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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

00:42:55

West Marches Campaigns | Play D&D On Discord On Demand

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/10/11

Ray is joined by special guest, Ace, creator of the Forged Concordance to discuss playing D&D on Discord. There are many D&D Discord servers that connect hundreds of players. Many games are run every day allowing players to play D&D on their own schedule. DMs are in demand and can schedule a game to be run whenever they feel like it. Level up your game by joining The Forged Concordance today. If you want to join the Forged Concordance, join them here: discord.gg/tfc West Marches is a

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00:34:42

Don't Wait For D&D 5.5 | Bringing Homebrew To Your...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/10/04

Ray and Ariel discuss "The Future of D&D" panel that occurred at D&D Celebration 2021. We discuss how it unlikely it is that Wizards of the Coast will make meaningful changes to the way 5th edition works today. Fear not though, instead of waiting until 2024 for Wizards of the Coast to release the new core rulebooks, bring the changes you are excited about seeing to your game with homebrew today. Ray and Ariel talk about when they bring homebrew into their games. They share their thought

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00:37:17

Character Plot and Setting | From Creative Writing to...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/09/28

Ray and Ariel learn lessons from creative writing to improve their DMing skills. Brandon Sanderson talks about the importance of character and plot over setting in creative writing. We explore the parallels between a Dungeons and Dragons character/plot/setting structure with a more traditional structure from the world of fiction. We discuss the different ways character and plot are created in a collaborative environment, but also find many similarities that can provide a template for homebrew

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00:25:07

Make Currency More Interesting At Your D&D Table

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/09/20

Ray and Ariel discuss how gold quickly shifts from a player problem to a DM problem in D&D. After buying that set of plate armor, your players usually run out of cool, available things to buy. This is often paired with a sudden explosion of gold handed out by DMs, resulting in players carrying around Tens of Thousands of gold pieces with nothing to spend it on. We offer some nuanced solutions to keep players feeling that gold is valuable even at the higher tiers of play in this week's episode of

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00:25:24

Inject Real Danger Into Your D&D

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/09/13

Ray and Ariel look at the catch-22 of dangerous Dungeons and Dragons encounters. On the one hand, not every creature in the world should be the same level as your characters. On the other hand, balanced encounters tend to be the most fun, and are important for any campaign. We walk through three ways you as a DM can put completely insane combats in front of your players and know that they will feel good about the high-stakes, dangerous encounters. These are scary waters for DMs to wade in, but a

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00:38:00

Epic Conflicts and Battles With MCDM's Kingdoms and...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/09/06

Ray and Ariel explore one of the toughest challenges in D&D: can you create epic battle for your campaign? Large scale clashes between your enemies and your allies have been a part of published dungeons and dragons adventures forever, but the rules haven't supported them. Ray and Ariel discuss why these kinds of battles are so important for your party's fun and agency in their world, and show how the new warfare rules from MCDM can be used to facilitate them. Kingdoms & Warfare is

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00:35:34

Spicing Up Your Faction Featuring MCDM's Arcadia #7

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/08/30

Ray and Ariel help make your adventuring party's faction feel fantastical and exciting throughout your campaign. As an example, we walk through The Pickling Guild, a perfect prototype for your party from MCDM's seventh issue of Arcadia. We discuss how it succeeds in some places where more traditional factions, like The Harpers from Wizards of the Coast, are lacking. Arcadia #7 is purchasable now for $7 on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia *We

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01:02:00

Running Darkness And Darkvision In D&D Featuring Ben...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/08/23

Ray, Ariel and Ben discuss common misconceptions about running darkness and darkvision in D&D. Then we dig into how to really leverage darkness in your game as a set piece in your combats and setting. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. If you want more Ben, check out his show We Speak Common.

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00:30:45

Using Legendary Artifacts | Kingdoms & Warfare Magic...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/08/16

Ray and Ariel explore ways to make artifact-level magic items special and engaging to your players throughout an entire campaign. They also warn listeners of the ways powerful artifacts can make your Dungeons and Dragons game less fun. For some examples of both scenarios, we once again dive into MCDM's new flagship product, Kingdoms & Warfare, and check out its new magic items. Kingdoms & Warfare is purchasable now for $30 on The MCDM Store *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain

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00:37:21

How To Run A Campaign For Murder Hobos

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/08/09

Ray and Ariel try to disprove the assumption that being a party of "murder hobos" is the wrong way to play Dungeons and Dragons. We look at how the rules of D&D encourage players to kill their foes, and we give DMs the tools to embrace their players' power fantasies while maintaining a realistic and character focused story. If you've ever felt like your game of D&D doesn't have the right tone or people have mismatched expectations, this episode will help you figure out ways for everyone at

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00:29:12

Running Rivals In D&D Featuring MCDM's Arcadia #6

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/08/02

Ray and Ariel discuss what makes a compelling rival in fiction and how to incorporate one into a D&D campaign. We lay out a checklist for designing compelling rivals so that your players will love to compete against them throughout the adventure. Then, we go over The Grim Accord, an evil adventuring party from MCDM's sixth issue of Arcadia, and talk about how they could fit into your campaign. Arcadia #5 is purchasable now for $7 on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all

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01:02:56

Running Action Oriented Monsters | Kingdoms & Warfare...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/07/26

Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's newest flagship product, Kingdoms & Warfare. Today we cover the monsters section of the book and discuss Villainous Actions. Matt Colville first discusses Action-Oriented Monsters in this YouTube Video. Kingdoms & Warfare is purchasable now for $30 on The MCDM Store *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor do we gain any monetary rewards for purchases of their product. We just think it is inspired work worthy of attention. If you liked the show today, please

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00:44:42

Planning Your One Shot: Three Easy Steps

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/07/20

Ray and Ariel discuss what makes a good one shot for D&D. We lay out a checklist for keeping your players engaged while making sure your session stays short and sweet. Then, we go over two examples of published material that implement these concepts in different ways. And at the end, Ray regales us with the story of his first one shot as a cautionary tale for what not to do. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in

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00:27:05

Running NPC Allies in D&D | How To Avoid Running a DMPC

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/07/12

Ray and Ariel discuss what is at the core of every faction in D&D. We sort through some of the logistics you will need to cover and the different levers you can pull to make your factions feel unique. Then, we improvise a faction from scratch using the list we discuss in the beginning of the episode. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.

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00:50:22

Arcadia #5 Review

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/07/05

Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's FIFTH issue of Arcadia. Arcadia is a supplemental magazine that equips DMs and players alike with new and inspiring content. We discuss Leon Barillaro's maladies in "Long Term Curses," Carlos Cisco’s greed based character options, "Goldmonger Subclasses," and Sam Mannell’s new spells from "Alabaster’s Almanac". Arcadia #5 is purchasable now for $7 on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia *We are not affiliated with

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00:48:09

Faction Design in D&D | Make Your World Feel In Motion

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/06/28

Ray and Ariel discuss what is at the core of every faction in D&D. We sort through some of the logistics you will need to cover and the different levers you can pull to make your factions feel unique. Then, we improvise a faction from scratch using the list we discuss in the beginning of the episode. If you liked the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter. It is the only means we have to get the show in front of new listeners.

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01:04:41

Design D&D Encounters With Us | Design Tactics You...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/06/21

Ray and Ariel Improvise a Lvl 5 and a Lvl 10 encounter. We hope that by demonstrating our own creative process, others will gain pieces of an actionable formula that they can use to apply to their own encounter design. We tinker with an existing monstrous statblock and create an encounter against humanoid foes. We discuss how to change the monsters not to just make them more challenging, but to facilitate the fantastical cinematics we want the encounter to envoke. If you liked the show today, please

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00:41:26

Arcadia #4 Review

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/06/14

Ray and Ariel dive into MCDM's FOURTH issue of Arcadia. Arcadia is a supplemental magazine that equips DMs and players alike with new and inspiring content. We discuss Willy Abeel's mounts, and magic items in "Swimming Through Sand To Sea," Cat Evans' new location, "The Chained Library," and Derek Ruiz's "On-The-Road Encounters". Arcadia #4 is purchasable now for $7 on The MCDM Store Or you can join the MCDM Patreon to acquire all existing issues of Arcadia *We are not affiliated with MCDM, nor

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00:26:22

Planning Your Pantheon In D&D

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/06/07

Ray and Ariel discuss a few of the major decisions a DM makes when designing a pantheon for their game. Is any god on the table? How can a DM choose a duality pantheon like Law vs Chaos, but still be supportive of a player that wants to worship a god or saint of death? When is the best time to start planning your pantheon? Do you need to have it nailed down before the first session? We discuss all this and more. If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

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00:43:08

Attack Worldbuilding With Intention | How To Plan...

Running Off The Rails ·

2021/05/31

Sometimes we can poor our heart into building a portion of the world that our players never end up encountering. Other times the task can seem so large and daunting that we have trouble approaching worldbuilding at all. Ray and Ariel discuss specific strategies, tactics, and tools that we use to worldbuild our D&D settings with intention. If you enjoyed the show today, please follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

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