RTFM – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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RTFM

Leisure

Frequency: 1 episode/18d. Total Eps: 87

Maxwell Lander is an educator and photographer in eastern Canada. Aaron King is an editor and collage artist in the Midwestern US. They're both game designers, and together, they read RPG books, find the good bits, and discuss them critically. Welcome to RTFM.

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Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇫🇷 France - games
19/08/2026
#100
🇫🇷 France - games
18/08/2026
#83
🇫🇷 France - games
17/08/2026
#53
🇫🇷 France - games
16/08/2026
#42
🇫🇷 France - games
15/08/2026
#29
🇫🇷 France - games
14/08/2026
#19
🇨🇦 Canada - games
12/06/2026
#75
🇨🇦 Canada - games
28/02/2026
#72
🇩🇪 Germany - games
02/01/2026
#89
🇬🇧 Great Britain - games
01/01/2026
#56

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://bytes.rip/rtfm
84 shares
https://maxwellander.itch.io/
83 shares
https://erinking.itch.io/
83 shares

RSS feed quality and score

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 43%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

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Latest published episodes

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RTFM Interview: Will Jobst

Season 6 · Episode 1

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 • Duration 01:16:26

RTFM is back from hiatus! And this time, it's personal. We'll be alternating our regular book reviews with interviews, and to usher in this new era, we have Will Jobst, designer of Torq and the currently crowdfunding Plasmodics. We talk about game design, learning new skills, and mutants mutants mutants.

⁠Max Lander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aaron King⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

If you want to chat about the episode, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠check us out on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for extra episodes!

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RTFM: Game Design & Immersive Experience

Wednesday, June 19, 2024 • Duration 01:07:24

Who even has time to read? Not us! So today, we're talking about our own game design. Then we get sidetracked into discussing immersive experiences.

⁠⁠Max Lander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aaron King⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

If you want to chat about the episode, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠check us out on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for extra episodes!

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RTFM: Firebrands

Season 4 · Episode 10

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 • Duration 01:06:27

⁠⁠Max Lander⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aaron King⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

It's Mobile Frame Zero: Firebrands by Meguey Baker & D. Vincent Baker. Returning guest Essay joins us to discuss a game that has been pitched to Max as exactly what he wants. But is it?!

If you want to chat about the episode, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠check us out on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for extra episodes!

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RTFM: Dream Askew/Dream Apart

Season 4 · Episode 9

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 • Duration 01:13:18

⁠⁠Max Lander⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Aaron King⁠⁠⁠⁠ dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

We continue on our journey to cure our brains of D&D. This time, our delicious medicine is Dream Askew/Dream Apart by Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum. We recorded it a while back, so I don't remember what else we talked about.

If you want to chat about the episode, ⁠⁠⁠⁠join our Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠. And ⁠⁠⁠⁠check us out on Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠ for extra episodes!

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RTFM Brain Power One (PbtA)

Season 4 · Episode 8

Wednesday, December 27, 2023 • Duration 01:06:58

Hey, it's the darkest time of the year, and the light of knowledge refuses to shine on our cursed podcast. Thus, instead of reading, we think. In darkness. About what it means to (not) roll those bones.

This one focuses on game design theory, disclaiming dice rolls, and getting out of your comfort zone.

There's an episode 0 of this series over on our Patreon. If you want to do the homework, join us on Discord.

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RTFM: D&D 4E

Season 4 · Episode 7

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 • Duration 56:25

⁠⁠Max Lander⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Aaron King⁠⁠⁠ dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

Look, it's Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition! The last good D&D. We talk digital tools, layout, and doing one thing well.

If you want to chat about the episode, ⁠⁠⁠join our Discord⁠⁠⁠. And ⁠⁠⁠check us out on Patreon⁠⁠⁠ for extra episodes!

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RTFM: Keep on the Borderlands

Season 4 · Episode 6

Tuesday, November 28, 2023 • Duration 01:18:12

⁠⁠Max Lander⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Aaron King⁠⁠ dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

⁠Dia Lacina is back to talk about more adventure modules. This time, it's that classic Gygax, Keep on the Borderlands. Is it good? Is it horny? Is it colonial? And what's with all these totally normal men?

If you want to chat about the episode, ⁠⁠join our Discord⁠⁠. And ⁠⁠check us out on Patreon⁠⁠ for extra episodes!

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RTFM: Troika!

Season 4 · Episode 5

Tuesday, October 24, 2023 • Duration 01:07:37

This episode is brought to you by ⁠The Lost Bay's Outer Rim Uprising⁠. Follow the Kickstarter for this cool set of Mothership scenarios and resources!

⁠Max Lander⁠ and ⁠Aaron King⁠ dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

Aaron Lim is here to chat about Troika! by Daniel Sell and the Melsonian Arts Council, where game mechanics are lore and inspirations are a compost heap from which oddness blooms.

If you want to chat about the episode, ⁠join our Discord⁠. And ⁠check us out on Patreon⁠ for extra episodes!

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RTFM: Principia Apocrypha

Season 4 · Episode 4

Tuesday, October 10, 2023 • Duration 01:22:37

This episode is brought to you by The Lost Bay's Outer Rim Uprising. Follow the Kickstarter for this cool set of Mothership scenarios and resources!

Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

Game designer Chris Bissette joins us to talk about Principia Apocrypha, one of the cornerstone documents of the Old School Revival (OSR) movement. What is the OSR? What use can non-OSR gamers get from it?

If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!

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RTFM: RuneQuest

Season 4 · Episode 3

Tuesday, September 26, 2023 • Duration 01:04:12

This episode is brought to you by The Lost Bay's Outer Rim Uprising. Follow the Kickstarter for this cool set of Mothership scenarios and resources!

Max Lander and Aaron King dig through RPGs of yore to bring you valuable nuggets of mechanics, lore, and strangeness. They read the fucking manual so that you don't have to.

This one starts as an episode about RuneQuest, but it quickly becomes about citation, ownership, and stewardship in the RPG industry. Like, almost solely about that.

Here's a link to the Feminist Killjoys blog post we mention.

If you want to chat about the episode, join our Discord. And check us out on Patreon for extra episodes!

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RTFM – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RTFM – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other97

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other97

Patreon1

Kickstarter6

Apple Podcasts

Spotify