Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Vindicast

We love putting labels on how people play TTRPGs: OSR, Trad, Neo-Trad, Story Games, tactical, narrative.The problem starts when those labels stop describing styles of play and start being used to explain the people playing them.In this episode, I look at RPG culture, social identity, psychological essentialism, and why online discourse gets worse when “what you enjoy” becomes “who you are.”The article: https://retiredadventurer.blogspot.com/2021/04/six-cultures-of-play.html#ttrpg #rpg #OSR #RPGCulture #TabletopRPG #RoleplayingGames #RPGPhilosophy #RPGDesign #GameMaster #TTRPGCommunity #OldSchoolRPG #StoryGames #Vindicast

In this episode, I dig into character attachment, death and meaning in old-school TTRPGs. Why caring about a fragile character actually makes dangerous play better, why “meaningful death” might be the wrong thing to chase, and why the stories we remember are often created backwards.Attachment isn’t the enemy. Entitlement is.#TTRPG #OSR #OldSchoolRPG #RPGPhilosophy #TabletopRPG #RoleplayingGames #RPG #GameMaster #TTRPGCommunity #RPGDesign #CharacterDeath #Vindicast

Wait. The things I consider “GMing” might actually be me enjoying authority? Enjoy another episode of tabletop philosophy.

Depending on how vividly you picture things in your head, you and the person across the table are playing two different games. This one breaks down why the standard advice to "describe all five senses" fails half your table, what the psychology of imagination can and can't tell us, and three description tools that work for every player regardless of what they see behind their eyes.Take the Apple Test and drop your number (1–5) in the comments. I want to see the spread.#ttrpg #gamemaster #dnd #callofcthulhu #osr #rpg #gmtips #aphantasia #tabletopgames #dungeonsanddragons #ttrpgcommunity #gamedesign #dmtips #ruleslight #deltagreen

If your campaigns feel exhausting or you spend years adding house rules just to make your game fun, the issue might not be your group. It might be system fit. Let's look at how Into the Odd, Cairn, Mothership, and Death in Space prove there is a totally different way to interact with a fictional world.🛒 GAMES BY YOURS TRULY:Looking for fast, high-agency games?- Grab Overlife (Cyberpunk): https://www.drivethrurpg.com//product/522083/overlife-tech-noir-roleplaying?affiliate_id=3022047- Cthulhu Unleashed (Cosmic Horror): https://www.drivethrurpg.com//product/473855/cthulhu-unleashed?affiliate_id=3022047

That silence after the session ends can be brutal. One awkward ruling, one forgotten description, one moment of hesitation, and suddenly you’re convinced your players know you’re a fraud. This video breaks down why good Game Masters doubt themselves, why your brain remembers failure more than success, and how to judge your sessions by what actually mattered.Your mistakes are rarely as visible as they feel. You cared, your players made choices, and they want to come back. That counts.Subscribe for honest, psychology-driven advice on running better tabletop RPGs without destroying yourself with prep and self-doubt.#TTRPG #GameMaster #ImposterSyndrome #RPGAdvice #VindictaRPGs

Help me with my goal to reach a 1000 subscribers! Only a single click, for so much content!Everyone online is fighting about "Milestone vs. XP". But have we taken the time to read what Gary Gygax wrote in 1979?AD&D 1st Edition DMG, Gary Gygax (1979)#dnd #AD&D #garygygax #ttrpg #osr #DungeonMastersGuide #tabletoprpg #gamedesign #DnDHistory #ClassicDnD

Your character could die in character creation, before the game even began.This is the story of Traveller (1977). The RPG that turned the blank slate into a game. We dig into John Locke's tabula rasa, why it's a failed theory of real people but a brilliant tool for building characters, and how surrendering control of who your character becomes might create something more honest than any backstory you could write.Stop designing characters. Start discovering them.#traveller #ttrpg #tabletoprpg #blankslate #tabularasa #rpg #charactercreation #TravellerRPG #osr #dnd #roleplayinggames #gamedesign #videoessay #tabletopgaming #scifirpg

Your empathy is ruining your campaign.In this video, I break down the behavioral science behind why "nice" DMs create disengaged players, and how adopting a philosophy of strategic apathy transforms your table into a place where every victory actually means something.We're talking cognitive psychology, Nietzsche, Camus, dice-fudging, the Gygax paradox, and a full framework for running a game where the stakes are real.Stop protecting your players. Start respecting them.#ttrpg #gamemaster #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #nietzsche #tabletopgaming #gmtips

Ever find yourself at 2:00 AM writing a 10-page political history for a town your players might just skip entirely? You aren't alone. Over-prepping is one of the biggest traps Dungeon Masters fall into. But it’s not just "being dedicated." It's a psychological coping mechanism.In this episode, we break down the behavioral psychology behind why our brains force us to over-prep, how the Sunk Cost Fallacy directly causes railroading, and how you can psychologically retrain your brain to prep less and run better games.Learn how to use Choice Architecture, Cognitive Reframing, and the One-Page Method to take back your time, defeat DM burnout, and bring the joy back to your tabletop.Put the pen down. You’ve prepped enough.#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #ttrpg #dungeonmaster #dmadvice #tabletoprpg

A number of established RPG creators are leaving. I chose this exact moment to begin. This is less about RPG YouTube. It is a video about burnout, timing, human behaviour, and why people assume they are too late to start.#ttrpg #rpg #dnd #tabletoprpg #youtubecreator #gamemaster #roleplayinggames #indierpg #ttrpgcommunity

What if your table isn’t bad at roleplay… what if it keeps escaping it?In this episode, we look at 4D Roleplay, why players keep asking permission before acting, and how to stay in character long enough for a scene to actually breathe.

Free 4D Roleplay 101 one-pager: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19S7CP_oxggpe2fHkG_bkCQm0URsQUbaP/view?usp=sharing#TTRPG #RoleplayingGames #GameMaster #GMAdvice #RPGAdvice #4DRoleplay #TabletopRPG #Vindicast

Your character sheet is useful, but it is not where play actually happens. The real interface of a TTRPG is the live exchange between player, GM, and table: intent, response, consequence, and pressure. When players start treating the sheet like permission, the game suffers. This video is about why that happens, why it makes players passive, and how to get back to story-first play.#TTRPG #RPG #TabletopRPG #DungeonMaster #GMTips #Roleplaying #TTRPGAdvice #TTRPGTheory #IndieRPG #Vindicast

Modern RPGs keep telling you “you can be anything,” but that promise comes at a cost. When every role gets broadened and every weakness gets softened, characters stop feeling necessary. This video breaks down why older role splits felt sharper, why modern design keeps flattening party identity, and what today’s games can learn from that.#ttrpg #rpg #dnd #osr #tabletoprpg #gamedesign #dungeonsanddragons #roleplayinggame

TTRPGs don’t just tell stories. They can bring back something adulthood quietly buries: wonder. This is about why tabletop roleplaying can make the world feel wide again, imagination feel natural again, and surprise feel good again.#TTRPG #TabletopRPG #DnD #RoleplayingGame #TTRPGCommunity #Fantasy #Storytelling #Imagination #Wonder #TabletopGaming

Struggling with roleplay anxiety in TTRPGs? In this video, I break down why roleplaying can feel scary, why so many players freeze when the spotlight hits, and how to make roleplay feel natural without acting, accents, or pressure. This is for shy players, socially anxious players, and anyone who wants to get more immersed in tabletop roleplaying games like The Popular Roleplaying Game without feeling judged.#TTRPG #RoleplayAnxiety #TabletopRPG #RPGTips #RoleplayingGames #ThePopularRoleplayingGame #GMAdvice #PlayerAdvice #Immersion #SocialAnxiety

This is a blunt look at a forever GM problem: when one person’s creativity becomes everyone else’s safety net. I talk burnout and responsibility.

In this episode, we break down what player agency actually is, not as a rule or design principle, but as a psychological experience. From two identical dungeon doors to real-life decisions that feel heavier than they should, we explore how the brain builds the sense of control through causality, perception, and expectation.

Along the way, you’ll see why both heavy railroading and pure randomness can quietly destroy agency—and more importantly, how to fix it at your table with clear, practical techniques.

Because in the end, agency isn’t about infinite choices.

Your players aren’t lazy. The rulebook is. Why skimming happens, why it’s natural, and how to format RPGs that actually get read.

We keep adding safety tools, but campaigns still fall apart. Maybe we’re solving the wrong problem. Let’s talk about alignment, misdesign, and why honesty matters more than guardrails.

What can we learn from Breath of the Wild for better TTRPG adventures?

Balance gets treated as the ultimate goal of tabletop RPG design. But what if that’s exactly what’s draining risk, tension, and meaning from our games? Let’s talk about why fairness, safety, and perfect tuning might be the wrong things to optimize for.

In this Vindicast holiday special, we unpack how politeness, forced harmony, and “everyone must fit” culture turn into something far less kind... and why enforced fun quietly destroys tables. Compatibility isn’t morality. Forced inclusion is lawful evil.

This episode dives into what actually makes a tabletop roleplaying game a game: rules, procedures, uncertainty, and trust. We unpack the divide between rules-first players and vibe-first storytellers, why they constantly talk past each other, and why this debate keeps resurfacing online.

We keep blaming the GM when sessions fall flat... but that expectation might be the real problem.In this episode of Vindicast, I unpack why players often shape the fun more than the GM, how online culture warped our expectations, and what actually makes a table work.

Fantasy is incredible, but it quietly became the default in tabletop RPGs.In this episode, I break down the “Tolkien Effect”: how one style of fantasy shapes player expectations, design choices, and why non-fantasy genres often feel underappreciated.Music credits: Fantasy Epic - Evgeni Razmanov

An honest look at nostalgia in TTRPGs. What we think we miss, what we actually long for, and how modern game design quietly traded simplicity for safety padding.In this episode, I break down why old-school danger mattered, why more tools don’t always mean better play, and why Depths leans into clarity, danger, and player agency instead of soft edges.A calm, reflective Vindicast episode about the game we never truly played.

I talk openly about why I make TTRPGs, why I start too many projects, burnout, my Kickstarter, losing motivation, avoiding marketing, and why I keep creating anyway.

In this episode of Vindicast, we dive into why character death should be the ultimate threat in TTRPGs... not the ultimate outcome.

Vindicast is a thoughtful, long-form podcast about tabletop roleplaying games, worldbuilding, and game design. Each episode dives into the ideas, tensions, and philosophies that shape the hobby today — from playstyles and mechanics to community culture and creativity.

Hosted by Kenneth, Vindicast explores the fragmented state of the TTRPG world and looks for the common ground beneath it. Through calm analysis, personal insight, and the occasional guest, the show aims to build bridges between different corners of the hobby and encourage a healthier, more curious culture around the table.

In this shorter episode, I dive into Pareidolia - the strange phenomenon of seeing faces where none exist… and how it spiraled into one of the weirdest stories I’ve worked on yet.

From experimental visual therapy to AI-generated images, missing data, and fragments of a DARPA project called PRAXIS, this is a deep-dive into patterns, perception, and paranoia.

And afterward, I’ll share a behind-the-scenes look at Pareidolia as a new one-shot adventure I’m developing for Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green.

Fictional? Absolutely. Unsettling? Definitely.

Our Divers Myriad, May and Ben tracked down Elias Choi. The last survivor of Apex Biotech's Project LUCENT.

Maybe it's not all as it seems?

Overlife is an upcoming Tech-Noir TTRPG.

Available this summer.

You’ve already been designing - you just didn’t call it that. In this episode, I explore 8 honest reasons why every Game Master should try building their own TTRPG. From surviving failure to finding your voice, this isn’t about going big - it’s about going personal. And why your game deserves to sit alongside the big names, even if it starts small.

Myriad, May and Ben Cassidy get briefed by an Apex Biotech handler, and are dragged into a conspiracy where it's better to leave questions unanswered.

The Grey Harvest is an actual play of the TTRPG game Overlife.

Nick, Chav and Rik join me for a session of Overlife. A Tech-Noir RPG that I created. Cyberpunk with Noir storytelling. Now with remastered audio.

The show will run for about 5-6 episodes with weekly releases. In this episode the players take their characters through their own unique lifepaths.

Enjoy!

Why do GMs know more than their players, and why should they? In this introspective episode, I explore the value of unseen lore, asymmetry at the table, and the quiet joy of playing a different kind of game. Also: Overlife is done. The actual play of The Grey Harvest begins recording this weekend, with the book dropping next week on DriveThruRPG.

As a UX researcher by day and horror GM by night, I’ve spent years trying to guide people through systems, digital and fictional. In this episode, I explore what happens when that control slips, and something unexpected takes its place. This is a journey through chaos, emergence, and the quiet power of letting go.

What if Stephen King wrote a one-shot for a tabletop RPG?

In this episode of The Obscura Report, Kenneth explores how King’s approach to storytelling — slow dread, personal horror, and flawed characters — could shape a single, devastating Overlife scenario.

We break down King’s method, imagine what a King-inspired one-shot might look like, and share practical tips for bringing that same tension to your own games.

Plus: a look ahead at the upcoming release of Overlife on DriveThruRPG later this month.

I changed the name of the podcast for several reasons I will explain in this short upload.

Enjoy The Obscura Report!

Why does noir storytelling fit so perfectly inside cyberpunk worlds? In this episode, I explore the emotional core of noir, how it thrives in dystopian settings, and why it's more about people than tech. I also share how I weave these themes into my own game, Overlife.

I started a solo actual play that got four times more listens than any other episode — and I stopped it. In this very short episode, I explain why I walked away, what I learned, and where the podcast is headed next.

You've reached the Breaking Point! We continue Arno’s story in the Lombard House, where things aren’t what they seem. Let the hunt begin! In this episode of The Breaking Point Podcast, Arno De Wilde delves deeper into the eerie corridors of Edward Lombard’s estate. From strange newspaper clippings, to peculiar discoveries hidden in plain sight.

You've reached the Breaking Point! We continue Arno’s story in the Lombard House, where things aren’t what they seem. Let the hunt begin! In this episode of The Breaking Point Podcast, Arno De Wilde delves deeper into the eerie corridors of Edward Lombard’s estate. From strange newspaper clippings, to peculiar discoveries hidden in plain sight.

You've reached the Breaking Point! Step into the eerie world of Alone Against Nyarlathotep, a solo tabletop adventure of mystery, suspense, and cosmic horror. Join Arno De Wilde, an architect seeking a fresh start in 1925, as a strange letter pulls him into an unexpected journey. Secrets wait to be uncovered, but not all of them are meant to be known. Will he find answers? Or something far more sinister? Tune in to the Breaking Point Podcast and embark on this chilling tale.

You've reached the Breaking Point! In this shorter-than-usual episode of Breaking Point Podcast, Kenneth explores the wide spectrum of tabletop roleplaying games, from ultra-minimalist one-page RPGs to deeply immersive, crunchy systems like Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS). He breaks down the pros and cons of each approach, dives into the “Freedom through Rules” paradox, and shares tips on finding the right fit for your group. Whether you’re a fan of fast-paced, narrative play or you crave the complexity of simulationist mechanics, this episode has something for everyone!

You've reached the Breaking Point!

In this episode of Breaking Point Podcast, Kenneth is joined by Hunter, also known as the “Jim Jones of classic gaming,” to dive into the world of non-d20 TTRPG systems. Together, they explore why so many games stick to the d20, the misconceptions about alternative dice mechanics, and the unique experiences that come from rolling percentile dice, dice pools (like in Alien RPG), bell curves, and even flat-top probability curves. Hunter also shares his top recommendations for must-try non-d20 games and offers practical tips for players and GMs looking to break away from traditional systems. If you’re ready to roll something different, this episode is a must-listen!

You've reached the Breaking Point! From the high-risk, high-reward design of early games to the creative mindset of the Old School Renaissance (OSR) movement, I explore why classic gameplay is resonating with a new generation of players. Discover what sets old-school games apart, the unique appeal of minimalist mechanics, and get some must-try recommendations for diving into the OSR scene.

You've reached the Breaking Point!

Apologies for the lower-than-expected sound quality on this episode!

Join us for a talk about TTRPG development! Together with the fine folks of Bad Toad Games, we'll discuss what it's like to work on a project as siblings and what their game: Mercs, Mages & Monsters is all about.

find them at: www.badtoadgames.com

Enjoy!

You reached the Breaking Point! In this kickoff episode, I dive into what makes my approach to GMing unique, from my experiences running Delta Green and Dungeons & Dragons campaigns to crafting TTRPG content on a daily basis. I’ll share insights into my storytelling style, lessons learned from being a GM-for-hire, and the challenges of creating and publishing my own material on DriveThruRPG. Join me as I set the stage for what Breaking Point Podcast is all about: the art, challenges, and excitement of bringing stories to life at the game table.