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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

25:26

Episode 146 – Running Minigames Within Your Games

Roll For Topic ·

2024/07/18

Have you used a minigame within your RPG to handle a specific scene or sequence? Chris and Andy brainstorm a bit about a jousting minigame for Chris’ upcoming convention game, with discursions into game playtesting, Battletech, and the upcoming RfT Con 2024.

en-US

34:35

Episode 145 – How to Prep for a Game When You Have No...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/07/04

Guest host John Corey fills in for Chris this week, bringing his expertise in low-prep GMing! John and Andy discuss what they’ve been reading about the early days of the gaming hobby and then go on to talk about how you can move from high-prep GMing to lower-prep, improv-style GMing.

en-US

40:19

Episode 144 – How Do You Handle Light Sources in...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/06/20

Do you meticulously track the light radius of each torch? Do you handwave it away? Something in between? Inspired by Andy’s recent trip to Mammoth Caves, Andy and Chris talk about the challenges and rewards of taking lighting seriously in your dungeon crawls.

en-US

44:37

Episode 143 – How Do You Convey Setting Detail to...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/06/06

Your setting is full of interesting history and fascinating detail. How do you convey that to your players at the table with boring or overwhelming them? Chris and Andy discuss, but not before they talk about what the movie Furiosa can teach us about good RPG action scenes. Show notes:

en-US

37:19

Episode 142 – Our Mount Rushmore of Gaming

Roll For Topic ·

2024/05/23

Andy and Chris talk for a while about books and then talk about their own personal Mt. Rushmore’s of RPG Creatives:

en-US

31:45

Episode 141 – How Do You Help Players with the Rules?

Roll For Topic ·

2024/05/09

Do any of your players struggle to grasp the rules of the game you’re all playing? How can GMs help them? Andy and Chris discuss, along with discursions into the weirdness of everyday life and Andy’s recent GMing for a group of sixth graders.

en-US

59:38

Episode 140 – Live from the AADL Game Con 2024!

Roll For Topic ·

2024/04/25

Andy and Chris were on a panel with Phil Cameron at the AADL Game Con! We talked about “How to GM like a pro”. Thanks to everyone who came out! It was a lovely time. The panel is also on youtube if you want to watch us talk instead of listen.

en-US

33:03

Episode 139 – When do you invite players to help you...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/04/11

Andy and Chris talk about sharing the narrative at the game table. It gets surprisingly philosophical! Also, Andy and Chris will be at the 2024 AADL Game Con on Saturday April 13th! Come say hi!

en-US

33:50

Episode 138 – How Do You Spotlight Characters?

Roll For Topic ·

2024/03/28

What does it look like to shine the spotlight on a particular character in a TTRPG? In this episode, we talk through some player feedback about our last episode, then move on to this important GMing practice. Show notes:

en-US

37:14

Episode 137 – What Famous Person Would You Like to...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/03/14

Andy and Chris ponder what famous figure, past or present, would be most fun to have at the gaming table! We also check in on Andy’s Band of Blades game and Chris’ progress through The Lord of the Rings.

en-US

39:16

Episode 136 – Band of Blades and One Gandalf is Enough

Roll For Topic ·

2024/02/29

Join Andy and Chris as they talk about LotR and Andy’s Band of Blades game!

en-US

37:36

Episode 135 – Dialect, Savage Worlds, and Campaign...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/02/15

Andy and Chris got to game in-person with each other! They talk about the experience of playing Dialect as a world building game for a campaign.

en-US

34:40

Episode 134 – The Book of the New Sun, and...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/02/01

We’ve all read books or watched movies that were difficult, but ultimately rewarding. With Andy having just finished Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, we talk about whether that kind of challenging but satisfying-in-retrospect experience has a parallel in RPG campaigns. What kind of value do we get out of dense, difficult settings and … Continue reading "Episode 134 – The Book of the New Sun, and Challenging Game Settings"

en-US

50:20

Episode 133 — What Makes a Great First D&D Adventure?

Roll For Topic ·

2024/01/18

As Andy prepares to run Stormwreck Isle, conversation turns to what makes a great D&D starter set or introductory adventure. What experiences do you think best embody D&D? Bonus content in this episode includes more discussion of The Thing, and (if you listen closely) the sound of Andy’s pet guinea pigs squeaking and chattering in … Continue reading "Episode 133 — What Makes a Great First D&D Adventure?"

en-US

37:08

Episode 132 — All About Randomness and Dice! (with...

Roll For Topic ·

2024/01/04

How do you calculate odds and probabilities at the game table? What do we get out of random dice rolls and random tables? And how do dice probabilities work, anyway? We’re joined by mathematician and GM Toby, who talks with Chris about both the mechanics of probability and the ways we use randomness to have … Continue reading "Episode 132 — All About Randomness and Dice! (with guest GM Toby)"

en-US

2:01:04

Episode 131 – Play a Dungeon – The Mice of The Artemis

Roll For Topic ·

2023/12/21

It’s part 2 of our annual Build-a-Dungeon/Play-a-Dungeon specials! Jo, Abby, Liz, and Brandon come on to play through “The Mice of The Artemis” with Chris as GM. Happy holidays everyone!

en-US

1:29:11

Episode 130 – Build a Dungeon 2023!

Roll For Topic ·

2023/12/07

It’s the holidays so that can only mean one thing: it’s time for us to build a dungeon and then play it live on air! In this year’s Build episode, Andy and Chris are joined, yet again, by John Corey and Kyle Latino of The Splatbook!

en-US

47:42

Episode 129 – Long-running Campaigns and their...

Roll For Topic ·

2023/11/23

Andy and Chris talk about The Walking Dead and videogames before diving into their topic: what questions do long-term campaigns raise that RPG rulebooks do not address?

en-US

40:16

Episode 128 – Palladium Surprise Package Unboxing and...

Roll For Topic ·

2023/11/09

With Chris temporarily away, Andy is joined by guest co-hosts John and Tim for something we’ve never done before: opening a mystery box of gaming goodness live on the air. Tim unboxes a Christmas surprise package from Palladium Books, after which we revisit one old topic and then ponder a brand new one. Show notes

en-US

41:47

Episode 127 – Are Your Games “Interesting Failures”?

Roll For Topic ·

2023/10/26

Andy and Chris take a different approach to gaming in this episode as they discuss the idea of “interesting failures”–art and experiences that don’t succeed, but that nonetheless deliver something worthwhile. After discussing Alien Resurrection, Andy’s favorite example of an interesting disaster, they move on to talk about what “interesting failure” looks like in a … Continue reading "Episode 127 – Are Your Games “Interesting

en-US

186 results

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