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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

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

41:12

Episode 126 – Maintaining Momentum

Roll For Topic ·

2023/10/12

Andy and Chris talk about Halloween, how to make a party harder for your players, and then about how to maintain momentum when you have long gaps between game sessions.

en-US

34:47

Episode 125 – When Players Do the Unexpected

Roll For Topic ·

2023/09/28

What do you do when your players make in-game choices you weren’t expecting? Should you try to shift them back onto your planned course, or appreciate the challenge they’re throwing your way? Chris listens as Andy describes a recent adventure that went awry (albeit in a fun way) and they discuss what could have been … Continue reading "Episode 125 – When Players Do the Unexpected"

en-US

40:11

Episode 124 — Do You Require Your Players To Read the...

Roll For Topic ·

2023/09/14

How much rules mastery do you ask of your players? Chris and Andy discuss the unique challenge that roleplaying games present, with their often-massive rules tomes and the complicated relationship between rules and roleplaying that takes place at the game table.

en-US

29:58

Episode 123 – Live at Roll For Topic Con!

Roll For Topic ·

2023/08/31

Our first live episode in front of a studio (con) audience! Andy runs us through his annual Roll For Topic Swap Table Quiz. Take the quiz while listening and see you how do!

en-US

26:58

Episode 122 — How Do You Encourage Your Players to...

Roll For Topic ·

2023/08/17

Your players probably interact with you, the GM, in character from time to time. But do they roleplay with their fellow players? What does that look like at the table?

en-US

37:53

Episode 121 — What Makes a Good Flawed Hero?

Roll For Topic ·

2023/08/03

What makes for a good flawed player character? Chris and Andy explore what it means to be an interesting flawed or anti-hero. But before they do that, they check in on Andy’s “Masks of Nyarlathotep” campaign and talk about what makes “Masks” unique in a hobby full of great campaigns.

en-US

38:24

Episode 120 — Choosing the Right Convention Game

Roll For Topic ·

2023/07/20

In a break from the usual format, Andy and Chris talk through the process of choosing the right game to run for a convention one-shot. Together, they go through the half-dozen games on Andy’s list of possibilities until they narrow down the one that will work best. On the way, they talk about spies, mechs, … Continue reading "Episode 120 — Choosing the Right Convention Game"

en-US

179 results

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