Roleplay Rescue

This is the first of a new approach to interviews in which I aim to talk to roleplaying game activists about games that I am personally less familiar with. John Alan Large is the brain behind Red Dice Diaries, the channel where he provides tips and advice for roleplaying, broadcasts games showing that advice in action, and highlights games that offer innovative mechanisms or assistance to the GM. Although John has uploaded more than 900 videos to YouTube over the past three years, my exposure to Red Dice Diaries came through his podcast of the same name and contributions to the Purple Worm podcast. In recent weeks, John has rebooted the podcast as RDD RPG and it was the first episode - talking his wife Hannah through running a Star Trek game using FATE - that inspired me to want a deeper chat. Red Dice Diaries: reddicediaries.com RDD RPG Podcast: rddrpgpodcast.buzzsprout.com/977239 Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

The Roleplay Rescue Dungeon Master’s Diary is the Wednesday bonus episode and features me, a microphone, and whatever gaming-related nonsense flows from my mind. This is recorded in short snippets throughout the week and then roughly edited together to form a diary of one man’s  journey in gaming, shared week-by-week. It’s raw, glaringly personal,  and not everyone’s cup of tea. This week was another toughy, so forgive the mentions of work and how that is screwing with my confidence. Thanks for listening. Game on! Thanks to Jason, Goblin's Henchman, and Barry for the call-ins. Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

This interview was recorded a little under a month ago and was LOADS of fun to record. Jason Hobbs is the Host and Creator of the Tabletop RPG podcast, Hobbs & Friends, and also host of his personal journal podcast, Random Screed. In addition to podcasting, he has started streaming his tabletop role-playing games on Twitch. He is famed for, among other games, his Kalmatta campaign and a recent foray into playing the RPG Low Fantasy Gaming in the Midlands setting. Hobbs is a regular convention gamer and an all-round good egg, hailing as he does from the American Mid-west. Listen in and see what you can learn about playing games way too seriously. Hobbs & Friends: hobbsnfriends.com Random Screed: anchor.fm/jason-hobbs Upgrade the Gamerhood: gofundme.com/f/upgrade-the-gamerhood Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

The Roleplay Rescue Dungeon Master’s Diary is the Wednesday bonus episode and features me, a microphone, and whatever gaming-related nonsense flows from my mind. This is recorded in short snippets throughout the week and then roughly edited together to form a diary of one man’s journey in gaming, shared week-by-week. It’s raw, glaringly personal, and not everyone’s cup of tea. This past week was more positive and, although I was very busy grading for GCSE, I managed to find time to record a few segments. I've organised the episode broadly in time order, sprinkling in some excellent call-ins through the week. Thanks for listening. Game on! Thanks to Jason, Menion, John, and ShandyAndy for the call-ins. Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

This episode is a bonus call-in show in which I am going to try and pack in as many messages as I can, seeking to hoover up and present the outpouring of interest and support that Roleplay Rescue has received in the six or so weeks since the UK went into pandemic lockdown. Lots of these will stand on their own but I will, on occasion I feel, have something to say in response. Many thanks to all the callers! Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

This week I want to get back to the core mission of Roleplay Rescue, namely to encourage the lapsed tabletop roleplaying gamer to come back to the table. The first step back to the table involves becoming a player. And to become a player, you need to create a character. This episode is all about the approaches you might take to do just that. Game on! Thanks to Evil Jeff for "Adam's Rules of Gaming Etiquette" (1991). Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

The  Roleplay Rescue Dungeon Master’s Diary is the Wednesday bonus episode  and features me, a microphone, and whatever gaming-related nonsense  flows from my mind. This is recorded in short snippets throughout the  average week and then roughly edited together to form a diary of one  man’s journey in gaming, shared week-by-week. It’s raw, glaringly  personal, and not everyone’s cup of tea. In recent weeks, with the global Covid-19 pandemic placing all UK  citizens under lockdown and forcing me to work from home, I’ve had more  time to think and it’s easier to record those thoughts than ever.  Consequently, there have been several weeks now with a double bill of  the Dungeon Master’s Diary. I fear that it is too much for some  listeners but… well, the call ins and comments on social media encourage  me to keep going. This past week was rough: be warned - my mind strayed to some dark  places. But it wasn’t all bad and some significant positive developments  are afoot. I just hope that by sharing the dark alongside the light,  even when it is painfully personal, I can offer you something of  goodness. Thanks for listening. Game on! Thanks to Jason and Menion for the call-ins. Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

The Roleplay Rescue Dungeon Master’s Diary is the Wednesday bonus episode and features me, a microphone, and whatever gaming-related nonsense flows from my mind. This is recorded in short snippets throughout the average week and then roughly edited together to form a diary of one man’s journey in gaming, shared week-by-week. It’s raw, glaringly personal, and not everyone’s cup of tea. In recent weeks, with the global Covid-19 pandemic placing all UK citizens under lockdown and forcing me to work from home, I’ve had more time to think and it’s easier to record those thoughts than ever. Consequently, there have been several weeks now with a double bill of the Dungeon Master’s Diary. I fear that it is too much for some listeners but… well, the call ins and comments on social media encourage me to keep going. This past week was rough: be warned - my mind strayed to some dark places. But it wasn’t all bad and some significant positive developments are afoot. I just hope that by sharing the dark alongside the light, even when it is painfully personal, I can offer you something of goodness. Thanks for listening. Game on! Thanks to Jason, ShandyAndy, and Josh B for the call-ins.  Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

This interview was recorded a little under a month ago, two days before the Steve Jackson interview, and was very much a joy to record. My guest is just about the most hard-working and consistent RPG writer I have ever known and he’s a genuine inspiration to me. Douglas H. Cole is the owner of Gaming Ballistic, the first licensed third-party publisher for the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game and The Fantasy Trip, working in support of Steve Jackson Games’ popular roleplaying games. If there was one person on a Top 10 list of adventure writers I would like to talk to, this guy would be on it. Yes, he writes for GURPS but that’s not the essence of this interview. Listen in and see what you can learn about writing adventures. Gaming Ballistic: gamingballistic.com Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Part 2 of this week's DM's Diary opens with a lovely call-in from John Large and then plunges into Dolmenwood. This was the week in which Friar Jaspar died and Pithwilder appropriated some magic items. From here, I pick up on my rant about stealing worlds and turn my eyes on Mystara. As ever, it's a rough-and-tumble affair. You have been warned! Enjoy! Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Another mad week of home-working in which I had limited time for actually DOING any hobby but far too many ideas floating around my head. There are some ranting moments in here, so please excuse the passion. Thanks for the call-ins to Jason, Menion, and John Large. Game on! Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

This episode is a bonus call-in show focused around the initial reactions I got to Episode 2, “Why do you play what you play?” I have had a truck-ton of lovely call-ins throughout the last 2 weeks since Season 6 started airing. Although I will share those calls over time, I wanted to address one or two issues that arose from the content of Episode 2. It seems that while some folk have commented - both here and through social media - that it was a valuable episode, not everyone is entirely comfortable with what I said. Here's me responding to those call-ins about Simulation and Abstraction in gaming received so far. To cap it all off, I hope to find time to briefly respond to the question that I have been dreading for 5 seasons of the show. Oh, and there's a competition too. Are you ready? Come on down. Ron Edwards' quotation from here: indie-rpgs.com/articles/3/ Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

About a month ago, I was fiddling around on Twitter when I got into a tweet-chat with Griff, one of the creative team behind The Secrets of Blackmoor, a film that takes you into the True History Behind Dungeons & Dragons. Very quickly, we decided to hop onto Skype and have a chat. Although I am a big fan of the film, I didn’t want to talk about that and asked Griff if we could talk about what he terms, “The Traditional Game”. Thank you to Griff for agreeing to have that chat! This Skype conversation was edited by the wonderfully talented and generous hand of Frank L. Turfler, Jnr, the man behind Middle Kingdoms Publishing and the excellent maps available on his Patreon. Big thank you to Frank for saving me hours of editing! Secrets of Blackmoor Movie: secretsofblackmoor.com Frank's Patreon: patreon.com/frankt Roleplay Rescue Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

Second part of this week's DM's Diary - again a big, busy week because I was on holiday from school over the Easter break. This bit covers from last Wednesday until the weekend. As ever, it's raw and messy so enter at your own risk. Game on! Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat

First part of this week's DM's Diary - again a big, busy week because I was on holiday from school over the Easter break. This bit covers through to Tuesday and the next bit will go from there until the weekend. As ever, it's raw and messy so enter at your own risk. Game on! Dear Diary Theme Song and incidental music by TJ Drennon: patreon.com/TJD Contact Details: Voice Message: anchor.fm/rpgrescue/message Email: hello@rpgrescue.com Patreon: patreon.com/rpgrescue Blog: roleplayrescue.com MeWe Group: mewe.com/join/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Facebook Page: facebook.com/roleplayrescue (or search "Roleplay Rescue") Twitter: @ubiquitousrat