Roleplay Rescue

What’s the point of solo roleplaying games? Why do it? And, frankly, how do you keep the game moving? If you’ve ever tried to play a role‑playing game solo, you know the feeling: the excitement of stepping into a new world, followed by the nagging question, ‘How do I keep the game moving when there’s no one else at the table?’ This past week, I built a tiny experiment to solve that tension and today I’m sharing it with you. Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Additional ambient sound thanks to Tabletop Audio: Tabletop Audio - Ambiences and Music for Tabletop Role Playing Games Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one's a reflection on the mental health side of my journey wherein I talk about the reflection that hitting 7 years of the show coincides with 5 years of healing since the mental health breakdown that I experienced in 2020. Here at the tail end of 2025, I’ve been reminded of the "Scanner" concept – because I had forgotten about it in all the hustle of the past couple of years – and it’s refreshed my sense of acceptance for the way my mind functions. That led me into thinking about some of the things that I do (or am returning to doing) that lean into the realities of being designed to move from interest to interest, soaking up everything I can. This is a breathless, wild-minded blast of ideas. Take it for what it is: the way my mind works. Thanks to Carl D, Wiebe, and Evil Jeff for the call-ins! Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 28th of November 2018 , the 8 minute and 14 second Episode Zero of Roleplay Rescue was aired. Seven years of striving, failing, starting over, and asking: How can I run a game that is creatively engaging for my friends and myself, while managing the crippling anxiety and self-doubt that plagued my identity as the "world's flakiest GM" ? This episode we dive into the manifesto that emerged from that struggle. Thanks to Anthony and Thorsten for the call-ins! Music by Jon from Tale of the Manticore. Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week patron and regular listener, Alex from the UK, called in with a question about my approach of what he calls, "Player-Directed Goal-Driven Play". His specific issue is around whether this approach can work with shorter periods of play that are designed to be time-bound to fewer sessions than my own aspiration for 1-year plus long-form play. This episode is my answer to the question. Thanks Alex for the call-in question! Hope this is useful to others too. Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week I found myself wandering back to Traveller - specifically, the current edition of the game published by Mongoose. Wandering is an inevitability in my hobby. My mind is constantly scanning for interesting things. I am curious by nature. This is the way I am. This week, Pioneer caught my attention again. It's a game about exploring the solar system. For me, the idea of a "For All Mankind" type of space exploration game in the near future sounds great. I downloaded the free book that's on the Kickstarter page: The Pioneer RPG: Explore the Solar System by Mongoose Publishing — Kickstarter But then I wanted to re-read Traveller Core Rules. My head was spinning about the Companion, which has points-build rules for characters. And then, just this morning, I landed upon The Borderland: The Borderland WONDERING is part of my character. It's the most natural thing in the world to wonder. WANDERING is also part of my character. I find myself wandering, both physically and intellectually, most days. And so I wonder and wander. Cute. Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Starting with a seemingly random quote from "Tiny Experiments" by Anne-Loure Le Cunff, I riff off the idea of non-linear paths through RPG adventures. I draw on Jamison's idea about the Obstacle and its three stages. Overall, this is me animatedly talking about how I prep for my games right now. Thanks to everyone who is supporting the show on Patreon! Thanks to Anthony for calling in (even if I didn't use it yet)! Game on! Jamison's "Gamemastering": Gamemastering: Amazon.co.uk: Jamison, Brian: 9781448675432: Books OR amazon.co.uk/Gamemastering-Brian-Jamison/dp/144867543X Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode I talk about Brian Jamison's approach to setting up a role-playing game. I stitch together Pat Mullen's bio sheet into this process as I talk about how I've applied it in my gaming in recent months. I also point out how good play involves improvisational elements which Jamison and Mullen's process encourages. Thanks to everyone who is supporting the show on Patreon! Thanks to Carl D for calling in (even if I didn't use it yet)! Game on! Jamison's "Gamemastering": Gamemastering: Amazon.co.uk: Jamison, Brian: 9781448675432: Books OR amazon.co.uk/Gamemastering-Brian-Jamison/dp/144867543X Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would happen if I recorded one short episode every week for ten weeks? This is my tiny experiment for Roleplay Rescue Reborn. This episode I talk about the intention, the experimental mindset, and the three RPG experiments I've got underway. Thanks to everyone who is supporting the show on Patreon! Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I don’t want to say this out loud, because it feels so final and unlikely, but this is the last planned episode of Roleplay Rescue. After seven years, what is there left to say? Well, uncounted things and many topics as the hobby moves forward and ideas still percolate through my consciousness, BUT… The truth is that producing the podcast is a big investment in time and energy. Do I want to make a podcast or would I rather run some games? The playing of these games is far more important to me than talking about them, even if those two things do go hand-in-hand. And so it’s time to press pause and admit that just because you’ve been doing something for a long time it doesn’t mean that you can’t stop. Big thanks to the callers today - Jason C and Matt C - your message are appreciated and, at heart, spurred some of the things I want to talk about! Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Roleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/ Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode arose after 12 weeks of conversations and not recording a more personal episode during those 3 months. Here you'll catch up with what I've been doing since April, hear three great messages from listeners and the replies they spark from me, and get the lowdown on what's coming this summer on Roleplay Rescue. Big thanks to the callers - Matt, Jason C, and Pat. Big thanks to you for listening in. Blogs mentioned in the show include... The Alexandrian "Roleplaying Games versus Storytelling Games": thealexandrian.net/wordpress/6517/roleplaying-games/roleplaying-games-vs-storytelling-games The Alexandrian "Art of Rulings": thealexandrian.net/wordpress/4238/roleplaying-games/the-art-of-rulings Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social Roleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/ Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one’s with a familiar guest - Simon Williams - in which, as it turned out, Simon interviewed me on the question of Scenario Design: how do I do it and what approaches do I take? Simon is a British artist and illustrator, and also the creator of the Legend of The Bones podcast, a hybrid Solo Old School Dungeons and Dragons actual play and dark fantasy audio drama. Through several conversations, both on and off air, Simon and I have become friends and this chat wasn’t really slated for airing but I had clicked record. I’m really glad that I did record the chat because it was an hour during which Simon’s questions led to me working out and explaining a process that I’ve developed over the past couple of years. Big thanks to Simon for asking the questions and sharing his own thoughts, but also for letting me record and share it with you. Game on! Legend of the Bones podcast: Legend of the Bones Podcast — Apple Podcasts OR https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/legend-of-the-bones/id1622036301 Legend of the Bones | Podcast on Spotify OR https://open.spotify.com/show/2HIuUxGzBtQLdGgPWRwjkg?si=0e438637d0854b09&nd=1&dlsi=57a5f90b55a148d1 Legend of the Bones website: Legend of the Bones OR https://legendofthebones.blogspot.com/ Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Roleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/ Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Clarke Peterson from Speaks and Spells Publishing, the author of several 5th Edition compatible products including Venture Forth, The Arcane Exterminator, and Secrets of the Selkies. The work he has been doing has been focused on Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition, and he has also contributed regularly to EN Publishing's monthly periodical for the system, the Gate Pass Gazette. Clarke is currently working to launch a Kickstarter for Wild Magic Reimagined , the most versatile and dynamic system yet for adding wild magic to anything and published under the ORC license. This was a really interesting conversation for me: on the one hand, I get to talk to an up-and-coming designer about their 5e-related project; on the other hand, I had the privilege of discussing some more personal and practical issues from the perspective of someone perhaps 30 years younger. What I discovered was fascinating, heartening, and very encouraging. The first half of the chat is about the guest and the project, but we veer into deeper and more personal waters at around the 30 minute mark. I hope you enjoy what he had to say. Big thanks to Clarke for coming on the show! Check out Wild Magic Reimagined: presale.speaksandspells.com/ Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one is all about the call-in feedback for the discussions I recently shared with Anthony, aka Runeslinger, from Casting Shadows on the topic of the Story Divide. More specifically, these messages largely relate to the longest episode ever - S15 Ep9 What are Roleplaying Games - in which we discussed the emergence of the Story Divide through the lens of what game designers were writing in their books. Big thanks to Anthony, aka Runeslinger, for adding his responses to this call-in episode. Thanks also to JonM, Jason C, Carl D, Wiebe, Bob, and BJ for the calls this episode… and also to Marnie for the encouragement. Without you all, this discussion wouldn’t happen and my thinking wouldn’t have been stretched even further. Thank you! Game on! Casting Shadows: castingshadowsblog.com/ The Accidental "Lie" in RPGs: castingshadowsblog.com/?p=13470 Lucifer's Lexicon: On RPG Concepts and Terms: castingshadowsblog.com/2025/04/28/lucifers-lexicon-on-rpg-concepts-and-terms/ The Alexandrian: Roleplaying Games versus Storytelling Games: thealexandrian.net/wordpress/6517/roleplaying-games/roleplaying-games-vs-storytelling-games Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one’s another conversation with Runeslinger, aka Anthony from the Casting Shadows blog, podcast, and Youtube channel. He hails from South Korea and, having just enjoyed a week off work, I was able to cue up some chats with him. This conversation is essentially the third part that began in Episode 6, The Story Divide, and explores - through the lens of D&D - the process by which the character became a protagonist… and the impact this change had on play. Big thanks to Anthony for coming to talk. We do hope it helps to illustrate the Story Divide that we spoke about some weeks back and offers some insight on different ways of approaching roleplaying games. Game on! Casting Shadows: castingshadowsblog.com/ The Accidental "Lie" in RPGs: https://castingshadowsblog.com/?p=13470 Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one’s a conversation with Runeslinger, aka Anthony from the Casting Shadows blog, podcast, and Youtube channel. He hails from South Korea and, having just enjoyed a week off work, I was able to cue up some chats with him. This conversation continues from Episode 6, The Story Divide, and delves deeper into the history of the emergence of a perception that roleplaying games are about storytelling as opposed to being about, well, something else. The approach was to dig out several texts - both in book form off our shelves and PDF format digitally - and examine those oft overlooked sections entitled something like, “What are roleplaying games?” Texts referenced include: Original Dungeons & Dragons (1974), Basic Role-Playing (1980), RuneQuest (1978), Stormbringer (1985 et al), Traveller (1977 & 1981), AD&D 1e Player's Handbook (1978), Cypher System Rulebook (2019), Your Best Game Ever (2019), Tales of the Valiant (2024), D&D 3rd Edition (2000), Vampire: The Masquerade (1991 et al), Apocalypse World (2010)... and a few others too. Big thanks again to Anthony, aka Runeslinger, for sharing this conversation. It's posted by us both in hope and with fear... the hope being that the community will find it useful. Game on! Casting Shadows: castingshadowsblog.com/ New blog --> The Accidental "Lie" in RPGs: https://castingshadowsblog.com/?p=13470 Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one’s a conversation with a new friend. My guest hails from Florida, USA, and this is probably the beginning of a sequence of chats I’d like to have with him. Our focus was on what my guest calls, "world first" play and we specifically take his currently running Twilight 2000 campaign as an example. Yes, we talk GURPS and we talk modern post-apoc but that's not quite the point: this is about methodology. Big thanks up front to Patrick for coming to talk! Game on! Pat's T2K blog: t2kcampaigns.com Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one’s an eclectic collection of thoughts emerging from listener messages and the ongoing experience of running games in the wake of recent episodes. When I started this podcast, it was really about getting my concern about losing gamers to the experience of play - of people giving up the play which enriches our lives under the pressures of modern living. At the same time, I was aware that the title - Roleplay Rescue - implies that the show is about recovering the art and depth of roleplaying. Strangely, all these years later, that is what is emerging. This episode, I tune back in to the community with a handful of messages received over the past month. I’ll share a few thoughts, riffing off those calls and I hope that’ll give us a worthwhile few minutes of content. Thanks to Steve, Jason, Patrick, and Jon for the call-in! Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one’s a conversation with an old friend. My guest hails from South Korea and this continues a sequence of chats that we’ve shared over a number of months. Fear not though - this episode stands alone. Big thanks again to Anthony, aka Runeslinger from Casting Shadows for having this conversation and allowing me to record it. Game on! Casting Shadows: castingshadowsblog.com/ Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if roleplaying games are not about telling stories? Is there another way to approach these games? And what happens if we stop treating the game like it’s a movie? This one is about expressing where I am in my own quest for improved roleplaying game experiences for my players. As the GM, this episode discusses where I am coming from and helps to explain some of the choices that I am making. Big thanks to Wiebe, Bob, and Jason for the call-ins! Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This one's a conversation with Joe, the host of the Dekahedron podcast where he talks about his love of the tabletop RPG hobby. On his show Joe talks about a range of stuff from OSR gameplay ideas through to newer (?) games like Fudge and Dungeon World. Joe's renowned for his honesty in RPG reviews and it’s that which triggered an invitation to the show. He recently did a couple of episodes reviewing Fudge (1995) and so I invited him on to explore it a little more. Big thanks to Joe for taking the time to talk Fudge. I know I enjoyed it and I hope you did to! Game on! Links to stuff in the episode: Dekahedron Podcast: www.dekahedron.com Dekahedron on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIenKcZZRol5yCPO46iaAUJgq-Ju5bMi The Anchorite APA: sites.google.com/view/anchorite/home Fudge Website: https://fudgerpg.com/ Fudge 1995 Rules PDF (free): FUDGE 1995 Edition (PDF Bookmarked) 1.0 or https://fudgerpg.com/goodies/fudge-files/download/3-core/54-fudge-1995-pdf-bookmarked.html Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens if we drop the script and the expectation that this is going to be a thought-provoking analysis of some aspect of roleplaying? What happens if we lean into improvisation and see where things end up going? What if I just riff off the call-ins and other seemingly-random thoughts that pop into my head? Wouldn’t that just be a descent into the raw and unedited mess of the GM’s Journal? Or would it be me becoming unshackled? Big thanks to Jason Wiebe and Carl D for the call-ins! Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens if we lean back into the roots of our hobby - which for me is largely the 1980s - and realise that the kind of roleplaying we enjoy the most is in fact the Old-School variety? But instead of landing back in the realm of Dungeons & Dragons, what if we find the kind of system that emphasises the roleplay is actually found in the emergence of a game designed to encourage just that: roleplay? In 1985, Steve Jackson Games published the combat system from their forthcoming roleplaying game system and they named it, “Man-to-Man”. A year later in 1986, they published the full game system as it then existed. It’s name was GURPS - the Generic Universal Role-Playing System. 40 years later, GURPS is still around… and so is that earlier incarnation. And it turns out that it’s a far more accessible and playable role-playing system than I ever imagined. Thanks to Steve Jackson Games for continuing to keep GURPS Third Edition in print: Amazon POD: amazon.co.uk/GURPS-Basic-Set-Third-Revised/dp/1556348266/ Warehouse23 PDF: warehouse23.com/products/gurps-basic-set-third-edition-revised Big thanks to Spencer and Evil Jeff for calling in with their experiences and thoughts! Game on! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If roleplaying games are really about roleplay then how come so much of our time at the table is spent doing all sorts of other things that aren’t roleplay? Is there a way in which we can craft our play experience to put the roleplay back into the roleplaying game while still remaining a collaborative game? There comes a time when many a roleplaying gamer realises that they are unsatisfied with the way in which the game is being played. I’ve been in this place for longer than I can remember, and I have attempted to resolve this in many unsatisfactory ways. No one else’s game rules have ever quite worked for me – although there are a couple of sets that get close – but more fundamentally it turns out that the problem has been methodological. As I start the fifteenth season of Roleplay Rescue, I want to focus on how to get more of what I want: roleplay with friends in an imaginative Otherworld. Big thanks to Spencer and Barry for taking the time to record their messages! Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode emerged from a Zoom call I shared with today’s guest which he was gracious enough to allow me to record and share. The episode is as simple as that: a recorded chat in which we catch up and then start to talk about Dungeoneer, also known as the Advanced Fighting Fantasy RPG from 1989. My conversation is with Simon Williams, a British artist and illustrator as well as being the creator of the Legend of The Bones podcast, a hybrid Solo Old School Dungeons and Dragons actual play and dark fantasy audio drama. Simon opens the conversation with a bold claim - the one you heard at the top of the show - and we explore the idea of using the Fighting Fantasy rules for developing our own Otherworld-immersed games. Big thanks to Simon for coming on the show and letting me share it largely unedited. I hope you find his enthusiasm as infectious as I did. Game on! Legend of the Bones podcast: Legend of the Bones Podcast — Apple Podcasts OR https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/legend-of-the-bones/id1622036301 Legend of the Bones | Podcast on Spotify OR https://open.spotify.com/show/2HIuUxGzBtQLdGgPWRwjkg?si=0e438637d0854b09&nd=1&dlsi=57a5f90b55a148d1 Legend of the Bones website: Legend of the Bones OR https://legendofthebones.blogspot.com/ Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Roleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/ Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode emerged from a Zoom call I shared with today’s guest which he was gracious enough to allow me to record and share. The episode is as simple as that: a recorded chat in which we catch up and then start to talk about a question I raised: what would you do if you had a new player to add to your existing roleplaying group? My conversation is with Johnn Four, the founder of RoleplayingTips.com which began as a GM tips newsletter back in the late 1990s. Johnn is perhaps best known for the 5 Room Dungeon, even though throughout the years, Johnn has published a GM advice column in Dragon Magazine, several books about how to improve your GMing, and continues to write on the topic of running better games. Big thanks to Johnn for allowing me to share this largely unedited conversation! Game on! Role Playing Tips for Tabletop Game Masters: roleplayingtips.com/ OR https://www.roleplayingtips.com/ Roleplay Rescue Details: Voice Message: speakpipe.com/roleplayrescue Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Email: [email protected] Blog roleplayrescue.com Bluesky Social: https://bsky.app/profile/ubiquitousrat.bsky.social MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/roleplayrescue Roleplay Rescue Theme by Jon Cohen from Tale of the Manticore: https://taleofthemanticore.podbean.com/ Logo and artwork by MJ Hiblen: https://www.patreon.com/MJHiblenART/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.