Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Jaunty Mantis TTRPG Podcast

Fresh off our Shadowdark actual play, we sit down to argue about what actually happened down there — and why three experienced players kept walking into fights the game never wanted us to take.

Matty loves Shadowdark and never wants to play it again. Chris has discovered he doesn't like dungeon crawls, which is awkward, because he runs one. Peaches would go back tomorrow. And Jesse, who ran the thing, has promised to take every critique deeply personally. Along the way: the Havana Protocol, invented live off six successes; the murals in Room One that held the entire adventure and that nobody looked at; whether you can use mechanics to make players behave differently (two of us say no, firmly); and the difference between hearing "everything here can kill you" and internalizing it.

Shadowdark RPG is by Kelsey Dionne / The Arcane Library.

A bronze bull. A cracked wall. A body pinned between them — and a gem worth dying for still embedded in the statue's forehead. The party descends deeper into the tomb and learns what happened to Orwin the Younger... and why nothing good ever comes from going down. The Jaunty Mantis is a podcast of creative questions for curious gamers. New actual play episodes every week. This episode: sprung traps, terracotta jars best left sealed, aggressive inventory management, and a locket someone will regret throwing away. Run on Foundry VTT with the Shadowdark module.

THE PARTY ⚔️ Jorbin Ironhelm — dwarf fighter (Matty) 🗡️ Ralina Biggins — halfling thief (Peaches, aka The Beast) ✝️ Iraga Dragu — half-orc priest (Chris) 🎲 Game Mother — Jesse

This video is an independent production under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

Player character death is 100% on the table. No PC can see in the dark — but every monster can. The Jaunty Mantis crew puts Shadowdark RPG to the test with a real dungeon crawl. Jesse takes the GM seat and leads a dwarf fighter with immaculately waxed facial hair, a halfling thief who will absolutely pick her own party's pockets, and a soft-hearted half-orc priest into the Lost Citadel — chasing rumors of forgotten gold and magical weapons of the ancient kings. Torches burn for 60 real minutes. Hit points are low. Damage is high. And something with very large hooves has been walking these halls. Run on Foundry VTT with the Shadowdark module.

THE PARTY

⚔️ Jorbin Ironhelm — dwarf fighter (Matty)

🗡️ Ralina Biggins — halfling thief (Peaches, aka The Beast)

✝️ Iraga Dragu — half-orc priest (Chris)

🎲 Game Mother — Jesse

This video is an independent production under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

We reviewed Troika! by Melsonian Arts Council once before — but we hadn't played it yet. Now we have. Does actually playing it change anything? (Yes. And no.) Jesse, Matty, and Chris dig into what it's actually like to sit down at the table with an acid fantasy OSR system, whether rules-light games are good for new players, and the eternal question: if story is all that matters, why try different games at all? Also: Matty fixed D&D 5e combat, Jesse ran vampires into emotional ruin, and someone pulls out a Labyrinth goblin field guide. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Roll to ignore the cats. The tiger can tell you really want to pet it, so it's ignoring you harder. Part 7 of our Troika! one-shot on The Jaunty Mantis. The elevator gets four new passengers, the attendant makes an extremely poor choice, and a tiny knight in painted armor enters the party's life and never leaves. Cast

Jesse as Gormer the Underbursar

Matty as Darlo Tik'l

Anna as Moth

Chris as Game Mother

Featuring the silent stylings of Sir Two Stamps

Find us 🦋 Bluesky: @jauntymantis 📩 jauntymantis@gmail.com Like, subscribe, and ideally find yourself in an elevator crowded with tigers at least once in your life. We are not affiliated with the Melsonian Arts Council. Played for the love of weird fantasy.

Gormer pulls a gas mask out of the door in his forehead. Moth's fashion sense becomes an Art Nouveau gas filter. A small egg-shaped man hustles them out of eleven silver.

Part 6 of our Troika! one-shot on The Jaunty Mantis. The party rides the elevator up through floors none of them asked for, solving puzzles that didn't need to exist.

Cast

Jesse as Gormer the Underbursar

Matty as Darlo Tik'l, Red Priest (currently cursed to swear)

Anna as Moth

Chris as Game Mother

Find us

🦋 Bluesky: @jauntymantis

📩 jauntymantis@gmail.com

Like, subscribe, and tell us your favorite Weezer song they didn't write.

We are not affiliated with the Melsonian Arts Council. Played for the love of weird fantasy.

Darlo rolls double sixes. The oops table opens. From there, things only get worse.

Welcome to The Jaunty Mantis — a podcast of creative questions for curious gamers.

This is Part 5 of our Troika! one-shot at the Blanc Mange & Thistle, where three strangers share a hotel room on the eve of the Feast of the Chiliark. In this episode: a demonic puddle on the stairwell, an experimental burning, and a curse the Red Priest will be living with for the rest of the night.

Cast - Jesse as Gormer the Underbursar, Sorcerer of the Eighth Door - Matty as Darlo Tik'l, Red Priest - Anna as Moth - Chris as Game Mother

Moth picks a fight with an owl. Everyone else suffers the consequences. Plus: Darlo discovers his new favorite hobby, Gormer's combat strategy is "wave knife around hopefully," and the staircase ahead has a problem the party is not prepared for.

The session-one finale of our Troika! Numinous Edition mini-campaign. Session 2 incoming.

CAST - Jesse as Gormer the Underbursar (Sorcerer of the Academy of Doors) Matty as Darlo Tik'l (Red Priest) Anna as Moth (Abyssal Myth Crusher) Chris as Game Mother (GM)

SYSTEM - Troika! Numinous Edition by Daniel Sell, published by the Melsonian Arts Council. Buy the game: https://www.melsonia.com/

We are not affiliated with the Melsonian Arts Council. Played for the love of weird fantasy.

ABOUT THE JAUNTY MANTIS - A podcast of creative questions for curious gamers. We play, review, and argue about tabletop roleplaying games.

A staircase mural of beaked figures, serrated keys, and a horde of screaming demons. Two knowledge rolls. Both fail. The party concludes everything is fine. Spoiler: it is not.

Episode 3 of our Troika! Numinous Edition mini-campaign.

SYSTEM - Troika! Numinous Edition by Daniel Sell, published by the Melsonian Arts Council. Buy the game: https://www.melsonia.com/

We are not affiliated with the Melsonian Arts Council. Played for the love of weird fantasy.

CAST - Jesse as Gormer the Underbursar (Sorcerer of the Academy of Doors) Matty as Darlo Tik'l (Red Priest) Anna as Moth (Abyssal Myth Crusher) Chris as Game Mother (GM)

ABOUT THE JAUNTY MANTIS - A podcast of creative questions for curious gamers. We play, review, and argue about tabletop roleplaying games.

Darlo bonds with his new roommates the only way he can: by demanding the most inedible pickled vegetable on the menu and sharing it with them. Plus: a herbal beverage best described as "Jagermeister, but vodka," and a hotel festival that involves shooting fireworks at neighboring rooftops.

Episode 2 of our Troika! Numinous Edition mini-campaign.

CAST: Jesse as Gormer the Underbursar (Sorcerer of the Academy of Doors) Matty as Darlo Tik'l (Red Priest) Anna as Moth (Abyssal Myth Crusher) Chris as Game Mother (GM)

SYSTEM: Troika! Numinous Edition by Daniel Sell, published by the Melsonian Arts Council. Buy the game: https://www.melsonia.com/

We are not affiliated with the Melsonian Arts Council. Played for the love of weird fantasy.

ABOUT THE JAUNTY MANTIS: A podcast of creative questions for curious gamers. We play, review, and argue about tabletop roleplaying games.

A door-wizard with disastrous luck, a death-priest who'd rather be elsewhere, and a swamp-mystic with a mission walk into a hotel. It's the only room left. They're sharing it. Episode 1 of our Troika! Numinous Edition mini-campaign. Character creation, the first stat-roll catastrophe, and the most reluctant agreement to share a drink in podcast history.

Jesse as Gormer the Underbursar (Sorcerer of the Academy of Doors) Matty as Darlo Tik'l (Red Priest) Anna as Moth (Abyssal Myth Crusher) Chris as Game Mother (GM)

Troika! Numinous Edition by Daniel Sell, published by the Melsonian Arts Council. Buy the game: https://www.melsonia.com/

We are not affiliated with the Melsonian Arts Council. Played for the love of weird fantasy.

ABOUT THE JAUNTY MANTIS A podcast of creative questions for curious gamers. We play, review, and argue about tabletop roleplaying games.

We played a few sessions of Mothership and then immediately gathered around the microphone like a group of nervous space janitors who just opened the wrong airlock. In this episode of the Jaunty Mantis, we poke, prod, and lovingly scream about the sci-fi horror RPG from Tuesday Knight Games.

Welcome to the Jaunty Mantis Mothership RPG Actual Play series! This is Part 2 and the chilling conclusion. Mothership is a sci-fi horror tabletop roleplaying game focused on survival, panic, and cosmic dread. Previously, the crew boarded a long-lost colony ship that vanished three centuries ago with 1,000 souls in cryosleep. Fired from a massive railgun and tasked with offering a corporate “resettlement package” to any survivors, the team quickly realized that this derelict ark holds more questions than answers. Strange behavior. Failing systems. Missing time. And when one crew member disappears without explanation, paranoia has begun to set in.

Scenario by Rich Ranallo (Velvet Generation, 69 Card Game)

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/signal-interruption/1067942740

Rich Ranallo of Signal Interruption drops in to run a series of Mothership sessions based on an adventure he’s bringing to publication.

Three expert GMs explore the craft of tabletop roleplaying—why rules feel good, why scenes work, and how stories land. Through casual conversation, creative experiments, and honest breakdowns, this podcast celebrates what makes the hobby special and helps you run better games.

Three expert GMs explore the craft of tabletop roleplaying—why rules feel good, why scenes work, and how stories land. Through casual conversation, creative experiments, and honest breakdowns, this podcast celebrates what makes the hobby special and helps you run better games.

Death and danger aren’t just threats in Dungeons & Dragons—they’re what give stories weight. In this episode of Jaunty Mantis, the gang digs into why real risk matters at the table, how rules and scenes create tension, and what makes RPG storytelling truly land.

The Arcane Library article discussed on the episode: https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/blogs/news/the-importance-of-danger-and-death-in-your-dnd-game?srsltid=AfmBOoq7WfPKBDnaHKnVMJGfQ2PLkLYEzz8f0Ka9SGTV4qbMKFzinsbH

Should you really never split the party? In this episode of Jaunty Mantis, Jesse and Chris dig into one of tabletop RPG’s oldest rules of thumb—and turn it on its head. From D&D and Vampire to Traveler and Powered by the Apocalypse, we talk about why splitting the party can actually improve pacing, roleplay, tension, and storytelling at your table. Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

What do healthy, fun, and sustainable tabletop gaming goals actually look like in 2026? Jaunty Mantis here, this week we sit down to talk about our personal and shared TTRPG goals for the year ahead—as game masters, players, creators, and people who love this hobby but want to avoid burnout. From campaign pacing and storytelling priorities to how often we actually want to be at the table, we break down what we’re aiming for (and what we’re leaving behind). Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Ending a tabletop RPG session can feel awkward, rushed, or flat—even when the rest of the game was great. So how should a session end? In this episode of The Jaunty Mantis, we unpack why session endings matter, why Game Masters are often overly self-critical, and how to end sessions in ways that build momentum instead of killing it. From cliffhangers and cutaways to ending mid-combat (on purpose), we explore practical techniques you can use immediately—without burning yourself out trying to be “cinematic” every time.

Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

What happens when a player can’t make it—and the story needs them? In this episode of Jaunty Mantis, Jesse, Matty, and Chris tackle one of tabletop gaming’s most frustrating problems: last-minute absences. From running flashbacks and side games to stealing scenes, leaning into OSR one-shots, and even letting story beats happen without the missing player, the crew shares hard-earned advice, devilish ideas, and genuinely practical GM techniques.

Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Can a tabletop RPG ever be fully serious — or is humor baked into the DNA of playing with your friends?

In this episode of Jaunty Mantis, Jesse, Matty, and Chris dive into a surprisingly complex question: Is humor an unavoidable part of tabletop role-playing games — or can you truly run a serious, emotionally resonant campaign?

Drawing from decades of combined experience, the hosts explore how laughter, tension, character backstories, emotional beats, and even absurd emergent moments all blend together at the table. From Vampire: The Masquerade’s deadly-serious in-character drama to D&D’s natural silliness and its self-referential culture, the crew unpacks why we play — and what we hope to feel.

They discuss tools like character bonds, session zero prompts, life-path systems, emotional stakes, and ways GMs can create deeper, more meaningful moments without losing the fun.

Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Cybernetic heartbreak, social disasters, noble nepo babies, improvised space romance, mishaps that should have been fatal, and the wild joy of letting dice determine your fate. The Jaunty Mantis crew spirals into utter chaos building Traveller RPG characters. Buckle up — it gets weird

Welcome back to The Jaunty Mantis, the podcast with creative questions for curious gamers! In this episode, Jesse, Matty, and Chris dive into the art (and anxiety) of doing NPC voices — when they work, when they fall apart, and when they accidentally turn every character into an unhinged space gremlin.

The crew opens up about narrative style, the influence of Critical Role, how players respond to GM performance, and whether accents are helping or hurting the game. Then the episode shifts gears into full character-creation chaos as the team builds life-path characters in Mongoose Traveller 2e!

Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Can an open table completely change the way you run RPGs? The Jaunty Mantis crew dives into The Alexandrian’s Open Table Manifesto to explore how it reshapes campaigns, players, and prep.

In this episode of the Jaunty Mantis podcast, Jesse, Matty, and Chris unite to explore The Open Table Manifesto from thealexandrian.net , and how it can revolutionize the way we run tabletop RPGs.

From rotating player pools to emergent sandbox storytelling, the gang talks character creation challenges, scheduling nightmares, mega-dungeons, Shadowrun woes, and how to design sessions that end cleanly—even if you're lost in the dungeon.

They share personal experiences, critiques of modern systems, GM philosophies, and ways to build an inclusive, dynamic gaming community using open tables. Plus: meatball demons, mech-back combat, vampire morality, surprise frogs, and accidental softball dating lessons.

Read The Open Table Manifesto here: https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/38643/roleplaying-games/open-table-manifesto

Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Jaunty Mantis here — and today we’re tackling a massive 96 oz steak of an RPG. We read the entire Draw Steel book so you don’t have to. Is it genius? Is it too much? Let’s find out.

Welcome back to The Jaunty Mantis — the show where insectoid fantasy creatures dissect tabletop RPGs with ungoverned cylinders and way too many analogies. In this episode, Jesse and Matty review MCDM’s Draw Steel, a massive tactical heroic fantasy RPG that does a lot — sometimes maybe too much.

We walk through ancestries, classes, kits, perks, complications, and the cinematic skill system, sharing what works, what overwhelms, and how this beefy tome stacks up against 4E D&D, Pathfinder, and modern playstyles.

Is Draw Steel is a masterpiece, a monster, or the 'Old 96er' steak you’ll never finish?.

Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

What if I told you your tabletop RPG doesn’t need skills… or stats… or even weapon proficiencies? Today we commit a little RPG heresy—and ungovern the cylinder. The Jaunty Mantis returns with another episode of chaotic brilliance, high-level RPG design debate, and extremely questionable metaphors.

Today, Jesse and Matty tackle a deceptively simple question: Do tabletop RPGs actually need their core features? Ability scores, skill systems, weapon proficiencies—are they essential, or are they just D&D legacy baggage we keep carrying around? Along the way we detour into Rifts (of course), Pendragon, Cypher System, Dungeon World, and a whole lot of “players will self-regulate anyway,” plus Cad Bane impressions, Star Wars hot takes, and an alarming amount of content centered around “ungoverning the cylinder.”

If you're a curious gamer, game designer, TTRPG theorist, or someone who just likes watching nerds lovingly complain about Palladium Books, you’re in the right place.

Send us your questions at jauntymantis@gmail.com Like, subscribe, and forcibly ungovern your cylinder responsibly.

Ever wonder what happens when your Nosferatu fashion designer fails a feeding roll? The Jaunty Mantis dives deep into the blood-soaked streets of Galveston and the creative chaos of running Vampire: The Masquerade. In this episode, Jesse and Chris get into the weird and wonderful mechanics of running Vampire: The Masquerade in Galveston, Texas — from ghostly visions after the 1900 hurricane to Nosferatu feeding fails that end with a glass of water for the kid.

What if your TTRPG character suddenly told you they were more than you ever imagined—and what if your RPG's combat and social rules were holding you back?

Matty returns to the podcast and things get spicy fast as we dive into the evolving craft of tabletop RPGs. From character-changing playlists to Vampire: The Masquerade’s approach to social mechanics—and the eternal question of how much combat a game really needs—we explore creativity, game design, and the hidden rules shaping our favorite TTRPGs.

The conversation spans everything from Rifts Chaos Earth, session-zero hype for Vampire, simplifying combat, rethinking social encounters, and how certain games accidentally teach players the wrong expectations.

Got a creative question? Send it to jauntymantis@gmail.com or leave your comments in this webszone!

🎧 New here? Like, comment, subscribe, and leave a review on your favorite platform.

🎲 Until next time—keep playing those f***ing role-playing games… or don’t.

What happens when you mix time travel, cybernetics, and dinosaurs — and then get stuck 90 million years in the past? We’re diving into Predation, the wildest RPG you’ve never played. Strap in, game mothers, dungeon masters, and dice goblins — this episode we’re reviewing Predation, the dinosaur-heavy RPG from Monte Cook Games built on the Cypher System! We unpack what makes Predation such a unique blend of science fiction, time anomalies, and genetically modified dinosaurs. From player-driven companion mechanics to the game’s faction conflicts, we dig into what works, and what’s missing.

What happens when dinosaurs, blood magic, and gothic horror collide?

In this episode of The Jaunty Mantis, hosts Jesse and Matty dive deep into Dungeons & Dragons design, building new 5e subclasses and settings inspired by the theme of prehistoric dread.

Matty introduces a new Blood Hunter Order of the Sauran, blending primal instincts and dinosaur fury into a playable subclass for D&D. Meanwhile, Jesse unveils a terrifying new Domain of Dread ruled by a sentient Allosaurus who devours minds in pursuit of a voice.

What if your next D&D campaign was ruled by dinosaurs? From cursed velociraptor gods to underground triceratops kingdoms, Jesse and Matty explore the wildest ways to bring prehistoric power into your tabletop worlds. What happens when you mix dinosaurs with tabletop roleplaying games? In this episode of The Jaunty Mantis, Jesse and Matty dive headfirst into the prehistoric—exploring how to bring dinosaurs into your RPG worlds through settings, characters, and pure creative chaos. From Ravenloft’s “Curse of the Velociraptor” to underground dinosaur kingdoms and divine T-Rex gods, this episode is packed with wild ideas you’ll actually want to steal for your campaign. Topics include: Building settings where dinosaurs rule (Lost Worlds, Hollow Earth, and more) Creating dinosaur gods and paladin oaths around them Character archetypes inspired by lizardfolk, druids, and primal forces Dinosaurs in Ravenloft, Gamma World, and beyond And yes… the “Curse of Velociaptor” So grab your dice, your amber-filled cane, and maybe a frog DNA sample—it’s time to play prehistoric.