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PODCAST

Roll For Topic

GM/DM discussions on topics related to running tabletop games. Each episode is a 30-45 minute conversation about one specific topic chosen by rolling 1d10 on a table of topics. Roll for Topic"s regular cohosts are Andy Rau and Chris Salzman. If you or your GM is interested in being a guest, drop us a line!

leisure games

All Episodes

47:33

Episode 172 – D&D on the Beach, Blue Prince, and The...

Roll For Topic ·

2025/07/17

Chris wants to pitch Andy on Blue Prince, but decides he should probably talk about some other stuff too.

en-US

38:31

Episode 171 – The Kids Are Alright

Roll For Topic ·

2025/07/03

Chris shares the experience of watching his young daughter and her friends play D&D for the first time. What can jaded adult GMs learn from watching kids hack their way through a D&D adventure? And in what is becoming our regular book discussion segment, Chris and Andy discuss the gaming appeal of Stephen King’s The … Continue reading "Episode 171 – The Kids Are Alright"

en-US

39:00

Episode 170 – How Do You Run a One-shot for Non-gamers?

Roll For Topic ·

2025/06/19

Andy seeks advice about an upcoming game for a group of newbie players. But not before our hosts talk books, Andy excitedly describes his first trip to a swamp, and Chris reveals that his young daughter is about to make her first foray into TTRPGs.

en-US

29:06

Episode 169 – I Know a Guy and Changing Rules

Roll For Topic ·

2025/06/05

Andy and Chris are both about to go on trips so they freewheel a conversation about buying a suit and changing the system for a currently running campaign.

en-US

42:51

Episode 168 – Do You Replay TTRPG Scenes That Go Wrong?

Roll For Topic ·

2025/05/22

Would you ever call for a “re-do” of a scene or encounter that didn’t go as planned? In what situations might that make sense? And are there better ways to “roll with” an unwelcome development in the game? Chris and Andy discuss, along with talk about game pacing and Andy’s million-dollar idea for a mystery … Continue reading "Episode 168 – Do You Replay TTRPG Scenes That Go Wrong?"

en-US

35:02

Episode 167 – How Do You Use Weather in Your TTRPGs?

Roll For Topic ·

2025/05/08

Does it matter in your D&D game if the weather outside is bright and balmy or cold and rainy? Are there ways to incorporate changing weather into a TTRPG that don’t just boil down to the occasional die roll penalty? Chris and Andy discuss, and Chris describes his experience with Bully Pulpit Games’ The Skeletons.

en-US

36:52

Episode 166 – Do your characters have lives outside...

Roll For Topic ·

2025/04/24

Andy and Chris talk about the lives our PCs lead outside of the adventuring life. They also inadvertently pitch a very fun sounding game where you play a bunch of teachers.

en-US

34:03

Episode 165 – How Do You Handle Character Aging and...

Roll For Topic ·

2025/04/10

Have you played in games where your character’s age had a big impact, mechanically or narratively? Chris and Andy discuss why it matters if your D&D character is 18 or 65 years old, and how exploring those nuances might make your game more interesting.

en-US

42:34

Episode 164 – How Do You Handle Player Mounts and...

Roll For Topic ·

2025/03/27

What do you do when one of your players comes to the table with a PC that has a horse, mount, or another game feature that radically changes tactical situations? Chris and Andy discuss ways you can approach mounts in a way that doesn’t cheat the player of their mount, but which also doesn’t hurt … Continue reading "Episode 164 – How Do You Handle Player Mounts and Horses?"

en-US

43:24

Episode 163 – Do you hand out documents at the table?

Roll For Topic ·

2025/03/13

Andy and Chris talk about the things we used to love and then get into the the discussion of handing out documents/clues/puzzles at the table.

en-US

31:32

Episode 162 – How Do You Run Wilderness Survival Games?

Roll For Topic ·

2025/02/27

What elements go into a good game focused on wilderness survival and exploration? Chris and Andy discuss, but not before a few detours to talk about Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and The Wizard of Oz.

en-US

49:31

Episode 161 – How Do You Handle Religion in Your Games?

Roll For Topic ·

2025/02/13

What does religious faith look like in your games? Do you encourage your players to make religious faith a key part of their PCs, whether or not their character class is mechanically built around it? Andy and Chris discuss–but not before a few detours into the Dune setting, Tolkien (again), and more.

en-US

27:36

Episode 160 – How Do You Game in Times of Difficulty?

Roll For Topic ·

2025/01/30

Is tabletop roleplaying “just” an escapist diversion? How and why do we approach a hobby like gaming when news and politics and life in general are so heavy and overwhelming? Chris and Andy talk about the value of creative action in times of stress.

en-US

40:26

Episode 159 – To Chase or Not to Chase Your White Whales

Roll For Topic ·

2025/01/16

Andy and Chris recap the build-a-dungeon/play-a-dungeon and then talk about their gaming plans for 2025. Andy wonders aloud about whether to “just” play D&D or to keep chasing his white whales.

en-US

1:50:29

Episode 158 – Holiday Actual Play Special

Roll For Topic ·

2025/01/02

It’s our annual holiday tradition–a TTRPG actual play in which we run the roleplaying scenario that we designed in the last episode! Join Chris and he GMs a motley band of heroes try to save Christmas. The game system we’re using is Caltrop Core (https://caltropcore.com/), adapted for this holiday-cheer-filled scenario!

en-US

1:30:20

Episode 157 – Build a Dungeon 2024!

Roll For Topic ·

2024/12/19

It’s that time of year again! Join Chris and Andy with special guests, John Corey and Kyle Latino, as they build a dungeon live on air! This is part 1 of 2. In the next episode Chris will run the dungeon for a bunch of lovely folks.

en-US

39:38

156 – Chit Haters

Roll For Topic ·

2024/12/05

Andy and Chris talk about the feelings they have about different methods of getting a random number. Rolling a die is great; drawing a chit from a bag is bad.

en-US

46:05

Episode 155 – Gold in Games

Roll For Topic ·

2024/11/21

Andy and Chris talk about Baldur’s Gate 3 for too long and then Chris surprises everyone by having done a small amount of research before they discuss money in games.

en-US

46:42

Episode 154 – How Do You Prepare to Run an Epic...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/11/07

Have you thought about running an epic RPG campaign–perhaps a complex published campaign like Curse of Strahd or Masks of Nyarlathotep–but find yourself unsure how to start preparing? In this episode, Andy talks with Matt Wilson, a GM who has run several large, complex campaigns to learn some tips and tricks for preparing to run … Continue reading "Episode 154 – How Do You Prepare to Run an Epic Campaign? (with Matt Wilson)"

en-US

42:05

Episode 153 – Spooky and Cheery Holiday Games

Roll For Topic ·

2024/10/24

Andy and Chris talk about running games on holidays and what exactly makes it so compelling. They also talk about the upcoming D&D DMG, Alien tie-in novels, and The Left Hand of Darkness.

en-US

192 results

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