Dice Exploder

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

TranscriptThrilled this week to have on one of my favorite movewrights, it’s Aaron King of the RTFM podcast. Aaron brought on Love Letters from Apocalypse World, a kind of custom move the GM can write when it’s been a while since we played and everyone might need a refresher on what was going on to get the ball rolling again. I think custom moves are a wildly overlooked part of Apocalypse World, and today we go deep on why that is and how and when to write your own.Further ReadingApocalypse World by Vincent and Meguey BakerAaron King’s Worksheet ManifestoThe SF Ultra podcastReading the Apocalypse by Aaron KingSocialsRTFM podcast and PatreonSam 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.This episode was edited by Chris Greenbriar. Thanks Chris!Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!Ad LinksJukebox by Jar of EyesOh Captain My Captain by James D’Amato

TranscriptIt’s the crossover event of the season! This week I’m joined by Jeff Stormer of the Party of One podcast to talk about the core mechanic of Desperation by Jason Morningstar. In this game full of dread about a small Kansas town struggling through a never-ending winter, instead of deciding what happens, each turn you draw a card and decide who the thing on the card happens to. It’s a super slick mechanic. Meanwhile over on Party of One, you can listen to Jeff and I actually play the game.Further ReadingMe on the Party of One PodcastDesperation by Bully Pulpit GamesSocialsSam 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.This episode was edited by Chris Greenbriar.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!Ad LinksSpectrum Roleplaying by Nat KnightSock Puppets by Kurt Refling

In this touching chat, the speaker sits down with his father, a veteran Dungeon Master and his first guide in the world of D&D. They reminisce about their early games in the 80s, filled with laughter and mishaps. The conversation dives deep into the complexities of the infamous THAC0 system, revealing how they navigated its confusion without strict adherence to rules. They also reflect on the magic of structured role-playing and the joy of shared adventures, highlighting the lifelong impact of those formative gaming experiences.

TranscriptI have a list of mechanics I’d like to cover on Dice Exploder, and I’d say about a third of them are jokes. One of those jokes is Rule Zero, a maxim that says "the DM (or GM) is always right." I think of Rule Zero as originating in D&D culture, and as part of this D&D miniseries, I thought it'd be interesting to use as a way into talking about the play culture around the game, how it's actually played at the table, and how many of its rules people actually use.There's no one I'd rather talk with about "do rules matter" than returning cohost Em Acosta (Exiles, Crescent Moon) who's spent a lot of time thinking about what rules they find actually useful in play. And in the end, we find yet another answer to my series-long quest for an answer to the question: "what actually is Dungeons & Dragons?"Further Reading:Rule Zero on TV Tropes (I do not endorse this but interesting context)NeverlandQuestPathfinderErrantEm’s PatreonEm’s banger games Exiles and Crescent MoonSocialsHire EmSam 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!

Back ⁠⁠Dice Exploder season 4 on Backerkit⁠⁠ now!⁠TranscriptThis episode I'm joined by Sam Roberts (Escape from Dino Island) to talk about prestige classes, special classes from D&D 3e that you could only take by multiclassing into them. Sam thinks of these things as a noble failure: a very cool idea whose execution almost immediately dropped the ball. But what can we learn from their corpse?We get into that, along with a boots-on-the-ground discussion of what our experiences were like actually playing D&D 3rd edition and an exploration of advancement as a concept at large: how does it work in most games, and how might it work instead?Further ReadingThe Game Left Unplayed, blogpost by Jay DragonD&D third editionD&D 3.5 editionSam R’s game Escape from Dino IslandSocialsSam D 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!

Tristan Zimmerman, designer of the award-winning game Shanty Hunters and author of the Molten Sulfur blog, joins for a deep dive into D&D mechanics. He discusses the Adventuring Day concept, meant for balanced gameplay across 6-8 combat encounters, and its practical challenges. Tristan shares memorable experiences from GenCon and how LARPing influenced his gaming journey. He also explores resource management and the evolution of spellcasting in D&D, emphasizing how innovative mechanics can reshape traditional gameplay and storytelling.