It's a board game bonanza this week as Chase and Thomas are joined by BoardGameWire's Mike Didymus-True to discuss a news week heavily skewed towards the meeple-side of the tabletop industry. The crew talks about Spiel Essen, the largest trade show-convention hybrid in the world, and some of the most interesting games Mike saw while in Germany. They also discuss the state of content creators and criticism as it pertains to board games but manage to wrap back around to a conversation on actual play's future.

Later, the trio dig into two different troubling crowdfunding stories: Altered TCG's publishers profess a mea culpa after telling backers their massively successful campaign may not be enough to secure the game's future; and Steamforged's deluxe version of Terra Mystica fails to garner enough, er... steam at launch, so they're dramatically whacking down the price. What can we extrapolate from these case studies? And how much is Chase just grinding his ol' battleax?

Finally we answer your questions about old trading card games that should come back from the dead, along with a long tangent into Catan's weird recent licensing. What does a basketball team, Netflix, and the phrase "interactive concourse activations" have in common? Why, it's everyone's favorite board game about sheep, wood, and walls.

Games we discuss:

• Gibberers

• Collect

• Castles of Burgundy

• Altered TCG

• Terra Mystica

• Summoner Wars

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and special guest Mike Didymus-True (@boardgamewire.bsky.social).

Find Mike's work at BoardGameWire.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Chase is joined on this episode by writer, critic, academic, friend of the show, and hater of Commander: Cameron Kunzelman. The two wax long on the current, Fortnite-ified state of Magic: The Gathering, as well as its carefully and expertly maintained past. How does one square financial success and wide availability with an anemic playerbase and eroding creative identity?

Later on, the pair discuss how tabletop companies deal with the new 130% tariffs against China, Cameron's home plastic extrusion setup, Chase's deepening concerns with both Daggerheart and the Cosmere RPG, and the precarity shared between journalism and academia. They wrap it up with a discussion of trashy reality television.

Cameron has a new book coming out soon! Everything is Permitted: On Assassin's Creed explores the sprawling series and its effects on video games as both creative and economic product. What does it mean to be "an Assassin's Creed game", and what can we learn from the real-world histories portrayed through the eyes of parkouring time travelers? You can buy the paperback now through MIT Press.

Games we discuss:

• Magic: The Gathering
• Necropolis
• Michigan Dogman
• Consume Me (video game)
• Daggerheart
• Cosmere RPG
• Apocalypse World: Burned Over

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Cameron Kunzelman (@ckunzelman.bsky.social).‬

Find Cameron's other shows on the Ranged Touch Network.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Someone on this podcast doesn't like Belonging Outside Belonging games, and the other doesn't find much use in industry awards. Both Chase and Thomas showed up ready to ruffle feathers on this week's podcast, but only after discussing BackerKit's new self-crowdfunding plans, impressions of UK Games Expo, and what Cephalofair's Price Johnson is doing at the US capitol.

Elsewhere, the pair have been watching their friends reap what they sow in Blades '68 and describing a beautiful but largely meaningless ecology in Mappa Mundi. The Questing Dungeon befuddled our adverturers so completely that they forgot to do the diegetic bit, but they still somehow managed to defeat some of your questions -- and recommend a heap of tabletop-related media.

https://www.rascal.news/

https://moreblueberries.shop/en-gbp/products/rascal-anniversary-zine-preorder

--

Hollandspiele on YouTube

No Pun Included on YouTube

A.A. Voight on YouTube

Weird Place on YouTube

Game Studies Study Buddies podcast

Dice Exploder podcast

RTFM podcast

Daydreaming About Dragons podcast

Idle Cartulary's Playful Void

Analog Game Studies

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Magic: The Gathering's crossover with Final Fantasy drops on June 13, but unfortunately Chase doesn't know much about the storied Japanese RPG video game series. So, he brought in a couple of bona fide experts to talk about this already massively successful set. The Verge reporter Ash Parrish and TCGPlayer/ChannelFireball content manager Emma Partlow discuss FFxMTG's mechanical quality, the secret ingredient that uplifts fan service, a bevvy of blorbos, and so much more.

Also on the docket is the effect of licensing fees on an already expensive hobby, the creeping takeover of Universes Beyond, and what other video games could make the jump to cardboard. Ash makes very good jokes about sports games to the wrong audience. Emma reveals herself as a screenshot hater. Chase regrets his past financial decisions.

--

https://www.rascal.news/

https://moreblueberries.shop/en-gbp/products/rascal-anniversary-zine-preorder

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Ash Parrish (@adashtra.bsky.social‬) and Emma Partlow (@emmapartlow.com‬).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Uh, oh. It's another episode with just Chase and Rowan. Time to get punchy, and we're not only talking about our favorite way to bully the disappointingly nerdy fascists ruling reality. The pair dig through a chunky layer of news that includes Rowan, Rook and Decard's decision to not attend Gen Con this year, Itch.io's negligence in distributing charity funds to a group saving lives in Gaza, and Goodman Games' ruffling a bunch of feathers by doing business with previously ostracized bigots.

Later, they talk about a deliciously smooth Triangle Agency campaign and a solo RPG that pulls a neat magic trick. Rowan's a wrestling girlie now, thanks to Dimension 20. Chase still can't pronounce listener's names correctly. The Question Dungeon goes noir as they build a better Itch.io -- or a different one, anyhow.

https://www.rascal.news/

https://moreblueberries.shop/en-gbp/products/rascal-anniversary-zine-preorder

--

Realis

City State of the Invincible Overlord

Dungeons & Dragons

Triangle Agency

Mechs into Plowshares

Transgender Deathmatch Legend II

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social), Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social), and Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

The entire crew gather to mourn the sudden and untimely death of games media outlet, Polygon. Along with Giant Bomb and the Daily Dot, Polygon's sale to Valnet -- and the immediate layoff of nearly every staff member -- constitutes an unnecessarily tragic blow to games journalism. Included in the layoffs is Charlie Hall, the outlet's one-man tabletop desk and an indelible piece of Rascal's own creation. The team discuss what this loss means for the industry going forward, the limits of independent websites like Rascal, and how this cycle of executive malfeasance robs journalism of its own future.

It's not all doom and gloom, though: the crew also delve into The Question Dungeon after discussing SALUTE, Hasbro's MTG-shaped tariff insulation, and Rascal's first real toe into OSR waters. Finally, Dungeon World is getting a sequel from a surprising team who want to take the game in a fresh direction.

[Note: After Chase completely bungled speaking both Florence Smith Nicholls (they/them) and Mike Cook's (he/they) names, he then later accidentally misgendered Nicholls. He sinerely apologizes for the error.]

https://www.rascal.news/

https://moreblueberries.shop/en-gbp/products/rascal-anniversary-zine-preorder

--

Games mentioned:

Dungeon World 2

ArchaeOS

Realis

MIRU

Doomsong

board games???

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social), Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social), and Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Rowan rejoins Chase to unspool the myriad and unclear ways tariffs have already begun affecting the tabletop industry. From clarity on book exemptions and companies already shuttering production for the year to determined stands against economic despotism by Canadian designers, the Tariff Era (or maybe Tariff Wars? we're still workshopping) has arrived.

Later they discuss what it means for Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins, the dual faces of Dungeons & Dragons, to retire from their very public posts. The pair also discuss building worlds where babies have jobs, dungeon delving on your birthday, and whether tariffs might kick off another surge of innovation in the virtual tabletop space.

https://www.rascal.news/

https://moreblueberries.shop/en-gbp/products/rascal-anniversary-zine-preorder

--

Games mentioned:

In This World

The Electric State

Dungeons & Dragons

Gloomhaven RPG

Wickedness

MIRU

Mazes

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Chase and Caelyn convene the first Brits-only episode of the Rascal Radio Hour, talking about everything but the April 2 tariffs (check the website for those bits). The pair go heavy on the deluge of miniatures news that came out of Adepticon 2025, including a shot in the arm for Caelyn's favored Star wars: Legion, an East Asian-inspired Warhammer 40k faction that doesn't immediately sour our tastes, and Battletech Goes Full Catholic.

The most recent skirmish in the Question Dungeon reveals the surprisingly complicated topics of video games adapting tabletop RPGs and what the crew think is the next big innovation on the player side of the tabletop industry (hint: it's not virtual tabletops again).

https://www.rascal.news/

https://moreblueberries.shop/en-gbp/products/rascal-anniversary-zine-preorder 

https://cannibalhalflinggaming.com/2024/08/15/invention-and-innovation-in-ttrpgs/

--

Games mentioned:

Cyberpunk: Combat Zone

RiverBank

Star Wars: Legion

Star Wars: Shatterpoint

Warhammer: 40K

Battletech

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Most of the Rascal crew, plus guest Lin Codega, chew through a heavy news week that includes the shuttering of Sigil, Wizards of the Coast's own virtual tabletop, and one Texas Representative's crusade against imagination that might harm roleplayers in its evil intent to demonize trans (and transgressive) youth. Rowan regales with stories from their time at Breakout Con in Toronto, and Caelyn reminds everyone how cool transparent plastic electronics were.

They have also been playing a bunch of different games, including a newly started Rascal campaign of Realis and phone-based pirate shenanigans. Finally, they once again venture into the Question Dungeon to compare their pettiest table tales.

https://www.rascal.news/

--

Games mentioned:

Daggerheart

Fallen London: The Roleplaying Game

Realis

Bloodbeam Badlands

A Land Once Magic

City of Mist

O Captain, My Captain!

Deathmatch Island

Monsterhearts

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social), Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social), and Lin Codega (@lincodega.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Ever wondered what a tabletop RPG version of Catan would look like? Of course you haven't because that's a silly thought exercise, but that didn't stop the Rascal crew from indulging. Thomas and Caelyn join Chase as he returns from the 2025 GAMA trade show to discuss tariffs, distribution, and all the fantastic stories he missed while knocking back Old Fashions in Kentucy.

The trio also discuss the new D&D beginner set, licensed RPGs for both Invincible and Terraforming Mars, Paizo and R. Talsorian's search for smaller designers, South Korean gaming communities and wee tiny rank-and-flank wargames. No Question Dungeon this time because the team has been playing a veritable heap of games since we last met.

https://www.rascal.news/

--

Games mentioned:

Daggerheart

Age of Sigmar

Magewinds

Hearts of Wulin

Delta Green

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social) and Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Welcome to a special episode of the Rascal Radio Hour! Chase sat down with Remap Radio's Cado Contreras to talk about something near and dear to her heart -- Android: Netrunner. Fans of Remap and Cado especially will know this is something they have been threatening for years, and we made it happen to promote Rascal's First Anniversary Pledge Drive.

The pair discuss the winding history of this TCG-turned-LCG-turned-something else entirely, and how a concerted fan effort not only gave it a third chance at success but set Netrunner up to become something of an outlier within the card game space. From its radically permissable business and tournament model to the accessibility-focused efforts of the volunteer designers, Android: Netrunner is the most interesting card game you're probably not playing.

But maybe you should?

--

https://www.rascal.news/

https://remapradio.com/

--

Cado's recommended Netrunner beginner resources:

https://www.nearearthhub.net/

https://nullsignal.games/players/around-the-world/

DEFINITELY NOT Jinteki Dot Net

--

Where to find Cado:

Bluesky

Remap Radio

A More Civilized Age

Buckle up for a genuinely unhinged episode, y'all. Rowan and Chase are left alone to nurse their emotional wounds, inflicted by the fascistic psychosis blanketing the United States. The antidote? A lot of weighty sighs and really terrible jokes. Rowan recounts her followup conversation with the creators behind January 6th insurrection-based wargame Fight for America! and the disappointment it fostered. Chase explains the wall and the hard place that Asmodee finds itself. Then, they delve into the Question Dungeon (whether they remember to call it that or not).

Rascal is running a First Anniversary Pledge Drive through the end of February! If you want to support another year of independent, audience-funded tabletop journalism, this is the best time to show it. We have subscription goals, special programming, and our very own zine! Go check it out and spread the word -- our readership only grows through good work and word of mouth.

https://www.rascal.news/

--

Games mentioned:

Fight For America!

Fukuzatsu+

Deathmatch Island

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Chase and Thomas professionalize the tabletop podcast space one news story at a time. GAMA makes some serious-sounding moves -- including the surprise resignation of executive directory John Stacy -- but that includes a not-so-serious "rebranding". Kickstarter workers go on strike. Game designers aren't getting paid by itch.io. An updated Cypher System somehow earns over $1 million. And that's just the first half!

Later on, the pair discuss the joy of oracles, what it means to roleplay revolution, and the importance of good graphic and information design in tabletop games. Finally, they face off against the Question Dungeon's latest threats: mono-system concerns and the threat of Harry Potter entering Magic: The Gathering's Universes Beyond. 

--

Games we discuss:

• Ironsworn: Sundered Isles
• MIRU
• Revolt
• Shadowrun
• Notorious

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).‬

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Most of the crew huddle against the dark winds of reality, their only light and warmth a microphone and news from the tabletop industry that they must share with you. After expunging a bit of the poison they've absorbed over one hellish week, Rascal's intrepid journalists talk about a fairly beefy news section that includes AI guidelines, weird rules about Warhammer parades, and hobby subreddits ousting Twitter. Plus, questions and what we've been playing lately. 

Rascal is gearing up for a pledge drive to celebrate its first birthday! Plans are firming up, but expect to hear more as we get cdeeper into February. In the meantime, you can purchase a gift subscription here for the people in your life who would appreciate some worker-owned tabletop journalism.

https://www.rascal.news/

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social) and Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

The crew gather for the first Rascal Radio Hour episode of 2025, and they somehow manage to keep it under two hours. Please clap. Caelyn regales us with her time as a gym leader while Thomas and Chase keep accidentally reinventing video games. Meanwhile, Rowan is--as the title suggests--hungover on a Thursday. We talk through our recent industry-focused article, along with its clarifying followup. Rowan and Caelyn apparently have friends to play a ton of games with, and our latest delve into the Question Dungeon proves fruitful.

Rascal is gearing up for a pledge drive to celebrate its first birthday! Plans are firming up, but expect to hear more as we get closer to February. In the meantime, you can purchase a gift subscription here for the people in your life who would appreciate some worker-owned tabletop journalism.

https://www.rascal.news/

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social), Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social), and Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

The entire Rascal crew celebrate their first holiday season together by recording what might be their most chaotic episode yet. Chase jokes too close to the edge about kinks, Thomas digs up a piece of his mysterious pre-Rascal backstory, and Caelyn introduces everyone to Big Divorced Energy. Everyone waxes passionate about the website's first year, and then we plunge into what is eventually dubbed The Question Dungeon.

Rascal is still hosting a couple of holiday subscription deals for our Friendly NPC tier. Sign up at this link and get your first two months of access for a whopping $1 per month - that's an 80% discount on full access to the site, an invitation to our subscriber-only Discord channel, among other benefits. You can also purchase a gift subscription here and present your friends and loved one with a little worker-owned journalism.

https://www.rascal.news/

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social), Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social), Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social), and a guest appearance by Lin Codega (@lincodega.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Chase and Caelyn tackle the podcast beast as an adventuring duo this week. They weather a flurry of news about Funko accidentally taking down itch.io, union wins within New York City game stores, and another corporate media company feeding its writers' work into the mouth of a generative AI grist mill. Elsewhere, MTG renames a world, a board game company gets screwed by Meta, and tariffs continue to loom.

Rascal is still hosting a couple of holiday subscription deals for our Friendly NPC tier. Sign up at this link and get your first two months of access for a whopping $1 per month - that's an 80% discount on full access to the site, an invitation to our subscriber-only Discord channel, among other benefits. You can also purchase a gift subscription here and present your friends and loved one with a little worker-owned journalism.

https://www.rascal.news/

https://www.rascal.news/funko-inadvertently-disables-itch-ios-whole-website-blames-third-party-brand-protection/

https://www.rascal.news/tabletop-workers-united-secures-key-non-economic-demands-after-a-year-of-fraught-negotiations/

https://www.rascal.news/future-fed-my-work-into-the-content-machine/

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Chase, Caelyn, and Thomas belly up to the podcasting table for a heaping helping of tabletop RPG industry news. What's going on with new EU trade regulations? Why is everyone mad at an OSR YouTuber? Why is the Battersea Transformers store so shit? All of these answers and more lie within the Rascal Radio Hour

By the way, Rascal is hosting a couple of holiday subscription deals for our Friendly NPC tier. Sign up at this link and get your first two months of access for a whopping $1 per month - that's an 80% discount on full access to the site, an invitation to our subscriber-only Discord channel, among other benefits. You can also purchase a gift subscription here and present your friends and loved one with a little worker-owned journalism.

https://www.rascal.news/

https://www.rascal.news/new-legislation-impacts-games-sales-to-the-european-union/

https://www.rascal.news/no-politics-is-always-a-red-flag-even-when-defending-your-tabletop-business/

https://www.rascal.news/digital-commander-would-make-hasbro-a-ton-of-money-and-be-objectively-terrible/

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social) and Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Chase, Rowan, and Caelyn gather around microphone once again to chat about trench demons, legal threats against Dropout TV, and a very suspicious email in the Rascal inbox.

Also, Chase talks with fellow tabletop journalist and Dungeons & Dragons expert, Christian Hoffer, about the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide. How does it hold up against the admittedly shaky version from 2014? What are the best bew additions? What's the deal with Bastions?

https://www.rascal.news/

https://www.rascal.news/building-fun-not-worlds-with-the-new-2024-dungeon-masters-guide/

https://www.rascal.news/going-over-the-top-with-trench-crusades-mike-franchina-and-toumas-pirinen/

https://www.rascal.news/rascal-receives-solicitation-from-suspicious-email-after-tabletop-union-declares-potential-strike/

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social) and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).

Special Guest is Christian Hoffer (@choffercbus.bsky.social). Check out Above the Table on YouTube!

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Rascal News has a podcast! In our first episode, the crew talks about the wild tribulations of World of Game Design, German tabletop RPG The Dark Eye, and Chase's ambivalence regarding the future of Magic: The Gathering. We also discuss DriveThruRPG's new levers for filtering AI-generated content and the multivarious games the team has been playing lately.

Is our audio still pretty wonky? Yes (sorry, we're working on it). But the camaraderie and vibes are immaculate from the jump. And we keep it to a tight 60 minutes! Believe me; no need to confirm the runtime at all!

https://www.rascal.news/

https://www.rascal.news/scrying-on-irans-tabletop-scene/

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social)

Featuring Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social), Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social), and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Thomas returns to the podcast to discuss the two chunky investigations he produced since we last had him in front of a microphone. Zatu and Brandfox are not only depressingly common stories within the tabletop industry but also criticially important ones to tell. We talk inside baseball regarding how we structure stories and what it means to center a specific person within a broad narrative.

The pair also discuss Wizards of the Coast's president, John Hight, and his weirdly specific love for AI -- and why doesn't he ever mention D&D? Later, crowdfunding's place in the tabletop industry, two popular games failing to connect on the table, and why a small academic press got involved wit fulfilling a famously late Kickstarter campaign.

Later, Thomas and Chase wonder about the place adventures, supplements, and splatbooks fill within the tabletop industry's commercial ecosystem, and then they predict where all of these fantasy heartbreakers will end up in one year's time.

--

Games we discuss:

• Daggerheart

• Draw Steel

• Cosmere RPG

• Oh Captain, My Captain!

• The Mountain Witch

• Dog Eat Dog

• Princess with a Cursed Sword

• Planet Shark

• Agon

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).‬

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

(Hey gang, Chase here. My audio produced this very strange, high pitched whine throughout. I've done my best to either cut or minimize it, but this could still be an unpleasant listen for some folks. My apologies -- will have this sorted by the next episode.)

Two members of the newly founded Rogue.site, Ryan Gilliam and Cass Marshall, join Chase and Rowan to talk about their worker-owned video game website. More than simply "Rascal but for video games", Rogue is a continuation of human-centric writing from some of the best voices lost in Polygon's layoffs earlier this year.

Afterwards, they discuss Rowan's changing place within Rascal's team. She's stepping away for several well considered reasons, but that doesn't mean she's out of the crew -- only the spotlight, for now. The site has a news writer, now: the excellent Khee Hoon Chan. Also, upcoming changes to subscription offerings, possible price increases in 2026, and a bunch of other important housekeeping.

Oh, and we do eventually talk about games. Promise!

--

https://www.rogue.site/

https://bsky.app/profile/roguesite.bsky.social 

--

Games we discuss:

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Cosmere RPG

Rise, Wizards (currently playtesting)

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Rowan Zeoli (@rowanzeoli.bsky.social).

Guests include Ryan Gilliam (@rygilliam.bsky.social) and Cass Marshall (@cassmarshall.bsky.social).‬

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Um, actually, it's pronounced 'PEE-dunt'. This is the slightly grating but technically correct energy that Caelyn and Chase bring to this episode. After discussing more tariff nonsense, the pair discover that most of the news is a huge bummer and they'd rather delve into their experience creating characters for the Cosmere RPG. Caelyn talks about hidden information and futzing about in Foundry, while Chase feels trapped by D20 combat assumptions.

Later, both of them fondly remember a certain green box full of mutants while traversing the Question Dungeon. Someone has asked about trad RPGs that should (or are currently) making comebacks -- why don't we see more of that?

--

Games we discuss:

DIE RPG

Magic: The Gathering's Standard format

Cosmere RPG

Gamma World

Traveller

1990s-era Dungeons & Dragons

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).‬

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

The crew psychoanalyze each other at least twice during this episode of the Rascal Radio Hour, which features everyone but Rowan (she brought home an illness souvenir from Gen Con) wading through a dense thicket of tabletop news from the last two weeks. They discuss two new RPGs adapted from book licenses and what exactly is gained when making that jump. Later, they break down White Wolf's new creative director and an unfortunate (but ultimately not substantive) brush with AI. 

Oh, also, Gen Con happened! The back half of the podcast breaks down some of the more interesting bits that happened at, and around, the biggest US convention of the year. Gen Con is staying in Indianapolis through at least 2030, Shadowrun goes solo, and Brennan Lee Mulligan takes the reins of Critical Role's fourth season. Somewhere amongst it all, the crew manage to spelunk through The Question Dungeon and finally answer a really important questions: are y'all burned out?

Also, it's History Week at Rascal! We've published some incredible articles to celebrate our August Subscriber Drive. You can get 25% off the first six months of a subscription by using code DJNAY.

--

Games we discuss:

Streets of Jade (unreleased)

Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG (unreleased)

Draw Steel

Cyberpunk Red/Cyberpunk 2077

Beyond the Pale

Mythic Bastionland

Reach of the Roach God

Daggerheart

Lancer

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Lin Codega (@lincodega.com), Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social), and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).‬

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Rowan and Chase finally deliver a tight 60-minute podcast discussing itch.io's abrupt deindexing of explicit and games tagged as "NSFW" or "adult", among others, thanks to pressure from payment processors and right-wing citizen lobbyists from Australia. It's a strange and sad affair with ties to Steam, sex work, and the political wielded by corporations against individuals.

The pair also wade into Hasbro's latest earnings call with investors, where Chase sees the IP-addled brainworms leading to some weird decisions regarding Magic: The Gathering's future. Rowan is deep into trick-taking and also antifascist sex robots. Chase is unpacking boxes. Both of them dip briefly into the Question Dungeon to answer a question about bioessentialist game mechanics with the caveat that they are both white. Grain of salt, please!

--

Games we discuss:

Inspirisles

Magic: The Gathering

Cat in the Box

Mothership

SUZi (by Sage The Anagogue)

Vampire: the Masquerade

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Lin Codega (@lincodega.com)‬.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Chase and Lin Codega co-host an episode that is all about licensed games and this week's dirty word: franchise. The pair discuss the cancelled Tomb Raider RPG and what IP-scrubbed game might rise from its ashes, along with the continually disastrous Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy leaving some tabletop publishers bereft of consigned books. The big story of the week is D&D's apparent "full franchise" turn, which Chase argues is a meaningless distinction and Lin believes fits with Wizards of the Coast's past behavior. Both agree the word franchise is dumb.

They also discuss collaborative storytelling games and how different titles balance freedom against handrails for the inexperienced. Lin has been enjoying Daggerheart for what it is. Chase played a Cyberpunk LCG with a very enticing cooperative hook. Both tackle some questions about whether licensed RPGs are healthy for the industry, as well as their favorite ENNIE nominations from the recent shortlist.

--

Games we discuss:

Canceled Tomb Raider RPG

Dungeons & Dragons

Spindlewheel

Eat the Reich

Daggerheart

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Lin Codega (@lincodega.com)‬.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

We're tackling a stuffed two weeks of news on this week's episode. Thomas and Caelyn join Chase in discussing Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins' professional shuffle over to Darrington Press, and what it does and doesn't mean for the future of Daggerheart. We also cover Rebel Scum's censorship on DriveThruRPG, Draw Steel's imminent public launch, and the complicated politics of a crowdfunding bundle benefiting a Ukrainian organization. Elsewhere, Caelyn's parter has lovingly persuaded her to play Magic: The Gathering, much to Chase's horror. Thomas is serving his players their just desserts at the end of the campaign. Chase has spicy thoughts about whether information on the internet should be free.

https://www.rascal.news/

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Games we discuss:

Rebel Scum

Draw Steel

Daggerheart

Blades in '68

Harvest

Forbidden Psalm

Five Leagues/Fives Parsecs

Silver Bayonet

Rangers of the Shadowdeep

Heavy Gear (the old one)

Iron Kingdoms RPG

Lo, Thy Dread Emperor

Black Death Walking

The Dolorous Stroke 

--

Hosted by Chase Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Hear that? It's the sound of well-ground axes. Of longstanding grudges. Thomas watches Chase remount a vertiably parade well-trod soapboxes on today's episode. These include the transient nature of Discord, crowdfunding platforms, and valorizing dungeon mastery as work done in the service of play. Chase tries to keep the griping to a minimum because we've got a Kickstarter union win and Satanic Panics to discuss.

Mostly the pair dive into the fascinating and lovely emergent culture inside Over/Under, Chase's thoughts about RPGs and comics mixing at the recent Thought Bubble convention, and Adam Serwer's recent Atlantic article about Musk and Co. wanting to reclaim D&D from The Woke. Afterwards, it's a cavalcade of game recommendations and advice on approaching design from the outside as the duo land on an exoplanet called Question_Dungeon and explore its rugged expanses.

Good luck to everyone flying for PAX Unplugged and/or the impending US holidays!

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Games we discuss:

• Orbital Blues
• Orbital Blues: The Wanderer
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Oddfolk
• Mothership/Cataphracts
• A Modern Prometheus
• Our Time on Earth
• In This World
• For The Queen
• An altogether Different River
• The Quiet Year
• Harvest
• Last Train To Bremen
• Ex Novo
• Beak, Feather and Bone
• Stewpot
• World Ending Game
• Deadline
• Signal to Noise
• Ironsworn & Starforged
• im sorry did you say street magic
• Gun&Slinger

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Chase and Caelyn return from Dragonmeet to show off the games, memories, and various illnesses they collected over the weekend. Later, the pair discuss DriveThruRPG's heavily criticized Partner Shipping Program, two big evils within trading card games (licensed crossovers and speculative markets), and how fun it is to flick orcs. Finally, the Question Dungeon summons the ghosts of conventions past and asks us to name a ton of cool worker-owned websites that deserve your time and patronage.

--

Games we discuss:

• Mappa Mundi

• Gallows Corner

• Into the Espers

• Space Gits

• Pokemon TCG

• Magic: The Gathering

• Girlframe

• Dungeon Pulp

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Lin Codega Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).‬

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

Ho-ho-howdy, Anklebiters! The crew bring you a hefty podcast episode to get your through the final days of 2025, wherever they may take you. Caelyn, Lin, and Chase spelunk deep into the Question Dungeon to clear out as many lingering inquiries as possible before someone's bottle of, er... cheer runs dry. Topics include Apocalypse World's historical impact, your friendly neighborhood Warwick Davis, and Lin's career as a professional hater and cackler.

Travel safe, everyone, and happy new year! See y'all in 2026.

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Lin Codega (@lincodega.com) and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).‬

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

The Rascal crew are joined this week by Maddy Myers and Zoë Hannah of the recently launched Mothership Dot Blog (and you definitely pronounce the "dot"). The former Polygon editors discuss their website's goal of publishing smart and inclusive writing about games from a feminist angle and talking about media in ways that corporate journalism just cannot, or will not, support.

Later, everyone discusses Wizards of the Coast's video games, Games Workshop's proud ignorance towards generative AI, whether the Decemberists' front man designed Illimat, and why romancing Shadowheart is not a basic take. 

You should subscribe to Mothership, where they're offering a lifetime 15% discount until January 26th. Follow Mothership on Bluesky, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.

Hosted by Chase Taylor- Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social), with special guests Maddy Myers (@midimyers.com) and Zoë Hannah (@zoehhannah.com).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we mentioned:

• Runecairn
• Lancer
• Magic: The Gathering
• Illimat
• The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
• Mario and Rabbids: Sparks of Hope

Today, we're launching a new podcast. The host, Thomas Manuel, talks about Warden's Operations Manual from Tuesday Knight Games, as a part of the Rascal Reading Club. 

If you'd like to participate in the discussion, you can respond to Thomas via email thomas@rascal.news or on the official Rascal discord before Feb 3rd 2026. If you're a member of the Party Member tier, you can nominate a book to be next in this series, where we look at how books talk about GM advice.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you have thoughts about the Warden's Operations Manual? Do you have a favorite part that I didn't mention?
2. Do you think that the Mothership GM guide should have more advice about running pre-written adventures? If so, is there something you would cut from the existing manual to keep it to 60 pages?
3. Do you think there is a line where advice becomes so critical to the vision of play that it should be incorporated into the rules design at some point? What do you think about my statement that the core mechanic of the game is "underdesigned"? 
4. Are there Mothership adventure that plays with horror that feels "real" but isn't economic horror? More gendered or racialized horror, maybe?
5. If the rules of Mothership point towards one question, is it "are you dead yet"?

Show Notes

Alfred Valley's Mothership in One Rule

The OSR dreams of having it all, my article about OSR sandbox design

Chris McDowall's  ICI Doctrine

A Pound of Flesh

The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Rascal's article about the fate of Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast, and that of its creators, sparked a significant amount of interest, questions, and criticism. The team decided to dedicate this week's podcast episode to a larger and more casual conversation tackling those inquiries. Thomas and Chase start by discussing the reporting process and the limitations this article faced, paired with frustrations regarding how tabletop news is discussed online. In the second half, the pair tackle some direct questions and criticism sent in by readers.

It's a long episode, and maybe not as fun as our normal fare. But if you're curious about how Rascal does journalism then this will hopefully be an insightful listen. Regular programming resumes next week!

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we mentioned:

Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast

This is the talkback episode for our Rascal Reading Club about the Warden's Operations Manual. Listeners wrote in with responses to the discussion questions. There was a range of responses: people agreeing, disagreeing, finding stuff I didn't see, telling me about stuff I didn't know. It's pretty great. It led to some thoughts and ideas that tumbled out rough in the moment but I am excited to polish into a shine in the future.

Show Notes:

Why I Like Binary Resolution (blog post)

Games mentioned: Blades in the Dark (and Deep Cuts), Vagabond, Honey Heist, Lancer, Salvage Union, Call of Cthulhu, Alien, The Nightmares Underneath, Spacewyrm vs Moonicorn

Adventures mentioned: Terminal Delays at Anarene's Folly (Ian Yusem's 0e pamphlet module) and Vontrey Colony 17 (Alan Gerding's contribution to Dissident Whispers), VR_Dead, Yonkers Fleshless Love

Types of GM Materials (blog post)

John Harper explains the rhythm of the action roll (video)

Transcript for the episode

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Book club episode! We discuss Apocalypse World 2nd edition.

To participate in the talkback episode, either post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to thomas@rascal.news.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think of Apocalypse World? What do you think of the MC section?
2. What do you think about the game's statement: "follow these as rules"? Do you think that sentence makes its MC section different from other games?
3. What does "play to find out" mean to you? Do you think its a universal aspect of games? 
4. What is your favorite or least favorite principle and why?
5. What was your first reaction to the idea of GM moves? What do you think about it now?

Show Notes:

The Daily Apocalypse blog

Don't Prep Plots on The Alexandrian (blog)

Vincent Baker on the philosophy of PbtA (blog)

 Transcript for the episode

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Chase is joined by writer and television critic Joshua Rivera to discuss what we should expect from HBO's upcoming Baldur's Gate 3 television series. The pair discuss showrunner Craig Mazin's history with both Dungeons & Dragons and adaptation, how the series may diverge from The Last of Us, and what fandom means for this property to take another stab at going transmedia.

Later, Chase runs down some of the bigger news pieces and essays on Rascal along with what he's been playing recently. He also gives a little preview of our State of the Rascal article coming towards the end of the month.

Speaking of, you can still subscribe during our anniversary pledge drive with a 20% discount on the first six months by following this link. Thank you for making two years of Rascal possible, and here's to another two. (or five, or even ten??)

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Joshua Rivera (@jmrivera.bsky.social).

Read more of Joshua's writing on Aftermath.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we mentioned:

Dungeons & Dragons

Magic: The Gathering

The Last of Us

HOME - Mech x Kaiju

Dispatch

It's a shopping episode! As part of Rascal's second anniversary celebration, Thomas and Chase jumped on a call to spend their professional development money on a whole mess of games. Come along for the audio version of their journey, wherein they discuss their choices and banter about each other's RPG proclivities. 

If you're interested in the video version, head over to Rascal's YouTube channel to watch them emote at various webstore pages. Subscribe and all that other business while you're there; why not?

Interested in also donating to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and snagging a bunch of cool games? Check out the No ICE in Minnesota bundle currently running on itch.io.

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Games we purchased/mentioned:

Chase

• 52 Realms
• Dragon Reactor
• Before the Storm
• A Land Once Magic
• CBR+PNK: Augmented
• Lighthouse at the End of the World
• Exclusion Zone Botanist
• Glatisant
• Soul Cemetery
• The Magus
• A Mending

Thomas

• Tacklebox
• The Yellow Curtain
• The Invisible Labyrinth
• The Sun's Ransom
• They Came to Play Ball
• The God of Spite and Violence
• Our Time on Earth
• Cain
• Rules of Law
• Oathbreakers
• Dragon Braggin'
• An Infinity of Ships
• Menagerie of Unbearable Things

Despite what Chase says in the intro, this is the 32nd episode of the Rascal Radio Hour. He and Thomas welcome Joe Parlcok, editor-in-chief at new TCG website Booster Pack, to talk about tabletop's most vibrant and financially dubious product category.

Later, the crew discuss alleged unfair labor practice against members of Kickstarter's union, a final look at how Dungeons & Dragons will be releasing books and supporting the RPG in 2026, and a discussion of what we've been playing recently.

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Joe Parlock (@joeparlock.bsky.social).

Support independent TCG journalism at Booster Pack.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we discuss:

Pokémon Trading Card Game

Magic: The Gathering

One Piece Card Game

Dungeons & Dragons

Coriolis: The Great Dark

Kala Mandala

This is the talkback episode for our Rascal Reading Club about the MC section of Apocalypse World. Listeners wrote in with responses to the discussion questions. As usual, there was a range of responses: people agreeing, disagreeing, finding stuff I didn't see, telling me about stuff I didn't know. Today, I'm joined by my colleague and journalist Lin Codega as well as game designer Luke Jordan. Check it out!

Show Notes:

Games mentioned: Harvest, Grand Guignol, The King is Dead, The Emperor is Undead, Sorceror.

Vincent Baker article about What is PbtA? and the one about Narrativism

My review of Harvest by Luke Jordan

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Book club episode! We discuss Deathmatch Island by Tim Denee & Evil Hat. Read more here. 

As always participate in the talkback episode, either post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to thomas@rascal.news.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think of Deathmatch Island? What do you think of its GM section?
2. Do you think that it needed a more robust GM section? Do you agree that the combination of a tight procedure and clear setting is much more robust GM support than any generic advice?
3. What do you think of the idea of player advice? Do you think that there is the sense that "players don't read" or "players don't want/need advice" and that's why we don't really have a well-established format for giving that kind of advice?
4. What's your favorite bit of player advice that you received within a game?

Show Notes:

Decaying Orbit by Sidney Icarus

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Suffuse with expected ribaldry is the only way to describe this episode, where Thomas and Caelyn join Chase to create a Rascal trifecta. The news? Discussed. The Question Dungeon? Delved. Tangents and meanderings? Absolutely assured. From the cancelled Neopets RPGs to pedantic arguing over the definition of a licensed RPG, the crew cover all expected bases.

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we discuss:

Girl Frame

Children of Time: The Roleplaying Game

(Cancelled) Neopets RPG

Esoteric Ebb [video game]

Tacklebox

City of Winter

Pendragon

--

Chris Cocks in full cosplay during an Exodus actual play episode

Former Neopets RPG worker alleges payment problems and other issues within Geekify

Chase and Thomas invite Austin Walker and Tyler Crumrine onto the show to discuss the upcoming science fantasy RPG, Realis. Austin explains his history of facilitating tabletop games and how writing the book's GM sections forced him to imrpove his craft. Tyler shares his love for big, beautiful books made as much for the hand as the shelf. Bridges are for the sickos (complementary).

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social), with special guests Austin Walker (@austinwalker.bsky.social) and Tyler Crumrine (@possibleworlds.bsky.social)

Find Realis on Kickstarter and Possible Worlds Games.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we discuss:

Realis

Beam Saber

Mothership

FIST

--

Book club episode! We respond to people's responses about my discussions questions regarding Deathmatch Island by Tim Denee & Evil Hat. Read more here.

Party Members can nominate games for this series about GM advice through this form.

Show Notes:

Games mentioned: Apocalypse World, Mothership, Last Train To Bremen, Cairn 2e, Dream Askew/Dream Apart, Blades in the Dark, The Wizards Grimoire

Jason Morningstar on editing scenes (mentioned by Sam Dunnewold)

Yochai Gal on people hacking Cairn

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Chase and Caelyn grind a pair of well-worn axes in this episode, beginning with crowdfunding campaign culture before moving onto to generative AI in creative fields. Later, they discuss the games hitting their personal tables -- Chase has dipped into a rare sequel, while Caelyn is discovering why Sword World has remained so cherished over the decades. In the Question Dungeon, the pair find a surprising adversary in a simple ask: must rulebooks explain what an RPG is?

--

Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Thomas Manuel (@newmadras.bsky.social) and Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social).

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we discuss:

MIIRU

Sword World

Cyberpunk TCG
Altered TCG

Realis

Traveller 5E

Legends of the Five Rings

--

More than half of board game designers in TTGDA survey have used generative AI in their work

Meet the Tech Reporters Using AI to Help Write and Edit Their Stories

Book club episode! We discuss Draw Steel by MCDM. Read more here. 

As always participate in the talkback episode, either post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to thomas@rascal.news.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think of Draw Steel?
2. What do you think of the GM being called a Director? What differences does the evoke from simply the GM? Does it sound cooler than just Gamemaster?
3. What do you think about the idea that Mothership and Draw Steel have a different ideology about what rules do? Do you think Apocalypse World has a different view from Draw Steel?
4. Do you think a GM of Draw Steel is a game designer in a way that a GM of Apocalypse World isn't?
5. As a GM, do you have a way of "making time matter" without using mechanics? Are you able to do with just narrative or fiction?
6. Do you think there's a (theoretical) recurring tension between heroic game and the idea of a more political game?

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Check out the Indie Media Collective Bundle! Rascal is partnering with five other independent outlets and creators to offer a group subscription at 50% for the first month. 

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Chase and Caelyn are joined by Wargamer's resident haunt-lover, Mollie Russell, to discuss (among other games) Call of Cthulhu's campfire scouts-meets-cosmic horror RPG -- Campfire Tales. The crew also explore the new union with Magic: The Gathering Arena's team and their plea to Hasbro for voluntary recognition. After that, Mollie describes D&D's official actual play, Dungeon Masters, and its distinct offerings. In the Question Dungeon, everyone decides what color of miniatures paint they would be.

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring Caelyn Ellis (@caelyn.bsky.social) and special gust Mollie Russell (@spookysyntax.bsky.social)

Find Mollie's work at Wargamer.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we discuss:

Magic: The Gathering Arena

Dungeons & Dragons

Campfire Tales

Magic of Inventorying

SPINE

A Land Once Magic

Chronicles of Darkness

--

Book club episode! We respond to people's responses about my discussions questions regarding Draw Steel.

Party Members can nominate games for this series about GM advice through this form.

Show Notes:

Games mentioned: D&D, Pathfinder, Lancer, Daggerheart, Dolmenwood

Caio's youtube channel, The Dice Society

My article about what makes Lancer so popular and also, just for good luck, my article about how MCDM designed Draw Steel.

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Book club episode! We discuss Burning Wheel, the influential fantasy RPG from Luke Crane. Read more here.

As always, you can participate in the talkback episode by sending in a response. You can record yourself, you can post in the discord thread associated with this podcast or write to thomas@rascal.news. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think about Burning Wheel? 
2. What's been your experience with games that ask players to write freeform statements like Beliefs in Burning Wheel or Aspects in Fate? Do you feel like you lose some of that freedom in games that just give you a list to pick from?
3. What do you think about the idea of system mastery as a GM? Does it feel different to run games that are about those versus games that don't offer that? Do you have different tastes as a player and as a GM when it comes to games that offer system mastery?
4. Do you agree with my statement that it feels like system mastery in the OSR or storygames is about mastering (specific, identifiable) skills that are broadly compatible across similar games?
5. What do you think about the classification of quests, struggles, and intrigues? Does that feel useful to you? Do you feel like you're better at some or prefer some over others?

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.

Chase is joined on this episode (which is #37 despite what he says) by Jenna Stoeber and Tomas Franzese to discuss two overlapping issues between the tabletop and video game industries. First, the crew dive into Wizards of the Coast's response to unionization efforts within the Magic: The Gathering Arena team. Spoilers: it ain't friendly. Everyone then ponders the cancellation of an unnamed Dungeons & Dragons video game that was being developed by Giant Skull and why pinning all of Hasbro's digital hopes on Exodus and Warlock is... hm, well, ah. Nevertheless,

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Hosted by Chase Taylor-Carter (@chasecarter.bsky.social).

Featuring special guests Jenna Stoeber (@thejenna.bsky.social) and Tomas Franzese (@tomasfranzese.bsky.social).

Find Jenna's work on Patreon and Tomas' writing at Remastered.

Tomas' interview with Stig Asmussen from 2024.

Theme song by People Need Goals.

Cover art logo by Johan Nohr (@johannohr.bsky.social).

--

Games we discuss:

Magic: The Gathering Arena

Warlock

Exodus

Rose and Locket

TetherGeist

Lego Batman

The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time

SPINE

Fatherfog 0e

Book club episode! Andrew Gillis, designer of Girl by Moonlight, joined me to go through people's responses about my discussions questions on Burning Wheel.

Show Notes:

Games mentioned: D&D, Pathfinder, Fate, Blades in the Dark, Dogs in the Vineyards, Ironsworn, Realis, Apocalypse World, Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, Mythic Bastionland

My interview with Helena Real about Dungeon World 2

The music used for this show is by Nihilore and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. The opening track is So Does Hope and the closing track is Something Beautiful Is Going To Happen.

For more from us, visit Rascal News.