Roll For Topic

Do you share your GMing secrets with players after each adventure? Or do you hang on to them in hopes of re-purposing them? With Chris back at the helm as co-host, we follow this topic into some unexpected places, including the merits of re-running adventures and the importance of information asymmetry in RPGs.

What’s the key to making NPCs who are memorable, interesting, and possibly even beloved by the players? Chris, Andy, and John discuss. And as a bonus, Andy breaks out a brand-new GM challenge for his co-hosts. Listen and judge their on-the-spot GMing decisions!

Special guest (and former host) Chris joins Andy and John to talk about what you can do when you’re just not feeling very excited about your game.

Do you like running games set in established, well-defined settings? Do you prefer coming up with setting details on the fly? Something in between? John and Andy talk through the big topic of finding or building the right setting for your game. Episode 40 appendix (show notes): RPG Alchemy Fate Condensed Dungeon World Swords Without … Continue reading "Episode 40 — How Do You Build or Choose a Setting for Your Game?"

What does fear look like when it crops up in your games, horror or otherwise? How can you use fear to motivate player characters and make for a fun, tense game? John and Andy discuss.

What role do maps play in the games that you run? While Chris is taking a few weeks of parental leave, Andy is joined by guest co-host John Corey to discuss the wonderful topic of maps. Note: the audio quality on this episode is a bit lower than our usual standard, for which we apologize; … Continue reading "Episode 38 — How Do You Use Maps in Your Game?"

What do you do when a character in your game bites the dust? If character death happens, how do you work it into your campaign, and how do you address the topic with your players? Andy and Chris discuss this notoriously tricky subject.

Are the dungeons in your game mysterious, exciting experiences, or dull, slow-moving grinds? Andy and Chris are joined by John Corey to discuss ways you can inject a little bit of that “Indiana Jones” vibe into your dungeons.

Do you wince at the thought of roleplaying through a long journey? You’re not alone. Chris and Andy chat about what makes the difference between a travel sequence that is tedious, and one that adds something compelling to your campaign.

If you’re a GM stuck at home during this time of social distancing, you’re almost certainly giving some thought to running your favorite RPG online. What should you know going in? Andy and Chris are wondering the same thing, so they’ve convened a special panel discussion with returning guests Kyle and Murph to talk through … Continue reading "Episode 34 — Social Distancing Special: How Do You Run an Online Game?"

We’ve all been there. It’s game night and over the course of the day everyone is cancelling until you only have 1 or 2 players. Do you cancel? Do you play a board game instead?! Or do you embrace the smallness and see what happens? Shel Kahn joined us this week to roll on the … Continue reading "Episode 33 – How do you run games when your group is just one or two players? (with Shel Kahn)"

Donn Stroud joins us to talk about two things that are a major part of life that sometimes get missed in tabletop games: romance and shopping! Unsurprisingly, we had more to say about one of these things than the other. Appendix: Mothership and Dead Planet Lesser Key to the Celestial Legion – cowritten with James … Continue reading "Episode 32 – How Do You Handle Romance and Shopping in Your Games?"

Joking around with your friends around the game table is great, but sometimes you want to steer away from that default “adventure slapstick” vibe. How do you establish the appropriate mood for the game you’re running? Andy and Chris discuss this, along other diverse topics including Games You Should Play in Art Museums and Chris’ … Continue reading "Episode 31 — How Do You Establish Mood and Avoid an “Adventure Slapstick” Tone in Your Games?"

Chris and Andy chit-chat about some recent games they ran. Then we dive into our topic about the most fun part about games: referring to the rules! Rules are arguably what makes a game a game; however, pausing the session to flip through a book can kill the narrative momentum at the table. So, dear … Continue reading "Episode 30 – When Do You Look Up Rules?"

Guest GM Jess Snyder joins Andy and Chris to address the timeless question: do you run published adventures or exclusively homemade ones? And how do you address the challenges that arise with each approach?

How do you go about bringing a new RPG to the table? Andy and Chris discuss—and do a little reflecting on the first year of Roll for Topic.

Happy holidays everyone! We’re back with an episode in which we play through the dungeon that we made during the last episode. Andy is your esteemed GM for this one and we were pleased to have Aaron, Matt, and Brandon join in as players! If you liked this two-part experiment of building and playing a … Continue reading "Holiday Special Part 2: Live Play-a-dungeon!"

As a change of pace for the holidays, Andy and Chris team up with previous guest Kyle to design a dungeon one-shot on the fly! Will the end result be a masterpiece of adventure design or a hilarious trainwreck that features psychic whales, post-apocalyptic shopping malls, and something called a “hyperskeleton”? Tune in to find … Continue reading "Holiday Special Part 1: Live Build-a-Dungeon (with guest GM Kyle Latino)"

Call it stage fright, nervousness, or GMing anxiety, but all gamemasters must deal with it. What are some ways to minimize it? Andy and Chris discuss. Episode 25 appendix: Hotel Artemis. The Improv for Gamers book. The videogame Ion Fury. Junji Ito’s horror manga Uzumaki.

We’re joined by Aaron this week to talk about reading the written block text from adventures. When there’s block text in the adventure module you’re running, do you read it out loud? Verbatim, do you paraphrase, do you throw it all away because you know best?! Join us as we talk all about narrating at … Continue reading "Episode 24 – Do You Read the Block Text in Your Adventure? (special guest, Aaron)"

This week it’s just Andy and Chris jabbering about how to introduce non-gamers to your game. We talk about such things as: character creation, whether players should have to read the rules cover to cover, and when and how to introduce mechanics into the game. Appendix: The Adventure Zone’s MaxFunCon East Live show where they … Continue reading "Episode 23 – How to Introduce Non-Gamers to Your Game"

Guest GM Al McWilliams joins Andy and Chris to talk about his Damage Dice Kickstarter, and to talk about the question that’s on every GM’s mind: How do you handle doors in dungeons? Episode 22 appendix: The Damage Dice Kickstarter project Gyld, Al’s company that makes cool gaming stuff Orcpub, a character generator for D&D … Continue reading "Episode 22 — How to Handle Doors in Dungeons (with guest Al McWilliams)"

Audrey, who was on the show back in Episode 13, came back on to talk a bit about how the AADL RPG Fest went and then to help us think about what stuff from other media (videogames, movies, books, etc.) we bring into our tabletop games. Unsurprisingly a LOT of stuff came up in this … Continue reading "Episode 21: What Elements from Other Media do You Bring into Your Tabletop Games? (with Audrey Huggett)"

Andy is out sick this week so rather than skipping Chris decided to jump on the mic and blab about whatever struck his fancy for a few minutes, which happened to be running Halloween themed games! It’s only September; however, if you’re planning on doing something for Halloween now is the time to start prepping! … Continue reading "Episode 20 – The Shortest Episode: Running Halloween Themed Games"

Gamemastering a roleplaying game at a convention is a much different ball game than running for your home group. Guest GM John Corey returns as we discuss the fine art of running games at conventions! Episode 19 appendix: Ann Arbor District Library RPGFest U-Con Numenera Phoenix Dawn Command …which is different than Phoenix Command Dungeon … Continue reading "Episode 19 — How to Run a Convention Game (with John Corey)"

Matt, one of our first guest GMs, recently wrapped up a two-year campaign of 7th Sea, so we invited him back to reflect on what he’s learned. Also, we touch on the topic of using history to inform gaming. Episode 18 appendix: 7th Sea, second edition. 7th Sea, first edition. Eternal Lies.

As a change of pace from our usual format, we’re talking about Gencon 2019, from which Andy just returned! Chris and Andy discuss some GMing takeaways from the con. Episode 17 appendix (mostly games that Andy played at Gencon): Gencon, of course. The Mothership RPG. Band of Blades. Eclipse Phase. Cthulhutech. Delta Green. @geekteachin, who … Continue reading "Episode 17 – Reflections on Gencon 2019"

What do you do when one of your players has to leave the game for good? Hopefully, you give them a fun in-game send-off. Chris and Andy discuss what makes for a good farewell salute to departing players. Also: we want to hear your suggestions for topics to cover! Drop us a line if you’ve … Continue reading "Episode 16 – How to Send Off a Player Who’s Leaving Your Game"

We’re joined by Murph to talk about how to bring the action at the table alive. Do you paint word pictures, or slap down some gorgeously painted miniatures? If you have any feedback, praise, or criticism, we want to hear about it! Visit our contact page for how to get your message directly to us. … Continue reading "Episode 15 – Theater-of-the-mind vs. Maps, Minis, and Other Visual Representations (with Murph)"

This episode we’re joined by Kyle Latino, our first returning guest (!), to discuss monsters. Listen as we all admit to just re-skinning existing monsters from the Monster Manual as needed. Episode 14 appendix: Fantasy Fun Council on itch.io – Kyle’s tables and supplements. Powered by the Apocalypse – the system all D&D DM’s secretly … Continue reading "Episode 14 – How to Create and Use Monsters in a Game (with Kyle Latino)"

We’re joined by GM and librarian Audrey Huggett to talk about preparing to run an RPG. We also hear about Audrey’s successful efforts to bring roleplaying events to the library! Episode 13 appendix (aka show notes): Murder at Raccoon Ranch, a massive roleplaying/mystery event that Audrey hosted at her library. The In Between: Quest for … Continue reading "Episode 13 — How to Prepare to Run a Roleplaying Game (With Audrey Huggett)"

How do you incorporate random elements into your games? Do you rely heavily on randomness or do you downplay it? Andy and Chris discuss the fun (and occasional terror) that random elements bring to a roleplaying game. Episode 12 appendix (aka show notes): The D&D Starter Set, featuring the adventure “Lost Mines of Phandelver” which … Continue reading "Episode 12 — How to Handle Randomness in Your Games"

What’s the best way to track and manage hit points and other details during an RPG combat scene? Guest GM Jason Matteson joins Andy and Chris to discuss this practical question! Episode 11 appendex (aka show notes): Habler’s Purse, a magic item that Jason created and makes available at the Dungeon Master’s Guide store (pay-what-you-want). … Continue reading "Episode 11 — How to Track Combat Details (with Jason Matteson)"

What’s a GM to do when their players start getting bored or distracted during a game? Guest GM Greg Teachout joins Andy and Chris to discuss a challenge that every GM will face at some point. Episode 10 appendix: D&D 2nd and 5th editions. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. Save the Cat Writes a Novel … Continue reading "Episode 10 — How to Deal with Bored or Distracted Players (with Greg Teachout)"

How to you set the power level (and handle the power curve) in a tabletop RPG? Guest GM David Frees joins Andy and Chris to discuss. Episode 9 appendix (aka show notes): The D&D Expert Set. The Lore fantasy roleplaying game by GameFace Publishing (Dave’s game!). Hackmaster 5th edition by Kenzer and Company. Other games … Continue reading "Episode 9 — How to Manage the Power Level of an RPG (with David Frees)"

What do you do when the PCs take actions that have severe consequences? How do you make sure that in-game consequences add to the game, rather than detract from it? Guest GM John Corey joins Andy and Chris to discuss! Episode 8 appendix (aka show notes): Microscope by Lame Mage Productions, one of John’s go-to … Continue reading "Episode 8 — How to Handle Consequences for Player Characters (with John Corey)"

It’s every GM’s worst fear: a combat scene that drags on forever as players lose interest. What are some tips for keeping combat scenes focused and interesting? Andy and Chris are joined by Caitlin Sanders to share their thoughts and experiences.

Have you ever run a game for just two people–or a group of ten? Does your game group size fluctuate from week to week? Jessica Snyder joins Chris and Andy to discuss the challenges (and fun!) of running games for groups of varying sizes.

Have you ever imported a rule or system from a different roleplaying game into the one you’re running? Andy and Chris are joined by Mark French as they discuss GURPS-eating rabbits, which games model recoilless rifles, and also the topic at hand. Episode 5 appendix: The infamous GURPS-eating rabbit. GURPS Special Ops, the game sourcebook … Continue reading "Episode 5 – Bringing Elements from Other Game Systems into Your Game (with Mark French)"

What do props and handouts add to a roleplaying game session? Special guest gamemaster Kyle Latino joins Chris and Andy to discuss the pros and cons of using handouts in your game. Episode 4 appendix: The Dragon Ball Z roleplaying game, which served as Kyle’s entry into the roleplaying hobby. The Savage Beard of She … Continue reading "Episode 4 – Props and Handouts and When to Use Them (with Kyle Latino)"

What makes a good DM screen, and what do they add to the game? Special guest gamemaster Matt Wilson joins Andy and Chris to talk about how they do (or don’t) use dungeon master’s screens. Episode 3 appendix (AKA things that got mentioned): Eternal Lies, a Trail of Cthulhu campaign that Matt is preparing to … Continue reading "Episode 3 – How to Use a Dungeon Master’s Screen (with guest Matt Wilson)"

What’s a GM to do when their best-laid plans are derailed by pesky players? Andy and Chris discuss the many ways roleplaying game sessions can go awry. Transcript below provided by Barbara Tozier! Episode 2: How to stop derails from happening? [opening music] Chris: Hello and welcome to _Roll for Topic_ an RPG podcast. This … Continue reading "Episode 2: When Roleplaying Games Derail"

Is it possible to run a satisfying game session in just one or two hours? In this inaugural episode, Andy and Chris share their experiences running game sessions with very tight time constraints. Transcript below provided by Barbara Tozier! Episode 1: How to run a game in two hours or less [opening music] Chris: Hello, … Continue reading "Episode 1: How to GM a Game in 2 Hours or Less"