I caught up with Gareth Hanrahan at Gencon this year to talk about the Borellus Connection, a new campaign for Fall of Delta Green. Find out the secrets behind this globe hopping 1960s campaign! This interview has been mirrored on Youtube.By Ross Payton

Do you have questions on actual play podcasts? Talk to Ross Payton (RPPR), Caleb Stokes (Dead Channels), Rob Stith, (Orpheus Protocol) and Ethan Cordray (Technical Difficulties) for all the answers you want! We talk about creating shows, running them, editing, marketing, and many other topics related to running an AP podcast. We recorded this panel…

This episode is also on Youtube with original video of Gencon 2024. Check it out! We’re back from Gencon 2024! We recorded panels, played and bought new games, and a lot more. Caleb won a Gold Ennie for God’s Teeth! I wanted to get out a quick summary of Gencon to let you all know the highlights. Find out what panels and events we recorded and some…

Art for tabletop RPGS is not technically necessary but it does help. Chris and I discuss the role of art in RPGs and review Art by Nohr, a book by Mork Borg co-creator, Johan Nohr. We’re experimenting with video with this episode, so subscribe to us on Youtube for Gencon coverage and more! Check out Chris’ Youtube channel where he discusses video g…

In 2021, Andrew spent four months in two of Sydney’s maximum-security prisons for the commercial supply of psychedelic drugs. While incarcerated, Andrew began noticing the transportive power of laughter. After all, if a joke can make you forget you’re in prison, what else can it do? Upon his release, Andrew took up stand-up comedy, initially under …

I have begun working on a new role playing game. It is called Labyrinths of Lost Futures, a modern day dungeon crawling hauntological fantasy. Delve into weird ruins with an enchanted gun and cellphone. Fight cryptids in a haunted trailer park. Escape a time loop based on a person’s childhood memories. Caleb has some questions and comments about th…

Danielle Hogan opens up on her incredible journey. Having spent her childhood lost and eventually in the wrong crowd of people she was soon led down a path of selling drugs to the upper class of the eastern suburbs here in Sydney Australia. Coming clean to her parents as the guilt sets in she was caught several weeks later by police and spent time …

Tom Nash a.k.a. DjHookie contracted Meningococcal disease as an early adult resulting in the amputation of his arms and legs. Through this adversity he has since become a renowned DJ with one of New South Wales longest lasting club nights. He is a keynote speaker and author of book "hook, line and sinner" He's a TedTalk speaker and talks about conc…

Mark Lovell is a former Royal Marines Commando and embarked on military operations including Herrick 9 to name a few. Where his career led him toward security operations in the maritime sector during the "boom" before leaving military style life. A husband, father of 2 and multiple business owner who owns a chain of barber shops and a gym. He talks…

The Kickstarter for season 3 of the Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast is now live! Back it today to help us fund another full season of this podcast. The Lady in Blue, a mysterious figure of cosmic power, enlists a band of simple peasants for a strange task. They are to follow an invisible bridge until they arrive at a hole in the sky – and then jum…

Dave Coleman is former British Commando who served in warzones such as Afghanistan during Op Herrick 14. He was a Long Range Rifleman. Injured in a Grenade blast on a Company Operation but managed to Return to the Frontline a month later. He's been on Migrant Rescue Missions, Saving Migrants who were Stranded at Sea in fishing vessels during Severe…

Russell Manser, an ex-bank robber and prison escapee now fights for survivors’ reparation by helping victims access justice through the legal system. Russell Manser, himself a survivor of institutional child sexual abuse, is a committed champion for the rights of others who have experienced these traumatic and painful abuses. Growing up in western …

Mega Dungeon Meandering is a deep dive into one of the best reviewed mega dungeons of all time, Stonehell: Stonehell Dungeon is a classic-style mega dungeon, filled with enough monsters, traps, weirdness, and treasure to keep you gaming for a long, long time. Explore over 700 rooms, encounter more than 40 new monsters, and discover 18 mysterious ma…

Charles is a holistic therapist and lifestyle coach who grew up in the inner west of Sydney. His story is not only inspiring, but resonates with so many of us who are / were lost on the journey of self-discovery, purpose and passion. He classes himself as your "not so spiritual guide" taking away the "fuddy duddy" of the holistic lifestyle and work…

Colin Fassnidge, proud father, ruthless award winning restauranteur, chef and now famous for his appearances on My Kitchen Rules "MKR", kitchen nightmares and more. His love for food and passion for perfection in the industry is polarising and divisive. But like all good chef's, the outspoken irishman now living in Sydney, Australia always manages …

We conclude the post mortem discussion of Impossible Landscapes, after the interruption from the previous episode. We now have a campaign index page, so you can easily find al of the episodes and other relevant bits for the campaign. Maddy as Ryan West, paramedic Thad as Marley Madelyn, FBI agent Fae as Yersinia Riszek, cryptographer Rob Stith as J…

Jeffrey Morgan notorious bank robber now business coach His past couldn’t be more different to his life now. Growing up in Redfern, a notoriously disadvantaged inner-city neighbourhood, Jeff was surrounded by bad habits, unhealthy diets and poor mental health. His home life was rough and tough. There was little to eat and a fair share of abuse. By …

Our actual play run of the surreal horror campaign, Impossible Landscapes, is now done. The cast and I discuss the characters, plot, and more! Find out the secrets behind the campaign and my advice for running this challenging but rewarding campaign. Maddy as Ryan West, paramedic Thad as Marley Madelyn, FBI agent Fae as Yersinia Riszek, cryptograph…

Lloyd Kay is the director of Sydney Piling construction firm, a successful company built literally from the ground up, which is now one of leading piling businesses in New South Wales. But life wasn't always so good growing up in a rough part of the United Kingdom. At a young age Lloyd was exposed to some pretty horrific circumstances and his fathe…

Sasha Fedorovsky from the mind-heart-method is a men's relationship and intimacy coach. Through her program she works with men to not only save their marriages, but put them in a position to be treated like a king. A fascinating conversation highlights the difference in our species and how we feel, think and view the world. After working with leadi…

Conor Randall was diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer out of the blue in November 2021. A young, fit and healthy individual physically. But mentally things weren't what they seemed. He was given 8 weeks to live and was told he'd never make his 30th birthday... 2 years on his incredible awe inspiring story of his and his families courage to seek a…

Hung Chuy is the director of Strategic Brokers, the brokerage I now contract for... he has a super inspiring story, coming from nothing his father tried to escape Cambodia on 3 seperate occasions and he was born in a Thai refugee camp. Growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney he started life at maccas and found his feet through running poker tou…

David Taggart former Royal Marines Commando had a troubled upbringing with both parents having Alcoholism... He could have gone down the wrong path being brought up in a rough area in England, lack of support and the responsibility of his younger brother as a young age. Luckily David at 15 years and 9 months walked into the careers office of the Ro…

Simon Loo is the owner of House Finder and is one of the most sought after Buyers Agents in Sydney for interstate investment in QLD and WA. He's build a portfolio of over 20 million dollars personally and has less than 20% debt on those investments which generate him a whopping $700,000 per year in income. But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows fo…

We’re back for another episode! I found a bottle of Blanton’s bourbon and to celebrate my discovery, we recorded a new episode. Spencer even has a new food rating system! Back The Night Clerk zine! A modern horror RPG scenario from Ross Payton! We’re talking about a wide range of topics – check it out: Beer: Prairie Artisan Ale Stuf’t (2) Segment: …

The Flash is a spectacularly bad movie. Caleb, Spencer, and I got together to discuss exactly WHY it was so bad. I was part of a podcast called The Mixed Six for nearly 6 years. I had a blast making it and I’m proud of the episodes we made. ItBy Ross Payton

In this bitesize clip Chris talks about people making it too complicated and the mindset behind the typical individual that says "If it was that easy everyone would do it" which is exactly why they don't do it! https://linktr.ee/rossthemortgagebroker Support the Show. find out your borrowing power (Australia only) - linktr.ee/rossthemortgagebroker…

Architectural horror is a subgenre of intention. Novels like House of Leaves, movies like The Shining, the Saw series, and games like Control can all be called architectural horror, but what does that mean? Rob Stith of the Orpheus Protocol and I talk about the genre and my new scenario,By Ross Payton

A Jew, an Asian dude, a Pommy and an Irishmen walk into a bar... Mark - conveyancer Simon - buyers agent Jon - buyers agent Myself - mortgage broker Invited 25 first time buyers and investors to talk shop about the Australian market... the Q/A that lead on from this will be uploaded soon. https://linktr.ee/rossthemortgagebroker Support the Show. fi…

Chris Gray is a property investor and business owner. He has over $25,000,000 worth of property and adopts the "rentvesting" strategy, still renting to this day Chris believes he'll never own the home he lives in. His car garage consists of a tank (yes that's correct) fire engine, limo, Rolls Royce and hot rod to name a few... His buyers agency You…

A system-less RPG scenario is designed to be able to run in any system for a particular genre. Writing one is just as challenging as writing one for a single system. I’m launching a crowdfunding campaign on Backerkit for The Night Clerk, a system-less modern horror scenario, as a zine.By Ross Payton

This is a bitesize episode where Jon talks about his "give a f*** factor" Support the Show. find out your borrowing power (Australia only) - linktr.ee/rossthemortgagebrokerBy Ross Hanrahan

Jon Sermon is a Sydney based Buyers agent who helps people find off-market opportunities for owner occupied and investments. He also is the co-founder of BIO networking group, a nationwide vibrant new way to network in cool funky locations across Australia... Known as the man who connects the dots, Jon is a talent when it comes to networking and I …

Many RPGs use d20s for resolving combat, like D&D, 13th Age, and Lancer. Caleb and I have been playing a lot of d20 games recently and we wanted to talk about the nature of d20 combat. It’s a very swingy system, where every combatant can miss in a single round,By Ross Payton

We ran a Fate Core campaign called Cointract Island on RPPR Actual Play. Over 16 episodes, a trio of heroes explored an island overrun with genetically engineered and cybernetically enhanced creatures. In this post mortem, Bridget, Fae, Lydia, and I discuss the campaign’s themes, the Fate system, and crypto bro…

I talked with Greg Stolze, author of Reign, Termination Shock, co-author of Unknown Armies, and writer on many other books (and my co-host on Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast) about his new Kickstarter for Ships, a supplement for Termination Shock. We talked about the core mechanics for Termination Shock, game design, and…

Delta Green is a popular horror RPG but it can be hard to understand how to get its tone or its procedural elements. Caleb, Jason, and I discuss some media to look at when trying to ‘get’ the Delta Green vibe. This is a preview episode of our new seriesBy Ross Payton

Caleb is back discussing his progress on Red Markets. After a recent gaming retreat, Caleb developed a theory he wanted to discuss in this episode, about the obscene and the scene. The scene represents the public, socially acceptable aspects of a given object or activity. The obscene refers to theBy Ross Payton

In this episode, James Wallis, co-host of Ludonarrative Dissidents podcast and author of “Everybody Wins: Four Decades of the Greatest Board Games Ever Made,” and I talk about what RPG designers can learn from board games. We talked about the history and influence of board games, the challenges of playtesting…

Wizards of the Coast has stepped on a series of rakes with a series of proposed changes to the Open Gaming License (OGL). What is the OGL and why is WOTC is trying to destroy a popular thing in the industry? Caleb and I discuss what’s going on and whatBy Ross Payton

Caleb and I discuss the possibility of creating a second edition of Red Markets and Base Raiders. It’s a major task, so examining the pros and cons is a necessary first step. Updating the mechanics, revising the lore, and improving the information design are all big challenges, not to mentionBy Ross Payton

We’re back for one more round with Synnibarr 3ED. Caleb, Thad, Baz, and I dive into the GM (or Fate in the parlance of Synnibarr). We’re all guests in Raven’s house, so find out what his wisdom for running a RPG is. What is the ADDA model? Why are thereBy Ross Payton

News: There’s a horror video marathon on the RPPR Patreon Discord on Sunday October 30, starting at 3 pm CDT! Sign up for the RPPR Newsletter and get a FREE Monster PDF! Synopsis: After watching the first 7 Saw movies in the last week, I realized that game design comesBy Ross Payton

Making a player character for Synnibarr Third Edition is perhaps the most challenging part of the game. Baz, Noah, Thad, and I attempt to make a group of characters for the game and discover that do not perceive reality in the same way that Raven McCracken does. We do learnBy Ross Payton

Designing new monsters for your RPG is a time honored tradition for most GMs. I got Greg Stolze and Caleb Stokes to talk about their approaches to creating new creatures for games. Is the monster a metaphor or just a weird new enemy to fight? Get some tips on becomingBy Ross Payton

The Worldship is back! There’s a new edition of the Synibarr and we’re diving into it. I got a full round table of RPPR regulars to explore the Ultimate Adventurer’s Guide. Baz, Caleb, Noah, and Thad and I found so many different things, it’s hard to keep track of themBy Ross Payton

Like so many other things, game design has changed in the post-pandemic world. Jeff Barber, author of Blue Planet, and Caleb Stokes, author of Red Markets, and I talk about work and the industry. Jeff’s been hard at work on Blue Planet: Recontact and Caleb talks more about Fae’s AnatomyBy Ross Payton

The Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute (CARI) is an amazing website that categorizes popular aesthetic trends from the last 70 years in pop culture. Baz, Thad, and I browsed through the categories and used them to come up with ideas for new RPGs, campaigns for existing RPGs, D&D source books, and…

The Multiverse is back! Films and TV shows featuring the concept of a multiverse are more popular than ever, even though they are old hat in tabletop RPGs. Special guest Patrick from RPX and Tech Diff podcasts and I talk about ways you can implement a multiverse in your RPGBy Ross Payton

Many RPGs use cards in their mechanics, from playing cards to Tarot to custom decks of cards. We discuss some of these games, the types of mechanics we’ve seen and the history of card-based games. If you enjoy this episode, back our Kickstarter for Season 2 of Ludonarrative Dissidents. ThisBy Ross Payton