
Ludonarrative Dissidents
Ludonarrative Dissidents is a podcast from Greg Stolze, James Wallis, and Ross Payton to explore and analyze tabletop RPGs. What does each game do, how does it work, and why do people play it? We are currently in season 3, and we've expanded to include sourcebooks and adventures. Visit our website at https://www.ludonarrativedissidents.com/ to get detailed show notes. Join our Discord at https://discord.gg/CQt5DbFZCD
Latest episodes

Jan 6, 2025 • 1h 19min
Vampire the Masquerade: 5th Edition
This episode covers the roleplaying game VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE 5th edition, developed by Kenneth Hite and Karim Muammar, published in 2018 by White Wolf Entertainment in association with Paradox Entertainment and Free League. The original Vampire: The Masquerade was designed by Mark Rein•Hagen and released by White Wolf Publishing in 1991. It dominated the RPG hobby in the 1990s and remains one of the biggest RPGs of all time.
Click here to see Vampire: the Masquerade 5th edition at DriveThruRPGClick here to see the original 1991 Vampire:the Masquerade, which we also discuss and which is still on sale for a paltry $9.99.
Read the full show notes on our website
It’s a fascinating read for anyone who wants to experience the origins of the World of Darkness.
“It would have been like kicking a tiny puppy in a tiny corset” – Greg
Please join our Discord server to discuss this episode!

Dec 17, 2024 • 1h 16min
Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #7 - December 2024
Ross talks about RPGs in Japan and other things he encountered during his vacation there. James talks about Mappa Mundi, an upcoming exploration RPG and more!
Watch it on Youtube to see the photos Ross shared and more!

Dec 5, 2024 • 1h 10min
Alien: Chariot of the Gods
Alien: Chariot of the Gods is an introductory/one-shot adventure for Free League’s Alien RPG, written by Andrew E. C. Gaska and set in the universe of most of the Alien/Aliens movies. It was published in 2019.
READ THE FULL SHOW NOTES HERE
Click here to see the Alien RPG on the Free League website
Click here to see the Alien RPG on DriveThruRPG
Click here to see the Alien: Chariot of the Gods adventure on DriveThruRPG
This episode is brought to you with support from Brent, one of our Kickstarter backers, who wanted to give a shout-out to his Youtube channel @Rolewise. Thanks, Brent!
Discuss this episode on the LND Discord!

Nov 10, 2024 • 1h 10min
Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #6 - October 24
Our livestream for October. Watch it on Youtube to see what we're talking about.

Nov 5, 2024 • 1h 10min
James Bond RPG
James Bond 007: Roleplaying In Her Majesty’s Secret Service was designed by Gerard Christopher Klug (known as Chris Klug these days) with development by Greg Gordon and Neil Randall, and was released by Victory Games between 1983 and 1987, selling over 100,000 copies. It is long out of print but available on the second-hand market at reasonable prices (as I write Noble Knight lists it at under $15 for the core rules) though the supplements are usually 200-500% more.
This episode was made possible by our patron and friend Christian Bickle, who chose the game for us to cover. Huge thanks go out to him for letting us create a really fun episode.
Full show notes are available here
Discuss this episode on the LND Discord!
Intro music by Arcane Anthems

Oct 1, 2024 • 1h 17min
Double Tap - Night's Black Agents
Click here to read the full show notes!
Night’s Black Agents: Double Tap is a ‘gear book’ from 2013, a collection of new equipment, background and game material for GM and players, written by Ken Hite and several others. It’s an expansion for Night’s Black Agents, an RPG of modern tactical espionage and vampires, also written by Ken Hite and published by Pelgrane Press in 2011. It’s a really interesting book whether you play NBA or not, and we think you’ll enjoy our far-ranging discussion of it and the issues it raises.
Click here to see NBA: Double Tap on DriveThruRPGClick here to see the Night’s Black Agents RPG on DriveThruRPG

Sep 23, 2024 • 1h 4min
Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #5 - September 24
Our livestream for September. If you want to see the visuals, watch it on Youtube.

Sep 4, 2024 • 1h 25min
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (SWADE) was designed and written by Shane Lacy Hensley with Clint Black, and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group in 2023. It’s a generic rules system of cinematic action with a historied pedigree and an amazing range of sourcebooks, but how does it fare against more rules-y games like GURPS or narrativist darlings like FATE? We take it apart to see what keeps its motor running, mechanically and stylistically, then put it back together to discuss how that affects play.
As noted at the end of the episode, Greg and James were
given PDF copies of the game by PEG and we are properly grateful for that.
Click here to see Savage Worlds: Adventure Edition on DriveThruRPG
Click here for Episode 3 full show notes
Discuss this episode on the LND Discord!
Intro music by Arcane Anthems

Aug 30, 2024 • 1h 8min
Ludonarrative Dissidents Livestream #4 August 2024
We're talking about Gencon 2024 and new trends in games. Watch the livestream here for the visuals.

Aug 19, 2024 • 1h 11min
Delta Green: Convergence
Delta Green: Convergence is a short adventure for the Delta Green RPG. Originally written by John Scott Tynes and published by Pagan Publishing in 1992, it is the first adventure ever set in the Delta Green universe, the original source, the motherlode, the primal zygote.
In this episode of Ludonarrative Dissidents we are discussing the slightly updated edition released by Arc Dream Publishing in 2023.
Click here to see Delta Green Convergence on DriveThruRPG
FULL SHOW NOTES ARE AVAILABLE HERE
Discuss this episode on the LND Discord!
Intro music by Arcane Anthems