secret teachers of the TTRPG world. Check out John's new podcast: Zombie Strains Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
In which John and Ben discuss their preoccupation with physical RPG books. We end up all over the place; moving from consumerism, status seeking, and how our hobbies define us. Check out John's new podcast: Zombie Strains Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
In which John, Jess, and Ben explore how games become vessels that hold our friendships, memories, and the people we've loved. We share the stories of how we met through games and the powerful farewell of a friend whose story ended both in-game and in life. We discuss how through games, we are not just individuals but part of a vast, interconnected web of relationships held by the stories we tell each other. Check out John's new podcast: Zombie Strains Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Spla...
In which John and Jess talk with Gareth Hanrahan about the adventure and setting guide The One Ring – Moria: Through the Doors of Durin and Gar's return to forging adventures in the depths of Khazad-dûm. We explore corruption, dread, and shadow, contrasting them with elvish hope, and discuss the Balrog’s looming presence—diabolically lurking in the deeps and on the random encounter table. Along the way, we delve into Tolkien’s sparse yet evocative monster palette, the challenge of adding creatur...
In which we play Fängelsehåla and chat with its designer, Garry, about his elegantly interconnected rules and old-school aesthetic. As Runnen, Kallax, and Klippan, we battle through a dungeon’s entrance, ride a bat, and uncover a secret tunnel. Along the way, we discuss the tactile joy of the Doom Stack, the balance between fairness and flexibility in game design, and what makes Fängelsehåla feel like the RPG you found at your granny’s house. Dieku Games Bug Buster Pre-launch Garry's Podcast/You...
In which Tony Vasinda and JP Coovert join John for a quick chat about RPG Zine Month! Fukuzatsu Plus One Exp Development Hell! Midnight Marathon JP Coovert Tourist Hole Silver Age Quickstart https://zombiestrainspodcast.com/ Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
In which John, Ben, Jess, and Matt chase the true meaning of a White Whale campaign—is it the time itself or the change it brings? Inspired by a recent Roll for Topic episode, we ask whether long campaigns are a dream worth chasing or a relic of the past, and if one session can deliver catharsis, why play 50? Along the way, we explore shifting gaming priorities, honoring old gaming loves, and what truly makes a game fulfilling. https://zombiestrainspodcast.com/ Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com...
In which John, Ben, and Jess play as goblins in Grant Howitt’s game Goblin Quest. They become an increasingly chaotic gaggle of goblins, swapping in a new goblin character each time their previous goblin dies. Together they trebuchet to the top of the Wizard’s Tower to become the Belle of the Ball and attempt to fulfill all their Goblinoid hopes and dreams, leaving only a few fallen goblins in their wake. Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic https://zombiestrainspodc...
This is normally an off week for The Splatbook, so I thought i would share an new podcast project I have been working. Zombies Strains is an attempt to understand how zombie movies came to dominate the horror genre after the year 2000. How did it all start? What makes a good zombie movie? We answer attempt to answer all of these questions and more in... Zombie Strains It’s Andy’s turn to present his baseline zombie film. His choice, The Girl with All the Gifts (2017), is strikingly different tha...
With Jess on secret special assignment, Ben and John sit down to talk about how RPGs are evolving. Are board games getting closer to RPGs? Are RPG play styles segmenting the RPG community? Is that a new thing? In this far-ranging discussion, we cover all of these topics and more. Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
Please join the Splatbook Players as game master Jess runs the gang through a delightfully dark session of "To Serve Her Wintry Hunger", a story-telling RPG by Stephen Dewey To Server Her Wintry Hunger Stephen Dewey Patreon Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
Please enjoy part 2 of an actual play of Ben's in development table-top RPG, Wick &Wander. Illustrations by Claire Donaldson Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic Claire Donaldson Art
Please enjoy part 1 of an actual play of Ben's in development table-top RPG, Wick &Wander. Illustrations by Claire Donaldson Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic Claire Donaldson Art
Hey Splatheads! We were not able to produce a full episode this week, so we are just dropping in to say hello. We will be back in two weeks with a new actual play of Ben's game Wick and Wander Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic
Happy Halloween! Please enjoy this spooooky actual play of our One Page RPG - Air Boo-N-Boo: Haunt the Rental. GMed by Christopher Salzman of the Roll for Topic podcast. Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic
With the spooky season upon us, John, Jess, and Ben dive into the world of one-page RPG design. In this episode we make and RPG, and next episode we will play it. SpooOooookkyyy!!! Doctor Magnet Hands Sexy Battle Wizards Sad Vampire Boy Friend Advance Skeleton Siege Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
John and co-host Matt Wilson are honored to be joined by Kenneth Hite and Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan to talk about GUMSHOE games, Cthulhu movies, and of course ... Trail of Cthulhu 2nd Edition Back the new edition here!!! Strange Harvest (Movie) Dream Eater Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
Fantasy artist Hailee Smith joins the Splatbook crew. We discuss art as process, AI, and how much fun it was to design the new Splatbook logo. Cloud Curio Dragonology Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
John and Ben are joined by Tim Saucer to talk about running your own games at conventions. We also talk about creating emotional experiences in RPGs, and our RFTCON experience in general. Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic
John is joined by his two new co-hosts, Ben Donaldson and Jess Rhiannon, to talk about the new Players Handbook 2024. Who will play it? Are we converting our campaigns to the new edition? Ooooo the mysteries contained herein! NOTES: 2024 Player's Handbook Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic...
Tony Vasinda (aka Plus One Tony) joins John to talk about their GenCon experience, how to iterate your game's design, and why zines are the best! And we sneak in some rumblings about the OSR, of course. BECAUSE THAT IS ALL ANYONE TALKS ABOUT Notes: RPG Zine Club OSR Rules Families Posters, Posers and POSR(s) Butter Princess Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone!...
In honor of the release of Alien: Romulus, Andy Rau from Roll for Topic joins John for a discussion of the Alien franchise. What makes a great Alien movie? And does Alien:Romulus hit the mark? Plus an update on the Alien RPG from Free League Alien: Romulus Trailer Alien RPG Alien RPG 2n Edition Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone!...
Just chillin' Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Roll For Topic
Are you tired of all the RPG podcasts publishing their "GenCon Reflections" episodes? Well tooooo baaaad. Here is ours. We have an interview with Amber Seger, and a special guest appearance from Kyle's mom. Plus, Kyle shares some huge life changing news. Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Map Crow YouTube Map Crow Patreon The Cloud Curio Roll For Topic...
John and Kyle discuss modern magical settings, and John's plan to put his poor gaming group through an OSR Dolmenwood campaign. Tuns out Kyle has been playing a long game that has all lead up to this point. Dolmenwood Dolmenwood Soundtrack Star Borg! Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Map Crow YouTube Map Crow Patreon The Cloud Curio Roll For Topic...
Due to unrelenting popular demand John, Andy, and new guest Joel Boonstra tackle the first volume of Robert A Caro's pentalogy of the "Times of Lyndon Johnson". Mission Accomplished, so quit sending me harassing email, jeez. The Path to Power 99% Invisible: The Power Broker Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Map Crow YouTube Map Crow Patreon The Cloud Curio Roll For Topic...
We are so tired y'all. So thank you for sending us some juicy questions to answer. Sincerely Departed Game Wizards The Elusive Shift Ben Robbins Website - Lame Mage Firebrands Games Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast Jubensha Contact Us! splatbookpod@gmail.com The Splatphone! Map Crow YouTube Map Crow Patreon The Cloud Curio Roll For Topic...
