Rene Plays Games
Rene Legault, host of DMs After Dark, presents a podcast exploring underappreciated tabletop RPGs through actual play series, interviews with hobbyists, and tips for generating new ideas for your gaming table.
Episodes
Perspective Checks | Exploring Trauma Safely in TTRPGs with Mistress Winter (All Our Faults)
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month's episode is one that took months of scheduling (it is the BBEG of TTRPGs after all) to make happen, but I am so happy to share my conversation with Mistress Winter, the GM of the incredible Monsterhearts 2 actual play All
Blood in the Margins | One-Player One-Shot
Spooky month is upon us, and thus we play horror!
It begins alone, and, in this game, it ends alone. Blood in the Margins by Chris Bissette is another of his incredible Wretched & Alone games about a student who, along with some accomplices, killed another student at their prestigious academy recently, but has to make it through the final year of their academic career without unraveling from
Primal Quest (& Feral Solo) | One-Player One-Shot
I'm squeezing in one more episode for Solo September and it's one of the games I've wanted to play (and solo!) the longest - Primal Quest by Diogo Nogueira!
There are also a bunch of supplements for Primal Quest, including the solo supplement Primal Quest: Feral from Exalted Funeral, which has lots of great oracles and tools for you to play your Weird Stone & Sorcery game!
This game rules.
Mappa Mundi (Solo) | One-Player One-Shot
Solo September rolls on and this week's one-player one-shot is the Exploration & Ecology RPG Mappa Mundi by Three Sails Studio!
This game was thrown at me A LOT during its crowdfunding, and I totally get why. The pitch is a game about exploration and observation of wildlife and rediscovering a world after a mysterious event fractured different cultures and places for a century or more. Now,
Princess With A Cursed Sword | One-Player One-Shot
Solo September is fully in swing! Time for another one-player one-shot and this time it's one of the solo games I've had in my collection and on my list for the longest: Princess With a Cursed Sword by Anna Anthropy!
In this solo journaling game, you play a - you guessed it! - princess given a cursed sword and tasked with finding where it belongs to get rid of it. I had a great time making Princ
Perspective Checks | Games, Life, and the Human Experience with SuperDillin (One Shot)
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month's episode is with the incomparable SuperDillin, host of One Shot Podcast as well as one half of Dorkspawn, the video game book club podcast! Oh and he also recently cowrote the newest addition of the Ultimate Roleplaying S
The One Ring 2e | Episode 11: Tree of Light, Tree of Woe (The Finale)
Beneath the Tree of Woe, the wicked towering tree at the heart of the forest of Eryn Vorn, Iorlas wields his ancestral blade, Nimloth's Tear, against the Flame in the Dark, an ancient nameless thing of evil.
With a sword named for a white tree, a memory of light, Iorlas goes into battle against a shadow that has accumulated the dark shadows of hate for Ages.
Learn more about The One Ring 2e b
Ronin | One-Player One-Shot
Quick pivot to play a recommended one-player one-shot of Tiago Junges' Ronin, recommended by this month's Perspective Checks guest Cezar Capacle!
Ronin is a solo TTRPG that was the mechanical and framework precursor to the excellent NOTORIOUS & OUTSIDERS which I played on this podcast. You play the part of a Ronin, a masterless samurai of Sengoku period Japan on a journey to achieve your goa
[Bonus] The One Ring DMs After Dark One-Shot
Sure, we've had one one-shot, but what about second one-shots?
Okay, the joke doesn't land, but you get it! I ran some of the DMs through a one-shot of The One Ring 2e! Amber, Chris, Jess, and Kent play as members of a new fellowship in the time between the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings far away from anywhere you may be familiar with in Middle Earth! West of the Shire, west of the Blue Mounta
The One Ring 2e | Episode 10 - Entmoot
Iorlas encounters a population of Ents long separated from their kin in Fangorn Forest out on the cape of Eryn Vorn. It takes some time, but he convinces them to bring him to the heart of the forest where the corruption is most foul... but their interactions are not unnoticed.
Learn more about The One Ring 2e by Free League Publishing.
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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
an
Perspective Checks | Mausworn & Creative Habits with Cezar Capacle
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month I'm honored to have sat down and talked with one of my absolute favorite game designers Cezar Capacle! You've heard me play multiple of his games on this feed such as Wraithound and Midnight Melodies, and believe me I will
The One Ring 2e | Episode 9 - Unwelcome in Eryn Vorn
After the ambush in the barn, Iorlas rides southeast toward the dark forested cape of Eryn Vorn. Long have the steads and rolling hills of Minhiriath laid unpopulated after the Great Plague, and the massive pine forest on the high cliffs of Eryn Vorn looms over the sea like a shadow...
En route, Iorlas encounters dangers and grim sightings that may be the reason none enter these lands...
Learn
Ironsworn: Legacies | 3: The Raiders of Fisher's Grove
I've decided to continue my playtesting of the (few years out) upcoming Ironsworn: Legacies!
Five months after releasing the enormous elder shadow wolf god from the glacier, Tessa and Farina - along with some new friends - continue to track the beast.
They find themselves in the coastal village of Fisher's Grove, but their pursuit of Inkanis, the Wolf God is halted by raiders holding the small
The One Ring 2e | Episode 8 - The Eye in the Storm
Iorlas departs Bree and heads south along the Greenway between the Barrow Downs and South Downs, a perilous place to travel... Not long after he sets out does he realize his progress is now being observed and his journeys are unlikely to go smoothly as he heads to investigate the cape of Eryn Vorn for Cirdan the Shipwright...
Learn more about The One Ring 2e by Free League Publishing.
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Perspective Checks | Actual Play Theory with Ciera a.k.a. "RagePandaPajamas"
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month I'm joined by Ciera, a.k.a. RagePandaPajamas around the internet! Ciera is a media theory enthusiast who loves to look at and review TTRPG actual plays through a critical academic lens, as well as an author on the blog The
The One Ring 2e | Episode 7 - Scars & Songs
After falling through the floor in the ruins of Fornost, Iorlas discovers something worse than orcs or evil Men. Luckily he gets out and makes it back to Bree, where he begins to recover from the terrifying ordeal and reunites with Gandalf before the next leg of his journey begins...
Learn more about The One Ring 2e by Free League Publishing.
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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channe
Ironsworn Legacies | 2: Beneath the Sacred Glacier
Playtest session 2 of Ironsworn: Legacies!
Tessa and the hunters get Farina to the site of her dreams on a massive frozen glacial valley, but a broken opening holds sacred secrets of the past, as well as old, corrupt shadows emerging...
If you want to, please head over to the Ironsworn Discord channel which you can find a link to on the Ironsworn website to get in on the playtesting!
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Ironsworn Legacies | 1: Escort the Dreamer
A little late, but it's going to turn into 2 episodes of the playtest materials for the upcoming Ironsworn: Legacies from Shawn Tomkin instead of just the one bonus one for next week!
I am SUPER excited to be able to test this out, and if you want to, please head over to the Ironsworn Discord channel which you can find a link to on the Ironsworn website to get in on the playtesting!
In this ep
The One Ring 2e | Episode 6 - Shadows of the Past
Iorlas fights the wraith that rose in the ruins of the plaza in Fornost Erain and gains insight into the past. Going further in he traces the steps of Rangers who came before him, but one wrong step sends him deeper into the darkness...
Learn more about The One Ring 2e by Free League Publishing.
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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generou
Perspective Checks | An Exploring Spirit in TTRPGs with Meadow (HowdyLoveDarlin)
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month I'm joined by Meadow a.k.a. HowdyLoveDarlingM, an incredibly thoughtful TTRPG designer, actual play GM, performer, cosplayer, writer, singer, artist, Meadow does so much! We talk about her collection of games and how she l
The One Ring 2e | Episode 5 - First Steps Into Fornost Erain
After trumpeting a magical horn found in the burnt remains of the homestead, Iorlas has earned the trust of a majestic steed en route to Fornost Erain, the ancient keep and capital of Men from Ages past.
When he arrives, he finds it twisted and overgrown, treacherous and eerily abandoned, but of course trouble lurks within... Trouble in the form of evil Men and undead, but what is it that Gandal
Design Diaries | Decktectives - Co-Op Buddy Cop TTRPG
Welcome back to the monthly design diaries series of 2026 where I am holding myself accountable toward putting out more games.
For the first Design Diaries of the year that isn't about Gardens of Rust, I decided to go back to what was going to be the original Design Diaries episode of 2026... my two-player buddy cop TTRPG Decktectives.
In this game, the two players sit down and create a pair o
The One Ring 2e | Episode 4 - Recovery, Refugees, and Relics
Iorlas spends time recovering between the small community of Archet in the Chetwood and a visit to Bree, where he runs into Gandalf again. After hearing news of an attack on a homestead along the Greenway to the north, Iorlas assumes it must be Drustan and his allies, so he ventures slightly out of the way to investigate. He finds a wondrous item...
Learn more about The One Ring 2e by Free Leagu
Perspective Checks | Play at the Peaks of Indie RPGs with Brian Flaherty (Many Sided Media)
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month I have the pleasure of talking with Brian Flaherty, AP performer, GM, sound designer, producer, game designer, and one of the founders of the Many Sided Media network with an insane lineup of TTRPG podcasts including:
My
The One Ring 2e | Episode 3 - Troll In The Chetwood
The adventure continues.
As Iorlas and Fitch Talltree, Forester of Archet hunt for the escaped servants of Saruman in the Chetwood, something from Fitch's past comes back to settle a different score. Iorlas is wounded.
Learn more about The One Ring 2e by Free League Publishing.
----more----
Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly generous and want to he
Design Diaries | Gardens of Rust - The Community Phase
Welcome back to the monthly design diaries series of 2026 where I am holding myself accountable toward putting out more games.
We're back to talk more Gardens of Rust, the post-catastrophe survival and community rebuilding game by myself and Christian from the DMs After Dark.
This is the final episode of this series for Gardens of Rust and it goes over the Community Phase of the game; when th
The One Ring 2e | Episode 2 - Bad Luck In Bree
The adventure continues.
Iorlas takes Drustan the Mercenary to Bree to face justice, but underestimates the extent of his resources. When Iorlas beseeches the folk of Bree to help him search for the escaped man, he must convince them before it's too late. In the end, he moves on, refusing to let evil men spread.
Learn more about The One Ring 2e by Free League Publishing.
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Join th
Perspective Checks | Sharing With The Community with RP Deshaies (Fari RPGs)
Bonjour! Salut! Ça va? Bienvenue a un autre Perspective Checks episode where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG Community to talk about all the things we love about this wonderful hobby.
Today you're getting not one but TWO Renes! I'm joined by Rene-Pier (RP) from Fari RPGs, creator of so many incredible games that almost all have free SRDs so you can learn the rules and make your
The One Ring 2e | Episode 1 - Spring in the Shire
The adventure begins.
Iorlas, Ranger of the North, Dunedain, descendant of Numenor, leaves the Grey Havens in spring on a quest from Cirdan, the Shipwright to investigate a blight on the sacred trees with which the elves build the ships that ferry the elves on to Valinor upon their departure from Middle Earth.
On his way through the Shire to head south to the ruins of Eryn Vorn, Iorlas runs in
Tabletop Tutorial | Dick Wizards
Another episode of Tabletop Tutorial, where I'm joined by a guest to learn a new game together, one-on-one!
This time I'm joined by my wife, Lynn, for more Lynnsanity. She recently bought me a zine by Wolf Manzella a.k.a. Wyrd Wolf Entertainment called Dick Wizards! Yes, you read that right, and what a title! It's provocative, it gets the people going!
Now temper those thoughts, because this i
The One Ring | Character Creation
Good day to you, I say, fair folk of the internet, and welcome to the character creation episode for my next solo podcast series of The One Ring 2e by Free League Publishing.
This is a short episode I'm putting out because things have gotten a little out of control here in March for me, and will continue to be for April, so please be patient with my episode releases for the next month and a half
Design Diaries | Gardens of Rust - GM's Guide to the Rust
Welcome back to the monthly design diaries series of 2026 where I am holding myself accountable toward putting out more games.
We're back to talk more Gardens of Rust, the post-catastrophe survival and community rebuilding game by myself and Christian from the DMs After Dark.
In episode 3 I go over the usual responsibilities and role of the GM. Calling for rolls, how to prep (minimally, becau
Perspective Checks | Il Fantasma Del Giallo with Laurence Phillips (Hardy Roach Games)
Apologies for Laurence's Audio in this episode, the recording was a little strange when it exported from our video call, but I did the best I could. If you have any questions, please message or email me! (Or reach out to Laurence!)
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
Colostle | Dungeons Finale - Names & Places
Sybil's time in the Dungeons comes to an end. She leaves with a friend on a new journey.
Learn more about Colostle and the Dungeons supplement here! If you like all of the new additions and ideas constantly being added to the world of Colostle, I highly recommend checking out Nich's Patreon page!
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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
I made a Ko-Fi if you feel absurdly genero
Design Diaries | Gardens of Rust Part 2 - Character Creation
Welcome back to the monthly design diaries series of 2026 where I am holding myself accountable toward putting out more games.
We're back to talk more Gardens of Rust, the post-catastrophe survival and community rebuilding game by myself and Christian from the DMs After Dark.
In episode 2 I walk through the Character Creation process and create two different characters to try and show the bre
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 11 - The Rookling Forge
Welcome back for another episode of Colostle - Dungeons!
Sybil and friends explore the Rookling Forge and discover a dark secret. They follow the spectral chains down to the source to save a friend.
Learn more about Colostle and the Dungeons supplement here! If you like all of the new additions and ideas constantly being added to the world of Colostle, I highly recommend checking out Nich's Pa
[Bonus] Call of Cthulhu | Love You To Death Valentine's One-Shot
We're back again for another totally romantic Valentine's Day one-shot!
The annual tradition continues as my wife Lynn joins me for a tangentially-love-related one-shot of a TTRPG session. This year we go back to Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu to play the 2nd scenario in the Does Love Forgive? collection of 1-GM-1-Player mysteries!
One day after Chicago's St. Valentine's Day Massacre in February 1
Perspective Checks | Ian (Undercommon Taste) - Homebrew Is Design
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
Ian and I met playing in a short TTRPG series for previous guest of the show C.R. Rowenson's LitRPG series New Eternity and knew we had to chat more from our brief interactions and roles as the tankybois of the party.
Ian is one-ha
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 10 - Return to Castle Revolving
Welcome back for another episode of Colostle - Dungeons!
Sybil returns to the major labyrinth Castle Revolving to reach the heart of the dungeon and find what lies within. Then, a new friend leads the crew straight to the Rookling Forge.
Learn more about Colostle and the Dungeons supplement here! If you like all of the new additions and ideas constantly being added to the world of Colostle, I
Design Diaries 2026 | Gardens of Rust Part 1
Helloooooo my favorite nerds.
Welcome to the first episode of my monthly design diaries series here in 2026 where I am holding myself accountable toward putting out more games.
I have already pivoted! The first episode was supposed to be about my upcoming playing card-based 2-player buddy cop TTRPG Decktectives, but the state of the modern world made me really not want to talk about any kind o
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 9 - Stillnights
Welcome back for another episode of Colostle - Dungeons!
After escaping the Castle Revolving major labyrinth, Sybil recovers back in Oubliette during a festival known as Stillnights.
Learn more about Colostle and the Dungeons supplement here! If you like all of the new additions and ideas constantly being added to the world of Colostle, I highly recommend checking out Nich's Patreon page!
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Perspective Checks | PJ (Solo Roleplayers Podcast) - Get Those Games Off Your Shelf
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
We're kicking off 2026 with PJ Sack, a fellow solo podcaster and host of the excellent A Wasteland Story Fallout 2d20 solo AP as well as the incredible The Solo Roleplayers Podcast, which you will absolutely love if you're listening
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 8 - Castle Revolving
Welcome back for another episode of Colostle - Dungeons!
Pressing on and into the major labyrinth Castle Revolving, Sybil and the rooklings (and Zorn) quickly realize this is not like the rest of the Dungeons. This labyrinth is hostile and brutally punishing on top of being a confusing maze to navigate.
Sybil begins to figure out the way through, but the elemental attrition and Bastion defende
2025 Retrospective//Plans for 2026
Another year of the podcast is in the books! In this short episode I mostly just want to thank everyone for listening and share some insights from the year.
Some big ones were:
Over 10,000 downloads in 2025 (whoa, thank you)
Better gender diversity in Perspective Checks (working on racial diversity, I promise)
15 different games on the podcast in 2025 (same as 2024, weird)
And for 2026, I ha
Christmas Is Coming | DMs After Dark Family Holiday One-Shot
Happy Holidays!
DO YOU HAVE THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IN YOU?
Welcome back to another DMs After Dark holiday one-shot! This year we decided to do a sequel to a previous holiday special - the Thursday time loop cheesy holiday movie set in a strange little bean tree town that we have appropriately named Beantree! This year, a group is traveling to avoid holiday get-togethers in a one-shot of Grant Ho
Tabletop Tutorial | The Time We Have with Troy from DMs After Dark
Time for another Tabletop Tutorial, the series where I play two player TTRPGs with friends and we learn them together.
BIG OL' CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS EPISODE: Death, Alcoholism, Inappropriate Crude Body Humor, Body Horror, and probably a whole lot more, be careful with this one, please. It's heavy.
I'm once again joined by Troy from the DMs After Dark to play the heartbreaking two player TT
Perspective Checks | Kat The Dungeon Mom - TTRPGs as a Village
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
The last Perspective Checks of 2025 is a wonderful conversation with Kat The Dungeon Mom, a GM, actual play performer, teacher, mom, and so much more as a community member. We sit down to talk about raising the next generation of ner
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 7 - No Going Back Now
Welcome back for another episode of Colostle - Dungeons!
Sybil wants to return to Oubliette to have her new unique rookstone appraised, but she didn't get here alone, so she continues deeper into the Dungeons with Zorn and the rookling to find the lost rooklings and possibly a Rookling Forge.
Sybil finds a way back to the surface, but with too many questions left unanswered, she stays in the
Midnight Melodies | One-Player One-Shot
We're a few days late, but if it means anything to you, dear listener, it made me haul a lot of my music equipment up to my office and I am definitely going to try and do more original music for my episodes now!
Welcome to another one-player one-shot where I play games I have been dying to get to the table all by myself. This time it's another by one of my favorite designers in the TTRPG communi
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 6 - Whispers of Rookling & Stone
Welcome back for another episode of Colostle - Dungeons!
Sybil and the Rookling are joined by the traveling Bastion monk, Zorn, who is searching for something known as a Rookling Forge after many of the rooklings from his monastery have left to destinations unknown. When their expedition hits a dead end, they are waylaid by a Lichen Rook and rush away only to find that Sybil's Whisperstone is pu
Perspective Checks | Craig Hatler - Learning & Teaching RPGs
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month's episode is with Craig Hatler (a.k.a. Tezrak the Impslayer most places on the internet), a game designer and educator who came on to talk about the importance of a game's communication and resources when sitting down to l
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 5 - Spectral Chains & Fostles
Welcome back to the new series of Colostle - Dungeons!
Sybil ventures out of the hanging city of Oubliette with her ice rookling in tow to attempt to find her way back to the surface. The two have more time to appreciate the immensity of the subterranean world and its architecture, but hear a cry for help while investigating a chained rook husk. The find a stranger bound with spectral chains, bu
[Bonus] Halloween Star Crossed
Bonus Halloween day episode release and it's one we teased wayyyy back in February in our Valentine's Day bonus episode! I'm joined by my wife Lynn to play another game of Star Crossed (and in digital) by Alex Roberts, published by the wonderful Bully Pulpit Games, but this time we're not leaning hard into the expected romance tropes or characters, we're getting spooky! (spoiler: it is not, in fac
Spellbook | One-Player One-Shot
Can't forget to do a solo one-shot for spooky month, so here is my one-player one-shot experience of Spellbook by DValeris a.k.a. Edaureen Muhamad Nor! This game is based on a familiar game from last year's holiday one-shots, Bucket Of Bolts by Jason Price and uses the Lost & Found SRD to simulate the life of a sentient spellbook that is past down through the hands of witches over three Acts.
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 4 - The Hanging City of Oubliette
Welcome back to the new series of Colostle - Dungeons!
In episode 4, new friend Thorug guides Sybil and the Rooklings to the capital of the Dungeons - the Hanging City of Oubliette! This incredible city hangs from the top of an enormous cavern, lit up in all different colors in a perpetual nightlife. Run by four clans (Cups, Rings, Keys, and Shards), the city is both powerful and dangerous. What
Perspective Checks | Characters, Cosplay, and Don't Kill My Character with Kate the Great
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This month's episode is with Kate the Great Cosplays talking about the many, many angles she approaches the TTRPG scene through. Not only a cosplay event coordinator including TTRPG cosplay photo sessions and meet-ups, but an actual
[Bonus] The Witch Is Dead
It's spooky month 2025, and that means bonus episodes! They can be Halloween-y, generally spooky, or related to common tropes of the season, but this year it's kicking off with a one-shot of The Witch Is Dead by the incomparable Grant Howitt!
The Witch Is Dead is a one-page RPG by the master of the one-pager about a kind and good witch who is brutally and unfairly MURDERED by a witch-hunter! Lu
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 3 - Nowhere To Go But Down...
Welcome back to the new series of Colostle - Dungeons!
In episode 3, Sybil has escaped the major labyrinth of the Cistern only to find herself forced to explore further down into the Dungeons, which turn out to be much more interesting than expected. Incredible architecture and mechanisms are in place from who knows when - a whole world beneath the surface of the Roomlands... But before she can
The Librarian's Apprentice | One-Player One-Shot
It's time for another one-player one-shot!
The Librarian's Apprentice is a solo game I've had near the top of my list to play for a LONG time, and it's a shame it's taken me so long to get this to the table. This is a game by friend of the channel Daniel Bronson-Lowe, a.k.a. Almost Bedtime Theater who you may remember from the Tabletop Tutorial episode of i'm sorry did you say street magic? wher
Mining Media | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an incredible new game by French developers Sandfall Interactive, and it is AMAZING. This is not a light lift for you TTRPG folks who may want to emulate the game at the table, but that doesn't mean there isn't a LOT for you to mine for your own games without having to try and replicate this masterpiece.
Take home notes:
Asymmetric design is awesome, and each char
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 2 - The Cistern
Welcome back to the new series of Colostle - Dungeons!
In episode 2, we pick up with our main character Sybil as she emerges from the water deep below the surface where she fell at the end of episode 1. As she gets her bearings, she realizes she is in an ancient, underground mechanism with no way back to the surface, so the only way out is through. Luckily (or not), she rescues a small Rookling
Perspective Checks | Willow (The RPG Goblin) - Finding The Right TTRPG For You
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
There are a lot of tabletop roleplaying ganes, and there is an almost 100% chance you will never sit down and play them all, and even if you could, there would be a a lot of games you probably wouldn't enjoy. This month's episode is
Colostle | Dungeons Episode 1 - Falling In
100 Episodes! That's pretty neat, and it feels right to go back to the very first series I ever played solo for a podcast - the incredibly wonderful Colostle by Nich Angell!
In this series, we'll be playing a whole new character, so you don't have to have listened to my previous Colostle series on the DMs After Dark podcast feed, and I'll be going through all of the character creation, rules, an
Mining Media | Dungeon Crawler Carl
Welcome back to Mining Media where we turn your binging into better TTRPG experiences by telling the next episode or next book "You will not break me," and soldiering on anyway because goddamnit, Donut, someone's gotta try and save all these ideas.
This month we're talking about the absurdly popular (and deserving) LitRPG book series Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. These books follow Carl
BOW | One-Player One-Shot
Let's do another one-player one-shot!
This time it's BOW by the design duo (and team at) Hatchlings Games!
BOW is a solo journaling game that uses the Carta SRD by Peach Garden Games, much like Hatchlings' other solo game Dragon Dowser (which you can hear me play in the backlog!). In BOW, you play a Praeloran diver going out in an annual competition known as The Shoaling, a grueling sailing ra
Two-Hand Path | One-Player One-Shot
Time for another one-player one-shot!
This is Two-Hand Path, a modern roll-and-write dungeon crawler by Mikey Hamm, designer of Slugblaster. In Two-Hand Path you play a mage searching the cursed ruins of a post-fall city for loot and power after a supernatural war left everything destroyed.
The mechanics use Yahtzee-style combinations with a full set of polyhedral dice, sending you through ve
Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 14 - Finale
Welcome to the finale of the Heart of the Dominion, season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Cassidy, Leigh, and the Captain continue to trek toward the center of the cursed Razor Isle at the heart of the Kyrody Dominion's myriad capital, with the Captain experiencing flashbacks to life in this ruined city's heyday. When they reach the three towering iron pillars at the city's center, e
Perspective Checks | Mat (Role Play Chat) - GM-less Games, Romance, and First Date Update!
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
This special 1st of the month Perspective Checks episode is with Mat of Role Play Chat, a similar interview-style TTRPG discussion podcast which I think you'll enjoy if you like these episodes!
Mat comes on to talk about the wonder
[Bonus] MECH Cities 2 | Hraunvollr
Get the 2 New MECH Cities Out Now (for Free!)
Felt like a good time to play through a little bit of me & Raso's Carved by RUNE solo Mech vs. Kaiju TTRPG MECH!
In this demo, I play through Hraunvollr, a city on a fjord below a volcano where a greedy energy company has awakened the ancient lava Dormant Surtr!
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Join the DMs After Dark Discord channel!
I made a Ko-Fi if you f
[Bonus] 2025 Designologue
I've heard people like this, so here's an update on some of the games I've got rattling around in my brain, in GoogleDocs, and in various levels of development on notebook pages, sticky notes, and half formed notes on my phone.
If any of these sound like they're games you'd love to play, please let me know so I can get on it and see if I can't put out something you'll love!
Looking forward to
Perspective Checks | Clark R. Rowenson - Magic Systems & LitRPGs
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
The second Perspective Checks this month on RPGs and their intersection with creative writing is with Clark R. Rowenson, a.k.a. The Magic Engineer on YouTube, an engineer, author, and writing coach with a lifelong interest in magic s
Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 13 - Return to the Razor Isle
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Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
The penultimate episode sees Azriel Stirling send off Senator Minos and bring down the ruins beneath the Kyrody capital city of Carcordia, while Drake McCabe and others resurrected by the Church of the Enduring Servants find themselves with a strange new gift
Perspective Checks | Steve Morrison (Errant Adventures) - RPGs & Writing
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
The first of two Perspective Checks this month on RPGs and their intersection with creative writing is with Steve Morrison of Errant Adventures, an excellent solo actual play podcast which has followed a sci-fi epic through multiple
Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 12 - The Dark Heart of the Dominion
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Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
As Cassidy & crew make their way to the Kyrody capital of Carcordia to make contact with the Ebb and find out what's next, Azriel Stirling avoids Kyrody law enforcement by hiding out down in the ruins below the capital, and he's not the only one down ther
Perspective Checks | Adrian & Alex (Dungeons & Degrees) - Finding Your Place in the TTRPG Community
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
In the 2nd community-focused Perspective Checks of the month, Adrian & Alex from the Dungeons & Degrees Podcast come on to talk about navigating the TTRPG space and finding your people. We keep it silly, do a little self-ther
Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 11 - Free From Cursed Bonds
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Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
Cassidy and the crew of the Revenant are on their way back to the main island of Kyros to meet up with an Ebb contact in the capital city of Carcordia. Along the way, Cassidy attempts to reverse the Bloodsworn curse on Marama, but their ship is recognized in
Perspective Checks | Matt Caulder (Whatcha Doing?) - Boosting Community
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
June is (apparently) community month here on Perspective Checks, and the first interview is with Matt Caulder, host of the Whatcha Doing? Podcast, a wonderful interview podcast with creators about their projects, as well as Twitch St
Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 10 - Disruption
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Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
After cleansing the second altar, the Bloodsworn are affected and taken aboard the Revenant, which is also experiencing negative effects. The crew make for safe harbor on the island of Nuboka, headquarters of the Cynosure Society and Explorer's Guild to rest
Sundered Isles Season 2 | Episode 9 - The Puzzle Altars
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Welcome back to the Heart of the Dominion and season 2 of my Ironsworn: Sundered Isles series.
The small crew of the Revenant scatter to fight the Bloodsworn who have ambushed them at the second altar, and when Cassidy enters the narrow tunnels of the sea cave system where the altar lies, she finds more traps and puzzles await...
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Pespective Checks | A Couple of Drakes - Jammin' on TTRPGs
Welcome to another episode of Perspective Checks where I sit down with friends and folks from the TTRPG world and discuss what they love about this wonderful hobby!
Perspective Checks #2 this month! I'm joined by the prolific duo A Couple of Drakes to talk about their journey in the TTRPG space. If you don't recognize the name, maybe you've heard of any of their incredible games out there, like:
