Dice Exploder

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comPregens! They're not just a tool to get started playing quicker, they're also a way for a designer to take you by the hand and guide you to a very specific place, and they're a shared language across every table that picks up your game. Today, Aaron Lim and I break down all the joys and beauty of pregens, up to and including Aaron's meme charts.Aaron’s KickstarterIthaca in the Cards: Second Expedition and What Should We Have Tomorrow? Full CourseAd LinksA Perfect Rock Growing Thylacine: A Pamphlet Zine TTRPGFurther ReadingLast Train to Bremen by Caro AsercionCaro Asercion on Dice ExploderYazeba’s Bed & Breakfast by Possum Creek GamesLady Blackbird by John HarperLarp Design and the chapter BASICS OF CHARACTER DESIGN by Juhana PetterssonSocialsAaron onBluesky anditch.Sam onBluesky anditch.The Dice Exploder blog is atdiceexploder.comOur logo was designed bysporgory, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song isSunset Bridge by Purely Grey.This episode was edited by Chris Greenbriar and Sam Dunnewold.Join theDice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comWhat’s the best way to convey the emotional experience of being a post-apocalyptic demon-fighting wizard action hero? Did you say “a coloring book with some Yahtzee on the side?” Because that’s what Two Hand Path designer Mikey Hamm landed on.Last week was an episode all about the joy of destruction and transgression, and I wanted to balance that out today with another episode on physicality in games and the act of creation. But because I’m joined by the wonderful and prolific Jeeyon Shim, this spilled out into so much more: Jeeyon's background in child education, solo games that ask you to do a verb other than journal, how important it is for our humanity to take breaks and touch grass sometimes, and just how much fun art can be.Further ReadingTwo Hand Path by Mikey HammMaking Comics by Linda BarryField Guide to Memory by Shing Yin Khor and Jeeyon ShimA Mending by Shing Yin KhorAd LinksSock PuppetsMission ImPAWsibleSocialsJeeyon on Patreon, Bluesky, and itch.Sam on Bluesky and itch.The Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comDon't you hate it when one card in a deck gets a little bent? You ever have someone spill their coffee on your cards while you're playing and wish death upon them? What if I told you there was a game that told you to do these things and worse... on purpose?We're kicking off season 5 of Dice Exploder with two episodes on physicality in games. Today that's Wreck This Deck, and the transgressive feeling you get when the core mechanic of a game is to fuck up a bunch of playing cards. Specifically, we're talking about the revenge demon Flauros and what exactly he demands you do to your deck.Further ReadingAudrey’s podcast Alone At The Table podcast and the Wreck This Deck episodes specificallyThousand Year Old Vampire by Tim HutchingsBirds Love Dirt by Emily JankowskiUnder the Autumn Strangely by Graham GentzBalatroThis video about a particularly infamous Magic: the Gathering commander deckRookwood by Nerdy Pup GamesAd LinksSword OperaShownotesSam on Bluesky and itch.The Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, our ad music is Lilypads by Travis Tessmer, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

Transcripts can be found at diceexploder.comIt's the Dice Exploder 2024 year end bonanza! This year I'm joined by Aaron Voigt, Rowan Zeoli, and MintRabbit plus a cavalcade of friends of the show to go over games and adjacent things we loved from 2024. Come reminisce about the year with us!Aaron on Youtube and BlueskyRowan on BlueskyMintRabbit on TumblrAaron’s picksLast Train to Bremen by Caro Asercion Fealty by Michael Elliot and Galen PejeauHelvetia by Bully Pulpit Games/Jason Morningstar Rascal News/Scrying on Iran's Tabletop SceneThe Most Important Essay in RPG History Rowan’s picksThe Time We Have by Elliot DavisSeven Part Pact by Jay DragonOceanie 2084Voices in The Wood, a Void 1680 Actual Play. Rowan’s article on Voices in the Woods.Former World of Game Design Employees Claim Tabletop Company Exploits Workers and ClientsMint’s picksThe Gas Station, by DNGNCLUBshadow/giant by PsychHound GamesFlyover Country, by Headstone HillsIn Defense of Fiction, by MeatCastle GamesMint Plays Games: Rotted Capes (And the Lesson I Keep Learning This Year)Sam’s picksTwo Hand Path by Mikey HammFlorilegium by Nick WedigA Visit to the Lonely Oak by Victor LaneThe Disc 2 jam, organized by Ken Lowrey, and specifically the Wanderhome designer commentaryKiss Me If You Can by Sam Dunnewold, and actual play from Third Floor WarsOther PicksKurt Refling’s pick: Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast by Possum Creek GamesMichael Elliott’s pick: Two Hand Path by Mikey HammAlex Roberts on The Highlander II: The Quickening Unofficial Roleplaying Game by Adam DecampJason Morningstar on The Big Store by Nathan D. PaolettaRandy Lubin’s pick: the Dice Exploder DiscordHendrik ten Napel on Eat the Reich by Rowan Rook and DeckardSharang Biswas’s pick: Combat in Dungeons & Dragons by Evan TornerAudrey Stolze’s pick: Band-Aids & Bullet Holes by Sam DunnewoldSydney Icarus’s pick: Working the Case by Randy LubinSeraphina’s pick: Triangle AgencySocialsSam Dunnewold on Bluesky and itch.The Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comA few weeks back, a conversation on the Dice Exploder discord lead to a new game jam: the Femininomenon Jam, a jam about femininity and whatever that means to you, happening now on itch.io through February 11th. To help kick off your thinking on what a game in this theme might look like, today two of the hosts of that jam sit down to talk about the challenge deck from Wickedness by M. Veselak. In this game about a coven of three witches, the challenge deck is a bespoke oracle for conflict resolution. And right out of the gate we get to dive into the deep end with this jam's topic as we ask: is this mechanic "feminine"? What would that even mean?Further Reading:Wickedness by M. VeselakThe Femininomenon JamSocialsAudrey Stolze / Lady Tabletop on itch and tumblrSeraphina on itch and blueskyAudrey’s solo games podcast Alone At The TableSam D on Bluesky and itchThe Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comI usually like to think of Dice Exploder as a pretty focused show with a pretty tight format. Yeah we may sprawl sometimes, but we’re not here shooting the shit, we’re here to talk game mechanics. But sometimes, a guy wants to stretch out like a dog in the sun, hang out for a while, and just yap the day away while answering a bunch of listener questions. And there’s no one I like yapping with more than my friend Merrilee Bufkin. So this week, it’s casual times on Dice exploder as the two of us answer a bunch of listener questions.Further Reading:Aaron Voigt’s youtube essaysKurt Riefling on itchSam's favorite games blogpostExiles by Ema AcostaJiangshi by Banana Chan and Sen-Foong LimFiasco by Jason MorningstarThe Forge book by William J. WhiteSecco Creek Vigilance Committee by Keith StetsonKilling Time by BrewistTabletopGamesSocialsMerrilee on Bluesky and itch.Sam on Bluesky and itch.The Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comIt’s a Dice Exploder EMERGENCY POD! Less than 24 hours ago as of recording, John Harper, designer of Blades in the Dark, released a brand new official supplement for the game: Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts. It’s 110 pages packed full of new setting and new mechanic ideas, and I really wanted to talk about it! I love Apocalypse World’s concept of “advanced fuckery,” and I’ve never seen such a good and extended example of it all in one place.Further Reading:Deep Cuts by John HarperHow to Overcome Your Hyperdiegesis Allergy by Idle CartularyErrant by Otherkind Dice on Dice Exploder, with John HarperSocialsJohn on Bluesky and Twitter.Sam on Bluesky and itch.The Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

Transcripts available at diceexploder.comHello from the between-season malaise! Today I'm joined by Aaron King, back again, who interviews me about my new zine Dice Forager: a 50 page collection of games, manifestos, and mini written-out episodes of Dice Exploder. We talk about how setting goals is great and people should do it for, what counts as a manifesto, and how making art meant just for your friends can be just as if not more rewarding than for any other reason.Preorder Dice Forager now! (if you live in the US, otherwise DM me and maybe we can work something out)Further Reading:Dice Exploder blog: Hospitality, Safety, and Calibration Traffic Lights are Communication Tools by Meguey BakerWorld Ending Game by Everest PipkinYour public librarySocialsAaron King on itch and the RTFM podcast.Sam on Bluesky and itch.The Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

Join James D'Amato, an experienced RPG podcaster and author of the Ultimate RPG series, as he dives into the intricacies of custom oracle decks. He discusses the transformative power of the Sooth Deck from Invisible Sun, enhancing gameplay and storytelling. The conversation contrasts minimalist and complex RPG designs, emphasizing how oracle cards can deepen narrative experiences. D'Amato also explores the creative process behind crafting personalized oracle decks, fostering thematic engagement and memorable moments at the table.

TranscriptToday, Caro Asercion (i'm sorry did you say street magic) brings us a game and mechanic all about instinct and physical embodiment: Keys from the larp Keymaster. This game isn't like most games. It’s so much about physical embodiment and exploring group identity rather than pesky shit like “storytelling”. Physicality! Larp! The Golden Cobra Challenge! We've got it all.Further ReadingKeymaster by J LiThe Golden Cobra Challengei’m sorry did you say street magic by Caro AsercionSocialsCaro on itchSam D on Bluesky and itchThe Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, and our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!Ad LinksOh Captain My Captain by James D’AmatoStout Stoat Press