Dice Exploder

TranscriptWhat's the deal with Playbooks? That's a question that's way too big for one episode. But Moe Poplar, of the RPG Academy podcast Show & Tell, had a very particular effect of playbooks that he wanted to talk about on the show today: how playbook choice can be a line of communication between players, GM, and designer.This is one of those episodes that's as much play advice as it is about design. I should do more of those.Further Reading:Monster of the WeekBlades in the DarkSocialsMoe’s website, including his games.Moe’s podcast via The RPG Academy, Show & TellSam 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!

TranscriptThis week, now that the part of season 3 that was funded by Kickstarter is over, I’ve got a treat for you: the backers-only bonus episode with Mikey Hamm, designer of Slugblaster. You didn’t think I was gonna just hold on to an episode this good forever, did you? It’s the show’s namesake mechanic!Mikey is currently Kickstarting Two-Hand Path, a solo game roll-and-write dungeon crawler. Check it out.While I thought this episode would be a big of a goof about a goofy mechanic (and it is), it also brought out some of the most thoughtful thoughts on deploying mechanics with precision and purpose that I’ve had on the show yet. Also, we had a blast.A slug blast.List of Games with Exploding DiceMiddle Earth Roleplaying GameShadowrunEarthdawnLuck of LegendsThe Burning Wheel7th SeaHeart (Deep Apiarist class)Renegade RacersKids on BikesArmelloSocialsBack Two-Hand Path and buy Slugblaster now!Mikey on Bluesky.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!

TranscriptThis week's cohost is James Wallis, cohost of the Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast, a show a lot like this one that's Kickstarting their third season now, and designer of one of the first story games: The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen.Today we're breaking format: instead of talking about one game mechanic, James brought in the concept of innovation in game design. What does it look like, is it important, and how can we do more of it?The show notes for this one are friggin packed.Further Reading:Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast and season 3 KickstarterThe Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen and on WikipediaNordic Larp book by Jaakko Stenros and Markus MontolaNordic Larp wikiFairweather Manor, the Downton Abbey larpThe Diana Jones awardDominion, the deckbuilder board game by Donald X. VaccarinoBlades in the Dark by John HarperMy blog post Calvinballing a Whole CampaignStar Crossed by Alex RobertsDread by Epidiah RavacholApocalypse World by Meguey and Vincent BakerThe Beast by Naked Female GiantThe Crew by Thomas SingThousand Year Old Vampire by Tim HutchingsBluebeard’s Bride by Marissa Kelly, Whitney Beltrán, and Sarah DoomThe Well Played Game by Bernie de KovenSocialsJames Wallis on Bluesky and dice.camp.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!

This week I'm bringing you an episode from the new podcast Lyrical Ludology with host Logan Timmins, a show all about lyric games. I'm very excited for it. There's already at least one more episode of Lyrical Ludology published, so if you like this one, go subscribe and take a listen!

TranscriptIt’s the solo games episode! Hopefully the first of many. I’m joined by Seb Pines, designer of The Awards winning game Dwelling and haver of MFA in basically solo games, to talk about prompts in solo games.This is a broad survey of solo games. We talk about a bunch of games (listed below) that all behave differently. If you’re curious about this side of the hobby, this is the primer for you.Further Reading:Dwelling by Seb PinesThousand Year Old Vampire by Tim HutchingsHorse Girl by Babblegum SamArtefact by Jack HarrisonProject ECCO by Elliot DavisNotorious by Jason PriceVoid 1680 AM by Ken LoweryI Eat Mantras For Breakfast by Maria MisonThe Ink That Bleeds and an excerpt on the Indie Game Reading ClubMy response to The Ink That BleedsSocialsSeb Pines 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!

TranscriptThis is an intensely visual episode. If you'd like to follow along with the sheets we mention and get some extra commentary from me, you can do so at https://www.diceexploder.com/blog/2024/2/22/dice-exploder-aftershow-character-sheetsI’m fascinated by character sheets, mostly because there are so so so precious few that I think do a good job. I don’t mean this to call anyone out - I think the job of making a good character sheet might genuinely be impossible. They just have so much they have to accomplish.Today I'm talking to Emanoel Melo, designer of CBR+PNK, about what we like in character sheets and whether there are any we would actually go to bat for.Further readingAftershow blog post featuring all the character sheets we talk about plus extra commentary on diceexploder.comCBR-PNKMothershipBruno Prosaiko, the artist behind the beautiful ornate sheets we talk about, on InstagramA collection of Brazilian tabletop games on itch that Emanoel curatesSocialsEmanoel on Twitter and Instagram. His website, Cabinet of Curiosities.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!

TranscriptAlex Roberts, designer of Star Crossed and For the Queen, joins me to talk about pity points from Kagematsu, a mechanic that doesn't actually do anything itself beyond evoke a particular feeling when put in opposition to love points.This episode is what I always dreamed Dice Exploder could be. We start from a simple game mechanic, but we get into power dynamics at the table in the past and the future, how people treat you when you’re disabled, cultural appropriation, my personal techniques for flirting, details of a new game Alex is working on, and of course “what is the true nature of love?”Happy day after Valentine’s Day.Further ReadingKagematsu is no longer available in print or onlineKagematsu actual play, featuring Alex, on the One Shot podcastWhat Dice Do blogpost by Graham WalmsleyThe Quiet Year by Avery AlderAlex’s finished podcast BackstoryStar Crossed by Alex RobertsFor the Queen, second edition coming May 14th from Darrington PressSocialsAlex’s personal carrd pageSam on Bluesky and itch.The Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lily Pads by my boi Travis Tessmer.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!

TranscriptThis week I've got designer and illustrator Strega Wolf van den Berg on to talk about money and the Mork Borg third party license. What, if anything, is the difference between making RPGs for fun, to pay rent, and to be paid fairly? And what is the cost (aha) of bringing money into making art?On the flip side, this is also an episode about community, and how the shape of Mork Borg’s license fostered a community around it that allowed Strega Wolf to find a space in this hobby. Community can give us so many things that money can’t.Further reading:The Mork Borg third party licenseLichomaThe Origin Of My Depression by UboaSocialsStrega Wolf's website and itch pageBogfolk, and on itchSam on ⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠itch⁠⁠.The Dice Exploder blog is at ⁠⁠diceexploder.com⁠⁠Our logo was designed by ⁠⁠sporgory⁠⁠, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lily Pads by my boi Travis Tessmer.Join the ⁠⁠Dice Exploder Discord⁠⁠ to talk about the show!

Nova, one of my favorite writers in the DIY elf game scene, joins the podcast to talk about making good random tables, adventures, and the power of point of view. They discuss the rumor table from Lorn Song of the Bachelor, the history and importance of rumor tables in RPGs, and the subtleties of dice probability. They also delve into the differences between random tables and pick lists, and the importance of rooms and passages in a dungeon.

TranscriptOn the season 3 premiere, I’m joined by John Harper, designer of many games featured on past episodes of Dice Exploder including Blades in the Dark, Lasers & Feelings, and Agon 2e.John brought in the Psi*Run risk sheet, a fairly complex dice resolution mechanic, known generically as Otherkind Dice. The risk sheet is such an elegant piece of design, packing essentially a whole game onto a single sheet of paper, and being so clear in both how it works and how you might tear it apart for your own ends. If you’re a new designer, or even just looking to get back in touch with the basics, John and I agree that hacking this thing is a great place to look.It’s good to be back.Further Reading:Psi*Run’s risk sheetVincent Baker’s original 2005 post on Otherkind DiceVincent’s 2022 Otherkind Dice SRDPsi*Run by Michael Lingner, Christopher Moore⁠, and Meguey BakerAnnaliseSocialsJohn’s website, onesevendesign.com, and itch page.Sam on Bluesky and itch.The Dice Exploder blog is at diceexploder.comOur logo was designed by sporgory, our theme song is Sunset Bridge by Purely Grey, and our ad music is Lily Pads by my boi Travis Tessmer.Join the Dice Exploder Discord to talk about the show!