Roll For Topic
Roll For Topic
GM/DM discussions on topics related to running tabletop games. Each episode is a 30-45 minute conversation about one specific topic chosen by rolling 1d10 on a table of topics.
Roll for Topic's regular cohosts are Andy Rau and Chris Salzman. If you or your GM is interested in being a guest, drop us a line!
Roll for Topic's regular cohosts are Andy Rau and Chris Salzman. If you or your GM is interested in being a guest, drop us a line!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 17, 2020 • 41min
Episode 46 — How Do You Design Your Game Sessions So That Players Can Show Off?
Do you build encounters and adventures in such a way that players have lots of opportunity to show off their character’s abilities, powers, and personality? Andy and Chris discuss!
Sep 3, 2020 • 43min
Episode 45 — Tom Knauss, Tehuatl Kickstarter, and the Care and Feeding of Your Game Books
Tom Knauss of Frog God Games joins us to discuss the new Lost Lands: Tehuatl Kickstarter. We enjoy an in-depth talk about the process of creating a Mesoamerica-themed setting book, then launch into this episode’s topic: how you care for your physical game books. Note: the sound quality for this episode isn’t up to our … Continue reading "Episode 45 — Tom Knauss, Tehuatl Kickstarter, and the Care and Feeding of Your Game Books"
Aug 20, 2020 • 42min
Episode 44 — How Do You Prepare Set-piece Encounters?
This week Christopher Becker came on to talk about running set-piece encounters. Those points in your game where you take some special care to prepare. Do you break out special terrain or miniatures? Do you prepare a big speech for the BBEG to deliver? Do you treat every moment as a set-piece lovingly created for … Continue reading "Episode 44 — How Do You Prepare Set-piece Encounters?"
Aug 6, 2020 • 38min
Episode 43 — What Do You Do With the Encounters and Secrets Your Players Don’t Discover?
Do you share your GMing secrets with players after each adventure? Or do you hang on to them in hopes of re-purposing them? With Chris back at the helm as co-host, we follow this topic into some unexpected places, including the merits of re-running adventures and the importance of information asymmetry in RPGs.
Jul 23, 2020 • 45min
Episode 42 — How Do You Create Memorable NPCs?
What’s the key to making NPCs who are memorable, interesting, and possibly even beloved by the players? Chris, Andy, and John discuss. And as a bonus, Andy breaks out a brand-new GM challenge for his co-hosts. Listen and judge their on-the-spot GMing decisions!
Jul 9, 2020 • 49min
Episode 41 — What Do You Do When You Feel Unenthused About the Game You’re Running?
Special guest (and former host) Chris joins Andy and John to talk about what you can do when you’re just not feeling very excited about your game.
Jun 25, 2020 • 49min
Episode 40 — How Do You Build or Choose a Setting for Your Game?
Do you like running games set in established, well-defined settings? Do you prefer coming up with setting details on the fly? Something in between? John and Andy talk through the big topic of finding or building the right setting for your game. Episode 40 appendix (show notes): RPG Alchemy Fate Condensed Dungeon World Swords Without … Continue reading "Episode 40 — How Do You Build or Choose a Setting for Your Game?"
Jun 11, 2020 • 40min
Episode 39 — How Do You Use Fear in Your Roleplaying Games?
What does fear look like when it crops up in your games, horror or otherwise? How can you use fear to motivate player characters and make for a fun, tense game? John and Andy discuss.
May 28, 2020 • 47min
Episode 38 — How Do You Use Maps in Your Game?
What role do maps play in the games that you run? While Chris is taking a few weeks of parental leave, Andy is joined by guest co-host John Corey to discuss the wonderful topic of maps. Note: the audio quality on this episode is a bit lower than our usual standard, for which we apologize; … Continue reading "Episode 38 — How Do You Use Maps in Your Game?"
May 14, 2020 • 46min
Episode 37 — How Do You Handle Character Death in a Roleplaying Game?
What do you do when a character in your game bites the dust? If character death happens, how do you work it into your campaign, and how do you address the topic with your players? Andy and Chris discuss this notoriously tricky subject.
