This episode takes an unusual turn as Chris and Andy chat about the experience of “imposter syndrome”—of feeling unworthy to participate in this hobby we all love. After a heartfelt discussion, the episode closes out with a more upbeat talk about Halloween one-shots.

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Episode 74 — How Do You Deal with Imposter Syndrome?

Andy and Chris discuss ways to get your players more invested in a roleplaying game—but not before they pursue tangents including Jack Vance’s “Dying Earth” novels and how to handle keeping-watch sequences at the table.

Episode 73 — How Do You Increase Player Investment in Your Game?

This week Chris talks with GM Phill Cameron! We talk about a lot of stuff including Vampire: The Masquerade, make a d6 table about the places you’ll go if you follow a butterfly, and then we even roll on the table to talk about designing puzzles.

Episode 72 – Trent Reznor, butterflies, and puzzles (with Phill Cameron)

Andy and Chris diverge from the show’s regular format to discuss a novel they both love and how to set meaningful stakes for RPG encounters… until Chris fails his saving throw and goes into a wild rant about the character creation process in D&D. Listen as they try to salvage some positive insight from Chris’ […]

Episode 71 — What’s Up with D&D Character Creation?

We had ourselves a game convention! Chris and Andy share some brief reflections on the first Roll for Topic Con, a (very) mini-convention at which games were run, old RPG sourcebooks were traded, and fun was had.

Episode 70 — Convention Reflections!

Special guest Laura joins us to talk about the challenge of finding the right balance of tone and story at the gaming table. We also hear about Laura’s experience helping to organize the U-Con convention, and about her recently-finished East Texas University campaign, in which her players dealt with supernatural threats, midterm exams, and mean […]

Episode 69 — How Do You Balance Action, Levity, and Drama? (with guest GM Laura)

What do large-scale battles look like in the games you run? Chris and Andy discuss the different ways that big battles can play out in a roleplaying game, and talk about the appeal and limitations of large-scale combat.

Episode 68 — How Do You Run Large Battles?

Amber Seger (@rocketorca) and Kyle Latino (@kylelatino) join Chris and Andy for part two of our playthrough of The Ground Itself! Show notes for Episode 67: Amber Seger, graphic designer, illustrator, co-owner of the Geekspective podcast network, and all sorts of other awesome things Kyle Latino, mad master of RPG maps The Ground Itself, the wonderful RPG […]

Episode 67 — ‘The Ground Itself’ Actual Play Part 2 (with Amber Seger and Kyle Latino)

Amber Seger (@rocketorca) and Kyle Latino (@kylelatino) join Chris and Andy for an epic playthrough of The Ground Itself! Working together, we collaborate to tell the story of one extremely weird castle and the people who live and (maybe) die there. Show notes for Episode 66: Amber Seger, graphic designer, illustrator, co-owner of the Geekspective […]

Episode 66 — ‘The Ground Itself’ Actual Play Part 1 (with Amber Seger and Kyle Latino)

After an opening reflection about character creation, Chris and Andy tackle the question that drives us all: what is THAC0, how does it work, and why do so many gamers point to it as a confusing stumbling block?

Episode 65 — What on Earth is a THAC0?

Join Chris, Andy, and guest GM Joel Boonstra as they venture off-script and deep into the heart of 1980s children’s cartoons! With the help of the Gamma World roleplaying game, they create a team of barge-dwelling crime-fighters certain to dominate Reagan-era toy store shelves and Saturday morning TV.

Episode 64 — Spaceship Dinosaurs, Mutant Crime-fighters, and More

For a change of pace, Chris and Andy take a break from talking about roleplaying games and actually play one! We play a short game of Sports Are Just Numerology, a fun one-page RPG for two players by Ben Roswell. Listen as your co-hosts stumble through the frightening world of sports!

Episode 63 — Sports Are Just Numerology Actual Play

How are your physical game books a part of the experience of tabletop gaming? How do you handle, annotate, and use them at the table? Andy and Chris wade into questions about the beloved books that contain the games we play.

Episode 62 — How Do You Use and Care For Your Game Books?

Once you have an idea for a new campaign, how do you make it happen at the table? Guest GM Murph joins Andy and Chris to discuss different ways to approach the first days of a new roleplaying game.

Episode 61 — How Do You Start a New Campaign? (with guest GM Murph)

Andy and Chris get personal and share all about the campaigns they really want to run, but just can’t quite bring themselves to dive into. It’s a GM therapy session! Appendix: Band of Blades Friends at the Table The Quiet Year The Ground Itself The Great Pendragon Campaign Beyond the Mountains of Madness

Episode 60 – What campaign are you chickening out of running?

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!

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