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PODCAST

Running Off The Rails

Raymond O"Connor and Ariel Rascoe

Ray and Ariel equip new and experienced tabletop RPG players with actionable tips and tricks to bring their game to the next level. We have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for years now and truly believe that tabletop RPGs offer a unique life experience that everyone should enjoy. Find out how you can adapt your game to your players and ensure a successful adventure at your table.

leisure games

All Episodes

00:26:49

Changing Objectives In Combat

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/04/11

Ray and Ariel discuss how to design encounters using round-by-round objectives. Players can often go through a combat on autopilot, just using their strongest attack every round, and not feeling engages. If the stakes of the combat change each round, players have to pay attention and think on their feet. Ray and Ariel provide a wide variety of ways to bring different objectives into combat, from using different kinds of enemies, to enemies that have exciting plans of their own, to wild and changing

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00:13:13

Gemstone Dice Giveaway | Kickstarter Announcement

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/04/07

We are excited to announce that on Wednesday, April 13th at 11am EST, our first ever Kickstarter goes live. We are announcing this early so that our long-time listeners are prepared to take advantage of a limited number of discounted backer options. We created these explicitly as a way of saying thank you for taking this journey with us. If you would like a sample of the kickstarter, fill out the form on this website. Filling out the form will also enter you once into the URWizards Purple Cats Eye

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00:48:29

Bring 4th Edition Creature Roles To Your D&D Combat

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/03/28

Ray and Ariel discuss 4th Edition Monster Roles and how they can be applied to make your 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons combat encounters more exciting. If you have played games like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, and League of Legends, you are acutely aware of how unit specialization can make a game. Leverage this expertise in your game of D&D to make your next combat one to remember. Roles Quick Reference: Artillery, Brute, Controller, Lurker, Leader, Skirmisher, & Soldier Instagram:

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00:36:11

Arcane | Lessons Learned From the Hit TV Series

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/03/14

After watching Riot's hit new show Arcane, Ray and Ariel both wanted to recreate the epic drama they saw in their home games of D&D. In this episode, they answer the questions: Why were the character arcs and the drama of Arcane so engaging? And how exactly can we bring these to our tables? Ray and Ariel discuss how the simplicity and interconnectedness of the factions in Arcane can be replicated without starting a new campaign from scratch. And come up with ways the technological battles in

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00:29:21

It's A Trap! Unrealistic Expectations Of High-Level...

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/02/28

Ray and Ariel examine the explicit expectations of high-level characters in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (D&D 2nd Edition). In D&D 2e, it is clearly stated that high-level characters are expected to manage forts, temples, and sanctuaries. The Druid even goes so far as to remove levels from characters that lose their positions in Druidic society. D&D 5e may have removed these explicit rules from the game to increase flexibility, but in doing so they are perhaps setting up DMs and Players

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00:35:20

The Beastheart! | Divergent & Convergent Design

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/02/14

Ray and Ariel discuss Convergent and Divergent design. When is each useful? Then Ray and Ariel apply these concepts to an analysis of MCDM's new Dungeons and Dragons class, the Beastheart. MCDM's Beastheart: https://shop.mcdmproductions.com/collections/beastheart-class-companions/products/beastheart-companions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RunningOffRails YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClX4fN2Xdlw3H-9cZpqBikg

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00:35:56

Unconsciousness | What To Do When Players Get Knocked...

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/01/31

Ray and Ariel respond to a question from a listener who asked what they can do to make combat more interesting for a player whose character is unconscious. They discuss all kinds of potential solutions, from incentivizing other players to heal downed characters, to wholesale changes to the rules of unconsciousness. Both mechanical changes and role play changes are on the table so that every gaming group can find a style of play that works best for them. Instagram:

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00:36:36

Progression and Rewards | Thinking About Leveling in D&D

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/01/17

Ray and Ariel discuss how previous editions of dungeons and dragons made progression feel more earned, and how we can get use these lessons to improve our fifth edition games. There are three priorities Ray and Ariel outline when deciding how to level your party: 1) Player engagement, 2) Realism with narrative character development, and 3) Uniqueness of characters as they progress. They discuss strategies for each of these priorities and offer a campaign-shaping suggestion for a way to get a healthy

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00:38:17

Problematic Skill Checks | Add Suspense To Your Skill...

Running Off The Rails ·

2022/01/03

Ray and Ariel discuss how some skill checks can feel anti-climactic. How can we make important Persuasion, Insight, and Investigation checks feel more suspenseful? How can we mitigate the risk of an important narrative moment going "all wrong" because of a single bad dice roll. How can we make intense political encounters feel like a combat with hits and misses rather than a single roll. Also Ray and JJ play chess for a magic item? All this and more on this week's episode of running off the

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00:41:48

Running off the Rails Year in Review

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/12/27

Ray and Ariel do something a little different and look back on the past year of making this podcast together. They discuss some of the advice that has impacted their own games the most, the published materials they've been inspired by, and the future of the podcast going forward. If you enjoyed today's episode, please share us with a friend. You can support the show by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/ Twitter:

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00:33:36

DnDestiny | All Dungeon Masters Are Also Game...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/12/20

Ray is joined by the creator of DnDestiny, GoodGameKitty, to discuss how all DMs design and curate the game at their table. Kitty gives some pointers about how to bring your favorite mechanics and experiences from video games to your own table. The world of video game design has so many amazing resources; we should not ignore this source of research, design, play testing, and inspiration. If you want to join the DnDestiny community today, join the Velvet Fang Discord:

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00:25:26

Make Conditions Feel Dangerous In Your Game Of D&D

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/12/13

Ray and Ariel talk about how to make conditions more exciting at your table. How can you present conditions to your players in ways that feel threatening and uncertain? How can you homebrew conditions at your table to make poisons, curses, and diseases "explorable?" Really highlight what is different about your setting by customizing the environmental dangers that are unique there. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningofftherails/ Twitter:

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00:22:08

Building Magic Items to Fit Your Story | Ft. Arcadia #10

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/12/06

Ray and Ariel help build magic items that deliberately add the right amount of power-ups and new story hooks. An item that is very powerful will likely change your combats, and an item that is legendary and consequential can push your campaign in a brand new direction. Ray and Ariel use The Arms of Accord from Arcadia issue 10 as a great example of magical items that can be as powerful or as legendary as you need them to be. Arcadia #10 is purchasable now for $12 on The MCDM Store Or you can join

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00:52:27

Designing NPCs With Trevor Armstrong, Creator Of...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/11/29

Ray interviews Trevor Armstrong, the creator of the Grim Press. The Grim Press has launched a variety of ultra-successful 3rd party D&D 5E supplements including Adaptable NPCs. The Grim Press successfully launched the Allies and Antagonists on Kickstarter at $19,151 USD. First, Trevor discusses his core design philosophy when creating memorable NPC statblocks. Then, Trevor provides critical feedback to Ray for his Platinum Talon NPC statblock. The original and revised versions of the Platinum

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00:26:29

The Case for Playing with Meta Knowledge

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/11/22

Ray and Ariel discuss a hot topic in the TTRPG community: is it wrong for player characters to use meta knowledge at the the table. In this episode, we make the case that meta knowledge can not only make many D&D encounters safer and more fun, but it can also engage the players as the DM's audience members. After all, there's no more engaged reader than a coauthor. If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube

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00:38:29

Starting Your Campaign With A Funnel Adventure | Ft....

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/11/15

Ray and Ariel help start your adventure off with a funnel adventure to play through your character's humble pre-heroic beginnings at the table. As an example, we walk through Filthy Peasants, a port of a classic funnel to 5th edition D&D from MCDM's ninth issue of Arcadia. We discuss how it can make that first day of adventurers meeting up a lot less awkward and extremely fun. But be careful: it can be a little risky. Arcadia #9 is purchasable now for $7 on The MCDM Store Or you can join the

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00:42:52

The Challenges Of Writing Homebrew Worlds

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/11/08

Ben from We Speak Common joins us for another episode to discuss his homebrew world. What is the difference between taking inspiration and being derivative? When does it become worth it to write your own homebrew world? We discuss this and more on today's episode of Running off the Rails. If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Instagram:

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00:36:12

Elemental Preparation | How Deliberate Planning Can...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/11/01

Ben from We Speak Common joins Ray to discuss his priority list when planning a session of D&D. How does this list affect the resulting session? What are the differences between Ray and Ben's lists and how can those differences be felt by players. We cover all this and more. If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Instagram:

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00:54:26

Supporting Different Styles Of Play | How To Target...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/10/25

Mark joins Ray to discuss supporting different styles of play. Mark prefers a looser interpretation of the rules and asserts that Ray wouldn't enjoy playing in his game. Mark and Ray go off the rails and discover that they want VERY different things from D&D 5.5e. If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Instagram:

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00:32:53

Handling Player Disappointment In Stride

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/10/18

Ali joins Ray to discuss a time when Ray disappointed her as her DM. Ali talks about how players can bring critical feedback to their DM in a productive way and how DMs can create an environment that fosters collaboration and problem-solving. If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter for updates about giveaways, blog posts, new Youtube content, and new DM's guild content. Website: https://runningofftherails.com Instagram:

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102 results

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